Welcome to the Kings, Thomas Robinson

[Bricklayer]

Undersized? Robinson is relentless. I can lose count on the amount of guys in the history of the league who were apparently undersized, but became great players and defenders.

you guys have to stop looking at an inch, inch and a half and focus on this guy's heart, motor, and will to succeed. That is the main aspect in which we won tremendously.

Sure, and that is the unquantifiable. But size absoilutely matters. There is a reason the league is not awash in hardworking relentless 6'6" PFs. The smaller you are, the greater and more special your drive etc. has to be just to overcome your size. The same motor that might turn a 6'11' guy into the terror of the league might only turn a 6'6" guy into a rotation player. It was important for him to measure out smallish but not actually small. You don't want to be Anthony Bonner.

 

[Heuge]

My favorite stat about T Rob atm is in the ncaa championship game he went 18pts. 17 rbs. while Anthony Davis went 6 pts. 16 rbs. Davis certainly had the better game, but T Rob is right there.

 

[dmj]

He apparently was told by his agent not to work out here and given some reason. I wonder when the last time was when a top pick didn't work out for the team that drafted him. He might be angry at his agent as much as anything. He certainly was given some bad advice as now he doesn't know what he is stepping into. Hope the Kings' players give him some calls. He seemed more tearful than anything else but I think he was left in a weird place by his agent. I imagine the agent will pick up his percentage of the contract anyway.

People also need to remember that Robinson was upset that he wasn't being considered for #1 spot. I imagine falling to #5 behind someone like Dion Waiters didn't exactly sit well with him.

 

[ParniValjak]

He's not exactly what we need but he might change the culture of the Kings a little and that's worth a lot also. Seems like a good guy, obviously energetic, and may be inspirational to the other Kings. He should get along with Cuz just fine. Kind of a scary pair. Can't wait to see the team rebound stats. It's hard to score if you don't have the ball.

Agree with this!

Welcome aboard T-Rob and may you have a sensational career!

His story is truly inspirational. I would not be surprised if he becomes our spiritual leader. The sort of guy who is much more important than the stats he puts up.

 

[NK64]

People also need to remember that Robinson was upset that he wasn't being considered for #1 spot. I imagine falling to #5 behind someone like Dion Waiters didn't exactly sit well with him.

he was more ticked with everyone giving all the attention to Davis even tho T-Robs stats were way better. This is great for me, i am a Kings fan from way back when they were in KC and i grew up there (30 mins away from the KU campus) so as you can tell i am also a KU fan and was estatic that the Kings picked him up instead of Drummond or some of the others that were talked about. TRob will not disappoint the kings or the fans, what you saw last night was not a man angry about being drafted by the kings but a man who knows that he is now able to provide everything that he promised to his sister

 

[Kingster]

People have asked if Robinson can play the 3. I doubt it, largely because he just doesn't have the ball handling skills. It would be ugly on offense with him at the wing. But he does have tremendous quickness. And on defense when he gets switched off on 3s on the outside, I think he's going to play them much, much better than 4s we've had in the past.

How about this lineup for physicallity:

Cousins
Robinson
T-Will
Tyreke
Thornton

Holy moly. That is 1000 lbs of quivering muscle combined with a gigantic dose of adrenaline.

 

[funkykingston]

People have asked if Robinson can play the 3. I doubt it, largely because he just doesn't have the ball handling skills. It would be ugly on offense with him at the wing. But he does have tremendous quickness. And on defense when he gets switched off on 3s on the outside, I think he's going to play them much, much better than 4s we've had in the past.

How about this lineup for physicallity:

Cousins
Robinson
T-Will
Tyreke
Thornton

Holy moly. That is 1000 lbs of quivering muscle combined with a gigantic dose of adrenaline.

