[Game] Kings v. Clippers - Thursday, Jan. 11 - 7 PT

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#1
The Clippers come into G1C short-handed, but after seeing what they did to the Warriors last night, our best hope is that they're exhausted from dumping on the reigning champs. (Of course, the GSW without Curry or Thompson might have had something to do with it. I didn't watch the game so I cannot say for sure) Here's what the injury report says:

Updated Player Pos Injury Expected Return
01/11/18 Blake Griffin PF Concussion Game Time Decision
01/11/18 Milos Teodosic PG Foot Game Time Decision
01/11/18 C.J. Williams SG Ankle Expected to be out until at least Jan 13
01/04/18 Austin Rivers PG Heel Expected to be out until at least Jan 20
12/20/17 Danilo Gallinari SF Hip Expected to be out until at least Jan 15
12/11/17 Patrick Beverley PG Knee Out for the season

The Kings, on the other hand, have just about everyone available.

Updated Player Pos Injury Expected Return
01/11/18 Frank Mason III PG Heel Expected to be out until at least Feb 9
01/11/18 Giorgios Papagiannis C Illness Game Time Decision
01/02/18 Harry Giles PF Knee Expected to be out until at least Jan 13

At this point, I think a lot of Kings fans are more interested in watching the progression and development of the kids than they are about wins or losses. As long as they put forth the heart, the hustle, the energy and the effort, most fans will walk away satisfied. It's when they show none of that OR all of a sudden exhibit the basketball acumen of a rutabaga that people get angry, and rightfully so.

I personally like to see JaKarr Sampson and Jack Cooley on the Kings bench, if for no other reason than I know they will be ready if they're called to play. They may not be as skilled as some of our young bloods but they certainly have all the dedication and tenacity you could ask for.

I know these kids are still trying to figure things out and that they're tired right now. Adapting to the NBA can't be easy after high school and college. Just the travel alone can wear on you. They just need to focus on the task at hand and learn from the veterans. It's not easy but it certainly is possible.

It's still a good time to be a Kings fan and, of course, I still LOVE THIS TEAM!

GO KINGS!!!
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#5
I still don't get the Sampson thing. He's exactly the kind of player the Kings need in the lineup - athletic, finisher, defensive minded, tough, and has shown the ability to even hit the 3. The Kings need more "open court" players to play along with Fox, and Sampson seems pretty good in that area.
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#6
Clippers have beat the Kings 5 out of 6 times and Lou had a 50 point game last night so this doesn't bode well considering the Clipps are short handed & they chuck up a lot of threes.

So Mason was originally slated to be out until January 9th and now it got pushed back another month? The same thing will happen with the Giles situation where they said January and they will push it back until March or just hold him out all season.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
#7
Both WCS and Fox need to just take the easy 15-18 footers. Stop making the game more complicated than it is and driving into three opposing players. I especially think WCS should be much more advanced in this area of "recognition" because he's in his third year. Unless WCS develops that 17-22' range where he can confidently hit the open shot his effectiveness is going to be limited in playing with Fox. Fox needs guys who can spread the floor and WCS doesn't do that currently. It's a big disadvantage in today's game to have a center who can't hit 3s, much less who can't consistently hit the open shot out to about 22 feet.
 
#11
I still don't get the Sampson thing. He's exactly the kind of player the Kings need in the lineup - athletic, finisher, defensive minded, tough, and has shown the ability to even hit the 3. The Kings need more "open court" players to play along with Fox, and Sampson seems pretty good in that area.
I think it is a numbers game.

The Kings have like 9 players in their first or second year (and WCS) that Coach Joeger needs to give some run to. These players were all high draft picks and are on longer term and more expensive contracts, so he needs to find out if they can play and develop first.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#13
So Mason was originally slated to be out until January 9th and now it got pushed back another month? The same thing will happen with the Giles situation where they said January and they will push it back until March or just hold him out all season.
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/frank-mason-iii-injury-update-011118

They did an MRI yesterday and found that Mason tore his plantar fascia. So, the push back wasn't completely arbitrary. My presumption is they didn't think there was a tear, but he didn't heal quickly enough so finally they did the MRI and caught the tear.

Giles is not currently dealing with an active injury but rather rehab so it's obviously not the same situation. Also, I'm not sure I've seen any comments from the Kings that Giles *would* be back in January, just that he wouldn't be back before then. Until I hear further, Giles' timetable is completely up in the air in my mind, and the not-before-Jan.-13th number means nothing at all.
 
#16
Game #41 tonight, halfway there. Wherever "there" turns out to be.
The Clippers have an abundance of injured players, however they have won 8 of their last 11. This tells me two things:

1) They are absolutely still trying to win every game and make a playoff push

2) They likely have had their two games in a row V us circled on the calendar to aid in achieving #1
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#19
Clippers have beat the Kings 5 out of 6 times and Lou had a 50 point game last night so this doesn't bode well considering the Clipps are short handed & they chuck up a lot of threes.

So Mason was originally slated to be out until January 9th and now it got pushed back another month?
The same thing will happen with the Giles situation where they said January and they will push it back until March or just hold him out all season.
Again, those dates ARE NOT CAST IN STONE. They are estimates depending upon a lot of factors. I wish they'd just say "until further notice" ... of course, then some would stress out about not getting notices on the hour.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#20
I still don't get the Sampson thing. He's exactly the kind of player the Kings need in the lineup - athletic, finisher, defensive minded, tough, and has shown the ability to even hit the 3. The Kings need more "open court" players to play along with Fox, and Sampson seems pretty good in that area.
Remember, he's on a two-way contract and can only spend a total of 45 days actually with the Kings. They may be holding him in reserve just in case they have to call him up.
 
#21
Remember, he's on a two-way contract and can only spend a total of 45 days actually with the Kings. They may be holding him in reserve just in case they have to call him up.
Does anyone know how many days he has used up at the half point of the season? I believe it's days with the club, not just games played and includes even off days (practice) if he is with the club. Somebody correct me if I am wrong about that.
 
#28
I don’t know if I can even hate on Randolph/Hill being on this team as someone who wants a high draft pick. Zach lost his legs. Hill’s apathy for being here is contagious.

The vet thread resounding.

Would be a lot more entertaining though if Hill was shipped and Zach benched