Chubbs
Starter
Yeah, I know what he looks like now!
He has to play more. There's no sense in continuing down the salmons road to nowhere.
There is something wrong with this team.
- Thread starter Siranthony
- Start date
He has to play more. There's no sense in continuing down the salmons road to nowhere.
There isnt anything wrong with this team...besides the whole talent thing. Times like this when Malone should go young and stupid. All these young guys got no problem working hard and making mistakes. Salmons...MT and Hayes have that losing stench on them. Plus all 3 and to a lesser extent MT have done all they can do skill wise...
Let the big guy Ndyaie get some minutes to atleast grab boards with Demarcus. Throw MT to the bench see if he works harder to get off of it and let Jimmer get out there and show some value.
Theres no reason to have these guys out there not giving effort or stinking up the joint when there are hungrier young dudes on the bench that will give you more in the long run. The Suns are winning games off pure hard work, we just need guys out there who will still work when the shots arent falling.
Let the big guy Ndyaie get some minutes to atleast grab boards with Demarcus. Throw MT to the bench see if he works harder to get off of it and let Jimmer get out there and show some value.
Theres no reason to have these guys out there not giving effort or stinking up the joint when there are hungrier young dudes on the bench that will give you more in the long run. The Suns are winning games off pure hard work, we just need guys out there who will still work when the shots arent falling.
Rockmeister
All-Star
I will be at the game on Wednesday. So we will see. I really hope there is going to be a line up change.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
Great post. It sounds like Coach Malone has been been pushed to his limit and as a result, his adjustments could be very close to what you've outlined.
He's to the point now, where he's not concerned with what a guy "should" be able to do and what he did before,..he wants passion and energy produced right now. That's the way it should be anyhow. No free rides, regardless of how rediculous of a contract you may or may not have
Exactly.
Seeing the same product on the floor from some of these players I just dont see how giving 20 mins to Jimmer is a bad thing? Guys like him will atleast work hard...now the problem comes when he stops working or IT stops working then we are in more trouble this season.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
I personally don't believe that Jimmer will ever quite out there and the odds of his shot going cold for any long stretch is very slim. With how things have gone and where coach Malone currently sits, Freddete may grow on him very quickly...especially if the net starts going "rip, swish" at any kind of a decent rate
If Jimmer can spot up, make the right decisions and attempt to play D he cant hurt out there. Im just sick of Thornton at this point
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
Jimmer is a more versatile offensive player and he's much more active, in that he never just stands around. He actually has the ability and desire to get into the lane. Last night..floater 'tear drop' from just inside the free line. Thornton doesn't have that shot, even when he's on.
He's got a more effective left hand dribble as well. In other words, he uses it to accomplish something, which is get inside the arc. I want to see him get a legit chance with Malone and I think we're at the point
Hadlowe
Starter
I was trying to give Thornton the benefit of the doubt this season, despite not liking his brand of basketball in general. I really hoped he would start the season strong, despite the poor preseason. I hoped he would break out of the slump to start the season, and he just seems to regress further.
I didn't see much of Thornton when he was at LSU, but he wouldn't be the first scorer to come into the league having never really learned how to play in real offensive sets with good teammates. I still think that his slump has to do with him playing a type of basketball he just doesn't know how to play with equally competent teammates. With persistent coaching and lots of practice, I think he could be a valuable piece halfway through the season if he doesn't get all butthurt and torch the clubhouse in the meantime. For the time being, he can't be on the floor. The poor defense and shooting woes coupled with the selfish leakouts and dunderheadedness just can't work with our one star and otherwise mediocre team. Start McLemore and play Jimmer off the bench. See if you can trade Thornton for an expiring somewhere, anywhere, no matter how bad. Turkoglu, anyone?
Salmons continues to Salmons it up on offense, but his defense hasn't been horrible. The lack of rebounding is troubling. If Mbah a Moute isn't ready for minutes, Outlaw should start with McLemore filling in with spot minutes at the three. Salmons will be gone after this season in any case.
I don't know what to do about the 4. Patterson's rebounding is woeful. His man defense has been okay, Aldridge notwithstanding. Aldridge, like Nowitzki, is one of those guys that if they are hitting a turnaround mid-range you just kind of shrug and move on knowing you made him take a tough shot. Patterson's defensive rotations are BAD, but so are Thompson's. Thompson is our only other player with any length, which makes me really hesitant to start him as we need either him or Cousins on the floor at all times to have any shot at a defensive rebound.
