Marty Mac’s World – 12-22-2010
If you’ve come looking for answers, you’re in the wrong place.
I’ve been watching the Sacramento Kings (5-21) consistently for the past 20 years. NBA veteran observers such as me like to believe and say nothing surprises them.
Yet, I was perplexed when walking out of Arco Arena Tuesday night following Sacramento’s come-from-ahead 117-109 overtime loss to Golden State.
What was that I’d just seen? As I said, I’ve seen the Kings since 1990 and just knew I’d seen pretty much every possible type of collapse. I’ve seen the Kings lose more than 40 consecutive road games as well as get out-shot from the free-throw line by Shaquille O’Neal at home in Game Seven of the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
Almost inevitably included in every collapse are the losing team misses free-throws down the stretch. The Kings, read Beno Udrih, made each of his four attempts during the final 14.3 seconds.
Meanwhile, Golden State (10-18) twice in five seconds during the game’s final 19 of regulation was fouled attempting a three-point attempt. Then the Warriors missed three of the six free-throw attempts.
And because they did, amazingly they gave themselves a chance to win.
The Kings wouldn’t let Golden State lose. They committed nine fourth-quarter turnovers and that doesn’t include one of the dumbest shots ever. With Sacramento leading, 98-93, the Kings inbounded following a Dorell Wright foul with 31.1 seconds left and veteran swingman Francisco Garcia inexplicably hoisted a wide-open three-point shot.
Perhaps even scarier than the ill-timed attempt was Garcia saying after the game he took the shot because he wanted to stick a dagger into the Warriors.
Garcia is one of the team’s best free-throw shooters and the intelligent play would have been to take time off the clock. Had Garcia just held the ball, Golden State likely would have had to foul. If Garcia makes two free throws, the Kings are up seven points with approximately 20 seconds remaining.
There’s the dagger, ‘Cisco.
Instead, Garcia became part of the team-wide dagger the Kings shoved into their own chest. DeMarcus Cousins lost the handle on a Reggie Williams free-throw miss with two seconds. Golden State turned that possession into Vladimir Radmanovic’s 27-foot, game-tying three-pointer.
Udrih scored a career-high 34 points, but fouled Williams on a three-point attempt. Then Carl Landry did the same thing four seconds later when he Wright to the line.
Coach Paul Westphal could have inserted Samuel Dalembert to perhaps get the rebound Cousins did not. The coach could have stationed five smaller players around the arc on the last play of regulation and told them to ignore every player inside the three-point line.
Perhaps the craziest thing of this crazy game was how many times Golden State failed to take advantage of opportunities and still won.
Ultimately, though, where do the Kings go from here? Do you change the coach? How soon will the calls for talented, but quirky also-rans Larry Brown and Don Nelson begin? Do you gut the entire project starting from President Geoff Petrie?
Does Petrie stay and begin to shake up this roster? The addition of one, possibly two more veterans would do a world of good for all things Kings.
Do the Maloofs get so scared and frustrated they open their checkbooks and say we have to pay the cost to the be the boss and improve the product they are putting out to a dwindling fan base?
Their record is the league’s worst and the Kings are coming off one of the worst defeats imaginable.
From a franchise perspective, one has to go back to the 1958-59 Cincinnati Royals to find a team that was 5-21. The’73-74 Kansas City-Omaha Kings were 6-21 before finishing 33-49.
As a team, the Kings seem to be sticking together as they should. Since they are stinking it up together, they might as well stay together.
Showing posts with label Shaquille O'Neal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shaquille O'Neal. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Coaches have to coach and players have to play
A couple of thoughts come to mind after watching the Kings Sunday afternoon lose their fifth straight game, this time to the Detroit Pistons.
This is a question, more than a thought, but why are the Kings trying to make tuna fish salad out of chicken?
Luther Head is not a point guard, but that’s where the Kings are trying to play him.
Jason Thompson is not a small forward, but his natural position is power forward. This may not be a revelation, but play the dude at power forward.
If you still want him on the floor and don’t want to play him at power forward, play him at center. That’s probably his second-best position, but small forward is his third-best/worst position.
Actually, Westphal’s use of Thompson at three is a compliment, albeit a dumb one. The coach was trying to get him onto the floor. The same minutes Thompson played at three, he could have played at a position we used to call Bench.
Here’s a key that I can’t accurately assess, but J.T. wears size 20 shoes. Small forwards don’t have feet that big. If you wear 20’s like Bob Lanier’s 22’s (back in the day) or Shaquille O’Neal’s of similar size, make the mistake of putting him in the paint.
