Malone calls out team for no defense

[Hadlowe]

Malone mentioned EVERYBODY in his comments. EVERYBODY.

Hey, Coach Malone, who did you want to see about the poor defense?

 

[mac]

Malone mentioned EVERYBODY in his comments. EVERYBODY.

If he wants to carry out his threat, I'd have no problem with it.

As far as IT is concerned, here are his minutes since 1/15

41.5
38.5
39
38.5
39
43
36
25(sick)
38.5

Here are Tony Parker's minutes since 1/15:

33.5
35
38
27
24
32.5
33.5

It's obvious to me that IT is being played far too many minutes. His production in the last four games or so speaks to that fact. If Malone wants to reduce his minutes to 30 a game, yahoo! Let's do it!

I'm sorry, but beloved leader himself has always said he wants to play 48 minutes a game. Also, he expends all his energy on the offensive end and none on the defensive end whatsoever. If he wants to make a claim like that then playing 40 minutes shouldn't be a problem.

And I really don't understand why you're comparing him with 31 year old Tony Parker

 

[PurpleHaze]

I'm sorry, but beloved leader himself has always said he wants to play 48 minutes a game. Also, he expends all his energy on the offensive end and none on the defensive end whatsoever. If he wants to make a claim like that then playing 40 minutes shouldn't be a problem.

And I really don't understand why you're comparing him with 31 year old Tony Parker

Speaking of elderly Tony Parker. He just shot what's being called worst free throw in history!

http://nba.si.com/2014/01/30/video-tony-parker-free-throw-airball-worst/?eref=sihp

 

[Npliam]

Cause there's no backup PG?

Yeah, Jimmer was terrible last night.

 

[Kingster]

I'm sorry, but beloved leader himself has always said he wants to play 48 minutes a game. Also, he expends all his energy on the offensive end and none on the defensive end whatsoever. If he wants to make a claim like that then playing 40 minutes shouldn't be a problem.

And I really don't understand why you're comparing him with 31 year old Tony Parker

If IT runs the show, then he should probably trade another pg to give him a breather.

You must have been out of shape at 31. A 31-year old is probably around the peak when it comes to endurance events.

 

[Padrino]

I think Thornton has every right to be upset in this one.
He got zero scoring opportunities from teammates in this one. He got 2 whole shots. Both off his own dribble...and the thing is...when Rudy and Cousins were out he got 55 field-goal attempts in 3 games.
So to go from that, to being completely frozen out and getting zero opportunities from IT had to have been frustrating, especially since IT got up 21 shots.

I tend to agree with you that it's more than possible that Thornton said something either to Malone or that Malone overheard. Because out on the floor Thornton didn't do a poor job on defense, which I've already outlined. And even if you could consider Ben's effort as being better, Marcus was actually more effective in this one. So yeah, I could see Thornton saying something and then Malone letting him know his displeasure by not giving him any more minutes.

indeed. i very much agree with your series of posts in this thread. in my view, thornton is reacting to the imbalanced nature of the roster. demarcus cousins is likely to return on friday, and i know i've been hammering on this point since rudy gay proved he's more than capable of being the kings' second best player, but it simply isn't sustainable for chemistry or team morale to shove three 20 ppg scorers in the starting lineup. it just doesn't work when no one else is getting shots. it'd be nice if the kings were filled with defensive-minded role players who don't require a lot of shots, and are in fact satisfied enough to just lock down the opposition and hit the occasional spot-up jumper, but it's quite the absent-minded fantasy to think that the kings are going to find their ibaka/sefalosha to carry the majority of the defensive load in the starting unit...

as a sport, football only asks its players to commit to offense or defense for an entire season. baseball only asks its players to commit to defense at the top or bottom of every inning. but basketball asks its players to commit to defense every other possession. that's a lot of effort to sustain in a game that moves up and down the court every 24 seconds. it's simple psychology: a player who believes that he isn't valued on the offensive side of the ball--the more glamorous side of the ball--is then less likely to perform up to standard on the defensive side of the ball. it's why we talk about "touches" in the first place. when a team's chemistry is solidified, when every player owns up to his role, "touches" are almost never an issue. when the losses pile up and players are dissatisfied in their roles, "touches" often become an issue...

