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Trail Blazers 127, Kings 102: Sacramento basketball is back

The first preseason game of the 2020-21 season for Sacramento is in the books.
By | 96 Comments | Dec 11, 2020

The commencement of the most unprecedented season in NBA history is officially underway for Sacramento. The Sacramento Kings opened its four-game preseason campaign against the Portland Trail Blazers, falling 127-102 in a game that wasn’t really close.

Portland rained triples from the tip-off with Damian Lillard showcasing his sniping abilities. CJ McCollum, newly acquired Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. also provided a boost from deep for Portland, who Sacramento couldn’t stop.

For Sacramento, Buddy Hield led the way with 23 points while shooting 5-11 (45%) from deep. Hield was active and hustling on both ends of the floor, showing flashes of how he played in 2018-19. The Kings, in general, looked to run whenever they had the chance.

Harrison Barnes also came to play, scoring 16 points on 5-8 shooting, including two triples. Barnes added four rebounds, three assists, and three steals to his stat sheet. His wing defense helped Sacramento in their attempts to contain Portland’s scorching shooting, but little could be done to halt those flames.

As the game progressed in the second half, the Kings still trailed, but Luke Walton gave the youngsters a chance to play. Jahmi’us Ramsey, the 43rd overall pick, only played five minutes, but made an immediate impact; he knocked down a corner three, found Chimezie Metu on a slick pocket pass for an assist, and drove to the rim against a scrambling Portland defense to convert a scoop layup. Robert Woodard II, the 40th overall pick, played six minutes, and the strength he displayed during camp definitely looked impressive.

However, Harry Giles was all over the floor for Portland. He racked up 18 points (8-13 shooting), 14 rebounds, one assist, three steals and two blocks. He. Was. Everywhere. Giles, alongside Gary Trent Jr., ensured Sacramento couldn’t come back in what was a blowout win.

Game Notes

It’s only the first preseason game, but the Kings will need De’Aaron Fox to perform significantly better than he did today. He was aggressive from three, and for how he shot last season, it’s good to see him attempting those. However, he shot 1-7 from deep. His overall shooting (3-12) isn’t something the Kings can afford in the regular season if they hope to win games. But Fox and Hield looked solid sharing the floor together.

Tyrese Haliburton played 20 minutes in his rookie debut, and he looked impressive on the defensive end. He was causing havoc off the ball and displayed good anticipation when he jumped a passing lane for a steal, leading to a solo transition dunk. On offense, shyness dominated. He’s typically a pass-first guard, but that’s all he did. Haliburton will need to attack the rim if he hopes to unlock his game on that end.

Glenn Robinson III’s strength on offense is as a catch and shoot shooter. That was evident when he made his one triple, but too often, Robinson tried to play outside of himself; the result was about what you would expect. He finished with nine points on 3-9 shooting.

DaQuan Jeffries was one of the first players off the bench – a good sign for the Bubble breakout player. He showed his versatility on defense but went 0-5 from the floor on offense. Jeffries needs to become a reliable threat on that end to make a stronger impact.

Kyle Guy and Justin James, last year’s second-round picks, went a combined 0-6 from the floor, including a total +/- of -17. I’m not a big plus/minus fan, but both players really struggled. James made some flashes on defense thanks to his lateral quickness, but his long ball looked rough, and when he attacked the paint, he couldn’t convert. Guy took the wrong route on a late pick-and-roll with Metu and crashed into two Blazers, resulting in a turnover. Not a good showing from the pair.

Notable Stats

The Kings shot 16-50 from deep. Yes, you read that right. On the other hand, Portland made 17-34, good for 50%. Sacramento’s perimeter defense remains a weakness.

Portland out-rebounded Sacramento 55-44. Sacramento definitely felt the absence of Marvin Bagley III and Hassan Whiteside, two players touted to be the team’s better rebounders.

Sacramento scored 14 fast break points compared to Portland’s 20. That should improve for Sacramento with more minutes from the starters as the season progresses.

Next Game

Sacramento will play Portland again this Sunday (12/13) at 6:00 p.m. PST.

