[Game] Spurs @ Kings (pre-season) discussion - 10/8/15

[KingsFanGER]

Kings struggling right now to work Cuz into the new style of play. Rudy's finishing ability meshes well with Rondo. But Cuz post game is non existent right now, with the opposing defense playing a huge part in it. And Cuz really struggles while trying to create his own shot and tends to force things, because he is not worked into the offense properly.

It's preseason, so Kings maybe just testing the waters and trying different things. But we better figure it out, how to work Cuz into the offense until opening night, or the result will be a very unhappy superstar, 4-6 turnovers a game and easy transition baskets for the Clippers.

Willie, Koufos and Rondo looked very good last night. And Anderson may be a solid player after all.

 

[KingMilz]

I love this WCS fellow, not only does he disrupt the offense the dude is a serious man to man defender on top of it, easily right now my favorite King on the roster. Rondo put on a masterclass in PG play he looked amazing out there and Rudy last two games have also been stellar. Bellenlli aside from Rudy is the only decent wing we got so far while Casspi and Mclemore look like last years Ramon Sessions.

I love the 3 headed trio of Kosta/Cuz/WCS hard to find a trio that big that defend as all three do.

 

[ForlornKing]

Was at the game. Don't know if Cuz was not feeling well or tired but he was moving around the court/dead ball situations like a slug. Hung his head a lot just didn't look really motivated. Was wondering what his facial expressions looked like on TV?

Also - This wasn't the Spurs D squad AT ALL.

You could make the argument Aldridge and Leonard are the Spurs two best players.

 

[Sac.Kings]

Was at the game. Don't know if Cuz was not feeling well or tired but he was moving around the court/dead ball situations like a slug. Hung his head a lot just didn't look really motivated. Was wondering what his facial expressions looked like on TV?

Also - This wasn't the Spurs D squad AT ALL.

You could make the argument Aldridge and Leonard are the Spurs two best players.

What you saw on the court is what I saw on tv. That is by far the thing I hate most about his game. Emotion or no emotion that is just behavior I will never support from any player. Play the damn game!!

 

[nebs]

Was at the game. Don't know if Cuz was not feeling well or tired but he was moving around the court/dead ball situations like a slug. Hung his head a lot just didn't look really motivated. Was wondering what his facial expressions looked like on TV?

Also - This wasn't the Spurs D squad AT ALL.

You could make the argument Aldridge and Leonard are the Spurs two best players.

Yeah he looked like you described.

Also, someone mentioned (not sure if it was here or STR or Twitter) that during one of the first timeouts the whole bench got up to the huddle except Demarcus who just stayed sitting. But Caron Butler told him he needed to get up and he did.

Then when Cuz almost got into the altercation with that huge mammoth on the Spurs, Rondo told him to just walk away from it and he did.

So at least he's listening to these vets. Also saw Cuz smiling and joking with Rondo on the bench in the 4th.

 

[ForlornKing]

Yeah he looked like you described.

Also, someone mentioned (not sure if it was here or STR or Twitter) that during one of the first timeouts the whole bench got up to the huddle except Demarcus who just stayed sitting. But Caron Butler told him he needed to get up and he did.

Then when Cuz almost got into the altercation with that huge mammoth on the Spurs, Rondo told him to just walk away from it and he did.

So at least he's listening to these vets. Also saw Cuz smiling and joking with Rondo on the bench in the 4th.

I really hope this isn't a DMC-Karl thing and this is how its gonna be the most of the season.

Could be he's already not liking this offense where he doesn't get any post touches.

 

[Merdiesel]

Was at the game. Don't know if Cuz was not feeling well or tired but he was moving around the court/dead ball situations like a slug. Hung his head a lot just didn't look really motivated. Was wondering what his facial expressions looked like on TV?

Also - This wasn't the Spurs D squad AT ALL.

You could make the argument Aldridge and Leonard are the Spurs two best players.

Omri got the flu, maybe Cuz got it as well....

I didn't see any of the sluggishness from the broadcast though.

