Would anyone be unhappy with this team?

[twslam07]

Would anyone be unhappy with this team at the start of next season?

Thomas/Fredette
Evans/Thornton/Garcia
Williams/Salmons/Outlaw/Honeycutt
Drummond/Thompson/Hayes
Cousins/Whiteside

Exact same team as last year with the loss of Greene and the addition of Drummond. When I look at this lineup, it doesn't make me cringe. I would actually be willing to see what this rotation could do on the floor. I think the main reason we were so unhappy with the team is that our coach was putting together a poor rotation.

Thomas, Evans, and Williams are all good perimeter defenders. I know some of you don't like the defense Thomas plays. I disagree. Although many PGs are capable of shooting over him, he is capable of preventing penetration because of his quickness. He also showed that he was a good defender when he was posted up. Evans and Williams really need no explanation. If they want to, they can shut down players with their athleticism and length.

Thomas, Evans, and Williams are all good passers. Any one of them are capable of driving and dishing and finding the open man for an easy look. I think with 3 good passers on the floor, Cousins and Drummond will get some pretty easy looks.

According to those who have watched Williams throughout his career, they have noticed his shot improved. If he is capable of improving even more in the offseason, Evans will have Thomas and Williams to help spread the floor while he is driving. Evans needs to improve his jump shot. That goes without saying. Defenses have figured him out. He needs that extra dimension to make it easier for him to do what he does best, drive to the bucket.

Drummond would be drafted on the assumption we miss out on Davis, Gilchrist, and Robinson. I know everyone talks about him having so much potential to be a star, but all we need is a defensive, rebounding, athletic big man next to Cousins and Drummond fits that bill. If he becomes a star, great. If he doesn't, it's not the end of the world.

Our bench becomes a lot better in the process as well. Fredette, Thornton, and Salmons are all good three point shooters who can go for huge numbers when they're feeling it. Fredette's and Thornton's defense have come into question, but it should be hidden a little more coming off the bench. Thompson would be a great big man coming off the bench. A guy who can do a little bit of everything not to mention he scores a good amount at an efficient rate. I would like to see Whiteside as the 4th big off the bench next season. Having Drummond and Whiteside getting minutes each game should be pretty intimidating to anyone driving in our lane. Not to mention we have Garcia, Outlaw, Honeycutt, and Hayes there for spot minutes or injuries.

Overall, I think this team has the ability to be a great team. It all comes down to the coach implementing a rotation like this and having his team buy into it.

 

[swisshh]

Unless two or three of those players makes a big jump, that's still a lottery team.

 

[twslam07]

Unless two or three of those players makes a big jump, that's still a lottery team.

Of course we will need progression from our young guys, but if Evans and Cousins can become our version of Westbrook and Durant then obviously we'll be successful. With Evans turning the USA team down to focus on getting that jumpshot to take his game to the next level and Cousins going to shaqs big man camp and playing for the USA team, I see no reason why these two guys will not be better next season.

 

[Bricklayer]

I generally know what you are aiming for here, and I also do not entirely disagree -- a fallback position on "defensive SF who can also handle and pass" absolutely is Terrence Williams. And the "athletic shotblocker with the quickness to guard PFs on the perimeter" absolutely could be Drummond. And the addition of those two defenders, along with Thornton becoming 6th man really could revolutionize our starting defense. I get it. But its also jsut such a minimal play from a team that spiraled under Smart this year. You figure something would have to really change in order to make it work. Reke with a jumper, Cousins moves up to true major stardom. Smart plays it big (Cousins/Drummond/JT up front, Reke/IT/Thornton at the guards) etc. I would nto look upon the above result as disaster. I can see why it might work. But such a minimal move = it had better. Especially with all the toxic veteran contracts and extra/duplicative personnel around to confuse a coach about rotations.

 

[Gary]

Yah I would.. Just for the simple fact (well it's a fact in my mind even though it's an opinion in other people's minds!) that Drummond is going to be a bust. How do I know this? Because after watching season after season of college ball you can kind of tell who has the passion/desire/skills to make it in the NBA. I don't think Drummond will.

