Sheldon Williams

[natelocc787]

Why isn't Theus playing Williams ALOT more. Seems like every time he gets any minutes he has as many rebounds as minutes played. With us out of the playoff race, it would actually help our draft position if we lost games. Not suggesting we tank games but damn put Williams in and lets evaluate him. He looks like a potential beast in the paint. Why are they giving Moore all these minutes we know everything about him already? Who's to say Sheldon can't help us win or make more plays than Moore? At least give the man 20 min.
6 min? wtf is that?

 

[SacTownKid]

I have no freaking idea. But it needs to change.

 

[One and Done]

IMO, Williams could use a little more playing time, but he looks to be a career bencher, at best.

A few problem areas...he's a 6'8" center, doesn't have much outside game, and does not have good leaping ability. Add that to the fact he typically gets beat up in the paint, due to the aforementioned issues.

I'm sure his finishing ability and turnover issues will improve in time...and that's why I'm an advocate of more PT.

But the problem is...he's a 6'8" center and he plays like one. I do appreciate his hard effort on the floor, however, and I hope during the offseason he and the Kings staff can help him improve as a player.

 

[SacTownKid]

"Add that to the fact he typically gets beat up in the paint"

What? Not on defense, that's for sure. He is showing the tools that made him a standout defensive player in college. He can D up and pull down the boards. With the team we have, and with what we need going forward, that could make him a freaking full time starter for us. Except the defensive big man prospect we have now can hit his free throws, has a little range on his shot, and can post up a little. His post game is the thing that should have kept him out of th lottery, he can be solid there but will probably not be a great post player to say the least. He needs to learn some finesse because he can't just expect to overpower everyone.

 

[Gary]

I thought his main position was PF not Center? I haven't a clue why Theus would play him at C unless we were going REAL small.

 

[KingsCitizen]

Maybe, Theus is padding up Moore's stats for possible trade.
Anyway, Sheldon will have to whole summer to prove his game and hopefully solid fresh legs for next season. I think the Kings coaching staff does not have a big man coach to assist on Sheldon's game(i.e. low post plays). I won't get worried on his playing time till next season. I'm just ok with only Hawes getting more and more minutes for now.

 

[jayfly]

a few problem areas with your post as well. He is not a center but a pf, most of his nbs minutes have come at the pf pos. I have not watched much the last few weeks so maybe Theus has been using him at center I dont know. He actually has a nice 10-12 foot jumper, which he would show if he got to play. He is a decent leaper. At the combine coming out of Duke he vertical was in the low 30's which is good for someone his size. And I have not seen him get beat up in the paint, quite the opposite. Give the frigging kid 20 minutes a game for the rest of the season and lets see how good he can be. We really dont need him to score. just defend and rebound, he has good hands to catch a pass so lets try some pick and roll with him.

 

[VF21]

No, Theus hasn't used him at center. In fact, Williams has seen time at PF with Mikki at the C position.

 

[KingKong]

IMO, Williams could use a little more playing time, but he looks to be a career bencher, at best.
.

Pretty harsh for someone we've seen so little of, thus far. And in the little time that we've seen him, he's been pretty solid.

 

[CruzDude]

Shelden is a 4 pure and simple who can sub for a 5 for a bit, kinda like Ben Wallace only a better shooter. But as a 4 he could do some damage, get rebounds and score a few. Starter vs. main bench depends on his court sense and his ability to pickup what is going on. I'd think that a 3 or 4 year Dukie would have learned that. But maybe his only getting 4-6 minutes here and there is playing games with his confidence. Let him get 10 min in each half split around the quarter breaks and see what he can do with some starters or with rest of starters except for Mikki.

 

[Lawrence Funderburke]

just thought about this... maybe we might be trying to decide if we are to commit to moore for next year (i know we should have decided a long time ago) or possibly package him in a summer trade???

 

[upinsmoke]

Well i think reggie might feel that his style does not blend in well with the kings but i will disagree with that. The kings need a shot blocker/changer sooo bad.

 

[jayfly]

Moore

Why would anyone want Moore.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Shelden is a 4 pure and simple who can sub for a 5 for a bit, kinda like Ben Wallace only a better shooter. But as a 4 he could do some damage, get rebounds and score a few. Starter vs. main bench depends on his court sense and his ability to pickup what is going on. I'd think that a 3 or 4 year Dukie would have learned that. But maybe his only getting 4-6 minutes here and there is playing games with his confidence. Let him get 10 min in each half split around the quarter breaks and see what he can do with some starters or with rest of starters except for Mikki.

