Circa_1985_Fan
All-Star
Amen...right now he's committing coaching suicide with what he's doing. Too late to give Garry St. Jean a call?? All of a sudden I'm craving a little PMA(Positive Mental Attitude).
Spencer Hawes Will Not Play Tonight
- Thread starter NewArena
- Start date
Circa_1985_Fan
All-Star
What must the Maloofs be thinking right now?? Maybe they're on the phone with Ole Whiz, since he's been out of a job for a bit now.
Its funny people in houston complain about adelman..i told them trust me..u think he is bad..u have no idea how much worse it can get!
MizzouKing
Starter
Let's Stow the Matches for a Bit...
There are a lot of assumptions being made here about the reason for Coach's decision. If it were just the article, don't you think other guys (like May) would also be wearing street clothes?
What say we get the facts before declaring him a morally challenged dirtbag?
There are a lot of assumptions being made here about the reason for Coach's decision. If it were just the article, don't you think other guys (like May) would also be wearing street clothes?
What say we get the facts before declaring him a morally challenged dirtbag?
kingsnation
All-Star
Ok guys, this isn't Muss, Theus or Natt. This is a Coach who's been around the league and has coached winning teams. He's not going to bench a prominent rotation player because he's offended by one quote in an article by a 20 year old kid. There has to be more behind the scenes that we're not seeing or hearing.
For him to show Spence that kind of disrespect by saying he'll know his role now implies that Spence has showed him mutual disrespect.
For him to show Spence that kind of disrespect by saying he'll know his role now implies that Spence has showed him mutual disrespect.
There are a lot of assumptions being made here about the reason for Coach's decision. If it were just the article, don't you think other guys (like May) would also be wearing street clothes?
What say we get the facts before declaring him a morally challenged dirtbag?
I can't tell if you are being serious. Westphal specifically referenced Hawes comments for his being kept from the game.
ParniValjak
All-Star
I think Westphal has taken it too far this time, unless there is something behind the scenes that we are not aware of.
However, if this is a result of Spencer's quotes from Amick's article, then I think Westphal needs to toughen the **** and and not get offended when players have a comment on his coaching style.
Pretty poor effort by Westphal. You need players on your side and if this is how you are treating them, you will be out of the league by this time next year because no one would want to play for you.
However, if this is a result of Spencer's quotes from Amick's article, then I think Westphal needs to toughen the **** and and not get offended when players have a comment on his coaching style.
Pretty poor effort by Westphal. You need players on your side and if this is how you are treating them, you will be out of the league by this time next year because no one would want to play for you.
Larry David
Starter
This is huge. Westphal risks losing the team on this one. Look, even if there was other stuff (which is a big assumption, as the pregame quote pertains to the story) two big mistakes: (1) made it public; and (2) showed him up.
Look, I'm no Spencer fan, but you cannot show these guys up like that. To be clear, I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to show them up. They just won't take it. And you will lose your job. Look, if you are Phil or Pop - then sure - you get one or two of these a year. You take a little dig in public. If you've Westphal and the wheels are already flying off the team ... bad idea. The problem isn't torching the Hawes bridge. It's the players who say "That was wrong" to themselves and get a little more distant. When a team starts how, things go bad, and now this .... whoo better hope we start winning some games. It could get ugly.
Going public - with the snipe to Sam - is the killer. Even if it was 10% something else, which they intended to keep private. Most fans will assume it's about what you said. And now you've got two options ... come off as a bush league coach that couldn't handle bad press or air more dirt ... no good pick there.
And since effort was an issue tonight ... not unclear it's not on coach to win the team back already
Look, I'm no Spencer fan, but you cannot show these guys up like that. To be clear, I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to show them up. They just won't take it. And you will lose your job. Look, if you are Phil or Pop - then sure - you get one or two of these a year. You take a little dig in public. If you've Westphal and the wheels are already flying off the team ... bad idea. The problem isn't torching the Hawes bridge. It's the players who say "That was wrong" to themselves and get a little more distant. When a team starts how, things go bad, and now this .... whoo better hope we start winning some games. It could get ugly.