if the kings had a starting PG who better fit alongside demarcus cousins and rudy gay, and if isaiah thomas was returned to a more appropriate role as the kings' sixth man, then it would become much easier to control his impact on the game, and it would become much easier to keep everyone else involved. the unfortunate side-effect of the rudy gay trade was that it left the kings without a starting PG and a sixth man. isaiah thomas may be thriving as a starter, but the team is not. it's all about isaiah when he's the primary ball handler. you can see it in the kings' body language every time IT enters into hero ball mode. again, this isn't about beating up on the little man. it has and continues to be about balancing the roster (with the assumption that demarcus cousins and rudy gay are two cornerstone pieces moving forward). if thomas can be retained at a sixth man's salary, then the kings should tie him down for the long term. he's born for that sparkplug's role. but if he is re-signed to big money to start at PG, then don't expect the friction at kf.com to recede...

there's a reason these arguments might sound so similar to many of us. we went through the same thing when tyreke evans was a king. however, with thomas we're not dealing with a player who has a tremendously capable nba body and versatile two-way ability, and we're not dealing with a SG who's struggling to learn how to play PG. we're dealing with a PG who's struggling to learn how to play PG. many of us at kf.com look at isaiah thomas and see a talented young player with a massive napolean complex. it would be unwise to assume that his teammates don't see the same thing on the court. basketball remains a team sport. everyone wants to be involved. not many enjoyed playing with allen iverson. no one has ever enjoyed playing with kobe bryant. is isaiah thomas at their level as a two-way player, where you can excuse his style of play and ignore the grumbling of his teammates because he's just that good?

 

[Gary]

[sarcasm]Fire Malone![/sarcasm]
Ok... That's out of my system... IT is at least trying. MT isn't even trying on offense or defense. He's definitely gone soon.

 

[FaStRmAn]

The defense is bad. Lets get that out of the way. There are no players on the Kings team whom you would refer to as a "Lock Down" defender. It is an offensive minded team manned by offensive minded players. They say you can teach defense but that doesn't mean that once the players get on the court they will practice good defensive habits.

Far too many mental defensive breakdowns. Not sure if effort is the whole story. It seems like the Kings players are not where they are supposed to be and try to make up for that with their athleticism. Case in point: Perimeter defense. How is it that there are so many wide open 3 point shots and outside jumpers ? You always see someone running out many steps too late to really challenge the shot. Is our interior defense so poor that you have to double in the post every time ? And in a zone defense there should never be wide open jumpers within a players zone. Challenging shots aggressively is what lowers the opponents shooting percentage.

I understand that help defense is important. But I see a lot of player out of position helping on no one, or just stuck in no mans land guarding no one. Or worse yet double teams on players who don't need to be doubled, leaving wide open jumpers by players that must be guarded. I saw Mike Miller shoot more wide open shots last night then I think I ever saw him take in a game. A shooter like Miller CANNOT be left unguarded, however he was WIDE OPEN far too often last night. That is a defensive mental lapse. Don't leave the deadeye shooter open !

I'm certain that is not the type of defense that the coaching staff is teaching. There is a disconnect somewhere. Hopefully Coach Malone makes good on his intentions and DOES sit the players who are not working the offensive AND defensive game plan ! I support benching players who will not or in some instances can not implement the game plan (Hello Aaron "Joe Klien" Grey !! Great hands dude ! )

 

[kupman]

Interesstinggg ... IT finally gets asked about his defense

IT is spot on here. His D does need to get better and he admits it. However, the lack of team D/help defense is even a more glaring issue. Once a pick is set against us, the dribbler will not even be slowed because our effort on help D is nearly non-existent.

