I have HAD IT with how this team (doesn't) use Demarcus!

[IfAt1st]

Demarcus could be BEASTLY already when he isn't in foul trouble.
We're talking 30+ points and 20+ rebounds many games.

But NOT the way this team uses him on offense.

Could someone explain to me what the hell the coaching staff and players are thinking?

I see DMC playing offense in a variety of spots, and few of them give him much to do.

a) DMC is setting weak-*** picks outside the 3-pt line that are almost ALWAYS moved AWAY from by the guard.

b) DMC gets the ball passed to him at the 3-pt line. WTH is he going to do with that?

c) DMC gets the ball about 20 ft from the basket, usually on the left side of the court just outside the top of the key. He has to either dribble past his man to score (not easy at ALL, tho he sometimes can!), or have his defender bite on a fake to free up room to shoot a contested 18 ft shot.

d) DMC gets the ball 15 ft from the basket always on the left side and has to spin around his man to score.

e) All the rest of the possessions, DMC has to move in when someone else takes the shot and pull an offensive rebound out of his ***, yet again.

f) I've seen a handful of give-and-go's this year for DMC, and they've ALL scored IIRC.
Recently, I'm starting to see a weak pick-and-roll forming where DMC actually sets the pick at 19 ft and the guard passes it back to DMC for the open shot. This scores a good % of the time.

I simply don't see the Kings using Demarcus like the elite big man with superior passing skills that he is.
* They are not using him like they did Vlade, Webber, or Brad Miller. Even when DMC gets the ball around where those guys did on the floor, there is ZERO off-the-ball movement to provide open cutters for DMC to pass to.
* They are not using him like a normal big man, where they set him up down low (12 ft - 10 ft from the basket) and give him repeated chances (with re-sets, if needed) with plenty of time on the clock to give him a chance to be successful in the post.
* They are not running many good pick-and-rolls (set ~19 ft).

Can someone with more knowledge of basketball explain why the Kings coaches and players are avoiding using Demarcus like any remotely-competent team should be (ramming him down the opposing team's throat, especially when he is having a dominant game, is against small guys, and/or isn't in foul trouble)?

Because it just seems to me that the proper use of DMC is blatantly obvious - I must be missing some explanation here....

 

[jcwkings]

DMC doesn't know how to play in the post like great big men. He gets flustered and gets his shot blocked often. He doesn't know how to pass out to open players. I think that will eventually come, but its not anywhere close to being there yet. At this point hes getting his stats based on natural talent, and basketball instincts, when he actually learns to play in the post, he could be great, but again thats well down the line imo.

 

[TehSwimGuy]

Ok, well 30 points 20 rebounds is an exaggeration. Aldridge just had that game, and he's done that what, once? DMC isn't quite there yet. Which is not to say he will be.

That being said, I think he can and should be utilized much better. It's been a while since I've seen a Kings guy in the low post handing off the ball and passing like Vlade did...wouldn't mind seeing something similar again.

 

[nickmcclure]

We definitely need to use him more on the offensive end. Homeboy can pass too, whatever happened to the Princeton offense?

 

[jcwkings]

We definitely need to use him more on the offensive end. Homeboy can pass too, whatever happened to the Princeton offense?

Spencer Hawes and Kevin Martin aren't on this team anymore. To run the Princeton you need big men who can pass, and great off the ball players. Cousins is a pretty good passer, our wings have never heard off the words "off ball movement".

 

[swisshh]

Cousins post play has one major problem: He has a lot of things he can do, but he doesn't need to do all those things.

He should simplify his options. Choose a spin to a drop step or attempt a hook. Don't just roll into the lane and flip the ball up because you weren't sure what your plan was to begin with. He needs to find the post move he does best with. It might be the turnaround fade/jumper. Once he finds his move, he needs to milk that move, get defenses to play to it and then use counter moves. He needs to also size up the defense before going into a move. If he could narrow down his post work to three moves, with one preferred move, and wait for cutters, then his success rate would increase.

After that, he needs to keep looking to pass. I mentioned cutters, but part of the passing problem is the lack of cutters and lack of passing lanes created.

