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Kings thoughts – by Bobby Gerould.
So you are
the Kings – starting the season without an injured Mike Bibby and without a
suspended Ron Artest. What do you do now?
Don’t
panic. Ron-Ron is coming in game eight and he can still change games with his
defensive presence and bully style basketball. The point guard issue is tricky
however. Bibby could be back about the time kids hit their Christmas break.
Quincy
Douby can guard point guards but you are kidding yourself if you think he is a
point guard that can run a team with consistency. He just completed a preseason
that saw him dish ten assists, and cough up 13 turnovers. He is what he is; a
scorer, adept at creating his own shot off the dribble, and a pesky defender.
He has improved from his rookie year but really should he be anything more than
an eleventh man on a team at this stage of his career?
I’ve seen
improvement in John Salmons’ game. He seems to be shooting better in the
mid-range. Ideally – he would be a great third guard. But in this situation
Salmons will be asked to do much more. His approach and professionalism should
not be overlooked. This guy is a PRO.
Brad Miller
put in the work to change his body and he appears improved for this season. In
my book – Miller should be playing alongside another BIG at all times. Miller ‘exploded’
for seven blocked shots in the preseason (or one per game) but he still is not
a “shot
blocker” or someone who makes the opponent think twice about going to
the hole. I have long maintained – Miller should be playing the Power Forward
position.
The best
offensive player the Kings have is Kevin Martin. He was drawing triple-teams in
the preseason.
Francisco
Garcia IS ready to be a starter and prime contributor to the Kings.
Small Forward with occasional ball-handling duties is what I see as the best
spot for Cisco. He played fantastic in the preseason. His outside shot is
looking better which only adds to his terrific ‘drive and dish’ game. He blocks
shots enough to be used in the back of a zone playing small ball.
Mikki Moore
was horrible in the preseason. He shot 34% FG. Honestly – he was badly
outplayed by rookie Darryl Watkins. I know
Kenny
Thomas’ free throw shooting woes have killed his game the way Nick Anderson was
ruined. Thomas has all but abandoned his ability to take slower power forwards
off the dribble because he no longer has confidence at the free throw line.
Without that part of his game – Thomas is not much more than a good rebounder. Last
night vs. the Lakers in Vegas – Thomas scored three points in 25 minutes. That
won’t get it done.
Orien
Greene would play backup guard minutes if I was in charge. He is so good
defensively that I think you live with his offensive shortcomings. He also can
finish plays.
Still
hurting are Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Spencer Hawes. Abdur-Rahim played in the
final two preseason games but he was not effective.
So – what do
you do to start the year without Artest, and Bibby?
You play
Garcia, Martin, Salmons, and Miller 40 minutes. I would throw Justin Williams out
there to provide a BIG athletic presence. I would bring Greene in for any leftover
guard time with Watkins backing up Williams so that there is always a shot
blocker on the floor. Moore and Thomas would spell Miller. Douby would be a
last resort off the bench and tick-tock the game is locked and nobody else can
play. You hope that Abdur-Rahim can get healthy in a hurry.
I am also
big on Anthony Roberson – a young free agent guard that can score and shoot a
high percentage from three point range, and the free throw line. The Kings
would benefit for years by having Roberson in their mix.