Open letter to RA

First of all, thanks to all for not misunderstanding me. I know, it is really easy when an outsider comes and talks about your team. I appreciate it.

Brick, I totally understand what you are saying and I agree with that. I am in front of the computer for over half an hour now to post a reply. I keep writing something and then deleting it afterwards. I am afraid my English is not that good to explain myself totally, but here it is anyways.

The Kings team has a great starting 5. I actually admitted that. And yes, those players demand to play 35+ minutes, but that does not mean that the coach should play them such minutes. A coach should seek the ultimate goal, championship, in the long run if he has the material. To do this, he should know every member of his team very well. He should understand what every member of his team can do under different conditions and encourage them to take responsibility. In statement games, or when play off time comes, you can play your best players extended minutes. But if something does not go well in those games, he always has his other options ready.

Sure, Brown played his starting 5 a lot last year, but to me he was lucky (and unfortunately luck is a part of this game as well) that nobody got injured from his core group. But on the other hand Popovich and Phil played at least 9 men rotations during the regular season games (Actually SA played 10 last year). Of course, LA had only Shaq and Kobe, the rest could be subbed easily and SA only has Duncan, rest can be subbed easily, even Manu and Parker. But both coaches had the guts to sit even their star players if necessary and let the bench play. Then, two years ago, Phil played Medvedenko in one play off game suddenly and he became an impact player. He just played one play off game that year but Phil somehow knew that he would do well. As far as I remember, Lakers lost that game. But Phil still kept him on the field because he was indeed the best option there.

Once again, I don't have any disrespect to Adelman, or say that I know better than him. At the end of the day, he is an NBA head coach and I am just a guy who can watch a basketball game only on TV, or from the upper deck of the arena with binoculars. I just think that he can make your team better.
 
6th said:
Dear Mr Adelman,

I am sick, sick, sick, of the Sacramento Kings giving up big leads. I also am tired of seeing a terrible lack of defense (particularly from our starters). You have said yourself that defense is about effort and hustle. Well, I have a suggestion for you.

How about we reward effort and hustle and penalize a lack thereof? We are losing with our starters playing ridiculously long minutes. So, if we must lose, then I suggest we let our bench lose. Yep! Set the butts down of every starter until they show they at least want to play defense. Teach them that effort will get them time on the court. The fans deserve nothing less than all out effort. The players get good money for that effort. Make every player on the Sacramento Kings earn playing time. Nothing should be a given.

Sincerely,

6th (a diehard...normally optimistic....Kings fan)
Click to expand...
Wow 6th! You said almost word for word what the Uncle has been saying for the last few games. All I can say to that is....AMEN.
 
Hey, Auntie! ;)

Check out the article that quotes Adelman. He's not going to start benching starters, IMHO, because that's just not his style. What I think we MAY see, instead, is starters being taken out sooner rather than later - and that would be a very interesting change for RA, who has always preferred to dance with the ones what brung him, if you catch my drift!

;)

Hope you and yours had a great Christmas, BTW.
 
Had a lovely, snowy Christmas! And you??

I've heard Adelman does tend to stick with his starters, so I'm not holding my breath about him benching them. The uncle has been grumbling about the house saying RA does need to make some kind of change, but that still remains to be seen.
I'm sure the various injuries to the starters are beginning to play on their psyche, though.
 
Btw C. Webber 478 shots total this year (19.9 per game). A. Iverson 572 total this year (22.88 per game).

I don't have a problem with Webb taking shots as long as they are within the offense. In the Kings system the ball runs through him A LOT, so it is expected that he would shoot more.

Just to clear that up. :)
 
bdouble013 said:
Btw C. Webber 478 shots total this year (19.9 per game). A. Iverson 572 total this year (22.88 per game).

I don't have a problem with Webb taking shots as long as they are within the offense. In the Kings system the ball runs through him A LOT, so it is expected that he would shoot more.

Just to clear that up. :)
Click to expand...
good little stat...I also agree...its the TYPE of shots that Webb is taking, he should be shooting like 8-16 every game, thats a sign that the offense is running through him, and he's getting good shots. When he is like 6-19, its a sign that Peja and Bibby arent getting their looks and Webb feels the pressure to MAKE something happen. Cant totally fault him for that.
 
I totally agree. I think especially this year Webb can see the other players strugling a bit, so he tries to pick up the slack. In the process he takes more shots and may in fact be taking some shots he shouldn't take. That being said Webb has been solid all year, and is one of the few reasons the Kings are still #4 in the West.
 
Webb has been the leader...only problem is his soldiers seem drunk and need to be sobered. I think Mike has been the biggest disappointment so far...his inconsistancy is very apparent. Peja having off games is a direct effect of this, too...because it means Mike isnt finding the open man off the dribble enough. And its not like teams are doubling him either, because they have been focusing most or all attention on Peja and Webb. Mike needs to create more in our offense once again.
 
I think you missed this, Ryan:

bdouble013 said:
Btw C. Webber 478 shots total this year (19.9 per game). A. Iverson 572 total this year (22.88 per game).
Click to expand...
 
