This team has turned the corner?? CELEBRATION!

[rainmaker]

That's your opinion...And that was my opinion. You're neither right or wrong so stop acting like it

Actually, when team and individual stats improve, as well as our point differential and win/loss record, it's proof there is improvement.

For someone who likes to say "that's a fact", you sure are ignoring a few facts to make whatever point it is you're trying to make.

Your stance doesn't make much sense. You're saying improvement doesn't matter unless it's for ten game or longer, yet there's no improvement in the first place.

 

[lwc]

I will say this, they look better under Keith Smart than they ever did for Paul Westfall (that was intentionally misspelled)
The record may not be a lot better but they look a lot better, the record will get better over time. Look at the win percentage for this season over the last 5 seasons.

If I am adding it up correctly, Coach Smart is 6-10 as the Kings interim head coach. That is a .375 win percentage. To compare, Paul's team was 2-5 or .285 win percentage.

According to ESPN:
YEAR W L PCT
Keith Smart took over when team was 2-5, has since went 6-10.
2011-12 8 15 .348
2010-11 24 58 .293
2009-10 25 57 .305
Paul Westphal started in the 2009-2010 season.
2008-09 17 65 .207
2007-08 38 44 .463

 

[sactownfan]

Now you're just scaring me.

well i have a gut feeling we really have turned a corner with Keith Smart... i love the way the team has responded to him. His rotations are making sense... for the first time in years players seem to know their rolls... Westfail/Natt/Reggie/Muss... all nightmares.

everyone here knew the coaching was a huge part of what was holding these players and this team back. but (for now, its early) Smart appears to have implemented a style and system that resembles an offense.

I think Evans inept passing and all around struggles last year and into the begging of this year, actually had me convinced he was never gonna get it... which in turn throws this whole franchise into chaos being he's such a big piece to the puzzle... so seeing the absolutely unbelievable turnaround in his game in such a small amount of time with little team practice time. has me so encouraged and reenergized !!

in fact and obviously Evans being a facilitator again and the appearance of an offense has boasted Cousins, Thornton and Salmons games.

I love the way the team is looking to cousins more in the post... and he's have great success...

finally Evans and Cousin the 2 main pieces are being used the way we always envisioned... its a gut feeling i have but i don't think what were seeing is an accident... it looks good and is encouraging...

side note... JT's rise going back to the second half of last year and this year is encouraging as well he has all the tools to be a very solid all around big and its great to see all that work he's been putting in paying off... no more 100mph out of control JT

 

[Posta Boy X]

Your opinion merely contained rhetoric. His post contained statistics and facts. That takes it out of the category of opinion. And that's a fact.

Dude, you grill me enough as it is, dude, let me live in peace!

 

[Posta Boy X]

Sorry, but I gave you statistical proof that the "team" was playing better as a whole for the past 3 games (now 4). That is not an opinion. Whether or not they have turned a corner is an opinion, and yet to be seen. I agree that 3 games too small to claim where a team is going, but is big enough to show team improvement. They still need more improvement to take the next step. Winning on the road (or least being competitive) would go a long way to show further improvement.

Stats aren't everything. Everyone can be good on paper yet totally suck as a unit. Your post was still an opinion, and I freaking love it to death but it doesnt make it any better of an opinion than mine is.

I've been skillfully observing the game and i'm factual!!

 

[datamanwes]

As someone who watches the Kings every single game and who reads the posts in here every single day. I usually just keep my mouth shut. But I agree with a couple of things. I believe Keith Smart has made a huge difference and I think that sactownfan is right and I do think we have turned the corner,now what that means exactly is yet to be seen but what I hope it means is we are competitive in each game and I don't have to get upset watching my team down by 30 points anymore this season. I also hope it means that both Cousins and Evans continue to improve and become the leaders and players we all hope they become. I also know that no matter if we win the NBA championship in 4 straight games that a significant number of posters on this board would point out that we are not nearly as good as we looked and lucky and that other posters on here do not understand NBA basketball the way that they do. Back to my mancave now

 

[Telemachus]

Stats aren't everything. Everyone can be good on paper yet totally suck as a unit. Your post was still an opinion, and I freaking love it to death but it doesnt make it any better of an opinion than mine is.

I've been skillfully observing the game and i'm factual!!

Let me try to explain this to you once again. I will try to keep it simple. Here are improvements over the past 4 games (facts, not opinions). I put season stats in ().

Kings FG% - 44.3% (40.4%)
Opp. FG% - 43.4% (47%)
Kings assts - 18.3 (16.2)
Kings rbs - 47.3 (43.7)
Opp. rbs - 39.3 (45.8)

These are all factual team improvements for the Kings and their overall play. It is also why they have gone 2-2 in those 4 games and all the games were close. I didn't even mention how they have outscored all those teams in the paint (after giving up a record pts in the painst to Denver). Whether or not this trend will continue is up for debate and a matter of opinion. However, whether or not the overall team play has improved is NOT a matter of opinion.

They still have a lot of room for improvement. Their recent increase in TOs needs to be addressed, as well as the lackluster play of their bench (can't just have 1 or 2 players off the bench making a contribution). There are other things as well, but they seem to be heading in the right direction. You have to address the major problems before going after the little ones.

 

[The_Jamal]

Stats aren't everything. Everyone can be good on paper yet totally suck as a unit. Your post was still an opinion, and I freaking love it to death but it doesnt make it any better of an opinion than mine is.

I've been skillfully observing the game and i'm factual!!

Actually stats are pretty much the only objective way to look at any sort of sport

 

[Telemachus]

Actually stats are pretty much the only objective way to look at any sort of sport

I think stats can be a bit misleading when looking at individual players. It doens't always take into account how many minutes they played, who they were played with (and against), and whether or not they were played during meaningful or garbage time. However, I think they are much more telling when looking at a team as a whole. It is much harder to hide deficiencies when looking at team stats, they kind of jump right out at you.

