Keith Smart

[The Hammer]

Any questions?















... a little twist on the classic here, but I just watched a video of him after yesterday's practice (http://www.nba.com/kings/video/2012/01/17/KPRSmart11712mov-1969223). Really, REALLY impressed with this guy.

 

[ElRey]

I don't envy Keith Smart. This is not a easy team to pick up. Westpaul left this team in quite a mess. I think he's done a good job so far. Can't really expect him to turn the team around right away.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Any questions?

Will you stop playing small ball? And bench Salmons, plz? kthxbye

 

[The Hammer]

Will you stop playing small ball? And bench Salmons, plz? kthxbye

I don't think he's the "you're benched" type of coach. That creates enemies. But as I said in another thread... I think he's easing Salmons down the ladder.

And the smallball worked with the zone. Swarmability being at a premium. Still wish we had Dally though.

 

[IfAt1st]

Any questions?

Yeah - do any of your coaching staff know how to get a big man some points OTHER than him having to clean up the offensive glass?

Oh - and there's this play called... a pick-and-roll.
You may want to look into it.

Also - don't make the FO's obsession with Jimmer so obvious in the post-game next time - the way you jumped down that reporters neck when he asked about Salmons/Jimmer showed your raw nerve big time.

GOTTA play IT more, regardless of the FO's desperate desire to have Jimmer be their cash cow.

 

[swisshh]

I watched Smart's postgame for tonight. What stuck out to me was the statements that the team has no all-stars and the focus on the team over individual players. This is a change from Westphal's "Tyreke is a star and must learn how to win games" and the plastering of Cousins on billboards before he played a game.

It sort of sounds like Smart is trying to end the special treatment that's been rumored to be a problem with the lockerroom.

 

[LWP777]

Yeah - do any of your coaching staff know how to get a big man some points OTHER than him having to clean up the offensive glass?

Oh - and there's this play called... a pick-and-roll.
You may want to look into it.

Also - don't make the FO's obsession with Jimmer so obvious in the post-game next time - the way you jumped down that reporters neck when he asked about Salmons/Jimmer showed your raw nerve big time.

GOTTA play IT more, regardless of the FO's desperate desire to have Jimmer be their cash cow.

I found that a little bit odd as well. I really like Coach Smart and normally I feel he's really good with the media but I thought he was a out of line with how he treated that reporter. First of all, he never even let the guy finish his question. Second, it's the reporter's job to ask questions that we as fans would like the answers to. One of those questions is about what he plans on doing with struggling players, especially Salmons and Jimmer. I understand the coach is not going to throw them under the bus but I'm sure there was a better way of answering that question.

As far as slowing phasing out John Salmons, I'm not a huge fan of that. He's probably doing it because he knows Salmons has a history of being a pouter when demoted to the bench. I feel like it would be a good opportunity for Coach Smart to make a statement to the team that he will not accept underachieving, even for the most senior members of the team. IMO, Salmons should have been taken out of the starting lineup last night along with JJ Hickson. Everybody on that team knows how horrible John has been this year and how he's killing the team on both sides of the ball. By not benching him, I just hope the young players don't get the wrong message.

 

[Lafayette]

Still wish we had Dally though.

Move on, get over it, did you have a gf dump you that you wish you still had, are you hung up on that , it's over... I'm messing with you. If you listened to the Carmichael Dave show yesterday with Sam Amick on then you'll know that Dally didn't want to come here unless it was for a stupid amount of money which he figured he could get because the Kings were so far under the cap. Time to let it go!

 

[Lafayette]

Also - don't make the FO's obsession with Jimmer so obvious in the post-game next time - the way you jumped down that reporters neck when he asked about Salmons/Jimmer showed your raw nerve big time.

GOTTA play IT more, regardless of the FO's desperate desire to have Jimmer be their cash cow.

