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Ailene Voisin: Any reason to smile?
Thanks to injuries and uncertainty,the Kings enter this season facing several significant questions
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 1, 2004
Murmurs at dinner parties. Inquiries at the supermarket. Chatter on the talk shows. Already there is panic in the streets, with concerned constituents speaking with one increasingly anxious voice: What's wrong with the Kings?
While one might argue that eight preseason games is at least a few weeks premature, Kings fans nonetheless are known for swiftly and accurately charting their team's pulse. A little healthy skepticism indeed seems warranted. If not exactly flat-lining, any time the Phoenix Suns run the Kings out of Arco Arena (see Friday night) is a prompt for the arched eyebrows and furrowed brows.
Factor in the unsettling tenor of last season's playoffs and the contentious developments that transpired during the offseason, and Tuesday's tipoff occurs amid more uncertainty than at any time during the Rick Adelman era.
Chris Webber's knee. Peja Stojakovic's mind-set. Rick Adelman's future. Doug Christie's foot. Bobby Jackson's midsection. The visceral impact of Vlade Divac's departure. The perplexing absence of emotional energy and enthusiasm.
For the sake of further (and future) discussion, let's look a little more closely at the pressing issues and their potential impact on the upcoming season:
I. Injuries. For reasons that mystify many within the NBA, injuries to significant players have become almost epidemic. Most troubling for the Kings is the fact that the recurring ailments are afflicting their older players.
Christie, 34, the most productive player the second half of last season, remains hampered by the unpredictable plantar fasciitis. Jackson, 31, missed 28 games and the entire playoffs last season with a severe abdominal strain. Webber, 31, missed 58 games while recovering from major knee surgery, and when he did return was noticeably limited and wildly erratic, yet insistent upon reclaiming his role as the Kings' dominant player.
Even assuming Christie and Jackson fully recover and unite with Mike Bibby to again form one of the league's elite backcourts, affording rookie Kevin Martin time to develop, questions pertaining to Webber will linger. His availability and level of effectiveness, still unclear after four months of offseason rehab, likely will be determined on a daily basis, which only perpetuates Adelman's dilemma: How many minutes should he play? How many games will he miss? How often will the knee ache and swell, reducing his mobility and effectiveness? How would he accept a reduced role, if necessary?
In the very near future, Webber's status must be clearly defined. Players crave clarity.
II. Webber's presence. Now in his 12th season, he has experienced intermittent swelling that has caused him to sit out games and practices, so don't expect miracles. He probably will never be the consistently forceful presence who exploded around the basket and routinely filled the stat sheet with ease. Nevertheless, he can learn a few more tricks from the departed Divac, who while recognizing that his own low post skills and quickness had deteriorated with age, compensated by becoming an even more creative and precise passer.
If similarly willing to accept more of a collaborative role, Webber, given his abundant skills, could remain a very effective player. Rebounding. Setting screens. Moving the ball. Sharing the high post with Miller. Shedding the mentality of having to be the "go-to guy," in essence relinquishing those duties to Stojakovic and, to a lesser extent, Bibby. Otherwise, the chemistry will be volatile this season, too.
"With any injury," said team president Geoff Petrie, "it comes down to what level of pain you can tolerate. Where that settles in, we don't know yet. But we're all pulling for him."
II. Stojakovic's resolve. This is an immensely important season for Peja, who finished as the league's second-leading scorer and flirted with MVP candidacy until his strangely subdued and inconsistent closing weeks.
To become truly worthy of MVP consideration, Peja, now entering his seventh season, has to continue expanding his offensive repertoire (more dribble moves) and, of even greater importance, assert himself and embrace the responsibility of being the No. 1 option. That means accepting all challenges, including any that might arise in the huddle. Doing so enhances his reputation and his team's postseason prospects.
III. Can Adelman survive? Adelman did a masterful job molding the Kings into the league-leading club during Webber's absence, but his decision to force-feed his hobbled power forward back into the starting lineup completely disrupted the team's cohesion and led to fractured relationships. And like all the Kings officials, he surely has to be asking himself this question: What if he had left his starting unit intact and utilized Webber in shorter increments, insisting further that the offense continued running through Divac and Miller?
In the final year of his contract and with no assurances of an extension, Adelman undoubtedly will have less patience for ineffective play - whatever the reason. And based on last season's experience, his decision regarding Webber should be easier. A repeat performance only ensures his ouster.
IV. Can the Kings recapture that elusive on-court cohesiveness? That all depends on Webber and Adelman. Webber, and his willingness to accept reality. Adelman, and his willingness to react accordingly. The Kings certainly have flaws - namely a lack of frontcourt athleticism and a chronic aversion to defense - but the starting lineup is talented and experienced. Besides, the West is a 10-team scrum and, without Shaq around, is anybody's conference. Soon enough, Adelman and his players will start dropping hints.
Ailene Voisin: Any reason to smile?
