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Tanks for nuthin!

Some thoughts on the current tanking sentiments of Kings fans.
By | 80 Comments | Mar 31, 2022

Editor’s note: What follows was originally just a comment in our Slack channel, and I implored Rob to let us share it as an article. He was kind enough to agree.
– Greg

I think that tank talk is vastly overrated and overstated. As it pertains to the Kings specifically, the entire issue is really the 5 vs. the 6. vs. the 7 slot for ping pong balls – even had the Kings dealt De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes at the deadline, there is no way that they were going to catch the bottom 4 teams in such a short period of time. Hell, the Kings had 20 wins when they traded Haliburton. The bottom three teams have 20 wins RIGHT NOW.

It really boils down to the actions of Indiana, Portland and Sac.

Indy has “kinda” been playing their talent, but they have been sitting Malcolm Brogdon and did not bring back Myles Turner.

Portland has moved heaven and earth to move from a projected 7th-8th worst finish to 6th. Hoping the phrase “karma’s a bitch” winds up applicable here.

The Kings have pretty much shut down Fox and Sabonis, but it came at a time where they have played some major league tankers and/or bad teams (Ind, Orl, Hou). Barnes still playing is a bit puzzling, but if he wants to play, I suppose he plays?

The best players on the floor for the Kings these past couple of weeks have been guys like Davion Mitchell, Damian Jones, Trey Lyles and Chimezie Metu. I don’t know how you don’t play those guys. Your rook needs burn, you need to kick the tires on DDV and Lyles, and to a lesser extent Jones and Metu. In that regard, our regular bench fodder > the other team’s bench fodder. Not sure what to do about that.

The 5 slot has roughly a 21% chance at a top 2 pick and roughly a 42% chance at top 4.
The 6 slot has roughly a 18% chance at a top 2 pick and roughly a 37% chance at top 4.
The 7 slot has roughly a 15% chance at a top 2 pick and roughly a 32% chance at top 4.

Is a 1 in 5 chance better than a 1 in 7 chance? Absolutely. Does it merit the level of concern that we give it? I don’t know that it does – at the end of the day, the ping pong balls will determine who got it right. Blind ass luck will be the determining factor.

The Kings wound up with the #4 pick in their truest tank year. Their two significant upward moves (to #3 in ’17 and #2 in ’18) came in non-tank years. And now the odds have been flattened a little more, taking away some of the previous advantage that the worst records used to have.

Gun to my head, yeah, I would prefer the most ping pong balls that I could get my hands on. But not if the cost is playing what little youth and potential that this roster has. Let’s remember that since the trade, this team was playing at a .278 clip when Fox and/or Sabonis were in the lineup, so it is not as though playing them really cost the Kings draft position.

And 1 – A lame duck head coach and the players that he puts on the floor will never try to lose games. That does not change unless you have a coach with a multi-year deal that is financially comfortable with the notion of putting a rec. team out on the floor (see Billups, Chauncey).

TL/DR: We have a team being coached by Alvin Gentry, with a current rotation of Damian Jones, Trey Lyles, Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, Donte DiVincenzo, and Chimezie Metu, and augmented by such luminaries as Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Alex Len and Josh Jackson, and we are upset that we are not trying hard enough to lose games. /Shrugs

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WizsSox
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March 31, 2022 12:50 pm

I saw the headline of article and was coming in guns blazing just to say we ought refer to Rob’s comment from previous thread, which I had just read…guess I wasn’t the only one that thought it was spot on. Well written Rob….this is where I have landed as the season progressed and played out too.

Last edited 1 year ago by WizsSox
Roaddog
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March 31, 2022 12:59 pm

“at the end of the day, the ping pong balls will determine who got it right”

Which is why you do whatever you can to get more ping-pong balls. For someone who uses numbers in 87.8% of his posts, not getting behind the math in this spot is odd.

Kosta
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March 31, 2022 5:42 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

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WizsSox
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March 31, 2022 1:07 pm
Reply to  Roaddog

I think Rob acknowledges it would be better to get more Ping Pong Balls, but they are already tanking pretty damn hard as it is, not playing their best two players.

If Fox and Sabonis were playing 35 minutes a game, then I think the up in arms tankers have a very valid point. But they are not. They are putting out a lot of 10-12th man rotation players on decent teams and they happen to be beating teams that are worse. Not sure what you can do about that, except pulling a Portland. I hadn’t looked at their exact lineup until recently. I’m generally not against a tanking model in principle, but the team they are rolling out versus guys that are sitting is almost shameful.

