Sacramento @ Orlando

[RIPskaterdude]

How can we ever win? We shot 52%, had 21 assists, committed only 12 turnovers and scored 103 points...and yet we still lost by 18?! There is NO doubt in my mind that are the worst team in the league and get the #1 pick in the draft.

[KF10]

At least we played better from the horrible performance from last night. And Martin actually bounced back: 30/4/4 iirc. And Beno actually looks decent from his UGLY performance last game. But it was Dwight/Shard that came big for the Magic.

[KingsfanTen]

Yea, at least we did better than last night. We should give them some cake.

[cdt3]

Theus continues to play Mikki Moore (6/1 in 20min). How many teams have power forwards averaging 1 rebound after 3 games? The Kings. Way to spark terror in that Dwight Howard with 6point/ 1rebound a game monster Theus. WTF. Jason and Spencer were solid and didn't get enough minutes, Shelden was very good and had 11/4/2block in 18min and was playing Howard tough. Mikki is a shooting guard. Shooting guards get than 1 rebound a game. Small forwards gets 3 rebounds a game Moore is no SF. 7 more useless Thomas minutes. The rest of the offense looked solid. The should have gone with the small lineup again or something anyone could get more rebounds than MM. Probably would have been a good game to get Greene minutes also because the Magic had a lot of smaller guards which could have been good for his confidence. No More Moore. NMM! NMM! 100 percent of NBA players could score 6 points and 1 rebound in 20 minutes of NBA time, no matter the size as a power forward. I thought Theus learned the lesson after Moore's 0 rebound masterpiece on the first day but aparently he needed a little more lesson rubbed in his face. Hawes, Thompson or Williams could have had 20/10's but hey lets not get too many rebounds and even let them play together when the guards aren't getting it done down the stretch. We got outrebounded 28-40 and played poor defense. That's where we lost the game. I notice a pattern! Go with who is hot. Hedo is 6-10, Rashard 6-11, and Dwight 7-0 we should have played the 3 bigs in the 4th quarter. That was a coaching error.

[pillwenney]

Theus continues to play Mikki Moore (6/1 in 20min). How many teams have power forwards averaging 1 rebound after 3 games? The Kings. Way to spark terror in that Dwight Howard with 6point/ 1rebound a game monster Theus. WTF. Jason and Spencer were solid and didn't get enough minutes, Shelden was very good and had 11/4/2block in 18min and was playing Howard tough. Mikki is a shooting guard. Shooting guards get than 1 rebound a game. Small forwards gets 3 rebounds a game Moore is no SF. 7 more useless Thomas minutes. The rest of the offense looked solid. The should have gone with the small lineup again or something anyone could get more rebounds than MM. Probably would have been a good game to get Greene minutes also because the Magic had a lot of smaller guards which could have been good for his confidence. No More Moore. NMM! NMM! 100 percent of NBA players could score 6 points and 1 rebound in 20 minutes of NBA time, no matter the size as a power forward. I thought Theus learned the lesson after Moore's 0 rebound masterpiece on the first day but aparently he needed a little more lesson rubbed in his face. Hawes, Thompson or Williams could have had 20/10's but hey lets not get too many rebounds and even let them play together when the guards aren't getting it done down the stretch. We got outrebounded 28-40 and played poor defense. That's where we lost the game. I notice a pattern! Go with who is hot. Hedo is 6-10, Rashard 6-11, and Dwight 7-0 we should have played the 3 bigs in the 4th quarter. That was a coaching error.

Man, a lot of your argument is legitimate and then you go and say something like this.

Mikki shouldn't be getting the minutes he's getting, all things considered (and Kenny certainly shouldn't), but Shelden was not going to put up 20/10 with more minutes.

We lost this game because of rebounding more than anything, and while Mikki is certainly to blame for that, so is the rest of our team. Jason lead the team in rebounds with *drum roll*.....5. Ultimately we simply lost this game by so much because Dwight just made our bigs his bitch. His rebound total matched half of our teams, and was equal to the combined totals of all of our bigs. And offensively, nobody could guard him. I thought Shelden did the best job, but that's not saying much for this game.

And even offensively, we didn't struggle as much as we should have. If we hadn't had a really nice shooting from the whole team, this game would have been hideous, because we sure as hell weren't going to get anything near the basket. I would mostly look to Spencer there, but obviously, he just wasn't really strong enough.

Also, John sucked tonight.

On the positive side, our young bigs all still had really solid games, Beno still didn't look as good as he should, but he looked decent, and Kevin was himself again.

