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There are no easy fixes for the Kings

10 games in the Kings have more questions than answers.
By | 105 Comments | Jan 10, 2021

Courtesy of Sacramento Kings

On the heels of back-to-back blowouts, Kings fans are searching for answers. How could a team that played so well just days earlier look like a complete disaster now? Unfortunately there are no easy answers, but instead a variety of factors at play.

There are obvious factors, such as Buddy Hield’s early struggles. 10 games into the season Buddy is shooting 33.7% from 3 and 34.8% overall. Those are both the worst shooting numbers of Buddy’s career by a significant margin.

De’Aaron Fox has also started slow. Even removing the 3-point outing against the Bulls (in which he played just 5 minutes), Fox is averaging less than 20 points per game. Fox has been a key element in some big runs for the Kings in this early season, so this isn’t to suggest Fox has been bad, but he has yet to make a major leap forward like many had hoped.

Marvin Bagley has been handed the starting role for the first 10 games, and has shown flashes of promise, but has just as often showed how unready his is to contribute in a meaningful way. His defensive awareness is that of a rookie, not of a player with a year of on-court experience and another year of attending NBA film sessions.

This isn’t to suggest the season has been all doom and gloom. Fox, despite the lack of a major leap, has still been the team’s best player. Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes have played very well, and Tyrese Haliburton has been a delight. We’ve also seen nice contributions of the bench from guys like Glenn Robinson III and Chimezie Metu (Metu has scored 13 points in 11 minutes of playing time, please play him more).

But the whole has remained less than the sum of the parts. The team defense in particular has been harshly exposed in the last few games.

Now that we’ve hit the 10-game mark, I won’t be surprised to see Luke Walton make some lineup changes, but that still won’t fix Walton’s inability or unwillingness to adjust his game plan during games. Walton decides which nine players will get rotation minutes, and then sticks with that regardless of which players get into foul trouble, which players are playing poorly, or how opponents have schemed against the Kings. He only deviates when he clears the bench at the end of blowouts.

Some fans will surely point to firing Walton as the easiest way to address many of these issues. I don’t think that will happen yet. I think Walton will truly need to have completely lost the team to be fired midseason, but I also don’t know that firing Walton would be the cure-all for the Kings issues. Walton isn’t why Buddy Hield and Nemanja Bjelica forgot how to shoot threes this season. Luke Walton certainly has major flaws as a coach, but the players bear some responsibility as well.

I don’t know where the Kings go from here. I don’t see a magic bullet to fix the Kings this season. And perhaps this is just how it’s going to be. The Kings will muddle through this season showing some moments of promise and then moments of ineptitude. We all know that McNair inherited a flawed roster and he couldn’t be expected to fix it all in a one-month offseason.

Just 62 games left, Kings fans. It could be a bumpy ride.

 

 

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TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 12:03 pm

It really isn’t complicated. The Kings lack talent and that’s why they suck.
The only adjustment that needs to be made is to give the young players heavy minutes to see if they’re keepers and to assist the tank.
Keep Walton for the year to assist the tank.
Trade whatever vets you can.
Fox isn’t a future superstar.
bagley is a bust.
We need top end talent and the only way to obtain that is high in the draft. No FA is coming here nor can we trade for the next disgruntled superstar as other teams have way more ammo than us (OKC, NOP).

Amonk81
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January 10, 2021 12:20 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

The most worrying thing to me is this all has the stink of Vivek not truly letting McNair do his thing. He’s still medaling I think.

Otherwise, Walton amd Bagely should be gone. And all these players not excelling….Walton does not put players in position to succeed. It’s all bullshit lip service about pace and space blah blah blah.

The obvious fix is new coach who actually coaches and getting rid of Bagely/dead weight. But Vivek may still be lurking.

TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 12:24 pm
Reply to  Amonk81

My biggest concern as well.
Odds are he is still meddling. I have all the confidence in the world in Monte, but no way of knowing if Vivek is letting him do his job. Come the trade deadline, we’ll have an idea.

Never forget, Vivek is the same guy who hired Vlade, but even worse, stuck with him for some five years, which imo is even worse.

Kings_Life_Sentence_86
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January 10, 2021 4:54 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

I agree that we’ll know by the trade deadline. It just sucks to think that we’ll lose 2 months of time in giving the younger guys minutes before we hit the trade deadline. There has to be a way to continue playing Buddy and Barnes while adding Metu and Guy sparingly to the lineup RIGHT NOW. Play them now rather than ending the season with some glimmer of hope with our young guys, and wishing we had more time to make a decision on our roster.

Mr916Saechao
January 10, 2021 6:01 pm
Reply to  Amonk81

I remember €œlong€ ago we had a coach that put players in positions to succeed. Brought us to the best record in years and then got fired. What was his name again?