They can start JT if they give Ndaie minutes...simple as that. I havent seen any this dude to know if hes good or not but hes a legit 7 footer who can rebound and block shots. Just play him.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
Agreed. Length is hurting us. With have a long player. At least take a look at him with some time
Thanks for the video. The problem with this team is not the coach. I would love to work for a guy like Coach Malone. Changes will be forthcoming.
You can discount what I am about to say next if you want. As a coach, I have been faced with team drafts that were rigged. I would get a bunch of small freshman and sophmores and try to compete and against teams with seniors with more size and skill. Things like loose ball drills, rebounding drills and focus on defense changed everything. I would have to have a consequence for lack of effort like 15 pushups and 6 laps of the gym. Quickly players figured out that effort needed to be automatic and at a very high level. We are back to mental toughness as a big issue with the Kings. Many of them don't have any.
You can discount what I am about to say next if you want. As a coach, I have been faced with team drafts that were rigged. I would get a bunch of small freshman and sophmores and try to compete and against teams with seniors with more size and skill. Things like loose ball drills, rebounding drills and focus on defense changed everything. I would have to have a consequence for lack of effort like 15 pushups and 6 laps of the gym. Quickly players figured out that effort needed to be automatic and at a very high level. We are back to mental toughness as a big issue with the Kings. Many of them don't have any.
I think you'll see it sooner rather than later. So far, I think Malone has done what he said. I just hope people are realistic. You can't build a championship team - or even a really competitive team - with some of the pieces we currently have. Our problems are not going to be solved by rearranging the deck chairs.
He's a legit 7 footer who is RAW. I like him but he's not ready for prime time, so to speak. I wouldn't mind seeing him get some time but he's not the answer to any questions at this point.
I would love to see more of him you can never have one too many big men these days. Definately would give Demarcus a little bit of help on the glass atleast
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
The realistic goal though, is to change the 'spirit' in which the game is being played. Everyone who was realistic knows this team wasn't going to compete for a playoff spot. So that makes it relatively 'easy' to move on to a more important goal, which was laid out for us from day one with our new staff. Culture, attitude, defense.
Do whatever it takes to get those things changing for the better, even at the 'expense' of possibly losing more games. Although, I think they'll actually have a chance to compete for wins more often
macadocious
Starter
I don't know what peoples expectations of this season were. I expected maybe one more win at this point. This team construction is putrid. Brick pointed it out numerous times. After Malone and Cuz and possibly M16, we have nothing. Not one star player.
GV can be a decent floor general with players who can make shots and finish.
IT can be a sparkplug for a playoff team
Other than that, I really could care less about any of the other players. I do like Jimmer, but for what I thought he could do not what he has done. We have two years of roster reconstruction ahead of us. Our best chance is to get a high pick this year and open up cap space for 2015. Thats it, that's all we got.
GV can be a decent floor general with players who can make shots and finish.
IT can be a sparkplug for a playoff team
Other than that, I really could care less about any of the other players. I do like Jimmer, but for what I thought he could do not what he has done. We have two years of roster reconstruction ahead of us. Our best chance is to get a high pick this year and open up cap space for 2015. Thats it, that's all we got.
No, we've still got a team, warts, wrinkles and all. I don't care if it takes a while to undo being Maloofed, we've still got our freaking team.
Bosnian Diehard
Starter
I mean, this team isn't a playoff team, so if we're headed towards the lottery, why not take a few more losses for what could be a big difference in our picks?
Again, it isn't about wins and losses. It's about developing players and changing a culture that had become so vile and so toxic that nobody on the team was able to function effectively.
I want a lineup out there that is fun to watch AND helps the team develop. I've been a Kings fan long enough to remember well the days when it wasn't even about winning. It was about coming close and having fun at the game.
Most of all, I want to see EFFORT. I want to know the guys I've paid good money to see are trying their best. If they are, then all is well. If, on the other hand, they're just phoning it in or pouting or playing for themselves only and not the team, then all is NOT well.
