If PDA gets fired this Summer, I believe he will have earned it. Might not be fair but there's been enough mistakes to warrant it.....including the Malone fiasco. He's made some nice moves but there's been enough to fire him. If he stays another year, then he has to deliver a roster that will challenge for the playoffs.
Voisin: Can Kings front office get along?
- Thread starter Larry David
- Start date
Honestly I don't care whether the front office gets along or not. And I don't care who is responsible for which move or which draft pick.
Why are we even hearing this many rumors and whispers about the workings of the Kings' front office and ownership?
All that matters to me is the product on the floor. Because regardless of which cooks have their hand in the pot if they can't find a way to actually make things work I won't bother watching.
Why are we even hearing this many rumors and whispers about the workings of the Kings' front office and ownership?
All that matters to me is the product on the floor. Because regardless of which cooks have their hand in the pot if they can't find a way to actually make things work I won't bother watching.
Somebody has been reading this board and creating an article out of it 
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/3/20/8263149/vivek-ranadive-kings-front-office-warriors-vlade-divac
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/3/20/8263149/vivek-ranadive-kings-front-office-warriors-vlade-divac
Somebody has been reading this board and creating an article out of it
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/3/20/8263149/vivek-ranadive-kings-front-office-warriors-vlade-divac
http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/3/20/8263149/vivek-ranadive-kings-front-office-warriors-vlade-divac
Oh I loved those Kings teams but that was a very unique team in a lot of ways. The style suited the core players and we filled in the rest of the roster with players that fit.
Current Warriors are fine for the roster that they have but I am yet to be convinced that a team that is a jump shooting team can win the series when/if shots stop falling. For the personnel that they have, their style of play is fine because it suits them. Their best 2 players are pure shooters, 3 pt bombers who love to run up and down the court.
For a team where the best player is a big, powerful big man who is at his best in the low post, I am not sure that what we have been pushing since Malone's sacking quite suits the franchise player. I sense there are reservations from DMC's part. I have no proof of that but I sense the lack of "buy in" for lack of a better phrase and I don't like it. When Pop had in prime Duncan, he did not push the pace, he build it around the big guy. When the big guys started aging, he transitioned it more in favor of Manu and Parker. Teams and coaches for that matter, that know how to go all the way to the ultimate goal build around their best player. Not necessarily the style that the owner, or the GM or the coach likes, but one that utilizes the franchise players in the positions where they are unstoppable.
We seem to be going the other way around it. We like this style so lets play it and to hell if it doesn't suit our franchise guy but we like it. The style change has suited Rudy Gay but I am not sure if it suits Cousins
Current Warriors are fine for the roster that they have but I am yet to be convinced that a team that is a jump shooting team can win the series when/if shots stop falling. For the personnel that they have, their style of play is fine because it suits them. Their best 2 players are pure shooters, 3 pt bombers who love to run up and down the court.
For a team where the best player is a big, powerful big man who is at his best in the low post, I am not sure that what we have been pushing since Malone's sacking quite suits the franchise player. I sense there are reservations from DMC's part. I have no proof of that but I sense the lack of "buy in" for lack of a better phrase and I don't like it. When Pop had in prime Duncan, he did not push the pace, he build it around the big guy. When the big guys started aging, he transitioned it more in favor of Manu and Parker. Teams and coaches for that matter, that know how to go all the way to the ultimate goal build around their best player. Not necessarily the style that the owner, or the GM or the coach likes, but one that utilizes the franchise players in the positions where they are unstoppable.
We seem to be going the other way around it. We like this style so lets play it and to hell if it doesn't suit our franchise guy but we like it. The style change has suited Rudy Gay but I am not sure if it suits Cousins
If you had a veteran and wise owner, conflict within the org wouldn't be as important. But with a novice, he is left to arbitrate over the personnel and strategy decisions of others with no conceptual basis on how to choose between warring parties. He's like a guy who knows nothing of the subject, but has so-called experts in that subject who disagree with each other. How is one to choose between experts when one has no knowledge of the subject? By the personality he likes best? By sheer guess? Getting along in an organization is very important. Kraft of the Patriots has written about this. And if the owner is an ignoramus, it's even more important.
Given these front office personnel changes and what a disaster this season has been, it'd be prudent of ownership to release PDA and Mullin this summer, if not sooner.
With history as a guide, I fear the moves they could potentially make in order to save their jobs, damaging the franchise long term. I also truly fear their drafting this summer as well.
With history as a guide, I fear the moves they could potentially make in order to save their jobs, damaging the franchise long term. I also truly fear their drafting this summer as well.
This board fears anybody drafting and for good reason. The only sure draft successes on the team are
JT and Cuz. The main draft committee is composed of Karl, PDA, Bratz, Mullin, Divak overseen by Ranadive and a supporting cast of coaches, scouts and stat people. It certainly is bureaucratic (as are all NBA team processes) but it is as talented as any. And any such group has trouble "scoring" at least in the eyes of everyone or even a majority.
