Kings trade Sessions for Andre Miller

[Glenn]

Andre Miller actually has a better post game than Demarcus Cousins

More athletic and less brutal I suppose. It's difficult to discuss because of a fairly large difference in size. Did I say "fairly?" Perhaps I am seeing that Andre uses his body perhaps simply because he is old. It's just interesting. At first I thought Kevin McHale but "hell no." There is only one Kevin McHale.

 

[bajaden]

You are partially right, I am obviously very pro- Casspi but trading D.Will is really what the team needs, I mean we could also get a very decent SF for trading Williams with or maybe a decent backup SG for the team since Stauskas doesn't look very well, team comes first, I obviously want to see Casspi makes the best out of his situation and flourish but that gives me nothing is the team is stuck.

First, I like Casspi, but lets not get too excited about him. He can't hit a three point shot, and at times he doesn't see wide open teammates. So I won't mind if the Kings resign him at the end of the year, but the world won't end if we just let him walk. Second, I'm sure the Kings would have loved to trade Williams if the right deal that helped the team came along. If not, then you just keep him for the next thirty games and let him walk at the end of the season. What they didn't want to do was take back equal money but with more time on the contract, and that's probably what kind of offers they were getting. Third, Stauskas will be just fine. He's a skilled player, and for the most part, his skills haven't been used by the Kings. He's a lot more than just a stand in the corner and shoot the ball player. To be honest, he's been totally misused and until he gets a chance to use all his abilities, he'll probably continue to struggle.

Williams and Stauskas aren't the reason the team has been as bad as it has. No decent backup center and a very predictable offense with mostly isolation play has far more to do with our plight than either of those players. Lack of effort on defense at times, especially very poor pick and roll defense, doesn't help either. Mostly, not playing like a team on either side of the ball is the biggest reason. If you not involved in the offense, you lose focus overall. You start to become a spectator instead of a player. If you lose focus on offense, you'll carry it over to the defensive side. The good thing is that a lot of these things can be fixed by a good coach, and I think we finally have one. So we'll see.

Interest tweet from today's practice.

Jason Jones ‏@mr_jasonjones 1h1 hour ago
George Karl said Nik Stauskas played some point guard in practice today. Said he looked to have bounce in his step handling the ball more.

 

[VF21]

Gotta suck to have the user name andremiller07 for years and change it 3 months before we actually get Andre Miller.

 

[bajaden]

Than what explains this team "showcasing" DWill with so damn much court minutes since early December?

If they couldn't even get a trade for him, that was precious minutes of failure that hurt the team's success quite a bit this year.

Oh I'm sure they had offers, but all the offers had more than one year left on the contract.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Interest tweet from today's practice.
Jason Jones ‏@mr_jasonjones 1h1 hour ago
George Karl said Nik Stauskas played some point guard in practice today. Said he looked to have bounce in his step handling the ball more.

I knew we didn't need Goran Dragic

 

[9x1x6]

http://www.truthaboutit.net/2015/02/wizards-trade-ramon-sessions-andre-miller.html

So they ʻUpgradedʻ their Defense and Pace.

Hold on a minute.....


























HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

[VF21]

Oh I'm sure they had offers, but all the offers had more than one year left on the contract.

Actually there have been rumors floating around about "no offers for DWill" but none of any real offers, regardless of content.

 

[Glenn]

Gotta suck to have the user name andremiller07 for years and change it 3 months before we actually get Andre Miller.

He could get it back and then 30 days later, Andre is gone.

 

[bajaden]

Does he do this often? Wow! Reminds me of a short version of Boogie.

We finally have a PG that will post up. Miller always amazed me with his ability to get to the basket even though he wasn't that great an athlete. He has a lot of head fakes and hesitation moves. He always looks like he's in slow motion, but he makes everyone else look like they're in slow motion as well. He's just a crafty player.

 

[CurseOfTheSalmons]

Jason Jones ‏@mr_jasonjones
Andre Miller will wear No. 22 for the Kings.

That's IT's number!

 

[macadocious]

Jason Jones ‏@mr_jasonjones 1h1 hour ago
George Karl said Nik Stauskas played some point guard in practice today. Said he looked to have bounce in his step handling the ball more.

This makes me Giddy!!!

This is why I wanted to draft him. I think he can play P/SG like Christie did for us. Without the defense now of course.

 

[Larry89]

Gotta suck to have the user name andremiller07 for years and change it 3 months before we actually get Andre Miller.

Im going to change my name to kevindurant07

 

[Sac.1989]

good solid trade. Miller knows how we'll role and hes a vet we need

 

[IfAt1st]

Jason Jones ‏@mr_jasonjones 1h1 hour ago
George Karl said Nik Stauskas played some point guard in practice today. Said he looked to have bounce in his step handling the ball more.

How will Nik's "bounce" be when he's picked by opposing guards time and time again?

Hasn't he turned it over a high % of the time he's touched the ball in the backcourt so far in his career?

