http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14120863p-14949968c.html
Media insider: Napear separates fact from fiction in Peja trade
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, January 27, 2006
And to think all of this madness could be traced to what Charles Barkley didn't say last month.
It was reported by The Bee and then picked up nationally that Barkley had said during a Dec. 8 TNT telecast that the Kings and Indiana Pacers were discussing a Peja Stojakovic-for-Ron Artest swap.
One problem: Barkley didn't say it, and The Bee had to correct its error. But Kings fans were on local radio and flooding fan Web sites panting about what they thought they heard, and the Artest trade firestorm was on. Pacers president Donnie Walsh later explained to Media Insider he was certain "that's where the rumors really got started - from that newspaper report in (The Bee)."
By Dec. 10, Artest told the Indianapolis Star that he wanted to be traded after hearing of the so-called TNT report, not that he initially wanted to come to Sacramento. Walsh insisted the Pacers and Kings were not in trade discussions Dec. 8.
Grant's tip
Jim Gray broke the trade story for ESPN, thanks to a contact within the Pacers' brass, but Grant Napear officially reported the trade first.
Napear, the KHTK 1140 radio host and television play-by-play voice for the Kings, spoke regularly with Stojakovic on Tuesday in Philadelphia when the trade talk started to intensify. At 12:05 p.m. PST, Napear broke into KHTK's regular programming to say that a deal could be consummated within hours without naming a source - which happened to be Stojakovic.
Wednesday, while Gray was offering updates on ESPN that Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof were still waiting to approve the deal, Stojakovic told Napear that the trade was, in fact, going to happen. That was at 3:20 p.m. PST.
Napear then asked the bus driver taking Kings employees to that night's game with the New York Knicks to open the door and let him out. Walking alongside Madison Square Garden with a cell phone to his ear, Napear went on the air with the update.
Napear said he juggled what was a "very, very, very fine line" of friendship and compassion with Stojakovic and his journalistic responsibility. "Peja knew he could trust me," Napear said.
More Peja-Grant
Turns out, Stojakovic trusted Napear to the end. Knowing that Napear regularly flies coast-to-coast to watch his beloved New York Giants, Stojakovic asked him if there were any late flights back to Sacramento. Napear suggested Jet Blue and let the 6-foot-10 Stojakovic know there would be plenty of leg room, with one bonus.
"I told him, 'They have live TV on board, so you'll see yourself on ESPN all the way home,' " Napear said.
Tripping over themselves
People were so eager to break news that some ESPN "experts" rattled off elements that weren't true. But it's held to gospel because, well, they're on TV, and TV doesn't issue corrections.
Gray and Ric Bucher said several times on ESPN that Stojakovic wanted out of Sacramento. Not true. Stojakovic repeatedly had maintained since training camp that he was happy with the Kings. Gray also reported Mark Stevens, Artest's agent, had placed certain "demands" on the Kings. Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, dismissed Gray's report of demands as nonsense.
Gray also said on ESPN that Artest had approached the Maloofs in a Los Angeles restaurant weeks ago to express an interest in the Kings. Joe Maloof said Thursday that was not true.
Ahmad's room
On Tuesday, Joe and Gavin Maloof were in Secaucus, N.J., to meet with Ahmad Rashad, the executive producer and host of "NBA Access," a reality TV program on life in the NBA. As the trade started to take form, the Maloofs took shelter in Rashad's dressing room. "NBA Access" debuts Saturday on ABC, but the footage of the Maloofs stressing over the trade won't be shown until later in the season.
About the writer: The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at (916) 321-1280 or jdavidson@sacbee.com..
Media insider: Napear separates fact from fiction in Peja trade
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, January 27, 2006
And to think all of this madness could be traced to what Charles Barkley didn't say last month.
It was reported by The Bee and then picked up nationally that Barkley had said during a Dec. 8 TNT telecast that the Kings and Indiana Pacers were discussing a Peja Stojakovic-for-Ron Artest swap.
One problem: Barkley didn't say it, and The Bee had to correct its error. But Kings fans were on local radio and flooding fan Web sites panting about what they thought they heard, and the Artest trade firestorm was on. Pacers president Donnie Walsh later explained to Media Insider he was certain "that's where the rumors really got started - from that newspaper report in (The Bee)."
By Dec. 10, Artest told the Indianapolis Star that he wanted to be traded after hearing of the so-called TNT report, not that he initially wanted to come to Sacramento. Walsh insisted the Pacers and Kings were not in trade discussions Dec. 8.
Grant's tip
Jim Gray broke the trade story for ESPN, thanks to a contact within the Pacers' brass, but Grant Napear officially reported the trade first.
Napear, the KHTK 1140 radio host and television play-by-play voice for the Kings, spoke regularly with Stojakovic on Tuesday in Philadelphia when the trade talk started to intensify. At 12:05 p.m. PST, Napear broke into KHTK's regular programming to say that a deal could be consummated within hours without naming a source - which happened to be Stojakovic.
Wednesday, while Gray was offering updates on ESPN that Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof were still waiting to approve the deal, Stojakovic told Napear that the trade was, in fact, going to happen. That was at 3:20 p.m. PST.
Napear then asked the bus driver taking Kings employees to that night's game with the New York Knicks to open the door and let him out. Walking alongside Madison Square Garden with a cell phone to his ear, Napear went on the air with the update.
Napear said he juggled what was a "very, very, very fine line" of friendship and compassion with Stojakovic and his journalistic responsibility. "Peja knew he could trust me," Napear said.
More Peja-Grant
Turns out, Stojakovic trusted Napear to the end. Knowing that Napear regularly flies coast-to-coast to watch his beloved New York Giants, Stojakovic asked him if there were any late flights back to Sacramento. Napear suggested Jet Blue and let the 6-foot-10 Stojakovic know there would be plenty of leg room, with one bonus.
"I told him, 'They have live TV on board, so you'll see yourself on ESPN all the way home,' " Napear said.
Tripping over themselves
People were so eager to break news that some ESPN "experts" rattled off elements that weren't true. But it's held to gospel because, well, they're on TV, and TV doesn't issue corrections.
Gray and Ric Bucher said several times on ESPN that Stojakovic wanted out of Sacramento. Not true. Stojakovic repeatedly had maintained since training camp that he was happy with the Kings. Gray also reported Mark Stevens, Artest's agent, had placed certain "demands" on the Kings. Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations, dismissed Gray's report of demands as nonsense.
Gray also said on ESPN that Artest had approached the Maloofs in a Los Angeles restaurant weeks ago to express an interest in the Kings. Joe Maloof said Thursday that was not true.
Ahmad's room
On Tuesday, Joe and Gavin Maloof were in Secaucus, N.J., to meet with Ahmad Rashad, the executive producer and host of "NBA Access," a reality TV program on life in the NBA. As the trade started to take form, the Maloofs took shelter in Rashad's dressing room. "NBA Access" debuts Saturday on ABC, but the footage of the Maloofs stressing over the trade won't be shown until later in the season.
About the writer: The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at (916) 321-1280 or jdavidson@sacbee.com..