State of the current Kings, 2011:

[bajaden]

Our current roster:

Cousins: C/PF
Thompson: PF/C
Hickson: PF
Whiteside: PF/C
Greene: SF/PF
Garcia: SF/SG
Honeycutt: SF
Salmons: SF/SG
Evans: PG/SG/SF
Thornton: SG
Fredette: PG/SG
Thomas: PG

Thats 12 players! All we need, right? No, of course not. I'm sure there will be a few changes once freeagency starts. So the question is, where is our biggest area of need, and who would best fit that need, thats available?

But first lets go through the current players one by one, and try to make sense of where were really at in comparison to the rest of the league. I'm going to keep the analysis simple without going into true shooting percentages, or what each players 36 per stats would be. Not that those things aren't important, but for the sake of brevity, I'll pass. I'm also sure that some of you will disagree with me on some of my opinions. If so, fine! Explain why. As opposed to just saying I don't know what I'm talking about.

The stats I'm using are last seasons stats and not career stats, which I may mention along with the players prior years stats if revelant. In the case of the rookies, I'll give their final year of college stats. If nothing else, but to show potential.

Cousins: 1 yr - 6'11", C/PF. 28.40 MPG - 14.1 PPG - 8.6 RPG - 2.5 APG - 1.1 SPG.
While he did average just under 1 block a game, I didn't think it revelant enough to list. His stats are pretty good for a first year center. The biggest blemish being his 43.0% FGP. Thats a poor shooting percentage for a center, and one has to think it can only go up with better overall team play, improved post play, and better decisions on his part. His 2.5 assists per game is excellent for a first year center. And anyone that watched him play can see the enormous potential there. Although I have him listed as C/PF, in a perfect world, I see him as a ture center that can fill the PF position on occasion.

He showed the potential to be one of the top rebounders in the league, especially if he can improve his offensive rebounding. He pulled down defensive rebounds at a two to one ratio over offensive rebounds. If he continues to work hard, makes the necessary improvements, he could become an all star, and one of the top centers in the league.

Thompson: 3 yr's - 6'11" - PF/C- 23.18 MPG - 8.8 PPG - 6.1 RPG - 1.2 APG.
I think we've reached a point where we can safely say that Thompson won't ever be a star in the league. His overall stats last season were down from his prior season, but strangely enough, I thought his overall season was better. I speak from a point of consistency. In a season where he was jerked around as much as any player on the roster, he didn't go into a funk, and continued to bust his butt. While his PPG and RPG were down from the prior season, so were his minutes. However, his FGP went up to 50.8%. The best of his career.

Given the minutes, and in a consistent lineup, J.T. will give you around 12 PPG and 8 RPG. He's also an underrated defender. Senergy.com has him ranked as one of the better isolation defenders in the league. His pick and roll defense has greatly improved as has his post defense. He's certainly no Dalembert, and will never block a lot of shots, but he's not a detriment on defense either. He also brought his fouls per game down to 2.8 per game. With a little more improvement, he's a solid player as a starter and a 4th option, or as a role player off the bench. Every team needs a Jason Thompson energy guy..

Hickson: 3 yr's - 6'9" - PF - 28.11 MPG - 13.8 PPG - 8.7 RPG.
Obviously, on a personal level I know less about Hickson than I do the other players. I did see him play on occasion and I was always impressed with his athletic ability. He made a nice improvement last season, and one has to hope its only a hint of whats to come. The only downside is the drop in his FGP. It dropped from 55.4% to 45.8%. Thats a 10% drop. Part of the reason is new found love for the jumpshot. Now 45.8% isn't terrible, and I have to think that it will improve with time and more balance between the post and the perimiter.

Hickson showed flashes of being a good defender, but, by all reports, was inconsistent. So we'll see. He's certainly athletic enough to play good defense, and he's still young, just entering his 3rd year in the league. At the moment, on paper at least, he looks like a good addition to the team, and with a bright future.

Whiteside: 1 yr - 6'11" - PF/C - 00 PPG - 00 RPG - 00 APG.
That was just for fun! There's not much to write about Whiteside, other than he still has the potential he had a year ago. He showed some of that potential in the first 3 games of summer league last year. After that, just about everything else is a wash. Not having a summer league this year probably hurts him more than anyone else. He needed a platform to jump off of to jumpstart this coming season. Hopefully he's working hard on his game. Essentially, this is his rookie season. So our expectations shouldn't be any higher for him than any other rookie. Hopefully, he'll prove himself worthy of making the active roster.

