Is our future REALLY bright?

[Gabriel]

I know I'm going to get a lot of heat for asking this, but with the current core of players that we are building around at the moment, is our future really that bright?

Tyreke Evans is going to be very very good; there is no question about that, but is he surrounded by the right players? Jason Thompson is most definitely not a starting-quality player at this point in his career, and he's no rookie. He is way too inconsistent for me to believe that he's going to be deserving of a starting role someday. Same goes for Spencer Hawes. Then, you've got guys like Donte Green and Omri Casspi who show signs of being able to play in this league at a pretty high/decent level, but it's almost as if it's been so long that Kings fans have tasted success that they tend to overestimate. Kings fans, myself included, swear these guys are future all-stars or something.

Don't get me wrong, they're all nice players to have. But if that's going to be our main core, looking at it from a realistic standpoint, their development (not including the rookies) up to this point has been pretty disappointing. That's not the players' fault, but the fans who build these standards and expect them to lead this team to success.

What I'm trying to ask here is that at what point do you stop blaming this pathetic play that we're seeing on the fact that they're young? Being young means giving it all you have because you don't know any better. It shouldn't be used as an excuse for playing consistently dumb.

 

[Tetsujin]

No. All of our playerz sucks.

Lets trade Reeks for a pick while every1 is hi on him. Then we trade wofflez and Just Turnover for Justin Williams.

Letz fire WestFail & replais him wit a bettur coch like Phil Jackson or Pat Riley.

Then with our free agent money we sign LeBron.

 

[Gabriel]

No. All of our playerz sucks.

Lets trade Reeks for a pick while every1 is hi on him. Then we trade wofflez and Just Turnover for Justin Williams.

Letz fire WestFail & replais him wit a bettur coch like Phil Jackson or Pat Riley.

Then with our free agent money we sign LeBron.

Or Ron Jeremy aka Stan Van Gundy

 

[Tetsujin]

Or Ron Jeremy aka Stan Van Gundy

No he already bailed on the Kings before. Jeff Van Gundy on the other hand...

 

[FaStRmAn]

Or Ron Jeremy aka Stan Van Gundy

YIKES! Now there is a mental picture that you cant get rid of by drinking turpentine...

 

[fnordius]

How bright the franchise's future is, is pretty much in the hands of Geoff and the Maloofs.

Have you tried asking the Magic 8 Ball? http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi

 

[BosnianBaller_]

tyreke makes it seem better but only time will tell. it usually takes a big man about 4 years in the league to fully develop so i'm hoping that hawes finally turns the corning next season or the season after and show more desire. also seeing what position we get in the draft and who we take will also give us some more answers.

 

[DesertFox]

I know I'm going to get a lot of heat for asking this, but with the current core of players that we are building around at the moment, is our future really that bright?

Tyreke Evans is going to be very very good; there is no question about that, but is he surrounded by the right players? Jason Thompson is most definitely not a starting-quality player at this point in his career, and he's no rookie. He is way too inconsistent for me to believe that he's going to be deserving of a starting role someday. Same goes for Spencer Hawes. Then, you've got guys like Donte Green and Omri Casspi who show signs of being able to play in this league at a pretty high/decent level, but it's almost as if it's been so long that Kings fans have tasted success that they tend to overestimate. Kings fans, myself included, swear these guys are future all-stars or something.

Don't get me wrong, they're all nice players to have. But if that's going to be our main core, looking at it from a realistic standpoint, their development (not including the rookies) up to this point has been pretty disappointing. That's not the players' fault, but the fans who build these standards and expect them to lead this team to success.

What I'm trying to ask here is that at what point do you stop blaming this pathetic play that we're seeing on the fact that they're young? Being young means giving it all you have because you don't know any better. It shouldn't be used as an excuse for playing consistently dumb.

You could argue that Omri/Donte/Jt/Spencer are only role players and borderline starters, and this team needs a #2 and #3 option.
But then your argument falls apart. It's hard enough to win with only role players, but young role players? What do you expect?

And how disappointed can you be? Spence has been disappointing his whole (3 year) career, JT only because of his hot start, but Omri and Donte are miles ahead of anyone's expectations.

