Our Best Lineup Under Smart Was.....

[Lockehead]

I again wonder aloud, how/why did such a ridiculous version of Reke's rookie season take hold amongst the Sacto fanbase/ Was anybody actually watchng the games?

Tyreke Evans was 20-5-5 from the moment he stepped forward with Kevin down. That never wavered all year. The ROY campaign had nothing to do with it. That was the front office's campaign, not Reke's. In fact as I have shown again and AGAIN, his assists, rebounding, all around game shot UP down the stretch of that season. I will post the numbers one more time. Not to change the minds of the many Kings fans who have simply got stuck on mythological storyline and absolutely completely refuse to let it go under any circumstances, but simply to make sure that the truth continues to get put out there so that anybody new to the debate wandering by won't get infected by the same distortion:

Tyreke Evans, rookie season, by month:
Oct: 12.7pts 3.0reb 3.3ast 1.7stl .405FG
Nov: 20.3pts 5.5reb 5.1ast 1.3stl .454FG
Dec: 22.1pts 5.3reb 5.1ast 1.6stl .476FG
Jan: 20.7pts 3.5reb 5.1ast 1.6stl .448FG
Feb: 20.1pts 5.8reb 7.0ast 1.4stl .505FG
Mar: 19.4pts 6.9reb 7.5ast 1.6stl .423FG
Apr: 19.5pts 5.8reb 5.3ast 1.5stl .443FG

You may, as always, feel welcome to draw a line anywhee in that progression and say see? see? Here's where he got selfish to win the ROY. Nobody ever can. It never stops the story from beign repeated and repeated like a Big Foot sighting.

You dont think giving the keys to the team to Reke in his rookie season has played any part in his deficiencies, some of which were mentioned by pshn80?

In response to the OP, all i remember with Reke/Thornton/Salmons being in the starting linep was ugly basketball. The 6-4 stat is surprising, but the way they played made it hard to think that they were indeed our best lineup. Besides, Salmons is doing a lot better coming off the bench and leading our second unit. I doubt he was ever going to be comfortable as a starter if he was besides Reke and Thornton, which may account for why he looked so bad when he did start. We took him out and put in IT, who takes more shots and demands the ball moreso than Salmons.

 

[pshn80]

I again wonder aloud, how/why did such a ridiculous version of Reke's rookie season take hold amongst the Sacto fanbase/ Was anybody actually watchng the games?

Tyreke Evans was 20-5-5 from the moment he stepped forward with Kevin down. That never wavered all year. The ROY campaign had nothing to do with it. That was the front office's campaign, not Reke's. In fact as I have shown again and AGAIN, his assists, rebounding, all around game shot UP down the stretch of that season. I will post the numbers one more time. Not to change the minds of the many Kings fans who have simply got stuck on mythological storyline and absolutely completely refuse to let it go under any circumstances, but simply to make sure that the truth continues to get put out there so that anybody new to the debate wandering by won't get infected by the same distortion:



You may, as always, feel welcome to draw a line anywhee in that progression and say see? see? Here's where he got selfish to win the ROY. Nobody ever can. It never stops the story from beign repeated and repeated like a Big Foot sighting.

My only complaint of his rookie year came later. You've heard me describe my problem with Tyreke's bringing the ball up and initiating the offense. There was never anything wrong once Evans started his drive - he's an inspired, talented scorer off drives that few have matched. From that drive he got the majority of his many assists, all good or mostly good.

Two years down his career it dawned on me that he missed the opportunity to develop the other talents he needed in that position because he was encouraged by ownership and coach to keep on doing it. He should have been encourage, directed, coached to develop those skills he was lacking. I don't think he was.

Who else on here has raised these points as I do? No one. So your comment about the fanbase is not accurate. I'm the only one who has made the emphasis on this part of his point guard game. I'm sorry if I portrayed a ridiculous version of Tyreke's fookie year. I did not intend to. It was great. Unfortunately I think it lead to his not being developed as he should/could have been.

I agree, it was the front office's doing not Tyreke's to go go go for the ROY.

The reason "I refuse to let it go" is because I've seen, I've watched, I've suffered with Tyreke's bringing the ball up this year. It had not changed. When he did it a went for the basket he did wonderful things. If he didn't go for the basket it was usually bad, slow, late, uninspired passes, no movement by his compatriots, and yes go ahead and ask why. I won't repeat again. The worst indictment of Evans in my book is that he hasn't learned to do better.

I'm not asking for much. I want Tyreke and his talents on our team and starting. I just don't want him to be our primary ball bringer upper and distributor. Not our primary.

Yes, Evans was a 20/5/5 from the beginning and if he started at that position for another year he would still be a 20/5/5 guy and we might win a few more games than the last season he did that but I don't believe more than that.

 

[Tyndel]

In response to the OP, all i remember with Reke/Thornton/Salmons being in the starting linep was ugly basketball. The 6-4 stat is surprising, but the way they played made it hard to think that they were indeed our best lineup. Besides, Salmons is doing a lot better coming off the bench and leading our second unit. I doubt he was ever going to be comfortable as a starter if he was besides Reke and Thornton, which may account for why he looked so bad when he did start. We took him out and put in IT, who takes more shots and demands the ball moreso than Salmons.

All I remember from the beginning of this season till 2 weeks into Smarts tenure is that we didn't have a recognizable offense and I couldn't identify a single set play all year. Is that on the starters players or the management coaches? Once we started implementing a system the basketball started looking better and it peaked in those 10 games then we went small. We just need to move the slider back a bit.

 

[Lockehead]

All I remember from the beginning of this season till 2 weeks into Smarts tenure is that we didn't have a recognizable offense and I couldn't identify a single set play all year. Is that on the starters players or the management coaches? Once we started implementing a system the basketball started looking better and it peaked in those 10 games then we went small. We just need to move the slider back a bit.

I dont think we looked better because the coach started running plays. We looked better because we had a guy who was capable of running the offense out there, IT.

I'm of the opinion that coaches coach, but in the end the players go out there and perform. That's partly why i dont think that the Reke/Thornton/Salmons lineup was working. Each of them want to play their game, but there's only one ball. That might lead to the one on one, taking shots out of rhythm, type of game that we saw from them, which again i dont think is a good system to develop. With IT, we at least have a guy who will make the decisions about who and where the ball should go to, but we still see Thornton or Reke looking a bit invisible at times, which i think is one of our bigger problems we have with the lineup.

 

[Tyndel]

I dont think we looked better because the coach started running plays. We looked better because we had a guy who was capable of running the offense out there, IT.

I'm of the opinion that coaches coach, but in the end the players go out there and perform. That's partly why i dont think that the Reke/Thornton/Salmons lineup was working. Each of them want to play their game, but there's only one ball. That might lead to the one on one, taking shots out of rhythm, type of game that we saw from them, which again i dont think is a good system to develop. With IT, we at least have a guy who will make the decisions about who and where the ball should go to, but we still see Thornton or Reke looking a bit invisible at times, which i think is one of our bigger problems we have with the lineup.

I will respectfully disagree. You are saying that it was the players fault that we failed in WP system on the offensive end. Why is it some coaches always have better then average to good offenses no matter where ever they go and some coaches have good defensive teams even from non defensive personnel? I noticed a difference with the same starting unit after we started to get an offense into place. It was a simple, easy to break offense and it didn't translate to too many more points a game yet but at times the points got much easier and you could identify watching the game what the play was supposed to do unlike the first few weeks of the year.

A coach isn't there just for practice though thats where alot of the work comes in. The coach is there to refocus a group of guys who are not putting their effort in the correct location and to make sure the stuff they worked on in practice occurs in the game.