Jonathan Daniel - Getty Images
The Sacramento Kings' offense sure broke out alright against the Chicago Bulls and their No. 1 defense on Tuesday, but unfortunately the Bulls scored a few more against Sactown's porous resistance to pick up a 121-116. Even without Derrick Rose, Chicago scored at will, shooting 52.4 percent from the floor, hitting 9-19 threes and 24 free throws. Luol Deng was the high scorer with 23, but the real killers were in the frontcourt: Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer combined for 38 points on 14-25 shooting. Noah, in particular, was deadly (22 and 11 with four blocks).
Of course, his counterpart DeMarcus Cousins had a big night, too. Boogie finished with 28 points on 10-20 shooting (7-9 line) and 17 rebounds (seven offensive). That's a mammoth game for the young monster, but having given almost all of it back to Noah isn't great. Noah's a fine player, though.
Tyreke Evans had a strong game, too, with 27 points on 9-18 shooting, eight assists and eight rebounds. He thoroughly whipped up C.J. Watson, Rose's replacement, and was especially powerful in the second half, where he tallied 20 on 7-11 shooting with six of his assists. He sat for a total of about 45 seconds in the second half, so keep an eye on his energy as the road trip wears on.
Deng won his matchup with John Salmons so thoroughly as to be almost comical. While Deng had 23, a ridiculous 11 assists and seven rebounds, Salmons managed three points on 1-8 shooting, two assists and one rebound. Salmons played most of the third, shooting 0-5 in the period. He didn't get off the bench in the fourth as Keith Smart went almost exclusively with Evans at small forward and Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton in the backcourt. (Jimmer Fredette was a late scratch due to a stomach bug.) That three-guard lineup was a +16 in the fourth quarter.
Donte Greene scored 10 on 4-4 shooting and held Deng scoreless in the second quarter. Woo! Then he missed a couple of buckets in the late third/early fourth and sat for the triple-guard attack. C'est la vie.
The Kings play the Knicks on Wednesday.
1 recs | 114 comments
Hung around and had a chance late in the game.
Just couldn’t get the stops we needed. Good showing, overall though.
Kfan in Korea - February 14, 2012
It was an exciting game to watch, especially in the 4th.
Smart kept Cousins out for a bit, when he got into foul trouble. There was a stretch with Salmons and Hickson, where Chicago got a run. We kept if within single digits up to that point.
What I really loved, though, our guys kept fighting in the fourth. They were almost successful in the comeback.
Cousins and Tyreke were awesome.
Slam_Dunk - February 14, 2012
So this is what development looks like. .
Cousins gets it.
Jim Les - February 14, 2012
Seriously at what point
do the Kings start running the offense through him more often??
StevenG - February 14, 2012
Now.
bench_blob - February 14, 2012
Kings won the only battle that matter tonight...
At City Council.
Aykis16 - February 14, 2012
I'd still like to se some better D from them
We got the council stuff.
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
Need more thomas and greene, less salmons
CousinsEvansDUO - February 14, 2012
Can you imagine how we'd be doing if AK had signed with us?
Kfan in Korea - February 14, 2012
I know
Too bad man
Allbenji - February 14, 2012 via mobile
Can someone tell me why, oh why, Donte did not play more and Salmons less?
It was obvious that Salmons could not shoot a fish in a barrel nor could he guard Deng. Donte was hot and he has better size against Deng.
vikinginferno - February 14, 2012
Because Donte is about to be a free agent
If he does well the Maloofs will have to pay him. Salmons is already paid & isn’t going anywhere.
Allbenji - February 14, 2012 via mobile
To be fair
We saw good Donté tonight. This is his opportunity to show his worth. The door is open.
betweentheeyes - February 14, 2012
Not happening
This is the same coach that played Acie Law over Jeremy Lin.
zo0m - February 14, 2012
Yeah, and it looks like Fredette is getting the “Lin treatment” here by Smart, who seems to play favorites, in my opinion.
ExPFCWintergreen - February 15, 2012
You know that Fredette didn't play tonight because of food poisoning, right?
