Aykis16 from the Sactown Royalty community put in some great work trying to hash out any possible trade wants, needs, and likelihoods between the Kings and the rest of the NBA. He hit up a blogger for each team and even asked me about my beloved wretched Timberwolves.
It’s a very good read (long but good) so set aside 20 minutes and dive in.
From the Kings: Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi have been named to the Rookie Team for next month’s All-Star festivities in Dallas.
Sacramento Kings rookies Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi were selected to the 2010 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held on Friday, February 12 in Dallas during NBA All-Star 2010. The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot.
The last time a Kings player participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend was in 2004 when Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic were members of the Western Conference All-Star team. Stojakovic also was a 3-Point Shootout participant that year, finishing second. Evans and Casspi become the seventh and eighth Kings players to play in the Rookie Challenge, joining Brian Grant and Michael Smith (1995), Tyus Edney (1996), Michael Stewart (1998), Jason Williams (2000), and Hedo Turkoglu (2002).
Really happy for Omri to get recognized by the coaches around the league here. He’s been one of the best rookies this season and while we knew that, it doesn’t necessarily mean that everybody else knew it. Now, let’s see if Omri can find his way into the Three-Point Shootout.
“We’re off the schneid.”
Coach Westphal was happy to get this win against the Warriors and even though it was an ugly win, it’s a game the Kings had to have. In the grand scheme of things, does a three-point home win over one of the worst teams in the league matter? Probably not. The Kings have been atrocious over the last month and were mired in the middle of a seven-game losing streak. They were playing so poorly that you started to wonder if last season’s Kenny Natt led debacle was creeping back into the basketball culture.
The Kings have been atrocious as of late. They weren’t competitive in the final two games of their 0-6 road trip. They were barely NBA material. So coming into their return home against the Warriors, they needed to fix the issues at hand. Some were fixed. Others were not.
In the first half, the Kings were winning ugly. Tyreke Evans was blowing by whoever was unfortunate enough to be assigned to guard him. He was 6/8 from the field for 17 points in the first 24 minutes. He went left. He went right. He went down the middle. It was the equivalent of the old Green Bay Packers running game in the 60s. The defense knew where the ball was going and there was no stopping it.
The Kings were also working hard on the boards. Thanks to poor shooting on both sides, the Kings snared 38 first half boards. A lot of this was sparked by Sean May. Yes, it was sparked by Sean May. He came into the game because of Brockman’s injury and did his job. He attacked the glass and provided some solid energy for the Kings. In fact, seven different Kings had at least four rebounds in the first half. They saw the Warriors lack of size, talent and chutzpah and decided to treat them like their little brother. They held the ball higher than the Warriors reach. They gave them noogies as they were boxing out. They even threatened to tell mom if they complained about not being allowed to grab a rebound.
Throughout the game, energy was the key for the Kings. There was no beauty to the basketball played at Arco. But Sean May, Donté Greene, Ime Udoka, Beno Udrih and Spencer Hawes all made sure there was plenty of hustle on the court.
Let’s talk about Spencer Hawes for a few words. Spencer Hawes was INCREDIBLE. Sure, it was against the Warriors and they have next to nothing to offer resistance inside. But Spencer Hawes still played with an effort and determination that hasn’t often been seen from him this season. He was active. He was really active. He was all over the boards – 13 rebounds with three key offensive rebounds coming in the fourth quarter. He scored inside and outside and was very efficient with his shot attempts. He even blocked three shots and ran a couple of nice two-man game sets with Beno Udrih.
THIS is the Spencer Hawes that certain Kings fans are touting. THIS is the Spencer Hawes that Tom Ziller has had so much hope for. And once again, that’s what makes him so frustrated. Did it really take the D+ that Sam Amick gave him in the paper to motivate him? Why play tough now? Is it the matchup against the Warriors? Is it being tired of playing in a funk? Is it the rejuvenation a home crowd brings after a long road trip? Whatever it is, we need to see more of it. If this is the Spencer Hawes the Kings get every night, then this team’s future looks even brighter. He was the best player from start to finish in this game.
You also can’t say enough about what Beno Udrih gave to the team off the bench. He also scored in a variety of ways. He killed off the pick-and-roll. He scored on back door cuts. He drove to the basket, put his knee into guys mid-sections and finished strong. He stroked outside jumpers. He provided clutch free throw shooting. Whatever the bogged down Kings offense needed, Beno gave them after Tyreke Evans was shut down.
