Kings v. Blazers, VSL
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Rockmeister
All-Star
It was fun to watch JT tonight. However, he needs to close his mouth when he shots free throws.
K
king07
Guest
he can keep his mouth open as much as he wants as long as he keeps getting to the line
CruzDude
Senior Member sharing a brew with bajaden
Because that is what the coaches are calling ƒor. They want to see how the team executes pick-and-rolls. So far, only fair. Wednesday's game is the key one of the summer league to all of the second tier of players on this team.
CruzDude
Senior Member sharing a brew with bajaden
Final comment on the game. On the Blazers side of the ledger, Koponen was really, really good overall. Only 20 yr but has 4 yr pro ball under his young belt. Bayless Finally got it going in the second half and screen-and-rolled his way to 26 pts. Not much Singletary could do as the weak side defense hasn't learned, or aren't able, to switch and prevent Bayless getting so many wide open shots. Davis and Maric were big loads in the middle and many times took it to our bigs.
Score at the end is nice but not important in the scheme of the summer league. What was critical tonight was how several held together the rest of the team in overtime.
Good night. Will try and see if there are any decent pics to post.
Score at the end is nice but not important in the scheme of the summer league. What was critical tonight was how several held together the rest of the team in overtime.
Good night. Will try and see if there are any decent pics to post.
nebs
Starter
I just watched my recording of tonight's game and was very impressed with JT! Great finish there in OT as well. 
Haha, wow. He's a mouth breather that's for sure. That bottom lip reminds me of Bubba Gump.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Thought I would wait till everyone was done posting their thoughts. I always like to read what people have to say, and I'm always amazed how they sometimes see things differently than I do.
One thing that everyone seems to agree on though, is Jason Thompson. Yeah, I think he's the real deal. But then I thought so 3 or 4 months ago. The thing is, you never really know for sure how any players game will translate to the NBA, much less a player from a lesser conference. I think he's one of those players that thrives on competition. He loves the challenge. It was only a summer league game, and thats a far cry from the real NBA. But hey, he runs the floor extremely well. He rebounds, and tonight, he came through in the clutch. Well done.
I thought Singletery played well, but missed some opportunities. There were several times that Hawes posted up near the basket and hada clear path to pass, and didn't. Ditto with J T. I thought he played better defense than Douby. There were several times that Douby got the steal, but only because of the pressure that Singletery was putting on the ball handler, forcing him into a bad pass. I think he will make the team, barring a total collapse of his game.
Douby. Not quite sure what to say. If you look at the box score, its impressive, and he looks good. But my impression from the game is different. Maybe I'm not being fair, and I want to be, but it seems that every time Douby gets the ball, thats the last anyone else is going to see of it. There were several instances where he drove to the basket, and had a teammate wide open for a layup, but chose to force up his own shot. I'm hoping its just summer league mentality, and his trying to impress. Hell, for all I know, maybe the coaching staff is telling him to go out there and score every chance he gets. I don't think he can get away with this during the regular season. He has to remember that he actualy has teammates on the floor with him.
Sheldon. Well, for starters, J. Thompson is better than him right now. Not once in the game did I see Sheldon try and defend the pick and roll. It was either Hawes or Thompson. Reason being, He's not quick enough to do it. He's a decent defender under the basket, at least in summer league. And he's a pretty good rebounder, as long as he's around the basket. By that, I mean, he's a stationary piece. He can't take his man out onto the floor. Because his man won't follow. Also, as I have stated before, he simply doesn't have a low post game. He's a blocked shot waiting to happen. In this game, I keyed in on Sheldon every time he was on the floor, and watched only him. He's not mobile, and he can't jump. He's very good at getting position, either in posting up, or in blocking out for rebounding. However, if its an offensive rebound, he's not good at putting it back and he's not a very good passer out of the low post. He's still young, and I would like to think that he still has time to adapt and learn. He just might not have enough time to do it with us.
Spencer. Simply didn't play well tonight. I thought at times he looked frustrated. I saw him set up in the high post several times and was ignored. I know he's stated that he would like more of the offense to run through him. It is probably tough to have played with the big boys in the starting unit and get used to a system of play, and then play in the summer league, where discipline is somewhat lacking to say the least. I suspect that tomorrow, we'll see him play better. Truth is, if his outside shot had fallen, he would have had a decent game. Both he and Thompson looked a little frustrated with some of the calls.
