Thinking we can entice Rondo may be moot

[funkykingston]

Like an above poster said surround DMC/Gay with shooters that's the new nba. It also doesn't help that rondo plays no defense.

Personally I'd rather trade Gay too. Use the caproom from not signing Rondo to sign Ryan Anderson and deal Gay for one or more 3&D guys and maybe a mid-to-late 1st rounder.

I agree this team has underachieved and that Karl's coaching made things worse. But if this team isn't even capable of being an 8th seed this year, what is its ceiling with the right coach? I doubt anyone would argue it could be a true contender. I don't see why you'd spend $90 million to keep this core together.

 

[Showtime]

that's rubbish - you're only as good as how you are set out to play. Our record is severely tarnished by a coach who can do no more then push his philosophy of small ball, pace and tempo.

I'm all for them loading up over the next two years. its all about the short term payoff. You build everything around the next two seasons and if/when cousins walks you hit the restart button. Do it right and we'll win and everything else will look after itself - we've set ourselves up for this. Its the way it has to be, there is no sustainability long term thinking here. One way or another our future and success is tied to Cousins. We need to load up and pay up to get there. If we can get Rondo for 10-12mill a year for the next two years i take that, anymore and i lean towards letting him walk, our time is now though, very much so.

This mentality is why we haven't won in a decade and why other teams are able to re-tool in 1-3 years. If you want another decade of mediocre basketball, keep doing what you're doing.

 

[Showtime]

Edit: A core of Rondo, Cuz, Gay, with KARL as the coach.

Take off your rose colored Karl glasses.

Put down the koolaid.

The Rockets are very dysfunctional. They've had their two stars beef, their coaching is under fire, Dwight has under-achieved, and guess what? That "mess" of a team is in the 7th spot and likely to go to the playoffs. Seriously, go look at all other lottery teams. Nobody has as much talent/experience/resumes as our core. Nobody. Anybody with a comparable 3 players are winning right now. EVERYBODY but this team, and that includes teams that have their own drama like OKC where they have made coaching changes and are talking about blowing it up with Durant walking in free-agency and Westbrook possibly following suit. Or how about Chicago? They've openly looked for deals to unload Gasol and possibly Rose, looking to rebuild around Butler. They've had their own problems with seemingly not coming together with this squad and they are over .500 and probably getting to the playoffs in the 8th spot. Just look at what a mess Cleveland is thought to be with Lebron running the show, guys unhappy, Love drama, the coaching change with Lue, and they are sitting at 49 wins right now. You can blame Karl all you want, and I have quite a bit if you go read my posts. But even a horribly mismanaged team with some talent wins basketball games, and this team is talented enough to net 35+ wins even with Slamson sitting on the sidelines with a clipboard. This is not all on Karl. This team sucks and people here want to keep punching the ticket on this ride.

 

[Entity]

whoever gets Rondo better have 4 stud defenders on the court with him. I had no idea he would be this awful on defense. in fact when someone suggested it before the season I defended rondo. Now i have changed my mind. He is worse defender than any point guard I have seen in Sacramento including Bibby

 

[Livinthedream]

This mentality is why we haven't won in a decade and why other teams are able to re-tool in 1-3 years. If you want another decade of mediocre basketball, keep doing what you're doing.

Like turning over the roster and firing the coach every year?

I'm not saying we need to keep things as they are, but I think that Sac. 1989's post was more than reasonable. Do it right. Trying to find the magic piece to get us to the 8th seed is a waste of time. Find a philosophy and build on it. That's how teams retool in 1-3 years. They know what they have and what they want. The Kings organization hasn't had a clue for the last decade.

'We need a Klay Thompson or a Wes Matthews or championship experience to win' is all excuses and the lazy way out. Find the skill set you want in a draftee and develop him to work in your system. Find a free agent that fits your system and give him a role. A 'pass first' pg want is not a system. Neither is saying we need a 'shooter'. What you do with those pieces and how you coach them will create the end result. You can't buy a championship team. You build it from within. Solidify the FO and basketball operations and the rest will fall into place.

 

[Bricklayer]

whoever gets Rondo better have 4 stud defenders on the court with him. I had no idea he would be this awful on defense. in fact when someone suggested it before the season I defended rondo. Now i have changed my mind. He is worse defender than any point guard I have seen in Sacramento including Bibby

Thing is he's also the only Kings PG...well, maybe ever, who's ever actually been a core part of an elite defensive unit.