JT and Cuz. The main draft committee is composed of Karl, PDA, Bratz, Mullin, Divak overseen by Ranadive and a supporting cast of coaches, scouts and stat people. It certainly is bureaucratic (as are all NBA team processes) but it is as talented as any. And any such group has trouble "scoring" at least in the eyes of everyone or even a majority.
IMO there's some misconceptions about what GS currently is and I'm not all that sure our FO realizes what those misconceptions are. Everyone gets caught up in the splash brothers and their up and down style but they've made an incredible effort to surround Steph with defenders and 3pt shooters. Barnes/Bogut/Iggy/Green/Livingston are very good defenders, Klay as well and Green is one of the absolute elite perimeter defenders in the league. Their defensive schemes are much improved from the pre-Kerr era and defense really is the priority.
And while they get up and down the floor, they're also a very good halfcourt team with a fluid system. They've done a damn good job building around their best player, Steph and it doesn't work without Steph. And this is what our FO appears to fail to recognize, that first, you can't duplicate GS without Steph and two, GS saw what they had is Steph and built around him, finding players and instilling a system which plays to his strengths while getting personnel which cover his weaknesses, while our FO seems intent on copying a system which doesn't fit our best player rather than figuring out what system fits Cuz best, nor do they know how to build a roster which not only fits around Cuz but can't even build a roster which fits the system/style they want. Whether they want to copy a GS or ATL or SA, they couldn't have done a worse job of acquiring 3pt shooters who can spread the floor, a requirement and every perimeter player on this roster was acquired by our FO, it's not a Maloof issue.
GS needs a post presence down low but that's their only real weakness. It's also OKC's weakness and the LAC's weakness, was at times Miami's weakness, is Houston's weakness. Memphis has the post presence and a gritty roster but could use some more floor spreaders. Can't have everything at once though. That's why SA has been so good for so long btw, they strike the balance between post play and 3&D guys better than any team and have done so for about 15 years straight, while constantly tweaking their system to fit their roster.
And while they get up and down the floor, they're also a very good halfcourt team with a fluid system. They've done a damn good job building around their best player, Steph and it doesn't work without Steph. And this is what our FO appears to fail to recognize, that first, you can't duplicate GS without Steph and two, GS saw what they had is Steph and built around him, finding players and instilling a system which plays to his strengths while getting personnel which cover his weaknesses, while our FO seems intent on copying a system which doesn't fit our best player rather than figuring out what system fits Cuz best, nor do they know how to build a roster which not only fits around Cuz but can't even build a roster which fits the system/style they want. Whether they want to copy a GS or ATL or SA, they couldn't have done a worse job of acquiring 3pt shooters who can spread the floor, a requirement and every perimeter player on this roster was acquired by our FO, it's not a Maloof issue.
GS needs a post presence down low but that's their only real weakness. It's also OKC's weakness and the LAC's weakness, was at times Miami's weakness, is Houston's weakness. Memphis has the post presence and a gritty roster but could use some more floor spreaders. Can't have everything at once though. That's why SA has been so good for so long btw, they strike the balance between post play and 3&D guys better than any team and have done so for about 15 years straight, while constantly tweaking their system to fit their roster.
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indeed, and the problem is that these "experts" are either not experienced enough or don't have the necessary clout to properly educate vivek without indulging his "new owner" tendencies. this was my concern on day 1: vivek ranadive is a first-time owner. pete d'allesandro is a first-time gm. mike malone was a first-time head coach. a more experienced owner (or, at the very least, an owner with some measure of legitimate basketball IQ), may have been able to see that the positive results malone was coaxing from his team in year two were not the least bit worthy of his firing...
unfortunately, vivek lacks the acumen to fully grasp how difficult it is to wring success from such a limited roster, and the only individual in vivek's inner circle with the kind of experience that could warn against such a firing was chris effing mullin, who was a failure as a gm for the run-and-gun warriors, and wouldn't have gone to bat for mike malone's defense-first philosophy without a gun held to his head. even worse, mullin only serves in an "advisory" capacity to vivek, and is thus insulated from the heat that a gm and a head coach receive, despite the fact that he gets to be directly in vivek's ear...
vivek, PDA, mullin, bratz, vlade, karl, and a frustrated demarcus cousins... that's a lotta cooks in one kitchen, with what appears to be a clash of competing agendas. i have no idea how they'll manage to make it work, though i sincerely hope that they do; i'm rather weary from all of this doom 'n gloom. but i just don't see a consensus forming that leads to the playoffs, not unless vivek tosses PDA and brings in an experienced gm with a record of success. otherwise, george karl's the only playoff-tested leader in the organization, and that's likely to create tension when push comes to shove on matters of personnel and "style of play." i'm certainly not karl's biggest supporter among kings fans, but if he's gonna be the long-term head coach, then he and that mess of a front office had better unify under a single strategy for improving this team...