Last, but not least. Ewing Jr. Goodbye, Mr. invisible.
Final notes: Remember its summer league, and not the NBA finals. Keep it in prespective. Don't discount the positives you see, but don't exaggerate anyone to superstar status. On a personal level, I find it best to look for the little things that a player does. Is he only right handed? Does he only go to his left or his right? Can he put the ball on the floor and actually do something with it? Does he run the floor well? Can he finish well, and with either hand? And so on. All those little things add up to a good basketball player. The rest is adapting and practicing.
In Thompson's case, I'm impressed mostly with his quickness and his ability to run the floor. I already knew that he had good IQ and fundamentals. But for some reason, he looks quicker in the summer league than he did in the college games that I saw. And thats a good thing.
One thing that everyone seems to agree on though, is Jason Thompson. Yeah, I think he's the real deal. But then I thought so 3 or 4 months ago. The thing is, you never really know for sure how any players game will translate to the NBA, much less a player from a lesser conference. I think he's one of those players that thrives on competition. He loves the challenge. It was only a summer league game, and thats a far cry from the real NBA. But hey, he runs the floor extremely well. He rebounds, and tonight, he came through in the clutch. Well done.
I thought Singletery played well, but missed some opportunities. There were several times that Hawes posted up near the basket and hada clear path to pass, and didn't. Ditto with J T. I thought he played better defense than Douby. There were several times that Douby got the steal, but only because of the pressure that Singletery was putting on the ball handler, forcing him into a bad pass. I think he will make the team, barring a total collapse of his game.
Douby. Not quite sure what to say. If you look at the box score, its impressive, and he looks good. But my impression from the game is different. Maybe I'm not being fair, and I want to be, but it seems that every time Douby gets the ball, thats the last anyone else is going to see of it. There were several instances where he drove to the basket, and had a teammate wide open for a layup, but chose to force up his own shot. I'm hoping its just summer league mentality, and his trying to impress. Hell, for all I know, maybe the coaching staff is telling him to go out there and score every chance he gets. I don't think he can get away with this during the regular season. He has to remember that he actualy has teammates on the floor with him.
Sheldon. Well, for starters, J. Thompson is better than him right now. Not once in the game did I see Sheldon try and defend the pick and roll. It was either Hawes or Thompson. Reason being, He's not quick enough to do it. He's a decent defender under the basket, at least in summer league. And he's a pretty good rebounder, as long as he's around the basket. By that, I mean, he's a stationary piece. He can't take his man out onto the floor. Because his man won't follow. Also, as I have stated before, he simply doesn't have a low post game. He's a blocked shot waiting to happen. In this game, I keyed in on Sheldon every time he was on the floor, and watched only him. He's not mobile, and he can't jump. He's very good at getting position, either in posting up, or in blocking out for rebounding. However, if its an offensive rebound, he's not good at putting it back and he's not a very good passer out of the low post. He's still young, and I would like to think that he still has time to adapt and learn. He just might not have enough time to do it with us.
Spencer. Simply didn't play well tonight. I thought at times he looked frustrated. I saw him set up in the high post several times and was ignored. I know he's stated that he would like more of the offense to run through him. It is probably tough to have played with the big boys in the starting unit and get used to a system of play, and then play in the summer league, where discipline is somewhat lacking to say the least. I suspect that tomorrow, we'll see him play better. Truth is, if his outside shot had fallen, he would have had a decent game. Both he and Thompson looked a little frustrated with some of the calls.
Last, but not least. Ewing Jr. Goodbye, Mr. invisible.
Final notes: Remember its summer league, and not the NBA finals. Keep it in prespective. Don't discount the positives you see, but don't exaggerate anyone to superstar status. On a personal level, I find it best to look for the little things that a player does. Is he only right handed? Does he only go to his left or his right? Can he put the ball on the floor and actually do something with it? Does he run the floor well? Can he finish well, and with either hand? And so on. All those little things add up to a good basketball player. The rest is adapting and practicing.
In Thompson's case, I'm impressed mostly with his quickness and his ability to run the floor. I already knew that he had good IQ and fundamentals. But for some reason, he looks quicker in the summer league than he did in the college games that I saw. And thats a good thing.
