venom_7
Starter
I don't really consider myself important enough to have my own blog, and I'm way too busy these days to try and support that anyway. I figure since I don't have time to put together game threads anymore, I will post all my thoughts on a semi-regular basis, blog style.
SO we begin.
As a Kings fan and much more prevalently, a general NBA fan, I've learned the real intricacies of what makes a knee-jerk reaction a KNEE-JERK reaction. Usually it is a generally irrational statement one makes or some barely justified feeling one has on a day-to-day basis about a certain player, game, coach, etc.
We are all guilty of this, even the most seasoned of fans. I don't mean to insult anybody, but we need to think about the ideas that we come up with during and immediately after games.
IE:
This is a pretty popular one of late, and I think while the idea may be justified in many peoples minds, it does qualify as a knee-jerk reaction. I know our guard rotation is looking pretty slick w/o Kevin or Francisco in the lineup. I know the team is really making progress towards playing as a cohesive unit and playing team ball, but inserting Francisco (a player who is absolutely a perfect compliment for our new team style) is not going to impede that. Inserting Kevin back into the lineup gives the Kings a goldmine of a backcourt. I will say that Kevin's injury is a blessing in disguise as 'Reke established his pro game, but once Tyreke really starts becoming consistent, an Evans-Martin backcourt is just disgusting.
This is the sort of backcourt that plays defense by offense, drawing fouls on opponents star bigs while scoring at the line. Kevin can play defense as we've seen before in his sophomore year, and I think Coach Westphal is doing a great job establishing that if defense isn't being played, then that player won't see time on the court. Kevin doesn't have an ounce of diva in him, and I'm sure he will work very hard to embrace the new team concept.
So the "Trade Kevin" is a knee-jerk reaction.
That being said, he does have deficiencies as a player that fans should not ignore, but he does give us a somewhat legitimate option in close 4th quarters, especially now that his team mates are good enough to give him single coverage. I think he learned a lot last year about being a go-to guy, and while for the most part he has proven he can't really be THE go-to guy, he can be A go-to player in various situations, something we don't have currently. Irregardless of your position about Tyreke's position, he should be able to be that blend-in option as well, the same role he flourished in when Bibby, Artest, and Brad Miller all shared the same ball.
Other thoughts:
Hiring Coach Westphal was a very good decision, even if we go forward to lose every single one of our remaining games (provided we keep playing with this passion). We haven't seen this kind of fire and toughness from a Kings team since 2004 in my opinion, and a large amount of credit is due to Westphal. The team still struggles on offense at times, but they are a good rebounding team as well. A bunch of credit to the assistants, who are themselves doing a fine bit of coaching. Jason Thompson has post moves now!
Things like Omri Casspi hitting his free throws and being absolutely jazzed for making them with the game on the line make you absolutely proud to be a Kings fan, and that doesn't even begin to describe the swelling of pride that I felt.
Westphal's rotations seem a little goofy to me, but they make sense in that you play as determined by your time on the court. If a player welcomes himself into the flow of the game, then he gets the minutes, which, in my opinion, is the way every sport should work. This is a reason why we are seeing guys like Sergio and Donte contribute in their time on the court. The game is what matters, and if players can understand that approach, then we see a better overall performance.
Tyreke Evans IS already something special, which affects me in the way that he is only 11 days older than me. It is very weird. But I will tell you that we actually have two potential superstars on the team. Tyreke is well on his way. I would also include Donté in the picture as well, especially if he can find away to be consistent in using the gifts that he has as a player, and he continues focusing on maturing as a player and accepting the coaching that he has access to.
I am very excited about the growth of this team and the prospects that we have. Goodnight!
SO we begin.
As a Kings fan and much more prevalently, a general NBA fan, I've learned the real intricacies of what makes a knee-jerk reaction a KNEE-JERK reaction. Usually it is a generally irrational statement one makes or some barely justified feeling one has on a day-to-day basis about a certain player, game, coach, etc.
We are all guilty of this, even the most seasoned of fans. I don't mean to insult anybody, but we need to think about the ideas that we come up with during and immediately after games.
IE:
This is a pretty popular one of late, and I think while the idea may be justified in many peoples minds, it does qualify as a knee-jerk reaction. I know our guard rotation is looking pretty slick w/o Kevin or Francisco in the lineup. I know the team is really making progress towards playing as a cohesive unit and playing team ball, but inserting Francisco (a player who is absolutely a perfect compliment for our new team style) is not going to impede that. Inserting Kevin back into the lineup gives the Kings a goldmine of a backcourt. I will say that Kevin's injury is a blessing in disguise as 'Reke established his pro game, but once Tyreke really starts becoming consistent, an Evans-Martin backcourt is just disgusting.
This is the sort of backcourt that plays defense by offense, drawing fouls on opponents star bigs while scoring at the line. Kevin can play defense as we've seen before in his sophomore year, and I think Coach Westphal is doing a great job establishing that if defense isn't being played, then that player won't see time on the court. Kevin doesn't have an ounce of diva in him, and I'm sure he will work very hard to embrace the new team concept.
So the "Trade Kevin" is a knee-jerk reaction.
That being said, he does have deficiencies as a player that fans should not ignore, but he does give us a somewhat legitimate option in close 4th quarters, especially now that his team mates are good enough to give him single coverage. I think he learned a lot last year about being a go-to guy, and while for the most part he has proven he can't really be THE go-to guy, he can be A go-to player in various situations, something we don't have currently. Irregardless of your position about Tyreke's position, he should be able to be that blend-in option as well, the same role he flourished in when Bibby, Artest, and Brad Miller all shared the same ball.
Other thoughts:
Hiring Coach Westphal was a very good decision, even if we go forward to lose every single one of our remaining games (provided we keep playing with this passion). We haven't seen this kind of fire and toughness from a Kings team since 2004 in my opinion, and a large amount of credit is due to Westphal. The team still struggles on offense at times, but they are a good rebounding team as well. A bunch of credit to the assistants, who are themselves doing a fine bit of coaching. Jason Thompson has post moves now!
Things like Omri Casspi hitting his free throws and being absolutely jazzed for making them with the game on the line make you absolutely proud to be a Kings fan, and that doesn't even begin to describe the swelling of pride that I felt.
Westphal's rotations seem a little goofy to me, but they make sense in that you play as determined by your time on the court. If a player welcomes himself into the flow of the game, then he gets the minutes, which, in my opinion, is the way every sport should work. This is a reason why we are seeing guys like Sergio and Donte contribute in their time on the court. The game is what matters, and if players can understand that approach, then we see a better overall performance.
Tyreke Evans IS already something special, which affects me in the way that he is only 11 days older than me. It is very weird. But I will tell you that we actually have two potential superstars on the team. Tyreke is well on his way. I would also include Donté in the picture as well, especially if he can find away to be consistent in using the gifts that he has as a player, and he continues focusing on maturing as a player and accepting the coaching that he has access to.
I am very excited about the growth of this team and the prospects that we have. Goodnight!
