Big Penny
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Posts posted by Big Penny
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The explanation given regarding Cousins' FG% doesn't mean much to me. All of the percentages you gave me are low (other than his long two's), regardless of the explanation.
Similar inside % to Roy Hibbert, but okay.
The best centers don't need spoon-fed, and Cousins doesn't draw double teams like Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. He's getting blocked because...well, because he's not going up strong with the ball, or (on occasion) he doesn't have the post moves to step into the basket and knock his defender to the outside.No, but they need teammates who are willing to give them the ball and not feed off scraps.
Have you ever watched the Kings play? Cousins receives double/triple teams inside.
If you're telling me that Cousins needs to develop into a finesse PF, well, he's on his way...but that's pretty sad for a man of his size.
No, that's not what I said at all. Cousins needs a finesse post game... like every single great center has had.
Smart jumped into a situation where, yes, the Kings had absolutely no offensive gameplan. I agree. Why? Because you can't provide a team constructed THAT poorly with a gameplan. There was no PG until Thomas stepped in, Evans had no idea what position he was playing (and will always have trouble with that, which leads me to believe the confusion regarding the players' roles rest on the shoulders of those players, not Westphal...because their best player was clueless), Cousins thinks he's a finesse PF (but should be a reckless center that pushes his weight around, like he was instructed to do at Kentucky), Thornton has no idea what to do with the ball because Evans has no position on the floor, and the only guy that seems to know what he's doing out there (Jason Thompson) finally gets the starting role, but is given an average of just 6-7 shot attempts a night, despite being the only player on the team that can shoot over 46% (and he's at a very impressive 54%).
Yes you can, if you're a good coach. Thornton and Tyreke can't play together. I know it. You have clearly noticed it. Bring one off the bench, that's not difficult. Smart also should've figured that out tbh but he's not a great coach either - just better suited for a young team. Cousins leads the NBA in FG attempts at the rim, I don't know why you're obsessed with him being a finesse power forward... every good center has had to have a finesse post-game. Shaq is the only one who was a perennial all-star without one and Shaq makes DMC look like a rag doll.
Thompson had such few shot attempts because he's not a big-time scorer. He will have a big game every now and then, but the reason he's such a good fit on the team is because while everyone else is running around thinking "I'm gonna get 50!!!" (Which they will do, since they would have done that at every previous level of competition, and when they got to the NBA they weren't told otherwise because Westphal never established a pecking order or a gameplan) Thompson is quite comfortable to sit back and take what the defense gives him.
Also worth noting that Westphal started Hayes and Hickson over Thompson.
Thompson was actually taking three more shots per game with Westphal coaching, because Westphal noticed he was the only guy that could put the ball in the basket consistently WHILE playing a defined role night in and night out, without requiring any adjustments to suit him.
Worth noting that with Westphal coaching this year Thompson averaged 6 PPG on 5 FG attempts.
2009-10 season (Westphal's first year w/ SAC, no Cousins)
FG%: 19th
3PT%: 16th
PTS/G: 18th
REB: 10th
AST: 20th
oppFG%: 20th
OFF RTG: 22nd
DEF RTG: 20th
2011-12 season (Smart's first year w/ SAC, Cousins playing his best)
FG%: 26th
3PT%: 29th
PTS/G: 6th
REB: 10th
AST: 26th
oppFG%: 30th
OFF RTG: 21st
DEF RTG: 29th
Under Smart, the Kings played faster, scored more points per 100 possessions, but did not shoot the ball well at all, didn't pass the ball well, didn't hit the three at all, didn't defend. It was the perfect recipe for failure, and I believe it all started with them wanting to play through Cousins more than ever.
Of course they would play through Cousins. He's the best player on the team.
The reason for those low stats is the players they have. Out of the 10 players who lead the 2010 team in FG%, only 2 of them (Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans) remain... so unless Cousins is also the GM of the team, you can't rationally blame him.
The only two consistent outside shooters on the team are Thornton and Thomas. There aren't any consistent good perimeter defenders - Greene is a good defender but can't concentrate, Tyreke is a good on-ball defender but an atrocious off-ball defender. All our "at the rim scorers" (and that's Cousins and Tyreke only) play under the rim and aren't gonna jump over anybody. The team has no pecking order so everyone wants to be the #1 guy which doesn't help with the Assists.