LongLivePeteCarril
January 10, 2021 7:55 pm
Reply to  Mr916Saechao

hmmm… Dave? Michael? Rick?

RikSmits
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January 11, 2021 2:58 am
Reply to  Amonk81

GregoryI claimed a few days ago that he heard Carmichael Dave talking with Sam Amick, and not saying good things about Joe Dumars. 

I was wondering if this would be covered here.

Gregoryl
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January 11, 2021 10:27 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Hey Rik: If not covered, go here: https://khtk.com/category/podcast_results/?sid=1176&n=The%20Drive%20With%20Carmichael%20Dave
Click on Hour 3 of the 1/7 show, it’s during the interview with Sam Amick.

RikSmits
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January 11, 2021 11:12 am
Reply to  Gregoryl

Thank you!

CoreyBrewersD
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January 10, 2021 1:25 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

We have seen Marvin actually play well when motivated, against Chicago and Phoenix I believe, toss the game after the Daddy tweet. Just the 2 games say he isn’t a bust but he is still flawed (maybe forever) and seems a head case (pops, Kangz). A change in attitude and location may be the ticket to being a consistent contribitor “sp” to a decent team. Seems like we have a lottery ticket there and the first 3 numbers were close, and we are waiting on the last 3 hoping for some sort of win!

Falconsfury
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January 10, 2021 6:21 pm
Reply to  CoreyBrewersD

Inconsistency is the definition of a bust. Every lotto pick has his moments and flashes, but can never put it all together for a full season. Even Jimmer, Sauce, TRob, WCS, Skal, Giles, Justin Jackson showed flashes of NBA skills.

oshima9
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January 11, 2021 10:48 am
Reply to  CoreyBrewersD

Bagley has not played well defensively in any game. Nor has he done anything offensively other than score the ball.

rc50cal
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January 10, 2021 2:13 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

The draft is the path to high end talent. Trade any and all veterans that will garner a positive asset in return. Keep Walton to inadvertently command the tank. Watching the team tank will suck, but doesn’t this as well?

Kings_Life_Sentence_86
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January 10, 2021 4:57 pm
Reply to  rc50cal

They should start the tank right now rather than being blindsided by possible COVID safety protocols hitting our key players, only to then accept that we’ll be sitting at the bottom of the conference anyway.

wilbur10
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January 10, 2021 8:06 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

They should not keep Walton to “assist the tank”. Keeping a bad coach to help get a better draft pick will only let these young guys develop bad habits and not reach their full potential. That’s the thing that worries me the most about this season. Nobody is held accountable. Walton continuously allows these guys to make the same mistakes over and over and over again. When is Fox going to stop gambling defensively? When is he going to admit Joseph is at best an average defender? Or recognize that Bjelica is hurting this team when he’s on the court? When is the entire team going to stop getting back cut all game? When will players get punished for consistently getting beat by their man? And this isn’t all on Walton but it certainly starts with him.

Last edited 3 years ago by wilbur10
9sac8
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January 11, 2021 5:18 am
Reply to  wilbur10

AND 1!!!!!!!

SelecaoKOJ
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January 11, 2021 6:53 am
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

Nailed it. My sentiments exactly. Trading the majority of this team ASAP is the best course of action. That first Kings superstar could have been Doncic. This upcoming draft is loaded. Especially, in the Top 6-7 picks. We could get another shot and not blow it this time.

SMF-PDXConnection
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January 10, 2021 12:17 pm

I actually got to see the entire game start to finish last night, and really just two things stand out above all others.

First, Bagley is absolutely a bust, and the sooner his poor body language and attitude are gone, the better.

And second, seeing how guys just went through the motions (except Ty, who actually looked to be giving effort and putting heart into the game), I don’t see how Walton still has a grip on this team. Or, rather, if this isn’t what losing the locker room looks like, I don’t want to see what him actually losing it looks like.

Perhaps the perfect combination of both those factors was Walton leaving Bagley in the 4th with the end of bench guys. There’s your sign. Firing Walton and trading Bagley won’t fix everything with the Kings, of course, but we’ve got to start somewhere, and they’re both the two biggest clouds hovering over the franchise right now.

TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 12:25 pm

Playing Bagley and keeping Walton for the year are integral for the tank.
I have to believe Monte knows this and will deal with the two come the offseason.

SMF-PDXConnection
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January 10, 2021 12:43 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

For me, the negatives of those two wearing off in the locker room outweigh the “positives” of them helping us suck enough for a top pick. Even if Gentry is interim and Bagley is gone, we’re still not going to have the talent (to say nothing of shaking up the team and system in a shortened and unusually difficult season) to actually compete. We won’t be a good team, but at least we won’t be a toxic team.