 

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RandyBreuersNeckHair
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December 11, 2020 10:39 pm

$163,000,000.00

Last edited 3 years ago by RandyBreuersNeckHair
SelecaoKOJ
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December 11, 2020 10:56 pm

Fox was a major disappointment. I know it’s only one game. But, he looked terrible out there. Blazers kept him out of the lane most of the night. His outside 3 doesn’t scare any good team. If fox can’t penetrate to score or get to the line, what else does he contribute at a high level? Really… He’s a so-so distributor, doesn’t rebound, and mediocre to poor defender. I know the Kings had no choice to retain him. He will probably avg 20pt a night. But, what kind of impact will he make on winning? Showing up against good teams like the Blazers. Putting the team on his back or making others around him more effective. Sorry, I don’t see . I know Fox gets leisurely compared to John Wall. Why? Because they both can’t shoot 3s? Wall was out of the league 2 years due to injury. He came back tonite and looked like he hadn’t missed a game. Wall was dominant on both ends of the floor and showed why he’s a 5x All Star.

Last edited 3 years ago by SelecaoKOJ
sonny
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December 11, 2020 11:02 pm
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

Agree 100%.

Trae Young clearly has a better impact on his team than Fox to the Kings.
Ja Morant too for the Grizzlies.

The scary thing is his ceiling. And I’m not sure what it is.

Marty
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December 11, 2020 11:03 pm
Reply to  sonny

It was said in the game thread, he’s Westbrook at 65% power.

Drive and kick.

Last edited 3 years ago by Marty Marty
NotAlwaysLogic
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December 11, 2020 11:10 pm
Reply to  sonny

100

ShockedmyHawesOff
December 12, 2020 9:53 am
Reply to  sonny

Trae Young played terrible last night too. Let’s not overreact about one preseason game. Remember bubble Fox from a few months ago was one of the few Kings players on the roster that came to play and was dominant. He is still that player.

RikSmits
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December 11, 2020 11:04 pm
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

Just remember it is one game. I share some of your fears, but you really can’t take away anything from one preseason game after a shortened offseason

sonny
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December 11, 2020 11:15 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

I’m mostly referring to his being an Alpha Dog.
It has been 3 years and he hasn’t established himself as one.

Marty
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December 11, 2020 11:23 pm
Reply to  sonny

But are we trying to make him out to be an alpha dog? Are we trying to make him out to be an all star? He can drive, but can’t shoot free throws. He’s a point guard, and can’t shoot threes. Odd combinations.

unfortunately they had their shot at drafting an alpha dog and blew it.

sonny
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December 11, 2020 11:30 pm
Reply to  Marty

He (not we) should try.

nonstripedzebra
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December 12, 2020 7:47 am
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

I could be wrong, but I think this is both scrutinizing him for not primarily doing what he is most effective at, while simultaneously critiquing him for not being effective in the skills he is inefficient in. If it is crucial to broaden his effectiveness and collective game, showings like yesterday should be expected in preseason. I have similarly always had reservations on the overall ceiling of Fox being a teams primary initiator, but the only way to challenge that is by engaging with his flaws, something he is clearly willing to do.

Despite my reservations, I think Fox is studious in his possessions in ways most players specific as him, aren’t. He knows the importance getting to the line effects his efficiency, he knows his penetration is equally of value to kick outs by breaking plays, then merely baskets. And I think he is also aware that the margin to deserve such usage, is likely reliant on him being at least a 35% deep shooter on a fair amount of attempts, with likely some off the dribble. A development that might not make all defenders flash out, but would make some which would make his penetration all the easier.

The concerns on the longterm ceiling of the collective project is fair, but showings like last night should be expected in seeing it out, especially in pointless games. Kings live or die based on improvement in those facets, not by simply exploiting strengths that will never be seismic enough to matter.

IceKingKuzan
December 12, 2020 8:02 am
Reply to  SelecaoKOJ

It should noted though. Wall also played a much worse team. The Bulls will likely not make the playoffs in the east. Portland might be a top 4 team

King49er
December 11, 2020 11:48 pm

Yup! He’s going to be a bust. Another huge contract for a Kings player with BIG question marks: shooting and leadership.

