[Game] Preseason Game 2: Clippers at Kings 10/7 7 pm
- Thread starter ReinadelosReys
- Start date
Been a great while since I've posted on Kings boards but I've checked in regularly. Took my daughters to the game last night and it wasn't all bad... my wife and I got a free soda and popcorn for being designated drivers. 
A few observations for those who weren't "privileged" to see this one with their own eyes. This wasn't a game so much as a learning experience for both the players and the coach. I'd say we learned we have a long way to go in figuring out what to do against extremely athletic teams. We learned that our plethora of small forward candidates all have issues with creating offense for themselves at this point be it from timidity (Landry) wild shotgunning (Omri) or carrying bowling balls in a backpack (Donte). I am a pretty optimistic fellow when it comes to the team, but Donte and Omri disappointed me greatly in how unprepared for whatever reason each seemed for this season. Granted, talent means a lot in this league and Reke has plenty of it, but Tyreke's game was effortless last night and you could clearly see how he had worked on his game over the summer and improved. I would have thought for sure that Omri and Donte would have done the same but if anything it looked like their games have gotten worse. It is kind of baffling. Casspi was throwing up garbage shots all night and Donte can barely move anymore. Forget about him guarding Kobe anymore. I don't get it.
I will go on record right now saying the Griffen-Kamen duo may be the best complimentary big man duo in the league. It was a little much to expect DMC to be able to single-handedly deal with them both (which he got stuck doing alot with our other bigs riding pine and with JT still doing his every-other-game disappearing act (*sigh*) again) and to ask him to do it on a night that the refs were breaking in a new box of whistles was just too much. There were at least three calls that Blake got over DMC, apparently on reputation alone, and DeMarcus is just gonna have to roll with it because that may happen a lot this year for him. I must say he handled himself well and shook it off. He will be fine as he learns the ropes.
With Beno out and Tyreke getting an All-Star's view of preseason from the bench it was clear that we could really use another guy to run the offense. Pooh was ok, I guess, but I thought his one advantage was supposed to be quickness (in lieu of size) and he was getting beat off the dribble all night and he did a poor job of initiating the offense. Basically we looked completely lost out there when Reke sat down. Casspi looked like he tried to take control but to him that meant either throwing up a quick three or driving into the waiting arms of Chris and Blake and having to throw up a shot which would ricochet off the top of the backboard. We need to pray that Beno's injury is minor.
Not sure what else to take away from this game, since without a true playmaker for most of the game it became playground ball for three quarters and the only way you can be somewhat effective in that mode is if you are bigger and more athletic than your opponent which we were neither.
But hey... did I mention the free popcorn and coke that we got?
A few observations for those who weren't "privileged" to see this one with their own eyes. This wasn't a game so much as a learning experience for both the players and the coach. I'd say we learned we have a long way to go in figuring out what to do against extremely athletic teams. We learned that our plethora of small forward candidates all have issues with creating offense for themselves at this point be it from timidity (Landry) wild shotgunning (Omri) or carrying bowling balls in a backpack (Donte). I am a pretty optimistic fellow when it comes to the team, but Donte and Omri disappointed me greatly in how unprepared for whatever reason each seemed for this season. Granted, talent means a lot in this league and Reke has plenty of it, but Tyreke's game was effortless last night and you could clearly see how he had worked on his game over the summer and improved. I would have thought for sure that Omri and Donte would have done the same but if anything it looked like their games have gotten worse. It is kind of baffling. Casspi was throwing up garbage shots all night and Donte can barely move anymore. Forget about him guarding Kobe anymore. I don't get it.
I will go on record right now saying the Griffen-Kamen duo may be the best complimentary big man duo in the league. It was a little much to expect DMC to be able to single-handedly deal with them both (which he got stuck doing alot with our other bigs riding pine and with JT still doing his every-other-game disappearing act (*sigh*) again) and to ask him to do it on a night that the refs were breaking in a new box of whistles was just too much. There were at least three calls that Blake got over DMC, apparently on reputation alone, and DeMarcus is just gonna have to roll with it because that may happen a lot this year for him. I must say he handled himself well and shook it off. He will be fine as he learns the ropes.
With Beno out and Tyreke getting an All-Star's view of preseason from the bench it was clear that we could really use another guy to run the offense. Pooh was ok, I guess, but I thought his one advantage was supposed to be quickness (in lieu of size) and he was getting beat off the dribble all night and he did a poor job of initiating the offense. Basically we looked completely lost out there when Reke sat down. Casspi looked like he tried to take control but to him that meant either throwing up a quick three or driving into the waiting arms of Chris and Blake and having to throw up a shot which would ricochet off the top of the backboard. We need to pray that Beno's injury is minor.
