Malone new head coach! (merged)

#63
Cousins tweeted smh before all this broke. I so hope it's not related.
Heuge wins the thread! :D

IT's sad that it is SO true. JJ is useless!

Anyway, happy with the hire. Love the defence oriented approach! Landry was quoted as saying MM is not a dictator type and has great relationship with players but he demands excellence. I like that.

Just playing devil's advocate for a second but anyone else find it a bit ironic that we have been saying that we are sick and tired of cheap coach hires and we go our and sign a coach to a 4 year $9 million + deal which equates to just over $2 million per season. That has to be one of the lowest earning coaches in the league. It's almost Keith Smart territory in terms of cost! Not for a second am I saying Malone=Smart.....FAR FROM IT BUT its the same sort of pay range for a coach.
 
#65
Heuge wins the thread! :D

IT's sad that it is SO true. JJ is useless!

Anyway, happy with the hire. Love the defence oriented approach! Landry was quoted as saying MM is not a dictator type and has great relationship with players but he demands excellence. I like that.

Just playing devil's advocate for a second but anyone else find it a bit ironic that we have been saying that we are sick and tired of cheap coach hires and we go our and sign a coach to a 4 year $9 million + deal which equates to just over $2 million per season. That has to be one of the lowest earning coaches in the league. It's almost Keith Smart territory in terms of cost! Not for a second am I saying Malone=Smart.....FAR FROM IT BUT its the same sort of pay range for a coach.

http://www.statisticbrain.com/nba-coaches-salary/

Pretty standard pay for someone with no head coaching experience.
 
#66
http://www.statisticbrain.com/nba-coaches-salary/

Pretty standard pay for someone with no head coaching experience.
Fair call! I read in one of the article's (might have been Sam Amick's) that Smart was due $2.5 million in the final year of his contract so judging by that, he was easily not the lowest paid coach in the league as previously reported.

I am hoping that Mike Malone is our own Gregg Popovich. Someone who sticks around for years and years doing only great things.
 
#70
I'm sorry, have no behind the scenes info on Bobby, but was utterly unimpressive when interviewed. Don't know how serious he was about being a coach, but could possibly be moved into a community outreach type position if there isn't room for him on the staff.

Be one of the interesting questions how the old players will be treated now with an entire regime change and so much of the institutional memory between these guys and the Kings wiped away.
Right. I'm not aware of everything he did for guys like Isaiah, but i have no problem with letting go of the past, if he isn't exactly what our new management (the ones on the way) and new coach are looking for. Who knows? He may already have a full staff in mind.

Continuity is important for players, but I see many changes on the horizon, so who knows if a lot of these players will even be back, anyway? We'll see.
 
#71
Welcome to the house of fun Mr Malone Jnr and Snr

is it wrong im more happy Smart has gone then the above being hired :( no more staying up all night to find cuz sat on the bench 4th qrtr :D

Haway the malones!!
 
#72
I don't know if these videos already have been posted.
Very interesting things. JVG was is mentor.


 
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#73
"The bench is your best teacher!" Hopefully he doesnt want to change DMC into a defensive anchor and benches him time and time again, cause Cousins cant match the expectations.
 
#74
"The bench is your best teacher!" Hopefully he doesnt want to change DMC into a defensive anchor and benches him time and time again, cause Cousins cant match the expectations.
Is that from the videos? I am about to watch em. But before I do think the bench is a great tool. Love how Pop pulls guys out and sits them down for a minute after screaming at them, then puts them right back in. I don't think Cousins would have any problems with that. It was the pull them out and then leave them out for an entire quarter thing that caused a lot of the issues in my opinion.
 
#75
Is that from the videos? I am about to watch em. But before I do think the bench is a great tool. Love how Pop pulls guys out and sits them down for a minute after screaming at them, then puts them right back in. I don't think Cousins would have any problems with that. It was the pull them out and then leave them out for an entire quarter thing that caused a lot of the issues in my opinion.
Lol! That sounds about right

And I pray to God we don't have to watch our entire second unit begin every 4th quarter, regardless of the situation we're in. That drove me absolutely insane
 
#76
Great news, I'm really happy to get Malone as our new HC. And, in my opinion, this means that Schlenk will be our new GM. No way a team hires a coach before a gm. I guess they must have an agreement and soon we will know about it.
 
#77
Malone seems like a guy who would really want to keep Tyreke on this roster. if nothing else, just because he has the ability to be an outstanding defender
 
#78
Just as a warning: Being a hardass doesn't work that well in the NBA. I give Rick a lot of crap for his playoff coaching, but he did get the best seasons out of Artest and Webber in their career, both being "problems" previously for others. Both Webber and Artest would do some things that would get a young unestablished player benched. Adelman gave them some privilege and a system that benefited them, and it worked better than anything before or after.

