Kings training camp 2025 open thread

It also is if you want those starters to dial in and teach those kids/benchers a lesson next time. The elephant is in the room, don't just acknowledge it, run towards it. Potentially only one side of the rotation is left standing at some point this season.
Word is that the starters had just thoroughly embarrassed the young guys the day before. Probably took it easy on them combined with tired legs but it's all the same team and i love how competitive this camp seems to be.
 
It is encouraging, Scott and Doug are on the same page. Doug clearly feels enthusiastic.
Agreed. I know fans must see it to believe it, but Doug has never struck me as someone that says things he doesn’t mean. He’s been around this franchise for years, so for him to say that he feels and sees a synergy that hasn’t been there since his playing days, that’s a big deal to me.
 
After super enjoyable Season 1 with Mike Brown in which both Domas and Fox were tasked with running different looks of the offense, the team went away from the DHO and put the ball in Fox's hands full time. Brown was fired and by the time Zach arrived the offensive focal point had been traded and the lead assistant was out the door.

Zach just showed up and had to fit in with minimal practice. With no true PG save for Fultz who had been out of the league it's hard to imagine what coaching that team would be like, not to mention that Domas and Zach really struggled to get their games together. I think that regardless how anyone feels about either of these guys on the defensive end, they definitely can get it together on the offensive side and become a very effective tandem.

SO WHAT? What has that got to do with the fact that he doesn't even know what identity they are trying to form? His language is BS and is as waffling as his defense. Does anyone think that Christie hasn't had conversation with him and everybody else on the team about defense? Come on. And instead of getting an answer from LaVine like: "We're going to form an identity around defense and being physical and tough and competing for 48 minutes" we get: "We're going to try to form an identity." LOL. LaVine is so weak he cannot even communicate a desire to play defense, much less play it.
 
I mean, how does this not make sense?

We had a million of reports of a million different things, but I think the one conclusion we can gleam from everything is that absolutely nobody was connected in the organization last year. Fox had his own agenda, Brown had his own agenda, Luke Loucks had his own agenda, Wes Wilcox had his own agenda, Monte got neutered and became a Vivek puppet all last year. And LaVine joining a team mid-season that 1. Fired their HC, one of the best in franchise history and 2. Just traded their franchise player, one of the best in franchise history and 3. The other star player, Domas, was never healthy for the stretch run of the year.

How are you supposed to build continuity? One benefit of brining Doug back (and probably the biggest/best reason to do so) is he got to work with these guys for most of last year. He's been in the building, but now he gets to fully run the ship. There's familiarity there, just with Doug's flavor on it now, not left-overs from the Brown era.

There's going to be improvement just from the sheer fact of a top down approach of everyone being on the same page again. There's no warring factions fighting each other for team control.

Fox and Brown weren't even around when LaVine was here. It doesn't make sense you're even bringing them up in reference to LaVine. Look, I get the whole discontinuity, lack of cohesion, chaos thing prior to the entrance of LaVine. But when Christie took over I think it was clear to any moron that his expertise was clearly on the defensive end. So why should there be chaos, ambiguity, confusion about THAT? There shouldn't. Period. So why should there be any doubt whatsoever that this team should in great part form an identity around defense? Is that confusing? No. Does it make sense? Yes. So why the hell can't LaVine just enunciate the words: We're going to play fricken defense like our lives depend upon it! Instead, we get waffling answer that would make any politician proud: We're going to try to form an identity. Now that's a call to arms! Come on team - let's try to form an identity!
 
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And if the defense isn't there it's up to Doug to make his words matter and make rotation choices.
I am less interested in the rotations than in the overall strategy. Defending "94 feet" is an aspiration, not a defensive strategy for closing out three-point shooters, stopping pick-and-roll plays in the paint, or boxing out, or help defense. The four pre-season games should give us a good idea of what the team plans to roll out this year.
 
I am less interested in the rotations than in the overall strategy. Defending "94 feet" is an aspiration, not a defensive strategy for closing out three-point shooters, stopping pick-and-roll plays in the paint, or boxing out, or help defense. The four pre-season games should give us a good idea of what the team plans to roll out this year.
Very true. I don't expect them to share exact plans in these small press interviews, but, like you, I'm very very curious to see it. I think last season taught most of these guys that preseason most definitely matters to an extent and I expect a much more serious approach this time around.
 
I am less interested in the rotations than in the overall strategy. Defending "94 feet" is an aspiration, not a defensive strategy for closing out three-point shooters, stopping pick-and-roll plays in the paint, or boxing out, or help defense. The four pre-season games should give us a good idea of what the team plans to roll out this year.

I'll take not helping off every god damn corner 3pt shooter and allowing opponents to shoot the best 3pt% in the league vs us.
 
I am less interested in the rotations than in the overall strategy. Defending "94 feet" is an aspiration, not a defensive strategy for closing out three-point shooters, stopping pick-and-roll plays in the paint, or boxing out, or help defense. The four pre-season games should give us a good idea of what the team plans to roll out this year.

Yeah, they should. I think the idea is basically ball pressure which is the right call these days. Now, the tell tale will be his strategy on pick and roll. That will definitely show if his commitment is to pressure defense.
 
Christie has to have the cajones to have 2 defensive players on the court at all times….at least. If he rolls with the below avg defensive guys all on the court at the same time…Monk, DDR, Lavine, Domas then all the talk about defense is eyewash.
Maybe it can happen it times if what coach DC says about their extensive effort is true. Obviously there’s only so much all of them can do together on the defensive side of the ball, but i do expect them to be better under this staff and as they build real chemistry.
 
Cardwell remains a real interesting case. Anchor the best defense in college, just pop off the screen in every aspect of being a defensive player... but legitimately starting from level 1 on offense. I don't know if we've seen an NBA caliber player thats as bad as he is offensively in a long time.
I didn't pay attention to him until he got to the Pistons, maybe Ben Wallace?
 
I didn't pay attention to him until he got to the Pistons, maybe Ben Wallace?

Yeah, idk if Ben would even survive the post 2014 Warriors era of basketball at all. You just can't punt an offensive player anymore like you could pre-Steph Warriors. Spacing the floor and having all 5 guys be a threat has become too important. How many times has Rudy Gobert, one of the best defensive players this league has ever seen, been played off the floor in the playoffs at this point?

Still if he's a D+ on offensive and a A on defense, that's rotation worthy imo, considering the vast amount of bigs that somehow still have a job today. Just got to bet on him being able to figure SOMETHING out on offense.
 
Cardwell remains a real interesting case. Anchor the best defense in college, just pop off the screen in every aspect of being a defensive player... but legitimately starting from level 1 on offense. I don't know if we've seen an NBA caliber player thats as bad as he is offensively in a long time.
Probably the closest player to him on offense is Clint Capella.
 
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