Big Cuz 15
All-Star
they didn't work him out.
they didn't work him out.
Given how many minutes we gave to many of those guys last year, it begins to illustrate why we didn't win more games, 3 20pt scorers or no.
Ben and DWill remain inefficient atheltes, too small for the positions their skills dictate, without the handle or creative ability of wings. Acy has the right attitude, but a lot of that is for show. He'll block that shot enthusiastically..but he's only going to block that one shot, not 3 or 4. He'll grab each board he gets with gusto, but in the end he's 6'7" and he is going to get 6 or 7, not 10 or 12. He's another guy who's skills force him to play up from what his size dictates. Ray was a second round pick, so hey, just getting a 2nd round pick who sticks is a decent haul. But his command of the game remains shaky, his shot comes and goes, and when pressed he resorts to 1 on 1play rather than setting people up. We even got a little Jared Cunningham action at the PG, and outside of a single nice play slipping the ball to Stauskas on a scramble play, you can see that he's just not an effective player at the PG. In short a large chunk of one of the weaker benches in the league was pretty much who we thought they were. Undersized, lacking passing and ball skills, prone to defensive breakdowns, getting pounded on the glass, and 1 on 1 play when pressed.
Like I said previously in this thread, the good news is the new guy walked in from a different script and showed sophistication in his SG play, a position he's the right size for too. He didn't look dominant, and I do not project him as a star. But he looked more comfortable than any of the others in his very first game, and like a guy who might contribute just by being smart and being able to think the game along with Cousins and Gay. If he just gives you 14-3-3 while making the smart play half a dozen times a game, its a real boost to a team's prospects if you a ready have your stars/shot munchers lined up. He made the game look simple and obvious, whereas the rest of our numbnuts were doing everything possible to make it look as hard as possible.
Was he not an assistant GM for Denver where he would have been scouting players for the draft anyway?That draft sucked and wasn't PDA hired about a week before the draft?
That draft sucked and wasn't PDA hired about a week before the draft?
Was he not an assistant GM for Denver where he would have been scouting players for the draft anyway?
If being hired here a week before the draft is an excuse in any way, shape or form, he shouldn't have been hired. There is not a single GM or assistant GM working in an NBA FO who should not have a pretty good feel for the 1st round of an NBA draft in May/June, just prior to the draft.
Actually, part of his interview should and would have been, we're picking #7, tell me what you think of the talent which should be available when we pick and how they fit into the strengths and weaknesses of the Kings roster. Of course, you would prefer having a proven basketball guy asking those questions to tell whether or not the answers are BS or not.
he needs to be in a system like san antonio or sloan's jazz offense. this should have been known when they drafted him yet they try to make him into something he isn't comfortable or developed skill in *yet*. that's like putting reke at SF and taking the ball out of his hands. that's his strength. ben needs to run off some screens like reggie miller and just shoot the rock. fill the lanes in transition and learn how to play acceptable D. he'll find those 3 things will help him stay in the league for a long time.
*yet* meaning he may or may never reach. lmao
That draft sucked and wasn't PDA hired about a week before the draft?
Well at least he realizises he sucked last night cause he had on the wrong shoes![]()
so only someone new to the NBA and without access to scouting reports would have picked Ben 7th?Yes but it's not like he was new to the nba. I'm sure he at least had exposure to scouting information on here.
Given how many minutes we gave to many of those guys last year, it begins to illustrate why we didn't win more games, 3 20pt scorers or no.
Ben and DWill remain inefficient atheltes, too small for the positions their skills dictate, without the handle or creative ability of wings. Acy has the right attitude, but a lot of that is for show. He'll block that shot enthusiastically..but he's only going to block that one shot, not 3 or 4. He'll grab each board he gets with gusto, but in the end he's 6'7" and he is going to get 6 or 7, not 10 or 12. He's another guy who's skills force him to play up from what his size dictates. Ray was a second round pick, so hey, just getting a 2nd round pick who sticks is a decent haul. But his command of the game remains shaky, his shot comes and goes, and when pressed he resorts to 1 on 1play rather than setting people up. We even got a little Jared Cunningham action at the PG, and outside of a single nice play slipping the ball to Stauskas on a scramble play, you can see that he's just not an effective player at the PG. In short a large chunk of one of the weaker benches in the league was pretty much who we thought they were. Undersized, lacking passing and ball skills, prone to defensive breakdowns, getting pounded on the glass, and 1 on 1 play when pressed.
