Blow up the Kings wish list

[PurpleHaze]

No doubt some won’t or can't happen due to the salary cap and other factors:
1)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Keep Ron Artest and make him team leader, team captain, team guru, Mr. King – whatever he wants. He’s earned it on the court since no one plays kick *** defense harder, with all out killer instinct on virtually every possession. In effect, build a tough defensive minded group of mostly new Kings around Ron. Pray his off court matters no longer distract.
2)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Get rid of Mike Bibby because he still has plenty of value which he won’t have nearly as much if he plays on like he did for most of this season.
3)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Get rid of Brad Miller who at age 30 has long ago seen his best days and is a notorious defensive liability, besides the fact he’s slower than ever as a weak rebounder and virtual non-existent shot blocker. Blame some it on his foot injury, but he's gotta go.

4)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Send both Kenny Thomas and Sharif Abdur Rahim packing aiming to get some better value for at least one of them.

5)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Lock hot rising star Kevin Martin and tons of potential Francisco Garcia in the Kings weight-room over the summer and have them wager bets with themselves and teammates on which one looks the most buffed at the end of all the grunting sessions.
6)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Try to re-sign Big Nasty Corlis Williamson by offering him a sweetheart deal of player-assistant coach after next season.
7)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Make versatile John Salmons believe he can do more, such as invent a consistent jump shot and finish stronger at the rim.
8)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Ronnie Price has burgeoning point guard talent, heart, and a kind of Ron Artest toughness that needs to be encouraged (better word, demanded) of every single player on next years team.
9.) Find another solid rebounding and shot blocking big man like Justin Williams (keeping him around) in the draft or via free agency but make sure he also has a productive offensive inside game to go with all the rest.

10.)[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Fire Eric “Big Mistake” Musselman at seasons end so he can’t do any more damage heading into the NBA draft. With his hiring he accomplished the near impossible or certainly the improbable. Arrested for DUI upon his arrival in Sac “the NBA head coach” got excused mostly because of who he was from picking up trash along area roads like 99.9% of drunken offenders. At the helm of a Kings team that had been to the playoff eight straight years he promptly drove the franchise off into a ditch behind his oversold, highly touted “defensive philosophy” – LOL! That’s laughing hysterically online folks!

 

[*JW*]

i like this plan. ive been thinkin of this line up anyway as who to keep. Id rather Ron stay but if he retires ( I doubt it) or we trade him i wouldnt completely be hurt because he has value. you picked the rest of the team nicely though. Sign Maurice Williams!

 

[ParniValjak]

Anything that has "keep Artest" in it is not a sound plan IMHO.

 

[Löwenherz]

I'm curious.

Because I'm stuck in San Diego, I'm not privy to all of Artest's transgressions this season.

And being that those are the reasons people have for getting rid of our best defender at a rock bottom price -- or more specifically *whatever we can get just so he's not in a Kings uniform* -- I wanted to make sure I knew all of his mistakes this season.

-Charged in a domestic violence case
-Charged with animal endangerment for not feeding his dogs.
-Missed several games for mysterious inuries and personal reasons
-Tried to be "hero" at the end of games, taking and missing several bad shots
-Said many wild and outlandish things in the newspaper, including retirment
-The Mohawk.

Were there any I missed?

 

[PurpleHaze]

For our friend in San Diego: You could probably add was swapped for Kings fan favorite Peja S. who ironically was shipped off to Indiana last year and turned in a mediocre season for the Pacers. Then the golden boy Serb signs a big free agent contract with the Hornets and misses the entire season due to chronic back injury. Meanwhile, all Artest does is carry the Kings back from the dead late last year upon his arrival and personally will the Kings into the playoffs showing tremendous leadership. This seasons relatively minor distractions (compared to the brawl at Auburn Hills) notwithstanding he's had a very good second half on the court, but in mostly provincial, narrow-minded, petty, Sactown he should have never been brought here in the first place, is a rappin' street thug criminal, animal abuser, wife beater, wildly unpredictable, bad-boy role model, the opposite of a goody two-shoes that Sactown has long had a reputation for worshiping lavishly.

 

[Löwenherz]

but in mostly provincial, narrow-minded, petty, Sactown he should have never been brought here in the first place, is a rappin' street thug criminal, animal abuser, wife beater, wildly unpredictable, bad-boy role model, the opposite of a goody two-shoes that Sactown has long had a reputation for worshiping lavishly.

That's a lot of pent up aggression you seem to have toward my humble hometown.

And I can't really tell if your sarcasm is directed at me or Artest-bashers, but I think you jumped the gun a bit.

See, I'm on your side. As crazy as it sounds, I still have hope of Artest being a cornerstone in the future defensive powerhouse many fans, including myself, have envisioned for the Kings.

The problem is he should never be the number one scoring option in crunch time or otherwise -- and he can't be paired with 4 offensive minded players and expected to hold the fort on defense alone.

But it's the "distractions" that seem to be the rally cry for those who want him shipped out of town. And because I feel out-of-the-loop, I listed the ones I knew ... so I could shoot them down.

