[Game] Kings v. Blazers 10/25/19 7PM PT/10PM ET

[VF21]

Got home a few minutes ago. Just wanted to share a few random impressions:

1. the half-time show was bizarre. I have no idea who that guy was and I was not alone. He may have appealed to some of the fans but there were large segments of the arena that had puzzled looks or blank stares on their faces.

2. Bring back the dancers. Keep the 916 crew if you must but the dancers were definitely missed. I heard multiple people asking why they (the dancers) didn't perform.

3. Seeing Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic and Doug Christie in the house made it painfully clear our current roster has a LONG way to go to reach their level of excellence.

4. Adult beverages are now $15 a pop!!

5. I continue to be impressed by the ushers at G1C. They do an incredible job.

6. Fireworks and shooting flames are awesome. The streaming ads that run around the arena between the levels, however, are not. It's way too distracting IMHO.

7. If you buy the really big bucket of popcorn, you can get a free refill!

8. I didn't understand why they announced Dedmon in the star position.

9. Jerry Reynolds is really starting to show his age.

10. Scott Moak has to be among the best of the best as far as announcers go.

11. G1C still gives me chills. An incredible arena...and it's ours.

12. Cowbells are still cool.

13. "REFS YOU SUCK" can spread faster than any other chant.

14. Bagley spent at least 15 minutes out on the court making layups. My only concern is that his previous tendency to only go to his left might be reinforced by the injury to his right thumb.

15. After all is said and done, it's still a good day to be a Kings fan.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Does this have to be written in every game thread? Multiple times? The horse is dead. Stop beating it.

The horse is not merely dead. The horse has been beaten so severely that not only has it been killed, but it has been turned into a pulp, and the pulp has been turned into a paste, and the paste has been broken up into its atomic constituents in a sort of plasma sludge, but we're not done, because those atomic constituents have subsequently been hammered together so hard that they have reached temperatures of 15 million Kelvin and undergone nuclear fusion until the entirety of what used to be the horse has been turned into iron and in the process has released the explosive power of about 7 million Hiroshima bombs. That's where the horse is right now - a glob of newly-generated iron that has exploded with such force that it has taken the entire state of California with it.

And don't bother trying to rebuild, because we're just going to find a new horse and blow California up again tomorrow.

 

[Albatros]

Ah well.

Soon every team is gonna have a player that we flubbed on the draft lighting us up for 30.

None of our players have the big dog mentality that lillard and other stars like him have. I don't see anyone on this team who ever will either tbh.

 

[burekijogurt]

I’m not sure to me I think Bagley should be the inside out guy. He can hit a jumper well. I think Holmes is what we wanted WCS to be. Holmes does the same things but with more hustle and unfortunately more fouls. A belli, dedmon, Ariza trade for a solid rotational big would be great. We are gonna struggle with nothing in the post for 4-5 weeks unless Harry comes back. Steven Adams sounds good right now

I don't see how Holmes is better than WCS.

 

[Tetsujin]

I don't see how Holmes is better than WCS.

He plays with consistent effort.

 

[Peja]

Didn't have chance to watch the game against Pho, but I did watch the one from last night.

As I already said before the season started - we don't have LBJ or Leonard to force those individual plays. We don't have Steph to shoot the ball from deep after only 5 seconds of possession, etc.
Yes, we have the ability to run and yes, we should leverage that whenever there's a chance for it. But that's far from being enough. We need to have better plays for our shooters (Buddy, Bogi), we need to stretch the floor with Bjelica and Dedmon, we need Fox to be our go to guy at all times.

Too many missed layups, too many lost possessions, too many quick attempts that led nowhere.

 

[NewArena]

Not at all. At the start of this game they did but I think he's questioning his spot up shot due to that misuse. In preseason and the first game they had him playing in the post off the ball and mostly rolling instead of popping on pick and roll. Then there has been a few times where the opposing team leaves him up top to get the ball and laughed while he attempted to run the offense in the high post. Another issue is the Kings are looking for way too much body movement from their spot shooters. Dedmon and Ariza aren't the types you want pulling up into shots, you want them spotting up.

That’s so frustrating

these guys are way better than this but we aren’t seeing it. And where the hell is yogi?? why can’t we play he and Joseph together sometimes?

i just don’t get it. We need guys that are gonna break a defense down other than Fox

 

[NewArena]

https://twitter.com/statuses/1187956968054382593

Lol

Fox would normally say he’s playing no matter what. Idk what’s going on, but i hope these players like playing with each other and actually respect this coach

 

[Albatros]

Grant and Doug sounded so bored last night they couldn't even pretend they were enjoying such utter crap.

