simple question: what Kings players make the other players around them better?

[Maverick]

Quick intro. New to the board. But I have been reading and lurking since the beginning of last season. I am one of those college Jimmer fans that only started paying attention to the Kings because of Jimmer. However, I am not one of those people that thinks that Jimmer is an incredible talent and should be playing 35 minutes a game. My desire for Jimmer to play is purely selfish and nothing to do with the Kings being better.

I am actually a Mavs fan. But I do like basketball and having watched some Kings ball, have an opinion or two about the team. And I have appreciated the Bricklayer grades and writeups.

End of intro.

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The thing that really bothers me about the Kings is that, in my opinion, the best players don't make anyone else better. The whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. Even worse, the whole is less than the sum of the parts.

REKE: If the NBA were one-on-one make-it-take-it, he might be top 5 in the NBA. He's a real talent going to the rim. Unfortunately, it is his only talent, and he doesn't see the floor well.

Cousins: This man makes me glad I don't have an emotional investment in the Kings. Or else I would have punched out my TV by now. I don't need to rehash his problems, you guys already know them. Does he make his teammates better? Is he a multiplier? Does his game lend to role players getting wide open looks? Is he a leader in the clubhouse? Is he mentally strong and of high character? Time will tell, but I would not be optimistic. He is NOT a player, for example, I would want on the Mavs.

Thornton: guy can fill it up. But another case of where his strength is his weakness. Can shoot, but doesn't make anyone else better. We've all played pickup ball with guys like this. Volume shooter, demands passes, black-hole. Ok when your team wins, but gets pretty tiresome when the team doesn't win.

If your three best players don't make anyone else better, how can you expect to be good? you guys talk about "poor fit" on this team, and I think this gets to what I'm talking about. Your most talented players are not multipliers. Don't be surprised to see some of the Kings role players go to other teams and do well, and then be thinking "how come they never did that in Sacramento." It will be because of the players they are surrounded by on the other teams.

The one guy whom I have previously thought actually did make others better was IT. But now it looks like he has taken a step backwards for unclear reasons.

After these many months, I had to get this off my chest. Sorry for the pedantic ranting.

 

[VF21]

Welcome to KF. It's always good to see a lurker take the plunge and join the fun. We used to have a couple of Mavs fans who were regular posters back in the good ol' days.

I think you're way too tough on Cousins. You're seeing an incredible talent who was almost thrown out by our previous coach and is still learning to find the right way to play the game. I wouldn't give up on him quite yet, if I were you. There were people around here who didn't want Webber either, and foretold horrific scenarios of what would happen if he came to the Kings.

The Kings are a work in progress and, for a change, it looks like we're actually progressing towards something positive instead of flying into the sun. Don't give up on us too soon.

 

[Maverick]

Free league pass is done for the season. I was going to buy game plan last year under the idea that I could watch Jimmer. But when I realized Jimmer was only getting a few minutes, and the Kings weren't that enjoyable to watch anyway....

So my actual viewing of games is going to go down from here on out.

Maybe Cousins can prove that he has a good head on his shoulders. I was just listening to some sports radio guys today talk about the NFL Network special on Jimmy Johnson, and how one of the things he always looked for in a draft pick was intelligence. The ability for a player to learn and be reasoned with. I'm not convinced that Cousins is that guy.

 

[funkykingston]

Maybe Cousins can prove that he has a good head on his shoulders. I was just listening to some sports radio guys today talk about the NFL Network special on Jimmy Johnson, and how one of the things he always looked for in a draft pick was intelligence. The ability for a player to learn and be reasoned with. I'm not convinced that Cousins is that guy.

One of the things I have zero doubt about with DeMarcus is his intelligence, both in the general sense and in terms of basketball IQ. He has both in spades. Does he need to control his emotions better? Sure. At times his body language is terrible on the court, but in terms of temperament he's far closer to Kobe Bryant than Derrick Coleman despite the pre-draft comparisons. And I'll always take a guy who's fire occasionally burns too hot over a guy who doesn't have the will to be great, which is why I worry far more about Tyreke than Cousins.

