So what is the problem with the Kings this year?

[jcassio]

So what is the problem with the Kings this year? - The million dollar question!
I think we'd all agree that it's not just one or two things. But what do YOU think are the biggest problems?
Rather than use the poll, I thought it would be more interesting to have each poster (with an opinion) indicate their TOP THREE PROBLEMS.
Use my suggestions below (by cutting & pasting into your post) or come up with your own.

-Tyreke's foot problem
-Lack of a true point guard to run the team
-Beno's defense, or lack thereof, or he's not a true PG
-Cisco's play is inconsistent and/or his wrist is still not right
-Casspi is too selfish as a player, or his shooting is inconsistent, or he's a liability on defense
-Greene's shooting is inconsistent, or his play is too inconsistent, especially on the offensive side
-Landry lost his mojo, or he's an undersized power forward who can't/won't rebound, or he's not being used to his strengths
-JT makes too many mistakes, including fouls, or has a low basketball IQ
-Cousins is a rookie and makes too many mistakes, or has a bad attitude and makes everyone else perform badly
-Dalembert's been good for the defense but bad for the offense
-Westphal's not the coach this team needs, or he's got to be sacrificed for obvious reasons
-The coaching staff must suck, because the team sucks
-The GM must suck, because the team sucks
-The owners must suck, because the team sucks
-Expectations... the team doesn't suck; they're just young and we should support them better and be happy about getting a top draft pick

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

So what is the problem with the Kings this year? - The million dollar question!
I think we'd all agree that it's not just one or two things. But what do YOU think are the biggest problems?
Rather than use the poll, I thought it would be more interesting to have each poster (with an opinion) indicate their TOP THREE PROBLEMS.
Use my suggestions below (by cutting & pasting into your post) or come up with your own.

-Tyreke's foot problem
-Lack of a true point guard to run the team
-Beno's defense, or lack thereof, or he's not a true PG
-Cisco's play is inconsistent and/or his wrist is still not right
-Casspi is too selfish as a player, or his shooting is inconsistent, or he's a liability on defense
-Greene's shooting is inconsistent, or his play is too inconsistent, especially on the offensive side
-Landry lost his mojo, or he's an undersized power forward who can't/won't rebound, or he's not being used to his strengths
-JT makes too many mistakes, including fouls, or has a low basketball IQ
-Cousins is a rookie and makes too many mistakes, or has a bad attitude and makes everyone else perform badly
-Dalembert's been good for the defense but bad for the offense
-Westphal's not the coach this team needs, or he's got to be sacrificed for obvious reasons
-The coaching staff must suck, because the team sucks
-The GM must suck, because the team sucks
-The owners must suck, because the team sucks
-Expectations... the team doesn't suck; they're just young and we should support them better and be happy about getting a top draft pick

The same thing that's been their problem the last 4 or 5 years, not enough good players. No complex analysis required, It really is that simple.

 

[mac]

1. Lack of players who can play both ends, resulting in sacrificing either defense or offense. Our offensive lineups give up easy fast break points and points in the paint. Our defensive ones give us about 3 FGs in a quarter.
2. Tyreke's play, be it due to his foot problem or anything else. Our main offensive system is designed around Tyreke, and with him playing this bad everything else just collapses. Even when he gets to the rim he isn't converting at a high rate.
3. Poorly designed/executed offensive sets, where players' strengths are not being utilised. When Tyreke's drive is not working, we can't have a drive and kick offense. Problem is, we don't have any other offense.

 

[Sarunas]

The same thing that's been their problem the last 4 or 5 years, not enough good players. No complex analysis required, It really is that simple.

This is all I can think of too. There might be other issues such as anemic offensive sets, but they are all microcosms of this bigger picture. Take last night for example. (Not counting Martin or Scola since we know they are proven players), we were outclassed by the Rockets players, and I don't think anyone will go out on a limb and say they are an incredibly talented team. I wouldn't say they had a much better game plan, we were just sloppy with the ball, and the likes of Lowry, Ish Smith, Courtney Lee, Chuck Hayes, Chase Budinger, etc. all played better than our guys, and can be argued they are better players right now.

