http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14240823p-15060461c.html
Marcos Bretón: Who knew the Kings would be like this?
By Marcos Bretón -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 8, 2006
A's general manager Billy Beane often pokes the media for jumping to knee-jerk conclusions that often prove to be wrong.
He's right, but in the case of the Kings, everyone was wrong - about how good they were and how bad they were.
And no one could have predicted how Ron Artest's play lifted his teammates and helped defuse many of the personnel questions dogging the Kings.
For example, would you pick Maurice Evans over Kevin Martin today? Or would you now prefer Darius Songaila over Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Kenny Thomas?
Sure, it sounds ridiculous, but it didn't in December. This column, in fact, almost publicly yearned for Evans, Songaila, Eddie House, Bobby Jackson and Gerald Wallace - all discarded Kings bench players performing well while the "new" Kings bench was AWOL.
Indeed, such criticism seemed rock solid at the time.
And then the New Year dawned with the Philadelphia 76ers arriving Jan. 3 to face a Kings team nearing rock bottom. For the first time in a decade of stellar dealing, Kings president Geoff Petrie was taking heat from fans for letting good players go for bad.
At which point Kings futility was symbolized by a 111-98 whipping at the hands of Chris Webber and the 76ers, a defeat of many cuts.
First there was the scene before the game, when Webber flashed that luminous smile before nostalgic Kings fans as he broke ground on a local eatery that will bear his name.
Then Webber went to Arco and broke down the Kings with 20 points and 10 rebounds as Sacramentans pined for him.
At that point, the Kings' 12-18 record made white seem black and black seem white.
Could it be that the blockbuster trade that sent Webber to Philly for three players - including Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson - was a horrible mistake?
To be completely honest, it crossed my mind.
This because the Kings without Webber and Jackson were faceless and going nowhere. Sure, they would still be going nowhere with them - not near an NBA crown, anyway - but at least there would have been a successful identity for fans to rally around.
Thank goodness that idea never made into print because time is chipping away at it every day. Just look at Webber and the 76ers now as they've fallen out of the playoff seedings, yet still carry Webber's obscene contract: $19 million this year, $20 million next year, $22 million the year after.
Can you imagine that scenario playing out here - of the Kings missing the playoffs while Webber's contract choked the wind out of Arco Arena like a tear-gas bomb?
It didn't happen because of hard choices made by Petrie and the Kings' owners, choices that have looked better and better as time has evolved. Except one.
In hindsight, letting House go to Phoenix while keeping Jason Hart at backup point guard still seems like a misstep - as does losing Cuttino Mobley for nothing. Certainly, Jackson is missed for sentimental reasons, but he's 33, past his prime and made way for Bonzi Wells - the only player standing between the Kings and oblivion late last calendar year.
And Wallace is flowering as a Charlotte Bobcat, but who would have picked him over Peja Stojakovic or Doug Christie in the summer of 2004 when he was left unprotected in an expansion draft?
It's just not that black and white, no matter how hard media types try to pretend it is.
And there is another point that should be emphasized here: The Kings deserve credit for overhauling their team during the season and turning that season around.
We saw the high point of that turnaround Wednesday and Friday with consecutive road wins over the San Antonio Spurs, the current No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and Los Angeles Clippers, seeded fifth in the West. The Kings are now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the seventh seed after being eight games below .500 as recently as Feb. 3.
Certainly, there has been a ton of luck involved because the Kings couldn't have known Artest's life in Indiana would blow up; that he would request a trade; and that said trade to the Clippers was scuttled only because a Clippers player offered for Artest flunked his physical.
Can you imagine the Kings now if not for Corey Maggette's bum foot? Last year, could anyone have imagined a Kings team led by "troubled" players such as Artest and Wells?
Or that two of the cornerstone starters Petrie envisioned in Wells and Abdur-Rahim have contributed much by coming off the bench at times this season?
To those who suggest they foresaw all of that, let it be said here that you are a lot smarter than anyone working at The Bee or Arco Arena. Or you're smarter than Billy Beane and Geoff Petrie combined.
About the writer: Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096 or mbreton@sacbee.com.