Let the man bang. Reportedly, he had one of the Kings’ best training camps. Everyone said no one came into camp in better shape. Play the man.
Coach Paul Westphal says there is a frontcourt logjam with Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Jackson and Thompson. And I guess this means we’ll never see Hassan Whiteside in anything but street clothes in the near future, so the NBDL likely is screaming at that youngster.
I’m with that, but someone has to sit. Westphal has to sit one of these cats. Two games ago against Phoenix, it was J.T. Last game, it was Jackson. Perhaps the coach is moving toward breaking up the logjam.
Donte Greene is a small forward, a long, athletic small forward whom I see as one of the team’s better defensive players. He’s not great, but he’s good enough to get time on this squad.
Westphal obviously has not seen it this way. Yet, he will. Omri Casspi and Greene should be getting the small forward minutes. It can be argued Greene should be starting over Casspi – and it has been.
I had a discussion with former Kings star guard Mitch Richmond about that Jackson receiving time over Thompson. For the record, I’ve seen each of the Kings games, some twice. I’d bet Richmond likely has not seen any from start to finish.
To say Jackson hasn’t earned playing time with his performances is unfair. When presented the opportunity, he’s performed well so I can understand Westphal giving him time. The man is trying to win and Jackson, during the season’s first few games, outplayed Thompson.
Yet, if you give Jackson credit for doing well early in the season, then Thompson should receive kudos for playing well at times during the last two seasons.
Richmond can’t understand Jackson outplaying Thompson, but Jackson reminds me of former Kings tough man Michael Smith. Jackson doesn’t rebound like Smith, but the Animal didn’t make shots like Jackson, either.
Kings President Geoff Petrie said he’s not having trade discussions regarding Thompson. If that’s true, then Petrie needs to pick up the phone.
The Kings are 3-6 and have lost five straight. They’ve lost to Detroit, Minnesota and Memphis, each of whom also is struggling.
Yet, they are not alone with their struggles. Consider the Atlanta Hawks just ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Minnesota.
The Los Angeles Clippers are 1-10 (1-5 at home). Charlotte (4-7) is 1-4 at home, like Sacramento and Cleveland (4-5).
Miami (6-4) has different expectations, of course, but struggles are struggles.
The struggles of Washington (2-6) and Philadelphia (2-8) are along the same line of Sacramento’s. These teams have average, at best, talent bases and are trying to find their respective ways.
Just for the record, when things go poorly, coaches always catch a lot of flak and not undeservedly. They usually receive major accolades when things go well.
That’s the situation for which they signed the dotted line.
However, and this is a major however, coaches don’t play. There’s not a guard on the Kings who shot as well or even played as well as did Westphal or Mario Elie. Give either one the looks these current day cats are getting and the Kings are not shooting a league second-worst 29.5 percent from three-point range.
Only Oklahoma City at 25.3 percent shoots worse. Only Omri Casspi (38.3) and Francisco Garcia (37.8) are shooting above 25 percent.
However, the Thunder leads the league in free-throw shooting at 88.1 percent. The Kings are 28th out of 30 at 70 percent.
That’s a bad combination, folks. The Kings currently would lose every western in which they’ve appeared.
They are the gang that can’t shoot straight. Beno Udrih is shooting 17.4 percent from three, but check out the percentage of these dudes: Orlando’s JJ Redick (12 percent); Golden State’s Vladimir Radmanovic (29.6 percent). These are shooters who have gotten off to slow starts. It happens.
Westphal, like most all coaches, encourages his players, particularly shooters to take open threes. Sacramento went two for 18 in Sunday’s loss to Detroit on the same night Phoenix made 22 of 40 in a road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Westphal was asked if 18 attempted threes were too many.
“If they don’t go in,” he said after they didn’t. “It’s always easy to look at the stat sheet after the game and say we took too many threes, if they are not going in. But what we tell our shooters, guys lot ‘Cisco, guys like Omri, Luther Head, who ever they are (that) if you are a good three-point shooter and you are open, you have to take it with confidence.”
Players also have to realize they don’t have to take every wide-open three-pointer they get. There are nights when you stink up the joint and have to make adjustments.
At some point, players have to play to their levels. It’s too much to expect a higher level of production of which they are capable. It is not, repeat not, too much to expect professionals to produce and earn their loot.