Like I said previously in this thread, the good news is the new guy walked in from a different script and showed sophistication in his SG play, a position he's the right size for too. He didn't look dominant, and I do not project him as a star. But he looked more comfortable than any of the others in his very first game, and like a guy who might contribute just by being smart and being able to think the game along with Cousins and Gay. If he just gives you 14-3-3 while making the smart play half a dozen times a game, its a real boost to a team's prospects if you a ready have your stars/shot munchers lined up. He made the game look simple and obvious, whereas the rest of our numbnuts were doing everything possible to make it look as hard as possible.
You know what's starting to stand out as difference. Nik Stauskas is interested in posting videos of his workouts, drills, and skill development. Ben wants to show everyone his ink, shoes, and head phones.
After a while it can give some insight to where their 'heads' are at
Was he not an assistant GM for Denver where he would have been scouting players for the draft anyway?
If being hired here a week before the draft is an excuse in any way, shape or form, he shouldn't have been hired. There is not a single GM or assistant GM working in an NBA FO who should not have a pretty good feel for the 1st round of an NBA draft in May/June, just prior to the draft.
Actually, part of his interview should and would have been, we're picking #7, tell me what you think of the talent which should be available when we pick and how they fit into the strengths and weaknesses of the Kings roster. Of course, you would prefer having a proven basketball guy asft g those questions to tell whether or not the answers are BS or not.
Again, it's amazing how much you just know. I wish I was as knowledgeable as you.hired a week before the draft is a weak argument. i'm sure he has friends in the industry that could have given him some insight on players.
I dont hate the Ben pick, he was arguably BPA at #7 in a really weak draft.
They picked him for his high ceiling, people on here always complained about GP never "swinging for the fences" by taking a high risk/high reward player, and this last draft people were complaining about the relatively "safe" pick PDA made with Nik (myself included, I wanted Payton)....
McLemore was a "swing for the fences" pick. At the time of the draft, a lot of people were saying he had Ray Allen upside. PDA and CO took the risk, and right now its looking like its blowing up in their faces. But hey, they went for it...And its not like anyone picked after Ben was really a cant miss prospect (at the time).
Although, I do agree with Bricklayer in that after making the pick, our FO also made just about every mistake they could after....From throwing Ben into the fire, to not trading him when his value was higher.
He showed flashes, so the jury is still out.... But methinks Nik takes his starting spot relatively early on in the season.
I was against the pick even before he was the pick. As for BPA, Trey Burke and Michael Carter Williams were still available. I would have preferred Burke because of my Michigan bias, but MCW with Cousins and Gay would be a nice little combo, especially if we were still able to get Nik in this draft.
PG - MCW
SG - Stauskas
SF - Gay
PF - XXXXX (insert one of the current guys. not like it matters)
C - Cousins
Still missing that big man and a bit of depth, but that is a lineup that has a ton of potential. Still like the current lineup with Collison, but not nearly as much as I would with MCW
He showed flashes, so the jury is still out.... But methinks Nik takes his starting spot relatively early on in the season.
like i said, noob FO
You know the irony of your constant criticizing of the front office is you seem to have a higher percentage of dumb posts than they have dumb decisions. Since you like to talk about "noobs" so much (projecting maybe?) prepare to learn something.....
Ben McLemore was the "best player available" at #7 in a weak draft. Flaws and red flags or not, he was projected to go in the Top-5 by just about every NBA expert. He was regarded as a player with potential to be a bust but also as a player with a high ceiling. McLemore was one of the very few players in that weak draft that many experts thought at least had the potential to be a star. The Kings had a roster that was severely lacking in top level talent and athletic ability.
