Game 70: Kings (35-34) vs Bucks (39-30)

[codydaze]

After a disappointing loss to Chicago, Kings look to bounce back against the Bucks who will be without Dame tonight. Just now hopping in, missed the first half but looks like Keon got the start with Monk out and is balling. What will it take to make him a permanent starter?

[LightTheBeam]

Lavine sucks. When the game gets close he **** his pants every night. Cannot stand that guy

[OxAndFox]

Hey. At least Deebo got his points. That's the whole point right? That's what was important last game. Why not celebrate him for his hoggery once again?

Just a typical Kings game where someone (this time its still Keegan and on this occasion Keon) has got it going on, but let's freeze them out. It's comical at this point. As I've mentioned time after time, it's not just what happens in games, it's strategy.
Everyone makes the crap point of effort on the defensive end as to why DDR gets to suck ass on that end, but NOT ONCE have they ever mentioned Keegan doesn't get a night off on D. Imagine if he gave the effort on D like the others do so he can put the effort in solely on offense. Pfft. This franchise is a joke. The entire lot. From the little kid owner that pretends he has a controller in his hand to the entire staff, the entire program is a joke.

[OxAndFox]

Lavine sucks. When the game gets close he **** his pants every night. Cannot stand that guy

The thing is he is a good #3. He just gets paid like a #1. So in theory, in Vivek's and another guys mind, is the Kings now have a #1 option.
In reality the Kings now have 2 x #3 options that get paid like #1 options and a pro scorer that knows this and is enjoying his last couple of years being a #1 option while not being good enough to be a #4 option on a contender and to make matters worse his salary is such (not that much overall TBH) that there isn't a market for him.

[OxAndFox]

What does that make?
A team that is going nowhere despite being talented, all the while stunting development from younger guys who will never amount to anything, but hey, what team did DDR score his 25K point on? That's right, Sacramento. Yet no one will ever, EVER know this.
Oh and yeah, so the team went from having a #2 and #3 option on a PO team that had the chance to advance in Keegan's rookie year, to being the fodder of the WC with 2 x #3 options and a wannabe #1 option that is more suited to his 60-point outburst at Rucker Park. Because they play as much D there as he does in the NBA.

[BoogieTime]

team fought, but we are still missing franchise player (affecting starters and bench) and starting Demar..

I'd get upset but we are quibbling with hosting or not hosting a bottom bracket playin and the team fought

monk/keon/zach/keegan/doman - with a solid bench, and possibly a new franchise coach - that will be quite a offseason q

[OxAndFox]

And I will say, look at Chicago who started 1-6 after the Lavine trade (quoting another source here, just getting to know each other) and the 1 win came without the players incoming against Miami, but they are 10-11 since the trade. So let's say after a rough go around getting to know each other, they're 9-5 when complete. They are vastly better and the Bulls fans know why. Lavine is a wonderful shooter and scorer, but at the end of the day, when has that ever contributed to winning? DDR is the same. Yet Sacramento creamed their pants over an over the hill, outdated "star" that will only make your team regress, signing in the 916.
Doesn't it seem obvious?

[BoogieTime]

pretty amazing keon couldn't be in there in the clutch after the game he was hacving with injuries to guards

[BoogieTime]

The team was missing arguably its two best players… team is 3-7 without monk

I don’t really see the pg or not question with him, just is he playing badly or not. He’s been trash for a lot of the post deadline stint so it’s easy to discount him as “not a pg” for it, but when he plays like he has the past few he’s a starter heading into the future and magically possibly a pg

[LightTheBeam]

And I will say, look at Chicago who started 1-6 after the Lavine trade (quoting another source here, just getting to know each other) and the 1 win came without the players incoming against Miami, but they are 10-11 since the trade. So let's say after a rough go around getting to know each other, they're 9-5 when complete. They are vastly better and the Bulls fans know why. Lavine is a wonderful shooter and scorer, but at the end of the day, when has that ever contributed to winning? DDR is the same. Yet Sacramento creamed their pants over an over the hill, outdated "star" that will only make your team regress, signing in the 916.
Doesn't it seem obvious?

And they beat us. Watching them is very entertaining a bunch of young guys running the court and being exciting to watch. No surprise the whole team got better when they shipped these two off.

Kings headed down the worst possible path. They chased bad decision after bad decision. They traded young Hali to compete right away, thinking that was enough, then spent two years not improving the team. Then the big improvement was too add another offense only over the hill scorer to take away from Fox/Monk/Sabonis and especially Keegan. Refusing to elevate Keegan/Keon and give them more responsibility, refusing to add size or defense, refusing to address the issues that were glaring.

Then Fox gets frustrated and instead of trying to fix the situation with him, they panic trade him for a never winning, non impact, overpaid, top 10 worst contract in the league in LaVine. Knowing damn well he and Demar just spent 3 years with a Euro center winning 30 games a season in the weak east. Or hell maybe they are so clueless they didn't realize it at the time.

The team should have traded Sabonis in a surprise deadline deal that they had lined up the second they traded Fox. Then trade DeRozan at the end of this year. We would have bottomed out for 2 years, had tons of extra assets, had Carter, Keon, Keegan, Laravia, + tons of picks to deal with and no bad contracts on the books. Now we are stuck watching this no defense hero ball BS the next 2 years.

And just wait for Sabonis to ask out this summer further hurting his value. You thought the Fox return was low? Wait till our nearly 30 year old, no defense, 40+ million a year center asks out. Lucky to get Ayton and a pick.

Oh and next year, Portland, Spurs, Mavericks, Pelicans should all easily improve. The only team in the top 10 who might regress is Phx. Enjoy the 10th seed this year (maybe 11th honestly if Mavs get healthy), because next year we are back to 12th-13th.