 

[BosnianBaller_]

You could argue that Omri/Donte/Jt/Spencer are only role players and borderline starters, and this team needs a #2 and #3 option.
But then your argument falls apart. It's hard enough to win with only role players, but young role players? What do you expect?

And how disappointed can you be? Spence has been disappointing his whole (3 year) career, JT only because of his hot start, but Omri and Donte are miles ahead of anyone's expectations.

i wouldn't say his whole nba career. he has had bright spots this season and last season he put up good numbers for a 20 years old.

 

[cstorm]

How bright the franchise's future is, is pretty much in the hands of Geoff and the Maloofs.

Have you tried asking the Magic 8 Ball? http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi

Well according to this. we get John Wall, so no worries.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I do honestly think the future is bright.

However, I really think Westphal needs to CHILL with the rotations. Pick a lineup and stick to it. He keeps pulling guys because there inconsistent, but that's how young guys play. He has too short a leash when it comes to these guys. Please, Paul, pick a lineup and stick to it for the rest of the season, and please leave Udoka out of it. These players need to find there role, find a groove and create some chemistry. That can be incredibley hard when no one knows who's going to play at any givin time.

 

[jcassio]

At the beginning of the season, we were overachieving. But now we've been underachieving for far too long. It's a puzzle.

We've got talent and energy. But we've also got two big men who have head problems. I'm sick of JT blaming the refs for his continual mistakes. Yes he gets bad calls, but if he's going to let all those calls steal his mojo, then he's no good to us. Spencer thinks he's a champion already and just needs to be given his minutes without earning them. He thinks he's entitled and he plays embarrassingly soft. Memories of Shawn Bradley, and that's not a pleasant memory.

Landry is a nice player, but he's 2-3 inches shorter than all the other power forwards. You might be able to hide that weakness as a 6th man, but as a starter, it's right there to slap you in the face. Every night.

I have mixed feelings about this group having a bright future. Reke and Omri have bright futures. The verdict is still out on the rest of em.

 

[Gabriel]

Exactly, jcassio.

Tyreke and Omri have great futures. That doesn't necessarily mean the Sacramento Kings.

 

[VF21]

I know I'm going to get a lot of heat for asking this, but with the current core of players that we are building around at the moment, is our future really that bright?

Tyreke Evans is going to be very very good; there is no question about that, but is he surrounded by the right players? Jason Thompson is most definitely not a starting-quality player at this point in his career, and he's no rookie. He is way too inconsistent for me to believe that he's going to be deserving of a starting role someday. Same goes for Spencer Hawes. Then, you've got guys like Donte Green and Omri Casspi who show signs of being able to play in this league at a pretty high/decent level, but it's almost as if it's been so long that Kings fans have tasted success that they tend to overestimate. Kings fans, myself included, swear these guys are future all-stars or something.

Don't get me wrong, they're all nice players to have. But if that's going to be our main core, looking at it from a realistic standpoint, their development (not including the rookies) up to this point has been pretty disappointing. That's not the players' fault, but the fans who build these standards and expect them to lead this team to success.

What I'm trying to ask here is that at what point do you stop blaming this pathetic play that we're seeing on the fact that they're young? Being young means giving it all you have because you don't know any better. It shouldn't be used as an excuse for playing consistently dumb.

If you don't like what you're seeing and don't find it entertaining, change the channel. It really is that simple.

There are no guarantees in the NBA (or any other professional sport, for that matter). If you want to see an established team that runs like clockwork, good luck. You aren't going to find it with a team that's rebuilding. Period.

 

[Spike]

 

[Tetsujin]

If you don't like what you're seeing and don't find it entertaining, change the channel. It really is that simple.

There are no guarantees in the NBA (or any other professional sport, for that matter). If you want to see an established team that runs like clockwork, good luck. You aren't going to find it with a team that's rebuilding. Period.

But then who am I supposed to blame for the team's failure?

 

[PurpleHaze]

Who are Kings w/smartest vs. dumbest B-ball IQ's?

I was going to make it a poll (and maybe moderator will think it's worth it) but here's my take from Kings "smartest" to Kings "dumbest."