In the case of Sacramento, there are players who haven’t had enough of a career to determine a level. However, there are some who have and until the young boys get their acts together.
So we shall see what we shall see.
This is a question, more than a thought, but why are the Kings trying to make tuna fish salad out of chicken?
Luther Head is not a point guard, but that’s where the Kings are trying to play him.
Jason Thompson is not a small forward, but his natural position is power forward. This may not be a revelation, but play the dude at power forward.
If you still want him on the floor and don’t want to play him at power forward, play him at center. That’s probably his second-best position, but small forward is his third-best/worst position.
Actually, Westphal’s use of Thompson at three is a compliment, albeit a dumb one. The coach was trying to get him onto the floor. The same minutes Thompson played at three, he could have played at a position we used to call Bench.
Here’s a key that I can’t accurately assess, but J.T. wears size 20 shoes. Small forwards don’t have feet that big. If you wear 20’s like Bob Lanier’s 22’s (back in the day) or Shaquille O’Neal’s of similar size, make the mistake of putting him in the paint.
Let the man bang. Reportedly, he had one of the Kings’ best training camps. Everyone said no one came into camp in better shape. Play the man.
Coach Paul Westphal says there is a frontcourt logjam with Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Jackson and Thompson. And I guess this means we’ll never see Hassan Whiteside in anything but street clothes in the near future, so the NBDL likely is screaming at that youngster.
I’m with that, but someone has to sit. Westphal has to sit one of these cats. Two games ago against Phoenix, it was J.T. Last game, it was Jackson. Perhaps the coach is moving toward breaking up the logjam.
Donte Greene is a small forward, a long, athletic small forward whom I see as one of the team’s better defensive players. He’s not great, but he’s good enough to get time on this squad.
Westphal obviously has not seen it this way. Yet, he will. Omri Casspi and Greene should be getting the small forward minutes. It can be argued Greene should be starting over Casspi – and it has been.
I had a discussion with former Kings star guard Mitch Richmond about that Jackson receiving time over Thompson. For the record, I’ve seen each of the Kings games, some twice. I’d bet Richmond likely has not seen any from start to finish.
To say Jackson hasn’t earned playing time with his performances is unfair. When presented the opportunity, he’s performed well so I can understand Westphal giving him time. The man is trying to win and Jackson, during the season’s first few games, outplayed Thompson.
Yet, if you give Jackson credit for doing well early in the season, then Thompson should receive kudos for playing well at times during the last two seasons.
Richmond can’t understand Jackson outplaying Thompson, but Jackson reminds me of former Kings tough man Michael Smith. Jackson doesn’t rebound like Smith, but the Animal didn’t make shots like Jackson, either.
Kings President Geoff Petrie said he’s not having trade discussions regarding Thompson. If that’s true, then Petrie needs to pick up the phone.
The Kings are 3-6 and have lost five straight. They’ve lost to Detroit, Minnesota and Memphis, each of whom also is struggling.
Yet, they are not alone with their struggles. Consider the Atlanta Hawks just ended a four-game losing streak with a victory over Minnesota.
The Los Angeles Clippers are 1-10 (1-5 at home). Charlotte (4-7) is 1-4 at home, like Sacramento and Cleveland (4-5).
Miami (6-4) has different expectations, of course, but struggles are struggles.
The struggles of Washington (2-6) and Philadelphia (2-8) are along the same line of Sacramento’s. These teams have average, at best, talent bases and are trying to find their respective ways.
Just for the record, when things go poorly, coaches always catch a lot of flak and not undeservedly. They usually receive major accolades when things go well.
That’s the situation for which they signed the dotted line.
However, and this is a major however, coaches don’t play. There’s not a guard on the Kings who shot as well or even played as well as did Westphal or Mario Elie. Give either one the looks these current day cats are getting and the Kings are not shooting a league second-worst 29.5 percent from three-point range.
Only Oklahoma City at 25.3 percent shoots worse. Only Omri Casspi (38.3) and Francisco Garcia (37.8) are shooting above 25 percent.
However, the Thunder leads the league in free-throw shooting at 88.1 percent. The Kings are 28th out of 30 at 70 percent.
That’s a bad combination, folks. The Kings currently would lose every western in which they’ve appeared.
They are the gang that can’t shoot straight. Beno Udrih is shooting 17.4 percent from three, but check out the percentage of these dudes: Orlando’s JJ Redick (12 percent); Golden State’s Vladimir Radmanovic (29.6 percent). These are shooters who have gotten off to slow starts. It happens.