I'm so sick of this concept that it's the team's or the coach's responsibility to "give a player confidence" or "put him in a position to succeed"..... (especially w/rt guards)
whatever happened to the PLAYER being responsible for his own actions?
I really doubt at this level that any coach can teach a player fundamentals like ballhandling, court vision, decision-making, etc.
That's all on the player, to study and learn the game at this level.
No matter how many times a coach TELLS a player to do something, if that player simply can;t execute that advice (either physically or mentally) then the fault lies in the player.

 

[9x1x6]

That's IT's number!

And we play IT tomorrow?

 

[lawlman91]

Andre Miller actually has a better post game than Demarcus Cousins

This is arguable. But Jason Thompson? Most definitely.

 

[lawlman91]

Jason Jones ‏@mr_jasonjones 1h1 hour ago
George Karl said Nik Stauskas played some point guard in practice today. Said he looked to have bounce in his step handling the ball more.

Yes. This is where Nik is meant to be.

 

[The Hammer]

Yes. This is where Nik is meant to be.

I think so too, mostly because he simply cannot defend NBA 2 guards. Also, ball handling is one of the things that is improvable with effort, and his is already pretty good. I think the offseason for him will be highly focused on quickness drills, ball-handling, and just getting stronger. The shooting will come once he can find an NBA position to play. If he can do those other things, good chance he can be an NBA back-up point guard... even next season, in addition to minutes at the two. Let him develop that way for a couple years, while Ben remains the starting 2.

 

[bajaden]

How will Nik's "bounce" be when he's picked by opposing guards time and time again?

Hasn't he turned it over a high % of the time he's touched the ball in the backcourt so far in his career?

I'm so sick of this concept that it's the team's or the coach's responsibility to "give a player confidence" or "put him in a position to succeed"..... (especially w/rt guards)
whatever happened to the PLAYER being responsible for his own actions?
I really doubt at this level that any coach can teach a player fundamentals like ballhandling, court vision, decision-making, etc.
That's all on the player, to study and learn the game at this level.
No matter how many times a coach TELLS a player to do something, if that player simply can;t execute that advice (either physically or mentally) then the fault lies in the player.

Actually, no! He doesn't turn the ball over much. So try and get your facts straight. To be honest, he doesn't touch the ball enough in order to turn the ball over very much. At Michigan, he handled the ball all the time, and led the team in assists. Obviously you must want him to fail, since you just make up subjective negatives about him. And yes, it is up to the coach to put a player in a position to succeed. Do you play a center at PG? Of course not, you play him at center. Now that's an extreme example, but it makes my point. If you draft a player that's a good ballhandler and is excellent at running the pick and roll, and was one of the primary ball handlers at his school, do you just stick him in a corner and then never pass him the ball? And then, say he stinks because he doesn't do anything when he's on the game?

He doesn't need to be taught ballhandling, decision making or anything about court vision. He already has those things. That's the reason I wanted the Kings to draft him, because he was fundamentally sound. But none of those things matter if your no put in a position to use them. You think a rookie can just go into the game and demand the ball? He has to be part of plays that have been drawn up and practiced. His number has to be called. You have to put the ball in his hands and let him make some decisions. As I mentioned earlier, he led Michigan in assists per game and it wasn't an accident.

Does that mean he's going to be great? Who the hell knows? But we'll never know if he's not given the chance to use all his abilities, and so far, he's been misused. Just my humble opinion. Well, maybe not so humble.

 

[sdballer]

I think so too, mostly because he simply cannot defend NBA 2 guards. Also, ball handling is one of the things that is improvable with effort, and his is already pretty good. I think the offseason for him will be highly focused on quickness drills, ball-handling, and just getting stronger. The shooting will come once he can find an NBA position to play. If he can do those other things, good chance he can be an NBA back-up point guard... even next season, in addition to minutes at the two. Let him develop that way for a couple years, while Ben remains the starting 2.

Not sure guarding quicker ones is going to help nik.

 

[bajaden]

I think so too, mostly because he simply cannot defend NBA 2 guards. Also, ball handling is one of the things that is improvable with effort, and his is already pretty good. I think the offseason for him will be highly focused on quickness drills, ball-handling, and just getting stronger. The shooting will come once he can find an NBA position to play. If he can do those other things, good chance he can be an NBA back-up point guard... even next season, in addition to minutes at the two. Let him develop that way for a couple years, while Ben remains the starting 2.

I always thought from the moment we drafted him that he could be a sort of jack of all trades player. He can play SG, and play a little PG if needed, and he's tall enough to play some SF as well, but he does need to get stronger. The last thing I'm worried about is his shooting. He shot lights out in highschool and in his two years at Michigan. I wouldn't have been upset if we had traded him for an asset of need, but if he's going to be a part of this team, then lets develop him into a productive player. That's a plus no matter which way it turns out. At worse, he becomes a bigger trade asset.

 

[bajaden]

Not sure guarding quicker ones is going to help nik.

