Initial Impressions...

BawLa

Starter
You know something...it is amazing how many shots are able to go around when Bibby and Artest aren't eating them all up.

The Good:

Kevin Martin
John Salmons
Francisco Garcia

Kevin looked more comfortable just knowing that the shots were going to come his way. He was the only King to get to the line and showed some hustle on defense. Salmons had nice chemistry going tonight and really has an air of confidence about him. I want more. Garcia was a little more in control tonight and it payed dividends. I think getting banged around a bit kept him more in-line.

Darryl Watkins
Quincy Douby

Watkins and Douby looked great in their short stints. I don't care how much we are paying people. These kids are earning more time.

The Average:

Brad Miller
Mikki Moore
Orien Greene

Miller...Anemic defensively but was efficient on offense. Basically the only reason he wasn't in the ugly category. I don't know what's more painful, watching Miller try on defense or watching him just stand there. Moore was Moore. Thankfully I only saw him attempt one outside shot. Greene wasn't too bad...for a guy that should only be seeing 5-8 minutes in a regular rotation. I liked his hustle.

The Ugly:

Kenny Thomas
Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Kenny Thomas was -gag-... Excuse me. Could anyone else hear the little guy inside Kenny beginning to pout? SAR does not look at home. We are trying to play an up-tempo style and Reef just doesn't fit in. I hope he can find a niche.



All in all, a good show from our younger players, and a pathetic show from our vets. The loss was pretty much expected, but I like what Theus is doing. He is severely handicapped and is making-do. He isn't accepting excuses. Any time you limit Kenny Thomas to less than 20 minutes per game, you must be doing something right. I get the feeling like if we had a couple more big men with size and backbones other than Watkins, that we might actually be competitive. Of course we need a PG that can rack up some dimes too but Salmons did not shy away from those duties. I don't have the highest expectations for this season, but I do expect to see improvement from certain players.
 
couldn't agree more. One obvious item is having a young group used to a floor leader who suddenly is not there. One one side of the Kings coin is a wide open opp for one of the "kids" to really step up and to see what Beno can bring in a week or so. We all just need to sit back and watch for a bit as there is no magic bullet GP can shoot that will bring big improvement in the immediate future. So let's be cool dudes and give it 10-15 games.
 
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