The Kings got outscored in every quarter by a deep Philadelphia team and ended up with yet another blowout loss on the road. Philadelphia had six players in double digits led by Elton Brand's 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks and Jrue Holiday's 17 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.
Sacramento got off to a decent start thanks to Tyreke Evans (15 points, 5 rebounds) and DeMarcus Cousins (17 points, 10 rebounds) but faltered to end the first half and could not get anything going after Philadelphia came out blazing to start the 2nd half on a 11-0 run. It was pretty much game over after that. Jimmer Fredette started for the injured Marcus Thornton and did not play well at all, scoring 7 point on 2-7 shooting and generally looking like he has no confidence in himself, deferring to teammates and passing up open looks.
While Philadelphia was hitting a lot of shots (56.6%), the Kings defense as a whole looked awful, allowing Philadelphia to penetrate at will, and getting lost on switches or staying stagnant when guys would cut off the ball. Philly did a great job of moving the ball and finding the open man (30 assists on their 47 made field goals), and they did a great job of denying the Kings those opportunities on the other end. The Kings have a big problem with spacing, and it doesn't help when our wing players can't hit their shots. John Salmons, Francisco Garcia and Travis Outlaw, our main rotation players at that position, shot a combined 7-27, including 1-10 from three. That's a third of our shot attempts going to the wing and almost nothing coming of it.
Special shout-out to Jason Thompson for having another good game in Philadelphia, where he always seems to play well. I still don't understand why J.J. Hickson is ahead of him in the rotation.
The Kings need to play with more energy and poise on the road, especially with so many coming up. They will get another chance to get that elusive road win tomorrow in Toronto.
0 recs | 261 comments
If we win tomorow at toronto I will buy EVERYONE chocolate donuts
CousinsEvansDUO - January 10, 2012
Tomorrow is a good measuring stick game
Games like tonight will happen for young teams. Bouncing back against a beatable team like Toronto is important.
A blowout to the Raptors though would be very discouraging.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Measuring stick for what
All tomorrow will tell us is who is the worst team in the league
sacman - January 10, 2012
No no no
that’ll be when we play the Wizards
LLcoolRay - January 10, 2012
or the warriors
at 2-6 they’ve got a similar record
TheFifthMookie - January 10, 2012
Warriors beat Maimi
SharkKings49 - January 10, 2012
The way this team is playing
Only one type of chocolate donut would be appropriate;
Dirkula - January 10, 2012
I just lost my appetite
convoy - January 10, 2012
how about some poo-tang pie
SaKINGS - January 10, 2012
Dear Salmons...
That is all.
HarveySpecter - January 10, 2012
"See you guys soon."
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
Washington already drafted John Wall.
Are we trading someone for him or something?
swoosh91 - January 10, 2012
If I reply, I risk falling into a chasm
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
That's Gilchrist right?
Yeah, I want him or Barnes as of now. We need a SF, and we need one bad.
Aykis16 - January 10, 2012
This
Was hoping Salmons would help us bridge the gap, but he has been terrible.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
You mean "Turrible"
nothingbutnet - January 10, 2012
No. That's funny. There's nothing entertaining about our SFs.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
And who would've thought
Watching fish play basketball wouldn’t be entertaining?
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
Well, this fish is swimming belly up
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Yeah, Kidd-Gilchrist
I’m a big fan of Barnes, and NC in general, but I’m a much bigger Kings fan and I think Michael is a better fit for this team. Barnes will likely go earlier, and coupled with our bad luck in the lottery, there’s a good chance we could end up with him. I can only hope.
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
Or Jeremy Lamb
elSAVinator - January 10, 2012
if we get a small forward in the draft
who do you think will take Salmons??
'tough as nails' spence - January 11, 2012
Team Amnesty
Rickyflip - January 11, 2012
My guess is as good as yours
I also worry that putting together a package may be difficult, as most of our problem players are at the 3. Throwing one subpar player into a multiplayer trade is common, but finding a team willing to take on three bad players who all run at the same position is going to be difficult.
We could end up with another head on the hydra next season, but if it’s Gilchrist or Barnes noboody will be complaining.
Olde Greg - January 11, 2012
Jimmer!
I hope it’s just a slow start while he adjusts to the NBA, but man he doesn’t look good right now. He has no confidence out there and looks like he’s intimidated by the size and speed of everyone on the court.
dampania - January 10, 2012
I honestly think
that’s it’s the lack of chemistry and distribution of the ball that is getting to him. It seems like once he’s passed the ball it never comes back to him and someone puts up a shot under duress. We need better ball distribution. If kings passed in and out more there would be a lot more rhythm and guys would hit shots more because of playing as a team..and that includes getting the ball to a wide open jimmer on the perimeter. Its basketball 101. My confidence would drop too if I felt like my teammates didn’t have trust in me to hit an open 3. Low confidence means low fg % of the just he does take. Its all about having full trust in your teammate.
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
I think he's just going through the same adjustment as Curry, Harden, Turner, etc.
Crafty college players who are less athletic tend to take a couple of months to adjust to the speed of the NBA.
If you are lightning quick or strong, that translates quicker to the NBA.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
totally agree sptsjunkie
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
Totally agree except you said Harden.
That dude is pretty damn athletic.
Shizzo - January 11, 2012
He's gotten quicker since he's been in the league
Coming out of college, Harden was crafty, but under-athletic. Not unathletic. But he wasn’t a player who could come into the NBA from day 1 and blow past or over-power defenders. In college he was a very crafty scorer who set up defenders and had great moves. It just took him awhile to adjust to NBA defenders. And to get leaner and quicker in his case.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 11, 2012
I hear Devon Harris may be on the trade block. Time for Geoff Petrie to give him a call now. Slide Reke to the 3 which can NOT be any worse then the way Salmons, Garcia, Donte and Salmons is playing.
ridingthebench - January 10, 2012
But it will turn Reke from good PG to average SF
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
Ha ha, you are joking?
Slam_Dunk - January 10, 2012
Not at all
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
I can live with that.
Because Devon Harris was an All-Star PG last year and an average SF from Reke is better then our TERRIBLE SF play we are currently getting. Reke is not a PG anyways.
ridingthebench - January 10, 2012
Devon Harris was an All-Star last year?
I don’t blame you, I try to forget about last season too.
Exhibit G - January 11, 2012
I agree I rather have Tyreke no matter what guard you get as long as the team isn’t making open shots they will have low assist numbers just like tyreke
stovallsamuel - January 10, 2012
Being a PG is more then just getting assists on the box score.
