[Game] Kings @ Suns - 11/4/15 - 6 PT, 9 ET
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And Ben's leash got shorter even with Rudy spending an entire time out trying to help the kid. Hand gestures indicated he was trying to show him movement and positioning as often he wasn't in the right place. Even tho'more active going to the basket still appears to pass up open shots (lack of confidence?).
The Ben watch is over. He's been benched. He wasn't the issue last night and never has been.
Edit: To speak on Rudy and Cuz talking to Ben during the timeouts means to me that they care about the kid and want to help him get out of the coaches dog house. They believe in him. You don't waste time with people who you don't believe in.
Edit: To speak on Rudy and Cuz talking to Ben during the timeouts means to me that they care about the kid and want to help him get out of the coaches dog house. They believe in him. You don't waste time with people who you don't believe in.
this was paul westphal's prerogative, as well as keith smart's, as well as poor tyrone corbin's (by way of managerial directive, i'm assuming) before the kings hired george karl. the problem is that the kings simply have not had the personnel across the last five years to execute such an offense, and i'm astonished at the continued attempts to graft a frenetic, up-tempo style of play onto a roster that, even with all of the new faces, still doesn't scream "PACE!!" demarcus cousins. rudy gay. rajon rondo. these are not names associated with a style of play that seeks to push the pace. they are names associated with a much more deliberate and probing style of play. if the kings were employing a more patient offensive approach, we might see significantly fewer mistakes and turnovers...
that said, karl's got a much stronger pedigree than the above three coaches i listed, and i'd expect him to find a way to grease the wheels of this offense into a more efficient machine as time passes and chemistry develops. though talented, there are far too many new faces to expect a smooth jump into the win column, especially with demarcus out. i just wonder how mightily the defense will continue to suffer in the process of emphasizing karl's dribble drive offense. it strikes me as no coincidence that the kings' strongest stretch of play in many years occurred when mike malone got the kings to buy into a strong team defensive concept. he inspired a much less talented roster to compete with the very same western conference heavy-weights that the kings are folding to now...
karl, on the other hand, just seems... rather old and tired from his place on the bench, and we're only four games into the season! has he stood up anywhere along the sideline yet? whatever faults mike malone may have had in his offensive approach, he certainly was an active presence on the sideline, encouraging his players, arguing with the refs on his team's behalf, etc. he's a coach that went into battle with his players, whereas i can hardly tell if karl is awake out there. he's an aging head coach with health issues, and i don't begrudge him that increasingly laconic posture; it's a long season to endure, after all. but i will consistently wonder whether or not he's the right coach for a quirky but talented kings team that needs to be motivated to coalesce into a winning team. i honestly have a hard time imagining george karl motivating anybody. and i definitely have a hard time imagining george karl inspiring the kind of brotherhood that malone inspired prior to last season's opening...
that said, karl's got a much stronger pedigree than the above three coaches i listed, and i'd expect him to find a way to grease the wheels of this offense into a more efficient machine as time passes and chemistry develops. though talented, there are far too many new faces to expect a smooth jump into the win column, especially with demarcus out. i just wonder how mightily the defense will continue to suffer in the process of emphasizing karl's dribble drive offense. it strikes me as no coincidence that the kings' strongest stretch of play in many years occurred when mike malone got the kings to buy into a strong team defensive concept. he inspired a much less talented roster to compete with the very same western conference heavy-weights that the kings are folding to now...
karl, on the other hand, just seems... rather old and tired from his place on the bench, and we're only four games into the season! has he stood up anywhere along the sideline yet? whatever faults mike malone may have had in his offensive approach, he certainly was an active presence on the sideline, encouraging his players, arguing with the refs on his team's behalf, etc. he's a coach that went into battle with his players, whereas i can hardly tell if karl is awake out there. he's an aging head coach with health issues, and i don't begrudge him that increasingly laconic posture; it's a long season to endure, after all. but i will consistently wonder whether or not he's the right coach for a quirky but talented kings team that needs to be motivated to coalesce into a winning team. i honestly have a hard time imagining george karl motivating anybody. and i definitely have a hard time imagining george karl inspiring the kind of brotherhood that malone inspired prior to last season's opening...
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Am I the only one who seems to actually recall some semblance of an offense under Westphal (the year after Tyreke's rookie year)? We would get good backcuts multiple times a game, had that alleyoop play to Jermaine Taylor/ Donte Greene. The free-flow read & react offense was only mentioned the lockout year when they had a shortened training camp, and Westphal was fired soon after.
Very good post here. I get the same feeling about the entire Karl situation.
I really do miss Malone. Not because of his credentials or that I think he was a genius/mastermind when it came to strategy, but he knew how to motivate his team to give effort on a consistent basis. He knew how to motivate his team to play solid defense. He knew how to get through to Cousins. He knew what type of offense should be utilized (even if it did lack some polish on his end). He was the ultimate glue guy. He brought together a lot of pieces that couldn't work together as a team in prior years and made them a serious competitor in his second year with the team.
Maybe Denver is interested in a McLemore for Malone trade
I really do miss Malone. Not because of his credentials or that I think he was a genius/mastermind when it came to strategy, but he knew how to motivate his team to give effort on a consistent basis. He knew how to motivate his team to play solid defense. He knew how to get through to Cousins. He knew what type of offense should be utilized (even if it did lack some polish on his end). He was the ultimate glue guy. He brought together a lot of pieces that couldn't work together as a team in prior years and made them a serious competitor in his second year with the team.
Maybe Denver is interested in a McLemore for Malone trade
Very good post here. I get the same feeling about the entire Karl situation.
I really do miss Malone. Not because of his credentials or that I think he was a genius/mastermind when it came to strategy, but he knew how to motivate his team to give effort on a consistent basis. He knew how to motivate his team to play solid defense. He knew how to get through to Cousins. He knew what type of offense should be utilized (even if it did lack some polish on his end). He was the ultimate glue guy. He brought together a lot of pieces that couldn't work together as a team in prior years and made them a serious competitor in his second year with the team.
Maybe Denver is interested in a McLemore for Malone trade
I really do miss Malone. Not because of his credentials or that I think he was a genius/mastermind when it came to strategy, but he knew how to motivate his team to give effort on a consistent basis. He knew how to motivate his team to play solid defense. He knew how to get through to Cousins. He knew what type of offense should be utilized (even if it did lack some polish on his end). He was the ultimate glue guy. He brought together a lot of pieces that couldn't work together as a team in prior years and made them a serious competitor in his second year with the team.
Maybe Denver is interested in a McLemore for Malone trade