edit: by the way, i view the vlade divac hiring with some optimism. if it undermines the pre-existing leadership structure (or leads to the dismissal of anyone within that structure), then so be it; vlade is one of the nba's most well-regarded global ambassadors. he's an engaging personality, and a statesman of the game. while i truly have no idea how well he'll perform in a his new role with the kings, i do believe that his leadership abilities can help create consensus in an otherwise dysfunctional front office...
unfortunately, vivek lacks the acumen to fully grasp how difficult it is to wring success from such a limited roster, and the only individual in vivek's inner circle with the kind of experience that could warn against such a firing was chris effing mullin, who was a failure as a gm for the run-and-gun warriors, and wouldn't have gone to bat for mike malone's defense-first philosophy without a gun held to his head. even worse, mullin only serves in an "advisory" capacity to vivek, and is thus insulated from the heat that a gm and a head coach receive, despite the fact that he gets to be directly in vivek's ear...
vivek, PDA, mullin, bratz, vlade, karl, and a frustrated demarcus cousins... that's a lotta cooks in one kitchen, with what appears to be a clash of competing agendas. i have no idea how they'll manage to make it work, though i sincerely hope that they do; i'm rather weary from all of this doom 'n gloom. but i just don't see a consensus forming that leads to the playoffs, not unless vivek tosses PDA and brings in an experienced gm with a record of success. otherwise, george karl's the only playoff-tested leader in the organization, and that's likely to create tension when push comes to shove on matters of personnel and "style of play." i'm certainly not karl's biggest supporter among kings fans, but if he's gonna be the long-term head coach, then he and that mess of a front office had better unify under a single strategy for improving this team...
edit: by the way, i view the vlade divac hiring with some optimism. if it undermines the pre-existing leadership structure (or leads to the dismissal of anyone within that structure), then so be it; vlade is one of the nba's most well-regarded global ambassadors. he's an engaging personality, and a statesman of the game. while i truly have no idea how well he'll perform in a his new role with the kings, i do believe that his leadership abilities can help create consensus in an otherwise dysfunctional front office...
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I love watching the Warriors play. Since the Warriors and I go back to beyond the Rick Barry days, I still have some affection for them in my heart. It killed me when they traded Robert Parrish to the Celtics. But then, they traded Wilt away as well. There's been an assumption made, that Vivek is intent on building a team like the Warrior team he was associated with. And I think he did reference that. But he also referenced the Spurs as a team he wanted to emulate. He mentioned the old Kings as a team he admired, and has now added Vlade to the mix, for whatever that's ends up being worth. My point is, that I think this image of the Kings being a run and gun team under Vivek has been exaggerated. I think he's looking for a team that shares the ball better, and isn't just an iso team. Which, for the most part, it was under Malone.
Now to Malone's credit, he was doing nothing more than utilizing the team's strengths. It's like you have a lot nails you need to use, and you have a bunch of rocks, and a hammer. Well, your going to use the hammer. And Cousins was the hammer. It may get ugly and boring at times, but what the hell, your driving those nails in. Now that's sort of a poor analogy, but you get the idea. He got fired for doing what he thought was the best way to win with what he had. What I'm saying, is that I agree with you. The first thing you have to do, is find out who your best player/players are, (Curry on the Warriors) and build a team, and a system around them. If your caught up in having to have a certain system, and the players don't support that system talent wise, then your only choice is to change those players. I'm not endorsing anything here, I'm just being logical. The alternative is to beat your head against the wall trying to put a square peg into a round hole.
I think Karl has a real challenge here. Cousins, in my opinion, is a superstar. I know some would disagree, and that's fine. It's a subjective conclusion anyway. Can Karl change his system to accommodate Cousins talents? I honestly don't have the answer to that. Karl has never had a big man like Cousins. Some think that Karl is a similar coach to Don Nelson. Just not true. Karl has been excellent at utilizing the talent he's been given. It's not as though he hasn't coached some big men, it's just than none of them look anything like Cousins. At Denver he had, Nene Hilario, Kenyon Martin, Chris, the bird man, Anderson, and for a time Marcus Camby. At Seattle he had Vin Baker, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins, Terry Cummings, Shawn Kemp, Ervin Johnson, and Frank Brickowski. Except for Brickowski, all were athletic, and ran the floor well. Many of them were very good defenders, which is why Karls teams also defended well.
The problem is, none of them look anything like Cousins. I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. I guess we'll see. I do think it's going to be challenging. But what the hell do I know?