It is about LEADERSHIP. Telling your teammates where to. Not allowing PG penetration on EVERY play. About not turning the ball over, running the fast break properly, not forcing up prayers in the face of a 7 foot shot blocker. It is about making wise decisions and having a high basketball IQ. Fighting through screens. Those are all qualities that Tyreke does NOT have and Devon Harris could bring. The only thing that makes Tyreke a PG is that he can actually guard them when he tries (which isn’t often).
ridingthebench - January 10, 2012
and thats not a knock on Reke.
He has been playing pretty well the last few games but he is better suited at the 2. However, MT23 is a better scorer so I would rather see Reke at the 3 with our current team.
ridingthebench - January 10, 2012
And I definitely wasn't knocking Devin Harris
I’m a big fan of the guy, but I don’t see what we have to offer for him that wouldn’t come at the expense of our core. It’s easy for us to say “trade ______”, but if these guys can’t produce here, in one of the bottom-dwelling offenses of the league, then nobody else is going to want them. We certainly won’t get an All-Star PG for the likes of Salmons, Donte, Outlaw, Thomas, Whiteside, etc, etc, etc.
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
I'd trade Jimmer right now for Harris
Allbenji - January 10, 2012 via mobile
I'm with you
But the list is a lot longer, and less talented, than Harris
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
Would rather have us acquire a three instead
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Elaborating
If you have Reke off ball, you diminish his effectiveness, as he’s not a shooter. That’s a very inefficient way to run our team.
Acquire a better SF and it makes the team better.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
I agree. Just days ago I believed that Evans should be our SF, but Section 214 and others made it unmistakably clear that we would suffer on D and on open looks for Evans if that occurred.
It would be nice if someone could enforce ball movement discipline and hustle on D. Maybe Smart can do this. It seems too early to judge him
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Yeah, I don't think it helps us to have an extra non-shooter playing off ball
Agree with this. Think player movement off ball is also key. Right now too much standing around watching Evans and Cousins.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Playing Garcia as Point Forward with Tyreke on floor
Would probably be an effiecient move too. If Garcia can average 25 minutes and 5 assists per night this might work – he’s played Point Forward more in seasons past.
convoy - January 10, 2012
Cisco is looking better than Salmons, that’s for sure
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Guys! Petrie is on it! He already has his eyes set on our next new Small Forward
Dirkula - January 10, 2012
Well, he puts the small
in small forward//
HarveySpecter - January 10, 2012
As long as he turns into a werewolf... a la WaBeno
convoy - January 10, 2012
Mike Dunleavy?
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
He's inconsistent, though
But at times he plays like a beast
Olde Greg - January 10, 2012
Chris Kaman?
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Hmm... time to grow that playoff body hair boys.
elfboy_ - January 11, 2012
I would rather have Jason Bateman
Rambaldi - January 11, 2012
Yes a SF would work too.
Though I think Reke would be more effective if he could get the ball passed to him off cuts and screens. As of now, he dribbles the ball…dribbles the ball…whole team staring at him…dribbles ball… forces up a shot in the paint that the opposing team clearly knows is coming. I find that he is less effective cause he has the ball too much.
ridingthebench - January 10, 2012
We seem to be having a running dialogue all over this thread :)
I agree here. Even with Evans like combo players (Kobe, Wade, Roy, even Rose to a degree) – they initiate a lot of offense, but the game isn’t them penetrating on 100% of plays with 4 guys standing around. That’s our “offense.”
We need not just ball movement, but player movement. That includes Evans when he doesn’t have the ball. He’s terrible at it. He should be able to get some easy buckets with his size and speed if our offense had more back cuts and screens.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
I have coached young players. When I started (and for a few yrs afterwards), I didn’t know crap. So I just had my young players simply run, run, run without the ball and, if they didn’t know what else to do, go set a screen. Amazingly, this actually worked most of the time
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Yeah, have done similar.
In Rec leagues, just setting screens at random and crossing baseline can shake up defenses a lot.
Our team doesn’t even do that. It’s stand and watch. Very frustrating to see.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
He is not a good pg
sacman - January 10, 2012
Care to elaborate?
Who’s our better option? Who on this team could currently step up and do a better job running the floor?
Olde Greg - January 11, 2012
Reke cannot 'slide' to the three.
He shouldn’t play the three at all. How is that better than him at PG? So now he gets guarded by Shawn Marion instead of Delonte West? Come on.
VenomySnicket - January 10, 2012
It's amazing
You’d negate all of his positives over a few negatives that could get better over time with work and better coaching.
What you do is get a better SF and everyone learns to run an offense and be unselfish. Then you’ve got a potential monster at the one, a hugely talented young PF (which is where I think DeMarcus should play), then you’re mixing the pieces around them.
Maybe Smart will figure it out. Maybe we need Sloan and an assistant coaching protege for a few years. But I’d just as soon the team traded Reke and see what they get for him than moving him to the three permanently.
otis29 - January 11, 2012
Have to disagree about DeMarcus being a PF
He’s a great rebounder because he uses his big body to gain position and then grab the ball out of the air with one hand. Without the position he doesn’t have the lift to reach over someone and steal the ball out of the air. I don’t know if it was Hawes or their rookie center but DMC got an over the back last night because he tried to rebound out of position.
And, that big body make it hard to dribble more than once or twice driving to the rim. And when he’s out defending away from the basket, don’t expect him to come flying in for the defensive rebound like JJ can.
The team needs a PF who can play away from the basket to spread the floor, which DMC can do. But, where is the dominant big center going to come from? It’s much easier to find a PF who can play outside than to find a dominant center. So, why take one of the few players in the league that could be a great center and play him at PF.
HighTops - January 11, 2012
I don't think he's strong or durable enough to play center over the long haul - just my opinion
Although his tendency to keep his minutes limited certainly helps (silver lining).
But until they find a legitimate center to pair with him, that’s where he’s going to live.
otis29 - January 11, 2012
Me not seeing Outlaw playing ever again
Couldn’t come soon enough. Referring to Luther Head has now been replaced by Outlaw.
HeuristicLineup - January 10, 2012
It's depressing how much long term money they now have locked up on this failure of a SF rotation
Salmons at 8.5mil per year, Outlaw at 3mil per year, then there’s cisco at 6mil ;(
dampania - January 10, 2012
Cisco's is almost gone
Salmons can be a solid SF, I don’t know what the hell has happened to him.
HeuristicLineup - January 10, 2012
Salmons is undersized on a nightly basis at SF
Without any reliable offense from him, his defense needs to stand out and it isn’t. But I always thought his defense was a lot better when checking SGs.
dampania - January 10, 2012
Guys don't forget how to shoot
And I don’t see that he has slowed down.
