[Game] Kings @ Nuggets Game thread 1/1/11

[bajaden]

The problem with The Kings isn't so much how many players are being played, it's how random the lineups are and how sporadic the minutes are. If there was a set rotation where 12 guys were getting about the same amount of minutes every night and knew what their role was it would be different. As it is though guys go from 20 MPG to DNP overnight, are thrown into different positions, pulled out seemingly at random, etc.

No question about it. Westphal is like someone at smorgasbord (probably misspelled) who has too many choices, so he just keeps sampling everything and ends up never making a decision about what he really likes.

 

[bajaden]

Some notes about last nights game, and they really explain the loss. The Kings took 28 shots from beyond 16 feet and made only 6 of them. However, they were 17 of 20 on shots from 6 feet or less. Cousins and Thompson combined for 9 for 9 inside 6 feet. Landry was 4 for 5 from that distance. Its apparent that the Kings were able to score close to the basket, but the perimiter players continued to just shoot away from the outside. Not only did they take way too many outside shots, they took too many of them early in the clock, before their offense was in a set position, so there was no one there to grab an offensive rebound.

Basicly just lazy play by most of our perimiter players. No ball movement. No spacing at times. And when they did get the ball to Cousins in the high post, which was seldom after the first quarter, there was little movement by the players. No cutters for Cousins to pass to, other than the one time Pooh cut down the lane and unfortunately got his shot blocked. In short, it wasn't team basketball. I have absolutely no idea why Greene was jerked after just a couple of minutes, and they appeared to me to be very productive minutes.

 

[rainmaker]

The problem with The Kings isn't so much how many players are being played, it's how random the lineups are and how sporadic the minutes are. If there was a set rotation where 12 guys were getting about the same amount of minutes every night and knew what their role was it would be different. As it is though guys go from 20 MPG to DNP overnight, are thrown into different positions, pulled out seemingly at random, etc.

That's true. And that is why I don't think Wstphal is the right coach for this team. I agree with the approach of making the young guys earn their minutes and spots in the rotation. But that would imply having some kind of a regular rotation to begin with.

I have never seen guys go from the starting lineup to not playing the next game, and that has happened multiple times this year. If you earn a spot in the starting 5, or the rotation by impressing in practice for weeks, how the hell do you lose that spot in a game, and go to the end of the bench? He is kill ing any confidence and chemistry with our young guys, and there is no rhyme or reason to his substitution pattern.

Once a player "earns" a spot as a starter, Westphal should work on building confidence and chemistry, not having that player looking over his shoulder and thinking "if I have an off game, I might not only lose my spot, but might not even play next game".

Changing the lineup a few times is understandable, given our youth and inconsistency, or for motivational purposes. But after the 12th and 13th time, it appears Westphal still doesn't know the stengths and weaknesses of his own players, or how much to play them. It also consistently sends mixed messages to players. Donte plays good defense and plays 3 mins. Landry doesn't play defense and continues to get the backing of the coaching staff. Omri makes a stupid play or two, and gets playing time cut immediately. Cisco makes a number of stupid plays, takes that horrible shot vs GS, and is rewarded with the starting sf spot. I can go on, but I'ms ure everyone gets the point.

Westphal consistently contradicts the previous decisions he made.

 

[bajaden]

That's true. And that is why I don't think Wstphal is the right coach for this team. I agree with the approach of making the young guys earn their minutes and spots in the rotation. But that would imply having some kind of a regular rotation to begin with.

I have never seen guys go from the starting lineup to not playing the next game, and that has happened multiple times this year. If you earn a spot in the starting 5, or the rotation by impressing in practice for weeks, how the hell do you lose that spot in a game, and go to the end of the bench? He is kill ing any confidence and chemistry with our young guys, and there is no rhyme or reason to his substitution pattern.

Once a player "earns" a spot as a starter, Westphal should work on building confidence and chemistry, not having that player looking over his shoulder and thinking "if I have an off game, I might not only lose my spot, but might not even play next game".

Changing the lineup a few times is understandable, given our youth and inconsistency, or for motivational purposes. But after the 12th and 13th time, it appears Westphal still doesn't know the stengths and weaknesses of his own players, or how much to play them. It also consistently sends mixed messages to players. Donte plays good defense and plays 3 mins. Landry doesn't play defense and continues to get the backing of the coaching staff. Omri makes a stupid play or two, and gets playing time cut immediately. Cisco makes a number of stupid plays, takes that horrible shot vs GS, and is rewarded with the starting sf spot. I can go on, but I'ms ure everyone gets the point.

Westphal consistently contradicts the previous decisions he made.

I don't want to be redundit, but its hard not to be. There are times I just don't know what to say about some of his decisions. Like pulling Greene last night after 3 minutes on the floor, especially when he blocked 3 shots in that short span. Anyone thats watched JT for any period of time knows that he starts to play better once he gets into the flow of the game, and usually for the most part he'll help you in other ways if his offense isn't going yet. But he jerked him early in the first and he didn't get most of his playing time until the 4th. So I think if your a player, and you believe that your going to be jerked if you don't look good early, your going to press and probably not play as well as you would if your relaxed.

My main problem with Westphal is that if your Thompson, Casspi, Greene and on some occasions, Cousins, you better not make a mistake or have a bad shooting night. But if your Beno, Tyreke, Landry on some occasions Cisco, you and shoot us or turnover us out of a game and your still good as gold. Now I understand this if you have a veteran team like we used to with Vlade and Webber and company. Your not going to go with an inexperienced player as long as you would with a veteran. But thats hardly the case with us.

Now one could argue that last night when Westphal took Thompson out of the game and replaced him with Landry, it was a good move. Landry played well in the first half. He didn't rebound, but he did score well. But then Dalembert was on the bench. Cousins was on the bench, and I'm looking at a midget lineup out there. Sometimes I think Westphal has a jar full of money in his desk drawer that has, you pay and you play, written on it. Because sometimes I have no explaination for some of his lineups. Maybe someone should tell him that this isn't a video game.

 

[kingsboi]

What really needs to happen is the management from upstairs needs to say something. Whether it's the Maloofs or Geoff Petrie. I know you want to let the coach do his job, but come on, after awhile somebody, ANYBODY has to say something to this guy because it's obvious he is as clueless as you can be. I am pretty sure that if your not seeing any improvement out there that you might want to hint to the coach that it would be more wise to stick with a 8 or 9 man rotation and stop messing around with it.

 

[nickmcclure]

What really needs to happen is the management from upstairs needs to say something. Whether it's the Maloofs or Geoff Petrie. I know you want to let the coach do his job, but come on, after awhile somebody, ANYBODY has to say something to this guy because it's obvious he is as clueless as you can be. I am pretty sure that if your not seeing any improvement out there that you might want to hint to the coach that it would be more wise to stick with a 8 or 9 man rotation and stop messing around with it.

I completely agree. The FO could at least acknowledge this debacle. Even NBA.com is starting to mention our issues publicly.