And I crack up over the notion that Smart held Lin back. Lin failed to stick with Dallas, Golden State and Houston before landing in New York, where he had a D-League stint and was on the brink of not having his contract guaranteed. In fact, the only reason that he got this recent look by the Knicks is they were trying to determine whether or not to guarantee the rest of his contract.
Lin is a great story – a guy that has found a great fit in D’Antoni’s system. Good for him.
section214 - February 15, 2012
Have been emailing with friends about this same thing
I give credit to Lin for working on his game. His jumper and decision making have improved from last season and he landed in the ideal situation for himself and was prepared to take advantage of the opportunity.
But he shot 39% last year in GS and 20% from the three point line. Playing alongside Ellis, Curry and Lee who were going to be handling the ball on most possession, that simply doesn’t cut it.
Lin’s story is a great story about self-improvement, hard work and dedication. But some writers have tried to over-reach and make it a story about franchises or coaches who simply didn’t “get” Lin’s innate talent.
SPTSJUNKIE - February 15, 2012
I think you're forgetting something...
Crocoduck - February 15, 2012
croc'd
Shizzo - February 15, 2012
Is that Rick Barry?
SPTSJUNKIE - February 15, 2012
To be fair
Lin credits Eric Musselman for his “swagger.” I hear he might be available for a head coaching position.
polotown - February 15, 2012
It seems like a matter of time now.
tough so far Donte’ hasn’t played well when he knew he was going to get minutes.
That may still change. . . .
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
'though'
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
I said it before and I'll say it again...
…John Salmons and Chuck Hayes just aren’t good for this team. Hickson sucks too, but he’s just needs some hand transplants.
KingsFromNY - February 14, 2012
Oh is that all?
Asinine trade: Webber’s hands for JJ’s knees
Allbenji - February 14, 2012 via mobile
agree, the vets are absolutely terrible
cant wait for trade rumors to swirl
Kingsfan916 - February 14, 2012
The thing that bugs me on Hayes is he plays like he doesn't care
We already have a guy who plays like he doesn’t care in Samnesty (Salmons + Amnesty = Samnesty). We don’t need another.
Hayes is fat, can’t jump over a phone booth. He’s good for post defense and little else.
Samnesty sucks the life out of the offense. Our former coach was the Grim the Reaper of Coaching. Samnesty is the Grim Reaper of Hardwood.
bench_blob - February 14, 2012
I kind of agree about Hayes
He was brought in to be a veteran leader but how does your veteran leader fail to get into shape?
DMC came into camp in top shape ready to destroy the league. There is really no excuse for Chuck.
Allbenji - February 14, 2012 via mobile
Almost a career over card for Chuck Hayes on his insurance physical
Then, he pops out his shoulder.
For a guy known for his toughness and grit for his career, his poor showing has to be eating him up just as much. To say he just doesn’t care is baloney. It doesn’t add up.
betweentheeyes - February 14, 2012
Yeah I doubt he doesn't care
And I could understand him not being in game shape but he doesn’t even seem fit.
Allbenji - February 14, 2012 via mobile
FYI, he's still injured
I would not be surprised if he gets a numbing shot on his shoulder before every game just so he can try and contribute.
I think he cares too much.
LOUiECOG - February 15, 2012
He's really trying to fight through it
for anyone paying attention
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
But don't get me started on how dissappointed I am with JJ Hickson
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
Yeah. I am not so upset with Chuck because he has been having a tough go of it.
He could have come here in better shape, though, as it is hard to do catch up when you are recovering from a severe shoulder injury. From the way he is playing, it looks like it could take the remainder of the season for him to recover.
J.J. Hickson has been terrible. I don’t understand that. How could Petrie have been so far off base trading for him?
Slam_Dunk - February 15, 2012
I still think JJ is going to be a good player, just not in Sac.
He’s got a great looking release on his jumper, just hasn’t found the range or consistency yet. We’ve seen how athletic he is skiing for rebounds, but his timing always seems off. He forces way too many shots, probably a product of knowing this is one of the most important contract years of his life. I had never heard that he had brick hands before he came here, but he does.
