[Game] Kings at Mavericks, Sunday April 18, 4:30 Pacific (7:30 Eastern)

[KingsFanSince85]

Mavs announcers were getting on De’Aaron for not being a good free throw shooter while Luka was 4-8 on the night.

While we all would like to see Swipa shoot 80%+ — he deserves a little credit for improving his FT% to over 70% this season. For quite some time he was in the 60’s. Now he’s only .06% off his career average and only 1.7% off his career season best.

While 70-72% surely isn’t good for a guard — it isn’t exactly crippling either.

It’d be nice to see him get the % up to 75-80% next season.

 

[Kingz19]

If Buddy is still on the Kings beginning next season the Kings should bring him off the bench. He is just far more consistent, efficient, and valuable off the bench. I don’t care how much he is getting paid or if he bellyaches. If Buddy has such a problem coming off the bench he should’ve played as good as a starter last season and this season as he did after being moved to the bench last season. He hasn’t

 

[sactowndog]

Anyone still want ride the CoJo and a couple of crapty 2nds are better than Wright and TD wave?

yeah because insuring you get the 9th lottery slot versus 30% more lottery balls is such a huge win. And those two have defiantly been difference makers to getting us into the 10 spot.

Just a genius move by McNair, very few GM’s could have so deftly managed the 9 spot.

 

[SLAB]

yeah because insuring you get the 9th lottery slot versus 30% more lottery balls is such a huge win. And those two have defiantly been difference makers to getting us into the 10 spot.

Just a genius move by McNair, very few GM’s could have so deftly managed the 9 spot.

Wright I can completely do without, but TD for a late second is great value for a young upside player and I can’t wrap my head around an argument against him.

 

[steelevt]

Yay but Boooo. I mean i cant really be mad at seeing a kings win but man im not getting fooled off the tank wagon again. It's just i have a little side dream scenario of not only the kings getting a better draft pick, but also wanting the lakers to slide back into the 7th seed and have to playin to the playoffs. Need portland and dallas to go on a win streak and lakers to slide. It doesnt look likely but would be a cherry on the top. Too bad this game hurt both scenarios.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Yay but Boooo. I mean i cant really be mad at seeing a kings win but man im not getting fooled off the tank wagon again. It's just i have a little side dream scenario of not only the kings getting a better draft pick, but also wanting the lakers to slide back into the 7th seed and have to playin to the playoffs. Need portland and dallas to go on a win streak and lakers to slide. It doesnt look likely but would be a cherry on the top. Too bad this game hurt both scenarios.

I mentioned earlier that we have Dallas 3x on the schedule, it was extremely unlikely to lose all three games so may as well get the win out of the way now in the kind of fashion that insures they come to play the next two.

Also, we're still 7th in the tank standings so no need for anyone to get alarmed, we still have a shot at dropping to 5 if OKC takes 2/3 from us. 5-7 still have strong odds for at least one team to jump into 1-4.

 

[macadocious]

yeah because insuring you get the 9th lottery slot versus 30% more lottery balls is such a huge win. And those two have defiantly been difference makers to getting us into the 10 spot.

Just a genius move by McNair, very few GM’s could have so deftly managed the 9 spot.

They’ve helped us be 3-9 since the AS break?

You’re all over the place man.

 

[The_Jamal]

You know what really grinds my gears? When De'Aaron Fox has a totally awesome game, outplays Luka Doncic and continues his ascent to be in the conversation as a top 15 player.......

I swear, some of you need to find a new hobby. Of course I want a better draft pick, but I also refuse to get mad when our 23 year old franchise player performs like this. We don't get many fun games to watch, so why not enjoy when one when it comes along? There's going to be plenty of losing and plenty of stinkers to go the rest of the season.

 

[EIM86]

Well it cancels out one of the wins that we were supposed to get on paper. IOW still on schedule for the scenario I’m hoping for

 

[steelevt]

I mentioned earlier that we have Dallas 3x on the schedule, it was extremely unlikely to lose all three games so may as well get the win out of the way now in the kind of fashion that insures they come to play the next two.

Also, we're still 7th in the tank standings so no need for anyone to get alarmed, we still have a shot at dropping to 5 if OKC takes 2/3 from us. 5-7 still have strong odds for at least one team to jump into 1-4.

Thanks for the pep talk. This kings roller coaster is much more fun with good people like yourself.

 

[mac]

You know what really grinds my gears? When De'Aaron Fox has a totally awesome game, outplays Luka Doncic and continues his ascent to be in the conversation as a top 15 player.......

I swear, some of you need to find a new hobby. Of course I want a better draft pick, but I also refuse to get mad when our 23 year old franchise player performs like this. We don't get many fun games to watch, so why not enjoy when one when it comes along? There's going to be plenty of losing and plenty of stinkers to go the rest of the season.

Well forgive me for wishing these performances came EARLIER in the season when they mattered and I was actually rooting for the team to win...

 

[The_Jamal]

Well forgive me for wishing these performances came EARLIER in the season when they mattered and I was actually rooting for the team to win...

So the Kings were supposed to lose their final 25 games? Did people expecting the sell-off never to win a game again this year?