This is not about raw talent - as obviously Tyreke is far and away #1 in that category. We're talking about seeing the court, running coaches plays, moving/being active/looking to set picks/passing (remember Princeton offense?), etc.

Basically it's weighted towards offense but defense and other intangibles can't be ignored. On D - making the effort, boxing out for rebounds, keeping hands out/up for defections, diving for balls, taking charges, communicating, being physically tough, tough minded.

1. Beno Udrih
2. Omri Casspi
3. Spencer Hawes
4. Carl Landry
5. Jon Brockman
6. Francisco Garcia
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Ime Udoka
9. Andres Nocioni
10. Jason Thompson
11. Sean May
12. Donte Greene

(Joey Dorsey and Dominic McGuire need more time to get a Kings rating)

 

[itzcoatl]

Let's see. We got: the best player of the 2009 NBA draft. Two dynamic SFs with bright futures in Donte and Omri. A 21 year old center who is 7 feet tall. A 6'11" PF who plays his heart out every game. Tons of cap space coming up after this season. Almost no bad contracts. A team chock-full of toughness. And a high lottery pick coming in 2010.

Yeah, I'd say the future is looking pretty darn good.

 

[Kingster]

I know I'm going to get a lot of heat for asking this, but with the current core of players that we are building around at the moment, is our future really that bright?

Tyreke Evans is going to be very very good; there is no question about that, but is he surrounded by the right players? Jason Thompson is most definitely not a starting-quality player at this point in his career, and he's no rookie. He is way too inconsistent for me to believe that he's going to be deserving of a starting role someday. Same goes for Spencer Hawes. Then, you've got guys like Donte Green and Omri Casspi who show signs of being able to play in this league at a pretty high/decent level, but it's almost as if it's been so long that Kings fans have tasted success that they tend to overestimate. Kings fans, myself included, swear these guys are future all-stars or something.

Don't get me wrong, they're all nice players to have. But if that's going to be our main core, looking at it from a realistic standpoint, their development (not including the rookies) up to this point has been pretty disappointing. That's not the players' fault, but the fans who build these standards and expect them to lead this team to success.

What I'm trying to ask here is that at what point do you stop blaming this pathetic play that we're seeing on the fact that they're young? Being young means giving it all you have because you don't know any better. It shouldn't be used as an excuse for playing consistently dumb.

This team is doing exactly what young, even talented young teams do - LOSE. Playing another half of a season doesn't make the Kings grizzled vets. Not only are they young, they are more disorganized than the beginning of the season because of Landry and the two other guys and because Cisco is going to a long while before he's 100%. That's the deal. We have one future All-Star in Tyreke, then we have some guys who are going to be mediocre to very good in a couple of years. My guess - and it's only a guess - is that Greene and Casspi are going to be very good. Thompson and Hawes? Maybe average to good. We need another All-Star caliber player on this team. Not "another piece". "Another piece" is just another complementary player to Tyreke. That's fine for getting to the 8th seed in a couple of years. But to go far, we need another young All-Star caliber player.

 

[Tetsujin]

I was going to make it a poll (and maybe moderator will think it's worth it) but here's my take from Kings "smartest" to Kings "dumbest."

This is not about raw talent - as obviously Tyreke is far and away #1 in that category. We're talking about seeing the court, running coaches plays, moving/being active/looking to set picks/passing (remember Princeton offense?), etc.

Basically it's weighted towards offense but defense and other intangibles can't be ignored. On D - making the effort, boxing out for rebounds, keeping hands out/up for defections, diving for balls, taking charges, communicating, being physically tough, tough minded.

1. Beno Udrih
2. Omri Casspi
3. Spencer Hawes
4. Carl Landry
5. Jon Brockman
6. Francisco Garcia
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Ime Udoka
9. Andres Nocioni
10. Dominic McGuire
11. Jason Thompson
12 Joey Dorsey
13. Donte Greene

I actually think Donte and Reke should be ahead of Omri. Omri's been the equivalent of a bipolar sunbeam the past dew weeks. Meanwhile, Reke and Donte have been among our more consistent players/playmakers.

