[Game] Kings v. Pelicans - Sunday, Dec. 23 - 3PT/6ET

This reminded me of something and now it’s bugging me.

Does anybody remember that red head kid that used to do locker rooms interviews with the Kings players in the 90’s? I think it was for local public broadcasting. They would show no commentary highlights of recent home games and this kid would get locker room access for years. I figured he must’ve been somebody in the organizations son. What was his name? I thought it was Ty but I can’t remember the last name. I was a kid but I always watched those wondering how he got the gig
I remember but forget some of the details. His name was Ty yes and I think it was on Channel 5 or 6. I remember he used to get better responses than regular reporters since he was a kid but he knew the game.
The players seemed to like and respect him.
 
WC$$$$$$$$$$ with two consecutive monster rebounding nights since his 100 million dollar comment
Willie is an interesting guy. Is he just now figuring out that if you play ****ing defense and rebound at an elite level you get top money? Again, I'm all for him with his Willie Cauley-$tien wanna be prison gang member "art" on your face and talkin bout them Benjamins BUT YOU BETTER BACK IT UP.
 
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this leaves me wondering

what if WCS tried on the regular. I'd give him that $100 mil for sure. but maaaan why can't he just be more consistent? so frustrating so much talent
My personal opinion is that he needs someone to call his ass out in a big, public way, in a national outlet. Someone like Charles Barkley. That seems like the only thing that will motivate him. I'm not convinced by two games.
 
Said it about Memphis and holds doubly true for New Orleans...this is the type of loss that could make them reevaluate their long term plans. They just played a great game and still got a huge lead walked down by a younger team who is prime competition for a playoff spot. This could have very easily been the coup de grace to AD’s tenure with the Pelicans...all due respect to New Orleans. Love the city, but these things happen, and AD has been pretty clear over the past week or so.
I dissagree. I see it as a tight loss on the road against a good young team while playing without one of their best players (Mirotic). AD does have a good supporting cast in Jrue, Randle, Mirotic.
 
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So what got into Willie. 23/17 against AD. He made a nice block at the end. Is he bucking for a promotion? Is he reading our posts? What gives.? If he can get 17 rebounds against AD, you would think he could get more than 4 per game playing lesser opponents.

One of the best games I have seen him play.
It was interesting after the game when interviewed by Kayte and asked about getting a career high 17 rebounds.....

Willie said that his effort is always the same every game and that sometimes the ball just comes your way more.

While there is a little bit of truth to the second part of his statement, he knows damn well that his effort isn't always the same. It's a tough situation because I don't expect him to come out and say that he played harder this game but at the same time don't BS everyone with the "my effort is always the same" line. You don't get 17 REBS one game and 6 REBS another game just because of how the ball bounces. If it really worked that way all the best rebounders in the league would have yo-yo rebounding numbers
 
It looks like the effort level has increased for the entire team. They've gone through nearly half the season and teams have scouted each other. From what I can tell, the teams have decided to get physical with the Kings, and for good reason. Teams are putting taller physical players on Fox. Leaning on Willie in the paint. Forcing Beli to drive instead of spot up. Taking away the lob play. Making Bogi and Beli take their 3pt shots 2-3 feet behind the line. The only response is to fight back and let teams know that they're not just a finesse team. They can bang as well. Willie was a bit embarrassed by OKC game and got the hint halfway through the Memphis game that this was how it's going to be going forward.

Hopefully they can keep it up, because that's how the playoffs are going to be. Learn to deal with it now.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
Trading for Boogie was okay. Failing to build a team around AD and him and then promptly overplaying Boogie so much that his leg gave out and then deciding not to re-sign him in the offseason however...
But how much of failing to build a team around AD had to do with the Cousins' signing? If they don't go down the Cousins road one could argue they would have been able to build a better team around AD.
 
It was interesting after the game when interviewed by Kayte and asked about getting a career high 17 rebounds.....

