Starting SG spot will be Thornton or Jimmer?!?

[HereWeBoogie]

well, wasn't expecting that. Malone is insinuating that Jimmer is ahead of Ben in the depth chart? yikes. can't say im encouraged at all by that

http://cowbellkingdom.com/2013/10/25/michael-malone-on-sorting-out-sacramento-kings-lineup-rotation/

Here is the quote that caught my attention

On any given night you can make a case for Greivis (Vasquez) or Isaiah (Thomas), Marcus (Thonton) or Jimmer (Fredette), Travis (Outlaw) or John (Salmons) (and)Patrick (Patterson) or Jason (Thompson)

 

[macadocious]

The only thing that would make sense is that Jimmer is killing it in practice. Also, maybe in film breakdown on defense, he is not making the mistakes we see, that he is following the scheme and others aren't covering their spots.

 

[mac]

well, wasn't expecting that. Malone is insinuating that Jimmer is ahead of Ben in the depth chart? yikes. can't say im encouraged at all by that

http://cowbellkingdom.com/2013/10/25/michael-malone-on-sorting-out-sacramento-kings-lineup-rotation/

Here is the quote that caught my attention

I'm fine with one or the other being ahead, but not both. I would like to see what a proper offense with Cousins as #1 option looks like with Jimmer, and what it looks like with Thornton.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

I'm fine with one or the other being ahead, but not both.

hoping that that is the case. maybe this quote is Malone basically saying that one of these guys will start and the other will probably not play because Ben will be the backup

 

[Bricklayer]

Translated: our roster is crap.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

^LOL ya pretty much. the problem is NOT that we have too many good players to chose one as a starter, its that we have too many mediocre players who are not good enough to step up and earn a starting spot

 

[The_Jamal]

Not surprising. Looks like we're going to take the "be careful" route with McLemore. Which does have it's merits.

 

[randymoss1881]

Ya they just don't want to throw mclemore into fire right away which is fine he will start by December

 

[3me]

Jimmer should be the starter and if he logs heavy minutes, the Kings will be in the running for the playoffs. He's that good when he reaches his second wind and finds his rhythm. Jimmer can be the #2 guy behind Cousins offensively and score at a high rate. Those sleeping on Jimmer strike me as uneducated.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

Jimmer should be the starter and if he logs heavy minutes, the Kings will be in the running for the playoffs. He's that good when he reaches his second wind and finds his rhythm. Jimmer can be the #2 guy behind Cousins offensively and score at a high rate. Those sleeping on Jimmer strike me as uneducated.

 

[Kingsfan23]

no confidence in Benny Mac starting, just as I thought

 

[HereWeBoogie]

i don't have a problem with him starting the season off the bench behind MT, but if he's really gonna be behind MT and Jimmer in the rotation thats just ridiculous

 

[VF21]

Jimmer should be the starter and if he logs heavy minutes, the Kings will be in the running for the playoffs. He's that good when he reaches his second wind and finds his rhythm. Jimmer can be the #2 guy behind Cousins offensively and score at a high rate. Those sleeping on Jimmer strike me as uneducated.

Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Jimmer should be the starter and if he logs heavy minutes, the Kings will be in the running for the playoffs. He's that good when he reaches his second wind and finds his rhythm. Jimmer can be the #2 guy behind Cousins offensively and score at a high rate. Those sleeping on Jimmer strike me as uneducated.

 

[KingMilz]

Mclemore should start so he can further develop chemistry with Cousins on offense and on defense just on athletic ability/length alone he's a better defender than Thornton and Jimmer combined, lets not waste the rookies time by playing him behind two 1 trick ponies. Mclemore playing style is more suited to be a starter with Cousins and Vasquez than coming off the bench.

He's ready for the fire something Jimmer has not been since he came into the L and Thornton for the most part has not cared fr over 1 year.

