http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/106319.html
Ailene Voisin: It is Petrie's chore to tidy up this mess of a Kings team
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 12:39 am PST Thursday, January 11, 2007
His players are bickering, his young coach appears overwhelmed and Kings season-ticket holders are becoming increasingly disillusioned and distressed by the unimpressive product.
And this is his mess to clean up.
The roster, the lineups, the feuds, the coaching.
The silence inside Arco Arena.
With his Kings plodding along and distancing themselves from the playoffs, Geoff Petrie, as the face of the franchise and its basketball architect, has to come out from behind the curtain. This is no time for secrets. The fan on the street craves reassurance, wants to be persuaded there is still a reason to care, to remain emotionally connected, to believe that team officials are watching the same thing everyone else is -- lengthy stretches of bad, boring basketball -- and planning for a brighter future.
"We had a cycle of being a team that was very good, had a legitimate shot," Petrie said Wednesday, "and we're trying to come back around to that without totally falling off a cliff. Coming into the year, I thought we could compete for a playoff spot again. But we're obviously not playing well enough. At some point you have to call it for what it is."
In other words, the short leash theory applies as we speak. Petrie doesn't make idle threats; he quietly makes dramatic moves. He also needs no reminders about how poor team chemistry corrupts a locker room. The ill-fated Chris Webber experiment, when Rick Adelman returned the hobbled power forward to the starting lineup in March 2004, disrupting a Kings team that held the best record in the league at the time, left scars all over the building.
"It's just a weird dynamic right now," the longtime Kings executive acknowledged.
Collectively, the Kings look like a bunch of grumpy old men who are forced to coexist in a retirement home. There is absolutely nothing embraceable about them. They gripe, they glare. They seldom smile or seem to be having fun, and their individual skills don't appear to be any more compatible than their personalities.
Bibby refuses to push the ball or pass ahead. Ron Artest still launches too many off-balance, ill-advised shots. Brad Miller's performances have been uneven. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas remain undersized and inconsistent at power forward. Kevin Martin is ignored on offense and occasionally overwhelmed by the ongoing soap opera. The reserves have been erratic, with the exception of Corliss Williamson. Cisco García is lost and Quincy Douby too seldom utilized. And quality opponents continue to exploit the absence of frontcourt length and athleticism.
"But look at that first half (against the Cavaliers)," Miller insisted. "We do show signs. People were probably going and getting their cocktails, feeling good and feeling like maybe this is the (breakout) game."
Were the Kings to exert themselves for 48 minutes instead of, say, every other half or so, they undoubtedly would be competing for a postseason berth, delaying Petrie's anticipated offseason makeover and treating their fans to nightly bouts of entertainment. A few more dunks and breakout baskets wouldn't be so bad, either, though coach Eric Musselman would be forced to bench some of his sluggish veterans -- which he has been reluctant to do -- and turn the youngsters loose while living with their mistakes.
It could come to that, Petrie pressing Musselman to alter his rotations to better evaluate the younger players. And there could be worse developments. Energy and effort are rewarded at the box office, if not to the extent of the old days.
Indeed, as Kings fans arrive later and leave earlier, their frustration is exacerbated by the same bottom line as everywhere else: outrageous NBA ticket prices that erode the goodwill that spanned the seasons -- both the good and the bad. It's much more palatable to watch a Quincy Douby stumble through the maturation process when the sticker price doesn't exclude significant segments of the population. Or when you can afford the beer.
Ultimately, Petrie will make his moves. He acquired the highly paid Bibby and Miller. He determined that the Abdur- Rahim/Thomas tandem was adequate up front. He agreed to the Artest trade and acquiesced on the firing of Adelman, then selected the young, second-time-around Musselman as a replacement, declining interest in Don Nelson, P.J. Carlesimo or some other more-seasoned coach.
So this is his mess to clean up.
Based on his history, the mop is within reach.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
Ailene Voisin: It is Petrie's chore to tidy up this mess of a Kings team
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 12:39 am PST Thursday, January 11, 2007
His players are bickering, his young coach appears overwhelmed and Kings season-ticket holders are becoming increasingly disillusioned and distressed by the unimpressive product.
And this is his mess to clean up.
The roster, the lineups, the feuds, the coaching.
The silence inside Arco Arena.
With his Kings plodding along and distancing themselves from the playoffs, Geoff Petrie, as the face of the franchise and its basketball architect, has to come out from behind the curtain. This is no time for secrets. The fan on the street craves reassurance, wants to be persuaded there is still a reason to care, to remain emotionally connected, to believe that team officials are watching the same thing everyone else is -- lengthy stretches of bad, boring basketball -- and planning for a brighter future.
"We had a cycle of being a team that was very good, had a legitimate shot," Petrie said Wednesday, "and we're trying to come back around to that without totally falling off a cliff. Coming into the year, I thought we could compete for a playoff spot again. But we're obviously not playing well enough. At some point you have to call it for what it is."
In other words, the short leash theory applies as we speak. Petrie doesn't make idle threats; he quietly makes dramatic moves. He also needs no reminders about how poor team chemistry corrupts a locker room. The ill-fated Chris Webber experiment, when Rick Adelman returned the hobbled power forward to the starting lineup in March 2004, disrupting a Kings team that held the best record in the league at the time, left scars all over the building.
"It's just a weird dynamic right now," the longtime Kings executive acknowledged.
Collectively, the Kings look like a bunch of grumpy old men who are forced to coexist in a retirement home. There is absolutely nothing embraceable about them. They gripe, they glare. They seldom smile or seem to be having fun, and their individual skills don't appear to be any more compatible than their personalities.
Bibby refuses to push the ball or pass ahead. Ron Artest still launches too many off-balance, ill-advised shots. Brad Miller's performances have been uneven. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas remain undersized and inconsistent at power forward. Kevin Martin is ignored on offense and occasionally overwhelmed by the ongoing soap opera. The reserves have been erratic, with the exception of Corliss Williamson. Cisco García is lost and Quincy Douby too seldom utilized. And quality opponents continue to exploit the absence of frontcourt length and athleticism.
"But look at that first half (against the Cavaliers)," Miller insisted. "We do show signs. People were probably going and getting their cocktails, feeling good and feeling like maybe this is the (breakout) game."
Were the Kings to exert themselves for 48 minutes instead of, say, every other half or so, they undoubtedly would be competing for a postseason berth, delaying Petrie's anticipated offseason makeover and treating their fans to nightly bouts of entertainment. A few more dunks and breakout baskets wouldn't be so bad, either, though coach Eric Musselman would be forced to bench some of his sluggish veterans -- which he has been reluctant to do -- and turn the youngsters loose while living with their mistakes.
It could come to that, Petrie pressing Musselman to alter his rotations to better evaluate the younger players. And there could be worse developments. Energy and effort are rewarded at the box office, if not to the extent of the old days.
Indeed, as Kings fans arrive later and leave earlier, their frustration is exacerbated by the same bottom line as everywhere else: outrageous NBA ticket prices that erode the goodwill that spanned the seasons -- both the good and the bad. It's much more palatable to watch a Quincy Douby stumble through the maturation process when the sticker price doesn't exclude significant segments of the population. Or when you can afford the beer.
Ultimately, Petrie will make his moves. He acquired the highly paid Bibby and Miller. He determined that the Abdur- Rahim/Thomas tandem was adequate up front. He agreed to the Artest trade and acquiesced on the firing of Adelman, then selected the young, second-time-around Musselman as a replacement, declining interest in Don Nelson, P.J. Carlesimo or some other more-seasoned coach.
So this is his mess to clean up.
Based on his history, the mop is within reach.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