The question with Rondo on defense has long been whether you could ever get him back to caring at that level. George Karl certainly wasn't the guy to do it. On the other hand, if Thibs were to arrive you would have a direct history with this same PG.

 

[Showtime]

Thing is he's also the only Kings PG...well, maybe ever, who's ever actually been a core part of an elite defensive unit.

Irrelevant what somebody was doing 5 years ago, let alone a 25 year old PG with elite wing defenders and one of the league's best defensive coaches. Even if you have all that, which the Kings certainly will not, he's still going to be losing another step soon and will need even more help. Your argument doesn't hold water. I know you like Rondo, but he's not part of a winning core here, and perhaps not anywhere due to his style of play.

 

[funkykingston]

Thing is he's also the only Kings PG...well, maybe ever, who's ever actually been a core part of an elite defensive unit.

The question with Rondo on defense has long been whether you could ever get him back to caring at that level. George Karl certainly wasn't the guy to do it. On the other hand, if Thibs were to arrive you would have a direct history with this same PG.

I don't like the odds that Rondo I've watched all season can be convinced to be a plus defender by a different coach. I really don't think it's that he physically can't defend as much as it is that he doesn't want to. As the season moves on I think more and more that Rondo is really just using this season to try and get one last big contract. I don't think he helps the Kings win games now and I don't think he'd help them next year while making and extra $6 or $7 million.

I know Boogie loves him but that's not a good enough reason to gamble on him returning to form right after getting a fat contract.

 

[Sac.1989]

This mentality is why we haven't won in a decade and why other teams are able to re-tool in 1-3 years. If you want another decade of mediocre basketball, keep doing what you're doing.

my point is hardly to keep doing what we are doing. We've been rubbish, woeful to this point for the last decade. The time to actually make an effort in getting it right is now, this summer. Whether or not you think we can do that is your prerogative but blowing this up before we've actually gone on record by going all out would be stupidity.

the definition of going all out:
- using the two year window tied into demarcus's last two seasons here on contract to make roster tweaks and sign players of value
- utilizing cap space - all cap space - let rondo walk if he is getting overpaid but sure as hell reinvest that money elsewhere
- drafting for immediate need and impact or trading for veteran help
- emphasizing defense through a solid coaching hire

 

[Merdiesel]

You've got to be incredibly bad defensively for it to cancel out damn near 12 assists a game.

I would welcome him back next year under one condition... We need a defensive stopper at the 2 or 3 spot on the floor with him at all times. Preferably both.

 

[LPKingsFan]

my point is hardly to keep doing what we are doing. We've been rubbish, woeful to this point for the last decade. The time to actually make an effort in getting it right is now, this summer. Whether or not you think we can do that is your prerogative but blowing this up before we've actually gone on record by going all out would be stupidity.

the definition of going all out:
- using the two year window tied into demarcus's last two seasons here on contract to make roster tweaks and sign players of value
- utilizing cap space - all cap space - let rondo walk if he is getting overpaid but sure as hell reinvest that money elsewhere
- drafting for immediate need and impact or trading for veteran help
- emphasizing defense through a solid coaching hire

They did all but your last point last summer. We'll see if another go-round this summer + a new coach is enough.

If not, we'll know by trade deadline 2017. And, as I've said before, that point, not the end of DMC's contract, is when you have to decide whether to pull the plug or not. We don't have a two-year window, I'm afraid.

 

[Sac.1989]

They did all but your last point last summer. We'll see if another go-round this summer + a new coach is enough.

If not, we'll know by trade deadline 2017. And, as I've said before, that point, not the end of DMC's contract, is when you have to decide whether to pull the plug or not. We don't have a two-year window, I'm afraid.

true. If it all falls apart again and demarcus has checked out then its time to consider hitting the reset button. Really we have 1 year to get this right. Its playoffs or bust next year. Do not discount the effect a solid coach can have here on both ends. That point is highly significant. A bit of luck in FA would go a long way too but we shall see. The gap between a Bello and a Wes Matthews is large by any means. Much the same with being on the cusp of bringing in Stan Van Gundy but losing out and settling for Reggie Theus. Big decisions to be made and Vlade cant afford to tip this one to Horry so to speak.