Marty
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January 10, 2021 12:21 pm

I don’t know where the Kings go from here. 

comment image

TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 12:24 pm
Reply to  Marty

I love it !

ajon_es
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January 10, 2021 3:29 pm
Reply to  Marty

Fantastic!

Inthestarz
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January 10, 2021 12:47 pm

rebuild, get high pick

thst means off loading vets as you can. Barnes has played good enough ball to be moved. If Buddy eventually does, move him

play the kids

don’t continue on this path of trying to compete with vets and not play Woodard, Guy etc

Hobby916
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January 10, 2021 12:53 pm

Haliburton summed it up pretty well in the post-game presser. Basically…

€¢He took ownership of his play and how he can improve.

€¢Said the coaches have a solid scheme and the players need to execute better.

€¢Players need to take it personally on the defensive end, it’s the only way to improve.

He has a good mentality, which needs to extend to the rest of the team.

Brizz
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January 10, 2021 4:19 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

This is very quickly going to be Haliburton’s team

Biscuit
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January 10, 2021 5:14 pm
Reply to  Brizz

Make him player-coach

Inthestarz
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January 10, 2021 12:53 pm

And Morant IS who Fox thinks he is.

thats why the comment got under his skin

I’m resigned to Fox being a peripheral all star considered solid player. I think it the lack of leap is concerning those who actually thought he was a Young/Morant franchise type piece. He doesn’t have the motor/presence for that

The highest ceiling is Hali’s. If you hope someone gets to true franchise player status it’s him

Not that I’m trashing Fox. I think as the Curry/Lillard/Paul’s start to retire, Fox by attrition and some improvement can get to being one of the better PGs in the west, and along with Hali have us in the playoffs for a lot of years

Hobby916
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January 10, 2021 1:02 pm
Reply to  Inthestarz

He really ought to be a much better defender. Fast, active, and seems to have the mentality of a good defender. Basically he needs to be like Conley.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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January 10, 2021 1:30 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

…and Conley was the 3rd best player on a perennial playoff team in Memphis. Maybe designating Fox as the alpha is the first mistake.

TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 1:32 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

He’s paid to be the alpha and talks like he’s the alpha, but his play doesn’t back it.

9sac8
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January 10, 2021 2:38 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

I absolutely agree. Top dog needs to be earned, not designated. They have to stop pacifying these players. Especially, the ones who have been in the league for 40 yrs. Yes, I’m looking at you Buddy. Buddy was drafted 12th in the 1983 draft.

TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 1:31 pm
Reply to  Inthestarz

Morant is already a superior player to Fox.
That comment was on point by Amin.

rockbottom
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January 10, 2021 6:38 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

The biggest mistake the Kings may have made is the 160 million for Fox ! Should have waited and had one more year to evaluate with no chance to lose him ( Restricted Free Agency is for that protection)! Also, injuries and lack of improvement could change things ! Treated him like Donavan Mitchell and Jason Tatum but both have been All Stars and best players on very good teams ! Status not earned ! Hope he turns out to be worth the contract but a legit concern !

NotMe
January 10, 2021 1:10 pm

Not to pile on …

Well, actually, in order to pile on: so many teams around the league are working with impaired rosters due to new injuries, guys only slowly working back from old injuries, Covid protocols, sitting as a precaution, …. As in each of the last few years, Kings have much less player time lost than average. This is a competitive advantage they have that doesn’t get mentioned, and it’s being squandered.

Someday they will actually be talented enough to compete — it would be so Kangz if that’s when all this luck finally catches up with them.

Hamlet1989
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January 10, 2021 1:24 pm

New starters: Fox, Haliburton, GRIII, Barnes, Holmes

Brizz
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January 10, 2021 4:22 pm
Reply to  Hamlet1989

Metu 1st off the bench

ElRonToro
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January 10, 2021 5:17 pm
Reply to  Hamlet1989

You have named the only 5 guys that have played at least ok. So I agree. The bench is a crap shoot. I think Guy who does everything except D better than Joseph should be an immediate switch, for development and to see what he is. You have no choice to play Bagley but he needs to cut his shot rate by 30%. Buddy is a must play for trade value but I’d cut his minutes by 5-7. Woodard does not look ready yet.

rff
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January 10, 2021 1:24 pm

Bjelly plays best as a starter and can get into the flow of the game. Buddy’s heart isn’t with the kings anymore, he wanted out and stills wants out. I don’t know if Bagley is a bust but he’s not playing like a number 2 pick. Don’t understand signing Whiteside and not playing the solid rebounder and shot blocker he is. Lastly, the tweets by Bagley Jr, Aaron Fox, and Dr. Leticia ruined what little fragile chemistry there was.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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Nostradumbass 14
January 10, 2021 1:26 pm
Reply to  rff

I don’t know if it is just my observation, but Buddy’s body looks different this year. He looks heavier to me. Maybe he’s bulked up or gained weight? I kind of recall Bibby putting on muscle in an offseason near the end of his stint with the Kings and it seemed to affect his shot. Could that be the issue we are seeing with Buddy?