Maybe the ends justify the means, but to me there is a difference of a team designing a rebuild around a tank like OKC/Houston route and a team that has some talent and just sits every SINGLE decent available player for weeks.
If I bought tickets to Houston or OKC this year, I knew exactly what I was buying or I wasn’t paying attention. If I bought tickets to Blazers games this year the last two months are not remotely what I signed up for.

Last edited 1 year ago by WizsSox
Kingsguru21
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March 31, 2022 1:16 pm
Reply to  WizsSox

Maybe the ends justify the means, but to me there is a difference of a team designing a rebuild around a tank like OKC/Houston route and a team that has some talent and just sits every SINGLE decent available player.

OKC could still be playing Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey but arent. They are doing the same thing as PDX and running their G League squad out there. Outside of Will’s very tall son hailing from Serbia, Pokusevski, that is.

WizsSox
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March 31, 2022 1:30 pm
Reply to  Kingsguru21

True. NO doubt OKC isn’t playing to their full roster…but if I signed up for OKC tickets this year, you could/should have known that was a distinct possibility. They did it last year.

Portland is sitting by my quick search Lillard, Hart, Ingles (legit ACL), Little (legit shoulder), Nurkic, Simons, Bledsoe. That’s almost exclusively the top end of their roster.

I’m sure there are some injuries, not gonna search every one, but most of those guys could play. I’m fine if that sat 2-3 or rotated them around. But if I bought tickets I’d like to at least see SOME NBA players playing.

Last edited 1 year ago by WizsSox
Kingsguru21
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March 31, 2022 1:48 pm
Reply to  WizsSox

True. NO doubt OKC isn’t playing to their full roster…but if I signed up for OKC tickets this year, you could/should have known that was a distinct possibility. They did it last year.

Yep., this is no doubt true. It’s not like anyone is surprised by what OKC is doing, I just think it’s bad as a general trend. What Portland is doing is somewhat by circumstance, but I’m not mad about Lillard, or Nassir Little who is also out. It’s that they are sitting Simons, Hart, Nurkic and even Eric Bledsoe is out because they haven’t worked out an amicable buyout yet.

I get it. Portland has a few impact injuries and traded away several other key rotation guys in Covington and Powell. And I know Powell has been mostly egitimately injured since joining the Clippers. So there’s no sense in playing healthy vets who wouldn’t move the needle much to wins.

But it’s still bad. The Kings and Pacers are almost as bad as the Blazers/Thunder are by sitting out key guys themselves. Bad basketball is bad basketball, and this late in the year with teams going after ping pong balls there’s a lot of ugly bad basketball. I wouldn’t have watched the final minute of the Kings game last night (where Davion stuffed Porter Jr in his tracks and made him give the ball up to the dude in the corner) if there was even remotely another halfway interesting game in the NBA going on. I was tracking Indy-Denver, Cleveland-Dallas and Minnesota-Toronto for most of the night.

And that’s where we are at in late March/early April. Yippee. Really do hope Monte McNair gets to hire the head coach and give the head coach the tools he needs to be successful.

murraytant
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March 31, 2022 10:04 pm
Reply to  WizsSox

go to a Blazers game to watch NBA players? Look at opponent only.

murraytant
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March 31, 2022 10:03 pm
Reply to  WizsSox

The big bad bottom four were tanking in pre-season. They tanked by trading away assets, and playing young inexperienced guys, not caring if they lose.
SGA has sat the last month of the last 2 seasons.
Even Houston is more actively tanking now
etc.
There is no way to catch these 4 teams.
The Pacers decided at ASG to tank, traded assets, and sat others. Hard to catch them
PDX- s as soon as Dame went down they “looked to the future” Drew Eubanks is their star now.
And Portland plays 10 straight lousy teams and has only won one of those. so far.
Kings did not have a chance. Hence will end at 7. Unless get by-passed.
This is a 9 player draft: Smith, Banchero, Chet, Ivey//Griffin, Murray, Davis, Sharpe (maybe) and Mathurin. 7 or 8 gets a player- not a choice but a player.

Even on all cylinders, Kings are deficient- one player + a FA may help but the 6th slot???nope.

Glad LAL are losing so far.
and the playoffs could be exciting this year. Tough match-up’s.

Marty
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March 31, 2022 1:06 pm

It’s almost like no matter what we do or say, read or write, the Kings will suck.

