I only remember one of his blocks. The come from behind where he blocked Tony Douglas. Blocked it up and off the backboard, and a player from golden state put it back uncontested. That was a bit frustrating to me. Two times we stopped guys during 2-1 breaks with one single player but the rest of the team didn't hustle back and they scored on the second chance. I hope they get that sorted out because it is so disheartening to stop a 2 on 1 and then have no one else come back and help.
Kings vs Warriors (Preseason) Oct. 7, 2013 @ 7:30 PST - Happy Birthday Vivek!
- Thread starter spudfan
- Start date
- Status
I only remember one of his blocks. The come from behind where he blocked Tony Douglas. Blocked it up and off the backboard, and a player from golden state put it back uncontested. That was a bit frustrating to me. Two times we stopped guys during 2-1 breaks with one single player but the rest of the team didn't hustle back and they scored on the second chance. I hope they get that sorted out because it is so disheartening to stop a 2 on 1 and then have no one else come back and help.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
I think IT competed against Curry quite well. His second half was ragged though when he was doing a lot of improvising. Overall, I thought GS adjusted to what the Kings were doing in the first half, but Malone didn't have enough in his playbook to counter. After all, it's just one week. It should be interesting after a month or so when Malone can use the entire playbook.
Padrino
All-Star
it's just one game, a preseason game without grievis vasquez or carl landry, but if i were to extrapolate anything from the first on-court kings action in months, it would be that i think this team is going to have tremendous difficulty scoring consistently at the basket. if DMC can't establish an offensive presence in the paint because of foul trouble or an off-game, the kings exclusively become a jump shooting team...
isaiah thomas certainly has no problem dancing into the lane amongst the trees, but is he a long term starter? vasquez, the more likely starter at PG, is not particularly adept at getting to the rim. marcus thornton can get to the rim, but he's much more likely to take a bad jump shot than he is to slash toward the basket. jason thompson is mostly good for cleanup around the rim. salmons isn't exactly good for anything. so where do the easy baskets come from in the starting unit?
it really illustrates just how poorly constructed this team is. you can't effectively start landry--one of the kings' best interior offensive players--alongside cousins, because that would wipe out any hope of competing on the defensive end. patrick patterson is a stretch-4, which is just a fancy way of saying that he's not equipped to bang inside with the big boys. chuck hayes gets all of his baskets inside, but he has absolutely no touch around the rim, and he's even more of a cleanup player than jason thompson. it'd be one thing if the kings had elite jump shooting talents like steph curry or klay thompson amongst their platoon of chuckers, but they don't. the kings are a streaky jump shooting team, at best...
as constructed, this team is going to have to run in order to get easy baskets, but i'm also not really convinced that this team is even built to run. marcus thornton can get out in the open court, but vasquez isn't exactly lightning quick. nor is the laconic john salmons. demarcus is a slow-footed center, and jason thompson is a mediocre athlete. most of the team's footspeed is on the bench, where they also have two guards who can't dribble (mclemore, fredette). it's just a mess. and that's before we return to the fact that just about no one on this team is an above-average defender. i appreciated the defensive effort through much of last night's game, but unless mike malone truly is a miracle worker on that side of the floor, i don't expect to see the kings deliver a similar effort nightly. 30 wins seems generous, if i'm completely honest...
all of this being said, i fully expect ranadive/d'allesandro to make a mid-season trade come february, as other teams get a bit shifty and desperate. it almost has to happen, because only salmons' and fredette's contracts come off the books next offseason. they've gotta find a way to ditch some of these redundant and ill-fitting parts, because the patchwork "core" of this team won't change much without some serious maneuvering. and prior to the trade deadline is the best time for such maneuvering, when teams are on the clock, and more willing to pull the trigger...
isaiah thomas certainly has no problem dancing into the lane amongst the trees, but is he a long term starter? vasquez, the more likely starter at PG, is not particularly adept at getting to the rim. marcus thornton can get to the rim, but he's much more likely to take a bad jump shot than he is to slash toward the basket. jason thompson is mostly good for cleanup around the rim. salmons isn't exactly good for anything. so where do the easy baskets come from in the starting unit?