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Telemachus
Starter
Here are my thoughts on the game tonight.
Sean Singletary - I really liked his quickness, and his on the ball defense. I think that Douby got at least 2 of his steals because of Singletary's defense. I also liked how he didn't try to rush things too much, and remained in control most of the time. He easily could have had 3 or 4 more assists if guys had either caught the ball or stayed in the right place (Ewing left the corner twice on SS's drives to the basket). I would like to see him look for is shot a little more and show us what he can do.
Quincy Douby - I thought he played good defense and remained very aggressive on offense. He needs to reign it in a little, as he is forcing things too much for my taste. That being said, this is the mentality he needs on a nightly basis to secure a spot in the NBA.
Patrick Ewing Jr. - He looks lost on both ends of the court. I only noticed because I kept looking for him. Unless he is showing something spectacular in practice, I don't think he has any shot of making the team.
Sheldon Williams - He is putting up nice numbers, but only looks good in the boxscore. He is using his strength and physical play to get rebounds, putbacks, and get to the line. However, when he tried these same tactics in the NBA last season he ususally only had fouls and blocked shots (his own) to show for it. I just get the impression that he is playing bigger in the Summer League than he is capable of doing in the NBA. I hope I am wrong and he can give the Kings a phyical presence off the bench this season.
Spencer Hawes - I think that Hawes fell into the trap tonight that so many young players find themselves. His offence was off and resulted in him not focusing on the rest of his game. I saw him do this several times last season, and it is a bad habit he needs to drop. The talent is still obvious, though.
Jason Thompson - He has been very impressive in his first 2 games. He is much quicker that I expected, and has shown very good athlectism. He is active on defense, but needs to work on positioning himself better (some of this may be do to playing a lot of SF). I like his rebouning ability, but want to see him work harder on boxing out. His shooting range is better than I thought as well. Overall, I think the Kings got a very good player. I can't wait to watch him develop over the next few years.
The Rest - Not much to say about the other players. Only McCalabb showed anything worth talking about, but doubt he has any chance of being invited to training camp at this point.
The Game - It was nice to see the Kings win, but the outcome didn't really matter to me. I officials were terrible for the second game in a row. How are teams supposed to evaluate the talent when there are so many fouls called that neigher team can get into a rhythm? For crying out loud, it Summer League. LET THE KIDS PLAY!!
Sean Singletary - I really liked his quickness, and his on the ball defense. I think that Douby got at least 2 of his steals because of Singletary's defense. I also liked how he didn't try to rush things too much, and remained in control most of the time. He easily could have had 3 or 4 more assists if guys had either caught the ball or stayed in the right place (Ewing left the corner twice on SS's drives to the basket). I would like to see him look for is shot a little more and show us what he can do.
Quincy Douby - I thought he played good defense and remained very aggressive on offense. He needs to reign it in a little, as he is forcing things too much for my taste. That being said, this is the mentality he needs on a nightly basis to secure a spot in the NBA.
Patrick Ewing Jr. - He looks lost on both ends of the court. I only noticed because I kept looking for him. Unless he is showing something spectacular in practice, I don't think he has any shot of making the team.
Sheldon Williams - He is putting up nice numbers, but only looks good in the boxscore. He is using his strength and physical play to get rebounds, putbacks, and get to the line. However, when he tried these same tactics in the NBA last season he ususally only had fouls and blocked shots (his own) to show for it. I just get the impression that he is playing bigger in the Summer League than he is capable of doing in the NBA. I hope I am wrong and he can give the Kings a phyical presence off the bench this season.
Spencer Hawes - I think that Hawes fell into the trap tonight that so many young players find themselves. His offence was off and resulted in him not focusing on the rest of his game. I saw him do this several times last season, and it is a bad habit he needs to drop. The talent is still obvious, though.
Jason Thompson - He has been very impressive in his first 2 games. He is much quicker that I expected, and has shown very good athlectism. He is active on defense, but needs to work on positioning himself better (some of this may be do to playing a lot of SF). I like his rebouning ability, but want to see him work harder on boxing out. His shooting range is better than I thought as well. Overall, I think the Kings got a very good player. I can't wait to watch him develop over the next few years.
