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LWP777
Guest
Good summary and well said.
anyone elses love for the Kings/NBA being destroyed?
- Thread starter HereWeBoogie
- Start date
Good summary and well said.
I hear you.
I look back on the days when I did a play-by-play of every single Kings game and marvel/wonder at my own dedication. I gave up dinners out and trips to town just to stay home and share my view of the game with the KF members who couldn't get game broadcasts. Vacations and weekend getaways were planned around the Kings schedule. My yearly treks to Sacramento were coordinated with home games.
It's not easy being a Kings fan right now and I don't fault anyone who simply has lost the passion. It's still there for me but I have to wonder if it's more tied to memories of the good times than it is linked to the current group of players, most of whom don't spark any real excitement.
On the other hand, it is mind-boggling to think that the Kings have any fans left precisely for the reasons you've outlined above. I think the Maloofs misjudged the feelings of Kings fans and I think they continue to do so. In the end, it might be the one thing that saves the Sacramento Kings.
Hadlowe
Starter
I guess I'm the odd man out. I came to the Kings fairly recently. While the basketball is often difficult to watch, I think the Kings have massive unrealized potential that has been squandered to date by a string of awful coaches and a front office that has phoned it in. Both of those are organizational problems that could be remedied by the right buyer.
For me, much of the fun in watching the Kings is watching the players play to their potential despite the situation they're in. Cousins, Evans, IT, Jimmer, and even Salmons have all played at very high levels at times over the last two seasons. JT has become a pretty solid big man. Hayes does what Hayes does. Right now, while I wait for Burkle, I enjoy the times when one of the Kings' players steps up and has a great game. Outlaw's game in Portland was a hoot, precisely because it came out of nowhere.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I feel like were beating a dead horse. I realize people want to vent. Personally, I like to suffer silently, but hey, to each his own. My problem is that there's nothing new. Everyone knows what the problems are. Everyone knows were bad right now. I'm just not sure whats to be accomplished by contantly poking a sore wound. But as I said, I understand the frustration. I will say this, feeling good, never feels better than after having felt bad for a while. Its all part of being a fan. Unfortunately you have to suffer through the hard times in order enjoy the good times.
Failure almost always precedes success.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
ya a few years ago i would agree with you.
hell even 2 years ago i would have said ya maybe we have been sucking, but soon we will be back in the playoffs and the arena will be rocking like it was back in the glory days. but now i see now happiness in sight. the team is going to suck as long as the maloofs own them, and they have insisted that they are not going to sell. and unfortunatly if they do sell the team, that means the team is probably on its way to Seattle. so i just dont see a light at the end of the tunnel anymore.
HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
he is dealing with an ailing mother. i think its understandable his head hasnt been in the right place.
not to mention the fact Smart is putting him in position for failure with the lineups hes putting him in
Kingsfan23
All-Star
Yes.. don't care who doesn't think I'm a rah-rah fan... The team has sucked for 6-7 years, there has been players on the team I outright dislike and none right now who I individually support. This in combination with owners plotting/attempting to relocate my team, and the team's whereabouts still in the air... really, my love for this team doesn't resemble what it once was a decade ago, no doubt
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LWP777
Guest
I think we can all agree on this
Glenn
Hall of Famer
I suspect most of us have the same attitude. I am happy when we win and unhappy (a little) when we lose so wins and losses make a difference. I don't live and die with them and don't see that as a possibility as long as they are owned by a bunch of jerks who are actively seeking another city for the team to play in. Factor in Smart and it all becomes easy to understand. I can't get as attached as I used to be because the team has one foot out the door.
I busted my butt to try to help get an arena deal put together and donated money I didn't have and the arena deal was there. Then the Maloofs killed every bit of feeling I could have. They did something I still don't understand fully as I don't think that grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. We can lay claim to being the greatest fans in the NBA and certainly the fans, KJ, and perhaps others pulled off something I suspect no one thought possible. It is unfortunate that the Maloofs didn't tell everybody that the efforts would be for naught. I feel like I am held hostage by crazy people. I wish I understood what was going on in the FO, including the Maloofs, but there are no straight stories. There are no stories at all that smack of the truth. That leaves me with the feeling that the owners don't care or maybe better yet, they care ONLY to the extent that the money they spend does not impede there ability to leave Sacramento. I got a tingle of excitement when the Maloofs spent more money on the roster until I found out they were 4th from the bottom of the league in what they spent.