The rest of the lineup is fine, but I still think there will need to be tweaks, because I don't think this team can win the way it is now. Even with Evans at SG it seems we will peak at about 30-35 wins a year. We need a veteran presence that spends 25-30mins a night on the floor. Maybe two of them. No, not the vets we have on the team now. We need a vet that's won something.

 

[DesertFox]

Once IT dribbles the ball up the court, there will be no threat outside of 15 feet.

Until he develops a jumpshot, I look at Williams as a great backup to Tyreke, nothing more.

 

[twslam07]

I'm not saying this is the best possible outcome for our team this offseason. Knowing our front office, I'm saying this is the most likely roster we will be left with at the end of the day and that it is not as bad as we think. As long as our young guys, who are supposed to have a lot of potential, develop and improve their games this offseason and Smart makes a rotation similar to this one, we will see a step forward next season.

All I'm trying to say is there is still hope even if we don't sign a big free agent, trade for a star, or win the lottery.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Not Ideal. How much better, honestly, would that starting lineup be than the one we started this season with?

Salmons and Williams is a wash in my opinion .. at least on the defensive end. Williams is a 3 if Salmons is a 3. I'd like both players better at the 2. Also, Salmons is a better shooter .. although you would never know it if you stopped watching the Kings after the All-Star break. Salmons was actually pretty damn effective when he moved to the bench and took over PG duties, so while his contract is garbage .. at least he can give us something next season. And Thornton to the bench .. I just don't see it unless we go out and get AK47 or another established 3. How do you tell Thornton, your best scorer, that he is now coming off the bench for the likes of Terrence Williams? Ideally, he takes it fine .. but to be honest, he doesn't even deserve to be benched. On a team as poor as ours .. he's one of the few REAL pieces we have. 'Benching the scorer' thing only works on teams that are good. Manu, Harden, and to a lesser extent Lou Williams .. you don't bench those guys unless your team is pretty freaking talented.

I understand that this is a budget solution, but I think there are better options out there that wouldn't cost us a whole lot of money. I'd be pretty disappointed if this was our team going into next season ... which means it has a high chance of happening. By the way, I'd be fine with the Drummond part, although I have a tough time seeing him beat out JT as the starter right out of the gate. Henson is a guy I've said I liked a lot all over this board.

I really hope we can luck into MKG... finally solve the suckhole that has been our SF position for, what, 5 years?

Thomas-Evans-MKG-Thompson-Cousins is something I can get excited about. And at least a top 2 pick, which is what we would need to land MKG would be a REAL substitute for Thornton .. a move you would hope he can understand. That being said, if I'm the coach I'm starting Evans-Thornton-MKG ... but I just don't know how likely that is.

 

[Rookie]

I agreed with mostly what you stated Mass. I don't see MT willingly going to the bench.

But I also think Evnas/Thomas is not a good combo for the simple fact that Evans, to be effective, needs the ball in his hands to initiate his game. IT also require the ball in his hands to be an effective PG. I don't see putting an effective PG along with Evans would be ideal because passing to an open Evans is not something effecient until he improved his shooting skill.

I think this team direction really depend on Evans development. Improve passing so you can have an Evans/Thornton combo with Evans being the intiator or shooting so you can have IT/Evans combo with IT being the initiator.

I'm also with you on Evans-Thornton-MKG lineup. That is what I'm hoping for next season as well.

 

[rainmaker]

Hell no I won't be happy. I wasn't happy with last off season, and even though many here were, I thought it was a huge step in the wrong direction after clearing cap space over the course of 3+ years. Nothing has changed my mind.

From SBnation last off season:
Dec 8, 2011 - The Sacramento Kings have been waiting for the free agent period of 2011 for ages. This is the Kings' moment!

Has anyone seen the Kings? We are still looking for the Kings. We were told they would be here.

CAP SPACE

Here's a look at the Kings' salary cap levels over the past six seasons.

is "plummet" the right word?