You could put a great man on man defender in place of IT and there would still be huge issues with this team defensively. Defensively, we treat the game as if it is 5, one on one games.

 

[twslam07]

[sarcasm]Fire Malone![/sarcasm]
Ok... That's out of my system... IT is at least trying. MT isn't even trying on offense or defense. He's definitely gone soon.

That was a wise edit my friend

 

[Tetsujin]

Malone mentioned EVERYBODY in his comments. EVERYBODY.

If he wants to carry out his threat, I'd have no problem with it.

As far as IT is concerned, here are his minutes since 1/15

41.5
38.5
39
38.5
39
43
36
25(sick)
38.5

Here are Tony Parker's minutes since 1/15:

33.5
35
38
27
24
32.5
33.5

It's obvious to me that IT is being played far too many minutes. His production in the last four games or so speaks to that fact. If Malone wants to reduce his minutes to 30 a game, yahoo! Let's do it!

If you're going to compare IT and Parker's minutes, you may as well compare the economy of Peru to the pop music scene in Thailand. The situations between the two players is completely different. Parker's in the later end of his career on a team that pretty much doesn't require him to be too productive to win during the regular season where as IT is one of our three main cogs on a team that pretty much needs 2/3 of our big three to produce to win. Plus, you conveniently forgot to mention the fact that the team's been missing its two best players for the past week.

I do agree that IT needs to be playing less minutes but to use Tony Parker's minutes as some example isn't exactly a good justifier either.

 

[Gary]

That was a wise edit my friend

LOL yah. I figured someone wouldn't figure out that I was being sarcastic then start this whole big argument. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Toasty]

Our starting Shootung guard should get 10 or more shots per game.

 

[Padrino]

IT is spot on here. His D does need to get better and he admits it. However, the lack of team D/help defense is even a more glaring issue. Once a pick is set against us, the dribbler will not even be slowed because our effort on help D is nearly non-existent.

You could put a great man on man defender in place of IT and there would still be huge issues with this team defensively. Defensively, we treat the game as if it is 5, one on one games.

"team defense" is a difficult notion to measure, but stats of all kinds certainly bear our the fact that the kings are a poor defensive team across the board. however, i wonder about where the breakdowns exist the most glaringly. the kings are 20th in opponent's points in the paint per game at 43.1. our guards allow penetration far too often, and our bigs are slow to rotate, which is an increasingly problematic combination. however, it's also nothing like the 48.7 points in the paint per game that the lakers allow, which is good for last in the entire league. while the kings need a much more effective rim protector beside demarcus cousins, our bigs generally contest shots at the rim in spite of our guards' inability to keep their defensive assignments in front of them even occasionally...

elsewhere, the kings are 29th in opponent's three-point percentage, allowing teams to shoot a staggering 38% per game from beyond the arc. in a league that values the three-pointer more every season, it's simply an unacceptable figure. the kings' guards just love to sag off jump shooters, "helping" on no one in particular. they do it all the time. they leave world-class threats wide open. the kings are 22nd in the league in opponent's percentage of points from three-pointers, at 24.3%. you can't give up such high-value shots, open shots, from outside as often as the kings' guards do. and it certainly doesn't help that most of the league's starting PG's can simply shoot over the top of isaiah thomas even if he didn't leave them open quite as often as he does...

so, not only do the kings' guards fail to deny dribble penetration, they also fail to defend the three-point line. there is almost no scenario in which they accomplish their duties on the more important side of the ball. as a team, the kings are 23rd in total three-point percentage, at 34.5%. they're not a great outside-shooting team. that said, for every two points the kings get, their opponents have a great chance of getting three because of how poorly the kings defend the three-point line. these aren't the only issues. acquiring a rim protector in the near future is paramount, but i dare say that if you put a great man-on-man defender in place of IT then the kings would certainly be in a much stronger position, defensively. the kings average point differential is -2.8. if they give up fewer open shots per game, if they acquire guards who can occasionally deny dribble penetration, they'll be in a position to win more games, plain and simple...

