[Game] Kings at Nuggets, 1/7/2022 6pm PT/9pm ET
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You know, I really do try to do my best at "S£im translation", and I suppose it failed. But, on the other hand, I don't understand the point of mentioning that the Kings were +2 for the final three quarters. Either it was meant to imply that the Kings were (marginally) better than the Nuggets in the final three quarters, or it was totally irrelevant to the point. I've never taken you as one to say anything irrelevant, so I chose the former.
This is a flat out lie. Malone literally got fired because we lost Cousins - who was having his greatest and most impactful season - to illness. I know you and many others don't and didn't like him, but, let's be honest here. He had plenty of faults but Zach Randolph is no comparison if we're talking about that particular year
I was generalizing about the entire season, not just this game. And my point wasn't that Buddy is shooting too much (though that has sometimes been true) -- my point is that even when he isn't shooting we'll waste tons of time waiting while he tries to get open or watching him dribble clumsily or throw impossibly bad passes to the other team. He just sucks up so much air trying to get his offense going and we've lost more than one game this season because our PGs and coaches are so focused on trying to force feed him the ball they completely miss the 3 or 4 better shots that actually are available. There's a point at which his primary strength on offense (he draws so much attention because of his three point shooting) is no longer helping us because we've come to rely on it as a crutch.
Aside from a brief run at the start of that season (were they 9-7?) every season before and after that the Kings won 30-35 games with Cousins as the #1 option (in his prime) and they did the same with Randolph (well past his) the one year he started and was the #1 option there was virtually no difference in the team success. Malone did not give Jokic elite skills and basketball IQ (Cousins never had) so acting like since it worked with Jokic it would with Cousins is insanity.
So Tyrese passing up open shots is now because he was trying to force feed Buddy the ball?
Dude the team offense and defense sucking has so much more to do than just Buddy Hield, which is what you're making it sound like. I mean have you forgotten the huge holes that the starters were digging in the first and third quarters, which had nothing to do with Buddy being on the floor? There's plenty of blame to go around.
Anyway, Buddy will soon be gone and our team will magically turn into a high IQ winner. Right?
Dude the team offense and defense sucking has so much more to do than just Buddy Hield, which is what you're making it sound like. I mean have you forgotten the huge holes that the starters were digging in the first and third quarters, which had nothing to do with Buddy being on the floor? There's plenty of blame to go around.
Anyway, Buddy will soon be gone and our team will magically turn into a high IQ winner. Right?
No it's not all on Buddy, I'm just at my wit's end with him dribbling the ball off his toes, throwing passes to nobody, and taking pull up heat check threes in transition. He offends me as a fan of basketball. I also find it frustrating when Tyrese, Davion, Harrison, etc pass up open shots they should be taking. I already made a comment about that earlier in this thread. That isn't because of Buddy it's because they don't want the responsibility of carrying the offense -- they'd rather move the ball and let someone else shoot.
I can think of a dozen reasons why the team isn't good and there's no point trying to rank them in terms of which is more significant. I don't have a rational reason for why the Buddy thing annoys me more, it just does. Probably because it's been going on longer.
I can think of a dozen reasons why the team isn't good and there's no point trying to rank them in terms of which is more significant. I don't have a rational reason for why the Buddy thing annoys me more, it just does. Probably because it's been going on longer.
If you think this Denver team accomplishes what it does without Malone you're being intentionally obtuse. The Kings team coached by Malone looked different. Felt different. Teams were not eager to play the Kings, as noted by several players that year. The national media ROASTED Sacramento for the move, and rightfully so.
Prior to contracting meningitis, Cousins was averaging about 24/13/1.5 and playing defense. If you think Cousins did not have elite BBIQ, I don't know what to tell you. Being temperamental is not the same (BTW, Cousins was actually keeping it together and showed maturity at the start of the year as well.) That team, coached by Malone, had all the feels of a playoff team when healthy.
Prior to contracting meningitis, Cousins was averaging about 24/13/1.5 and playing defense. If you think Cousins did not have elite BBIQ, I don't know what to tell you. Being temperamental is not the same (BTW, Cousins was actually keeping it together and showed maturity at the start of the year as well.) That team, coached by Malone, had all the feels of a playoff team when healthy.