 

[ArcoKings]

Here's what I think- the first two taken from jcassio's list:

-Lack of a true point guard to run the team
-The coaching staff must suck, because the team sucks

- Overall, the talent level of the players is just not there. (This may fall under the expectations choice on the list.) It's like there's a glass ceiling over the whole team's ability. After 20 games I thought the team would already show considerable improvement over the first handful of games but its clearly not there. Maybe lack of confidence? The team is in danger of having a worse record than two years ago.

 

['89 Kings Fan]

Tyreke Evans PER
09/10 - 18.2
10/11 - 13.3

Carl Landry PER
HOU 09/10 21.1
SAC 10/11 13.4

That is a big drop off. A lot of this rests on the Coaches. Not getting Tyreke healthy after being cut from the World Team, not putting Landry in a position to succeed, and not figuring out a rotation 1/4 through the season.

Also Francisco has been a disappointment for me. I was hoping he would become Doug Christie 2.0, providing the defense, ball handling and corner 3s this team needs from the SG position. Now he can't even beat out Luther Head for the starting job.

 

[Arena Skeptic]

If I was the general manager of the Kings and Joe and Gavin stormed into my office and demanded that I make the 2010 Sacramento Kings worse than they currently are, I'm really not sure what I'd do.

"Start by making us worse shooters!", they'd demand. "We rebound far too well!". "More Turnovers!".

"Yes, Joe. I'll see what I can do."

It already looks to me as though the goal is to be ranked near the bottom in every single statistical category the league tracks.

If you're sensing a certain amount of animosity in my recent posts, good for you.

 

[UK_King]

Cousins looked like the go to guy out there last night definitely seemed to have game above his years.

I'm not sure if GP and PW thought it but we definitely had the expectation level on Tyreke and Demarcus way too high. We expected rekes jump shot to look like Ray Allen and Cousins to be playing like shaq.

People all over the place were talking about playoffs.

the offence in the third last night was just plain weird... through 2 we didn't look awful (not great) but not awful... we were getting in the paint and getting some production from our big guys. Then in the third Luther Head and Beno went totally ball dominant and turned it over again and again. Head was just jacking 3 pointers with 20 on the shot clock.. beno was going for long cross court passes to no one.

it was all forced. I'm not sure what PW says to them at HT but it definitely doesn't work.

 

[LWP777]

The same thing that's been their problem the last 4 or 5 years, not enough good players. No complex analysis required, It really is that simple.

This

 

[CruzDude]

1. Inconsistent guard play. Part due to Tyreke foot problems, part due to serious fall off when Head is in, part due to no real leadership on floor from guards. Kings played well with Beno and Pooh in first but as soon as Head came in instant 10 pts the other way. Same in second half.

2. Demarcus learning how to play NBA game and to eliminate silly fouls. However, last night he played great and in 2nd half dild not commit any fouls but Coach only used him total of 26 min. Coach reason was pretty lame ".... Didn't want him to get too frustrated when he would foul.". Trouble was he DID NOT commit any fouls in second half and played well.

3. Total lack of consistency I see as equal parts coaching and player attitude. Having floor leader would go long way to solving this as now everyone seems to defer to Tyreke but he is not leader solution by his own admission.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Icky closed-door coach-player disconnect is my guess. You can see it all the way back to training camp with Donte showing up overweight and SAR being reassigned to management.

 

[Shabazz916]

we have all the players we need i just don't think the coach is the 1 to coach it!

we have big men who can shoot the mid range so why no big men at the top against man D and guards cutting???

why do we not have any back door lobs to green or reke ? why not good spacing and pick and roll ?

why are we not playing harder smarter D ?

Its a simple lack of good coaching!!!!

 

[QoooooQ]

I prefer not to overthink this, so:

-Tyreke's foot problem
-Tyreke's foot problem
-Tyreke's foot problem

When he gets back to 100% shape, we'll win some games again. Maybe even 25 wins might still be possible this season.

 

[Asaf]

I prefer not to overthink this, so:

-Tyreke's foot problem
-Tyreke's foot problem
-Tyreke's foot problem

When he gets back to 100% shape, we'll win some games again. Maybe even 25 wins might still be possible this season.

