Do you feel that Paul Westphal is the right coach for this team, or would other candidates, such as Tom Thibodeau and Kurt Rambis, have been better choices?
I think Paul Westphal is the perfect coach for this team right now. Will that be the case in four years? Who knows? But right now, he has the pedigree, respect, and knowledge to command this team and develop the young players. Thibodeau would have been a nice experiment but what if he turned out to be another Eric Musselman? That would have been disastrous as this team continued to cycle through failed coaches. Kurt Rambis would have been a HUGE mistake because he wouldn't be able to hold this young team's attention for very long. He seems like a life-long assistant, rather than a head coach to me. With Westphal, they have a guy that will know how to use their weapons and have the attitude of being willing to try whatever combination works best. He won't have the ego that brings down the team (see: Mike Dunleavy).
Which players will you be keeping a close eye on during Summer League games? Are there any under-the-radar names who might end up making the final roster?
I really want to see how Tyreke Evans treats the defensive end of the floor and how relentless he is defensively. I also want to see how efficient Donte Greene is with making moves to the basket or is he just going to dribble the ball without making a move and then settle for a hopefully hot jumper? I want to see Thompson's defensive post presence. And I also want to see how Omri Casspi matches up to more NBA-caliber players in an NBA style of play.
As far as under-the-radar names, I'm keeping my eye on Jerel McNeal, John Bryant, and Pat Calathes. McNeal could be a good backup combo guard, Bryant is a monster in terms of size and could be a nice fourth big man on a team, and I want to see if Pat Calathes can be effective from outside like a Pete Chilcutt/Steve Novak type of player.
With Greene, Casspi, Andres Nocioni, and Francisco Garcia, the Kings are very crowded at the small forward position. Who do you see emerging from that group, and what kind of rotation do you envision this season?
Article comments