Greg
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March 31, 2022 1:11 pm
Reply to  Marty

this has been my experience ever since I started writing about this team

SMF-PDXConnection
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March 31, 2022 3:11 pm
Reply to  Greg

Oh, so it’s YOUR fault!

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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March 31, 2022 4:19 pm

Shit, not only did Greg ruin my marriage, he also ruined my Kings.

Kosta
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March 31, 2022 5:43 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

15 year drought…that’s longer than most marriages!

Last edited 1 year ago by Kosta
Kosta
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March 31, 2022 5:44 pm
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and I’m not talking about erectile dysfunction, if that’s what anyone was thinking.

Last edited 1 year ago by Kosta
Bluejohn
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April 1, 2022 11:58 am
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Kosta, in all honesty that thought never entered my mind.

OG_Aggie
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March 31, 2022 1:08 pm

Basically they are winning because Davion has been the best player on the floor in most of these games. Do you sit him? Oh hell no. So if they win a few and the rookie gets confidence, it’s not a bad thing. He’s a known quantity, while as any Kangz fan knows draft picks can go horribly wrong. So I’m fine with it. Plus, I now have that dunk in my dreams forever.

Last edited 1 year ago by Rob Rodgers
Hippity_Hop_Barbershop
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April 1, 2022 8:12 pm
Reply to  OG_Aggie

That dunk somehow reversed my vasectomy. So good.

Kingsguru21
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March 31, 2022 1:08 pm

This is the same comment from the recap thread Mirann wrote. In that case I repeat my comment:

comment image

RikSmits
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March 31, 2022 1:12 pm

Oh, another Kings article discussing the lottery? What were the odds of that?

Greg
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March 31, 2022 2:10 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

what else are we supposed to talk about in March?

rockbottom
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March 31, 2022 3:56 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Summer league dynasty’s .

RighteousandHopeful
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March 31, 2022 1:28 pm

Like that milk that’s been in the fridge too long, you just can’t help but smell it. That was me deciding to watch the Kings last night. But it wasn’t so bad. I enjoyed seeing the win. I am not so concerned where the Kings land in the draft. They just need to make a righteous selection, as they have the last two drafts. Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis has declared for the draft. He’s a scoring 3 and a versatile defender who would complement Fox and Mitchell. I am hopeful the Kings land him.

eddie41
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March 31, 2022 1:30 pm

We’ll take Danny Noonan.

eddie41
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March 31, 2022 2:08 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

I’m gonna tell Josh Jackson you called him a luminary.

ArcoThunder
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April 1, 2022 4:52 am
Reply to  RobHessing

Fuck Pete D

aplumley
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March 31, 2022 1:39 pm

So what you’re saying is that the Kings aren’t very good at even tanking. When they try to win, the don’t win enough and when they try to lose, they don’t lose enough. TBH, I’m not thrilled with the draft this year. I don’t think there’s a clear #1 and there’s a lot of unpolished potential in the draft. Lots of boom/bust guys and not a lot of high floor high ceiling, can’t miss guys. So this is probably the year the Kings win the lottery and pick the worst of the best and the proverbial needle remains in exactly the same place it’s been for the past forever.

Jack
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March 31, 2022 2:44 pm
Reply to  aplumley

I agree. That’s why I threw out a hypothetical trade idea in the last post. On that trade I had Damian Jones as part of a trade. Could have substituted Lyles for him then traded Holmes for PJ Washungton to backup Collins. Hornets are still looking for a better 5 than Plumlee. This could also happen although the money doesn’t really fit.

murraytant
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March 31, 2022 10:08 pm
Reply to  Jack

Hornets not interested in Holmes: traded for almost same guy in Harrel and the “recent troubles” give them pause. That ship has sailed.

Jack
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April 1, 2022 6:46 am
Reply to  murraytant

That’s not what I read two days ago.

rockbottom
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March 31, 2022 3:59 pm
Reply to  aplumley

Agree, that it’s a whose Number 1 draft when numbers 9 and 10 may turn out far better like Nowitski, and Pierce . Just sayin .

1951
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March 31, 2022 2:21 pm

In one week the Kings went from having a less than 10% chance of drafting 8th or worse to having a 50% chance of drafting 8th or worse.

Just in case someone wants to me of not understanding this fact, here is a breakdown of the odds for all to analyze as they see fit:

FBBADB31-9793-4547-9303-F6E57EBF5908.jpeg
1951
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March 31, 2022 2:32 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Right.

