Collected 2015-16 Kings Season Previews

#2
Not much of a preview to be honest. Just scratched the surface, but did manage to hit some important notes. Which Rondo do we get and will either version hit free throws? Are all the players ready to get along with the coach in at least some sort of capacity? Will our PF position be our weak link yet again (WCS is a rook, no real depth behind him)?

Good questions, but no answers as of yet. Things have been quiet as of late, but it seems that, at the very least, everyone agrees that they want to win. Baby steps...
 
K

KingMilz

Guest
#3
Not much of a preview to be honest. Just scratched the surface, but did manage to hit some important notes. Which Rondo do we get and will either version hit free throws? Are all the players ready to get along with the coach in at least some sort of capacity? Will our PF position be our weak link yet again (WCS is a rook, no real depth behind him)?

Good questions, but no answers as of yet. Things have been quiet as of late, but it seems that, at the very least, everyone agrees that they want to win. Baby steps...
Don't really see how PF can be a weak link when you consider we have the option of putting Rudy Gay or DeMarcus there I think the position that could be the weak link is SG considering Bellenlli just played Eurobasket and is not really known recently for being durable lately and Ben is still a project that I hope develops and James Anderson is not proven. PF seems like the least of our worries now that we added Kosta (which moves DMC down) or if Willie is not ready at all and we want to play small we just put Rudy there and move either Casspi or Caron into SF.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#4
Don't really see how PF can be a weak link when you consider we have the option of putting Rudy Gay or DeMarcus there I think the position that could be the weak link is SG considering Bellenlli just played Eurobasket and is not really known recently for being durable lately and Ben is still a project that I hope develops and James Anderson is not proven. PF seems like the least of our worries now that we added Kosta (which moves DMC down) or if Willie is not ready at all and we want to play small we just put Rudy there and move either Casspi or Caron into SF.
Well, what you have just described there though is a team searching because they don't have a reliable proven option at the position. It could all work out, but you'd be far better off having Ibaka or Blake or Green or Aldridge or Randolph or Davis or Favors or...its a brutal Conference to go searching every night for steadiness at the position. I'm still hopeful we can get 20+ min of defense out of WCS and then fake and tweener our way through the rest, but in the West that still leaves us with more questions than most.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#6
Well, what you have just described there though is a team searching because they don't have a reliable proven option at the position. It could all work out, but you'd be far better off having Ibaka or Blake or Green or Aldridge or Randolph or Davis or Favors or...its a brutal Conference to go searching every night for steadiness at the position. I'm still hopeful we can get 20+ min of defense out of WCS and then fake and tweener our way through the rest, but in the West that still leaves us with more questions than most.
I think that when Koufos is on the floor with Cousins, Cousins will be at the PF position, and it's possible that when he's on the floor with WCS, at least on the offensive side, Cousins will be at the PF position as well. Both Koufos and WCS are at their best on offense when close to the basket while Cuz is comfortable either way. Now if you move Gay to the PF position, then you move Cuz back to center. Whatever we come up with, it should be vastly superior to last years scenario. However, I agree that in the west, it's a tough road to hoe.
 
#9
New preview from Basketball Insiders. Nothing that we didn't know and seems to be along the same lines as what everyone else has been saying about us. Much more in depth than what Hoopshype had to offer.

"The Sacramento Kings underwent a change in management over the summer, with Vlade Divac taking over as general manager. Despite rumors that center DeMarcus Cousins would be traded near the draft in June, Divac and the Kings held fast and are still planning to build around their 25-year old center. After going 29-53 last season, the franchise still has a long way to go to compete in the Western Conference."

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/2015-16-sacramento-kings-season-preview/
 
K

KingMilz

Guest
#13
Well, what you have just described there though is a team searching because they don't have a reliable proven option at the position. It could all work out, but you'd be far better off having Ibaka or Blake or Green or Aldridge or Randolph or Davis or Favors or...its a brutal Conference to go searching every night for steadiness at the position. I'm still hopeful we can get 20+ min of defense out of WCS and then fake and tweener our way through the rest, but in the West that still leaves us with more questions than most.
No I was saying we have 2 reliable PF's in Cousins/Rudy if WCS is not capable of playing right away, obviously we would be far better off with one of those guys you said at the spot but reality is if we had one of those guys we wouldn't have Gay or Cousins to begin with (due to salary).

PF is one of the few positions in the NBA where you can play almost any style (even size) of player and it still work. We have 3 different types in Rudy/Cuz/WCS I don't see that as a weakness in any sense.
 
#14
Does it matter what you call the two Bigs? We all remember the way Cousins meshed with Dalembert on the court. What matters is who the player can defend.

IMO Cousins, WCS and Koufos is one of the better 3 Big rotations in the NBA. Add Rudy/Casspi against certain teams and Acy/Moreland when foul trouble arises and that looks like a a good front court.

Last season at Kentucky WCS played with Towns and they both produced well. It is not hard seeing WCS stepping right in and playing well with Cousins. Then you bring in Koufos or slide Gay to the 4 spot. This Front Court rotation is going to work and work well folks:)
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
#15
I agree. It's not perfect, but I like it more than our backcourt, where we're just hoping for continued improvement from Ben, and less suck from Rondo.

The roster remains a work in progress, but there is a definite direction and clear nucleus being built around Cuz, which is good on Vlade and more than one can say about PDA's flailing attempts at roster building.
 
#17
I think PF/C is a depth issue. If Kofus goes out, we're down to WCS and Acy, with Rudy ok at the 4. Cousins/WCS starting, Gay/Acy bench? I'd be a lot more comfy if we had another solid big. Maybe Acy,Moreland, or Dukan can surprise us.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#18
I think PF/C is a depth issue. If Kofus goes out, we're down to WCS and Acy, with Rudy ok at the 4. Cousins/WCS starting, Gay/Acy bench? I'd be a lot more comfy if we had another solid big. Maybe Acy,Moreland, or Dukan can surprise us.
I would expect that either, or both, Moreland (if he makes the team) and Dukan, to spend most of their time in Reno. Which means they would be available if any of the big three goes down. I don't think it's a major issue unless one of them goes out for the year. In the short term we could get by with Acy and Gay filling in at the PF position. Last season we had Cousins, Thompson, and Evans. You'll notice I didn't mention Hollins.
 
#23
That first article is atrocious. Cousins(25) a superstar, Gay(29) in his prime, Collison(28) in his prime. They signed Rondo(29), Koufos(26), Bellineli(29), Karl a hall of fame coach on his last hurrah. Yet they say "they are a team still rebuilding" will finish as cellar dwellers in the division. Yes they say we will finish behind the Lakers and that the Lakers will be fighting for the 8th seed before just falling short. Feels like something written by a 15 year old.
 
#24
That first article is atrocious. Cousins(25) a superstar, Gay(29) in his prime, Collison(28) in his prime. They signed Rondo(29), Koufos(26), Bellineli(29), Karl a hall of fame coach on his last hurrah. Yet they say "they are a team still rebuilding" will finish as cellar dwellers in the division. Yes they say we will finish behind the Lakers and that the Lakers will be fighting for the 8th seed before just falling short. Feels like something written by a 15 year old.
I think my aunt's jack russell terrier could write a more intelligent article than that.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#25
#27
All these negative and, quite frankly, stupid articles, will make our ascension to relevancy (and perhaps contention in a season or two) all that much sweeter.

I can't help but comment on the stupidity anyway. Who in their right mind really thinks the Lakers will finish 3rd in the division and be in the playoff picture? They have a just about retired Kobe, Hibbert, and a couple of nice rookies/prospects. That's supposed to propel them to 8th in the West? Ha!