Not sure what else to take away from this game, since without a true playmaker for most of the game it became playground ball for three quarters and the only way you can be somewhat effective in that mode is if you are bigger and more athletic than your opponent which we were neither.
But hey... did I mention the free popcorn and coke that we got?
■Casspi 3 points on 1-5 shooting. Casspi looked timid at the three point line, pulling the ball down a number of times and unsuccessfully attacking the defense instead. I asked him about this issue: “It was game motion but it played in my head a little bit too. It’s something I need to knock down. Those shots are good shots for me today, I was thinking too much and not shooting them and trying to do what coach asked me to do. Coach never told me to not shoot open shots so obviously I need to work on it mentally and knock those shots down.”
A quote from Casspi on Purple Pandorum. First off, I'm wondering what Westphal asked him to do. I doubt it was to pass up open shots and drive into the teeth of the defense. He strikes me as a confused young man right now. I believe the Kings were 0 for 7 from behind the line.
A quote from Casspi on Purple Pandorum. First off, I'm wondering what Westphal asked him to do. I doubt it was to pass up open shots and drive into the teeth of the defense. He strikes me as a confused young man right now. I believe the Kings were 0 for 7 from behind the line.
I bolded the part in which I believe is pretty key. It seems to be an issue with both of our young SF's right now - confusion. It seems like neither are quite sure what is expected of them anymore (Donte's weight and Casspi's quote). I bring this issue up because I wonder if our young SF's are truly the ones to blame or the coaching staff for making things so confusing on them. When PW explains what he wants out of his SF's it seems pretty simple but there seems to be a jerking action back and forth from what they have said to what they're saying to what goes on in the game of them trying to do what the coach wants them to do and if they think they're doing right getting talked to about what they did wrong. I really think this is troubling because we have 2 very talented young SF's that seem to be confused a bit. I really think they should each be given major minutes and not micro managed during the game - let them play with the flow of the game and then after the game coach them on changes that need to be made.
I'm embarrassed, and humbled by your praise. You must be one of the old farts I was talking about in another post if you remember my takes on the other board. lol Thanks and i will try not to be so scarce.
It's strange, because last year, during the first half of the season, it seemed that everyone knew exactly what was expected of them, the team functioned well, and it looked like the communication between the players and the coaching staff is excellent, and if someone made mistakes or couldn't find his place within the team frame, PW quickly got him on track. Then, something happened after Martin's return from injury and it looked like everyone is confused and doesn't know what's going on. Half the players on the team didn't know what their role is, and that continued after Martin was traded, and blew up a little bit after that famous interview where some players were quoted as saying they didn't know their roles, and Hawes got suspended for it. There seemed to be a complete disconnect between PW and the players. I was hoping that would change this season with the team being more balanced in terms of its roster, and it still might since it's way too early to tell, but right now it certainly looks like there's some confusion amongst the players.
I think Nighthawk is giving his best imitation of Westphal's communication style.....
Basically they are saying one thing and coaching another. Stop shooting Casspi - why aren't you shooting those Casspi?.. Allow Donte to gain weight then punish him for his weight gain when they saw him doing it over th esummer. As far as I'm concerned right now they might think they're clearly commincating what is expected (to Donte and Casspi) but I have my doubts. It sounds like Casspi is gunshy in pulling the trigger on shots which sounds to me like he is completely unsure of what's an acceptable shot anymore. I think they need to simplify their coaching approach to Casspi and Donte if I'm correct. I could be reading too much into it however.
I'm embarrassed, and humbled by your praise. You must be one of the old farts I was talking about in another post if you remember my takes on the other board. lol Thanks and i will try not to be so scarce.
Last edited:
Someone got it
Basically they are saying one thing and coaching another. Stop shooting Casspi - why aren't you shooting those Casspi?.. Allow Donte to gain weight then punish him for his weight gain when they saw him doing it over th esummer. As far as I'm concerned right now they might think they're clearly commincating what is expected (to Donte and Casspi) but I have my doubts. It sounds like Casspi is gunshy in pulling the trigger on shots which sounds to me like he is completely unsure of what's an acceptable shot anymore. I think they need to simplify their coaching approach to Casspi and Donte if I'm correct. I could be reading too much into it however.