It is either a prolonged slump or a secret injury….I vote slump
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
ya, slump it is
Salmons’ jumper looked especially flat tonight. It is hard to work on your game when you are spending all your days off traveling.
Wonderchild - January 10, 2012
Or he's washed up
otis29 - January 10, 2012
Could be...I just haven't notice that he's slowed down
but I suddenly realize he could be K9 Revisited and pissed that he is not the focal point.
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
Nobody stockpiles mediocre players better
than Geoff Petrie.
NewEraKings - January 10, 2012
If thats our plan
I wish we got Josh Howard and stayed away from Salmons
SharkKings49 - January 10, 2012
Are there any tickets left on this bus?
nothingbutnet - January 10, 2012
i'm at the point
Where I pretty much want a whole new team. Outside of tyreke, dmc, Marcus, and chuckwagon since he us new, i’m sick of all our players being freaking horrible on the court. Freaking horrible.
Philly had a really nice looking roster, IMO
darkadun - January 10, 2012 via mobile
wallywagon11 - January 10, 2012
We have 1 pg with no confidence causing him to miss shots I THINK
he can make and another pG with a ton of confidence who can’t shoot. I think his college stats are 42 32 71.
We need a vet point for backup while these 2 kids learn the game.
As for SF , the summary, they all suck.
We have only 6 guys right now playing well enough to make a normal teams 8 man rotation, and 2 of those are hurt..
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
this is a grim, accurate assessment
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
After watching Jimmer tonight I have no confidence
I have no confidence that he has even backup pg skills. As mentioned we’re 9 or 10 games into Jimmer’s NBA career and I have no doubt his confidence in his shot will return but I’m thinking his college pg skills were overstated or he’s not ready for the reality of the NBA. . He is way too slow, has poor handles and when he passed it looked like he was trying to get rid of the ball before he turned it over. He’s looking like a role player and unless something miraculous happens to his game 6th man is not the role I was thinking of.
A very disappointing night. Reke is some kind of combo guard who can dish but has not shown any sustained skill for leading the team.
The one bright spot is that as Salmons was acquired before the lock out he can be amnistied and at some point he no doubt will and as is often mentioned, it’s not our money.
In my view, the way this team is playing has to blow back on Petrie I don’t see how he can last out the season. The teflon has to be losing it’s ability to repel repeated screw ups and his compounding incompetencies. The team looks to be assembled with no end in mind and Phil Jackson himself couldn’t get this unit to .500.
Bluejohn - January 10, 2012
not ready
to call jimmers NBA career a failure. Every rookie has a huge learning curve especially the slower guys. Even kemba is struggling. At BYU he went through the same thing. As much as everyone hates to hear this..give him time.He works to hard and is to determined to fail. And to be honest its not like he’s been an absolute failure. He’s had his moments.
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
Team
We need better supporting players because there is no way Tyreke Evans should have had only 2 asissts tonight he made great pass and set his teamates up with open shots which they failed to make. We need to make a major trade at all costs
stovallsamuel - January 10, 2012
If Evans is dumb enough to pass to Salmons
NO ASSIST FOR YOU!!!!!
Beagle12 - January 10, 2012
It wasnt only Salmons the who team missed open shots
stovallsamuel - January 10, 2012
Sacramento Kings
Now Hiring Real Point Guards
convoy - January 10, 2012
The real question - real issue
Why was this problem not foreseen? Isn’t that the responsibility of Petrie. Hasn’t Petrie blown it by not having an effective play maker? I really think so.
Slam_Dunk - January 10, 2012
I would have liked on as a backup, but Evans and Cousins should be dominating touches
The issue is coaching (PW’s since Smart has had 1 practice). We’ve got no system. Smart scrapped the high post disaster PW was trying to install and so we are running glorified street ball with some cuts and screens.
Don’t think a high usage PG is the answer. Evans has been doing fine since PW was let go.
I would like us to have a backup though. A vet to help steady to offense when things get hectic and yes, that is on Petrie.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
I think we need a good distributor. Reke has not proved to be one on a consistent basis.
Slam_Dunk - January 10, 2012
I think he's become better. PW's crazy early season "system" aside.
Cousins and him have talent. We need an offense though. Having them initiate a possession while the other 4 players stand and watch is not an efficient way to run a team regardless of whether you have a true PG or not.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
I like the glorified street ball analysis
We have 4 or 5 players that drive into the paint with no real purpose or fore thought. There are no plays called or picks set or anybody screening off their man to create a lane to the basket. It was bad enough two years ago when Tyreke did it on every play. Now we have Salmons, Thornton, Garcia, Jimmer and Thomas all doing the same thing. But, just like in Tyreke’s rookie season, teams are giving us the outside shot and packing the lanes.
Jimmer and Thomas get in the paint and there’s too many defenders and no passing lanes even when the defense doubles the ball. Tyreke, Salmons and Thornton have no mid range shot so they’re committed to go all the way to the rim once they dribble into the paint.
The beginning of the offense shouldn’t be the guard dribbling into the paint and expecting to get off a shot or a short pass in the tall timber. First you need the defense to come out and guard their man by passing the ball. You create spacing by making the defense have to play their man. If the ball is never touched by their man, or their man isn’t a threat to take the shot, the defenders are just going to pack the paint.
Pass the ball quickly around the horn or side to side and make the defense move, then you can attack the paint. And, if anyone wants to know what Coach Smart means when he say cut hard after the pass, just look at the Sixers offense. They were setting back picks to create lane, then the player with the ball would pass into the high post, cut down the lane and get the ball back with a clear path to the rim.
Philly has a pretty young team also, but they run set plays every time down the court because their young guys aren’t any smarter than our young guys. So, Collins gives them structure until they get the experience where they can manage on their own. We run one play at the start of a quarter or out of the time outs, that look pretty good and work even if we don’t always get the basket. After that it’s back to street ball, and mindless drives into the paint. That’s not what a play making PG does.
HighTops - January 11, 2012
I noted that myself. Why can’t we do that with Cousins/Reke?
caseycheesecake - January 11, 2012
Petrie has been a problem for years in my opinion. One cannot know for sure how much of an excuse he might have, given the fact that the owners are broke. But still, the Salmons deal seems to confirm that he owns much of the blame.
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
I couldn't agree with you more. No matter what PW may or may not have said about
Salmons, the buck really stopped at Petrie. I really hold him responsible for the Salmons deal. I’m sure his hands have been tied to a certain degree by the Magoofs, but still he pulled the trigger. Who could replace Petrie though?
