http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/257356.html
Marty Mac's World: Big moves by Kings? Petrie plays it patiently
By Martin McNeal - Bee Columnist
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, July 5, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C2
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie doesn't have to worry about one thing -- surpassing extraordinary expectations.
The consensus following the draft selection of 19-year-old center Spencer Hawes and the early days of free agency seems to be the Kings will struggle even to be a playoff contender next season.
Petrie said Wednesday the Kings had nothing going from a trade standpoint. The team still is deliberating on whether to use its entire mid-level exception (approximately $6 million), some of it or none of it.
The guess here is the exception will not be used. Petrie's long-term stance on building a team has been to become a player in free agency by getting under the salary cap, use that room to sign impact players and add them to draftees.
Said Petrie: "If we want to get into the situation here where you have real (salary) room, you have to curtail some of the team's spending and gather enough contracts expiring to create that room. The second part of that is what you still can do through trades to help in the interval you're working with.
"At some point, you have to take a philosophical stance, and if you keep adding four- and five-year or five- and six-year contracts, it makes it a lot more difficult to get there. Potentially, on a two-year horizon, we can naturally arrive there. The exception is if something comes up you think is really good, I think you still do that."
Petrie said attempting to get that real room following the 2008-09 season is what he is looking to do at this point. The contracts of Mike Bibby and Ron Artest (who is expected to opt out of his deal in the summer of 2008) would be off the cap.
The Kings likely will try to sign Kevin Martin to a long-term deal during the July 11-Oct. 31 window, so his projected salary of $8 million to $10 million would be added to those of Brad Miller ($12.25 million), Kenny Thomas ($8.55 million), Shareef Abdur-Rahim ($6.6 million), John Salmons ($5.45 million), Francisco García ($2.89 million), Quincy Douby ($2.2 million) and subsequent draft choices, putting the team's payroll at about $45 million.
Certainly, myriad moves could alter this projection, but it seems Petrie, new coach Reggie Theus and the Maloof ownership group are committed to working with what is on board.
Many observers have painted the Kings as desperate to rid themselves of Artest before next season and anticipate a trade of Bibby. However, Petrie's first name might as well be "Patient." Giving away talent has not been part of his résumé, and Petrie believes Bibby and Artest not only have value around the league but talents to help the Kings.
"I don't think you can live in the world thinking about what can't work," Petrie said. "I don't know any successful people in the world of business that look at things like that. You go back to the first year and when we drafted Jason (Williams), some people said he was a (Continental Basketball Association) player. Chris (Webber) wasn't coming here. We paid Vlade (Divac) too much money, and it was questioned why we drafted Peja (Stojakovic).
"The only thing we can do with our coaching staff is try to get the best out of what we have here, and eventually we'll (have success). I'm totally confident in that."
Petrie said the Kings have the talent to be competitive "if they play together."
That is where Theus and his soon-to-be created coaching staff enter the picture. Petrie said Theus has had four or five candidates in town during the past two days.
"Hopefully, we'll be hiring one or two (assistant coaches) pretty quickly," Petrie said.
Those assistants likely will coach the team's summer-league squad in Las Vegas, although Petrie said Theus will have major involvement.
"If he doesn't hire any coaches," Petrie half-joked of his new head coach, "he will be coaching the team. I know I'm not going down there (on the sideline)."
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com.
Marty Mac's World: Big moves by Kings? Petrie plays it patiently
By Martin McNeal - Bee Columnist
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, July 5, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C2
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie doesn't have to worry about one thing -- surpassing extraordinary expectations.
The consensus following the draft selection of 19-year-old center Spencer Hawes and the early days of free agency seems to be the Kings will struggle even to be a playoff contender next season.
Petrie said Wednesday the Kings had nothing going from a trade standpoint. The team still is deliberating on whether to use its entire mid-level exception (approximately $6 million), some of it or none of it.
The guess here is the exception will not be used. Petrie's long-term stance on building a team has been to become a player in free agency by getting under the salary cap, use that room to sign impact players and add them to draftees.
Said Petrie: "If we want to get into the situation here where you have real (salary) room, you have to curtail some of the team's spending and gather enough contracts expiring to create that room. The second part of that is what you still can do through trades to help in the interval you're working with.
"At some point, you have to take a philosophical stance, and if you keep adding four- and five-year or five- and six-year contracts, it makes it a lot more difficult to get there. Potentially, on a two-year horizon, we can naturally arrive there. The exception is if something comes up you think is really good, I think you still do that."
Petrie said attempting to get that real room following the 2008-09 season is what he is looking to do at this point. The contracts of Mike Bibby and Ron Artest (who is expected to opt out of his deal in the summer of 2008) would be off the cap.
The Kings likely will try to sign Kevin Martin to a long-term deal during the July 11-Oct. 31 window, so his projected salary of $8 million to $10 million would be added to those of Brad Miller ($12.25 million), Kenny Thomas ($8.55 million), Shareef Abdur-Rahim ($6.6 million), John Salmons ($5.45 million), Francisco García ($2.89 million), Quincy Douby ($2.2 million) and subsequent draft choices, putting the team's payroll at about $45 million.
Certainly, myriad moves could alter this projection, but it seems Petrie, new coach Reggie Theus and the Maloof ownership group are committed to working with what is on board.
Many observers have painted the Kings as desperate to rid themselves of Artest before next season and anticipate a trade of Bibby. However, Petrie's first name might as well be "Patient." Giving away talent has not been part of his résumé, and Petrie believes Bibby and Artest not only have value around the league but talents to help the Kings.
"I don't think you can live in the world thinking about what can't work," Petrie said. "I don't know any successful people in the world of business that look at things like that. You go back to the first year and when we drafted Jason (Williams), some people said he was a (Continental Basketball Association) player. Chris (Webber) wasn't coming here. We paid Vlade (Divac) too much money, and it was questioned why we drafted Peja (Stojakovic).
"The only thing we can do with our coaching staff is try to get the best out of what we have here, and eventually we'll (have success). I'm totally confident in that."
Petrie said the Kings have the talent to be competitive "if they play together."
That is where Theus and his soon-to-be created coaching staff enter the picture. Petrie said Theus has had four or five candidates in town during the past two days.
"Hopefully, we'll be hiring one or two (assistant coaches) pretty quickly," Petrie said.
Those assistants likely will coach the team's summer-league squad in Las Vegas, although Petrie said Theus will have major involvement.
"If he doesn't hire any coaches," Petrie half-joked of his new head coach, "he will be coaching the team. I know I'm not going down there (on the sideline)."
About the writer: The Bee's Martin McNeal can be reached at mmcneal@sacbee.com.