I've left Arco feeling good about a loss when it was a hard-fought game. I used to say it all the time..Heart and hustle, effort and enthusiasm. That's what it should be about from every single player wearing a Kings jersey. If they cannot bring that, then I don't see why I should spend my money to pay their salary.
Most of our team is capable of playing with heart and hustle, effort and enthusiasm. We just need to weed out the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Get those who obviously don't really want to give it their all out of there. Let the kids play, let Jimmer play, let the guys who bring it every night get the minutes. And in the case of JT, who seems bent on bringing his whining and complaining to a level previously unseen in these parts, I have one other bit of advice (which might be familiar to old-timers around here). What it is? Simple. SUCK IT UP, SHUT UP AND PLAY!!!
/rant
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
This is how it was for the first decade and a half or so with this franchise. Fans came out and supported the team, because they had fun watching the team fight with passion. Mitch Richmond still talks about it and how this was the case when he came to the team in the early 90's.
Attendance and fan support was great then and it will be now, if the team leaves it all on the court. I think they will, with a couple of adjustments
Kingsfan23
All-Star
I don't think many people have a problem with the record per say, it is who is involved in the record. I don't think many Kings fans have a problem with a young team putting energy out there with hope for the future, what most don't want to see is gutless veterans who they loathe. That's when folks start to personally dislike what the team is.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
I'm almost certain this is this coaching staff's position too, and I wish to hell it wasn't. Its the exact same thing Smart said. And in both cases it was being driven by incompetent front offices not bringing in enough size.
And the thing is? I think it does a huge disservice to both the team and Jason. I often think Jerry Reynolds is wrong about things. In few places moreso than this one: JT is a PF. he's 6'11" and so that confuses people who haven't watched him for 5 years. But he's a PF. He's had a long career where he's started and provided solid PF numbers. Nothing spectacular, but solid. Even his most effective stint as a bench player? Came when the other two main frontcourt guys were Cousins and Dalmebert. In other words whenever Jason was on the court he was the PF. He's a PF. When he gets put at center, starter or reserve, he often struggles. And when you're a coach and you come in preaching "let's rebound!", then you damn well owe it to the team to put your best rebounders out there in the lineup for as many minutes as they can go. Having a starting PF grab 2 rebounds in 28min is simply intolerable. It would be one thing if Jason were a rookie and you were just looking at his height or something. But Jason Thompson has started 281 NBA games in his career, probably virtually all of them at PF unless there's some stretch back there I am forgetting about. He's been a solid 11-8 for half a decade doing that. What is the possible advantage of benching him in favor of nobody, restricting his own effectiveness in the process?
This.
Rookies learning on the job will lose but atleast they will bring it every night. Maybe going stupidly young will bring the college atmosphere back to Arco
He doesn't need to earn a tryout at this point, there are already teams interested in him.
Glenn
Hall of Famer
Learning is the point.
This team has been losing for years, so in either case you have a losing team. But in one case, you at least have people out there who want to be there and you are investing into the future rather than investing into crap.
Exactly. Malone seems like he will ride and coach up whoever buys into his hustle and defense first system.
ShastaKingsFan
All-Star
This probably really is the bottom line. With the new staff often mentioning the word "future", fans don't even want to think about guys getting constant playing time who they know are not part of the future. Unless the guy leaves his guts on the floor every night. None of the guys in question have done that, so move on to developing guys who have energy and heart to give
I really like Coach Malone. I'm sure he's already had discussions about the roster and knows this team wasn't built to win anything this year, but he wants effort and hard work out of his players regardless and he's holding them accountable. He's exactly the type of coach that a guy like DeMarcus needs and you can already see the results. He's more focused. He's banging in the paint on almost every possession because he knows the coach has his back. I also like that Malone is familiar with a lot of players around the league. I bet he's already got a good idea of who he'd like to see on this team and as it gets shaped around his philosophy in the next few years we're going to see a lot more of the hard-nosed style of play that most of this current roster just isn't capable of. I was very pessimistic about this season, and so far I've been pleasantly surprised that the big developments (new coach, DeMarcus as centerpiece, McLemore's development) are working out about as well as anyone could hope for. It's frustrating at times, but I hope people realize that all of the white noise going on around those developments with the rest of the roster is just that -- white noise. Better not to focus on it right now.