All I saw was the same old cry baby **** that will continue to be the only thing keeping him from getting the respect he thinks he deserves. You want your own Nike commercial? You want to be considered the best? Start acting like you've been here before DMC. Being passionate is one thing, acting like a 4 year old who didn't get ice cream is completely different. It's embarrassing.

 

[KingsFanGER]

I really hope this isn't a DMC-Karl thing and this is how its gonna be the most of the season.

Could be he's already not liking this offense where he doesn't get any post touches.

Well Rondo tried to find him in the post a few times, but the Spurs really did all they could to deny the pass. Good thing is, that we still managed to beat them, even with Cuz having almost no post game going and a poor shooting night. To be honest we would have lost this game by double digits with last seasons roster.
Only problem I see is that Cuz gets frustrated, when he doesn't get his usual touches and tries to force things.
But forcing the issue was the only way he could even hope to walk away with a win during the last years. Maybe it needs time and trust into his new teammates. And we need to find ways to get the ball into Cuz in his favorite spots even against a seasoned NBA defense.
You can't count on a special night from Rudy or Marco all the time.

 

[twslam07]

Watching this team, you can see that they are still developing, learning each others tendencies, grasping Karl's system, etc. I think this is a result of a lot of the sloppy play and turnovers we're seeing. But what I also see is the talent that is there. Even looking through the sloppiness you can tell this team has much more talent than last year.

I won't be surprised if it takes us awhile to hit our stride. Hell even the Heat took a little bit of time to come together after signing LeBron & Bosh. They started off 9-8 their first season, and I think I can comfortably say that team had more talent than our current roster. Then they started to click and went 49-16 the rest of the way (that's a pace of 62-20).

I'm not going to be too quick to panic if things aren't going as originally expected. Chemistry and learning a system are two of the most underrated aspects of the NBA game. It's what takes a good team to that great level. Right now, our team is at a disadvantage on both of those fronts, but the more patient we are with the process and the more we trust what we are doing, the closer we will be to closing that gap between our opponents. Once that happens, good or maybe even great things will happen.

 

[Team_Dime]

Why does adding more talent on the bench take away from what Casspi can do? Did he suddenly lose his ability to? If anything, Omri should be better this season because he's playing with better players and a more balanced second unit. Last year, he was forced into being the top scoring option and playmaker for the second unit for most of the season; 2 roles he's not suited for. When he got time with the starters, he was able to be the spark and energy guy who was able to make an impact in that manner.

Its fine if you don't like Omri as a player, but you are once again using a 2 game preseason sample size to advocate moving him out of a role that he showed he can do great in over the course of 2 seasons and 140 regular season games. Having more talent around you makes you a better player, not worse.

The highlighted portion there is what I have an issue with. Generally, you would assume that having better players around you makes you a better player, which I completely understand, but not in all cases. Omri only played ten minutes last night due in part to his turnovers, he had two consecutive possessions where he first made a terribly soft pass, followed up by driving the ball into a crowd and having it stripped. I love Casspi, like I've stated previously, off the court during the off-season he invited the players to Israel and has made his effort to build chemistry with the new additions.

This team has a much different look as opposed to last year, obviously. This roster is now loaded with talent, and there are players better than Omri or who have at least showed more promise within Karl's system during this pre-season. Given the small sample size, I'm not even going to go into comparing the players until the regular season, but what I will say is that I firmly believe that the added talent to this team has had a negative effect on Casspi. He now feels the added pressure to produce or ensure his stature within our depth chart, which has caused for him to constantly force the issue during the games. We've seen endless turnovers from Omri, and he just doesn't seem nearly as comfortable out there. Part of that, I'm sure though not entirely, is getting acclimated to playing with new teammates. Another part of that, in my opinion, is that Omri is simply trying to do too much. Has he embraced his new role? We need his energy, heart, and hustle. We've got other guys now who can make plays, are better handlers, or can create their own shot. Aside from spot-up shooting, we don't need that type of scoring from Omri. Maybe all it will take is a sit down with Coach Karl, maybe it's just a funk, who knows. For our teams' sake, I hope Omri is able to play well.