Out of the last 52 games of the previous season, we won 11 with a healthy Tyreke. I wouldn't put my money on us tearing up the league with Tyreke back from his injury.

 

[LakersStink]

Owners got cheap and less enthusiastic about spending money, esp. after that rig job in 2002

 

[Jalee209]

Simple! Our players are dumb as rocks! We have the lowest bball IQ in the entire league. Nothing is going to change it until we bring in smarter players over.

 

[D13]

Lack or a true locker room / floor leader... A respected vet leader that will not take any BS, and hates losing... and will kick your *** if not with it... ie; Vlade, CWebb.

 

[LPKingsFan]

Tyreke Evans PER
09/10 - 18.2
10/11 - 13.3

Carl Landry PER
HOU 09/10 21.1
SAC 10/11 13.4

That is a big drop off. A lot of this rests on the Coaches. Not getting Tyreke healthy after being cut from the World Team, not putting Landry in a position to succeed, and not figuring out a rotation 1/4 through the season.

Also Francisco has been a disappointment for me. I was hoping he would become Doug Christie 2.0, providing the defense, ball handling and corner 3s this team needs from the SG position. Now he can't even beat out Luther Head for the starting job.

Pretty much sums it up well enough for me. These were arguably our two best players by the end of last season. We were supposed to be better this year, yet both have taken a major step back. Tyreke might get some excuse from being hurt... but Carl? Is it the coaching staff's fault? Did we simply expect too much? Who knows.

Agree, also, about Cisco. After the Martin trade, I couldn't wait for Cisco to get healthy because he seemed to be the perfect backcourt mate w Tyreke. Now, of course, he's barely a factor. What gives? Expectations? Or is he underperforming?

 

[The Basketball Kings]

Simple! Our players are dumb as rocks! We have the lowest bball IQ in the entire league. Nothing is going to change it until we bring in smarter players over.

^ This.

 

[kingsboi]

The inability to compete every night, the lack of focus and communication on the court, selfishness, lazy play, inconsistent coaching, just to name a few. It's obvious that Westphal doesn't know how to use his personnel. It's also pretty obvious that a healthy Tyreke won't make a difference at all because quite frankly, teams figured him out, he needs to hit the gym. There is just too much to ramble on about so I'll just stop now.

 

[jcassio]

After the Martin trade, I couldn't wait for Cisco to get healthy because he seemed to be the perfect backcourt mate w Tyreke. Now, of course, he's barely a factor. What gives? Expectations? Or is he underperforming?

I also expcted more from Cisco. He actually started off the season looking pretty good. Then lost his shot and hasn't found the consistency he needs ever since. I also wonder if his wrist is fully healed. There have been more than a few times this year when Cisco got banged and ended up holding his wrist - as if he reinjured it. I think it's in his head.

 

[Bricklayer]

When basically every single major player on the team has taken a step back/is disappointing you have to look outside the personnel for your biggest culprits. The coaches are a good place to start, sometimes its chemsitry, but whatever it is its universal to everybody, not a player by player thing. Only gets more obvious when you consider our youth -- young players naturally improve just from learning, so not only should we not be stagnating, we should just naturally be getting better by doing nothing but maturing. None of that is going on. So, like I say look for the universal factors that touch everybody and you are will probably find your problems.

 

[Bricklayer]

I also expcted more from Cisco. He actually started off the season looking pretty good. Then lost his shot and hasn't found the consistency he needs ever since. I also wonder if his wrist is fully healed. There have been more than a few times this year when Cisco got banged and ended up holding his wrist - as if he reinjured it. I think it's in his head.

If Cisco so much as stubs his toe he immediately dives to te floor rolling aorund grabbing his foot, so you can never really tell with him. He's got soccer player syndrome.

 

[pshn80]

One way to look at defining our problem this year is to look at our cap room. I understand we are one of the few with lots. I think our record so far reflects that we don't have useful talent because we haven't even tried to spend our money and get talent. Supposedly we have a lot of potential talent which, in the future, will use up our cap space to keep the gems we develop. I guess we are where we paid to be. Hunker down and watch for occasional signs of sparkle.