 

[pshn80]

Malone mentioned EVERYBODY in his comments. EVERYBODY.

If he wants to carry out his threat, I'd have no problem with it.

As far as IT is concerned, here are his minutes since 1/15

41.5
38.5
39
38.5
39
43
36
25(sick)
38.5

Here are Tony Parker's minutes since 1/15:

33.5
35
38
27
24
32.5
33.5

It's obvious to me that IT is being played far too many minutes. His production in the last four games or so speaks to that fact. If Malone wants to reduce his minutes to 30 a game, yahoo! Let's do it!

It's not who you take out, it's who you put in.

 

[bloom]

Interesstinggg ... IT finally gets asked about his defense

Dear Isaiah, if it’s “a team game, team defense” then you do realize that it’s also your job to not only defend (and rotate) but to get everybody on the team involved.

Here’s Coach talking about Marcus. Personally, I’m not a fan of his post game interview. If you’re going to dig into Marcus Thornton about his defense, then you need to mention every player that’s also lacking in whatever is bothering you. Players aren’t dumb, they’re going to realize if you’re being a hypocrite or not. In this case, with I.T also not focusing on defense or even trying, I wonder what Marcus is thinking….Not to single out I.T but Ben needs to improve, Jimmer needs to be more aggressive, Derrick, etc.

The problem with this team isn’t just one thing, it’s not just defense or offense, it’s both of them (to various degrees). Everything starts with the PG, that means it’s his job to get EVERYBODY involved - that doesn’t mean once in a while or once in a blue moon, it’s a constant job. You want the starting PG spot, then you have to take responsibility. There’s 5 guys on the court, that means, the ball shouldn’t just be sitting in your hands for 17 seconds of the 24 sec possession. It means, there are other guys open, pass the ball. It also means, to not allow your man a easy access to the rim. Or let him blow by you and let the other guys try to cover….Everybody needs to take responsibility and work harder on the defensive end.

Also, something that I’ve noticed….When everybody is involved, this team plays great. The chemistry is great, and we’re playing defense. This is how a team should play. 5 guys sharing the ball and making a constant effort on both sides of the ball. But when players stand around, waiting & not touching the ball, then the game changes…Yes, a player should play, run, defend even if they aren’t touching the ball. So coach has a right to be pissed. It’s been the same story for most of the year. But we also have to work on getting everybody involved on a nightly basis.

 

[DesertFox]

Yeah, I don't understand the singling out of MT. He's a bad defender, but no different than the rest of the team. Ben and Jimmer look more active on D, but not any better.
Maybe Malone expects MT to translate the energy not used on O to D, which is hard to expect a a player like him to do. Don't see a lot of scorers become defenders, especially formerly bad ones. I can't see MT becoming Ron Harper even if he wanted to.

 

[whozit]

Thanks Bloom, actually watching his post game interview along with the others put the comments into perspective. I think someone already pointed out he emphasized it WAS NOT just Marcus and that is what I got out of it. I hope he backs his words with action.

 

[VF21]

Coach Malone interview transcript:

(The interview started midcomment)

Malone: ...it's also a product of our turnovers. We turn the ball over at an alarming rate. Those turnovers lead to easy baskets so I think it's more a product of our inability to value the basketball.

Reporter: blah, blah, blah Mike Conley

Malone: Mike Conley is an all-star level point guard in my eyes. I've said it many times this season. I think he's one of the more under-rated players in the NBA. He's got a lot of playoff experience, he's a two-way player. The reason I like Mike Conley so much - he's a guy who plays both ends of the floor and that's becoming a very rare breed in the NBA. He has an impact on both ends, he runs his team, he's an improved three-point shooter, he makes the right plays for his teammates. I'm not surprised he's had his way with us all three games this year. And that's whyhe's the player that he is.

Reporter: What about Rudy's turnovers? Did it have anything to do with him being off a week?

Malone: Uh...no. I mean, he turned the ball over 5 times being maybe a little bit too aggressive but .. uh... I'm not gonna make any excuse for him for his turnovers. He turned the ball over and hopefully he'll be better in Dallas on Friday night.