[SacKingZZZ]

Well, it's nice to see Kevin Martin wake up! About f'n time.

The one thing I liked about this game was that Jason worked a little in the high post and showed what may eventually come to pass from our PF/C spot between he and Spencer. Hopefully in time Kevin is able to play off of Spencer and Jason, we'll be dangerous if it works well. I think it will in time.

I still don't get why Jason comes out of the game for 7-8 minute stretches with no real rhyme or reason. Still would like to see more Spencer and Jason out there together dang it!

[thebiggesthomer]

You guys are sour puss kings fans after 3 game ah f it we get the #1 pick we suck cry me damn river shut up. Its been 3 road games if your gonna give up on this team already i wouldn't want u as a fan anyways this is called a learning curve new offense adjustments must be made. Its rough start no doubt but 3 games does not determine your season GO AHEAD BASH ME I KNOW U WILL.

Howard

[RIPskaterdude]

^^ 3 road games against below average teams. The Magic have a promising team, but they are nothing compared to any of the good teams in the West.

[Ballings7]

Magic are far better than a below-average team in general, though

Went as expected

[KingInExile]

Ultimately we simply lost this game by so much because Dwight just made our bigs his bitch.

BINGO!!

The simple fact is that our bigs do not have the physical ability to bang around with guys like Howard. We've seen it twice in the preseason when they went up against Oden. Our bigs just don't have the bulk/mass to hold position. So when we go up against teams with talented, physical bigs...we're going to get abused.

[KingInExile]

You guys are sour puss kings fans after 3 game ah f it we get the #1 pick we suck cry me damn river shut up. Its been 3 road games if your gonna give up on this team already i wouldn't want u as a fan anyways this is called a learning curve new offense adjustments must be made. Its rough start no doubt but 3 games does not determine your season GO AHEAD BASH ME I KNOW U WILL.

Howard

Got to say I admire the sentiment. The tone's a little abrupt, but I think you're on to something.

We've still got 79 games left in the season, so saying that it's time to write off the season is a bit premature is a gross understatement. We're not going to be a playoff team and may not even win 30 games. But that doesn't mean that this season can't be enjoyable to watch or that it's time to assume we will have the 1st pick next June (don't get me started on the idiocy of that assumption). Just sit back and enjoy the season. You're liable to miss some bright spots on the floor while you're focusing on your fantasy #1 pick.

[ICMTM]

Funny thing is all i took out of this game was:

Jason and Spencer are NICE. Jason is IMO the real deal. Kevin plays off the ball better than he plays on the ball. We're going to be a really good team in three to four years, but what I really feel is we need to upgrade the PG spot. I don't see Udrih as the long term answer. I never did really, but it's really evident now.

Also I'm not too worried about the Kings especially since we aren't good on the road.

[pillwenney]

I think getting Brad and Cisco back will surely help a lot. There are some things that our young bigs already do better than Brad, but we certainly can't run a coherent offense through them like we can with Brad. I think that if we don't move Brad at the deadline, than an ideal rotation by the end of the year would be something kind of like:

Center - Brad 28 mins, Spencer 22 mins
PF - Jason 25mins, Spencer 5 mins, Shelden 18 mins

I would like to give Jason some minutes at SF, but I just think our wing spots are too crowded as of right now.

[Cruel_Ruin]

First of all, there is one Dwight Howard and one Greg Oden in the NBA. Nobody else in the league posess the same physical tools they have. You could argue Yao and Bynum, but Spencer did just fine against both.

Secondly, nobody is giving up on the team. We are just recognizing that this season is going to be a learning experience for the young guys, which will be valuable in the long run. This is what rebuilding looks like. Speculating about the draft doesn't make us any less excited about what Martin/Hawes/Thompson can do in the future.

Thirdly, I think we can steal the Philly game for the first win of the season.

[SacKingZZZ]

Ultimately we simply lost this game by so much because Dwight just made our bigs his bitch.

BINGO!!

The simple fact is that our bigs do not have the physical ability to bang around with guys like Howard. We've seen it twice in the preseason when they went up against Oden. Our bigs just don't have the bulk/mass to hold position. So when we go up against teams with talented, physical bigs...we're going to get abused.

Well, that's the drawback for the kinds of players Petrie looks for. But, and there is a big but, that doesn't mean they can't be successful in other ways. In particular Greg Oden. I'd really like to see Spencer get the green light to go back at Oden. With Spencers post ability he should be the one getting the other teams bigs in foul trouble. With guys like Howard and Oden why don't they play the pick and pop game. Both Spencer and Jason could flourish in the high post in time.