By the numbers, Sacramento played significantly worse, but they had a slightly-higher winning percentage because, quite frankly, the Kings didn't play through an 82-game schedule. They didn't play the Heat, Celtics, Pacers, Magic, Sixers or Hawks twice...didn't play the Lakers, Spurs, Mavs, Nuggets, Grizzlies or Clippers four times each (just three).You can use that argument for any team. What if. Doesn't change what happened.
Yeah, Smart started Thomas...after 22 games (under him). Westphal had just seven games to make that decision to start Thomas, and I'm pretty sure he would have, eventually, because Thomas is more of a Kevin Johnson than Tyreke, and Westphal has been wanting to coach another KJ for a long time now. Not really fair to say Smart was genius to pull that off, because for 22 games, he brought him off the bench.
He became a regular rotation player after Smart's first 2 games.
I also don't believe Smart got the best of Thompson. Again, as stated earlier, Westphal was the guy giving him over 10 FGA/G, and JT deserved that...and still does, when you look at the rest of this roster. When Cousins came along, Thompson's shot attempts fell to just above seven a night, and with Smart the following season, they fell below that.
Because Cousins takes a lot of shots?
I don't get this thing you have with Cousins... when a guy comes along who is good enough to be taking 15+ shots downlow and grab double digit rebounds, people are gonna get less shots.
Evans did better under Smart? Well, he actually did solid under Westphal, before Cousins stepped into play. His best season was under Westphal, by far, without Cousins...and then, not by coincidence, he shoots a horrible 41% and has no idea whether to play through a big man who doesn't play as big as he should, to run the point, to slash and get to the rim, to create for others...whatever...he didn't know.
Also because he was injured pretty much all season his 2nd year (Opted to play through a condition that should've had him sitting out 2-4 months), but yeah, let's blame Cousins some more.
The only time a player should be taking over 15 shots a night, at under 45%, is if he's drawing serious doubles and creating for his teammates out of them. Superstars have the green light to do this...and not necessarily the ones that are Gasol-like (will shoot, but not TOO much), but those that are not afraid to take over games (Kobe, Wade, Iverson, LeBron, Durant, McGrady, whoever).
Well he does get a bunch of defensive attention. I don't know where you got the idea that he doesn't.
I honestly don't see why I should believe this team can be successful with Cousins playing the way he does. It doesn't matter the coach.
"Playing the way he does"
You do realise it's his SECOND YEAR right? He came into a team with - whether you think Westphal was good or not - no rotation, no gameplan and filled with chuckers. He was then not allowed to have a proper off-season coming into his sophomore year, and had to deal with a coaching change weeks in. Yet he still had an 18/11 2nd year and looks to have an extremely bright future.
Come back to me if he's still shooting 45% in 4-5 years. I don't know what you were expecting from him lol.
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I'm going to stick up for Westphal. When I was a Suns fan (much younger, didn't have a team to root for), he coached Phoenix to the NBA Finals his first season there. Yes, they had just traded for Charles Barkley, but one of the biggest problems concerning Westphal was that people weren't sure if a first-year coach could handle a guy that had a short temper and had reached superstar status. Phoenix was KJ's team until Barkley stepped in, and Johnson was putting up numbers that were actually as good (or better) than Steve Nash's numbers we've seen over the years, a better scorer and defender (by far), and distributed the ball well (although, not as good, of course). Cotton Fitzsimmons was doing a very good job with the Suns, but he could never get them over the hump, and the combo of CB34 and Westphal did the trick.
In fact, for the three years Westphal coached Barkley (not including the 30 games or so he coached in his final season with the Suns, who were without KJ four games into the season), Sir Charles praised him...said he was an excellent coach, worked very well with the players, etc.
Gary Payton didn't have it out with George Karl? They fought quite a bit. I grew up watching that Sonics team run through the West. Take an article back from 1996:
Sure, he was talking good about him in interviews to the media, but there were problems in practice, problems during the games, problems in the locker room. Gary Payton was a troubled player, not on the level of Dennis or Ron, but he was there.
Westphal walked into a locker room that had just come off a 17-win season with two different coaches. Evans was a rookie, Cousins didn't exist. Once the smoke cleared, two years later, Cousins is still shooting under 45% as a big man, acting like he's a superstar center during games, under Westphal and Smart.
The difference between Westphal and Smart? Westphal doesn't put up with that kind of shit. He is a winning coach, a 53% win percentage over his coaching career, 55% in the playoffs, including a trip to the NBA Finals as a rookie coach, able to calm down Charles Barkley (who was far more disruptive than Cousins, but a FAR better player and he knew how to win).