 

[Gtronic]

Let's see. We got: the best player of the 2009 NBA draft. Two dynamic SFs with bright futures in Donte and Omri. A 21 year old center who is 7 feet tall. A 6'11" PF who plays his heart out every game. Tons of cap space coming up after this season. Almost no bad contracts. A team chock-full of toughness. And a high lottery pick coming in 2010.

Yeah, I'd say the future is looking pretty darn good.

I agree!

 

[Tetsujin]

This team is doing exactly what young, even talented young teams do - LOSE. Playing another half of a season doesn't make the Kings grizzled vets. Not only are they young, they are more disorganized than the beginning of the season because of Landry and the two other guys and because Cisco is going to a long while before he's 100%. That's the deal. We have one future All-Star in Tyreke, then we have some guys who are going to be mediocre to very good in a couple of years. My guess - and it's only a guess - is that Greene and Casspi are going to be very good. Thompson and Hawes? Maybe average to good. We need another All-Star caliber player on this team. Not "another piece". "Another piece" is just another complementary player to Tyreke. That's fine for getting to the 8th seed in a couple of years. But to go far, we need another young All-Star caliber player.

I agree, however, who's to say we already don't have that other All-Star level guy on our team? When I see Donte, I see another potential All-Star. He's 6'11" and fast enough to keep up with most SGs in the league.

That being said, the Thunder are a good example of a team that did really really really bad for a while but have now really picked it up.

 

[Kings Fan Gerard]

Thanks for da bday wishes. All I wanted was 2 get a W. On 2 da next one. Yall come out and support us on tues. That's my home bday game 2!!!

That was from Donte's Twitter. Too bad the Kings couldn't get the win. The team just can't play good/solid ball for 4 QUARTERS - that seems to be one of the main problems with the team.

Now, as for the Team's future, here's what I think.

Tyreke - a future superstar. Kings should hold on to him at all cost and build the team around him and his strengths and weaknesses.

Omri and Donte - both have the potential to be very good starters/all stars. The Kings need to develop them so that they can reach their full potential. I'd like to see them starting the rest of the way and also next season.

All in all, the future is still bright. I always think that this is actually YEAR 1 of the rebuilding process since we were going nowhere during the last 3 seasons.

JT and Hawes - I'm not really sure about these two. They're really inconsistent and can't seem to play well together. I think in the future, the team might have to choose one of them and trade the other one. They have the ability to produce great games from time to time but right now, they just aren't good enough to be full-time starters in the NBA.

2010 1st rounder - please, Geoff Petrie, draft a defending and rebounding big man. You really need to address that weakness in the very near future. Fortunately, it looks like there are a lot of quality bigs in this year's draft.

Cap Space - again, we could give a max contract to someone like Chris Bosh. If we could sign Bosh, then I have no problem with giving him the max. If not, we could sign second-tier free agents, w/c are hopefully defending and rebounding big men.

All in all, i think the team's future is still really bright. I always think that this season is actually YEAR 1 of the rebuilding process since we were going nowhere for the past 3 seasons. We hit rock bottom last season and we've slowly (yeah, real slow) gotten better. 25 to 30 wins this season and I'd be glad. We could win 35 to 40 next year if our young talent continues to improve, we get another stud rookie in a big man's body, and make good use of our cap space.

 

[Ed2009]

All I can say is the same word in various languages:

Patience, paciencia, pazienza, Geduld,υπομονή, 赫德尔德,סבלנות


The future is bright...no doubt about it.

 

[Larry David]

While the post is pretty negative, I think the premise is – despite all of the talent and depth on the roster – this team … as it sits right now … still has a long way to go on the rebuild.

The NBA is a league where you win with your top guy (check) and your top 2-4 guys. To make the next jump your top 7-8 matter, but there aren’t good/above average NBA team where you can say: “You know, our 2nd – 4th slots don’t measure up to our opponents … but we are really deep and solid 5-9. It just doesn’t happen.