 

[Hadlowe]

Cousins: Offensive rebounding prowess provides a huge safety net for his teammates on missed shots. It makes it okay for Tyreke and IT to drive the lane in traffic because Cousins has a pretty good chance of grabbing misses. He is a good passer, and his mid-range shooting means that he can drag at least one big body away from the paint. He is a good passing big-man, but doesn't get many assists because the team shoots a poor percentage from outside. Defensively, he is a big body in the lane who alters a fair amount of shots and forces a ton of turnovers through charges drawn and getting in the passing lanes.

Evans: His distribution is pretty good for a scoring guard. His lack of an outside shot does lead to problems for his teammates because the defense can clog the lanes, but he is a good defender who can lock down most players in the league at 1-3 positions.

Thornton: Floor spacing. See Tyreke Evans' weakness above. He hasn't been a great passer his first two years, but this year he is looking for his teammates more, especially on the break, which is something I have criticized him heavily for in the past. His defense is still problematic, but he gets a lot of steals which lead to easy points for he and his teammates.

None of these guys is Steve Nash or Pau Gasol. They are also young players on a bad team, so there is some pressure to be "the man" all the time. A lot of the fault lies with the coach for that.

 

[rainmaker]

Free league pass is done for the season. I was going to buy game plan last year under the idea that I could watch Jimmer. But when I realized Jimmer was only getting a few minutes, and the Kings weren't that enjoyable to watch anyway....

So my actual viewing of games is going to go down from here on out.

Maybe Cousins can prove that he has a good head on his shoulders. I was just listening to some sports radio guys today talk about the NFL Network special on Jimmy Johnson, and how one of the things he always looked for in a draft pick was intelligence. The ability for a player to learn and be reasoned with. I'm not convinced that Cousins is that guy.

Cuz is very intelligent. Just ask his college coach. He's also very emotional. Those two are not one in the same.

But if you're only watching because of Jimmer and don't like watching our team, not sure why I'm wasting my time replying in this thread. This is kingfans, not jimmerfans.

 

[Maverick]

Let's be fair here....for people that live in a different part of the country, that don't have a direct connection to Sacramento or the Kings, what real incentive is there to be a Kings fan? Or better yet, if you actually do live in Sacramento, is this a team that is easy to get behind? Losing doesn't cure many ills. When you are on a bad team in a small market, it is easy to just disappear and not really be on radar anywhere. Before Jimmer was drafted, I'd never seen Tyreke play.

I just looked this stat up--not sure if it is true--the last Kings All-star was on 03-04?

 

[Dreadnought]

Let's be fair here....for people that live in a different part of the country, that don't have a direct connection to Sacramento or the Kings, what real incentive is there to be a Kings fan? Or better yet, if you actually do live in Sacramento, is this a team that is easy to get behind? Losing doesn't cure many ills. When you are on a bad team in a small market, it is easy to just disappear and not really be on radar anywhere. Before Jimmer was drafted, I'd never seen Tyreke play.

I just looked this stat up--not sure if it is true--the last Kings All-star was on 03-04?

Yeah we suck.

 

[Kingster]

Cousins, IT, Brooks, Thornton. Maybe Thompson. The guys that can shoot outside open the floor for the inside player and vice versa.

 

[Maverick]

Let me add, you can be a great individual talent, but not really make your teammates better. Carmelo might be an example of that. There are certain things he does well, and certain other things he doesn't do very well. Some offenses are just not going to work if Carmelo is the focal point. And yes, players like this have value can help you win. But they are not Michael Jordans and Magic Johnsons who can take average teammates and make them great. And it's not just the style of play. A big part of it is leadership. And really fostering a non-selfish style of play that is centered on team and winning.

 

[swisshh]

Cousins fits the bill the best. I think with a better atmosphere and team offense around him, he'd be putting up more assists.

But there's just too many fu*kball players on the team, and the front office seems to add more each year.

 

[tyreeeke]

Let's be fair here....for people that live in a different part of the country, that don't have a direct connection to Sacramento or the Kings, what real incentive is there to be a Kings fan? Or better yet, if you actually do live in Sacramento, is this a team that is easy to get behind? Losing doesn't cure many ills. When you are on a bad team in a small market, it is easy to just disappear and not really be on radar anywhere. Before Jimmer was drafted, I'd never seen Tyreke play.

I just looked this stat up--not sure if it is true--the last Kings All-star was on 03-04?

lol. You're out there, bud. These fans don't need to be reminded of their misery, they know it all too well. This team is making strides, though, and there is reason to have hope. You just better hope Dirk can return to form and Mayo continues to improve.