Kings vs. Raptors Preview: BANANA PEELS EVERYWHERE

by Tom Ziller on Jan 11, 2012 12:00 PM PST in Commentary

The road's been unkind.
No, wait -- it's been a real jerk.
Satan, more or less.

Sacramento Kings at Toronto Raptors
Large Building In Practically Socialist Country, EVEN THEIR COPS WEAR RED SHIRTS!
4 p.m. Pacific on Comcast SportsNet California

The Kings suffered another beatdown on the road Tuesday, foreshadowing a cruel stretch of calendar in which the team has seven more games on the road out of the next eight. This would be a brutal string for a team that wasn't losing by an average of 23 points per game on the road. For a team that is losing by an average of 23 points per game on the road? It's almost torture.

Thankfully, the Raptors are not good.

Dwane Casey has the team buying in on defense to a degree (No. 19 in the NBA, up from No. 30), and Andrea Bargnani is playing fantastic ball. But this squad is rather bad. They lost to the Wizards on Tuesday, and Gandalf nor Merlin even played! Toronto also lost to the Nets by 12 on Friday. Good teams ain't losing to the Nets and Wizards in the same week. Two of T-Dot's four wins have come over the Cavs. There was also one over the Amare-less Knicks and the Wolves. This is not a good team.

As such, it presents the Kings' best opportunity to earn a win -- just one -- during this stretch. At the very least, it presents the Kings' best opportunity to not lose by 20. It's unclear whether Marcus Thornton will be ready to go; if not, Jimmer Fredette is going to have his hands full with the crafty, productive Jose Calderon. Whoever guards Bargnani -- I'd guess J.J. Hickson, who at least has the quickness and length to jump out, but isn't exactly fundamentally sound -- will be in for an exhausting night. But I'm not sure exactly how Toronto can hold on DeMarcus Cousins on the offensive glass -- Bargs is an atrocious rebounder, and Amir Johnson is but one man -- and Tyreke Evans has an opportunity to slice a lot here. If the Kings play exactly the way they did in the first half against Philly, they should be in a position to win down the stretch. (Whether they get it or not, who knows?)

Game threads at 4 and 5:30. Let's go Kings!

2 recs | 67 comments

Comments

We're not going to talk about the past

Slam_Dunk - January 11, 2012 reply

But this [Raptors] squad is rather bad….. At the very least, it presents the Kings’ best opportunity to not lose by 20.

Guessing they aren’t printing this in the team’s media guide.

SPTSJUNKIE - January 11, 2012 reply

we can say the same unfortunately

but hey, UPSIDE UPSIDE UPSIDE (actually kind of serious, Reke and Cousins have some really good upside)

wallywagon11 - January 11, 2012 reply

I meant our team, but good point. Lol.

SPTSJUNKIE - January 11, 2012 reply

iashwash - January 11, 2012 reply

With that Picture, Holliday almost looks like he is eating an invisible banana with how his hand is

Widowwolf - January 11, 2012 reply

My glass is half full today.

Let’s go Kings!

DiegoKing - January 11, 2012 reply

Of high proof liquor??

If so go ahead and fill it all the way up.

StevenG - January 11, 2012 reply

based on the last few road games,

he’ll need it full of at least 80 proof liquor

TheFifthMookie - January 11, 2012 reply

Bacardi 151...

DiegoKing - January 11, 2012 reply

Makes sense

That’s also our 3-point FG%.

section214 - January 11, 2012 reply

5150

DiegoKing - January 11, 2012 reply

Please let us win. Please. Please. PLEEEAAAASEEEEE.

Pretty please.

Oh please.

Let us win.

Shizzo - January 11, 2012 reply

Geez, have a little dignity!

Ah hell… PLLEEAAAASSEEEE let us win! PLEEEEEASE!!

Alright that felt good actually.

haglnuts - January 11, 2012 reply

SMART -

If you start the Jimmer, stick with him and let him get some sort of rythm. Don’t pull him half way through the first and sit him the rest of the half. The kid needs confidence and making him sit the bench and watch Outlaw and Salmons compete for the worst shooters of all-time title won’t help.

haglnuts - January 11, 2012 reply

Second´d and rec´d

rubenho - January 11, 2012 reply

Jimmy played 11:30 out of the first 12:00

almost the entire 1st quarter, plenty of time to get rhythm.

Kingstime - January 11, 2012 reply

Smart -

If you (play) the Jimmer, stick with him and let him get some sort of rhythm

Rinse and repeat for all Kings, Thank you.

Wonderchild - January 11, 2012 reply

Agreed. His rotations are HORRIBLE.

You usually see random rotations like that in pre-season games. Not 10 games into the season.

haglnuts - January 11, 2012 reply

You mean 2 games into his coaching stint right/

otis29 - January 11, 2012 reply

Good point.

