Note to Spence

[King Baller]

The Kings are much improved and I'm loving it

I just have one note for Spence:

"Throw it down big man!!!"

Big fella if you are inside, dunk the ball. Just go up and dunk it.

KB

 

[Oskor]

Agreed! I saw a couple of great moves by Spencer last night to get to the basket but he finished soft and missed close baskets. If he finished stronger he'd have made the bucket and gone to the free throw line as well.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

I really hope Spence comes around sooner then later. because even when we were up by 20 last night it showed him on the bench and he looked depressed/mad.... He just has to get back to his game of setting good screens, passing the ball with the passing ability that Vlade tought Miller and Miller tought Hawes. I think hes worrying to much about his offense and not focusing enough on just playing the game the right way.
I havent lost faith inyou at all Spence, I know what you can do.. Kingfans know what you can do, weve seen it all last year.
And yes go up strong in the paint, no more weak flip ups... your 7 feet and long..

this team needs Hawes! He could be the glue to us winning ALOT more games.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I would like to see us give him the ball in the post more. Its interesting, we post up JT a lot and work the offense through him around 10 times a game, and JT doesnt really have the post game spencer does. Spencer is a better post player and a better passer ( I know JT has been great passing the ball this year too ) but we never give him the ball down there and im not sure why. I see him calling for it ...

 

[Krunker]

I totally agree, except for the part about channeling Bill Walton.

 

[dbfish]

C'mon Spence.

Get mad on the court, not on the bench.
Don't be the marshmallow man.
Quit laying the ball up like you are afraid you're going to break a nail.
I want to see you posterize somebody.
Start laying side bets with JT on who will get the most rebounds.

 

[TheWileyVet]

Spence needs to get down on the blocks when we're on offense. He's got a decent outside shot but that should only be used on occasion. Get in the paint and bang with the big boys! His rebound numbers will also increase if he stops floating around the free throw line. Someone needs to smack some sense into him

 

[Kingster]

I would like to see us give him the ball in the post more. Its interesting, we post up JT a lot and work the offense through him around 10 times a game, and JT doesnt really have the post game spencer does. Spencer is a better post player and a better passer ( I know JT has been great passing the ball this year too ) but we never give him the ball down there and im not sure why. I see him calling for it ...

Ditto. He has to have the ball to be effective.

 

[Merdiesel]

Being mad on the bench just makes you look like a *ussy and a bad teammate. Those guys are playing harder than you and thats why they're on the court and not you. Start acting like a 7 foot center and maybe you'll get more minutes.

 

[Prince_XY]

Being mad on the bench just makes you look like a *ussy and a bad teammate. Those guys are playing harder than you and thats why they're on the court and not you. Start acting like a 7 foot center and maybe you'll get more minutes.

I thought I was the only one who noticed Hawes sometimes looking pissed-off at the bench. During the huddles you can actually see him staring at Westphall and deep breathing as if asking " What's going on?! Put me in the game! "

 

[Rug King]

I agree about Spence being soft. I don't think he'll ever become a bruiser, he's just not wired that way. However, he's just 20 and I think in 3 years, he'll gain bulk and be more of a presence in the post.

Also, having a decent coach might change things very quickly. It seems like PW is on the right path with Spencer and I'm curious to see how it translates to his game. Another thing that would help would be to have some compition for his job. A candle under his *** wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

[jcassio]

Spence,
I'm rootin for you, but it makes me nauseous when you finish soft. Please go for the dunk when you're within 3 feet of the basket. Other than lay-up drills, don't ever allow yourself to release the ball when you're that close - unless it's for a dunk!

 

[VF21]

I like Spencer Hawes. I think he's got potential and I think he's got skills. But I also think he's the shortest-playing legitimate 7-footer I have ever seen.

 

[AriesMar27]

i missed the last 2 games, i was out of town and didnt have my league pass... sigh.... but how did beno and evans try to set up hawes? did they get him the ball early? the first few games that i did watch he got the ball early in the shot clock and had time to get things going. against the warriors i could see where he wouldnt get the minutes, it was probably just too fast for him. he only had 5 shots in that game and had 8 in the jazz game.

thats 13 shots in 2 games, nocioni had 15 shots in the warriors game and missed 10 of them. hawes only missed 7 shots in those 2 games, shooting 6-13... in 2 games... i didnt watch the last 2 games but why hasnt hawes shot the ball as much lately?

 

[VF21]

Those are almost impossible questions to answer, especially if you're trying to judge based on what you have been able to see as oppposed to what's happened the last couple of games.

This is clearly a young team just beginning to realize they are, in fact, a team and that they can depend on each other and rely on each other. Credit for that goes almost entirely to Westphal and his coaching staff. The difference in some of the players is almost tangible.

You can't look at the stats and draw any conclusions because a lot of what's happening - like how many times the ball is being passed before a shot - just doesn't show up in the box score.

I hope you can watch tonight because I think you're gonna be a little blown away by what you see. they're not perfect and they're still making some rookie mistakes but there's a "something" going on with our team that, while hard to define, is easy to recognize. Our Kings are FUN again.

 

[ParniValjak]

If Spencer Hawes put in the sort fo defensive and offinsive effort like he did against Memphis he would be a heck of a player. The problem with Hawes is that he is intimidated easily. As soon as someone drops a shoulder into his chest, he runs away like a princess!

 

[AriesMar27]

Those are almost impossible questions to answer, especially if you're trying to judge based on what you have been able to see as oppposed to what's happened the last couple of games.

