http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13669772p-14512468c.html
So a defiant Kenny Thomas thinks he should be the starting power forward and says so?
Good for him.
Great for the Kings.
Being a good guy is no longer the best buy around here. Given the recent past, a little attitude is a welcome addition to the 2005-06 roster. Infectious nastiness might even be advised. Imagine a deep, healthy complement of Kings competing ferociously for playing time, performing with an edge, and almost by logical extension, displaying the fierce, collaborative defense that secures championships.
This is their choice, their next chance.
This is on them.
And already, based on early chatter, there are hints that these are not your same old Kings, no longer the nice guys who never finished last, but never finished first, either. Healthy competition appears to be aiding and abetting Rick Adelman's anti-complacency campaign. Several players (and one head coach) arrived at training camp this week with a bit of an edge, suggesting a deeper bench and heightened demands are having the desired effect, with Geoff Petrie's latest makeover moving right along - albeit along a uniquely defensive detour.
Thomas is miffed about the perception that newcomer Shareef Abdur-Rahim has swiped his starting job. Mike Bibby is peeved about repeated references to his poor defense. Bonzi Wells is motivated by his rejection in Memphis. Brian Skinner is eager to re-establish himself as a valuable backup center, not the ailing veteran who was all thumbs in the playoffs. And Adelman is still ticked that the Maloofs - with Petrie's apparent acquiescence - pursued Phil Jackson and continue to maintain a wait-and-see approach regarding Adelman's long-term status; his stated desire is to finish the year as a free agent and then dictate his own future.
So, no, the Kings don't look the same on paper or sound the same on the court. Creative tension simmers inside the practice facility. This is a new team and a new start, and without a doubt, this is a bit of a culture shock.
"I look forward to practice," offered Corliss Williamson, a member of Detroit's 2004 NBA championship team. "I think things are going to be different. With the addition of Bonzi and Shareef, you're going to see a team that attacks the basket and is going to be more physical. Those guys don't back down from anybody. And I think we're going to be a lot better defensively. As you get older, you realize you've got to buckle down and defend."
Otherwise, this becomes all too familiar, the Kings remaining the team that moves the ball but never moves into the championship round. And expectations are substantially higher than that. Petrie has convinced the Maloofs that this is a contending squad, if not the equal of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, then certainly capable of kicking at their heels.
After that, who knows? Arco Arena has been the site of mysterious occurrences of late. The streak of lousy luck and even worse karma was snapped weeks ago by the defense-driven Monarchs.
"I think we have a quality, entertaining team," said Petrie, as always, measuring his words. "I think there were a fair number of things we tried to do over the summer - get longer, get more versatile on our wing, add some low-post ability, which we did with Shareef and Bonzi. We got younger at the same time. But we've got to put the pieces together. In the end, how good the team is, in some respects, will be determined by what accommodation is made among the players. Our teams have played well together in the past. For any team to be greater than the sum of the parts, that's the way it has to work."
But it begins and ends with one word: defense.
Improve defensively or it implodes. The coaching staff. The grand plan. The promising season. The 2005 Finals between the Spurs and Pistons only reaffirmed the model: Players can be nice people and still be nasty. The locker room doesn't have to host a nightly lovefest. Who cares if all 12 Kings pile into the same cab en route to the restaurant? Better they should tangle individually in practice and perform as an aggressive, ambitious ensemble in the games.
"Defense wins," Thomas said Monday in the midst of his impassioned mini-rant. "Everybody says that all the time. You've got to stop somebody."
This is their choice, their latest chance.
This is the time to change direction and alter the course.
Defense, it's all about defense.
So a defiant Kenny Thomas thinks he should be the starting power forward and says so?
Good for him.
Great for the Kings.
Being a good guy is no longer the best buy around here. Given the recent past, a little attitude is a welcome addition to the 2005-06 roster. Infectious nastiness might even be advised. Imagine a deep, healthy complement of Kings competing ferociously for playing time, performing with an edge, and almost by logical extension, displaying the fierce, collaborative defense that secures championships.
This is their choice, their next chance.
This is on them.
And already, based on early chatter, there are hints that these are not your same old Kings, no longer the nice guys who never finished last, but never finished first, either. Healthy competition appears to be aiding and abetting Rick Adelman's anti-complacency campaign. Several players (and one head coach) arrived at training camp this week with a bit of an edge, suggesting a deeper bench and heightened demands are having the desired effect, with Geoff Petrie's latest makeover moving right along - albeit along a uniquely defensive detour.
Thomas is miffed about the perception that newcomer Shareef Abdur-Rahim has swiped his starting job. Mike Bibby is peeved about repeated references to his poor defense. Bonzi Wells is motivated by his rejection in Memphis. Brian Skinner is eager to re-establish himself as a valuable backup center, not the ailing veteran who was all thumbs in the playoffs. And Adelman is still ticked that the Maloofs - with Petrie's apparent acquiescence - pursued Phil Jackson and continue to maintain a wait-and-see approach regarding Adelman's long-term status; his stated desire is to finish the year as a free agent and then dictate his own future.
So, no, the Kings don't look the same on paper or sound the same on the court. Creative tension simmers inside the practice facility. This is a new team and a new start, and without a doubt, this is a bit of a culture shock.
"I look forward to practice," offered Corliss Williamson, a member of Detroit's 2004 NBA championship team. "I think things are going to be different. With the addition of Bonzi and Shareef, you're going to see a team that attacks the basket and is going to be more physical. Those guys don't back down from anybody. And I think we're going to be a lot better defensively. As you get older, you realize you've got to buckle down and defend."
Otherwise, this becomes all too familiar, the Kings remaining the team that moves the ball but never moves into the championship round. And expectations are substantially higher than that. Petrie has convinced the Maloofs that this is a contending squad, if not the equal of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, then certainly capable of kicking at their heels.
After that, who knows? Arco Arena has been the site of mysterious occurrences of late. The streak of lousy luck and even worse karma was snapped weeks ago by the defense-driven Monarchs.
"I think we have a quality, entertaining team," said Petrie, as always, measuring his words. "I think there were a fair number of things we tried to do over the summer - get longer, get more versatile on our wing, add some low-post ability, which we did with Shareef and Bonzi. We got younger at the same time. But we've got to put the pieces together. In the end, how good the team is, in some respects, will be determined by what accommodation is made among the players. Our teams have played well together in the past. For any team to be greater than the sum of the parts, that's the way it has to work."
But it begins and ends with one word: defense.
Improve defensively or it implodes. The coaching staff. The grand plan. The promising season. The 2005 Finals between the Spurs and Pistons only reaffirmed the model: Players can be nice people and still be nasty. The locker room doesn't have to host a nightly lovefest. Who cares if all 12 Kings pile into the same cab en route to the restaurant? Better they should tangle individually in practice and perform as an aggressive, ambitious ensemble in the games.
"Defense wins," Thomas said Monday in the midst of his impassioned mini-rant. "Everybody says that all the time. You've got to stop somebody."
This is their choice, their latest chance.
This is the time to change direction and alter the course.
Defense, it's all about defense.
Must be a new season!
