[NihochuParticipant]

 In my opininion Sac Town are a real bad team. They have a good set of induviduals scorers but are a bad team offensively. Watching the Kings they do NOT go one offence without passing the ball more than 4 times , like for a whole game literally. I think their whole mentality needs to change, to score as a team and not as individuals. Thats why i was never high on Tyreke because i saw that he doesn’t run a team and just looks to drive and score …. 

What moves do you think they should make in order to progress forward and become a better team ?

[WeavvvParticipant]

Sac Town isn’t as bad as you make them out to be. Yes, they have a lot of individuals; Tyreke, DeMarcus, Thornton, and even into the bench, Jimmer, Outlaw, Salmons, Greene; but they lack a true PG. When Isaiah is able to get some run, he seems to improve the team a bit, with his PG abilities, but it’s lost on the rest of the team. Making a change at PG will obviously do a lot to help this team, but coaching is also a large aspect of teaching the ‘team concept’.

As far as moves, it starts at the top. A Coach that can actually reach players (ie. DeMarcus/Tyreke) should be #1.

Other than that, I don’t like to speculate (aka ‘make-up’) trades, but moving a few young ‘individuals’ for more team oriented role players/facilitators would help in the long run.

At the end of the day, Sacramento can be a fun team to watch, but will continue to struggle until they can grasp a ‘team concept’ as a whole.

[Wavy BagelsParticipant]

New Coach – Keith Smart doens’t cut it for me. He seems like a "Buddy" coach. That’s good and all, but this team needs some assertiveness and it starts with the coaching staff.

Drafting a mature player – The were right drafting Freddette. Besides him being a knock-dwon shooter, he is very mature unlike DMC. If they choose to enter this year’s draft, they need to look for a solid contributor that is also a no-nonsence type of guy

Veteran Leadership (TRUE Veteran Leadership) – Whether it be through trade, free agency, whatever, this team lacks a guy who has been in the league for a long time and could give some humble advice to these young players.

In the long term, this teasm should be fine. they’re pretty young and if they make the correct moves, they should be contending in few years.

[NihochuParticipant]

Yeah i like Isaiah playing point they need more guys like chuck hayes or some sort of real understanding of what makes a winning team .. the only way they can get better is the understanding of the team game cuz the individual tallent is already there 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 First off trade Marcus Thornton as soon as yesterday because although he can score really well, he’s a gunner who takes you our of rhythm offensively, and even worse he’s totally crippling Evan’s production and development.  When Thornton missed them few games Evans was averaging over 20 ppg playing great all around and the Kings were competive.  When Thornton came back Evan’s production dipped again and so did the Kings.

The other thing they need to do is before and after every game they need to come together as a team in a big circle, hold hands, drop to their knees, and each one of them needs to pray to their respective God for Anthony Davis.  

Theres not a better fit in the lottery for Anthony Davis then the Kings and here’s why.  The Kings have a ton of scorers who don’t hustle.  Davis’ super efficient offensive prowess would fit seamlessly into the Kings who would dominate with a Cousins/Davis frontcourt.  Can you think of a better frontcourt mate for Davis in the NBA then Cousins?  Cousins passing ability combined with Davis quickness and leaping ability would wreak havoc over defenses in a high/low game.  Both can pass and finish.  And on defense Davis would continue to get a ton of blocks from the weakside while Cousins bodies the defenders.  But Davis is more then just a weak side shot blocker, he controlls the whole game from the paint.  He would instantly stabilize the Kings defense and maybe even teach Whiteside a few things.

 

[651TwolvesParticipant]

IMO I think their roster resembles a typical AAU team, a very good one if they were playing in that kind of league. just look at their roster 

 

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

They need a veteran point guard. Becuz they do too much 1 on 1..And they need some shooters..

Evans havent advanced his game as alot people expected…Cousins looks like a future all star,if he keeps his kool..

[db24kb24Participant]

 Razor said it. Smart is more of a friend than a coach…his sets/philosophy come from Don Nelsons Warriors which were basically all individual plays, and take the first shot available mentality. 

They lack a floor leader as well. Generally the best player on your team is the leader, and DMC could’t lead a pedo to chuckee cheese. Reke has been a good player, but he can’t draw up X’s and O’s, and really instill a philosophy. Give smart his assistant position back and hire a Larry Brown. He’ll give them discipline and defense which this young group needs.

