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2015-2016 NBA Regular Season - MDA to HOU - All-NBA - Harden snubbed - Anthony Davis is broke
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by big j 33,
- Start date
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1. Get The Rebound
2. Pass To Kobe
3. Get The Offensive Rebound
4. Pass It Back To Kobe
The Laker Way
Hibbert and rebound in the same sentence?
Am I reading fiction?
1. Get The Rebound
2. Fall
3. Turnover or Pass to Kobe
that bs wouldn't be tolerated in Chicago...
with his head on straight hes a monster
but in reality that doesn't have anyway of working for chi & im just being a Kings homer tho they are my 2k team & boogie is a beast that should be free from SAC[/quote]And to me, that's exactly where he's a beast: video games, and on paper.
Video games and paper don't show locker room disruptions and choosing conflicts and dissension; just numbers.
In real life, that matters.
Gonna take a strong, alpha coach who commands respect by KNOWING basketball to make DMC a champion, just like Brown did with Sheed.[/quote]
Mike ******* Malone gained his respect, I think you need a coach who's not a ******* *** hole like Karl is and you'll be okay.
But look at that roster construction around him. You cannot just lay the brunt of the blame on him. Immature and a bit of a headcase, you'll get no argument from me. He's turnover prone because he's the goddamn center of the offense. He bring the ball up the court because their PG's have been so ******* trash since he's been there.
I really can't believe some of the **** I read in here.
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at hunger for 2k ratings
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Heat might be undefeated if Spoelstra wasn't determined to keep Whiteside under 30 mpg
Whiteside's hunger
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Hibbert and rebound in the same sentence?1. Get The Rebound
2. Pass To Kobe
3. Get The Offensive Rebound
4. Pass It Back To Kobe
The Laker Way
Am I reading fiction?
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How about a team with Talent, A team with a plan, A team with some stability.... dudes are acting like he's the reason the Kings are bad, he's the only bright spot & on the court he does whatever it takes to win games.. I never get the sense that he isolates himself from teammates or get into off the court issues.
Dudes be wanting players they personally like more than players that are going to help you Win. Chicago trades Gasol/ Noah & a young piece like Snell/Mcdermot they are Guaranteed a spot in the ECF this year. keep the kumbaya **** somewhere else.
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And to me, that's exactly where he's a beast: video games, and on paper.
Video games and paper don't show locker room disruptions and choosing conflicts and dissension; just numbers.
In real life, that matters.
Gonna take a strong, alpha coach who commands respect by KNOWING basketball to make DMC a champion, just like Brown did with Sheed.[/quote]
Mike ******* Malone gained his respect,[COLOR=#red] I think you need a coach who's not a ******* *** hole like Karl is and you'll be okay.
But look at that roster construction around him. You cannot just lay the brunt of the blame on him. Immature and a bit of a headcase, you'll get no argument from me. He's turnover prone because he's the goddamn center of the offense. He bring the ball up the court because their PG's have been so ******* trash since he's been there[/COLOR].
I really can't believe some of the **** I read in here.[/quote]
dynamite just popped off
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don't watch that mess[/quote] Take this rep.[quote name="ColdCity"]so a tank was keeping up w/ those cars.....
OK! really believable & that ferarri(possibly) somehow got up a high rise & whoever is in it drove out the window & dies...didn't have to watch a second of it to get that
what am I missing bro
[/quote]And this one! Take it![quote name="lakersman3000"][QUOTE name="ColdCity"]
haven't watched any f[/QUOTE]you didnt . cheesy and corny action movies inspired by the imaginations of 7 year olds. [/quote]Repped!
[quote name="EarldaGoat"]Marc Stein [emoji]10004[/emoji] @ESPNSteinLine
Pelicans are listing Anthony Davis as doubtful for tonight's game in Atlanta (hip strain) and day-to-day going forward
11:20 AM - 11 Nov 2015[/quote][quote name="EarldaGoat"]Mavs-Clippers is gonna be lit!
