Why hasn't Casspi been playing?

[RookieOfTheDay]

DNPs the last two games. I haven't really been following team happenings much the last month, did I miss something? Is Casspi in the doghouse?

 

[rainmaker]

Probably because he's shot 41% for the month of March, while getting lit up on defense game in and game out. Donte's playing better, and Cisco is playing better. Doesn't mean I agree with it though. I'd rather Cisco lead from the bench, and Omri/Donte split the minutes. But at the same time, Omri really isn't deserving of many minutes until his defense steps up a notch or two.

 

[gunks]

Westphal has been quoted as saying that when starting Cisco, he likes giving the backup minutes to either Casspi or Greene, but not both. Basically, there is no 3rd man in the SF rotation.

 

[pshn80]

I like Casspi. He has a hyperactive, hustling flair but have we missed him in the last two games?

 

[kingsboi]

Maybe because he isn't very good? He has regressed compared to last year and Donte has been giving us more of what we need at this point rather than Omri and his out of control play.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Casspi has been dissapointing all year, but he has been just flat out bad for the past month. Donte deserved a chance and has taken advantage of it so far. Now, will it last? who knows. I'd like to see Omri play minutes aswell, but right now there is no room.

Casspi's problem is that he isnt good at anything. He has been an pretty good shooter at times, but that has fallen off lately, and when he isnt shooting for you he is pretty worthless. He cant pass, cant dribble ... does nothing on offense besides shoot, and when you shooter isnt shooting well .. then he has to give you something else, and Omri doesnt have anything else to give.

When Donte cant shoot, which is most of the time, at least you know you can get defense and an alleyoop target out of him, which isnt much, but more than Omri can give you when neither guy is scoring... It just so happens that Donte is playing good defense and shooting well right now.

 

[Tetsujin]

It all comes down to the fact that Omri appears to have asked Beno and Kevin Martin for defense lessons. If Omri at least showed that he could be a nuisance for his opponent for a few minutes per game, he'd probably be seeing time on the court

 

[rainmaker]

One of Omri's biggest problems, aside from his complete lack of ballhandling, is the release on his shot. It's flat. Zero arc. All shooters know the more arc a shot has, the better the chance it goes in. But it's also his release point, as well as the fact he shoots set shots from 3, but can't shoot a real jumpshot from 2.

That really hurts him. As a sf, you need to be able to release your shot at the peak of your jump. You need to be able to elevate over a defender. It's damn near impossible to run off a screen, catch, and shoot a set shot. Needs to be a jumper. When shooting off the dribble, it has to be a jumpshot. You can't shoot set shots off the dribble very well.

On top of that, his release is so damn low. As I've said a few times, he really needs to re-work the form on his shot. Donte isn't the best shooter, but he shoots jumpers, and has a much higher release. Easier to get his shot off. Watch when he moves without the ball, and the pass comes to him. He does what you learn playing growing up. When you catch the ball on the move, or coming off a screen, you're low, and knees are bent, so as soon as the ball hits your hands, you explode up into your jumper. It should be fluid, and quick. When Omri catches it, he's standing straight up most of the time. Fundamentally, that's a huge mistake. So instead of exploding up into a jumper, he catches the ball, then bends his knees and goes down, and jumps. Takes twice as long.

Same thing when attacking off the dribble. I know neither of them do that. But ideally, when attacking, you're low to the ground. You stay low until there's daylight, and just explode up into your jumper. There's a huge difference at this level between doing that, and dribbling standing straight up, and then when you want to shoot, bending down before jumping. Who jumps quicker? Someone in a crouch ready to explode, or someone standing straight up? Same thing applies to a jumpshot.

Given Omri's work ethic, I think that's something he can work on, and add to his game going forward. But as most have said, Donte has much more ability, and a higher ceiling, but Omri has a better work ethic, and is more determined to succeed.

But until he actually develops a jumpshot, and can catch and shoot on the move, he'll be soley a stand still spot up shooter. And when the defense closes out on him? He offers nothing else. If you're going to be a stand still shooter, your % should be a little closer to a Matt Bonner.