I agree with letting Shelden dip his feet into the water a bit more, but with regards to him being a "4", the knock against him ever since he was drafted was that he had a "5"'s game in a "4"'s body. That's not entirely a bad thing (Emeka Okafor had a similar perception coming into the league) but that just means that he'll have to learn to move down a position, whether by gaining more fluidity, developing some more post moves, accept that blocking shots will be harder to come by in this league, etc. He's shown some adjustment already and that's a good sign, though. Hopefully he'll make this summer a priority developing more "4" moves.

 

[Gary]

Why would anyone want Moore.

Energy guy off the bench.. You can put him in San Antonio, and he would thrive.. Actually there are many places that could use a scrapper like Moore. He has proven himself as a capable NBA player, but of course I don't think he's a starter by any means. I think Moore would thrive in Phoenix as well, because he's quick for a big guy. I wouldn't be surprised if Moore is part of a trade to a contender this summer.

 

[One and Done]

I did not mean to be harsh on the kid, I'm just going off what I have seen...watching a few Duke games, some Atlanta highlights, and seeing him now. And don't get me wrong, I'm pulling for the kid!

But from my view, he looks to be playing center or combo FC when inserted into the lineup. Also, based on the tools that he has, and from what I saw at Duke, he's more of an undersized center than a Power Forward.

As far as his leaping ability, I'm sure he performed well at the pre-draft camp. But what I've seen in his NBA career is Shelden constantly beat out in rebounding by taller players...but he sure as hell tries to get the ball, which I respect.

Like I said, it will be interesting to see what develops of the kid, and I think we'll know for sure after this summer if he's going to be a fit for this franchise or not. Until then, I'm pulling for him...

 

[SacTownKid]

Well i think reggie might feel that his style does not blend in well with the kings but i will disagree with that. The kings need a shot blocker/changer sooo bad.

Reggie has said the exact opposite though. Even with Justin he said we need that defensive/rebounding presense. The only excuse with Justin was maybe that he couldn't hit a free throw to save his life. Shelden can! So what's the deal!?

 

[upinsmoke]

Reggie has said the exact opposite though. Even with Justin he said we need that defensive/rebounding presense. The only excuse with Justin was maybe that he couldn't hit a free throw to save his life. Shelden can! So what's the deal!?

Well its been said that actions speak louder than words and he is simply not getting the mins.

 

[natelocc787]

You guys keep saying he can't jump. How is he getting so many boards when he does play. He's good at grabbing offensive rebounds too. For a 6' 8" guy who's trying to grab boards over a group of guys ranging 6'10"-7'1" he seems to be getting to the basketball just fine. I don't think it will hurt to give him decent minutes. That's probably what he needs to learn learn the game at the NBA level which I understand he got for a very short time in ATL, then he was benched. We should have learned with Gerald Wallace...

 

[CruzDude]

OK. I looked at a composite of strengths and weaknesses for Shelden from several sources and they all pretty much said the same.

When he came out in '06 one review said:
+
burly power forward, extremely strong body, hard worker, tremendous wingspan of a 7 footer+, excellent skill level, 4 yrs at Duke, rebounds and boxes out well, fairly consistent jumper out to 15 ft.

-
lacks fluidity running floor, stiff, not much of an improviser, lacks great vision,

Then earlier this NBA season: "quite a physical specimen, strong & athletic, tough defensive player, poor on offense, foul prone"

Then Insidehoops.com said it best: "He's like a better Brian Grant. Can play the 5 or 4."

and another scouting report from 06 added: a short but filled out big man who relies on strength and hustle. Hits the boards, blocks shots, slams into players and plays hard.

Hey, how many of those types have we had since Brian Grant??? Name 1 more other than RonRon!!! Me neither!! Bobby Jackson maybe but as Jerry Reynolds said many times "Bobby is the shortest power forward in the league at 6-1"

So plus is defense, rebounding, blocking shots and is a bruiser.
And minus is offense, creativity, bit robotic, not great passer.

So?? A Karl Malone he is not............ yet?

I like the kid and want to see him get 20 min/gm for 4-5 games then pass judgement.

 

[Kingster]

Why isn't Theus playing Williams ALOT more. Seems like every time he gets any minutes he has as many rebounds as minutes played. With us out of the playoff race, it would actually help our draft position if we lost games. Not suggesting we tank games but damn put Williams in and lets evaluate him. He looks like a potential beast in the paint. Why are they giving Moore all these minutes we know everything about him already? Who's to say Sheldon can't help us win or make more plays than Moore? At least give the man 20 min.
6 min? wtf is that?