View media item 1783284
[/quote]Back-to-back NBA posts without an agenda? Take both these reps, my dude.
I can't wait for Mavs/Clipps, either.
[/quote]can I have a rep Ska? old buddy old pal?
boo kobe, boooo.
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gasol & tony for boogie would be the cook up... as much of a nice guy pau is & as much as I really like blackended tony that's a trade thqat would be on the table under a minute before its oked
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it should be noted that the guy who handed Malone the pink slip is no longer with the team for this very reason...
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Clarkson didn't flourish until he had to be played, as did Darren. Kyrie didn't really play well his first 7 games. Chris Paul averaged over 32 minutes his first 7. These things aren't the same. There's plenty of reports that this has nothing to do with his efforts. He's done what's been asked, STILL benched. Close game, blowout, benched. That's coaching. There's nothing to suggest he's not playing hard other than he's not just going 1000 mph taking crazy shot attempts or making ridiculous pass attempts. He's already in a terrible situation, and Byron has done nothing to help...right down to flat out explaining his madness. If dlo sucks when he's actually allowed to play, fine. But up to this point...that hasn't happened. To even suggest it is ridiculous
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Whiteside's hunger
Word, he got his 2k rating up, now he want to flourish on Live.
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@bhzmafia14 how often you be going to the games? I saw tickets listed for tonight's game at $25
.
That wouldn't even pay for parking at Oracle :x
.
. That wouldn't even pay for parking at Oracle :x
.
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As if the constant confusing quotes, the 1-6 start, the blowout losses, and all manner of offensive and defensive dysfunction weren't enough, Byron Scott took his bizarre approach to the Los Angeles Lakers' season to new heights Tuesday. In a blowout loss to the Miami Heat, Scott sat No. 2 overall pick D'Angelo Russell, the player most commonly associated with the future of the franchise, for the entire fourth quarter.
Nick Young played the entire 12 minutes of the final frame.
So why exactly did Scott elect not to put the rookie back into the game environment when he badly needs time in a crowded backcourt and Nick Young represents zero percent of the Lakers' future?
Re: my last tweet, Byron was asked if there was any thought to bringing D'Angelo Russell back in at the end of the game, his response:
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 11, 2015
BS:“No, 3 mins left in the game, was an 18-point lead or something like that, no I didn't really think about bringing him back in at that time”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 11, 2015
So just to review, Scott has held Russell out of fourth quarters in tight contests, saying that Lou Williams or other guards gave them the best chance to win, and now he's saying that he didn't reinsert Russell because the game was already out of hand. So apparently Scott is Goldilocks and the lead has to be "just right" in order for the No. 2 overall pick to get playing time.
Scott had threatened the young players, Russell specifically, with losing minutes if they didn't "get it" faster, because he was losing patience over the weekend. He followed that up by talking about the youngster getting "the wood" to try and make the point clear.
At this point, you almost have to assume that there's some sort of issue with Russell in practice, or with his attitude, or something, because otherwise Scott is just haphazardly risking the development of arguably the Lakers' most important player.
As for how Russell felt about the situation?
D'Angelo Russell on playing late in games: "I've got to figure out what I'm doing wrong so I can correct it.” Byron explain why? “No."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) November 11, 2015
Well, at least the lines of communication are clear. This situation is a disaster.
"GOLDYLOCKS"
Nick Young played the entire 12 minutes of the final frame.
So why exactly did Scott elect not to put the rookie back into the game environment when he badly needs time in a crowded backcourt and Nick Young represents zero percent of the Lakers' future?
Re: my last tweet, Byron was asked if there was any thought to bringing D'Angelo Russell back in at the end of the game, his response:
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 11, 2015
BS:“No, 3 mins left in the game, was an 18-point lead or something like that, no I didn't really think about bringing him back in at that time”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 11, 2015
So just to review, Scott has held Russell out of fourth quarters in tight contests, saying that Lou Williams or other guards gave them the best chance to win, and now he's saying that he didn't reinsert Russell because the game was already out of hand. So apparently Scott is Goldilocks and the lead has to be "just right" in order for the No. 2 overall pick to get playing time.