 

[Bricklayer]

http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2015/10/9/9485943/george-karl-likes-cauley-stein-cousins

 

[206Fan]

Kings struggling right now to work Cuz into the new style of play. Rudy's finishing ability meshes well with Rondo. But Cuz post game is non existent right now, with the opposing defense playing a huge part in it. And Cuz really struggles while trying to create his own shot and tends to force things, because he is not worked into the offense properly.

It's preseason, so Kings maybe just testing the waters and trying different things. But we better figure it out, how to work Cuz into the offense until opening night, or the result will be a very unhappy superstar, 4-6 turnovers a game and easy transition baskets for the Clippers.

Willie, Koufos and Rondo looked very good last night. And Anderson may be a solid player after all.

I hope Cousins wasn't upset about his touches tonight. I feel like its a bit hard to center the entire offense around him because he's just such a ball dominant guy. I don't know why, but throughout these first 3 preseason games, he's been looking to pass much much less.

I think for this team to start winning, Cuz will get less touches. Hopefully he had no problem with this. I still see him taking 15-20 shots a game though.

 

[sdballer]

The highlighted portion there is what I have an issue with. Generally, you would assume that having better players around you makes you a better player, which I completely understand, but not in all cases. Omri only played ten minutes last night due in part to his turnovers, he had two consecutive possessions where he first made a terribly soft pass, followed up by driving the ball into a crowd and having it stripped. I love Casspi, like I've stated previously, off the court during the off-season he invited the players to Israel and has made his effort to build chemistry with the new additions.

This team has a much different look as opposed to last year, obviously. This roster is now loaded with talent, and there are players better than Omri or who have at least showed more promise within Karl's system during this pre-season. Given the small sample size, I'm not even going to go into comparing the players until the regular season, but what I will say is that I firmly believe that the added talent to this team has had a negative effect on Casspi. He now feels the added pressure to produce or ensure his stature within our depth chart, which has caused for him to constantly force the issue during the games. We've seen endless turnovers from Omri, and he just doesn't seem nearly as comfortable out there. Part of that, I'm sure though not entirely, is getting acclimated to playing with new teammates. Another part of that, in my opinion, is that Omri is simply trying to do too much. Has he embraced his new role? We need his energy, heart, and hustle. We've got other guys now who can make plays, are better handlers, or can create their own shot. Aside from spot-up shooting, we don't need that type of scoring from Omri. Maybe all it will take is a sit down with Coach Karl, maybe it's just a funk, who knows. For our teams' sake, I hope Omri is able to play well.

You do realize he's battling the flu?

 

[ForlornKing]

http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2015/10/9/9485943/george-karl-likes-cauley-stein-cousins

Was pretty surprised to hear Kayte and J-ross after the game say they thought this was interesting and basically think that KK should start.

 

[rainmaker]

Yeah, taking the ball out of Cuz's hands to the extent we have and essentially forcing him to become a perimeter attacker from 18+ feet out is a red flag.

I do like how Rondo has fit thus far and his being a floor general is a big part of our improved spacing. But it's not a sound longer term plan to take the ball out of Cuz's hands and turn him into a #2 or #3 option. We're missing the whole get Cuz in the post and cut/dive/slash off the doubles he draws. That simply has to be a big part of our offense.

We'd also be missing the element of Cuz getting the opponent's bigs in foul trouble. That too is extremely valuable, not to mention Cuz is an elite offensive rebounder and we'd be missing that as well.

Can't take the top post big in the game and turn him into a quick attacking perimeter player. I guess the hope is Karl is allowing Rondo to get comfortable with the team and the team with Rondo this early on and he'll work Cuz's post game in later in camp. But as much as Rondo's impressed you can't turn him into the #1 option over Cuz. And spreading the floor with Cuz included to open room for Rondo to patrol is by intent turning us into a jump shooting team as it takes away our inside threat.

Short version: Cuz off the block is one of the most dominant offensive forces in the modern game as it bends defenses in a way few of this era can. You need to balance that with Rondo's patrolling.

 

[KingsFanGER]

I hope Cousins wasn't upset about his touches tonight. I feel like its a bit hard to center the entire offense around him because he's just such a ball dominant guy. I don't know why, but throughout these first 3 preseason games, he's been looking to pass much much less.