The lineup I'd like more is:

Tyreke
T-Will
Acquired SF (Batum in free agency, a trade using Jimmer, Hayes, Garcia's expiring etc?)
Robinson
Cousins

That creates a bench containing an explosive scoring sixth man in Thornton, an experienced role playing PF/C in Thompson (if he's resigned), a change of pace PG in Thomas, a project weakside defender/shotblocker in Whiteside, a mediocre long SF/stretch PF in Outlaw and other filler.

More importantly it creates an absolutely brusing starting lineup that will run the floor, attack the basket relentlessly in transition AND in the halfcourt, defend well, and dominate the glass. Not ideal in a few ways but certainly a mismtach for most teams (on both ends) and certainly competitive.

 

[Fear the Putin]

People have asked if Robinson can play the 3. I doubt it, largely because he just doesn't have the ball handling skills. It would be ugly on offense with him at the wing. But he does have tremendous quickness. And on defense when he gets switched off on 3s on the outside, I think he's going to play them much, much better than 4s we've had in the past.

How about this lineup for physicallity:

Cousins
Robinson
T-Will
Tyreke
Thornton

Holy moly. That is 1000 lbs of quivering muscle combined with a gigantic dose of adrenaline.

the intensity between cousins/robinson/thornton can power a god damn city block

 

[Vlade4GM]

I love this pick, and I love Thomas Robinson. I'm not crazy about a lot of players in this draft relative to their draft position, but I do think Robinson is the second best prospect in this draft, and his modest projection is 10-12 ppg with 10+ rebounds and solid man D, and perhaps an all-star if he improves his triple threats skills. He does have a lot of Blake Griffin in him (although his athleticism isn't that elite), and he sports a better jump shot than Griffin, but it seems like more of a spot up jumper at this point.

We're very lucky to have gotten him IMO, and his show of emotion was touching and encouraging to see. Regardless of Givony's interpretation of his attitude (which is presumptuous at best,) I think his reaction shows he's going to be a professional and grateful for the opportunity.

 

[Kingster]

he was more ticked with everyone giving all the attention to Davis even tho T-Robs stats were way better. This is great for me, i am a Kings fan from way back when they were in KC and i grew up there (30 mins away from the KU campus) so as you can tell i am also a KU fan and was estatic that the Kings picked him up instead of Drummond or some of the others that were talked about. TRob will not disappoint the kings or the fans, what you saw last night was not a man angry about being drafted by the kings but a man who knows that he is now able to provide everything that he promised to his sister

Yes, if he is angry, it's because he thinks he should have been picked #1 (Has nothing to do with the Kings). I don't mind if this guy has a chip on his shoulder. He's going to be on a mission. It will be fun when the Kings play NO, Bobs, Wizards, and Cleveland.

 

[keflanag]

Not a great fit at all, but a steal at 5.

If IT and T Rob are starting we are really small at 2 positions.

I hope it works out.

If Keith Smart is coaching, we're lucky we aren't small at all 5 positions.

 

[Kingster]

absolute must read about T-Rob. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...on-used-basketball-help-tragedy-espn-magazine

"I don't want anybody to baby me. Babying me is not going to help me get through. I don't need the coaches not to yell at me. I'm a grown man."

We didn't get a kid in the draft. We got a man.

 

[kennadog]

"I don't want anybody to baby me. Babying me is not going to help me get through. I don't need the coaches not to yell at me. I'm a grown man."

We didn't get a kid in the draft. We got a man.

Roger that! Love his determination and commitment to working hard.

 

[mac]

"I don't want anybody to baby me. Babying me is not going to help me get through. I don't need the coaches not to yell at me. I'm a grown man."

We didn't get a kid in the draft. We got a man.

The article was a great read. Very happy that we got a mature and dedicated player.

 

[jcwkings]

I think people are forgetting about Chuck Hayes. I know he sucked after the injury, but before it he was one of our better players. Hopefully he comes back this season 100% and in good shape. Cousins, Robinson, JT, Hayes, Whiteside is a versatile frontline, especially if Whiteside makes strides over the summer, for the sake of his career, he better. Our clearest void now is SF, we have Salmons, Garcia, T Will, Outlaw, and Honeycutt, only T Will showed flashes of being starting caliber, we need to find a SF through free agency or trade. I like T Will in the second unit because of his versatility.