 

[Bfreeman]

Too much iso, no team chemistry. Fox running into the lane with no one to dish to. I don’t get the impression the kings are well coached that may change but as of now it’s in disarray.

 

[krylia sovetov]

opening bottle of a

 

[Chupacabra]

For your listening pleasure while reading this thread.

 

[jellyfish]

Ariza is going to blow Sessions and James Anderson out of the water in terms of awfulness if he keeps this up, even Justin Jackson at his worst still at least had spring in his legs it's game 2 and Ariza is completely done athletically and the jumper has never been that good.

The team needs to start Holmes, Dedmon is a corpse as well he's lost his athletic ability as well which he relied on and his shooting so far has been crap. This could get really ugly really quick. We needed a good off-season because the NBA overall imo got better in particular the West instead we got guys with zero upside in the hope Bagley (no chance atm he could carry us to anything than a #1 pick) and Fox would carry the team. We got an entire team of half court players to compliment our two young guys who want to run which makes no sense.

 

[jellyfish]

Yeah, but he came back to life with the Wiz. And that's a concern because it shows he might just not give a F. Can't cure that if that's the case.

No he didn't he was crap than as well he just got to chuck more.

That Bogi for Steven Adams looks pretty good right about now.

Yeah another limited grossly overpaid C with no upside is going to work great, we should have got Kyle O'Quinn for peanuts as soon we as let WCS go.

 

[jcwkings]

The problem in this game was that all the new signings who we thought were all upgrades have all been worse than who they were replacing.

Dedmond was signed to shoot threes and so far he hasn't made a single spot shot this season where I'm already kind of seeing him hesitating to shoot. Yikes. Willie when paired with Bjelicia as the spacer was way more of a threat to a defense as a super athletic lob threat. It was an easy pass for Fox and Bogi to make. Dedmond does not command nearly the same gravity and I've already seen him bobble a punch of passes and rebounds making me wonder if the Kings are doomed to always sign bigs with bad hands as punishment for having C-Webb. Also this team will miss Willie's ability to defend in space, especially since Walton is doing more switching than Joerger ever did. Dedmond is also a really bad passer, he has had multiple turnovers already attempting some nonsense angle passes from the high post. Willie was actually an underrated passer, which was surprising for someone with pretty well below average BBall IQ. Holmes certainly plays with a ton of energy and looks pretty good defending in space but he is way too eager for his own good and picks up quick fouls. I'd like to see Walton start Holmes with Bjelicia and tell Holmes to play a more measured style that can keep him on the floor for longer than 15 minutes a night.

Ariza looks completely washed. Mario Hezonja blew by him like he was a traffic cone. Shumpert and Jackson gave us more last season in that spot. Ariza already looks disinterested. Shump played his heart out every night and Jackson ran the floor well(fit our style), played competent defense and could hit an open three at least a little, he also was a good passer and kept the ball moving.

So basically if things don't change our starting lineup got worse and our bench got worse(considering we brought Bagley off the bench last season). A bench of Yogi, Bogi, Jackson, Bagley, Giles is way better than what we have right now.

 

[MizzouKing]

pace, which has been our calling card, seems to have dissapeared.

This was perhaps the most glaring thing to me...WTH?? These guys trot up the court and just wait, while the other team's defense gets set. The pace has been one of the most fun things to watch with this team, but so far it's been left out of the playbook.

 

[Albatros]

Ariza is going to blow Sessions and James Anderson out of the water in terms of awfulness if he keeps this up, even Justin Jackson at his worst still at least had spring in his legs it's game 2 and Ariza is completely done athletically and the jumper has never been that good.

The team needs to start Holmes, Dedmon is a corpse as well he's lost his athletic ability as well which he relied on and his shooting so far has been crap. This could get really ugly really quick. We needed a good off-season because the NBA overall imo got better in particular the West instead we got guys with zero upside in the hope Bagley (no chance atm he could carry us to anything than a #1 pick) and Fox would carry the team. We got an entire team of half court players to compliment our two young guys who want to run which makes no sense.

You can see it In fox's face on the court and in interviews afterwards that hes realised this team isn't going anywhere and hes powerless.

Hes got the thousand yard stare.

 

[ppine]

What is a doncic?

 

[ppine]

A new center is a great idea.

 

[Albatros]

A GM who made a tonne of moves In the summer isn't going to do anything until hes forced.

If he does hell be admitting all his moves were crap.

Also they have the ready made excuse that a "top guy" like Bagley is out now.

Also it is two games. Wait until 10-12 games and see if there is any identity emerging.