Basically they are saying one thing and coaching another. Stop shooting Casspi - why aren't you shooting those Casspi?.. Allow Donte to gain weight then punish him for his weight gain when they saw him doing it over th esummer. As far as I'm concerned right now they might think they're clearly commincating what is expected (to Donte and Casspi) but I have my doubts. It sounds like Casspi is gunshy in pulling the trigger on shots which sounds to me like he is completely unsure of what's an acceptable shot anymore. I think they need to simplify their coaching approach to Casspi and Donte if I'm correct. I could be reading too much into it however.
I think you better read the quote on Casspi in Bajaden's post. I don't think that Casspi was getting confused or even implied that he was getting confused by what the coaching staff told him to do with regards to when to shoot the ball. It was pretty clear on Casspi's head and he himself even said"COACH NEVER TOLD ME TO NOT SHOOT OPEN SHOTS so obviously I need to work on it mentally and knock those shots down" in Bajaden's post.
Does that sound like the coach was saying "Stop shooting Casspi - why aren't you shooting those Casspi?"?
IMO, you are really reading too much into it to the point of getting confused yourself.
I think you better read the quote on Casspi in Bajaden's post. I don't think that Casspi was getting confused or even implied that he was getting confused by what the coaching staff told him to do with regards to when to shoot the ball. It was pretty clear on Casspi's head and he himself even said"COACH NEVER TOLD ME TO NOT SHOOT OPEN SHOTS so obviously I need to work on it mentally and knock those shots down" in Bajaden's post.
Does that sound like the coach was saying "Stop shooting Casspi - why aren't you shooting those Casspi?"?
I think you better read the quote on Casspi in Bajaden's post. I don't think that Casspi was getting confused or even implied that he was getting confused by what the coaching staff told him to do with regards to when to shoot the ball. It was pretty clear on Casspi's head and he himself even said"COACH NEVER TOLD ME TO NOT SHOOT OPEN SHOTS so obviously I need to work on it mentally and knock those shots down" in Bajaden's post.
Does that sound like the coach was saying "Stop shooting Casspi - why aren't you shooting those Casspi?"?
"We need a defender that will make good decisions and make open shots. Were looking for someone that answers that call. Westphal said. We don't need somebody who's a No. 1 option in reality or in his own mind. We need someone thats going who's going to get the ball inside and knock down open shots." So if we had LeBron James on the team, we wouldn't need him, right? Sort of a confusing statement right there.
But, if thats true, then how in the hell did Desmond Mason end up with the starting job last season? He couldn't shoot the basketball into the pacific ocean. But he was a favorite of Westphals. Why do I suspect that Westphal was the driving force behind aquiring Wright. Another player he seems to like because of past associations. And why is it that I won't be surprised if Wright wins the battle at SF.
A player becomes confused when a coach says one thing, and then acts in a different manner. We have two young SF's. Both talented. One entering his second year and the other his third. And neither one seems to know exactly what they're suspossed to do to meet the expectations of Westphal.
Westphal made the comment that he see's Greene as a SG as well as a SF in one of his press conferences. If thats true, then why did Greene go out and put on another 25 or so pounds. He apparently worked out at the Kings training facility all summer. Was no one paying attention? Something doesn't smell right!
I have no answers. I'm just shooting arrows in the air and seeing where they land. Hopefully I'm dead wrong about all of this. But something just doesn't feel right to me..
Last edited:
I think a couple of interesting question about the SF confusion are 1) should we even be that regimented about it yet? This isn't a title team with an established rotation looking for a specific player type to fit a specific role. We basically have a Tyreke, and then questions of who is going to play at every other position. And 2) is this maybe an exaggerated teaching tool backfiring? Is this coach speak for just don't take forced shots, Reke and Cousins are the men, play off of them, not ahead of them? Trying to teach young players discipline?
It just seems like an unnecessary distraction/insistence by the coaches at this point. An issue created rather than one addressed. We've got a couple of talented young SFs who need to be concentrating on settling in and getting better, and they seem to be struggling to jump through these artificial hoops which seem vastly premature for a team as young as we are. You would think we are still in the stage where we bend our system to mirror our personnel, not the other way around. Not coming off a 25 win season with all of 1 surefire returning starter.
It just seems like an unnecessary distraction/insistence by the coaches at this point. An issue created rather than one addressed. We've got a couple of talented young SFs who need to be concentrating on settling in and getting better, and they seem to be struggling to jump through these artificial hoops which seem vastly premature for a team as young as we are. You would think we are still in the stage where we bend our system to mirror our personnel, not the other way around. Not coming off a 25 win season with all of 1 surefire returning starter.