Westphal, like most all coaches, encourages his players, particularly shooters to take open threes. Sacramento went two for 18 in Sunday’s loss to Detroit on the same night Phoenix made 22 of 40 in a road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Westphal was asked if 18 attempted threes were too many.
“If they don’t go in,” he said after they didn’t. “It’s always easy to look at the stat sheet after the game and say we took too many threes, if they are not going in. But what we tell our shooters, guys lot ‘Cisco, guys like Omri, Luther Head, who ever they are (that) if you are a good three-point shooter and you are open, you have to take it with confidence.”
Players also have to realize they don’t have to take every wide-open three-pointer they get. There are nights when you stink up the joint and have to make adjustments.
At some point, players have to play to their levels. It’s too much to expect a higher level of production of which they are capable. It is not, repeat not, too much to expect professionals to produce and earn their loot.
In the case of Sacramento, there are players who haven’t had enough of a career to determine a level. However, there are some who have and until the young boys get their acts together.
So we shall see what we shall see.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Kings' Cousins and Evans can learn from Suns' Hill and Nash
Juxtapose the situations of Phoenix veterans Grant Hill and Steve Nash with Sacramento’s young duo of Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins.
Therein sits tremendous perspective for observers and the Kings neophytes alike.
Neither Hill nor Nash has been able to corral that elusive NBA title, but there’s not much individually they’ve been unable to accomplish.
Hill, who turned 38 Tuesday, is beginning his 17th NBA season. Cousins, 20, was four years old when Hill began his march towards sharing the 1995 Rookie of the Year award with Jason Kidd.
Nash, 36, is entering his 15th NBA campaign with statistical achievements that pale in comparison to none. He’s a two-time Most Valuable Player and a seven-time all-star.
For the record, Nash averaged fewer than 10 points in each of his first four NBA seasons. Meanwhile, ankle problems prevented Hill from playing in more than 29 games in four different seasons.
Hill and Nash, despite decidedly different and distinct paths, have been places where Cousins and Evans only can dream of walking.
In Tuesday night’s first preseason game for both teams, Cousins and Evans predictably logged approximately 30 and 28 minutes, while Hill and Nash combined to play just 12.
Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said the Kings have a strong duo in Cousins and Evans.
“I like Cousins,” Gentry said. “I think he’s going to be very good. He’s a skilled guy and I think he’s a pretty cerebral player, just watching him out there (Tuesday night). And they’ve got Tyreke, who I think is one of the top five point guards in the league.
“And they’ve done a good job with the support players around these guys. It’s just a matter of getting some experience. But they’ve got a nice solid team.”
Hill also is a Cousins fan.
“I like Cousins,” Hill said of the rookie who had a game-high16 rebounds and 16 points. “That was his first game and they’ll have to learn to fit him in with Tyreke. He should be better after having his first year. (But) mixing in all the pieces together is the thing.
“They have good size and they are crashing the boards. Now it’s a matter of blending it all together.”
Hill said Evans, the 2010 Rookie of the Year, will benefit from his rookie year’s experience.
“I was a lot more comfortable in my second year,” Hill said. “I think having a year under your belt, a summer to reflect on it, a summer to work on your game and knowing what to expect makes your second year a little easier.
“Really, I think the third year really is the big year, but I think he’ll have a good year this season.”
2010 Preseason Game One Fast Breaks
Arco Arena – You can put lipstick on a pig, but the first sounds still will be ‘Oink, Oink.’ The Kings need a new arena.
Shaquille O’Neal’s longtime personal security man, Jerome Crawford, now works for the Phoenix Suns. Crawford said the Celtics initially agreed to him accompanying the Diesel and then balked. Former Phoenix team security director Kevin Tucker now works with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Former Kings head coach Garry St. Jean scouted the game for the New Jersey Nets.
The first time Cousins touched the ball in the low post, the Suns immediately double-teamed. That was Sacramento’s first possession and should provide an indication of how many teams will attack the Kings defensively.
The Kings no longer will be at a disadvantage when it comes to athleticism and size. This is their most athletic team since Keon Clark, Bobby Jackson and Jimmy Jackson came off their bench.
If it’s possible, Cousins has a power game that also can flow into a finesse game.
Right now, swingman Marcus Landry appears pointed towards not only a battle for a roster spot, but a surprise small forward starter. He’s been more impressive than older brother, Carl.
Power forward-center Jason Thompson had been extremely active during practices and continued that approach in game one. Thompson and Cousins on the floor together showed the promise of a team capable of physically battering opponents.