Reporter (Jason Jones): Marcus has been a guy who's been going pretty well for you. He didn't play as much and only got two shots. Was part of that them going big with Mike Miller at the 2 which led you to play more Ben?

Malone: Um, yeah.. and then, you know, I told the team after the game I'm gonna start playing guys who are willing to defend. I can no longer be a hypocrite. I've been a hypocrite all year. I got the job in June and I've preached defense. That's what I believe in. We're one of the worst defensive teams in the league. And so ... uh ... I"m not done yet (to Jones who was trying to ask another question)... and so, for me, if you don't play defense, not just Marcus Thornton, but if you don't play defense I can't play you.

It's ridiculous that we give up 54% to this team. They played a back-to-back last night and theycome into our building and just score at will, so ... he didn't play many minutes (meaning MT) - I put Ben in there - but he has to adapt to the situation. With Rudy being out he got more touches. Tonight he didn't get more touches but every player can find a way to impact the game in some way, shape or form if you don't get touches.

Reporter: In the 4th quarter the Kings just couldn't get any stops. I know that had to factor into your decision tonight...

Malone: I'm not sure what decision you're referring to but they scored 30 points in the 4th quarter...

Reporter: The decision you made about ...on the players...

Malone: Marcus ... I mean, it's a broken record. I say the same thing after every game. I gotta do a better job of rewarding guys who are willing to defend.

Reporter: After these team struggles without Demarcus. Do you expect him to ... er ... we saw him warming up before the game. Do you expect him to play Friday?

Malone: I hope so. You know...every day he's a step closer to getting back on the court. He still has some soreness. You know, he's been trying to do a little bit more every day .,, I'm hoping he'll be able to play if not Friday maybe Saturday in San Antonio.

Reporter (possibly Sam Amick): How difficult is it for you to say that you're going to play guys that defend when maybe some of the guys that aren't defending are your better offensive players on a night when you score 89 points?

Malone: It's um ... our better offensive players have gotten us 15 wins. So, you know, at some point (shrugs) ... yes, they're scoring the ball and it's not just them, it's 1 through 13. No one in there can say they're defending at a high level. So this isn't about Marcus Thornton, it isn't about Isaiah, it's not about Rudy, it's not about Demarcus. As a team, we have to start defending at a much higher level and be a lot more committed to it. We've shown it in very, very brief flashes this year but more often than not it's another night like this where we come in, you look at the box score, and a team has shot 49, 50, 54% or whatever it is. What the reality is you cannot win in the NBA and I'm just tired of seeing it every night. It bothers me. It eats at me
and ... and ... the concern I have is I don't know if , you know, it really gets under our guys skin and it really matters to them. I gotta try to find 5 guys who are willing to compete at a high level - not that we're gonna shut people out but at least give ourselves a chance to win games by playing better defense.

 

[VF21]

Yeah, I don't understand the singling out of MT. He's a bad defender, but no different than the rest of the team. Ben and Jimmer look more active on D, but not any better.
Maybe Malone expects MT to translate the energy not used on O to D, which is hard to expect a a player like him to do. Don't see a lot of scorers become defenders, especially formerly bad ones. I can't see MT becoming Ron Harper even if he wanted to.

Malone did stipulate that it's the whole team, and not just MT. See the last response above. Jason Jones put the focus on Marcus at the beginning of the interview and Malone simply responded.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Appreciate the full context, VF. I remember hearing it live on the radio last night but missed some of the details.

Maybe it's time to change title of thread from "calling out Marcus Thornton" to something else? Seems like people are getting the wrong impression.