The Rest - Not much to say about the other players. Only McCalabb showed anything worth talking about, but doubt he has any chance of being invited to training camp at this point.
The Game - It was nice to see the Kings win, but the outcome didn't really matter to me. I officials were terrible for the second game in a row. How are teams supposed to evaluate the talent when there are so many fouls called that neigher team can get into a rhythm? For crying out loud, it Summer League. LET THE KIDS PLAY!!
i was very disappointed earlier when watching espn news...the only highlights they showed were bayless' and the blazers....not ONE kings highlight...
Cowtown King
Prospect
First time poster here, but have read the comments and threads for several months. You guys have got me interested in the summer league and I have watched it for the first time this year. Thanks.
As for the Kings, I think things look pretty good for us with some development of several players. It is nice to have some young big men on our team: S. Hawes, J. Thompson and even S. WIlliams. I think they can provide some quality minutes and contributions this year.
Hawes: I didn't get to see him in his first summer league game where he was pretty good offensively, but I am impressed with his agility and ball handling for a big guy. He isn't a big bruiser or banger, but I think he could develop into a low post player at some point, because of his offensive skills. At one point during the game he actually backed down his player and then turned away from a double team to shoot. Actually, I saw him double teamed several times last night. Could be a factor in his output. Summary: love his mobility, agility, ball handling and passing
J. Thompson: He is extremely fast for a big guy. At one point he grabbed a RB and started up the court in a fast break. I thought he was going to take it coast to coast but he passed it up ahead and nothing came of it. When he gets more minutes he is going to get even better. He is one of those players/ people that are always working on something and getting better. Like when you play someone better than you at something and you work hard at certain things until you can beat that person. He reminds me of one of those people who want/will work to get better.
When I saw JT listed as 6'11" and 250 lbs I thought he would be a little bigger (muscle wise), but he looked thin. Not as thin as some of the younger players who came out this year (Randolph or McGee). He could easliy add 20-25 pounds of muscle and not loose his quickness.
I was also impressed with how JT shot his free throws. I know it is strange to say, but when you see a 6'11" guy shoot it is often clumsy looking. He looked very fluid and effortless.
S. Williams: He will fill a spot on our team as a backup, and playing a certain role, which is okay. Every team has to have a big guy that only rebounds, plays D, and does little things. Now, tell Williams that that is what he needs to do and we are fine. He doesn't need to post up and try and get two points. Instead pass out of the post or something other than him shooting it.
As for the Kings, I think things look pretty good for us with some development of several players. It is nice to have some young big men on our team: S. Hawes, J. Thompson and even S. WIlliams. I think they can provide some quality minutes and contributions this year.
Hawes: I didn't get to see him in his first summer league game where he was pretty good offensively, but I am impressed with his agility and ball handling for a big guy. He isn't a big bruiser or banger, but I think he could develop into a low post player at some point, because of his offensive skills. At one point during the game he actually backed down his player and then turned away from a double team to shoot. Actually, I saw him double teamed several times last night. Could be a factor in his output. Summary: love his mobility, agility, ball handling and passing
J. Thompson: He is extremely fast for a big guy. At one point he grabbed a RB and started up the court in a fast break. I thought he was going to take it coast to coast but he passed it up ahead and nothing came of it. When he gets more minutes he is going to get even better. He is one of those players/ people that are always working on something and getting better. Like when you play someone better than you at something and you work hard at certain things until you can beat that person. He reminds me of one of those people who want/will work to get better.
When I saw JT listed as 6'11" and 250 lbs I thought he would be a little bigger (muscle wise), but he looked thin. Not as thin as some of the younger players who came out this year (Randolph or McGee). He could easliy add 20-25 pounds of muscle and not loose his quickness.
I was also impressed with how JT shot his free throws. I know it is strange to say, but when you see a 6'11" guy shoot it is often clumsy looking. He looked very fluid and effortless.