it really illustrates just how poorly constructed this team is. you can't effectively start landry--one of the kings' best interior offensive players--alongside cousins, because that would wipe out any hope of competing on the defensive end. patrick patterson is a stretch-4, which is just a fancy way of saying that he's not equipped to bang inside with the big boys. chuck hayes gets all of his baskets inside, but he has absolutely no touch around the rim, and he's even more of a cleanup player than jason thompson. it'd be one thing if the kings had elite jump shooting talents like steph curry or klay thompson amongst their platoon of chuckers, but they don't. the kings are a streaky jump shooting team, at best...
as constructed, this team is going to have to run in order to get easy baskets, but i'm also not really convinced that this team is even built to run. marcus thornton can get out in the open court, but vasquez isn't exactly lightning quick. nor is the laconic john salmons. demarcus is a slow-footed center, and jason thompson is a mediocre athlete. most of the team's footspeed is on the bench, where they also have two guards who can't dribble (mclemore, fredette). it's just a mess. and that's before we return to the fact that just about no one on this team is an above-average defender. i appreciated the defensive effort through much of last night's game, but unless mike malone truly is a miracle worker on that side of the floor, i don't expect to see the kings deliver a similar effort nightly. 30 wins seems generous, if i'm completely honest...
all of this being said, i fully expect ranadive/d'allesandro to make a mid-season trade come february, as other teams get a bit shifty and desperate. it almost has to happen, because only salmons' and fredette's contracts come off the books next offseason. they've gotta find a way to ditch some of these redundant and ill-fitting parts, because the patchwork "core" of this team won't change much without some serious maneuvering. and prior to the trade deadline is the best time for such maneuvering, when teams are on the clock, and more willing to pull the trigger...
Hi, I look forward to another season of your posts!
I expect a trade too. It wouldn't surprise me if we get something like a couple second round draft picks by trading IT, Jimmer, and/or PPat/JT. I have a hard time seeing any of our "moveable" pieces bringing much back more than second round picks though. If we were able to move some guys I am not sure we can get a starting caliber player.
I am a little more upbeat and think we can pull off a few more wins than 30 if our guys keep their heads. I made a thread called something like "striving for mediocrity" near the end of last season and still feel like we are heading that direction. In my eyes we have the talent to win just enough games to be out of a playoff spot but not lose enough to get a high percentage lottery pick. Holding such a view I am going into this season focusing on our two new rookies and Cousins. Wins or losses shouldn't have too much of an impact on my emotions this year if those guys can play good and improve.
Kingsfan23
All-Star
Anyone who automatically assumed a Jimmer role didn't have proper respect for our 2nd round pick IMO
bajaden
Hall of Famer
To start with, I'm happy to see this much interest in a preseason game. It shows how rabid our fan base is. However, it was just a preseason game with some new players, a new coach, and a new system. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. I could sit here and pound the keys, nit picking every player and expounding on what needs to be done to improve the team, but I'd be wasting yours and my time. To draw any conclusions from the first preseason game of the year is equivalent to shooting arrows in the air and hoping they hit a target.
If I were to take note of anything, its that our team defense was more intense than I've seen it for some time. Which is a good thing, if it can be sustained and improved as we move forward. Yes, it did have some breakdowns at times, but all in all, it was much better. For at least one exhibition game, McLemore proved he's a better defender than Thornton, and to be honest, looked better on offense at times. However, we all know what Thornton can do, and one game does not a season make. If I had to pick out one player that impressed me the most, and I have to admit I was paying more attention to him, it was McCallum. 5 assists in 18 minutes of play, along with a couple of steals, and and only 1 turnover. IT's 6 assists would have been more impressive if not for his 6 turnovers. I would have liked to have seen McCallum guarding Curry a bit more, because he did a much better job than IT. Unfortunately he was in the game when Curry was on the bench for the most part.