 

[ParniValjak]

What I love about Smart is that he is an outstanding communicator! He is a players' coach and with our team, that is the type of coach that we need. He has clearly defined roles and players know what their role is. The end result is an improved play and better cohesion. Its still a work in progress but the signs are promising.

The things that do concern me a bit is his love of small ball! Not a fan of it myself but maybe if the FO is smart enough to make sure we are a tall team, then that might eliminate the possibility. The other concern is that our starters tend to play BIG minutes....actually HUGE minutes! Thats OK for the time being because a) they are still developing and every minute is valuable and b) we don't have much of a bench so there is no one at the moment that can come in and keep us in the game while starters get the rest. Instead of 40+ minutes, ideally the starters should be getting 36-38 minutes! But like I said, that could well be the result of having a crappy bench and mis-matched pieces!

 

[swisshh]

somehow I conveniently missed out on the part of Kings fandom that makes you bipolar

 

[The_Jamal]

I think stats can be a bit misleading when looking at individual players. It doens't always take into account how many minutes they played, who they were played with (and against), and whether or not they were played during meaningful or garbage time. However, I think they are much more telling when looking at a team as a whole. It is much harder to hide deficiencies when looking at team stats, they kind of jump right out at you.

Well, obviously context is crucial when evaluating any player. But using stats correctly is by far the best evaluation method of players

 

[mr. moustache]

somehow I conveniently missed out on the part of Kings fandom that makes you bipolar

OP is excitable.

 

[pshn80]

Well, OP, I think the other NBA teams, all of them, pay a little more attention, do a little more prep when they're going to face the Kings. That is, a little more than they did a month ago. That, to me, is another fair method of judging how we're doing. Go Kings. Keep 'em thinking.

 

[sactownfan]

somehow I conveniently missed out on the part of Kings fandom that makes you bipolar

technically fans of other teams around the league would argue were all crazy for being fans of this team.. its an up and down roller coaster with no titles as of yet... nothing to show but heartache and hope... its up and down... or like as of late mostly down and further down, then down some more....

with the still recent firing of Westfail this them is finally showing some flashes of what we all expected and hoped to see from such a young team... some promise...

i don't have bipolar... this team and possibly Cousins have bipolar... and as a fan I'm just along for the ride

im passionate thats its... if your still a fan team and paying to watch this team... your passionate

 

[sactownfan]

again....

I think the team has turned a corner ... even tho we still lose some games we should win... the team is looking positive vs when it was under paul westfail

 

[Big Cuz 15]

again....

I think the team has turned a corner ... even tho we still lose some games we should win... the team is looking positive vs when it was under paul westfail

GSW is pounding the **** out of dallas right now. we haven't turned any corner. the mavs aren't anything but old this year.

 

[frownifdown]

again....

I think the team has turned a corner ... even tho we still lose some games we should win... the team is looking positive vs when it was under paul westfail

How many times are we going to turn the corner? Now we're going in the opposite direction before we turned either corner. I'll reserve judgement till after the season or we put a real streak together, but it's dumb for you to have such knee-jerk reactions to every win we get.

 

[Glenn]

GSW 111 - Dallas 87. Takes a lot of importance out of our Dallas win, doesn't it? I'm willing to evaluate Smart on his own merits except I don't think small ball can win the ultimate prize. I see reasons for doing it now but if we get a big team and he continues to squeeze small people into the position where we have the size advantage, he will completely lose me. Unfortunately the Maloofs have made their decision based on the fact that Smart is a better coach than Westphal. That's impulsive and no way to run a business.

 

[Rookie]

GSW 111 - Dallas 87. Takes a lot of importance out of our Dallas win, doesn't it?

Depend on how you view it.. I see us beating the crap out of them with the running game so they are too freaking tired to play their third straight game.

 

[gatoradeSD]

if we win the next 7 games ill agree with you but right now...no

 

[Big Cuz 15]

my prediction... if we win the next 2 games, this thread will be revisited and a new post will be made suggesting it has turned yet, another, corner. don't hold me to it if it doesn't happen but it's my prediction.

 

[Bricklayer]

ye of little faith will be groveling like the worms you are when we run off the next 15 to complete The Prophecy.

 

[pshn80]

ye of little faith will be groveling like the worms you are when we run off the next 15 to complete The Prophecy.

Love it. Love it. You have given me faith. Or a least a little more. Why answer the question of whether we have turned the corner when we just "run off the next 15".

 

[Spike]

my prediction... if we win the next 2 games, this thread will be revisited and a new post will be made suggesting it has turned yet, another, corner. don't hold me to it if it doesn't happen but it's my prediction.

He who turns too many corners winds up where he started.

 

[Spike]

ye of little faith will be groveling like the worms you are when we run off the next 15 to complete The Prophecy.

Surely you must be familiar with Pascal's wager.

 

[rainmaker]

He who turns too many corners winds up where he started.

Isn't that called going in circles? Not us, no way.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Surely you must be familiar with Pascal's wager.

I can't quite see how Pascal's wager applies here?

 

[Arkitect]

I can't quite see how Pascal's wager applies here?

There is no downside to believing we are going to win the next 15 games.

 

[Bricklayer]

There is no downside to believing we are going to win the next 15 games.

I suspect the OP of that comment was saying there is no downside to NOT believing -- i.ie. if it doesn't happen, its what you expected. If it does, you are excited. As opposed to expecting it to happen and then being disappointed.

But Pascal was a fool anyway, and his formula depended on multiple fallacies.

Unilke The Prophecy, which is simply Truth in its most pristine form.