He may be looking at it like starting from scratch as far as finding the right roster combinations. I just hate seeing Reke, DMC, and Jimmer riding pine at the same time. Time will tell if there’s a method to his madness.

haglnuts - January 11, 2012 reply

Will say this

technically his rotations weren’t that good in Golden State last year (for whatever reason watched them quite a bit last year)

wallywagon11 - January 11, 2012 reply

Yeah, that was the knock on him coming in

I’d like to think, as a young coach, he might work on that.

otis29 - January 11, 2012 reply

Personally I am more concerned about structure with this group

normally wouldn’t say that but considering the lack of basketball IQ we’ve seen, I am more concerned about that.

wallywagon11 - January 11, 2012 reply

Yeah Basketball IQ is second-lowest in the league next to the Wizards

According to the guy that does the SI.com Powerrankings.

Kings need to start drinking Smart-water.

convoy - January 11, 2012 reply

Ya, lets not judge Smart by his rotations just yet.

Down 2 starters is a rough way to play, especially on the road.

Normally, I would ask Smart to take minutes away from the slumping Salmons, but nobody behind him in the depth chart has played better than him at any stretch of any game to date…so I wont.

I simply meant try to get the players in a good rhythm offensively, and take some pressure off Tyreke to have to do everything.

Wonderchild - January 11, 2012 reply

Fair enough.

haglnuts - January 11, 2012 reply

Looks like my 9-0 prediction went to hell,

so I´m going with 8-1.
Go Kings!

rubenho - January 11, 2012 reply

its ok guys we will win

Theres just no way I can see us losing to the raptors..we will win this game trust me.

CousinsEvansDUO - January 11, 2012 reply

starting to see why you get so angry in the game threads now

wallywagon11 - January 11, 2012 reply

I reverse Jinx your Jinx

Shizzo - January 11, 2012 reply

This is the game ripe for the picking

Toronto has a 4-6 record but 2 wins came against Cleveland and one each against NY and Minnie. Toronto is one of those backwards teams with a Center, Bargnani, playing away from the basket and a PF, Amir Johnson, playing at the basket. They really only have 3 players to worry about. Calderon gives them 12 pts and 8 assts, with a very good outside shot. He seldom takes shots inside 15 ft, so if you can play him close outside you’ll cut down on his scoring and his assists. DeRozen is just the opposite in that he shoots poorly on the long ball and likes to get to the paint to score. You need to play off of him to slow down penetration, and make him shoot the long ball.
Bargnani is a SG in a 7 ft body. He’s a 50%+ shooter at the rim and beyond the arc and 45% everywhere in-between. None of our bigs are good enough to defend him, and he’s too dangerous to double away from the rim. I almost think that Outlaw or Donte may be our best chance to defend him which doesn’t mean he still won’t go for 20pts.
We offensive rebound better and should have fewer turnovers than the Raptors, which means we’ll probably have more FGA’s. We also commit fewer fouls so if we can make our FT’s we could pick up some points there also. But, with our poor shooting we’ll need that advantage. This is a team that plays at the 2nd slowest pace in the league so don’t take their average points per game as meaning they can’t score. They’re better shooters than us from the Field and beyond the Arc.
This is their 3 game of a back to back to back, so that means we need to take them out of their comfort zone and run the ball up the court on offense. Not rush the shot, but get into the offense quickly so they have to run to get back. Then move the ball and make them run some more chasing the ball and their man. Look for the open shot and don’t rush. Then press them and make them work on offense.
I’m looking for a good game from Jimmer, and I’d like to see about 20 passes into the paint to our bigs.

HighTops - January 11, 2012 reply

I’d like to see about 20 passes into the paint to our bigs.

I think we all would.

Shizzo - January 11, 2012 reply

Our bigs better hustle down on offense and get good position then

otis29 - January 11, 2012 reply

Not Me!

I’d like to see about 20 passes into the paint to our bigs.

I’d like to see about 25 ;)

ideazero - January 11, 2012 reply

Uh-oh

This is their 3 game of a back to back to back…

6 teams so far half played 3 games in 3 nights, and they are 6-0 in last game.

bench_blob - January 11, 2012 reply

*have

bench_blob - January 11, 2012 reply

6-1

Minnesota killed the streak last night.

Capt. Factorial - January 11, 2012 reply

Not gonna be able to watch the game (live at least)

But I do like our chances to win. I might spontaneously combust if we get blown out again.

Aykis16 - January 11, 2012 reply

on the plus side though

you could just copy and paste your next article

wallywagon11 - January 11, 2012 reply

Tivo'ing this one

I won’t be able to start watching it until about 5:00PM or so, to which I will start watching it from the beginning. If one of you notice at around 5:00PM the Kings play goes to all hell. It is likely that I have started watching and I will apologize in advance, for by the time I figure out that it has gone to hell and could turn it back off, the game will likely already be over

HeuristicLineup - January 11, 2012 reply