Kings Issues Dont Stop With Cousins - Amick

[kingsboi]

I swear it seems like we're are getting tons of injuries this year, when we haven't had one yet (besides the 2 games from dally).

Yeah so far we have been healthy as a unit and you would think that would be a good thing of signs to come. It would mean that we would have a lot of depth and could play multiple players that fit their roles.

 

[DeMoN]

Yeah so far we have been healthy as a unit and you would think that would be a good thing of signs to come. It would mean that we would have a lot of depth and could play multiple players that fit their roles.

Hopefully Westphal is just trying to see what he has, and this shuffling wont happen all year. This isn't baseball were you can change your lineup all year because its just individual matchups, but as a young team building chemistry is key.

 

[kingsboi]

Hopefully Westphal is just trying to see what he has, and this shuffling wont happen all year. This isn't baseball were you can change your lineup all year because its just individual matchups, but as a young team building chemistry is key.

Absolutely. As I've mentioned before, he has a short leash for players that commit mistakes it seems. You can't have a coach that doesn't believe you will learn while your out there playing the game in itself. It's bad enough a player knows that if he messes up, Coach is going to take them out. It adds further pressure for them to perform perfectly to just stay in the game rather than playing to their strengths and let them learn as the game goes on.

 

[DeMoN]

Absolutely. As I've mentioned before, he has a short leash for players that commit mistakes it seems. You can't have a coach that doesn't believe you will learn while your out there playing the game in itself. It's bad enough a player knows that if he messes up, Coach is going to take them out. It adds further pressure for them to perform perfectly to just stay in the game rather than playing to their strengths and let them learn as the game goes on.

Just what i was thinking. If you are playing 20 minutes one game, then 0 the next, you're damn sure the next game that player is going to make mistakes due to trying to do too much.

 

[bajaden]

You bring up a good point. What % of the plays does Tyreke call? I rarely, if ever, see Westphal calling plays from the sideline. With such a young, disorganized team, I have to question his intent. I know this team wants to run. Of course that start with defense and rebounding, but that's another discussion.

When we don't have a fast break opportunity, why not pull it out and run a play? Tyreke looks confused. The other 4 guys look confused. And any possession which starts with Tyreke pounding the ball for 10 secs usually doesn't end well. So why not call out plays and get guys into the sets earlier? If Tyreke is the one calling pays, it's simply not working at this point. There were also a few times last night where Beno was running the offense,Cousins had his man on his back, and he swung it the other direction.

If Beno and Tyreke are given thefreedom to call plays and run the offense, and they are essentially failing in that regard, and missing mismatches, and really not making the smart play, then why aren't the plays coming from the bench? If you miss Cousins in the post on one trip, come down, set it up, let him get position, throw him the ball, and let him go to work. Why is that so complicated? Are we running plays for Dally to end up with a 15 ft jumper, or are guys just not playing smart? Cousins dunks on his man, and doesn't touch the ball the next 5 possessions? We jack up numerous 3's and long 2's, and not once do the guys slow it own, and run a half court set and get the ball inside.

So if Westphal is in fact giving Beno and Tyreke the freedom to call plays, IMO, that freedom needs to be reigned in. It's not working. If Westphal is calling plays, and what we have seen is the result, that's a problem to, because that means guys just aren't concentrating and running plays correctly.

It was nice to hear Bill Walton say what I've been thinking. He said that the Suns had no interior defense and he would keep throwing the ball into Cousins until the Suns figured out a way to stop him. He mentioned several times how the Kings were just settling for quick jump shots and not attacking where the Suns were the weakest and that was their frontcourt. Four times in the game when the ball was thrown into Cousins he made an immediate pass to an open man on the perimiter. I just don't get why the Kings put him on ignore as much as they do.

 

[FaStRmAn]

I am very concerned with the chemistry of this team. I know it is early in the season, but with a very small sampling, it would seem that the Kings as a team are totally out of sync both offensively and defensively. Whoever is calling the plays, it doesn't seem like the plays are either being run properly or at all. It does seem like when Tyreke is in the game, that the ball ends up in his hands and he is not finding players for assists as often as you would like. I think Tyreke does not trust the rest of his teammates and so he thinks he has to do it all. He needs to loosen up and start moving the ball around. Landry is also a black hole when he gets the ball. You rarely see Landry getting an assist. Landry needs to learn to move the ball as well. Especially during this dry spell where he is missing his shot more often then not. The whole team needs to move without the ball and move the ball more. They kept saying over and over during the Suns game that if the Kings just made the extra pass, they would get better opportunities to score. There seems to be a lot of one on one play, and that is causing stagnation on the offensive end. Defensively, they play hard on defense when they want to, but you can see when they are struggling on offense, their defense struggles as well. I think Cousins could be the post player we have needed for so long. It would be a shame not to work the ball down to Cousins and let him see if he can either score, or draw a double team to get an open shot for someone else. Luther Head and Wright should only come in the game if there is a player with foul trouble. Neither of those players are good NBA players. They are end of the bench emergency players at BEST! We need to see more Greene if he is in shape, and more ball movement. I think the Kings can get this thing turned around, but there needs to be a concerted effort to play as a team. That means every one needs to pass the ball, get the defense moving so open shots can be had. And we need the shooters to start making a better percentage of their shots. Uncontested shots need to be made at a better rate. NBA players should make a high percentage of uncontested shots. If a player is not making uncontested shots, they need to ride the pine. Basketball in its most basic terms is putting the ball in the hoop, and keeping the other team from putting the ball in the hoop. As a team, the Kings need to do a better job of both.