S. Williams: He will fill a spot on our team as a backup, and playing a certain role, which is okay. Every team has to have a big guy that only rebounds, plays D, and does little things. Now, tell Williams that that is what he needs to do and we are fine. He doesn't need to post up and try and get two points. Instead pass out of the post or something other than him shooting it.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
I'm really liking all the comments I'm hearing about Thompson's quickness. That bodes very well...
nbrans
All-Star
Dare I say he's a homeless man's Chris Webber? He's got great hands like Webber, and while he's not as fluid as Webber athletically he is a really good athlete who can seriously get down the floor, and is quick enough to play SF despite being 6'11". He can also hit a spot up jump shot or put the ball on the floor. He hit a three in Game 1, but I could really see him making a living off of the elbow jumper or fake/dribble drive in the same way Webber did. Because he's got such great hands he's good at getting rebounds in traffic.
Still a little herky-jerky with his moves, haven't really seen much of him in the post, and haven't really seen much passing. Not saying he's going to turn into Webber or is that kind of talent, but skills-wise Thompson looks good at the things Webber was great at.
beb0p
Starter
Thompson: I'm still wondering if he can finish with his left hand. I saw plenty of his youtube clips and none showing him finishing a left-handed layup. Now I saw him in a game and he always bring the ball back to his right when he shoots. Including when he drove left, got by his man, but instead of a left handed scoop he brought the ball back to his right and was blocked by the recovering defender. I'm begining to think he can't finish left even though he can dribble left just fine. But that's my only complain, the rest of his game is solid. What I like is that he's very scrappy. He's one of those big men who make a lot of hustle plays. No offense to Miller, Moore, and KT but JT is our best rebounder and shotblocker, though that's not saying much is it?
Douby: He was supposed to be working on PG skill, no? This is the same guy we saw last season!! A trigger-happy ballhog. What happened to his mid-range game? He used to have one, but now he either jacks up a three or drives all the way to the hoop. In his rookie season, Jerry Reynolds said the midrange scoop is Douby's signature shot and will be his bread and butter, but I guess Douby is on a low-carb diet.
Shelden: The problem is he still thinks he's the landlord. But in the NBA he's closer to the homeless guy with rebounding skill.
Ewing Jr: I can see why some coaches are impressed with his hustle. I actually think he has a good chance of making the team. But he's still a great athlete who sucks at basketball.
Bayless: If he is a PG, then Douby is a PG. This game is not as bad as the last game when he passed the rock only when he was doubled teamed in the corner, but Bayless is definitely a shoot-first, shoot-second type of player. I know he averaged 4 assists in college, but Douby almost averaged 4 assists in college. Good scorer, no denying that.
Batum: I never understood his hype and I still don't. This is just like the other Euro games I saw of him - work hard on defense, passive on offense, can't shoot, turnover prone, and mostly invisible. Don't get me wrong, he'll have a solid NBA career, but he's not even close to who he was being compared to.
Koponen: I'm impressed. Very poised but he too seems more like a shoot-first PG. In the mode of Beno Udrich.
Douby: He was supposed to be working on PG skill, no? This is the same guy we saw last season!! A trigger-happy ballhog. What happened to his mid-range game? He used to have one, but now he either jacks up a three or drives all the way to the hoop. In his rookie season, Jerry Reynolds said the midrange scoop is Douby's signature shot and will be his bread and butter, but I guess Douby is on a low-carb diet.
Shelden: The problem is he still thinks he's the landlord. But in the NBA he's closer to the homeless guy with rebounding skill.
Ewing Jr: I can see why some coaches are impressed with his hustle. I actually think he has a good chance of making the team. But he's still a great athlete who sucks at basketball.
Bayless: If he is a PG, then Douby is a PG. This game is not as bad as the last game when he passed the rock only when he was doubled teamed in the corner, but Bayless is definitely a shoot-first, shoot-second type of player. I know he averaged 4 assists in college, but Douby almost averaged 4 assists in college. Good scorer, no denying that.
Batum: I never understood his hype and I still don't. This is just like the other Euro games I saw of him - work hard on defense, passive on offense, can't shoot, turnover prone, and mostly invisible. Don't get me wrong, he'll have a solid NBA career, but he's not even close to who he was being compared to.
Koponen: I'm impressed. Very poised but he too seems more like a shoot-first PG. In the mode of Beno Udrich.
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Vlade4GM
All-Star
Kind of a like a very poor man's Amare.
I just got finished watching most of the Kings-Blazers webcast for the first time. It's very difficult to foresee what these guys can do on the next level, since the quality of competition in the Summer League is so much less than the real NBA.