 

[Lockehead]

Thomas sounds like a great pick. I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays in a Kings uniform.

 

[cuad]

I think if T-Rob was mad, it was because ESPN interviewed his nine year old sister. That would have made me mad.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

I think if T-Rob was mad, it was because ESPN interviewed his nine year old sister. That would have made me mad.

I think he knew they would interview his sister.

My read is that he is an uber-competitive player. And he has that intense drive to be the best. He's been on the record as seriously believing he should be drafted first. I believe he expected to be picked second. Then on draft day he sat there and dropped to 5th, even watching Syracuse's 6h man get picked before him. I think he was very upset that 4 teams passed on him for guys he thinks he is better than. Especially picks 2-4, which he didn't expect. Hopefully this just gives him extra fuel to get better.

 

[Uk kings fan]

Welcome to T-Rob

Judt watched the draft giod pick

 

[Prince_XY]

I think if T-Rob was mad, it was because ESPN interviewed his nine year old sister. That would have made me mad.

Sorry, but I don't get it. Maybe it is cultural.

What is there to be mad about when his sister was interviewed very nicely by a very pretty lady?

 

[Dime Dropper]

Just want to add a few pictures to let people know what sort of athlete we're getting:

It's been quite some time since we've had an elite level athlete on our team who can actually play. Whatever about the gaping holes in our team, there are going to be some exciting moments next year.

 

[gunks]

People have asked if Robinson can play the 3. I doubt it, largely because he just doesn't have the ball handling skills. It would be ugly on offense with him at the wing. But he does have tremendous quickness. And on defense when he gets switched off on 3s on the outside, I think he's going to play them much, much better than 4s we've had in the past.

How about this lineup for physicallity:

Cousins
Robinson
T-Will
Tyreke
Thornton

Holy moly. That is 1000 lbs of quivering muscle combined with a gigantic dose of adrenaline.

That'd be friggin awesome. Our shooting would be pathetic, and we'd probably still lose a lot of games due to that, but teams would be afraid to play us regardless!

 

[VF21]

Sorry, but I don't get it. Maybe it is cultural.

What is there to be mad about when his sister was interviewed very nicely by a very pretty lady?

Did you SEE the interview????? His sister was very nervous about having a camera shoved into her face and she was clearly upset about having to move "far away from home" in the very near future. It wasn't a very nice interview by a very pretty lady. It was a trainwreck and should NEVER have been allowed to take place.

She's NINE YEARS OLD! She didn't need to be put into such a position.

 

[Gary]

That'd be friggin awesome. Our shooting would be pathetic, and we'd probably still lose a lot of games due to that, but teams would be afraid to play us regardless!

And our defense would still suck.. Remember last year we started the season with Cousins/Hickson/Salmons/MT/Evans? We were last in the league in offense, and last in the league in defense. Salmons and JT are both good defenders too while Hickson is blech and we would replace them with TWill and Robinson who I assume are about equal to their counterparts.

(Salmons probably a bit better than TWill and since Robinson hasn't played yet I assume he will be as good as JT based on his rep and what he did in college and he's better than Hickson imo)

I think we need to start the year with out best defensive team and then make tweaks from there...

Cousins (have to start Cousins no matter what)
JT
Salmons
Evans
IT

While Cousins isn't the best defender we still have to start him because he's our best player.

 

[Bricklayer]

And our defense would still suck.. Remember last year we started the season with Cousins/JT/Salmons/MT/Evans? We were last in the league in offense, and last in the league in defense. Salmons and JT are both good defenders too and we would replace them with TWill and Robinson who I assume are about equal to their counterparts.

