[Game] Preseason Game 4: Kings vs. Warriors, 12/17/2020, 6:00pm PST, 9:00pm EST
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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For those paying attention, including Walton, it kind of looks like he already did. Gentry has a history of playing the way Monte described and prior to the season almost every media person and player made it sounds like both he and Rex were coming up with the gameplan on either end. I think people underestimate the awkwardness of this whole thing. If Monte does then this is all a waste of time.
Exactly—look at the roster composition; Bagley is not playing center, hanging out in the dunker spot. Monte does not value the center position at $11M next season, let alone Bagley’s 5th option at $14M. Bagley will play power forward this year. If he shows superstar promise there, then he is worth a big extension (although I think he ends up waiting until after next year). If he fizzles out at PF, then he gets traded. Bagley may be a center, but it won’t be on the Kings.
BTW, the bigger issue with him at center is having to captain the defense and make the calls. That’s too much.
BTW, the bigger issue with him at center is having to captain the defense and make the calls. That’s too much.
I may have just missed it because the announcers couldn't get the numbers straight and Luke was running all the deep bench guys at once so I wasn't even sure who I was watching some of the time. I like Woodard at the 4, it's probably his best position, but our roster is so stacked at the 4 and 5 this year that I think he's going to have to earn his minutes at the 3 instead and to do that he'll have to prove he can knock down shots. We'll see though. If he comes in and plays his way into a rotation spot right away we might actually be a team on the rise this year cause reliable three and D minutes off the bench have been tough to come by in recent years.
Once more, what is the alternative? I already said if he's the impediment to winning at a respectable level then cross that bridge when you come to it. They ain't there yet and the truth is even with defensive shortcomings he's probably a big part of getting there anyway. Making decisions based on your defense with what Walton has done with his lineups and the results that followed is like a starving person eating the bag the sandwich came in and throwing the rest away because the bag has less carbs.
Ha ha, yeah like how they got Haliburton and Joseph mixed up. I think it was the 2nd Portland game he did well in limited minutes. I mean, he's only played limited minutes so it's a small sample size but he can help if used right and this also goes back to the team being used right. That muck at the 4/5 is basically just that right now, muck.
If i'm looking for actual constructive criticism, I'd say that Fox and our rollers (Bagley/Holmes/Whiteside) need to be looking to dish the ball out to the wings for open 3s more once the defense collapses on the roller/driver. We had a lot of nice set ups near the rim that led to 3 guys collapsing on the inside but too often we forced the shot inside rather than kicking it out for an open 3.
I think what's concerning is the fact that they don't even look close - you know how they say good shooters miss long or short, well Fox is missing backboard or rim. If the FT rate keeps up it would be a huge red flag - especially if so much of his game is going to be predicated on drawing fouls at the rim.
Oh, I will jump the gun here.
This team will be bad. Really bad. But who cares? People are legitimately upset that we're not going to be getting the .450 team of our dreams when we're sitting on the most mediocre core in the association.
I heard people complain about the spacing and the paint being clogged. What were you expecting with this starting lineup? Bagley and Holmes are together and Fox still can't shoot.
You can be sterling in everything else but if your PG can't shoot then you're always going to be playing catch-up these days. Same thing with Bagley; you can be athletic as hell, you can have expert body control, but no one posts-up their big anymore, especially their 4. The moment you try you're already losing. Hell, most teams these days can't get away with more than one non-shooter in your lineup. This group has three.
I'm fine with Fox; I'm fine with extending Fox for the max. He's a better shooter than 15% or whatever he's been shooting this preseason and I imagine he won't be hoisting as many in the regular season.
But his ability as a unquestioned, number one franchise player is iffy at best and the only reason people think he is one is because he's seven years removed from the previous draft pick who was worth any salt. Damn if this isn't a dangerous situation with him maxed out, no one else except maybe Haliburton worth anything, and we let a chance at a top pick in this year's loaded draft slip between our fingers.
This team will be bad. Really bad. But who cares? People are legitimately upset that we're not going to be getting the .450 team of our dreams when we're sitting on the most mediocre core in the association.
I heard people complain about the spacing and the paint being clogged. What were you expecting with this starting lineup? Bagley and Holmes are together and Fox still can't shoot.