Last edited 3 years ago by King49er
RAP87
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December 12, 2020 1:58 am

Ehhh not defending anyone but for the past 3 years Fox always plays bad during the preseason but he always turns it up when the regular season starts.

Hoping Luke plays more minutes to the rookies especially Ramsey and Woodard.

kingsforaday
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December 12, 2020 7:17 am

I asked a chain mail question about if fox will play up to his contract. I don’t think he will, and this seems to be a prime example of the real downside of the €˜max’ contract idea. Everyone who’s the best player on their team feels they deserve a max contract and small market teams have little option but to comply or lose an asset, not to mention goodwill with the fanbase.

i have no doubt fox will string together a series of great games this season as he has done thus far in his career, but for this team return to relevancy, we need his play during an €˜off-game’ to be at a much higher level.

AirmaxPG
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December 12, 2020 8:26 am
Reply to  kingsforaday

I think that “goodwill with the fanbase” never comes into much consideration with a competent FO. Fans want a winner. Period. It seems only Petrie has understood this in 35 years of this team in Sac.

Fans were pissed when J-Will was traded for Bibby. And when Peja was drafted. But Petrie didn’t care; he knew what he was building.

Is Fox worth that contract? I doubt it. I hope to be proven wrong, but I think we probably could have gotten a good young player and a lottery pick in a stacked draft in return for him.

I just hope that McNair made that contract decision based on sound analysis and evaluation of Fox, rather than because fans like him, or worse yet because Vivek deemed him untouchable.

It’s just one pre-season game. But we will see…

Migz
December 11, 2020 10:48 pm

KANGZ 2021

King4life
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December 11, 2020 10:51 pm

That’s for teaching Giles that lesson Vlade. You can tell how much it’s paying off for the Kings.

OutofServicePervis
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December 12, 2020 3:39 am
Reply to  King4life

Ummm, I’m no vlade supporter but in the end the Kings could have resigned Harry. He signed for less than the 3.9 million we could have offered (I believe he is 1.9 mil for this year)

rockbottom
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December 12, 2020 5:24 am

Giles leaving with the contract he signed is on Monte !

RORDOG
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December 12, 2020 10:40 am
Reply to  rockbottom

I tend to believe that the split this offseason was mutually agreed upon. That’s just an assumption though. Maybe Giles wanted to come back. Maybe McNair wanted Giles back, but Giles preferred playing elsewhere.

Otis
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December 12, 2020 7:07 am

Isn’t it still on Vlade? If he doesn’t decline Giles’ fourth year option, he’d be on the roster right now.

NorCalKingsFan
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December 11, 2020 10:52 pm

I’m still very much butt hurt over Giles

MillersCornrows
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December 11, 2020 10:58 pm

This game managed to not even meet my low expectations. We just want something to be excited about even if the losses pile up.

eddie41
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December 11, 2020 10:59 pm

How about that shoulder shimmy by Giles! Pretty cool he’s wearing Chris Webber’s number now. By the way, Ramsey is hilarious, like a taller Frank Mason.

RikSmits
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December 11, 2020 11:00 pm

First game, so basically every take is hot.

Happy for Giles, but let’s see how he does against real competition.

only Buddy and Barnes looked like they have something to play for, which is a ticket out of basketball hell.

We may have to pump the breaks on Parker being comeback player of the year.

eddie41
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December 12, 2020 5:22 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Haliburton looked good too. elite on defense, swished a three, facilitates and has IQ. The team would improve with him starting. He looked 100% ready.

rockbottom
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December 12, 2020 5:28 am
Reply to  eddie41

Looked like a deer in headlights most of the game to me ! Scary thought is that Cory Joseph was better than Fox or Halliburton ! Sober thought is it’s a preseason game and means little ! Giles should be here and still pissed 😤!

eddie41
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December 12, 2020 7:28 am
Reply to  rockbottom

Haliburton was the best perimeter defender on the court. Anticipation and reaction time was off the charts, which would have been impossible for a deer in the headlights. Offensively he looked confident shooting the ball and the shot looked good, also not typical of a deer in the headlights. I like Joseph also. In a regular season game, I would rotate those two with Fox at the guard spots all game. Hield can slide to the three.