 

[VF21]

Big decisions to be made and Vlade cant afford to tip this one to Horry so to speak.

Ouch.

 

[Sac.1989]

Ouch.

his shoulders are broad enough for this. I have all the faith in him VF

 

[CruzDude]

Rondo will walk and Kings will be better for it. DC can run the team with one more good ball handler SG. Lot of options out there. Curry needs a year and bunch of minutes to see what he brings and can contribute. Could be a lot. If Cuz stays think Rudy may go. But more than anything Kings need a coach who adapts to the players he has. No more round plugs in square holes.

 

[Bricklayer]

Irrelevant what somebody was doing 5 years ago, let alone a 25 year old PG with elite wing defenders and one of the league's best defensive coaches. Even if you have all that, which the Kings certainly will not, he's still going to be losing another step soon and will need even more help. Your argument doesn't hold water. I know you like Rondo, but he's not part of a winning core here, and perhaps not anywhere due to his style of play.

Yeah, I think you're the one with a leaky argument. That 25 year old PG with the elite wing defenders was himself a 4x All Defense member. In fact other than KG, he was probably considered the best defender of the bunch. He may have lost a little lateral movement, but he's still more than good enough of an athlete to be a lot more of what he was once than he is currently.

As mentioned, Thibs was his defensive coach when they won a title. They speak the same language, and there would be noone better to remind him of what it took to win a title.

 

[Showtime]

Yeah, I think you're the one with a leaky argument. That 25 year old PG with the elite wing defenders was himself a 4x All Defense member. In fact other than KG, he was probably considered the best defender of the bunch. He may have lost a little lateral movement, but he's still more than good enough of an athlete to be a lot more of what he was once than he is currently.

As mentioned, Thibs was his defensive coach when they won a title. They speak the same language, and there would be noone better to remind him of what it took to win a title.

Again: Thibs is not coming here, so bringing him up as a point for your argument is invalid. Its moot. Second, as I already pointed out, Rondo is nowhere near the defensive player he was at 25, and now he will have just WCS behind him instead of that Boston frontline. Third, admitting he can be better than he is just reinforces my point that he isn't worth investing in at this point in his career. He's not playing up to the level that this team requires to be successful, and will only decline. Now is just not the time to invest heavily in a player like Rondo. That window passed a few years ago.

 

[Kingster]

I think whether Rondo stays or leaves will have to do with money. Someone is going to offer him a boatload of money, and the question is, do we really want to use all of our capspace on Rondo? Do we really want to sign him to a long contract? Does anyone really believe that if we bring back the exact same team next season with a different coach, we're a contender?

Not a chance. The upcoming question is how many players are going to be gone from this team. I think it could be as low as five players gone, with an upper limit of 12.

 

[IfAt1st]

Here's my problem with many KF's read on Rondo -
Why would he be unwilling to play defense if he wants to get a big fat contract next year, after "using the Kings to pad his assists stat"?

KF's aren't the only ones who notice his complete lack of concern with the defensive side of the ball most of the times- it's been atrocious. All the moreso because of how he's shown to be a ballhawk in crucial situations this year. Maybe I'm seeing things and being overly apologetic, but I think he's fully capable of staying in front of his man more than he has the majority of the year.

Which begs the question - WHY would Rondo deliberately be making it seem like he can't play defense anymore? He's costing himself serious dollars.
I don't really have the answer to that question, other than a full-on conspiracy two-part answer:

1) He wants to re-sign with the Kings next year, and doesn't want to make them break the bank for his contract.
2) He is smart enough to know that Karl's defense scheme was fatally flawed from the get-go, so he didn't try to make it look any better.
Remember, if the Kings defense was any good this year, they would have had to put up with Karl for years, and Karl would have gotten all the credit for team wins. Hell, Karl WAS starting to get credit during that 5-game winning game streak where Demarcus single-handedly won them through sheer herculean effort.

Like I intimated - this theory is an optimistic stretch, and requires Demarcus, Rudy, Omri, and Rondo to have been in cahoots all season long.
We'll see the first test if Rondo re-signs with the Kings during the off-season.