Going public - with the snipe to Sam - is the killer. Even if it was 10% something else, which they intended to keep private. Most fans will assume it's about what you said. And now you've got two options ... come off as a bush league coach that couldn't handle bad press or air more dirt ... no good pick there.
And since effort was an issue tonight ... not unclear it's not on coach to win the team back already
Kingsroots
G-League
Man I couldn't agree more! Maybe Spencer will know his role is to STFU and rebound the ball! He is the LEAST of all the players on the team who should be opening his mouth about playing time... considering what he does with his playing time... One friggin rebound is TOTAL BS!!
Yeah, I tend to agree. Spencer is a cry baby. I realize it wasn't just him that made comments but we don't know what else happened behind the scenes. They want Spencer to be the future starting center but with his lazy/week/wussy attitude maybe this is all about sending him a message. I really want Spencer to be THAT guy but more and more I am thinking he won't be. he's still young and has potential... Just not as much as I was hoping for when we drafted him.
Dude Spencer Hawes is overrated you're overrating his panzy ***. Spencer has 1 good game vs Boston then gets worked by Stoudemire and Kaman. Spencer has had like 6 good games all season and then he follows them up with crappy efforts like he doesn't need to play hard. You're hating on a coach who coached a team to the finals and multiple teams to the playoffs before in favor of a 22 year old player who skipped out on all the offseason summer league and conditioning, who grew up with a sense of entitlement, and who hasn't ever done anything good in this league for an extended period of time at all.
I HIGHLY doubt that this is just about the comments Spencer made in the paper. May said more stuff and he didn't get benched tonight, he got to play for the first time in a while actually.
I don't want to start rumors or anything but a clippers fan in LA on another message board said that he saw Beno, Noc, and Spencer out the night before and they were getting really drunk. Maybe Spencer has an alcoholism problem? I could be wrong but it wouldn't be the first time a young athlete had a problem with alcohol or drugs. Either way, Spencer isn't doing himself any favors. I am on Westphal's side 100%. Guys like Donte have a legit gripe over PT, but Spencer? Maybe if he would've been here all summer like the rest of the guys he'd have room to talk but he wasn't so he doesn't.
Here's the Catch 22, you can't let the players run amok either and spout off to the media. Especially if the one spouting is near the top of the wildly underacheiving.
Kingster
Hall of Famer
I LOVE IT. Westphal, when asked about Spencer sitting on the bench: "At least he knows his role."
Spencer has got to grow up. I really like the kid, and he definitely has talent, but he just doesn't know that he doesn't know. Until he does, he's going to continue to get more time on the bench than on the court. He's got competition now. He's not entitled. He has to earn it. We've seen him look very good at times, and then he dissapears. It's all about consistency, and that has a lot to do with maturation as a person and a player. He's still a kid. I know Westphal is pissed, and he has every right to be. But I highly doubt that any grudges will be held and this tiff should blow over. Whether Spencer accepts the challenge or not is up to him.
Spencer has got to grow up. I really like the kid, and he definitely has talent, but he just doesn't know that he doesn't know. Until he does, he's going to continue to get more time on the bench than on the court. He's got competition now. He's not entitled. He has to earn it. We've seen him look very good at times, and then he dissapears. It's all about consistency, and that has a lot to do with maturation as a person and a player. He's still a kid. I know Westphal is pissed, and he has every right to be. But I highly doubt that any grudges will be held and this tiff should blow over. Whether Spencer accepts the challenge or not is up to him.
S
sactownfan
Guest
and things go from bad.... to ugly
well im really hoping that this had to do with Spencers attitude all season, or something else happened other than the media remarks... i hope...
well im really hoping that this had to do with Spencers attitude all season, or something else happened other than the media remarks... i hope...
Last edited by a moderator:
Haha Tyreke brings 100 percent effort every night and May isn't in any future plans, I really think PW is giving Spencer tough love, just sucks Spencer is being a 7ft brat about things.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
No idea with May -- thought we might never see him again.