 

[Section 101]

Same thing when attacking off the dribble. I know neither of them do that. But ideally, when attacking, you're low to the ground. You stay low until there's daylight, and just explode up into your jumper. There's a huge difference at this level between doing that, and dribbling standing straight up, and then when you want to shoot, bending down before jumping. Who jumps quicker? Someone in a crouch ready to explode, or someone standing straight up? Same thing applies to a jumpshot.

Actually, Donte gets too low and leans over sometimes when dribbling.

 

[Tetsujin]

Actually, Donte gets too low and leans over sometimes when dribbling.

I think that's an instance where his height is detrimental to his play. (I've noticed that KD had this problem in his first couple of years and still has that problem now to a certain degree, so this could jut be a common problem for super-sized wingmen).

 

[PurpleHaze]

Actually, Donte gets too low and leans over sometimes when dribbling.

Amazingly 6'11" DeMarcus Cousins is a better dribbler than 6'10" Donte Greene. As Jerry Reynolds points out DMC moves up court with his head up seeing entire court for possible transition assists or moves through the lane with either hand - whereas Donte often fumbles his heavy right-handed dribble slashes and is always looking down obviously aware of his ball handling deficiency.

 

[Tetsujin]

Amazingly 6'11" DeMarcus Cousins is a better dribbler than 6'10" Donte Greene. As Jerry Reynolds points out DMC moves up court with his head up seeing entire court for possible transition assists or moves through the lane with either hand - whereas Donte often fumbles his heavy right-handed dribble slashes and is always looking down obviously aware of his ball handling deficiency.

That may have more to do with the fact that DeMarcus is an absolute freak tan the fact that Donte sucks at dribbling. Or it may just be both.

 

[rainmaker]

Actually, Donte gets too low and leans over sometimes when dribbling.

The off the dribble part was more of an example. Neither does what I'm referring to. But even without having a good handle, because Donte is usually lower, and shoots a jumpshot, he's able to get seperation and his shot off. With Donte it's more a question of will the shot go in.

 

[PurpleHaze]

The bottom line is both Casspi and Greene are very streaky, inconsistent NBA players. Our other (starting) SF is the same way. We just have to upgrade that position with a top SF free agent signing or a top SF prospect with the high draft pick. There's just no question about it. Only other question is who do you keep of those three mediocre muskateers - as bench insurance and some roster hope instead of totally hopeless fodder.

 

[Andre87]

answering the thread question - who cares.

 

[mac]

Honestly I don't think it really has to do with Casspi's or Greene's abilities, because if it were our answers would change every month. Why isn't Greene playing? Because he can't shoot. Casspi brings energy and hits 3s. Why isn't Casspi playing? Because his shooting form is bad and isn't playing good D.

While all that may be true, I think the real answer is - because we're playing Donte, he's playing well, and we're getting the wins. Of course it'd be nice if Casspi could get some PT, but put it this way, when Beno and Thornton are getting 20 points and 5 assists each, you don't ask why Jeter isn't playing.

 

[LWP777]

I was really hard on Omri last year and I pretty much got flamed for it. IMO, he's just not a very good NBA player. Another poster above mentioned that he's just not good at anything in particular. I couldn't agree more. Last year he went through a horrendous shooting slump yet he continued to jack up terrible shots almost every time he touched the ball. He put himself ahead of the team. That pretty much sealed the deal for me.

I really like the guys enthusiasm but he's going to have to figure out how he can help the team if he wants to be a part of the rotation again.

 

[bajaden]

One of Omri's biggest problems, aside from his complete lack of ballhandling, is the release on his shot. It's flat. Zero arc. All shooters know the more arc a shot has, the better the chance it goes in. But it's also his release point, as well as the fact he shoots set shots from 3, but can't shoot a real jumpshot from 2.

That really hurts him. As a sf, you need to be able to release your shot at the peak of your jump. You need to be able to elevate over a defender. It's damn near impossible to run off a screen, catch, and shoot a set shot. Needs to be a jumper. When shooting off the dribble, it has to be a jumpshot. You can't shoot set shots off the dribble very well.