Now to Malone's credit, he was doing nothing more than utilizing the team's strengths. It's like you have a lot nails you need to use, and you have a bunch of rocks, and a hammer. Well, your going to use the hammer. And Cousins was the hammer. It may get ugly and boring at times, but what the hell, your driving those nails in. Now that's sort of a poor analogy, but you get the idea. He got fired for doing what he thought was the best way to win with what he had. What I'm saying, is that I agree with you. The first thing you have to do, is find out who your best player/players are, (Curry on the Warriors) and build a team, and a system around them. If your caught up in having to have a certain system, and the players don't support that system talent wise, then your only choice is to change those players. I'm not endorsing anything here, I'm just being logical. The alternative is to beat your head against the wall trying to put a square peg into a round hole.
I think Karl has a real challenge here. Cousins, in my opinion, is a superstar. I know some would disagree, and that's fine. It's a subjective conclusion anyway. Can Karl change his system to accommodate Cousins talents? I honestly don't have the answer to that. Karl has never had a big man like Cousins. Some think that Karl is a similar coach to Don Nelson. Just not true. Karl has been excellent at utilizing the talent he's been given. It's not as though he hasn't coached some big men, it's just than none of them look anything like Cousins. At Denver he had, Nene Hilario, Kenyon Martin, Chris, the bird man, Anderson, and for a time Marcus Camby. At Seattle he had Vin Baker, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins, Terry Cummings, Shawn Kemp, Ervin Johnson, and Frank Brickowski. Except for Brickowski, all were athletic, and ran the floor well. Many of them were very good defenders, which is why Karls teams also defended well.
The problem is, none of them look anything like Cousins. I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. I guess we'll see. I do think it's going to be challenging. But what the hell do I know?
First, I think there has to be one person within the organization where the buck stops. Someone other than the owner. Usually that person is the GM. That person used to be Petrie. And whether you liked him or not, or felt he was responsible for a decision or not, he always took responsibility for all the decisions. If he hired someone to be a part of his staff, and that person started creating trouble, that person would quietly disappear. He was in charge. We don't have that right now on the Kings. PDA is the GM, but he appears to be running around with his head cut off, blaming anyone he can find for the mistakes that have been made. When he finally stood up and took the blame for the coaching debacle, I had the feeling that Vivek had ***** slapped him around and told him to go do his job, and take responsibliity.
One of the many jobs of the GM, is to be a buffer between the media and the owner. That's part of what he's being paid the big bucks for. The moment the rumor, or word came out, that Vivek was in some way involved in the firing of Malone, whether true or not, I felt that PDA was in trouble. I'm not touting Petrie, but none of this would have happened under his watch. Nor under the watch of any competent GM. There is no such thing as an experienced new owner. Every new owner comes in not knowing the ropes. He may bring a wealth of business experience, but in most cases, none of it prepares him for running and NBA team. For that reason, and that reason alone, it's important that he hire a GM that really knows what the hell he's doing. There's more to being a GM than judging talent, and crunching numbers.
One of the many jobs of the GM, is to be a buffer between the media and the owner. That's part of what he's being paid the big bucks for. The moment the rumor, or word came out, that Vivek was in some way involved in the firing of Malone, whether true or not, I felt that PDA was in trouble. I'm not touting Petrie, but none of this would have happened under his watch. Nor under the watch of any competent GM. There is no such thing as an experienced new owner. Every new owner comes in not knowing the ropes. He may bring a wealth of business experience, but in most cases, none of it prepares him for running and NBA team. For that reason, and that reason alone, it's important that he hire a GM that really knows what the hell he's doing. There's more to being a GM than judging talent, and crunching numbers.
Vlade is aVice President of the Kings organization. Who is President? Granger. Who doesVlade report to? We may never learn for sure.
Who hired PDA (GM)? Probably Ranadive. Who does he report to? Probably Ranadive.
Who hired Mullin (basketball advisor to Ranadive)? Ranadive and that's who he reports to. Is his job a 40 hour week job? Less?
Is this organization a mess or does it just seem like a mess? What if there is method to their madness? Would we know? Would we ever need to know? As with everything associated with the Kings, we judge it by wins and losses. Not good. Will it get better? We hope so but no one knows right now. At any given time any team should get better in time if it has the money. We should get better and with a smart owner we should get better faster. Do we have a smart owner? Look for the next chapter in this series.
Who hired PDA (GM)? Probably Ranadive. Who does he report to? Probably Ranadive.
Who hired Mullin (basketball advisor to Ranadive)? Ranadive and that's who he reports to. Is his job a 40 hour week job? Less?
Is this organization a mess or does it just seem like a mess? What if there is method to their madness? Would we know? Would we ever need to know? As with everything associated with the Kings, we judge it by wins and losses. Not good. Will it get better? We hope so but no one knows right now. At any given time any team should get better in time if it has the money. We should get better and with a smart owner we should get better faster. Do we have a smart owner? Look for the next chapter in this series.
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