Kings @ Wolves | Dec 18, 2015

[blind prophet]

What the heck was up with all the back door cuts for layups tonight too?

I think this was a game maybe we win if WCS is around.

[SacKingZZZ]

What the heck was up with all the back door cuts for layups tonight too?

I think this was a game maybe we win if WCS is around.

The Kings play up on defense in almost kind of a 2-3 zone waiting for screens which can allow players to sneak behind the defense. It's also the reason they get killed on corner 3's. The backdoor cut is just another symptom of the same old bad defensive scheme they've had most of the year. Just good coaching for the Wolves. Yes, I said good coaching and Sam Mitchell in the same sentence, sorry Raps fans. That's something the Kings were doing more themselves before the last couple of games too and it was nice to see. They have to be more aware.

[City of Trees]

"Oh no! we suck again!"

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[blind prophet]

What the heck was up with all the back door cuts for layups tonight too?

I think this was a game maybe we win if WCS is around.

The Kings play up on defense in almost kind of a 2-3 zone waiting for screens which can allow players to sneak behind the defense. It's also the reason they get killed on corner 3's. The backdoor cut is just another symptom of the same old bad defensive scheme they've had most of the year. Just good coaching for the Wolves. Yes, I said good coaching and Sam Mitchell in the same sentence, sorry Raps fans. That's something the Kings were doing more themselves before the last couple of games too and it was nice to see. They have to be more aware.

I'm curious after this game when we are up against a good passing pg if this becomes the routine? They weren't even at the varsity level on that regard tonight.

I'm going to have to watch the rotations a little more now that you've explained it some.

Wonder if this zone "light" is causing some of the rebound havoc?

[Prethia]

You know my opinions about Cousins and the team but for now I will put it aside and analyze the last 23 seconds.
1st mistake:Why dont you foul when there are 23 secs on the clock and you foul when there are 13 secs when it is clear that you cant take the ball
2nd mistake:Why dont you go for a three point shot when there are no timeouts and only 13 secs left.
3rd mistake:We have a player named Belinelli who makes absolutely 0 defence and is only good for shooting.Why isnt he playing when we desperately need a 3 pointer in the last minute?
Now lets come back to Cousins.If it is the coach who makes him play behind the 3 pt line,just fire him.Because spacing requires Cousins to be in the paint area since we play with 4 small.
If it is himself who wants to play like that just trade him.I dont want to see a center who thinks he is SG and shoots below %50 percent every time with 4-5 turnovers in each game.Also he doesnt even contest for the rebounds even in defence.Remember the dunk from Shabazz?It is a miracle that our games are so close when there is such a big difference in rebound numbers.This game would be an easy win if he had someone like Whiteside instead of DMC tonight.DMC was a beast in 2014-2015.Now he is the Center version of Kobe.

Also please hire someone who will teach how to make defence to Mclemore,Belinelli,Casspi. Gay can defend good when he is against an all star because he wants to defend.But with the other 3, the problem is they dont have a clue about what to do in defence.

[jeffjtk1234]

"Oh no! we suck again!"

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We were never good lol

[SacKingZZZ]

What the heck was up with all the back door cuts for layups tonight too?

I think this was a game maybe we win if WCS is around.

The Kings play up on defense in almost kind of a 2-3 zone waiting for screens which can allow players to sneak behind the defense. It's also the reason they get killed on corner 3's. The backdoor cut is just another symptom of the same old bad defensive scheme they've had most of the year. Just good coaching for the Wolves. Yes, I said good coaching and Sam Mitchell in the same sentence, sorry Raps fans. That's something the Kings were doing more themselves before the last couple of games too and it was nice to see. They have to be more aware.

I'm curious after this game when we are up against a good passing pg if this becomes the routine? They weren't even at the varsity level on that regard tonight.

I'm going to have to watch the rotations a little more now that you've explained it some.

Wonder if this zone "light" is causing some of the rebound havoc?

I didn't think about that but, yeah, it's probably a part of it. Of course that's going to happen when you play small and want to leak out.

"Oh no! we suck again!"

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The next 3 games will tell that story. But losing to a team that was sitting at 3 and 10 at home. Man, that's got to hurt just a little.

[Kings2013]

I wanted two on this road trip, and Minnesota was playing badly heading into this game. Shows this team is still not good and will be lucky to get one. Patience is needed I guess, multi year process.

Rebounding woes illustrated last seasons concern with being able to run out the small lineup consistently. Hope it comes up

[jeffjtk1234]

Well, one good thing is when he went small with Rondo and Collison he had Collison on the ball. Rondo survived against Payne, ha ha.

I'm pretty disappointed in the offensive changes the last two games. The previous games they went to more post up/back door action, they've completely gone away from that and are almost playing strictly above the 3 point line. Cousins is becoming a pretty one dimensional weapon out there. You can't just have him set screens up top or drive from 24 feet every time. Mix it up a little, jeez.