Scott had threatened the young players, Russell specifically, with losing minutes if they didn't "get it" faster, because he was losing patience over the weekend. He followed that up by talking about the youngster getting "the wood" to try and make the point clear.
At this point, you almost have to assume that there's some sort of issue with Russell in practice, or with his attitude, or something, because otherwise Scott is just haphazardly risking the development of arguably the Lakers' most important player.
As for how Russell felt about the situation?
D'Angelo Russell on playing late in games: "I've got to figure out what I'm doing wrong so I can correct it.” Byron explain why? “No."
— Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) November 11, 2015
Well, at least the lines of communication are clear. This situation is a disaster.
"GOLDYLOCKS"
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the thing about dlo is there never has been a moment where I thought wow thats some real potential, I hope he plays more so we can get some more of THAT
so far he doesnt have it, he doesnt have anything
opposite of monta
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Kings’ GM Divac admits players have not bought into Karl’s system. Yet.
By Kurt HelinNov 11, 2015, 2:52 PM EST
When you look at the Kings’ seven losses in eight games to start the season, they all have reasonable explanations. Four of the losses came with DeMarcus Cousins sidelined, and for years the Kings have sucked when he is not in the lineup. The other three losses were to the Warriors and Clippers (twice), two of the NBA’s elite.
Still, a 1-7 start for a team that had playoff aspirations is brutal, and it led to a team meeting just a couple weeks into the season. Out of that meeting most of the quotes were pabulum in the vein of “we had a frank talk and are in a better place,” the stuff heard after every team meeting. For example, there is this one from Kings GM Vlade Divac, via James Ham of CSNBayArea.com.
““It was good I think,” Divac said. “Going 1-7, you expect much better things. There’s a lot of frustrations among the group and it was pretty good and active. We addressed some issues and the most important thing is we are on the same page after that meeting.””
But Divac dropped one line that seemed to get at the heart of the problem.
““I’m not saying they don’t like the system,” Divac said. “They just aren’t buying in yet.””
The coaches and players are not on the same page. Things are messy. Cousins and other players like Mike Malone’s slower, more defensive system, but owner Vivek Ranadive did not — he wants an up-tempo team to open his new arena in downtown Sacramento next season. So enter George Karl. Who had a rocky summer with Cousins. They have said things are patched up, but plenty of people around the league question the stability of that relationship. That may be part of it.
This is going to be a big 48 hours for the Kings — how do they come out Wednesday night against a good Detroit team? Sacramento faces Brooklyn and Toronto after that, can they string some wins together, or do the losses keep piling up, putting pressure on the entire Kings’ organization.
________________________________________________________________________
By Kurt HelinNov 11, 2015, 2:52 PM EST
When you look at the Kings’ seven losses in eight games to start the season, they all have reasonable explanations. Four of the losses came with DeMarcus Cousins sidelined, and for years the Kings have sucked when he is not in the lineup. The other three losses were to the Warriors and Clippers (twice), two of the NBA’s elite.
Still, a 1-7 start for a team that had playoff aspirations is brutal, and it led to a team meeting just a couple weeks into the season. Out of that meeting most of the quotes were pabulum in the vein of “we had a frank talk and are in a better place,” the stuff heard after every team meeting. For example, there is this one from Kings GM Vlade Divac, via James Ham of CSNBayArea.com.
““It was good I think,” Divac said. “Going 1-7, you expect much better things. There’s a lot of frustrations among the group and it was pretty good and active. We addressed some issues and the most important thing is we are on the same page after that meeting.””
But Divac dropped one line that seemed to get at the heart of the problem.
