[Game] Kings v. Cavaliers - 3/9/16 - 7 PT, 10 ET

[Boogie_Fever]

nah, blowing four straight top ten picks is what set the kings back years. i will continue to bang that drum as often as i can around these parts...

when you're trying to rebuild a team in earnest without the benefit of market draw for free agents and with few tradeable assets at your disposal, you can whiff on one of those first rounders, and you can settle for another resulting in a mediocre talent, but you've gotta get something of impact out of at least two of those picks. what cannot happen is for three of the four to nearly scrub out of the league altogether, while the only one of those four to remain with the kings has the dubious distinction of being perhaps the worst starting SG in the entire nba...

it certainly didn't help that the kings let isaiah thomas walk for nothing, and i've been as critical as anybody of the malone firing, but a franchise can find a way to absorb those blunders if they transform successive lottery appearances into a foundation for future wins. all of this losing does no good if you can't get a decent return on the draft picks it generates. at this point, i don't even care about the franchise upheaval that made such terrible picks possible; you seriously could have thrown darts at the draft board and picked better than the kings did from 2011-2014...

That's the real culprit of why the Kings are terrible right now. They fumbled the 2011-2014 drafts. They didn't even need stars in those drafts juat decent rotational playes, it wouldn't be so bad. Jimmer and Thomas Robinson are barely NBA players. Stauskas and McLemore are getting close to that as well.

 

[KingMilz]

Resigning Rondo should be a priority, he gets cuz the ball in his spots so well. We spent years without anyone who could even make a simple entry pass.

If it's about padding Cousins stats than yeah it should be a priority if it's about actually winning no it shouldn't.

 

[bajaden]

The reason were losing is because of our defense. Over the last 20 games, we've allowed the opposition to average 114.4 points per game. Your not going to win too many games when your allowing that many points per game. We can nit pick about this player and that player, but until the team as a whole decides to play defense, none of the other stuff matters.

 

[mac]

I don't think I've ever been happy before to have NOT watched a Kings game. Watching the clip of WCS post-game comments and the bit with Cuz yelling in the huddle during a timeout told me all I needed to know. I have NEVER given up on a season before. I have always tried to find something to be optimistic about, a reason for hope.

Right now, I have no hope. What I do have is fear for the amount of damage that can be done before the end of the season.

In the larger picture that's fine, but if you watched this game you would see that WCS did absolutely nothing to warrant any more minutes. He achieved absolutely nothing other than sending the Cavs to the line a bunch of times.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

In the larger picture that's fine, but if you watched this game you would see that WCS did absolutely nothing to warrant any more minutes. He achieved absolutely nothing other than sending the Cavs to the line a bunch of times.

But it's not about 1 game. And we're not talking about Thomas Robinson or Ben McLemore or any other player you could name that was overwhelmed and overmatched as a rookie. WCS is a lottery pick that has shown he belongs on the court despite whatever "rookie" mistakes me may make. Making matters worse, he's the best defender on a defensive deficient squad --- which alone should garner him meaningful minutes on a consistent basis.

There have been plenty of games when the kid played pretty well, yet still only saw limited minutes. That's not good however which way you choose to look at it.

With regard to tonight, there were a couple plays where Willie played pretty good defense but Kyrie just made some improbable finishes. Shots that he'd convert 1 out of 10 times. It was just one of those nights. And several of those plays weren't fouls. Well, they weren't when the same contact occurred on the other end of the court, anyway

 

[VF21]

In the larger picture that's fine, but if you watched this game you would see that WCS did absolutely nothing to warrant any more minutes. He achieved absolutely nothing other than sending the Cavs to the line a bunch of times.

So it's okay for Ben to do absolutely nothing for several years because he needs to learn but WCS should be banished to the bench?

Horse-poopoo.

 

[Glenn]

WCS needs experience. There is only one way to get experience. It's not as if winning or losing is important.

 

[mac]

So it's okay for Ben to do absolutely nothing for several years because he needs to learn but WCS should be banished to the bench?

Horse-poopoo.

I didn't say anything about Ben and I've never supported Ben getting minutes. My point is simply that WCS didn't exactly earn his minutes in this one single game, and many were calling for him to play so that we'd have more defense and rebounding, but he didn't accomplish that in this one game when he did play

 

[fansinceday1]

I didn't say anything about Ben and I've never supported Ben getting minutes. My point is simply that WCS didn't exactly earn his minutes in this one single game, and many were calling for him to play so that we'd have more defense and rebounding, but he didn't accomplish that in this one game when he did play

This is the "Kings way" of developing young players.