Bbmuteman
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January 10, 2021 3:48 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

He had covid previously, right? Maybe residual effects from that?

Jman1949
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January 10, 2021 4:48 pm
Reply to  Bbmuteman

He left the team to take care of personal business, so he has to go through the protocols before he can be active again.

Jman1949
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January 10, 2021 6:49 pm
Reply to  Jman1949

Oops, That’s info on Parker, not Buddy.

Bbmuteman
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January 10, 2021 9:57 pm
Reply to  Jman1949

No, parker, buddy, and len all got covid sometime last year.

eddie41
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January 10, 2021 5:20 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

That’s what I see also. Buddy’s game used to be outrunning people, doing give and go’s with Cauley-Stein. He doesn’t have enough overall skill to be able to go less than 100% and still be effective. Although, he has been a slow starter in prior years who heats up as the season progresses and the next coach might utilize him better, so I’m not totally sour on Buddy.

Want2win
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January 11, 2021 6:52 am
Reply to  Adamsite

I noticed he seemed to have gained upper body bulk.. and I think it is impacting his shot.. the eye test tells me he is missing long a lot more

rff
rff
January 10, 2021 1:48 pm
Reply to  Greg

When she tweeted “We can’t go back to playing the old way” it may have rubbed certain guys wrong if they think she was talking about them being selfish. That’s all I meant.

Kingsguru21
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January 10, 2021 3:01 pm
Reply to  Greg

If Lydecia Holmes, Aaron Fox or Marvin Bagley Jr really effect team chemistry that much, this team is too mentally weak to make any real movement forward.

I think what we got this weekend was 2 teams that figured out how to exploit the Kings weaknesses, and make it look easy and simple.

deepshot22
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January 10, 2021 5:14 pm
Reply to  Kingsguru21

So the other teams had superior coaching.

Kingsguru21
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January 11, 2021 9:28 am
Reply to  deepshot22

And superior performing talent.

Convoy
January 10, 2021 7:33 pm
Reply to  rff

I think you really nailed it here on the matter of Bjelly not starting. After balling his brains out last year with career highs across the board, his diminished minutes stand out as the one of the biggest differences in the team this year. He is still the teams best 3-point shooter and helps set up the flow of the offense. He just needs a little more play time to dust the rust off. Bagley needs to come is an an energy guy off the bench after the game already has a flow to it.

Adamsite
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January 10, 2021 1:24 pm

Kings are currently sitting at 7th in the lottery. At least they are consistent in remaining in the mid lottery. Some things never change.

TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 1:34 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

With the smoothed out lottery odds, finishing around 7th wouldn’t be so bad, we’d have a legit shot to move up.
Start playing the younger more and trade some of the vets and we’ll easily be in the top five for the worst record.

Hamlet1989
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January 10, 2021 1:45 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

After getting the #4 pick for finishing dead last, I’m not thrilled about the idea of charging ahead full-speed with the tank (especially when we always seem to lose quite well just on idle.) I’m wondering where you see this team ideally finishing up in the standings, considering where the roster is now. I think if the kings get a top 7 pick it should be hard to miss. That may require 5th worst in the league. That may mean less than 25 wins. That’s 47 losses! That’s pretty close to the gambling odds. Could this roster possibly lose more than 50 games in a 72 game season?

Last edited 3 years ago by Hamlet1989
TheGrantNapear
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January 10, 2021 2:07 pm
Reply to  Hamlet1989

They’re only 2 games back from the worst record in the league. You trade some vets, increase the PT of the younger guys, no reason they can’t have one of the five worst records.
I think the play in will cause the teams in the East to essentially not tank and keep pushing for a playoff spot/play in. Whereas for a team like the Kings in the West, even getting into the play in will be difficult, so the incentive is there to tank.

Hamlet1989
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January 10, 2021 2:20 pm
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

So how, exactly does that work? I gave my idea for a starting line up. Buddy will never start on a winning kings team because of sub-par defense and streaky shooting. He plays better off the bench. Haliburton needs his spot. If buddy doesn’t fetch a decent trade this season at the deadline then he will next. Other than Fox, Barnes has arguably been their best player. Showcase him for his trade value this season(Bucks already tried to land him.)