But Tyreke -- that one's obvious. In less than a full season Tyreke is already far more powerful than his coach. A coach who picks a fight with his franchise player is an ex-coach pretty quick. Forget if that is what happened to Westphal up in Seattle with Payton, but either way he's been around long enough to know the score.
datamanwes
G-League
If their is an open door policy then all Spencer was doing is whining by speaking to Sam like that. If you're the coach you need to stop that kind of immature behavior right now. Look some guys you need to pat on the back, some guys you need to explain in words and others you need to kick them in the ***.
Spencer is a 7 footer that needs to put in some work. He should be embaressed that his friend Brockman who doesen't have anywhere near the skills of Spencer is at this point in time making a bigger difference on this team because of one word EFFORT Spencer needs to grow up and be pissed, maybe then he will take that whiny attitude out on opposing Centers.
That said Spencer is still just a young kid basically and he has plenty of time to grow into one amazing center in the league. But he got where he is now cause of talent, Now he needs to work to get to next level
Spencer is a 7 footer that needs to put in some work. He should be embaressed that his friend Brockman who doesen't have anywhere near the skills of Spencer is at this point in time making a bigger difference on this team because of one word EFFORT Spencer needs to grow up and be pissed, maybe then he will take that whiny attitude out on opposing Centers.
That said Spencer is still just a young kid basically and he has plenty of time to grow into one amazing center in the league. But he got where he is now cause of talent, Now he needs to work to get to next level
ReinadelosReys
Starter
I'm sorry, but that is embarrassing. Embarrassing for PW, embarrassing for SH and embarrassing for the franchise.
What a load of c***!
If anything, Westphal should have just declined to comment. Said it was an in house matter and would be dealt with in house, not this tit for tat between player and coach in the media
So incredibly disappointed.
DoDiGaG0
Bench
Spencer does make a point
keeping young players on a short chain is a horrible idea(especially when were totally out of the playoff run)
they need rhythm/confidence..look at Donte..put up a string of 4 good games then had a bad game and he was pulled from the lineup...
we should allow the kids to play their ways out of slumps/gain experience..
as 'good' as they may be, Udoka, May, and Nocioni getting PT does not help us for the next 2-3+ years(where were aiming to compete)
keeping young players on a short chain is a horrible idea(especially when were totally out of the playoff run)
they need rhythm/confidence..look at Donte..put up a string of 4 good games then had a bad game and he was pulled from the lineup...
we should allow the kids to play their ways out of slumps/gain experience..
as 'good' as they may be, Udoka, May, and Nocioni getting PT does not help us for the next 2-3+ years(where were aiming to compete)
DoDiGaG0
Bench
pretty childish...seems like he has some personal issues and overreacted/is frustrated in general
I would agree with you if it was just Spencer. But Spencer wasn't the only one saying those things, it was May and Tyreke as well, and not only that - it's been pretty obvious to anyone who watches Kings games that a lot of other players feel the same way (Beno, Greene, Casspi to name a few). They don't have to say it, you can see it on their faces and in the way they play. A player who knows he is getting starters minutes will get himself into the rhythm even if he didn't start the game so hot. A player who knows he will get yanked to the bench if he doesn't start the game well, only to come back to very short stints, is more likely to force bad plays, take bad shots, and make bad decisions, because he feels he doesn't have the time to get himself into the rhythm of the game.
Of course, Spencer is not perfect. His work ethics have been questionable, and his attitude hasn't been great, but in this particular case he said something that everyone else on the team can relate to. When he gets penalized for that, the other players who think the same thing will naturally start to question their own relationship with PW because his reaction to Spencer's thoughts is a reaction to their own thoughts as well.
Anyway, hopefully now that things are out in the open, there will be more communication, and some resolutions can come out of this.
MassachusettsKingsFan
All-Star
Those comments by Westphal say a lot.