Heading into free agency, the Kings have a cap figure of $30 million with the leaguewide team salary cap set at $58 million and the luxury tax line at $70 million. No team has more space under the cap than Sacramento.


Then, we have quotes like these, per Amick 5/11:

More Gavin Maloof: "We're not afraid to spend money...We have money. People don't believe we have money. We're very financially sound."

More Gavin Maloof: "We have cap space we're going to spend. I don't know if we'll spend all of it, but we'll spend a good portion of it."

Gavin Maloof":"I don't know if there's a specific timeline (re: arena). The financing part should be within a few months, I would think."

http://www.iamagm.com/news/2011/05/...roblems.says.team.will.spend.cap.space.summer

and...

"We have money, we have cap space, we have the most cap space of any team in the NBA," Maloof said. "That's how you win. You need players. And we have money and we're going to spend it."

http://blogs.sacbee.com/city-beat/2...l-spend-to-improve-team-keep-key-players.html

So no, I wouldn't be happy. What happened to all that cap space and spending we took years to clear for? It's simple. You made mistakes, now fix them. Buyout Cisco. Amnesty Salmons. Put together a draft day package for a starting caliber vet who'll help. Excuses need not apply. We've been sold a lie for years, that we're clearing cap space to spend and spend big. Then when it didn't happen in 2010, we were told it's because we're waiting for the new CBA.

Then we did nothing but waste cap room on Chuck/Outlaw to the tune of 8M per, on top of taking on Salmons' 8.5M per over the next 3 years. Fix it. You waste 16.5M per year on Chuck/Travis/Salmons? Fix it. You're paying MT 8M per to clog up the 2 spot, where he might eventually turn into an 8M per yr 6th man? Fix it and get better value. You're once again paying two coaches at once? Fix it and try paying one good coach at once. We paid a SF core consisting of Cisco/Salmons/Outlaw/Donte/Honeycutt 19.8M last year, and they were so effective we had to move Reke to SF? Fix it.

Petrie has about 2-3 months to turn this all around and fix numerous mistakes, or come out and tell everyone why exactly he made the mistakes in the first place and why exactly he can't fix them.

 

[VF21]

...Petrie has about 2-3 months to turn this all around and fix numerous mistakes, or come out and tell everyone why exactly he made the mistakes in the first place and why exactly he can't fix them.

Unless, of course, he cannot/will not say what has really been happening - that he's been hamstrung by owners who did not want to field a successful team.

 

[Bricklayer]

Hell no I won't be happy.

Its the right approach/team balance however. The point of spending money isn't to spend money, its to acquire the right sorts of players. So if we acquire them on the cheap, and guys who potentially are major talents -- and Drummond and Williams both are potentially that -- well...

I "look forward" to this offseason with a degree of dread, as there are about 1000 ways for a broke and stupid front office to really mess up what should have been a good thing, and many fewer ways for them to make good decisions about team structure. The proposed lineup is absolutely minimalist, but its also minimalist on the side of "gets it", as in "gets the need for athletic defenders who don't need shots at the forward positions". With so many options to go small and stupid, to make asinine trades, to ruin a setup that no competent front office would ever have ruined, if the worst that comes out of this offseason is a team attempting to balance itself with minimum money spent, I am not going to throw a tantrum over it. At this point after the idiocy of last summer, any sumer where the front office doesn't actively screw up the team is a good summer, and hopefully somewhere along the line the kids get it going, start winning despite the front office, and make things easy for them.

 

[bajaden]

I agreed with mostly what you stated Mass. I don't see MT willingly going to the bench.

But I also think Evnas/Thomas is not a good combo for the simple fact that Evans, to be effective, needs the ball in his hands to initiate his game. IT also require the ball in his hands to be an effective PG. I don't see putting an effective PG along with Evans would be ideal because passing to an open Evans is not something effecient until he improved his shooting skill.

I think this team direction really depend on Evans development. Improve passing so you can have an Evans/Thornton combo with Evans being the intiator or shooting so you can have IT/Evans combo with IT being the initiator.