 

[Italics]

DMC doesn't know how to play in the post like great big men. He gets flustered and gets his shot blocked often. He doesn't know how to pass out to open players. I think that will eventually come, but its not anywhere close to being there yet. At this point hes getting his stats based on natural talent, and basketball instincts, when he actually learns to play in the post, he could be great, but again thats well down the line imo.

This.

DMC is just another one of the many "great potential - complete failure to achieve it" guys on the Kings right now.

 

[IfAt1st]

DMC is just another one of the many "great potential - complete failure to achieve it" guys on the Kings right now.

Except jcwkings is blatantly wrong in his statement:
DMC DOES pass, and he's much more than just a post player.
DMC has proven to be an excellent passer from the post last year (maybe he missed all those games?) and his 18 fr shot is a good one.

The Kings simply don't use him in the post much this year. He's too busy setting screens beyond the 3 pt arc that the guards turn away from, then he has to run into the set defenders and try and get posistion for an offensive rebound against 2 or more guys.... and STILL gets it a lot of the time.

The guys a major talent, and the Kings aren't feeding it.

Tyreke has had his chance to shine - he was fed for an entire season to puff up his stats for the 20-5-5 campaign. Whether they should have done that or not is irrelevant. The fact remains, the Kings put almost every play in Tyreke's hands and let him get as much stats as they could.

How much do they feed DMC the ball?
Even when he's dominating the game - just simply crushing the other team and amazing everyone in the building - the Kings will ignore him for long stretches of time. How is that even possible in the NBA?!
By definition, it's purposeful, since the Kings are the only ones in charge of who they are passing it to....

The majority of his #'s he's putting up with ZERO help from his teammates or coaches.
He's simply creating them out of thin air - grabbing offensive boards like noone else can.
Getting blocks, getting steals, passing to open guys, etc.
He even has to battle his own teammates for the rebound when he's in position. I don't see other Magic players taking the ball away from Dwight Howard....

If the Kings would set Demarcus up with easy baskets for dunks from penetrating, then passing to him instead of kicking it out, or they used the pick-and-roll countless times a game the way other teams do, it would give DMC an easy 8 more points a game.
If they played him more when he's not in foul trouble (this is only the 4th game this entire season that he's even played more than 30 minutes!) it'd help, too.

He's having to do everything on his own right now.

Is there anyone with big man experience on the King's roster right now? Anyone who knows how to run plays that are designed to take advantage of an elite big man, instead of the Small Ball game that solely needs their big men to help on the offensive boards and get whatever garbage they can?

If I was Demarcus, I'd be demanding more plays that would give me a good opportunity to succeed, instead of having to battle against the entire opposing team for scraps and being ignored by my teammates when they aren't fighting me for the ball.

 

[Bricklayer]

Spencer Hawes and Kevin Martin aren't on this team anymore. To run the Princeton you need big men who can pass, and great off the ball players. Cousins is a pretty good passer, our wings have never heard off the words "off ball movement".

We were running Princeton sequences as recently as last year, and the second half of last year Cousins and the team was racking up big assist and scoring numbers -- people forget quickly in the muck we are watching now.

But one thing that happened is of course Coachie may be pretty much retired now, and he's an East Coast grandpa, not a West Coast assistant coach at this point. Of course Westphal had implemented some of that, whether his choice or not. But Westphal isn't the coach anymore either and Smart comes from a separate school.

In any case, Cousins is just young. He doesn't finish well inside because he doesn't gather and is freqeuently off balance, and he doesn't handle great length very well because he plays mostly below the rim and wants to just overwhelm smaller guys while using strength, not hops. I think the coaching staff more than the players has determined his usage. In this game for instance we basically were not going to post him on Camby. Ditto last game against Gasol. I don't like that btw. And its going to take me years probably to trust Smart not to be an outisde shooting loving smallball wuss at heart. But there is a theory there. Against teams without big cetners we've had DeMarcus in there much tighter. And there are distinct efforts to get himt he ball, or at least look at it as a possiblity. Its during those times though that you can se certian guys just aren't very good at it. I don't think Jimmer has ever worked wiht a post man of any value before, I noticed tonight Reke get a little annoyed at IT for breaking off too quick and choosing to dirbble away rather than try to feed DeMarcus etc.

Work in progress. Hardly something to be panicky about. Very young team. Very young post player. Miles ahead of most at this stage. And since his posting is already in the offense since Westphal left, its frequently part of a play etc., it will come.

