Bill Simmons with some tough words for the Kings

[VF21]

Your loss.

Note that I said "trying to remember" ...

I've read his stuff but nothing stands out as memorable. On the other hand, I can think of at least three separate articles Mark Kreidler wrote that were highly memorable. In addition, I can even think of a couple of Voisin's.

Simmons is vanilla pudding. His stuff might entertain you at the moment but as far as substance goes it just isn't there...

 

[tjobrien]

Note that I said "trying to remember" ...

I've read his stuff but nothing stands out as memorable. On the other hand, I can think of at least three separate articles Mark Kreidler wrote that were highly memorable. In addition, I can even think of a couple of Voisin's.

Simmons is vanilla pudding. His stuff might entertain you at the moment but as far as substance goes it just isn't there...

Absolutely. He's not a beat writer or a true NBA journalist. He's a fan and he writes as a fan. It's entertaining. You don't read Simmons for substance or hard-hitting analysis. He is great for a laugh, though.

 

[Venom]

I think his reference was to Petrie being the excetion that he is an Ivy leaguer from Princeton.

Precisely. I think Petrie is still a shrewd GM, who has been handcuffed by the Maloofs lately. He applies a little Billy Bean philosophy to the draft, substituting shooting percentage for on-base percentage. I disagree with it sometimes, but at least he has a system beyond physical measurables as opposed to most GMs. Plus, it leads to very few busts on our first round picks. Petrie rarely gets himself into really bad contracts. Bibby's is bad now, Miller declined precipitously, and Webber's went bad after his injury, but all were solid signings at the time. He's also been extremely cunning on most of his trades.

I think the big question mark with Petrie was/is his devotion to the Princeton. That cost us towards the tail end of the dynasty, as we were slow to adjust to the rules changes and have a necessary personnel rollover. However, I think Petrie has learned and is adapting. He's moved guys that don't fit, including his golden boy Peja. Bibby, a relic in the new NBA, was actively shopped. If Bibby's talent hadn't fallen off the cliff we would have alot of cap room and some nice picks heading into this offseason. I think the Kings still have a very nice front office. I just wish the NBA itself wasn't so boring these days, but that's on Stern, who is making a comeback. The new age limit will start to pay dividends immediately, as in next year with Oden/Durant.

 

[Venom]

Absolutely. He's not a beat writer or a true NBA journalist. He's a fan and he writes as a fan. It's entertaining. You don't read Simmons for substance or hard-hitting analysis. He is great for a laugh, though.

I highly disagree. The guy knows basketball better than any beat writer out there. He couches his analysis in comedy, but the man is spot on when it comes to the NBA. He exaggerates at times, but I challenge you to go through that article and tell me where he is wrong on talent evaluation. You should really check out his recent stuff on the NCAA. Simmons can flat out evaluate basketball talent.

 

[SacKings384]

I love to read Bill Simmons. Not only is he very very blunt and comical, but he talks like the normal fan. He takes on subjects like a normal fan. He can just put it on paper better than most.

 

[Kingzrool]

I like this article. If it is true, the Maloofs had better let GP do his job. You know what they say about to many cooks in the kitchen.

 

[Merdiesel]

there IS no Lakers-Kings rivalry anymore -- it died about three years ago and wasn't even that heated to begin with.

Stopped reading after that.

 

[swisshh]

Yeah I just read this article and you're all missing the best line.

Wade's shoulder injury probably made the Heat afraid to deal ... although it's also possible that Pat Riley couldn't dial the phone because it was still covered in Stan Van Gundy's dried blood.

 

[tjobrien]

Yeah I just read this article and you're all missing the best line.

No, the best line was:

Memphis:

"By the way, I would have given them an "A" here, but there's a decent chance they didn't make a trade because Jerry West is sitting home watching "Matlock" re-runs, eating tapioca with a fork and saying things like, "Do you think I should get a cell phone? Everyone seems to have a cell phone these days ... how do I get one?"

 

[Gargamel]

What's this guys agenda? Why the bitterness? Laker sympathizer maybe? ...I highly doubt he would care what the Kings do with Bibby otherwise. ..."Congrats to the Maloofs", give me a break. Drama queen.

Man, Bill Simmons a Laker sympathizer? I've done seen it all. A guy who still complains about Kareem swinging his elbows.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

I like this article. If it is true, the Maloofs had better let GP do his job. You know what they say about to many cooks in the kitchen.

HELLO!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

 

[d0rkus]

HELLO!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

i agree, and did musselman get interview by the maloof family or GP himself


also, a F minus minus minus minus grade for the kings isn't as bad as it sounds, as the Clippers got a G...and the cavs got a Z-infinity-minus.

also. 95% of the teams got a failing grade, only like 3-5 teams got a passing grade.

 

[C Diddy]

I've always liked Bill Simmons. He writes very well. Not all of his stuff is accurate, but he brings out the point of view of fans very well. He gets bits and pieces and whiffs of deals just like all analysts do. The trade offer he quoted might not have been 100% accurate, or it might have been spot on. the sources he quotes felt it was accurate at the time. Overall, it was a very funny and entertaining article, top to bottom. He said exactly what most of us were thinking and made it fun to read at the same time. I couldn't believe we didn't pull the trigger on any Bibby deal either.