Karl doesn't make adjustments. And his misuse of cousins is criminal. Cousins literally only trails and shoots 3's, drives, or sets screens. He settles for long twos also I forgot.

The pace is a huge problem. When you play like that you take your best rebounder out of the equation so you aren't getting any second chance points. And when you play sloppy like the Kings you need second chance points. I can't understand why you wouldn't play inside out with Casspi/Gay at the 4. You got three shooters and rondo who can hit the corner three and you just have cousins set screens. Get the guy down low and let him do work. He's a gifted passer for his side but he can never show it anymore.

I'll say it again, but firing Malone was such a bad idea. But it could have worked if we had hired the right guy. I was not convinced Karl was the right guy, and it might be a bigger mistake hiring Karl then firing Malone.

We beat the rockets on pure luck because 28 turnovers is laughably bad.

How does a team come out of the gate this badly? It's just lack of energy and bad coaching. Well coached teams are prepared.

This isn't a playoff team, not close really. It's a pipe dream. And sad really.

[KF10]

3 or 4 days of rest and we still looked awful. While the Wolves, who had 1 day of rest, was able to out-hustle and break us down with ease. This has to be some sort of mental/consistency issue with this Kings team.

[PaKwAn]

cuz is having his worst fg% in his career and despite starting well with his 3pt shot, he has fallen in love launching the 3 ball..his rebounding has been down this season as well... I'm not a fan of this type of cousins.. play down low and punish the opposition.. I'm not sure if this is how karl wants him to play or if cuz prefers this type of play..

for a team trying to go all in for a playoffs spot we are basically on par or below the level of teams that are rebuilding (wolves,nuggets,blazers) and they have a bunch of new faces as well..

[PaKwAn]

it's looking more like a 0-4 road trip and maybe a 0-6 stretch

Never know with these guys. Probably the hardest to predict season I can remember in the past 25 years.

true..that 3 game winning streak though seemed good but in reality we played a utah team without gobert, a knicks team that was struggling during that stretch and a rockets team who is struggling as well..

we only have 2 road wins so far,so that 0-4 trip is more likely the outcome..we might win 1 game on that trip lol

[City of Trees]

cuz is having his worst fg% in his career and despite starting well with his 3pt shot, he has fallen in love launching the 3 ball..his rebounding has been down this season as well... I'm not a fan of this type of cousins.. play down low and punish the opposition.. I'm not sure if this is how karl wants him to play or if cuz prefers this type of play..

for a team trying to go all in for a playoffs spot we are basically on par or below the level of teams that are rebuilding (wolves,nuggets,blazers) and they have a bunch of new faces as well..

Cousins is more than capable of producing in his current role but I have to agree Cuz would be a more dominating player if he was on the block and we had a stretch 4 like Ryan Anderson playing the 3 point line (instead of Cuz).

Also you have to wonder if Karl's 'up and down' system is wearing Cuz down.

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[bleeds_purple]

Well, one good thing is when he went small with Rondo and Collison he had Collison on the ball. Rondo survived against Payne, ha ha.

I'm pretty disappointed in the offensive changes the last two games. The previous games they went to more post up/back door action, they've completely gone away from that and are almost playing strictly above the 3 point line. Cousins is becoming a pretty one dimensional weapon out there. You can't just have him set screens up top or drive from 24 feet every time. Mix it up a little, jeez.

In my 20 or so years of watching this team I think this is the most frustrating and disappointing year of them all. There is no logic to our playstyle.

We see every night that Cousins has favorable matchups in the post and dominates in that position on the rare occasions that we actually do post him up. But instead of taking advantage of our strengths we have turned him into a Draymond Green. He spots up / sets picks from the top of the key and almost exclusive operates out of dribble drives.

If this is by design just fire Karl because he's making a mockery of the game. If this is because Cousins does this on his own, still fire Karl because he obviously has no control over the team. Something needs to change ASAP with this team and the style we play. Either play to our player's strengths or trade them for players that will fit the current style. What we're doing right now is nonsense.

We can pretend to be proud of our three game win streak. But in reality we have yet to actually play a half decent game all year. When we do win its because the other team is playing like ass. Any half competent team would have blown the Wolves out this game.

[SacKingZZZ]

Well, one good thing is when he went small with Rondo and Collison he had Collison on the ball. Rondo survived against Payne, ha ha.

I'm pretty disappointed in the offensive changes the last two games. The previous games they went to more post up/back door action, they've completely gone away from that and are almost playing strictly above the 3 point line. Cousins is becoming a pretty one dimensional weapon out there. You can't just have him set screens up top or drive from 24 feet every time. Mix it up a little, jeez.

In my 20 or so years of watching this team I think this is the most frustrating and disappointing year of them all. There is no logic to our playstyle.