I'm also with you on Evans-Thornton-MKG lineup. That is what I'm hoping for next season as well.

This nonsense about the ball in his hands has to stop. Its not a question of whether a player needs the ball in his hands or not. Its a matter of whether he dominates the ball or not. Evans has improved in that area. No! He not perfect yet, but Tyreke is a scorer, just like Thornton. Thornton needs the ball in his hands as well, if he's going to score his 20 points a game. In my lifetime of watching basketball, I've yet to see a player score without the ball in his hands!

If you don't want to put Tyreke on the floor at the same time as IT, then you must not consider IT an effective PG. Because an effective PG would make Tyreke's life easier. Thats what they do. They get the player the ball at the right spot and the right time on the floor. Its not a matter of whether a player has the ball in his hands or not, its all about the decision making when he has the ball in his hands, and how long it takes him to make that decision. An effective PG should be a help in that area.

 

[Bricklayer]

This nonsense about the ball in his hands has to stop. Its not a question of whether a player needs the ball in his hands or not. Its a matter of whether he dominates the ball or not. Evans has improved in that area. No! He not perfect yet, but Tyreke is a scorer, just like Thornton. Thornton needs the ball in his hands as well, if he's going to score his 20 points a game. In my lifetime of watching basketball, I've yet to see a player score without the ball in his hands!

If you don't want to put Tyreke on the floor at the same time as IT, then you must not consider IT an effective PG. Because an effective PG would make Tyreke's life easier. Thats what they do. They get the player the ball at the right spot and the right time on the floor. Its not a matter of whether a player has the ball in his hands or not, its all about the decision making when he has the ball in his hands, and how long it takes him to make that decision. An effective PG should be a help in that area.

I don't think taking the ball out of Tyreke's hands is making his life easier.

And that's pretty much true with any of the "Tyreke class" ball dominant players. LeBron's, Kobe's, Wade's, etc. Fact is those guys are basically the PG in 9 ways out of 10. They are running the show and making the decisions. And they are basically never paired with a PG who wants to run around with the ball himself. They are instead paired with Derek Fisher and Mario Chalmers and at most a Mo Williams or old JWill or something. There is just a little room there for a PG to make a few plays and blend -- something Beno was getting pretty good at -- but none at all for him to run around with the ball himself. you could have some sincerely great PGs who just would not work with that class of players. Steve Nash for instance would just be in the way on Miami. But he could really help the guys in New York -- because those guys are less talented than the Miami guys, and can't create on their own. they want/need Nash to run aorund with the ball because they can't. Guys who can are just wasted when you give the ball to somebody else. All players of that class depend on being able to attack with the ball repeatedly nearly everytime down the court. Set you up wiht one move, then hit you with the counter the next. Then hit the open center they saw pop open last tiem they ran the same play. That's why they are so valuable. Just give them the ball every once in a while when you feel like it, and it throws them entirely out of rhythm and eliminates their impact.

So the flipside is you take the ball out of Isaiah's hands and put it in Reke's...except then you are doing the opposite, and kinda wasting IT. How good exactly is a 5'9" PG playing off the ball?

 

[GoodOldDouwe]

I wouldn't be happy. Why? No outside shooting besides IT.

 

[hiero]

I think Drummond would eventually be amazing next to Cousins. I don't think he'll bust.

I'd love to start t-will at sf.

sg I like Evans at sg but I don't know if him and mt23 are a good duo long term. not sure what to do there but for now mt23 as 6th man works great.

 

[hiero]

Unless two or three of those players makes a big jump, that's still a lottery team.

unfortunately I don't think were making playoffs or a big splash anytime
soon. we still have to build thru the draft if we ever want a bigtime squad. maloofs are too broke to bring in anyone. Rainmaker is being way too optimistic on what will happen. the truth is were not doing anything cool this year just like we havent for a decade so don't get your hopes up every year.

 

[sidney]

So the flipside is you take the ball out of Isaiah's hands and put it in Reke's...except then you are doing the opposite, and kinda wasting IT. How good exactly is a 5'9" PG playing off the ball?