These guys are going to have to play like our bigs did back a few years ago, you know the ones that used to make teams pay for putting bigs like that on them?

[pillwenney]

Ultimately we simply lost this game by so much because Dwight just made our bigs his bitch.

BINGO!!

The simple fact is that our bigs do not have the physical ability to bang around with guys like Howard. We've seen it twice in the preseason when they went up against Oden. Our bigs just don't have the bulk/mass to hold position. So when we go up against teams with talented, physical bigs...we're going to get abused.

Well, that's the drawback for the kinds of players Petrie looks for. But, and there is a big but, that doesn't mean they can't be successful in other ways. In particular Greg Oden. I'd really like to see Spencer get the green light to go back at Oden. With Spencers post ability he should be the one getting the other teams bigs in foul trouble. With guys like Howard and Oden why don't they play the pick and pop game. Both Spencer and Jason could flourish in the high post in time.

These guys are going to have to play like our bigs did back a few years ago, you know the ones that used to make teams pay for putting bigs like that on them?

I think it should be tried a bit more, but they both need to prove more consistency as players and shooters before it becomes something really usable. Otherwise it's like "okay, we could let Hawes shoot mid-range jumpers all game, or we could prevent the team from getting basically any lay-ups whatsoever".

But I think the bottom line is that the solution basically has to be Spencer in the post, and he's still going to have to get a bit stronger and more experienced down low before he can become a real weapon in that way.

[Cruel_Ruin]

But I think the bottom line is that the solution basically has to be Spencer in the post, and he's still going to have to get a bit stronger and more experienced down low before he can become a real weapon in that way.

All just a matter of time

[cdt3]

Thompson, Hawes, or Shelden could have had a 20/10 last night if they played 30+ minutes. Last night Shelden was the big guy Kevin Martin because he was very efficient using half the shots to score as many points as the other guys. He looked very comfortable in the paint, against anyone and never looks intimidated, doesn't try to do anything he can't do. I think he should get Moore's and Thomas' minutes as well as Hawes and Thompson. The reason Howard looked so good if because Hawes and JT got in foul trouble and weren't on the floor long which was why there was the big point difference. I am just arguing that Theus needs to trust Shelden more than Mikki. I know he trusts Hawes and JT more than Mikki. I'm just saying what I have seen the guy deserves trust also. Mikki is just not bringing anything right now. There will be a line of teams waiting for Shelden if he is not resigned. We need to use the 3 big guy lineup occasionally because there are just too many teams with big front lines, Hou, Clips, Lak, Orl, I think it will be a good idea in spurts.
I agree that our #1 pick next year will be a point guard a Bibby like or Wade like, winner point guard 20/6reb/10ast (obviously too many rebounds for us to have Mikki switch). Jrue Holiday is my dream guard. We need a game changer point guard, maybe Udrich turns into Steve Nash or Chris Paul but I am not convinced yet.

[pillwenney]

Thompson, Hawes, or Shelden could have had a 20/10 last night if they played 30+ minutes. Last night Shelden was the big guy Kevin Martin because he was very efficient using half the shots to score as many points as the other guys. He looked very comfortable in the paint, against anyone and never looks intimidated, doesn't try to do anything he can't do. I think he should get Moore's and Thomas' minutes as well as Hawes and Thompson. The reason Howard looked so good if because Hawes and JT got in foul trouble and weren't on the floor long which was why there was the big point difference. I am just arguing that Theus needs to trust Shelden more than Mikki. I know he trusts Hawes and JT more than Mikki. I'm just saying what I have seen the guy deserves trust also. Mikki is just not bringing anything right now. There will be a line of teams waiting for Shelden if he is not resigned. We need to use the 3 big guy lineup occasionally because there are just too many teams with big front lines, Hou, Clips, Lak, Orl, I think it will be a good idea in spurts.
I agree that our #1 pick next year will be a point guard a Bibby like or Wade like, winner point guard 20/6reb/10ast (obviously too many rebounds for us to have Mikki switch). Jrue Holiday is my dream guard. We need a game changer point guard, maybe Udrich turns into Steve Nash or Chris Paul but I am not convinced yet.

Spencer got 4 rebounds in 24 minutes last night and Jason got 5 in 24 minutes. Neither was going to put up 20/10 with more minutes. Shelden wouldn't have either.

And Shelden most certainly did try on at least one occasion to do something he couldn't last night. I know I can't be the only person who remembers that hideous drive to the basket in the first half. But that's besides the point--Shelden does deserve more minutes, but he's not going to do what you think he will statistically with more minutes.