Please, let us not make this as an issue of the coaching staff not being clear of what they want the players to do. Read the bolded part of your paraphrasing of Westphal. That is a crystal clear proof of what he wants our two promising SF ( Greene and Casspi ) to do. We cannot make excuses for both players and say the coach staff are confusing both Casspi and Greene.
Greene was seen by Westphal as an option at the SF or SG. For some stupid reason on Greene's part, ( or maybe he wants to experiment but failed ), he allowed himself to gain weight upto 250-260 lbs. in a very short period of time making him somewhat sluggish to play his assigned position. We can say the trainers have some fault on this. But the responsibility on staying on the optimum weight level should rest primarily on Greene. No buts and no excuses. He is not a teenager anymore.
Casspi on the other hand had maintained his delusional thinking of being the number one option before the preseason games. Clearly, his mentality is contrary to what Westphal sees his SF to be doing for this team. The good thing about Casspi though is that he seems to understand his role now and had shown he is trying to fit into Westphal's system. But still, he is not good enough to assume the role because he cannot bring the ball inside and he seems not having learned yet to select his shots.
And let us not use the case of Desmond Mason to shoot down Westphal's character. As far as I can remember Desmond Mason did not play as starter for that long and most importantly he is no longer with the team.
In reality and in this case, the coach is not saying one thing and does a different thing. The coach is very clear on what and where he wants everyone and the whole team to go.
Greene was seen by Westphal as an option at the SF or SG. For some stupid reason on Greene's part, ( or maybe he wants to experiment but failed ), he allowed himself to gain weight upto 250-260 lbs. in a very short period of time making him somewhat sluggish to play his assigned position. We can say the trainers have some fault on this. But the responsibility on staying on the optimum weight level should rest primarily on Greene. No buts and no excuses. He is not a teenager anymore.
Casspi on the other hand had maintained his delusional thinking of being the number one option before the preseason games. Clearly, his mentality is contrary to what Westphal sees his SF to be doing for this team. The good thing about Casspi though is that he seems to understand his role now and had shown he is trying to fit into Westphal's system. But still, he is not good enough to assume the role because he cannot bring the ball inside and he seems not having learned yet to select his shots.
And let us not use the case of Desmond Mason to shoot down Westphal's character. As far as I can remember Desmond Mason did not play as starter for that long and most importantly he is no longer with the team.
In reality and in this case, the coach is not saying one thing and does a different thing. The coach is very clear on what and where he wants everyone and the whole team to go.
Last edited:
I don't think there is so much confusion. And I think the coaching staff are more geared towards "Reke and Cousins are the men, play off them, and not ahead of them." And if I am right, a lot of us agree it is the right way to proceed in developing this team. And at this point of team development, the problem at the SF posiition position is not an issue that has been created. The way I see it, it is an issue that is being addressed as early as now. We need to addressed it now by castigating both our promising SFs before it is too late.
We cannot say as early as now if it is backfiring, because let's face it Greene and Casspi are both realtively inexperienced and young players, and at times knuckle-heads themselves as everyone once when they were young.
They get confused with simple instruction of "We need a defender that will make good decisions and make open shots. Were looking for someone that answers that call. Westphal said. We don't need somebody who's a No. 1 option in reality or in his own mind. We need someone thats going who's going to get the ball inside and knock down open shots."????
I am not a professional basketball player and just like Casspi, English is not my primary language. But I think those intructions comes to me crystal clear.
We cannot say as early as now if it is backfiring, because let's face it Greene and Casspi are both realtively inexperienced and young players, and at times knuckle-heads themselves as everyone once when they were young.
They get confused with simple instruction of "We need a defender that will make good decisions and make open shots. Were looking for someone that answers that call. Westphal said. We don't need somebody who's a No. 1 option in reality or in his own mind. We need someone thats going who's going to get the ball inside and knock down open shots."????
I am not a professional basketball player and just like Casspi, English is not my primary language. But I think those intructions comes to me crystal clear.
Last edited:
Perhaps not to you, but to me, words mean something. "We don't need someone who's a number 1 option in REALITY, or in his own mind." Now exactly what does that mean to you? In reality means you have a player that IS a number 1 option, AKA, LeBron James, Gerald Wallace, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, Carmelo Anthony, etc. All number one options in reality. And Westphal in that statement is saying he doesn't need them.