 

[KingMilz]

2) He is smart enough to know that Karl's defense scheme was fatally flawed from the get-go, so he didn't try to make it look any better.
Remember, if the Kings defense was any good this year, they would have had to put up with Karl for years, and Karl would have gotten all the credit for team wins. Hell, Karl WAS starting to get credit during that 5-game winning game streak where Demarcus single-handedly won them through sheer herculean effort.

Like I intimated - this theory is an optimistic stretch, and requires Demarcus, Rudy, Omri, and Rondo to have been in cahoots all season long.
We'll see the first test if Rondo re-signs with the Kings during the off-season.

Well he was not smart enough to know Brad Stevens and Rick Carlie's defense scheme's work..........the dude does not care about winning anymore it's really that simple. He's tanked Boston/Dallas in the last 3 years and now he's helping us do the same.

 

[macadocious]

With this defensive scheme, how could we possibly know if any of our guards can defend? They are literally Beasley not to.

 

[KingsFanGER]

Well he was not smart enough to know Brad Stevens and Rick Carlie's defense scheme's work..........the dude does not care about winning anymore it's really that simple. He's tanked Boston/Dallas in the last 3 years and now he's helping us do the same.

That's very simplistic and I think you know that.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Well he was not smart enough to know Brad Stevens and Rick Carlie's defense scheme's work..........the dude does not care about winning anymore it's really that simple. He's tanked Boston/Dallas in the last 3 years and now he's helping us do the same.

We did a pretty good job of loosing before he got here

 

[Mike]

I know we constantly say that if we had a better head coach we might have won more games, but realistically what is this team's ceiling?

#1 Warriors are an excellent team with a ton of long term potential if they stay healthy.

#2 The Spurs are a better team. Even when Duncan retires all they'd need is a new starting center and they have the other pieces in their starting line up to stay a contender.

#3 OKC's long term hopes are tied to Durrant and Westbrook, but if both stay, then the way that team is built they will remain a contender.

#4 Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are one of the best duos in the league, they have a good supporting cast, and a good head coach.

I don't see this line up surpassing those four teams, or beating those four teams in a best of seven under George Karl. Arguably I don't see this team in its existing state surpassing those teams, or beating those four teams in a best of seven under a new head coach. Cousins is elite, but the rest of the line up can let us down at times.

#5 Grizzlies with a healthy Marc Gasol are a better team than they currently are, and what they've shown since he's gone down is a tough of fight. I think they stay a top eight team for a while.

#6 Trailblazers have an excellent back court duo who can shoot and put up a ton of points. If the front court comes along and their bench gains depth, they're going to be a dangerous team going forwards.

#7 Rockets hopes are tied to Harden because Howard is probably leaving town, but as long as they build around Harden they're going to be a play off team.

#8 Mavericks could struggle when Dirk calls it a day.

For me, I think we could contend for the #7 or #8 seed with a new coach or some new blood, but the way the other teams around us are developing around a young developing core (ie Nuggets, Jazz, Timberwolves, Lakers), those teams in the coming seasons are going to be competing for those bottom end play off spots until they get to the point where they can kick on. So while we might have the chance next season to compete for a #7 or #8 seed with this line up and roster under a new coaching staff, I don't think this team has a very high ceiling with the people we are putting around Cousins. With that in mind I wouldn't be against showing Rondo the door and trading Rudy Gay, then trying to build a new supporting cast around Cousins which involves better defense and better/more consistent shooting.

 

[funkykingston]

I know we constantly say that if we had a better head coach we might have won more games, but realistically what is this team's ceiling?

#1 Warriors are an excellent team with a ton of long term potential if they stay healthy.

#2 The Spurs are a better team. Even when Duncan retires all they'd need is a new starting center and they have the other pieces in their starting line up to stay a contender.

#3 OKC's long term hopes are tied to Durrant and Westbrook, but if both stay, then the way that team is built they will remain a contender.

#4 Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are one of the best duos in the league, they have a good supporting cast, and a good head coach.

I don't see this line up surpassing those four teams, or beating those four teams in a best of seven under George Karl. Arguably I don't see this team in its existing state surpassing those teams, or beating those four teams in a best of seven under a new head coach. Cousins is elite, but the rest of the line up can let us down at times.

