oh, but he was a "cancer in the locker-room", you know...
I said early on this current roster could become the Black Sheep Squadron of the NBA. I truly believe it just might be true.
[Game] Spurs @ Kings (pre-season) discussion - 10/8/15
- Thread starter nebs
- Start date
I said early on this current roster could become the Black Sheep Squadron of the NBA. I truly believe it just might be true.
James Ham @James_Ham 55s56 seconds ago
"Right now my feeling is Kosta probably fits the bench better than Willie does and Willie probably fits Cuz better." -Karl
"Right now my feeling is Kosta probably fits the bench better than Willie does and Willie probably fits Cuz better." -Karl
Kosta is my MVP this game. He changed EIGHT (yes 8) defensive possessions single handily with his on-ball defense (Vs LMA) and his ability to contest shots at the rim from 2:30 in the 3rd quarter to when he came out of the game in the 4th. Just outstanding fundamentals defensively. Such a remarkable difference with him vs D-Will/Landry/Reggie
Rondo and WCS were fantastic as well. Feel like Rondo started getting more comfortable with the guys around him and were getting Rudy and Cuz high quality shots, especially in the 3rd quarter. People are worried about the offense not running through Cuz at the elbow, but why does it matter if we're getting high quality shots?
WCS just looks "ready." He has absolutely zero ball skills and looks completely lost when he has to hold the ball more than a second, but everything else is ready to go. He has a good understanding already of how to rotate defensively, how to contest shots and his athleticism/energy let him make impact plays on both ends of the court.
Rondo and WCS were fantastic as well. Feel like Rondo started getting more comfortable with the guys around him and were getting Rudy and Cuz high quality shots, especially in the 3rd quarter. People are worried about the offense not running through Cuz at the elbow, but why does it matter if we're getting high quality shots?
WCS just looks "ready." He has absolutely zero ball skills and looks completely lost when he has to hold the ball more than a second, but everything else is ready to go. He has a good understanding already of how to rotate defensively, how to contest shots and his athleticism/energy let him make impact plays on both ends of the court.
theclash4u5
Starter
Be prepared to see him....start?
James Ham @James_Ham 2m2 minutes ago
"Right now my feeling is Kosta probably fits the bench better than Willie does and Willie probably fits Cuz better." -Karl
jcwkings
All-Star
To me he just looks to be in cruise control and experimenting with different ways to be used. I have no doubt he'll be the dominant force we know when it matters. No reason for him to go full beast right now.
Notes:
*WCS is legit and ready to go imo. Did a good job on Aldridge(who is about as good as it gets in the league at that position btw). His rotations, reads and coverages would be considered great for a grizzled vet, let alone a rook in his 3rd pre season game. His length, ability to contest and patience is very good. I'm telling you Anthony Davis level impact on defense. He's that good.
*Ben....oh boy. It's telling that I felt more secure with Curry in there than any time he touches the ball. Game is just going a million miles an hour for him right now and is a guy whose confidence is crippled at a drop of a hat. Bellinelli wasn't shooting great yet he was playing the same throughout. Anderson just might beat him out for that starting spot tbh.
*Rondo looks great when he takes control of the game, nothing I didn't expect. Cuz stop dribbling full court! Just give the damn ball to the quarterback!
*Rudy woke up in a hurry. I think the addition of Rondo will help him the most. Looking more and more like the Rudy I love, the one that just finishes with his athleticism and sweet touch. The less dribbling for Rudy the better. Also did it on Kawhai, which is impressive because that guy is a BEAST. Man I love Kawhai.
Makes sense in a 3 big rotation. Koufos works better with the small-ball bench unit once the starters go out and is better served as the "only big" than WCS is at this point. Better rebounder, better defender, more experienced. As weird as it sounds, WCS will have less pressure on him starting than if he were coming in having to handle being the only anchor and the top rebounder for the bench squad.
celtics33
G-League
No crap, Sherlock!
celtics33
G-League
Once they get in sync, the Kings are going to be very nice to watch. If you just compare the spacing in offense and the defensive rotations from the Portland game to how they played tonight, you see it's work in progress but, yes.. it's coming along. Most of turnovers are caused by the fact that they barely know each other and that takes some time. But this is a roster with some terrific potential.I said early on this current roster could become the Black Sheep Squadron of the NBA. I truly believe it just might be true.
jcwkings
All-Star
If WCS wins a starting spot in the league from day one, that is legit impressive. Only other guy that I can see doing that right now is Stanley Johnson for the Pistons. Towns, Russell and Okafor are starting by default, but WCS could earn a starting spot for a team with playoff aspirations.