 

[SacTownKid]

We were running Princeton sequences as recently as last year, and the second half of last year Cousins and the team was racking up big assist and scoring numbers -- people forget quickly in the muck we are watching now.

But one thing that happened is of course Coachie may be pretty much retired now, and he's an East Coast grandpa, not a West Coast assistant coach at this point. Of course Westphal had implemented some fo that, whether his choice or not. But Westphal isn't the coach anymore either and Smart comes from a separate school.

Not this year, although that was the story. He was going to use Cousins and Hayes as "facilitators". Probably a good idea too, they are two of the better passers on the team and in april of last year both had over 4 apg.

Cousins needs to have his passing used and Smart is starting to. This team not coincidentally became very competitive when they ran the offense through him. Add a guy like Hayes who had a better assist to turnover ratio than any guard on the Kings and you have what they call a no brainer.

 

[ESP47]

Demarcus is not a great post player right now. He has some nifty moves that work....some of the time. When we feed him in the post and tell him to go to work, his FG% is about 41%. That's terrible for a big man. When he plays off the ball and mops up rebounds and shoots open outside shots, he's a 50% shooter. I'd rather have him score 17 points a game on 50% shooting than 21 points on 41%.

There aren't many big men that go 4-15 from the field every 3 or 4 nights. His offense is not as great as people think it is.

 

[Kingster]

DMC doesn't know how to play in the post like great big men. He gets flustered and gets his shot blocked often. He doesn't know how to pass out to open players. I think that will eventually come, but its not anywhere close to being there yet. At this point hes getting his stats based on natural talent, and basketball instincts, when he actually learns to play in the post, he could be great, but again thats well down the line imo.

Agreed. He misses a ton of chippies about two feet from the basket. He rushes it. He needs to have a go-to move and then have patience with it. He's more effective at the high post hitting an open 18 footer than he is close to the basket. It's not what you'd expect because of his size, but that's the way it is. The best thing they can do with him inside is hitting him on the move when he's rolling to the basket. Starting from a standstill position is not very effective.

 

[Kingster]

Except jcwkings is blatantly wrong in his statement:
DMC DOES pass, and he's much more than just a post player.
DMC has proven to be an excellent passer from the post last year (maybe he missed all those games?) and his 18 fr shot is a good one.

The Kings simply don't use him in the post much this year. He's too busy setting screens beyond the 3 pt arc that the guards turn away from, then he has to run into the set defenders and try and get posistion for an offensive rebound against 2 or more guys.... and STILL gets it a lot of the time.

The guys a major talent, and the Kings aren't feeding it.

Tyreke has had his chance to shine - he was fed for an entire season to puff up his stats for the 20-5-5 campaign. Whether they should have done that or not is irrelevant. The fact remains, the Kings put almost every play in Tyreke's hands and let him get as much stats as they could.

How much do they feed DMC the ball?
Even when he's dominating the game - just simply crushing the other team and amazing everyone in the building - the Kings will ignore him for long stretches of time. How is that even possible in the NBA?!
By definition, it's purposeful, since the Kings are the only ones in charge of who they are passing it to....

The majority of his #'s he's putting up with ZERO help from his teammates or coaches.
He's simply creating them out of thin air - grabbing offensive boards like noone else can.
Getting blocks, getting steals, passing to open guys, etc.
He even has to battle his own teammates for the rebound when he's in position. I don't see other Magic players taking the ball away from Dwight Howard....

If the Kings would set Demarcus up with easy baskets for dunks from penetrating, then passing to him instead of kicking it out, or they used the pick-and-roll countless times a game the way other teams do, it would give DMC an easy 8 more points a game.
If they played him more when he's not in foul trouble (this is only the 4th game this entire season that he's even played more than 30 minutes!) it'd help, too.

He's having to do everything on his own right now.

Is there anyone with big man experience on the King's roster right now? Anyone who knows how to run plays that are designed to take advantage of an elite big man, instead of the Small Ball game that solely needs their big men to help on the offensive boards and get whatever garbage they can?

If I was Demarcus, I'd be demanding more plays that would give me a good opportunity to succeed, instead of having to battle against the entire opposing team for scraps and being ignored by my teammates when they aren't fighting me for the ball.

