Shareef to have a breakthrough season?

[HndsmCelt]

SAR is no second or third year player who is about to develop his game to another level. Truth is that virtually any player will score more if he shoots more. It's also true that guys that shoot close to the hoop make more shots than guys that take permiter shots. Reefs game will not get appreciably better on the basis of improvement of HIS game, but with more plays running Maritn slashing at the hoop Reefs assists could go up. The problem with giving Reef more touches is that they have to come from somewhere. Im not sure I want to See Bibby, Martin, Ron or Brad shoot less? Remember permiter shooting spreads the defense, cripples double teams giveing inside guys a MUCH easier time of it.

My solution to Reefs touches and having a "break out year" is that if Reef wants 5 more touches he simply needs to get 5 more rebounds.

 

[gunks]

I can see Reef maybe gettin one or two more boards a game this season without Bonzi there to take em away from him.

 

[Beezy]

Prior to this season Kevin Martin was not a familiar name in the NBA he made a name for himself this season... I remember everytime he had the ball in his hands he would look for his shot.... nearly every time. Artest, on the other hand, would take a lot of random shots... I've noticed when he takes the ball up court he loves to jack up 3s, that's not always the best option when we don't have a good rebounding team and when we have other players who can attack the basket and score. I do agree Reef needs to be way more assertive. That's probably the biggest knock on him his whole career. He did not get the ball in his hands as often as he's used to cuz in Vancouver & Atlanta he was a top guy. So he's going to have to adjust to making the most of his limited opportunities. He doesn't have to be our leading scorer or main go to guy (and I doubt he will be) but he is like you mentioned very savvy in the post.

 

[Bricklayer]

Prior to this season Kevin Martin was not a familiar name in the NBA he made a name for himself this season... I remember everytime he had the ball in his hands he would look for his shot.... nearly every time. Artest, on the other hand, would take a lot of random shots... I've noticed when he takes the ball up court he loves to jack up 3s, that's not always the best option when we don't have a good rebounding team and when we have other players who can attack the basket and score. I do agree Reef needs to be way more assertive. That's probably the biggest knock on him his whole career. He did not get the ball in his hands as often as he's used to cuz in Vancouver & Atlanta he was a top guy. So he's going to have to adjust to making the most of his limited opportunities. He doesn't have to be our leading scorer or main go to guy (and I doubt he will be) but he is like you mentioned very savvy in the post.

I continue to think that BOTH the Kings and Reef might be better off with Reef coming off the bench again. As it did last year, it frees up shots for all those other offensive starters, and then it gives us a bench goto guy who can come in firing without having to worry as much about competing for the ball with everybody. Does make us dependant on Ron for post offense among the starters, but on the other hand, also gives the starters some remote chance on the glass.

 

[Wheeler03]

The Kings could get away with Reef coming off the bench last season because Bonzi Wells provided points in the paint while KT floated around the perimeter. With Bonzi gone we will need Reef to become a presence down low. And more importantly, we will not be running an inverted offence this year with RA no longer running the team. This means our bigs can no longer get away with jacking up outsided shots and ignoring the paint. Coach Muss stated emphatically that our most important issue is to get touches in the paint. Since this is SAR's specialty, I can only assume he will get the nod ahead of KT. However, if he continues to rebound poorly, I fully expect him to be demoted. We simply cannot stay afloat with our PF and C being cream puffs.

 

[BawLa]

Some people seem to think that both Ron and Kevin need to handle the ball in order to operate. Ron...sure. He is a mismatch for many teams and his post up abilities should be used. But he also provides the deep threat which means he does not need the ball to operate all the time. We had Ron ballhandle more when Bibby was on the bench last year, for obvious reasons (depth), and in the process Ron got a little triggerhappy. I hope Eric can find a way to curb this. And since we have added ballhandling depth, it shouldn't be a problem.

On the other hand, Kevin is not a ballhandler and should not be a ballhandler. Slashing and perimeter shooting are his strengths. Why would we work away from that? I don't think Eric will have any problems with Kevin. We are fortunate to have the versatility of using his speed and hops to either push up-court or help rebound.

