Willie Cauley-Stein
- Thread starter King Baller
- Start date
I dunno what people are complaining about. Since the trade, Willie is averaging 13/6 on 50% shooting. While not earth shattering, that's cause for some optimism. It's certainly more than we'd seen out of him previously. He's still only 23. He's going to develop even more. We're already starting to see offensive footwork and skills we weren't sure he had.
My beef with WCS has always been and will continue to be his lack of rebounding. He did well against Wizards but nights like that are like solar eclipse...they rarely happen.
WCS has the potential to be a STUD defender in the NBA. With that ahtleticism and length, there is no reason why he should not average a couple of blocks and a couple of steals a game. The issue seems to be that Willie appears to be more concerned about displaying his offensive talents and somewhat abandoning the very skills that got him drafted.
If you are a big with that length and that athleticism, but you are finishing games with 4-6 rebounds while playing 30+ minutes, then I don't care if you just dropped 30 on the opponent. You are a big guy, rebound and defend at a high level and the rest will come.
WCS has the potential to be a STUD defender in the NBA. With that ahtleticism and length, there is no reason why he should not average a couple of blocks and a couple of steals a game. The issue seems to be that Willie appears to be more concerned about displaying his offensive talents and somewhat abandoning the very skills that got him drafted.
If you are a big with that length and that athleticism, but you are finishing games with 4-6 rebounds while playing 30+ minutes, then I don't care if you just dropped 30 on the opponent. You are a big guy, rebound and defend at a high level and the rest will come.
DJ is a beastly rebounder. I'd be happy if Willie could just manage to not be embarrassing on the boards 3 games outta 4.
Tools are there to be a more versatile defender, and a way more versatile offensive player. But I'm not holding my breath on Trill ever averaging double digit rebounds for a season.
Which doesn't mean he still can't develop into a solid to great player. I'm rooting for him to put it all together. He's definitely a lot of fun to watch when he's "on".
Tools are there to be a more versatile defender, and a way more versatile offensive player. But I'm not holding my breath on Trill ever averaging double digit rebounds for a season.
Which doesn't mean he still can't develop into a solid to great player. I'm rooting for him to put it all together. He's definitely a lot of fun to watch when he's "on".
This is true! I even mentioned in another of my Willie-centric posts, that I think some of us here (myself included) are occasionally guilty of impatience when it comes to his development.
He's looking way better than he did at the start of this season. As long as he continues trending up, I'll be happy.
He's looking way better than he did at the start of this season. As long as he continues trending up, I'll be happy.
I think it comes with the territory when you're a Kings fan. 
Your right. I had season tickets in year one at the old warehouse. I was there the night they gave the standing ovation to Larry Bird, who looked bewildered at the response to his presence. No one then complained much about the losing. We were just happy to have professional basketball to watch. But after year one, it went from decent to bad, to worse in about a three year period. I can remember Grant Napier on the radio saying that the Kings would never be a playoff team as long as Greg Luckenbill was the owner. Not because he was a bad or stupid person, but because he simply didn't have the resources. The Kings were essentially a hand to mouth organization at that point.
Personally, I didn't care. At least not then. I could go to games and watch Jordan, and Malone etc. Sacramento wasn't just a cow town anymore. It was fun, even if we were losing. I had tremendous appreciation for what these players could do. And maybe because I had played myself, I came at it from a different perspective. Kings fans hated the Lakers. Therefore, they hated the players on the Lakers. But I can tell you for a fact that the players on the Kings team didn't hate the players on the Laker team. Off the court or the field, players are friends with one another. That's the perspective I come from.
After being attached to my St Louis Hawks with Bob Pettit, Dougie Martin, Jack McMahn and Easy Ed McCaulley etc, and then watching them move to Atlanta, I eventually moved to Sacramento and became a Warrior fan. I was lucky enough to see them win a championship with Rick Barry and team full, at the time, with a bunch of unknowns. I saw that same team then trade away a young promising center in Robert Parish to the Celtics who promptly went and won a championship with him, along with a young Kevin McHale who they acquired in that trade with the Warriors along with Parish. As a result, I've learned not to get attached to players. There is no one that can't be replaced. That's something I reminded myself of my entire life.
Personally, I didn't care. At least not then. I could go to games and watch Jordan, and Malone etc. Sacramento wasn't just a cow town anymore. It was fun, even if we were losing. I had tremendous appreciation for what these players could do. And maybe because I had played myself, I came at it from a different perspective. Kings fans hated the Lakers. Therefore, they hated the players on the Lakers. But I can tell you for a fact that the players on the Kings team didn't hate the players on the Laker team. Off the court or the field, players are friends with one another. That's the perspective I come from.