3-9 is about as good as you can hope for from a tank perspective and if those few wins come with Fox kicking Luka's ass....that's fun for me to watch.

The long-term problems with this team aren't going away anytime soon, or at least till the end of the year. People can continue to whine we didn't sell Barnes and Buddy for pennies on the dollar, or they can actually enjoy a Kings game here or there and wait for Monte's plan to take shape with a full off-season. People can "fan" however they want, but it's just weird to me if you don't get any enjoyment out of what Fox did this game.

 

[serbiangoat]

Metu plays a bit like a younger Paul Milsap except with zero basketball IQ he's easily the most intriguing and talented big prospect the Kings have had since probably Cousins (WCS/Papa/Bagley/Giles/Skal) which is sad and good that they found someone with skills/size that plays hard all the time both ends. Unlike all those guys mentioned he's actually got a toughness to him (not the fake Harry Giles foul out for no reason type).

Kings should let him have 30+mins at PF see what they have for the rest of the year.

 

[sactowndog]

Wright I can completely do without, but TD for a late second is great value for a young upside player and I can’t wrap my head around an argument against him.

I have said TD was the least problematic as a young kid. But the Wright and Harkless acquisition don’t fit that mold. They were strictly in a quixotic attempt to make the play-offs, again using journeyman talent. You would think Vivek would have learned the first time. Vivek is clearly the worst owner in sports.

 

[sactowndog]

I mentioned earlier that we have Dallas 3x on the schedule, it was extremely unlikely to lose all three games so may as well get the win out of the way now in the kind of fashion that insures they come to play the next two.

Also, we're still 7th in the tank standings so no need for anyone to get alarmed, we still have a shot at dropping to 5 if OKC takes 2/3 from us. 5-7 still have strong odds for at least one team to jump into 1-4.

Given we are playing our roll playing vets big minutes and OKC is literally playing their G league team as is Toronto do you really think we won’t finish behind them in lottery odds?

 

[sactowndog]

Metu plays a bit like a younger Paul Milsap except with zero basketball IQ he's easily the most intriguing and talented big prospect the Kings have had since probably Cousins (WCS/Papa/Bagley/Giles/Skal) which is sad and good that they found someone with skills/size that plays hard all the time both ends. Unlike all those guys mentioned he's actually got a toughness to him (not the fake Harry Giles foul out for no reason type).

Kings should let him have 30+mins at PF see what they have for the rest of the year.

I would love to see Metu and Woodard play the rest of the season. I might actually watch more games instead of tuning in and ignoring the game.

 

[King Baller]

Nice game by Swipa! You cannot lose them all.

 

[sactowndog]

They’ve helped us be 3-9 since the AS break?

You’re all over the place man.

Yep perfect for the 9th place in the lottery. We shall see if we get a few more wins against the TWolves in this back to back.

 

[mac]

So the Kings were supposed to lose their final 25 games? Did people expecting the sell-off never to win a game again this year?

3-9 is about as good as you can hope for from a tank perspective and if those few wins come with Fox kicking Luka's ass....that's fun for me to watch.

The long-term problems with this team aren't going away anytime soon, or at least till the end of the year. People can continue to whine we didn't sell Barnes and Buddy for pennies on the dollar, or they can actually enjoy a Kings game here or there and wait for Monte's plan to take shape with a full off-season. People can "fan" however they want, but it's just weird to me if you don't get any enjoyment out of what Fox did this game.

I won't speak for others, but I really don't. I get enjoyment out of Fox playing like this when the games matter. Aside from this being a good sign of things to come, I don't see what's so great to be happy about from this game. It's not like Fox scored 50 or something. I wouldn't even say he outplayed Luka. We got great performances from TD and HB while the Porzingis played like a gleaguer.

We were on the second 9 game losing streak of the season. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd be fine if they lost 25 in a row after a decade of losing.

 

[ppine]

the game was blacked out on NBATV. I can't get games on California Sports Net now.
I don't miss them as much as I thought I would.

 

[joemama]

I won't speak for others, but I really don't. I get enjoyment out of Fox playing like this when the games matter. Aside from this being a good sign of things to come, I don't see what's so great to be happy about from this game. It's not like Fox scored 50 or something. I wouldn't even say he outplayed Luka. We got great performances from TD and HB while the Porzingis played like a gleaguer.

We were on the second 9 game losing streak of the season. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd be fine if they lost 25 in a row after a decade of losing.

I would say Fox outplayed him.
Luka got a tech at a crucial time AND that was AFTER his teammates had to hold him back from going at the refs.

The mental aspect is the most crucial. Luka could not maintain his composure, so IMHO Fox easily won the matchup.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Given we are playing our roll playing vets big minutes and OKC is literally playing their G league team as is Toronto do you really think we won’t finish behind them in lottery odds?

The same folks that lost us 9 in a row until last night?

I actually have more faith in this team's ability to fail if they try right now than I would if they threw out G-Leaguers.

 

[The Effort Police]

You know what really grinds my gears? When De'Aaron Fox has a totally awesome game, outplays Luka Doncic and continues his ascent to be in the conversation as a top 15 player.......