Once Ben was available at #7, PDA did what just about every other NBA GM would have done in his situation.......drafted the "best player available" that had a chance to be a star. Most of the pundits gave the Kings a good draft grade last year and said that it was a smart pick because the Kings needed another potential star, they needed a great athlete, and they needed shooting. McLemore had the potential to fill all three of those voids. Again most of the NBA experts liked the pick and most of the fans were pretty happy with it (even though many wanted Noel who was taken one spot before)
The Kings were not in a position last year to make a "safe pick" and draft a mid-level talent whose ceiling was going to be a career backup. With the Kings roster last year and picking 7th, when someone who had as much hype and athletic talent as McLemore falls to you at #7 you have to take him. Especially in a weak draft......who else was there that anybody would have been happy with at the time?
You mention Steven Adams in another post? Seriously? You really want to try and pretend like the Kings should have picked him at 7 like you knew all along? Nobody talked about Steven Adams being drafted in the Top-10. Sure enough nobody drafted him in the Top-10. You talk about the Kings Front Office being noobs but what about all of the others that passed on Steven Adams through the first 11 picks?
The stupid thing in all of this is that while it's not looking good for McLemore he's still very young and has only played one season. His window is not closed and his ceiling has not been reached and is not yet out of reach. He had a better season than half the guys drafted in front if him (and in the Top-10) and he'll probably still end up being a better player than at least a couple guys drafted in front of him.
It's easy to play "Monday Morning Quarterback" and say "they should have done this and they should have done that" but only real noobs run their mouths so loudly after the fact like they knew better when reality is you probably would have made the same pick or even worse.
You know the irony of your constant criticizing of the front office is you seem to have a higher percentage of dumb posts than they have dumb decisions. Since you like to talk about "noobs" so much (projecting maybe?) prepare to learn something.....
Ben McLemore was the "best player available" at #7 in a weak draft. Flaws and red flags or not, he was projected to go in the Top-5 by just about every NBA expert. He was regarded as a player with potential to be a bust but also as a player with a high ceiling. McLemore was one of the very few players in that weak draft that many experts thought at least had the potential to be a star. The Kings had a roster that was severely lacking in top level talent and athletic ability.
Once Ben was available at #7, PDA did what just about every other NBA GM would have done in his situation.......drafted the "best player available" that had a chance to be a star. Most of the pundits gave the Kings a good draft grade last year and said that it was a smart pick because the Kings needed another potential star, they needed a great athlete, and they needed shooting. McLemore had the potential to fill all three of those voids. Again most of the NBA experts liked the pick and most of the fans were pretty happy with it (even though many wanted Noel who was taken one spot before)
The Kings were not in a position last year to make a "safe pick" and draft a mid-level talent whose ceiling was going to be a career backup. With the Kings roster last year and picking 7th, when someone who had as much hype and athletic talent as McLemore falls to you at #7 you have to take him. Especially in a weak draft......who else was there that anybody would have been happy with at the time?
You mention Steven Adams in another post? Seriously? You really want to try and pretend like the Kings should have picked him at 7 like you knew all along? Nobody talked about Steven Adams being drafted in the Top-10. Sure enough nobody drafted him in the Top-10. You talk about the Kings Front Office being noobs but what about all of the others that passed on Steven Adams through the first 11 picks?
The stupid thing in all of this is that while it's not looking good for McLemore he's still very young and has only played one season. His window is not closed and his ceiling has not been reached and is not yet out of reach. He had a better season than half the guys drafted in front if him (and in the Top-10) and he'll probably still end up being a better player than at least a couple guys drafted in front of him.
It's easy to play "Monday Morning Quarterback" and say "they should have done this and they should have done that" but only real noobs run their mouths so loudly after the fact like they knew better when reality is you probably would have made the same pick or even worse.