I Love Michael Malone...

[John Galt]

I'm extremely high on Malone and am glad he will have three years to do his thing without any undue pressure or short leash.

If anybody doesn't like him they should figure out a way to get used to him because he is not going anywhere. Vivek has demonstrated EXTREME confidence in TWO and precisely TWO (only TWO) of his assets. DMC and Coach Malone.

I love Michael Malone - second best coach in Sacramento Kings history already.

 

[whozit]

The Jury is still out on Malone. I will say I see improvement with Cousins. That is the most important thing, to get our franchise player to live up to his potential. Otherwise the team is inconsistent.

Malone talks a good game at times. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Mike Nolan talked a great game but it did not transfer into wins. Mike Singletary also talked a lot in the media. Personally I don't see anything constructive in calling your players out in the media. I like the way Jim Harbagh always presents a message of team unity and never criticizes his players in public. I also know there is more than one way to do things and everyone is different. Time will tell.

The team's personnel is in transition. The inconsistency is somewhat frustrating but at the same time understandable. Time will tell.

 

[Warhawk]

The Jury is still out on Malone. I will say I see improvement with Cousins. That is the most important thing, to get our franchise player to live up to his potential. Otherwise the team is inconsistent.

Malone talks a good game at times. But that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Mike Nolan talked a great game but it did not transfer into wins. Mike Singletary also talked a lot in the media. Personally I don't see anything constructive in calling your players out in the media. I like the way Jim Harbagh always presents a message of team unity and never criticizes his players in public. I also know there is more than one way to do things and everyone is different. Time will tell.

Um, he has had success at EVERY stop in getting players to buy into playing defense. Ask LBJ and others. Defense improved drastically at every NBA team he helped coach.

I have faith that he will be able to turn this around with Cousins on his side and improved personnel. He obviously has the support of management.

 

[Chubbs]

Um, he has had success at EVERY stop in getting players to buy into playing defense. Ask LBJ and others. Defense improved drastically at every NBA team he helped coach.

I have faith that he will be able to turn this around with Cousins on his side and improved personnel. He obviously has the support of management.

So, LBJ like Ben, likes Malone, respects Cuz. How does he feel about Shaq and Vivek?

Just saying, dude ain't staying in Miami forever. Cuz plus LBJ would be absolutely unstoppable. If he can drag Bosh through a zero point game 7 and still win (I will never forget that and will bring it up if anyone dares ever mention Bosh as a Hall of Famer), what could he do with Cuz?

I should never let myself think of such things again.

 

[Tetsujin]

So, LBJ like Ben, likes Malone, respects Cuz. How does he feel about Shaq and Vivek?

Just saying, dude ain't staying in Miami forever. Cuz plus LBJ would be absolutely unstoppable. If he can drag Bosh through a zero point game 7 and still win (I will never forget that and will bring it up if anyone dares ever mention Bosh as a Hall of Famer), what could he do with Cuz?

I should never let myself think of such things again.

Even as the designated staunch advocate of not playing Rudy out of position at the 2, I would be perfectly happy to move him to the two to accommodate Lebron at the 3. On the offensive side of the ball, a Lebron-Cuz-Gay trio would absolutely demolish anybody who dared stand in their path.

 

[Uncia03]

Even as the designated staunch advocate of not playing Rudy out of position at the 2, I would be perfectly happy to move him to the two to accommodate Lebron at the 3. On the offensive side of the ball, a Lebron-Cuz-Gay trio would absolutely demolish anybody who dared stand in their path.

*chuckle*

Just for kicks I'll play fantasy land as well for a moment.

We trade IT, Thornton, DWill, JT to Boston for Rondo/Wallace/Pressy.
We draft Cauley-Stein to be our future Tyson Chandler.
Rudy opts out of his contract and signs a 4 year deal at $14 a year with us.
LBJ does not opt out of his Miami contract.
The 2014-15 season is a disaster for Miami and the Heat decide to trade LBJ rather than letting him walk as he tells them he will do.
We trade Gay + other stuff for LBJ.
Ben learns how to use his athleticism to play great defense and his shot finally comes around.

Our starters each night are:
Rondo (Best mix of defense and passing from a PG in the league)
Ben (Great defense and floor-spreading shooting)
LBJ (Best player on the planet)
Cauley-Stein (Great interior defender growing into the next Tyson Chandler)
Cousins (Most dominant Big man in the game)

Bench - Who cares.

We finally lose our 2014-15 draft pick to the Cavaliers.

 

[Lennox]

I really think that D'Alessandro has a trick up his sleeve here soon. Don't know what it is (maybe Andre Miller to back up the Pizza Guy), but there is definitely something brewing.

Andre miller would mean more losses and more complaining on court.
Out of shape diva... No way!

 

[Glenn]

*chuckle*

Just for kicks I'll play fantasy land as well for a moment.

We trade IT, Thornton, DWill, JT to Boston for Rondo/Wallace/Pressy.
We draft Cauley-Stein to be our future Tyson Chandler.
Rudy opts out of his contract and signs a 4 year deal at $14 a year with us.
LBJ does not opt out of his Miami contract.
The 2014-15 season is a disaster for Miami and the Heat decide to trade LBJ rather than letting him walk as he tells them he will do.
We trade Gay + other stuff for LBJ.
Ben learns how to use his athleticism to play great defense and his shot finally comes around.