I think we are getting jerked around by the NBA AND the Maloofs. The NBA to their credit did far more than I thought they would do but now what? Is this the way owners can abuse their fans? Somebody do something and quit leaving us all in limbo. Maybe I am asking for too much. Anyway, I am not a true fan anymore and I mean "fan" as in "fanatic." I don't know if that great feeling will come back because lingering in the back of my mind is that every positive amount of energy I put into this franchise can be jerked away quickly.
A player or two still might get me buzzing for a day. I care enough for that. The Maloofs, Petrie, and Smart cannot take away the possibility of a player having a spectacular game and that kind of game means more to me when it is a King than a player from any other team. That's one reason why I watch. I also enjoy seeing young players as they mature and heaven knows, we have a whole bunch of them.
I busted my butt to try to help get an arena deal put together and donated money I didn't have and the arena deal was there. Then the Maloofs killed every bit of feeling I could have. They did something I still don't understand fully as I don't think that grass really is greener on the other side of the fence. We can lay claim to being the greatest fans in the NBA and certainly the fans, KJ, and perhaps others pulled off something I suspect no one thought possible. It is unfortunate that the Maloofs didn't tell everybody that the efforts would be for naught. I feel like I am held hostage by crazy people. I wish I understood what was going on in the FO, including the Maloofs, but there are no straight stories. There are no stories at all that smack of the truth. That leaves me with the feeling that the owners don't care or maybe better yet, they care ONLY to the extent that the money they spend does not impede there ability to leave Sacramento. I got a tingle of excitement when the Maloofs spent more money on the roster until I found out they were 4th from the bottom of the league in what they spent.
I think we are getting jerked around by the NBA AND the Maloofs. The NBA to their credit did far more than I thought they would do but now what? Is this the way owners can abuse their fans? Somebody do something and quit leaving us all in limbo. Maybe I am asking for too much. Anyway, I am not a true fan anymore and I mean "fan" as in "fanatic." I don't know if that great feeling will come back because lingering in the back of my mind is that every positive amount of energy I put into this franchise can be jerked away quickly.
A player or two still might get me buzzing for a day. I care enough for that. The Maloofs, Petrie, and Smart cannot take away the possibility of a player having a spectacular game and that kind of game means more to me when it is a King than a player from any other team. That's one reason why I watch. I also enjoy seeing young players as they mature and heaven knows, we have a whole bunch of them.
My perspective will probably mean very little to most of you. I began watching the Kings because of my interest in Jimmer...I know, most of you resent that. I've never claimed that he is a great nba player or ever will be. I do believe he can and will contribute to this team when proper coaching comes along. The same goes for several players on this team who have potential to play much better.
That being said, I haven't watched NBA basketball since John Havlicek played for the Celtics! It's been that long! I'm a huge college BB fan and simply love the NCAA Tournament. However, I have watched practically every single Kings game for 2 years now...missing maybe 3. I pull for this team. I have become a fan. I read every game post on this forum. I am impressed by the basketball knowledge many of you have and I feel your pain and frustration with the way things are going.
In the early going I used to wish for Jimmer to be traded to a team that could/would use him. At this point, I'm sticking with the Kings and look forward to better things. I want him to stay and become a part of a winning team. When that happens, it's going to be fun.
That being said, I haven't watched NBA basketball since John Havlicek played for the Celtics! It's been that long! I'm a huge college BB fan and simply love the NCAA Tournament. However, I have watched practically every single Kings game for 2 years now...missing maybe 3. I pull for this team. I have become a fan. I read every game post on this forum. I am impressed by the basketball knowledge many of you have and I feel your pain and frustration with the way things are going.
In the early going I used to wish for Jimmer to be traded to a team that could/would use him. At this point, I'm sticking with the Kings and look forward to better things. I want him to stay and become a part of a winning team. When that happens, it's going to be fun.
That's not true. What a lot of us find fault with is the Jimmermania fan who shows up here and immediately knows more about our team than we do. Player fans can become team fans but it seems to be the exception instead of the rule. We welcome people who come here to talk hoops and show a little respect for our board and our team.
See, we gotcha!
I bought one jersey last year - it's #7. Why? Because I think Jimmer does have a place on the Kings going forward. I also bought a #23 jersey when Kevin Martin first came to the team (and actually got to know several members of his family personally). If you think the dumps on Jimmer are bad, you should see some of the stuff that was aimed at Martin, not only at first but throughout his time in a Kings uniform.
I'm glad to see new blood come to the board. A lot of us old-timers know each other so well we can usually start an argument, debate it and end it without actually posting a word.
If you get a chance, try and find some of the 2002 Western Conference Finals games online. That series, widely regarded as one of the classic series in NBA history, defines our fandom. It shows our joy and our sorrow, our excitement and our disappointment. It helped define a lot of us.