This is why it really was a wasted opportunity at the end of the year to try starting Tyreke, Thornton, and Williams together. Williams is a better ballhandler than Salmons and would have taken some pressure off of Tyreke to make the offense go all by himself. That was our most talented 1/2/3 unit by far. IT off the bench for 25-30 to pick apart the other team's second unit and set up our less talented players. But instead the team pushes to try and get Thomas up to 2nd in ROY voting. That worked well. Pathetic.

 

[pshn80]

I would be unhappy. Keep Evans and Williams at SG and move Thornton off the team. Don't start Evans and Williams together. Outlaw and Salmons would be better starters with Evans at the two.

The lineup you start has not enough outside shooting capability. Maybe a Thornton trade could get us better SF option or a better back up big man. Its still early in Fredette's career but I would put my money on Salmons rather than Fredette at backup PG.

As I said above, I think the key to this group moving on and up a little is finding a new team for Thornton, hopefully for value in return.

 

[bajaden]

I think Drummond would eventually be amazing next to Cousins. I don't think he'll bust.

I'd love to start t-will at sf.

sg I like Evans at sg but I don't know if him and mt23 are a good duo long term. not sure what to do there but for now mt23 as 6th man works great.

Its easy to say the you don't think Drummond will be a bust, but on what do you base that opinion? I'm just curious. I, and many like me base their opinion on having seen him play many times. There's not one scout that I follow that doesn't think Drummond is a very high risk pick, if he goes top 5 in the draft. That doesn't mean he'll be a bust, but it does mean that you don't just gleefully draft him with little thought on the subject. I'd like to know exactly what Drummond is doing right now in preparation for the draft? Whats he work ethic? I'm not saying we shouldn't draft him after doing our due dilligence, but the dude scares me.

 

[bajaden]

I don't think taking the ball out of Tyreke's hands is making his life easier.

And that's pretty much true with any of the "Tyreke class" ball dominant players. LeBron's, Kobe's, Wade's, etc. Fact is those guys are basically the PG in 9 ways out of 10. They are running the show and making the decisions. And they are basically never paired with a PG who wants to run around with the ball himself. They are instead paired with Derek Fisher and Mario Chalmers and at most a Mo Williams or old JWill or something. There is just a little room there for a PG to make a few plays and blend -- something Beno was getting pretty good at -- but none at all for him to run around with the ball himself. you could have some sincerely great PGs who just would not work with that class of players. Steve Nash for instance would just be in the way on Miami. But he could really help the guys in New York -- because those guys are less talented than the Miami guys, and can't create on their own. they want/need Nash to run aorund with the ball because they can't. Guys who can are just wasted when you give the ball to somebody else. All players of that class depend on being able to attack with the ball repeatedly nearly everytime down the court. Set you up wiht one move, then hit you with the counter the next. Then hit the open center they saw pop open last tiem they ran the same play. That's why they are so valuable. Just give them the ball every once in a while when you feel like it, and it throws them entirely out of rhythm and eliminates their impact.

So the flipside is you take the ball out of Isaiah's hands and put it in Reke's...except then you are doing the opposite, and kinda wasting IT. How good exactly is a 5'9" PG playing off the ball?

I think it comes down to us having a different vision on how Tyreke should be used. I don't want a Tyreke standing at the top of the key pounding the ball. Its a clock killer, and your teammates eventually become spectators. I see him as a player making better and quicker decisions with the ball. As I said, its not about how many touches you get, its how long the ball stays in your hands before you make a decision. Chris Paul probably touches the ball more than any player on the Clips, but he doesn't dominate the ball. He gets the ball up the court and starts the offense. Once the ball leaves his hands, it may or may not come back to him, depending on how effective the play called works.

