[Game] Kings @ Clippers - Saturday, Jan. 13 - 12:30 PT

#91
I don't buy that the offensive scheme is the problem as much as we need Fox to hit the 3 and long jumpers AND George Hill to actually shoot the damn ball. He passed up so many good looks early and when he goes passive AND Fox is being left wide open and make shots......you get the idea. When Buddy comes in, he can't create enough so they overplay him coming off screens or movement.

When Fox can make shots, things will open up. Until then, it's going to be a struggle.
If they didn't run this system, Fox would be able to get to the hoop a lot more and not have to rely on taking mid range shots all game.

John Wall was constantly at the rim his rookie season because their coach planned around his shiny new toy, not his old rusty Pinto.
 
#93
If we're going to insist on starting Hill, Randolph, and Temple, we might as well just put Kosta and Carter out there as well so we can have a Fox/Bogdan/Hield/Skal/WCS second unit and have one full squad I want to watch.
I think it is time to play the young fellas big minutes. What are we gonna lose by 20 points or something?
 
#96
As I previously mentioned, this game got the DVR treatment as football was on. After I saw the score, I figured I'd much rather NOT waste my time watching the game, and I'd much rather waste it watching something else. With that being said, can someone give me

"The Good. The Bad. And The Ugly."

Or, at least try to???

Ready.

Set.

Roll!!!!!!!
 
#98
If they didn't run this system, Fox would be able to get to the hoop a lot more and not have to rely on taking mid range shots all game.

John Wall was constantly at the rim his rookie season because their coach planned around his shiny new toy, not his old rusty Pinto.
How would Fox get to the hoop with the Clippers points literally standing at the top of the key daring him to shoot?

Fox has to fix his shot and get consistent from 3. We all knew this fact. If he can accomplish that goal, he will be very good. If not, Mason will be our starting point.
 
#99
Luckily, none of us will be writing those checks.
Just living with the cap fall out and the impact on the team.

I'm torn on Willie. He's already improved so much this year. Much more than I thought would happen. Based upon his first two years in the league, I think he's a major candiate to back slide and mail in weeks once he gets paid. Luckily, there is still a fair amount of time. I have no idea what they should do at many different price points.
 
Here's what a poster on STR figured out:

Encouraging pull-up jumpers: The Kings are 8th in the NBA in pull-up FGA per game. Pull-ups are a really inefficient way to generate points. The Kings average .848 points per pull up attempt (42.4 eFG%). The best team at shooting pull-ups, the Rockets, barely average higher than 50% eFG%. If you drill down even deeper, you see that the Kings take over 25% of their 2-point attempts after 1-2 dribbles. They have an eFG% of 47.7 after 1 dribble, and 45.2 after 2 dribbles; both are last in the league. Obviously, you can pull-up after any number of dribbles, but the Kings seem to make really poor decisions about when to shoot. I think the eye test can confirm the Kings players passed up way too many wide open catch and shoot opportunities so they can dribble a couple of times, then take an ill-advised pull-up jumper. Maybe this isn’t a scheme thing, but the players in the scheme still choose to take bad shots over good shots.

Late FG attempts: The quicker you shoot your shot, the better the chance you make your shot. Here’s the eFG% leader for each category of shot by time left:
Very Early (22-18 sec.): 69%
Early (18-15 sec.): 61.9%
Average (15-7 sec.): 58.6%
Late (7-4 sec.): 59.1%
Very Late (4-0 sec.): 47.7%

The Kings take the most late FGA attempts per game with a eFG% of 49.7 (#23). The Kings take the 5th most very late FGA per game with a eFG% of 43.1 (#19). So they take a ton of late or very late shots, and are way below average at converting those shots to points.

Too many Post-ups: contrary to popular belief, posting up isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Its just that the results are mostly bad when the Kings post up. The Kings are 5th it post-ups per game, but they’re 22nd in post-up FG%. They are average (14th) at generating assist from post-ups though.

Taking the wrong shots in the paint: The Kings are 4th in the NBA in FGA in the paint, but they’re 27th in FG% in the paint. This is because they don’t take a lot of shots close to the rim. There are only 3 teams that have less FGA within 5 feet of the rim. However, the Kings take the most shots 5-9 feet away from the hoop. To compound that, the Kings have the worst FG% on shots 5-9 feet from the hoop (37.1%). This is probably the stat that stands out the most. So they take very few high percentage paint shots, and a ton of low percentage paint shots.

In summation, the Kings take a ton of bad shots, and suck at making them. The Kings take very few good shots, but are great at making them. This can’t all be blamed on scheme. But, the job of the coach is to put his players in the best position to succeed. So far this season, he’s failed miserably.
Great data. Do we have the individual break down?