Adamsite
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January 10, 2021 7:40 pm
Reply to  Hamlet1989

Ideally i’d like to see them in the bottom 5 of the league standings. By that point any idea of competing becomes moot and the can enter a full reset. Trade off the vets and expirings for future assets.

SMF-PDXConnection
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January 10, 2021 2:13 pm

Looking at the calendar, does anyone else see the possibility the Kings might not win the rest of January?

Hamlet1989
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January 10, 2021 2:43 pm

Or even without looking at the schedule!

rc50cal
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January 10, 2021 2:14 pm

Unfortunately, the way Hield is playing right now, he’s a negative asset. Bagley is only worth a late first or second round pick as a flyer. Bjelly is worth a second maybe to right team. It’s bleak.

Carl
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January 10, 2021 4:13 pm
Reply to  rc50cal

I don’t think there’s much chance of Bagley being moved for a first right now.

eddie41
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January 10, 2021 5:33 pm
Reply to  Carl

Can we trade him for anything?

9sac8
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January 11, 2021 5:30 am
Reply to  eddie41

No. The Knicks offered a “bag” of chips. The flavor didn’t interest Monte.

rc50cal
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January 10, 2021 7:23 pm
Reply to  Carl

Unfortunately, you’re probably right.

Kingsguru21
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January 10, 2021 2:34 pm

I don’t know where the Kings go from here. I don’t see a magic bullet to fix the Kings this season. And perhaps this is just how it’s going to be. The Kings will muddle through this season showing some moments of promise and then moments of ineptitude. We all know that McNair inherited a flawed roster and he couldn’t be expected to fix it all in a one-month offseason.

Just 62 games left, Kings fans. It could be a bumpy ride.

Exactly, there are no easy fixes here. While I love what Tyrese Halliburton has contributed so far, but it’s not like he’s the next Luka Doncic or whatever.

Fox needs to be the star for this team and Bagley needs to emerge sooner than later for this group to be really successful. And they haven’t, not yet. Will they? No clue.

What I’m hoping for is to look at this team over 10 game batches and seeing a team improve in the right direction over those 10 game batches as the season moves on. Eliminating these really crazy swings would go a long way.

This team is pretty much as advertised IMO. Some fun moments offensively, especially, but they aren’t much good on the defensive end and that will take some time to iron out.

extra
January 10, 2021 3:10 pm

What we are seeing is what we should expect. And it’s too early to make any strong judgements. Fox is on a minutes restriction and he’s playing better now than he did at the same time last year irrespective of the hamstring issue (he’s a consistent jump shot away from being a perennial all star and is a fridge all star without one). Holmes is dealing with an ankle issue, but otherwise has progressed. Buddy should regress to his norm (all great shooters go through slumps).

That said, the one prediction that does feel more and more like a certainty is that Bagley won’t come anywhere close to meeting expectations. He reminds me of Derrick Williams (another #2 pick that couldn’t figure it out). His perimeter shooting is encouraging though. If that becomes a consistent part of his game, it should help his inside game as well.

rockbottom
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January 10, 2021 6:48 pm
Reply to  extra

Do not forget Stromile Swift, Jabbari Parker and Michael Beasley ! Beasley the most talented by far and biggest head case !

jwalker1395
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January 10, 2021 4:34 pm

Y’all are so rabid over this team. It’s been 10 games of a season that we all knew was gonna be bad at the beginning and yet y’all are talking as if we we’re not outperforming preseason expectations. Bagley is 21, has barely played over a full season worth of games in his career, and is coming off a near full season of injury and y’all are ready to yank him off the court? How the hell is he supposed to get better? And who may I ask would y’all suggest playing instead? Bjelica? Parker? Are those the franchise cornerstones we’re missing out on? Best case scenario, Bagley improves over time into the player we thought he was and worst case scenario is he stinks it up, we get a higher pick and are certain about ending the whole experiment. But y’all are desperate to play the best team possible so that we can have all our young players ride the bench all season on the way to a 28-44 record. Like goddamn show some patience. Letting Bagley, Hali, Fox, and the other young guys play is literally the only value to this entire season, so what are y’all complaining about? Speaking of which, Fox has played well but not at a superstar level and y’all are tryna dump him now, too? I get this team sucks and that’s not great to hear when you’re staring down 15 seasons without the playoffs, but the impatience y’all have with these young players is absurd and if that’s the way you’re gonna “support” them, then frankly y’all deserve the shit team you wind up with when Fox gets traded and Bagley ends up at the end of the bench. Let the downvotes begin idc.

eddie41
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January 10, 2021 5:43 pm
Reply to  jwalker1395

I agree that the fans shouldn’t go Robespierre on guys like Fox, but Bagley hasn’t improved at all in two offseasons. In fact he has regressed. In addition, he hurts the team because he can’t guard anyone on D, and he has no court awareness on offense. I don’t think we have to be patient with him any longer. Metu, Holmes, Bjelica, Barnes, Whiteside are all capable of taking his minutes.

