This has turned into another IT thread, so I guess I could ask for input here. If IT is not to be our starting PG of the future then who will be? Could a list of PG's currently in the league that would be preferred over IT be made? From that list could a sub-list be made of PG's we could realisticly obtain via trade of free agency. It seems to me that the list would be pretty short.
[Grades] Grades v. Wolves 1/15/2014
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
as many people have pointed out, Rudy and Cuz seem to be forming a nice bond on and off the court. more evidence today:
Carmichael Dave @CarmichaelDave
Watching Memphis vs UConn. Neat to see Rudy Gay and @boogiecousins in attendance laughing and having fun.
Carmichael Dave @CarmichaelDave
Watching Memphis vs UConn. Neat to see Rudy Gay and @boogiecousins in attendance laughing and having fun.
Seems people want Rubio or his type, sound good on paper but then you start playing and you realize the guy can't penetrate because he can't shoot a lick from anywhere and he's not the quickest player. You can't play pick and roll because the defense will just sag and ask Rubio to hit a jumpshot. He would be nice on the break though, we would get some highlight dunks and alley oops. He's a solid defender yet IT lit him up for 26 and 7.
This is the sort of crap that I cannot stand from a professional athlete. IT is good, in fact he is very good but he is NOT and never will be perfect. The best of players cop criticism, constructive or not, but they cop it on the chin like a pro and go out there to prove doubters wrong.
This guy has a MASSIVE inferiority complex and its actually taking away from him being better. Rather than copping it on the chin and accepting responsibilities for his mistakes late in that game, he goes all precious. As coach Malone said, you cannot accept in wins what you are not going to accept in losses.
If IT was not so obsessed, he would do a similar thing to what Gay did after the Indy game. Put his hand up and say, guys, I am sorry. I didn't handle that well and I will make sure I learn from it. Instead he goes with "we won right?! So it doesn't matter!"
GROW THE **** UP YOU KID!
This guy has a MASSIVE inferiority complex and its actually taking away from him being better. Rather than copping it on the chin and accepting responsibilities for his mistakes late in that game, he goes all precious. As coach Malone said, you cannot accept in wins what you are not going to accept in losses.
If IT was not so obsessed, he would do a similar thing to what Gay did after the Indy game. Put his hand up and say, guys, I am sorry. I didn't handle that well and I will make sure I learn from it. Instead he goes with "we won right?! So it doesn't matter!"
GROW THE **** UP YOU KID!
They likely know that they are 2 new starters/roleplayers away from being a legitimate playoff team, and that the FO is actively working to put together a winner. These are the 2 that we need to be buddies, anyway. Kudos to PDA for taking a risk - I know I haven't been a fan of his, and there's still yet much to prove, but for the first time in a long time, I'm eagerly anticipating some wheeling and dealing at the trade deadline as opposed to our yearly "hope for some draft magic."
With so many teams getting ready for some fire sales, we might likely end up with a much stronger team than we would have had we not traded for Gay and gone for the super-tank. Now, if he does something dumb and blows our cap space on MLE type players, then I'll have an issue. I'm still grumbly about Landry...
I feel the exact opposite, which is interesting. I think there is an IT / Cousins cliq and then everyone else. I mean, it was Cousins and Thomas who held that meeting together. From day one Cousins had been an IT guy. And I've seen Rudy and DeMarcus having some not so cordial conversations on the court.
Little things like the start of this video
showing IT 'leading' the team out on to the court.. I don't know. He wouldn't be doing that if Cousins didn't respect him enough to let him. This is just one tiny tiny example. There are a million of these little instances of Cousins deferring to Thomas for leadership duties and I honestly don't think he minds.
And the only reason I really care about this is because I think trading IT right now, or at the deadline, with his value being as high as it will ever be might be the smartest move to make. And I actually like IT, but if something makes sense something makes sense. I worry what Cousins reaction to that sort of move will be. I don't think he'd be a fan of it. He hated playing with Vasquez, I think he's enjoyed most of his time with Thomas from day 1.
I really don't see the chemistry between Rudy and Cuz that others do. I mean, they look good on the court playing together because they are two talented basketball players, but I think they have very different personalities. And I'm not saying it will ever happen, but I think if the front office is deciding between Gay and Thomas, and if they pick Gay (which they should) ... Cousins will be pissed.
And on the tweeting stuff with CarmichaelDave .. I mean, he essentially called Thomas a moron, which many posters here do every night. So, yea, if Thomas wants to respond to being called that then i'm fine with it. I don't agree with what Thomas's response was, but if you don't want someone to know that you said something don't say it.