I don't think Nik will every be a Doug Christie type of defender, but I think he'll be able to defend well enough not to be a liability. Especially if we can put together a good team defense. He's gotten better as the season has gone along, and his main mistakes have more to do with bad decision making than they do athleticism. I'm not a big fan of playing off your man the way the Kings have been doing, and Nik has been one of the main offenders in that area. I have to believe that he's doing what they want, and if so, I'm not in agreement. Both he and McLemore always look like their cheating toward the key in order to double if necessary, but Nik gets so far away from his man he either can't get back in time, or he's running back and his man just puts the ball on the floor and uses Nik's momentum to go right by him toward the basket. My point is, its correctable.

 

[Chubbs]

Does he do this often? Wow! Reminds me of a short version of Boogie.

I don't think its hyperbole to say Miller is one of the best post playing guards in NBA history.

Well, 5 years ago anyway.

 

[TonyTouch21]

Stop in at "The House Of Chicken and Ribs" 3535 Elverta Rd. Good BBQ, and some cool Andre "Pig" Miller memorabilia.

 

[Iced Espresso]

Was talking with Washington fans about Miller, so I asked a few questions and got a consensus about what he can do these days.

1. He cannot stay in front of his man on D very much at all any more.
2. Should be able to give us 15+ mpg no problem.
3. Is still very capable of running an offense, real good actually.
4. Remarkable post play for a guard.
5. Scapegoated for some problems over there, some people were frustrated with him a bit, but had some real loyal people who loved him.

 

[rainmaker]

Yeah, some don't agree with me on this but as far as tools go and the flow he plays with, I see clear shades of Manu in Nik. One of the aspects to his game which will make him a good NBA player down the road is his ability to handle the rock, to attack off the P&R, to get his shot off the dribble and pass off the dribble. To a certain extent it makes sense to give him more time on the ball, however the question is is he ready for that at this point. I guess we might find out soon enough.

I think some make the mistake that because Nik is labelled as a shooter and he's spent so much time stuck on the wing or in the corner spotting up, that that's all he can do, that's what he's best suited for. I don't see that, I think he needs to see the ball, handle the ball and have the freedom to create a little. But again, is he ready?

And before people go nuts about by Manu comparison, I'm not saying he's near that level of player or ever will be, just they share the same characteristics. When I watch Nik I see a guy who could have modeled his game after Manu growing up, far more than a comparison to a guy like Reddick, whether intentional or not. Manu is also an assassin, a balls to the wall player and the ultra competitor. That can't be taught and we'll see if Nik ultimately has that. I do think he had some swag for a rook before the season went south and in a year or two after some success that swag will come back. Nik is going to surprise some folks here at some point, either down the road in a Kings uniform or elsewhere.

 

[206Fan]

Actually, no! He doesn't turn the ball over much. So try and get your facts straight. To be honest, he doesn't touch the ball enough in order to turn the ball over very much. At Michigan, he handled the ball all the time, and led the team in assists. Obviously you must want him to fail, since you just make up subjective negatives about him. And yes, it is up to the coach to put a player in a position to succeed. Do you play a center at PG? Of course not, you play him at center. Now that's an extreme example, but it makes my point. If you draft a player that's a good ballhandler and is excellent at running the pick and roll, and was one of the primary ball handlers at his school, do you just stick him in a corner and then never pass him the ball? And then, say he stinks because he doesn't do anything when he's on the game?

He doesn't need to be taught ballhandling, decision making or anything about court vision. He already has those things. That's the reason I wanted the Kings to draft him, because he was fundamentally sound. But none of those things matter if your no put in a position to use them. You think a rookie can just go into the game and demand the ball? He has to be part of plays that have been drawn up and practiced. His number has to be called. You have to put the ball in his hands and let him make some decisions. As I mentioned earlier, he led Michigan in assists per game and it wasn't an accident.

Does that mean he's going to be great? Who the hell knows? But we'll never know if he's not given the chance to use all his abilities, and so far, he's been misused. Just my humble opinion. Well, maybe not so humble.

This is exactly why I never understood the Klay Thompson comparisons. I know this would be a huge reach, but if he improves on his handlings and drives, he could be a good PG given his skills. The lowest of the low Nik will ever be is a spot up 3pt shooter. I hope Karl gives Nik a few mins at PG.

 

[rainmaker]

This is exactly why I never understood the Klay Thompson comparisons. I know this would be a huge reach, but if he improves on his handlings and drives, he could be a good PG given his skills. The lowest of the low Nik will ever be is a spot up 3pt shooter. I hope Karl gives Nik a few mins at PG.

Nik is nothing like Klay.

 

[Tetsujin]

That's IT's number!

You mean we haven't retired his jersey yet???

 

[The Hammer]

Was talking with Washington fans about Miller, so I asked a few questions and got a consensus about what he can do these days.

1. He cannot stay in front of his man on D very much at all any more.
2. Should be able to give us 15+ mpg no problem.
3. Is still very capable of running an offense, real good actually.
4. Remarkable post play for a guard.
5. Scapegoated for some problems over there, some people were frustrated with him a bit, but had some real loyal people who loved him.

Sounds like a total upgrade over Sessions on just about everything, and a lateral move on defense (pun intended).