On top of that, his release is so damn low. As I've said a few times, he really needs to re-work the form on his shot. Donte isn't the best shooter, but he shoots jumpers, and has a much higher release. Easier to get his shot off. Watch when he moves without the ball, and the pass comes to him. He does what you learn playing growing up. When you catch the ball on the move, or coming off a screen, you're low, and knees are bent, so as soon as the ball hits your hands, you explode up into your jumper. It should be fluid, and quick. When Omri catches it, he's standing straight up most of the time. Fundamentally, that's a huge mistake. So instead of exploding up into a jumper, he catches the ball, then bends his knees and goes down, and jumps. Takes twice as long.

Same thing when attacking off the dribble. I know neither of them do that. But ideally, when attacking, you're low to the ground. You stay low until there's daylight, and just explode up into your jumper. There's a huge difference at this level between doing that, and dribbling standing straight up, and then when you want to shoot, bending down before jumping. Who jumps quicker? Someone in a crouch ready to explode, or someone standing straight up? Same thing applies to a jumpshot.

Given Omri's work ethic, I think that's something he can work on, and add to his game going forward. But as most have said, Donte has much more ability, and a higher ceiling, but Omri has a better work ethic, and is more determined to succeed.

But until he actually develops a jumpshot, and can catch and shoot on the move, he'll be soley a stand still spot up shooter. And when the defense closes out on him? He offers nothing else. If you're going to be a stand still shooter, your % should be a little closer to a Matt Bonner.

First off, I like both Omri and Donte. But there seems to be an attitude in general to overlook Donte's flaws, and exaggerate Casspi's. Both players are flawed, and in both cases, the flaws are correctable. Doesn't mean they will be, or how long it will take if they are.

I agree that Omri's shot is a little too flat, but as for the rest of your anlysis, as to his fourm, its somewhat immaterial. He hardly, if ever gets his shot blocked, and probably has the quickest release on the team. So as long as his percentage is where it should be, there's no problem. Of course of late, thats the rub. I suspect that on the whole, Omri is more of volume shooter to be effective. By that I mean, he may be a player that can go 1 for 6 in the first half, and then go 5 for 6 in the second half. Except in his case, he may not get that chance in the second half.

If you don't like Omri's ballhandling, then you should hate Donte's. Neither player is a great ballhandler, but Omri certainly has the edge. Omri is a far better rebounder than Donte. Donte is a better defender than Omri, but make no mistake, he's not Battier.

The Kings need to either draft, or trade for a good SF prospect. Derrick Williams, thank you very much, and then choose one of the two between Omri and Donte, and then trade the other one. Both Omri and Donte have potential, and neither is served well by being jerked around and not being sure of his role on the team.

 

[bajaden]

Honestly I don't think it really has to do with Casspi's or Greene's abilities, because if it were our answers would change every month. Why isn't Greene playing? Because he can't shoot. Casspi brings energy and hits 3s. Why isn't Casspi playing? Because his shooting form is bad and isn't playing good D.

While all that may be true, I think the real answer is - because we're playing Donte, he's playing well, and we're getting the wins. Of course it'd be nice if Casspi could get some PT, but put it this way, when Beno and Thornton are getting 20 points and 5 assists each, you don't ask why Jeter isn't playing.

Excellent point! How much of the wins, few though they may be, can be attributed to Donte is up for conversation, but we do have three wins in the last four games. So if your thinking in the short term, its a success. The question is whether it will be a success in the long term. Because next year at this time no one will remember this short term success.

Unsuccessful teams live in the here and now. Successful teams are always living in the future. Trying to stay one step ahead of the competition. And I'm by no means saying that in some cases the two ideas aren't compatable. The trick is to know which of the two your building your foundation on.

In the case of Donte and Omri, at some point your going to have to choose. Because it appears that neither player has dramaticly separated himself from the other. Ultimately its the GM that makes the final decision. And its up to the coach to give the GM points of reference on which to make that decision. Personally, I'm not overwhelmed by either. Donte has made the longer journey, but he's also had the most time. So for me, its a crap shoot.