Check out Cousins' turnover stats from last year. Terrible. Not good this year either. To be effective he's got to severely cut down the TOs.

 

[upinsmoke]

This "team" needs to make some major overhauling to get the most out of DMC.

 

[Glenn]

It's a wonder anyone watches this team because it's two major studs suck so bad. I'd love to hear a detailed blast at any of the other players. It would be pitiful. Amazingly despite their poor games, I still enjoy watching the Kings. It might have something to do with being a fan. I actually enjoy Reke and Cuz. Remember we had a thread of what we expected of Cuz this year? My hopes were not numbers specific but more specific to lowering his fouls and being able to keep his head in the game. So far he is reaching my goals. That's good.

As to Reke, I don't claim to know how he should be playing. I know he is unique and I suspect the type of game that succeeds for him will be unique. He needs a coach who can bring the best out of him and not try to force him to become something entirely different. He will never play like Steve Nash or John Stockton. He doesn't have their skills yet they didn't have his skills either. It's a matter of making the best use of what you have and there is no body of knowledge of how to use a guy with Reke's skill set. It will take an excellent coach to bring out the best in Reke. It is a shame that guys like Coachie actually get old.

The term scapegoating has been thrown around before and here it fits. Reke and Cuz are getting the majority of complaints of why this team is doing poorly. Fact is, without them playing at their present level, the Kings would be nothing.

I see holes in Reke's game and see holes in Cousins' game but I can't find the energy to write a detailed note about it. Both are so darn young and have been coached by such poor NBA coaches, I think we are lucky they are as good as they are. They got to where they are with little NBA coaching input. I have never understood the purpose of chopping down the best when it is the best that gives the team hope. They have a franchise's hopes on their shoulders and do not have the luxury of easing into the spotlight.

Do the people who complain so much actually believe these guys will never improve? Did you really expect a polished product in their early 20's? My hope is that we can retain them when they escape the shackles of the rookie based contracts. It will be at this time that they are beginning to get the knowledge it takes to play in this league. The knowledge takes experience. They have very little experience.

Reke and Cousins ARE the future of the Kings. I wish them well.

 

[jalfa]

Kevin Pelton just wrote quite an interesting article on Cousins:

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=2025

and, among other things, what I found most interesting was this:

It would certainly help Cousins if he had more playmakers around him. He has been effective in the pick-and-roll, averaging 0.97 points per play as a roll man, according to mySynergySports.com. However, he's getting just two shots a night from these situations, in large part because the Kings don't have a true point guard for whom they can call regular pick-and-rolls.

This has been something of a concern. Our guards, or more specifically Reke and Thornton, are probably the most pick-and-roll inept bunch in the whole of the NBA. On the offensive side they have trouble running it, as nobody seems to be able to use a screen effectively (although i'm also sceptical about the quality of the picks being set) and on the defensive side they are incapable of fighting through them. If they were to ever find a way to deal with the pnr, this team would be much better than it is now.

The rest of the article is worthwhile too, btw. Pelton seems to actually pay attention to what Cousins does, at least he's defended him against Hollinger before.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

jimmer is the perfect pick and roll partner for cuz.

 

[Kingster]

It's a wonder anyone watches this team because it's two major studs suck so bad. I'd love to hear a detailed blast at any of the other players. It would be pitiful. Amazingly despite their poor games, I still enjoy watching the Kings. It might have something to do with being a fan. I actually enjoy Reke and Cuz. Remember we had a thread of what we expected of Cuz this year? My hopes were not numbers specific but more specific to lowering his fouls and being able to keep his head in the game. So far he is reaching my goals. That's good.

As to Reke, I don't claim to know how he should be playing. I know he is unique and I suspect the type of game that succeeds for him will be unique. He needs a coach who can bring the best out of him and not try to force him to become something entirely different. He will never play like Steve Nash or John Stockton. He doesn't have their skills yet they didn't have his skills either. It's a matter of making the best use of what you have and there is no body of knowledge of how to use a guy with Reke's skill set. It will take an excellent coach to bring out the best in Reke. It is a shame that guys like Coachie actually get old.

The term scapegoating has been thrown around before and here it fits. Reke and Cuz are getting the majority of complaints of why this team is doing poorly. Fact is, without them playing at their present level, the Kings would be nothing.