Otis
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December 12, 2020 8:49 am
Reply to  eddie41

I’ve only watched the first half, and will check out the second half today – I thought Haliburton looked fine, all things considered. He didn’t seem overwhelmed by the pace out there, although he was (as advertised) maybe a bit too passive looking for his shot on offense.

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 9:39 am
Reply to  Otis

Agree with you, but His passivity in his 1st game shouldn’t be a red flag at all, it’s a rookie feeling out his debut. Woodard came in and immediately chucked a 30 footer off the backboard, should he be lauded for his confidence? One thing that stood out to me was he moved the ball quickly. Catch and pass. Yes there were times he could have shot the 3, but that will come, but when he received the pass on the wing he immediately swung it to the easier shot in the corner. That shows understanding already. He’ll be more aggressive shooting as he grows comfortable.

Haliburton definitely read the passing lanes well and used his length to defend McCollum well. I wasn’t impressed, but I was encouraged.

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 9:41 am
Reply to  Otis

Keep an eye out for the 4th quarter, Haliburton was definitely more aggressive

kings4ever
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December 12, 2020 10:27 am
Reply to  rockbottom

total misread

Marty
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December 11, 2020 11:01 pm

comment image

jlandweh
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December 11, 2020 11:04 pm
  1. The Tank is Real! This team is awful.
  2. The Pace is Back, which is good and bad.

Some first preseason game overreactions-

Defense did not improve, especially vs. perimeter PnR 3’s

Fox is not a good shooter and building a team around him is like building a team around Russell Westbrook

Barnes Defense looked good and Hield’s shot was rolling

Glen Robinson III looked way better than Jefferies on both ends

Haliburton is definitely not ready but needs more minutes to build confidence because he did show flashes

SHOULDVE MADE GILES FEEL MORE IMPORTANT. THE FACT THAT HE LEFT FOR A LOW SALARY NUMBER IS ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSING.

The Kings may be more fun, but losing always sucks.

jlandweh
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December 11, 2020 11:12 pm
Reply to  jlandweh

My apologies, posted this in a previous thread. Also, I agree that Westbrook is a future HOF, but it is very hard to build a championship contender around Westbrook. With Fox, the same issues are going to arise (even if he is a worse player than Westbrook).

RikSmits
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December 11, 2020 11:29 pm
Reply to  jlandweh

I see more Wall than Westbrook. More pure speed, less power and insane athleticism.

Otis
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December 12, 2020 7:08 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Agree, Rik.

kings4ever
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December 12, 2020 10:29 am
Reply to  jlandweh

Haliburton is absolutely ready

Kangz_Landing
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December 11, 2020 11:07 pm

Yes it’s just preseason and we’ll probably be watching ugly basketball for the 1st few weeks because of the shortened training camp, but one takeaway stood out for me.

Coach can preach defense all he wants, but in year 2 and based on how they looked in the bubble, when your starters and vets still don’t know where to rotate to open shooters and how to help run Lillard and McCollum off their pull up 3s off screens, not a good sign.

Sigh, not expecting wins, but it’s just gonna be another frustrating year huh?

Gregoryl
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December 11, 2020 11:12 pm
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

This. 2 years of preseason talk abt defense during the offseason and these guys don’t even keep their hands up on defense. Lazy efforts like that will get you run off the court.

Kangz_Landing
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December 11, 2020 11:19 pm
Reply to  Gregoryl

Exactly. My main point is shouldn’t there be some sort of continuity and familiarity with the defensive schemes? It looks like there’s been no continuity at all on the defensive end especially from the starting 5 since they were there last year.

RORDOG
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December 12, 2020 10:43 am
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

They did bring in a new defensive coordinator for what it’s worth.

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 11:22 am
Reply to  RORDOG

Very true yes, I’ll give them a few more games and practices to figure it out

NotAlwaysLogic
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December 11, 2020 11:09 pm

Yea Fox ain’t a max. Oops.

rockbottom
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December 12, 2020 5:34 am
Reply to  NotAlwaysLogic

Kings should have waited a year before committing to a max contract ! He was restricted and could not lose him plus find more evidence to true value ! That is what RFA is designed to do !