I think Thomas embarrassed himself with his retaliation to what CD said, honestly, but that doesn't mean Thomas shouldn't be allowed to respond. I wish he said something a little more articulate and meaningful, though. Not just 'we won blah blah'.
Little things like the start of this video
And the only reason I really care about this is because I think trading IT right now, or at the deadline, with his value being as high as it will ever be might be the smartest move to make. And I actually like IT, but if something makes sense something makes sense. I worry what Cousins reaction to that sort of move will be. I don't think he'd be a fan of it. He hated playing with Vasquez, I think he's enjoyed most of his time with Thomas from day 1.
I really don't see the chemistry between Rudy and Cuz that others do. I mean, they look good on the court playing together because they are two talented basketball players, but I think they have very different personalities. And I'm not saying it will ever happen, but I think if the front office is deciding between Gay and Thomas, and if they pick Gay (which they should) ... Cousins will be pissed.
And on the tweeting stuff with CarmichaelDave .. I mean, he essentially called Thomas a moron, which many posters here do every night. So, yea, if Thomas wants to respond to being called that then i'm fine with it. I don't agree with what Thomas's response was, but if you don't want someone to know that you said something don't say it.
I think Thomas embarrassed himself with his retaliation to what CD said, honestly, but that doesn't mean Thomas shouldn't be allowed to respond. I wish he said something a little more articulate and meaningful, though. Not just 'we won blah blah'.
That's the other thing. I'm sure a good majority of posters would jump at the chance of getting Rubio. No thanks. I don't want any piece of him at this point. Vasquez didn't work for the same reasons.
There are only a handful of point guards that would work with a Cousins and Gay core. Some of them are completely unavailable, some of them are but come with questions marks. I mean, Kyle Lowry will be a free agent this offseason, but how was his relationship with Gay in Toronto? Neither guy played well when they were together, and both started playing well once they separated.
Then there is Rajon Rondo, of course. Target #1.
There are only a handful of point guards that would work with a Cousins and Gay core. Some of them are completely unavailable, some of them are but come with questions marks. I mean, Kyle Lowry will be a free agent this offseason, but how was his relationship with Gay in Toronto? Neither guy played well when they were together, and both started playing well once they separated.
Then there is Rajon Rondo, of course. Target #1.
It very likely was the case last season. But Rudy trade changed everything. There's one thing Boogie wants the most, and that's of course winning. He was putting number early in the season, but it still was 30 wins team. With Rudy here it feels .500 ball at least and quality wins are starting to pile up, and this team can take on anybody (can't wait when Indiana comes to Sacramento). Boogie and Rudy are communicating a lot on the floor, plus this college game together in Memphis (of course, there's chance there was absolutely nothing to do in Memphis after all the wild night life in Sacramento, so Boogie had to agree
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this is a fallacy that people need to wash from their minds. just about any non-ball dominant PG who can pass effectively and hit the occasional jumper would work with a core of demarcus cousins and rudy gay. hell, beno udrih would likely work out fine. he'd be at the bottom end of that spectrum because he's a poor defender, but he would certainly fit the criteria as a guy who would consistently defer to cousins and gay...
rajon rondo or mike conley would be the ideal targets as the kind of players who know how to contribute at a high level alongside star level talents while also giving a consistent effort on defense, but kings fans need to set aside this notion of seeking an "upgrade" over isaiah thomas. it's not about finding the magical unicorn that statistically justifies moving thomas back to the bench, or trading him altogether. it's about fit, and anyone from udrih to mario chalmers to jarrett jack to andre miller could fill that role. and it is, indeed, a role we're talking about here...
rajon rondo or mike conley would be the ideal targets as the kind of players who know how to contribute at a high level alongside star level talents while also giving a consistent effort on defense, but kings fans need to set aside this notion of seeking an "upgrade" over isaiah thomas. it's not about finding the magical unicorn that statistically justifies moving thomas back to the bench, or trading him altogether. it's about fit, and anyone from udrih to mario chalmers to jarrett jack to andre miller could fill that role. and it is, indeed, a role we're talking about here...
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I've been relatively neutral in all of this, but if the new PG isn't a sure defensive upgrade over IT, then it's not worth it. My concern with IT is mostly on the defensive end, and while some of those names may be defensive upgrades, some (Beno) sure as heck would not be. Deferring to Cousins and Gay on offense is important, sure, but lets not forget Cousins essentially leads the league in usage, and Gay has been much more efficient and productive on the Kings very likely because he's reduced his touches and been used differently from his alpha male role in Toronto.