Greene: 3 yr's - 6'11" - SF/PF - 16.18 MPG - 5.8 PPG - 2.1 RPG - 0.3 BPG - 0.5 SPG.
Here's a player that I'm sure I'll get some rebuttal on. I was very high on Greene when we first aquired him. I had no illusions about him. I had watched him play at Syracuse. He was nothing more than an undiciplined perimiter chucker of the basketball. But you could see all the potential there, and thats what excited me. In the past three years, I won't say that I've seen no improvement. Because I have, but not enough. His reputation as a great defender is highly overrated. He does, on occasion play very good defense. But like the rest of his entire game, he's inconsistent.

What you have is a very athletic, 6'11" player, that doesn't shoot the ball consistently, 40.4% FGP and 29.2% 3PP, doesn't block shots, doesn't steal the ball with any regularity, doesn't rebound the ball, is an average ballhandler, and doesn't get you any assists. Sorry folks, the magic is gone for me. I'm pure out of excitement. I'm not saying we dump him, but I'am saying he needs to step up this year and give the team a reason to want him. Because by comparison, he makes JT look like an all star. Unless Greene really brings something to the table his year, he'll be sitting on the bench behind Honeycutt. That said, I'm still rooting for him to put it together.

Garcia: 6 yr's - 6'7" - SF/SG - 23.53 MPG - 9.7 PPG - 2.3 RPG - 0.8 BPG - 0.9 SPG.
If you take a look at Garcia's entire career, you'll see that his numbers have been fairly consistent. Nothing great, but you know exactly what your going to get everytime he's on the floor. I've never thought that Cisco is starting material, but I do see him as a solid role player, whose also very confortable in that role. Cisco is a willing, and for the most part, a good defender. He's only limited by his athletic abilitys. He's a dependable 3 pt shooter when spotting up. But he'll never dazzle you with his abiltiy to create his own shot. He's also a willing passer, but is prone to forcing a pass that isn't there on occasion.

Aside from suffering through a bad stretch of injuries, he is what he is. A solid role player that will help you more than hurt you. I didn't look up his plus/minus, but I suspect its on the plus side. I'm not a big fan of that stat anyway. Too many variables. In my opinion, Cisco is a keeper. He's the elder statesman and mentor to several of the players. Things that can't be measured.

Continued:

 

[bajaden]

Honeycutt: Rookie - 6'8" - SF - 34.9 MPG - 12.8 PPG - 7.2 RPG ( college stats )
I had Honeycutt projected as a first round pick, so I look at him as steal in the second round. If he follows the pattern set by other players that have played under Howland, he'll be a surprise offensively, and good defensively. Howland stresses defense, and tends to stiffle the offensive abilities of his players. Honeycutt is a good athlete, and was a consistent shooter from behind the college 3 pt line at 36.2%. However his overall field goal percentage dropped from 49.6% his freshman year, to 40.6% his sophmore year. He's an above average passer averaging 2.8 assists. He was also a good rebounder.

In short, he's a rookie with promise. No more, no less. The percentage of 2nd round picks that actually amount to something is small. But it does happen, and Honeycutt is the type to bet on if your a betting person. The way the team sits right now, he could get a few minutes here and there. If another SF is brought in, then he might be better in the DL league getting some experience.

Salmons: 9 yr's - 6'6" - SF/SG - 35 MPG - 14.0 PPG - 3.6 RPG - 3.5 APG.
Not much I can tell you about Salmons that most of you don't know. He'll be an improvement at the SF position and will bring some consistency there. He does give away some size, and he's far from the long term answer at the SF position. Aside from looking at Honeycutt as the possible long term answer, which would be more luck than banking on a sure thing, its possible the Kings might still looking for an answer there.

However, Salmons at his best, is a valuable asset. While I'm sure some would differ with me, I like some of the things he brings to the team. He's a very good passer, something lacking from the SF position, and believe it or not, he's a better rebounder than either Cisco or Greene. When guarding the right player, he's one of the better defenders in the league. Obviously, some of the taller and stronger SF's are going to give him some trouble. He shot 37.9% from behind the arc this past season, which is more than decent. He's also a very good ballhandler, another thing lacking from the SF position. I don't know how much he has left in the tank, but he'll certainly help the team.