Part of this I think sits on Fox. He does a poor job of breaking down the defense and kicking the ball out to open 3 point shooters. The pull up jumper is Fox’s go to move so I would bet he owns a large portion of those pull up attempts.

Part also sits on Bogi. If he catches the ball at the three point line he needs to shoot the darn thing.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
The sad part is we will probably have a fun 8-10 game stretch in March/April where the vets will be sat and the narrative will be "man the future is awesome, can't wait till next year". That should have happened yesterday. Just wasting time with "Zbo turning back the clock tonight!" I disagreed with people who criticized the vet signing in the summer but now I get it, especially with the way the Kings are handling it. The team is running sets you would run if Zbo was your go to guy in his prime instead of identifying who your best players are (Bogdan, Fox, Willie) and cultivating a system around their game (pick and roll heavy offense). This season should be being used to work out the kinks for those guys since wins don't matter. Instead we will probably be doing that next season(if ever) when we don't have a draft pick and all the losing will be for nothing.
To me, it's ok to agree with having the vets to start the season and it's ok to agree with trading them all by the trade deadline. The vets were bound to have a diminishing return over time, it just happened sooner rather than later. The only guy I thought might be with the Kings long term was Hill because he is a younger vet, but he obviously is not invested in the Kings and wants to be elsewhere. If they can get value for any of them, I'd do it, even with Carter who I like very much.
 
How would Fox get to the hoop with the Clippers points literally standing at the top of the key daring him to shoot?

Fox has to fix his shot and get consistent from 3. We all knew this fact. If he can accomplish that goal, he will be very good. If not, Mason will be our starting point.
How do you think any player that can't shoot is able to get to the hoop? Fox certainly isn't the first explosive athlete with a broken shot. Look at how silly he made Blake Griffin look on that one drive....the kid has skills but they have to be utilized and at this point they're not.

This offense is designed for a Mike Bibby type PG. Do you think Tyreke would have had a 20, 5 and 5 season if Paul Westphal ran a high post system that year? There's no room for Fox to operate in the high post system because it clogs up the lane. He's also been bad in pick and roll situations but he also seems to run it with ZBo the majority of the time so I'd like to see him run it with WCS and Koufos more to see how he does because what ZBo does on every PnR play can't be considered a pick and it certainly isn't a roll. It's a waste of time designed to get him the ball back while leaving the PG on an island with no other options. George Hill's assist totals have dropped because of this very reason as well.

The game is already really difficult for rookie PG's and Joerger has made it even harder. The good thing is he's changed the offense up a bit with Bogie out there so he's shown that he is flexible but it's time to start taking better care of the Kings #1 prospect and start game planning for his strengths instead of against them.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
WCS has improved, but as others have said, he's got to have more of an impact on the game. He just blends in. Much of it has to do with him finding some fire in the belly that so far has been missing (See my post on "swinging" at the ball). I still see him much more interested in developing his offensive skills than having a big impact on defense. I definitely would not look to trade him this year though. You just won't get much value. If anything, I'd be on him to show more force and toughness on the defensive end of the floor. We've seen him do some of that this year, but you can't play with toughness once every five or so games.
 

dude12

Hall of Famer
WCS has improved, but as others have said, he's got to have more of an impact on the game. He just blends in. Much of it has to do with him finding some fire in the belly that so far has been missing (See my post on "swinging" at the ball). I still see him much more interested in developing his offensive skills than having a big impact on defense. I definitely would not look to trade him this year though. You just won't get much value. If anything, I'd be on him to show more force and toughness on the defensive end of the floor. We've seen him do some of that this year, but you can't play with toughness once every five or so games.
Willie will never be THE guy but he can be a guy for the future. Would love to see Giles and him together if Giles really is THE one. Maybe the pick next year is a big and paired with WCS. If he prices himself off our team then that would be a problem.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
As I previously mentioned, this game got the DVR treatment as football was on. After I saw the score, I figured I'd much rather NOT waste my time watching the game, and I'd much rather waste it watching something else. With that being said, can someone give me

"The Good. The Bad. And The Ugly."

Or, at least try to???

Ready.

Set.