Cousins defense was pretty good in this game, but he looked out of sorts on the offensive side of the ball. He got in early foul trouble, but to his credit, he kept his mouth shut, and if he continues to behave properly, they'll eventually stop calling those ticky tacky fouls on him. There's no doubt that Bogut was giving him problems, but then Bogut gives most other centers problems. On the whole, I thought our offense looked like it needed some oiling in a few places. There was a lot of passing, a good thing, and a lot of players moving without the ball, a good thing, but seldom did either lead to an easy basket. It probably has something to do with most of training camp being spent on defense, which in the end, is a good thing.
So my only conclusion is, that I was happy to watch the Kings play a basketball game again, and I can't wait till the next one, which is being broadcast on one of the NBA channels if you have the package, which I do.
If I were to take note of anything, its that our team defense was more intense than I've seen it for some time. Which is a good thing, if it can be sustained and improved as we move forward. Yes, it did have some breakdowns at times, but all in all, it was much better. For at least one exhibition game, McLemore proved he's a better defender than Thornton, and to be honest, looked better on offense at times. However, we all know what Thornton can do, and one game does not a season make. If I had to pick out one player that impressed me the most, and I have to admit I was paying more attention to him, it was McCallum. 5 assists in 18 minutes of play, along with a couple of steals, and and only 1 turnover. IT's 6 assists would have been more impressive if not for his 6 turnovers. I would have liked to have seen McCallum guarding Curry a bit more, because he did a much better job than IT. Unfortunately he was in the game when Curry was on the bench for the most part.
Cousins defense was pretty good in this game, but he looked out of sorts on the offensive side of the ball. He got in early foul trouble, but to his credit, he kept his mouth shut, and if he continues to behave properly, they'll eventually stop calling those ticky tacky fouls on him. There's no doubt that Bogut was giving him problems, but then Bogut gives most other centers problems. On the whole, I thought our offense looked like it needed some oiling in a few places. There was a lot of passing, a good thing, and a lot of players moving without the ball, a good thing, but seldom did either lead to an easy basket. It probably has something to do with most of training camp being spent on defense, which in the end, is a good thing.
So my only conclusion is, that I was happy to watch the Kings play a basketball game again, and I can't wait till the next one, which is being broadcast on one of the NBA channels if you have the package, which I do.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
SCKingsfan
Bench
i'm not a sold on ray as some people here. i saw a couple fast breaks where he had tunnel vision and got blocked when he had players running with him. also he was going up against tony douglas more than curry so i didnt see this great defense everyone was talking about. now im not saying he's a scrub. i think he did well for a 2nd rounder, but im not crowning him starting pg. i still think IT is better and want to see what vasquez can do.
what i really got out of this game is we really need a back up center. chuck did ok but i dont want him getting that many minutes if cousins is in foul trouble or out due to other reasons.
oh yeah and i really wish we got iggy
Yeah, sitting 8 rows up, I was not impressed with McCallum at all. Mind you, I understand it was his first game at that level of competition, but he did not show an ability to see the floor. He consistently saw only one other option the whole night - the guy that picked for him. I, too, feel like i'm not over-invested in GV, as this team really needs a distributor and pass-first point guard. Without that, I really don't see them improving and gelling toward a product we'd like to see.
PS: I was impressed by MacLemore, as a shooter and moving without the ball.
Fear the Putin
Starter
McLemore should always be moving. The guy is in phenomenal shape and he reminds of Ray Allen so much. Very fluid without the ball and the way he releases the shot. He's only 20 yrs old!!!
He's also an uber athlete as the opposing team's fast break is never a sure layup with Ben trailing and trying to pop that ball with all his strength.
He's also an uber athlete as the opposing team's fast break is never a sure layup with Ben trailing and trying to pop that ball with all his strength.
Absolutely. You see how his game can absolutely thrive when playing with more talented players than when he had to do it all in Summer league. I don't know if he'll ever develop into a lead option type of guy who you can give the ball the last 6 minutes of the game and let him go score for you. But you can already tell there's a place for him in the NBA and can be a real difference maker.