*Forgot Porzingis and Mudiaye, but again on teams with little aspirations or nobody else ahead of them.
*Forgot Porzingis and Mudiaye, but again on teams with little aspirations or nobody else ahead of them.
jcwkings
All-Star
Am I the only one that felt bad for Jimmer? Curry and freaking David Stockton looked better than him. He just looked sapped of any semblance of confidence. I think this could be it for him in the NBA, should be able to make a nice career for himself overseas if he wants to go that route. Its sad that we actually saw his best moments in the NBA here.
J
jdbraver
Guest
I might even prefer James Anderson over Ben at this point. 
Ben prove me wrong pls!
Ben prove me wrong pls!
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jcwkings
All-Star
I might even prefer James Anderson over Ben at this point.
Yep, at least he defends well, much better off the dribble than Ben, and generally makes sound basketball plays. Second unit needs Bellinelli so I would say Anderson has taken the lead in that race, shockingly and tragically for Ben. Its not like he will be taking 12 shots a game, or will be finishing games, his defense will actually take pressure off of Rudy to have to defend the best wing.
Yeah, good luck.
I really hope the rest of the league just rolls in to Sac expecting easy wins like years past. This is a completely different team. We will beat that *** if you sleep on us.
KingsFanSince85
All-Star
Has anybody complained about WCS's rebounding tonight?
Also, to the kneejerk, overreact to one game faction-- is WCS suddenly better than Emmanuel Mudiay now? He's stunk it up the past couple games now.
Also, to the kneejerk, overreact to one game faction-- is WCS suddenly better than Emmanuel Mudiay now? He's stunk it up the past couple games now.
twslam07
All-Star
D squad? Is this relative to the Spurs or the league? They had 3 of their 5 starters playing (1 who was an all-star, another who was a finals MVP, and one who was an all defensive team candidate). Not to mention they had David West who is only 2 seasons removed from being a starter for a 56-26 team, and who started all last year for the Pacers. Then you add in Mills who is a good backup PG, and you have a solid starting five.
If I remember correctly, our starting unit played very well against that squad. Going to the bench is a bit of a different story since much of their depth was gone with them resting today, but we played well against a solid lineup. I'd be willing to bet that many teams in the league would like to swap their starting rotation with the one we went up against today. Don't try to discredit this lineup's talent especially when they are extremely well coached. This game was a positive in my book.
twslam07
All-Star
Has anybody complained about WCS's rebounding tonight?
Also, to the kneejerk, overreact to one game faction-- is WCS suddenly better than Emmanuel Mudiay now? He's stunk it up the past couple games now.
He's actually looked much better on the boards the last two games. He looks more aggressive. I see him taking a quick look down to find his man and put a body on him rather than just fixating his eyes on the rim when a shot goes up. It already seems like he is adjusting. Keep it up WCS!
KingsFanSince85
All-Star
twslam07 -- you are spot on. Sure they didn't have Manu, Duncan or Parker, but the players you mentioned will be just as valuable -- if not more. If this was a regular season game, the win would be tainted because they were missing a lot of depth. But they can only play 5 guys at one time and, in that respect, the Kings held their own quite well against a talented group of 5.
randymoss1881
Starter
How was WCS defense on Aldridge?
Did it look like he can hold his own vs guys like that?
Did it look like he can hold his own vs guys like that?
jcwkings
All-Star
Very good, Aldridge hit one well contested turnaround that you will just have to concede. Challenged his shots well and didn't bite on his little fakes. Fared better than Cousins overall, who bit on a fake and almost plays him too agressively and got called for some fouls(although when he didn't Cousins really challenged some of his shots and forced bad misses). Aldridge was able to get a little deeper than you want on WCS, but once WCS adds some weight to his frame that should not be an issue down the line. Even when Aldridge got good position WCS was disciplined and challenged his shots well. I also like that like Rondo and Cousins, WCS shows the knack to get deflections and disrupt passing lanes. There is some serious length in that starting lineup.
twslam07
All-Star
I'd really like to see Cousins look for the guards in the fastbreak. It seems the only time he gets out and runs is when he gets a quick rebound and pushes it up himself. I would love to see him get the rebound take a dribble or two up the court and find a guard. That way, he's already moving towards the basket and is a great option to be a finisher (rather than distributor). I want our 6'11" 270 lb center finishing fastbreak opportunities, not creating them. Too many times is he turning it over in that situation.