Willie said that his effort is always the same every game and that sometimes the ball just comes your way more.

While there is a little bit of truth to the second part of his statement, he knows damn well that his effort isn't always the same. It's a tough situation because I don't expect him to come out and say that he played harder this game but at the same time don't BS everyone with the "my effort is always the same" line. You don't get 17 REBS one game and 6 REBS another game just because of how the ball bounces. If it really worked that way all the best rebounders in the league would have yo-yo rebounding numbers
You mean like Stephen Adams? Is he not one of the best rebounders in the game? Does he not "get paid a $100M to rebound like that"? Check out his variation, it is kind of all over the place, see how many games of 6 or fewer rebounds he has had. It's what he does, he almost never leaves the paint, it's his primary focus, he does not rim run, he does not guard on the perimeter, he hangs out in the paint, yet he has had 8 games playing significant minutes with 6 or fewer rebounds. Guess he just didn't bring it those nights. Sometimes I think people's perception of what consistency is might need adjusting. It's the modern NBA, counting numbers are influenced by a lot of things, matchups, flow of the game, what the team as a whole is doing, etc.

From: https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/adamsst01/gamelog/2019

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So what got into Willie. 23/17 against AD. He made a nice block at the end. Is he bucking for a promotion? Is he reading our posts? What gives.? If he can get 17 rebounds against AD, you would think he could get more than 4 per game playing lesser opponents.

One of the best games I have seen him play.
He played another Kentucky guy.
 
But how much of failing to build a team around AD had to do with the Cousins' signing? If they don't go down the Cousins road one could argue they would have been able to build a better team around AD.
Its a little tough in hindsight to blast them after DMC tore his achilles. There were issues with the pairing, and a lot of other dominoes dropped after his injury, but a core of brow, DMC and holiday was starting to come together as a force.
 
You mean like Stephen Adams? Is he not one of the best rebounders in the game? Does he not "get paid a $100M to rebound like that"? Check out his variation, it is kind of all over the place, see how many games of 6 or fewer rebounds he has had. It's what he does, he almost never leaves the paint, it's his primary focus, he does not rim run, he does not guard on the perimeter, he hangs out in the paint, yet he has had 8 games playing significant minutes with 6 or fewer rebounds. Guess he just didn't bring it those nights. Sometimes I think people's perception of what consistency is might need adjusting. It's the modern NBA, counting numbers are influenced by a lot of things, matchups, flow of the game, what the team as a whole is doing, etc.

From: https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/adamsst01/gamelog/2019

View attachment 8670
Most centers around the league don't play with a point guard that averages almost 11 rebounds per game like Adams does. Most point guards average 3-4 a game. Adams rebounds would go up a good amount if he played on the Kings instead of the Thunder.
 
Most centers around the league don't play with a point guard that averages almost 11 rebounds per game like Adams does. Most point guards average 3-4 a game. Adams rebounds would go up a good amount if he played on the Kings instead of the Thunder.
Possibly, but if you swapped Adams and WCS, I doubt the Kings would have the success they have had. Do you think Adams would run the floor like Willie does? Would he be expected to leak out like Willie does? Or would he be planted in the paint like he plays for OKC? Interesting article making the rounds about the "The Sacramento Kings have a method to their fastness" Link to SCT https://www.sbnation.com/2018/12/21...s-higlights-pace-running-up-tempo-deaaron-fox

Couple quotes from it:

"
The Leaker

This is the Kings player furthest from the hoop on a potential change of possession. On three-point attempts, they are the person flying by on a closeout and not stopping. Otherwise, they’re just the ones closest to the other end of the court.

Their job is simple: sprint to as dangerous a position as fast as possible, even before the Kings get the ball. Usually, this means running right up the gut to the basket. In other words, this person’s job is to cherrypick …….."

This player is taking a calculated gamble, but one that’s increasingly smart with teams choosing to prioritize transition defense over crashing the offensive glass.
He won’t even try to go for the defensive board, even (and especially) if he’s the center."