It’s hard to believe I just typed that about a Kings squad.
There still were too many times the Suns got to the rim with little or no Kings challenge. When shot-blocking center Samuel Dalembert gets healthy, it will be interesting to see if he can close down some of that.
Sacramento’s first-half defensive rotations consistently were too slow.
If Evans is capable of stroking his jump shot as he did Tuesday night, he’s going to become even more lethal offensively. Evans clearly can learn from backup Pooh Jeter about pulling up and taking mid-range jump shots on fast breaks.
When Jeter goes up straight on his jump shot and does not fade away unnecessarily, he shoots extremely well.
Antoine Wright clearly knows how to play and his defensive ability and skill stand out.
Beno Udrih easily can play with either Evans or Jeter. Francisco Garcia did not play in the first preseason game because of personal reasons. However, he appears capable of contributing more at shooting guard than at small forward.
Therein sits tremendous perspective for observers and the Kings neophytes alike.
Neither Hill nor Nash has been able to corral that elusive NBA title, but there’s not much individually they’ve been unable to accomplish.
Hill, who turned 38 Tuesday, is beginning his 17th NBA season. Cousins, 20, was four years old when Hill began his march towards sharing the 1995 Rookie of the Year award with Jason Kidd.
Nash, 36, is entering his 15th NBA campaign with statistical achievements that pale in comparison to none. He’s a two-time Most Valuable Player and a seven-time all-star.
For the record, Nash averaged fewer than 10 points in each of his first four NBA seasons. Meanwhile, ankle problems prevented Hill from playing in more than 29 games in four different seasons.
Hill and Nash, despite decidedly different and distinct paths, have been places where Cousins and Evans only can dream of walking.
In Tuesday night’s first preseason game for both teams, Cousins and Evans predictably logged approximately 30 and 28 minutes, while Hill and Nash combined to play just 12.
Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said the Kings have a strong duo in Cousins and Evans.
“I like Cousins,” Gentry said. “I think he’s going to be very good. He’s a skilled guy and I think he’s a pretty cerebral player, just watching him out there (Tuesday night). And they’ve got Tyreke, who I think is one of the top five point guards in the league.
“And they’ve done a good job with the support players around these guys. It’s just a matter of getting some experience. But they’ve got a nice solid team.”
Hill also is a Cousins fan.
“I like Cousins,” Hill said of the rookie who had a game-high16 rebounds and 16 points. “That was his first game and they’ll have to learn to fit him in with Tyreke. He should be better after having his first year. (But) mixing in all the pieces together is the thing.
“They have good size and they are crashing the boards. Now it’s a matter of blending it all together.”
Hill said Evans, the 2010 Rookie of the Year, will benefit from his rookie year’s experience.
“I was a lot more comfortable in my second year,” Hill said. “I think having a year under your belt, a summer to reflect on it, a summer to work on your game and knowing what to expect makes your second year a little easier.
“Really, I think the third year really is the big year, but I think he’ll have a good year this season.”
2010 Preseason Game One Fast Breaks
Arco Arena – You can put lipstick on a pig, but the first sounds still will be ‘Oink, Oink.’ The Kings need a new arena.
Shaquille O’Neal’s longtime personal security man, Jerome Crawford, now works for the Phoenix Suns. Crawford said the Celtics initially agreed to him accompanying the Diesel and then balked. Former Phoenix team security director Kevin Tucker now works with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Former Kings head coach Garry St. Jean scouted the game for the New Jersey Nets.
The first time Cousins touched the ball in the low post, the Suns immediately double-teamed. That was Sacramento’s first possession and should provide an indication of how many teams will attack the Kings defensively.
The Kings no longer will be at a disadvantage when it comes to athleticism and size. This is their most athletic team since Keon Clark, Bobby Jackson and Jimmy Jackson came off their bench.
If it’s possible, Cousins has a power game that also can flow into a finesse game.
Right now, swingman Marcus Landry appears pointed towards not only a battle for a roster spot, but a surprise small forward starter. He’s been more impressive than older brother, Carl.
Power forward-center Jason Thompson had been extremely active during practices and continued that approach in game one. Thompson and Cousins on the floor together showed the promise of a team capable of physically battering opponents.
It’s hard to believe I just typed that about a Kings squad.
There still were too many times the Suns got to the rim with little or no Kings challenge. When shot-blocking center Samuel Dalembert gets healthy, it will be interesting to see if he can close down some of that.