In three years when this team is back in the playoffs and Arco Arena (or the newer version) is rocking, nobody is going to remember this bad stretch of games. Nobody is going to remember that Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson couldn’t protect the paint on the road. Nobody is going to remember that Kevin Martin couldn’t buy a shot to drop. Nobody is going to remember that Omri Casspi was frustrated with his role. So in the long run, this win isn’t franchise altering. But it was a good win to get this team off the schneid. It was a win that will help them grow together as this franchise rebuilds.
Final Game Notes
- Steph Curry is an impressive rookie. I honestly think he’s been the second best rookie in the NBA this year behind ‘Reke. Yes, Brandon Jennings was impressive early but Curry has been better for longer. He’s not just an offensive weapon either (although I don’t know how many “undersized” rookie guards can put together 27 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals). He’s also a really competent defender. He shut down Tyreke in the second half. He helped hold ‘Reke to 2/13 shooting in the second half and 0/7 in the fourth. Kings tried to isolate Evans against Curry late in the game and it didn’t work once.
- I don’t understand what is with the Kings and closing out good leads. They completely forget how they got the league and just go to basic, stagnant, boring offense that never works. Quit trying to run the clock and try running up the score for once.
- Donté Greene’s defense was just incredible in this game and so was Ime Udoka’s. They helped force Corey Maggette into a 3/22 shooting night with a 0/15 start to the game. They did a great job of cutting off his driving lanes, being physical with him and challenging his shots. And the key late blocks on Maggette were HUGE.
- Finally, Kevin Martin is in a FUNK. It’s not just that shots aren’t falling; he seemingly has no confidence in his game right now. He’s passing up shots and scoring opportunities that he’d usually cash in. It’s one thing for him to be missing shots (1/9 tonight and three for his last 23) but it’s another for him to be completely taken out of the game on offense. It has little to do with the defense in front of him and a lot more to do with him thinking too much out there.
ESPN.com’s annual draft lottery odds machine is back and after just two clicks look what came up:
Marc Stein is reporting that if the Kings are having doubts about Kevin Martin, the Mavericks are willing to strike up a deal.
One hypothetical trade scenario could see Dallas offer Howard, Drew Gooden, J.J. Barea and cash to the Kings for Martin and Nocioni. That, however, is a lot of long-term salary for the Mavs to add. It’s also not known if a combination of payroll relief, Barea and the opportunity to resurrect Howard’s career would ultimately be enough to satisfy Sacramento even if Dallas was willing to take on Nocioni as well.
I still think it’s insane to deal Kevin Martin right now unless you’re getting someone like an Al Jefferson in return. It takes more than four games to determine if this backcourt duo can play together.
But this deal would shed a lot of long-term salary the Kings are committed to and if they decide not to pick up team options on Josh Howard and JJ Barea, it would shed another $17 million off the cap this summer.
I still say keep Martin for now.
Record: 15-26
Honestly, I never understood that Bon Jovi song. I didn’t know what they were halfway to and I didn’t know what that prayer was about.
But when it comes to the Kings season, we can definitively say we’re halfway there. You might even say at this point Kings fans are living on a prayer. A prayer for what, you ask? Well, some are praying for a playoff run. Some are praying for a Kevin Martin trade. Some are praying Kevin Martin ISN’T traded. Some are just praying for a road win. Whatever the case, we can all agree on one prayer that was answered for Kings fans – the Kings are not terrible anymore.
I’ve been lucky enough to do a lot of these Daily Dime Live chats on ESPN and the two biggest things that come across (aside from constant questions of Kevin Martin’s standing with the team and Tyreke Evans’ ability to be a point guard) are people remarking how surprised they are that the Kings are this good and pseudo-people (Lakers fans) incorrectly jabbing at the Kings because that’s what fans on NBA champs do – they pick on below .500 teams when they should be busy sticking pins into their Kevin Garnett voodoo dolls.
Not only are they not terrible anymore but they are full of fight as evident with hanging against far superior Cavs and Lakers teams, the comeback in Chicago and the near comeback in Charlotte. How many times did the Kings fight last year? The extra time against the Warriors stands out but that’s about it. And other than the home games to Philly and Chicago and the road losses to OKC, San Antonio and Minnesota, I can’t think of games in which you didn’t think the Kings could come back and win that game.