OptimusRhyme
Jive Turkey
I use too stay home from parties/hanging out with friends, just too read your PBP threads of the kings games I couldnt watch... My friends thought I was crazy.. I would NEVER miss a Kings game.. If the Kings lost a game I got severely depressed the next day.. I absolutely loved the Kings.. Now I am also NUMB towards them.. I dont even watch the games anymore.. I just dont care... and I hate the fact that I dont care.... Because I want to care.. We deserve better then this..What can we do to get our team back? Start a petition? Rally? Hunt down the Maloofs like the Predator?
I want my damn team back...
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And that pretty much says it all.
Chupacabra
Starter
NO. I will dwell in the trenches of dispare for as long as it takes so that I may relish the fruits that the future brings. What the hell does that mean? It means im in it for life. The emotional roller coaster that this team has put me on since 98 has left a lasting impression. Basketball is the most important thing to me outside of family members and close friends and I enjoy it the most when its played on its highest level. I enjoy being an NBA fan that EARNS the enjoyment of my favorite teams success. That being said, literally everything about this franchise is terrible right now outside of about half of the players on the roster and the uniforms, specifically the black ones.
I still record every game and watch all of them even when i know the Kings lost.
I still record every game and watch all of them even when i know the Kings lost.
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blackice
G-League
I'm always going to be a die hard Kings fan, but what has changed at least for me is the passion I once had for the team. That died a while ago and I don't even have any more emotion regarding the outcomes of the game like before. When they lose or get blown out it would ruin my whole day or night in most cases and I couldn't wait for the next game for them to redeem themselves. I'm thinking about something here, what are the chances the Wizards beat the Kings out in rebuilding their team AND the Kings were ahead of them. I mean Washington's GM is absolutely terrible, but still...they have plenty of vets they just can't stay healthy.
kennadog
Dog On It!
I'm a Kings fan. Do I feel as excited by my team as I did even two years ago? No. Funny thing is, its the Maloofs I can't stand at this point. I want a divorce, but somebody better grant me custody of my Kings.
I'm just praying that the Maloofs are financially forced throw in the towel sooner rather than later and we get a new owner who wants the Kings in Sacramento just like we do.
I will let you in on a secret, though. If its going to prove impossible for us to get a Maloof-ectomy, then I might just prefer that the Maloofs take the Kings elsewhere. I think we will be able to get a new team in Sacramento at some point with a much better owner. There are 8 or 9 smaller market teams in the NBA than Sacramento and we have shown that this city is willing to participate with a team substantially in financing a new arena. Note this is not my preference. I want new owners who will keep the Kings right here.
I'm just praying that the Maloofs are financially forced throw in the towel sooner rather than later and we get a new owner who wants the Kings in Sacramento just like we do.
I will let you in on a secret, though. If its going to prove impossible for us to get a Maloof-ectomy, then I might just prefer that the Maloofs take the Kings elsewhere. I think we will be able to get a new team in Sacramento at some point with a much better owner. There are 8 or 9 smaller market teams in the NBA than Sacramento and we have shown that this city is willing to participate with a team substantially in financing a new arena. Note this is not my preference. I want new owners who will keep the Kings right here.
I've been a faithful fan since the beginning, the Kings have been a big part of our family. The Maloof's have ruined it for us.
We haven't watched ONE game on tv this year, let alone go to a game and spend hard earned money. Until there is new ownership, that won't change. I'll read about them the next day but other than that, they are dead to me.
I wish it was different,,,, but it's not.
We haven't watched ONE game on tv this year, let alone go to a game and spend hard earned money. Until there is new ownership, that won't change. I'll read about them the next day but other than that, they are dead to me.
I wish it was different,,,, but it's not.
bajaden
Hall of Famer
I was born in St. Louis Missouri. Yet, somehow I'm a Kings fan. Yes, I was a St. Louis Hawks fan, but they left for Atlanta. Then I moved west to sacramento, and sacramento having no team, I became a Warriors fan. Not that hard to do really. You'd be amazed, after a few games, you start to get attached. I got rewarded with at least one championship with Rick Barry, Clifford Ray and crew. Then the Kings arrived, and I decided out of loyality to switch teams. So far, no championship, but a lot of good intertainment right at my doorstep. And, I might add, quite a few very very bad years there before Webb, Vlade, Peja, Bibby, and Christie arrived.