Sacramento’s first-half defensive rotations consistently were too slow.
If Evans is capable of stroking his jump shot as he did Tuesday night, he’s going to become even more lethal offensively. Evans clearly can learn from backup Pooh Jeter about pulling up and taking mid-range jump shots on fast breaks.
When Jeter goes up straight on his jump shot and does not fade away unnecessarily, he shoots extremely well.
Antoine Wright clearly knows how to play and his defensive ability and skill stand out.
Beno Udrih easily can play with either Evans or Jeter. Francisco Garcia did not play in the first preseason game because of personal reasons. However, he appears capable of contributing more at shooting guard than at small forward.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Lessons learned part of process for young Kings
The Sacramento Kings are in the midst of an overhaul and coach Paul Westphal realizes keeping life real is more important to their growth than worrying about their feelings.
Tuesday night, they open the 2010 preseason at home against the Phoenix Suns, so things are about to get real. Well, as real as the preseason can get.
Reality comes in different shapes and forms to different people. The Kings will open the regular-season as one of the NBA’s youngest teams.
They’ll also be one of the most inexperienced. Only six of the current Kings were here for 2009 training camp.
Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi were rookies last season. Now they are relative Kings veterans just because they’ve been here before – once.
Westphal said Saturday he read a quote from Utah coach Jerry Sloan describing his Jazz players. Westphal liked the message, so he brought the sentiment to his players.
Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune, “At this stage, they’re probably a little but tired, but I don’t really care. From that standpoint, they should be in better shape when they get here. If you’re going to spend your time getting conditioned in training camp, then you’re probably going to be trying to play catch-up the biggest part of the time.”
Westphal was not dogging his team in any manner. In fact, following Saturday’s long afternoon workout, he spoke of how his team had been fortunate to have few players miss practice.
He was asked how his team was holding up physically.
“Pretty well, really,” he said. “Five days of training camp, a lot of times you can expect more missed practices than we’ve had. They are tired and they are sore, but that’s to be expected.”
Said Westphal of Sloan's quote, “I read that and told that to our young guys today. That’s the way it is. If you don’t come (into camp) in great shape, don’t complain about being sore. It’s time to pay the piper.”
The NBA season is a long, long journey and it’s conceivable the Kings will begin the regular season with seven players (possibly more) with fewer than three seasons of experience.
Center Samuel Dalembert, acquired this summer from Philadelphia, is the most experienced with eight NBA seasons. Beno Udrih is next with six and Francisco Garcia is entering his fifth season.
Conversely, Boston’s Shaquille O’Neal has 18 years of NBA experience all by his large lonesome.
So, many of the team’s key performers will balance the positives of younger legs against on-the-job education.
One of the lessons Westphal hopes his players acquire is respect for the game. All the players truly need to do research the fervor and aggression with which Westphal and assistant coaches, Mario Elie and Leonard (Truck) Robinson played the game.
Check out the sideline antics of 80-year-old assistant coach Pete Carril. He could be a veritable mad man when his passion and competitive nature was unleashed.
Sloan’s Utah teams usually display his intensity. It’s one reason why Sloan ranks among Westphal’s most respected coaches.
“There are a couple of coaches that I think really respect the game in a way I admire,” the Kings coach said. “(Those are) Larry Brown and Jerry Sloan.
“Both of them, I think, would rather have a game called correctly than in their favor. At the same time, they’d fight for every advantage they could get. They love the game and they have a good perspective about competition.
“I don’t want to slight anybody else, but those guys have been around for a long time and I think it’s because they have such a great love for the game.
They’d do anything to win, but at the end of the game, they’d shake your hand and mean it.”
.
Tuesday night, they open the 2010 preseason at home against the Phoenix Suns, so things are about to get real. Well, as real as the preseason can get.
Reality comes in different shapes and forms to different people. The Kings will open the regular-season as one of the NBA’s youngest teams.
They’ll also be one of the most inexperienced. Only six of the current Kings were here for 2009 training camp.
Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi were rookies last season. Now they are relative Kings veterans just because they’ve been here before – once.
Westphal said Saturday he read a quote from Utah coach Jerry Sloan describing his Jazz players. Westphal liked the message, so he brought the sentiment to his players.
Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune, “At this stage, they’re probably a little but tired, but I don’t really care. From that standpoint, they should be in better shape when they get here. If you’re going to spend your time getting conditioned in training camp, then you’re probably going to be trying to play catch-up the biggest part of the time.”