 

[CruzDude]

I've seen it reported online (Bee, other) that Omri has had back spasms recently and DNP for 1-2 games due to that. However, recent 2-3 game DNP may just be to see Donte get evaluation minutes after his long spell of not much/any minutes either.

 

[Kingster]

[/QUOTE]=MassachusettsKingsFan;816707]Casspi has been dissapointing all year, but he has been just flat out bad for the past month. Donte deserved a chance and has taken advantage of it so far. Now, will it last? who knows. I'd like to see Omri play minutes aswell, but right now there is no room.

Casspi's problem is that he isnt good at anything. He has been an pretty good shooter at times, but that has fallen off lately, and when he isnt shooting for you he is pretty worthless. He cant pass, cant dribble ... does nothing on offense besides shoot, and when you shooter isnt shooting well .. then he has to give you something else, and Omri doesnt have anything else to give. When Donte cant shoot, which is most of the time, at least you know you can get defense and an alleyoop target out of him, which isnt much, but more than Omri can give you when neither guy is scoring... It just so happens that Donte is playing good defense and shooting well right now.[/QUOTE]

This.

 

[Amaranth]

Straight from Westphal, on both Omri and Donte:

James Ham: Since this is going to take a little while to work itself out, can you look into your crystal ball and tell me what Tyreke’s return is going to mean for Pooh Jeter, Jermaine Taylor and possibly even the Donté Greene/Omri Casspi combo?

Coach Westphal: I’m sure all those guys that you mentioned are going to play a little bit less than they would have otherwise. I think that’s an inevitable consequence.

James Ham: How did Omri Casspi take the DNP-CD in last night’s game?

Coach Westphal: We didn’t talk about it really. I think he can understand how that can happen, but knowing Omri, I’m sure he’s not crazy about it. The team got the win and he understands that was the way it developed for him yesterday.

James Ham: Was the Casspi situation a match-up issue with Granger and few other long small forwards coming up on the schedule or is it just the way the season has gone for both Casspi and Greene, and you are looking to ride the hot hand?

Coach Westphal: I will say that at this time, I think that when you look at the season in total, both Donté and Omri have had considerable stretches of having a chance to establish themselves at that position and they both bring something a little different to the table. I think that neither one of them have really grabbed the spot and so it’s more of a situational thing now than we have to play this guy or we have to play that guy. It’s the reality of the situation that they both have a different skill set and there’s not really room to play both of them the kind of minutes that I’m sure they want to play and I have to make that choice each night.

James Ham: Where are you at with Greene as the season has progressed? It’s almost like he disappeared for the last month and then you throw him in against Minnesota and he blows up with 13 points in limited minutes. He’s kind of hit and miss. Do you have an idea of what kind of player he is going to develop into or is he still just a long term potential type player?

Coach Westphal: It all depends on him really. With any player, it’s about production and it’s not about points with Donté so much, it’s about consistency and picking his spots. We certainly don’t mind points from that position, but he’s got to shoot a high percentage and he’s got to take the right shots. He’s got to understand how he can be effective and I think defensively is where his calling card can be for his career and as he improves his shot, he can add scoring. He certainly has had some games where his scoring has been outstanding, but the percentages don’t lie either. In order to be a consistent contributor, he is going to have to have a more reliable shot and more reliable decision making offensively. There are games where he has been phenomenal offensively and then there are games where it just doesn’t seem to happen so we’re looking for his ability to guard people and a consistent offensive production other than a wild fluctuation.

James Ham: Coming into this season, I think the team thought they had a clear view of what kind of player Donté was going to be – not so much how his production would go, but you thought he would be competing for the small forward spot, then he came in way out of shape. With 12 games left in the season, have you formulated a clear plan for Donté for the summer and do you think that plan will resonate with him better this summer than what happened this previous off-season?

