Can we still Contend with this line up?
- Thread starter Pacboy
- Start date
No matter what you think of this team and the individuals on it, you MUST look at the other teams in the conference and that will answer your question plain and simple. San Antonio? PHX? Dal? Hou? Den? Thought so.
I asked this question before, and have asked other people as well and no one has been able to give me an answer: What are the Kings good at, what is their strenght?
When we figure that out, then maybe we are back on the road of talking about a possible contending team
I asked this question before, and have asked other people as well and no one has been able to give me an answer: What are the Kings good at, what is their strenght?
When we figure that out, then maybe we are back on the road of talking about a possible contending team
never thought they'd be real contenders since the trade. so my answer would be no. i was hoping they could pull off a 1st round upset, though.
i'm expecting a lot of changes. hopefully,it will make us better and make us contenders again. if not, then i'm content with just watching the team and hopefully they get a little chemistry with whoever's gonna be there next year and play entertaining kings basketball.
my biggest thing really if they lose in the 1st round early is that i'll miss seeing the guys play. and it's a LOOOONG wait till the season begins again.
i'm expecting a lot of changes. hopefully,it will make us better and make us contenders again. if not, then i'm content with just watching the team and hopefully they get a little chemistry with whoever's gonna be there next year and play entertaining kings basketball.
my biggest thing really if they lose in the 1st round early is that i'll miss seeing the guys play. and it's a LOOOONG wait till the season begins again.
The big question for the Kings in the offseason is whether or not the team has a player on the roster that can be the marquee player to lead this team for the next few years back into contention, or whether a couple of the "stars" on this team can be packaged to land that marquee player.
Is Bibby that player? Can he be a guy that the Kings can count on night in and night out as the man which the rest of the team is built around? Prior to this playoff series, I probably would've have been as inclined to say yes as much as no, but at this point, I'm inclined to say no. The judgment is probably a bit unfair considering the manner in which this team has just been tossed together for the playoffs, but that would still be my judgment at this point.
I like the core of Bibby, Peja and Miller. Those three are a great base. But they aren't a great enough base that the team just needs to find some other role players to fill the roster. The Kings still have significant holes with those three players on the floor (athleticism being the biggest), and so need to address those areas first. I don't think Cat fits the bill sandwiched between Peja and Bibby. Kings need a guy that is a good 6'6" and athletic, not a guy who is a bit on the smaller side of SGs.
Is Bibby that player? Can he be a guy that the Kings can count on night in and night out as the man which the rest of the team is built around? Prior to this playoff series, I probably would've have been as inclined to say yes as much as no, but at this point, I'm inclined to say no. The judgment is probably a bit unfair considering the manner in which this team has just been tossed together for the playoffs, but that would still be my judgment at this point.
I like the core of Bibby, Peja and Miller. Those three are a great base. But they aren't a great enough base that the team just needs to find some other role players to fill the roster. The Kings still have significant holes with those three players on the floor (athleticism being the biggest), and so need to address those areas first. I don't think Cat fits the bill sandwiched between Peja and Bibby. Kings need a guy that is a good 6'6" and athletic, not a guy who is a bit on the smaller side of SGs.
You know, after the Phillie game here, I thought AI said something that seemed like a swipe at Skinner. Said he told Skinner he was playing great and to keep it up. But then he said whether Skinner would keep it up remained to be seen.
I do agree that we could use more height at SG, altho I like some things about Cuttino.
I do agree that we could use more height at SG, altho I like some things about Cuttino.
People who actually thought we could contend with this were high on something. There weren't more than a handful. Most were just really gleeful that Webber was gone and the euphoria probably got to their heads.
Beating the Sonics was a more realistic goal. But looks like it's getting less and less likely.
Beating the Sonics was a more realistic goal. But looks like it's getting less and less likely.
This thread is temporarily closed for remodeling.
I've done some editing and I'm reopening the thread.
Be forewarned. If people want to make racial stereotypical remarks, they're going to have to find a new place to post them. It's not open to discussion or debate.
Thanks for understanding.
VF
I've done some editing and I'm reopening the thread.
Be forewarned. If people want to make racial stereotypical remarks, they're going to have to find a new place to post them. It's not open to discussion or debate.
Thanks for understanding.
VF
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Umm, the fact that our new undersized frontcourt (Skinner, Williamson, Thomas) consists of three guys who all happen to be black is not the problem. The problem is that they are undersized. They are also three guys providing more than their fair share of 'defense and heart' as you put it, so it's not like they're the whole problem. You can't blame them for being short. It's not their weakness as players that is hurting the team (all have been playing excellent ball for guys with their particular physical talents), it's the weakness of how the team is constructed. All of them individually are fantastic guys to have on a roster. But the roster as a whole lacks frontcourt size. You can't really blame Petrie for having a faulty roster when the thing was practically slapped together on the fly. It is what it is for now, and hopefully it will get better in the near future.