Slam_Dunk - January 10, 2012
conspiracy theory: Maybe they wanted a dysfunctional team
because they want the move, the larger market, more chance to make money, get out of debt instead of investing in small market with great fans??
Or maybe Petrie is just lost. I’ve lost confidence in him, for sure.
VirginiaBlue - January 10, 2012
I don’t think that the NBA owners and commissioners will allow the Maloofs to sandbag and then just go to Anaheim.
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
And burn a top-30 media market.
VenomySnicket - January 11, 2012
Exactly my thoughts/frustration.
I’ve been a huge Petrie fan, but what the F is he doing? Everyone in the world knows the Kings needed a PG and SF for at least a year. How the hell does Petrie get no PG, and such crap at SF. Did he let Westphal talk him into Salmons? And what about Outlaw? Completely useless. I’m so angry about all this. Better options at SF and PG should have been checked out. Makes no sense.
amonk81 - January 10, 2012
Sacramento Kings
Now Hiring any position that is not Shooting Guard
prowseinthehouse - January 10, 2012
Salmons and outlaw are utter trash. Somehow we went from supposedly being a good 3pointshooting team to absolute garbage. Wow this is like the 5th game in a row where we are shooting under 25% from the 3……..
CousinsEvansDUO - January 10, 2012
I mean seriously, if we were making 3s like we normally would, we would not be getting blown out. I blame outlaw,salmons, and garcia for not making open 3s……….and not giving tyreke the assists he deserves.
CousinsEvansDUO - January 10, 2012
it's amazing how concerned we are about stats that are deserved
Evans will have enough time to work on his stats.
wallywagon11 - January 10, 2012
these sorts of things work themselves out if there is ball movement, and energy on both ends of the floor.
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
I hope the FO really considers giving Jerry Sloan a call sometime
Normdog - January 10, 2012
That would be the off season
In fairness to Smart. I am not sure what Sloan would have done differently in less than a week with 1 practice.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
True. He can't be expected to perform miracles.
Not only that…Smart had no say on who was drafted or traded. No say on the current roster. PW did, which in hindsight was probably one of the problems he has to deal with now.
Slam_Dunk - January 10, 2012
Agree
Though I place roster blame on Petrie. Still think we have a talented, young roster. Showed the last two games beating a decent Bucks team and taking Magic to the final minute. Hopefully Smart gets a chance to install a bit of a system over the next couple of weeks.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Sloan, if anyone, could probably weed out the cancer that is eating this team
convoy - January 10, 2012
Sloan, if anyone, isnt afraid to tell a player to get his head out of his ass and move off the ball.
Fixed.
Wonderchild - January 10, 2012
Sloan opted to quit rather than deal with the divas of today.
D Will too much to handle? Wait ’till he gets a load of DMC.
TheJust - January 10, 2012
Is that why he quit?
otis29 - January 11, 2012
I totally agree sptsjunkie.
I’m just hoping they have him in mind this offseason.
Normdog - January 10, 2012
I love how everyone wants a different guard than Tyreke now
Tyreke rebounds passes and score don’t believe me the last to games he was close to a triple douuble he is our star. But a star unless ur Lebron is only as good as his team so wen his team plays horrible and miss open shot Tyreke loses confidence in them and he checks out the game just like DMC and MT23 does too. We need better role players because they are making us suffer noone else plays hard except for Hickson and JT
stovallsamuel - January 10, 2012
Watch when he scores 30 in toronto md the Kings win you guys are gonna all wanna keep him you Damn Hypocrites
stovallsamuel - January 10, 2012
I dont want to see Reke go.
He can STILL rebound,defend,score, “pass” at the 2 or 3. We just need a better playmaker starting at point guard.
ridingthebench - January 10, 2012
Disagree. He is a playmaker. He isn't a true PG
Then again, neither were/are Kobe, Wade, Roy and a host of others who initiate their teams offense. They had guys like Fisher, Blake, Chalmers next to them.
What we need is a system and better spacing and off ball movement. That’s what those teams have (and had) that we don’t.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Kobe Wade Roy are on a whole different level then Tyreke.
Why do people always want to compare Reke to these proven All-Stars? Tyreke has proven night in and night out that he can’t distribute the ball. See his Career assist to turnover ratio.
Maybe he will significantly improve in this area. But after watching every game he played in since being drafted, I doubt it. Sure, he averages 5 assists a game over his career. That is pretty terrible considering he played under PW’s dribble-drive offense where the ball was in Reke’s hands 75% of the time.
Playmaker, Point guard, call it what you want. I just think the team as a whole would be better off with a REAL distributor/leader at the 1 and moving Reke to the 2 or 3 til we find a real replacement for Salmons.
ridingthebench - January 10, 2012
You are partially right. Those players matured into better players than Evans now.
We are not winning a ring or making a deep playoff run with where Evans is today.
However, he is the same type of player and has a higher assist percentage than any of those three. The point is, you don’t need to put a pure PG next to him. But you do need to run an offense.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
We needed Aron Afflalo.
Doesn’t need the ball. Great shooter. Good passer. Great defender. Tough as nails….perfect 2 guard/3 next to Tyreke. I would have broke the bank for him.
DWeissbart - January 10, 2012
Absofreakinlutely...was really hoping we would've picked him up.
convoy - January 10, 2012
You would have had to
Denver signed him to 5 years, $43m…and that was without having to match anyone’s offer.
section214 - January 10, 2012
I'd have gone as far as 5 years $55m, maybe even $60
We have to splurge to get good players. He is going to be consistently awesome.
DWeissbart - January 10, 2012
You would really spend that much?
For a guy who is averaging 11.2ppg, with 2.5 rpg and 1.6apg?
MichaelMack - January 10, 2012
Only his prior team can offer 5 years.
HighTops - January 11, 2012
We need a lot.
We don’t have ANYONE making smart basketball plays right now.
What do teams have to prepare for against us? All we have are a couple streaky scorers (Reke and Thornton) who force things, don’t pass much if at all and a talented big man who is generally in foul trouble, and whose head is easily removed from the game.
Nothing else.
VirginiaBlue - January 10, 2012
You said it right here
Very little. We don’t have an offense or a system. I think you are spot on. If our two best players aren’t creating something out of nothing, we look lost on offense. Good coaches have a system in place.
Look at teams like Philly or Denver, they have screens, cuts and movement. Makes them much harder to defend.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
They just have to run on us.