Evans: 2 yr's - 6'6" - PG/SG/SF - 37.0 MPG - 17.8 PPG - 4.8 RPG - 5.6 APG.
If it wasn't for Evans first year, and the expectations that came with it, those stats would be more than acceptable. But we all know he struggled, and maybe its to his credit that he even put up numbers as good as those. However, we need Evans to rebound and become the player we all think he can be. Evans, like Cousins, has the ability to be a difference maker.

Its been my experience watching basketball, that when a extremely talented player gets hit with adversity, and stuggles the way Evans did last year, he comes back with a vengence. He comes back, determined to prove, all those that doubted him, wrong! And thats what I'm expecting from Evans this season. To state the obvious, his outside shot needs to be improved. Personally I don't care if he only takes one 3 pt shot a game. As long as he can consistently hit the midrange shot, thats all he needs. Just ask Dwayne Wade. As far as what position he plays? I could care less! Just put him on the floor and call him whatever you want.

Thornton: 2 yr's - 6'4" - SG - 27.1 MPG - 14.5 PPG - 3.8 RPG - 0.9 SPG.
Those are Thornton's combined stats from New Orleans and Sacramento. His stats while playing for the Kings are: 38.12 MPG - 21.3 PPG - 4.7 RPG - 1.7 SPG.Now I don't know if he can continue putting up those numbers, but if so, your looking at a possible all star in the future. Along with the numbers, Thornton brought some toughness to the team as well. He has that, no quit, in him, and he's not afraid to take the winning shot. He has the ability to carry the team at times, and combined with Evans, and Cousins, gives the team a triple threat offensively. I realize we haven't resigned him yet, but I expect that to be a formality.

Thornton also turned out to be a better defender than most thought. No, he's not Doug Christie, but like JT, he's not a detriment either. If the team can decide to put the same five players on the floor, maybe our team defense will improve. I think Thornton is smart enough and tough enough to play good team defense. He had the second best 3 pt shot percentage on the team, being barely edged out by Cisco. But unlike Cisco, Thornton can score in a variety of ways, and when his shot isn't falling, he's very good at attacking the basket. He should be an important part of this team going forward.

Fredette: Rookie - 6'2" - PG/SG - 35.7 MPG - 28.9 PPG - 3.4 RPG - 4.3 APG. (college)
I listed him as a SG simply because the dude can shoot the rock, and there will times when the matchup is right for using him that way. But I see him primarily as a PG. Despite taking a ton of shots, most of which were heavily contested and doubled, he still managed to shoot a respectable 45.2% overall, and 39.6% from beyond the arc. When I say beyond the arc, I mean sometimes 15 to 20 feet behind the line. And he made his share of those.

Aside from that, Fredette has good court vision, and is a good ball handler and passer. Not in the Magic Johnson, or even the J. Will vein. He's not fancy, he'll just find the open man. Unfortunately last season, BYU didn't have many that could shoot the ball. So the scoring load fell to Jimmer. If he can retain the same level of effectiveness, he'll be a huge addition to the team. You dare not leave him open at the 3 pt line.

Thomas: Rookie - 5'9" - PG - 31.8 MPG - 16.8 PPG - 3.5 RPG - 6.1 APG (college)
I suspect that Thomas will become a fan favorite. Except for his diminutive size, he reminds me a lot of Bobby Jackson. He plays with the same cockiness, toughness, and confidence. Thomas is more quick than fast, and will surpirse you with his leaping ability. He's also a very creative passer, and has a good outside shot. He's no Jimmer from beyond the arc, but he shoots well enough at 34.9%, that you have to respect him.

I know that some will say he won't even make the team. I'll take that bet! Now how many minutes he'll be able to steal, I have no idea. But he's a tough kid, who also plays very pesky tough defense. Like Honeycutt, he could be a prospect for the D-League. For the last pick in the draft, he's a solid pickup.


So thats it! Obviously we need a replacement for Dalembert. Hopefully it will be Dalembert. But I'm done beating that horse. I'm sure there are those that think we need more help at PG, suggesting that Evans isn't one, and that Fredette is an inexperienced rookie. They could be right. I think were fine there, but if Chris Paul becomes available, I'm on board. On the whole, I think the team has a lot of talent. Unfortunately, its very young talent and everything has to fall into place just right, for the team to make a big jump next season. They have to play as a team.