““I’m not saying they don’t like the system,” Divac said. “They just aren’t buying in yet.””
The coaches and players are not on the same page. Things are messy. Cousins and other players like Mike Malone’s slower, more defensive system, but owner Vivek Ranadive did not — he wants an up-tempo team to open his new arena in downtown Sacramento next season. So enter George Karl. Who had a rocky summer with Cousins. They have said things are patched up, but plenty of people around the league question the stability of that relationship. That may be part of it.
This is going to be a big 48 hours for the Kings — how do they come out Wednesday night against a good Detroit team? Sacramento faces Brooklyn and Toronto after that, can they string some wins together, or do the losses keep piling up, putting pressure on the entire Kings’ organization.
________________________________________________________________________
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Byron probably doesn't like D'Lo's haircut
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Tix in the lower bowl for LAC / Memphis at Staples on Monday were legit 20 bucks.@bhzmafia14 how often you be going to the games? I saw tickets listed for tonight's game at $25
That wouldn't even pay for parking at Oracle
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I haven't eem watched F&F. I've just seent the meme posted around NT 99.9% of action movies are booty juice. Cereal.
Boogie's gonna keep getting a pass for being "an emotional lesbian" huh?
99.9% of action movies are booty juice. Cereal.Boogie's gonna keep getting a pass for being "an emotional lesbian" huh?
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Tell him to quit. Live probably won't see a release next year, cuz it's so trashWord, he got his 2k rating up, now he want to flourish on Live.Whiteside's hunger
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It's time for the Kings to consider life after DeMarcus Cousins
By Tom Ziller @teamziller on Nov 11, 2015, 11:05a
View media item 1783417
It's Year 6 of the Boogie era in Sacramento, and things look as mediocre as ever. It might finally be time to pull the plug.
By Tom Ziller @teamziller on Nov 11, 2015, 11:05a
View media item 1783417
It's Year 6 of the Boogie era in Sacramento, and things look as mediocre as ever. It might finally be time to pull the plug.
The Sacramento Kings want to make the playoffs. The team has the second-longest playoff drought in the NBA and is moving into a fancy new (and expensive) arena in one year. New ownership has faltered repeatedly, making odd and untimely coaching and front office hiring and firing decisions. The team has not won 30 games since 2007-08.
The Kings have had seven coaches since then, none lasting longer than Paul Westphal's two-plus seasons. The team traded away future draft considerations to open up the cap space to make a run at No. 8 this season, landing Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos and Marco Belinelli after striking out on Wesley Matthews and Monta Ellis. With those additions, vets Darren Collison and Rudy Gay and the (sometimes) best big man in the West in DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings thought they had a squad that could finally challenge for a playoff spot.
The Sacramento Kings are 1-7 and in sole possession of last place in the Western Conference.
They held a team meeting on Nov. 10, a whopping 13 days after the start of the season. That's impressive timing, even for this team.
* * *
Figuring out the Kings' problem this season is remarkably easy. Cousins, the alpha and omega of this squad, missed four of the eight games with a strained Achilles. The Kings lost those four games by a combined 50 points. Over Cousins' career, the Kings are 11-37 (.229) when the big man sits due to injury, illness or suspension. When he plays, the Kings are a meager, but still much better 121-233 (.342).
The Kings' other three losses were to the Clippers (twice) and the Spurs. Those teams were title contenders coming into the year and are a combined 10-4 in the early going. Even if the Kings were a legitimate No. 8 seed, they'd probably lose to the Clippers and the Spurs eight times out of 10.
Sacramento is actually shooting decently from long range. The Kings are on the low-end of the league in the rate of three-point attempts they fire up, but sit at a remarkable No. 6 in three-point percentage at 36 percent. Omri Casspi has been lights out, Belinelli has been Belinelli and Collison remains a highly underrated shot-maker. Rajon Rondo, however, is taking two threes a game (that's two too many) and Gay remains a below league-average gunner. (Cousins hit 4 of 5 from long range in the opener and has missed nine straight triples, so that fun is over.)