My suggestion to you, is that if you can't suck it up, and ride this out, then there's a good team 90 miles up the road that seems to be on the upswing. You won't offend me if you decide to bail ship. I've thought about it myself a few times. In the end, this is a game!!!!! There are things in the world far more important to worry about than a basketball team, or what team you root for. What goes around, comes around, and eventually this team, whether here, or somewhere else, will start winning again. Even if by accident.
In the end, you'll notice there are people here that post, whose location says, Italy, UK, Baja Mexico, Los Angeles, New York city, Russia, and many others I'm leaving out. We don't live there, and yet we choose to root for the Kings. So if you'd rather be rooting for another team in another town, then do so, its not that hard. Otherwise, suck it up, grit your teeth, and grind it out until it things improve.
spok22s
G-League
Amen.
IfAt1st
Starter
Great thread.
And it describes well the varied backgrounds and approaches of fandom towards the Kings.
I'm a fan since they came to Sac in 85. Survived the lean years (early to mid 90s) and rode the wave of the Webb/Vlade team.
My fandom survived the 17-win season, because I was convinced (still am!) they were deliberately losing to get a better draft pick, and had a plan.
My passion for the team has NOT survived the deliberate hamstringing and extortion by the Maloofs.
After the Kings hired Smart, after the debacle that was Westphal (on the heels of Musselman/Theus/Natt), and then they extended him.... and then they extended him AGAIN - all the while, there were (and ARE!) multiple new coaches and proven vet coaches available.... well, I haven't found the passion to tune in to most games anymore.
I loathe being able to say this, but - I told y'all this was going to happen.
The fanbase palpably HAS turned on the team - they've had enough of the losing and the mismanagement and the pathetic coaching.
They've had enough of the embarrassing play on the court, and the incidents off the court.
I believe it was in February that I told everyone that it was do-or-die back then. If the Kings didn't make an improvement back then, and start energizing the fanbase, that it would be an inevitable slide towards apathy and eventual moving of the team by the Maloofs.
With the retention of Smart as the coach and the absurd signings by Petrie, I'm afraid this is basically a foregone conclusion and just a matter of time now.
RIP Sacramento Kings and its loyal fanbase.
1985 - 2012
And it describes well the varied backgrounds and approaches of fandom towards the Kings.
I'm a fan since they came to Sac in 85. Survived the lean years (early to mid 90s) and rode the wave of the Webb/Vlade team.
My fandom survived the 17-win season, because I was convinced (still am!) they were deliberately losing to get a better draft pick, and had a plan.
My passion for the team has NOT survived the deliberate hamstringing and extortion by the Maloofs.
After the Kings hired Smart, after the debacle that was Westphal (on the heels of Musselman/Theus/Natt), and then they extended him.... and then they extended him AGAIN - all the while, there were (and ARE!) multiple new coaches and proven vet coaches available.... well, I haven't found the passion to tune in to most games anymore.
I loathe being able to say this, but - I told y'all this was going to happen.
The fanbase palpably HAS turned on the team - they've had enough of the losing and the mismanagement and the pathetic coaching.
They've had enough of the embarrassing play on the court, and the incidents off the court.
I believe it was in February that I told everyone that it was do-or-die back then. If the Kings didn't make an improvement back then, and start energizing the fanbase, that it would be an inevitable slide towards apathy and eventual moving of the team by the Maloofs.
With the retention of Smart as the coach and the absurd signings by Petrie, I'm afraid this is basically a foregone conclusion and just a matter of time now.
RIP Sacramento Kings and its loyal fanbase.
1985 - 2012
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
I'm not sure that's an appropriate claim to be made. You can spin it all you like, but if the fans quit causing the team to leave, then that's pretty much the opposite of "loyal fanbase". Being "loyal" when times are good is easy. You HAVE to stick with it now, or forever hold your peace. You can't knowingly do something that you think/know is going to cause the team to leave, then cry foul when it does.
I've said before: the Maloofs aren't relevant players. if the building was sold out every night, with the offer to build a new one lurking out there, not in a million years would the NBA ok a relocation bid. The Maloofs aren't in control. You are. If you choose, and it is a choice, not to support the team, and then it leaves...well...
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HereWeBoogie
Hall of Famer
Great post man. Very well written
Glenn
Hall of Famer
Probably no one but me is interested in my internal reactions to this team but the game against the Suns proved to me what I have been trying to say. This is especially in contrast to the Niners game that followed. I literally had no reaction to the Kings loss other than a few head scratching moments of how Smart refused to stick with the hot hand. This is in sharp contrast to my reactions to multiple events in the Niners game. I guess I really don't care about the Kings and I never thought I'd get that far quite so totally.