Westphal was not dogging his team in any manner. In fact, following Saturday’s long afternoon workout, he spoke of how his team had been fortunate to have few players miss practice.
He was asked how his team was holding up physically.
“Pretty well, really,” he said. “Five days of training camp, a lot of times you can expect more missed practices than we’ve had. They are tired and they are sore, but that’s to be expected.”
Said Westphal of Sloan's quote, “I read that and told that to our young guys today. That’s the way it is. If you don’t come (into camp) in great shape, don’t complain about being sore. It’s time to pay the piper.”
The NBA season is a long, long journey and it’s conceivable the Kings will begin the regular season with seven players (possibly more) with fewer than three seasons of experience.
Center Samuel Dalembert, acquired this summer from Philadelphia, is the most experienced with eight NBA seasons. Beno Udrih is next with six and Francisco Garcia is entering his fifth season.
Conversely, Boston’s Shaquille O’Neal has 18 years of NBA experience all by his large lonesome.
So, many of the team’s key performers will balance the positives of younger legs against on-the-job education.
One of the lessons Westphal hopes his players acquire is respect for the game. All the players truly need to do research the fervor and aggression with which Westphal and assistant coaches, Mario Elie and Leonard (Truck) Robinson played the game.
Check out the sideline antics of 80-year-old assistant coach Pete Carril. He could be a veritable mad man when his passion and competitive nature was unleashed.
Sloan’s Utah teams usually display his intensity. It’s one reason why Sloan ranks among Westphal’s most respected coaches.
“There are a couple of coaches that I think really respect the game in a way I admire,” the Kings coach said. “(Those are) Larry Brown and Jerry Sloan.
“Both of them, I think, would rather have a game called correctly than in their favor. At the same time, they’d fight for every advantage they could get. They love the game and they have a good perspective about competition.
“I don’t want to slight anybody else, but those guys have been around for a long time and I think it’s because they have such a great love for the game.
They’d do anything to win, but at the end of the game, they’d shake your hand and mean it.”
.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Wooden's character beyond reproach
UCLA coaching legend John Wooden passed away Friday night at the age of 99 as one of America's most beloved figures.
I never had the pleasure of meeting the man called, "The Wizard of Westwood."
However, I've known many folks who played with, worked with or had long-standing relationships with him. Never once have I heard an untoward word.
Virtually everyone has someone with something bad to say about them, but not Wooden,
Moreover, Wooden seemed to have garner the respect of everyone - friend or foe - who had the pleasure of his contact.
Google, Bing or utilize whatever search engine you like to read his "pyramid of success," and its basics and simple concepts and theories display his intelligence, grounded mindset and ability to see what 99 percent of us cannot.
The other .9999 percent of us couldn't articulate it nor certainly live up to those principles.
Reading about his actions over the years indicates an off-the-meter character life level to which we only can strive to attain.
In the mid-1940s, Wooden, then the Indiana State Teachers College coach, turned down a post-season tournament invitation because African-Americans were prohibited from participation.
Wooden worked as a truck dispatcher at a San Fernando Valley dairy in the mornings of his first four years as the UCLA coach.
He never was paid more than $35,000 as the Bruins' coach and reportedly turned down an offer of 10 times as much from the Los Angeles Lakers. And this is a man who won 10 championships in 12 years with the Bruins.
Life clearly wasn't about money to Wooden.
Former players say Wooden taught them natural life lessons that would help them become successful in any endeavor. Even during games, players say, winning rarely was discussed.
Do things right always was the bottom line.
Remember, this was a man who taught his players how to correctly put on their socks.
Life doesn't get much more basic.
Gasol speaks his mind like most Euros
Lakers forward/center Pau Gasol spoke Friday honestly about how he believed Boston's Kevin Garnett, 34, has become more of a perimeter player over the years.
That seems pretty evident to me. Even one of the most dominant post players ever - Shaquille O'Neal - is less effective now than he once was. Mostly, that's because our bodies eventually betray us. Gasol will turn 30 July 6.
One day, another player accurately will say the same thing about him.
After covering Vlade Divac, Hedo Turkoglu, Sarunas Marciulionis and Peja Stojakovic it has become clear Europeans generally speak what comes to their mind about others as well as themselves.
In the U.S., that approach sometimes is frowned upon, even by the same knuckleheads who ask the questions.
As media folk as well as just folk, don't ask a question if an honest answer isn't sufficient.