But whose to stay he will remain that way? IT is still a young player, playing with a young team. As they grow together as a team, he may become more reliable and less erratic. If he doesn't over the course of this season, then the FO will most likely be looking for a starter to steady the ship. But if he blossoms into a potent scoring point guard, then maybe a veteran backup will be acquired instead. I do not believe IT's one on one defense will get much better because of his physical limitations, but his team defense can always get better. The IT you see today may not be the IT you see tomorrow...
Where would the scoring come from if we got a PG that just completely deferred to Cousins and Gay all the time? Seriously, how many points per game do you want these guys to get? As of now Cousins is at 23ppg and Gay is at 20ppg. There aren't many teams with tandems like that and they aren't going to improve statistically all that much with a PG that just defers to them all game. There's only so many points per game you can score before you start becoming inefficient (ie Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady's Houston years).
I don't agree with that. What you gain in 'fit' (potentially) with a guy like Udrih, or Chalmers, or Jack, or Miller you lose production and talent. We won't no the net gain until we see it. I don't think you can replace Thomas with any of the guys you mentioned and have a better record. I just don't.
And as much as people don't like to admit, we need Thomas' scoring right now. We have two starters who likely average in the bottom 3 in their respected positions as starters. We get nothing from those guys offensively on an nightly basis, and before everyone says 'we don't need offense from those positions' the only reason that is true is because we HAVE Thomas. If we didn't, we'd need more from those guys.
And I'm not dedicating one game of starting playing time to someone like Udrih, Jack, or Miller who clearly have no long term future with this team. Bench guard? sure. Long term starter? no thanks.
This all comes back to your (or anyones) view of Thomas against mine. I think he's better than you give him credit for, meaning I need an upgrade if we are going to move on from him. And under those parameters I think there are only a handful of players who improve our team in that spot, and an even smaller handful who are available.
The target Thomas replacement needs to be a little more passive offensively, a better defender, a better playmaker, and he still needs to be able to shoot, or at the least be a threat. Thomas has the shooting part of it. He's a decent playmaker, but not great, and he is a little to 'gunnery'.
I, personally, am not giving him up (or letting him walk) unless I know the guy coming in here makes the team better. And I stand by there only being a small amount of those guys out there unless we make other major roster changes.
And as much as people don't like to admit, we need Thomas' scoring right now. We have two starters who likely average in the bottom 3 in their respected positions as starters. We get nothing from those guys offensively on an nightly basis, and before everyone says 'we don't need offense from those positions' the only reason that is true is because we HAVE Thomas. If we didn't, we'd need more from those guys.
And I'm not dedicating one game of starting playing time to someone like Udrih, Jack, or Miller who clearly have no long term future with this team. Bench guard? sure. Long term starter? no thanks.
This all comes back to your (or anyones) view of Thomas against mine. I think he's better than you give him credit for, meaning I need an upgrade if we are going to move on from him. And under those parameters I think there are only a handful of players who improve our team in that spot, and an even smaller handful who are available.
The target Thomas replacement needs to be a little more passive offensively, a better defender, a better playmaker, and he still needs to be able to shoot, or at the least be a threat. Thomas has the shooting part of it. He's a decent playmaker, but not great, and he is a little to 'gunnery'.
I, personally, am not giving him up (or letting him walk) unless I know the guy coming in here makes the team better. And I stand by there only being a small amount of those guys out there unless we make other major roster changes.
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Well, I don't think either guy can score at an NBA level, and that is a problem. It's not just the shooting, they can't beat their man off the dribble either. And I think Rubio's defense is pretty overrated. He has good hands and good length, but .. ehh. He's not a stud on that end in my opinion. If you want to say he's better than Thomas defensively than thats fair, but I don't think its as wide a margin as people think.
His defense is creating TOs, and that's one of the reasons Wolves are bad in late situations: teams with good guard play take care of the ball late in the games and defense evaporates. Still Rubio can get to places easily he just can't do anything from there. I mean layup for him is a really tough shot to convert.
P.S. IT and Kings might suffer from the same lack of time, Tyreke went through this summer. There's not enough time to evaluate. You can't just throw $8 millions for four years and say "well, we decide later, whether you're a starter or 30 minutes 6th man". Malone might change him from starter to 6th man every other game, and get away with that for a while, because IT wouldn't want to "look uncoachable" ahead of contract negotiations, but you try to bench a guy with $30 million contract and you'll get...well, Thornton. Plus if IT is your 30 minutes 6th man, your starter better resemble the guy Kings shipped to New Orleans because playing two under-6'2" guys together with IT being one of them...Boogie better learn how to be Bogut really quick.
