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Hey, Bucks fan here. I am coming to your board to well....find out anything about the Kings you guys can tell me. I've been extremely interested in your team this season ever since Tyreke and Jennings squared off in the summer league and the good early starts by both our teams along with similarities between our rosters. Sadly I can't watch any of your games, so I was wondering if any of you Kings fans can give me a little synopsis of your season and just some details about your players. Like is Greene or Cassipi your future at SF, do you see Evans as the guy to build around or is it still Martin's team, I heard you are a very up tempo team is that correct or what exactly is your play style, can you tell me a little about Westphal and what kind of coach he has been for you? Anything, I'm just seeking knowledge on the Kings from the people that know them best.

I know others around here will give you good, detailed opinions of the roster. Since I have not been able to pay as close attention to the team as I have in the past, I'll limit my thoughts to just some general impressions. First off, Tyreke has been demonstrating every game so far that he's the guy the Kings should be building around. He's already putting up stats as a rookie that are not far off from guys like Lebron and Wade. He still has some of the rookie screw ups, but his game is far more NBA ready than I think even some on this board realized. He's the real deal and his game so far shows that he should be considered the future anchor. Now this really does not mean Martin's no longer in the master plan. Frankly I (and others) think that he's much more valuable as a second option shooter who fills a Reggie Miller type role for the team. His ability to score on the perimeter should help spread the floor and create more drive opportunities for Evans or opportunities for our front line either at the high or low post.

In my opinion the jury's still out on Greene. He shows a lot of flashes of being a very promising starting wing player with an inside game or at least a very good 6th man. However for every promising game he has at least one or more games that make you wonder what he's thinking. He has matured a lot since last year and that has translated into him being rewarded with a consistent role so far. As long as he continues to show that his game is developing he will continue to have a secure role. As for Casspi, I'm very impressed with his abilities and with his passion. Can't say at this point that he's going to be a starter in the future, but he has a lot of potential to be a quality contributor.

Finally, Westphal is without a doubt the best hire we could have made this summer. He brings the knowledge necessary to build the franchise back up and has the capacity to relate very productively with the players. All I can say is that Westphal has motivated Kenny Thomas to play at a high level...and that I think says a lot. I ran across an interesting stat today that I think also shows how fortunate the Kings are that he's the coach. Eddie Jordan and Kurt Rambis were both on the short list of candidates for the job this summer and both made it known that they weren't interested in the job especially for the low salary the Maloofs had to offer. Both the Sixers and the T-Wolves combined have not won as many games so far this season than the Kings.

Anyway, I'm sure others will offer more detailed insight. In general, though, I finally think the Kings are heading in the right direction. I'm not going to go out on a limb and say they're a playoff contender right now. And there are some holes that need to be filled (depth in the front court and/or upgrade in starting center to a more defensive-minded brute). Overall, though, the Kings are not all that far off.

I would go with what KIE has to say and add that from my point of view we are a consistent defensive 7-footer and 3-4 years of experience away from being in the contender talk (i.e. top four seed in our conference).

Yeah, I don't think we're a playoff contender this year. I think there's a chance we may be that caliber of team if Martin and Garcia can be effectively blended back into the rotation, and if JT and Spencer can find some level of consistency (part of this is finding a way to use them consistently).

I've been critical of Westphal at times this year, but ironically enough, it's because he does so much right. With our past 3 coaches, the team was generally just kind of such a mess that it was hard to find individual criticisms to hand down. Westphal has been so good in so many ways that I've been able to basically nitpick at some of his coaching decisions. Suffice to say, I think pretty much everyone here is very, very happy with his hiring.

And yeah, Tyreke is definitely the kind of guy we can build around right now. Kevin never really was that kind of guy. But nonetheless, Kevin should be around for the immediate future unless he comes back and it's just painfully clear after a couple of months that he won't fit with Tyreke--which I don't predict.

As for our SF spot--tough to say. Greene has matured a whole lot in the last year, and while he still occasionally makes young mistakes, he's looking like he's going to turn out to be a very solid over all player. Casspi has also looked good--most notably he has been insane from 3 and has made some great, scrappy plays that indicate great potential in future. Of course, he has also made his share of rookie mistakes. So to answer your question, it's not really clear which one will be the SF of the future. Both have looked very promising at times though.

The most apparanet and useful piece of information you can know is this:

Beno Udrih > Jose Calderon. In basketball play, contract status and Slovenia > Spain. Just remember that and you'll be successful.

Thanks for some feed back. I had some other things I thought about too while reading your info. Is Tyreke a PG or SG long term? Ik he was drafted as a PG, has had some success at both spots, but where does he fit long term? And can K-Mart play SF if Tyreke becomes a SG? Also is JT a long term piece in your guys opinion or is he trade able. I noticed when comparing stats of LeBron's rookie team with yours, Tyreke is averaging numbers close to LeBron's and JT is averaging numbers close to Carlos Boozer at that point in time. Can he take a big step forward to play like Boozer for your team?