I really hope he gets moved before the trade deadline and gets a shot somewhere else.
Crocoduck - February 15, 2012
I agree. I thought he was a better player than this.
Maybe this is just not a good fit. Completely agree that his timing seems to be off and forces way too many shots.
He seems to make some good plays right at the rim, which is perhaps where I got the idea he was a better player. They tend to show those shots in the highlights.
I agree. Hope he gets moved. This experiment seems to have run its course. But, I would rather see Outlaw get moved first.
Slam_Dunk - February 15, 2012
I agree with you, I'd like to see any of the wings get moved first
but Salmons, Garcia, and Outlaw have zero trade value on their own. I think to move any of them it would require them being packaged with Reke, Thorton, or DMC. Maybe someone would take Outlaw on with JT or JJ, but I would think the Kings would have to take back a decent size contract. I’d rather them amnesty Salmons this summer and let Garcia and Outlaw rot on the bench untill their contracts run out and try again this summer for a FA.
Crocoduck - February 15, 2012
FYI we know he's still injured & tough as nails
My issue is it seems like he came in from the offseason out of shape.
Allbenji - February 15, 2012 via mobile
You are right. He's a high character guy.
But high character guys make mistakes too. He’s overweight. And there’s no excuse for this. If he couldn’t work out as hard as normal because of injury, he needed to reduce his caloric intake.
And there was an instant a few games back he was staring into outer space away from the team during 4th quarter huddle in crunch time. Thats not an engaged player being a team captain. Thats a guy thinking about himself and sulking over his limited role.
bench_blob - February 15, 2012
So is Chuck Hayes your next JT now that JT is improving or what?
Hayes is not fat. The dude is just solid. I can’t understand this at all.
And you assume way too much about him “staring into outer space”. Just because he isn’t looking at somebody talking doesn’t mean he isn’t listening. He may just be very auditory.
Sulking? Wow, infer much from nothing? You and your take can be so on point at times and so equally off in left field it is just stunning…
CowbellKings - February 15, 2012
The thing you have to worry about
Is that Chuck Hayes has had two pretty good years in the NBA – his rookie season and last season. In between, he’s ranged from mediocre to awful.
I’m still not sure which is the real Chuck Hayes, but I can’t assume that even when he’s healthy and in shape he’ll be rock solid.
It’s completely possible we bought high on him.
otis29 - February 15, 2012
I think he earns some of his check with his post D
But he seems to only be really effective when the opponent is posting him up in ISO. When that’s the case, he’s great. But when it comes to rotating over to help it just seems he doesn’t have the length to bother anyone and gives up a layup or just fouls.
I’m honestly not sure if the guy can dunk, and it’s frustrating watching him get a nice pass inside and blowing the layup because he can’t get the ball up quick enough or high enough to score.
I think he’d be a nice piece on a good team with a very defined role, but not so much on this team right now. Hopefully he gets healthy and the team gets better.
Crocoduck - February 15, 2012
He is what he is... a reserve, backup big
A solid backup big. Hayes was never more than that. I know he was billed by the Kings as a big FA signing, but he wasn’t.
He is a limited player offensively and much more capable defensively. He was supposed to mesh perfectly with DMC such that his defense made up for DMC’s lapses on that end and not compete for offense expected to come from DMC. Similar to how they used Dalembert.
The problem is that DMC is not the huge out of shape defensive liability they thought he would be and they really don’t need as much defensive player. And JT is developing into a more balanced player who can play with his back to the hoop.
You take that all together and it means that the team did not develop as planned. Both DMC and JT are developing better games than expected. Leaving Hayes as more of a reserve and I can live with that.
CowbellKings - February 15, 2012
"solid???"
Look at him compared to 2 or 3 years ago. He is overweight, out of shape, can’t jump and there is no excuse for it.
lchristmas - February 15, 2012 via Android app
Hayes has been out
He hasn’t been able to get into game shape. He hasn’t been out sprinting up and down the court, but that doesn’t mean he is fat. I see that as more of a reality than anything else.