I think for this team to start winning, Cuz will get less touches. Hopefully he had no problem with this. I still see him taking 15-20 shots a game though.

Since Cousins is upset most of the time it's really hard to figure out why he is upset...
He wasn't hitting his shots, he fumbled the ball a lot, he made two passes, that looked good but were dropped by his teammates....
Could be frustration with the playstyle, with people not finding him in his sweetspots or just with his own personal play in general.

I would guess Karl is smart enough to alter his approach, when it doesn't fit his best player. Cuz putting up career numbers under Karl might proof that.

 

[jcwkings]

Was pretty surprised to hear Kayte and J-ross after the game say they thought this was interesting and basically think that KK should start.

Grant has been saying that too. They are basically assuming the best players should start, not who fits with who. KK is more capable of holding his own down low than WCS would be at this point. With Cuz's power game it balances out the fact that WCS physically isn't a force yet. With the girth of Cuz down low, WCS is free to be that free safety type making plays.

 

[jcwkings]

I think we are just seeing experiments on how to use Cuz differently. We all know he is a force in the post, so why dedicate your pre season to confirm what's already fact? I think once the regular season rolls around you will see more balance of Cuz in the post and the perimeter. It's also good to get other guys involved right now and nurture ball movement and chemistry. The team isn't going to find cohesion on the court by just dumping it down to Cuz and watch him work in pre season. Yet we know that's something that will be there when we need a bucket once the games matter.

Karl is trying to instill a culture of ball movement and playing together, hopefully Cuz realizes this, you will get your touches big fella. Plus you are the one who said it, nothing else matters this year other than winning. You're not gonna win if all guys on the squad aren't engaged and working together. Selfless basketball.

 

[pshn80]

I think the goal in pr-season is of course is to win and a n that process I expect they want the scoring to be more distributed and therefore I expect Cuz's point ave. to go down. We'll see.

 

[ForlornKing]

Maybe he doesn't like how Karl already said to the media that he doesn't like his negative emotion on the court?

 

[funkykingston]

I think the goal in pr-season is of course is to win and a n that process I expect they want the scoring to be more distributed and therefore I expect Cuz's point ave. to go down. We'll see.

I'd say the goals in preseason are ranked about as follows:

(1) Avoid injuries
(2) Acclimate players to the system
(3) experiment with new ideas and wrinkles
(4) win games

I think younger teams put more emphasis on winning preseason contests because it might help create a winning mindset but in general I don't think anyone puts too much stock in a teams preseason record.

 

[NewArena]

Was at the game. Don't know if Cuz was not feeling well or tired but he was moving around the court/dead ball situations like a slug. Hung his head a lot just didn't look really motivated. Was wondering what his facial expressions looked like on TV?

Also - This wasn't the Spurs D squad AT ALL.

You could make the argument Aldridge and Leonard are the Spurs two best players.

I think it's best not to read into Cousins and his body language so often. That's just him. He's not like some of the guys from the glory days,
smiling every time you look around, but so what? I wouldn't jump to conclusions

 

[jcwkings]

Maybe he doesn't like how Karl already said to the media that he doesn't like his negative emotion on the court?

Is Karl wrong though?

 

[bajaden]

http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2015/10/9/9485943/george-karl-likes-cauley-stein-cousins

Yep, I already read that, and I agree wholeheartedly. I was at the Suns game, and our defense for the first six or eight minutes of the game was stellar. We led 32 to 16. Then Butler, Collison and company came in and it all went down the toilet. Cauley-Stein was the best defender on the floor for either team. He's the real deal, and a perfect fit next to Cousins. It'll take them a while to figure everything out on the offensive side. but there's enough offensive talent there where it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[ForlornKing]

Is Karl wrong though?

Definitely not, but Cuz doesn't like hearing stuff through the media about what Karl said. Maybe GK didn't talk about it to him first.

 

[jcwkings]

Definitely not, but Cuz doesn't like hearing stuff through the media about what Karl said. Maybe GK didn't talk about it to him first.

My view is that we have to stop treating him like he is a piece of fine glassware. Vlade has put talent around him, its put up or shut up time. There are no more excuses.

 

[rainmaker]

Is Karl wrong though?