And yet: The 5th lotto spot has a 8.7% chance to draft 8th. Kings were at that spot and after going 3/4 are now in the 7th lotto spot. The 7th lotto spot has a 34.1% chance to draft 8th.

Similarly, the chance to draft 9th went from 0.6% to 12.9. So, that went from a less than 1/100 to be 9th to over a 1/10 chance.

It’s not everything but it’s also not insignificant at all.

Last edited 1 year ago by 1951
1951
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March 31, 2022 2:45 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Yeah, I am not getting worked up about game to game results.

I do wonder what the point of playing Len over Neemias is. Or what Barnes is still doing out there. But whatevs.

Kingsguru21
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March 31, 2022 3:19 pm
Reply to  1951

I do wonder what the point of playing Len over Neemias is. Or what Barnes is still doing out there. But whatevs.

I wonder what the point is, too.

Kingsguru21
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March 31, 2022 3:37 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Gentry knowing he won’t have a job in 10 days doesn’t help either.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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March 31, 2022 4:25 pm
Reply to  Kingsguru21

There is likely a lot to that. He knows he’s still resume building for the next gig. The coaches in OKC, PDX, Indy, Houston, and Orlando don’t have that problem. Their jobs are nearly guaranteed.

FWIW, I blame Monte for that.

Kingsguru21
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March 31, 2022 7:37 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

FWIW, I blame Monte for that.

I blame Vivek Ranadive. That was dysfunctional, cheap (letting Walton go that far into the season saved the team a bit of money which we all know is a factor even in the best of times), just an all around asshole and tone deaf thing to do.

That history was here long before Monte McNair. I’m sure Monte had no choice in firing Walton, but, be that as it may, I lay most of that on Ranadive. He continues to do the same dumb bullshit over and over. With multiple regimes, no less. There’s only been one constant.

It’ll be interesting to see how this coaching search goes and whether McNair and the head coach can get on the same page assuming an actual coaching search and Sacramento Kings can be written in the same sentence.

Eh, the end of the season can’t come soon enough.

murraytant
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March 31, 2022 10:12 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Blazers are so bad and so into the tank that there was virtually no way the Kings could hold the 5 or 6 spots. No way. The Pacers loss(win) doomed them. They would have had to lose that game and ALL the subsequent games. Their talent is just better than some of the teams they are playing and the Pacers and Blazers have no talent and no desire.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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March 31, 2022 4:23 pm
Reply to  1951

Don’t show Pookey that chart, he may stab* you on account it doesn’t show the “luck” factor.

*please don’t stab me, Nate.

Kingsguru21
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March 31, 2022 9:24 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

No, the problem is the interpretation. It’s not a luck issue.

Roaddog
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April 1, 2022 9:33 am
Reply to  1951

Can someone help me grasp a math concept here?

There is a 3% difference on our 7.5 vs Indys 10.5 chance at 1. Are they ~30% more likely to get that spot than us looking at the difference as a ratio?

Kingsguru21
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April 1, 2022 10:27 am
Reply to  Roaddog

No, what that 3% means is that Indy has a 3% shot (roughly) higher odds of drawing the winning ping pong ball in each of the 4 lottery drawings than Sac does.

Odds don’t go up with 1 less team in the drawing. There’s just less winning combinations for the 2-4 picks as each pick gets drawn. Sometimes for picks 2-4, it can take a few drawings to get a winning combination for the remaining teams still eligible.

1951
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April 1, 2022 10:52 am
Reply to  Roaddog

The ratio would be this:

Let’s say you rolled a 100 sided dice 100 times to see who gets the no. 1 pick. You would expect that the Kings to get the no. 1 pick 7-8 times out of those 100 tries: 7.5/100 or .75/10 (less than one of every ten tries).

You would expect that Indiana gets the no. 1 pick 10-11 times out of those 100 tries: 10.5/100 or 1.05/10 (more than one of every ten tries).

Actual results will vary, but these are the expected results based on the probabilities.

(I am sure guru will object to math as being misleading, but alas! 😉 )

Last edited 1 year ago by 1951
1951
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April 1, 2022 11:00 am
Reply to  1951

In case anyone is already typing and commenting, I already fixed one tiny typo, so … back off! 😉

Kingsguru21
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April 1, 2022 11:13 am
Reply to  1951

No, math is not misleading. The way you frame arguments can be, however.

1951
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April 1, 2022 11:30 am
Reply to  Kingsguru21

So, is the fact that moving from the 5th lotto spot to the 7th lotto spot resulted in a change from having a 8.7% chance to a 34.1% chance to draft 8th and a change from having a 0.6% chance to a 12.9% chance to draft 9th a framed argument?