And he really never had much jump in him that I know of.. Maybe I am wrong here, but he is just a ‘solid’ backup big. And he is also ‘solid’ as in muscle. Is he whip thin and in game shape? No, but that doesn’t mean the dude just is fat…
CowbellKings - February 15, 2012
Neither the heart condition (which he did not know about for many months when he should have been getting his ssssss in shape)
Nor the shoulder injury are any excuse for his physical condition. A dislocated shoulder doesn’t force you to eat pizza nor does it prevent use of an exercise bike.
You can’t be a 6’6 “center” with no offensive skills, known for your work ethic and then gain 20 pounds. But dont worry, our gm has him locked up for 3 more years. Retch.
lchristmas - February 15, 2012 via Android app
Agreed 100%
I don’t put this on Chuck. I put it more on the coaching staff that is insistent on giving a one-armed, non-game shape player minutes. Shelve him until he is back to 100% (or at least close to it).
section214 - February 15, 2012
Remember,
He missed pre-season due to possibly having a life-threatening heart condition (the fact that he didn’t have it doesn’t really matter). Then he injured his shoulder. He hasn’t had a lot of time to play himself into shape, unlike the other Kings.
richie88 - February 14, 2012
You have to show up in shape
“preseason” lasted what, 10 days? Awful excuses.
lchristmas - February 15, 2012 via Android app
I think you mean phone book.
caseycheesecake - February 15, 2012
That too.
bench_blob - February 15, 2012
Hayes was doing fine before the shoulder injury
Playing through pain like that is extremely taxing. I think the issue is that nobody on the team is willing to insist that he takes more time off to let that thing heal.
Deleran - February 15, 2012
Agree on Salmons. I wonder why Donte doesn’t play his position as starter. Brings more energy and effectiveness. I think it’s possible that Hayes might be having more shoulder problems than he wants to admit to the coaches.
ExPFCWintergreen - February 14, 2012
We all knew what we were getting in Hayes, that is a guy that played hard,
rebounded, set screens, but wasn’t an offensive threat. I can live with him being first big off the bench. What I can’t live with is Fish just going through the motions. He’s been the biggest disappointment of the season so far. 1 of 8 last night? Jeez, when does Coach Smart pull this guy from the starting line-up? Start anybody else in his place. Maybe a couple of DNP-CD’s will get his attention.
SayWhat? - February 15, 2012
On a positive note...
…absolutely loved watching ’Reke play the 3 for a stretch and especially against Luol Deng. He took it to him a few times and defended well against him. Hope to see a lot more of him there with a combination of Thorton/Jimmer/Isaiah in the backcourt.
We got the type of play that we expect to get out of our “big 3”. Tonight just does a good job pointing out that we need to surround them with better role players because we’re just getting glimpses of what Tyreke and Cousins can do before they take it to the next level.
KingsFromNY - February 14, 2012
On a positive not....
… Sacramento won tonight!! Another step forward to a new arena!!!
HeuristicLineup - February 14, 2012
Cheers to that!
KingsFromNY - February 14, 2012
I think that the 3 position is the natural position for Evans. Hope to see more of it.
ExPFCWintergreen - February 15, 2012
Wtf is up with lin? Just ice cold with the 3
folsomfella - February 14, 2012 via mobile
You serious breh?
Did you see the game winning three he had today? He still had a pretty sick game. Linsanity continues.
HarveySpecter - February 14, 2012
Dive right into the chasm there buddy.
caseycheesecake - February 15, 2012
lol yup
That was a compliment Harvey.
iashwash - February 15, 2012
HaaaaaaaveySpectoooooooooooor!
(thud)
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
I missed this game but I'm glad that we were competitive at the end
We’re definitely poised to become a spoiler team for some lower playoff teams. We beat the best team in the West and then come into Chicago and put up 115 points on the top defense in the league; we’re definitely not going to stay under the radar with other teams for too much longer. The national media may ignore us, but no team in the league will call us an easy win on any given night.