 

[krylia sovetov]

if we loose hornets game and start with a 0-5 some cuts needs to be done

 

[John Galt]

Got home a few minutes ago. Just wanted to share a few random impressions:

1. the half-time show was bizarre. I have no idea who that guy was and I was not alone. He may have appealed to some of the fans but there were large segments of the arena that had puzzled looks or blank stares on their faces.

2. Bring back the dancers. Keep the 916 crew if you must but the dancers were definitely missed. I heard multiple people asking why they (the dancers) didn't perform.

3. Seeing Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic and Doug Christie in the house made it painfully clear our current roster has a LONG way to go to reach their level of excellence.

4. Adult beverages are now $15 a pop!!

5. I continue to be impressed by the ushers at G1C. They do an incredible job.

6. Fireworks and shooting flames are awesome. The streaming ads that run around the arena between the levels, however, are not. It's way too distracting IMHO.

7. If you buy the really big bucket of popcorn, you can get a free refill!

8. I didn't understand why they announced Dedmon in the star position.

9. Jerry Reynolds is really starting to show his age.

10. Scott Moak has to be among the best of the best as far as announcers go.

11. G1C still gives me chills. An incredible arena...and it's ours.

12. Cowbells are still cool.

13. "REFS YOU SUCK" can spread faster than any other chant.

14. Bagley spent at least 15 minutes out on the court making layups. My only concern is that his previous tendency to only go to his left might be reinforced by the injury to his right thumb.

15. After all is said and done, it's still a good day to be a Kings fan.

somebody said that Grant called out the fans during the game, as if the crowd wasn't loud enough.
I have no idea where he got that. My buddy and I both agreed that was as good a "refs you suck" chant as we've ever heard at G1C.

 

[John Galt]

Got home a few minutes ago. Just wanted to share a few random impressions:

2. Bring back the dancers. Keep the 916 crew if you must but the dancers were definitely missed. I heard multiple people asking why they (the dancers) didn't perform.
.

I feel strongly about this one. Those dancers were high energy - they interacted meaningfully with the crowd including the kids. It was just an awful and knee-jerk decision to eliminate them like that.

The 916 crew looked like a bunch of Left Sharks out there - they are not a good show. not.

 

[Albatros]

Just watching the game on TV it sounded very quiet in the 1st Q. Like silent.

Might not have been the reality.

Cant blame the fans if it was though.

 

[burekijogurt]

He plays with consistent effort.

he tries, but he still cannot do as much as WCS. that said, I do like him more than Dedmon so far.

 

[Folsomkingsfan]

I was not too keen the Joerger firing, but willing to give Walton a chance - however the leash is strangely getting shorter quickly.

Last nights loss was not due to Walton. If we can’t make shots and get consistent play from our bigs we won’t win games no matter who the coach is.

 

[steelevt]

We lost to a top team in the west and played better than we did vs Phoenix. And Phoenix took Denver to OT in Denver. Yes we are 0-2 but it’s not the end of the world...yet

 

[dude12]

Phoenix with a new coach and some new players are playing well

Kings with a new coach and some new players are not playing well

its the coaches job to get these guys ready to play well whether by tight leash or letting the reins loose but whatever strategy, the players need to play to their potential

The vets they signed are good players. How the hell can Phoenix play well and we can’t?

There should be no excuses right now.

 

[chief bromden]

I don’t like the body language of the team. It’s just not the right mix. Ariza and Dedmon are total duds. I don’t blame the FO—both signings made sense on paper. They just can’t play with these guys. We need an east coast swing to boost our confidence.

This is what I'm seeing. Last year, the team was galvanized with a 'people sleeping on us' mentality. I know Shump is long gone and he's washed and all that, but he was a big reason for the swagger last year. After the trade, the team was 11-18. Starting 0-2 this year and the body language lacks confidence and swagger. I think that's why so many of us want to see Giles out there, because he's a huge source of that. I see Fox trying but it'll probably take more than him...there are still a lot of games left...

 

[The_Jamal]

Phoenix with a new coach and some new players are playing well

Kings with a new coach and some new players are not playing well

its the coaches job to get these guys ready to play well whether by tight leash or letting the reins loose but whatever strategy, the players need to play to their potential

The vets they signed are good players. How the hell can Phoenix play well and we can’t?

There should be no excuses right now.

Yep. This was always the fear when you fire a successful coach. The new guy doesn't get any time to work in his system and the players don't get anytime to learn the new system. If Joerger were here, the expectation would be playoffs or bust. Walton and co have to live up to that expectation.