I've got a lot of favorites, but when I try to sort them out, three names definitely rise to the top -- and they're the same ones ovrush picked.
First there was Mitch Richmond because of those games when we'd be down 10 points or more (pretty much every game it seemed) and you knew he was going to get hot and drain a few threes in a row to make the game exciting right to the end. We still lost most of them, but he brought hope whenever he toed up to the three point line. When I first started watching basketball regularly, Mitch was the Kings and it was always a rollercoaster ride. A thrill right to the end.
Second was Jason Williams. I have yet to see a more exciting basketball player than JWill in his years with the Kings. Yes he would throw up ill-advised three pointers with regularity, but he would also make the most unbelievable "I can't believe I just saw that" passes in every game. And he never did the same thing twice. It was like he was constantly inventing something new. I felt so lucky that he was on our team and I got to watch him. I was really sad when he got traded for Bibby. Bibby was awesome for us, but basketball was never as fun as it was during JWill's years. I don't know what happened in Memphis, but it's a great tragedy that JWill disappeared from the NBA forefront because he was incredible right from his first game and I still don't understand how he never became the star he should have been.
And third, during the championship years my favorite player was Doug Christie. I think he went unnoticed a lot of the time, and his talent really only shined when paired with great players like Webber, Vlade, Peja, and Bibby -- but he was our heart and soul out there. And one of the smartest basketball players I've ever seen too. He played terrific defense all-game, every game and his passing was fantastic. I can't count how many times he would laser passes in the perfect spot for a Peja layup. Not flashy passes, just quick effective ones with pinpoint accuracy. When games were close he'd routinely turn it up a notch and pick off passes for easy buckets to put us ahead. It's hard to single out any one player from those teams because they were such a cohesive unit, but Doug was the unsung hero and I always respected him for his hard work and selflessness. The Webber trade was a big big deal, but it wasn't until Doug got traded that that era of Kings basketball really ended for me.
Current Kings, I don't know. Still undecided I guess.
First there was Mitch Richmond because of those games when we'd be down 10 points or more (pretty much every game it seemed) and you knew he was going to get hot and drain a few threes in a row to make the game exciting right to the end. We still lost most of them, but he brought hope whenever he toed up to the three point line. When I first started watching basketball regularly, Mitch was the Kings and it was always a rollercoaster ride. A thrill right to the end.
Second was Jason Williams. I have yet to see a more exciting basketball player than JWill in his years with the Kings. Yes he would throw up ill-advised three pointers with regularity, but he would also make the most unbelievable "I can't believe I just saw that" passes in every game. And he never did the same thing twice. It was like he was constantly inventing something new. I felt so lucky that he was on our team and I got to watch him. I was really sad when he got traded for Bibby. Bibby was awesome for us, but basketball was never as fun as it was during JWill's years. I don't know what happened in Memphis, but it's a great tragedy that JWill disappeared from the NBA forefront because he was incredible right from his first game and I still don't understand how he never became the star he should have been.
And third, during the championship years my favorite player was Doug Christie. I think he went unnoticed a lot of the time, and his talent really only shined when paired with great players like Webber, Vlade, Peja, and Bibby -- but he was our heart and soul out there. And one of the smartest basketball players I've ever seen too. He played terrific defense all-game, every game and his passing was fantastic. I can't count how many times he would laser passes in the perfect spot for a Peja layup. Not flashy passes, just quick effective ones with pinpoint accuracy. When games were close he'd routinely turn it up a notch and pick off passes for easy buckets to put us ahead. It's hard to single out any one player from those teams because they were such a cohesive unit, but Doug was the unsung hero and I always respected him for his hard work and selflessness. The Webber trade was a big big deal, but it wasn't until Doug got traded that that era of Kings basketball really ended for me.
Current Kings, I don't know. Still undecided I guess.
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