[Game] Kings v. Rockets - Monday, Dec. 23 - 7PT/10ET
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good fightback though. i think they left it all on the defensive end and rebounding the ball. If Fox can keep this level of effectiveness more consistently there is a way forward. Bogdanovic will be back soon too which will improve spacing and playmaking. Bagley has to find a way to....not impact the team negatively. And you have to figure that Buddy will start hitting them sooner rather than later.
Officiating was terrible. Harden is beyond unwatchable when he gets "fouled" with great defense. Fox did not get the same calls but he was extremely aggressive and this is only the tip of the iceberg of his true potential. Whoever told me in the other thread "Fox is not that good and wouldn't take him except over a few point guards" this is why you are mistaken. Fox has superstar potential. Now Bagley, on the other hand, and Hield, those are different stories. God this team is so frustrating.
You can't play handsy defense like that all game though. He'll get sent to the bench early 9 times out of 10. Knowing when to dial it up is the key. That's what good teams do. I alluded to it earlier, this is an offensive team that should be able to crank up the defense when needed. Not a stopper, clock control half court team that can pour it on when needed.
Did Fox look like a superstar when bigs were posting up in his area? Or when he was playing off the ball? Very few players can look great when not being used all that effectively. The only thing positive that can come from these losses is tweaks from the coaching staff to the gameplan to put this teams star talent in the best position to succeed on a game to game basis.
Very true but he's young. He can and should be better in time defensively, but in the bigger picture if Vlade drafted this kid for his defense then whatever is left from the Kings scouting staff of years gone by should be quickly ushered out the door. I like that Walton is a defensive oriented coach, but know what you have and use it properly. If that isn't an option then start shuffling some of that talent out and bring what you need. That's extremely doable with the assets Vlade has accumulated. But the more time that goes by, the more you lose out on options. Personally I'd opt for building a plan around what you've got.
Nice try. A few bjelly bombs and dfox fthrows go in, and this discussion would be different.
Honestly this loss should be pinned squarely on buddy. He should no longer be starting. I would even start JJ until bogs comes back. Time for him to figure things out off the bench.
I really wish there was a way to cancel contracts based on horrid performance... we'd have so much space for a real free agent..
Honestly this loss should be pinned squarely on buddy. He should no longer be starting. I would even start JJ until bogs comes back. Time for him to figure things out off the bench.
I really wish there was a way to cancel contracts based on horrid performance... we'd have so much space for a real free agent..
Kings look and played a lot better when buddy and bags were on the bench.
The last couple of games buddy has averaged one basket out of six attempts. That's not a slump thats bad. Vlade had to sit him down today but that didn't help.
I see a lot of tools with Bagley, but he is not showing us enough to stay on the floor during crunch time.
I like the coach's msg to these two.
Fox and Holmes play with heart, but pls for the love of ____ Fox, hit your damn free throws. And find some open looks for Bjelly
The last couple of games buddy has averaged one basket out of six attempts. That's not a slump thats bad. Vlade had to sit him down today but that didn't help.
I see a lot of tools with Bagley, but he is not showing us enough to stay on the floor during crunch time.
I like the coach's msg to these two.
Fox and Holmes play with heart, but pls for the love of ____ Fox, hit your damn free throws. And find some open looks for Bjelly
At some point you should have to earn your way into the starting lineup. It shouldn't be about how much they just paid for your contract or what your draft position was. Holmes is better than Marvin right now, and more mature. Bogi is better overall than Buddy. Letting someone turn the ball over constantly and jack up bricks so they can "shoot their way through..." (yet another) "...slump" is bovine skatology. I loved the team's 4th quarter hustle tonight, but Coach's job should be considerably less complicated than it probably is.
And this is a difficult problem......last year's team was more competitive than this year's team (to date) even with Holmes playing an overall better game to Stein and better in most areas. This is confounding. I agree with your last several comments. The record and ppg/oppg differential confirms it. IMO They've got to bring in transition (especially off misses) and hybridize their offense more as well as bring in more of the bench to help facilitate higher energy play on both ends. Let players play hard and rest up. Search for new dynamics with additional player combinations on both ends too.
Loved the Fox show. Not much else though. I think eventually this season we're going to be seeing a lot more of Justin James, but the Holmes-Bagley-Bjelica triangle is putting coach Walton in a quandary and I don't think Walton wants to add a rookie piece to the puzzle. Also, he probably doesn't want to have a $20-$25 million man sit on the bench for long periods of time or coming off the bench in favor of a rookie 2nd rounder. To add to the difficulty, Bagley just doesn't look comfortable out there. He's not in a flow, not in rhythm, and the shots that he would easily make last year are not going in as much. Hopefully, the team can play "well enough" to get wins against Phoenix and Minni, but I'm not counting on some overnight sea change - they are just going to have to grind and get better bit by bit.
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