[Pre-season] Kings @ Spurs, 10/6/17 - 5:30PT/8:30ET

If that is the case then, don't go out to the media and tell everyone that he is cleared to play.

Just to comment on what feels different, I think it's that the Kings finally look like they have a plan. They look like they might have an identity. That's something that's been lacking for a few years now. Yes, we had Cuz, and for a while Gay and IT, but it always seemed random. Like we were shooting arrows into the air and hoping we would hit something. Now it looks like we have a goal, and were on the path to reach that goal. We may not reach it, but at least we have one. We seem to be headed in the right direction.

After your predictions on when training camp started, I'm just a bit skeptical about your win total.

Coach Joerger said on Grant's radio show he is resting the vets tomorrow night. That still leaves 13 guys to play. I'm guessing starters will be Fox, Hield, Bogdan or Jackson, Skal and Willie. At the 3 Bogdan has more experience and poise but Justin Jackson has the size. I'm going to say Bogdan starts at the 3.

Is someone posting the stream again?

Nothing but radio.

I agree... with Mason, Malachi, Jackson, Cooley and Papa off the bench. It should be fun to watch with Cooley being the only guy that isn't a legitimate prospect. Sampson will probably share time with Cooley.

If Giles was playing we would have two full lineups of young prospects. That's pretty exciting. I guess I didn't realize that we had a full 10 young prospects on the team. I'm curious to see how they handle Giles. Looks like he's participating in scrimmages. Will they not play him at all in preseason? Will he start the first game in Reno or will they hold him out part of the year? Should be interesting to see how he's handled. Joerger kind of trolled us the other day by saying everyone was going to play the first preseason game but Giles was noticeably absent. But really it's better to be safe than sorry with the guy.

Dang, I hope there's a LEGAL stream of this, if anyone finds one keep us posted I'll be lookin too

I don't have a problem with it. Being cleared to play and being ready to play may not be the same thing. I think it's easy to forget that he is not only overcoming his injury history but he has less basketball experience than most players his age because of his injuries. He is fighting 2 battles right now, overcoming the injury and overcoming his lack of basketball experience. Selfishly, I want to see him play right away, but I certainly understand if they are going to bring him along really slowly.

Conspiracy theory time....here's the quick version of it:

The Kings drafted Harry Giles purely due to what he showed as a 14 and 16yearold back in HS. The knee injuries screwed up his entire development schedule. His offensive skillset in HS was extremely advanced for his age group, but he hasn't improved on them since then. His offense is very limited right now. He is massively behind in the basketball learning curve due to his 2 years of not playing. 95% of his entire game revolved around athleticism, and he's nowhere as athletic as he was before. The Kings are being cautious to make sure he's both physically and mentally caught up before they can start developing his skills. He's just not ready for the NBA right now.

I've lost count of them too, so many of them. I feel like a kid in a candy store, but Giles is the prospect that intrigues me most.

Really agree on Willie. He worries me the most out of the young guys. He just looks forced. His defense and rebounding still looks lacking. Hope I'm wrong but I just can't see him coming even close to 2Ks consistency.

I read a Jason Jones article the other day on WCS and he was doing anything other than talking a big game. He was actually pretty realistic with his development, saying that he's still working on a bunch of things and he might not even be able to show what he's got until next year.

I was just reading this, actually: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article177323231.html

That sounds about spot-on and lines up with some scouting reports I saw. I don't think that's a conspiracy theory.

One thing I remind myself is that the Guards usually have the ball. Most Bigs rely on Guards to set them up, throw alley oops, break down defenses, etc. So it could take some time for Willie and Skal to gel with the new crop of Guards on the Kings.

Coach alluded to #2
Coach alluded to #2 in an interview for NBATV'S Kings team preview. Mentioned how they now have a group of guys that are high character, enjoy coming to work together, and playing for each other. Left unsaid was that this was clearly not the case the last few seasons.

Thanks for the link. But meh not really sure what working on your game will do for your defensive awareness and motor. Just lacks the headiness to go for rebounds and decent defense. He just needs to be not terrible in those aspects as a big guy.

Update on Giles. Held out until January.

https://twitter.com/NBCSAuthentic/status/916395876884418560/photo/1

This is why I got so pissed and had a twitter rant that I since deleted. They created the expectation that he was good to go, and now have walked that back. I would like more candor out of the gate from the Front Office. Not holding my breath that it will ever change though.

Well shoot.

I totally get why they're taking this approach, there's no rush so it's best to give him the best rehab possible.

I guess I'll try to get excited about Papa G in the meantime. Haha.

Same ol. Joerger Talks about energy and rebounding - Willie about confidence and being more selfish.

I just don't get it. Willie only needs to beat a very good backup player in order to take the starting spot at center. Willie's potential as a rebounder and defender is so over the top. Literally the only thing he needs to do to play 36 mpg is run, rebound and block shots.
Yes ballhandling and jumpshots are the icing on the call, but to be honest with our guards we don't need Willie to do anything on offense other than rolling to the rim.

That's more like it. If you are going to hold him out, say so. Don't retread on your word.

Here we Go!

Is xfinity airing this game?

You know, sometimes it's better to wait before making statements like yours. I've heard from many different sources that his athleticism is off the charts right now, and that he's worked hard at developing his skills. So why don't we wait and see for ourselves just what he can and can't do instead of pretending we actually know. All we know for sure is that he was a greatly skilled, athletic highschool player that suffered two knee injuries. Beyond that, we know nothing.

I have video of the game going. Do some digging boys.

It's not like he was a lottery pick. Cough cough Papa G

I like our starting lineup. They are trashing the Spurs vets, at least for now.