#5 Grizzlies with a healthy Marc Gasol are a better team than they currently are, and what they've shown since he's gone down is a tough of fight. I think they stay a top eight team for a while.

#6 Trailblazers have an excellent back court duo who can shoot and put up a ton of points. If the front court comes along and their bench gains depth, they're going to be a dangerous team going forwards.

#7 Rockets hopes are tied to Harden because Howard is probably leaving town, but as long as they build around Harden they're going to be a play off team.

#8 Mavericks could struggle when Dirk calls it a day.

For me, I think we could contend for the #7 or #8 seed with a new coach or some new blood, but the way the other teams around us are developing around a young developing core (ie Nuggets, Jazz, Timberwolves, Lakers), those teams in the coming seasons are going to be competing for those bottom end play off spots until they get to the point where they can kick on. So while we might have the chance next season to compete for a #7 or #8 seed with this line up and roster under a new coaching staff, I don't think this team has a very high ceiling with the people we are putting around Cousins. With that in mind I wouldn't be against showing Rondo the door and trading Rudy Gay, then trying to build a new supporting cast around Cousins which involves better defense and better/more consistent shooting.

I can't think of anybody in the media that had Portland as a playoff team this season. Not after losing four out of five starters. I think the expectation was that at the very least this would be a rebuilding year. I don't know how long term their success will be but at the very least it shows how you can clear out most of a roster and field a competitive team the next year. I'd sure love to see the Kings do that.

Houston is an interesting one. Most Kings fans would think that Cousins is near the same level of player as Harden. Some might argue that he's better. And yet Harden can drag his team to the playoffs. Does he have a more talented supporting cast? A supporting cast that is better suited to his strengths than Cousins' is? Or is it that Harden makes his teammates better than DeMarcus does? Is it coaching (strange to think given that the Rockets fired McHale during the season) that makes the difference? Is it chemistry? A better/more stable front office and ownership group? Some combination of the above?

If Cousins really is a star that can be the best player on a contending team then it shouldn't be that hard to build a team around him that at least makes the playoffs. Karl is part of the problem, sure. But do people really think that Karl's coaching cost them 10 wins? Or is it more than that? I'd certainly lean towards the latter. This team has a lot of quit in it and I'm not sure with the best coach in the league that they'd have the mental toughness to fight through tough games. I guess we'll see what Vlade thinks this summer.

 

[KingMilz]

We did a pretty good job of loosing before he got here

When you consistently build around the players we do it's to be expected.

 

[Mike]

I can't think of anybody in the media that had Portland as a playoff team this season. Not after losing four out of five starters. I think the expectation was that at the very least this would be a rebuilding year. I don't know how long term their success will be but at the very least it shows how you can clear out most of a roster and field a competitive team the next year. I'd sure love to see the Kings do that.

Houston is an interesting on. Most Kings fans would think that Cousins is near the same level of player as Harden. Some might argue that he's better. And yet Harden can drag his team to the playoffs. Does he have a more talented supporting cast? A supporting cast that is better suited to his strengths than Cousins' is? Or is it that Harden makes his teammates better than DeMarcus does? Is it coaching (strange to think given that the Rockets fired McHale during the season) that makes the difference? Is it chemistry? A better/more stable front office and ownership group? Some combination of the above?

If Cousins really is a star that can be the best player on a contending team then it shouldn't be that hard to build a team around him that at least makes the playoffs. Karl is part of the problem, sure. But do people really think that Karl's coaching cost them 10 wins? Or is it more than that? I'd certainly lean towards the latter. This team has a lot of quit in it and I'm not sure with the best coach in the league that they'd have the mental toughness to fight through tough games. I guess we'll see what Vlade thinks this summer.

The main difference between Harden and Cousins is that Harden is in a position that helps him carry the team more. He is doing for the Rockets what Dwyane Wade did in his prime for Miami. Back then Wade used to be a prolific scorer but he also weighed in with around 7 assists per game, which was better than some starting point guards. Harden is averaging 28.6 points and 7.2 assists per game, the latter ranks him seventh in the league in assists per game, which is better than only five starting PGs have more assists per game. So not only does Harden carry the scoring burden for the Rockets, he also carries the ball handling and play making burden for the Rockets as well, and that helps him improve his team mates because their offense runs through Harden. Cousins might be a prolific scorer for us, but ball handling and play making is handled by other players and that can be very up and down. So perhaps that positional difference helps Harden elevate his team mates, whereas Cousins can only do so much in the role he has in the offense.