You can be sterling in everything else but if your PG can't shoot then you're always going to be playing catch-up these days. Same thing with Bagley; you can be athletic as hell, you can have expert body control, but no one posts-up their big anymore, especially their 4. The moment you try you're already losing. Hell, most teams these days can't get away with more than one non-shooter in your lineup. This group has three.
I'm fine with Fox; I'm fine with extending Fox for the max. He's a better shooter than 15% or whatever he's been shooting this preseason and I imagine he won't be hoisting as many in the regular season.
But his ability as a unquestioned, number one franchise player is iffy at best and the only reason people think he is one is because he's seven years removed from the previous draft pick who was worth any salt. Damn if this isn't a dangerous situation with him maxed out, no one else except maybe Haliburton worth anything, and we let a chance at a top pick in this year's loaded draft slip between our fingers.
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Amazing the anti Bagley crew on here is never going to give it a rest. He used his off hand, which has been one of his biggest criticisms on here, and finished in the post going right but I guess we’re going to just ignore that. Or ignore how he was the only one out there after the game was over getting his free throws up when the whole team deserved to be out there shooting with him after that performance from the line. I sure hope it’s not fans like this bunch that eventually drives Bags to another team with all the constant criticism because we can’t move on from a draft that took place nearly 3 years ago at this point
I've been very critical of Bagley dating back to his time at Duke and I was pleasantly surprised by how well he played the last two games. I know he can score, I just want to see him apply that same level of effort and focus into playing defense and I think he did that against GS in those pre-season games. I'll be happy to eat crow on this one if he turns the corner and becomes a big-time player for us.
I don't know how much of our criticism here is making it to the players (I sure hope they aren't reading comments here or at least if they are that they understand how the internet works in terms of negativity coming across at a louder volume than everything else) but I also don't think the group that's most active on this message board speaks for the majority of the Sacramento fans. We're a pretty small subset of die-hards. And for that matter, a lot of us are just thinking out loud in written form. We throw our tantrums here and nobody needs to get punched. When the negativity bleeds over into the games as it did at times last year that's a little concerning but fans don't like seeing their team lose. I'm confident that the fans will show Bagley love if he plays well and the team wins with him.
I don't know how much of our criticism here is making it to the players (I sure hope they aren't reading comments here or at least if they are that they understand how the internet works in terms of negativity coming across at a louder volume than everything else) but I also don't think the group that's most active on this message board speaks for the majority of the Sacramento fans. We're a pretty small subset of die-hards. And for that matter, a lot of us are just thinking out loud in written form. We throw our tantrums here and nobody needs to get punched. When the negativity bleeds over into the games as it did at times last year that's a little concerning but fans don't like seeing their team lose. I'm confident that the fans will show Bagley love if he plays well and the team wins with him.
I think folks are stuck in their own heads on what they want Bagley to be and are ignoring what Luke, McNair and what is happening on the court is saying. The team already knows Marvin can play center and get you solid numbers in points and rebounds. What the team is doing is expanding his game. You can’t do that without letting him learn in-game. They want Marvin to initiate the fast break sometimes. Hit that short 3 in the corner. Every now and then try to hit the cutter from the high post. Then whenever needed, jump in the post and score with ease 1 on 1. Which lead to learning to pass out of double teams.
My biggest fear was that the team would put Marvin in a box and only let him rim run. That would be a huge waste of talent. This is the way to go with Marvin and I think McNair is willing to go through the growing pains to make him a well rounded threat on the floor.
Yes, Marvin can step right in and play center now. But we want player development, right? Well this is what player development looks like.
My biggest fear was that the team would put Marvin in a box and only let him rim run. That would be a huge waste of talent. This is the way to go with Marvin and I think McNair is willing to go through the growing pains to make him a well rounded threat on the floor.
Yes, Marvin can step right in and play center now. But we want player development, right? Well this is what player development looks like.
Watching the Kings make some effort on defense and play hard makes me think they have a lot of talented players. The problem is that when we look at the scoreboard the Warriors got 65 in the first half. Other teams just have more talent.
Maybe when nearly half the roster changes every year it is not rebuilding but just plain team building.
Maybe when nearly half the roster changes every year it is not rebuilding but just plain team building.