Schneezel - February 14, 2012
Chicago's passing was amazing tonight.
Every time Kings thought they had good defense going, the Bulls made that extra pass to free someone up (Often it was Noah standing under the basket or Korver after coming off his 19th off-screen)
That said, it was nice having all 3 of our stars playing well at the same time. In the 4th quarter, all 3 played well and didn’t seem to get in eachother’s way while doing it. Hopefully this second half momentum gets carried over to MSG tomorrow night.
Wonderchild - February 14, 2012
good point about the Bulls. 33 assists tonight. Impressive
betweentheeyes - February 14, 2012
Well Kings fans, time to get ready for Lin. He'll be one tough dude to deal with tomorrow.
Normdog - February 14, 2012
LMFAO
swoosh91 - February 14, 2012
Like I said, imagine if we had Luol Deng instead of Salmons right now.
Chub City just thinking about it.
HarveySpecter - February 14, 2012
bastard!
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
Even when Sacramento loses,
it wins.
richie88 - February 14, 2012
Just a matter of time
before Cousins gets one of those 30-20 games.
He looks a little better on his feet all the time.
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
Cousins off season body shredding workouts have made him much quicker and lighter on his feet. Love it
Letsgokings13 - February 15, 2012
So, apparantly
Luol Deng is a point guard too.
SavageBeast - February 15, 2012 via mobile
I think Jerry Reynolds would call him
“a basketball player”.
caseycheesecake - February 15, 2012
No doubt
On the other hand, you know you’re in trouble when you are NaBP
SavageBeast - February 15, 2012
paging Mr. Thabeet
Shizzo - February 15, 2012
Hoping we don't say the same thing about Whiteside down the road
And, yes, I’ll go wash my mouth out with soap now.
SavageBeast - February 15, 2012
How to Lose a game when your Big Three goes for 80 points
I have said the recipe for success is 2 out 3 of Reke (27 points) Marcus (23 points) and Cuz (28 points) playing well with role players playing a supporting role, so when all three of the Big Three go off and we still lose, it is frustrating.
I am baffled by what Coach Smart is doing at SF position. Based on play of Samnesty, he should be off the court at the 6:00 mark of the first quarter, and no later than the 4:00 or 3:00 mark. Instead not only does he play ALL of the first quarter he is on the floor to start the second quarter! And the same bullshit happens in the 3rd quarter too.
The Kings fell behind towards the end of the 3rd quarter when Samnesty couldn’t compete and yet remained on the floor wearing a
Kings, er, Bulls jersey.The quarters the Kings competed legitimately were the 2nd and 4th. Thats when the team came alive offensively. This pattern has been occurring more than the last game. What’s interesting is Coach Smart at least has the good sense not to re-insert Samnesty back on to the floor in the 2nd or 4th.
So apparently Coach Smart sticks with him too long, only to recognize he’s better with him off the floor. What is he doing? I would have perfectly contented to see Donte start the third quarter, but I guess this ‘radical’ of a move is beyond the scope of Coach Smart’s coaching style.
The other reason this game was lost is we have role players who play little defense. I give credit to the Bulls who pass the ball beautifully, and space the floor so well, but the only role player I saw defend at all was Isaiah Thomas. He was getting up on the ball at least trying to make his presence known.
The rest of are role players were embarrassed:
Chuck Hayes can barely move.
JT was torched by Boozer, and continues to make the stupid play of putting his arm past vertical and think he’s in good defense position.
JJ Hickson tries hard, but is always out of position defensively.
Garcia should retire.
Samnesty was overplaying the pick and roll and getting burned every time.
Donte looked really good except for one bad pass to Cousins that got him pulled from the game. I have been highly critical of Donte over his career, but this year his body balance is SO much improved. It really gives him a chance to compete.
And thats how you lose when your Big Three go for 80 points. When you have a bunch of role players that let the opponent score at will, except for IT and Donte.
bench_blob - February 15, 2012
I've always been a staunch Garcia supporter,
but he was simply lazy last night and that is something I can’t forgive. Korver for 3,3,3,3 anyone?
caseycheesecake - February 15, 2012
I'm beginning to seriously wonder if something is wrong with him.