[Wavy BagelsParticipant]

DMC could’t lead a pedo to chuckee cheese

Ouch.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 CTFU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow.  That has to be the best punchline of 2012 thus far. "Couldn’t lead a pedo to chuckee cheese."

[BA30Participant]

The Kings surely are a bad "basketball" team. They have unbelievable talent – arguably the best young talent in the NBA with Evans, Cousins, Hickson and Thompson. Thornton is pretty talented but has not meshed well and not someone I would consider a knock down shooter. Isaiah Thomas is also a great talent but undersized. With these types of young players, the Kings should be playoff contenders in the West just based on talent.

These certainly aren’t the only examples in the NBA (I am a Cavs fan), but last year, Alonzo Gee for the Cavs shot 34.7% from 3, this year he is shooting 38.9%. Ramon Sessions for his career had only made 13 threes going into this season. He has made 14 this year increasing his career 3 point percentage from 18.3% to 25% (37.8% for the season). These are signs of players who want to improve on the weak parts of their game.

My main issue with the Kings is that as an organization they do not instill the mental toughness needed to win. This comes from a lot of different things from the front office to the entire coaching staff. What extremely talented player have they developed and improved consistently from season to season in the past 5 years? I can’t really think of any. Are there stories out there that Evans worked on his 3 point shooting or Cousins worked on his shot-selection and mid-range game in the off-season? I haven’t heard of any.

 

[F_DA_POParticipant]

Jimmer Freddette is a bust. Guys his size, with no athleticism, who try to be SGs never work out in the NBA. His only hope was being a PG and that looks like it won’t ever happen. The Kings need to trade him while he still has "potential". He is a really bad fit on that team. Evans and Thronton is all the SGs you need considering how much they shoot the ball.

[orangeshadow83Participant]

@ F_DA_PO

I have to disagree with you. You can’t call a player a bust after he has played less than 30 games. There have been a number of games he has put up decent numbers, 20 pts against Mem 19 against Den shooting 5-8 on 3’s. Maybe he does need to go to a different team and he might not be a starting point guard but i could see him carving a nice niche as a 6th man for a good team similar to the role of Jason Terry. If that happens i would hardly call him a bust.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

 I think there is a chance that Jimmer could become a 6th or 7th man on a good team. However, I wouldn’t get rid of him because of his marketing appeal. While on his Rookie contract, he is still good value when you consider his marketing appeal even if he isn’t helping that much on the court. Also there is plenty of time for a player to improve. Look at Jeremy Lin, he seems to have improved significantly since his rookie year. 

[Jlv2011]

Sacramento’s future is in good hands.

[BA30Participant]

Although Jimmer might be a bust, you in no way can call a guy a bust midway through his rookie year. ESPECIALLY when the guy is playing just 20 minutes a game, shooting over 38% for 3 and is still learning the speed of the NBA game. That is simply a comment with no backing whatsoever. Mark Price was not athletic at all, just saying (and yes I know he played PG). Does he fit the Kings…well probably not because they are a team without a direction or identity.

[Johnny Chill]

Can he be a franchise player? He has a much better relationship with Coach Smart than Westphaul.

He has the size,  strengtch, and quickness to dominate the paint. He has great hand and is better passer than most people give him credit for. He is also a good FT shooter for someone his size.

I’m not sure if he is that good of a defender though. He tries to take a lot of charges, which is smart but I rather see him block shots.

Cousins was so much better last season when the Kings had Dalembert at Center and Cousins at the PF. Too bad they couldnt resign him and brought in Chuck Hayes instead.

Can he be a 24 point 14 rebound guy?

He is only scoring 15 points per game, which is shockly low for a guy with his offensive skill set. He has a horrible FG%, wtf is wrong with him? Are the Kings using him wrong?

[NihochuParticipant]

 i think Jimmer just season to adjust that he is not the main guy anymore, if they start playing team ball then he will get the ball more but nothing like in BYU

[Mr. 19134Participant]

Demarcus Cousins IS a franchise calibur player.  He’s putting up on the low all star numbers this year.  His numbers are better then Marc Gasols.  Cousins is really starting to take off under Keith Smart and I’m surprised more people aren’t talking about this.  Over the last 10 games Cousins is putting up 18 and 12.5.  They’re phenomal numbers for a 21 year old center.  He still needs to work on his shot selection and increase his shooting % but he’s not even halfway through his 2nd year in the league, so I think he’ll learn to adjust.