 

[John Galt]

Jimmer should be the starter and if he logs heavy minutes, the Kings will be in the running for the playoffs. He's that good when he reaches his second wind and finds his rhythm. Jimmer can be the #2 guy behind Cousins offensively and score at a high rate. Those sleeping on Jimmer strike me as uneducated.

You're doing this on purpose right? We're all on candid camera aren't we Mr Funt?

 

[Section 101]

no confidence in Benny Mac starting, just as I thought

Pay attention. Malone has said from Day 1 that he would be coming off the bench to start the season.

 

[The_Jamal]

Mclemore should start so he can further develop chemistry with Cousins on offense and on defense just on athletic ability/length alone he's a better defender than Thornton and Jimmer combined, lets not waste the rookies time by playing him behind two 1 trick ponies. Mclemore playing style is more suited to be a starter with Cousins and Vasquez than coming off the bench.

He's ready for the fire something Jimmer has not been since he came into the L and Thornton for the most part has not cared fr over 1 year.

McLemore is NOT ready to start. He showed that clearly tonight.

He has a lot of work to do on the defensive end. He's now gotten worked against Crawford twice. He'll have to D up guys much like Crawford (and much better) on a nightly basis and he'll be placed against some of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA like Tony Allen/Thabo/Iman Shumpert etc. His energy and athleticism make his defensive ceiling extremely high, but it has not translated yet. Nor do I expect it to translate this season.

Then there's the fact that you are essentially making him the #2 scorer for the starting unit. That's hell of a lot of pressure to put on a 20 year old kid, especially when you have someone like Thornton, who is highly capable of taking that role.

I don't see what's wrong with letting him get exposure to the NBA game more slowly. In the role he's currently in, all he's asked to do his use his athleticism and energy on the defensive end and the boards, and use his off-ball movement to get open jumpers against bench guards. Start him, and we become heavily dependent on him figuring it out from day 1 for us to have any success. Absolutely give him 20-25 minutes a night, but we should do it in a way where he can just play and not have to worry about "carrying" the team.

 

[Sac.1989]

IT can flat out score. Has gotta be one of the best value players in the L.

McLemore will be fine and the plan was never to start him. It could be an option if we were playing for the draft but id rather we not throw him into the fire.

No idea whats the plan for Jimmers mins. Certain MT will start as he should.

 

[dude12]

Jimmer should be the starter and if he logs heavy minutes, the Kings will be in the running for the playoffs. He's that good when he reaches his second wind and finds his rhythm. Jimmer can be the #2 guy behind Cousins offensively and score at a high rate. Those sleeping on Jimmer strike me as uneducated.

Wish I could find a link to some good TV situation comedy laugh tracks right now.

 

[New Era]

I think it's going to be MT. I'm wondering if the Jimmer hype was to showcase him with the hope somebody bites on a trade. I think BMac will get plenty of minutes, if deserved.

 

[pshn80]

Translated: our roster is crap.

Thanks for your upbeat thought. Now, to the grist, how do we play "crap" to the best advantage of the team and the wins I am looking forward to. And in my view we have a very good "crap" manager in Malone and crew.

 

[pshn80]

^LOL ya pretty much. the problem is NOT that we have too many good players to chose one as a starter, its that we have too many mediocre players who are not good enough to step up and earn a starting spot

Good, you've got it! Now repeat it ten times in a row and go to bed.

 

[pshn80]

Jimmer should be the starter and if he logs heavy minutes, the Kings will be in the running for the playoffs. He's that good when he reaches his second wind and finds his rhythm. Jimmer can be the #2 guy behind Cousins offensively and score at a high rate. Those sleeping on Jimmer strike me as uneducated.

Hope you're right. And some of us fans, and good fans we are, are not educated.

 

[sqwalk]

I'm seeing this. Thornton is going to start and Mclemore is going to log heavy minutes off the bench until perhaps Xmas. Jimmer is only going to get clean up minutes unless an injury occurs or until a guard gets traded (probably him). Bank on it.

I really like Jimmer and I want him to do well, but that's the reality of it.

