What Realistically can be done to improve?
- Thread starter Jerichoholic
- Start date
Yes, I shook my fists to the heavens with joy, praising the almighty basketball gods that we were finally rid ourselves of the eternal plague known as Tyreke Evans.
Orrrrrrrr
I said the $11mil price-tag he got from the Pelicans is 2nd best player on the team money, so we better damn well be committed to developing him and Cousins together or we'd be screwed. I personally thought that our FO had the right valuation monetarily of him and did not think they should tie $25 mil/year into a duo that we were not 100% sold on in the future. But because I didn't follow the party lines of praising Tyreke at every gesture, I guess that means I was happy to see him go? You should probably get your facts right before trying to lump me into some fictional "I hate Tyreke club, just so you don't look a wee bit foolish in your future outlandish statements.
Orrrrrrrr
I said the $11mil price-tag he got from the Pelicans is 2nd best player on the team money, so we better damn well be committed to developing him and Cousins together or we'd be screwed. I personally thought that our FO had the right valuation monetarily of him and did not think they should tie $25 mil/year into a duo that we were not 100% sold on in the future. But because I didn't follow the party lines of praising Tyreke at every gesture, I guess that means I was happy to see him go? You should probably get your facts right before trying to lump me into some fictional "I hate Tyreke club, just so you don't look a wee bit foolish in your future outlandish statements.
The defense a month ago was that when Reke was playing poorly due to injury and no preseason that Vasquez was a good alternative for our needs. Now that Vasquez is returning to his normal level of play and Reke is shaking the rust and getting back in shape, the defense has turned to Reke wasn't a good locker room guy and couldn't coexist with Cuz, both of which are extremely weak arguments until evidence/analysis is posted, especially when we're sitting at 4-11 and no one aside from Cuz is playing that well and one could just as easily argue not a single player on our current roster appears to be pairing well with Cuz and helping the cause, yet we don't see many posts confronting this as you'd be deemed as being negative.
I sure hope our yet to be drafted rookie in June somehow can pair with Cuz better than Reke did or anyone on our current roster does. That appears to be what people are counting on, just get a top pick and we'll be on our way. Yet somehow it seems this yet to be drafted rookie will get the benefit of the doubt in terms of pairing with Cuz(while the criteria still remains unexplained by those making this accusation, please define "pairs and coexists well with") while the argument against Reke has yet to be backed by anything beyond some undefined, unsubstantiated speculation which the rest of our current roster somehow appears to escape.
I'm still curious how those who think a player who'd be by far our top perimeter defender, only other 1v1 player other than Cuz who can get his own look regularly, can get to the rim and in the paint at an elite rate, can break down defenses and create for himself or others by shifting entire defenses and is versatile enough to play three positions on both sides of the ball is in fact not the type of player which would help Cuz and our team and exactly what type of player without those qualities they'd like or expect to draft which will help turn this thing around. Somehow I suspect if we draft or trade for a similar player there will be much excitement and praise of PDA and it'll be assumed that player will do well next to Cuz, or are we instead looking for a player who can't do any of the above and that's where our future success will come from?
I sure hope our yet to be drafted rookie in June somehow can pair with Cuz better than Reke did or anyone on our current roster does. That appears to be what people are counting on, just get a top pick and we'll be on our way. Yet somehow it seems this yet to be drafted rookie will get the benefit of the doubt in terms of pairing with Cuz(while the criteria still remains unexplained by those making this accusation, please define "pairs and coexists well with") while the argument against Reke has yet to be backed by anything beyond some undefined, unsubstantiated speculation which the rest of our current roster somehow appears to escape.
I'm still curious how those who think a player who'd be by far our top perimeter defender, only other 1v1 player other than Cuz who can get his own look regularly, can get to the rim and in the paint at an elite rate, can break down defenses and create for himself or others by shifting entire defenses and is versatile enough to play three positions on both sides of the ball is in fact not the type of player which would help Cuz and our team and exactly what type of player without those qualities they'd like or expect to draft which will help turn this thing around. Somehow I suspect if we draft or trade for a similar player there will be much excitement and praise of PDA and it'll be assumed that player will do well next to Cuz, or are we instead looking for a player who can't do any of the above and that's where our future success will come from?
I have tried to not talk much about Tyreke since he was traded. Simply because he was traded and he's no longer here.
In my opinion it was a horrible move by the FO simply because they underestimated how hard it would be to bring talent to Sacramento and you don't let talent like Tyreke walk when you have the option of keeping it.
