Even I, the most optimistic of fans, am feeling depressed.
When this season started, I was more positive than I had been in a very long time. Coming to opening night was a joy, even though we lost. There was an old feeling in the air, a feeling amongst Kings fans that had been missing for far too long. It took a while, but I finally realized what it was...
Hope. Four little letters that make a huge word. Kings fans had hope. We had weathered the storm over our team leaving, we had a new ownership group and we had DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, fresh off their FIBA championship. There was hope and excitement in Sleep Train Arena that night and it was electric.
The start of the season reinforced that hope. I defy anyone to say they could have expected to see a 5-1 start. The hope and excitement grew in proportion to the wins by our young team...and it continued to grow until DeMarcus Cousins was struck by some unknown virus. (And that brings up another point - WHY on God's green earth did the organization try to hide his illness?). With Cousins out, the team struggled. We lost games we should have won, and - of course - fingers of blame were pointed at Malone. Why wouldn't they be? You always blame the coach for losses and the players for wins.
When the truth about DMC's illness was finally revealed, it was actually a relief. After all, we're Kings fans. We're used to doom and gloom. I think some of us were truly afraid he had come down with ebola or some other frightening condition. So, hope started to peek out once again...
Only to be shattered into little tiny pieces when, without any warning, Mike Malone was summarily dismissed. The excuses of him disagreeing with certain front office decisions were and are ridiculous, an insult to Kings fans everywhere, especially when those rumors pointed to things that had happened over the summer.
Kings fans are not fools. We are not little children who will buy into whatever story we are told. We gave up our blind trust in ownership years ago - right about the first time the Maloofs told us they weren't planning to move the team, they loved Sacramento and didn't want to leave.
I have a lot of respect for Vivek Ranadive. He led the group that saved my beloved Kings. What I do not have a lot of respect for is being lied to or taken for a fool.
I am not a fool and people who lie to me quickly learn I am not at all patient in that regard.
The Kings this year were playing with passion. They were playing freaking DEFENSE. They may have lost some games they should have won but that was fixable. They were still fun to watch because they never gave up...and neither did the fans.
As many know, I live two hours away from Sleep Train Arena. I had to get a more expensive satellite TV package just to be able to watch Kings games. It is a major deal for me to be able to get to any games, but I was already looking forward to attending at least two or three more.
Now, however, those plans are on hold. I cannot justify the expense of the tickets, the gas, etc. to come to a game if the product on the floor is not going to be worth watching. I've spent too much doing that already.
Vivek Ranadive has made a mantra of "This is YOUR team" when speaking to the fans about the Kings. Well, Mr. Ranadive, you're making it clear that the Kings are YOUR team and you will do whatever you wish. That is, of course, your right. You own them.
We, the fans, merely support them with all that we can - some can afford to be season ticket holders while many, many more all over the globe follow them religiously on TV or the radio or the Internet. We buy the jerseys and a lot of other team merchandise and when we do come to games we only have one expectation - we want to see our Kings play Kings basketball.
If this is our team, then the owners need to listen to what we're saying. We have been through enough as Kings fans. We have endured what many fanbases could never endure. We deserve better than what we're seeing right now - and it starts with some honesty from the front office. We've earned that much.
When this season started, I was more positive than I had been in a very long time. Coming to opening night was a joy, even though we lost. There was an old feeling in the air, a feeling amongst Kings fans that had been missing for far too long. It took a while, but I finally realized what it was...
Hope. Four little letters that make a huge word. Kings fans had hope. We had weathered the storm over our team leaving, we had a new ownership group and we had DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, fresh off their FIBA championship. There was hope and excitement in Sleep Train Arena that night and it was electric.
The start of the season reinforced that hope. I defy anyone to say they could have expected to see a 5-1 start. The hope and excitement grew in proportion to the wins by our young team...and it continued to grow until DeMarcus Cousins was struck by some unknown virus. (And that brings up another point - WHY on God's green earth did the organization try to hide his illness?). With Cousins out, the team struggled. We lost games we should have won, and - of course - fingers of blame were pointed at Malone. Why wouldn't they be? You always blame the coach for losses and the players for wins.
When the truth about DMC's illness was finally revealed, it was actually a relief. After all, we're Kings fans. We're used to doom and gloom. I think some of us were truly afraid he had come down with ebola or some other frightening condition. So, hope started to peek out once again...
Only to be shattered into little tiny pieces when, without any warning, Mike Malone was summarily dismissed. The excuses of him disagreeing with certain front office decisions were and are ridiculous, an insult to Kings fans everywhere, especially when those rumors pointed to things that had happened over the summer.
Kings fans are not fools. We are not little children who will buy into whatever story we are told. We gave up our blind trust in ownership years ago - right about the first time the Maloofs told us they weren't planning to move the team, they loved Sacramento and didn't want to leave.
I have a lot of respect for Vivek Ranadive. He led the group that saved my beloved Kings. What I do not have a lot of respect for is being lied to or taken for a fool.
I am not a fool and people who lie to me quickly learn I am not at all patient in that regard.
The Kings this year were playing with passion. They were playing freaking DEFENSE. They may have lost some games they should have won but that was fixable. They were still fun to watch because they never gave up...and neither did the fans.
As many know, I live two hours away from Sleep Train Arena. I had to get a more expensive satellite TV package just to be able to watch Kings games. It is a major deal for me to be able to get to any games, but I was already looking forward to attending at least two or three more.
Now, however, those plans are on hold. I cannot justify the expense of the tickets, the gas, etc. to come to a game if the product on the floor is not going to be worth watching. I've spent too much doing that already.
Vivek Ranadive has made a mantra of "This is YOUR team" when speaking to the fans about the Kings. Well, Mr. Ranadive, you're making it clear that the Kings are YOUR team and you will do whatever you wish. That is, of course, your right. You own them.
We, the fans, merely support them with all that we can - some can afford to be season ticket holders while many, many more all over the globe follow them religiously on TV or the radio or the Internet. We buy the jerseys and a lot of other team merchandise and when we do come to games we only have one expectation - we want to see our Kings play Kings basketball.
If this is our team, then the owners need to listen to what we're saying. We have been through enough as Kings fans. We have endured what many fanbases could never endure. We deserve better than what we're seeing right now - and it starts with some honesty from the front office. We've earned that much.
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