(Salmons probably a bit better than TWill and since Robinson hasn't played yet I assume he will be as good as JT based on his rep and what he did in college)

Notes:
1) we weren't worst in the league in offesne in the first half. bad, but not that bad.
2) we didn't start the season with JT at PF. It was a Hayes/Hickson mess.
3) we also of course had the coach fighting with the star center thing going on
4) and big minutes for jimmer

but I agree to this point, while I think we'd be better in my mind without a doubt. Athelticism and hustling havoc all over the court. But we'd still be mistake prone and without an interior anchor. It would be better though.

 

[bajaden]

Did you SEE the interview????? His sister was very nervous about having a camera shoved into her face and she was clearly upset about having to move "far away from home" in the very near future. It wasn't a very nice interview by a very pretty lady. It was a trainwreck and should NEVER have been allowed to take place.

She's NINE YEARS OLD! She didn't need to be put into such a position.

I agree wholeheartedly. Even if they thought it was a good idea to start with, the producer should have done a quick wrap when he saw how it was going. For those that don't know, Robinson doesn't have total custody of his sister yet, so there might still be some stress involved there. Considering his current situation, its likely the court will rule in his favor. All in all, its an emotional time for him and his little sister in more ways than one.

 

[bajaden]

And our defense would still suck.. Remember last year we started the season with Cousins/Hickson/Salmons/MT/Evans? We were last in the league in offense, and last in the league in defense. Salmons and JT are both good defenders too while Hickson is blech and we would replace them with TWill and Robinson who I assume are about equal to their counterparts.

(Salmons probably a bit better than TWill and since Robinson hasn't played yet I assume he will be as good as JT based on his rep and what he did in college and he's better than Hickson imo)

I think we need to start the year with out best defensive team and then make tweaks from there...

Cousins (have to start Cousins no matter what)
JT
Salmons
Evans
IT

While Cousins isn't the best defender we still have to start him because he's our best player.

Please don't compare Robinson to Hickson. Not even close on the defensive side of the ball. Hickson played little or no defense. Robinson was a very good on the ball defender at Kansas. And while he's also a terrific rebounder, he's a better defensive rebounder than an offensive rebounder. Somehow, people have this notion that Robinson is some kind of defensive liability. Obviously some of you haven't seen this kid play. He certainly has his flaws that need working on, but on the whole, some of you are going to be very surprised. His jumpshot is better than advertized, as is his ballhandling for a big man. He needs better recognition in the post, as to when to pass, and he needs to stop trying to make the pass thats not there.

He's a rookie, and he's going to make mistakes. But what he brings will far outweigh his mistakes. He's a very unselfish player who cares more about winning than personal stats.

 

[TRobKU]

Please don't compare Robinson to Hickson. Not even close on the defensive side of the ball. Hickson played little or no defense. Robinson was a very good on the ball defender at Kansas. And while he's also a terrific rebounder, he's a better defensive rebounder than an offensive rebounder. Somehow, people have this notion that Robinson is some kind of defensive liability. Obviously some of you haven't seen this kid play. He certainly has his flaws that need working on, but on the whole, some of you are going to be very surprised. His jumpshot is better than advertized, as is his ballhandling for a big man. He needs better recognition in the post, as to when to pass, and he needs to stop trying to make the pass thats not there.

He's a rookie, and he's going to make mistakes. But what he brings will far outweigh his mistakes. He's a very unselfish player who cares more about winning than personal stats.

The ONLY reason Robinson would be seen as a defensive liability is because he didn't give max effort on every defensive play because he absolutely positively could not get into foul trouble since KU had no bench at all last year. He had to be on the floor in big games so sometimes he let the big guys get an easy bucket rather than pick up a stupid foul.

 

[Fear the Putin]

passion, fire, will to succeed, no excuses

Something hickson or landry didn't have

 

[rainmaker]

passion, fire, will to succeed, no excuses

Something hickson or landry didn't have

And which Putin has plenty, lol.