The Nuggets are a good team cause they lucked into Jokic not cause of Malone and if you think Cousins had elite BBIQ i seriously don't know what to tell you, he was one of the dumbest ever all-stars in the history of basketball. Again one 15 game stretch apparently is a large enough sample size to prove Cousins/Malone were good but 20+ games without Fox is not a large enough sample size to say the Kings are better off without Fox. What was the Kings overall record with Malone for his full tenure (36%) which is lower than Luke Waltons 42% (worst coach of all time apparently).
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Reading the comments, sounds like just another typical Kings lost. Yhall taking turns lauding and blaming players when the truth is this team doesn’t work for each other. Vlade built a culture of empty stats chasers, who got their contracts off of pace and 15 years of sucking. Not off of producing winning ball. Get rid of the Vlade core and the Kings will start winning.
I'm also pretty p*ssed with Buddy. If you think it's bad as someone who already dislikes him, think how much more disappointing it is for someone who is actively rooting for his success. I take it you know that you're exaggerating when describing his play and you're not really offering objective/fair criticism, and I'll just chalk that up to you venting your (understandable) frustration and offer you a pat on the back. Personally I'm meh on the dribbling/turnovers because we already know its bad. What annoys me more is how he seems incapable of pulling up for a balanced looking midrange shot when he was doing that so often his first 2-3 seasons, and how his layup attempts all look weak as hell with all the touch of a 5th grader.
So…based on your posts, it seems you don’t like fox, you don’t like Barnes, you didn’t like tyreke, you didn’t like cousins, you didn’t/dont like our front office, and you don’t think Malone (one of the better coaches the kings had) has anything to do with cousins or jokic playing well. That’s just from a quick glance of your posts. I understand some people are down on the kings but it seems every post of yours is negative about the kings or a kings player. I mean youre not the only person to have a negative thing to say about the kings. But most complain about an aspect. One player, the front office, or the owner, but they still do like the kings or at least some things about them. I rarely ever see a positive post from you. I mean I’m not in charge and I get that people want to vent (and should) but man, all you is crap on every aspect of this team.
This is not, not even remotely, the reason that Malone got fired. I know we love our self-loathing here, but the idea that our own front office didn't understand that our best player was out, and fired the coach for underperformance during that stretch is a very, very special level of self-loathing.
Malone was fired because he didn't get along with the front office. Throw Vivek under the bus if you want, because he hired a head coach and THEN hired the head coach's boss, and the two were not a good fit. But it wasn't because of the incredibly naïve narrative that the Kings lost games with Cousins out.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/12317667/the-fast-curious
Malone was fired because he didn't get along with the front office. Throw Vivek under the bus if you want, because he hired a head coach and THEN hired the head coach's boss, and the two were not a good fit. But it wasn't because of the incredibly naïve narrative that the Kings lost games with Cousins out.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/12317667/the-fast-curious
Thank you for bringing that up!
I actually HAVE seen it from this Kings team, but with such rarity that your point is entirely valid.
While viewing last night’s game, I watched the Nuggets as the latest team to pick Sac apart with sound, basic offensive basketball using pass and cut.
As a result, they ended up with an astronomical number of points in the paint (72, I think?). Granted, some of those scores were in transition and/or when the Kings had their signature defensive lapses.
Nonetheless, I thought to myself (and I may have gently inquired aloud of the TV) why the he’ll can’t this Kings squad run more pass and cuts?
Obviously, Sac doesn’t have a top-level passer (like Jokic, et al), but it’s the most fundamental of schemes to use a basis for an offensive system.
I just don’t understand the omission.
I actually HAVE seen it from this Kings team, but with such rarity that your point is entirely valid.
While viewing last night’s game, I watched the Nuggets as the latest team to pick Sac apart with sound, basic offensive basketball using pass and cut.
As a result, they ended up with an astronomical number of points in the paint (72, I think?). Granted, some of those scores were in transition and/or when the Kings had their signature defensive lapses.
Nonetheless, I thought to myself (and I may have gently inquired aloud of the TV) why the he’ll can’t this Kings squad run more pass and cuts?
Obviously, Sac doesn’t have a top-level passer (like Jokic, et al), but it’s the most fundamental of schemes to use a basis for an offensive system.
I just don’t understand the omission.