And Jimmer IMO is having a solid rookie season especially considering who he plays with.  He’s usually playing in the same backcourt with Thornton and Evans who aren’t going to set him up with easy baskets.  Thornton especially look at the effect he’s had on Evans production so you can imagine the negative effect he’s going to have on a rookie shooter like Jimmer.

But despite popular beliefe because he’s white, Jimmer has very nice athleticism.  He’s not high flyer or speed racer, but he’s very strong and quick, and has decent speed in the open court.  Look at what JJ Redick has been able to carve out in the league, and Jimmer has way more tools then Redick ever did.  I do think he can play PG some in the league too.

[HitsterParticipant]

Maybe Sacramento look for a veteran pass first PG like Andre Miller as a free agent this summer or even try for a genuine leader like Chauncy Billups if he returns from injury. Billups had his title with Detroit so he does not need to chase a ring and although it may be a long shot could be worth an offer.

The Kings have nice young talent but need to look for the right shots and if they play an uptempo system then it needs the right person to run it. When Phoenix ran the 8 second offence, Steve Nash maybe carried the ball 90% of the time so he could make the right pass.

If they get another high pick this year then the young core gets even better but results need to improve in due course.

Jimmer has slowed down after his early burst but is still finding his feet in the NBA and revenue alone makes him worth keeping before you consider his huge potential.

[HitsterParticipant]

Maybe Sacramento look for a veteran pass first PG like Andre Miller as a free agent this summer or even try for a genuine leader like Chauncy Billups if he returns from injury. Billups had his title with Detroit so he does not need to chase a ring and although it may be a long shot could be worth an offer.

The Kings have nice young talent but need to look for the right shots and if they play an uptempo system then it needs the right person to run it. When Phoenix ran the 8 second offence, Steve Nash maybe carried the ball 90% of the time so he could make the right pass.

If they get another high pick this year then the young core gets even better but results need to improve in due course.

Jimmer has slowed down after his early burst but is still finding his feet in the NBA and revenue alone makes him worth keeping before you consider his huge potential.

[WeavvvParticipant]

For all that has been made about the Coaching abilities in Sacramento (my own comments, included), they are 8-12 since Keith Smart took over the team.* Obviously below .500, but not too shabby. Including an overall 7-5 at Arco, where teams used to despise coming to play.

 

 

*as noted on the ESPN Power Rankings. 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Anthony Davis would be PERFECT for them. A shot blocker to go next to Cousins. They probably need a point guard but I don’t see a Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, or Ricky Rubio in this draft.

Funny, but if the Kings got Anthony Davis too, then John Calipari would be a great Coach for his Big Three (Evans, Cousins, and Davis). lol

Jimmer is a good player to have off the bench even if he is a tweener guard. So they still need some help at point. I would still try to play Tyreke as a primary ball handler and scorer but then let him pass off to shooters. The problem with the Kings is they have a lot of scorers but not a lot of shooters. There aren’t too many pass-first point guards out there or too many knock down 3 point shooters out there. But, if you go into next year with Tyreke on the wing, Cousins inside, Anthony Davis as a shot blocker, dunker, and defender with Jimmer off the bench and Chuck Hayes’ toughness and rebounding then you have a good mix of guys. What they need to try to do is get Ramon Sessions. He can rack up assists and he can score too. I think trading Marcus Thornton can get it done and the Cavs might even throw in a second round pick or another player. The Kings could do a lot with a rotation of Evans, Sessions, John Salmons, Anthony Davis, Cousins, Hayes, Jimmer, Jason Thompson, JJ Hickson, and Isaiah Thomas. Plus Donte Green, Francisco Garcia or whoever else plays at small forward.

[omphalosParticipant]

I think the best fit for Sacramento would be MKG, their interior D isn’t that bad, but they have no one who can stop perimeter players from going nuts. MKG brings the hustle, leadership and D that they need.

I say bring Mike Woodson into the fold, he was able to make a talented young Hawks team competitive, which is exactly what the Kings need.

[Author]

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