Under Smart, they were 20-39. Big deal. That's 28 games won in an 82-game season. Cousins SHOULD be getting 18/11, as many opportunities as he's getting...doesn't mean much, though, because he's still shooting like crap. Only one Kings player shot the ball over 46%, and that was Jason Thompson (T-Will played just 18 games). They are nearly dead last in FG%, THE SECOND worst defensive team in the NBA, second worst three-point shooting team, and they never, ever pass the ball to each other. What did this team accomplish without Westphal? The same thing they did with him...which was nothing.
They are poorly assembled, they don't have a leader, they don't have a player that can carry them through games...they don't have the goods to get it done, and no matter what coach you stick in there, you won't see a productive season out of that group. It's not Westphal's fault. I almost feel sorry for him.
But Karl never pulled BS moves like that on Payton.
Westphal has a history of suspending players and acting like a punk. The only team he didn't pull that kind of shit with was the Suns.
DeMarcus Cousins' FG%. His biggest knock against him. Here are the facts:
1. Cousins leads the NBA in FGAs at the rim. He is assisted on a very low % of these which does nothing to help his FG%
2. His FG% on shots at the rim is fairly low - on par with finesse Centers such as Hibbert and Kaman.
3. Cousins is blocked more than anyone in the NBA. However, this is due to the large amounts of shots he takes at the rim. His blocked % is actually fairly average.
4. Cousins low FG% and Ast rate can also be explained by the fact he leads the league in offensive rebounds
5. He was 4th in Defensive Efficiency
6. Statistically, no other Center is as effective in the paint and out on the perimeter as Cousins.
7. His percentage is drastically let down by his shots from 3-9 feet out. Most of his post moves are aimed for him to be aggressive and get to the rim. He hasn't learned to play a proper finesse game yet, so this percentage is very low.
8. Cousins is one of the best shooting Centers in the NBA, statistically - he shoots a similar percentage to Bosh and Love on 16-23 footers,
I can provide the source but it's from another website and the post is insanely long so I can't c/p it over. If you're OK with me sharing the link then I will, but if not just trust me. (His FG% at the rim is 56.7% on 7.3 per game, 30% on 3.4 attempts from 3-9 feet out, 35.1% on 0.9 attempts from 10-15 feet out, and 40.0% on 3.8 attempts from 15-23 feet out) his mid-range game is fine and his inside game is fine, it's the finesse game that lets him down.
How do you explain what happened between Hawes and Westphal? That's a bitch move no matter how you spin it.
And the Kings never won more game with Smart, that's true. Partly because that's when they realised it was hopeless, Smart played Reke at SF in order to prepare him for next year and also he was under instruction from the Maloofs to get the most out of Isaiah because he was their big money maker last year.
I agree though, the Kings were awfully coached. I don't see how you can blame that on Smart and not on Westphal though. When Smart took over the Kings did not have a gameplan. They had no offensive system. They had no set rotation. They just went out there and were told to win. That's how you coach the '92 Dream Team... not how you coach a team filled with young egotistical guys.
Just worth mentioning too, the Kings showed no progression in the Win column under Smart, but the progression in individual player's games was astonishing. Tyreke averaged 14/3/3 on 42% with Westphal as the coach, 17/5/5 on 46% with Smart. Cousins averaged 14/9/1 on 39% with Westphal as the coach, 19/11/2 on 45% with Smart. Smart put his confidence in IT and allowed him to take over as the starting PG. He got the best he could out of Jason Thompson. After a full training camp I'm confident they can put it together as a team and move out of the bottom seeds.
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Evans is a good fit as the SF on a small ball club because he defends bigger than his size. But let's be honest, he won the Rookie of the Year at the SG spot, so you stick with him there unless the front office decides to just let him go. When it comes to Marcus Thornton and where he fits, I think he's best suited at the sixth man role where his defensive deficiencies aren't as magnified.
But if you look more closely at the Kings season, Tyreke actually improved as a shooter once Isaiah Thomas took over as the starting PG. I'm not ready to give up on him, you can't say he's regressed without mentioning the coaching change he's had to deal with (which involves different playing styles implemented), the plantar fasciitis he dealt with in year 2, and the lockout shortened season that stagnated his development even more.