Slinky O wrote:Thanks for some feed back. I had some other things I thought about too while reading your info. Is Tyreke a PG or SG long term? Ik he was drafted as a PG, has had some success at both spots, but where does he fit long term? And can K-Mart play SF if Tyreke becomes a SG? Also is JT a long term piece in your guys opinion or is he trade able. I noticed when comparing stats of LeBron's rookie team with yours, Tyreke is averaging numbers close to LeBron's and JT is averaging numbers close to Carlos Boozer at that point in time. Can he take a big step forward to play like Boozer for your team?

Tyreke can play either PG or SG, IMO Martin with Reke can play SF. So a PG, Martin, Reke backcourt can work IMO. I like the versatility on this team a lot. Noone's untradeable, but it'd take a special offer to actually move JT, he's a stud in the making. I think JT will be a better all-around player than Boozer is, Boozer is and will be the better scorer, but JT actually plays defense and rebounds just as well. His passing is on par with Boozer too.

Regarding Greene. I honestly don't know what his ceiling is atm. He has alot of talent, and to be honest he sometimes reminds me of Josh Smith. Very Athletic, can jump, has long wing span..can rebound and block shots. So at the very least I see him becoming a quality if not great defender who can occasionally drop 15-20 on you.

Casspi I see much the same way, yet his game is different. Its weird, Casspi doesn't seem to have the overall skill level Greene has, but he has the intangibles. The fire and passion. He'll be at the right spot to get a tough rebound and put back. He'll hit a tough 3 when we need it. He'll make the free throws we need at the end of the game. In some ways he reminds me of Ginobilli, with the way he plays. I see him to be our future SF, with Greene coming off the bench. But they are both only 21, so who knows.

Smills91 wrote:The most apparanet and useful piece of information you can know is this:

Beno Udrih > Jose Calderon.

i think you shoulda written this with green font. if not, well, if you base this on 20 games, i have no counter argument for somthing as crazy as this. then again....

Cool thanks guys, the only outstanding question I had was what kind of game your team plays as a whole. Half court or are you playing like a "7 seconds or less" or a very defensive team. What is the style of the Kings (like I said, I can't see any games, just some box scores)

there is one thing ive noticed from the team. theres always one guy that surprises you every game. Someone always shows up. I think westphal does a great job of picking his players for math up. tyreke doesnt just play PG, but if beno's in the game he might move down to the 2. sometimes we have line ups with rodriguez, udrih, and evans.

As for donte greene, he has matured a lot since last year. He's playing a lot smarter, looking for the drive, or the cutter first before he chucks it. Hes 6' 10" and he starts along side Evans in the back court. Even though this causes huge match up problems, defensively he struggles (wade).

I think westphal is pretty smart when it comes to player mentality. Hawes came off the bench and may started, im pretty sure that was not because may was the better play. This also works with donte, he starts but gets roughly around 20 minutes, depending on how well he plays.

Beno also has accepted a role coming off the bench and has done really well. KT is motivated to show that he can still grab some boards. and Udoka hass been that extra player the kings have needed for veteran presence.

Casspi has started to play really well for us. he can shoot lights out (not free throws). it seems like he likes the pressure and steps up when he needs to.

the three rookies bring a sense of toughness and give us the "give me the ball" (atleast for casspi and evans) type of player we have been missing for a while.

I do see martin as the reggie miller type of player, and evans being our definite centerpiece to build around. Petrie has brought in players like hawes, thompson, and greene that could spread the floor, allowing players like kmart, evans, and casspi to penetrate ( Evans can get to the bucket at will).

Nocioni has been the oddball in the mix. He likes to shoot the three and he plays out of control at times. He tries to do too much which usually leads to an offensive foul or some sort of turnover.

this is pretty much my take from watching the games this year. the team overall plays really well together. its actually FUN to watch them play, unlike the past few years.

The kings are a decent uptempo team with huge growth potential. Our pace seems to be much slower than Phoneix and golden State and New York but we still play uptempo. The kings game is mostly based on dribble penetration with Shooters being Ready for open looks and Thompson plays clean up with some face up moves. Hawes spends his time at the 3pt line looking for a shot or an opportunity to take his man off the dribble. Personally I'd like to see him move in by about 5 feet into the high post making him much more effective and giving him a chance for offensive rebounds. The kings have a glut at SF but that should be rectified soon when some of the guys start to distance themselves from others in the playing time department.

After watching a lot of games without Martin. The Kings really need him to keep the paint open. JT is really the only big who works in the paint and teams are really crowding the paint for Evans. Martin when he gets back will open things for them since his shooting is respected by the NBA.

Evans is the best #1 guy the Kings have had since Bibby. Tyreke is avg 19/5 and Bibby his first year in Sac put up a 13/5. Actually Tyreke's game reminds me more of more athletic Chauncey Billups. He is no doubt a #1 PG. Like Bibby he will sometimes play the the 1 and other times the 2 but is a PG.

Everything else is headed in the right direction.