I swear, some of you need to find a new hobby. Of course I want a better draft pick, but I also refuse to get mad when our 23 year old franchise player performs like this. We don't get many fun games to watch, so why not enjoy when one when it comes along? There's going to be plenty of losing and plenty of stinkers to go the rest of the season.

But there isn't plenty of losing, though. They won 7 of 8 twice this season and it sunk them. They are now trapped in the same boat they're always in; people are always saying with complete confidence that they'll be bad enough to get a Top 5 pick without actively tanking and its never true.

And I totally turned the game off in the 1st quarter, have been doing that a lot lately and feel no desire to start tuning in again even after hearing about Fox's recent play.

 

[sactowndog]

The same folks that lost us 9 in a row until last night?

I actually have more faith in this team's ability to fail if they try right now than I would if they threw out G-Leaguers.

Haha. Fair enough.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

But there isn't plenty of losing, though. They won 7 of 8 twice this season and it sunk them. They are now trapped in the same boat they're always in; people are always saying with complete confidence that they'll be bad enough to get a Top 5 pick without actively tanking and its never true.

And I totally turned the game off in the 1st quarter, have been doing that a lot lately and feel no desire to start tuning in again even after hearing about Fox's recent play.

Is it not possible that with better consistent coaching the team that won 7/8 twice will be more likely to show next season?

Obviously I'd rather we were secure at the bottom of the standings but the ONE time we actually did that we got jumped all the way down to 4. Do we ship Fox so we suck more? Or just tell a kid with a warrior's heart and mentality that "sorry, you gotta sit so we can lose".

Jeeeze, I totally get the frustration especially because if there ever was a year to tell a player like Fox to sit and lose it's a year with no paying fans in attendance. But that also isn't really fair to him, especially after he signed an incentive based extension.

 

[iowamcnabb]

I have been on the tank wagon most of the season but I don't understand the fans that think we should be in the top 4 or 5. Even if you traded Barnes and Buddy, we are too talented believe it or not to be worse than Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota or Orlando. Okc was expected to be the worst team in the league before the season started. Our best case scenario to me has always been about 6 at seasons end. I actually had us at 10-12 prior to the season.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I have been on the tank wagon most of the season but I don't understand the fans that think we should be in the top 4 or 5. Even if you traded Barnes and Buddy, we are too talented believe it or not to be worse than Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota or Orlando. Okc was expected to be the worst team in the league before the season started. Our best case scenario to me has always been about 6 at seasons end. I actually had us at 10-12 prior to the season.

kind of the bottom line is to get that bad we either have to trade those guys for far below market just to suck more or deliberately throw games which 99.9% you aren't going to get caught or in trouble, but if the league wants to make an example out of someone they have the least to lose punishing a Sacramento.

 

[Section 101]

Here is the mind boggler. If they had won 3 games in each of the 9 game streaks (3-6 twice)they would be 29-28 right now.

 

[The_Jamal]

But there isn't plenty of losing, though. They won 7 of 8 twice this season and it sunk them. They are now trapped in the same boat they're always in; people are always saying with complete confidence that they'll be bad enough to get a Top 5 pick without actively tanking and its never true.

And I totally turned the game off in the 1st quarter, have been doing that a lot lately and feel no desire to start tuning in again even after hearing about Fox's recent play.

Again, fan however you want. Your choice if you don't care about a really good Fox game. This was the first Kings game I've enjoyed watching in awhile. I've been on this forum years crying about how dumb the long-term goals of this franchise are and how bad Vivek is as an owner. McNair has shown me more than enough already that I have faith he can build a winner, despite being held back by Vivek. So, I'll fan how I want as well and enjoy an amazing performance from our 23-year old franchise player.

 

[The Effort Police]

Is it not possible that with better consistent coaching the team that won 7/8 twice will be more likely to show next season?

Obviously I'd rather we were secure at the bottom of the standings but the ONE time we actually did that we got jumped all the way down to 4. Do we ship Fox so we suck more? Or just tell a kid with a warrior's heart and mentality that "sorry, you gotta sit so we can lose".

Jeeeze, I totally get the frustration especially because if there ever was a year to tell a player like Fox to sit and lose it's a year with no paying fans in attendance. But that also isn't really fair to him, especially after he signed an incentive based extension.

Probably not. This team has had hot patches before and the only other thing that's been as consistent as NBA purgatory for this franchise is that it never, ever carries over. You could say Walton is a terrible coach and we're going nowhere with him and I'd agree with you, but coaching is just a convenient excuse because its easy to reconcile compared to painstakingly fixing a broken roster (which we have).

I'd be over the moon if we got insure the #4 pick in this year's draft. Tanking for me this year wasn't about increasing the odds for a #1 or bust campaign, it was about leaving nothing to chance and getting yourself into the first tier of prospects. They failed at that.

Fox is pretty substandard at the moment as a #1 option but that's neither here nor there. Don't hit on a draft pick and it's just a repeat of the Cousins years where we're just counting down the days where he leaves or we want to jumpstart another rebuild, we probably trade him in 3 years if this keeps up.