The Kings Should Have Done This Long Ago
Reggie TheusBefore last night’s game against the T-Wolves, the Kings had probably about an hour to go over a new gameplan with their new coach Kenny Natt. But remarkably, when they took the floor, they played their best brand of team basketball yet this season, tallying 26 assists – a mark they surpassed only once when they notched 29 dimes as a team against the Lakers on Nov. 23rd – with eight guys scoring in double figures.
How is that possible? Is it that Reggie Theus bastardized their offense so much so that they couldn’t put the ball in the basket? Possibly. But there were a few major changes from Theus’ system, implemented in a matter of minutes, which made all the difference last night.
* Simplification. Watching the Kings with Kevin Martin early this season, it looked like even when this team was close to full strength, they were holding back and waiting for one specific look to open up. Martin would get three or four touches on a single possession without ever looking at the basket. Natt’s first act was to cut out the complexity.
“We had a whole lot of plays (under Theus),” Quincy Douby said. “Today, in shootaround (Natt) made a few plays simpler. You know, quick hitters. It definitely will be easier in my opinion.”
* Control John Salmons. Salmons can be a big asset as both a scorer and a defender. But if he’s got the green light to shoot and dribble at will, then he’s going to stifle the offense’s flow. He went 7-14 from the floor last night, which is definitely a step in the right direction. His best performance this month was the 8-13 night he had in that win against the Lakers.
* Develop Spencer Hawes. As Ailene Voisin writes…
When Hawes commits to defending and rebounding, as he was Monday night, he is an incredibly valuable asset. I keep reminding myself: This is a kid who is 7-foot-1, who completely transformed his body during the offseason, who clearly wants to be great, and who is only 20 years old. If he doesn’t lose his edge, his desire and his willingness to learn, he will become a special player in this league.
Source: Sac Bee
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December 16th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
control says:
I started reading this, then I realized it was about the Kings…I stopped.
December 16th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Big V says:
^^^
And then you posted…..
December 16th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
FaqueAireJordann says:
Reggie was the bomb on “Hang Time”!!!!!!
December 16th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Heckler says:
this whole team needs a do over.
them maloof boys made a mess
they traded chris webber for spare parts
they traded peja for ron artest
they traded bibby for tyrone lue and some bum contracts
and they fired rick adelman
remember, from 1999-2002 this was the most fun team to watch in the nba. for all you phoenix suns lovers, sacto had the run-gun offense FIRST
…and now look at them. pathetic
December 16th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Heckler says:
here is what the kings should do:
get doug collins as a coach; whatever it takes.
trade brad miller for draft picks.
dump the idea of building around kevin martin and spencer hawes. trade them both.
trade hawes and martin to chicago for kirk hinrich and ben gordon
get rasheed wallace from the pistons. maybe trade brad miller straight up
trade for shane battier
imagine a lineup of:
kirk hinrich
ben gordon
shane battier
jason thompson
rasheed wallace
………………with doug collins as coach. it could work. should be enough to win a few games this season; even in the west
go get at it maloof boys
December 16th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
kg fan says:
lol @ hang time, wasnt anthony anderson in that? sorry off topic
December 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
DJ Go Go Gomez says:
@ Hecler
The Maloofs didn’t make any of those trades. Petrie did. And they were GOOD moves! What did Webber do after we traded him?? Got bought out in Philly. Signed with Detroit and couldn’t get off the bench in the Playoffs? The Kings wanted out from underneath his contract and did.
I loved Peja when he was here, but again, he didn’t play for 2 years after he was traded because of back problems. The kings got 2 healthy years out of Artest. Sounds good to me.
And EVERYONE knew the Bibby trade was strictly for salary cap relief. We weren’t winning anyways so why not get out from under that contract too. And I’m glad he’s having success in Atlanta.
The only mistake the Maloofs have made is involving themselves in hiring coaches. They need to leave that to Petrie too.
December 16th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
David Brandon says:
its sad how irrelevant my kings are now…
and maybe its just me, but doesnt kenny natt look like michael duncan clarke?? lol
December 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Mad Max says:
WHO! Who the fuck is Michael Duncan Clarke??
….
December 16th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
McNeill says:
Should have done this long ago? That’s harsh. Something I’ve learned covering the NBA the past two seasons is that it’s tough to rip on people once you get to know them. Either you haven’t had the chance to be around Theus or your heartless for a headline like you choose.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Heckler says:
dj go go gomez–
i stand corrected. place the blame on petrie then
December 16th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
DJ Go Go Gomez says:
@ Heckler
Blame Petrie for what?? Webber blowing out his knee?? Peja’s back problems?? Bibby becoming a 35% shooter??
You made it sound like all the players that we’re traded shouldn’t have been. Webber didn’t lead anyone to a championship. Peja hasn’t been an all-star since he left. The only former King doing anything is Hedo. That’s the one guy you can point at and say “they shouldn’t have traded him”.
My point was that those weren’t bad moves.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
jjankechu says:
rebuilding is inevitable at some point; getting old is a fact of life. it was a good show while it lasted.
move along now, nothing to see here.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Heckler says:
dj go go gomez—
its not that petrie got rid of them, its that he got nothing in return; unless you wanna count artest for peja.
and since he traded allstar talent and got nothing in return, he ended up hurting the team. case in point, look at their roster right now.
he should have gotten more for each of those guys. and now the team just sucks. and alls they could do was fire the coach…as if that ever changes anything; the roster still sucks.
i got nothing against sacto, but the front office messed up the squad.
..and whats the excuse for firing rick adelman? didnt they replace him with some bum college coach or something
December 16th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Heckler says:
is it just me…
or does reggie theus look exactly like cheryl miller?
December 16th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
DJ Go Go Gomez says:
Webber had a bum knee and max contract. Don’t you think if Petrie could’ve gotten more he would have? NOBODY was gonna give the Kings a franchise player or an all star for Webber.
The Peja/Artest trade was an “all star” for an “all star” trade.
Bibby was a salary cap move.
Even when he traded Hedo it WAS for an all star in Brad Miller (an all star twice) and Hedo hasn’t been an all star yet.
And yes Reggie does look like Cheryl Miller.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
David Brandon says:
@ mad max,
man, the dude from the green mile!