He seems stiff to me. There is not a flow in the way he moves his body. He walks like an old man. I am not a physician but I wonder if this could be a sign of early-onset arthritis.
I think Kings should trade him. I love Garcia, but something just doesn’t seem right.
Slam_Dunk - February 15, 2012
He hasn't been the same since the Swiss ball accident
He actually used to be a pretty good player. Scrappy defender. Good shooter. And could occasionally make plays at the hoop. Always thought he would look great on a contender where he didn’t have to force plays.
But ever since his accident and broken arm, he just hasn’t been the same.
SPTSJUNKIE - February 15, 2012
Me too
Maybe it’s the accumulation of injuries, age and mileage, but Cisco isn’t bringing what I expected him to bring.
And as much as I hate to agree with Blob – as Donté compiles more minutes, the more he appears to be the guy who needs to play the lion’s share of the minutes at the three. He looks more under control and less of a…I don’t know…a spaz than usual.
Even then, I’ll always be waiting for this:
otis29 - February 15, 2012
Although Donte was pretty spazzy
when, I think the first time he touched the ball, he jumped to pass and threw it to IT right behind him and out of bounds. IT was like “Wtf man…” and rolling his eyes.
caseycheesecake - February 15, 2012
Donte' has shown us this before
then gotten worse as he got more minutes or became the starter.
Focus, consistancy, he hasn’t shown it.
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
Donte makes harder and tighter cuts...
And he never fails to play aggressively. He has improved his agility and body balance. I would imagine he’s done a lot of core strengthening and balance work. His reaction time is so much better than last year. This gives me hope he can still be a player.
Remember, Donte was a guy who could not rebound worth a sh*t. Now once or two times a game when he gets time, he goes after the ball and gets it, sometimes in traffic. He’s able to anticipate and react better because his body cooperates.
He’s a more compact, decisive. He used to play like he was on ice skates, sliding all over the place. He’s more under control than ever, which says something, because he’s still prone to carelessness.
Unfortunately it seems like Coach Smart doesn’t trust Donte yet. He must have read the scouting report leftover by the Grim Reaper. It is up to Donte to earn his trust by continuing to improve. It is now or never for Donte. The rest of the season will determine whether Donte stays in the NBA or is playing in Tel Aviv in 2013.
bench_blob - February 15, 2012
Couldn't agree more
SPTSJUNKIE - February 15, 2012
Definitely hear you
And Salmons didn’t help himself any by taking difficult shots. At this point, playing Salmons amounts to hoping- hoping he gives you something other than nothing on at least one side of the ball. I suppose it’s a luxury for me sitting in my recliner watching the game that I don’t care that he’s a veteran player playing below his historic averages. Bottom line, if he’s hurting more than he’s helping, he shouldn’t be out there.
In general, I think coach Smart has done a good job. That said, some of his lineups are very perplexing to me. For example, what is the point of a Chuck-Donte-JJ-Frank-IT lineup and why did this lineup get almost 5 minutes of game time together in the 2nd? I understand that starters need rest and they were mostly going against 2nd unit Bulls guys, but how often has that group of guys played together? I just didn’t care for that combination of players all being on the floor at the same time, so it wasn’t surprising that a 5 point deficit turned in to an 11 point deficit with that group on the floor.
outrider - February 15, 2012
And where does the offense come with this lineup?
This is where Smart needs to rotate the starters in and out better to reduce the dropoff between quality of play. Put in Donte, JJ/Chuck, and Jimmer/IT around the 4-5 minute mark in the 1st for Thornton, Salmons, and JT. This team is not deep enough to warrant having 5 bench players on the floor at the same time.
Wonderchild - February 15, 2012
Agree. And ideally Jimmer emerges enough to start next year
And we can have IT-Thornton leading our bench crew. That would give us some scoring punch. And then the 5 best players that night finish the game.
