Trying to help with the offseason boredom. Please forgive all previous bombasticity - there is a reason for it - I think we have a once in a generation team and roster on our hands.
Bear with me as I make a couple assumptions for my "argument".
1) I'm going to assume Sasha is starting at at some point during the season with meaningful games left to play. So let's work off that roster.
2) I'm also going to assume we make moderate improvements as a team in defense, for a number of reasons, which I won't detail here, but generally have to do with continued improvement of our players on the defensive end, Davion in particular, but also Keegan, the addition of Duarte, and a few other minor things around the edges. Point being, I am assuming a non-abysmal defensive effort this season.
My position on this season: we have a chance to take the league by storm. We still don't have any cheerleaders in the national press, Kendrick Perkins aside. What we do have is a highly competent front office who has been working on a crafted plan that appears to be hitting a crescendo this season or next, with the chance to be ahead of schedule this season. I'll list three main aspects, and leave you all to discuss.
1) Keegan is ahead of schedule. Monte clearly knew what he was drafting, but he couldn't have known how fast he would improve at the NBA level - that was a legitimate unknown. Breaking the rookie record for threes - fantastic. Somewhat of a best case scenario. But this kid has that dawg in him. By Coach Loucks comments - the org is prepared to give Keegan every resource he needs, including minutes, and an offense centered on his strengths.
2) Sasha. Yeah, yeah, yeah, nobody knows how his game will translate. But my magic eight meatball tells me his strengths will be given a chance to shine, and fears about his defense will be overrated (notice I didn't say unfounded). When he takes his place in the starting lineup, the magic will happen.
3) Barnes as leader of the bench squad. I expect this to happen, as stated above, with meaningful games to play. Exactly when that is is less than important: all star break, 20 games to go, whenever. My parmeseano prognosticatiano is that he'll find a role off the bench that will suit both his game, and his personality. His money is locked up - likely his last big contract. But his legacy is not, which I am factoring in as his primary concern. He knows the Kings are his last chance to cement this - and he wants another ring as a major contributor. He'll provide reliable scoring and vet leadership to a scrappy bench squad.
If, and I do mean IF things play out roughly as stated above - our starting lineup will be almost completely undefendable. We will have three elite off ball players with elite shooting, one of the top passing big men in the game - and an unguardable penetrator that makes it all click.
With FOUR shooters on the floor, and all kinds of motion, defenses will be stretched to the point of breaking. AND - here's the key point, it will be a three level attack. There won't be a spot on the floor our offense can't score from. Nowhere your defense can shade to.
All of this, combined with even just moderate improvements on defense, means that we will take a big step forward from our SECOND BEST IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE POST ALL STAR BREAK record. I see a lot of reason why we are going to not only continue that, but improve on it.
Please feel free, as always, to add your own points or, to the contrary, refine my own.
Bear with me as I make a couple assumptions for my "argument".
1) I'm going to assume Sasha is starting at at some point during the season with meaningful games left to play. So let's work off that roster.
2) I'm also going to assume we make moderate improvements as a team in defense, for a number of reasons, which I won't detail here, but generally have to do with continued improvement of our players on the defensive end, Davion in particular, but also Keegan, the addition of Duarte, and a few other minor things around the edges. Point being, I am assuming a non-abysmal defensive effort this season.
My position on this season: we have a chance to take the league by storm. We still don't have any cheerleaders in the national press, Kendrick Perkins aside. What we do have is a highly competent front office who has been working on a crafted plan that appears to be hitting a crescendo this season or next, with the chance to be ahead of schedule this season. I'll list three main aspects, and leave you all to discuss.
1) Keegan is ahead of schedule. Monte clearly knew what he was drafting, but he couldn't have known how fast he would improve at the NBA level - that was a legitimate unknown. Breaking the rookie record for threes - fantastic. Somewhat of a best case scenario. But this kid has that dawg in him. By Coach Loucks comments - the org is prepared to give Keegan every resource he needs, including minutes, and an offense centered on his strengths.
2) Sasha. Yeah, yeah, yeah, nobody knows how his game will translate. But my magic eight meatball tells me his strengths will be given a chance to shine, and fears about his defense will be overrated (notice I didn't say unfounded). When he takes his place in the starting lineup, the magic will happen.
3) Barnes as leader of the bench squad. I expect this to happen, as stated above, with meaningful games to play. Exactly when that is is less than important: all star break, 20 games to go, whenever. My parmeseano prognosticatiano is that he'll find a role off the bench that will suit both his game, and his personality. His money is locked up - likely his last big contract. But his legacy is not, which I am factoring in as his primary concern. He knows the Kings are his last chance to cement this - and he wants another ring as a major contributor. He'll provide reliable scoring and vet leadership to a scrappy bench squad.
If, and I do mean IF things play out roughly as stated above - our starting lineup will be almost completely undefendable. We will have three elite off ball players with elite shooting, one of the top passing big men in the game - and an unguardable penetrator that makes it all click.
With FOUR shooters on the floor, and all kinds of motion, defenses will be stretched to the point of breaking. AND - here's the key point, it will be a three level attack. There won't be a spot on the floor our offense can't score from. Nowhere your defense can shade to.
All of this, combined with even just moderate improvements on defense, means that we will take a big step forward from our SECOND BEST IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE POST ALL STAR BREAK record. I see a lot of reason why we are going to not only continue that, but improve on it.
Please feel free, as always, to add your own points or, to the contrary, refine my own.
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