You know, I get tired of defending WCS, I would like to have legitimate critical discussions of how he could get better, things he needs to work on without the hateful mean spirited comments. He has made a lot of progress and has shown some semblance of consistency. I would like to see him approach his full potential with the Kings. He has had quite a few good games, some meh games, and a few stinkers. But according to the consensus of his detractors (not applying that to you), he hasn't had but possibly one half of one good game, and that only in the last game. Everybody else on the Kings is just perfect, never screws up, never has a bad game. That's just ridiculous.

The points in the paint, Willie's rim protection or , interior defense or whatever you want to call it is worrisome. I think Willie needs to improve here, but even if he were to get a couple blocks a game, it's not going to solve the problem. but it is also very worrisome the torrent of straight line, full steam ahead, drives to the basket given up by the Kings guards and wings. Why can't they stay in front of anybody? Time and time again I see the Kings bigs left on an island, basically 2 on 1 where it is either stay with their man and give up the layup to guy streaking to the basket or switch and then their man receives the pass and layup, or possibly try to commit late and foul the shooter for either 2 FT or a +1. What is up with that?
 
Yes, that is a good article. And yes Willie is super valuable in that role.

Here's the thing though, those aren't the rebounds most of us are talking about. It's also when he won't try and block or contest a shot near the rim coming right at him.

1st one, that's effort. It's hit or miss. I said before, I was at the OKC game when Adams destroyed him. This wasn't in transition situations. Adams had 4 ORB on missed free throws alone DIRECTLY through or over WCS. I was sitting on that end of the court, fairly close. He didn't try. He stood there, then reacted after Adams got position, poorly at that.

2nd one. That is mental. He's talked about it. He's developed a phobia It's odd, I don't know how it gets fixed.

Lastly, his comments are almost always troubling. Even after this game he was asked if he knew how many rebounds he had. He said he pays really close attention to that stuff. That to get this numbers you have to aware so you can go get those extra rebounds. (me paraphrasing)

WHAT?

Who thinks like that? You get and fight for all the rebounds you can. It's just what you do. I don't care if he averages 7 rebounds a game because he's leaking out a ton, but he needs to get the ones he's supposed to get and that doesn't happen frequently enough. period,
 
Possibly, but if you swapped Adams and WCS, I doubt the Kings would have the success they have had. Do you think Adams would run the floor like Willie does? Would he be expected to leak out like Willie does? Or would he be planted in the paint like he plays for OKC? Interesting article making the rounds about the "The Sacramento Kings have a method to their fastness" Link to SCT https://www.sbnation.com/2018/12/21...s-higlights-pace-running-up-tempo-deaaron-fox

Couple quotes from it:

"
The Leaker

This is the Kings player furthest from the hoop on a potential change of possession. On three-point attempts, they are the person flying by on a closeout and not stopping. Otherwise, they’re just the ones closest to the other end of the court.

Their job is simple: sprint to as dangerous a position as fast as possible, even before the Kings get the ball. Usually, this means running right up the gut to the basket. In other words, this person’s job is to cherrypick …….."

This player is taking a calculated gamble, but one that’s increasingly smart with teams choosing to prioritize transition defense over crashing the offensive glass. He won’t even try to go for the defensive board, even (and especially) if he’s the center."

You know, I get tired of defending WCS, I would like to have legitimate critical discussions of how he could get better, things he needs to work on without the hateful mean spirited comments. He has made a lot of progress and has shown some semblance of consistency. I would like to see him approach his full potential with the Kings. He has had quite a few good games, some meh games, and a few stinkers. But according to the consensus of his detractors (not applying that to you), he hasn't had but possibly one half of one good game, and that only in the last game. Everybody else on the Kings is just perfect, never screws up, never has a bad game. That's just ridiculous.