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 8:23 am
Reply to  rockbottom

Odds are he would have put up big numbers since he’s the focal point of this team and even if his shooting didn’t improve by season’s end he would have still gotten a max offer from any team that struck out on the top tier free agents or any rebuilding team with cap space, (i.e. Knicks, Bulls, Pistons) so we would have had to match a max contract or let him walk either way.

He was still going to get the max from other teams because

A) He’ll be 24 and will probably be averaging 23-4-7 this season with elite speed.
B) Those are definitely not max contract numbers, but that’s the screwed up NBA market’s fault if Tobias Harris and Khris Middleton are getting max contracts as well.
C) Again he’s gonna be 24 and up and coming teams with cap space were going to offer him the max to bet on his improvement and prime years to be better.

Point is, he was getting the max regardless if it was from us or not.

AirmaxPG
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December 12, 2020 8:35 am
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

But they still could have traded him for prospects and picks, and let another team commit to the overpay.

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 9:31 am
Reply to  AirmaxPG

He would definitely fetch numerous picks, but I just don’t understand this trade Fox argument.

Just because he’s not an All-Star or Superstar yet we should trade him and push the rebuild back another 2-3 years? I get that we’ve sucked and waiting shouldn’t be an issue, but I’d rather be 2 years away from the playoffs than 4-5 years.

My view is this, each team is afforded a minimum of 2 max players, max of 3, one for the lead dog and two for his “Robins”, I think Fox can be a Robin and we need to find the lead dog, in this upcoming draft. Shoulda been Luka but that’s not the point. The point is yes, Fox is not the lead guy, but he needs another max player to play with, then his true value will show.

I guarantee Fox will have even more trade value in 2-3 years if this rebuild fails and we can blow it up again, but I’m trusting that Fox is not the main piece, but he is a MAJOR building block, and for that, we needed to pay him, especially as a small market team.

Last edited 3 years ago by Kangz_Landing
OakieNiner
December 12, 2020 11:14 am
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

It’s Easy to understand, if Fox is what he continues to appear to be by the trade deadline this season then you trade him because you probably looking at a lottery pick and it’s time to mail it in and hope for a better future in the draft.

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 11:28 am
Reply to  OakieNiner

What does he appear to be? 1st preseason game or 26-4-6 in the bubble? Or 21-4-6 last season? Cause that shouldn’t be traded so quickly. Yes he has flaws but he’s still not even in his prime yet.

RORDOG
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December 12, 2020 10:49 am
Reply to  rockbottom

bottom line there was only 2 options: give him the extension or trade him. You don’t let a player like Fox go into restricted free agency. With a player like Buddy I totally agree it was a mistake to do an extension though.

HongKongKingsFan
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December 11, 2020 11:09 pm

Isn’t Glenn Robinson III a regular 15 pts scorer ? 

He just looked lost…and it seems very true that every good player turned into bad player whenever they came to the Kings

Kangz_Landing
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December 11, 2020 11:13 pm

We’ll see if things change in the halfcourt, but Barnes only got one post up opportunity that I remember and Bjelica didn’t get any. They were effective in those spots last year when the Kings made the opponent switch smaller guys onto them, so are we just ditching that in favor of this 5 out, 3 point chuck offense?

Another thought is, if Luke really is eliminating post ups, then what is Bagley’s roll in this offense?

RandyBreuersNeckHair
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December 11, 2020 11:17 pm
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

Who?

9sac8
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December 12, 2020 3:13 am

AND 1!!!!!!

Last edited 3 years ago by 9sac8
cbrody
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December 12, 2020 12:15 am
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

MC? Beware, he won’t pass the mic.

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 8:25 am
Reply to  cbrody

Sorry guys I’m not getting the references here hahaha please explain 😂

RORDOG
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December 12, 2020 10:53 am
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

I feel like Barnes was driving more though. If he’s sacrificing post ups for drives, then the trade off makes sense. I do think they will use him more in the post than what we saw last night though. It’s an effective possession when the rest of the offense isn’t really clicking.