CoolFinity - January 10, 2012
We dont need better role players
We need better proof readers! Come on maaaaaaan!
Dirkula - January 10, 2012
I see a new player coming soon.
This coming from an unwarranted optimism.
ThankgodwehaveWhiteside! - January 10, 2012
Hassan from Reno? lol
LagunaKing - January 10, 2012
Tyreke for John Wall?
WAS probably says no, but honestly Tyreke is playing much better than him
dampania - January 10, 2012
HeuristicLineup - January 10, 2012
disturbing
OKO - January 10, 2012
iashwash - January 10, 2012
iashwash - January 10, 2012
iashwash - January 10, 2012
Someone needs to lecture john salmons about making the ball go inside the hoop and not hit the rim…..because all of these games that’s what he’s been doing……..just hitting the damn rim. He is shooting barely 30%….
CousinsEvansDUO - January 10, 2012
The last "real" point guard we had was Bibby.
Even Beno was a shooting guard. WHY GEOFF!?!?!?!
ThankgodwehaveWhiteside! - January 10, 2012
Nonetheless
I miss Beno’s steady diet of 12 foot floating jumpers…MT23 and/or Jimmer need to develop that mid-range pull-up STAT.
RJinFairOaks - January 10, 2012
And to think, we could have just drafted Kahwi and kept Beno and his 12 foot jumper
Wonderchild - January 10, 2012
This so bad
LLcoolRay - January 10, 2012
what's bad
is that Beno’s a significant upgrade from where we are today, and he’s not even a starter on a legitimate playoff team.
TheFifthMookie - January 10, 2012
*groans
caseycheesecake - January 11, 2012
jimmer...
he has no confidence. and no ball-handling….he’s a turnover prone
Jimmered. - January 10, 2012
you forgot that he plays high school level D.
he does see the court well, though. And sadly, is the closest we have to a floor general.
VirginiaBlue - January 10, 2012
But he's cute as a bug
and draws a couple thousand extra fans to the game.
That’s got to be worth something.
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
Yup that's all
No basketball skills whatsoever
What a horrrrrrible draft pick, amnesty him
lchristmas - January 10, 2012 via mobile
WOAAAAH there...
Almost fell into that one.
caseycheesecake - January 11, 2012
no confidence, no ball handling and turnover prone?
lol you just described everyone on the team. Its the lack of chemistry and team play that is hurting the confidence of jimmer and the rest of the team.
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
Jimmer's confidence is shaken
because he hasn’t adjusted yet to the speed of the league. He thinks he’s gone sround a guy and never realizes he’s already recovered. He goe’s into the bigs only to find he can’t e;evate high enough to get his shot off. He throws half his passes too soft.
All these are correctable.
Hopefully he’ll become an average defender, but is limited by size,speed and hops.
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
It didnt help he had Evan Turner guarding him
Sixers are so athletic, a guy with Turner’s length playing SG is devastating.
Wonderchild - January 10, 2012
agreed
those types of players typically have more of a learning curve because of how athletic NBA players are. Stephon curry faced the same adjustment. Hopefully jimmer has the potential to be a curry like player.
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
We need Allen Iverson!!!!!!!!!!!!
SaKINGS - January 10, 2012
Oscar Robertson would be better
but he too shoots a lot
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
NaPG
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Another ball hog?
LagunaKing - January 10, 2012
It's ok guys
Jimmer today got his first jimmer range 3………..that is a SIGN, a sign he is going to start shooting 70% from the 3, and jacking up about 10 3s a night, therefore making 21points just from the 3ball, as well as another 10 from layups and 5 from free-throws therefore averaging around 36ppg!!!!!!!! Thank you Jimmer!
CousinsEvansDUO - January 10, 2012
i'm tired of this mickey mouse bullshit
SaKINGS - January 10, 2012
I'm having a Kings merchandise-burning bonfire party if the Kings move to Anaheim
convoy - January 10, 2012
Aww come on!
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
Burn it with fire!
wallywagon11 - January 10, 2012
This is not the image we were hoping/expecting...
dannyboy55 - January 10, 2012
link to pic...
dannyboy55 - January 10, 2012
Weeeeee!!
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
lol!
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
I bet that guy got his ass kicked after that.
rubenho - January 11, 2012
Weeee!!!!
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
Weeee!!!!
Dirkula - January 10, 2012
lol, rec
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
Meanwhile...
Rubio had 13 points, 12 assists. Petrie, I’m fine that you went with Evans…but what were you thinking with no PG?
HarveySpecter - January 10, 2012
well atleast
we don’t have to wait a couple of days for the next game to forget about this embarrassment tonight.
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
Pssssssst! Hey Coach, share this with the team will ya!?
Dirkula - January 10, 2012
Does it come illustrated with pictograms?
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
It needs to be illustrated in crayon for most of our guys...
SayWhat? - January 10, 2012
Painful game, but hey, we're too young...
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
seriously
tonight was like watching an and 1 team play against a talented NBA team..and that’s the truth
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
The Professor would school the Kings all day.
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
I concur
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
This game could have been a reference for anyone thinking about building a playoff team strictly from the draft.
ThankgodwehaveWhiteside! - January 10, 2012
Maybe he can be our floor general.
Shizzo - January 11, 2012
Petrie has until the trade deadline
This is on his hands. Are practically playing 4 on 5 each night with the complete hole at SF, all of them stink. Given some of their stats maybe stink at an all time record level. The team is also worse at the center position. Chuck is a body but Dally last year had a presence on defense and on the boards. Despite adding Jimmer, IT and a better JT on the bench the team is much worse because the starting unit has severe holes.
Probably no solution this season cause the Kings have no assets to trade unless some team gets stupid. A high draft pick and an expensive free agent would at least give the Kings a complete starting five next season. I see good pieces but the team needs at least 8 players to compete and I only see 6 on the roster.
bignerd - January 10, 2012
Hope you are right but I believe that the Maloofs regard him as untouchable.
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Agree at SF
Not as sure about Chuck, given he missed preseason and the last 2.5 games. He’s barely played. Remember Dally 6 games into last season?
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
Speaking (ill) of Petrie, I don’t understand why he let Dally walk away
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Dally took less money to go to Houston
Not much more he could have done
Wonderchild - January 10, 2012
thank you for the reminder. He didn’t feel appreciated by PW here as I recall
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Philly has a very good perimeter defense, and when you dont pass the ball, you're not getting past it.
It doesnt help when 6 of our rotation players are underperforming. And in this shortened season, you cant afford to play the stars 40+ minutes.