Another difference is that Harden tends to keep his composure on court. He's never been ejected and I don't think he's fouled out this season (?), whereas Cousins has lost his composure a number of times this season (eg. shouting at Karl during a time out, pushing a security guard), he's been ejected and fouled out, and players still manage to rile him (eg. when he nearly punched Steven Adams). Cousins is a fine player, but opponents know how to get to him and that sometimes affects his performances on the court because he loses his focus and loses his cool over things that shouldn't bother you. I don't know how much this affects his team mates, but it doesn't help his team mates when he loses his cool or focus. I haven't really seen Harden lose his temper, lose his cool, or lose his focus as much as Cousins. Again, Cousins is a fine player, but he's very temperamental.

For me, Cousins is a guy you can build a team around, but he needs a good supporting cast to be successful. We have some decent pieces like Rondo and Gay, but neither are really top level guys. Gay has always been a chucker that is capable of big games, but he has his fair share of bad ones and his defense is average. Rondo loves to rack up assists, but the other parts of his game don't match up. I think that's what has hurt us this season that we have a lot of players playing like individuals, rather than playing as a collective. That's why I don't think Cousins is the type of guy to carry a team on his back to the play offs because so far he hasn't done it. Maybe one day he does carry this team on his back like Harden is doing with the Rockets, or like Wade had to do at times in Miami, or LeBron in Cleveland, or Dirk for a lot of his career in Dallas. But right now I think Cousins needs a running mate like Shaq had with Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade to truly make use of his potential because those guys helped ran the offense and that helped Shaq do his thing. Those kind of players don't grow on trees, but if we could find more team orientated players rather than the individuals we have right now, I think we could get to the play offs and see Cousins get a huge boost from that.

 

[kingsboi]

I can't think of anybody in the media that had Portland as a playoff team this season. Not after losing four out of five starters. I think the expectation was that at the very least this would be a rebuilding year. I don't know how long term their success will be but at the very least it shows how you can clear out most of a roster and field a competitive team the next year. I'd sure love to see the Kings do that.

Houston is an interesting one. Most Kings fans would think that Cousins is near the same level of player as Harden. Some might argue that he's better. And yet Harden can drag his team to the playoffs. Does he have a more talented supporting cast? A supporting cast that is better suited to his strengths than Cousins' is? Or is it that Harden makes his teammates better than DeMarcus does? Is it coaching (strange to think given that the Rockets fired McHale during the season) that makes the difference? Is it chemistry? A better/more stable front office and ownership group? Some combination of the above?

If Cousins really is a star that can be the best player on a contending team then it shouldn't be that hard to build a team around him that at least makes the playoffs. Karl is part of the problem, sure. But do people really think that Karl's coaching cost them 10 wins? Or is it more than that? I'd certainly lean towards the latter. This team has a lot of quit in it and I'm not sure with the best coach in the league that they'd have the mental toughness to fight through tough games. I guess we'll see what Vlade thinks this summer.

They say that a team follow the identity of their head coach. Their head coach is a stationary, lifeless man that can barely speak anymore due to his cancer. When you have Boogie calling him out for not getting the teams back, that tells me that if he doesn't have our back, we won't have his back either and dog it from here on out. That is a loser mentality, no doubt. The players know this is a lost season and they are going through the motions now, they, like the fans are counting down the days where the season ends and change teams.

 

[funkykingston]

The main difference between Harden and Cousins is that Harden is in a position that helps him carry the team more. He is doing for the Rockets what Dwyane Wade did in his prime for Miami. Back then Wade used to be a prolific scorer but he also weighed in with around 7 assists per game, which was better than some starting point guards. Harden is averaging 28.6 points and 7.2 assists per game, the latter ranks him seventh in the league in assists per game, which is better than only five starting PGs have more assists per game. So not only does Harden carry the scoring burden for the Rockets, he also carries the ball handling and play making burden for the Rockets as well, and that helps him improve his team mates because their offense runs through Harden. Cousins might be a prolific scorer for us, but ball handling and play making is handled by other players and that can be very up and down. So perhaps that positional difference helps Harden elevate his team mates, whereas Cousins can only do so much in the role he has in the offense.

