Playing the kids more? (split from Sonics grade thread)

[eastcoastking]

this game was a pretty good example of small ball not working. theus should give up on trying to go small for extended periods. its ok in small doses but eventually it hurts more than it helps. you're asking Ron, a SF, to play PF and a PF to play center when its mikki and not brad, and even with brad you end up with a bunch of guards and swing men with one big.... you're just asking the other team to kill you inside. and what happened in this game? kings got out rebounded and put up very little resistence in the paint on both ends (7-22 from 3 and who knows how many 2s with a foot on the line). think about how many times you saw salmons or garcia getting posted up by collison or petro... i mean come on! and on offense NOBODY moves, except brad or mikki. kevin will cut when brad is out there because he know he'll hit him if he's open. they just stand at the 3point line waiting to chuck up another ill advised shot. does theus really expect that to be a winning formula? this game was an opportunity missed to see what spencer would do with 25+ min and justin with around 15. instead they got 17 and 9 respectively and the kings lose by 13, get out rebounded by 12 while shooting 37% with all that "extra offense" on the floor.

NOTE: I split this from the Sonics grade thread as those threads are retired to the game archives. This way the offshoot of the discussion can continue...VF21

 

[fnordius]

Yeah...

I think it all boils down to the coach and/or management wanting to play vets all the time, which I can't claim to understand. Showcasing vets for a trade is the obvious explanation, although giving them a lot of minutes has often failed to make them look any better. Unless coach/management like Hawes and Williams so much that they're trying to keep other teams from seeing much of them until after the trade deadline, I really can't guess what they're thinking. All I can do is to observe that it isn't winning us many games, or giving our young bigs much chance to get needed experience.

I almost can't help but wish that Mikki would get a cold or a hangnail or something, anything which would force the issue for a few games. If it weren't for gimpy vets last year, we would still have little idea that Justin can play pretty well when given a chance.

 

[Glenn]

Hate to say this but I think a lot of opinions are based on the most recent game which was an aberration compared to the last several weeks' games.

However, I really want to see Hawes given time. Unfortunately for Hawes, he is playing behind a guy who is playing the best basketball of his career. I don't understand why there should be any confusion as to why Theus plays Brad. Is it possible to play Brad and Hawes at the same time? I doubt it although this would seem to make most of us happy. They are both centers and although Brad can play the role of a power forward, I don't think a 19 year old can adjust to playing with another guy with the same skills. Does that make sense? Probably not. In any case, a "twin towers" approach is nothing Hawes has ever been a part of and he needs more experience.

Brad and Spencer are natural centers.

I'd like to hear other opinions as to the possibility of playing Hawes and Miller together.

I know I have left out Williams but I am not enthusiastic about him. Certainly he is good for brief minutes but I think he is disruptive to the offense in a way that makes Artest look like a team player. He can't pass and this offense requires that everybody have that skill. He just doesn't seem to have a feel for the game. That's a very subjective opinion, I know, and worthy of discussion. Williams is still at a point where very little comes naturally while with Mikki, with all his deficits, he fits because the game comes naturally to him.

As to Artest, despite his posturing which seems to bother people, his game has been steady and very good. Try pushing aside the prejudice and watch his game. My guess is that his team mates are bothered less than the fans.

I don't worry about Martin. A few bad games is to be expected and two in a row is unlikely.

The guy who bothers me the most is Salmons. He seems unable to play off the bench. I certainly don't know why because you look at a guy like Garcia and you see a guy, brain farts and all, whose game is consistent whether he starts or comes off the bench.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Hate to say this but I think a lot of opinions are based on the most recent game which was an aberration compared to the last several weeks' games.

However, I really want to see Hawes given time. Unfortunately for Hawes, he is playing behind a guy who is playing the best basketball of his career. I don't understand why there should be any confusion as to why Theus plays Brad. Is it possible to play Brad and Hawes at the same time? I doubt it although this would seem to make most of us happy. They are both centers and although Brad can play the role of a power forward, I don't think a 19 year old can adjust to playing with another guy with the same skills. Does that make sense? Probably not. In any case, a "twin towers" approach is nothing Hawes has ever been a part of and he needs more experience.

Brad and Spencer are natural centers.

I'd like to hear other opinions as to the possibility of playing Hawes and Miller together.

I don't think the problem is that Hawes should play more over Miller (at this point, but it could be an issue in the future.) What people may be saying (and what I am definitely saying) is that Hawes should at least get all of the Minutes behind Brad. No sliding Mikki over and putting Ron at PF, unless this is dictated by matchup problems. Play Brad some 30 minutes or so, but make sure Spencer gets all 18 behind him. 18 is fine. It's the 4-5 minute box scores that leave me (and others here, apparently) wanting more.

 

[VF21]

No sliding Mikki over and putting Ron at PF, unless this is dictated by matchup problems. Play Brad some 30 minutes or so, but make sure Spencer gets all 18 behind him.

Maybe from your fingertips to Reggie' ears?

 

[Glenn]

I don't think the problem is that Hawes should play more over Miller (at this point, but it could be an issue in the future.) What people may be saying (and what I am definitely saying) is that Hawes should at least get all of the Minutes behind Brad. No sliding Mikki over and putting Ron at PF, unless this is dictated by matchup problems. Play Brad some 30 minutes or so, but make sure Spencer gets all 18 behind him. 18 is fine. It's the 4-5 minute box scores that leave me (and others here, apparently) wanting more.

I agree and I think it will happen. Certainly the Sonics game showed that Spencer has been gaining info while watching. Now if he can stay away from fouls, we won't need to play Mikki.

 

[fnordius]

Hate to say this but I think a lot of opinions are based on the most recent game which was an aberration compared to the last several weeks' games.

That's true, but what else do we have to go on? This is only the second game ever where Hawes and Williams got a combined 20+ minutes. In the other example (loss to Phoenix early in the year), they both played well -- Hawes went for 12-6 (and 4 TO, oops!) on 50% shooting, and Justin did 6-10 on 75% shooting, along with a block. Hawes got 19 minutes, Justin got 14. This is as close as they've gotten to those minutes since.

That's another reason for hoping for a boost in minutes for the two of them. If they each averaged 10+ minutes a game for the remainder of the season, we'd see how much game these guys have already, and how quickly they can improve. As it is, we've passed the halfway point in the season, and learned very little about them that we didn't already know last year. More minutes would give us enough of a sampling to be able to make a valid critique of them both, cutting back on the unending speculation about whether either or both of them aren't what they're cracked up to be. Many pixels and electrons would be spared, not to mention saving a lot of time for fans who read online forums.