KDsBurnerAccount
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December 11, 2020 11:14 pm

This is why the Summer League was good; it gave the young players a chance to get the jitters and anxiety out BEFORE the pre-season. Now we’ve got guys trying too hard to impress like Glen Robinson. Oh well, it’s a part of player development.

sonny
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December 11, 2020 11:17 pm

Still hurting to see Vlade’s impact on the game – Lose Alton

9sac8
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December 12, 2020 3:14 am
Reply to  sonny

“Lose Often!!!!!!!!”

Sir_tajj
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December 11, 2020 11:28 pm

It’s that haircut.

€I’m not superstitious, I’m just a littlestitious €œ

Gregoryl
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December 11, 2020 11:29 pm

Dammit I love him so much!: https://v.cameo.com/CWWGghMo9bb
(hopefully this link works)

Kosta
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December 12, 2020 10:53 am
Reply to  Gregoryl

D’oh! I should’ve set that to private. I ordered that from Harry on Cameo and was going to post it right before Christmas.

Kosta
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December 12, 2020 10:55 am
Reply to  Gregoryl

Ok…I just set it to private (hopefully that worked).

I’ll post it at Christmas time. Thanks for the indirect heads up, GregoryI!

Gregoryl
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December 14, 2020 8:45 am
Reply to  Kosta

You’re the man!

Inthestarz
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December 11, 2020 11:43 pm

I’m going to be talking about imprint for the next 10 years, aren’t I?

cbrody
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December 12, 2020 12:25 am

“Motherfuckers say I can’t play defense so the challenge for me to go out there everyday and prove myself … (my teammates) don’t need me to be great defensively, but just be good enough for the team where I’m not getting beat off the dribble and kind of competing.”
Buddy Hield

This year is going to require a lot of the ball thing.

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Last edited 3 years ago by cbrody
RikSmits
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December 12, 2020 12:46 am
Reply to  cbrody

With motherfuckers he means people with two eyes and a functioning brain, right?

Thanks for taking up the challenge of being as “good enough” a player as you can be, Buddy.

TImorous_Me
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December 12, 2020 2:24 am
Reply to  RikSmits

“Kind of competing.”
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Last edited 3 years ago by TImorous_Me
reydarly
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December 12, 2020 1:47 am

If anything good came out of tonight, it’s the fact Cade Cunningham is looking like a reality. I would rather trade the veterans soaking up valuable tanking developmental minutes and flat out suck then be a perpetual middling late lotto team. Fox needs to step up like he did in the bubble and be the man.

And why don’t our players make savvy winning plays similar to the fouls Dame drew? Coaching? Low IQ? Both? That foul he drew off the screen on the sideline 3 is one Buddy should be taking advantage of every night. Those types of plays are made by every winning team even if they are scummy. GET FREE POINTS. EXPLOIT MISMATCHES. CAUSE ROTATIONS DUE TO FOUL TROUBLE. PLAY WINNING BASKETBALL.

It feels good to have NBA basketball again though.

Otis
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December 12, 2020 7:14 am
Reply to  reydarly

In that 39 win Joerger season, the Kings were 2-4 in the preseason, and lost one game by 30 and one by 40.

Which means nothing this season, either. This franchise has had both good and bad preseasons over the years. They are completely non-indicative.

RikSmits
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December 12, 2020 7:54 am
Reply to  Otis

I WANT MY FREE POINTS AND EXPLOITED MISMATCHES AND

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AirmaxPG
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December 12, 2020 8:36 am
Reply to  Otis

Oh man, that glorious 39 win season…

Kangz_Landing
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December 12, 2020 8:28 am
Reply to  reydarly

It baffles me that Buddy still hasn’t learned to use the threat of his scoring ability, MOST SPECIFICALLY UTILIZING PUMP FAKES, to get defenders to jump and be able to draw fouls. Especially those lame fadeaways he does in the lane, one pump fake and you got the defender for 2 free points at the line.

Last edited 3 years ago by Kangz_Landing
kings4ever
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December 12, 2020 10:30 am
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

True!

Brown.says.Good.or.Bad
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December 12, 2020 3:26 am

This is good

OutofServicePervis
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December 12, 2020 3:47 am

Alright everybody, hold the €œFox is terrible and a bust after one preseason game with 5 days of training camp€ talk. Fox is fine and hasn’t morphed into a different player than he was in the summer – his contract didn’t make him a better or worse player. He’s excellent at some things, ok at others, and a not great at others. But he’s also 22. He will get better, or at least, if he doesn’t it will be a significant surprise or due to injuries.

The rest of it – I fully bow down before and humbly welcome the TANK! Bring on the tank!

rockbottom
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December 12, 2020 5:39 am

Fine is not a max player but I do agree that Fox is fine and that may be the Kings biggest problem ! Remember, must not take the ball out of Fox’s hands !

BabalooMagoo
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December 12, 2020 6:46 am

Go Harry Go!!!

nonstripedzebra
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December 12, 2020 7:21 am

Considering this is preseason Fox’s attempts from three are frankly the biggest takeaway regardless on how effective he was. If this team is indeed planning for the future, Fox and the Kings are right in exploiting the pace to mad levels, and in his case chucking attempts regardless on the rate they fall. The development as a respectable 3 pt shooter on a fair amount of attempts is not only reliant if he wants to be a top all NBA talent, but a development that will make his bread and butter in penetration, feeding others in such actions and drawing fouls all the more efficient and available.

He looked off sure, but the biggest indicators of what the team should be prioritizing were apparent. And Fox taking the three more readily should be encouraged even on poor showings. It is a good and crucial development.

bjax1
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December 12, 2020 7:25 am

Positives. I saw some good pace and rotations on D, especially from the starters. Portland was really good shooting the ball. They look legit. Buddy looked really good. Out of the rooks, Hali and Jahmius impressed. I know it’s small sample size but jahmius has an easy, smooth jumper and made a great pocket pass. Métu looks intriguing.

negatives. Fox did not shoot well. I’m gonna cross my fingers and say it’s just one preseason game. Overall, the Kings were outplayed by a better team. Could be a long year.

o.k. I feel better now. On to game 2.

SMF-PDXConnection
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December 12, 2020 8:11 am

So . . .

How about all that new Marvel and Star Wars stuff to look forward to?

Chent
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December 12, 2020 8:37 am

Thoughts: Fox didn’t look good, but we have seen him for the last 2 years and know he is a good player.

If we trade Buddy we will be a bottome 5 team. Good for this upcoming draft. I would trade Buddy for this reason and to complete the roster reset.

Barnes is probably stuck here due to contract, GR3 looks like a minimum guy who could play a similar role to Barnes.

Haliburton did look like a deer in the headlights on offense, but his bbiq and size (with added weight) will turn him into a good player eventually. He is farther away from being a good player than I thought though, which is also a good thing for the tank.

if Ramsey can develop into a quick trigger efficient 3 pt shooter he is a good pick even if he is like a 7th man.

Now anxious to see how Bagley looks.

Chent
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December 12, 2020 8:42 am
Reply to  Chent

To add, Blazers are a talented team that does look like a top 4 team in thr West, they got dramatically better with Derrick Jones Jr. and Covington. That along with their continuity as a team, makes sense we looked outmatched.

Gary Trent Jr. is an RFA next year, and Portland has big salary commitments, if we trade Buddy this year could he replace Buddy as Fox’s backcourt mate? If we can get an initiator wing in the draft I would like that move even if it requires an overpay.

WillyTrill
December 12, 2020 8:56 am

Oh boy… The Kings are going to lose a lot of games this year…

ForKingsandCountry
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December 12, 2020 9:08 am

Boy, the takes are spicy after one preseason game! I expect this team to be really bad this year but last nights game doesn’t have much to do with it. If anything I thought the offensive philosophy looked much better than it did last year so while this team will stink I’m guessing they’ll score a lot.