Artest grows a mohawk, says wild things in the paper, talks retirement, misses a few games for mysterious personal reasons.

So what? As a take off on the familar BoSox saying with Manny Ramierez "It's just Ronnie being Ronnie." Anytime you read about the next mild, oddball thing he does just repeat that line, chuckle to yourself and move on with your breakfast.

The BIG deals are the criminal charges, obviously. And those should not and won't be taken lightly.


He's deemed unfit to take care of his animals, then take them away, fine him and bar him from adopting pets again. Case closed.

He's found guilty of domestic violence, thrown in jail and kicked out of the league, good riddance.
If he faces fines, probation and a league placed suspension, great, At least hold him somewhat accountable.
If he's acquitted or the charges are dropped, then let's move on.

I can't and won't defend him for criminal cases. All I can do is accept whatever the courts decide (admittedly unbalanced when it comes to athletes) and watch the next game.

The point is since he arrived in Sacramento, everyone has become an arm-chair psychologist looking for the signs he's losing his mind. And everytime something happens it's a collective "Here we go again."

But if we just stop hoping he'll suddenly become "normal", fix his anger problems and become a model citizen then we'll be a happier fandom.

It's like buying a flashy, high-mantenance sports car -- and getting ready to trade it for a Jetta everytime it goes to the shop.

And since I'm clearly in the minority on this issue, let the bashing begin.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Hey San Diego, absolutely nothing against you - just the majority (apparently) in Sac that want Artest sent packing fast and for almost nothing in return as you said. From the second he was mentioned as possibly joining the Kings many fans and local media were bashing the guy. I doubt there would have been an instant outrage if he had landed say in LA, Bay Area, Miami, etc. In fact, the only place (other than Sac) that probably would have immediately dumped on him is that place where it really blew up - Detroit! After he got to Sactown the constant bashing continued and of course he did not help the situation with first the dog episode (no charges with fine levied) and then the domestic dispute involving his wife Kimsha (arraigned on 4 misdemeanor charges). There was wall to wall local media coverage on that one for days including tons of live shots from his Loomis home, the jail, the courthouse, etc. It was like a mini-OJ drama around here. The other stuff like his various hair styles (he also carved KINGS on his head once) are totally insignificant, or should be. So, you and I completely agree on just how valuable Ron Artest is to the current and future of the Kings. Lastly, I'm not a blind homer for this place (town, fans, Maloofs, Kings, all of it) even though I've lived around here on and off for over 30 years.

 

[John Galt]

3)Get rid of Brad Miller who at age 30 has long ago seen his best days and is a notorious defensive liability, besides the fact he’s slower than ever as a weak rebounder and virtual non-existent shot blocker. Blame some it on his foot injury, but he's gotta go.

4)Send both Kenny Thomas and Sharif Abdur Rahim packing aiming to get some better value for at least one of them.

To me this is the key. S-can the whole front court and start over. Our front court is nothing short of pathetic and embarrassing. About 1 game in 3 it seems SAR shows up looking kinda big... but his inconsistency is worse than any other King. Sometimes he looks completely disinterested and whiny. If we could count on the good SAR 80% of the time and the wussy SAR only 20% we'd be maybe ok at PF... but we can't, and we aren't.

But I think it is impossible to move this trio. We don't want these guys. Neither does anybody else.

 

[VF21]

For our friend in San Diego: You could probably add was swapped for Kings fan favorite Peja S. who ironically was shipped off to Indiana last year and turned in a mediocre season for the Pacers. Then the golden boy Serb signs a big free agent contract with the Hornets and misses the entire season due to chronic back injury. Meanwhile, all Artest does is carry the Kings back from the dead late last year upon his arrival and personally will the Kings into the playoffs showing tremendous leadership. This seasons relatively minor distractions (compared to the brawl at Auburn Hills) notwithstanding he's had a very good second half on the court, but in mostly provincial, narrow-minded, petty, Sactown he should have never been brought here in the first place, is a rappin' street thug criminal, animal abuser, wife beater, wildly unpredictable, bad-boy role model, the opposite of a goody two-shoes that Sactown has long had a reputation for worshiping lavishly.

Okay, here's the deal...

Avoid the name-calling and snide comments. While they might be appropriate on some boards, this just isn't one of them.

And, for the record, those of us who are critical of Artest and afraid of future problems on and off the court are NOT still embroiled in anything about Peja.

 

[VF21]

Hey San Diego, absolutely nothing against you - just the majority (apparently) in Sac that want Artest sent packing fast and for almost nothing in return as you said. From the second he was mentioned as possibly joining the Kings many fans and local media were bashing the guy. I doubt there would have been an instant outrage if he had landed say in LA, Bay Area, Miami, etc. In fact, the only place (other than Sac) that probably would have immediately dumped on him is that place where it really blew up - Detroit!

This is crap. Fans in EVERY NBA town are really mixed about Artest. It's not just the people in the town you seem to want to bash.

After he got to Sactown the constant bashing continued and of course he did not help the situation with first the dog episode (no charges with fine levied) and then the domestic dispute involving his wife Kimsha (arraigned on 4 misdemeanor charges). There was wall to wall local media coverage on that one for days including tons of live shots from his Loomis home, the jail, the courthouse, etc. It was like a mini-OJ drama around here.