Curious for the mathematical sciences! 😉

Last edited 1 year ago by 1951
Kingsguru21
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April 1, 2022 11:31 am
Reply to  1951

No. That’s based off the numbers. There’s no reason to argue that.

1951
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April 1, 2022 11:33 am
Reply to  Kingsguru21

comment image

Kingsguru21
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April 1, 2022 11:42 am
Reply to  1951

You forgot to kiss Marisa Tomei’s hands and tell her she is a very lovely witness.

cloudyeyes
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March 31, 2022 3:06 pm

I’m all for getting a good look on who we should keep and cut next year, as the end of the year is basically tryouts for the team next year. What I don’t get is playing Harrison Barnes 35 to 40 minutes a game. We know who he is, let him rest.

King4life
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March 31, 2022 4:26 pm

This has to be the most miserable year of Kings basketball for me as a fan. I pretty much checked out in the beginning of the year, got interested when Sabonis was traded for, and checked right back out when he and Fox got hurt.

I’m exhausted by the same arguments and conversations year after year. I feel like we’ve having the same damn arguments over the last 16 seasons. Tank, don’t tank. Overvaluing the play of players post all-star break. It always ends with us drafting 7-9, missing out on impact players, and being in the same damn spot next seasons.

I don’t even know what the answer is anymore. The franchise financially can’t afford a proper tank but the team isn’t even good enough for a play-in spot. This team is exhausting to root for.

Bluejohn
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March 31, 2022 8:43 pm
Reply to  King4life

But are we not entertained? You know, sometimes, at times, I am.

Good stuff Rob. Recced each of your posts in this morning’s thread. You lost me with the math and percentages and stuff but other than that, you make too much sense.

My perfect season post All Star break is put your best team out there along with some time for the rooks and young vets, play hard to win and hopefully lose more games than you win.

Pretty much what happened.

TerzoM
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March 31, 2022 4:58 pm

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Kosta
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March 31, 2022 5:47 pm
Reply to  TerzoM

I’m going to tell my kids that’s Dorothea Puente

TerzoM
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March 31, 2022 8:32 pm
Reply to  Kosta

Worst.Roomie.Ever

Kosta
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March 31, 2022 5:49 pm

Since you’ve posted something from your private SLACK channel, I think it’s only fair that you post your entire SLACK communications here.

I know you guys are making fun of us behind our backs. Probably referring to our favorite basketball team as losers.

Last edited 1 year ago by Kosta
UpgradedToQuestionable
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March 31, 2022 6:09 pm

Even the best talent needs to develop. Does this organization understand how to develop the talent it has available? During this, the Infamous Run of 16 of no .500 season, no playoff appearances this franchise has seen it’s share of high enough draft choices. You can point to Kawhi and Giannis and Klay and Devin and etcetera who were chosen to star for their teams after the Kings made their selection. Does anyone believe that any of those 4 would be the All-Stars they are today if they had careered in Sacramento? Ben McLemore, Willie Cauley-Stein, Thomas Robinson, Jimmer Fredette, Giorgios Papagiannis, Nik Stauskas and Marvin Bagley III might disagree.

These aren’t just faulty choices, they were enhanced by a makeshift, seat of your pants disorganization that flounders where others swim. This goes beyond the scope of poor expectations – it is hard to fathom this level of incompetence can happen without concerted effort. 29 other teams don’t have this issue. But so it is.

The Infamous Run of 17 now awaits as long as the crown is worn by King Vivek, Queen Matina and Prince Aneel. Without abdication, the realm is doomed to it’s unending fate.

PIck first, or fifth or eighth – does it matter? It ain’t what you have, it’s what you do with it. The results stand as proof.

The stairs out of the cellar need to support a system of stable management and coaching to develop a team over many seasons as well as the patience and fortitude of ownership to stand behind their GM’s vision, not in the way of it (or the shallow need to lay claim to it). When will Adam Silver step in? 20 seasons? 25?

Convoy
April 1, 2022 4:48 am

Well said. To answer your question, no, this organization does not understand how to develop talent. Especially WHEN to develop talent over the course of the season. Instead of developing ALL of their youth at the end of the year like most teams, they have gotten into the habit of trying to win as many games as possible the last two months of the season. Perhaps its in the hopes that they can sell more season tickets for the following year. Or – as it pertains to this year in particular – maybe to somehow add value to the upcoming new television broadcast contract. Most teams choose to try and get better lottery odds.

