Why are Kings a bad team defensively?

[PurpleHaze]

Well, this game in the end probably won't make this thought any less relevant.

I might want to make a poll but would prefer someone else posted (with same/some different answers)

The question: Why Are Kings a Bad Defensive Team?

1) Lazy/No Desire to play D
2) Poor help defense/execution
3) No rim protector shot blocker inside
4) The Pizza Guy
5) Kings/PDA athleticism fetish overrated
6) Players care more about shots/stats
7) Malone's D concepts this roster incompatible
8) Jimmer now in rotation
9) Ghost of Keith Smart bad habits
10) All or just about all of the above

 

[VF21]

I'm adding a poll, so don't anybody get carried away...

 

[DeMoN]

I'm assuming the new FO is using this year mostly to determine what value our roster has while being a respectable ball club. I'm hoping for major moves to give Malone players to work with that fit his defensive schemes, because we do not currently have that.

 

[mac]

Here's what I took into consideration:

- Only JT/Cousins/IT/Thornton/Jimmer remain from seasons past.
- Jimmer/Thornton really haven't played significant enough minutes for most of the season to be held fully responsible for our defensive woes. In fact, I think most can agree that their defense has actually improved a little compared to previous seasons.
- With that said, we shouldn't be able to attribute bad habits from previous coaching or a lack of desire to play D on the whole team, since we supposedly cleaned most of the house out already.
- By that reasoning, other than blaming our new acquisitions for playing poor D (which I think we can mostly agree isn't the case, at least not for a lack of effort but perhaps size), the majority of the blame should fall on JT/Cousins/IT and just the team taking time to learn to play D
- I think most can agree that both Cousins and JT have stepped up their D. JT in particular has done a very good job for the most part defending his man individually. Cousins has improved as well.

Now where does that leave us ..

 

[fanop]

Well I didn't read all my options... other wise I would have picked all of it..

 

[PurpleHaze]

Now where does that leave us ..

In deep dark hole until there's light next season - hopefully.

 

[t-rex]

Malone is in need of perimeter defenders and guys who get off on denying the other team as much as scoring.

 

[fanop]

- I think most can agree that both Cousins and JT have stepped up their D. JT in particular has done a very good job for the most part defending his man individually. Cousins has improved as well.

Now where does that leave us ..

I honestly think JT is a decent/good defender, but most of the time he's guarding guys who can easily do a turn around jumper. I think if JT improves on not biting on pump fakes, he'll be an overall better defender. The only thing he needs to work on is his attitude.. If he wasn't crying all the time, people would see that he's actually a good defender.

 

[Hadlowe]

Rim protector is the linchpin. Add a couple of competent defenders in the wings and point guard and you have a decent defensive team, even with Cousins.

 

[DeMoN]

We just need time to be honest, and our health. We've proven to beat great teams while we're healthy. Time will only help.

 

[The_Jamal]

JT and Cuz are atrocious help and weak-side defenders, although developing into solid, even strong man defenders. Problem is, if your bigs can't rotate and cut off penetration, you won't be able to stop anybody. That said, it also doesn't help our perimeter D is just as weak, with not a single stand-out guy and a plethora of weak defensive guards who provide very limited resistance to penetration

Problems all around. While I'm a D-will fan, I think we're really missing the impact of Mbah to be a defensive leader. Just having a guy on the court who knows exactly when and how to rotate defensively+being a strong man defender would have been extremely valuable for us.

 

[Tetsujin]

JT and Cuz are atrocious help and weak-side defenders, although developing into solid, even strong man defenders. Problem is, if your bigs can't rotate and cut off penetration, you won't be able to stop anybody. That said, it also doesn't help our perimeter D is just as weak, with not a single stand-out guy and a plethora of weak defensive guards who provide very limited resistance to penetration

Problems all around. While I'm a D-will fan, I think we're really missing the impact of Mbah to be a defensive leader. Just having a guy on the court who knows exactly when and how to rotate defensively+being a strong man defender would have been extremely valuable for us.

Except LMAM promptly got hurt and is now warming the bench for a T-Wolves team starting Corey Brewer at SF.

 

[enigma99a]

I think its why play D when they believe they lose anyway. Well, it is obvious that not even Malone knows what is going on

 

[jalfa]

there's a lot of contributing factors, but one that isn't in the poll and deserves being mentioned is unfamiliarity. there has been massive roster turnover that started roughly at the time Malone became somewhat comfortable with the roster. subsequently new guys had to be integrated, which took time again and then, when they had at least a bit of a groove, Gay and Cuz go out and get injured in the same game and everything is different once again. other teams have trouble integrating just one guy into set rotations, Malone has to contend with basically his whole roster being torn apart midseason. take the team as it is now, give it a full training camp and a full season and it'd be a whole lot better than the second worst defence in the entire league.

that's not to say the defensive personnel is anywhere near satisfactory. they're clearly lacking defensive talent basically everywhere, but at least the main cogs, Gay and Cousins, have shown me enough to have hope for a future when the team plays non-terrible defence. put a defensive presence next to Cuz, get a guard that's willing to do any work fighting through screens and getting back into plays, and this whole thing looks much better.