Normally, you get out of shooting slumps on days off, when the assistants have enough time to get some 1 on 1 time. The team needs to work through this.
Wonderchild - January 10, 2012
I was wearing goggles tonight
My eyes. They did nothing.
Mad D - January 10, 2012
my eyes, the goggles do nothing!
TheFifthMookie - January 10, 2012
Blow it up
That is all
elSAVinator - January 10, 2012
I loved Reke getting teammates shots
Nice write up.. I feel like Tyreke played by far his best road game of the young season. He created WIDE open shots three consecutive series in the 2nd quarter and all three were misses. I have been critical of Reke for his poor court vision but it feels like since Smart took over, he has made a concerted effort to get teammates involved. The key of course will be to see teammates knock down these shots, and watch Tyreke’s confidence in them grow. If they keep missing, we can all expect to see a return to the plow into the lane on 1 on 3 fast breaks.
dspohn55 - January 10, 2012 via mobile
Pretty much has happened in every blowout
Reke will go on streak in the 2nd quarter setting up teammates for wide open shots, all will be missed. The Kings will start to try to find points inside only now the defense is packing it in cause they know no one can hit an outside shot, a couple challenged post shots, missed layup or two, the other team runs the floor pulling away with fast break points. Kings are down big, deflated because they properly ran the offense and now its 24 minutes of garbage time. Same thing with Westphal, it’s not a coaching issue or a PG issue, its a their is a serious lack of talent in key areas issue.
bignerd - January 10, 2012
Don’t give up on him yet
Fredette –
- No Las Vegas Summer League
- Two (2) Preseason games against the same opponent
- Stats through 10 Regular Season games: 24 MPG; 8.4 PPG; 2.5 APG; 1.6 RPG; 35.9 FG% (Coaching change; questionable offensive schematics; played off bench, often alongside Travis Outlaw and J.J. Hickson)
Curry –
- Five (5) Las Vegas Summer League Games against five (5) different opponents
- Eight (8) Preseason games against five (5) different opponents
- Stats through 10 Regular Season games: 26 MPG; 10.2 PPG; 5.4 APG; 2.6 RPG; 48.8 FG% ("Up-tempo" offense under Don Nelson and started 8 games alongside Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson)
Note - I’m not saying Jimmer will ever be as good as Curry has been. Just saying it’s too early to draw conclusions. I actually expected Fredette to have a longer learning curve than the aforementioned Curry or Harden – even if he had participated in a summer league and full preseason, etc. I still believe his upside resides somewhere between Curry (19.9 PER in 2010-11) and Udrih (15.7 PER in 2010-11). Udrih posted a 10.3 PER at age 24, in his third year in the league, in a very stable franchise environment. Even if Jimmer finishes this season with his current poor PER of 9.8, I’m not going to freak out.
sroufe - January 10, 2012
Jimmer is fine
He looks like a rookie. He had the same issue as everyone else out their trying to run the offense today. He had two talented teammates in a five man game.
bignerd - January 10, 2012
John salmons
Is absolutely killing us. Don’t care how “good” he is at defense, his decisions and execution on offense makes me sick.
mbcarval - January 10, 2012 via mobile
Hard to explain
Never understood the reacquisition of Salmons. Amazingly inept move.
nohops - January 10, 2012
He pretty much shut down Iggy, It's Outlaw that I can't stand to watch play. Not that Garcia is much better
HighTops - January 11, 2012
shut down iggy
how about shooting 10 3 pointers and only making like 2…He helps on defense, but i remember Garcia had 3 steals in like 10 minutes of playing time.
mbcarval - January 11, 2012
Yeah, and one of the steals was a loose ball that he picked up off the floor
some come from behind after his man blows by him. Garcia isn’t the same player he was and while he’s not the dregs of the earth he never was that great either. Or, am I misremembering the “Good Cisco, Bad Cisco” mantra.
HighTops - January 11, 2012
Sounds Like
A comparison of who sucks the least…
nohops - January 11, 2012
Iggy didn't miss a shot last night.
caseycheesecake - January 11, 2012
About how this game went from start to finish
HeuristicLineup - January 10, 2012
this just made my night.lol
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
Sucks to have such a hopeless outlook for the Kings future.
I used to be an optimistic guy not too long ago but this team has done me in. A little optimism would go a long way for all of us fans, like Reke’s rookie season, I actually had a smidgen of hope at the end of that season. Thought this organization had found a real solid building block, a foundation to build upon…..Welp, Petrie pissed on those blue prints…
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
I think Reke and DMC have the potential to be stars
Thornton can be a very valuable 6th man.
Our other bigs are all fine, although I am not sure any reach the level of an average starting PF,
But as a group pretty solid.
After that the only ones I consider NBA average (so far in their carees) are Salmons and Cisco and neither have been close to that this year.
I have not seen enough future potential in Jimmer IT Honeycutt Greene and Whiteside to know if any of them will become an average or above player.
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
My point
was that 2 stars and a bunch of mediocre can get you into the playoffs
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
Agree 100% on Thornton being a potential 6th man
I still have hopes that Jimmer will develop into our franchise PG but unfortunately he’s hardly showing that so far but it’s possible we can see some signs of greatness his rookie year that warrants him being one of our centerpieces. All of our SF’s suck. I think that’s where we look to improve in the draft this year. Hopefully our scouts are giving Harrison Barnes a close look. DMC and Tyreke are the only players though on this team that I see as 100% keepers. Thornton, Jimmer, JJ, Honeycutt and Isaiah are the only other players I want on the team next year.
SoCal Diplomat - January 10, 2012
Actually scratch that
At this point I would rather have JT than JJ next year
SoCal Diplomat - January 10, 2012
Since he seems to have developed a half hook/flip
he looks a lot more comfortable around the basket.
Hickson could be really valuable if he focuses on Rbs and D and forgets about trying to score a lot of points
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
I have been disappointed in JJ so far
and I was happy to get him. I hope to see JT get a few of his minutes.
MichaelMack - January 10, 2012
I guess the last 4-5 years has left me a bit calloused.
I just see a never ending circle jerk until the Maloofs or at the very least Petrie is outta Sacramento. A new arena might help attract better players in Sacramento, I don’t know, just frustrated like the rest of Kings fans is all. I want to be wrong, I really do.
DiegoKing - January 10, 2012
I want you to be wrong too...
but you’re not.
