http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/145348.html
Kings ponder their plight
Flashes of brilliance make them wonder why they couldn't sustain such play.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:05 am PDT Wednesday, March 28, 2007
There is a Web site that cuts right to the chase of the NBA playoff race, deducing via complex mathematical equations what percentage chance each team has of making the postseason.
The latest Kings pulse entering play Tuesday -- according to www.coolstandings.com -- was 3.9 percent.
So if they do miss the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons, Sunday's nearly flawless victory over Phoenix and the handful of potent outings like it will raise one pertinent question inside the Kings' lair and among the team's followers: Where has this team been all season?
The Kings' 107-100 disposal of the Suns was impressive, from their 52.1 percent shooting to their grab-every-loose-ball mentality to the way they attacked the glass after being outrebounded for most of the past few months.
Afterward, the Kings themselves were asking that question.
"It's one of those things where it's like -- could we have been doing this all year?" swingman John Salmons said.
When looking back on this season that seems sure to come up short, it would be erroneous to think that personnel changes or injuries played the largest roles.
Unless there are those who believe Bonzi Wells could have fixed this (let alone Wells playing with long-term financial security), the roster had been -- at least on paper -- an improvement. Salmons was signed to be a utility talent and has drawn nothing but positive reviews, while third-year shooting guard Kevin Martin -- starting in Wells' spot -- has reached heights even those in the organization didn't foresee. Among other notable differences, Corliss Williamson went from a non-factor on the bench to a major contributor.
The Kings' late playoff run last season, in which they won 25 of their last 36 games, began with Wells out with a strained groin. With Martin in the starting lineup, the Kings had the same starting five they have featured for much of this season.
They went 8-3 in those games, followed by a 7-4 stretch when Wells returned and came off the bench and a 10-4 finish with Wells starting and Martin serving as the reserve.
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie was at the forefront of those who entered the season feeling optimistic, contesting the claim that the loss of Wells was a significant setback.
"I don't know how it sets us back at all," Petrie said in late July. "It's going to be different. That doesn't mean it can't be the same or better."
Veteran coach Don Nelson, who landed with Golden State but was interested in the Sacramento post, said months after Petrie's assessment that the Kings' talent was a major attraction.
"I think they're as good as anybody in the West," Nelson said. "I think the Martin kid has given them four All-Star players, really. Once (injured center Brad) Miller gets back, I can't see anybody that's better than they are."
Miller was coming off a summer with Team USA and survived just 2 1/2 games before he experienced left foot problems that would plague him all season. He returned after eight games, and the Kings lost nine of their next 13 games.
Ron Artest missed six games in the first two months, with knee and back injuries bothering him -- not to mention the losing -- in what was only the beginning of his distraction-filled campaign.
Yet the injuries and absences have been a relative non-factor compared to the other teams jockeying for the eighth Western Conference playoff spot.
The Kings have missed a combined 52 games because of injury, illness, dismissal or personal reasons, close to Minnesota (72) but nowhere near as many as New Orleans (345), Golden State (188), Portland (172) and the Los Angeles Clippers (134).
Close games might very well doom the Kings. Beyond their 0-5 overtime record, they are 12-19 in games decided by seven points or fewer.
"That's probably the most discouraging thing right now," forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "We probably should've taken care of enough business early where we'd be all right."
They handled their business Sunday, but closing time might be coming soon.
"I guess if we knew the answer to (the question of where this team has been all season), we'd have more of it," Petrie said this week. "It's been sort of the way we've played this year. We have games or short stretches where we sort of look like we've figured it all out, then we fall back into something else."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Kings ponder their plight
Flashes of brilliance make them wonder why they couldn't sustain such play.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:05 am PDT Wednesday, March 28, 2007
There is a Web site that cuts right to the chase of the NBA playoff race, deducing via complex mathematical equations what percentage chance each team has of making the postseason.
The latest Kings pulse entering play Tuesday -- according to www.coolstandings.com -- was 3.9 percent.
So if they do miss the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons, Sunday's nearly flawless victory over Phoenix and the handful of potent outings like it will raise one pertinent question inside the Kings' lair and among the team's followers: Where has this team been all season?
The Kings' 107-100 disposal of the Suns was impressive, from their 52.1 percent shooting to their grab-every-loose-ball mentality to the way they attacked the glass after being outrebounded for most of the past few months.
Afterward, the Kings themselves were asking that question.
"It's one of those things where it's like -- could we have been doing this all year?" swingman John Salmons said.
When looking back on this season that seems sure to come up short, it would be erroneous to think that personnel changes or injuries played the largest roles.
Unless there are those who believe Bonzi Wells could have fixed this (let alone Wells playing with long-term financial security), the roster had been -- at least on paper -- an improvement. Salmons was signed to be a utility talent and has drawn nothing but positive reviews, while third-year shooting guard Kevin Martin -- starting in Wells' spot -- has reached heights even those in the organization didn't foresee. Among other notable differences, Corliss Williamson went from a non-factor on the bench to a major contributor.
The Kings' late playoff run last season, in which they won 25 of their last 36 games, began with Wells out with a strained groin. With Martin in the starting lineup, the Kings had the same starting five they have featured for much of this season.
They went 8-3 in those games, followed by a 7-4 stretch when Wells returned and came off the bench and a 10-4 finish with Wells starting and Martin serving as the reserve.
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie was at the forefront of those who entered the season feeling optimistic, contesting the claim that the loss of Wells was a significant setback.
"I don't know how it sets us back at all," Petrie said in late July. "It's going to be different. That doesn't mean it can't be the same or better."
Veteran coach Don Nelson, who landed with Golden State but was interested in the Sacramento post, said months after Petrie's assessment that the Kings' talent was a major attraction.
"I think they're as good as anybody in the West," Nelson said. "I think the Martin kid has given them four All-Star players, really. Once (injured center Brad) Miller gets back, I can't see anybody that's better than they are."
Miller was coming off a summer with Team USA and survived just 2 1/2 games before he experienced left foot problems that would plague him all season. He returned after eight games, and the Kings lost nine of their next 13 games.
Ron Artest missed six games in the first two months, with knee and back injuries bothering him -- not to mention the losing -- in what was only the beginning of his distraction-filled campaign.
Yet the injuries and absences have been a relative non-factor compared to the other teams jockeying for the eighth Western Conference playoff spot.
The Kings have missed a combined 52 games because of injury, illness, dismissal or personal reasons, close to Minnesota (72) but nowhere near as many as New Orleans (345), Golden State (188), Portland (172) and the Los Angeles Clippers (134).
Close games might very well doom the Kings. Beyond their 0-5 overtime record, they are 12-19 in games decided by seven points or fewer.
"That's probably the most discouraging thing right now," forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "We probably should've taken care of enough business early where we'd be all right."
They handled their business Sunday, but closing time might be coming soon.
"I guess if we knew the answer to (the question of where this team has been all season), we'd have more of it," Petrie said this week. "It's been sort of the way we've played this year. We have games or short stretches where we sort of look like we've figured it all out, then we fall back into something else."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