GFunkClassic
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January 11, 2021 1:59 pm
Reply to  eddie41

Kings most definitely need to be patient with Bagley. He’s 21. He’s 6 years younger than Holmes. 11 years younger than Bjelly & Whiteside, and 2 years younger than Metu. He’s also under contract this year and next. Metu, Holmes, Bjelly, Whiteside are not. Completely benching Bagley is as bad of a decision as you can make in this situation.

Which area’s would you say he’s regressed in? Close range shot making is the only area I see. I see him better or neutral in everything else.

Otis
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January 11, 2021 4:23 pm
Reply to  eddie41

I don’t think a guy really improves unless he gets court time. Offseasons are whatever.

And he’s playing for Walton. I mean, he wasn’t a clear superstar in his rookie season, but he consistently looked like he knew where to be on the court. So some of this is on our mediocre head coach.

BBIQ4U
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January 10, 2021 4:48 pm

Bogi fractured his knee and will be out for who knows how long. Even with Buddy being horrible he is more valuable than Bogi because he can stay on the court. Bogi is just injury prone

Last edited 3 years ago by BBIQ4U
BBIQ4U
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January 10, 2021 7:25 pm
Reply to  BBIQ4U

I should state that I think Bogi is a better player

Adamsite
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January 10, 2021 7:36 pm
Reply to  BBIQ4U

Agreed.

9sac8
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January 11, 2021 5:38 am
Reply to  BBIQ4U

But NOW, Buddy looks more attractive than Bogi. Bogi is out for the foreseeable future. As bad as Buddy is, we’ve never had to say “Buddy is out for the foreseeable future”. Shit, send Buddy’s ass to the ATL for Huerter, Cam, or maybe Hunter. Since they are trying to compete this year, they will need shooting since Bogi out.

I have to say, I know nothing.

King49er
January 10, 2021 4:59 pm

Kings record after first 4 games = 3-1
Kings record after next 6 games = 1-5

They won early, but did the NBA ALREADY figure out how to beat them? I think so.

How do you beat the Kings? PHYSICALITY on D and attack on offense. All you have to do is get up on them defensively. D’Aaron Fox is really the only King that can get by his man consistently but he can’t shoot so he is the one King the defense lays off on and dares him to shoot. Buddy is useless if a defender is on him. The bigs don’t have an offensive game if they are guarded. Barnes is maybe the only player that can go 1 on 1 in the post but all the other team has to do is double team him or clog the paint.
On offense all the guards have to do is attack the Kings. Drive into the paint and either get a layup (No shot-blocking with Whiteside out of the game) or kick it out to a wide open shooter.

Last edited 3 years ago by King49er
Hobby916
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January 11, 2021 5:54 am
Reply to  King49er

I think I have heard that the Kings are shooting a crazy high rate of FTs per game, which is generally unsustainable over the course of the season. That is similar to the season that the Kings were having before Cousins went down with Meningitis and then Malone got fired. The fact that the Kings went 3-1 in those first four games was fool’s gold.

nolookpass432
January 11, 2021 4:25 pm
Reply to  King49er

I feel like Buddy is a non factor in the offense, at least partly because he isn’t moving without the ball in any meaningful, “good” way. If a guy is normally a pretty lights out shooter, how about you set some screens and run an offense that at least partly is designed to get a good shooter some open shots. All I see from his is dribbling and generally handling the ball too much. He should be like Klay and dribble maybe 20-30 times a night, period.

reydarly
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January 10, 2021 5:16 pm

We need a better coach. Every “core” player outside of Haliburton had their most success under Joeger. They regressed when Walton came. Seeing what Thibodeau is doing with the Knicks says a lot about how valuable a solid coach can be.

reydarly
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January 10, 2021 9:00 pm
Reply to  Greg

That’s true I had his 3 point shooting at the front of my mind during the time of writing this. I also think he just would have improved more under a better coach, at least in terms of winning. Walton isn’t McNair’s guy so that’s the only positive I can spin from the coaching situation. If the plans for Fox are why McNair got the job, I’m sure he had a better coach in mind.

RikSmits
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January 11, 2021 8:31 am
Reply to  Greg

Depends on what you’re looking at.
Counting stats, mostly he looks improved, as do some of the advanced stats. But you look at things like 3P%, FT%Win Shares, Defensive rating and VORP, he took steps back from his second year to his third year (under Walton). Now, he looks even worse (SSS).

So I would say one could argue about the “undeniable” part.