I see holes in Reke's game and see holes in Cousins' game but I can't find the energy to write a detailed note about it. Both are so darn young and have been coached by such poor NBA coaches, I think we are lucky they are as good as they are. They got to where they are with little NBA coaching input. I have never understood the purpose of chopping down the best when it is the best that gives the team hope. They have a franchise's hopes on their shoulders and do not have the luxury of easing into the spotlight.

Do the people who complain so much actually believe these guys will never improve? Did you really expect a polished product in their early 20's? My hope is that we can retain them when they escape the shackles of the rookie based contracts. It will be at this time that they are beginning to get the knowledge it takes to play in this league. The knowledge takes experience. They have very little experience.

Reke and Cousins ARE the future of the Kings. I wish them well.

The whole "coached by poor coaches" excuse doesn't wash. You really think that ALL of his coaches - college, NBA, assistants, and head coaches - did not want him to get better on his form on his outside shot, teach him a runner, work on his short game, his intermediate game, his decision-making? Come on. Every coach then is a moron, but Tyreke doesn't have anything to do with it? Of course he bears responsibility. I'll tell you why I complain - I SEE LOST POTENTIAL, that's why. What a pathetic waste it will be if Tyreke doesn't apply himself to become an excellent NBA basketball player. Is this guy going to be an underachiever also-ran, or is he going to work harder than he's ever worked in his life to get better and be an All Star? He's the same player he was in Year 1. Same right hand, same lousy shot, no runner, no inside game. Other players actually take a step up in their development - See Kevin Love, Westbrook, Durant, and Harden. There is no excuse for Tyreke. He had months during this very long offseason to perfect his game. No coach was stopping him from doing so. But it didn't happen. Why the heck didn't it? Because a coach didn't tell him to?

 

[Section 101]

The whole "coached by poor coaches" excuse doesn't wash. You really think that ALL of his coaches - college, NBA, assistants, and head coaches - did not want him to get better on his form on his outside shot, teach him a runner, work on his short game, his intermediate game, his decision-making? Come on. Every coach then is a moron, but Tyreke doesn't have anything to do with it? Of course he bears responsibility. I'll tell you why I complain - I SEE LOST POTENTIAL, that's why. What a pathetic waste it will be if Tyreke doesn't apply himself to become an excellent NBA basketball player. Is this guy going to be an underachiever also-ran, or is he going to work harder than he's ever worked in his life to get better and be an All Star? He's the same player he was in Year 1. Same right hand, same lousy shot, no runner, no inside game. Other players actually take a step up in their development - See Kevin Love, Westbrook, Durant, and Harden. There is no excuse for Tyreke. He had months during this very long offseason to perfect his game. No coach was stopping him from doing so. But it didn't happen. Why the heck didn't it? Because a coach didn't tell him to?

No they didn't. His high school coach had him for what 2 years? College 1 year. They focused on winning now not worrying about the future because he wasn't going to be around.

 

[SacTownKid]

Kevin Pelton just wrote quite an interesting article on Cousins:

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=2025

and, among other things, what I found most interesting was this:



This has been something of a concern. Our guards, or more specifically Reke and Thornton, are probably the most pick-and-roll inept bunch in the whole of the NBA. On the offensive side they have trouble running it, as nobody seems to be able to use a screen effectively (although i'm also sceptical about the quality of the picks being set) and on the defensive side they are incapable of fighting through them. If they were to ever find a way to deal with the pnr, this team would be much better than it is now.

The rest of the article is worthwhile too, btw. Pelton seems to actually pay attention to what Cousins does, at least he's defended him against Hollinger before.

That's the problem with plain stats. Cousins is effective when they can COMPLETE THE PLAY. That's the problem, Cousins isn't a pnr kind of player. He just isn't and certainly wouldn't be best used in that set. They've been running a ton of pick and rolls with him and the reality is that he completes 2 out of 100 billing attempts! The others are just picks that lead to nowhere. Don't use him that way.

 

[Bricklayer]

One of many areas where he might be,

Fans are impatient, Kings fans have become rather over the top so given the youth of this team. Cousins is basically a junior in college right now. I doubt even Karl Malone was a particulary great pick and roll player as a junior in college. He's got the skills to be a good one, but there is no substitute just for time and experience on making that happen.