The points in the paint, Willie's rim protection or , interior defense or whatever you want to call it is worrisome. I think Willie needs to improve here, but even if he were to get a couple blocks a game, it's not going to solve the problem. but it is also very worrisome the torrent of straight line, full steam ahead, drives to the basket given up by the Kings guards and wings. Why can't they stay in front of anybody? Time and time again I see the Kings bigs left on an island, basically 2 on 1 where it is either stay with their man and give up the layup to guy streaking to the basket or switch and then their man receives the pass and layup, or possibly try to commit late and foul the shooter for either 2 FT or a +1. What is up with that?
I was just referring to the rebounding....which Willie has been much better at this year. Willie is actually rebounding slightly better than Adams per36 this year but Adams has been a much much better offensive rebounder than Willie over the course of their careers. He's usually gobbling up 2-3x more than Willie does on that end of the court.

I think our guards give up dribble penetration more than a lot of other guards but what makes it look even worse is the lack of rim protection from Willie. Averaging .7 blocks per36? That's horrific for a guy with his build. Javale McGee has a similar build to Willie and is averaging 3.9blks per36. I don't know what the deal is with it because he hasn't had any injuries that have compromised his athleticism like Giles has. He just doesn't protect the rim and his blocks aren't just that low because he switches on the perimeter. Fox has 3 more blocks this year than Willie does and other players like Capela switch all the time and still manage to protect the rim.

The blame isn't all on our guards and it's not all on Willie either. They all share the blame. As far as how important rim protection is, remember how many times Fox got by his man against the Pelicans last night and wasn't really able to do anything with it because of the mere presence of Anthony Davis in the paint? That's the side of rim protection that doesn't show up in the stats. It's not just that Willie would slap a ball or two away. It's the amount of times the offense is forced to pass up an easy shot in the paint for a tougher shot because of fear of that rim protection. The Kings lack it big time. The defensive problems aren't all Willie's fault but his short comings in that area are one of the handful of reasons why the Kings defense is so poor.
 
Yes, that is a good article. And yes Willie is super valuable in that role.

Here's the thing though, those aren't the rebounds most of us are talking about. It's also when he won't try and block or contest a shot near the rim coming right at him.

1st one, that's effort. It's hit or miss. I said before, I was at the OKC game when Adams destroyed him. This wasn't in transition situations. Adams had 4 ORB on missed free throws alone DIRECTLY through or over WCS. I was sitting on that end of the court, fairly close. He didn't try. He stood there, then reacted after Adams got position, poorly at that.

2nd one. That is mental. He's talked about it. He's developed a phobia It's odd, I don't know how it gets fixed.

Lastly, his comments are almost always troubling. Even after this game he was asked if he knew how many rebounds he had. He said he pays really close attention to that stuff. That to get this numbers you have to aware so you can go get those extra rebounds. (me paraphrasing)

WHAT?

Who thinks like that? You get and fight for all the rebounds you can. It's just what you do. I don't care if he averages 7 rebounds a game because he's leaking out a ton, but he needs to get the ones he's supposed to get and that doesn't happen frequently enough. period,
I've viewed that interview a couple of times now and I would say that I am surprised that out of that whole 5 minute interview that you managed to latch on to that one ambiguous phrase and give it that interpretation, but I really am not surprised by that at all. All I can really say about that is that you pay way too much attention to what Willie says trying to find some trivial slip of the tongue or whatever to justify your preconceived opinions. Willie's interviews are always a little bit of an exercise in lunacy, nobody ever really knows where they are going (including Willie). If you want to dig deep enough and give deep interpretations to what he says then, you can probably come up with all kinds of conspiracy theories.
 
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I was just referring to the rebounding....which Willie has been much better at this year. Willie is actually rebounding slightly better than Adams per36 this year but Adams has been a much much better offensive rebounder than Willie over the course of their careers. He's usually gobbling up 2-3x more than Willie does on that end of the court.