Found it...yep, Webb has actually passed up Iverson for highest FGA/48 min (26.8).

Actually a little deceptive because Iverson draws a ton of fouls and Webb does not, so Iverson is still shooting it more. But still too high.

I'm going to go ahead and do my little slump analysis thread now, because that has been one of the trends -- Webb has been in the Top 10 to 15 in FGA/48 all year, but in the last few weeks has consistently been shooting 11-24, 12-24 almost every night. Nice percentages, but a lot of shots. Question is is he shooting them because the team is lethargic and he's bailing them out? Or is the team lethargic because he's shooting them?
 
VF21 said:
But the actual numbers show him well behnd AI and some others...

http://www.nba.com/statistics/2004/default_regular_season_leaders/LeagueLeadersFGAQuery.html?topic=0&stat=8

Amazing how many different ways you can manipulate stats to prove or disprove a point.

;)
Click to expand...
Per 48 pretty much takes the manipulation out of things -- evens the playing field. Of course Webb's going to shoot fewer total shots than Iverson -- plays almost 10 fewer minutes. But you go per 48 and it takes a guy's minutes out of it.

But I WILL say, that in this particular case per 48 IS a bit deceptive int hat Webb is still taking fewer shots a game than Iverson, and thus there are still more shots to go around for his teammates than if they were playing with Iverson.

P.S. BTW, Bobby is/was #10 in the league per 48 himself.
 
Well if were just comparing shots taken against Iverson that is no point IMO. Two different teams, style of play, leagues. To many factors for shots taken and so on.

We all know webb jacks up a ton of shots. When he is on, which this year so far seems more often then not I don't see a problem. When he is off we are in trouble unless he pulls back and involves others.

I would also like to point out that Cwebb is taking shots a lot of times because others at least the last few games are passing up wide open looks. Should we expect him to just let the shot clock run out?

I don't think this is Webbs fault or the teams just something they need to work on. They have 4 days of practice to work on things.

Not worried about anything yet
 
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uolj said:
Yes, but some conclusions are more logical than others. In my opinion, FGA/48 better applies to what Ryan was originally saying, FGA totals just confuse the issue.
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All I was doing was showing there are two different ways to look at it. You chose the FGA/48, which is fine. The FGA per game is slightly different, and I think more representative. Projecting out stats can always lead to problems because you assume the player would have played the entire game the same way. I disagree and actually prefer the cold FGApg because nothing is projected or assumed.

Wasn't there a way to tell at what point in a possession a player took a shot? I'd be interested in seeing that. Is Webber jacking up shots early in a possession, for example, or is he taking the last option shot before the clock runs out? Big difference IMHO... and I honestly don't know the answer.
 
VF21 said:
All I was doing was showing there are two different ways to look at it. You chose the FGA/48, which is fine. The FGA per game is slightly different, and I think more representative. Projecting out stats can always lead to problems because you assume the player would have played the entire game the same way. I disagree and actually prefer the cold FGApg because nothing is projected or assumed.

Wasn't there a way to tell at what point in a possession a player took a shot? I'd be interested in seeing that. Is Webber jacking up shots early in a possession, for example, or is he taking the last option shot before the clock runs out? Big difference IMHO... and I honestly don't know the answer.
Click to expand...
I certainly wasn't arguing the merits of whether Webber shoots too much or Adelman is making/letting him shoot too much, that might be better suited to a thread not about an open letter to RA.

I was simply correcting those who were correcting Ryan, and stating that in this case per 48 might be more applicable because the question was about what Adelman is having Webber do while in the game.

The shot clock usage is here for Webber:
http://www.82games.com/04SAC10A.HTM

and here for Iverson:
http://www.82games.com/04PHI1A.HTM

and here for Duncan (since Iverson is a bad comparison):
http://www.82games.com/04SAS11A.HTM
 
uolj said:
I certainly wasn't arguing the merits of whether Webber shoots too much or Adelman is making/letting him shoot too much, that might be better suited to a thread not about an open letter to RA.

I was simply correcting those who were correcting Ryan, and stating that in this case per 48 might be more applicable because the question was about what Adelman is having Webber do while in the game.

The shot clock usage is here for Webber:
http://www.82games.com/04SAC10A.HTM

and here for Iverson:
http://www.82games.com/04PHI1A.HTM

and here for Duncan (since Iverson is a bad comparison):
http://www.82games.com/04SAS11A.HTM
Click to expand...
It's all good... :D

And thanks for taking the trouble to find those stats for me. Now I just need someone to translate them. ;)
 
If I'm reading them right, AI jacks up a shot within 10 seconds almost 50% of the time?
 
