[Game] Kings vs. Rockets, Sunday Aug. 9, 5 PM PT
- Thread starter Capt. Factorial
- Start date
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Yeah, there's no fixing this. Even when the path is clearly lit with neon signs pointing the way this joker finds himself stumbling off into the dark. Even he's already halfway down the path. At the very least if he's going to play Buddy at PG give him some dang shooters! Joseph and Giles means there is nowhere to create to. Just unreal.
I don't know what the Kings are trying to do offensively. One or two passes. Most players standing around and watching. If there is some movement off the ball it is inconsequential. It is like Waiting for Godot.
On defense, after Austin Rivers started to torch Belly by running the same play possession after possession, Doug says 'show them something different, maybe don't switch, mix it up'. Third quarter, Doug says exactly the same thing. So all those time outs, all that time to address this at half time, and nothing. As it is the same play that San Antonio used against us, it is as if Luke has not even said 'OK, everyone turn up tomorrow with three new ideas'.
On defense, after Austin Rivers started to torch Belly by running the same play possession after possession, Doug says 'show them something different, maybe don't switch, mix it up'. Third quarter, Doug says exactly the same thing. So all those time outs, all that time to address this at half time, and nothing. As it is the same play that San Antonio used against us, it is as if Luke has not even said 'OK, everyone turn up tomorrow with three new ideas'.
This team needs to run the same offense the Rockets do. 10 second shot clock ball where you look for 1-3 passes max. Again, standing around isn't the issue, it's who you have standing around. Look at D'Antonis team. They stand around aplenty but guess what the difference is? They keep the paint clear and draw and kick, draw and kick, draw and kick and get set shot after set shot to players that can actually shoot as the Kings scramble.
I don't care what combo he's put out there, this team isn't there defensively yet and won't be as long as the offense is this screwed. Bjelica works at C because the teams real issues have always actually been based around spacing. There has to be someone in this organization that sees it and looks at the 5 man offensive and defensive ratings.
See, you have to reverse expectations in a lot of ways with this team. All year Walton has replaced talent and shooting with defense and for some reason it didn't solve anything. Why? Because likely your biggest problems lie elsewhere, i.e. SPACING. Sitting a Buddy Hield, Bjelica, etc. for a Joseph, Baze, Barnes, Holmes unit is a pretty noticeable upgrade defensively right? I mean those are legit defenders. LEGIT. Yet, here we sit. This is an offensive team that when going offensively can turn it on defensively. If patch working your defense worked it would have by now. It hasn't. Talent wins. Period. Now, when you get to the point of contention you can start tweaking based on need, but that opportunity has likely been squandered with this group.
Not much to say about this game, or the last, except how KINGS is it to allow a career scrub to score 41 against them? So fitting. And just further the point how terrible their defense is.
IDC how good this team is or can be offensively. They’ll never win consistently playing defense they way they do now. Never.
IDC how good this team is or can be offensively. They’ll never win consistently playing defense they way they do now. Never.
Give credit where credit is due, Walton is running something, but it's degenerated to some of the same stuff Joerger did. Better for sure considering he took out the dreaded horns set but still completely wrong for the roster. This is the problem when you kind of draft a team around a certain group, say all the right things about it, then do little in that direction, still watch it succeed in the little you do, and then right back to something else the next game. It used to be the next game but this bubble has hit an all new level of panic button coaching for Walton. I have to say, in the last 15 years of the coaching carousel we've never seen this kind of headless chicken stuff out of a coach. It was actually a strength for Walton up to a point but then he went all panic button masher in the bubble. This was a good test. Test failed.