With respect to SAR and KT, I really don't think it is as much of a problem that we made it out to be. They are both professionals and they both want to win. At times, they were a force together on the court in "small ball" situations. Sometimes the greatest thing about a new coach is that everyone starts with a clean slate. I look to see if Eric can get these guys to rally around him.

SAR obviously did a great job for us coming off the bench. He does not need to "start" to get good minutes and touches. Those things are decided by the coach. And thank god for that fact. And it doesn't matter who wants the ball as much as who deserves the ball. Once we can consistently give him some outlets for the double-team, he will be one of our best players. Because of the passion I noticed from him in the playoffs, I expect SAR to dominate in '06-'07.

From my point of view, much of what we want and expect will depend heavily on Coach Muss.

 

[thedofd]

??????

You know, I must be missing more than I thought when I'm doing the PBP. Care to give some examples of when those ballhogs Artest and Martin kept SAR from shooting?

I'm no mathemetician, but looking at last year's stats, the breakdown goes as follows:

Mike Bibby, 1 shot every 2.3 minutes
Artest 1/2.5 minutes
Bonzi 1/2.7 minutes
Reef 1/3.1 minutes
Brad 1/3.3 minutes
KMart 1/2.5 minutes
Hart 1/3.7 minutes
K.T. 1/3.8 minutes
Cisco 1/4 minutes

From this, it's clear to me that Jason Hart should take fewer shots

 

[DETON8ER]

This is my first post and which ever forum i go to (insidehoops,realgm etc) they all say that Shareef Abdur-Rahim is the worst player, worst rebounder etc. This guy has like one of the best stats in the league.
If he starts all 82 games, the kings will be a dangerous team,
I can easily see him with 15.5ppg 7.5rpg 1.0spg 0.9bpg.
Shareef still has game, i hope he starts and maybe gets most improved peace out....

 

[Sac.Kings]

SAR was in quite a situation last year with a broken jaw around the same time as Ramadan was and it took him quite some time to get in game shape and be healthy again. He could have been afraid of getting hurt again and perhaps thats why he didn't fight for rebounds as much. I fully expect his rebounds to go up. Welcome to KingsFans by the way.

 

[Bricklayer]

SAR was in quite a situation last year with a broken jaw around the same time as Ramadan was and it took him quite some time to get in game shape and be healthy again. He could have been afraid of getting hurt again and perhaps thats why he didn't fight for rebounds as much. I fully expect his rebounds to go up. Welcome to KingsFans by the way.

That doesn't make much sense, as if anything, SAR played his best ball down the stretch. On the other hand, he was soft and passive as a newborn bunny for the first couple of months BEFORE the injury, as a starter. Wasn't the injury.

As for rebounds going up -- all I have to say is they damn well better, although the raw numbers may not move much in a crowd of mediocre PFs all barking for time.

 

[Wheeler03]

I know you do not think much of SAR Bricklayer, but his career statistics indicate he is anything but an average PF. He may not be a top-tier PF at this point, but he is still above average and I look for him to have a big turnaround this year. Not predicting a 20-10 season, but 17-8.5 would not surprise me in the least if he is starting. Especially considering the fact that he will only take around 13-14 shots.

 

[DETON8ER]

Sacramento Kings are going to be one exciting team to watch...
Eric Musselman, is going to make every king player aggreessive, i think that he'll make REEF the starter because of their relationship...
I would like to see REEF dunk on Okafor one more time lol.

 

[Bricklayer]

I know you do not think much of SAR Bricklayer, but his career statistics indicate he is anything but an average PF. He may not be a top-tier PF at this point, but he is still above average and I look for him to have a big turnaround this year. Not predicting a 20-10 season, but 17-8.5 would not surprise me in the least if he is starting. Especially considering the fact that he will only take around 13-14 shots.

He could put up those numbers...and you can still lose 60 games on the year. He is one of those players with a remarkable knack for irrelevancy.

In any case, what I said above stands -- SAR was BETTER after the injury (after he truly healed, not while he was playing with it).