P.S. IT and Kings might suffer from the same lack of time, Tyreke went through this summer. There's not enough time to evaluate. You can't just throw $8 millions for four years and say "well, we decide later, whether you're a starter or 30 minutes 6th man". Malone might change him from starter to 6th man every other game, and get away with that for a while, because IT wouldn't want to "look uncoachable" ahead of contract negotiations, but you try to bench a guy with $30 million contract and you'll get...well, Thornton. Plus if IT is your 30 minutes 6th man, your starter better resemble the guy Kings shipped to New Orleans because playing two under-6'2" guys together with IT being one of them...Boogie better learn how to be Bogut really quick.
sometimes i wonder if kings fans bother paying attention to the rest of the nba. no winning team anywhere across the league has, needs, or wants three 20 ppg scorers in the starting lineup. not one. even in miami, chris bosh just plays a role. he's not trying for 20 a game, and he's not attempting to hero ball his way between lebron james and dwayne wade. he understands his place in the pecking order..
for years san antonio has brought manu ginobili off the bench to balance their rotation. OKC opted to trade james harden because he would have been too expensive to keep as a sixth man. those teams win. they play defense and they win, despite encountering major injuries along the way that would cripple other teams. the kings have very little in the way of defensive personnel, and they've missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons. yet kings fans still are so worried about who's gonna score?!!!?!?!?!?! it drives me crazy...
"where would the scoring come from" if thomas is no longer a starter? seriously, who cares?! DMC and gay are good for 40-45 a night (likely more as demarcus continues to grow into his dominance). the rest of the scoring responsibility would get spread around. in fact, it might, ya know, actually be better for team chemistry/morale if a few other guys were able get shots, if marcus thornton could rediscover his not-inconsequential talent, if ben mclemore could start building confidence in his three-point shooting ability. even jimmer is proving to have utility as a scorer in very limited minutes, where he often seemed like nothing more than a lost cause before. then there's carl landry, who will be returning from injury soon. he's more than able to help pick up the slack off the bench, as well...
man, kings fans talk as if scoring is in short supply around the league, as if it's soooo difficult to find someone who can just score the ball. it is perfectly acceptable, if not absolutely preferable, to bring in a steadier veteran presence at the starting PG position while bringing the more talented isaiah thomas off the bench. if the kings can re-sign thomas to a sixth man's role without breaking the bank, then keep him and maximize his talent by letting him play his unshackled mighty mouse style with the second unit. otherwise, i say trade isaiah thomas before the deadline to fill in some defensive gaps in the roster. even in the absence of isaiah thomas, scoring will not be this team's chief concern. mike malone certainly won't think so, at any rate...
for years san antonio has brought manu ginobili off the bench to balance their rotation. OKC opted to trade james harden because he would have been too expensive to keep as a sixth man. those teams win. they play defense and they win, despite encountering major injuries along the way that would cripple other teams. the kings have very little in the way of defensive personnel, and they've missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons. yet kings fans still are so worried about who's gonna score?!!!?!?!?!?! it drives me crazy...
"where would the scoring come from" if thomas is no longer a starter? seriously, who cares?! DMC and gay are good for 40-45 a night (likely more as demarcus continues to grow into his dominance). the rest of the scoring responsibility would get spread around. in fact, it might, ya know, actually be better for team chemistry/morale if a few other guys were able get shots, if marcus thornton could rediscover his not-inconsequential talent, if ben mclemore could start building confidence in his three-point shooting ability. even jimmer is proving to have utility as a scorer in very limited minutes, where he often seemed like nothing more than a lost cause before. then there's carl landry, who will be returning from injury soon. he's more than able to help pick up the slack off the bench, as well...
man, kings fans talk as if scoring is in short supply around the league, as if it's soooo difficult to find someone who can just score the ball. it is perfectly acceptable, if not absolutely preferable, to bring in a steadier veteran presence at the starting PG position while bringing the more talented isaiah thomas off the bench. if the kings can re-sign thomas to a sixth man's role without breaking the bank, then keep him and maximize his talent by letting him play his unshackled mighty mouse style with the second unit. otherwise, i say trade isaiah thomas before the deadline to fill in some defensive gaps in the roster. even in the absence of isaiah thomas, scoring will not be this team's chief concern. mike malone certainly won't think so, at any rate...