This is also a big year for Westphal. Another season like the last two isn't going to cut it. Hopefully there's a resolution between the players and the league in the next couple of weeks. The Kings desperately need a normal training camp, and a preseason.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Hickson: 2 yr's - 6'9" - PF - 28.11 MPG - 13.8 PPG - 8.7 RPG.
Obviously, on a personal level I know less about Hickson than I do the other players. I did see him play on occasion and I was always impressed with his athletic ability. He made a nice improvement last season, and one has to hope its only a hint of whats to come. The only downside is the drop in his FGP. It dropped from 55.4% to 45.8%. Thats a 10% drop. Part of the reason is new found love for the jumpshot.

Baja, a bit of a typo there as Hickson has played three years.

As far as his shooting percentage goes, I can't speak to whether he increased his jump shot percentage last year, but there is another factor to consider: After LeBron went to Miami, Hickson became to some extent the offensive focus of the team. Between being asked to take more shots (from 6.4 to 11.7 shots per game) and having defenses focus on him instead of LeBron, that could help account for his drop in FG%. I hope to see him more as a 4th scorer on our offense (behind Tyreke, Cousins, and Thornton), and doing most of his damage by cleaning up the offensive glass while opponents are stacked on Cousins and the perimeter. We shall see!

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Honeycutt: Rookie - 6'8" - SF - 34.9 MPG - 12.8 PPG - 7.2 RPG ( college stats )
I had Honeycutt projected as a first round pick, so I look at him as steal in the second round. If he follows the pattern set by other players that have played under Howland, he'll be a surprise offensively, and good defensively. Howland stresses defense, and tends to stiffle the offensive abilities of his players. Honeycutt is a good athlete, and was a consistent shooter from behind the college 3 pt line at 36.2%. However his overall field goal percentage dropped from 49.6% his freshman year, to 40.6% his sophmore year. He's an above average passer averaging 2.8 assists. He was also a good rebounder.

In short, he's a rookie with promise. No more, no less. The percentage of 2nd round picks that actually amount to something is small. But it does happen, and Honeycutt is the type to bet on if your a betting person. The way the team sits right now, he could get a few minutes here and there. If another SF is brought in, then he might be better in the DL league getting some experience.

I agree pretty completely on Honeycutt, having watched him extensively over two years (as a UCLA fan). I was quite happy to see him fall to us in the second. While you credit him with being an above-average passer, I think he has the potential to jump up to the "great" category. He wasn't a guy who racked up assists by kicking out to the perimeter; he consistently threw thread-the-needle passes to guys and got them open looks at the rim. His fault was that he would try those highlight reel passes when there was no chance of connecting on them, and he turned the ball over a lot that way. If he can learn to identify which passes are completable, his passing will be a major asset. But I'm a bit less optimistic on his chance for minutes this year. Salmons, Garcia and Greene are all ahead of him on the depth chart, and we can expect the majority of the SG minutes to go to Thornton (if signed), Evans, and Jimmer. I think without at least one of the SFs getting moved that he'd be better off in the D-League getting some minutes.

Salmons: 11 yr's - 6'6" - SF/SG - 35 MPG - 14.0 PPG - 3.6 RPG - 3.5 APG.

Don't give Salmons so much vet cred! He's only got 9 years under his belt!

Thornton: 2 yr's - 6'4" - SG - 27.1 MPG - 14.5 PPG - 3.8 RPG - 0.9 SPG.
I realize we haven't resigned him yet, but I expect that to be a formality.

The one thing that might be a bit of an issue with Thornton is not signing him as a free agent (he's an RFA, and we'd be nearly certain to match any offer) but rather losing him to Europe or China for the entire season. Wilson Chandler has set the stage by signing his Chinese contract without an out clause...he has essentially opted out of restricted free agency (something I think a lot of RFAs would like to do) by leaving the league. Chandler will come back in one year, but I expect that he'll no longer be an RFA. If the lockout doesn't progress soon, Thornton may be an ideal candidate to follow Chandler's lead. I hope that doesn't happen, but it well might.

 

[cuad]

I would change some of your heights. Using draft express, I would say that Cousins is 6'10, Greene 6'9, Evans 6'5 and Isaiah Thomas 5'10 in shoes.

