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Q&A with Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof
Reports of Artest deal draw evasive response
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:05 am PST Thursday, December 28, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
Above the doors where the Kings' players and coaches enter Arco Arena, there is a mural that once seemed to reflect the hierarchy and future of the franchise.
A 20-foot portrait of Mike Bibby on the left, a giant-size Ron Artest in the middle and a bigger-than-normal big man in Brad Miller on the right.
But in the past two weeks, it seems clear that two of the three core players -- Bibby and Artest -- have been part of trade discussions as the Kings look for ways to keep alive their playoff hopes while building toward that future.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Artest might be only days away from being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers, a deal in which Clippers swingman Corey Maggette would come to Sacramento. At least two Kings players are known to have told people that Artest has asked out of Sacramento.
Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof, however, said he had no knowledge of any trade request, and Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie would not directly answer whether Artest had asked to be dealt. Artest has said publicly that he wants to remain in Sacramento.
Still, the mere reality that there are or were ongoing talks of trading Artest is a sudden turn from the royal reigning that took place just months ago, when Joe and Gavin Maloof watched Artest lead a Kings turnaround to the playoffs and the feeling was that there was always hope so long as Artest was in town.
In an interview with The Bee, Gavin Maloof addressed the Artest trade rumors, the team's future and how coach Eric Musselman has fared in the first two months of the season:
Q: Gavin, it's been reported that you guys are days away from trading Ron to the Clippers. Is that true?
A: I really can't say. I really can't say if it's on or off or whatever's going on. I really can't say anything.
Q: Is the fact that there are even these discussions a sign of how badly you guys want to stop the losing and fix this?
A: I think we're still cautiously optimistic that we can turn this season around. We've got a pretty good stretch coming up against some teams that aren't doing so well, so maybe we can put together some wins. I hope so. I hope we can turn this thing around. I'm optimistic. I think the coaching staff is trying real hard, searching for answers. It's difficult anytime you have a new coach, new staff, a new philosophy, it's hard.
We had all that success in those other years because we had the same staff for so long, and the same philosophies. So anytime you change, it's going to be hard to pull it together. In time, we'll do it. We've got to get through this first period and then go from there.
Q: How tough is it to retool a roster while continuing to stay competitive? And where are you at in terms of thinking maybe you need to make major moves? Some would say blow this thing up and start building from the bottom.
A: I don't think we're at the point where we have to blow it up. I don't think we're at that point yet. Maybe later. Who knows? Who knows what the future brings? But we've got some good young players, and hopefully, we can just keeping getting some more good young players. We've got Kevin Martin, who's terrific, and Francisco (García) is going to be fine, and (Quincy) Douby is going to be good. So we've got some good pieces that we can move forward with.
Q: Considering how competitive your family is, is it hard to think about having to take a few steps backward to eventually move forward?
A: We don't like to lose. We're a competitive family. Nobody likes to lose (less) than we do. But sometimes some things are out of your control. You don't want to make all these moves just to make moves, or do things because you're trying to put a Band-Aid on it. So we have to be very calculating, have to be very careful what we do and how we do it in looking toward the future. That's what's going to happen.
Salary-wise, (salary) cap-wise, we're in good shape. We haven't mortgaged our future, so to speak. Geoff has done a wonderful job of putting us in a position to build it the right way, to build it for the long term that's going to help us be a championship-caliber team. The future, really, is bright. It doesn't look bright now, but I look at the future, and I think it's really bright.
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/99511.html
Reports of Artest deal draw evasive response
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:05 am PST Thursday, December 28, 2006
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
Above the doors where the Kings' players and coaches enter Arco Arena, there is a mural that once seemed to reflect the hierarchy and future of the franchise.
A 20-foot portrait of Mike Bibby on the left, a giant-size Ron Artest in the middle and a bigger-than-normal big man in Brad Miller on the right.
But in the past two weeks, it seems clear that two of the three core players -- Bibby and Artest -- have been part of trade discussions as the Kings look for ways to keep alive their playoff hopes while building toward that future.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Artest might be only days away from being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers, a deal in which Clippers swingman Corey Maggette would come to Sacramento. At least two Kings players are known to have told people that Artest has asked out of Sacramento.
Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof, however, said he had no knowledge of any trade request, and Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie would not directly answer whether Artest had asked to be dealt. Artest has said publicly that he wants to remain in Sacramento.
Still, the mere reality that there are or were ongoing talks of trading Artest is a sudden turn from the royal reigning that took place just months ago, when Joe and Gavin Maloof watched Artest lead a Kings turnaround to the playoffs and the feeling was that there was always hope so long as Artest was in town.
In an interview with The Bee, Gavin Maloof addressed the Artest trade rumors, the team's future and how coach Eric Musselman has fared in the first two months of the season:
Q: Gavin, it's been reported that you guys are days away from trading Ron to the Clippers. Is that true?
A: I really can't say. I really can't say if it's on or off or whatever's going on. I really can't say anything.
Q: Is the fact that there are even these discussions a sign of how badly you guys want to stop the losing and fix this?
A: I think we're still cautiously optimistic that we can turn this season around. We've got a pretty good stretch coming up against some teams that aren't doing so well, so maybe we can put together some wins. I hope so. I hope we can turn this thing around. I'm optimistic. I think the coaching staff is trying real hard, searching for answers. It's difficult anytime you have a new coach, new staff, a new philosophy, it's hard.
We had all that success in those other years because we had the same staff for so long, and the same philosophies. So anytime you change, it's going to be hard to pull it together. In time, we'll do it. We've got to get through this first period and then go from there.
Q: How tough is it to retool a roster while continuing to stay competitive? And where are you at in terms of thinking maybe you need to make major moves? Some would say blow this thing up and start building from the bottom.
A: I don't think we're at the point where we have to blow it up. I don't think we're at that point yet. Maybe later. Who knows? Who knows what the future brings? But we've got some good young players, and hopefully, we can just keeping getting some more good young players. We've got Kevin Martin, who's terrific, and Francisco (García) is going to be fine, and (Quincy) Douby is going to be good. So we've got some good pieces that we can move forward with.
Q: Considering how competitive your family is, is it hard to think about having to take a few steps backward to eventually move forward?
A: We don't like to lose. We're a competitive family. Nobody likes to lose (less) than we do. But sometimes some things are out of your control. You don't want to make all these moves just to make moves, or do things because you're trying to put a Band-Aid on it. So we have to be very calculating, have to be very careful what we do and how we do it in looking toward the future. That's what's going to happen.
Salary-wise, (salary) cap-wise, we're in good shape. We haven't mortgaged our future, so to speak. Geoff has done a wonderful job of putting us in a position to build it the right way, to build it for the long term that's going to help us be a championship-caliber team. The future, really, is bright. It doesn't look bright now, but I look at the future, and I think it's really bright.
http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/99511.html
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