Oh, and I really like Malone and feel like he knows what he's doing. So if Jimmer doesn't play much, then he's just not who they need right now. I can't argue that.

 

[treach1976]

If you were only going by preseason offensive stats, wouldn't you give the nod to Jimmer though? It sounds crazy saying it, especially as we are used to Jimmer being the 12th man...

I think that BMAC is an amazing talent, but if Malone is bringing him slow off the bench, Jimmer's numbers are way better than MT's in virtually every area outside of rebounds.



There are plenty of counter arguments - I get it... (i.e., Thornton is the proven 20pt score, the small sample size of games means that Jimmer exploited poor defensive backcourts that he wouldn't often see as a starter, he didn't look great in the GSW game, Thornton exploded in the LAC game, and Jimmer's numbers will come back to earth, nobody sustains 60% 3pt shooting and when that goes down, so does his usefulness). But aren't there other pro-Jimmer starting arguments to be made as well? Not the least being that the ball doesn't stop with Jimmer like it does with MT, something you don't want happening when Cuz is in the game.

 

[The_Jamal]

If you were only going by preseason offensive stats, wouldn't you give the nod to Jimmer though? It sounds crazy saying it, especially as we are used to Jimmer being the 12th man...

I think that BMAC is an amazing talent, but if Malone is bringing him slow off the bench, Jimmer's numbers are way better than MT's in virtually every area outside of rebounds.

View attachment 4684

There are plenty of counter arguments - I get it... (i.e., Thornton is the proven 20pt score, the small sample size of games means that Jimmer exploited poor defensive backcourts that he wouldn't often see as a starter, he didn't look great in the GSW game, Thornton exploded in the LAC game, and Jimmer's numbers will come back to earth, nobody sustains 60% 3pt shooting and when that goes down, so does his usefulness). But aren't there other pro-Jimmer starting arguments to be made as well? Not the least being that the ball doesn't stop with Jimmer like it does with MT, something you don't want happening when Cuz is in the game.

No, there isn't. Jimmer had a great preseason and I think showed he can be a solid contributor off the bench. But he suffers the same problem as with starting McLemore right out of the gate. You'd be making him our #2 scorer with the starting 5. That is a frightening proposition and not one I want to try anytime soon.

 

[treach1976]

No, there isn't. Jimmer had a great preseason and I think showed he can be a solid contributor off the bench. But he suffers the same problem as with starting McLemore right out of the gate. You'd be making him our #2 scorer with the starting 5. That is a frightening proposition and not one I want to try anytime soon.

Its why we need a legit small forward.

 

[Npliam]

No, there isn't. Jimmer had a great preseason and I think showed he can be a solid contributor off the bench. But he suffers the same problem as with starting McLemore right out of the gate. You'd be making him our #2 scorer with the starting 5. That is a frightening proposition and not one I want to try anytime soon.

Jimmer can score and Jimmer would make it easier than Thornton would for Cousins to score. Jimmers Defense has been pretty good in the pre season and he is a smart passer and is willing to feed the post.

 

[Hadlowe]

No, there isn't. Jimmer had a great preseason and I think showed he can be a solid contributor off the bench. But he suffers the same problem as with starting McLemore right out of the gate. You'd be making him our #2 scorer with the starting 5. That is a frightening proposition and not one I want to try anytime soon.

I don't disagree with you at all here. That said, neither Thornton nor IT think of themselves as a #2 option. Thornton has a hard time being deferential when he gets an open shot. It doesn't matter whether there is 20 seconds left on the clock, where the rebounders are, where his teammates are, etc. If he has an inch, he'll launch. The thing most people really like about Thornton, icy veins and all that, means that he also freezes out teammates. You couple that with his inconsistent, but mostly lackluster defense and he is the wrong type of player to run out there with Cousins.

If I had my druthers, I would start McLemore from day 1 and let the chips fall where they may. Then you play Thornton big minutes off the bench scoring with IT in the second unit where defense isn't as big a concern, and package him in a trade near the deadline to unclog that backcourt.