GT: Cats vs Kings Tues Dec 17 7PM EST

[fatlever]

i'm very excited to see this new kings team. hopefully we get chucker rudy gay and not "hey look, i just got traded so i will play great for two weeks" rudy gay.

kemba vs thomas should be fun to watch.

jefferson vs cousins another fun matchup. jefferson owes us a win after blowing the last two.

good luck charms? how about hot royalty and sexy ladies dressed as queens or princesses.

[Eoghan]

I'm looking forward to this one. Lose this game and it really shatters the notion that Charlotte is a playoff threat (or prompts the FO to make a dumb trade in a desperate attempt to make us one).

I predict that DMC murders Jefferson.

[mrknowitall215]

It's difficult to predict this one. I'm sorry, but I have a feeling that Charlotte is going to lose. I just can't see Jeff Taylor trying to defend Rudy Gay. Gay is averaging 25 points on 56% shooting in his first 2 games with the Kings, and he's got too much size for Taylor to deter him from doing what he want. Not to mention he's average 7 rebounds on the season, while Charlotte would be lucky if Taylor get 2 per contest. Unless Kemba & Jefferson can heavily outplay their dual matchups against Isaiah Thomas & DeMarcus Cousins, this game could get ugly real quick. The X-factor that might keep the Bobcats in the game is Ben McLemore though. If he get to chucking up shots, playing bad defense, and turning the ball over like he has throughout the season, Clifford's defense should be able to take advantage

[Eoghan]

McLemore is not that bad. He's played solid defense, moves well without the ball and is generally positive. He wouldn't be starting if he was a worthless chucker with bad defense, he'd be getting big money from the Knicks instead.

[mrknowitall215]

McLemore is not that bad. He's played solid defense, moves well without the ball and is generally positive. He wouldn't be starting if he was a worthless chucker with bad defense, he'd be getting big money from the Knicks instead.

McLemore may not be that bad in the long run, but he has been that bad so far this season. All you would have to do is watch a Kings game, and you'd see how much of a net negative he has been for them. McLemore is shooting 35% from the field, currently has a PER of 8.6, a NetRtg of -5.6, and the worst defensive rating of all Kings players receiving at least 15 minutes a game. McLemore has been every bit of bad as the guy you love to hate, Cody Zeller, so far this season. McLemore is every bit of the "worthless chucker with bad defense" that the advanced stats make him out to be. The only reason why he is starting is because he's their lottery pick, and Marcus Thornton hasn't exactly been playing his best basketball lately to warrant supplanting him

[HornetJail]

Man i wish MKG was healthy so we could watch him own Rudy Gay.

[Diop]

Spoiler:

[Liver_Pooty]

McLemores been pretty bad the few games I've watched of the Kings.

[Eoghan]

Every time I've seen the Kings McLemore's played fairly well.

[LamarMatic7]

I hope the grumpy Boogie Cousins shows up.

Kemba vs Isaiah Thomas should be fun. And, damn, Gilwalker are you right. I absolutely would want to see MKG lock Rudy Gay down to a 7-20 night.

[Snidely FC]

We have no one to guard Cousins. Dude should score 100 pts against us, if he can get Gay to pass him the ball.

McLemore bound to score 50 just to make us all wring our hands over Zeller.

Go Cats!

Spoiler:

JK

Spoiler:

[HornetJail]

I hope the grumpy Boogie Cousins shows up.

Kemba vs Isaiah Thomas should be fun. And, damn, Gilwalker are you right. I absolutely would want to see MKG lock Rudy Gay down to a 7-20 night.

We don't need MKG to pick him down for Rudy Gay to go 7-20. That's an average game for him MKG would make him go 3-20

[mrknowitall215]

McLemore bound to score 50 just to make us all wring our hands over Zeller.

If McLemore score 50 points, Henderson should & would need to get traded tomorrow

Anyway, this is a game where Clifford should give Biyombo at least 20 minutes, and I'll guarantee he'll get in excess of 10 rebounds. The Kings frontcourt is rather small once you get past DeMarcus Cousins. That's an advantage that Clifford could take advantage of if he choose to do so

[mrknowitall215]

Game #25: Bobcats vs. Kings 3-on-3 Preview

1- STATS. The Kings have improved offensively from a year ago and have a plethora of guys who can shoot/score the ball at a very high volume (Cousins,Thomas, Gay, Thorton). Is it fair to say this could be one of toughest tests for Charlotte’s stingy defense so far this season?

Greg Pietras: They’ve been better since Rudy Gay showed up, but this year they’ve had an average offense on the whole. The Kings rank 14th in offensive rating and 17th in points per game, and those numbers are mostly floated by a low turnover rate and a healthy diet of free throws. Gay’s been a positive influence in his two games with the team (see below), but it’s too early to say whether he’ll be able to do that consistently: The Suns and the Rockets aren’t exactly world-beaters defensively.