Come on now, had Cuz not caught Meningitis and the Kings continued winning like they were that season (Something like 9-5 when he got sick? Hell, even had they just regressed to .500 level) Malone would absolutely not have been fired. Ergo; the guy was fired because Cuz got sick and that greenlit the excuse.
I'm not someone who already dislikes Buddy. I've defended him on many occasions throughout his time in Sacramento -- during his contentious contract negotiations, after he signed the big contract when many thought he was overpaid (he's not), when he complained about being benched, when he started handling the ball more at Luke Walton's request -- and I have no problem with him as a person either. I also don't think he's single-handily ruining the team and I like how he's stepped up his defensive effort this season even if he's still only adequate. I actually think he's improved as an outside shooter this year despite the lower percentages. It's just that he's taking insanely difficult shots on a regular basis. And there have been games where he's the only reason we even have a chance to win.
What I can't stand anymore are all the things you've mentioned -- how he no longer can hit a jumper from inside the arc, his inability to finish at the rim. Also the fact that he barely gets himself to the free throw line despite being one of our better shooters. I don't think I'm exaggerating about his passing and dribbling skills being horrible. I think he's regressed in almost every area except for defense and three point shooting. He used to be a basketball player who could shoot and over the last season and a half he's become a shooter who sometimes plays basketball.
In his defense, I think it probably has a lot to do with what the coaching staff wants from him. His instant catch and release jumper is a huge weapon and I think he would be a great fit on certain teams but after accounting for his defense he's either our fourth or fifth best guard depending on whether Terance Davis is on a hot streak or not. If we wanted to use him rationally as a spot-up shooter and use screens to free him up he would still be a key part of our offense but that's not what Luke Walton wanted and apparently it's not what Alvin Gentry wants either. Now he's a guy we throw the ball to and ask him to create shots for himself and others and that's just not his skillset. And this madness has gone on so long that I have little hope of him self-correcting on the Kings, even with a different coaching staff.
Hopefully that paints a clearer picture of my feelings about Buddy. I want him gone as much for his own sake as for ours. He doesn't want to be here, Monte already tried to trade him, and his presence on the court is standing in the way of our other guards stepping up into bigger roles. Not because he's demanding shots but because they all want him taking them and he's just not getting open enough because he's abandoned every other part of the floor except the three point line.
What I can't stand anymore are all the things you've mentioned -- how he no longer can hit a jumper from inside the arc, his inability to finish at the rim. Also the fact that he barely gets himself to the free throw line despite being one of our better shooters. I don't think I'm exaggerating about his passing and dribbling skills being horrible. I think he's regressed in almost every area except for defense and three point shooting. He used to be a basketball player who could shoot and over the last season and a half he's become a shooter who sometimes plays basketball.
In his defense, I think it probably has a lot to do with what the coaching staff wants from him. His instant catch and release jumper is a huge weapon and I think he would be a great fit on certain teams but after accounting for his defense he's either our fourth or fifth best guard depending on whether Terance Davis is on a hot streak or not. If we wanted to use him rationally as a spot-up shooter and use screens to free him up he would still be a key part of our offense but that's not what Luke Walton wanted and apparently it's not what Alvin Gentry wants either. Now he's a guy we throw the ball to and ask him to create shots for himself and others and that's just not his skillset. And this madness has gone on so long that I have little hope of him self-correcting on the Kings, even with a different coaching staff.
Hopefully that paints a clearer picture of my feelings about Buddy. I want him gone as much for his own sake as for ours. He doesn't want to be here, Monte already tried to trade him, and his presence on the court is standing in the way of our other guards stepping up into bigger roles. Not because he's demanding shots but because they all want him taking them and he's just not getting open enough because he's abandoned every other part of the floor except the three point line.
I'll acknowledge that typically NBA coaches do not get fired mid-season if their team is over .500. I believe we were 9-6 when Cuz went out, but close enough. If Cuz hadn't gotten sick and the team hadn't dipped in the standings, the optics wouldn't have been there for a mid-season firing. Sure. But there's a big distinction between "fired for team performance when star was injured" and "fired for irreconcilable differences, timing based on optics". Big distinction.
And I know people hate the “it’s the coaching” excuse, but I can only wonder what we would be like if we ran a scheme like successful teams that utilized lots of cutting…..in other words, what if we had a coach like that. I watch Memphis having success and watch them run their stuff. I’d just like to see that from the Kings
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