Yet the Kings' offense is still bad because of wildly inefficient two-point shooting from almost everyone, loads of turnovers from Cousins and Rondo and a distinct inability for anyone but Cousins to draw fouls. Cousins is putting up 22 and 11, but he's shooting 37 percent from the floor. That's not tenable for an efficient offense.
The defense has loads of problems. Opponents are shooting an incredible 71 percent on shots taken within six feet of the rim, 66 percent inside of 10 feet and 58 percent on two-pointers in total, per NBA.com's stats page. All of those marks are worst in the league. It's a mix of poor ball control on the perimeter (there isn't a single good backcourt defender on this roster), bad rotations and a scheme that just might not work with this collection of players. Even if you presume Cousins will get back to near 50 percent on twos, the team draws a few more fouls and cleans up the turnovers, there is remarkably little hope for defensive improvement unless Cauley-Stein develops faster than anyone expects.
Given the Kings' dearth of assets, there isn't any one attainable player type that could fix this team. You'd much rather have even a poor man's Kawhi Leonard than Gay given team needs, but Sacramento can't pull off a move like that without winning big on a dice roll. Ben McLemore is losing his luster fast and the Kings don't really have any draft picks to trade.
That brings us to the nuclear option.
* * *
The surest way to get a Sacramentan to glower is to suggest the Kings may sometime need to trade DeMarcus Cousins. The team hasn't had a player like him since Chris Webber, and a young, homegrown player like him ever. Cousins is the best young player to ever land in Sacramento and is one of only a few undisputed draft successes in modern franchise history. Cousins should break every Sacramento-era record and finally lead the team to glory.
He isn't doing that. He could still do that someday, but he isn't doing that now. That 121-233 record with him on the floor is still very bad. That record is not entirely Cousins' fault; his supporting cast has been atrocious as a rule. But it's there, and it's now Year 6.
Cousins is under contract at a bargain price through 2018, so there's no fear of losing him in free agency anytime soon. Milking the Cousins era until it's truly do-or-die time on getting anything back means carrying him until the 2017 offseason or even the 2018 trade deadline. Clearly, Kings management is confident they can turn this around by then. Many of us who have watched years of failure are skeptical.
There is a proper example in how to move on from The Next Great Hope happening in Minnesota right now. The Timberwolves could never really win with Kevin Love despite his gaudy numbers and All-Star status. They waited until a year before free agency to trade him ... and netted Andrew Wiggins. That, plus a bad season of their own, earned them the vaunted Wiggins/Karl-Anthony Towns core that has everyone around the league drooling. And while the learning curve will be steep, the new Wolves already look as good as most of Love's Wolves teams.
Minnesota's failures were never Love's fault. Injuries pounded that team repeatedly, former GM David Kahn botched a number of draft picks (including Jonny Flynn over Stephen Curry and Wesley Johnson over Cousins) and Kurt Rambis coached the team for two years. But it just wasn't working with Love, either. So, Flip Saunders rebooted the franchise and now they look as promising as ever. Sometimes you just need to hit the reset button.
Can the Kings reset now? Their draft situation is extraordinarily strange. Thanks to a foolish trade with Philadelphia to free up cap space, the Sixers have the right to swap picks with Sacramento in 2016 if it lands in the top 10 (as is likely). If the Kings falls to No. 11 or beyond, the Bulls get it. The Sixers also have the right to swap picks with Sacramento in 2017 and grabbed the Kings' 2018 pick, which is protected in the top 10 but converts to an unprotected first in 2019. All so the Kings could throw money at Wesley Matthews and Monta Ellis, who both turned it down, leading to a one-year rental of Rondo and some dough for Koufos and Belinelli. What a short-sighted trade.