He knew where the guy was going with the Isiah/Salmons question and didn't want to stir up locker room problems by stating, "Yes, Isiah is the starter and Salmons is on the bench" and as for Jimmer, he had the right answer for that, he didn't want to come out and say "Wow, that kid is a joke, why'd we draft him" is that what you wanted?

 

[Kingster]

So far so good, for Smart. He needs a lot of time with this team to turn it around. Last night was a good, but small step (no pun intended).

To my mind, he's totally on the right track with focusing on the running game, getting these guys in shape, have them run a break properly, and playing team ball. With the running game, he's starting from the strength of the team, refining it, and getting it as good as it can be. At least then this team can be good at something. Then they can be even more motivated to play D and rebound so they can get out on the break, convert, and feel good about themselves.

The set-up offense is going to take months to really figure out for this team. Maybe it might take until next year. The players aren't great ballhandlers to begin with. The most versatile backcourt player (IT) is a rookie. The team is redundant with gunners. They are young. For all of those reasons Smart is in a tough position to have anything close to a competent half-court offense. If he gets the guys to run the break properly, play hard, and play as a team, then he's a success this year in my book.

One other thing. Smart is not afraid to try something new. That's something I appreciate. He went small last night. And it worked. He played IT big minutes in the 4th quarter over a veteran. And it worked. This team has too many holes to have a politically correct coach. It must have a coach with the guts to try what he thinks best, regardless of the hurt feelings of some of the vets. That's the way it has to be, and that's the way it should be. Smart won points from me in the guts department last night.

 

[Section 101]

I thought it was funny last night in his post game interview. He said it's hard for a vet team to do a 180 degree turn in philosophy at the beginning of the season. Another indirect shot at Westfail.

 

[rainmaker]

I'm of course happy we won, and hope it boosts the guys confidence in the locker room.

However, this small ball crap has me worried. Yes we won, the problem I see is that the way in which we won will be damn near impossible to duplicate again.

An IT/Thornton/Reke/Cisco/Cousins lineup while it probably caught Ind off guard last night, is not a recipe for success which we can look to throw out there most nights.

 

[origkds]

One thing that I really like about Smart is that he actually talks. I had forgotten what it was like to listen to an informative interview. This is a breath of fresh air compared to Westphal’s angry and defensive one line (or one word); I’m doing you all a big favor by being here answers. Whether we agree with him or not, at least Smart has the courtesy (and cojones) to let us know what he’s thinking and why. Win or lose I actually now look forward to the post game interview.

 

[Kingster]

I'm of course happy we won, and hope it boosts the guys confidence in the locker room.

However, this small ball crap has me worried. Yes we won, the problem I see is that the way in which we won will be damn near impossible to duplicate again.

An IT/Thornton/Reke/Cisco/Cousins lineup while it probably caught Ind off guard last night, is not a recipe for success which we can look to throw out there most nights.

There is no one recipe for success for this team as it is currently constituted. It will require improvising to give them a fighting chance.

 

[rainmaker]

Mind as well rename this small ball strategy the

 

[The_Jamal]

I doubt we'll see Cisco play PF against many teams, especially the ones with an elite PF. However, I think that Zone is something to look into when we go to our super quick guard lineup of IT, Thornton, Reke. Have those guys with Cousins+ Hickson/JT/Hayes and that can be an extremely effective set at certain points in the game.

 

[ElRey]

How long do you guys think it will take for Coach Smart to turn around the team's offense?

 

[macadocious]

I don't think Smart wants to play small ball. I think he is being forced too.

We cannot shoot this bad all year. It will change. Both Salmons and Jimmer will start hitting those open shots more often. There is no way that Outlaw will remain a sub 25% shooter. A lot of the shooting% woes were from bad shots, but open shots aren't going in either right now.

Cousins needs to get to big man cmap this off season and learn how to finish near the rim. He doesn't jump when he shoots layups or little 3-4 ft shots.