Glenn
Hall of Famer
Jerry thought we might see a back court with IT and Vasquez in it. Why? He's not the coach.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
Jerry was reporting what the coaches were talking about; he wasn't the one who was debating whether McLemore should be a 2 or 3.
randymoss1881
Starter
JT looked very impressive too. He was very good on pick and roll defense and on the boards
rexb_kings
Bench
I think Kings need a scoring PG or our PG's need to be able to hit the mid range jumper, ala Parker, CPaul. There were numerous times IT was able to break down the defense but didn't pull up and shoot it, instead continued to dribble. With this, GSW were doubling Cousins every time he touches the ball. This is where i think P.Patterson or Landry would play well next to Cousins to open up the paint and add the shooters M.Thornton and McLemore. If our PG can shoot that jumper consistently it will make the offense much harder to guard and double Cousins. Cousins is a beast down low, you could see Lee and Bogut's faces change when Cousins pounds it in. That's why you could see the GSW bigs were very animated and really into the game for a preseason game. I also liked how IT challenged Curry and not backing out. McCallum made some really nice aggressive plays and showed he can shoot the jumper. He was a little too aggressive driving a couple of times getting blocked or clobbered though. Excited to see what G.Vazquez can do with the Kings. I'm still hoping Kings can find a way to use Jimmer, I'm still hoping that Malone can get the best out of the Kings players.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Its just a rumor after the first exhibition game of the year. However, I can see where in some matchups, where you need a little spark where you could put IT on the floor with Vasquez. Vasquez would simply defend the other teams SG, and you'd have two good ball distributors on the floor at the same time. That doesn't mean they would starting together. Or, if you still wanted McLemore on the floor at the same time as well, Vasquez at 6'6" could guard the other teams SF.
I doubt it would be something you'd see that often, but I could see it as a change of pace once in a while. I'm not saying I'm in love with the idea, but until the roster becomes more balanced, I can see it being used.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I'm not sure what you expect out of him. He had 5 assists in 18 minutes of play and only turned the ball over once. All the while being guarded by one of the best defensive PG's in the NBA. He also made life more difficult for Curry in the brief time he was guarding him. McCallum isn't fancy! He won't wow you with behind the back passes, or any of the passes you'll see on a ESPN highlight reel. But he's very efficient and doesn't turn the ball over very much. All he needs to do is improve his outside shot, and he could be better than any other PG on the team. Along with added experience..
My thoughts on watching the game:
Last year, I saw a lot of individual play at the expense of the team. So far after one game, I saw (for the most part) a more concerted effort to play as a team at the expense of individual play. I think things will look more fluid once roles and rotations are settled.
That said, last night's starting rotation should definitely not be the opening day rotation. I think we will see different looks (Malone has said as much) throughout preseason, with the minutes being distributed accordingly. (Starters getting starter minutes during the preseason) until he finds he right combination. What I like about this (as opposed to what Smart did - we won't rehash that) is that he can truly evaluate different players in different roles prior to the start of the season.
For example, will Jimmer start a game? Probably not, but if he does, I expect him to get a good run, unless he looks really bad during that time.
Aside from that, what Padrino said is absolutely true. This is a seriously mismatched team with ill-fitting pieces all around. The trade deadline must change up this roster, unless something big comes of preseason.
Last year, I saw a lot of individual play at the expense of the team. So far after one game, I saw (for the most part) a more concerted effort to play as a team at the expense of individual play. I think things will look more fluid once roles and rotations are settled.
That said, last night's starting rotation should definitely not be the opening day rotation. I think we will see different looks (Malone has said as much) throughout preseason, with the minutes being distributed accordingly. (Starters getting starter minutes during the preseason) until he finds he right combination. What I like about this (as opposed to what Smart did - we won't rehash that) is that he can truly evaluate different players in different roles prior to the start of the season.
For example, will Jimmer start a game? Probably not, but if he does, I expect him to get a good run, unless he looks really bad during that time.
Aside from that, what Padrino said is absolutely true. This is a seriously mismatched team with ill-fitting pieces all around. The trade deadline must change up this roster, unless something big comes of preseason.
I'm very interested in seeing Vazquez play with our guys and maybe find players in spots with passes that IT can't make....size matters. I think GV finds Ben on a few passes or the one alley oop that IT didn't get to Ben. I really think that a pairing of Ben and GV could be an interesting backcourt with their size.