Doug Branson (PodCats Show): I don’t know if I would include Thornton on that list as he’s played his way down into the rotation basement, but the combo of Thomas, Cousins and Gay are a handful when they are in sync and sharing the load. They are even better when they play Derrick Williams with these three. It will be a tough test especially for Jefferson, McRoberts and Biyombo down in the interior.

James Ham (CowbellKingdom.com): The Kings are becoming an offensive juggernaut, but they might not be there yet. With so many new pieces, a good defensive team may be able to disrupt the Kings flow. If that happens, then Sacramento may regress into a selfish jump shooting team and all bets are off. This is the first time the Kings have really been out on the road this season, so there is no telling what team will show up.

2- FACT or FICTION. Rudy Gay makes Sacramento a better basketball team holistically.

Greg: I’d say yes, but that probably reflects more on the Kings’ former small forward rotation than anything else. Gay’s in the middle of his least-efficient scoring year ever, and while he can be a capable defender, he’s at best inconsistent. Even with those flaws, though, he’s an upgrade over marginal NBA players like John Salmons and Luc Mbah A Moute. It also gives Sacramento the freedom to find the best role for Derrick Williams, another recent acquisition, without putting too much pressure on him. Gay’s $19M contract will likely cramp the Kings a bit next year, but the product on the floor should be a bit better.

Doug: Holistically? Does Rudy Gay practice eastern medicine? Now I have this image of him delivering acupuncture to Boogie. WHAT HAS BEEN SEEN CANNOT BE UNSEEN. The answer to your question is FACT. He gives them a legitimate third scoring option and tough defense at the three and four spots. SO FAR, he has been aggressive getting to the basket and hasn’t felt the need to hoist up loads of tough twos. Having Rudy around also allows them to bring the rejuvenated Derrick Williams off a bench that doesn’t offer much else offensively.

James: Fact. Gay has been incredible in his two games with the Kings. He opens the floor for DeMarcus Cousins to work in the post and for Isaiah Thomas to drive to the hoop. He instantly solidified a position that has been open on the Kings for years. More than the stats, we have seen real leadership from a star quality player. His influence has been tremendous, but it’s early.

3- PICK IT. Well, here’s another game that you circle on the schedule as winnable, but the Bobcats have been losing all those as of late. Who ya got?

Greg: It’s hard to get a read on the Bobcats right now; MKG’s injury means we’re seeing a lot more minutes from Ben Gordon, which can be good (offense!) and bad (defense!!!). That can mean outbursts like the 100+ dropped on Philadelphia and Golden State, but it also means they can’t necessarily lean on their bread and butter. The Kings are probably due for a post-trade comedown, so I’m leaning toward Charlotte tonight, but I’m not that confident.

Doug: If the Bobcats can force turnover prone Isaiah Thomas into mistakes and force Gay into jump shots they can take this offense out of rhythm. But then again we can always decide to play Ben Gordon for the entire second half. This one is a toss up in my mind. I’ll give a rested Bobcats team the edge, 89-85.

James: The Kings want to start their four games in five nights road trip off on the right foot. With Atlanta, Miami and Orlando lined up, this is one Sacramento needs to get or this trip could get ugly in a hurry. My prediction is that the Kings get it going early offensively and take this one in Charlotte.

http://queencityhoops.com/blog/2013/12/ ... 3-preview/

[LamarMatic7]

I hope the grumpy Boogie Cousins shows up.

Kemba vs Isaiah Thomas should be fun. And, damn, Gilwalker are you right. I absolutely would want to see MKG lock Rudy Gay down to a 7-20 night.

We don't need MKG to pick him down for Rudy Gay to go 7-20. That's an average game for him MKG would make him go 3-20

Since Gay has never had such a bad game (yes, I checked), I think I can tell you not to over-exaggerate despite how much a Bobcats fan might like MKG.

[lmcguir5]

Kings are notably improved, but we're still the better team. If we play like we did against the Pacers we should make it a no doubt win. Henderson is going to have to have a nice game for us and everybody else could stay on par but it might be close. The benches could have a big role in this one and if we win I would lean towards saying Sessions would probably be the owner of a nice colored hammer

[fatlever]

there has been no in-between for kemba over the past 5 games. he has been excellent in 3 (earning 3 gold hammers) and awful in 2 (shooting something like 7-for-35).

which kemba will show up? great kemba or awful kemba?

[Marvel]

Kemba needs to bring the W tonight. And Al needs to prove he is worth that ridiculous $13 mil contract. Hendo needs to stop shooting so many of those ridiculous fadeaways and attack the rim.

[mrknowitall215]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/rick_bonnell/status/413073097198034944[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/rick_bonnell/status/413075941238120449[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/rick_bonnell/status/413076317332963328[/tweet]

[mrknowitall215]

The Kings lineup where Rudy Gay shifts to SG, Derrick Williams come in at SF, while Jason Thompson play PF is probably their most dangerous lineup

With that said, I hope to finally see some CDR tonight