 

[gunks]

Smallball aside, we're seeing slow improvement, which is all you can expect after 2 years without a system or coach

So far, I like Smart.

 

[Sac.1989]

Im glad he made the move to give less mins to Salmons, Outlaw and Jimmer

 

[Section 101]

Any questions?

Why wasn't he the coach to start the year?

I think I have the answer. The FO and Maloofs wanted to make a change. But if they fired Westfail during the off season they would almost be forced to go out and pay a proven coach since they have been talking about this being the spending year for over 2 years now. They got someone they liked in Smart who improved the Warriors last year. The only way Westfail was keeping his job was to be over .500 the entire year. They had Smart waiting in the wings the entire time.

 

[bajaden]

I watched Smart's postgame for tonight. What stuck out to me was the statements that the team has no all-stars and the focus on the team over individual players. This is a change from Westphal's "Tyreke is a star and must learn how to win games" and the plastering of Cousins on billboards before he played a game.

It sort of sounds like Smart is trying to end the special treatment that's been rumored to be a problem with the lockerroom.

He did qualify that with saying that it might change at some point in time, where there is a player or two that he can't afford to leave off the floor for long periods of time. I realize he's talking about the future, but in last nights game, I would say that player was Cousins. I was impressed with his post game interview though. What a change from Westphal, who always appeared as though he was standing on hot coals. The dude is certainly confident.

 

[Krunker]

Why wasn't he the coach to start the year?

I think I have the answer. The FO and Maloofs wanted to make a change. But if they fired Westfail during the off season they would almost be forced to go out and pay a proven coach since they have been talking about this being the spending year for over 2 years now. They got someone they liked in Smart who improved the Warriors last year. The only way Westfail was keeping his job was to be over .500 the entire year. They had Smart waiting in the wings the entire time.

When Westphal left he did claim responsibility for bringing Smart in, which if true somewhat discredits the theory that the FO got Smart as a Westphal replacement.

 

[Bricklayer]

He did qualify that with saying that it might change at some point in time, where there is a player or two that he can't afford to leave off the floor for long periods of time. I realize he's talking about the future, but in last nights game, I would say that player was Cousins. I was impressed with his post game interview though. What a change from Westphal, who always appeared as though he was standing on hot coals. The dude is certainly confident.

You know, Smart may talk a not so good game with the press, but his coaching has been sneaky inknowing exactly where the team's bread is buttered. One way or the other game in and game out I can tell exactly which 3 players lead the team in minutes and shots. And that's the way it has to be. Westphal fired himself when he lost his stars. You need to get the roleplayers going, but unless Reke, Thornton and Cousins buy in, it won't matter. Now in how he is coaching them, who knows. I wasn't there to watch Westphal in practice, nor am I here with Smart. Reke has a rep, outside of the fans who don't like him, as being a coachable player. He might tolerate some level of abuse if Smart were to dish it out. I have a much harder time seeing Thornton do so. And let's not even talk about Cousins. So I suspect he's playing it smart, trying to make allies out of his three top guys and to get them to buy in, knowing tht if they do, everyone else should fall in line. Certainly on the court the minutes and shots of that trio don't match up well with claims of everbody being expendable etc.

Anyway I thought that line was more aimed at deflecting talk about turning away from Salmons and Jimmer?

 

[The Hammer]

You know, Smart may talk a not so good game with the press, but his coaching has been sneaky inknowing exactly where the team's bread is buttered. One way or the other game in and game out I can tell exactly which 3 players lead the team in minutes and shots. And that's the way it has to be. Westphal fired himself when he lost his stars. You need to get the roleplayers going, but unless Reke, Thornton and Cousins buy in, it won't matter. Now in how he is coaching them, who knows. I wasn't there to watch Westphal in practice, nor am I here with Smart. Reke has a rep, outside of the fans who don't like him, as being a coachable player. He might tolerate some level of abuse if Smart were to dish it out. I have a much harder time seeing Thornton do so. And let's not even talk about Cousins. So I suspect he's playing it smart, trying to make allies out of his three top guys and to get them to buy in, knowing tht if they do, everyone else should fall in line. Certainly on the court the minutes and shots of that trio don't match up well with claims of everbody being expendable etc.