This is clearly a young team just beginning to realize they are, in fact, a team and that they can depend on each other and rely on each other. Credit for that goes almost entirely to Westphal and his coaching staff. The difference in some of the players is almost tangible.

You can't look at the stats and draw any conclusions because a lot of what's happening - like how many times the ball is being passed before a shot - just doesn't show up in the box score.

I hope you can watch tonight because I think you're gonna be a little blown away by what you see. they're not perfect and they're still making some rookie mistakes but there's a "something" going on with our team that, while hard to define, is easy to recognize. Our Kings are FUN again.

thats why i was asking those of you that had watched the game. the lakers make it a priority to force feed bynum and pau in the beginning of games. same goes for dwight howard more times than not. all i wanted to know is that happening with hawes or are the guards just taking all of the shots and just feeding which ever hot hand is on the court like casspi or nocioni. how is hawes getting his shots off?

 

[VF21]

It's too soon to draw any conclusions. They're just now starting to figure out what plays work, what ones don't, what ones should and what ones will. It's like trying to describe how the cake is going to taste with the icing when you're still mixing the batter.

Westphal is working to find the right combinations and he's letting the players find their niche. There just hasn't been a clear case of "the lakers make it a priority to force feed bynum" type stuff because it's only been a couple of games.

 

[AriesMar27]

It's too soon to draw any conclusions. They're just now starting to figure out what plays work, what ones don't, what ones should and what ones will. It's like trying to describe how the cake is going to taste with the icing when you're still mixing the batter.

Westphal is working to find the right combinations and he's letting the players find their niche. There just hasn't been a clear case of "the lakers make it a priority to force feed bynum" type stuff because it's only been a couple of games.

well if i know what kind of cake i am making then i should have an idea of what it will taste like unless i totally screw it up early... a chocolate cake should taste like chocolate... if i have a recipe for chocolate cake and it turns out to be vanilla then we have some problems...

 

[VF21]

Ah, but maybe it's a cake you've never had before. It's a chocolate cake with almonds and perhaps a dash of ameretto, etc.

What's developing with the Kings just isn't clear enough to know.

Perhaps my cake example was wrong.

let's put it this way. If you have a 82-piece jigsaw puzzle and you lose the box top are you going to be able to tell what the picture is by the first 7 pieces you put on the table?

Examples aside, I'm saying they're a work in progress and I think it's way to early to try and draw conclusions. What we saw the first couple of games hasn't been what we've seen the last couple of games and what we might see tonight could be different still.

Bottom line Spencer needs to be assertive in the paint and he hasn't been thus far. That's why I said he plays short. It's like he doesn't know he's 7 feet tall and big enough to body up on a lot of the people that are being matched against him. Not sure why...could be just his game but it's not a symptom of his college days I don't think since Brockman gets it and Brockman came from the same school.

 

[AriesMar27]

yeah the cake analogy wasnt the best...

have we had the same starting lineup more than 2 games in a row yet? maybe thats why... maybe he just doesnt have a defined role on the team other than being the only center on the team. i guess i'll have to wait and see what happens with hawes...

 

[Eclipse]

Like Donte, I think there are some residual bad habits he picked up the past couple of years that he needs to shed to be more effective out there (which I affectionately call the Mikki Moore mentor years). One habit, that drives me nuts, is when he's on defense and the offense performs a simple pick and role. Without fail, he ineffectively lunges toward the guard, and then tries to recover and re-guard the big man he left who's running towards the basket. This would work if Spencer was spritely and speedy enough to recover, but he's not and is always caught in no-man's land - too far from both players to do anything. If you watch him, he will, without fail, do this on every single pick & roll that he's involved in. Why the opposing team doesn't exploit this on every play is beyond me. And why he keeps doing this, is a complete mystery to me.

Besides that, there are a smattering of games where he plays great - being aggressive, blocking shots, and crashing the boards for layups and rebounds. Then there are games where's he the complete opposite - non-aggressive and ineffective. Every game I wonder which Spencer will show up.

 

[Eclipse]

First with Donte, and now Spence. It seems as soon as I mention a deficiency in their game, they prove me wrong in the next one. Tonight in addition to playing an overall great game, he completely changed his strategy on defending the pick & roll, sticking with his man and denying him the ball down low. Well done!

 

[King Baller]

Nice game big fella The dunks and blocked shots were refreshing. You defended the paint and rebounded well.

KB

 

[wazzups]

Spence CAN play even better and Westphal commented that he felt this was one of Spencer's best games of the season.

 

[Telemachus]

I like Spencer Hawes. I think he's got potential and I think he's got skills. But I also think he's the shortest-playing legitimate 7-footer I have ever seen.

Brad Miller????

 

[VF21]

No, Brad actually could play tough inside when he chose to. I remember seeing it...at least twice.

At least tonight Hawes went inside, blocked some shots and actually played like a center and not a small forward. Perhaps there's still hope.

 

[Aenadin]

ill give it till next year to see how much spencer is worth to this team... i mean he did have some pretty useless coaching staff in his rookie and soph year... theus and natt?? under paul westphal... 21 years old im sure he hasnt hit his peak regarding his physique..

 

[gunks]

Made almost the exact same comment in a different thread.

Lets see what Westphal does for Spence.


Also, his 1st quarter made me laugh. Three blocks and three 3pt attempts. Dude needs to cut it out, he isnt Channing Frye.

 

[Aenadin]

No, Brad actually could play tough inside when he chose to. I remember seeing it...at least twice.

At least tonight Hawes went inside, blocked some shots and actually played like a center and not a small forward. Perhaps there's still hope.

brad can give one helluva vicious pick....go ask harris when he was with the mavs