Here's the thing: the Sixers are also awful! If Philadelphia and Sacramento both finish the season among the worst teams in the NBA, the Sixers essentially have two huge shots at a top-three pick. If the current standings hold, Philly finishes the season with the worst record and Sacramento is third-worst. If Philly wins the lottery or otherwise finishes higher than Sacramento in the lottery, it will just keep its pick and Sacramento will keep its own. If Sacramento wins the lotto or otherwise finishes higher, Philly will swap picks. Given these standings, Philly would have a 40 percent shot at the No. 1 pick. (They also take the Lakers' pick if it falls outside the top three. That's a hell of a war chest.)
Sacramento would still have a relatively high pick, but it has a zero percent chance at No. 1 and lower-than-expected shots at Nos. 2 and 3 overall this season or next given the swap situation. It gets even worse if Philadelphia gets much better now. Then, the Kings would give up a high pick for a low lottery selection, which is painful.
If the Kings trade Cousins for draft picks, young prospects and salary chaff, they will remain awful this season and end up with a high pick barring a Philadelphia miracle. If they continue to rebuild next season, they'll need to bet on Philly staying bad despite the likely arrival of Dario Saric, Joel Embiid (maybe) and another high pick. It's a risky game, but there's a pretty good shot the Kings can keep lottery picks in both seasons. Thanks be to Sam Hinkie's master plan.
So, who has the assets to grab Cousins, a need at center and years of reported interest in the big man? Hello, Danny Ainge!
The Celtics have their own 2016 pick (likely landing in the late teens), probably the Mavericks' pick (top-seven protected, likely to land in the late lottery) and maybe the Timberwolves' pick (top-12 protected, so don't count on it). Most importantly, Boston holds Brooklyn's unprotected first-rounder. Brooklyn has not won a game this season.
Simply trading Cousins for that pick would likely net Sacramento two top-five picks: their own after the Philly swap and that of the Nets. The Kings can try to also pry additional picks (of which Boston has plenty) or Marcus Smart. The Celtics have in David Lee a suitable dead-weight contract to include. (Ainge has another unprotected first from the Nets in 2018 and a 2017 swap option, plus a future Grizzlies pick and all of his own selections. One or two of Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller, James Young and Jared Sullinger could help round out the offer.)
No one likely to be interested in Cousins has that big a bucket of assets. If the Celtics are willing to give up the Nets' pick for Cousins, the Kings could reboot immediately just as the Wolves did. (One assumes they'd follow up by finding new homes for Gay and perhaps Rondo. Collison, McLemore, Koufos and of course Cauley-Stein are worth hanging onto.)
The problem with trading Cousins, much as it was with trading Love, is that he's damn good. He's going to put up monster numbers and be a star for years to come. He's talented enough to be the anchor of a really good team, maybe a title team. Just, not this team unless major things change. The only way to change things in a major way is to trade Cousins.
It's unlikely the Kings' front office is ready to give up on the season even at 1-7, so we'll be waiting until at least January, if not June, to see some action on the Cousins front.
But for the first time in five years, it's finally worth seriously considering what a post-Cousins Kings team might look like and whether that's preferable to more of this mediocrity.
The Kings have had seven coaches since then, none lasting longer than Paul Westphal's two-plus seasons. The team traded away future draft considerations to open up the cap space to make a run at No. 8 this season, landing Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos and Marco Belinelli after striking out on Wesley Matthews and Monta Ellis. With those additions, vets Darren Collison and Rudy Gay and the (sometimes) best big man in the West in DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings thought they had a squad that could finally challenge for a playoff spot.
The Sacramento Kings are 1-7 and in sole possession of last place in the Western Conference.
They held a team meeting on Nov. 10, a whopping 13 days after the start of the season. That's impressive timing, even for this team.
* * *
Figuring out the Kings' problem this season is remarkably easy. Cousins, the alpha and omega of this squad, missed four of the eight games with a strained Achilles. The Kings lost those four games by a combined 50 points. Over Cousins' career, the Kings are 11-37 (.229) when the big man sits due to injury, illness or suspension. When he plays, the Kings are a meager, but still much better 121-233 (.342).