There's no reason that IT and Tyreke can't play together. One doesn't have to suffer at the expense of the other. Not if they play up to their capabilities. Once IT has the ball past center court, the ball should be moved. I'm a big believer in ball movement. I'm also a big beleiver in feeding the hot hand. But mostly I'm a believer in team play and winning games. So I don't give a damm about individual glory. If it happens, then it happens. But I'm not one to sacrifice team play to make one or two player look like stars. If your truely a star in the league, you'll rise to the top.

By the way, great line about last nights game between the Thunder and the Lakers. I don't remember who said it, but when talking about Kobe, he said that Kobe had a great game, and he was only 10 assists away from a triple double. Bynum also had zero assists.

 

[upinsmoke]

Draft Drummond and package him to Denver with Cisco and or Jimmer & our 2nd rounder (36) in exchange for W. Chandler & their pick (20). The Nuggets should be interested in the deal because the truth is they did fine without Chandler however their frontcourt is in need of another big and could use perimeter shooting. Another reason is Ty lawson's rookie contract is ending soon so an expiring Cisco and a cheap Jimmer could be attractive to them. On our end we resign Evans & Jt again Leaving a question mark next to T-WIll.

Possible lineup:

1. Evans / IT
2. MT / Salmons
3. Chandler / Outlaw / Honeycutt
4. JT / Hayes / Whiteside
5. Cuz / F. Melo

I might be getting greedy at this point but it's also possible to offer Hayes and Whiteside for Dally and bring back Greene for a low price.

 

[Bricklayer]

I think it comes down to us having a different vision on how Tyreke should be used. I don't want a Tyreke standing at the top of the key pounding the ball. Its a clock killer, and your teammates eventually become spectators. I see him as a player making better and quicker decisions with the ball. As I said, its not about how many touches you get, its how long the ball stays in your hands before you make a decision. Chris Paul probably touches the ball more than any player on the Clips, but he doesn't dominate the ball. He gets the ball up the court and starts the offense. Once the ball leaves his hands, it may or may not come back to him, depending on how effective the play called works.

There's no reason that IT and Tyreke can't play together. One doesn't have to suffer at the expense of the other. Not if they play up to their capabilities. Once IT has the ball past center court, the ball should be moved. I'm a big believer in ball movement. I'm also a big beleiver in feeding the hot hand. But mostly I'm a believer in team play and winning games. So I don't give a damm about individual glory. If it happens, then it happens. But I'm not one to sacrifice team play to make one or two player look like stars. If your truely a star in the league, you'll rise to the top.

By the way, great line about last nights game between the Thunder and the Lakers. I don't remember who said it, but when talking about Kobe, he said that Kobe had a great game, and he was only 10 assists away from a triple double. Bynum also had zero assists.

that has becopme a colossal boondoggle when it comes to Tyreke -- once he finally had an offensive system to run the "dribble for 20 seconds" possessions dropped precipoitously. But yes, like all ball dominant syuds, he, well, needs to dominate the ball. Not bounce it in one place for 20 seconds. But he needs to control it. Needs to set up the play most of the time, needs to decide whether he sees an opening or not. There are NO ball dominant studs who can do that recieving a pass graciously delivered to them by a less talented pipsqueak with 6 seconds to go on the shotclock. If you tried to play it that way with a DWade or Jordan or somebody, you would find your pipsqueak's limbs scattered over a nearby cornfield and the ball back in your star's hands. Its a PG's place to make guys without talent look like they have some. Its not their place to make guys with talent look like they have none. With the great ball dominant wings, your job is stay the bleep out of the way. That's asking a helluva lot out of a young guy, and a guy who has always been very aggressive himself offensively. Which for the 100th time is why I think a smart organization might have him come off the bench -- Reke gets to be himself, and so does Isaiah. Pair them up, and one or the other, or both, has to sacrifice their game.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

Draft Drummond and package him to Denver with Cisco and or Jimmer & our 2nd rounder (36) in exchange for W. Chandler & their pick (20). The Nuggets should be interested in the deal because the truth is they did fine without Chandler however their frontcourt is in need of another big and could use perimeter shooting. Another reason is Ty lawson's rookie contract is ending soon so an expiring Cisco and a cheap Jimmer could be attractive to them. On our end we resign Evans & Jt again Leaving a question mark next to T-WIll.