Typically guard's nowadays are developing at a slower rate. Everything Evans fails at, moving without the ball, jump shot, and court vision can improve, with a full offseason ahead, it's not out of the question to assume he will develop at least one of these skills.
I agree. Tyreke and Thornton can't play together, it would be better for Thornton to come off the bench.
Tyreke at SF was actually an experiment too... Smart moved Tyreke to SF in order to force him to play off the ball. It's certainly not permanent, it was just for the season to make him adapt and see the court differently.
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He needs a change of scenery big time. The fact he hasn't progressed whatsoever up to this point is horrible. He clearly has a shit attitude and playing on a team with a bunch of other punks like Cousins isn't going to help that. That organization is a mess, how the hell do you let a 20 year old rookie get a coach fired. Incredible.
Are you kidding me?
Cousins has done nothing out of line this season. Nothing whatsoever. Crazy huh? Maybe if you followed the team you would know that.
The Westphal incident? Let's rewind shall we. Remember when Westphal coached the Sonics? Him and Gary Payton had a heated argument. George Karl never had any problem controlling Payton. Pat Riley never had any problem controlling Gary Payton. Westphal has one argument and guess what happens? Gary Payton - the franchise player - gets suspended. Suspended for standing up to an awful coach. Westphal is fired, and some coach who is there to coach basketball and not control people is hired.
Remember when Westphal coached the Kings? Remember when Spencer Hawes played for the Kings? Spencer Hawes stated that the Kings players were quite confused about their roles, and that there was no set rotation. He said this in the most politcally correct way possible. Wanna know what Westphal did about this? He placed Spencer Hawes on the Inactive list and said "“I saw where he’s having a hard time understanding his role, He should understand it (after) tonight.”
What a great coach right? Wrong. That should've been the warning signs for the Kings. This guy is a cunt.
Next. The Kings are frustrated. Frustrated because it's 2012 and they suck, as they have done for years. Tyreke Evans goes to the press and complains about the lack of offensive system. Cousins steps up to voice his opinion and JJ Hickson tells him not to. JJ Hickson tells him nothing good will come of it. JJ Hickson tells him to sit down privately with Westphal and discuss what he thinks. Cousins does exactly that. Westphal responds by calling him a cancer to the team. Cousins, a natural hothead, gets frustrated, and shouts "If I'm a cancer then why don't you trade me?" as you would to your Boss, if he called you useless. "If I'm so useless why don't you fire me?"
Westphal then suspends Cousins WITHOUT consulting any higher-ups in the organisation. He releases a statement saying Cousins has requested a trade. He is then fired for this little stunts. I have 2 exams tommorow so I can't be bothered now but I'll be glad to provide you with sources in about 20 hours.
Since then, Westphal has been (rightfully) unemployed, and Cousins has emerged into a Top-5 Center putting up 18/11.
You don't get anywhere with a coach who doesn't see a team to coach, but rather sees a group of men he can control. Westphal (was) the worst coach in the NBA and he was rightfully fired. Cousins fault? No. But if it was I would applaud him.
Anyways, on topic, this is a good move. Tyreke has showed very little progression, although with Westphal gone hopefully that will be different. If he continues to decline then we will be able to sign him for cheap in the off-season and avoid giving him a bloated contract. if he finally breaks out and becomes the player everyone thought he would be... well then he's still a RFA.
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1. I don't think the NBA is rigged, at least not this transparently
2. I don't understand why this supposedly fullproof system isn't televised for the audience to see. Just makes no sense to hold it behind closed doors. The NBA gains nothing by doing it behind closed doors.
EDIT: Well I get why, since it is a really tedious process of tons of balls being drawn, but still. They have gotta do something since this shit is suspect as hell.
Because they draw out the team that picks #1 first. That's not good TV, people want to be kept in suspense.
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awful, awful terrible list
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Thats not gay at all.
sexualy insecure
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Cool, a jumpshooting 'big' who looks like a twig is calling out Dwight.
Good luck I guess.
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I really like the guy, I think he can be an all-star down the road. Excited to see what him and D-Will can do together.
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How about Fish himself? He's halfway there.
Yeah, but remember how old he is.
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There shouldn't be.
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there is a big difference in calling someone gay and a [expletive]got. one doesn't have a negative connotation, the other does. how many gay people do you know that refer to themselves as gay? a lot. how many refer to themselves as [expletive]gots? none
I know a few gay people who refer to themselves and others as '[expletive]gots'
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Probably LeBron.