Marcos Bretón: Who knew the Kings would be like this?
By Marcos Bretón -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 8, 2006
A's general manager Billy Beane often pokes the media for jumping to knee-jerk conclusions that often prove to be wrong.
He's right, but in the case of the Kings, everyone was wrong - about how good they were and how bad they were.
And no one could have predicted how Ron Artest's play lifted his teammates and helped defuse many of the personnel questions dogging the Kings.
For example, would you pick Maurice Evans over Kevin Martin today? Or would you now prefer Darius Songaila over Shareef Abdur-Rahim or Kenny Thomas?
Sure, it sounds ridiculous, but it didn't in December. This column, in fact, almost publicly yearned for Evans, Songaila, Eddie House, Bobby Jackson and Gerald Wallace - all discarded Kings bench players performing well while the "new" Kings bench was AWOL.
Indeed, such criticism seemed rock solid at the time.
And then the New Year dawned with the Philadelphia 76ers arriving Jan. 3 to face a Kings team nearing rock bottom. For the first time in a decade of stellar dealing, Kings president Geoff Petrie was taking heat from fans for letting good players go for bad.
At which point Kings futility was symbolized by a 111-98 whipping at the hands of Chris Webber and the 76ers, a defeat of many cuts.
First there was the scene before the game, when Webber flashed that luminous smile before nostalgic Kings fans as he broke ground on a local eatery that will bear his name.
Then Webber went to Arco and broke down the Kings with 20 points and 10 rebounds as Sacramentans pined for him.
At that point, the Kings' 12-18 record made white seem black and black seem white.
Could it be that the blockbuster trade that sent Webber to Philly for three players - including Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson - was a horrible mistake?
To be completely honest, it crossed my mind.
This because the Kings without Webber and Jackson were faceless and going nowhere. Sure, they would still be going nowhere with them - not near an NBA crown, anyway - but at least there would have been a successful identity for fans to rally around.
Thank goodness that idea never made into print because time is chipping away at it every day. Just look at Webber and the 76ers now as they've fallen out of the playoff seedings, yet still carry Webber's obscene contract: $19 million this year, $20 million next year, $22 million the year after.
Can you imagine that scenario playing out here - of the Kings missing the playoffs while Webber's contract choked the wind out of Arco Arena like a tear-gas bomb?
It didn't happen because of hard choices made by Petrie and the Kings' owners, choices that have looked better and better as time has evolved. Except one.
In hindsight, letting House go to Phoenix while keeping Jason Hart at backup point guard still seems like a misstep - as does losing Cuttino Mobley for nothing. Certainly, Jackson is missed for sentimental reasons, but he's 33, past his prime and made way for Bonzi Wells - the only player standing between the Kings and oblivion late last calendar year.
And Wallace is flowering as a Charlotte Bobcat, but who would have picked him over Peja Stojakovic or Doug Christie in the summer of 2004 when he was left unprotected in an expansion draft?
It's just not that black and white, no matter how hard media types try to pretend it is.
And there is another point that should be emphasized here: The Kings deserve credit for overhauling their team during the season and turning that season around.
We saw the high point of that turnaround Wednesday and Friday with consecutive road wins over the San Antonio Spurs, the current No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and Los Angeles Clippers, seeded fifth in the West. The Kings are now tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the seventh seed after being eight games below .500 as recently as Feb. 3.
Certainly, there has been a ton of luck involved because the Kings couldn't have known Artest's life in Indiana would blow up; that he would request a trade; and that said trade to the Clippers was scuttled only because a Clippers player offered for Artest flunked his physical.
Can you imagine the Kings now if not for Corey Maggette's bum foot? Last year, could anyone have imagined a Kings team led by "troubled" players such as Artest and Wells?
Or that two of the cornerstone starters Petrie envisioned in Wells and Abdur-Rahim have contributed much by coming off the bench at times this season?
To those who suggest they foresaw all of that, let it be said here that you are a lot smarter than anyone working at The Bee or Arco Arena. Or you're smarter than Billy Beane and Geoff Petrie combined.
About the writer: Reach Marcos Bretón at (916) 321-1096 or mbreton@sacbee.com.