I don't think I've mentioned it here on the forums but my biggest regret and the thing that I lament the most is that the transfer of ownership happened one year too late. If all of this had happened two off-seasons ago then we'd be in an entirely different position right now at this time. The fact that Tyreke and Cousins didn't get to play for a competent head coach is just criminal and I do believe that they would have proved to be a formidable duo if given the chance to work it out. Who knows, we might not have drafted T-Rob and instead picked up someone else instead. (Lillard/Drummond (though I wasn't high on Drummond)
As to this current season and how it plays out with the draft here are my personal thoughts. I love what I'm seeing this year in terms of both the college scene and the current Kings team. I love what Cousins is doing. I love that PDA gambled on Williams and that Malone is playing him at the SF. I love that we are competitive and fighting, and I'm just fine with losing games because if we can get a top pick we have a chance of drafting a game-changer who can work next to Cousins to get this team where it needs to be. I expect more roster moves to be made and I hope that I'm as happy with them as I am with the Williams move. I hated the Tyreke move, disliked the Landry move mainly due to the price/length, and liked the Luc pick-up. Hopefully we'll be able to move some of our other assets for either picks or defensive players in the coming months.
In my opinion it was a horrible move by the FO simply because they underestimated how hard it would be to bring talent to Sacramento and you don't let talent like Tyreke walk when you have the option of keeping it.
I don't think I've mentioned it here on the forums but my biggest regret and the thing that I lament the most is that the transfer of ownership happened one year too late. If all of this had happened two off-seasons ago then we'd be in an entirely different position right now at this time. The fact that Tyreke and Cousins didn't get to play for a competent head coach is just criminal and I do believe that they would have proved to be a formidable duo if given the chance to work it out. Who knows, we might not have drafted T-Rob and instead picked up someone else instead. (Lillard/Drummond (though I wasn't high on Drummond)
As to this current season and how it plays out with the draft here are my personal thoughts. I love what I'm seeing this year in terms of both the college scene and the current Kings team. I love what Cousins is doing. I love that PDA gambled on Williams and that Malone is playing him at the SF. I love that we are competitive and fighting, and I'm just fine with losing games because if we can get a top pick we have a chance of drafting a game-changer who can work next to Cousins to get this team where it needs to be. I expect more roster moves to be made and I hope that I'm as happy with them as I am with the Williams move. I hated the Tyreke move, disliked the Landry move mainly due to the price/length, and liked the Luc pick-up. Hopefully we'll be able to move some of our other assets for either picks or defensive players in the coming months.
You know, there are ways for people to know things and sometimes they simply cannot reveal what they heard without violating a promise or a confidence. You could choose to disagree with Section 101, without resorting to insults.
Here's the deal. Section 101 isn't the only one who heard things. I was also on the receiving end of information which led me to believe there was a lot of stuff going on that wasn't being made public. It didn't come from Grant or anyone close to him, as their sources generally aren't as good as they like people to believe. Often times, the broadcast crew is actually among the last to know for the simple reason they are the broadcast crew. In the case of Grant Napear, he was doubly doomed because of his radio show. People wouldn't talk to him about sensitive issues unless they were willing to have that information on the air.
All I'm saying is there were things going on that were not and most likely will never be made public. Things that happen all the time, but don't see the light of day. It's not always high drama, but it is day-to-day life stuff that contributes to an eventual choice.
Next time, maybe you could give Section 101 the benefit of the doubt without straight away assuming he was just doing some wishful thinking.
Here's the deal. Section 101 isn't the only one who heard things. I was also on the receiving end of information which led me to believe there was a lot of stuff going on that wasn't being made public. It didn't come from Grant or anyone close to him, as their sources generally aren't as good as they like people to believe. Often times, the broadcast crew is actually among the last to know for the simple reason they are the broadcast crew. In the case of Grant Napear, he was doubly doomed because of his radio show. People wouldn't talk to him about sensitive issues unless they were willing to have that information on the air.
All I'm saying is there were things going on that were not and most likely will never be made public. Things that happen all the time, but don't see the light of day. It's not always high drama, but it is day-to-day life stuff that contributes to an eventual choice.
Next time, maybe you could give Section 101 the benefit of the doubt without straight away assuming he was just doing some wishful thinking.
You may have heard something from someone, but to be perfectly blunt they probably weren't close to the players - it's likely friend-of-a-friend type stuff. Which far from guarantees accuracy and only presents one side of a story. If people aren't willing to divulge even the most vague of details about these things, you can't expect people to blindly believe it.
Anyway, I've been speaking to Section via PM, so he knows where I'm coming from.
Anyway, I've been speaking to Section via PM, so he knows where I'm coming from.
Quite frankly on the issue of Reke Section 101 has not remotely earned the benefit of the doubt. If he had made a similar comment about just about anyone else, but you can't spend 4 years running a dude down at every opportunity then turn around and expect to be taken at your word when you deliver a final kick on the way out the door.
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Yes.
At the same time you wonder if whatever problems there might have been could be solved with a great front office. Questions will always be asked and knowing what I know, I still kinda wonder. If there was a problem with a player, Tyreke, who almost never said "boo!" do we need to worry if Jabari Parker is our pick? Do we need to worry about ANY pick, any new player, any anything? It has me scratching my head.
At the same time you wonder if whatever problems there might have been could be solved with a great front office. Questions will always be asked and knowing what I know, I still kinda wonder. If there was a problem with a player, Tyreke, who almost never said "boo!" do we need to worry if Jabari Parker is our pick? Do we need to worry about ANY pick, any new player, any anything? It has me scratching my head.