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Yeah, I think Wade deserved the 1st team, but Kobe got it because he is Kobe Bryant.
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Grizzlies / Bulls
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Nobody quit on anybody. Not Kobe, not LeBron.
Find a hobby
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lmaooooo. good one.
definitely true.
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damn ya [expletive]as need to get laid.
White virgin.
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50% of wages = spend on w/e
50% of wages = saved for car insurance/driving lessons
100% of ema = saved for car insurance/driving lessons
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ejected for 'verbal taunting'
what a load of [expletive]ing bs
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i change it when i get bored
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Here's one I think we all can agree on: CUSTOMER SERVICE
I hate having to call customer service and I have to go through several pointless steps just to talk to a real person and not an automated machine.
I hate when I call, the automated machine wants my Account Number or Phone Number so they can process my inquiry faster but when I finally get to talk to a real person, the first thing they ask is for my Account Number/Phone number....what the [expletive] was the point of me giving it to the machine if your going to ask for it again?!
When I call Tech Support and they want me to go through a bunch of stupid steps. Look, my internet was working fine an hour ago, I haven't touched anything, it's still plugged in, it's still properly connected, and I already unplugged the power and plugged it back in......stop asking me to do stupid monkey tricks because you're buying time while you figure out what's wrong. Just put me back on hold but stop treating me like a trained animal.
The reason they treat you like that is because most customers who call customer service are [expletive]ing idiots.
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That's because you haven't seen those other players from the past play enough, and you're basing your opinion off of what other people have said about past players. There's a ZERO percent chance you have seen enough of the past great players for you to make an accurate assessment. You're looking like a fool in this thread.
Anyways, Kobe is #1 all-time, and he has been for a few years. He's without a doubt a better player then M.J., that's for sure. However, for pure dominance, it's Shaq and it's not even close.
and you're a borderline retard.
there is an argument for Kobe being a top player all time, but no one would EVER make the claim that CP3 is the greatest PG of all time at the moment. there is quite a difference.
Why not? According to his logic, Kobe is top-5 all time because he watched Kobe play. I've watched CP3 play more than I've seen guys like Magic or Stockton play.
No Extension For Evans?
in Sacramento Kings Team Forum
Posted
They could be higher if we had an offensive system. Obviously with this roster they're never going to be phenomenal but it's a mix of playing and coaching.
As a coach you should be able to. Cousins knows what to do as a primary option. The problem lies after that because nobody else has any idea what to do.
Difference being there has to be 3-4 defenders all with guns before Bynum will even think "Maybe I should pass...." whereas Cousins is a willing passer. Also, from the games I've seen there is no way Drew gets more attention than Cousins on a consistent basis. Teams are content with throwing defenders at Cousins because who's going to beat them from the outside? John Salmons? Tyreke Evans? Lol.
Cousins is one of the best ball-handling bigs in the NBA and is a terrific passer out of the high post. He showcased that during his rookie season. Westphal then took him out of the high post to start this season.
Naw.
#Playoffs2013
IJS, Cousins is in his 2nd year and has had one of the toughest paths (basketball wise) imaginable.
Yes the team is bad.
I was slinging mud at Westphal because of the way he treats his players. The way he treated Payton, the way he treated Hawes, the way he treated Cousins. He was interested more in making sure everyone on the Kings knew he was "the man". If Cousins and Tyreke had been drafted to a team with Keith Smart as the coach, they would've progressed a hell of a lot more.
I wasn't expecting any fireworks from the team this year, even if Phil Jackson decided to coach them. Westphal never ran an offensive system. Westphal never established a rotation. Westphal would then talk shit to the press and suspend players if they complained about this. I showed you hard evidence of this.
What do you expect Smart to do? He took over a team that had NO GAMEPLAN, NO ROTATION, NO SYSTEM... during the season! He can't just take 2-3 weeks out of the league to establish his system. I am willing to put any money on the numbers being drastically higher next season.
Larry Brown was a tough coach. Westphal was a bellend.
I would've loved Larry Brown to come to Sacramento and set these guys straight. He was my first choice when Westphal was fired.
You want me to admit I was wrong? Okay, I was wrong.
He played awfully with Sacramento and seemed more concerned with getting his numbers. Like almost everyone on the team.
According to me and anyone who has any knowledge of the Kings....
Fine.
Really? Because I saw Hibbert get overrated as [expletive] during the playoffs against the Heat.
I was comparing their FG% on inside shots, not overall players.