 

[KingMilz]

Lack of effort/IQ and desire to play defence, we can play good defence from time to time but it's only in spurts. To me we have capable defender who are extremely lazy and lack discipline in Cousins/Thornton/Gay. We got good defenders in JT/Gray who foul a lot and we got some undersized guys who give there all in Acy (who's ok) and Jimmer.

Just in general it's a lack of desire to compete for 48mins unless the offence is on fire.

 

[twslam07]

Lack of effort/IQ and desire to play defence, we can play good defence from time to time but it's only in spurts. To me we have capable defender who are extremely lazy and lack discipline in Cousins/Thornton/Gay. We got good defenders in JT/Gray who foul a lot and we got some undersized guys who give there all in Acy (who's ok) and Jimmer.

Just in general it's a lack of desire to compete for 48mins unless the offence is on fire.

Are you from some other country besides the US? Just curious. The word "defence" is usually used by people outside the US while "defense" is used mostly by people who live in the US.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Seems simple to me: lack of players who are good at defense. I've been fine with the FO's apparent philosophy of adding talent at the expense of focusing on fit, but at some point they're going to have to acquire some two-way players before Malone's head explodes.

 

[pshn80]

Malone is in need of perimeter defenders and guys who get off on denying the other team as much as scoring.

Agree. Last night that wasn't "rim protectors" that were so effectively chasing and pressuring our perimeter guys , they were their perimeter guys. It would be nice to have that. Which comes first the chicken or the egg? Could our perimeter guys do better if they had a better rim protector? Could our rim protector do better if we had better perimeter defenders? The answer in both cases is "yes", so who do we replace first or does it make any difference?

A poster above was probably correct, the coach and FO are seeing what they have on both D and O. They will make moves but which way they go first will be interesting to see.

 

[Gilles]

Rim protector won't help you fight through screens or move your feet.

 

[VF21]

Are you from some other country besides the US? Just curious. The word "defence" is usually used by people outside the US while "defense" is used mostly by people who live in the US.

We have a lot of posters here who are not from the US.

 

[ForlornKing]

I think the main problem with the players that we have now ( of course a rim protector is our #1 need) is that the effort given fighting through screens. Whenever anybody gets screened its like we just give up.

 

[mac]

We have a lot of posters here who are not from the US.

I once got criticized here a few years back for spelling it that way (we use the British system). Think it's become a subconscious thing where I just adapt to the American spelling when posting here.

 

[VF21]

I once got criticized here a few years back for spelling it that way (we use the British system). Think it's become a subconscious thing where I just adapt to the American spelling when posting here.

I think some people tend to focus on silly things like how a word is spelled instead of the content of the post. That's why we've made it pretty clear around here that digs about grammar or spelling need not be posted.

 

[twslam07]

We have a lot of posters here who are not from the US.

Yep, I already knew that. I was just interested in where he was from...

 

[gunks]

You really only need one or two players who take pride in defense to turn the culture around (remember when we got Artest?).

Add Henson and Thabo to this team and we're looking a helluva lot better.

We should be in a good position to nab a defensive big in the draft (there are a few in the top ten)...But hell, we've been in a position to get a defensive big the last couple drafts and passed on them (Henson, Drummond). 3 and D shooting guards arnt THAT rare. Waaay easier to pick up via trade or FA than a shot blocker or pass first PG.

We start next season with two guys that play D and we should be good. Ball is in PDA's court.

Oh yeah....He should also trade most of our roster.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I think some people tend to focus on silly things like how a word is spelled instead of the content of the post. That's why we've made it pretty clear around here that digs about grammar or spelling need not be posted.

I don't know. I thought it was kind of a refreshing change from all the IT talk!

 

[twslam07]

I think some people tend to focus on silly things like how a word is spelled instead of the content of the post. That's why we've made it pretty clear around here that digs about grammar or spelling need not be posted.

I wasn't making a dig about spelling if that's what you're insinuating. I know it is spelled differently abroad. I've always assumed andremiller07 was from the states so it caught me off guard. I was just interested in where he/she is from.

And now back to basketball...

 

[VF21]

I wasn't making a dig about spelling if that's what you're insinuating. I know it is spelled differently abroad. I've always assumed andremiller07 was from the states so it caught me off guard. I was just interested in where he/she is from.

No, I was responding at that point to the comment mac made. I knew what you were doing. Sorry if my comment was unclear.

FYI - I generally don't insinuate. If I have something to say, good or bad, I usually just spit it right out.

 

[Glenn]

I wasn't making a dig about spelling if that's what you're insinuating. I know it is spelled differently abroad. I've always assumed andremiller07 was from the states so it caught me off guard. I was just interested in where he/she is from.

And now back to basketball...

We need to maximise our sence of humour to live in the big tent that contains Kings fans.

 

[KingMilz]

Are you from some other country besides the US? Just curious. The word "defence" is usually used by people outside the US while "defense" is used mostly by people who live in the US.

Australia