Petrie keeps scraping up shitty-ass players from shitty-ass teams. I think he over-analyzes players stats to look for good deals for the cheap-ass Maloofs. The problem with scraping up shitty-ass players from shitty-ass teams is that 1) the teams (that the players acquired were from) were shitty-ass partially because of the said shitty-ass player, 2) the stats of the players acquired are over-inflated (the players only played a lot and had decent stats because there was nobody better at that position on the team, and 3) acquiring players from shitty-ass teams brings in players that are used to losing and accept losing. Evidence: Hickson, Outlaw, Salmons
Conclusion: A real GM would bring in players who have experience at winning.
Petrie NaGM
convoy - January 10, 2012
Petrie's method reminds me of the "moneyball" approach.
The only problem is that basketball is one of the more interdependent, TEAM sports, so the personalities/leadership/vision of the players is much more important in building a winning team than their ability to put up numbers.
In baseball, a single player getting a hit drives in runs from base-runners who individually produced their own hits as well. It’s an additive sport, with the individual abilities of each player adding to the individual abilities of others on the team. In basketball, it usually takes 3 or 4 players to successfully produce one “hit” (basket), and an “additive” approach severely limits the effectiveness of the team. We see this with the Kings—the only games we’ve won so far are when Tyreke and Marcus both had outstanding nights, individually. Without that, we’re blown out. Petrie (and our players) need to realize the synergistic nature of the game of basketball, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
feelgood - January 10, 2012
Yeah, instead of 3 small deals
He needs to trade for one better player, and really increase the talent level. He adds guys who would be great role players on good teams, which does absolutely nothing for this group.
otis29 - January 11, 2012
+1
That’s a reason I desperately wanted Gay and his max contract – no matter how crippling that might end up being in the future.
caseycheesecake - January 11, 2012
Two things
1) there is no such thing as a never ending circle jerk! Guys lie.
2) It is a very good tool to teach proper spacing.
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
now THAT was funny.
MichaelMack - January 10, 2012
Rec'd for spacing
Hilarious
TheJust - January 10, 2012
lmao, yura funny guy!
DiegoKing - January 11, 2012
Well this team does remind of the 2003-04 Phoenix Suns
They have the raw talent. Need an outside leader to come in and put it all together for them. The Suns had a giant hole at PG and leadership. This Kings team has a giant hole at SF and leadership … and I’m taking floor leadership. Someone who can re-establish focus on the floor and not when its to late back in the locker room. One that can A) shoot B) get passes into the post C) be the team leader. Would drastically improve this squad. Not 2004-05 Phoenix Suns improvement but significant improvement.
bignerd - January 10, 2012
I think this is what many here are trying to say. We desperately need a floor leader. If we had such a player, all of the other issues tend to work themselves out. A floor leader keeps the focus on the team effort. I remember going to LA to watch the Kings play the Lakers on the first Christmas Day game for either team. Webber at several points during the game called everyone together right on the floor to discuss what ALL of them needed to do. They won that game on guts more than on talent.
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Salmons will be amnestied before next season
That’s a promise
Smills9133 - January 10, 2012
Thank you Geoff
SoCal Diplomat - January 10, 2012
Right, because they want to spend MORE money
otis29 - January 11, 2012
lol THIS
Shizzo - January 11, 2012
Wasted top $ on center court seats
to witness this mess. New coach, same team, and predictable results. Both teams started this game poorly and the Kings had an opportunity to get ahead. Unbelievable number of bad passes and forced shots. Jimmer is not look NBA ready, pls. send him to Reno. Outlaw and JJ can’t shoot. Salmons is a bottomless pit. Little leadership from DMC or Reke. No perimeter defense. One positive – JT, continues to show improvement. IT also working hard.
kman949 - January 10, 2012
If we vote off the worse guy (who got decent minutes) every 10 games
as bad as Jimmer , Salmons and IT have looked…Outlaw would be the unanimous choice to be voted off the team.
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
Outlaw is definately the Luther Head of this season
The tribe has spoken
convoy - January 10, 2012
Yea...and its hard to make dirty jokes with the rat-bastards name.
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
IT has not looked that bad In 11.4 minutes a game, heres his stats
PPG 4.4
RPG 1.20
APG 1.0
EFF + 3.40
Widowwolf - January 11, 2012
Sounds like Pooh
PPG 4.1
RPG 1.1
APG 2.6
I don’t know what his EFF was but he averaged 13.4 mpg over 62 games last season.
I don’t think IT is the answer to any of our problems just yet. Especially not with a Assist to turnover ratio of 1:1 and a FG% under .310. But, like Jimmer and Tyreke, I think most of the PG problems rest with the other 4 players on the court not knowing where to be or what to do. Until they do, IT’s role should be the defensive stopper for those quick on quick guards we come up against and to slow the opponent offense with his full court pressure. And, like Pooh he needs to restrict his attempts at the rim and dribble THRU the lane looking for the pass.
HighTops - January 11, 2012
My only issue with him vs jimmer, Is i am seeing the very weak passes Jimmer is throwing..He needs some zip on the ball, and he needs to stop doing it in the air..Also Jimmer you aren’t Kmart..You aren’t gonna drive to the basket and hit that lean back FG..And you sure arent gonna get those kinda fouls called for you..Stick with what you are good at..Outside passing and 3 pt shooting..
Widowwolf - January 11, 2012
If you never push the envelope of what your good at, you never get better.
I kind of like the fact that he has the courage to try those types of shots. Although I agree the deciding to pass after your in the air needs to stop. And, I think that a guy who can shoot a 28 footer with ease can make a stronger pass. He just needs to work on making the pass sooner before he gets doubled and out of position.
HighTops - January 11, 2012
Exactly…And i dont see the passing finesse that he should have before making those kind of leaping passes that he is trying to make..Kmart even irritated me at those fade back jumpers, but he was damn good at them, and made it work so even if he missed, he was getting to the foul line a lot off them.
.Jimmer just seems to turn it over over way too much off that kind of play, whether its getting blocked, and grabbed off the bad pass.I would like to see him push the envelope on screen plays, and off the PnR, by taking his 3 pt shots..Not avoiding screens like they are the plague..We have enough drive it to the basket people, lets get some pure 3pt shooting like Peja, that can be kicked out to when Reke drives the lane
Widowwolf - January 11, 2012
You didn't happen to have a Jimmer jersey on, did you?
I noticed someone front and center wearing one.
TheJust - January 10, 2012
Actually up 27 rows
Not a Jimmer fan, watched JT at Rider. Will see King’s play in NY next year. Think $125 for seats that far up is a rip off. There was a game long shouting match between Philly fans behind the basket and Jimmer fans behind Kings bench. Jimmer fans kept it up despite his poor play.
kman949 - January 11, 2012
disagree
not sure why your high on isiah but low on fredette. They looked the same to me. IT actually had a worse +/- tonight. Pretty much the same stats.
mmarcum - January 10, 2012
Look the same to me too
Jimmer handles better but it evens out since IT is quicker.