 

[91sickness]

One way to look at defining our problem this year is to look at our cap room. I understand we are one of the few with lots. I think our record so far reflects that we don't have useful talent because we haven't even tried to spend our money and get talent. Supposedly we have a lot of potential talent which, in the future, will use up our cap space to keep the gems we develop. I guess we are where we paid to be. Hunker down and watch for occasional signs of sparkle.

Totally agree. we have the most cap space and the least amount of talent, that goes perfectly hand in hand. Until we bring in some talent we will continue to lose games and be bottom feeders in this league. As depressing as it is, the Kings will most likely leave Sac before making the playoffs. It was fun while it lasted!

 

[Lockehead]

compared to last year?

Id say the biggest problem is the influx of new players. We didnt have a foundation to build on, so we had to start fresh in assessing the players' talents, their weaknesses and strengths, etc. Our lineups had to be decided: who works well with who, who's going to come in off the bench, who's starting. Once we figured out what our team was, we had to start learning how to get better, how to improve on our weaknesses, how to play our strengths all of that crap. And these things take time to figure out, by playing against other teams in the NBA, seeing where you stack up, etc.

Main point being, we're literally a brand new team. You could say we've taken a step back compared to last year because we lost our starters of Hawes and Nocioni.

Thats just one of my reasons of course. Theres a lot of reasons for why were playing bad but i think we'll figure it out once we get more games in.

On that note, does anybody believe we're playing worse than we had been playing earlier in the season? I think we're playing better. We're now starting to settle into being a team.

 

[Gary]

Basically my problem with the Kings is that they are a gaggle of players with low BBIQ who are all in it for themselves. None of them have any idea how to play team ball yet they get upset and tell the media that they are not playing team ball when they themselves are guilty of the same thing. It's a mess from the coaching staff to the players, and until someone steps in and says "PASS THE FRICKING BALL OR YOU DON'T PLAY".

If I were GM my first priority would be to get a PG in here and move Evans to SG where he belongs. See if it works out with Evans not controlling the ball and actually get some movement out there. If Evans can't play in that system then trade him. Only play greene when in practice with a broom in my hand (to guard against his 3pt shot) he can hit 50% of his 3pt shots (give him 20, he needs to make 10 or he isn't playing the next game).

Most of that was a joke, but I do want a real PG in here. Evans is NOT a PG.

 

[Mr. Hide]

the main problem of the kings lies in diferent place. It lacks LEADERSHIP! That is the main problem of the kings. The are bunch of young players, most of them selfish that put the good of their statistics before the good of their group. Simple as That. Evans is very selfish so he can't be a natural leader, Beno also is very selfish, Garcia who is veteran is too small head in the hirarchy of the players, Casspi is a foriener (with probabely different mentality and outlook),Green is very childish, Thompson is a good guy, yet he lacks leadership, cuosines is only a roocky, Delmart is a new guy, so who can get the leader's chair? Add to this the catastrophic coach who doesn't know how to manage the games, Attack without exersize, players without will, and there you have the answer.

 

[dmj]

This was the third worst team in the league last year and the worst two years ago. Our only offseason moves were adding Cousins and Dalembert. No one should be surprised that we are a bad team this year.

I'm honestly baffled that people want Westphal to bear the brunt of the blame for our losing given our roster.

 

[Kingster]

Pretty much sums it up well enough for me. These were arguably our two best players by the end of last season. We were supposed to be better this year, yet both have taken a major step back. Tyreke might get some excuse from being hurt... but Carl? Is it the coaching staff's fault? Did we simply expect too much? Who knows.

Agree, also, about Cisco. After the Martin trade, I couldn't wait for Cisco to get healthy because he seemed to be the perfect backcourt mate w Tyreke. Now, of course, he's barely a factor. What gives? Expectations? Or is he underperforming?

Cisco has been a disaster because of his poor shooting. The leg kick he has is a terrible habit, which he must correct. Unfortunately, correcting it isn't going to happen overnight, especially when it looks like he's been practicing that kick all summer long. Even without the poor shooting, Cisco is not the type of guard you want to play with Tyreke. He doesn't have the quickness, and he doesn't have the ball handling ability.