As for his overall potential -- who knows. Once upon a time he was a big number guy. But he has been sliding for years into soft passivity. People have a tendency to like those players because gee they've "nice". But the last thing you want out of a competitive athlete is "nice". He may still have the talent to put up good numbers, but if he doesn't burn to do it the talent is irrelevant. Last year he got out alpha maled by a team that might have had the lowest testosterone rating in the league to start the season. Hence once more -- bring him off the bench. Free him from having to compete for shots and you might get the most out of him.

 

[GoGoGadget]

I think the issue with SAR is less about whether or not he's a good player, and more about whether or not his skills are a good fit for the team.

I, personally, don't think they are. Too much of what we've already got in spades, not enough of what we need. Good player. Nice guy. But, pretty much the solution to a problem we ain't got.

 

[BawLa]

I think the issue with SAR is less about whether or not he's a good player, and more about whether or not his skills are a good fit for the team.

I, personally, don't think they are. Too much of what we've already got in spades, not enough of what we need. Good player. Nice guy. But, pretty much the solution to a problem we ain't got.

Yeah because Brad Miller and KT are such great post threats....

 

[GoGoGadget]

Yeah because Brad Miller and KT are such great post threats....

More scoring.

We don't really need more offensive players. Our needs, which were made painfully obvious throughout the whole of last season, are rebounding and blocks. He, like the rest of our "bigs," doesn't do that. Like, at all.

We need a banger. We need one of those caveman "me see ball, me get ball" players. We need an intimidating presence on the inside. From ANYONE who'll give it to us.

Our collective front court rotation, SAR included, is about as intimidating as the cat currently curled up at my feet.

 

[Wheeler03]

You may be correct in alot of what you say Brick....Reef is passive by nature and I am not certain that is going to change at this point in his life or career. Hopefully Muss can light a fire under him. He did however show that he is a man amongst men by playing with a devastating jaw injury last year. But I understand what you are trying to say. Reef needs to be more of a "me player." That is kind of strange considering everyone hates how "me" oriented most modern day athletes are. The skill set is stll there nonetheless. And the argument that he put up great numbers on bad teams does not fly when one considers that he averaged 15 shots to get 21 points over a six year period. And he is not old enough to say his skills have diminished. He just needs a coach to tell him that being agressive is a good thing for the team.

 

[DETON8ER]

You may be correct in alot of what you say Brick....Reef is passive by nature and I am not certain that is going to change at this point in his life or career. Hopefully Muss can light a fire under him. He did however show that he is a man amongst men by playing with a devastating jaw injury last year. But I understand what you are trying to say. Reef needs to be more of a "me player." That is kind of strange considering everyone hates how "me" oriented most modern day athletes are. The skill set is stll there nonetheless. And the argument that he put up great numbers on bad teams does not fly when one considers that he averaged 15 shots to get 21 points over a six year period. And he is not old enough to say his skills have diminished. He just needs a coach to tell him that being agressive is a good thing for the team.

I agree, if Mussleman works on REEFS aggressiveness he will be hard to contain. All i want from reef is to increase his rebounds by 2-3 since wells has left, i also want reef to block a few shots.

 

[Wheeler03]

I am not certain Reef will block 2-3 more shots. That is a very tall order for anyone, espceially someone not know for blocking shots. But in response to GoGpGadget....I think what he meant was that we have no real post scoring. We do have plenty of perimeter scoring. In addition, we are not the Kings of 1999-2004 any longer. Last year we were not an offensive juggernaut. This years Kings will need all the scoring it can get and points in the paint are a necessity. After all, Coach Muss said that is our number one priority.

 

[DETON8ER]

I am not certain Reef will block 2-3 more shots. That is a very tall order for anyone, espceially someone not know for blocking shots. But in response to GoGpGadget....I think what he meant was that we have no real post scoring. We do have plenty of perimeter scoring. In addition, we are not the Kings of 1999-2004 any longer. Last year we were not an offensive juggernaut. This years Kings will need all the scoring it can get and points in the paint are a necessity. After all, Coach Muss said that is our number one priority.

i didnt say he was going to block 2-3 more shots, i sed that he should block a few more shots.. for example in 4 games e'll block 2 shots.... i would like him to atleast block 1 shot a game?