Anyway I thought that line was more aimed at deflecting talk about turning away from Salmons and Jimmer?

Generally agree with all that. And I think the takeaway is that Smart is developing relationships. Strong, positive, trusting, one on one relationships with a) his key guys and b) everybody else. He understands that coaching is not only about x's and o's but about the relationships. He, from what I understand, is also encouraging and trying to foster personal relationships between players off the court, as a way to build chemistry on the court.

Also like what he says about that you can't tell players not to shoot. Saying "these guys are pros" as in... they do this for a living, and if you have to let them work though their slumps, because the alternative is to have a hesitant basketball player, and you can't have that.

 

[Section 101]

When Westphal left he did claim responsibility for bringing Smart in, which if true somewhat discredits the theory that the FO got Smart as a Westphal replacement.

Nope. It was already reported that Smart was going to sign with the Mavs. It was Wayne Cooper who called him and they offered him the contract to sign.

 

[eflat]

Nope. It was already reported that Smart was going to sign with the Mavs. It was Wayne Cooper who called him and they offered him the contract to sign.

To pick the Kings over the Mavs, I gotta think there was some understanding reached up front that PW might not be rehired at seasons end and might not even make it through the year. Pretty convenient to have a head-coach-in-waiting on the staff.

 

[JB_kings]

To pick the Kings over the Mavs, I gotta think there was some understanding reached up front that PW might not be rehired at seasons end and might not even make it through the year. Pretty convenient to have a head-coach-in-waiting on the staff.

Actually had more to do with the bird in the hand saying. The Mavs would not hire him until the lockout was over. Saving Mark Cuban a few bucks in case the lockout went the whole year. The Kings were ready to chance that hand out a contract right away. Of course Smart looked at the situation and knew Westphal was more likely going to be on the hot seat much quicker than Carlisle and the defending champion Mavs.

 

[Hadlowe]

You know, Smart may talk a not so good game with the press, but his coaching has been sneaky inknowing exactly where the team's bread is buttered. One way or the other game in and game out I can tell exactly which 3 players lead the team in minutes and shots. And that's the way it has to be. Westphal fired himself when he lost his stars. You need to get the roleplayers going, but unless Reke, Thornton and Cousins buy in, it won't matter. Now in how he is coaching them, who knows. I wasn't there to watch Westphal in practice, nor am I here with Smart. Reke has a rep, outside of the fans who don't like him, as being a coachable player. He might tolerate some level of abuse if Smart were to dish it out. I have a much harder time seeing Thornton do so. And let's not even talk about Cousins. So I suspect he's playing it smart, trying to make allies out of his three top guys and to get them to buy in, knowing tht if they do, everyone else should fall in line. Certainly on the court the minutes and shots of that trio don't match up well with claims of everbody being expendable etc.

Anyway I thought that line was more aimed at deflecting talk about turning away from Salmons and Jimmer?

I think the key for Smart on this team will be how to work those three into a coherent offensive strategy. I saw hints of it in the win over the pacers early, with set plays for Thornton to catch and shoot threes behind a high screen and a few drive and dish plays to Demarcus (where he managed not to finish.) If Tyreke can settle for being a 15 point, 8 assist guy, I think it will work fine in the long run.

Of course, most of that was abandoned later on, but I think that may have more to do with the funky lineups than lack of discipline.

 

[Gilles]

I'm still pretty suspicious of his love for smallball and as a result inability to handle true big man, Cousins that is. I totally agree that right now Cousins doesn't know how to handle great length but last game when Hibbert got his fifth and went to bench there was no attempt to use West on Cousins matchup inside. And no Outlaw and much less Green at 4. Just say no to temptation.