[Game] Kings v. Pelicans - Sunday, April 7 - 6PT/9ET

[SacTownKid]

I really don’t think my reaction is irrational. And in no way am I saying we didn’t improve. Because we did. Is it really that crazy to say we played far above our heads and next year will be our legit .500 year?

The team is on the right path. There is reason to have hope. But we aren’t as far ahead of the schedule as it appeared even a few months ago.

To your point on the players... I only worry about Buddy. We were at our best when he was pretending to be Klay Thompson. Is he really that good? I honestly don’t think he is. That’s not a knock... but his highs this year are going to be tough to match.

I think part of that was your typical bust out player having their first post all star disappointment when they don't end up getting the reward they think they deserved. But it must be said that there was obviously some difference in what they expected from Buddy, and the whole team. The team's identity near the end was about getting closer to the rim and Buddy like a lot of the other players was clearly expected to attempt to get to the line and attack the basket a bit more. That coinciding with running less pick and roll through him was a change that I think any guard in his position that was playing as well as he was would find challenging. The interesting thing will be how Buddy uses that to improve in those areas. In the end I don't think his best use is as a high volume slasher. That flying free player that can get you back into games in one spurt from outside is probably where Buddy is going to make a dent in the league.

 

[jcassio]

Yeah see my argument is this is a natural progression, a normalization. They played above their heads and all things being equal they normalized out to a slightly below .500 team. They didnt regress. They just stopped playing above their heads.

NBA players and teams don't overachieve (or play over their heads) for a whole season. For a game, or a stretch of games, sure. But beyond that, you are what your record says. With or without the Portland game, we are almost a .500 team this year. But no better, as the record suggests.
When you tell people that they are overachievers, it's my experience that you are trying to cut them down - out of your own insecurity.

 

[sactowndog]

Belli was hot in the first. But couldn't guard a coke machine.

Buddy missed a lot of shots he normally hits. I think the record thing was in his head.

Yeah that and throwing the ball to the wrong team. I love Buddy but he was awful tonight.

 

[fnordius]

I hope they don't just let it roll over and really dissect some of the play style shift down that stretch and use it to improve like they apparently did last year when they tossed most of the grit and grind. Putting some back in the last few weeks hasn't had much positive effect.

I seriously wonder if the pace they played most of the season at is really sustainable. Seasons are long, players age, and workarounds are needed. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it probably deserves some thought before the current batch of kids get much older.

 

[Section 101]

Yeah that and throwing the ball to the wrong team. I love Buddy but he was awful tonight.

Yes he was. But he is one guy that can catch fire at anytime.

 

[Kingster]

Joerger said in the post game that the Kings have played one game well out of the last nine. I totally agree. Part of me hates how the Kings are playing down the stretch because you always want to finish strong, and it would have been nice to get to .500 ball. The other part of me thinks that maybe these defensive deficiencies and lack of competitiveness is going to reaffirm to management what has to be done in the off-season.

I can't help but think that Vlade has some remorse over losing Shumpert, whose defense and competitive edge appears to be sorely missed on this team. His locker room presence alone might have at least given the Kings a couple of wins down the stretch. The Kings need more guys on their team that hate to lose, not just like to win. They have plainly been outworked coming down the stretch, having fun on offense and ignoring the exertion of defense. Fox acknowledged the lack of effort in the post game.

 

[Kingsfan23]

Joerger said in the post game that the Kings have played one game well out of the last nine. I totally agree. Part of me hates how the Kings are playing down the stretch because you always want to finish strong, and it would have been nice to get to .500 ball. The other part of me thinks that maybe these defensive deficiencies and lack of competitiveness is going to reaffirm to management what has to be done in the off-season.

I can't help but think that Vlade has some remorse over losing Shumpert, whose defense and competitive edge appears to be sorely missed on this team. His locker room presence alone might have at least given the Kings a couple of wins down the stretch. The Kings need more guys on their team that hate to lose, not just like to win. They have plainly been outworked coming down the stretch, having fun on offense and ignoring the exertion of defense. Fox acknowledged the lack of effort in the post game.

But shouldn’t the switch of Shump/Barnes been an additive if Barnes should be extended for anything?

Dude has got to show a better fit/impact next year for me

I agree about the Shump/Burks trade though, and that has to go down as a ? For the FO

 

[Kingster]

But shouldn’t the switch of Shump/Barnes been an additive if Barnes should be extended for anything?

Dude has got to show a better fit/impact next year for me

I agree about the Shump/Burks trade though, and that has to go down as a ? For the FO

If by "dude" you mean Barnes, yes, I think Barnes is a net plus, but when you do a trade like that with a young team in the middle of the season you are likely to incur a "transition cost" and I think that transition cost lessened the value added of the Barnes trade for this season. Next year should be more of Barnes plus because they have all of preseason to integrate him into the offense. As it is, Barnes has been essentially a iso low post threat with some open 3 pointers thrown in. I'd like to see Barnes moving without the ball more to get more open easy looks off the motion and am hopeful we see that next year.

 

[SacTownKid]

I seriously wonder if the pace they played most of the season at is really sustainable. Seasons are long, players age, and workarounds are needed. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it probably deserves some thought before the current batch of kids get much older.

Again, I think more of the physical play inside, like driving and attempting to overpower teams inside is less sustainable. Buddy certainly ran more than he should have. Simply put they need to run more pick and roll and less pin downs. That involves more running and physicality than needed. Joerger is making things harder for them than it needs to be.

 

[Tetsujin]

Again, I think more of the physical play inside, like driving and attempting to overpower teams inside is less sustainable. Buddy certainly ran more than he should have. Simply put they need to run more pick and roll and less pin downs. That involves more running and physicality than needed. Joerger is making things harder for them than it needs to be.

With Harry and Marvin both being integral parts of the team's future and De'Aaron being the best penetrator this side of D-Wade, I think physical play inside is going to remain a calling card going forward. I do agree that it should be less of a calling card for some members of the team (*cough*Buddy*cough*) than it has been this season though.

When you have the guys who should be attacking the paint attacking the paint and the guys who should out on the perimeter on the perimeter, I think this team is set going forward.

 

[SacTownKid]

With Harry and Marvin both being integral parts of the team's future and De'Aaron being the best penetrator this side of D-Wade, I think physical play inside is going to remain a calling card going forward. I do agree that it should be less of a calling card for some members of the team (*cough*Buddy*cough*) than it has been this season though.

When you have the guys who should be attacking the paint attacking the paint and the guys who should out on the perimeter on the perimeter, I think this team is set going forward.

I agree to extent, again, I just think there was too much of it. No team right now that is doing anything special is playing that way unless they are running pick and roll and making use of simple drive and dish style offense in the process. Attacking the paint is fine but there needs to be better floor balance and a willingness to make the most of the shooting talent you have and take the higher percentage looks that the defense is giving you. Too many times it's clear the goal is to get to the line or draw contact with no other real option. That isn't the model of success for the majority of teams the way the Kings attempted to do it late in the year.