Possible lineup:

1. Evans / IT
2. MT / Salmons
3. Chandler / Outlaw / Honeycutt
4. JT / Hayes / Whiteside
5. Cuz / F. Melo

I might be getting greedy at this point but it's also possible to offer Hayes and Whiteside for Dally and bring back Greene for a low price.

Wow all that talent for chandler? Whiteside and hayes for a 30 yr old daly which we could have had if we overpaid... i think we need to throw whiteside in the fire and see what we have. He could be better than daly... we are too stupid to find out whether or not he can play. We are pissing away our opportunity to find out. Hes 2 yrs in approaching the first of optional 2 yrs.

Id trade thornton for chandler before trading drummond. We could pick up beal or lamb for a sg replacement with our pick. Mt is too much of a chucker imo.

 

[bajaden]

that has becopme a colossal boondoggle when it comes to Tyreke -- once he finally had an offensive system to run the "dribble for 20 seconds" possessions dropped precipoitously. But yes, like all ball dominant syuds, he, well, needs to dominate the ball. Not bounce it in one place for 20 seconds. But he needs to control it. Needs to set up the play most of the time, needs to decide whether he sees an opening or not. There are NO ball dominant studs who can do that recieving a pass graciously delivered to them by a less talented pipsqueak with 6 seconds to go on the shotclock. If you tried to play it that way with a DWade or Jordan or somebody, you would find your pipsqueak's limbs scattered over a nearby cornfield and the ball back in your star's hands. Its a PG's place to make guys without talent look like they have some. Its not their place to make guys with talent look like they have none. With the great ball dominant wings, your job is stay the bleep out of the way. That's asking a helluva lot out of a young guy, and a guy who has always been very aggressive himself offensively. Which for the 100th time is why I think a smart organization might have him come off the bench -- Reke gets to be himself, and so does Isaiah. Pair them up, and one or the other, or both, has to sacrifice their game.

As I said, you and I have a different vision of Tyreke. And in some ways, the Tyreke your describing is the Tyreke I'm describing. A Tyreke making better and quicker decisions with the ball. Wade plays off the ball, and Jordan also played off the ball. All a good PG is susposed to do is simply make life a little easier for you, not make you into a good player. You move to a spot, the lane opens up and he gets you the ball while the lane is open. Unless of course you have something against easy baskets,

I'll grant you that there are times in any game, when you need someone to be the man, and get you a basket. And I think Tyreke falls into that catagory, as does Cousins. But sorry, I'm just not into anyone one or two players dominating the ball. And that doesn't mean Cuz or Tyreke can't get their 15 to 20 shots a game. I just perfer that they come within the flow of the game.

 

[Kingster]

that has becopme a colossal boondoggle when it comes to Tyreke -- once he finally had an offensive system to run the "dribble for 20 seconds" possessions dropped precipoitously. But yes, like all ball dominant syuds, he, well, needs to dominate the ball. Not bounce it in one place for 20 seconds. But he needs to control it. Needs to set up the play most of the time, needs to decide whether he sees an opening or not. There are NO ball dominant studs who can do that recieving a pass graciously delivered to them by a less talented pipsqueak with 6 seconds to go on the shotclock. If you tried to play it that way with a DWade or Jordan or somebody, you would find your pipsqueak's limbs scattered over a nearby cornfield and the ball back in your star's hands. Its a PG's place to make guys without talent look like they have some. Its not their place to make guys with talent look like they have none. With the great ball dominant wings, your job is stay the bleep out of the way. That's asking a helluva lot out of a young guy, and a guy who has always been very aggressive himself offensively. Which for the 100th time is why I think a smart organization might have him come off the bench -- Reke gets to be himself, and so does Isaiah. Pair them up, and one or the other, or both, has to sacrifice their game.

You're argument may have some merit if the original premise was correct. Unfortunately the premise that Tyreke = Kobe/Jordan/Wade/LBJ doesn't come close to being correct.