So let’s take a mid-point of the season look at this team and take stock of where Kings fans should be with this lived-on prayer.
Things That Are Good
The Young Guys
There’s gold in them hills! And by hills I mean the 2009 draft class of the Sacramento Kings. Seriously, the Kings dropping to fourth in the draft could not have worked out better. The best-case scenario is something teams always hope for and rarely get but with the work the Kings did on June 25th, it was truly THE best-case scenario for them. When I saw Tyreke Evans in the Vegas Summer League, I knew he’d be a star in the NBA. I didn’t think it would be this fast but it was obvious it was going to happen. When I saw Omri Casspi in the summer, I could tell he had the potential to be a really good player in this league. I never would have thought he would be this competent and good within four years of being in the NBA, let alone after 41 games of play. And with Jon Brockman, he’s a 6’7” second round power forward who you hoped would decently fill out the roster. Instead, the Kings have discovered a galvanizing, rebounding machine off the bench who the fans love and the other team doesn’t want to play against.
This was definitely the best-case scenario for the Kings. And now they get something that many teams take years to figure out or even never truly end up understanding to the detriment of their organization – they know what they have with their rookies in the first year. This is a boon for them. It helps them to continue to rebuild the team. They know Tyreke Evans is the best player on the team already and they’re 99.9% sure he’s a franchise guy. So they can dedicate the next couple of off-seasons to building around his talent and strengths. They know that Omri Casspi is a borderline sure-fire starter. They can confidently throw him into that plan. This is an advantage they have over most rebuilding teams (see: what the Thunder did to the rest of the rebuilding teams this past summer).
The Coaching Staff
I’m not sure how many fans would admit to it at this point but there was a time in which Rick Adelman was looked at as a guy who had served his purpose and probably should be released from his duties with the Kings. He eventually was fired and the Kings no longer had to put up with his inability to get the Kings over the hump in the playoffs or get his team to beat the Lakers or not look like a cast member of The Deadliest Catch when he had his beard. Whatever the reason was for dissent with Adelman’s coaching of the Kings, there was a time in which it was more than a murmur.
Four coaches later, it’s nice for the Kings to have a competent coach once again. Musselman was atrocious. Theus was unprepared and Natt was incompetent. But Paul Westphal and the exceptional staff that was put together under him is as big a reason for the turn around of this franchise as Tyreke Evans and his bulldozing ability. Truck Robinson can help the kids learn how to rebound (and look at the improvement in rebounding from last season to this one). Paul Westphal was one of the greatest shooters of his generation. That’s not bad for a team that needs Tyreke Evans to become a dangerous threat with the jump shot. And Mario Elie is there to show guys like Martin, Casspi and Donté how to defend on the perimeter. Throw in really good strategists and scouts with guys like Jim Eyen and Bryan Gates and you have a very strong and trustworthy brain trust shaping this roster. That’s a big leap from the previous three years.
The Tempo of the Game
I don’t know about you but I love watching fast basketball. It’s really the only way to watch it. I was able to appreciate the Pistons-Spurs Finals in 2005 for what it was but I’d much rather watch two teams push the tempo and move the ball up the floor quickly. The Kings are currently playing the sixth fastest pace in the NBA (94.4 possessions per game). And that’s with two big guys in the post (kind of) and a 6’6” rookie point guard imposter that must be moved to the shooting guard position because that’s what taller guards play!
The Kings aren’t a good defensive team. In fact, they’re the fifth worst team in the NBA at defense. So for them to be successful, they have to push the tempo, try to get as many scoring opportunities as possible and hope for the best. And that’s the way all young teams should play until they figure out how to defend the basket. Thank god Geoff Petrie and Paul Westphal share that understanding of a fast-paced tempo being the way to go right now. It makes the games much more entertaining while this team grows.
Things That Are Bad
Need an Interior Defender Not Decorator
The Kings allow the fifth most attempts around the rim (28.2 per game), give up the third most makes around the rim (18.0) and have the fourth worst opponent’s field goal percentage around the rim (63.9%). The big part of the problem with this is the Kings inability to protect the rim. Over playing the wings and perimeter is not a bad defensive strategy unless you have Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes as your stopgaps inside. Jason Thompson has the ability and foundation to be a good interior defender but picks up terrible fouls, makes poor decisions on the timing of a shot block and plays matador defense when he is in foul trouble (as many players are apt to do).