Thibodeau shows brass ornaments
For a couple of years, the word was Boston assistant coach Tom Thibodeau badly wanted an NBA head coaching job.
Then this week, the New Orleans Hornets offered him their gig and he put them on hold. Thibodeau seemingly had options in Chicago and New Jersey, among others.
It's sometime funny how perspective can change. Thibodeau couldn't get a job last year, now he's overflowing with offers. One only could hope Thibodeau has something firm in hand and his opportunities don't dissolve into a mirage.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Kobe Bean Bryant: Moving toward becoming the best?
After hearing about Kobe Bryant for 10 or so years, I met the kid in September 1996, less than a month before his first NBA training camp with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kershaw Leatherbury, a heck of an athlete who'd played at Philadelphia's legendary Overbrook High, was a former college roommate. Leatherbury also had a nice handle and ridiculous range, in addition to batting cleanup behind major-league outfielder Jeffrey (Hac Man) Leonard.
Through that Philly connection, I'd met Kobe's pops, Joe (Jelly Bean) Bryant and former USF point guard Chubby Cox and had a hookup to write a story with Source Magazine.
Leatherbury, since Kobe was about seven or eight, was saying Kobe Bean was a prodigy and appeared headed on a direct course to the NBA. Leatherbury and J.B. were right about the kid who spent much of his youth playing soccer in Europe.
Bryant, then 18, was living (or was it vice versa) with his pops and moms (Pam) and his sister in a cul-de-sac at the top of hill in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. Even at 18, Bryant clearly was advanced in terms of basketball vision.
A maturity, heavily influenced by the guidance of moms and pops, already was in full force. In retrospect, one wonders if Bryant truly believed at that time he could become as good as he is now. Athletically, Bryant's life has been an unfinished dream.
Should he lead the Los Angeles Lakers to another NBA title this June over the Boston Celtics, he unquestionably will be the player of the decade. That means he'd have played an integral role in five titles beginning in 2000 and he'll be 32 on August 23.
Since many observers judge greatness in terms of championships won, Bryant is approaching hallowed ground.
That's one short of the six won by his idol, Michael Jordan. And make no mistake, Bryant has patterned much of his career and playing style after Jordan. Bryant walked, talked and dunked like Jordan. Former teammates say Bryant used to watch tapes of Air Jordan incessantly at the Forum before the Lakers moved to the Staples Center.
As a society, we've seemed to kick Bill Russell and his 11 championships to the curb as if they don't exist. Perhaps it's because Russell was a big man and didn't dominate offensively.
But the title of greatest ever has been awarded to Jordan and it's almost universally acknowledged despite the achievements of Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson, two name just two.
Comparing Jordan and Bryant is a bit premature. Jordan already has his titles, while Bryant remains a work in progress. Jordan retired the first time from basketball in 1993 to try baseball. Jordan dealt with tales about his gambling and the murder of his father.
Meanwhile, Bryant was accused of sexual assault in the summer of 2004. During questioning with the police, he made derogatory comments regarding then teammate Shaquille O'Neal, when the center's name never should have come out of his mouth.
That was Bryant's weakest moment. However, as I've said many times, I've never been questioned by police, much less for sexual assault of a white woman. Honestly, I can't say whose name might have come from my mouth. Spanky? Alfalfa?, Curly Jo, who the heck knows.
However, Bryant has kept his nose clean, remained married, recovered from the knee surgery for which he was in Eagle, Colo. (the scene of the assault). And now Kobe Bean has a chance to do something to make himself more special than he already has become.
Winning a fifth would tie him with Magic Johnson. That achievement is pretty darned good on its own merit.
Only four franchises - the Lakers, Celtics, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs - have won more than three.
Every player with more than seven played with Boston - Sam Jones (10); John Havlicek, Tommy Heinsohn, K.C. Jones and Tom 'Satch' Sanders, all with eight.
According to NBAUniverse.com, three players - Robert Horry, Frank Ramsey and Jim Loscutoff - won seven rings. Horry was the only player to do it with three teams.
With six are Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Scottie Pippen and Bob Cousy.
Bryant's heroics almost are becoming joke-like, said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry. It's no longer news when Bryant dominates down the stretch. The news comes when he doesn't.
Certainly, the defensively-minded Celtics propose a different threat. Yet, in Bryant's mind, having defeated the Lakers in 2008, the C's are a challenge. Bryant, like Jordan, feeds off challenges - like winning championships.
Still working out the bugs, but here goes:
Using your own criteria, who is the NBA's greatest player?
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