After being attached to my St Louis Hawks with Bob Pettit, Dougie Martin, Jack McMahn and Easy Ed McCaulley etc, and then watching them move to Atlanta, I eventually moved to Sacramento and became a Warrior fan. I was lucky enough to see them win a championship with Rick Barry and team full, at the time, with a bunch of unknowns. I saw that same team then trade away a young promising center in Robert Parish to the Celtics who promptly went and won a championship with him, along with a young Kevin McHale who they acquired in that trade with the Warriors along with Parish. As a result, I've learned not to get attached to players. There is no one that can't be replaced. That's something I reminded myself of my entire life.
That's the way it was and I suspect you speak for all fans. We set some record for futility back then that people kind of shrugged off.
Hey, there was Lou Hudson from my alma mater. One year at my university, he broke a bone in his right hand that took 6 months to heal - lack of blood supply. He averaged 17 points although his rebounding really suffered.
Hey, there was Lou Hudson from my alma mater. One year at my university, he broke a bone in his right hand that took 6 months to heal - lack of blood supply. He averaged 17 points although his rebounding really suffered.
The exact amount was 11 million, which would be penny's on the dollar by today's standard. He built ARCO on a shoe string, but he did bring professional sports to Sacramento. His dream was to eventually being a major league baseball team to Sacramento. But that dream never materialized. All the money he put into the infrastructure of the baseball stadium was wasted. It's still sitting out there rotting. You had to admire his ambition though. I was at the game that night the roof started leaking, and I remember looking up and seeing someone up on the catwalk trying to spread out a tarp. I didn't know at the time that it was Luckenbill. In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine Vivek doing something like that.
At that time I knew Joe Benvenuti's brother and his wife. Very nice people who lived a very simple life, in a simple neighborhood in the Carmichael area. As a result I got a little inside info during the early days. The original team that came here was a pretty good team. It was a playoff team, but the team, while still in Kansas City ended up firing their GM for, get this, re-using marked postage stamps. And you think it's bad now. They then made a mistake that doomed the franchise for years to come. They hired Joe Axelson as the GM.
Let me point out, that Axelson, in previous stints with the organization, (Royals) had traded away such people as Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Nate Archibald, and Norm Van Lier. Almost all in their prime. I might add that all of them are in the HOF. So he came in with his wrecking ball and destroyed what there was to destroy. The rest is history. It wasn't until Petrie showed up that the franchise took a turn for the better. Ahhh, the good old days!
At that time I knew Joe Benvenuti's brother and his wife. Very nice people who lived a very simple life, in a simple neighborhood in the Carmichael area. As a result I got a little inside info during the early days. The original team that came here was a pretty good team. It was a playoff team, but the team, while still in Kansas City ended up firing their GM for, get this, re-using marked postage stamps. And you think it's bad now. They then made a mistake that doomed the franchise for years to come. They hired Joe Axelson as the GM.
Let me point out, that Axelson, in previous stints with the organization, (Royals) had traded away such people as Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Nate Archibald, and Norm Van Lier. Almost all in their prime. I might add that all of them are in the HOF. So he came in with his wrecking ball and destroyed what there was to destroy. The rest is history. It wasn't until Petrie showed up that the franchise took a turn for the better. Ahhh, the good old days!
WCS just doesn't appear to have the ceiling of Buddy or Skal. Is there one thing he can hang his hat on? He's mediocre in shooting, and his rebounding his poor. As far as his defense is concerned (apart from the rebounding), it's ok I guess, but nothing scary for the opposition. The best thing I've seen recently is his passing. I'll give him credit for that. But if you're going to be a 7 footer in this league and you don't have a 3 point shot you better have some particular talent, and he just hasn't shown it so far. Maybe the most salient characteristic of WCS is his rebounding in which he gets 3 rebs in one game and 13 in the other. You just can't do that if you want to play consistently in the NBA.
I agree somewhat with this take. WCS is a very good pick and roll defender, has good hands and is good at rolling to the rim.
But he has been subpar as a post defender and rebounder.
He needs to make a list of things to master and work at becoming good at each one. He also needs to pick something to be great at, like Rodman.
My list:
1 - Rim protector
2- setting good picks on offense
3- rebounding
4 - running the high post
I don't thing he'll ever be a good rebounder. Usually that shows much earlier. But he really is a freak of nature. Who knows what he'll do if he sets his mind to it.
Side note - I like the Kings hats he designed.
But he has been subpar as a post defender and rebounder.
He needs to make a list of things to master and work at becoming good at each one. He also needs to pick something to be great at, like Rodman.
My list:
1 - Rim protector
2- setting good picks on offense
3- rebounding
4 - running the high post
I don't thing he'll ever be a good rebounder. Usually that shows much earlier. But he really is a freak of nature. Who knows what he'll do if he sets his mind to it.
Side note - I like the Kings hats he designed.
If he can finish a bit better at the rim and just snare a few more boards, I'm good. I love watching him run up and down the court - a coaching staff has got to be able to mold the guy into something. One of the best bodies I've seen. His FTs are improved over the past few games so if he can improve that, maybe he can improve his finish on so many potential "and ones"