I personally thought we found our guy after the first few months of the season. Things were going good, and it was hard to realy find a weakness in Westphals coaching. His sideline/baseline plays were good, the players were all saying how much they liked him .. like I said, things were good.
Now, when facing adversity, two gigantic problems have come up.
1) Cant settle on a rotation. He gets so damn frustrated when one of these young players make a mistake thats its hurting there development. I want Casspi to stay on Prince in that situation. Make him learn from it and keep getting after it. Casspi has that drive, hes not going to back down, so make him keep working until he gets it right. Dont yank him for the rest of the half. For whatever reason he cant understand that young players make stupid mistakes. Its an experience thing, the more you play the better you get.
2) Hes clearly not afraid to throw players under the bus. This is huge. I personally think hes handling this situation with Hawes like a child. He knows Hawes cant defend himself, If Spencer says another word who knows how long he'll sit next time. Especially cause Spencer was right. Our best damn player agreed with him. So now Westphal is showing clear favoritism because he suspended Hawes and not Reke. I bet every single guy would have said the same thing when asked that sort of question. Udrih, Sergio, and Casspi have mentioned something like it in the past too.
He's not a good enough coach to pull this stuff. If everyone in the locker room hates him, the players will win.
I personally thought we found our guy after the first few months of the season. Things were going good, and it was hard to realy find a weakness in Westphals coaching. His sideline/baseline plays were good, the players were all saying how much they liked him .. like I said, things were good.
Now, when facing adversity, two gigantic problems have come up.
1) Cant settle on a rotation. He gets so damn frustrated when one of these young players make a mistake thats its hurting there development. I want Casspi to stay on Prince in that situation. Make him learn from it and keep getting after it. Casspi has that drive, hes not going to back down, so make him keep working until he gets it right. Dont yank him for the rest of the half. For whatever reason he cant understand that young players make stupid mistakes. Its an experience thing, the more you play the better you get.
2) Hes clearly not afraid to throw players under the bus. This is huge. I personally think hes handling this situation with Hawes like a child. He knows Hawes cant defend himself, If Spencer says another word who knows how long he'll sit next time. Especially cause Spencer was right. Our best damn player agreed with him. So now Westphal is showing clear favoritism because he suspended Hawes and not Reke. I bet every single guy would have said the same thing when asked that sort of question. Udrih, Sergio, and Casspi have mentioned something like it in the past too.
He's not a good enough coach to pull this stuff. If everyone in the locker room hates him, the players will win.
That's what's strange to me. At the beginning of the season he seemed to understand that quite well. In fact, I thought it was his biggest strength as a coach - his patience with the young players, and his allowing them room for mistakes and time to develop. Now it seems as if this has completely shifted in the opposite direction, and I have no idea why.
We've been through a coaching carousel ever since we dumped Adelman. What do you propose we do? Dump a coach who seems to know what he's doing in favor of a player who may never pan out? And hire who? Westphal is a person too, he's dealing with his wife's health problems and Spencer's problems and a losing team and trying to get everyone minutes. I don't think you or I or 90% of the other coaches in the NBA could do any better. Like any natural competitor he wants to win and this is even more frustrating for him. I'm not surprised if he's going nuts.
If we end up dumping a good coach like PW for a no name or a bummy push over we are taking steps back. These guys have to respect the coach no matter what, he has a nice resume and he seems to have a good style when handling these kids.
The minutes thing will be worked out next year when these guys can wrap their heads around the system more and also when we somehow get that defensive minded 5 PW covets that Spencer clearly isn't.
These guys gotta be more tough minded because there are some real prickly coaches out there that aren't these guys best friends but atleast command some respect.
The minutes thing will be worked out next year when these guys can wrap their heads around the system more and also when we somehow get that defensive minded 5 PW covets that Spencer clearly isn't.
These guys gotta be more tough minded because there are some real prickly coaches out there that aren't these guys best friends but atleast command some respect.
Nobody is dumping PW, but he needs to realize that he may have gone too far and take steps to mend the situation.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Poll
- Locked
- Poll
- Poll
- Locked
- Poll