Simply put: winning and success will make a guy like Cousins believe, and if a player believes then he'll do what you ask. You need a system that works and if you have that then you don't have to shove your best player on the bench.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#79
Just as a warning: Being a hardass doesn't work that well in the NBA. I give Rick a lot of crap for his playoff coaching, but he did get the best seasons out of Artest and Webber in their career, both being "problems" previously for others. Both Webber and Artest would do some things that would get a young unestablished player benched. Adelman gave them some privilege and a system that benefited them, and it worked better than anything before or after.

Simply put: winning and success will make a guy like Cousins believe, and if a player believes then he'll do what you ask. You need a system that works and if you have that then you don't have to shove your best player on the bench.
Did you watch the videos? I'm legitimately asking, not being snarky. Because Malone clearly isn't talking about banishing a guy to the bench if he's not toeing the line. What he specifically talks about is pulling a starter out, talking to him about why he just got pulled and then putting him back in. Corrective benching, not punitive benching. And from every account I've read Malone is very detail oriented and somewhat regimented while also having a good relationship with players. I don't think he's a hardass or a taskmaster. He sounds like a guy with truly preaches defense, is clear and forthcoming about what he wants and good at helping develop young players. Exactly what this team needs.
 
#80
Did you watch the videos? I'm legitimately asking, not being snarky. Because Malone clearly isn't talking about banishing a guy to the bench if he's not toeing the line. What he specifically talks about is pulling a starter out, talking to him about why he just got pulled and then putting him back in. Corrective benching, not punitive benching. And from every account I've read Malone is very detail oriented and somewhat regimented while also having a good relationship with players. I don't think he's a hardass or a taskmaster. He sounds like a guy with truly preaches defense, is clear and forthcoming about what he wants and good at helping develop young players. Exactly what this team needs.
No offense taken. I watched the videos and I wasn't sure from watching them how Malone would handle highly talented yet challenging personalities. He's noted as a good teacher and that's something the team has needed. That will help, but I won't really know what to make of him until I see his defense and offensive systems, and whether they fit the personnel and whether they have a chance to succeed.

My statement is in regards to the sentiment in media and fans that casts Malone as the "hardass" and that's what is needed, etc, etc. Pop is deemed a "hardass", but his system gets guys shots and guys love wide open shots, so it works. When it was Duncan & Robinson, the Spurs ran a very basic post offense. When Pop got Parker and Manu, he opened up the offense more and more over time. He adapted his systems for the players he had.

You can't Hoosiers this and go out there and say "Play this system and you win, regardless of who you are." You have to play the system for your personnel and adapt it for some players. You can't have a no special cases approach.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#82
I actually have heard very little about Malone's ideas on the offensive side of the ball. It's what I'm most interested in hearing him discuss when the hiring is made official.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#84
Agreed. Why I also would like them to bring in a strong offensive assistant.
Well, word is that he was the X's and O's guy for the Warriors on both sides of the ball so I'm not saying he's not an offensive mind, just that I don't know enough about his offensive philosophies to say either way.
 

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
#85
If he was behind the GS X's and O's, a good sign is GS clearly had outlined roles and they relied heavily on their best players. Win or lose, GS rode Steph/Klay/Lee. Barnes did very well as the season progressed but his role was limited on offense. And you rarely saw guys breaking off plays to go 1v1 which we saw every other trip down the floor. They ran plays to consistently get their best players easier looks.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#86
"The bench is your best teacher!" Hopefully he doesnt want to change DMC into a defensive anchor and benches him time and time again, cause Cousins cant match the expectations.
I think coaches put more emphasis on effort, than results. In other words, if Cuz goes out and busts his butt doing what he's susposed to do on defense, I doubt he'll get benched. However, if he's continually late getting back, or is lazy in his rotations, then he might ride the bench for a while. I might add, that Calapari always had a quick hook for players that didn't do what he asked. He would call a timeout just to jerk them out of the game. But after giving them an earfull on the bench, he usually put them back in the game after the next timeout. So its not like the player rode the bench for half the game. But his point was made.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#87
No offense taken. I watched the videos and I wasn't sure from watching them how Malone would handle highly talented yet challenging personalities. He's noted as a good teacher and that's something the team has needed. That will help, but I won't really know what to make of him until I see his defense and offensive systems, and whether they fit the personnel and whether they have a chance to succeed.

My statement is in regards to the sentiment in media and fans that casts Malone as the "hardass" and that's what is needed, etc, etc. Pop is deemed a "hardass", but his system gets guys shots and guys love wide open shots, so it works. When it was Duncan & Robinson, the Spurs ran a very basic post offense. When Pop got Parker and Manu, he opened up the offense more and more over time. He adapted his systems for the players he had.