Roll!!!!!!!
OK, so you've got Angel Eyes, who is one bad hombre who is looking for Bill Carson's cash box with $200,000 in it. But then he doesn't show up until the later parts of the movie. Then you've got Blondie and Tuco, who are running this scam where Blondie keeps turning Tuco in for reward money then rescuing him from the authorities by shooting the noose just as they're about to hang him, so they can do it again and again. Anyway, eventually Blondie betrays Tuco so in his revenge he comes after Blondie and forces him into a march through the desert, and Blondie is about to die of thirst when along comes a stagecoach with a dying Bill Carson in it, and Carson whispers the location of his cash box in Blondie's ear, so Tuco has to recuperate him, because Tuco wants that cash box too. Anyway, some crazy stuff happens and Tuco takes a bubble bath and for a while Angel Eyes and Blondie are hooked up and then Tuco helps Blondie kill some of Angel Eyes' men, and they blow up a bridge for some nincompoop reason and all three of them end up in a humongous cemetery, where the cash box is hidden. This leads to a three-way mexican standoff where Blondie kills Angel Eyes and Tuco doesn't actually have any bullets because Blondie stole them. So Blondie magnanimously leaves half the gold with Tuco, but puts him in a noose so that he can shoot the noose out with a rifle once he's a safe distance away. It's kind of a weird and frankly disjointed movie for as famous as it is.
 
Fox at his best is better than mason. I don’t see mason ever starting over him

Mason is a good, solid player, but have people actually looked at what he's done this year? He hasn't had some great year so far. Not by a long shot. Fox has the tools to be really good if not an all star. Maybe even beyond that.
 
The only players (none of which are young) that have played great this year are WCS, Randolph, and Bog, and only in a handful if games. I was expecting growing pains, but at least some break out games for our young guys. Maybe a 20 point game for Skal, or a double double for Fox, just once? Still half a season tho
 
The only players (none of which are young) that have played great this year are WCS, Randolph, and Bog, and only in a handful if games. I was expecting growing pains, but at least some break out games for our young guys. Maybe a 20 point game for Skal, or a double double for Fox, just once? Still half a season tho
You do realize that Fox has had a double-double in 2 of the last 4 games?
 

hrdboild

Hall of Famer
OK, so you've got Angel Eyes, who is one bad hombre who is looking for Bill Carson's cash box with $200,000 in it. But then he doesn't show up until the later parts of the movie. Then you've got Blondie and Tuco, who are running this scam where Blondie keeps turning Tuco in for reward money then rescuing him from the authorities by shooting the noose just as they're about to hang him, so they can do it again and again. Anyway, eventually Blondie betrays Tuco so in his revenge he comes after Blondie and forces him into a march through the desert, and Blondie is about to die of thirst when along comes a stagecoach with a dying Bill Carson in it, and Carson whispers the location of his cash box in Blondie's ear, so Tuco has to recuperate him, because Tuco wants that cash box too. Anyway, some crazy stuff happens and Tuco takes a bubble bath and for a while Angel Eyes and Blondie are hooked up and then Tuco helps Blondie kill some of Angel Eyes' men, and they blow up a bridge for some nincompoop reason and all three of them end up in a humongous cemetery, where the cash box is hidden. This leads to a three-way mexican standoff where Blondie kills Angel Eyes and Tuco doesn't actually have any bullets because Blondie stole them. So Blondie magnanimously leaves half the gold with Tuco, but puts him in a noose so that he can shoot the noose out with a rifle once he's a safe distance away. It's kind of a weird and frankly disjointed movie for as famous as it is.
Amazing. :D
 
OK, so you've got Angel Eyes, who is one bad hombre who is looking for Bill Carson's cash box with $200,000 in it. But then he doesn't show up until the later parts of the movie. Then you've got Blondie and Tuco, who are running this scam where Blondie keeps turning Tuco in for reward money then rescuing him from the authorities by shooting the noose just as they're about to hang him, so they can do it again and again. Anyway, eventually Blondie betrays Tuco so in his revenge he comes after Blondie and forces him into a march through the desert, and Blondie is about to die of thirst when along comes a stagecoach with a dying Bill Carson in it, and Carson whispers the location of his cash box in Blondie's ear, so Tuco has to recuperate him, because Tuco wants that cash box too. Anyway, some crazy stuff happens and Tuco takes a bubble bath and for a while Angel Eyes and Blondie are hooked up and then Tuco helps Blondie kill some of Angel Eyes' men, and they blow up a bridge for some nincompoop reason and all three of them end up in a humongous cemetery, where the cash box is hidden. This leads to a three-way mexican standoff where Blondie kills Angel Eyes and Tuco doesn't actually have any bullets because Blondie stole them. So Blondie magnanimously leaves half the gold with Tuco, but puts him in a noose so that he can shoot the noose out with a rifle once he's a safe distance away. It's kind of a weird and frankly disjointed movie for as famous as it is.
:);):cool::p:D
 
WCS and his post game comments are disconcerting. Doesn’t have a clue why the team gets out to slow starts. Has an apathetic, clueless tone. I have noticed this a lot with him in post game interviews.