SPTSJUNKIE - February 15, 2012
You have to remember he's a Don Nelson pupil
And our roster sucks. He’s still trying to throw crap on the wall to see what sticks.
Allbenji - February 15, 2012 via mobile
Interesting take
I could agree with a lot of this, but you do realize that JT held Boozer to his average scoring right. Boozer averages just under 16 pppg and scored that during this game. I don’t really see that JT did that horrible of a job on him., but then your take on JT is always suspect to me.
I do think that Hayes, JJ, Garcia, and Salmons are seriously underperforming. JJ and Hayes coming in just about kills the whole offense. I think they need to have JT or Cousins on the floor at all times.
CowbellKings - February 15, 2012
Yep
Until he learns to just leave JT out of the discussion, we’ll just have to learn to read around those parts of his posts.
otis29 - February 15, 2012
That is might thought as well
CowbellKings - February 15, 2012
mightmy thoughtCowbellKings - February 15, 2012
You make some good points, BB
I didn’t mean for my response to be so long and I do
repeatreiterate much of what you said.The Big 3 did have a big game last night, but it did go to show that doesn’t guarantee a win.
What it does do is shine a glaring light on the rest of the players. You can fault Smart, but really he has to play the hand he is dealt. Sure, he may go back and look at some tape and in hindsight see where he might have made a different choice here and there as to whom to have on the floor at certain points of the game. (Smart is still learning, too.)
He needs to give the big 3 some chance to rest. Cousins got into a little foul trouble when he got 4 fouls. Unfortunately, a lot of ugly happened very quickly when he pulled Cousins out. This was very unfortunate, as I suspect Smart was feeling pretty good with how things were going up to that point.
Now to your point, the ugly (when the team digs a hole in the blink of an eye) happens when Smart makes some substitutions which don’t work out. Problem is, Smart never knows what he is going to get on any given evening from any given player. Chuck is still injured, so his contribution and time on the floor is going to be limited.
Donte actually did himself proud last night, for the most part.
Smart doesn’t know if he is going to get good or bad Salmons. Since Salmons has been playing better lately, he was probably hoping Salmons would play into the game, but that didn’t happen.
IT has shown himself to be a spark, but he is still a rookie and on some nights, with some teams he doesn’t do so well.
Jimmer was sick, so for all practical purposes he wasn’t an option.
JJ is really a loose cannon out there. He makes a tantalizing basket then follows that with something bonehead.
Garcia needs to be traded, even if packaged up with someone to get rid of him. He doesn’t have “it” anymore and very likely never will again. A lot of people here have noticed the decline and commented on it. It is becoming blatantly apparent.
So, last night showed our Achilles heel, but sometimes the bench comes in and does a great job. We were playing a tough team last night and Smart just didn’t have a lot of great weapons he could count on in a tough patch.
There clearly needs to be some changes made in our roster from this group, outside of the Big 3.
Slam_Dunk - February 15, 2012
Good post SD, you pretty much summed up the bench dead on.
We just don’t have that consistant guy off the bench.
Crocoduck - February 15, 2012
In hindsight maybe Jamal Crawford could have been a good move
He could have really provided a spark off the bench. I think most people want him because they thought the offensive spark would come from Jimmer.
With JC & AK/47 we could have at least been looking at a .500 record right now with a chance to take off once the schedule evens out. Throw in Sammy D & we might have a playoff team on our hands.
Too bad things didn’t work out that way :(
Allbenji - February 15, 2012 via mobile
Is it time to think about JT being our 6th man?
I don’t want it to think like I want to demote him, but I think coming in on the second unit will help our offense quite a lot. I see the insane drop off in production between the JT/DMC front court and our Chuckwagon/JJ 2nd unit. They are so bad offensively that we have to change the way we play when the bench comes in to overcompensate for their abysmal offensive capabilities (other than offensive rebounding).
In the 1st, we run some plays through DMC and JT down low, try to penetrate with Tyreke and Thornton, and play keep away from Salmons. Usually works pretty well. Then IT comes in with Hayes and JJ, and everything is on the perimeter. It is hard to play offense when the defense can leak off of both of your bigs at the same time and not get burned.