The Kings' other three losses were to the Clippers (twice) and the Spurs. Those teams were title contenders coming into the year and are a combined 10-4 in the early going. Even if the Kings were a legitimate No. 8 seed, they'd probably lose to the Clippers and the Spurs eight times out of 10.
Sacramento is actually shooting decently from long range. The Kings are on the low-end of the league in the rate of three-point attempts they fire up, but sit at a remarkable No. 6 in three-point percentage at 36 percent. Omri Casspi has been lights out, Belinelli has been Belinelli and Collison remains a highly underrated shot-maker. Rajon Rondo, however, is taking two threes a game (that's two too many) and Gay remains a below league-average gunner. (Cousins hit 4 of 5 from long range in the opener and has missed nine straight triples, so that fun is over.)
Yet the Kings' offense is still bad because of wildly inefficient two-point shooting from almost everyone, loads of turnovers from Cousins and Rondo and a distinct inability for anyone but Cousins to draw fouls. Cousins is putting up 22 and 11, but he's shooting 37 percent from the floor. That's not tenable for an efficient offense.
The defense has loads of problems. Opponents are shooting an incredible 71 percent on shots taken within six feet of the rim, 66 percent inside of 10 feet and 58 percent on two-pointers in total, per NBA.com's stats page. All of those marks are worst in the league. It's a mix of poor ball control on the perimeter (there isn't a single good backcourt defender on this roster), bad rotations and a scheme that just might not work with this collection of players. Even if you presume Cousins will get back to near 50 percent on twos, the team draws a few more fouls and cleans up the turnovers, there is remarkably little hope for defensive improvement unless Cauley-Stein develops faster than anyone expects.
Given the Kings' dearth of assets, there isn't any one attainable player type that could fix this team. You'd much rather have even a poor man's Kawhi Leonard than Gay given team needs, but Sacramento can't pull off a move like that without winning big on a dice roll. Ben McLemore is losing his luster fast and the Kings don't really have any draft picks to trade.
That brings us to the nuclear option.
* * *
The surest way to get a Sacramentan to glower is to suggest the Kings may sometime need to trade DeMarcus Cousins. The team hasn't had a player like him since Chris Webber, and a young, homegrown player like him ever. Cousins is the best young player to ever land in Sacramento and is one of only a few undisputed draft successes in modern franchise history. Cousins should break every Sacramento-era record and finally lead the team to glory.
He isn't doing that. He could still do that someday, but he isn't doing that now. That 121-233 record with him on the floor is still very bad. That record is not entirely Cousins' fault; his supporting cast has been atrocious as a rule. But it's there, and it's now Year 6.
Cousins is under contract at a bargain price through 2018, so there's no fear of losing him in free agency anytime soon. Milking the Cousins era until it's truly do-or-die time on getting anything back means carrying him until the 2017 offseason or even the 2018 trade deadline. Clearly, Kings management is confident they can turn this around by then. Many of us who have watched years of failure are skeptical.
There is a proper example in how to move on from The Next Great Hope happening in Minnesota right now. The Timberwolves could never really win with Kevin Love despite his gaudy numbers and All-Star status. They waited until a year before free agency to trade him ... and netted Andrew Wiggins. That, plus a bad season of their own, earned them the vaunted Wiggins/Karl-Anthony Towns core that has everyone around the league drooling. And while the learning curve will be steep, the new Wolves already look as good as most of Love's Wolves teams.
Minnesota's failures were never Love's fault. Injuries pounded that team repeatedly, former GM David Kahn botched a number of draft picks (including Jonny Flynn over Stephen Curry and Wesley Johnson over Cousins) and Kurt Rambis coached the team for two years. But it just wasn't working with Love, either. So, Flip Saunders rebooted the franchise and now they look as promising as ever. Sometimes you just need to hit the reset button.