Thanks to injuries and uncertainty,the Kings enter this season facing several significant questions
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, November 1, 2004
Murmurs at dinner parties. Inquiries at the supermarket. Chatter on the talk shows. Already there is panic in the streets, with concerned constituents speaking with one increasingly anxious voice: What's wrong with the Kings?
While one might argue that eight preseason games is at least a few weeks premature, Kings fans nonetheless are known for swiftly and accurately charting their team's pulse. A little healthy skepticism indeed seems warranted. If not exactly flat-lining, any time the Phoenix Suns run the Kings out of Arco Arena (see Friday night) is a prompt for the arched eyebrows and furrowed brows.
Factor in the unsettling tenor of last season's playoffs and the contentious developments that transpired during the offseason, and Tuesday's tipoff occurs amid more uncertainty than at any time during the Rick Adelman era.
Chris Webber's knee. Peja Stojakovic's mind-set. Rick Adelman's future. Doug Christie's foot. Bobby Jackson's midsection. The visceral impact of Vlade Divac's departure. The perplexing absence of emotional energy and enthusiasm.
For the sake of further (and future) discussion, let's look a little more closely at the pressing issues and their potential impact on the upcoming season:
I. Injuries. For reasons that mystify many within the NBA, injuries to significant players have become almost epidemic. Most troubling for the Kings is the fact that the recurring ailments are afflicting their older players.
Christie, 34, the most productive player the second half of last season, remains hampered by the unpredictable plantar fasciitis. Jackson, 31, missed 28 games and the entire playoffs last season with a severe abdominal strain. Webber, 31, missed 58 games while recovering from major knee surgery, and when he did return was noticeably limited and wildly erratic, yet insistent upon reclaiming his role as the Kings' dominant player.
Even assuming Christie and Jackson fully recover and unite with Mike Bibby to again form one of the league's elite backcourts, affording rookie Kevin Martin time to develop, questions pertaining to Webber will linger. His availability and level of effectiveness, still unclear after four months of offseason rehab, likely will be determined on a daily basis, which only perpetuates Adelman's dilemma: How many minutes should he play? How many games will he miss? How often will the knee ache and swell, reducing his mobility and effectiveness? How would he accept a reduced role, if necessary?
In the very near future, Webber's status must be clearly defined. Players crave clarity.
II. Webber's presence. Now in his 12th season, he has experienced intermittent swelling that has caused him to sit out games and practices, so don't expect miracles. He probably will never be the consistently forceful presence who exploded around the basket and routinely filled the stat sheet with ease. Nevertheless, he can learn a few more tricks from the departed Divac, who while recognizing that his own low post skills and quickness had deteriorated with age, compensated by becoming an even more creative and precise passer.
If similarly willing to accept more of a collaborative role, Webber, given his abundant skills, could remain a very effective player. Rebounding. Setting screens. Moving the ball. Sharing the high post with Miller. Shedding the mentality of having to be the "go-to guy," in essence relinquishing those duties to Stojakovic and, to a lesser extent, Bibby. Otherwise, the chemistry will be volatile this season, too.
"With any injury," said team president Geoff Petrie, "it comes down to what level of pain you can tolerate. Where that settles in, we don't know yet. But we're all pulling for him."
II. Stojakovic's resolve. This is an immensely important season for Peja, who finished as the league's second-leading scorer and flirted with MVP candidacy until his strangely subdued and inconsistent closing weeks.
To become truly worthy of MVP consideration, Peja, now entering his seventh season, has to continue expanding his offensive repertoire (more dribble moves) and, of even greater importance, assert himself and embrace the responsibility of being the No. 1 option. That means accepting all challenges, including any that might arise in the huddle. Doing so enhances his reputation and his team's postseason prospects.
III. Can Adelman survive? Adelman did a masterful job molding the Kings into the league-leading club during Webber's absence, but his decision to force-feed his hobbled power forward back into the starting lineup completely disrupted the team's cohesion and led to fractured relationships. And like all the Kings officials, he surely has to be asking himself this question: What if he had left his starting unit intact and utilized Webber in shorter increments, insisting further that the offense continued running through Divac and Miller?
In the final year of his contract and with no assurances of an extension, Adelman undoubtedly will have less patience for ineffective play - whatever the reason. And based on last season's experience, his decision regarding Webber should be easier. A repeat performance only ensures his ouster.
IV. Can the Kings recapture that elusive on-court cohesiveness? That all depends on Webber and Adelman. Webber, and his willingness to accept reality. Adelman, and his willingness to react accordingly. The Kings certainly have flaws - namely a lack of frontcourt athleticism and a chronic aversion to defense - but the starting lineup is talented and experienced. Besides, the West is a 10-team scrum and, without Shaq around, is anybody's conference. Soon enough, Adelman and his players will start dropping hints.
i know what u mean. 
my grammar is poor. 
