Small Forwards and the Kings 2011
Cisco, Omri and Donte, the 3 SF on the Kings roster all year. Cisco was injured and not available for 30-40 games I think but the other two were here all year. Here is my take on the Kings SF and what I, as an armchair GM, think.
Cisco has a history of being a very good stimulant off the bench the past 3-4 years. As a starter he is just not that UMPHH. A good 3pt shooter and weak side defender and good ball handler. Not great with any one thing but dependable and when "on" can bomb a bunch of 3's any given night. A leader type personality on the court and on the bench.
Omri is only a 2nd year Euro player but he is the toughest player on the team, a major hustler and not afraid to bang with anyone. A better than average defender and shooter but not a very good ball handler. Does lead fast breaks more often than not (as long as he doesn't try to dribble too much!) and in first half of year demonstrated he can be a 15 pt, 5 reb starter against most teams.
Donte is the mystery wrapped in an enigma shrouded by a fog. Now in his 3rd year of play, he has never developed a consistency at any aspect of his game. A poor rebounder at 6-10 rarely getting more than a couple a game if that. A 3 pt shooter more than a 3 pt scorer. He can hit 2-3 a game but rarely does that. Runs the floor but not well and seems best at being the OOP end of an Alley-Oop. His inconsistency is worrisome and his stat line lately has been a disaster sometimes getting only 2 points in 15-20 min of play. Not a good decision maker and seems to lack focus on the court.
OK, now so what? First a couple of comments about Kings SF in general. With the addition of Thornton, the touches for the SF have gone down but Kings scoring in general seems to be up, at least it was when Thornton started while Tyreke was still injured and recovering. Thornton was quite an unexpected surprise and major offensive contributor while being good defender. His production complimented the SF's, especially Omri.
Then Tyreke returns gradually then full time and immediately Thornton's time and touches went down but the SF touches even more it seems. This must have been the 20th different starting line up Westphal created, some by necessity due to injuries, some due to performance issues and others due to who knows what. With such a young group, coaching inconsistency hurts.
Greene doesn't contribute night to night. Omri doesn't play at all anymore and Cisco while ok is not a major SF contributor as a starter. A SF needs to put up 12-15 pts a night, hit 20-30 on occasion. Why is that not happening? Not consistent team play and only some improvement in team play the last 10 games or so.
My solution for the last 3 games of the year is:
start Omri,
bring Cisco off the bench
use Greene when a matchup for a 6-10 or 6-11 SF is needed.
When next season starts after the lockout, trade Greene along with a draft choice for a PG or more productive SF. Now I feel better getting all that off my chest.
Cisco, Omri and Donte, the 3 SF on the Kings roster all year. Cisco was injured and not available for 30-40 games I think but the other two were here all year. Here is my take on the Kings SF and what I, as an armchair GM, think.
Cisco has a history of being a very good stimulant off the bench the past 3-4 years. As a starter he is just not that UMPHH. A good 3pt shooter and weak side defender and good ball handler. Not great with any one thing but dependable and when "on" can bomb a bunch of 3's any given night. A leader type personality on the court and on the bench.
Omri is only a 2nd year Euro player but he is the toughest player on the team, a major hustler and not afraid to bang with anyone. A better than average defender and shooter but not a very good ball handler. Does lead fast breaks more often than not (as long as he doesn't try to dribble too much!) and in first half of year demonstrated he can be a 15 pt, 5 reb starter against most teams.
Donte is the mystery wrapped in an enigma shrouded by a fog. Now in his 3rd year of play, he has never developed a consistency at any aspect of his game. A poor rebounder at 6-10 rarely getting more than a couple a game if that. A 3 pt shooter more than a 3 pt scorer. He can hit 2-3 a game but rarely does that. Runs the floor but not well and seems best at being the OOP end of an Alley-Oop. His inconsistency is worrisome and his stat line lately has been a disaster sometimes getting only 2 points in 15-20 min of play. Not a good decision maker and seems to lack focus on the court.
OK, now so what? First a couple of comments about Kings SF in general. With the addition of Thornton, the touches for the SF have gone down but Kings scoring in general seems to be up, at least it was when Thornton started while Tyreke was still injured and recovering. Thornton was quite an unexpected surprise and major offensive contributor while being good defender. His production complimented the SF's, especially Omri.
Then Tyreke returns gradually then full time and immediately Thornton's time and touches went down but the SF touches even more it seems. This must have been the 20th different starting line up Westphal created, some by necessity due to injuries, some due to performance issues and others due to who knows what. With such a young group, coaching inconsistency hurts.
Greene doesn't contribute night to night. Omri doesn't play at all anymore and Cisco while ok is not a major SF contributor as a starter. A SF needs to put up 12-15 pts a night, hit 20-30 on occasion. Why is that not happening? Not consistent team play and only some improvement in team play the last 10 games or so.
My solution for the last 3 games of the year is:
start Omri,
bring Cisco off the bench
use Greene when a matchup for a 6-10 or 6-11 SF is needed.
When next season starts after the lockout, trade Greene along with a draft choice for a PG or more productive SF. Now I feel better getting all that off my chest.
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