[Game] Kings @ Portland - 10/20/13

[Kingster]

I didn't see the game, thanks to the basketball god's that despise me. So, all I can say, is that I don't want my starting PG, unless his name is Chris Paul, or Rose, taking 17 shots, especially if he's only going to make 5 of them. Now if I don't want my starting PG to take that many shots, the I sure as hell don't want my backup PG taking that many shots. I love the 10 assists. Kudo's for that, but lets tone down the shot attempts. As for comparing IT to Tyreke, and saying that IT managed to take about one shot less than Tyreke a game, really proves the point that IT shoots too much. That's like saying that Muggsy Bogues doesn't shoot too much because he only took one shot less than Ray Allen.

Tyreke was perceived to be the star, or at least one of two stars on this team. IT was the 60th pick in the draft. Let me see, who do I think should take the most shots? Look! I like IT, but he has a shooters mentality, and personally, if this is the type of disscussion were going to have every game, then I hope we trade him and end this crap. There are times when I seriously question IT's BBIQ. He gets you back into a game by creating for others, well done there, and then becomes a selfish player and shoots you right back out of the game. He is at times, his own worse enemy. All that said, he has the talent to be one hell of a player off the bench. He just has to stop trying to prove to the world how great his is. Because frankly, the world doesn't care.

If a guy makes one shot out of eight do you want him to take 2 shots?

I never have understood the arbitrariness of taking X number of shots for Y player. If you're open, you should shoot; if not, then don't. If you're a good shooter and have taken 12 open shots and made 2, I don't want you to stop taking the the 13th shot that is open. If you're taking all bad shots, I don't want you to take one.

 

[Kingster]

Ok that's it. If Ben isn't the starter then I will brand this coaching staff the same as the previous staff.

Then I guess Malone sucks. Because he's not starting McLemore. This is just preseason. Doesn't mean diddly. The kid needs to be groomed for the position, not thrown in the deep end with the sharks.

 

[Hadlowe]

Here is the reason people are criticizing IT for this game. In 27 minutes of play time, he took 20 shot attempts. Kobe is looking at that usage rate and saying "Dude, scale it back just a little." He also dished ten assists with no turnovers. Statistically, that is a lot of ball domination. 15 points on 20 shot attempts is pretty crap for efficiency. The Kings have one star player on the team. When he isn't on the floor, ball movement is imperative to get the team operating as a unit instead of the IT department.

 

[Hadlowe]

Then I guess Malone sucks. Because he's not starting McLemore. This is just preseason. Doesn't mean diddly. The kid needs to be groomed for the position, not thrown in the deep end with the sharks.

Why does he need to be groomed? Is he suddenly going to learn to dribble in the middle of the season? He already has two elite skills that we need on the floor in his outside shot and his athleticism. His on-court attitude is ten times better than Thornton's. Defensively, he is a work in progress, but the important part is that he actually works. He will learn defense by getting burned by the Crawfords and Wades and (sigh) Tyreke Evans of the world and working with the coaching staff to improve. He won't learn the same thing from guarding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

It's about time that we give our high draft picks playing time.

 

[Kingster]

Why does he need to be groomed? Is he suddenly going to learn to dribble in the middle of the season? He already has two elite skills that we need on the floor in his outside shot and his athleticism. His on-court attitude is ten times better than Thornton's. Defensively, he is a work in progress, but the important part is that he actually works. He will learn defense by getting burned by the Crawfords and Wades and (sigh) Tyreke Evans of the world and working with the coaching staff to improve. He won't learn the same thing from guarding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

It's about time that we give our high draft picks playing time.

He needs to be groomed because he needs to build his confidence and his skill level. If you don't believe me, read Malone's comments in the Bee today. You want a guy like McLemore to climb the ladder slowly but surely so that eventually he can play against the best (teams and players) and not feel overwhelmed. It's not the end of the world if he doesn't start. He can still play some pretty big minutes, and depending on the game situation, he can play against top tier 2s.

 

[pshn80]

I bow to the coaching staff on determining when and how McLemore and Thomas play. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

[HighFlyingMonkey]

I bow to the coaching staff on determining when and how McLemore and Thomas play. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

What a beautiful thing to have faith in the coaching staff. The stench of Smart is slowly fading away.

 

[bajaden]

If a guy makes one shot out of eight do you want him to take 2 shots?

I never have understood the arbitrariness of taking X number of shots for Y player. If you're open, you should shoot; if not, then don't. If you're a good shooter and have taken 12 open shots and made 2, I don't want you to stop taking the the 13th shot that is open. If you're taking all bad shots, I don't want you to take one.

To answer your first question, it all depends on who the player is, and what his job on the floor is. If the player is James Johnson, the answer is no! So perhaps you should tell me how you perceive IT's job on the floor. If his job is to create for others, then he probably shouldn't be looking at taking that many shots a game. If his name is Peja, then he probably should be looking at taking a lot of shots. So I guess I'm confused as to just what his job on the floor is. Is he the star of our team? Is he the guy we want averaging 20 plus points a game, no matter how many shots he takes. Why was Allen Iverson both loved and hated at the same time? It was because that rightly or wrongly, he was perceived to be mostly about himself. Yes he was fun to watch, but how many championships did he win?

I'm all about team play! And anything that disrupts that is a detriment to the team. I'm not about hero worship or hanging my standard on a single player. If you play on a team, no matter what the sport, you have to feel included, or you lose interest. Its not a conscious decision, it just morfs into your being over time. You run the floor! You fight for rebounds! You set picks, and move without the ball, and after all that, some little 5'9" player brings the ball down the floor, dribbles all over the place, and then takes a 3 pt shot. After a while, it really doesn't matter whether he makes it or not. Your not included, and eventually, there is no team, just five individuals all looking for their shot, and taking it as soon as they get the ball, because they know it might be while before they touch the ball again.

Now I'm exaggerating for the sake of making a point. But let me be clear. I don't have a love affair with any player on this team. I don't live my life vicariously through anyone. All I care about is winning, and if I think a player stands in the way of winning, whether I like him personally or not, I'm going to criticize that player. Doesn't mean I hate him, or even want him gone. But I do want him to get with the program. Its not about him, its all about the team. I can guarantee you that if Vasquez had gone 5 for 17 with the same number of assists, people would be calling for his head. So its not a double standard.