This quote I assume?

“I think DeMarcus has to make a commitment just to not allow frustrations to cause a disruption in the game,” Karl said earlier this week. “I don’t like negative emotion in a game. I think it’s a sign of frustration, it’s a sign of we’re losing. If there is any emotion in a game, it should be positive.”

“We gave away too many possessions that cheapen the game because of our emotional outbursts,” Karl added. “You can’t do that. You can’t ruin the game because you get emotionally frustrated.”

He's right. I don't have a problem with Cuz being emotional out there, it's part of what makes him who he is. The problem comes in when it effects his game or others. How many times have we seen Cuz get frustrated then resort to a bad foul out of frustration, only to see him go to the bench? Guys like KG, Kobe, Westbrook, all emotional guys out there but they don't let frustration take them out of the game. But this is also where Rondo will be valuable. He knows the difference between playing on emotion and that emotion hurting the team after years with KG. He won't hesitate to tell Cuz to knock it off.

In general, my biggest question about Cuz and what I'm looking most this year is does he have the maturity to be able to truly lead a team. That requires picking the team up and putting it on your back, leading on the floor and setting the tone off the court. It requires preparation, attention to detail, building guys up when needed and calling them out when needed. I thought Rondo's recent quotes about trying to get Cuz to open up, to talk more, to be our leader on defense were telling. That's vital to success, having your big talking on defense. It's leadership. If Cuz wants to win as much as he says he does, he'll do it. I actually think Rondo could end up being the forceful vet that years from now will be looked at as one of the ebst things to have happened to Cuz. From everything I've read Rondo has taken on a full leadership role in practice, always directing, showing how it's done. Cuz has never had that before.

 

[lawlman91]

Cousins is not as good in the low post as compared to how stellar he is in the high post. Just pointing that out. If he catches the ball in the high post/mid range, you're dead. If he catches the ball in the low post, he's still really good but less than what the media makes him out to be.

 

[pshn80]

I'd say the goals in preseason are ranked about as follows:

(1) Avoid injuries
(2) Acclimate players to the system
(3) experiment with new ideas and wrinkles
(4) win games

I think younger teams put more emphasis on winning preseason contests because it might help create a winning mindset but in general I don't think anyone puts too much stock in a teams preseason record.

You are right. I said pre-season but meant in the season. My point was thus lost - that the coaching staff and I expect Cuz's scoring ave. to go down. Be looking for more balanced scoring.

 

[ForlornKing]

This quote I assume?

“I think DeMarcus has to make a commitment just to not allow frustrations to cause a disruption in the game,” Karl said earlier this week. “I don’t like negative emotion in a game. I think it’s a sign of frustration, it’s a sign of we’re losing. If there is any emotion in a game, it should be positive.”

“We gave away too many possessions that cheapen the game because of our emotional outbursts,” Karl added. “You can’t do that. You can’t ruin the game because you get emotionally frustrated.”

He's right. I don't have a problem with Cuz being emotional out there, it's part of what makes him who he is. The problem comes in when it effects his game or others. How many times have we seen Cuz get frustrated then resort to a bad foul out of frustration, only to see him go to the bench? Guys like KG, Kobe, Westbrook, all emotional guys out there but they don't let frustration take them out of the game. But this is also where Rondo will be valuable. He knows the difference between playing on emotion and that emotion hurting the team after years with KG. He won't hesitate to tell Cuz to knock it off.

In general, my biggest question about Cuz and what I'm looking most this year is does he have the maturity to be able to truly lead a team. That requires picking the team up and putting it on your back, leading on the floor and setting the tone off the court. It requires preparation, attention to detail, building guys up when needed and calling them out when needed. I thought Rondo's recent quotes about trying to get Cuz to open up, to talk more, to be our leader on defense were telling. That's vital to success, having your big talking on defense. It's leadership. If Cuz wants to win as much as he says he does, he'll do it. I actually think Rondo could end up being the forceful vet that years from now will be looked at as one of the ebst things to have happened to Cuz. From everything I've read Rondo has taken on a full leadership role in practice, always directing, showing how it's done. Cuz has never had that before.

I missed these Rondo quotes do you have a link?