I think differently of Marcus Thornton. I say he was the worst team defender on the Kings last year. He was toast in pick and roll situations, always let players get to the middle of the floor, frequently lost his assignments and never boxed out. He was also a part of the Kings terrible transition defense. I thought he was worse than Beno. Of course I blame the coach, not him. The whole team can do better. Also I think you left out Marcus Thornton's most exciting stat. He put up 3.4 assists per game, helping the Kings move up to 13th in APG in the NBA, up from 29th.


I want to add that Jason Thompson was incredible off the bench at the end of last year. He rebounded, he had a back to the basket post game, his jump shot was automatic, he missed no layups or close shots and made plenty of tough ones. That's for the naysayers who say J.J. Hickson is better than him.

I also want to add more praise for Jimmer's PG ability. I watched just three BYU games, but they were enough to convince me that Jimmer could be a good point guard. He has NBA point guard skills in transition, in pick and rolls and against double teams. He finds open players. My favorite Jimmer quality is his toughness. He played his best games on the road. Although he'll be no star, I think he's the kind of player that will make others believe. He and Jason Thompson off the bench next year should be great for the fans.

J.J. Hickson is another player who I think the fans will really like, because the name of his game is energy, and it shows in his rebounding. I definitely wouldn't look to him to be a future starter though. I think he should come off the bench too, like JT.

About making the playoffs: The offense is good enough. Paul Westphal drew up many wonderful plays that made Cousins look like he was all-nba, but even with Salmons and whatever free agents the Kings manage to sign, I don't think this team is going anywhere without fixing its defense. They don't get back in transition and I don't think they communicated well at all by the way the team would get chewed up by the pick and roll. Everyone needs to start boxing out too.

Overall, I think the rebuild is finally complete. I just hope Westphal can get the team to play defense.

 

[Return To Glory]

Do you guys think that Honeycutt can be a starting SF in the future? I didn't get to watch him play at UCLA, but I hope he can be a productive part of our team in the future.

 

[cuad]

If he gains a little weight, then without a doubt. In college he blocked shots, he rebounded, he passed well, he hit threes, he played defense and he has all the athleticism in the world along with the height. Most mock drafts had him getting picked in the first round.

 

[bajaden]

OK, corrected! Hickson was a typo, but Salmons was just a mis-count. I didn't check closely enough when I was counting and didn't realize that he was traded twice during the season. I was just counting teams he played for and not the year he played.. My bad!.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Just going to add my 0.02 on a few players ...

Thoughts about Hickson..
I thought the Casspi-Hickson trade was a no-brainer. As young as Casspi was .. I just stopped seeing the potential with him. He was regressing, but thats another subject for another time. I was very excited to get Hickson at the time, but the more I've thought about it, the less 'excited' I am about the move.

Is he better than Jason Thompson? I dont know. I'd probly take Thompson to be honest. If JT was given the #1 big man role like Hickson was last season, his numbers would have been just as good if not better, and like Baja said .. I finally saw some defensive improvement from JT last year.

Dont get me wrong, I'd still do the deal. I still think it was a no brainer, but I have tempered my expectations a bit .. and if Dally comes back, I think we'll have another playing time issue like last year. JT/DMC/Dally/Hickson is just too many players, not enough playing time to keep everyone productive ... and if I am eliminating one of those four, its Hickson.

Thoughts on Salmons..
I dont hate the fact that we traded for Salmons, but I do hate the actual trade and I hate his contract. I think the move was extremely stupid, but he is here now so I will try and forget that for the moment.

If we still had Dalembert, this could be a pretty good team defensively. When you take Cisco (who can defend, but not SF's) and Udrih out of the lineup for Salmons and Thornton... you have to figure your defense will improve.

That being said, if your starting lineup is Cousins, Hickson, Salmons, Thornton, Evans ... Damn. I know "There wont be enough balls to go around" is cliche .. but look at that team! All of those guys are high usage for their positions.

---

This team isnt as balanced as it should be. We have more talent then we did last year ... that is a fact, but I'm not sure this talent can play together. Not under this coach.

8th seed should be our goal. Some of the WC teams will dropoff, we should be better .. so you never know. If we are at least "in the mix" I will consider the season a huge success.

 

[Bricklayer]

Do you guys think that Honeycutt can be a starting SF in the future? I didn't get to watch him play at UCLA, but I hope he can be a productive part of our team in the future.