Landry filled a need … and based upon that, you read / listen to a lot of fans that think this franchise is somewhat close. Landry is probably the Kings 2nd best player … and he’s not a #2 guy on any other roster in the league. Who would you even say are the 3rd and 4th best players? … Omri and Thompson/Green? That’s saying something. I think that’s the premise of the point.

There a lot of prospects on this team. I like the chances of Evans and Omri to grow a ton. Green, JT, and Hawes … who knows. At one point everybody was high on Spencer and we were talking about him posting up with both hands ... now not so much. All fans tend to over value prospects.

Hopefully, the lottery helps a ton. I’d love to throw Wall or Tuner into the backcourt … which makes Landry your 3rd best player and now you’re starting to get somewhere … but things can go the other way.

(The Kings aren’t going to get a #2 guy in free agency this summer and it makes no sense to overpay for 2nd tier guys – at 2010 prices, when 2nd tier guys will make 80% of that the next season.)

There is talent here … but in terms of top shelf talent … still very much a work in progress. Which isn’t shocking … as we really just started rebuilding recently (just dumping salary does equal rebuild). I think that’s what he means by core and I think that’s what he’s reacting to.

 

[Ed2009]

I personally think that omri is a bit overrated right now..
Hope he can stabalize his form.

 

[NewArena]

I personally think that omri is a bit overrated right now..
Hope he can stabalize his form.

How is he overrated? I dont understand some of you sometimes.

 

[Dreadnought]

I feel like a lot of our future will be based on luck. This draft and offseason could be much more important than we think. A good to great pick (cough, John Wall) or a great signing (cough, Chris Bosh) could be the difference between contending and improving by five wins. As long as we have no more stupid signings, it IS improvement I guess.

 

[Tetsujin]

How is he overrated? I dont understand some of you sometimes.

Taking tonight and the past several weeks as an example, that assumption's looking pretty damn good. It's been a long time since I've seen an NBA player airball as many shots as Omri has and his shot selection has been questionable at the best. Couple that with Martin-esque defense and several brainfarts a game and it's easy to see how we can consider him overrated (especially when the All_Star weekend guys were gushing about him a bit)

 

[AyeCarly]

I was going to make it a poll (and maybe moderator will think it's worth it) but here's my take from Kings "smartest" to Kings "dumbest."

This is not about raw talent - as obviously Tyreke is far and away #1 in that category. We're talking about seeing the court, running coaches plays, moving/being active/looking to set picks/passing (remember Princeton offense?), etc.

Basically it's weighted towards offense but defense and other intangibles can't be ignored. On D - making the effort, boxing out for rebounds, keeping hands out/up for defections, diving for balls, taking charges, communicating, being physically tough, tough minded.

1. Beno Udrih
2. Omri Casspi
3. Spencer Hawes
4. Carl Landry
5. Jon Brockman
6. Francisco Garcia
7. Tyreke Evans
8. Ime Udoka
9. Andres Nocioni
10. Jason Thompson
11. Sean May
12. Donte Greene

(Joey Dorsey and Dominic McGuire need more time to get a Kings rating)

This seems an interesting topic. Here are my rankings.

Defense, boxing out your man, patience, court vision, spacing, taking high-percentage shots and making the game easier for teammates (setting picks, getting to open spots) are the traits I consider the main elements of BBall IQ. Also being in control and not making stupid mistakes (Cisco and Donte have improved in these areas immensely).

1. Ime Udoka - above avg IQ offense/high IQ defense
2. Beno Udrih - high IQ offense/avg IQ defense
3. Francisco Garcia - above avg IQ offense/above avg IQ defense
4. Jon Brockman - avg IQ offense/high IQ defense
5. Spencer Hawes - high IQ offense/ avg IQ defense
6. Donte Greene - slightly above avg IQ offense/defense
7. Tyreke Evans - avg IQ offense/above avg IQ defense
8. Omri Casspi - above avg IQ offense/avg IQ defense
9. Andres Nocioni - above avg IQ offense/avg IQ defense
10. Jason Thompson - avg IQ offense/avg IQ defense

Carl Landry(probably 5th or 6th from what I've seen so far), Sean May, Dorsey, McGuire - I honestly have not seen enough play out of these guys to rank them fairly.