Wonderchild - February 15, 2012
With Hayes back as a starter?
Maybe, maybe if Smart can convince JT that he really needs him to anchor that 2nd unit.
We all hoped I think that the combination of Cousins’ strength and skill mated with JJ’s athleticism and rebound ability would give us some big man options off the bench.
No dice as JJ hasn’t played either offense or defense well. It’s a tough spot.
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
Not talking about reducing JT's minutes at all
Just spreading out the talent a little more I guess. Hayes would probably still only get 12-15 mins a game. JJ and Chuck pairing is not working at all. They are a good pair on D because Hayes is a post defender, and JJ is “decent” as a help defender, but on offense they are both terrible.
Wonderchild - February 15, 2012
What to do with Salmons...
Putting Tyreke at SF looked pretty good last night.
Linsanity ends tonight!
gregory l - February 15, 2012
Yep
I’ve been pushing for this for awhile now. It comes down to are IT/JImmer + Evans better than Evans+Salmons. And I would say yes.
SavageBeast - February 15, 2012
Not sure about that. The guy is pretty good.
mjjr42002 - February 15, 2012
I was lucky enough to pick him off waivers.
I had Bayless and Mo Williams in que ahead of him and I got “stuck” with Lin.
caseycheesecake - February 15, 2012
qeue?
caseycheesecake - February 15, 2012
queue
Shizzo - February 15, 2012
Tyreke isn't a three
He can play there against certain opponents, but he can’t remotely defend many of the small forwards in the league.
If the team decides down the road that Reke isn’t a permanent fixture in the backcourt, look for them to deal him.
otis29 - February 15, 2012
Right now Donte' seems our only other option
I think Smart is close to giving him that shot (again).
lietothegirls - February 15, 2012
I think you are reading this the wrong way Otis
Playing Evans at the three isn’t an indictment of Evans’ play in the backcourt. Even at the three, he would still be our primary ball handler in the backcout.
However, our threes have been so brutal, that playing IT/Jimmer and Thornton alongside Evans is giving us our best lineup on both sides of the ball right now.
SPTSJUNKIE - February 15, 2012
To me
This is the “let’s play Buster Posey at first base” argument translated to the NBA. Let’s weaken ourselves and remove an advantage at one position because we have terrible options at another. So instead of having a potentially dominant player at one position and a terrible player at another, you have two average guys (at best).
In my opinion, shifting Tyreke to the three makes about as much sense as putting JT there last season did. Or hell, I know I’ve been saying it tongue-in-cheek, but you’ve got decent backup options in the frontcourt, so why not throw DeMarcus at the three?
Again, I can see it against some very specific lineups, but it makes little sense to me as a regular thing.
otis29 - February 15, 2012
SPTS is kinda right, and so are you Otis
as in our 3 guard lineup is our most effective, and showcases the talent we have better. But, it is only because we have no competent SFs that should close out our games at this point.
Starting Evans, and playing him there all game for 40 minutes would wear out Evans faster, having to constantly guard a taller, larger player AND be our primary ball-handler. I think Evans should still be a guard, and close out the games with whoever happens to be hot at that moment between IT/Jimmer/Salmons/Donte.
Ultimately, it takes advantage of Evans’ versatility to be able to play all 3 positions at both ends.
Wonderchild - February 15, 2012
Yep, I don't mind him playing there from time to time
The better option would be to find an actual small forward who isn’t going to throw up on himself every game.
otis29 - February 15, 2012
Agree with both of you
In terms of what we have, playing Evans at the 3 defensively makes sense (offensive roles remain largely unchanged).
Long term, we need a competent SF. Batum. Dudley. Draft. Durant… I can dream.
I don’t see how playing the three wears Evans out faster though WC. Most threes can’t post unless they get a flea like Jimmer or IT on them. Guarding a player off ball can’t be any more tiring than chasing around a lightning quick PG who has the ball in their hands more often.
SPTSJUNKIE - February 15, 2012
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