This team is even losing my interest in analyzing what is going on because Smart is unfathomable. I keep going back through my mind if any other franchise has mistreated its fans as badly as this one. I am sure there have been several times but I this is my first time, my virginal experience, in being screwed by ownership.
I have lived and died with this team. I started a web site about this team. I have donated money to help keep them here. Right now, and I mean this seriously, I would help pack the Maloofs' bags if I knew for sure they would never change their ways. There is a part of me and I guess it must be a part of them also that somehow thought they would right their financial ship and recreate the team of a decade ago. They ARE the only owners to be in place during our best years. I just don't know why we need to suffer just because they are. That's life, I suppose. It takes all kinds.
It is human to try to make sense of the unfathomable. We need explanations or it leaves a very unsettled feeling within ourselves. The Maloofs have created that feeling in me. So has Smart. So has GP. No theory is anything more than a theory so I doubt anyone knows why and what is happening. I especially want to know why we are the victims. It takes a perfect storm I suppose.
I'll let someone who can write better than I to straighten out the intent of this note.
This team is even losing my interest in analyzing what is going on because Smart is unfathomable. I keep going back through my mind if any other franchise has mistreated its fans as badly as this one. I am sure there have been several times but I this is my first time, my virginal experience, in being screwed by ownership.
I have lived and died with this team. I started a web site about this team. I have donated money to help keep them here. Right now, and I mean this seriously, I would help pack the Maloofs' bags if I knew for sure they would never change their ways. There is a part of me and I guess it must be a part of them also that somehow thought they would right their financial ship and recreate the team of a decade ago. They ARE the only owners to be in place during our best years. I just don't know why we need to suffer just because they are. That's life, I suppose. It takes all kinds.
It is human to try to make sense of the unfathomable. We need explanations or it leaves a very unsettled feeling within ourselves. The Maloofs have created that feeling in me. So has Smart. So has GP. No theory is anything more than a theory so I doubt anyone knows why and what is happening. I especially want to know why we are the victims. It takes a perfect storm I suppose.
I'll let someone who can write better than I to straighten out the intent of this note.
Padrino
All-Star
i would not attempt to tell you how you feel, but i do know that i have grown very weary of life in the kings' lane. though i've only recently returned to kingsfans.com after a lengthy hiatus, i never once stopped following the team. and though i am the first to preach patience regarding the development of young talents, the utter lack of forward motion during this rebuild has been maddening, because many of the kings' problems are solvable in-house. like you, my excitement has been directed towards the san francisco 49ers this season, as my passion for sacramento kings basketball steadily fades. my wife and i made gingerbread houses the other day while the kings were busy getting hammered by the nuggets. i had completely forgotten about the game. it's probably just as well. i knew the kings were playing the suns yesterday evening, but opted instead to take my wife to dinner and a movie on a monday night whim. i find it increasingly difficult to care about this team, and not because of the present malaise that surrounds them. there are always gonna be a great many tough years for small market franchises. but it is what a team does to pick itself up, to move forward during those tough years, that makes them worth watching. this team, from ownership on down, is just spinning its wheels. i'll still tune in for the occasional game, particularly when demarcus cousins isn't suspended or in perpetual foul trouble and when tyreke evans is healthy, and i'll continually pop my head in from time to time as part of this online community, but i will no longer commit my soul to the sapping that the maloofs are committing against this team's fans, as melodramatic as it sounds...
Kingsfan23
All-Star
It's a catch 22. Personally I can't fault fans for not wanting to pay their hard earned money for tickets/gas/parking etc. for a team the calibure who gets blown out at home by the Nuggets. The recourse for teams that are bad in sports is that the ownership/management pays for that with bad attendance. With that being said, the unique position we are in as that this further emboldens the MAloofs to leave and lessens the resolve of the NBA to keep them here.. just a very bad catch 22
Glenn
Hall of Famer
I don't think the Maloofs have enough money to pay the fees to leave. I also think they are losing more and more money and thus making it even more difficult. And, let us say they had enough money to leave, if the NBA OKs that move, knowing full well that the Maloofs are sabotaging the team, I could probably turn off the NBA in its totality. There was an article that posed the question of who the NBA would support, the City of Sacramento or the Maloofs. It's still an open question.
Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Won't be open forever. The only reason thye support Sacramneot now is because of the fading glow of "great fanbase we don't want to lose". By the time you guys get done destroying your own image it will give the NBA the excuse it needs, and it does need an excuse, to do the easy thing and let the Maloofs go. You make it hard for the NBA only as long as you are great. You intentionally sandbag...what's that about quitters always losing?
P.S. I don't think the Maloofs are losing money anymore under the new CBA. The pressure is off them.