Another difference is that Harden tends to keep his composure on court. He's never been ejected and I don't think he's fouled out this season (?), whereas Cousins has lost his composure a number of times this season (eg. shouting at Karl during a time out, pushing a security guard), he's been ejected and fouled out, and players still manage to rile him (eg. when he nearly punched Steven Adams). Cousins is a fine player, but opponents know how to get to him and that sometimes affects his performances on the court because he loses his focus and loses his cool over things that shouldn't bother you. I don't know how much this affects his team mates, but it doesn't help his team mates when he loses his cool or focus. I haven't really seen Harden lose his temper, lose his cool, or lose his focus as much as Cousins. Again, Cousins is a fine player, but he's very temperamental.

For me, Cousins is a guy you can build a team around, but he needs a good supporting cast to be successful. We have some decent pieces like Rondo and Gay, but neither are really top level guys. Gay has always been a chucker that is capable of big games, but he has his fair share of bad ones and his defense is average. Rondo loves to rack up assists, but the other parts of his game don't match up. I think that's what has hurt us this season that we have a lot of players playing like individuals, rather than playing as a collective. That's why I don't think Cousins is the type of guy to carry a team on his back to the play offs because so far he hasn't done it. Maybe one day he does carry this team on his back like Harden is doing with the Rockets, or like Wade had to do at times in Miami, or LeBron in Cleveland, or Dirk for a lot of his career in Dallas. But right now I think Cousins needs a running mate like Shaq had with Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade to truly make use of his potential because those guys helped ran the offense and that helped Shaq do his thing. Those kind of players don't grow on trees, but if we could find more team orientated players rather than the individuals we have right now, I think we could get to the play offs and see Cousins get a huge boost from that.

I agree with most of what you said. And I DO think Cousins' on court attitude drags the team's energy level down more than some would like to believe.

But I don't know if Cousins absolutely has to have a second star alongside him. If he does, I don't know where that guy is coming from. Maybe the Sixers land the #1 pick and the Kings get #2 and land Ingram and he becomes that guy. Or Dunn falls to their pick and is a stud. I honestly don't see a lot of star potential in this draft and I can't see the Kings picking up a star level player via trade or free agency.

But maybe it's as simple as surrounding Cousins with shooters (who are at least average or ideally plus defenders) and giving him more room to operate - to either score or pass out for easy looks.

 

[kupman]

I can't think of anybody in the media that had Portland as a playoff team this season. Not after losing four out of five starters. I think the expectation was that at the very least this would be a rebuilding year. I don't know how long term their success will be but at the very least it shows how you can clear out most of a roster and field a competitive team the next year. I'd sure love to see the Kings do that.

Houston is an interesting one. Most Kings fans would think that Cousins is near the same level of player as Harden. Some might argue that he's better. And yet Harden can drag his team to the playoffs. Does he have a more talented supporting cast? A supporting cast that is better suited to his strengths than Cousins' is? Or is it that Harden makes his teammates better than DeMarcus does? Is it coaching (strange to think given that the Rockets fired McHale during the season) that makes the difference? Is it chemistry? A better/more stable front office and ownership group? Some combination of the above?

If Cousins really is a star that can be the best player on a contending team then it shouldn't be that hard to build a team around him that at least makes the playoffs. Karl is part of the problem, sure. But do people really think that Karl's coaching cost them 10 wins? Or is it more than that? I'd certainly lean towards the latter. This team has a lot of quit in it and I'm not sure with the best coach in the league that they'd have the mental toughness to fight through tough games. I guess we'll see what Vlade thinks this summer.

Yeah, it is way more than Karl imo.

I predicted before the season started that if things did not go well Karl would be the scapegoat. There had to be a new scapegoat given that the Kings woes could not be placed upon IT anymore. I heard for years, "if only DMC had a pass-first point guard..." Well, he got one and has put-up monster numbers with him, so there must be someone else to blame - enter GK.

Personally, I do not really know if Karl has been good or bad this year. It is hard to say without being in the huddle. However, I do feel that this team has a bunch of gutless wonders and this is the primary reason the defense has been awful. There just has not been enough hunger out there.