He has the right style game for what we are clearly going to need if Reke/Cousins/Thornton are all here (and maybe Jimmer) -- a natural born roleplayer. Play defense, hit spot shots, even passes wilingly. But one large early question will be his body. He's comes in listed at 6'8" 188lbs. Which is pathetic. I think he may be a little heavier than listed at this point, but he's very very skinny, and not particularly ripped skinny either. And he doesn't have ballhandling skills, so he's a SF. So he's going to have to bulk up significantly before he ever become a day to day starter in the NBA, or Metta World Peace will snap him in half and eat him with his Cream of Wheat in the morning.

 

[Bricklayer]

A note regarding Salmons BTW, resulting from some research I did while updating his scouting report:

There appear to have been some substantive changes in Salmons' game since we saw him last. Now some of this may have just been because he was injured to start last season and began the season out of shape. And some of it may have been Scott Skiles strangle-my-own-offense-so-we-not-only-lose-but-lose-boring offense. But nonetheless there have been some dramatic changes in the distribution of his offense which I think have not been at all in favor of his overall effectiveness, but might ironically make him a better fit here than he once was.

Stats via 82games.com, did not yet crosscheck them with the shot location charts at hoopdata.com:

In the last three years:
'08-'09 Kings:
Jumper: 68% .474FG% 40%assisted
Close: 29% .605FG% 37%assisted, 17%blocked
Dunk: 3%

'10-'11 Milwaulkee:
Jumper: 82% .443FG% 46%assisted
Close: 17% .535FG% 30%assisted, 15%blocked
Dunk: 1%


Now I have never truly trusted 82games' definitions of "jumper" vs. "close" etc. etc., but that would seem to indicate a pretty stiff falloff in slashing, and increasing reliance on a jumper. Now John already had that jumepr by the time he left Sacto, but what he did best remained slash to the hoop where he was a very efficient finisher. Byt the numbers, by last year he was nto getting to the hoop nearly as much, and when he did get there he was much less efficient as a finisher. Had become largely a jumpshooter. Its not that he;s taking more threes -- about the same pace per game, so it must be more midrange jumpers. All fo whihc leads to a much less effective offensive player, but one who possibly might be a better fit next to one of the legaue's most prolifivc slashers in Reke, and a post up presence like Cousins.

 

[bajaden]

I would change some of your heights. Using draft express, I would say that Cousins is 6'10, Greene 6'9, Evans 6'5 and Isaiah Thomas 5'10 in shoes.

Well, my post wasn't really about the actual or perceived height of the players, but I'll change it if it makes everyone happy. Actually, Cousins is 6'10.75" in shoes, so I just rounded it out to 6'11". Most sights have Greene listed as either 6'10" or 6'11", and having stood right next to Greene and Thompson, I couldn't see any significant difference between them, so I'm assuming that Greene has grown since being drafted. Tryeke is 6'5.25" in shoes, so you have a legitimate complaint there. Of course he playes taller than that with his big wingspan thats just a bit under 7 foot.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Re: the Hickston/Casspi trade

Sure, if the team retains Dalembert or signs another big man to replace him, there will be a gut. But the Casspi/Hickson trade was still a smart one. SF already was a glut as well, and I'll take a glut at PF/C over SF any day, considering big men are more valuable both off the court and in trade.

Baja, interesting you mentioned that JT's stats fell off a bit this year. As you note, that was almost entirely due to playing fewer minutes, it looks like. Check out his per/36 stats on basketball reference--it's almost eeire how consistent they are. While JT seems to frustrate because he's been inconsistent night by night, over the big picture he's surprisingly consistent: 14 and 9.5 with 1.7 assists and about a block in 36 minutes. Won't be a star, sure, but very solid.

 

[kingsboi]

While I do like the Hickson/Casspi trade, the Salmons trade not so much. He doesn't have any business on this team especially since he's known as a ball stopper and we all ready have one in Tyreke so having two starting at once can make the games difficult to watch if our coach doesn't implement a system to play. That being said, I don't think you can ever have enough big men so I'm fine if we are stacked at the C/PF spots honestly. Two of them start, two of them come off the bench. They will all see a good amount of playing time regardless IMO.