We see every night that Cousins has favorable matchups in the post and dominates in that position on the rare occasions that we actually do post him up. But instead of taking advantage of our strengths we have turned him into a Draymond Green. He spots up / sets picks from the top of the key and almost exclusive operates out of dribble drives.

If this is by design just fire Karl because he's making a mockery of the game. If this is because Cousins does this on his own, still fire Karl because he obviously has no control over the team. Something needs to change ASAP with this team and the style we play. Either play to our player's strengths or trade them for players that will fit the current style. What we're doing right now is nonsense.

We can pretend to be proud of our three game win streak. But in reality we have yet to actually play a half decent game all year. When we do win its because the other team is playing like ass. Any half competent team would have blown the Wolves out this game.

When he's being used as just an outside guy for the large stretches he has been he becomes easy to defend. You know he's going to have to dribble through the entirety of the opposing defense and they just bang him or make him pick up his dribble up early. It's a testament to his ability he can get some of those tough shots to even fall.

The funny thing about the Towns/Cuz matchup was that the Wolves had Towns going at Cuz. On the other end Cuz was up top, setting screens or driving through 3 defenders early on. He eventually went to him down low a few times, and that put Towns in major foul trouble, but Karl has to start setting up the offensive flow in that 1st quarter. They rely way too much on dribble drive right now. This isn't Cousins here. This is the system and they are playing a lot of 5 out dribble drive. The only time they seem to go away from it is when they bring Koufos in, but then you don't have the spacing for Cuz anyway. Karl seems to tailor the game plan to the opposing team. That's not good when you don't even have one consistent style down yet.

[bleeds_purple]

When he's being used as just an outside guy for the large stretches he has been he becomes easy to defend. You know he's going to have to dribble through the entirety of the opposing defense and they just bang him or make him pick up his dribble up early. It's a testament to his ability he can get some of those tough shots to even fall.

The funny thing about the Towns/Cuz matchup was that the Wolves had Towns going at Cuz. On the other end Cuz was up top, setting screens or driving through 3 defenders early on. He eventually went to him down low a few times, and that put Towns in major foul trouble, but Karl has to start setting up the offensive flow in that 1st quarter. They rely way too much on dribble drive right now. This isn't Cousins here. This is the system and they are playing a lot of 5 out dribble drive. The only time they seem to go away from it is when they bring Koufos in, but then you don't have the spacing for Cuz anyway. Karl seems to tailor the game plan to the opposing team. That's not good when you don't even have one consistent style down yet.

That the thing. When you post up your big and he can score/draw fouls/force doubles it changes the entire flow of the game. Cousins is good enough to do that on a nightly basis. There's really no other way to look at the situation. I've probably sounded like a broken record all year in this regard but honestly enough is enough. Its becoming down right disgraceful.

[SacKingZZZ]

When he's being used as just an outside guy for the large stretches he has been he becomes easy to defend. You know he's going to have to dribble through the entirety of the opposing defense and they just bang him or make him pick up his dribble up early. It's a testament to his ability he can get some of those tough shots to even fall.

The funny thing about the Towns/Cuz matchup was that the Wolves had Towns going at Cuz. On the other end Cuz was up top, setting screens or driving through 3 defenders early on. He eventually went to him down low a few times, and that put Towns in major foul trouble, but Karl has to start setting up the offensive flow in that 1st quarter. They rely way too much on dribble drive right now. This isn't Cousins here. This is the system and they are playing a lot of 5 out dribble drive. The only time they seem to go away from it is when they bring Koufos in, but then you don't have the spacing for Cuz anyway. Karl seems to tailor the game plan to the opposing team. That's not good when you don't even have one consistent style down yet.

That the thing. When you post up your big and he can score/draw fouls/force doubles it changes the entire flow of the game. Cousins is good enough to do that on a nightly basis. There's really no other way to look at the situation. I've probably sounded like a broken record all year in this regard but honestly enough is enough. Its becoming down right disgraceful.

Believe me, you're not alone here. When you have a player that can do these two things: draw double teams and pass you have the recipe for something incredibly special. Karl has said he'd like to use Cousins' passing more so that's a start, but yeah, being put in the best position to do that, heck, maybe half the time at least (???) doesn't sound like too much to ask IMO.

[bleeds_purple]

Believe me, you're not alone here. When you have a player that can do these two things: draw double teams and pass you have the recipe for something incredibly special. Karl has said he'd like to use Cousins' passing more so that's a start, but yeah, being put in the best position to do that, heck, maybe half the time at least (???) doesn't sound like too much to ask IMO.

Some of this is on Cousins himself. I remember hearing Kenny Smith tell a story from his Rockets days. Tomjanovich was going over the strategies during the 95 finals. Before the game started Hakeem goes up to Kenny and says something to the effect of, "forget everything he just told you for the first few possessions. Just give me the ball in the post. Then they will double me and you'll get the ball back."