Ugh, no on Knight. He has been a miserable point guard so far in his career, averaging an assist to turnover ratio slightly worse than Jimmer with about the same career shooting percentages. His defensive metrics aren't that great either, only marginally better than Vasquez or Jimmer. It's a shame because he seems like a nice kid who is stuck in that same tweener space as Jimmer.
And I have yet to see anything consistently to make me change my mind on Williams, exciting lobs notwithstanding. The current best-case scenario on Williams is that he finds his outside shot AND learns to play defense, meaning he has to acquire two abilities he does not currently have.
The only thing that Knight has right now is above-average athleticism and his youth. He does not see the floor well, does not control an offense, does not defend his position well and shows crappy shot selection thus far. He was playing with a couple of talented young big-men in Drummond and Monroe in Detroit and with a strong 2-guard who handled the ball for him in Stuckey. If you trade Vasquez for him, that means you are playing him as the only ball-handler in the starting five, and he is really not ready for that and may never be. He is currently being outplayed by Nate Wolters on a pretty terrible Milwaukee team.
The only thing that Knight has right now is above-average athleticism and his youth. He does not see the floor well, does not control an offense, does not defend his position well and shows crappy shot selection thus far. He was playing with a couple of talented young big-men in Drummond and Monroe in Detroit and with a strong 2-guard who handled the ball for him in Stuckey. If you trade Vasquez for him, that means you are playing him as the only ball-handler in the starting five, and he is really not ready for that and may never be. He is currently being outplayed by Nate Wolters on a pretty terrible Milwaukee team.
K
He handled the ball well in college and he's coming back from injury/has been injured quite a bit over the last year, imo he could turn out to be something like Mario Chalmers (less defense) which on this team would not be a bad fit at all.
Not true he played the point for the first half of the season than got moved to the 2 when they got Jose and Stuckey was awful last year (he tearing up this year) while coming off the bench to back up Knight. He's a much better ball handler/slasher than Vasquez will ever be.
This would be another average/overrated vet trade for a young /athletic guy with potential, you can't go wrong with those at this point. Vasquez has done nothing in terms of why we bourght him here, his court vision/passing for a PG is fairly average and he does not make people around him better while being the biggest liability I have ever seen on defence.
Not true he played the point for the first half of the season than got moved to the 2 when they got Jose and Stuckey was awful last year (he tearing up this year) while coming off the bench to back up Knight. He's a much better ball handler/slasher than Vasquez will ever be.
This would be another average/overrated vet trade for a young /athletic guy with potential, you can't go wrong with those at this point. Vasquez has done nothing in terms of why we bourght him here, his court vision/passing for a PG is fairly average and he does not make people around him better while being the biggest liability I have ever seen on defence.
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I wanted Knight in the 2011 draft (yes, I too would have whiffed on Leonard, but I wouldn't have traded for Salmons, I swear!). He seemed like an athletic combo guard that could play the Beno role next to Evans but with better defense potentially. Now that Evans is gone, I don't see the fit, as McLemore doesn't provide the secondary ball handling, so our point guard has to be better at that than what I've seen from Knight so far.
Well, Williams did have an outside shot in the past, so that he only has to re-acquire (which I'd argue is a higher-probability proposition). As for defense, I wouldn't ask for him to be all-defensive team, just for him to be good. He's got the athleticism to do it, so let's see what sort of magic that defensive-minded coach can make.
In the meantime, I do enjoy the lobs.
In the meantime, I do enjoy the lobs.
In many ways the Kings are doing a lot to improve now. Their defensive skills are improving, especially team defense. Their turnovers are way down this year. Since the starting line-up has changed so much they are a deep team. Rebounding is an area that seems to be less effective than in previous years. Defensive rebounding in particular is still a weakness, and interior defense in the paint is lax at times. But there are signs of improvement.
Malone seems really good with the psychology of his players. He is a cheer leader which is essential on a team with a poor record. When he embraced IT after the game with the Thunder, it was an important moment for the team going forward. Malone appreciates the skills that IT brings, and does not try to make him into something he is not, ie a prototypical PG.
The Kings' effort against the Thunder without Cousins deserves some note and respect. I bet the OKC players were talking about the Kings last night.
Malone seems really good with the psychology of his players. He is a cheer leader which is essential on a team with a poor record. When he embraced IT after the game with the Thunder, it was an important moment for the team going forward. Malone appreciates the skills that IT brings, and does not try to make him into something he is not, ie a prototypical PG.
The Kings' effort against the Thunder without Cousins deserves some note and respect. I bet the OKC players were talking about the Kings last night.
With all due respect to our effort, and it did deserve respect, I think OKC was more likely talking about themselves, because effort or not, OKC flat played terrible to keep us in that one. Westbrook in particular just does not look like the same guy, but he looks like a guy who is still acting like he's the same guy. Durant missed about 10 jumpers he normally makes. They actively aided and abetted us even being in position to have that IT moment late.