 

[kupman]

indeed. i very much agree with your series of posts in this thread. in my view, thornton is reacting to the imbalanced nature of the roster. demarcus cousins is likely to return on friday, and i know i've been hammering on this point since rudy gay proved he's more than capable of being the kings' second best player, but it simply isn't sustainable for chemistry or team morale to shove three 20 ppg scorers in the starting lineup. it just doesn't work when no one else is getting shots. it'd be nice if the kings were filled with defensive-minded role players who don't require a lot of shots, and are in fact satisfied enough to just lock down the opposition and hit the occasional spot-up jumper, but it's quite the absent-minded fantasy to think that the kings are going to find their ibaka/sefalosha to carry the majority of the defensive load in the starting unit...

as a sport, football only asks its players to commit to offense or defense for an entire season. baseball only asks its players to commit to defense at the top or bottom of every inning. but basketball asks its players to commit to defense every other possession. that's a lot of effort to sustain in a game that moves up and down the court every 24 seconds. it's simple psychology: a player who believes that he isn't valued on the offensive side of the ball--the more glamorous side of the ball--is then less likely to perform up to standard on the defensive side of the ball. it's why we talk about "touches" in the first place. when a team's chemistry is solidified, when every player owns up to his role, "touches" are almost never an issue. when the losses pile up and players are dissatisfied in their roles, "touches" often become an issue...

if the kings had a starting PG who better fit alongside demarcus cousins and rudy gay, and if isaiah thomas was returned to a more appropriate role as the kings' sixth man, then it would become much easier to control his impact on the game, and it would become much easier to keep everyone else involved. the unfortunate side-effect of the rudy gay trade was that it left the kings without a starting PG and a sixth man. isaiah thomas may be thriving as a starter, but the team is not. it's all about isaiah when he's the primary ball handler. you can see it in the kings' body language every time IT enters into hero ball mode. again, this isn't about beating up on the little man. it has and continues to be about balancing the roster (with the assumption that demarcus cousins and rudy gay are two cornerstone pieces moving forward). if thomas can be retained at a sixth man's salary, then the kings should tie him down for the long term. he's born for that sparkplug's role. but if he is re-signed to big money to start at PG, then don't expect the friction at kf.com to recede...

there's a reason these arguments might sound so similar to many of us. we went through the same thing when tyreke evans was a king. however, with thomas we're not dealing with a player who has a tremendously capable nba body and versatile two-way ability, and we're not dealing with a SG who's struggling to learn how to play PG. we're dealing with a PG who's struggling to learn how to play PG. many of us at kf.com look at isaiah thomas and see a talented young player with a massive napolean complex. it would be unwise to assume that his teammates don't see the same thing on the court. basketball remains a team sport. everyone wants to be involved. not many enjoyed playing with allen iverson. no one has ever enjoyed playing with kobe bryant. is isaiah thomas at their level as a two-way player, where you can excuse his style of play and ignore the grumbling of his teammates because he's just that good?

I am not even looking at the stats. I am looking at the game directly and the lack of help D and rotations. When a team has good team D you almost do not want to beat your man off the dribble because when you do you will be dribbling yourself right into trouble. When teams play us, they beat us off the dribble and dribble straight to the basket.

 

[Glenn]

Malone did stipulate that it's the whole team, and not just MT. See the last response above. Jason Jones put the focus on Marcus at the beginning of the interview and Malone simply responded.

Absolutely. Well done and thanks.

Now Malone has painted himself into a corner although I don't doubt that the corner isn't something that he welcomes. Let's see what he does. Amick, if that's who it was, asked the best question and it had a thinly veiled intent. What do you do with IT? - that's my interpretation.

 

[rainmaker]

Malone: Mike Conley is an all-star level point guard in my eyes. I've said it many times this season. I think he's one of the more under-rated players in the NBA. He's got a lot of playoff experience, he's a two-way player. The reason I like Mike Conley so much - he's a guy who plays both ends of the floor and that's becoming a very rare breed in the NBA. He has an impact on both ends, he runs his team, he's an improved three-point shooter, he makes the right plays for his teammates. I'm not surprised he's had his way with us all three games this year. And that's why he's the player that he is.

