kingofthejungle
G-League
I'm fine with the Kings' level of inexperience contributing to their current record--this was understood before the season began--but the coaching seems even more deficient than most anticipated.
Lets start with the rotation. I prefer that Udrih and Landry are the first offensive-minded players off the bench. Beno is a good shooter but doesn't quite stretch the floor enough to complete Reke as a starter. Yes, they work well together, but I find it hard to believe they wouldn't share court time at certain points in games. Garcia, on the other hand, can really hit the long ball and provide Reke with more spacing. Beno is also more effective with the ball in his hands, which isn't very efficient when Reke is on the floor. Westphal has already had many failed experiments this year and trying to play Reke off the ball was clearly one of them. Additionally, Beno's not a defense presenence and the starting unit needs all the defense they can get. Now Garcia is no Doug Christie, but he has good height/length/defensive tenacity and provides more rebounding, blocks, and steals then Beno. And it goes without saying that Beno would really bolster the second unit as he is a primary ball-handler which is very much needed as you probably don't want Garcia or Luther Head playing that role.
Regarding Landry, starting him at the power forward puts the Kings at a disadvantage from the get-go. Like Beno, I really like Landry and think that he's a very valuable piece, but he's being misused! Landry doesn't have the size/length, rebounding, or defensive presence needed for the starting power forward spot. Opponents have been getting off to fast starts and, although this is by no means Landry's fault, the Kings need a more defensive-minded, physical presence at PF. In termso of offensive fit, although Landry can certainly hit the jumper, he is more effective in the post. This tends to crowd the paint for Reke on offense. Although JT has not had the best year thus far, Westphal should consider starting him (yes, this seems like a long-shot considering he was a DNP last night). Nonetheless, JT has great size, rebounding, and hustle. Rebounding would not be a concern with a starting lineup of Dalembert, Thompson, Casspi, Garcia, and Evans. The Kings would seem to match up better with most NBA starting lineups and hardly ever look up to their opponents. That said, JT is probably not the long-term answer as a starter, and at some point the Kings will probably have to decide between him and Landry as the primary reserve. I'm actually not sure that this team has a sure-fire starting power forward, despite the many big bodies on the roster. I can see letting Dalembert walk in the offseason as JT's best fit is probably as a very mobile backup center who grabs boards and hits outside jumpers.
I'm fine with Casspi starting at the 3. He's clearly the guy the Kings will be sticking with and, although he's streaky, Casspi is a pesky defender with great length who helps stretch the floor. Dalembert has to start for now because Cousins is just too inexperienced and sloppy on both sides of the court to start at this point.
Long story short, here's my depth chart:
6'6" Evans/Jetter
6'7" Garcia/Udrih/Head
6'9" Casspi/Greene/Wright
6'11" Thompson/Landry/Jackson
6'11" Dalembert/Cousins/Whiteside
I would probably re-sign Landry but let Dalembert find the highest bidder in free agency.
Evans/Udrih
(Free Agent or Draft)/Garcia
Casspi/Greene
(Free Agent or Draft)/Landry
Cousins/Thompson/Whiteside
A couple other points related to playing time:
-The Donte Greene situation is crazy! Antione Wright's getting PT? Really?
-A DNP-CD for JT is unreasonable, as are attempts at moving him to small forward. I like Darnell Jackson but is he really the future Kings' backup PF?
-I thought Westphal liked Pooh?
But the worst part of this is that the Kings do not run any semblance of a coherent offense. They go away from what's working without seeming to even comprehend what is working ... Guys are not trusting each other, trying to just take their man off the dribble, jumping to make passes, etc. These are signs of bad coaching. And defensively, way too many open lanes to the hoop and open 3-pointers. The Kings might not be the most athletic team in the league but they should be much better defensively. And this is a team full of competitive guys, so this seems to point to coaching yet again.
Anyway, I'm done with this post (mostly venting). Thanks for your ear. KOTJ.
Lets start with the rotation. I prefer that Udrih and Landry are the first offensive-minded players off the bench. Beno is a good shooter but doesn't quite stretch the floor enough to complete Reke as a starter. Yes, they work well together, but I find it hard to believe they wouldn't share court time at certain points in games. Garcia, on the other hand, can really hit the long ball and provide Reke with more spacing. Beno is also more effective with the ball in his hands, which isn't very efficient when Reke is on the floor. Westphal has already had many failed experiments this year and trying to play Reke off the ball was clearly one of them. Additionally, Beno's not a defense presenence and the starting unit needs all the defense they can get. Now Garcia is no Doug Christie, but he has good height/length/defensive tenacity and provides more rebounding, blocks, and steals then Beno. And it goes without saying that Beno would really bolster the second unit as he is a primary ball-handler which is very much needed as you probably don't want Garcia or Luther Head playing that role.
Regarding Landry, starting him at the power forward puts the Kings at a disadvantage from the get-go. Like Beno, I really like Landry and think that he's a very valuable piece, but he's being misused! Landry doesn't have the size/length, rebounding, or defensive presence needed for the starting power forward spot. Opponents have been getting off to fast starts and, although this is by no means Landry's fault, the Kings need a more defensive-minded, physical presence at PF. In termso of offensive fit, although Landry can certainly hit the jumper, he is more effective in the post. This tends to crowd the paint for Reke on offense. Although JT has not had the best year thus far, Westphal should consider starting him (yes, this seems like a long-shot considering he was a DNP last night). Nonetheless, JT has great size, rebounding, and hustle. Rebounding would not be a concern with a starting lineup of Dalembert, Thompson, Casspi, Garcia, and Evans. The Kings would seem to match up better with most NBA starting lineups and hardly ever look up to their opponents. That said, JT is probably not the long-term answer as a starter, and at some point the Kings will probably have to decide between him and Landry as the primary reserve. I'm actually not sure that this team has a sure-fire starting power forward, despite the many big bodies on the roster. I can see letting Dalembert walk in the offseason as JT's best fit is probably as a very mobile backup center who grabs boards and hits outside jumpers.
I'm fine with Casspi starting at the 3. He's clearly the guy the Kings will be sticking with and, although he's streaky, Casspi is a pesky defender with great length who helps stretch the floor. Dalembert has to start for now because Cousins is just too inexperienced and sloppy on both sides of the court to start at this point.
Long story short, here's my depth chart:
6'6" Evans/Jetter
6'7" Garcia/Udrih/Head
6'9" Casspi/Greene/Wright
6'11" Thompson/Landry/Jackson
6'11" Dalembert/Cousins/Whiteside
I would probably re-sign Landry but let Dalembert find the highest bidder in free agency.
Evans/Udrih
(Free Agent or Draft)/Garcia
Casspi/Greene
(Free Agent or Draft)/Landry
Cousins/Thompson/Whiteside
A couple other points related to playing time:
-The Donte Greene situation is crazy! Antione Wright's getting PT? Really?
-A DNP-CD for JT is unreasonable, as are attempts at moving him to small forward. I like Darnell Jackson but is he really the future Kings' backup PF?
-I thought Westphal liked Pooh?
But the worst part of this is that the Kings do not run any semblance of a coherent offense. They go away from what's working without seeming to even comprehend what is working ... Guys are not trusting each other, trying to just take their man off the dribble, jumping to make passes, etc. These are signs of bad coaching. And defensively, way too many open lanes to the hoop and open 3-pointers. The Kings might not be the most athletic team in the league but they should be much better defensively. And this is a team full of competitive guys, so this seems to point to coaching yet again.
Anyway, I'm done with this post (mostly venting). Thanks for your ear. KOTJ.