Cousins is a great passers and ballhandler for his position, but I'd really like to see him utilize that passing and ballhandling in a halfcourt setting where it's much easier for him to protect the ball. Pass out of the post, find players slashing or coming off screens when at the high elbow, face-up and take someone off the dribble. That's how I want Cousins to utilize his superior ballhandling and passing.
Eliminating those silly turnovers and keeping silly fouls to a minimum (which seems better so far this year), is really going to help him bring his game to the next level. eliminating fouls will allow him to stay on the floor longer and dominate while the turnovers will likely result in easy buckets (for him and his teammates), more possessions (if we back it out of the fastbreak), and possibly more wins (which should help his case in the national media and catapult us into playoff contention).
If he really focuses on improving in those two areas, he's going to see a jump in his production and his team's production. Also, I don't mind him taking threes, but they have to be in the right scenario...
Again, if he cleans up the fouls & turnovers and sticks to this 3pt shooting code, we should easily see another jump in Cousins' progression this year.
Cousins is a great passers and ballhandler for his position, but I'd really like to see him utilize that passing and ballhandling in a halfcourt setting where it's much easier for him to protect the ball. Pass out of the post, find players slashing or coming off screens when at the high elbow, face-up and take someone off the dribble. That's how I want Cousins to utilize his superior ballhandling and passing.
Eliminating those silly turnovers and keeping silly fouls to a minimum (which seems better so far this year), is really going to help him bring his game to the next level. eliminating fouls will allow him to stay on the floor longer and dominate while the turnovers will likely result in easy buckets (for him and his teammates), more possessions (if we back it out of the fastbreak), and possibly more wins (which should help his case in the national media and catapult us into playoff contention).
If he really focuses on improving in those two areas, he's going to see a jump in his production and his team's production. Also, I don't mind him taking threes, but they have to be in the right scenario...
- They should not be too early in the shot clock. Don't settle and let the defense off the hook. Look for a higher percentage shot or a shot to get your teammates in rhythm.
- They should only be catch & shoot threes. I don't want to see any pullup threes from Cousins.
- They should only be taken when he is wide open. He should not be taking any contested threes. Prove you can make wide open threes at a good rate before you move to contested. It's already a little sketchy that he is taking them. Don't skip a step and think you can knock down contested threes at an efficient rate just yet.
Again, if he cleans up the fouls & turnovers and sticks to this 3pt shooting code, we should easily see another jump in Cousins' progression this year.
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twslam07
All-Star
He actually did very well in my opinion, and I was pleasantly surprised. I remember him hitting one jumper over him, but you live with that. If Aldridge wants to take a fadeaway jumper over a guy with a 9'3" standing reach, let him. Cauley-Stein did a good job of sticking closely to him on those jumpers, but not leaving his feet too agressively (leaves you prone to pump fakes). He played solid defense and forced Aldridge to play up to his name. Nothing easy against Cauley-Stein in this first matchup, and that's all you can really ask for. Sometimes Aldridge will be hot and be able to hit contested fadeaways, but as long as you're not giving him easy looks, you're giving your team the best chance to win.
I'm starting to get really excited about this guy. Is this what it feels like to have your lottery pick play well right out of the gate? Gosh, it's been so long...
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Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
twslam07
All-Star
Which is much quicker then most of our coaches have realized what I already knew.
I do remember having the Koufos vs. Cauley-Stein discussion with you, and I was more aligned with starting Koufos at the time considering we just haven't had a chance to see Cauley-Stein against any NBA competiton. Of course we agreed that Cauley-Stein is the logical choice for Cousins long term running mate (assuming Cauley-Stein played the way we hoped he would), but after these first 3 games, I'm giving the starting job to Cauley-Stein. He looks ready enough for me. We'll have to see how the rest of the preseason goes before we make the final call, but if he continues to play like this, there's no doubt he should be starting.
I'm just glad we finally have a lottery pick who can contribute to our team.
randymoss1881
Starter
That's what I love to hear. I was waiting to see his athletiscm at PF how tgat would work. He struggled vs Kiminsky in the tournament but kiminsky is highly skilled and a shooter. I think WCS will be very good vs Griffin and AD as those guys arnt highly skilled. By that i mean those 2 won't beat you with skill moves like Duncan and Gosal or Aldridge. I could see WCS containing griffin a lot as he has the length to challenge his shot and quickness to stay with him and force Blake to shoot over him which he struggles at.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
yep yep. First ones since the double Tyreke/Cuz hits that gave us brief hope half a decade ago.
