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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13282762p-14125009c.html
Bibby, Peja last two remaining
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, July 23, 2005
Three years isn't long for a couch or grandmother's trusty fruitcake, but for the Kings, it represents a completely different era.
Three years ago represents forever now. In 2001-02, the Kings of Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Vlade Divac, Bobby Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu and Scot Pollard reveled in their high-water mark in Sacramento. They led the NBA with a franchise-record 61 victories. They captivated the league with their selfless play. They tantalized the senses of their rabid fans, and they pushed the two-time champion Lakers to the brink of history in the Western Conference Finals.
The Kings lost to the hated Lakers in seven gripping games, the final one in overtime at Arco Arena, with fans to this day still bemoaning a golden opportunity that slipped through their championship-starved fingers.
With Jackson's trade Friday to the Memphis Grizzlies, only Bibby and Stojakovic remain, a scaled-down version of a prolific powerhouse that lives in memory only. Trades were made, shaving away Turkoglu and Pollard to bring in Brad Miller. A contract was not extended last summer to Divac. Christie and Webber were traded during the season. Just like that, down to two.
"That whole team ... is gone," muttered Stojakovic, looking stunned and saddened. "First it was Vlade last summer, then Doug, Chris, now Bobby. Everyone's leaving. I don't know what to say.
"It's hard. I wish we could have all stayed here. We had such a nice team, such nice chemistry. But that's life. That's basketball. That's the process of remaking a team. You know what they say: Sometimes you feel safe and no one mentions your name and then ... "
Stojakovic and Bibby said they anticipated player movement this summer, knowing full well that Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie needed to retool the roster after a first-round elimination to Seattle, Sacramento's earliest exit since 1999-00.
Still, neither wanted to see their teammate and friend go.
Bibby and Jackson were especially close. They competed like brothers attacking the front-yard hoop after practice, engaging in spirited one-on-one tussles. Bibby was the starter, Jackson the reliable reserve who could spare Bibby and kept the throttle going, or he joined him in the lineup as a shooting guard.
"You know Geoff is going to make trades, and we have faith in him," Bibby said.
Bibby and Stojakovic said a change could also benefit Jackson. He will get a chance to start in Memphis, where he could be reunited with former Kings guard Jason Williams, who, ironically, was traded in the summer of 2001 for Bibby.
Bibby said he's ready to assume a leadership role that in seasons' past belonged to Divac, Webber or Christie. Stojakovic said he too is prepared to up his own game and to be a leader as the veteran of group.
Entering his eighth season with the Kings, Stojakovic is the graybeard of the bunch. Bibby is entering his fifth campaign with the Kings. "I'm the veteran now, the old guy," Stojakovic said. "We'll have to move forward. Bobby deserves everything. He was a great teammate, a great friend and he was great off the court. We're all going to miss Bobby, the team, the fans, everyone."
Bibby, Peja last two remaining
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, July 23, 2005
Three years isn't long for a couch or grandmother's trusty fruitcake, but for the Kings, it represents a completely different era.
Three years ago represents forever now. In 2001-02, the Kings of Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Vlade Divac, Bobby Jackson, Hedo Turkoglu and Scot Pollard reveled in their high-water mark in Sacramento. They led the NBA with a franchise-record 61 victories. They captivated the league with their selfless play. They tantalized the senses of their rabid fans, and they pushed the two-time champion Lakers to the brink of history in the Western Conference Finals.
The Kings lost to the hated Lakers in seven gripping games, the final one in overtime at Arco Arena, with fans to this day still bemoaning a golden opportunity that slipped through their championship-starved fingers.
With Jackson's trade Friday to the Memphis Grizzlies, only Bibby and Stojakovic remain, a scaled-down version of a prolific powerhouse that lives in memory only. Trades were made, shaving away Turkoglu and Pollard to bring in Brad Miller. A contract was not extended last summer to Divac. Christie and Webber were traded during the season. Just like that, down to two.
"That whole team ... is gone," muttered Stojakovic, looking stunned and saddened. "First it was Vlade last summer, then Doug, Chris, now Bobby. Everyone's leaving. I don't know what to say.
"It's hard. I wish we could have all stayed here. We had such a nice team, such nice chemistry. But that's life. That's basketball. That's the process of remaking a team. You know what they say: Sometimes you feel safe and no one mentions your name and then ... "
Stojakovic and Bibby said they anticipated player movement this summer, knowing full well that Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie needed to retool the roster after a first-round elimination to Seattle, Sacramento's earliest exit since 1999-00.
Still, neither wanted to see their teammate and friend go.
Bibby and Jackson were especially close. They competed like brothers attacking the front-yard hoop after practice, engaging in spirited one-on-one tussles. Bibby was the starter, Jackson the reliable reserve who could spare Bibby and kept the throttle going, or he joined him in the lineup as a shooting guard.
"You know Geoff is going to make trades, and we have faith in him," Bibby said.
Bibby and Stojakovic said a change could also benefit Jackson. He will get a chance to start in Memphis, where he could be reunited with former Kings guard Jason Williams, who, ironically, was traded in the summer of 2001 for Bibby.
Bibby said he's ready to assume a leadership role that in seasons' past belonged to Divac, Webber or Christie. Stojakovic said he too is prepared to up his own game and to be a leader as the veteran of group.
Entering his eighth season with the Kings, Stojakovic is the graybeard of the bunch. Bibby is entering his fifth campaign with the Kings. "I'm the veteran now, the old guy," Stojakovic said. "We'll have to move forward. Bobby deserves everything. He was a great teammate, a great friend and he was great off the court. We're all going to miss Bobby, the team, the fans, everyone."