I think our guards give up dribble penetration more than a lot of other guards but what makes it look even worse is the lack of rim protection from Willie. Averaging .7 blocks per36? That's horrific for a guy with his build. Javale McGee has a similar build to Willie and is averaging 3.9blks per36. I don't know what the deal is with it because he hasn't had any injuries that have compromised his athleticism like Giles has. He just doesn't protect the rim and his blocks aren't just that low because he switches on the perimeter. Fox has 3 more blocks this year than Willie does and other players like Capela switch all the time and still manage to protect the rim.

The blame isn't all on our guards and it's not all on Willie either. They all share the blame. As far as how important rim protection is, remember how many times Fox got by his man against the Pelicans last night and wasn't really able to do anything with it because of the mere presence of Anthony Davis in the paint? That's the side of rim protection that doesn't show up in the stats. It's not just that Willie would slap a ball or two away. It's the amount of times the offense is forced to pass up an easy shot in the paint for a tougher shot because of fear of that rim protection. The Kings lack it big time. The defensive problems aren't all Willie's fault but his short comings in that area are one of the handful of reasons why the Kings defense is so poor.
Hey, tell you what, lets root for both Willie to improve and for the guards/wings to improve.
 
I was just referring to the rebounding....which Willie has been much better at this year. Willie is actually rebounding slightly better than Adams per36 this year but Adams has been a much much better offensive rebounder than Willie over the course of their careers. He's usually gobbling up 2-3x more than Willie does on that end of the court.

I think our guards give up dribble penetration more than a lot of other guards but what makes it look even worse is the lack of rim protection from Willie. Averaging .7 blocks per36? That's horrific for a guy with his build. Javale McGee has a similar build to Willie and is averaging 3.9blks per36. I don't know what the deal is with it because he hasn't had any injuries that have compromised his athleticism like Giles has. He just doesn't protect the rim and his blocks aren't just that low because he switches on the perimeter. Fox has 3 more blocks this year than Willie does and other players like Capela switch all the time and still manage to protect the rim.

The blame isn't all on our guards and it's not all on Willie either. They all share the blame. As far as how important rim protection is, remember how many times Fox got by his man against the Pelicans last night and wasn't really able to do anything with it because of the mere presence of Anthony Davis in the paint? That's the side of rim protection that doesn't show up in the stats. It's not just that Willie would slap a ball or two away. It's the amount of times the offense is forced to pass up an easy shot in the paint for a tougher shot because of fear of that rim protection. The Kings lack it big time. The defensive problems aren't all Willie's fault but his short comings in that area are one of the handful of reasons why the Kings defense is so poor.
There is more to protecting the rim than blocking shots. JaVale McGee has always been a shot blocker, but has been a poor defender most of his career. They were raving about his play in LA earlier this year, but their defense got a lot better after they traded for Tyson Chandler. This isn't a coincidence.
 
There is more to protecting the rim than blocking shots. JaVale McGee has always been a shot blocker, but has been a poor defender most of his career. They were raving about his play in LA earlier this year, but their defense got a lot better after they traded for Tyson Chandler. This isn't a coincidence.
Yeah I know what you're talking about. Shot blocking isn't the end all be all in paint protection. Koufos adds solid rim protection with almost no shot blocking himself these days. If Willie stood guys up in the paint like Kosta does then I wouldn't have a problem with his low block count but he's not really doing that very well either. He's a solid defender and a pretty smart defender but offers up very little resistance in the paint. He kind of defends like a wing who is playing center. There have been a lot of instances this year where he's switched onto a PG or SG out at the 3 point line and they've taken a couple dribbles to size him up and then they just pass the ball off because they want nothing to do with him. On the flip side, once teams get into the paint, they basically have a field day against us because he doesn't protect the basket down there.

It's a pick your poison situation but for me personally, I'll take the paint protection over the switchability because I think protecting the paint is more important to the overall defense than being able to switch as easily as he does. My problem with it is he has no excuses to not be able to do it. Has the perfect body type and athleticism to be flying all over the place swatting balls away but he just simply does not do it.