I suspect you were only using the term 'black players' as a description (and you're right, upon close inspection, all are evidently black) - but by doing so you risk confusing the issue by suggesting (unintentionally?) that their, umm, 'blackness' as it were, is a part of the problem. Clearly you know that not to be so, I hope.
As for Mobley, calling him useless is pretty unfair. The guy practically carried us in the end of game 1, and it certainly wasn't the first time he's done so since becoming a King. I've already written elsewhere what I see to be his limitations (defensive liability - due mostly to lack of size and speed, not effort or 'heart'; and unfamiliarity with a 'passing' offense - he played with Stevie Franchise for years). One of those weaknesses isn't going to get any better, because it's related to his physical qualities, but the other quite possibly could.
And while I agree that this team with Webber (who always steps it up in the playoffs, despite what his reputation may be) and Christie (assuming he were still playing at this point in the season) and even Vlade (if we go way back) would have had a good shot at carving up this postseason like a Thanksgiving turkey, I don't think it's fair at all to refer to Skinner, Thomas, and Williamson as "some undersized scrubs". I may have used the term myself in an emotional outburst or two when the trade, as they say, 'went down' but since then the three of them have changed my mind. Nobody who puts up a double-double in this league, and then goes out there the next night and does it again, should be considered a scrub. Especially not when you throw in a handful of steals, blocks, and assists to go with it. I should reiterate that the roster as it now stands is not ideal, but that doesn't make it a bad trade for the future and it certainly doesn't justify your calling these guys scrubs when what they actually are is solid role-players, a commodity championship teams accumulate in surplus.
And one last note, scoring may not have been a problem with Webber still on the team (which I might add is far from a forgone conclusion), but Ray Allen going for 45 still would have been. Considering the see-saw effect of shooting percentages, I think that actually looms as a bigger problem than the shots not dropping for 24 minutes. But I may be wrong about that, I wasn't able to watch games 3 and 4.
EDIT: Well then. With the post removed, none of this makes much sense does it? A for effort maybe?
I suspect you were only using the term 'black players' as a description (and you're right, upon close inspection, all are evidently black) - but by doing so you risk confusing the issue by suggesting (unintentionally?) that their, umm, 'blackness' as it were, is a part of the problem. Clearly you know that not to be so, I hope.
As for Mobley, calling him useless is pretty unfair. The guy practically carried us in the end of game 1, and it certainly wasn't the first time he's done so since becoming a King. I've already written elsewhere what I see to be his limitations (defensive liability - due mostly to lack of size and speed, not effort or 'heart'; and unfamiliarity with a 'passing' offense - he played with Stevie Franchise for years). One of those weaknesses isn't going to get any better, because it's related to his physical qualities, but the other quite possibly could.
And while I agree that this team with Webber (who always steps it up in the playoffs, despite what his reputation may be) and Christie (assuming he were still playing at this point in the season) and even Vlade (if we go way back) would have had a good shot at carving up this postseason like a Thanksgiving turkey, I don't think it's fair at all to refer to Skinner, Thomas, and Williamson as "some undersized scrubs". I may have used the term myself in an emotional outburst or two when the trade, as they say, 'went down' but since then the three of them have changed my mind. Nobody who puts up a double-double in this league, and then goes out there the next night and does it again, should be considered a scrub. Especially not when you throw in a handful of steals, blocks, and assists to go with it. I should reiterate that the roster as it now stands is not ideal, but that doesn't make it a bad trade for the future and it certainly doesn't justify your calling these guys scrubs when what they actually are is solid role-players, a commodity championship teams accumulate in surplus.
And one last note, scoring may not have been a problem with Webber still on the team (which I might add is far from a forgone conclusion), but Ray Allen going for 45 still would have been. Considering the see-saw effect of shooting percentages, I think that actually looms as a bigger problem than the shots not dropping for 24 minutes. But I may be wrong about that, I wasn't able to watch games 3 and 4.
EDIT: Well then. With the post removed, none of this makes much sense does it? A for effort maybe?
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hrdboild - Actually it's a pretty good summarization of what the points could have been, without the stereotyping.
The main word I think everyone keeps forgetting is:
UNDERSIZED!
We gave up a legitimate 6'10" power forward and got back three guys who may have all the talent in the world but they simply do not have the requisite size.
Every thing else is window dressing. Size DOES matter, especially in power forwards.
The main word I think everyone keeps forgetting is:
UNDERSIZED!
We gave up a legitimate 6'10" power forward and got back three guys who may have all the talent in the world but they simply do not have the requisite size.
Every thing else is window dressing. Size DOES matter, especially in power forwards.
This line up was never meant to contend and one who thinks it was/is are deluding themselves. This line up served 2 purposes. It is a nice collection of mid level contracts that allow for movement in the off season and it was exciting at times to watch. They are doing just about as expected, don't be too hard on the guys, espcialy the starters who really have tried.