Jimmer is the better shooter but seems to have no intention of proving it.
IT looks more comfortable, but he is more of a shooter than a playmaker. Oddly, Jimmer is trying to be the same thing (Jimmer does have better vision).
They both throw passes to soft half the time.
Jimmer jumps in the air for no apparent reason.
To me , it is a draw so far, but neither sshould be playing much..
ElRonToro - January 10, 2012
Agree. I don't ride the IT is outplaying Jimmer bandwagon
The numbers don’t say that at all (and yes, I know IT hasn’t played nearly as much as Jimmer). In terms of their performance so far, I think it’s pretty even keel, and I like your run-down of their corresponding strengths/weaknesses. I think people get excited about IT because he’s tiny, really fast, provides a bit of a spark, and was the 60th pick. Holy shit, imagine if he was white? But some people on here are letting those facts get in the way that in terms of performance, there’s no way he’s “outdone” Jimmer. Both are struggling/learning.
But Jimmer still gets more time. Why? Well, he was POY and put up 50 point games. He’s a huge crowd draw too. I think these reasons for his added playing time are both valid and invalid. Yes, at a certain point, player’s minutes should correspond to their performance. On the other hand, the fact that Jimmer has put up 50 point games perpetuates the belief/hope that he’s got it in him to catch fire. Plus, Sacramento should embrace the media and crowd attention Jimmer brings. If there’s one thing Sacramento needs to do to stay in Sacramento besides win more games, it’s sell tickets. In my opinion, if your choice is between playing IT and Jimmer for more minutes, I can at least understand why they choose the guy who shoots from way beyond the arc, has 100,000 twitter followers (to Isiah’s 38,000), has a history of putting up massive points, and who was all over ESPN last year.
Hell, J-will, despite his flaws, was the reason I fell in love with Kings basketball.
feelgood - January 10, 2012
All I can say is
Thank God this season is shorter than normal. It’s not going to be pretty.
athletics68 - January 10, 2012
I keep hoping there will be some awakening soon and that the players will share the ball and do the things necessary to at least be respectable. I don’t care if they get into the playoffs, but please for the sake of the fans put some effort into passing the ball and getting back on D. Sheesh.
ExPFCWintergreen - January 10, 2012
Well, I got the first laugh with my buddy who's a "Fakers" fan...
But unfortunately, it looks like he’s going to get all the ones thereafter. And certainly the last one.
HarveySpecter - January 10, 2012
correct me if im wrong..
Howard Nevens IV - January 10, 2012 via mobile
But 6 of losses are to teams that made the playoffs last year thought it was something to bring to the conversation.
Howard Nevens IV - January 10, 2012 via mobile
But 6 of losses are to teams that made the playoffs last year thought it was something to bring to the conversation.
Howard Nevens IV - January 10, 2012 via mobile
Once more please?
Just kidding…good point
convoy - January 10, 2012
Not a good point.
Its the way we are losing.
DWeissbart - January 10, 2012
Yeah, losing competitively is one thing
Getting our doors blown is sad, regardless of the quality of the opponent.
otis29 - January 11, 2012
No...
It’s just an excuse. Even if we lose, we should at least be competitive. If we use the excuse that “Oh, well that team made it to the playoffs”….that means we should only expect wins against a few non-playoff teams?
HarveySpecter - January 10, 2012
TheFifthMookie - January 10, 2012
Vancouver called...they want their Grizzlies back
convoy - January 10, 2012
Nice!
Normdog - January 11, 2012
We need men who are slick and ninja like.
And my last post of the night…Not this guy per say (I know he’s a SG), but he hasn’t resigned back in the NBA…are there any others who went abroad and haven’t come back besides AK?
HarveySpecter - January 10, 2012
OKOs Takes
I think our bigs are OK, but I want to see JT get 30-35 minutes a game while Hayes is injured and see if he has really turned the corner.
All our 3s blow, but thats not really saying anything thats not already said. I cant understand why Salmons gets 30+ minutes, hes awful, cant shoot, and his energy level is sooo bad, like hes sleepwalking, and that cant help but have a negative impact on the entire team. Garcia does not look like an NBA player and got himself right into the selfish gunner mode of the team as soon as he got minutes. Outlaw- piss poor.
At guard, Evans is very good in the open court, but has alot to learn in the half court. He cant play off the ball, because he cant shoot, and nobody cuts to the basket ever anyways, so its all 1 on 1 with Tyreke and Thornton whenever they get the ball.
Cant believe how fast everyone is to bury Jimmer. He has an enormous learning curve coming from a team where he had the ball all game and freedom to take 20 3s in a game, now has to learn to play in a system, with no preseason, an awful offensive system, a coaching change, and the most selfish offensive players in the NBA. He at least tries to move the ball, probably too much, instead of taking long jumpers, which are the strength of his game. He tries his best to play with the ball, fully knowing his teammates dont ever look for him once he passes it away, and hes 10 games into his rookie season. He has his issues with ball handling, no doubt, but he is not a true PG, learning the NBA.
OKO - January 10, 2012
This is the big one
This is a great observation. Have a fan post I need to see if I can post, since it is chock-full of game images, but our off the ball movement is non-existent. We are all one in one. It’s pathethic.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 10, 2012
ball movement
the guy with the ball does what he can, and the rest stand at the 3 point line or around the basket and wait to see if their man leaves to double the ball. And even if their man leaves to double, the shot is still probably going up.
And another issue is 50 to 100 percent of the guys standing at the 3 pt line are not good 3 pt shooters, but why not, let me jack it up anyway.
OKO - January 11, 2012
3s
Salmons is 0-17 in the last 4 games, Outlaw 2-17 on the season, yaaaouchh
OKO - January 11, 2012
Salmons has to get better. He was 38% last 3 seasons
He may be aging, but he shouldn’t drop off this far this fast.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 11, 2012
The off ball movement is terrible
It’s part of the reason Evans and Cousins look like they don’t move the ball. Not only are people not cutting and creating easy buckets, but players aren’t even moving to create easier passing lanes. John Salmons is freaking sedentary. It’s insane.
Our team sits and waits for Evans/Cousins/Thornton to bail out the O. Its a testament to their skill level that they are able to as much as they do.
SPTSJUNKIE - January 11, 2012
Accurate assesment of our putrid offense.
DiegoKing - January 11, 2012
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