Now that may not be confusing to you, and if not perhaps you should try out for the starting SF position. But to me it doesn't make any sense. He may not have intended to say exactly what he said, but thats his problem, not mine. Please don't tell me to just discard what happened last year, and the decisions Westphal made with his starting lineup, because those decisions reflect on the coach, and some of those decisions were bad one's. He started Mason, a player that was obviously washed up and May, a player that had proved absolutely nothing, over young promising players he was suspossed to be developing. It wasn't about how long the experiment lasted. Its about whether the experiment should have happened in the first place.
My hope was that this year would be different. I'm not one that likes confusion. Call it a flaw if you will. But I like things in their proper place. Confusion leads to disorganization. Doubt! And in some cases, an eventual lack of confidence, either in your coach, or yourself. Say what you will about Rick Adelman, but you knew who was going to be in the starting lineup every night, barring injury, and who would be in the rotation. The players knew what was expected of them, and they didn't get benched the minute they made a mistake.
Now having ranted, this is just pre-season. I'm hopeful that there's a master plan behind all this, and that I'm just ranting to create more carbon dioxide. But if this continues into the regular season, like last year, then I guarantee Global warming will be increased.
As an aside: I've watched sports for over 50 years. I also played at a very high level at one time. I've had the privilge of knowing some very good players in various sports. One common denonimator that all great coaches have, is that they all adjust their philosophy to the talent they have available, and not the other way around. You can't put a square peg in a round hole. You can't be a phyiscal team with a bunch of Spencer Hawes on it. By the same token you can't be a running team with a bunch of slow footed players. When Riley was with the Lakers it was showtime. Up and down the court. Great passing etc. But he had the players to do that. When he went to the Knicks, he didn't have those kind of players. So he developed a team that was physical and that played great defense.
You can't turn a Sow's ear into a silk purse. So you have to find a way to use a Sow's ear. My point is, that if the perfect SF that Westphal is looking for isn't there, then he needs to take the best player he has at that position and figure out how to adjust his defense and offense to best utilize the talents of that player. Thats what good coaches do!
Now that may not be confusing to you, and if not perhaps you should try out for the starting SF position. But to me it doesn't make any sense. He may not have intended to say exactly what he said, but thats his problem, not mine. Please don't tell me to just discard what happened last year, and the decisions Westphal made with his starting lineup, because those decisions reflect on the coach, and some of those decisions were bad one's. He started Mason, a player that was obviously washed up and May, a player that had proved absolutely nothing, over young promising players he was suspossed to be developing. It wasn't about how long the experiment lasted. Its about whether the experiment should have happened in the first place.
My hope was that this year would be different. I'm not one that likes confusion. Call it a flaw if you will. But I like things in their proper place. Confusion leads to disorganization. Doubt! And in some cases, an eventual lack of confidence, either in your coach, or yourself. Say what you will about Rick Adelman, but you knew who was going to be in the starting lineup every night, barring injury, and who would be in the rotation. The players knew what was expected of them, and they didn't get benched the minute they made a mistake.
Now having ranted, this is just pre-season. I'm hopeful that there's a master plan behind all this, and that I'm just ranting to create more carbon dioxide. But if this continues into the regular season, like last year, then I guarantee Global warming will be increased.
As an aside: I've watched sports for over 50 years. I also played at a very high level at one time. I've had the privilge of knowing some very good players in various sports. One common denonimator that all great coaches have, is that they all adjust their philosophy to the talent they have available, and not the other way around. You can't put a square peg in a round hole. You can't be a phyiscal team with a bunch of Spencer Hawes on it. By the same token you can't be a running team with a bunch of slow footed players. When Riley was with the Lakers it was showtime. Up and down the court. Great passing etc. But he had the players to do that. When he went to the Knicks, he didn't have those kind of players. So he developed a team that was physical and that played great defense.
You can't turn a Sow's ear into a silk purse. So you have to find a way to use a Sow's ear. My point is, that if the perfect SF that Westphal is looking for isn't there, then he needs to take the best player he has at that position and figure out how to adjust his defense and offense to best utilize the talents of that player. Thats what good coaches do!
Last edited:
Pardon me, but I really cannot understand why you have to go down to this poor level of reasoning just to put down Westphal. I think your post really seems coming from a confused man and/or as if you were misunderstaning Westphal deliberately for your own convenience and just for the sake of defending your argument. If that is not the case, I think you need to put your perspective back to REALITY so you can understand the REALITY in Westphal's present predicament.