Ditto many of the other deficicies in DeMarcus's game. He's already shown a propensity to really learn in dog years. There's no reason to expect that to change. There will be a physical cap on a few things, but I would expect him to become a much better finisher, PnR guy, etc. goign forwad. Adn some is jsut coaching and focus too. last year DeMarcus was seeing everybody an everythign as a passer. This year he's rarely looking and when he does threre are rarely lanes. The skill is ther though, jsut goign to take time to sort it out and make use of it. Guys at DeMarcus's level aren't going to be forgotten about or unrecognized. If he can do something, sooner or later he or the coaches are going to try to use it.

 

[IfAt1st]

SacTownKid - you are calling those ridiculous flailings of a play where DMC moves outside the 3pt line to set a pick and then the guard moves away from him a pick-and-roll.

It isn't.

It's just creating traffic for the guard.

What we are referring to, and the writer at basketballprospectus are referring to, are the 1 or 2 plays a game where they actually run a pick-and-roll play, where the other players are on the other side of the court and DMC sets a pick at about the 18 ft line, the guard dribbles quickly past his shoulder, then the defenders have to choose who covers the penetration. Then DMC is free to either roll to the basket, or stay back, receive the pass, and shoot the uncontested "jumper".

It's been money when run right, as I stated above:

Recently, I'm starting to see a weak pick-and-roll forming where DMC actually sets the pick at 19 ft and the guard passes it back to DMC for the open shot. This scores a good % of the time.

The problem is - IT and Jimmer are the only guys who run this play.

What baffles me is - why are the ROOKIES with no previous experience playing in the NBA, or on the Kings, the only guys who are running this play with DMC?

 

[Kingster]

No they didn't. His high school coach had him for what 2 years? College 1 year. They focused on winning now not worrying about the future because he wasn't going to be around.

I don't buy it. It's one thing to say that a coach didn't utilize him properly - his role, the system, etc. It's an entirely different scenario to say that ALL of his preceeding coaches in college and the NBA didn't spend some time with him on improving his skills. Are we to believe that no coach has gone over with him proper shooting form? That strains credulity to the max.

 

[Bricklayer]

I don't buy it. It's one thing to say that a coach didn't utilize him properly - his role, the system, etc. It's an entirely different scenario to say that ALL of his preceeding coaches in college and the NBA didn't spend some time with him on improving his skills. Are we to believe that no coach has gone over with him proper shooting form? That strains credulity to the max.

I again think anybody who doesn't see a considerably different form on Reke's shot is looking at it with severely biased eyes. At least with his feet set the form is vastly improved. Seems to still break down off the dribble though, although he's still more vertical.

Watch this form on the catch and shoot int he Lakers game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrX_vt4slHU#t=1m35s

That is not REMOTELY the same form he came to the team with, with its falling lean, side kick, and slingshot. That's a shot that has received a lot of work. In fact perhaps too much at the moment as it looks very tight and unnatural. Its clear he's sitting there thinking ok keep the body straight, jump straight, bring the elbow in...etc .etc. rather than shooting it naturally. But its not remotely the same shot he once had, and its not a bad looking shot at all apart from bringing the ball back too far. Reke BTW is a senior in college, a year further back in his development than either of our "rookie" guards. When you draft them young you have to wait. That's just the way it is. Also why fans who think we are better off getting to watch all these kids in the NBA are foolish -- the ony guys who benefit from that are players and their agents. Ocne upon a time you drafted NBA ready guys. Now...well, you have to wait.

 

[Section 101]

I again think anybody who doesn't see a considerably different form on Reke's shot is looking at it with severely biased eyes. At least with his feet set the form is vastly improved. Seems to still break down off the dribble though, although he's still more vertical.

Watch this form on the catch and shoot int he Lakers game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrX_vt4slHU#t=1m35s

That is not REMOTELY the same form he came to the team with, with its falling lean, side kick, and slingshot. That's a shot that has received a lot of work. In fact perhaps too much at the moment as it looks very tight and unnatural. Its clear he's sitting there thinking ok keep the body straight, jump straight, bring the elbow in...etc .etc. rather than shooting it naturally. But its not remotely the same shot he once had, and its not a bad looking shot at all apart from bringing the ball back too far. Reke BTW is a senior in college, a year further back in his development than either of our "rookie" guards. When you draft them young you have to wait. That's just the way it is. Also why fans who think we are better off getting to watch all these kids in the NBA are foolish -- the ony guys who benefit from that are players and their agents. Ocne upon a time you drafted NBA ready guys. Now...well, you have to wait.