Paul Westphal: Well, we had a specific plan last year, but there are constraints that we have in the off-season. We can outline a program and we can monitor it if a player asks us to. We can’t demand the players presence or work in the off-season, we can only suggest and if they ask for supervision, we can provide it. We don’t know what hurdles will be presented this off-season – I can’t even talk about what might happen this summer, and that even presents more problems. So much of a player’s development in the summer is dependent on how dedicated a player is willing to be and it really is a time when you can’t demand the dedication, they have to provide the dedication. It’s pretty clear to the coaching staff what Donté needs to work on and what the results can be if he wants to do that, but this summer is kind of an unknown right now.

 

[The Hammer]

Straight from Westphal, on both Omri and Donte:

Well that pretty much lays it all out right there.

 

[Glenn]

We need to draft a SF and sign a free agent SF so that we can keep Cisco as the backup because of his leadership. That's the answer to a question no one asked. Just my opinion as I think we have no need for a guard. None although if Kyrie dropped into our lap, I'd take him and work out the details later. Bye, bye Beno I guess. If we can upgrade a little at PF, that's OK also. I am not going to depend on the evolution of Hassan

The SFs are very discouraging aren't they? Casspi has the energy and because of that, I like him better than Greene. Greene could be a monster and won't because the work it requires would interfere with his fun. Perhaps I am unfair.

I suspect Casspi is playing just as Westphal says. It depends on the team they are playing. As the Pacers had Granger, we needed the guy with the best defensive capabilities. Granger wasn't as much of a factor as he could have been. Another game we will see Casspi. I like Casspi's fire and it fits with Cuz. Both will bust their butt no matter what. I think they have a lot to do with why this team never gives up. I don't fully understand as Cuz wasn't with the team last year but there is a culture of "never say dieness" that I love about this team. Rekes got it.

This is above my pay grade but I think going forward, the team has to be careful who they trade and who they keep. They cannot lose that attitude. The conclusion is that they have to think twice before they trade Casspi no matter what he is worth as trade fodder.

 

[pshn80]

I've seen it reported online (Bee, other) that Omri has had back spasms recently and DNP for 1-2 games due to that. However, recent 2-3 game DNP may just be to see Donte get evaluation minutes after his long spell of not much/any minutes either.

Also, because he fits better with the recent emphasis on defense. Whoever plays next, I hope the Kings continue to look good.

 

[Arkitect]

This was really the year for both Donte and Casspi, and neither has really played as well as they should have. Neither has shown that they can be good enough to be a starter on a playoff team. We need to pick up a defensive captain at SF. Donte has the tools, but he has had three years with playing time to put it together and hasn't. SF really is the last piece we need for a competitive starting lineup. 3 20+ a game scorers(Reke, Thorton, Cuz), 3 top defenders(Battier/AK/Green, Reke, Dally). Excellent rebounding across the board. That is a tough, defensive-oriented team.

 

[ParniValjak]

This was really the year for both Donte and Casspi, and neither has really played as well as they should have. Neither has shown that they can be good enough to be a starter on a playoff team. We need to pick up a defensive captain at SF. Donte has the tools, but he has had three years with playing time to put it together and hasn't. SF really is the last piece we need for a competitive starting lineup. 3 20+ a game scorers(Reke, Thorton, Cuz), 3 top defenders(Battier/AK/Green, Reke, Dally). Excellent rebounding across the board. That is a tough, defensive-oriented team.

Green is a top defender?!

 

[PurpleHaze]

Green is a top defender?!

Only on the Kings. Of course if Doug Christie, Ron Artest and a couple other shut down defenders at height of their careers were on the team no one would notice any occasional flash of Donte "brilliance" on the defensive end.

 

[JJ_Evans]

i was wondering the same thing.... why does casspi hardly get any playing time if none at all... what did he do?

 

[PurpleHaze]

i was wondering the same thing.... why does casspi hardly get any playing time if none at all... what did he do?

Did you read this thread? It's full of answers and some speculation. Injury issue. Lack of recent production. Donte a little more assertive of late. Garcia back from long injury lay-off. And more.