I know he had a decent offensive game(half of his points/rebounds in garbage time) and hit a 3 today. But,I am not sure the Kings should be paying him 20mil/5 years. Next year. I think he’s made some improvement this year. But, I just don’t think he’s worth all that.
I’m not sure where you are getting that from. I saw the same interview. I thought his comments were thoughtful and he was no more clueless than anyone else. As for being apathetic, I think you are reaching to meet your preconceived opinion, as for his tone of voice, he is always like that in interviews, that’s just the way he is.

Below are excerpts from the interview as transcribed by Jason Jones, The Sacramento Bee. Here is a link to the full article: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article194613864.html

Willie Cauley-Stein called for more accountability from himself and teammates after the Kings’ blowout loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles last month. And much like the problems of this season, Cauley-Stein was repeating himself after Saturday afternoon’s 126-105 loss to the Clippers at Staples Center.

“Honestly, I don’t really know,” Cauley-Stein said of how to fix the bad starts. “It’s got to come from us, but it’s got to come from us holding each other accountable. Like, enough is enough. I think Coach is at that point where he’s not going to play you if you’re not doing the right thing, and I think that’s how it should be.”

Cauley-Stein said coach Dave Joerger might need to treat the Kings like a college team, and cut playing time for mistakes, regardless of age or experience.

“If you’re not doing your job right, next man up, you get your turn next time it comes around,” the third-year center said. “I think it’s got to happen like that, even for myself.”

The need to play with high energy from the start is preached constantly, but as Cauley-Stein said Saturday, the Kings didn’t show that until the second half. They trailed 64-45 at halftime.

“I think it’s tough on Coach because we’re pros and you should be able to take care of that at a pro level, but we’re also young and a lot of us just came out of college, too,” Cauley-Stein said. “We might have to take it back to a college feel for a second until dudes recognize this is how it is and how it’s got to be.”

The youth excuse doesn’t explain Saturday, when the two youngest starters were rookie De’Aaron Fox and Cauley-Stein. Veterans Zach Randolph, George Hill and Garrett Temple were the other starters.

Cauley-Stein was asked if the energy issue is surprising considering there are still a lot of young players on the roster.

“Yeah, but we’ve got a lot of old dudes playing, too, so it’s not just young dudes playing,” Cauley-Stein said. “Otherwise it’s a whole different feel if it was five young dudes out there. Most of time it’s three old dudes and two young dudes, (or) a couple of young dudes and maybe some three-to-four-year dudes that’s playing. So it’s really frustrating, but it is what it is, so you’ve just got to keep pushing and learn from it.”
 
As I previously mentioned, this game got the DVR treatment as football was on. After I saw the score, I figured I'd much rather NOT waste my time watching the game, and I'd much rather waste it watching something else. With that being said, can someone give me

"The Good. The Bad. And The Ugly."

Or, at least try to???

Ready.

Set.

Roll!!!!!!!

 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
Just living with the cap fall out and the impact on the team.

I'm torn on Willie. He's already improved so much this year. Much more than I thought would happen. Based upon his first two years in the league, I think he's a major candiate to back slide and mail in weeks once he gets paid. Luckily, there is still a fair amount of time. I have no idea what they should do at many different price points.
My point was merely that I think some around here worry WAY too much about how much we may be paying a player. Seeing how the salaries have blown up in the past few years, and seeing how much some players I would deem questionable are making, I think it's being over-used as a means of evaluating a player. I do agree with your assessment of WCS, however. He's a bit of a puzzle, BUT I have every faith that he's gonna continue to improve and be worth whatever the front office decides to pay him.
 
My point was merely that I think some around here worry WAY too much about how much we may be paying a player.
Here, I’m expressly disagreeing with the premise restated above. It’s a hard cap. As such, whether you paid market value is often almost as production and talent. In fact, if you over or under pay enough it can actually be more important (see Hill George and 2015 and 2016 Crowder, Jae)

The value impacts current roster, contact value, and future options and assets.

I respectfully disagree as to whether enough people here worry about what we pay players.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
Here, I’m expressly disagreeing with the premise restated above. It’s a hard cap. As such, whether you paid market value is often almost as production and talent. In fact, if you over or under pay enough it can actually be more important (see Hill George and 2015 and 2016 Crowder, Jae)

The value impacts current roster, contact value, and future options and assets.

I respectfully disagree as to whether enough people here worry about what we pay players.
I will respectfully agree to disagree.