 

[DaMan]

I think the issue with SAR is less about whether or not he's a good player, and more about whether or not his skills are a good fit for the team.

I, personally, don't think they are. Too much of what we've already got in spades, not enough of what we need. Good player. Nice guy. But, pretty much the solution to a problem we ain't got.

I agree, this might not be the right situation for sar. We need a big that is more D ortiented, we already have scorers. Sar is better used in a system were he is a second opintion next to a permier player and has a center that could play D to cover for his mistakes. Like i said before sar is capable of 20 and 7 or 8 but due to the many players that need the ball i don't think he will do it in sac town. I think sar's game would be a better fit for a team like the Nets or the Bulls, where he would be a good inside treat for their perimenter players.

And even though i think sar should come off the bench, i think he is just to good for that. For some reason i just hate to see good players play minor roles. I hated to see Jamison play off the bench for the mavs, i hated when franics played off the bench at the end of last season for the knicks. To me its a waste of talent and I don't think a team could truely use a players skill to the max by doing that. If sar comes off the bench next year i expect 11 and 5 which is good but he is far capable of much more. But i would just like to restate i understand why sar may come off the bench but I just think some players are just to good to come off the pine and sar is one of thoes players.

 

[DETON8ER]

I agree, this might not be the right situation for sar. We need a big that is more D ortiented, we already have scorers. Sar is better used in a system were he is a second opintion next to a permier player and has a center that could play D to cover for his mistakes. Like i said before sar is capable of 20 and 7 or 8 but due to the many players that need the ball i don't think he will do it in sac town. I think sar's game would be a better fit for a team like the Nets or the Bulls, where he would be a good inside treat for their perimenter players.

And even though i think sar should come off the bench, i think he is just to good for that. For some reason i just hate to see good players play minor roles. I hated to see Jamison play off the bench for the mavs, i hated when franics played off the bench at the end of last season for the knicks. To me its a waste of talent and I don't think a team could truely use a players skill to the max by doing that. If sar comes off the bench next year i expect 11 and 5 which is good but he is far capable of much more. But i would just like to restate i understand why sar may come off the bench but I just think some players are just to good to come off the pine and sar is one of thoes players.

I agree with you 100%!!! i cant stand it when ALL STAR players are on the bench when they have game... Even though REEf is a better player than KT, he is still going to be on the bench, due to Kenny thomas' whinning, crying etc.. Good luck reef..

 

[DaMan]

More scoring.

We don't really need more offensive players. Our needs, which were made painfully obvious throughout the whole of last season, are rebounding and blocks. He, like the rest of our "bigs," doesn't do that. Like, at all.

We need a banger. We need one of those caveman "me see ball, me get ball" players. We need an intimidating presence on the inside. From ANYONE who'll give it to us.

Our collective front court rotation, SAR included, is about as intimidating as the cat currently curled up at my feet.

Totally agree

I am not certain Reef will block 2-3 more shots. That is a very tall order for anyone, espceially someone not know for blocking shots. But in response to GoGpGadget....I think what he meant was that we have no real post scoring. We do have plenty of perimeter scoring. In addition, we are not the Kings of 1999-2004 any longer. Last year we were not an offensive juggernaut. This years Kings will need all the scoring it can get and points in the paint are a necessity. After all, Coach Muss said that is our number one priority.

Don't forget about ron, I am thinking that Muss will use Artest's post game more often this year especially if sar comes off the bench. Most likely Artest will be the first opinition in the post and will set up the others out in the perimenter.

 

[BawLa]

We don't really need more offensive players. Our needs, which were made painfully obvious throughout the whole of last season, are rebounding and blocks. He, like the rest of our "bigs," doesn't do that. Like, at all.

We need a banger. We need one of those caveman "me see ball, me get ball" players. We need an intimidating presence on the inside. From ANYONE who'll give it to us.

Our collective front court rotation, SAR included, is about as intimidating as the cat currently curled up at my feet.

Seriously. That is what makes me more upset though. Because the guys like Amundson and Williams who might be able to throw their bodies around better will see less time due to Mo. I just hope we don't let our prospects slip away like in the past.