Why? Because Theus thinks Moore can win get him to the all important .500 mark this year and Williams can't. It's that simple. It does make Petrie's trade look a little weak, considering the coach doesn't think the main ingredient in his trade is worth playing more than the secondary power forward we already have. Theus is probably wishing he still had Bibby, so he could play Douby less and maybe, just maybe, get to that golden mean of .500.

 

[kennadog]

Yeah, this team can still make .500, baby!

If we win 69% of our remaining 16 games. I guess that counts as a "shot" at .500.

Actually, Theus said they are playing for pride, now. Still means he wants to win every game.

 

[CruzDude]

Why? Because Theus thinks Moore can win get him to the all important .500 mark this year and Williams can't. It's that simple. It does make Petrie's trade look a little weak, considering the coach doesn't think the main ingredient in his trade is worth playing more than the secondary power forward we already have. Theus is probably wishing he still had Bibby, so he could play Douby less and maybe, just maybe, get to that golden mean of .500.

How quick you forget the reason for the trade: dumping $11M of cap space before next year with 3 expirings, all tradeable commodities. One, Lue is already gone and off the books.

Beno is hardly making any of us wish for Bibby again. It was TIME, for Bibbs and the Kings, a good move for both sides.

Theus is playing Moore as there is no one who can step in and perform at same level. Hawes is being groomed to replace Miller. So between now and year end an in camp in October we'll see what Shelden can do.

 

[fnordius]

How quick you forget the reason for the trade: dumping $11M of cap space before next year with 3 expirings, all tradeable commodities.

I don't think they were ever really tradeable, because we were going to be up the creek if Kevin's extension kicked in without our having dumped a lot of payroll. So we had to either waive or hold all three guys. In the few days before the deadline, we might have tried to trade one ender for another, but that was the extent of our choices, and it's hard to see what might have been done. Lue was picked up, but nobody seemed to feel any sense of urgency about it, they didn't even bother to do it in time for him to be eligible for playoffs.

So I'm not disagreeing with your main point at all, the trade was all about dumping salary, and only incidentally about getting Shelden. I'm just nitpicking at the tradability of the (veteran) former Hawks, since I don't think they ever had any trade value to speak of, and I doubt that the FO made any attempt to trade them.

 

[AyeCarly]

I don't think they were ever really tradeable, because we were going to be up the creek if Kevin's extension kicked in without our having dumped a lot of payroll. So we had to either waive or hold all three guys. In the few days before the deadline, we might have tried to trade one ender for another, but that was the extent of our choices, and it's hard to see what might have been done. Lue was picked up, but nobody seemed to feel any sense of urgency about it, they didn't even bother to do it in time for him to be eligible for playoffs.

So I'm not disagreeing with your main point at all, the trade was all about dumping salary, and only incidentally about getting Shelden. I'm just nitpicking at the tradability of the (veteran) former Hawks, since I don't think they ever had any trade value to speak of, and I doubt that the FO made any attempt to trade them.

Since we're nitpicking, if they had no trade value, why (and how) were they traded by the Hawks. Seems there value then, is the ability to sign Beno. Or another way to think about it is we traded Bibby for Beno, who we already had. I've confused myself. I don't like to nitpick either, but when in Rome.

 

[fnordius]

Since we're nitpicking, if they had no trade value, why (and how) were they traded by the Hawks.

They were traded to us, and kept by us, because we really needed to cut payroll in light of Kevin's extension, and enders are the way to do that. We could have traded them for other enders, but didn't really have time to do anything about it, and it seems unlikely that we'd benefit from doing so.

Seems there value then, is the ability to sign Beno. Or another way to think about it is we traded Bibby for Beno, who we already had. I've confused myself. I don't like to nitpick either, but when in Rome.

Before, we could give Beno up to the MLE, and that hasn't really changed, so I don't see Beno as a reason, only as a softener of the short term blow. I think it was that Kev's raise was already a done deal, and Bibby's paycheck covered it nicely.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Uh oh, here comes the Landlord...you have signed a lease with the man who will destroy you with the game of basketball!! Wake up wake up the rent is due now!

 

[Kingster]

How quick you forget the reason for the trade: dumping $11M of cap space before next year with 3 expirings, all tradeable commodities. One, Lue is already gone and off the books.

Beno is hardly making any of us wish for Bibby again. It was TIME, for Bibbs and the Kings, a good move for both sides.

Theus is playing Moore as there is no one who can step in and perform at same level. Hawes is being groomed to replace Miller. So between now and year end an in camp in October we'll see what Shelden can do.