You can't Hoosiers this and go out there and say "Play this system and you win, regardless of who you are." You have to play the system for your personnel and adapt it for some players. You can't have a no special cases approach.
I don't know if you heard what Carl Landry had to say about Malone, but if not, he said that the players loved Malone. He said he wasn't a dictator, but he was a no nonsense type of coach, and that he could get very fiery during practice. I know everyone is secretly thinking about Cousins. But as I said before, Cousins had a great relationship with Calapari, and Calapari ranks right up there with coaches that get in your face. Calapari treated everyone the same, and played no favorites.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#88
I don't know if you heard what Carl Landry had to say about Malone, but if not, he said that the players loved Malone. He said he wasn't a dictator, but he was a no nonsense type of coach, and that he could get very fiery during practice. I know everyone is secretly thinking about Cousins. But as I said before, Cousins had a great relationship with Calapari, and Calapari ranks right up there with coaches that get in your face. Calapari treated everyone the same, and played no favorites.
I am sure that most people in the front and back of their minds are wondering whether Malone and Cousins will get along. I think there is some misunderstanding about Cousins. I think a coach could curse and do anything he wanted to Cuz if the coach was a straight shooter and skilled at being a coach. What Cuz can't tolerate is incompetence. Clearly Westy had a disinterest in putting in the work of being a coach and then there is Smart who was not the sharpest knife in the drawer and therefore someone Cousins could not respect. Once you got past the glib chatter of Smart, you found nothing. I don't know if they had spats but I think a bit of what you saw on the floor from Cuz was a result of knowing he had to put up with 82 games minus a suspension or two with Smart at the helm.

In the back of my mind I will worry until the day they play their first week of games. That's just me. There may be moments of the unmotivated Cuz but I will bet money that the hyper motivated Cuz will be seen more often and the opposition should be worried. Cousins will never be a defensive monster but he will give full effort. I suspect Malone will demand that his GM find a matching piece. This could be a fun year.
 

hrdboild

Moloch in whom I dream Angels!
Staff member
#89
I am sure that most people in the front and back of their minds are wondering whether Malone and Cousins will get along. I think there is some misunderstanding about Cousins. I think a coach could curse and do anything he wanted to Cuz if the coach was a straight shooter and skilled at being a coach. What Cuz can't tolerate is incompetence. Clearly Westy had a disinterest in putting in the work of being a coach and then there is Smart who was not the sharpest knife in the drawer and therefore someone Cousins could not respect. Once you got past the glib chatter of Smart, you found nothing. I don't know if they had spats but I think a bit of what you saw on the floor from Cuz was a result of knowing he had to put up with 82 games minus a suspension or two with Smart at the helm.

In the back of my mind I will worry until the day they play their first week of games. That's just me. There may be moments of the unmotivated Cuz but I will bet money that the hyper motivated Cuz will be seen more often and the opposition should be worried. Cousins will never be a defensive monster but he will give full effort. I suspect Malone will demand that his GM find a matching piece. This could be a fun year.
Yeah, I'll agree with this. Westphal and Smart were not good matches for Cousins' personality. He strikes me as the type of guy who likes to test the limits of what he can get away with but I think he's going to find out pretty quick that Malone is prepared to back up what he says and that makes all the difference. He's much closer to a Calipari style of coach -- no gimmicks just play solid defense and get your best players the ball in a position where they're going to be able to create something. I'd also add that, from what I saw, Westphal and Smart did not have a plan for picking apart the other team, they had general basketball philosophies that they stuck by even when they were clearly not working as they intended and they lacked the ability or imagination to adjust. Malone seems like he's willing to adjust his gameplan for each opponent's strengths and weaknesses and then rely on basic fundamental play-- protect the ball, get rebounds, get stops. That's a strategy which is well suited to Cousins' and Evans' abilities. There might be some confrontation early on as they feel each other out, but long-term I think Cousins will be fine with Malone if the team is successful. If the team is not successful, then it doesn't matter anyway.

And I already feel a lot better about the draft knowing that Malone will be there for workouts and he's looking for guys who can make a difference on the defensive side of the court. This team already has scorers, it has a greater need for the defensive equivalent. If we get a GM that shares that philosophy I think we'll be fine.
 
#90
I am sure that most people in the front and back of their minds are wondering whether Malone and Cousins will get along. I think there is some misunderstanding about Cousins. I think a coach could curse and do anything he wanted to Cuz if the coach was a straight shooter and skilled at being a coach. What Cuz can't tolerate is incompetence. Clearly Westy had a disinterest in putting in the work of being a coach and then there is Smart who was not the sharpest knife in the drawer and therefore someone Cousins could not respect. Once you got past the glib chatter of Smart, you found nothing. I don't know if they had spats but I think a bit of what you saw on the floor from Cuz was a result of knowing he had to put up with 82 games minus a suspension or two with Smart at the helm.

In the back of my mind I will worry until the day they play their first week of games. That's just me. There may be moments of the unmotivated Cuz but I will bet money that the hyper motivated Cuz will be seen more often and the opposition should be worried. Cousins will never be a defensive monster but he will give full effort. I suspect Malone will demand that his GM find a matching piece. This could be a fun year.
I found it interesting listening to Jason Ross interview Carl Landry today. When asked if he thought Malone would have any problems getting Cousins (and others) to fall in line with what they were asked, he immediately said he didn't think Malone would have any problem at all. I thought this was telling not only on what he thought of Malone, but also on the temperament of the Kings players (as I'm sure he still stays in contact with some of them).