Otis
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January 11, 2021 4:25 pm
Reply to  Greg

LOL, it’s absolutely deniable.

eddie41
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January 10, 2021 5:27 pm

10 games is enough of a Bagley desenlace for me. Didn’t improve in either offseason. Don’t need to see more. Metu can take all his minutes. I mean, nba basketball players should know how to play basketball.

Hobby916
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January 11, 2021 5:58 am
Reply to  eddie41

Basketball skills have not seemed to improved, neither has his strength. He looks like the same body type that he was on draft night. For a dude that is getting injured a lot, I would think he would focus on improving his strength while rehabbing in order to prevent some of those injuries.

RobHessing
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January 10, 2021 5:35 pm

This had all of the earmarks of a bad team under a bad coach before the season began. The only real change is that Haliburton has been a really nice sutprise, especially for a #12 pick.

keith_kar
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January 10, 2021 5:58 pm

It would be a huge mistake to waste an entire season on tanking. In basketball years, that’s a long time, and would be a huge risk in suffocating player development.

Why poison the well any longer, and risk permanently damaging the psyche of this team when the solution is staring us in the face.

FIRE WALTON NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s not rocket science.

It’s a complete waste of time discussing this player or that player playing poorly when the solution is very obvious.

rc50cal
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January 10, 2021 7:26 pm
Reply to  keith_kar

We’ve been bad for more than a decade. A couple more seasons of bad basketball with a PURPOSE would be a welcome respite.

rc50cal
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January 10, 2021 7:27 pm
Reply to  rc50cal

Also, it’s not like we’re wasting a talented roster.

MillersCornrows
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January 10, 2021 6:17 pm

Firing Walton from his last NBA coaching job seems pretty easy to me. He does absolutely nothing right.

rc50cal
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January 10, 2021 7:25 pm
MillersCornrows
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January 10, 2021 7:51 pm
Reply to  rc50cal

I just posted this GIF for my fantasy team tonight on our league FB page.

FarmerGuy
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January 10, 2021 7:40 pm

I think Monte has to be evaluating trades for everyone except Hali and Fox. Perhaps, even Fox for the right price. One of the better values of assets for the 2021 season has got to be Harrison Barnes. He’s been the Barnes we thought we got 3 years ago with his play this year. I’d love to see “stock up, stock down” and trade target articles on here for our roster as the season goes. Trade season may be our only excitement for the year outside of watching Hali play.

ManilaBayCleanerCrew
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January 10, 2021 9:41 pm
Reply to  FarmerGuy

Barnes is going to have a lot of suitors come the trade deadline. Buddy will benefit more on a team with better playmakers and lets him be an offball catch and shoot machine (Atlanta, Wizards, New York, Brooklyn). Holmes is a great backup C for many contending teams, he’ll fetch a good return. Bjelly, if his shooting comes back, has good trade value. Cojo can be a bit hard to trade so he needs to improve more to get teams to notice him. Bagley needs some sweeteners for anyone to take him (he is that of a bust) trade him ASAP. I’d rather we keep Holmes and GRIII but I see Monte only focusing on youth and potential talent (Jeffries, James, Woodard, Ramsey, Fox and Hali).

satdawg
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January 10, 2021 8:32 pm

I swear to god if bagley continues to start… just start whiteside the defense will be vastly improved

deepshot22
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January 10, 2021 9:05 pm

I really hope we get the chance to see Metu get decent minutes with Fox, Hali and Barnes. Maybe a Fox, Hali, Barnes, Metu, and Holmes line up. There’s something really intriguing about Metu in his limited minutes that I’d like to see how he does both with and against starters.

ManilaBayCleanerCrew
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January 10, 2021 9:26 pm

Meh, this is all par for the course for Monte. He knows the sitch and ain’t panicking when things go wrong or right. He knows this is a lost season but he still lets the guys play hard and competitive. Walton is a lost cause, he’ll probably be gone before the trade deadline and Gentry or Kalamian man the HC position (I am rooting for Rex but Gentry’s got the experience).

Monte wants what’s for the best for Sacramento and he’s willing to do things not popular with the fanbase (not signing Bogi, not firing Walton, letting Giles go) to make this franchise better.

If we get in the playoffs this season then it’s a win. If we don’t then it’s also a win for the future.

Bluejohn
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January 11, 2021 1:01 am

My gosh fellas, 3 games or so ago you were just giddy about our immediate future and were projecting great things for this team……..this season!

The Kings are who we thought they were prior to the beginning of the season. There have been some fun exciting wins with Hali looking like the steal of the draft (and he may well be} and truly shitty, shitty losses (the last 2 blowouts in particular).

The Kings don’t need to tank. We are going to end up with an excrabile record and a potentially good draft position while trying to win every game because as TGN mentioned at the top of the thread “The Kings lack talent and that’s why they suck.”