VF21 said:
If I'm reading them right, AI jacks up a shot within 10 seconds almost 50% of the time?
Click to expand...
i think you are reading them right. either way, AI jacks up far more shots than i would care to see a single player shoot, but he doesnt have much of a supporting cast. i think the general consensus on this topic is that webb should take as many shots as he needs to in order to be productive (which is, imo, about 20 pts/game, which is close to what he is averaging). unlike AI, tho, webber has a fantastic supporting cast, if thats what ya wanna call them. my problem with the other four starters is that they fall into a very lazy and lethargic kindof offense when webb is playing well. they just pump the ball into him and let him do whatever he wants to do. they stand around and watch him. the kings, at their best, are without a doubt, the best offensive team in the nba. at their best, the kings show flashes of true offensive brilliance that harkens back to the boston and LA days of old. i might even go so far as to say that, at times, it surpasses the offense of those great teams. it seems like over the past coupla weeks, the kings have been able to start well, and are able to build up significant leads. but into the second half, theyre gettin lazy, and watching webber do his thing. they need to get back to moving the ball. its not just moving the ball, either. the entire motion offense needs to get moving again. passing, cutting, screening, picking, rolling, giving, going, all these things the kings do when theyre at their best. and, if i could address the original topic of RA, i would say he really does need to do a bit more coaching. as much faith as he has in his starters to get themselves back into a game, i dont think its enough. a timely timeout and a good yelling-at, if you will, is often all the kings need to get their intensity back up to a competitve level. i'm sick of seeing the kings play below their potential. i hope adelman makes the right call, and doesnt bench his starters, but inspires them to play the type of basketball they are absolutely capable of playing.
 
VF21 said:
If I'm reading them right, AI jacks up a shot within 10 seconds almost 50% of the time?
Click to expand...
And Webber is at his best when he shoots within 10 seconds with a FG% of 53% (which he only does 38% of the time). Now if they could only cross reference that with the "Shot Selection" stats to see what *type* of shots those were my head would explode...
 
BigWaxer said:
Dang Padrino that was a lot to read. :)
Click to expand...
but it was a good read, right?! ;)

a piece of modern literature. :)

ok, ok....maybe im full of sh**, but i dont normally post unless i have something to say, so when i do, sometimes its a bit long winded.
 
Padrino - I like your takes but have you considered paragraphs?

Just a thought... and not meant to discourage you from posting in any way, but it would make it easier to read...
 
VF21 said:
Padrino - I like your takes but have you considered paragraphs?

Just a thought... and not meant to discourage you from posting in any way, but it would make it easier to read...
Click to expand...
heh....on christmas break at the moment. paragraphs are the last thing on my mind. but, yeah, i can probably do that. it aint gonna be easy tho. hard enough to use proper punctuation.

just dont be askin me to start using capitilization. ;)
 
They don't have to actually be paragraphs. Just stop at the end of a sentence, hit the enter button twice. Then you have what LOOKS like a new paragraph, making it easier to read. I doubt if anyone is going to notice whether or not it actually is a new thought, with a different topic sentence, etc.

I do it all the time.

143.gif
 
VF21 said:
They don't have to actually be paragraphs. Just stop at the end of a sentence, hit the enter button twice. Then you have what LOOKS like a new paragraph, making it easier to read. I doubt if anyone is going to notice whether or not it actually is a new thought, with a different topic sentence, etc.

I do it all the time.

143.gif
Click to expand...
hehe...gotchya. will do. :)
 
Padrino said:
heh....on christmas break at the moment. paragraphs are the last thing on my mind. but, yeah, i can probably do that. it aint gonna be easy tho. hard enough to use proper punctuation.

just dont be askin me to start using capitilization. ;)
Click to expand...
Don't let them pressure you Padrino -- paragraphs, sentences, punctuation, capitalization = all for wussies. :)

padrino real men just type what they feel in one long uninterrupted stream and let their readers sort it out if they have the mental faculty because what is punctuation and sentence structure really but a crutch for the weak mind and those who do not like it can just go jump off a bridge or at least just move on to the next post and their loss right I mean if they cant handle the lack of punctuation why should that be your problem it should be the problem of the person with the reading comprehension difficulty and it would be if they were not so self-centered as if they have the right to read your posts in their preferred format if that is not the way you write naturally in your journal or on post-it notes or even in your emails and you could even start to write using rAnDOm cApiTAliZatIOn tHe WaY tHe PrETeEns dO If yOu WAnt tO bECUZ iTs yOUr bUsiNEsS rIGhT aNd i pLaN oN wRiTiNG tHiS WAy mYsELf fRoM NOw On jUsT beCuZ i cAN tOo but maybe the random capitalization isnt as fun as I thought it would be because it really slows you down you know and you can make much longer run on sentences and megaparagraphs if you dont have to stop every other letter to capitalize and it kind of makes you wonder why the younguns like to type like that sometimes other than just to be different or maybe stupid I dont know but then I dont have to and that is why I say you should jsut type however you would like to and hopefully it as annoying as possible and the longer the paragraphs the better and you jsut tell them all to go jump in a lake like I said once before earlier in this paragrpah before I really started rolling and thats all I have to say right now except that maybe I will come back and type some more later as the mood strikes me and maybe it will be about basketball or maybe not
 
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