Over the next month, "The Finals" will be featured as a bi-weekly column on bleedblackandpurple as well as kingskingdom.com. It will provide analysis on the 2009-10 season for each player on the Kings roster, as well as a grade.
Carl Landry was traded to the Kings for the very popular, but often injured Kevin Martin on February 18 in a trade that was either great for the franchise, or a terrible decision, depending on who you asked. In many ways, Landry is the forward version of what Kevin Martin was to the Kings with his ability to score in bunches without dominating the ball and to be very efficient. With the emergence of Tyreke Evans in Sacramento, Landry became a much better fit for the Kings as they tried to shore up their defense and develop an inside game. With only one basketball to go around at the guard position, Martin became expendable and Carl Landry had a very favorable contract to give the Kings some more financial flexibility. Landry fit right in on the Kings and looked very comfortable despite only playing 28 games for Sacramento.
The Breakdown
Here is a breakdown of the 2009-10 season for Carl Landry:
Strongest part of game: Scoring ability and effort.
Carl Landry is able to score on players that are much larger than him and has a very polished post game. He is one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA despite giving up several inches and pounds to opposing players on a nightly basis. He shot 53.6 percent from the floor and 80.6 percent from the line this season. He plays much bigger than he is and is also a very tough player that gives max effort on the floor.
Weakest part of game: Lack of Size.
Unfortunately for Landry, his biggest flaw is something that is out of his control. He is your classic “tweener” at the forward position and may not be big enough to take on the league’s best defensively at the power forward position on a consistent basis for a team that is hoping to contend in the West in the near future. He is built more like a small forward, but has the game of a power forward. It doesn’t hurt him on the offensive end as his variety of post moves and scoring ability allow him to score on a regular basis in the paint. On the defensive end, however, he is giving up several inches and pounds to the other power forwards in the league on a nightly basis. That means that he has to work for everything that he gets and hurts his rebounding numbers, even though he work hard on the glass and is very polished. If the Kings were able to land a defensive, shot blocking center to protect the basket, it would go a long way to hiding some of these deficiencies for Landry, much like Marc Gasol did for Zach Randolph (another undersized power forward) in Memphis. Unfortunately, every other team in the NBA is also looking for that same player and they don’t just grow on trees, even if they are built like them. Right now, it is just too easy to score on the Kings in the paint and that cost them several games this season as teams were able to exploit that deficiency down the stretch in the many close games that the Kings were unable to win this year.
Area of improvement this season: Everything.
Carl Landry was only a King for 28 games this season, but was already gaining attention throughout the league for his improved play on the Houston Rockets. He went from a bench player last season barely logging 20 minutes a game to an integral part of the Rockets offense. He was not only a prominent member of their rotation in the sixth man role, but their “go to” scorer in the fourth quarter. He increased his scoring from 9.3 points last season to 16.8 this year as he jumped from 21 minutes a game to 30 minutes a contest. He was even better on the Kings, averaging 18.0 points a game in his new role as a starter.
Areas to work on: Continued acclimation with new team and system.
Landry is a very polished player and there might be very little that we can ask him accomplish that he doesn’t already do on the floor. He adjusted quickly to the Sacramento system and gave them a much needed scorer in the interior to go with Tyreke Evans on the perimeter. It will be exciting to see what they can do next season when they have a full camp together and more time on the floor to learn how to maximize their games.
Best moment of the season: Carl Landry’s most memorable game in Houston may have been the first one he played there in a visitor’s uniform. Landry knew that all eyes would be on him returning to Houston for the first time since he was traded to Sacramento for Kevin Martin and he certainly did not disappoint. He led the Kings to a 84-81 victory on his way to 22 points and 10 rebounds for Sacramento. It was an emotional return for Landry as it came less than two weeks after his trade out of Houston. Landry was a very popular player for the Rockets and was seen smiling throughout the contest as he interacted with fans and former teammates.
The Grade
Overall grade: A-
Reason: Carl Landry did everything that was expected on his arrival from Houston and gives Sacramento a legitimate scoring threat in the post that can help neutralize double teams on Tyreke Evans. He hustles and is exactly the type of player that Sacramento fans can embrace and was an excellent addition to the Kings, even if it meant trading the very popular Kevin Martin.
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