That's great Brick. But we are talking about whether his high school or college coach tried to improve his form or just rode him. So by you account your on the rode him side?

 

[Glenn]

That's great Brick. But we are talking about whether his high school or college coach tried to improve his form or just rode him. So by you account your on the rode him side?

Reke's college coach said that he found that the key to winning was to hand the ball to Reke and let him play. That puts his coach on the "ride him" side.

 

[Bricklayer]

That's great Brick. But we are talking about whether his high school or college coach tried to improve his form or just rode him. So by you account your on the rode him side?

No you're not. Well, you may be, although given your history on this topic I can't be sure, but Kingster is back on his Reke is lazy and never works on his game train. Just pointing out that either that jumper has magically corrected itself or there has been significant work put in.

 

[IfAt1st]

Could the Tyreke discussion be moved to a Tyreke thread, please?

 

[SacTownKid]

SacTownKid - you are calling those ridiculous flailings of a play where DMC moves outside the 3pt line to set a pick and then the guard moves away from him a pick-and-roll.

It isn't.

It's just creating traffic for the guard.

What we are referring to, and the writer at basketballprospectus are referring to, are the 1 or 2 plays a game where they actually run a pick-and-roll play, where the other players are on the other side of the court and DMC sets a pick at about the 18 ft line, the guard dribbles quickly past his shoulder, then the defenders have to choose who covers the penetration. Then DMC is free to either roll to the basket, or stay back, receive the pass, and shoot the uncontested "jumper".

It's been money when run right, as I stated above:

The problem is - IT and Jimmer are the only guys who run this play.

What baffles me is - why are the ROOKIES with no previous experience playing in the NBA, or on the Kings, the only guys who are running this play with DMC?

It's all an aspect of the PICK AND ROLL. That's what it is. I have a problem with the entire point of moving Cousins out to set a screen where there will rarely be the payoff for such a play. I think he'd be much better as a pop man in the pick and roll and has been much more successful as a spot shooter lately. If you go back and watch the games you will notice how many attempts this team makes at the pick and roll. A few games into the Kings using it, teams started to ice it left and right. The Bulls completely shut down the Kings attempts at running the pick and roll time and time again.

I simply disagree with the notion that Cousins should be used in the pick and roll as a main part of his offensive involvement. He's not a typical pick and roll big because he's just too dang big and not a great finisher at the rim. Sure, you can run it, but please don't let that be the backbone of your offense, it's far from the best way to use his talents. This team was much more successful, as well as Demarcus, when they used him as a facilitator in the offense and others as finishers.

 

[SacTownKid]

One of many areas where he might be,

Fans are impatient, Kings fans have become rather over the top so given the youth of this team. Cousins is basically a junior in college right now. I doubt even Karl Malone was a particulary great pick and roll player as a junior in college. He's got the skills to be a good one, but there is no substitute just for time and experience on making that happen.

Ditto many of the other deficicies in DeMarcus's game. He's already shown a propensity to really learn in dog years. There's no reason to expect that to change. There will be a physical cap on a few things, but I would expect him to become a much better finisher, PnR guy, etc. goign forwad. Adn some is jsut coaching and focus too. last year DeMarcus was seeing everybody an everythign as a passer. This year he's rarely looking and when he does threre are rarely lanes. The skill is ther though, jsut goign to take time to sort it out and make use of it. Guys at DeMarcus's level aren't going to be forgotten about or unrecognized. If he can do something, sooner or later he or the coaches are going to try to use it.

I'm going to give Smart some credit and assume right now he's thinking in the most simplistic terms with these players at the moment. He even said as much before the last game. The pick and roll is one of the most basic and simplistic plays you can run in the NBA and I'm hoping that the reason they attempt to run it so often is for that very reason, it's simplicity.

Malone was a different beast. Malone was a terrific finisher at the rim, oh, and had some dude named Stockton running it with him . Not that Cousins can't finish or won't improve I just hate to see such a vast array of skill and power squeezed into the pick and roll.