But, trying to look beyond that, Thompson looks like the real deal and has the tools to be very, very good. Some questioned his athleticism at draft time, but he certainly has shown so far that, while not an athletic freak, he has above average athleticism to go along with solid basic skills. Very nice looking stroke and touch from both the field under pressure and the line. I did not get excited about his drive-to-the-left-and-right-hand-flip shot moves, including the one that won the game. I really think that this one gets stuffed back in his face most nights in the NBA. I also do not think he will have a major impact in his rookie season, since his development has a long ways to go. But, he is very active defensively and going for boards, so I do see plenty of upside for him to grow into a solid NBA contributor. Lots to work with here.
Singletary really looks like an NBA talent to me. I see no reason why he will not be Beno's understudy next season. Comparing to Ronnie Price in his rookie season, I see Sean as a player with more skills and playmaking ability than Ronnie at this stage. His defensive abaility appears to be roughly equivalent to Ronnie's in my estimation at this juncture. Really good pressure at the top. I just wish he was taller and longer. But definitely a keeper who could turn out to be a draft sleeper when they re-evaluate in a few years.
As most have already said, Ewing was pretty much invisible. We need to give hima few more outings to establish a performance trend, I suppose, but it looks bad for him to make the roster to date.
The rest of the rookie hopefuls that played have no chance of making the team IMHO. We see a "flash" here and there, but with so many guaranteed contracts in place, it will take a true Herculean effort for any of these guys to step up and make the final roster, even as inactive practice fodder.
On our Summer Lague vets, Douby indeed shot way too much and did not see the floor well to make passes to open teammates, just like what we have seen in the last 2 years in the big league. I liked his aggressiveness overall, and pressure D, though, and that combined with his ability to score still give me a glimmer of hope, but the candle is flickering. The only way QD sticks with us beyond 08-09 is if the coaching staff casts him in a pure 2 guard role behind KMart and figures out rotations that do not wipe out Gracia's minutes on the floor. Don't know how you do that except by relegating Cisco to the 3 slot, so it may just not work, especially if we cannot get rid of Artest by the start of the campaign. Douby will never be a PG. Based on that premise and the logjam at the 3, he may be better off being shipped to another team that has more minutes available at the 2.
Too bad Hawes had a lousy game, and I did not see his effort in the first game. I would have said OMG for what is to come, if Spencer had not had a big Game 1. But based on what I read here, Game 2 was an off outing, so I will be interested to see how he does the rest of the way.
On Williams, some here have noted his poor athleticism, especially now when seeing him alongside Thompson. I think there is a good chance this will be the last season we see him in a Kings' uni, but I was nevertheless encouraged by his tough, physical play inside. Grabbing all those boards is not to be overlooked, no matter how much he appears to be glued to the floor. His penchant to go to the glass to follow up shots was well received by me as well. That will be his niche in 08-09. We really need a player like that, one that is willing to do the dirty work on the front line, but I do not see much more upside for Shelden. What we see now is likely what we will get down the road. He will get beat on D and get shots swatted back in his face with some frequency, but yet is still serviceable enough to give us some decent minutes each game in his strength areas.
But, trying to look beyond that, Thompson looks like the real deal and has the tools to be very, very good. Some questioned his athleticism at draft time, but he certainly has shown so far that, while not an athletic freak, he has above average athleticism to go along with solid basic skills. Very nice looking stroke and touch from both the field under pressure and the line. I did not get excited about his drive-to-the-left-and-right-hand-flip shot moves, including the one that won the game. I really think that this one gets stuffed back in his face most nights in the NBA. I also do not think he will have a major impact in his rookie season, since his development has a long ways to go. But, he is very active defensively and going for boards, so I do see plenty of upside for him to grow into a solid NBA contributor. Lots to work with here.
Singletary really looks like an NBA talent to me. I see no reason why he will not be Beno's understudy next season. Comparing to Ronnie Price in his rookie season, I see Sean as a player with more skills and playmaking ability than Ronnie at this stage. His defensive abaility appears to be roughly equivalent to Ronnie's in my estimation at this juncture. Really good pressure at the top. I just wish he was taller and longer. But definitely a keeper who could turn out to be a draft sleeper when they re-evaluate in a few years.