Our starters each night are:
Rondo (Best mix of defense and passing from a PG in the league)
Ben (Great defense and floor-spreading shooting)
LBJ (Best player on the planet)
Cauley-Stein (Great interior defender growing into the next Tyson Chandler)
Cousins (Most dominant Big man in the game)

Bench - Who cares.

We finally lose our 2014-15 draft pick to the Cavaliers.

The last sentence is the best.

 

[Uncia03]

The last sentence is the best.

*chuckle*

Well I did want to mention the one downside to bringing in LeBron James.

 

[ninjabiscuit]

Ok but why would we be praising him if the team hasn't improved much statistically and off the court intangibles like "changing the culture" can't really be quantified . I'm not against others praising him, just asking

You're not against others praising him, just asking why others would praise him in the midst of a bunch of posts praising him? Okay.

 

[rainmaker]

Malone had interesting comments in an interview he did in the last couple days. Said his defensive philosophy which he goes over every day with the team is part of the same philosophy he's used everywhere he's been and he knows it works as it's gotten teams to the playoffs and to defend at a high level and he'll continue hammering it home.

Few other points he makes:

-our perimeter defense is our first breakdown defensively and we're doing a poor job containing the basketball/guarding against penetration
-goes over simple entry passes in practice to the point they run "feed the post" drills
-our guards do too much over-penetrating. Need to move the ball quickly if opportunity isn't there
-is a man to man coach and doesn't believe in zone, which tells me if we're playing zone at times he's covering for weaknesses he sees

Good interview and is stating what a few here constantly see. I'd say he's not happy with the play of any of our guards. Not good defensively, over dribbling/over penetrating and doesn't have confidence in them to make simple entry passes. Goes along with my opinion our FO is looking to upgrade at both guards spots. I think he sees IT's/Ben's/MT's lack of defense as quite a problem.

http://www.news10.net/video/3007908...ACTICE-1314-Michael-Malone---Kings-Head-Coach

 

[Chubbs]

The last sentence is the best.

And clearly a reason to not go down that path. We should start tanking now to get ready for the 2015 draft now. Rondo, Lebron? Yuck.

I've been somewhat skeptical of Malone, but he's feeling like the real deal. He knows what needs to happen, he knows it is proven and time tested, and now the players need to conform or get out of here. We've got 3 guards that are playing like barely nba caliber guards And the 4th isn't the defender or playmaker a team needs. The personnel doesn't fit, is the bottom line. PDA needs to find guys who do.

The guards all like to drive to the middle, and then look like they forgot what they were doing. They had a plan A that had no chance, and had no Plan B or C at all. So you get some crazy spin move or jump in the air and fling the ball to someone's feet at the 3 point line or a blocked shot or turnover. When LBJ takes it to the middle, he knows all his options. Wherever the double comes from, he knows he could shoot, and also has probably 2 or 3 passing options just in case. And he makes the decision decisively and quickly. Bam, pass to Chalmers for an open 3. Bam, drop off to Bosh. Bam, hit a cutting Wade. Or in LBJs case dunk on someone.

All of our guys just lack the QB skills a PG needs. They can't think on their feet. In jimmer's case, he's just not athletic enough. Ben will be better, but never exceptional. MT, who cares anymore? Little man should be less one track mind, whether it be shoot or pass. Read the D better. It may be he needs more experience and better coaching (don't we all). He seems quick enough. He just makes up his mind before seeing what is really there. Or maybe he just misreads what is there. Or maybe his size just blocks him from seeing the court. For him to leap to real legit star, he has make up for his size by just knowing where everyone is on the court at all times. He has to see what's there even if he can't actually see it. That's what made Nash so great. Nash just knew. But it wasn't magic, it was lots of work and much of it mental. Get on it young man. You can be the real deal, but gotta change the thinking patterns. Scoring is great, but he needs to commit to D, and creating. And he needs to be ok with that and take pride in that too, and not just the scoring numbers.

I spent way more time on the PG, but it's not to pick on him. Really. I just think he's there. He's ready. It's his time to prove to everyone he can be more than the numbers. He really needs to get more steals for one thing. Be a pest out there. Why does the quickness only exist on one end of the court? He'll always be limited on the D side, but he can be so much better.

 

[I~true]

IT is one our best players...I wouldn't be so quick to get rid of him. Sparks like him are hard to come by.

 

[Padrino]

IT is one our best players...I wouldn't be so quick to get rid of him. Sparks like him are hard to come by.

"sparks like him" are also luxuries that a team may have to sacrifice when there are gaping deficiencies across the starting unit, including at the PG position that IT currently occupies...

 

[I~true]

I know we aren't the best team but IT has made this team way better than it would be. There are very few options out there even as a back-up. We have to be careful.

 

[Kingster]

After that Philly game, I must admit that I found myself dreaming about the loss. What a nightmare. But Malone, poor guy, is having countless sleepless nights because of the losses of this team. He seems like a good guy and a good coach. I'm looking forward to seeing the guy win more than lose, probably when he gets some defensive talent to mix in with some players who can score.