The Kings will eventually screw up WCS too. I can already see it.

 

[G_M]

Watching Cousins scream at Karl and Corliss last night on the bench perfectly encapsulated this season...

 

[kingjatt]

If it's about padding Cousins stats than yeah it should be a priority if it's about actually winning no it shouldn't.

Yeah your right Rondo sucks let him walk and lets trade for Steph and start winning yeah problem solved!!

 

[bajaden]

In the larger picture that's fine, but if you watched this game you would see that WCS did absolutely nothing to warrant any more minutes. He achieved absolutely nothing other than sending the Cavs to the line a bunch of times.

You know Mac, most of us aren't talking about one game, and it's shortsighted to do so. Yeah, "Willie got into foul trouble last night, and it's the first time I can remember since the beginning of the season that he got into foul trouble. In the Spurs game he played 6 minutes and I don't think he had one foul in that game. The point is, he's one of our best defenders, and were getting killed on defense. Last night he got into foul trouble trying to guard Irving. The first one was deserved, but the second one wasn't a foul in my opinion. The bigger point is, he was actually trying to guard someone!!!!!!!!

Willie is part of our future, and he needs to be getting minutes. If he was totally ineffective, then you could make a case for not playing him minutes. But there have been games where he obviously was playing extremely well, and just sat on the bench while we lost. Just so everyone knows, Willie is averaging 2.2 fouls per game, which is about what a guard would average, and hardly cause for concern. JT averaged around 4 fouls per game and was a less effective defender by a long shot.

 

[White_Chocolate]

The same Willie Cauley Stein that got one rebound and picked up 4 fouls in 12 minutes? You were hoping for HIM to save us on the boards?

12 minutes... Kid is a top 10 rookie and is getting 12 minutes on a team going nowhere. Let him foul out, but don't let him rot on the bench.

 

[Bricklayer]

This is the "Kings way" of developing young players.

The Kings will eventually screw up WCS too. I can already see it.

Nothing quite so dramatic is assured yet. All just depends o who the next coach is.

Karl is the wrong guy, and in the wrong position (win now or else) to be developing youth. And the radically wrong guy to be developing big men, although WCS on the surface looks like the sort of garbageman Karl could at least understand. One good coaching hire fixes the problem here.

 

[KingsFanGER]

You know Mac, most of us aren't talking about one game, and it's shortsighted to do so. Yeah, "Willie got into foul trouble last night, and it's the first time I can remember since the beginning of the season that he got into foul trouble. In the Spurs game he played 6 minutes and I don't think he had one foul in that game. The point is, he's one of our best defenders, and were getting killed on defense. Last night he got into foul trouble trying to guard Irving. The first one was deserved, but the second one wasn't a foul in my opinion. The bigger point is, he was actually trying to guard someone!!!!!!!!

Willie is part of our future, and he needs to be getting minutes. If he was totally ineffective, then you could make a case for not playing him minutes. But there have been games where he obviously was playing extremely well, and just sat on the bench while we lost. Just so everyone knows, Willie is averaging 2.2 fouls per game, which is about what a guard would average, and hardly cause for concern. JT averaged around 4 fouls per game and was a less effective defender by a long shot.

I agree, that Willie needs to play more minutes. But did you notice, that last night he was the only guy, that switched on every pick&roll, giving the Cavs mismatch after mismatch in the post. I don't understand, why we are doing this and if this is purely a scheme issue, why is it always Willie that switches onto the guard/wing leaving our Pg/Sg against a Pf in the post?
So far I'm not overly impressed by Willie. He has a lot of areas to work on. He is a rookie of course, but the Kings usually are not the best place in the league to develop.
I just hope we don't play the “what if“ game in a few years, when watching Willie go up against guys like Turner or Booker.

 

[Glenn]

I don't give a damn how many mistakes Willie makes. It has no consequence. He needs time on the court or he never will learn. The mistakes will diminish.

I cannot believe we are picking on Willie because his game isn't polished.

 

[Dbeltz24]

I don't give a damn how many mistakes Willie makes. It has no consequence. He needs time on the court or he never will learn. The mistakes will diminish.

I cannot believe we are picking on Willie because his game isn't polished.

Ya I am not understanding the bashing of Willie. He's been nothing but a saving grace for this team this year. Huge talent with huge upside. Kids gonna have a bright career