As most have already said, Ewing was pretty much invisible. We need to give hima few more outings to establish a performance trend, I suppose, but it looks bad for him to make the roster to date.
The rest of the rookie hopefuls that played have no chance of making the team IMHO. We see a "flash" here and there, but with so many guaranteed contracts in place, it will take a true Herculean effort for any of these guys to step up and make the final roster, even as inactive practice fodder.
On our Summer Lague vets, Douby indeed shot way too much and did not see the floor well to make passes to open teammates, just like what we have seen in the last 2 years in the big league. I liked his aggressiveness overall, and pressure D, though, and that combined with his ability to score still give me a glimmer of hope, but the candle is flickering. The only way QD sticks with us beyond 08-09 is if the coaching staff casts him in a pure 2 guard role behind KMart and figures out rotations that do not wipe out Gracia's minutes on the floor. Don't know how you do that except by relegating Cisco to the 3 slot, so it may just not work, especially if we cannot get rid of Artest by the start of the campaign. Douby will never be a PG. Based on that premise and the logjam at the 3, he may be better off being shipped to another team that has more minutes available at the 2.
Too bad Hawes had a lousy game, and I did not see his effort in the first game. I would have said OMG for what is to come, if Spencer had not had a big Game 1. But based on what I read here, Game 2 was an off outing, so I will be interested to see how he does the rest of the way.
On Williams, some here have noted his poor athleticism, especially now when seeing him alongside Thompson. I think there is a good chance this will be the last season we see him in a Kings' uni, but I was nevertheless encouraged by his tough, physical play inside. Grabbing all those boards is not to be overlooked, no matter how much he appears to be glued to the floor. His penchant to go to the glass to follow up shots was well received by me as well. That will be his niche in 08-09. We really need a player like that, one that is willing to do the dirty work on the front line, but I do not see much more upside for Shelden. What we see now is likely what we will get down the road. He will get beat on D and get shots swatted back in his face with some frequency, but yet is still serviceable enough to give us some decent minutes each game in his strength areas.
Vlade4GM
All-Star
Webber wasn't as fluid as a jump shooter as JT though, he was more of a stand still jumpshooter and he had a better low post game. I see JT building more of an offensive game like Amare (dribble driving and pulling up or taking it to the hole strong) just not nearly as good.
Gary
All-Star
I was thinking the same thing.. There is no reason why Thompson can't develop a Chris Webber type of game. He's got a good head on his shoulders.
Gary
All-Star
Another nice Thompson article from Yahoo! sports.
Thompson’s success no surprise to Kings
By Steve Carp, Las Vegas Review-Journal 10 hours, 10 minutes ago
The NBA normally invites 10 to 15 players who are expected to be lottery picks to attend the draft each year.
Jason Thompson wasn’t among that group June 26 in New York. But Sacramento thought enough of the 6-foot-11-inch, 250-pound forward from Rider University to draft him 12th overall.. [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ak3Znkqjfc1OZufqMM_Ce.C8vLYF?slug=ys-lvrsummer071608&prov=yhoo&type=lgns]More....[/url]
Thompson’s success no surprise to Kings
By Steve Carp, Las Vegas Review-Journal 10 hours, 10 minutes ago
The NBA normally invites 10 to 15 players who are expected to be lottery picks to attend the draft each year.
Jason Thompson wasn’t among that group June 26 in New York. But Sacramento thought enough of the 6-foot-11-inch, 250-pound forward from Rider University to draft him 12th overall.. [url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ak3Znkqjfc1OZufqMM_Ce.C8vLYF?slug=ys-lvrsummer071608&prov=yhoo&type=lgns]More....[/url]
I went to Rider.. It is fun watching Jason Thompson against better talent. Obviously it is still the summer league, and the NBA will be another few notches higher in talent. But, it still seems like he is more athletic then anyone guarding him. In college I worried that he would have trouble getting in position for rebounds in the NBA, because in college he seemed to rely on being bigger and more athletic then those around him. But, that is what makes him an excellent offensive rebounder, and i'm sure he'll learn to box out better and such, defensively.
Also, to the poster that doubts that he is 250 pounds, if you saw him.. there is no doubt. He is a big man, with big *** feet.
Also, to the poster that doubts that he is 250 pounds, if you saw him.. there is no doubt. He is a big man, with big *** feet.
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