Spencer Hawes on the other hand just shows poor fundamental defensive positioning. He bites on pump fakes too often. He does a bad job of shifting his weight in the post to beat the offensive player to the next drop step or reverse pivot. And he always seems to be a step slow in reacting to the play before him. He’s a really bad defender inside and it doesn’t even seem to be that he doesn’t get it. I don’t think he has the physical gifts to be a good post defender. This is manageable if he’s your guy off the bench but he’s not. He’s the starting center. Throw those two out there together and the decent-to-good defensive efforts outside the key get negated by two young big men who just aren’t able to be the safety valves at this time.
Closing Out Quarters
Occasionally, you will get a Beno Udrih three, Jason Thompson alley-oop or a Tyreke Evans layup to end the quarter on a high note. But those are very rare for this Sacramento Kings team. Instead, you find the youth and inexperience of a rebuilding franchise with a rookie lead/point guard not being able to close out periods with quality possessions. How many times this season have you been frustrated because the Kings completely botch a play with time running out on the game clock? How many times do the Kings not even get a shot off or turn the ball over? This is a sign of a young team that still doesn’t fully understand valuing the clock and final possession. It’s not a horrific thing that needs to be changed in order to breed some success (like the interior defense) but it is something the Kings keep shooting themselves in the foot by doing this poorly.
Winning on the Road
The Kings are 3-17 on the road this season. 3-17!!! Only four NBA teams have fewer than four road wins at this point in the season with one of them being the Charlotte Bobcats (who have been the exact opposite at home), one of them being the Minnesota Timberwolves who barely pass for a professional team most nights and the other being a New Jersey Nets team that is going to battle it down to the wire in attempting to avoid historic regular season futility (they’re on pace for six wins, the all-time record for lowest wins is nine). It’s not just that the Kings have been losing on the road, it’s that they’ve been really bad.
They had a euphoric win right after the Kevin Martin injury in Utah. They had a buzzer-beating effort against the Bucks in a showdown between the top rookie guards in Milwaukee and then needed to come back from 35 down against the Bulls in order to eek out their third road win on the season. They’ll have the occasional great showing against New Orleans (twice), the Lakers or the Bobcats. But for the most part, they struggle to put together a good half on the road, let alone 48 minutes. They’re a couple of fortunate bounces away from having just one road victory this season.
Roster Situation
Here’s the breakdown of the positions:
Point Guard: Evans, Udrih, Rodriguez
Shooting Guard: Martin, Garcia
Small Forward: Nocioni, Casspi, Greene, Udoka
Power Forward: Thompson, Brockman, Thomas, May
Center: Hawes, Armstrong
Clearly there is a dearth of interior presences and a bevy of wing players on this team. With Kenny Thomas’ expiring contract ($8.7 million), they have a valuable trade piece to bring in another player if they want. They’ll have roughly $10 million in cap space this summer depending on where the salary cap ends up. If they feel like being impatient and incompetent, they can explore trading Kevin Martin before the trade deadline and before figuring out if Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans are truly made for each other or not.
The biggest coup for them would be getting rid of Andres Nocioni’s contract for something more expiring. Before the season, he looked to be a valuable veteran. But with the emergence and growth of Casspi and Donté, he is more and more expendable with each bounce of the ball. While the Kings have a few options on ways to go, they’d probably be best served staying calm and waiting for the off-season before they do anything significant. They brought in Hilton Armstrong in order to catch lightening in a bottle with their size issues. If they can get rid of Nocioni to a contender for expirings then they should absolutely do it. If not, play the market this summer and see what’s available.
Player Grades
Tyreke Evans: There are a few things Evans doesn’t do well. He doesn’t fight over screens, he doesn’t close out well on perimeter shooters and you never really want him taking three-pointers. But those are petty things that can easily be corrected. This guy isn’t a bull in a china shop. He’s the bulldozer that tore down the china shop so that they could put in a strip mall with a Jamba Juice. Grade: A+
Kevin Martin: The first five games were pretty incredible. He was scoring at the best rate of his career and near the top of the NBA’s scoring leaders. He was also playing inspired defense that made him look more like Anthony Peeler and less like Troy Hudson. But then he missed a couple of months with a wrist injury that required surgery and is working his way back with the team. Nine games are not enough to give him a fair grade assessment. Grade: Incomplete
Omri Casspi: At the beginning of the season, people just wanted him to have a similar impact as the rookie version of Gerald Wallace. Now? People are picking apart his defense, he’s having heated discussions with the coach about his starting role and he’s knocking down lots of big shots. Kings once again found gold in the draft with a late selection in the first round. He’s been arguably the second best rookie in the entire NBA this season. That’s good bang for your buck at #23. Grade: B+
Jason Thompson: After the first month of the season, I was wondering if he could sneak his way into All-Star discussion. After the last three weeks, we’re trying to figure out what is wrong with him and when he’s going to snap out of this funk he’s in. Thompson has shown great improvements from his rookie season. He’s a top offensive rebounder and a good offensive weapon. But the foul trouble and disappearing on offense have been ongoing issues. Grade: B
Spencer Hawes: You can probably guess the direction I’m going with his grade. Spencer Hawes has been a huge disappointment this year. He’s regressed from his promising sophomore showing and his consistent play has caused starts from Sean May and Jon Brockman at center this season. He’ll tease you with the occasional showing like what he did in Los Angeles against the Lakers. That’s why he’s so frustrating. Grade: D+
Donté Greene: He’s been a little confusing. The shooting percentages from the field and three are very passable. He isn’t scoring that consistently. His rebounding is subpar and he can’t shoot free throws (61%). However, his defense has kept him on the court and in the rotation. He’s quietly been a leader and motivator on the court and he definitely belongs in the foundation of this rebuilding process. Grade: C+
Beno Udrih: Last year, he was the horrible contract that nobody wanted anymore. This year, he’s been the steadiest offensive weapon the Kings have. He’s shooting over 50% from the field and almost 40% from three. He’s fourth on the team in scoring, second in assists and second in threes made. He’s still overpaid but with him playing like this, you don’t mind living with it for now. Grade: A-
Jon Brockman: He’s eighth in the NBA in rebounding rate (20.4%). He has THE HIGHEST offensive rebounding rate in the NBA (20.8%). I’d say that’s a pretty good for the 38th pick in the draft. Grade: A-
Ime Udoka: He replaced Desmond Mason as the defensive wingman off the bench who is supposed to provide some veteran guidance. And he couldn’t have played better than what he’s given the Kings. He plays really solid defense and has been better on offense than advertised. Grade: B+
Andres Nocioni: There have been a lot of times in which you’re amazed at how well he’s shooting the ball. There are also a lot of times in which you’re wondering why he’s taking so many shots when he’s clearly not shooting well. And in between, he plays inconsistent defense. He’s a nice role player to have if you’re a building team. But not when he’s owed $14 million over the two years after this season. Grade: C
Kenny Thomas: Kenny Thomas was actually pretty decent when he played. His defense was solid and his rebounding was good. You don’t want to watch him make a decision with a basketball but still he played some quality minutes for the Kings. Unfortunately, Brockman does it better. Grade: D+
Sergio Rodriguez: Sergio is essentially the third point guard on this team. Third point guards get inconsistent minutes and very few chances to prove what they can do for the team. He’s been a game-changer at times but he’s also never shown that he DESERVES minutes. Grade: C
Sean May: You can’t blame the Kings for taking a flyer on an often-injured recent lottery pick. It was an $800,000 gamble that turned out not to work. He was given a chance at the beginning of the season and couldn’t matter enough to stay off the bench. Grade: F
Hilton Armstrong: In his two games with the Kings, he hasn’t shown a whole lot. He runs/moves like a high school kid. I don’t necessarily mean that in a disparaging way. It’s just something I’ve noticed since he joined the Kings. He might end up helping inside defensively but it will be in a limited role. Grade: Incomplete
Francisco Garcia: He’ll be back in a couple weeks for his season debut. Grade: Incomplete
Five Things to Figure Out
1. Can Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans play together?
From what I’ve seen in the four games since Martin returned, this backcourt can definitely work. I’m not going to just watch one game in the middle of the road trip and make an uneducated guess like some former NBATV fantasy host that now gets paid to flirt with an overweight Dennis Scott on air. So I feel confident in saying that the chemistry between Evans and Martin isn’t the issue at hand right now. What this backcourt has to be careful of is getting the rest of the team involved. It’s been a two-man show the last four games and that’s not a good thing.
2. Is Spencer Hawes worth waiting on?
No, I’m not in favor of Spencer Hawes as a player. I love the theory of Spencer Hawes. When he applies himself, he scores effectively in the post, hits the boards, plays decent post defense and blocks shots on the weak side. He also does his Vlade Divac impression passing out of the mid and high post. People are so quick to make the “he’d only be a junior in college” excuse for him when it isn’t a matter of skill up for debate. It’s whether he has the mental makeup to realize his potential. In this day and age of AAU ball since you were in grade school, national coverage of high school sophomores and a greater wealth of knowledge and training for young players, I don’t really buy into the excuse of “this guy is still so young.” I also don’t believe in giving out trophies to everyone who participates. Spencer, grow a pair and get in the post. Quit playing on the perimeter and hoping to knock down a random three.
3. Donté Greene, Francisco Garcia or Omri Casspi?
In this order, I’d go with Casspi then Greene then Garcia and that’s without factoring in contract situations at all. Garcia can probably be a really good weapon/asset for a playoff team. I always imagined he’d end up playing for a Jerry Sloan-led Jazz team and I don’t know why. But he hasn’t shown me enough in his time in Sacramento to think he should step in and potentially stunt the growth of Donté and Omri. Garcia’s contract makes him nearly impossible to trade right now. But the versatility of these three players makes juggling the lineups to find them all time a little easier.
4. Is it Time for the Ménage à Guard?
With Kevin Martin’s return, Tyreke Evans’ early greatness and the way Beno Udrih has played in the first half of this season, you start to wonder if you can play all three of them together for extended periods of time. I think it’s stupid to consider moving Tyreke Evans to be your small forward of the future as has been suggested. Part of the impossibility of guarding Tyreke is that he’s far superior to the physical prowess of shooting guards and point guards. By playing him with two other guards, you allow the other team to match up more traditionally. At the same time, they have three guards deserving of playing time and lots of it. So I ask you, “is it time for the Ménage à Guard?”
5. Time to Groom Jason Thompson at center?
I’ve been contending for a few weeks now that Jason Thompson’s future in this league is at the center position. He has the height and with a little more muscle, he has the size. There are far more good power forwards in this league than good centers. Is it crazy to think a power forward with good defensive abilities is your answer as you slide JT to the 5 and Spencer to the Brad Miller role off the bench?
Outlook for the Rest of the Season
As of right now, the Kings are on pace for a 30-52 record. 30-52 is not a successful season unless you’re coming off a 17-win debacle. The Kings are already three wins away from eclipsing last season’s mark. With a little road resistance thrown at their opponents, more meshing of Kevin Martin back with his teammates and a better job closing out close games, the Kings could easily run that total up to 35 wins and maybe even a couple more. After the way last season ended, that seems like a rousing success.
This is a fun team to watch when they’re fighting and they’re fighting most nights. Tyreke Evans is the star of this team. Actually, he’s more than that. He’s a soon-to-be great player that is feeding off the energy of one of those stars in Super Mario Bros that makes Mario blink like a Simon Says and bounce opponents off his barreling body. They have a clearer picture one hundred times over than what they thought they had 41 games ago. The path has been cleared for them to return to the cream of the crop.
They just need a little health, a little help and the continued Bob Villa building expertise of Geoff Petrie.
You’re halfway there, Kings fans.
Sacramento News and Review has a really good piece by Nick Miller on Coachie, aka Pete Carril.
Carril moves the three Kings to a new spot and restarts the drill. When the hoops stop falling, he prods: “You can make it to five, eh?”
Across the gym, Kevin Martin yells that lunch is ready.
“We’re working with the master here,” Hawes hollers back.
Martin threatens that the pizza will disappear fast.
“They didn’t tell Luke Skywalker to stop working with Yoda,” Hawes shouts. Ribs as to whether Hawes is truly a Jedi ensue.
It’s a long read but definitely a good one.
This is going to seem unfair and like I’m picking on Spencer Hawes but when I was watching this game a certain play seemed to stand out to me and sum the entire contest.
Spencer Hawes drove up the right side of the floor and endured a bit of contact and some ball swiping. Hawes lost the ball or was stripped of the ball or lost the ball while he was stripped and instead of fighting for the ball, he just looked to the ref for a foul call. While he was silently protesting the non-call, Mo Evans took the ball the other way, flew up the court and flushed it home.
Why was this play a summary of the game for the Kings? Well, they were aggressive but couldn’t quite execute the way they needed to and in return, the Hawks took the ball and finished strongly inside. This seemed to be how the game was all night. The Kings fought in the paint. The Kings fought on the boards. The Kings fought a better Hawks team in a hostile environment. Well, it would have been a hostile environment if the crowd didn’t resemble an Atlanta Braves home playoff games. And yet they continued to come up short.
The Hawks destroyed the Kings interior defense. The Kings had to work way too hard to get the rebounds they actually secured. The Hawks seemed to score inside whenever they needed to quell a Kings run. They shot better inside than the Kings. They shot better from three than the Kings. They nearly doubled the Kings free throw attempts. They were just the more aggressive team and it paid off for them.
While this was the Kings 12th loss in 14 games, there were some decently encouraging signs for the team. Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin had really nice games together. They combined for 47 points, 10 assists and only two turnovers.
Martin was his usual self outside of not getting to the free throw more times than the defense is comfortable with. He spread his scoring out all over the floor. He made jumpers from outside, jumpers from mid-range and shots around the basket. He attempted to push the tempo when he could and he even played really solid defense for someone who isn’t known as a solid defender. These are the types of games you’d like to see out of him.
As for Evans, he simply dominated his assignment like we’re growing accustom to seeing him do. He completely shut down what used to be called Mike Bibby when he was on him and he did a great job slowing down Joe Johnson. Offensively, he put his head down, went full steam ahead and got to the basket. He was 7/9 around the basket because he was just too quick and physical for the Atlanta defense to handle.
There were three other bright spots for the Kings out there. First, Omri Casspi came off the bench and gave the Kings exactly what they needed from him. He brought energy, decent defense and scoring. His final scoring tally was a little inflated thanks to a late, meaningless surge but he still finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. He also played solid post defense on guys like Joe Smith and Zaza Pachulia when he was switched onto them. Second, Jason Thompson’s play against Josh Smith this season has been very good. Although he didn’t finish with great numbers (14 points, five rebounds), JT was assertive in the post against Josh Smith and scored on a couple of powerful, decisive post moves when isolated against the shot blocker. He did the same thing in the fifth game of the year when the Hawks came to Sacramento. Third, you should be happy with the overall production of the bench. Spencer Hawes had a good game off the bench with four points, four assists and five rebounds in 12 minutes. Casspi had the aforementioned game and Beno Udrih also chipped in eight points and eight assists.
But there were also some things that didn’t sit well with me. Jon Brockman and Donté Greene were pretty much ineffective in their 39 combined minutes on the floor. Brockman wasn’t the rebounding, defensive machine we’re used to seeing. Al Horford, Josh Smith and company out played him on the boards. Every time he was close to securing the board, someone in a Hawks jersey would tip it away. Donté Greene didn’t score in his 16 minutes and might as well have not even been on the court. His defense was decent but his overall impact on the game was nonexistent. And ever though the bench played fairly well, they missed all of their three-point attempts (0/6) and they didn’t attempt a single free throw among them.
Chalk it up to another road loss by a bad road team. They can’t seem to put together 48 minutes of good play on this road trip. Against the Wizards and 76ers, they just never had a consistent effort. Against the Bobcats, the second half was special but the first half buried them. And against the Hawks, the energy and execution in the first half wasn’t there in the third quarter.
This is a team in desperate need of a defensive presence inside. Since they’re not giving those away for guys like Andres Nocioni, it’s up to Jason Thompson, Jon Brockman, Spencer Hawes and Hilton Armstrong to step up and act like they know they’re larger humans than normal. There can’t be anymore soft play inside. Unless they want to keep falling in the standings.
Final Game Notes
- I know there are better players and better scorers and guys that are tougher to guard but Jamal Crawford is a guy I’d be the most terrified to try to defend. He’s lightening quick with the ball and has a handle that few playground legends have been able to develop. He also scores from everywhere on the court and just keeps coming at you. He’s also very adept at drawing fouls on three-point shots. With his 22nd four-point play of his career, he is now just two behind Reggie Miller for the all-time lead.
- Jon Brockman is a big man. I didn’t know he could move this fast. This was a fun play to watch.
- I would be so much more of a Spencer Hawes guy if we saw more of this. Get in the post and make more plays like this.
From Sam Amick at the Sac Bee: Jon Brockman will replace Spencer Hawes in the starting lineup and Donté Greene will replace Omri Casspi as well for the game against the Hawks tonight.