Our starting lineup could not score when Vasquez was here. It was a real issue. This was before we got Gay, of course.
And bringing up a team like the Heat is just ... there is no comparison to be made. They are on a different planet it terms of talent and how you can even build a team. No one can follow that model. And the Spurs are an institution with one of the top 2 or 3 basketball coaches of all time. And that OKC trade did nothing for them. In fact, looking back on that move today it looks like they got hosed. They would take that one back in a second.
You are arguing many different points. I want defense, you want defense, everyone wants defense.
You clearly exaggerated my point of view to make your points, which is fine. For some reason you think I'm worried more about scoring then defense. All I'm saying is that there is a curve where losing offense and gaining defense (or making any trade off) reaches a point where the net gain is nothing. And you aren't even adding defense with your replacements. You are adding Udrih who is a bad defender, and Miller and Jack who are average at best.
Whatever chemistry things you change by putting any old point guard in there for Thomas wouldn't make up for the scoring and overall talent you lose. IF we bring in the right guy I have no issue whatsoever in replacing Thomas in the starting lineup, but I'm not doing that for Andre freaking Miller. Or Jack. Or Udrih. No way.
We are basically playing .500 ball since the Gay trade. That is a massive improvement. It's a small sample size, but having Cousins/Thomas/Gay here and adding a SG who can shoot (or McLemore improves) and a PF who can defend could push us above .500 ... We aren't THAT far away. Most of the major pieces towards success are already here. So no, I'm not subtracting a good player for these players you are mentioning that aren't worth a lot more than the league minimum.
Give me Rondo and I'll drive Thomas to the airport myself.
If we make other changes to the roster, like a move including Thomas that gets us Noah or Sanders or whatever then the whole team composition changes and we can move on from there, but as a simple 1 for 1 upgrade at point guard, I still think there are only a handful of better options out there.
And bringing up a team like the Heat is just ... there is no comparison to be made. They are on a different planet it terms of talent and how you can even build a team. No one can follow that model. And the Spurs are an institution with one of the top 2 or 3 basketball coaches of all time. And that OKC trade did nothing for them. In fact, looking back on that move today it looks like they got hosed. They would take that one back in a second.
You are arguing many different points. I want defense, you want defense, everyone wants defense.
You clearly exaggerated my point of view to make your points, which is fine. For some reason you think I'm worried more about scoring then defense. All I'm saying is that there is a curve where losing offense and gaining defense (or making any trade off) reaches a point where the net gain is nothing. And you aren't even adding defense with your replacements. You are adding Udrih who is a bad defender, and Miller and Jack who are average at best.
Whatever chemistry things you change by putting any old point guard in there for Thomas wouldn't make up for the scoring and overall talent you lose. IF we bring in the right guy I have no issue whatsoever in replacing Thomas in the starting lineup, but I'm not doing that for Andre freaking Miller. Or Jack. Or Udrih. No way.
We are basically playing .500 ball since the Gay trade. That is a massive improvement. It's a small sample size, but having Cousins/Thomas/Gay here and adding a SG who can shoot (or McLemore improves) and a PF who can defend could push us above .500 ... We aren't THAT far away. Most of the major pieces towards success are already here. So no, I'm not subtracting a good player for these players you are mentioning that aren't worth a lot more than the league minimum.
Give me Rondo and I'll drive Thomas to the airport myself.
If we make other changes to the roster, like a move including Thomas that gets us Noah or Sanders or whatever then the whole team composition changes and we can move on from there, but as a simple 1 for 1 upgrade at point guard, I still think there are only a handful of better options out there.
well this is a point of contention we will never agree on. i do not believe that it is viable in the long term to try and stuff three ball dominant 20 ppg scorers in the kings' starting unit, none of whom are particularly strong team defenders, and one of whom is among the worst defenders at his position across the entire league in isaiah thomas...
in the nba, you need a balanced rotation to succeed. you excuse the example of manu ginobili because the spurs "are an institution with one of the top 2 or 3 basketball coaches of all time," as if that's not a good reason to emulate their use of a dynamic scorer as their sixth man while starting a less talented player in front of him. as for OKC, you say that the james harden trade "did nothing for them," yet their salary cap situation says differently, as does their persistently excellent win/loss record...
this isn't fantasy sports. it's not nba 2k14. there are real-world financial consequences to consider, and beyond that, basketball is simply not about stacking as many high usage scorers into a starting lineup as possible. if you have too many, you re-purpose one off the bench, or you trade one to shore up other areas of need. it's that simple...
in the nba, you need a balanced rotation to succeed. you excuse the example of manu ginobili because the spurs "are an institution with one of the top 2 or 3 basketball coaches of all time," as if that's not a good reason to emulate their use of a dynamic scorer as their sixth man while starting a less talented player in front of him. as for OKC, you say that the james harden trade "did nothing for them," yet their salary cap situation says differently, as does their persistently excellent win/loss record...
this isn't fantasy sports. it's not nba 2k14. there are real-world financial consequences to consider, and beyond that, basketball is simply not about stacking as many high usage scorers into a starting lineup as possible. if you have too many, you re-purpose one off the bench, or you trade one to shore up other areas of need. it's that simple...