Can the Kings reset now? Their draft situation is extraordinarily strange. Thanks to a foolish trade with Philadelphia to free up cap space, the Sixers have the right to swap picks with Sacramento in 2016 if it lands in the top 10 (as is likely). If the Kings falls to No. 11 or beyond, the Bulls get it. The Sixers also have the right to swap picks with Sacramento in 2017 and grabbed the Kings' 2018 pick, which is protected in the top 10 but converts to an unprotected first in 2019. All so the Kings could throw money at Wesley Matthews and Monta Ellis, who both turned it down, leading to a one-year rental of Rondo and some dough for Koufos and Belinelli. What a short-sighted trade.
Here's the thing: the Sixers are also awful! If Philadelphia and Sacramento both finish the season among the worst teams in the NBA, the Sixers essentially have two huge shots at a top-three pick. If the current standings hold, Philly finishes the season with the worst record and Sacramento is third-worst. If Philly wins the lottery or otherwise finishes higher than Sacramento in the lottery, it will just keep its pick and Sacramento will keep its own. If Sacramento wins the lotto or otherwise finishes higher, Philly will swap picks. Given these standings, Philly would have a 40 percent shot at the No. 1 pick. (They also take the Lakers' pick if it falls outside the top three. That's a hell of a war chest.)
Sacramento would still have a relatively high pick, but it has a zero percent chance at No. 1 and lower-than-expected shots at Nos. 2 and 3 overall this season or next given the swap situation. It gets even worse if Philadelphia gets much better now. Then, the Kings would give up a high pick for a low lottery selection, which is painful.
If the Kings trade Cousins for draft picks, young prospects and salary chaff, they will remain awful this season and end up with a high pick barring a Philadelphia miracle. If they continue to rebuild next season, they'll need to bet on Philly staying bad despite the likely arrival of Dario Saric, Joel Embiid (maybe) and another high pick. It's a risky game, but there's a pretty good shot the Kings can keep lottery picks in both seasons. Thanks be to Sam Hinkie's master plan.
So, who has the assets to grab Cousins, a need at center and years of reported interest in the big man? Hello, Danny Ainge!
The Celtics have their own 2016 pick (likely landing in the late teens), probably the Mavericks' pick (top-seven protected, likely to land in the late lottery) and maybe the Timberwolves' pick (top-12 protected, so don't count on it). Most importantly, Boston holds Brooklyn's unprotected first-rounder. Brooklyn has not won a game this season.
Simply trading Cousins for that pick would likely net Sacramento two top-five picks: their own after the Philly swap and that of the Nets. The Kings can try to also pry additional picks (of which Boston has plenty) or Marcus Smart. The Celtics have in David Lee a suitable dead-weight contract to include. (Ainge has another unprotected first from the Nets in 2018 and a 2017 swap option, plus a future Grizzlies pick and all of his own selections. One or two of Kelly Olynyk, Tyler Zeller, James Young and Jared Sullinger could help round out the offer.)
No one likely to be interested in Cousins has that big a bucket of assets. If the Celtics are willing to give up the Nets' pick for Cousins, the Kings could reboot immediately just as the Wolves did. (One assumes they'd follow up by finding new homes for Gay and perhaps Rondo. Collison, McLemore, Koufos and of course Cauley-Stein are worth hanging onto.)
The problem with trading Cousins, much as it was with trading Love, is that he's damn good. He's going to put up monster numbers and be a star for years to come. He's talented enough to be the anchor of a really good team, maybe a title team. Just, not this team unless major things change. The only way to change things in a major way is to trade Cousins.
It's unlikely the Kings' front office is ready to give up on the season even at 1-7, so we'll be waiting until at least January, if not June, to see some action on the Cousins front.
But for the first time in five years, it's finally worth seriously considering what a post-Cousins Kings team might look like and whether that's preferable to more of this mediocrity.
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