Can’t say I disagree with the decisions. Brockman’s rebounding will be much-needed against the likes of Josh Smith and Al Horford and Donté’s defense has been much better than Casspi’s as of late.
Plus, bringing Casspi’s scoring off the bench can’t exactly hurt.
This is a guest post by Sacramento Kings fan, David Ford. It’s his second post on the site (his first one can be found here). Enjoy.
In the midst of a disastrous 17-win season, it becomes increasingly difficult to have a positive outlook for the future. The Kings were in this dilemma last season and found very few bright lights at the end of their dark tunnel.
You could conceivably come up with two positives from last season’s nightmare. One was the Kings had a great chance at the top pick in the upcoming draft. As we all know, there was heartbreak across Sacramento when the Kings ended up with the number four pick, then great rejoice as we’ve seen Tyreke Evans lead this team out of the depths of the NBA and emerge as the Rookie of the Year thus far.
The other positive that appeared as the dreadful season plodded along was the emergence of Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes. Thompson looked like a nightly double-double waiting to happen, while Hawes was starting to show the skills that made him the 10th pick in the 2007 draft.
As we approach the halfway point of the current season, the Kings promising big men are leaving fans with more questions than answers.
Let’s start with Thompson, who has actually had a pretty strong sophomore season. He is currently averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds per game, which is up from 11 and 7 in his rookie season. Unfortunately, those numbers don’t tell the entire story.
Thompson has continued his most troubling trend from his rookie season, which is the foul trouble he constantly gets himself in to. He cannot keep himself on the floor with any type of consistency. Too often we see him pick up two early fouls, followed by his banishment to the bench for most of the first half.
In this recent five-game slump that he’s in, Thompson is only averaging 23 minutes per game. When you can’t keep yourself on the floor for any significant amount of time, it’s impossible to get in any type of rhythm on offense. In four of those last five games, he has scored 7 points or less.
Along with the foul trouble, Thompson’s shots have not been falling with any consistency either. His mid-range jumper continues to be a pleasant surprise, but a 6’11 power forward should be doing more damage around the rim. He is shooting a measly 41% on his shots 5-10 feet from the basket. Even his overall shooting percentage has dropped from 50% in his rookie season, to 47% this season.
While these are troubling issues with Thompson, they are correctable issues for a kid only in his second year in the league. He is still looking like the more promising of the two big men for the Kings. We won’t be confusing him for Tim Duncan anytime soon, but he has shown that when he is focused and on his game, he can be a legitimate starter in this league.
Hawes on the other hand has been perplexing to say the least. While it’s still believed Thompson is and will remain the Kings starting power forward, the same cannot be said for Hawes at the center position.
On the outside, Hawes seems to be what you’re looking for as a center in this league. He’s 7’1, weighs 250 pounds, can still add more muscle to his frame, is pretty athletic for someone his size, can pass the ball extremely well and has great range on his shot.
Unfortunately, Hawes hasn’t used that 7-foot frame to his advantage. He has become a defensive and rebounding liability at the position where you can afford neither.
When defending he gets beat off the dribble, gets overpowered and finds himself out of position, unable to provide any type of support on the inside. The rim is uncontested and the lane is wide open for anyone to take.
Hawes is also averaging under 6 rebounds per game. Did I mention he’s a 7’1 center? That number is far too low for someone his size. Rookie Jon Brockman, who is 6’7 by the way, has already had as many double-digit rebounding games as Hawes this season, including 14 in the game against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday. This is the main reason we are seeing more of Brockman on the floor than Hawes lately.
He also relies on the 3-pointer too much. While he does have the tendency to hit some of them, that should not be his game. For a team in dire need of a powerful big man in the middle, he spends too much of his time roaming the outside looking for the deep shot.
Until Hawes can tighten up his defense, rebound the ball better and play around the basket, he will continue to find himself rotating in and out of the starting lineup. He may even find himself out of Sacramento for another center that can do those things if he doesn’t turn it around.
The Kings appear to be improving across the board this season. They are about to surpass their season win total from last year with stellar play from their group of young players. Unlike last season though, the future frontline of the Kings is not as certain. Thompson has struggled, mightily at times, but still looks like he will be the power forward the Kings think he is. Hawes’ situation is much cloudier and unless things change, he could be the one that isn’t part of the future in Sacramento.
(Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)