The reality is we don't have LeBron James, Gerald Wallace, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, or Carmelo Anthony in our roster. What we have is not even close to those guys. We have the young and inexperienced Greene and Casspi who right now seems not to fit on what Westphal is looking as the team's starting SF. And you very well know If Westphal has one of those you listed as number 1 options Westphal will have a different approach in running this team and addressing this SF positional problem. I honestly believe you have more common sense than what your post is implying.
Now, you are comparing Adelman to Westphal. If you are thinking reasonably well and not getting confused you would not compare Adelman to the present situation of Westphal. Adelman had the privilege of having good and established veteran players and Westphal has young and inexperienced players right now. Therefore, while you knew who was going to be in the starting lineup every night for Adelman and who would be in the rotation, we cannot say the same with Westphal right now. Westphal's team right now is composed of mostly young and inexperinced players!
I suggest you watch the old games of that glorious Phoenix Suns team when Westphal had several established players (like Barkley and Johnson) and during that time Westphal led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals. This will help refresh your memory. I'll bet you'll notice - that like Adelman, Westphal had a established set of rotation which he used regularly. Why? Because Westphal's team during that time was good and already established and not like our present team that he handles now.
I hope this helps you find a little bit of sense now on what Westphal is doing. And I hope you don't mind me defending his moves because I really think he is "still" doing a good job as a coach with the kind of roster that we have. No need for me to crucify him yet.
This problem with our SF would be a repeating itself if Greene and Casspi would continue to be the inconsistent players that they are and at times knuckle-heads and if no other player ( not named Casspi or Greene ) steps-up his game and be consistent as our SF. In this case, and I think a lot of us would agree, both Casspi and Greene possesses the quality of a SF that Westphal is looking for. The problem rest on their inconsistency in playing that role because of inexperience. But I believe it would just be a matter of time and one of them will emerge as our starter SF and unless some other player in our roster pull a miracle.
The bottom line is - it is just too early to tell with only pratice games and preseason games as basis.
As an aside: We can brag we've watched sports for over 50 years and have played at a very high level. That wouldn't change the fact that Westphal is a good coach, and just like Adelman, had led a team into the NBA Finals. Most likely, Westphal being with the players most of the time is right on what he is doing and fans who had never coached in the NBA would likely be wrong. Let us be patient with him, especially that we're only into preseason games.
The reality is we don't have LeBron James, Gerald Wallace, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, or Carmelo Anthony in our roster. What we have is not even close to those guys. We have the young and inexperienced Greene and Casspi who right now seems not to fit on what Westphal is looking as the team's starting SF. And you very well know If Westphal has one of those you listed as number 1 options Westphal will have a different approach in running this team and addressing this SF positional problem. I honestly believe you have more common sense than what your post is implying.
Now, you are comparing Adelman to Westphal. If you are thinking reasonably well and not getting confused you would not compare Adelman to the present situation of Westphal. Adelman had the privilege of having good and established veteran players and Westphal has young and inexperienced players right now. Therefore, while you knew who was going to be in the starting lineup every night for Adelman and who would be in the rotation, we cannot say the same with Westphal right now. Westphal's team right now is composed of mostly young and inexperinced players!
I suggest you watch the old games of that glorious Phoenix Suns team when Westphal had several established players (like Barkley and Johnson) and during that time Westphal led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals. This will help refresh your memory. I'll bet you'll notice - that like Adelman, Westphal had a established set of rotation which he used regularly. Why? Because Westphal's team during that time was good and already established and not like our present team that he handles now.
I hope this helps you find a little bit of sense now on what Westphal is doing. And I hope you don't mind me defending his moves because I really think he is "still" doing a good job as a coach with the kind of roster that we have. No need for me to crucify him yet.
This problem with our SF would be a repeating itself if Greene and Casspi would continue to be the inconsistent players that they are and at times knuckle-heads and if no other player ( not named Casspi or Greene ) steps-up his game and be consistent as our SF. In this case, and I think a lot of us would agree, both Casspi and Greene possesses the quality of a SF that Westphal is looking for. The problem rest on their inconsistency in playing that role because of inexperience. But I believe it would just be a matter of time and one of them will emerge as our starter SF and unless some other player in our roster pull a miracle.
The bottom line is - it is just too early to tell with only pratice games and preseason games as basis.
As an aside: We can brag we've watched sports for over 50 years and have played at a very high level. That wouldn't change the fact that Westphal is a good coach, and just like Adelman, had led a team into the NBA Finals. Most likely, Westphal being with the players most of the time is right on what he is doing and fans who had never coached in the NBA would likely be wrong. Let us be patient with him, especially that we're only into preseason games.
Last edited: