I enjoyed that two weeks of Kings basketball where the story in Sacramento was the team being kinda fun again. In case you missed it amongst all the dad drama on Twitter, the Sacramento Kings are playing .500 basketball! Up until Saturday’s disaster in Houston, the Kings had been competitive in every contest and had – for the most part – held their own against Western Conference playoff contenders. Of course, they were a bounce or two away from a totally different record – if Buddy Hield’s putback against Denver had fallen out, they’d be 2-4, and if Hield or De’Aaron Fox had hit either of their threes to end the first Houston contest, they’d be 4-2 – but, competent basketball! It may be a low barometer for success for most NBA teams, but not in Sacramento.
Let’s go through the Good and Bad from the week, before the KANGZ drags us back into the chaos.
The Good: Tyrese Haliburton.
Goodness, it didn’t take long for us all to miss Tyrese Haliburton, did it? Without their genius rookie whipping passes around and snatching steals out of nowhere, the Kings are less exciting AND less successful on both ends of the court.
I was fully onboard with drafting Haliburton, but after watching many of his contests at Iowa State last season, I worried that I (and most of the Kings fandom) were overhyping his chances of immediate success. He’s a 6’5 skinny kid who excelled at the collegiate level by always being a few steps ahead of his competition, a trait that few bring immediately to the next level¦ and yet here he is, excelling at that next level and handling NBA speed and physicality by still being a few steps ahead of his competition!
If you just glanced at the boxscores, 10 points and 4.5 assists per contest wouldn’t normally already put a player in the conversation for best rookie – but then again, every Kings fan knows his impact is way beyond the statsheet. He almost always makes the right play, gives his all every minute of play, and is already one of the team’s best and most important defenders. And most importantly, he’s proven exceptionally quickly that he can thrive next to De’Aaron Fox, a true secondary initiator and high-level shooter who DOESN’T demand high usage to provide offensive value. I’m glad Tyrese is already getting hype and admiration across the basketball world – the Kings got a real steal at No. 12.
- Star Fox: While his shot is still fluctuating, De’Aaron Fox has been the best King on the floor in every contest. While I’ll never understand why this team still elects for Fox to slowly bring the ball up on way. too. many. possessions… he’s still breaking down the defense, getting to the line (#7 in the NBA for free throw attempts), and, until Saturday, seemed to be much more competitive on the defensive end. He’s also adapted to playing with Haliburton extremely quickly – almost like he could have always adapted to playing with another initiator, eh?
- Harrison Barnes’ Quiet Excellence: Barnes has been great on both ends of the court and may be the Kings second best player on the season. He was the MVP of the season opening win in Denver, and is putting up career numbers in rebounds, assists, and stocks. If Sacramento drops off a bit as the season goes on, I expect some competing squads are going to give Monte McNair a call.
The Bad: The Meltdown in Houston
After a competitive first half against the Rockets netted a 64-64 tie on Sunday, the Kings scored a whopping 30 points in the 2nd half. Any semblance of defense evaporated as John Wall and Christian Wood got open, highway-sized lanes to the basket. And it wasn’t like the Rockets played particularly well; they themselves only scored 38 points in the 2nd half, and most NBA teams would have crushed them given that effort – but this game didn’t feel particularly close at any point in the last two quarters. Sacramento can’t afford another contest like that this week if they want to pretend at respectability.
- NoMo CoJo: Hat tip to Breden, who found this interesting tid-bit on Cory Joseph:
Cory Joseph minutes with Haliburton off the floor:
OFFRTG: 87.0
DEFRTG: 106.6
NETRTG: -19.7Cory Joseph minutes with Haliburton on the floor:
OFFRTG: 113.4
DEFRTG: 98.9
NETRTG: 14.4 https://t.co/rSP9tgjHeG— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) January 3, 2021
If CoJo needs Tyrese Haliburton to justify getting minutes, that might be a sign that he should never enter the game before Haliburton, and almost certainly shouldn’t be getting 23 minutes per contest.
The KANGZ: Marvin Bagley Sr. Requests a Trade for Marvin Bagley Jr.
Our buddy Omer Khan put it best:
I can't believe all of the good vibes from early in the season have been vaporized by the Twitter accounts of the players' dads 😂😂😂😂
KANGZ is unstoppable
— Professor OAK (@o_a_khan) January 4, 2021
Before we get to Marvin Bagley Sr.’s thoughts, let’s get the obvious out of the way – Marvin Bagley III had a bad week on the court. After a strong 1st half showing against the Nuggets on Tuesday, Bagley sat on the bench for all but 6 minutes of the 2nd half. It’s disappointing that Luke Walton didn’t find him more minutes in that contest, but he stuck with what was working and the Kings netted a 125-115 victory – their most impressive win of the season. Then across the two Houston contests, Bagley’s confidence and patient play was replaced by rushed efforts and missed layups. But even given all of that, this was one hell of a weird time for anyone to get impatient – especially his own dang family.
I expected that Bagley would struggle to start this season, because of course he would. He’s a complicated player who has always been a challenge to optimize on either end – he was so in college, he was so in his rookie year, and of course he would be more so after missing a whole year of basketball. His weaknesses (all well discussed) are all weaknesses that a young player would only overcome by extended playing time. I don’t know if Marvin Bagley ever becomes an efficient player, and unfortunately, the only way for the Kings to ever find out is by giving him extended run with the starters. For the good of the franchise, the Kings NEED to keep Bagley playing with Fox, Buddy, Haliburton, and Barnes – he may not have earned extended minutes, but he damn well better get them, because answering the Bagley question is one of the more important parts of this season. But there’s also going to be a point where he can’t just be a question mark anymore.
Yet even as I beg for patience from my fellow fans, there’s no excuse for impatience from his own dang family. As Greg said yesterday, Bagley Sr.’s impatience with his son’s playing time and subsequent trade request is a massive disservice to Marvin Bagley III and put him in an awkward situation with his team and teammates. There’s no benefit whatsoever to throwing him into the national spotlight like this, especially when most casual fans outside of Sacramento only know him as the not-Luka dude. Of course, it didn’t help that our very own chaos Giraffe tossed a bucket of kerosene on this open flame by revealing that De’Aaron Fox’s dad had his own opinions on the trade request¦
Dad #2 weighs in 👀👀👀 https://t.co/2CLjsnmB5q
— SactownBabyGiraffe (@TimMaxwell22) January 4, 2021
Marvin Bagley III could have ended this story with just a few sentences to the media on Sunday. He didn’t, and while it’s certainly his right to ignore the story his father started, his father started the story and it’s only going to escalate from here. If Bagley wants to be on this team, he missed his chance to kill this story. And if he agrees with Senior and wants out of Sacramento, letting the story simmer seems likely to only lower his trade value. Monte McNair seems decently patient and willing to hold his cards close to his vest until he gets what he considers equivalent value – evidenced by the fact that Buddy Hield is still a King – and it’s unlikely the Kings would get any real value for Bagley on the open market until he starts playing well on a consistent basis. Plus, by letting the story simmer, he is killing most of the remaining goodwill from those of us Kings fans who still hold out hope that he can be a meaningful player on this team. As a fan of Bagley who has been patiently waiting for the kid to get a healthy chance to showcase his skills and his future, there will come a time when Bagley won’t earn minutes on potential alone.
Time to trade for Lonzo!
LOL, it’s like Dad Joke time!
When does a joke become a “dad joke”?
Bagley’s second jump is so high that he can jump higher than a building.
The 3 unwritten rules of telling Dad Jokes on TKH:
1.
2.
3.
Overbearing dad is getting too close for comfort!
A blogger walks into a bar and tweets his ankle.
It wouldn’t be a new year without the same old Kangz drama.
“Happy New Year, Kings Family!”
One time we hired this guy that didn’t work out, he made a real mess. After he was let go, a few of us were kind of shooting the breeze during a break. Elder coworker asks the boss; What were his references like?
Boss: His listed references declined to give a reference.
Elder: Well that’s the reference then.
Maybe I was just naive, but I filed that one away.
Someone remind Bill Walton that he said this next time he’s on my TV covering a PAC 12 game.
There is NO question, Bags wont be decent. I don’t understand anyone thinking Bagely needs any more time to discover if he can play. He CANT.
Hes the same player he was when drafted, essentially. He’s not changing. Move the fuck on.
Hopefully McMair gets rid of Bags and Vivek stays away.
You don’t understand anyone thinking a player needs any more time, when he’s 21 and has 2,000 minutes played in the league? Allrightythen.
I get that he hasn’t played a ton of minutes or games going into his 3rd year, but he’s been surrounded by professionals, coaches, trainers, and NBA players for 2.5 years. If he hasn’t picked up something different by now from the time he was drafted, something may be wrong.
The number of players to make “the leap” in their 3rd or 4th year is infinitely small. especially those who have been given every opportunity while healthy.
I didn’t think Bagley’s skillset translated very well to today’s NBA when he was drafted, and obviously I still don’t. And I still wouldn’t make any grand declarations at this point about his future. At the end of his first season (the bulk of his minutes played), there was pretty universal praise (from us here and the writers) regarding his future.
Subsequently, dude played 334 minutes last season and has played 150 this season. For Luke Walton.
I think we need more evaluation time. And I don’t think it hurts the team’s future in any tangible way to play him heavy minutes this season.
I agree. I’m fine playing him a ton of minutes to see if he ever gets it. If it contributes to Kings getter a better pick this summer, then so be it.
I thought he would be a little better at racking up stats at this point in his career but my expectations/predictions for his career arc haven’t changed much at all from draft day.
They have just been delayed due to his unavailability.
You could not be more wrong. The number of players that make the leap in the 3rd or 4th year is HUGE. The number of players that are what the are at 21 is infinitely small.
I see a player with big flaws when he cane in and still has them. Barely changed, if at all. If I had to bet I’d bet against Bags learning how to play D, shoot, pass, play within an offense, go right. Etc etc etc. He hasn’t….aint gonna. It’s like thinking Simmons or Greek Freak can develop a shot. Nope. Easy to see after a year or so.
I don’t think giving Bags minutes at this point does anything but make it less likely the Kings will win.
I fully expect him to be decent if healthy. Obviously, depending on your definition of decent. But if healthy, I expect him to be a fringe starter, solid rotation piece type.
Chaos Giraffe is next level.
There’s no Chaos Giraffe without Marvin Bagley Jr. Just saying.
Reward Bagley with more minutes when he plays within the team structure, and bench him when he does that selfish style of play. Positive reinforcement.
He simply lacks fundamentals that are needed in the NBA. When I played baseball at Sac City, we had some very talented pitchers that never got in to close games because they did not do the basics (bunt defense, covering bases, backing up bases, pick off plays, etc). Show you can do it in practice and then you get rewarded in the games. So often I see Bagley set poor screens, not box out, rarely passes, and misses rotations. Why play him more minutes when he can not do those things in games? Does he do them correctly in practice but not translate to the game? That is an entirely different issue.
Is Bagley making any effort at all to do in games what the coaches are telling him to do in practice? From what I’ve seen so far this season, it doesn’t look like he’s doing it consistently, if anything he’s regressing. I doubt that the coaches are telling him to do anything that complex, so his failure to do so would be good reason to limit his minutes to mid-quarter stretches where the team can recover from his poor play.
Playing him more with such poor effort would also create problems with other players. Why should I do what the coaches say, when Bags doesn’t? Of course, this is a merely a theory, I’m not at practice, but Aaron Fox’s tweet suggests there could be a problem here, that other players are getting fed up with him. Of course, the alternative is that Bagley is just a mediocre basketball player who is incapable of learning the skills necessary to play in today’s NBA.
How do we know what the coaches are telling him to do in practice?
“Hey Marvin. You need to watch the tape.”
True enough, but it is hard to believe that they are telling Bagley to do what we are seeing in games.
Maybe it takes more than 150 minutes to find out?
It doesn’t look like Bagley has worked on his game since high school. Even then, all he was doing was out-jumping people. He looks atrocious this year.
I mentioned this in another thread. Bagley might be a workout warrior and crushing it in practice against our backups, but once it’s against opposition under the bright lights it only flashes at times. I thought that because his teammates seem to trust/respect his decision making on the court, at least on the outside looking in. If that’s the case we need a solid veteran backup big with the skills needed to humble him a little. Or to trade him. Or make a coaching change be it minor or major.
Find a team with a “unicorn” 5 that Bagley would be good along side and then trrrrraaaade him
Honestly, he might be damn awesome in Memphis…
Sure, I will take JJJ for Bagley!
Heck, I’d even settle for Ja Morant!
I’ll compromise and take Dillon Brooks.
Brooks is pretty terrible. I’d rather have a 2nd round pick.
He might. Jackson definitely covers for his weaknesses. That said, I’d take both Clarke and Tillman over Bagley.
I like the way you think… Tillman anyone?
Does Bagley have any trade value? I’m not sure he’s even worth anything at this point.
Probably mostly as an intriguing sweetener in a larger deal.
I’d say nothing. Not even a second rounder. Alone, I think he is worth a middling vet hopefully on an expiring deal.
In all honesty, does like Miami trade a similar contract in someone like Olynyk for Bags right now?
His bes value is likely being packaged with a better player like Buddy.
Value??
We’re getting Anthony Davis?
Welcome to Sacramento .. Bagley would be good in LA ..
Bagley for Markkanen…straight up!!!
Until Marvin Bagley the Third actually comments on the topic, any of the genius mind-reading that I’m seeing is nothing but hot air.
Marv has very little trade value at the moment. The demands to trade him are childish and short-sighted. The Kings have already picked up his fourth year, so as others have said, you play him until he shows the kind of improvement that either makes him valuable as a Kings player, or an asset that can return assets useful to the team. Worst-case scenario, over the next eighteen months, he doesn’t turn into a viable NBA player, and he becomes a free agent after Sacramento declines to make an RFA bid.
Is that a huge L for the franchise? Absolutely. Do know where the blame lies for the situation? UnequivoÄally.
This insistence that this young man denounce his own father works only in vacuum. Is Marvin’s dad an asshole? There is no doubt in my mind. Are there any of you that would have announced to the world at 21 that your dad is an impatient, intrusive dickwad, and that he needs to stay out of your business?
Family shit is never that simple, and treating it as if it was the same as any other transaction is a gross oversimplification.
If I were a professional basketball player, I would have addressed it.
But as for me and my dad, who aren’t facing reporters and aren’t in the public eye, I HAVE spoken up to my dad at that age (actually as a teenager in highschool) and pushed back when he was intruding in my personal business.
Dude, I started that at age 15.
Hey, none of us had it as bad as Scott Evil…
How’s about No
My kid is 13, and he’s already doing it.
Gee, I didn’t hear anything about it. It’s almost as if your platform and reach aren’t equivalent to that of an NBA player, and that the monetary and career stakes weren’t as significant.
I apologize for the oversight.
He doesn’t need to denounce his dad or “announce to the world [he’s] an impatient, intrusive, dickwad, and that he needs to stay out of [his] business” in order to defuse the trade issue.
In what way does he defuse the matter without the implication that his father is full of shit, doesn’t know anything, or is a childish blowhard?
“I want to be here, and my dad is just doing his best to look out for my best interests, which if you have kids, is understandable.”
This wasn’t that hard.
And you don’t see how that indicates that Marvin’s best interests likely lay outside the organization?
There’s no answer that he can give that doesn’t allow busybodies to draw conclusions. By staying silent, all speculation becomes rooted in fantasy based on the speculator’s pre-conceived biases.
It indicates that’s what Bagley’s dad thinks, and that Bagley doesn’t agree.
I do agree that people are going to run with this no matter what, but I think Bagley can pretty easily distance himself from those comments without throwing his dad under the bus.
Announce his dad is impatient, intrusive, and a dickwad. Then, announce his plans to play in the CBA.
I give III zero responsibility for this issue. This is completely on the shoulders of his dad, and it is not Bagley’s job to publicly take his father to task. Now, that take likely won’t set well with a lot of fans, but if I’m Bagley I probably care more about my dad than the fans. If McNair or Walton think that it’s an issue, then it’s a conversation for Bagley and them.
Recapping, little league parent made a comment on social media, and that was followed by another little league parent comment. It’s not for these kids to handle – it’s the parents that need to grow the fuck up.
Maybe Bagley could have said something along the lines of:
“That’s my father, so ask him. I had nothing to do with that quote. Next question.”
You think that would have satisfied anyone here? I’m skeptical.
I’m Kosta, nice to meet you!
Ok, maybe you’re right about what I wrote. How about:
“That’s my father, so ask him. I love my dad, but he doesn’t speak for me. I had nothing to do with that quote. Next question.”
I’m Kosta, nice to meet you!
Dads and Cousins all up in here! Causing a ruckus!
He could have responded in a good way while still supporting/defending his father. It’s not that hard. And if he can’t, he pays an agent to help him with that stuff.
He’s a grown man now, with a grown man’s contract, a grown man’s salary and grown man’s obligations vis-a-vis his employer.
Does he have the right to keep silent on the matter? Sure. But then he has to understand that questions will persist.
Sorry, I don’t see it. He didn’t say it, and he doesn’t have to respond to it. Does it piss off fans? Sure. Do any of these guys give two squirts about that? Absolutely not.
Totally agree Rob. I have no problem whatsoever with the way he answered. Will his answer fix anything? Will it make fans feel better? No. But his answer was professional, polite, and focused.
One of my favorite baseball players growing up was Steve Carlton. That dude didn’t speak to the media for decades. I didn’t lose any respect for him over it, in fact I may have gained some for staying focused on his belief. Pissed off the media though, but didn’t bother me as a fan one bit.
I was a huge fan of those Phillies teams that Carlton and Schmidt led (two of the very best ballplayers of all time that I have been lucky enough to see play in person), and while Carlton did have that prickly relationship with the press, but I think it was a little easier then for sportswriters to give full context to him. Outside of the daily newspaper, the articles they wrote were monthly mags like SI, Inside Sports, Sport, and the weeklies like The Sporting News and Baseball Weekly. They didn’t rely so much on sound bites and clicks on the internet.
I was 10 in 1980 and a baseball geek, my whole family was. My dad’s company had season tickets. Being 10 in 1980 I hit the jackpot for sure, that will probably always be my number one season for anything. I’ve played third my whole life so Schmidt’s my guy for sure.
So many guys to root for. I was a huge Gary Maddox fan. I was a huge baseball geek then too, I spent so much of my allowance buying those weekly and monthly mags, baseball weekly and sporting news being my favorite.
2/3 of the earth is covered by water. The other 1/3 is covered by Gary Maddox.
I am with you on this one Rob. Marvin needs to work on his game, not answering questions about his Dad’s tweets. I understand why the press wants to ask, but personally as a fan I dont give a crap what his Dad tweets.
Agreed.
He doesn’t owe media or fans anything. He said he wants to focus on the next game, and doing well. That’s a great mindset for a young basketball player to have.
Is it easy enough to say I’m here right now and this is where my focus is now, playing for the Kings, improving and winning as a team’. Or I want to be in Sacramento right now’.
Sure, but he doesn’t have to. What’s important is that the team (players and coaches and staff) feels comfortable with him still. And if he hasn’t reassured them, maybe the players around him are professionals who understand this business and that trades can happen to almost anyone.
I believe he should release a new song about this situation.
Nah, don’t need Marvin:
Rob. Hessing. FTW.
Kings. Guru. WTF.
😛
(ducks, runs for life)
What did I do this time?
The reaction to similar responses appears to be largely dependent on the messenger. Fascinating!
Or the delivery.
Knew I should’ve dropped an F-bomb.
I liked your comment but replied to Rob’s because I didn’t wanna scroll up ð
Hey gang finally joined TKH after STR exodus
I was on the HateBags train previous season(s). However with Monte running the show, I’m optimistic he’ll make the right moves when the time comes. My opinion is play him in the 4th – I think he can be decent i.e. better Monte-trade. If not he helps with the tanking which is not bad to land good picks. Hang in there my fellow fans. Go Kings!
Welcome back to Basketball Hell!
Back to watch Helliburton fire it up 😀
2 cents from an Amberjack: Bagley might look good in Dallas? Trade him for a forward, A first, and a second. He doesn’t do anything better than Holmes. Cut bait.
I wouldn’t mind #77 from Dallas. He’s a forward.
But I hear some GMs don’t like his dad.
😉
Can he play SF?
I feel you, but literally any forward.
Regarding this:
It’s technically possible that’s trying to answer the wrong question. Or to put it another way, what if the question they should be asking is “is Bagley capable of contributing to winning basktball?” If that is the question, then finding the answer may require them to give him a limited role to see if he’ll accept it.
The more I watch basketball the more I realize how important “know your role” is from a contribution to winning standpoint. It’s why “20 & 10” is such a meaningless benchmark to me. Knowing your role is like the secret ingredient that takes a bunch of counting stats and combines them into positive advanced stats. Hopefully, there’s a way for Marvin to learn that that doesn’t involve getting traded. I don’t think “give him all the minutes regardless of his oncourt production” is the right approach though.
I think it absolutely is. If he’s going to simply be a roleplayer somewhere, it won’t be here. So we absolutely need to know if he’s got any chance at being more than that.
He’s played 150 minutes this season. One. Fifty.
I think of Thomas Robinson, and how Geoff Petrie traded him early in his rookie season.
I do understand people saying maybe it’s better to just hang on to him right now because we won’t get much in return at this point, though.
Yeah I was thinking about Thomas Robinson in relation to Bagley and I was pretty shocked he got traded so quickly but it’s pretty clear it was the right choice because Robinson was a complete bust. Bagley might also be a complete bust though I think he’s shown more flashes than Robinson did early on and he’s younger.
Ugh…everytime I think of Bagley and Robinson in the same thought I get shivers. Both were 5 star recruits, from major schools, going early in the lottery, know for their bounce and rebounding.
For whatever reason Robinson couldn’t figure it out, I worry for Bagley.
You should take a minute and compare Bagley and Robinson’s rookie seasons. These are apples and oranges.
Otis, if you start insisting that people consider actual facts, it’s going to get awfully quiet around here.
Bagley’s passing that season was horrific, as was his defense. Neither seem to have improved at all. I wasn’t all that impressed then, and I’m less impressed now. It has less to do with any skills and more Bagley’s apparent inability (or unwillingness) to learn to play on a team. Bagley can put up more efficient offensive numbers and still be a net negative (hi Jabari Parker!) because we can’t or won’t pass or defend.
If he figures out how to be a positive contributor, I will happily change my stance.
Agree with Karl. Bagely hasn’t improved hardly all. Numbers facts would show this.
I see a player who hasn’t gotten better with flaws that rarely get better.
Shit, sorry….Carl
I kinda get Willie Cauley Stein vibes.
This. More aggressive on offense, worse defender and passer. Similarly delusional about how good he is.
it’s not like I’m forming this opinion based on 150 MP this season. I think it’s best to look at the most likely optimal outcome and work backwards from there. I’ve always felt accepting the elite role player role is the key to unlocking Bagley’s true potential. The longer they hold out hope that he can be a player worth building around, the less likely it is that he’ll maximize his potential.
Elite role players play in crunch time on good basketball teams. So if that’s Bagley’s ceiling, there’s no harm in finding out by playing him now.
that’s what he can become, but it’s not what he is now. I’m perfectly fine with limiting his minutes to low leverage situations until he shows he’s able to consistently provide a positive contribution.
Well, thank goodness you clarified.
I think you give Bagley plenty of minutes, with a some incentive to improve and play more. I don’t see Bagley having an unlimited right to play every fourth quarter, no matter how bad he’s been the rest of the game.
I don’t have an issue with how Walton is handling this today:
Seems like they are holding Bags out because others give them the best chance to win.
The short version is that you play Bagley as many minutes as possible. Who would he be stealing minutes from? Bjelica? Whiteside? Holmes? Considering that none of them are currently on the payroll next year, you play Marvin, good or bad. He is the organization’s most-important question this year, and possibly the next. If Lose Walton won’t play him because he’s stupidly trying to win games, then get rid of him.
Nothing matters this season other than development, and that includes guys like Ty, Fox, Kyle, Woodard and Ramsey. The fact that the last two didn’t play at all while Ty was out is yet another indictment of Walton’s inability to understand the nature of his own job. They must be given the opportunity to play, and that includes with the starters. They have to get the opportunity to play through mistakes without fear of being yanked.
Well, that wasn’t short at all.
He’s almost halfway to 2019-20!
What’s the bar this season for determining whether Bagley can be more (or less) than a rotational big? I’m gonna check back with you.
Knowing roles turns good teams into units. Coaches should know this. At least Pop does. Spolstra gets it as well.
Question for all you smart people: When can the Kings extend Holmes? Could they do it now if they want?
I don’t believe they can because he was signed with the Room Exception. His best value to the Kings is as trade fodder. He is a UFA at the end of the season.
The Room Exception?
I think they could creative, and sign him to a new deal with a player option that he can decline once they have his full bird rights. Ultimately, Holmes is probably best suited to be a sixth man on a good team. I don’t know if that’s worth much more than what the Kings can offer this offseason from an AAV perspective. a player friendly multiyear contract may be enough to convince him to stay.
I would hate to see Holmes go but I think Denver needs a backup C.
My hot take after a few games:
Der Airin’ Fox is looking good.
ThaiRice HellaBurpin’ is prolly my favorite player rn.
Russian Homes is a keeper.
Hurry, son Barns is playing his best ball as a Sacred Mento Kink.
Look Walkin’ is still not a coach that makes me happy. Maybe Wrecks ClammyHands can take over as head coach?
Bubby Healed is a good shooter and dumb player. Too many costly turnovers, but I appreciate his affort.
Nah, man… You be a Pizza is solid as always.
Martian Bagleap the Thirts’ dad, Martian Bagleap Juniper, is a derp head.
The thing about Bagley…I know he has barely played 2000 minutes and he is 21, but I don’t see that as an excuse because of Joel Embiid, who was taken 3rd overall in 2014,and was injured for his first 2 seasons. Once he was healthy in his 3rd season, he balled out, albeit on a minutes restriction. Bagley has no mastery or commitment to the fundamentals. The best players in the league know the importance of setting a good screen. Lebron, AD, Curry, Durant, Kawhi, etc would all set good screens if asked to do so. Bagley doesn’t. He’s more concerned about getting his. He just doesn’t seem to understand the importance of doing the little things like setting good screens and how those little things equate to playing winning basketball. He is too caught up in the vanity aspect of the game to be bothered by the dirty work.
It doesn’t matter what Embiid did. Everyone has their own path. Wood, just demolished the Kings and all of our bigs, and seems to be having a breakout year at 25 years old. When he was 21 he was averaging 2pts, 2 rebs. Bagley does need to set better screens though, and add a bit of grit to his game to see it flourish.
I agree with you, I just used Embiid as an example because he was on IR his first 2 seasons and didn’t play until his 3rd year. I’m comparing expectations moreso than production. It didn’t take much play from him for the Sixers to know what to do with him contract wise. There was no feeling out like there is with Bagley. In a way I was playing devil’s advocate for why he doesn’t warrant much patience.
Christian Wood should be what Bagley is right now at a minimum, Bagley is a second overall pick in his 3rd year. That’s what is frustrating about Bagley, you know he is more than capable of doing that based off his talent but bad habits get in the way. It’s clear that his down time with injury hasn’t led to any improvement between his ears or the gym. He will be very rich if all he does for the next decade is box out, dunk, set good screens and put his hands up in front of the basket on defense at a high level. He doesn’t need to be AD, he ain’t ever winning no one in the “should’ve drafted Luka” camp over.
Trade him. Enough said.
Trade your car for a scooter and what you say will start to seem reasonable.
It would be cheaper on gas ð¤ð¤ð¤. You may have something there guy. Thanks.
Keeping a piece of shit gas guzzling lemon of a ride that breaks down all the time, and sinking money and time into it isnt reasonable.
Real shit ð¤
Is it a Kings season without some weirdness off the court? I think not!
Badge Legend