That can be taken taken as a shot at our PG or more importantly, IMO, what he wants from his PG and why I think he and PDA are still looking for one. Whether it's answering questions on MT not getting enough touches on offense or repeated questions on our perimeter defense, there's one guy at the center of the equation on both ends and I don't believe Malone is all that pleased about it but is stuck playing the PR game and not throwing a key player for us under the bus.

 

[Glenn]

I see a trade of IT and MT for Conley coming up. Just a joke, kinda. I don't even know if it could be done and much less if the Griz would do it.

 

[Spike]

I see a trade of IT and MT for Conley coming up. Just a joke, kinda. I don't even know if it could be done and much less if the Griz would do it.

If they do it, you warm up the plane before the ink dries and get the hell out of dodge, squealing like a teen at a Bieber concert.

 

[VF21]

Appreciate the full context, VF. I remember hearing it live on the radio last night but missed some of the details.

Maybe it's time to change title of thread from "calling out Marcus Thornton" to something else? Seems like people are getting the wrong impression.

Fair enough. I have to admit only hearing that one part of the interview certainly made it seem like Malone was calling out Marcus. Upon hearing the whole thing, though, I agree it's about the whole team...

 

[hrdboild]

Malone: Mike Conley is an all-star level point guard in my eyes. I've said it many times this season. I think he's one of the more under-rated players in the NBA. He's got a lot of playoff experience, he's a two-way player. The reason I like Mike Conley so much - he's a guy who plays both ends of the floor and that's becoming a very rare breed in the NBA. He has an impact on both ends, he runs his team, he's an improved three-point shooter, he makes the right plays for his teammates. I'm not surprised he's had his way with us all three games this year. And that's why he's the player that he is.

That can be taken taken as a shot at our PG or more importantly, IMO, what he wants from his PG and why I think he and PDA are still looking for one. Whether it's answering questions on MT not getting enough touches on offense or repeated questions on our perimeter defense, there's one guy at the center of the equation on both ends and I don't believe Malone is all that pleased about it but is stuck playing the PR game and not throwing a key player for us under the bus.

It's comments like this that reinforce why I feel good about having Coach Malone running the team. He knows personnel around the league and he's got a good idea about what habits lead to winning basketball. He's spot on about Mike Conley, and I agree that he's playing at an All-Star level this year and has been one of the most underrated PGs in the league for a few years now. He's not flashy but he's steady and he competes and he knows what he's trying to do on the court. That Malone sees this and goes out of his way to comment on it gives me hope that our front office values defense and values players who fit in well with a team concept who are comfortable playing hard on both ends. It hasn't even been a year yet. I think they're just as anxious as we are to acquire a better level of talent, it just takes time.

The only moves that I question so far in the context of a Mike Malone coached team are the decision to let Tyreke go (with all of his potential as a two-way player) and the decision to sign Landry for 4 years (who has typically been a poor defender) but we've been over that so much already there's nothing else to say. This will be a key off-season to re-assess how the front office measures talent. There are some really impressive two-way talents at the top of the draft if we get to that point. Halfway through the season, barring some significant turnaround, that draft pick is looking like it could be a hugely important decision for us. It's a big chance to prove that defensive players are going to be more valued by this front office than the last one.

 

[VF21]

...That can be taken taken as a shot at our PG or more importantly, IMO, what he wants from his PG and why I think he and PDA are still looking for one. Whether it's answering questions on MT not getting enough touches on offense or repeated questions on our perimeter defense, there's one guy at the center of the equation on both ends and I don't believe Malone is all that pleased about it but is stuck playing the PR game and not throwing a key player for us under the bus.

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!

I think that's exactly what he was doing. I didn't take it as a veiled shot at IT in particular as much as a clear indication of what he wants/needs from a starting point guard for the Kings.

 

[VF21]

I see a trade of IT and MT for Conley coming up. Just a joke, kinda. I don't even know if it could be done and much less if the Griz would do it.

I'm thinking it would have to depend on just how incriminating the photos are that PDA would have to have in safe-keeping somewhere.