My thoughts so far: I have no idea what Marv will bring in trade but I suspect not much but I have no objection to trading him or including him in a trade for whatever he will bring.

Walton is not a good coach and will be gone at some point. When? Possibly at the end of the season, possibly at some point next season or even late next week. Who knows? I don’t think they can afford to fire him right now.

From a basketball driven perspective, viveck screws up almost everything he touches. This should not be a surprise to any of us.This happened right from the beginning of his tenure as lead partner and continues to this day. vivek will not preside over meaningful improvement and the Kings will not sniff the second round of the playoffs during the next 5 years,

So? Kangz!!! Same as it ever was. We are looking at another rebuild but I actually don’t feel as dismal as I have in the past. We are sitting pretty. Fox is pretty good, but not great. Hali after 10 games looks like he might be the real deal. McNair appears to be at a minimum, not incompetent which is a huge step up. My own tiny little hope is that Holmes stays for another 3 years but if he has to go, so be it.

I am going to continue to watch most of the games this season and if they are fun and the boys are playing decent hoops I will watch to the finish. If they suck I’ll be doing something else of the 1st half end of the 3rd latest.

The one thing I’m not going to do is to live or die by each win or loss. I’m cautiously (50.20%) optimistic that better days are in the future. They might not be that much better but a little better and a little more consistency will keep me engaged for the near term and as a fan of this insanely bad team that is enough for me.

Carina707
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January 11, 2021 8:01 am

I definitely was optimistic after our 3-1 start. After a few blowouts, not so much. I had worried it wasn’t real but chose to be hopeful 😂

Right now I’ve gotten to a place where I’ll be happy if Fox, Bagley, Haliburton get a lot of minutes and show growth throughout the season. Even if we land right outside the play in spots 😭😱 and pick 10-12 again.

Hoping we play Guy and Metu more, Joseph and Bjelica less.

I actually don’t mind keeping Barnes through his contract, but one of him or Buddy has to go if we truly want to be flexible and with Buddy not being elite with his 3pt shot, I lean toward trading him.
And I hope we can re-sign Holmes!

KangzAteMyFamily
January 11, 2021 8:55 am

I love Haliburton as much as anyone here, but to claim that this will be his team in no time is premature. The man literally cannot create a jumpsuit off the dribble yet. That shot form is absolutely going to be a problem due to its release.

Fox’s lack of leap concerns me like it does most others here. He seems far too passive, a trait that has hindered him all his career. You’d like to see him take more control of the offense not just with the ball, but without it. I’d like to think a better coach would coax that out of him because Fox doesn’t seem like the type of player to refuse to move without the ball.

Lastly, holy shit is Bagley bad. He is a 6’10” tweener whose best skill is his athleticism and he misses tons of shots at the rim. He has no moves and no countermoves. He gets cooked on defense all the time. All of his shots have to be lobs created by the ball handlers. He literally can’t do shit.

HongKongKingsFan
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January 11, 2021 9:26 am

Of the three former #2 picks that’s played for the Kings (D. William, J. Parker And Bagley), Bagley is simply the worst.

You are right he literally cant do shit and cannot finish underneath the basket and consistently being stripped is just a joke.

Never improved, he certainly is a bust.

Mike120
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January 11, 2021 9:51 am

Keep Barnes and Holmes for their professionalism and hustle. Keep Fox and all of last years and this years draftees. I’d even argue to keep Whiteside and Robinson. But Joseph, Bjelica, Hield are not the Kings future. I’m 50/50 on Bagley but would probably hang on to him and give him the whole season. I don’t like the idea of Walton leading the tank. If you’re going to get rid of him anyway at the end of the year, why wait? Get someone in who will lead and develop the right way the players remaining.

BestHyperboleEver
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January 11, 2021 9:55 am

30. Sacramento Kings (†“Previously 18th), 4-6, -7.7 net ratingWeekly slate: Loss at Warriors, Win over Bulls, Loss to Raptors, Loss to Blazers
Despite a nice home win over the Bulls this week, it’s hard to convince me that anybody is playing worse basketball than the Sacramento Kings. Granted, their schedule this week was formidable. They have the worst defense in the NBA. But if this horrific defensive rating holds the rest of the season, it won’t just be the worst in the NBA. It would be the worst in NBA history. Buddy Hield can’t make a shot (48.6 percent true shooting), De’Aaron Fox isn’t doing nearly enough and Harrison Barnes is the only thing keeping them relatively afloat.
Here’s the perfect encapsulation of Kings basketball right now:

From HERE

eddie41
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January 11, 2021 10:12 am

Maybe there was a misunderstanding where to put the decimal point in basketball 3.0

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