nolimit0820 wrote:Yeah my point is that despite not having calls to fall back on, they rarely ran the dribble drive which requires plenty of movement. I saw it only a few times...but it seems that our version of the dribble drive is just isolation basketball. Watch a guy try and break the defense down and hope something comes out of it.
The only set they have it seems is boogie or Rondo at the high post with a down screen read in the corner. I just think it's funny they fire the guy who is largely in charge of the offense. Although, we didn't have an offensive identity outside of pushing the pace before this...I only saw the dribble drive as Vance describes it a few times.
Sure, Spurs defense was good...but it was good because we played ISO basketball. Good defense can't stop an offense from cutting and moving off of the ball. Offensive players have the freedom to do that no matter what a defense is doing
They can stop you if they are sitting their defenders in the middle of the floor in all of your driving lanes, and you don't have a game plan to change up what you're doing or call a few set plays. Another thing is that we have to remember is that they are out there kind of flying by the seat of their pants at this point. I can't remember who it was, but one of the insiders mentioned something on twitter about a lot of the players literally pulling from stuff they know and then doing it on the floor themselves. The dribble drive according to even Vance himself was more of a concept than a system. That explains a lot because it always looked like the team had nothing to fall back on. The main gripe I have about the dribble drive is it really isn't an offense that's designed with that extra pass in mind. Catch, shoot/drive, pass, catch, shoot/drive, pass. It's the definition of a continuous reset offense. I get that it's supposed to be a quick hitting offense but I think this team is much better off milking the clock. Especially if they are going to play bigger and more physical. Grind it out.
That said, the offense in this one wasn't that bad, UNTIL the 2nd quarter. And Cousins' first half stint of course. It just fell apart and Karls answer to get more play making on the floor was to play the dreaded 3 PG lineup. But it's like you said, it's about the cutters and the off the ball guys, not play makers. When he plays super small in favor of play making he nullifies a huge part of the difference with this team when Acy/Willie play and that's physicality. Physicality on the boards, on defense, and in having lob targets at the rim. But when the Kings guard line was getting it handed to them like they were I guess what the heck right?
I think Karl looked at this whole thing as a muli-year process because he certainly didn't use his preseason effectively if instituting half court plays and various strategies to adjust to adjusting defenses was the idea. Maybe he was right, I don't know. We know this season got screwed up for sure. Them being out adjusted won't just disappear. Other teams have way too much of a head start not to mention the pressure the Kings have to not get any farther behind than they are. Forget the games back stuff, the target unless they get some major help is .500. And that could be a long way off, and out of the picture more and more with each loss.
Within a week they have to start looking towards the summer and that might be one with no first round pick to work with. Sitting at the deadline might have been a bad idea depending on which way they want to go. Right now, they have to hope for this draft to continue to look as mediocre as it has. Sure, there is some good talent up top but this draft hopefully won't infuse the league with even a few guys that knock what ever luster some of the Kings pieces have. That's kind of what happened to Jason Thompson. All it takes is a Kelly Olynyk here, or a Mason Plumlee there coming into the league to make your end of contract utility big not look so hot. Lets hope that doesn't happen to Ben McLemore, or Mario Belinelli, etc.