For the poster above mentioning our defense, absolutely agree. If we play defense like we did most of last year and let teams get easy transition baskets, layups, wide open three's etc. we won't win many games again and we would have to rely on outscoring our opponents, which looks like we have the potential to do with this team. I am placing my expectations at a reasonable high this time around, I really expect this team to compete for an 8th seed because anything less is a disappointing season, at least to me. If we can incorporate our three new players to what we all ready have and resign a free agent or two that can contribute, I see no reason why we shouldn't compete for a playoff berth or be close to it.

 

[Kingster]

What are our needs? We need for Tyreke and Cousins to mature and play up to their potential. Tyreke needs to look up "unselfish" in Webster's. Cousins needs to effectively mature about 7 years in one year on the mental/emotional side. As far as basketball skill, we need for both to take care of the ball. Cousins, in particular, was horrible last year in TOs. He's got to do a 180 on that. Then we need for Jimmer to take care of the ball and be above average for a rookie pg in that area; it would be nice if he played a modicum of defense as well; it will put less pressure on Cousins and the pf to cover for him. Overall, this team has a lot of talent (i.e high ceiling), but it's going to take a lot of work and some mature leadership to realize the ceiling. Until I see Jimmer be a consistent pg on the floor, I'm skeptical whether he's going to be a facilitor we need. Overall, the physicallity is there, but the intangibles aren't close to being there. At least not yet.

 

[est.1999]

^^^ I don't think you've ever seen a young NBA player play before. My god are you ignorant.

 

[bajaden]

What are our needs? We need for Tyreke and Cousins to mature and play up to their potential. Tyreke needs to look up "unselfish" in Webster's. Cousins needs to effectively mature about 7 years in one year on the mental/emotional side. As far as basketball skill, we need for both to take care of the ball. Cousins, in particular, was horrible last year in TOs. He's got to do a 180 on that. Then we need for Jimmer to take care of the ball and be above average for a rookie pg in that area; it would be nice if he played a modicum of defense as well; it will put less pressure on Cousins and the pf to cover for him. Overall, this team has a lot of talent (i.e high ceiling), but it's going to take a lot of work and some mature leadership to realize the ceiling. Until I see Jimmer be a consistent pg on the floor, I'm skeptical whether he's going to be a facilitor we need. Overall, the physicallity is there, but the intangibles aren't close to being there. At least not yet.

Well welcome back from whatever your endevors have been for the summer. You need to quit holding back though, and say what you think.. Quit sugarcoating it...

 

[Amory]

Great post. I have thought the same about JT's last season.

 

[Kingster]

Well welcome back from whatever your endevors have been for the summer. You need to quit holding back though, and say what you think.. Quit sugarcoating it...

Well, I don't want to overextend myself. It could be a while before the season starts and I need the mojo to finish...

 

[Kingster]

^^^ I don't think you've ever seen a young NBA player play before. My god are you ignorant.

And you're incoherent. Just continue to babble without an argument and call other people ignorant. You'll go places...

 

[CruzDude]

JJ Hickson. Saw him play in Las Vegas in opening game on Wednesday, the 14th. He was a monster among his peers. Very athletic, very quick under the basket and has had multiple blocks in each game so far. Had 36 pts and 14 reb Wednesday and was aggressive for the entire game. Hustles all the time and is among the first down court on fast breaks and always heads for basket area when others are bringing ball down. So good head for the game. A comment I made over in the NBA FORUM about the Impact Competitive Practice Sessions and JJ was that in the last 2 min of the game he was still busting his butt to get down court at the same time as the ball. His jumper is much improved commented a Cleveland media type. Used it some but mostly went to the basket. I really like his game. Interview coming with him on Thursday along with some photos or video clips I hope. Lighting is terrible in Impact arena.

 

[cuad]

I want to argue for John Salmons here. I've watched a few of his Bucks games last year and from what I see he was perfectly comfortable deferring to Jennings and letting guys like Keyon Dooling, Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino get shots. He's fourth on the team in AST% behind three point guards (depending on how you classify Keyon Dooling.) I really don't think, because of his age and because of how he played last year, that he'll kill the offense or something. I think he really could excel in this role and help the team win.

 

[mm16]

Am I missing something? What happend to Dalembert?

 

[Bricklayer]

Am I missing something? What happend to Dalembert?

free agent

I want him back, but there will be winnning teams after his services who could entice him away (and as I have noted, when WINNING teams want guys like him, so should you).