Not understanding how to develop talent can be broken down into different categories, such as not having a very talented ownership group, marketing department, scouting department, etc. Instead, we have an ownership that has systemically fumbled with its fanbase. 

Here’s are a list of some of the blunders:

1) Never going all-in on a complete overhaul of its roster (tanking)

2) Marketing the slogan “Sacramento Proud”, when there is little pride left after years of not making the playoffs (insulting our intelligence)

3) Telling us they are going to crowd source its fans to find out which draft pick we want (think: we want Luka, we got Luke).

4) Suggesting they are going to implement basketball 2.0, when they can’t even figure out basketball 1.0 (think: KISS/Keep it Simple Stupid).

5) Holding onto players after their maximum value has peaked (insert player of choice here).

When it comes to evaluating talent, this has been a It was my hope that when the Kings eclipsed the Forbes $1 billion dollar franchise valuation that they would bring in some more talent as far as scouting and development is concerned, but our apparently the staff wasn’t even talented enough to consider how to develop talent, too cheap to hire an outside consulting firm to do the job, or too prideful/ego-driven to think they might not have the best idea of what the best pick would be for the team themselves (Vlade/Vivek).

So at the end of the day, the Kings are not talented enough to consider tanking. They cannot see that part of the value of tanking is getting rid of all your overpriced contracts with your washed-up players and starting from scratch. Its not just pumping up your ping pong ball odds, but the odds that if you are dealt an entire new hand that you have a better chance of landing an ace.

Bluejohn
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April 1, 2022 11:54 am
Reply to  Convoy

Convoy, nice post. Well thought out and written. In your list of blunders I particularly liked # 3.

I do have a question regarding off season training. I have never heard of any of our young players ever participating in any of the elite training centers in LA, Vegas or Philly where they are able to work on specific parts of their game, demanding weight and physical training as well as diet etc where they are able to train with and compete against elite players. Maybe they do, but if they have we haven’t heard about it.

Do the Kings send their coaching staff to work with young players and oversee their summer work? Much was made of the supposed fact that D. Fox was coming in to training camp with 10 lbs of added muscle.When Buddy first saw Fox in camp this season he called Fox pudgy. Maybe the Kings do send out coaches/trainers to work with selected players during the off season? Do they? You got me.

As you outlined in your post there are multiple parts of player development. I have always questioned the Kings commitment to their off season skill training other than giving the players a list of things they want them to work on. I wonder where those lists go as the players head off on vacation.

Hippity_Hop_Barbershop
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April 1, 2022 8:16 pm

Welp I want a drink now.

Gregoryl
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March 31, 2022 11:39 pm

Most importantly, Danny noonan’s girlfriend: strangest casting in Hollywood history?

Kingsguru21
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April 1, 2022 10:30 am
Reply to  RobHessing

She didn’t quit Hollywood when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, apparently.

Gregoryl
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April 1, 2022 2:10 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

I forgot that! The professor’s daughter?

Hippity_Hop_Barbershop
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April 1, 2022 8:18 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Yeah I can’t imagine, for all that we love them for, the National Lampoon guys were the best role models…at all.

BilboSwaggins
April 1, 2022 7:28 am

The reality is, if the Kings were in a playoff chase we would be looking at these extremely winnable games thinking they have a chance. But they would inevitably lose them as they crumble under the pressure. With no pressure against bottom dwellers they pull out the W. The ability of this organization to NEVER complete their objective, whatever it should be, is so frustrating.

Kingsguru21
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April 1, 2022 11:38 am
Reply to  RobHessing

It’s not the size of your draft pick that matters – it’s what you do with it. For a small market team especially, it doesn’t get more basic than that.

I’d rec this 100 times if I could. Bad management really matters. And the Kings have had alot of that.

I’d argue this is where Monte McNair has succeeded…..by a small amount. D’Alessandro’s first two years, Divac’s first two years and McNair’s first two years look very different. Except I think McNair is qualified to run a FO. (D’Alessandro is at least a cap guy qualified to work in a FO.) Divac was never qualified and never showed the acumen.

This summer will be very big, and not just for McNair.

rockbottom
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April 1, 2022 8:04 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

Bucks last years Champs picked Giannis at 16 , traded to get Middleton a 2nd rounder from Detroit and FA and trades created the rest ( Holiday, Lopez, Portis, Allen, Hill etc . Different ways but special talent always at the top !

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