Mentioned this during the game. Cousins came out of the game around the 3 minute mark and was back in with 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. In other words... exactly when he should be taken out and put back in.
Also agree with the team concept thing. A lot of our passing was muddled up by guys not being in the right spots, or just mishandling a pass hich lead to a turnover. Once we get more comfortable in the offense, that should clear up. And Cousins, especially in the 3rd quarter, got the ball in great position on the low block. It's up to him to start making shots against the bigger and better defenders like Bogut. Heck, even Lee was getting the best of him last night, who's known as a sieve defensively.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
I actually think some (some, not all) of Cousins' struggles were precisely because of a coach/system not fully knowing its player yet. When faced with a big lumbering tough post defender, Boogie's advantage is not in the post, its in facing them up and making them move their feet.
Livinthedream
All-Star
If Cousins is going to try to play with his back to the basket, he's going to have to learn to pass out of the double team. I thought a lot of his trouble came in double team situations, where he just didn't know what to do with the ball, so he threw it up and begged for a foul. This organization hasn't played a half court style of game in forever. It seems as though the only player used to it was Mclemore. This is why I'm hoping that things open up for everyone when GV gets to play, as I envision him as a better half court PG than IT. If this is the type of offense we're going to play, I can see why we let Tyreke walk. We need a traditional PG.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
Well in the beginning he was facing up, but his shot wasn't falling. I'am surprised he didn't try putting the ball on the floor from out there. However, Bogut seemed willing to let Cuz shoot from out there until he proved he was hitting them. I know its easy to pick on Cousins inside game, but Bogut is a load for anyone inside. As for someone saying he needs to pass out of the double team and quit trying to draw a foul, well, he did draw quite a few fouls, and he did look for cutters, of which there were none. Sometimes what a player does on the floor is dictated by what the defense gives you. It appears the Warriors were willing to let Cousins shoot, but not post up.
Hadlowe
Starter
Yeah. The outside shot is his big weakness. If McCallum can even develop a solid mid-range game, he can run pick and rolls all day long in the second unit. He has wheels, a defensive mindset, and good size for the position.
SCKingsfan
Bench
My problem is not with the wow factor. Sure he had assists, but on nearly every possession in the 2nd half, he dribbled the ball around until less than 8 secs on the shoot clock, never looking to pass the ball once, only pounding the ball looking for a way to get to the basket. No facilitation. No ball movement. He also got 2 or 3 of his assists that way because he eventually passed it off with only several secs on the shoot clock to PPat or Outlaw, who hit 17-18 jumpers. Like I said, first exhibition game, not writing him off, just saying there was nothing to me that suggested he had the skills of a guard who sees the floor and looks for open people moving to the basket; instead, I saw him coming off of 12-15 sec of dribbling the ball and finally--after being denied with little time left--looking to set someone else up on the perimeter. In other words, it looked a lot like last year, so again not trying to put all the blame on the rookie, just wasn't impressed by his ability to embody what I think we truly need in a good point guard, which is why I'm holding hope in GV as heir apparent to the PG throne.
My thoughts: I saw some semblance of an offense at times. I also saw this under Keith Smart, so it's way too early to tell. Defensive rotations looked better. Also, defensive positioning looked better than last year. BMac looked much more comfortable with pros around him. He was able to do his thing with less responsibilities. I need to see a lot more out of Cousins. He was still very late getting back in transition, and, on offense, he backed himself into nowhere land more often than not. He still has no move he is comfortable with inside. He needs a move he can go to, decide quickly with, and then pass out to let the ball swing around. The ball was stopping too often with him on the block, and it wasn't leading anywhere good.
Personally, I like to see nicknames evolve naturally instead of forcing them. Ben's name is 3 letters long and one syllable. M16 is 3 letters long and THREE syllables. Kinda dumb IMHO.
King Baller
All-Star
Lets not forget that Bogut fouled out of this game guarding Cousins while playing only 21 minutes. Thats not defense, that is a random series of muggings
Of course we would be great with someone like Parker or Paul, but we will not get anything remotely close to that. (in fact hardly any other team has anything remotely close to Paul). By the way, the jump shot is one of GV weakness in offense
- Status
Similar threads