Malone has said he wants to be sure to stagger the playing time Cousins and Gay to make sure we have their scoring available at all times. I don't doubt that if we had another serviceable PG, he would do the same with Thomas, making sure that you have 2/3 of Cousins/Gay/Thomas on the floor at most times. If we could trade Thornton for a Miller or a Jack, that would be perfect. Whether you start those guys or Thomas, though, I don't think matters much.
Edit to add: I agree, though, that Landry could change the whole dynamic. I'd start by platooning him and Cousins, so you always have a post scorer available. Will be interesting to see how he fits in long term. I think you only really need one $6.5 million scoring 6th man, and it may be that Landry and IT are both ideally suited for that.
Edit to add: I agree, though, that Landry could change the whole dynamic. I'd start by platooning him and Cousins, so you always have a post scorer available. Will be interesting to see how he fits in long term. I think you only really need one $6.5 million scoring 6th man, and it may be that Landry and IT are both ideally suited for that.
I'd also add that the whole 20/20/20 "issue" that is for some reason a hangup wouldn't be a concern if our SGs were doing anything worth a damn. Get anything half decent (is it too much, at this point, that Ben can become a 13 PPG 3 and D guy?) and then you're looking at something like 24/21/16.5/13... which happens to be this season's 29-9 Trail Blazers.
Well, considering they probably got him to play a similar role to how Malone knew him with the Warriors, it's worth pointing out he played 23 minutes/game in Golden State last year. Still, likely requires 10-12 minutes next to Cousins, which... is less than ideal. Really, really interesting to see how this plays out.
Would you kindly stop following me around the board with these stupid troll job responses? Either respond with something somewhat intelligent or keep it to yourself. You have absolutely no idea what post or what point I was even responding to, so how do you know "the point" went right over my head?
Why are you comparing the Heat to us? They have Beasley, Allen, Chalmers, Cole, Anderson and Lewis. All guys who can put points on the board in different ways. We don't have that kind of talent on our bench. We have Williams and he'd be the 4th or 5th best guy on their bench. If they had IT, they could trade him because they have James and Wade who can both rack up assists, plus Chalmers and Cole who can do some playmaking as well. Our team doesn't have that. Cousins is ok at it and Rudy is ok at it. IT is the only good playmaker we have so if you're going to get rid of him, you absolutely have to replace him with someone who can set the table. You can't rely on our crappy players to all the sudden turn into good players. IT is holding no one back and he's taking shots from no one who deserves them.
We aren't the Heat or the Spurs. We don't have one of the best players to ever play the game and we don't have one of the best coaches to ever coach. We're Sacramento and we aren't going to bring in free agents either. You're trying to compare teams that are talented top to bottom to a team that has about 4 talented players and a bunch of fodder. And the weird thing is that you think one of those 4 is the problem. Boggles my mind.
Why are you comparing the Heat to us? They have Beasley, Allen, Chalmers, Cole, Anderson and Lewis. All guys who can put points on the board in different ways. We don't have that kind of talent on our bench. We have Williams and he'd be the 4th or 5th best guy on their bench. If they had IT, they could trade him because they have James and Wade who can both rack up assists, plus Chalmers and Cole who can do some playmaking as well. Our team doesn't have that. Cousins is ok at it and Rudy is ok at it. IT is the only good playmaker we have so if you're going to get rid of him, you absolutely have to replace him with someone who can set the table. You can't rely on our crappy players to all the sudden turn into good players. IT is holding no one back and he's taking shots from no one who deserves them.
We aren't the Heat or the Spurs. We don't have one of the best players to ever play the game and we don't have one of the best coaches to ever coach. We're Sacramento and we aren't going to bring in free agents either. You're trying to compare teams that are talented top to bottom to a team that has about 4 talented players and a bunch of fodder. And the weird thing is that you think one of those 4 is the problem. Boggles my mind.