RORDOG
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December 12, 2020 11:01 am

This. People are even acting like Parker’s 6 minutes last night are some sort of indicator that he will not, in fact, win the sixth man of the year award. Calm down people! The Jabari Hype Train is still full steam ahead!

scatshot
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December 12, 2020 10:29 pm
Reply to  RORDOG

this is post of the year

HandOfTheKings
December 12, 2020 9:23 am

Sheesh. Comment after comment of negativity as if we didn’t know this was to be expected.

  1. We all expected to look bad. And we did.
  2. We all want a top 5 pick. And we’re well on the way to one it if last night was any indication. (Again, something we all wanted.)
  3. We all wanted Buddy and Barnes to play wel… so we could trade them for future picks/young assets. And they did.
  4. We all knew we’d miss Harry Giles. But we did not think this much. (Or at least I didn’t)

Everything we expected happened, minus Fox being a bit rusty. But to denounce that he’s a franchise cornerstone and not worth his contract after 20 mins of preseason play is just ridiculous. He’s gotten better every single year and we know what he’s capable of. Relaxxxxx.

Going forward, I’d like to see a lot more of Ramsey, Woodard, and Metu. He may have only played 4 or less minutes, but Ramsey already looks infinitely more comfortable in the game with the right instincts than Guy or James.

Otis
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December 12, 2020 9:39 am
Reply to  HandOfTheKings

I’d simply say that the negativity doesn’t make sense because the preseason doesn’t really tell us much of anything, especially the first preseason game.

ForKingsandCountry
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December 12, 2020 9:54 am
Reply to  Otis

Yeah all the hot takes after a preseason game are perplexing. Everyone may be correct that Fox isn’t worth close to the max but I didn’t learn anything to make a judgment one way or the other last night and probably won’t know have much of an opinion on it until we get somewhere near the midway point of the season.

Last edited 3 years ago by ForKingsandCountry
kings4ever
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December 12, 2020 9:58 am

Observations:

> Haliburton is going to be a very good player for us.
> Hali plays with great energy and instincts
> Hali is unselfish and has confidence in his shot
> Hali really knows how to hawk and bother defensively, rare for a rookie!
> I like that we are putting in a half court trap and 3/4 court trap.
> Forcing tempo with spot traps is about the only thing I approve of re: coaching
> Barnes looks healthy and ready to go
> Don’t worry about Fox
> Jabari is a trash player , awful defense black hole
> Bjelica is a trash player, listless, slow easily beat, terrible on rotations
> Frank the Tank is a trash player, poor mans Spencer Hawes
> Glen Robinson is average at best, yawn
> Cory Joseph is a trash player, got torched on defense his alleged strength
> Kyle Guy struggled, disappointing
> Ramsey looked pretty good, want to see more
> Justin James is NOT an NBA player
> Disappointed in Woodward, seemed tentative and nervous
> Buddy looked active but he’s fallen into a little bit of a bad habit to shoot without enough discretion, make the defense guard you FFS

This coach is joke and will be fired within 20-30 games if he rolls with Jabari, Joseph and Bjelica. These decisions may take care of themselves when Whiteside and Marvin get back. But in the absence of our two bigs, and factoring that Woodward may need more seasoing I would rather see us run with a lineup of:

PG Fox
SG Hali or Jefferies
SF Buddy
PF Barnes
C Holmes

Again sliding Barnes down to 4 seems prudent and obvious move. Coach is a listless clown with no bold strategic tinkering. Harry looked great, he definitely has more “pop” to his moves but he was schooling two of the worst defenders in the NBA, Jabari and Bjelica, so keep performance in this context.

OakieNiner
December 12, 2020 10:42 am

Does anybody else feel like the Pace is pushed too hard resulting in turnovers and poor shot selections by Fox? I think his speed is better utilized when you actually run through a pick and roll half court set and other concepts.

Last edited 3 years ago by Ryan Cuthbert
keith_kar
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December 12, 2020 4:19 pm
Reply to  OakieNiner

Plus, with the fast pace, the opposing team gets more possessions, resulting in 30+ point opening quarters against us. We’re always trying to dig ourselves out of a hole early, then run out of steam when we make the game appear close at the end.

It seems like it’s a given, regardless of who the Kings play, they’re constantly giving up 30 point quarters, especially early.

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