What makes you think that Theus cares one iota about dumping $11 M of cap space and 3 expirings? Don't you get it? Theus is focused on winning THIS year. If he cared about winning in years 2 and 3, he'd be playing the young guys a heckuva lot more than he is. Isn't that obvious? And regarding Sheldon, are you saying that Theus is going to figure him out in TRAINING CAMP?

 

[CruzDude]

I thought his main position was PF not Center? I haven't a clue why Theus would play him at C unless we were going REAL small.

Did a bit of research and found this tid-bit from NBA TV's Rick Kamla in his thumbnail summary of the 1st round draft choices playing in the 2006 Summer league:

5. Shelden Williams, Hawks: The banger from Duke had the game-winning basket in Atlanta's RMR finale, and he flirted with a double-double (10 and 9) in the previous game. That said, Williams did not earn All-Revue honors so he didn't make a huge splash in Salt Lake.

Then on the Hawks web site the following summer this review of Shelden by Micah Hart on August 8, 2007 of his rookie year and what Micah thought Shelden should work on:

Shelden Williams

2007 Stats: 5.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 46% FG, 76% FT, 0.5 bpg

2007 Highlights: Shelden's productivity in his rookie season was quite parabolic (did I just blow your mind with that math reference?). He started out playing well, receiving a lot of playing time in the absence of various Hawks players, then saw his production dip severely when his frontcourt brethren came back healthier. The Landlord rebounded (figuratively and literally) late in the season though, taking advantage of increased floor time to win Rookie of the Month honors for the Eastern Conference in April. He finished the season with four straight double-doubles (and led all rookies in that category on the season), including 16 points and 17 rebounds in the season's penultimate game against Milwaukee.

What he needs to work on this summer: Shelden played most of last season as a power forward, but started to come on strong when he was switched to the 5. If he projects to play more center in the future (or really, wherever he plays), he needs to shoot better from the field. 46% FG for a big man is subpar. At times last year, Shelden appeared to be trying to do too much at one time (a problem for almost every NBA rookie). If he works on continuing to develop a few go-to moves and stays away from his weaknesses, his shooting percentages and scoring average should go up.

I like the kid and his upside. It's almost as if his confidence isn't there yet as he seems to hesitate on offense. Defensively, he seems to have no fear and can bang but ................ hmmmm, always a mysterious "but" at the end of discussing Shelden. I wish him the best and if he can get 10 rebs in 20 min and near 10 pts then good bench big guy. He's played two summer leagues now so he is not eligible for this summer.

 

[Entity]

Did a bit of research and found this tid-bit from NBA TV's Rick Kamla in his thumbnail summary of the 1st round draft choices playing in the 2006 Summer league:

5. Shelden Williams, Hawks: The banger from Duke had the game-winning basket in Atlanta's RMR finale, and he flirted with a double-double (10 and 9) in the previous game. That said, Williams did not earn All-Revue honors so he didn't make a huge splash in Salt Lake.

Then on the Hawks web site the following summer this review of Shelden by Micah Hart on August 8, 2007 of his rookie year and what Micah thought Shelden should work on:

Shelden Williams

2007 Stats: 5.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 46% FG, 76% FT, 0.5 bpg

2007 Highlights: Shelden's productivity in his rookie season was quite parabolic (did I just blow your mind with that math reference?). He started out playing well, receiving a lot of playing time in the absence of various Hawks players, then saw his production dip severely when his frontcourt brethren came back healthier. The Landlord rebounded (figuratively and literally) late in the season though, taking advantage of increased floor time to win Rookie of the Month honors for the Eastern Conference in April. He finished the season with four straight double-doubles (and led all rookies in that category on the season), including 16 points and 17 rebounds in the season's penultimate game against Milwaukee.

What he needs to work on this summer: Shelden played most of last season as a power forward, but started to come on strong when he was switched to the 5. If he projects to play more center in the future (or really, wherever he plays), he needs to shoot better from the field. 46% FG for a big man is subpar. At times last year, Shelden appeared to be trying to do too much at one time (a problem for almost every NBA rookie). If he works on continuing to develop a few go-to moves and stays away from his weaknesses, his shooting percentages and scoring average should go up.

I like the kid and his upside. It's almost as if his confidence isn't there yet as he seems to hesitate on offense. Defensively, he seems to have no fear and can bang but ................ hmmmm, always a mysterious "but" at the end of discussing Shelden. I wish him the best and if he can get 10 rebs in 20 min and near 10 pts then good bench big guy. He's played two summer leagues now so he is not eligible for this summer.

how does eligibilty work. Because 2 years ago Ron Artest played in the summer league. and Francisco Garcia played in his third summer league this past summer.