And that, right there, is why a number of us want him traded for fair value. He's simply too high maintenance. He's a walking Shakespearean tragedy. We like to focus on TEAM and with Artest in the mix, it's more often simply about him.

The other stuff like his various hair styles (he also carved KINGS on his head once) are totally insignificant, or should be.

I don't think any of us here were very upset about his hairdos. In fact, for the most part, I think they were viewed more in the vein of something a college player would do - and since Arco seems to have ( or used to have) a collegiate championship atmosphere as far as enthusiasm of the fans goes most of the time, that's a good thing.

So, you and I completely agree on just how valuable Ron Artest is to the current and future of the Kings.

No one has denied Artest's skills. Not even the fans in Indiana, who went through all of this and more before we did. It's about all the baggage that comes with Ron Artest.

Lastly, I'm not a blind homer for this place (town, fans, Maloofs, Kings, all of it) even though I've lived around here on and off for over 30 years.

People around here try and express their opinions without resorting to the "blind homer" type labels because NOTHING good has ever resulted from that kind of stuff, IMHO.

 

[VF21]

The point is since he arrived in Sacramento, everyone has become an arm-chair psychologist looking for the signs he's losing his mind. And everytime something happens it's a collective "Here we go again."

And you know why? Because he has a track record you would have to be blind not to see... Once bitten, twice shy.

But if we just stop hoping he'll suddenly become "normal", fix his anger problems and become a model citizen then we'll be a happier fandom.

Kind of like trying not to talk about the elephant in the living room at this point in time. Most of us aren't just Kings fans - we're also fans of the game itself. And just because Artest is wearing a different uniform, I think we're well aware the person inside is still volatile and unpredictable.

It's like buying a flashy, high-mantenance sports car -- and getting ready to trade it for a Jetta everytime it goes to the shop.

Nope. It's like buying a flashy sports car that has already been recalled a couple of times for MAJOR problems and then being concerned when you think you an odd noise.

And since I'm clearly in the minority on this issue, let the bashing begin.

There won't be any bashing around here. That's just not the way we do things. Friendly debate and discussion is what we're all about.



And for the record? I don't think any of us who are concerned about Artest actually dislike him. He's a very complex, complicated and troubled young man, however, and you can't just pretend it isn't so.

He's like a kid in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, he's not a kid. He's a grown man - a multi-millionaire - and he's going to be held accountable for his actions.

 

[Löwenherz]

Ah, my first point-by-point rebuttal from VF. Thanks for the baptism by fire, on Easter Sunday no less.

When the news Artest was joining the Kings first broke, a friend asked me how I felt about the trade.

I said "The same way I would feel if you told me Hannibal Lector was coming to dinner: excited to have such a distinguished guest at the table, but I'll jump everytime he reaches for a fork."

And I still feel that way, so I understand the feelings about him.

But I think we'd agree he can single handedly change a game with his defense.

And since his trade value is so low now anyway, I say we see what we can do with him, especially if we add some defensive minded players -- and if it doesn't work, just accept the cap relief when he comes off the books.

The only question is, can we survive another 2 years with Hannibal at the dinner table.

 

[Löwenherz]

To me this is the key. S-can the whole front court and start over. ... But I think it is impossible to move this trio. We don't want these guys. Neither does anybody else.

Actually, I'm a bit more optimistic. I think the only one of the three who aren't moveable is KT.

Brad has been disappointing for the past two seasons, and struggled with injuries. But he's still a 7 footer with top notch passing skills and an outside shot.

Pair him with a pick-and-roll partner and an inside presence to cover his back defensively like Ben Wallace and that would be a match-up nightmare for most teams.

In fact, I think the Bulls might be a good place for him to land.

SAR meanwhile is in a similar boat, but with a much smaller contract. He could probably do better in the east as well.

I'm afraid we'll be stuck with K9 for the remainder of his contract though -- and haunted by the horrible Webber deal until then. But maybe if we get a 20 and 10 guy at the 4, K9 will go to the bench and shut up about it.

 

[Kingster]

No doubt some won’t or can't happen due to the salary cap and other factors:
1)Keep Ron Artest and make him team leader, team captain, team guru, Mr. King – whatever he wants. He’s earned it on the court since no one plays kick *** defense harder, with all out killer instinct on virtually every possession. In effect, build a tough defensive minded group of mostly new Kings around Ron. Pray his off court matters no longer distract.
2)Get rid of Mike Bibby because he still has plenty of value which he won’t have nearly as much if he plays on like he did for most of this season.
3)Get rid of Brad Miller who at age 30 has long ago seen his best days and is a notorious defensive liability, besides the fact he’s slower than ever as a weak rebounder and virtual non-existent shot blocker. Blame some it on his foot injury, but he's gotta go.

4)Send both Kenny Thomas and Sharif Abdur Rahim packing aiming to get some better value for at least one of them.

5)Lock hot rising star Kevin Martin and tons of potential Francisco Garcia in the Kings weight-room over the summer and have them wager bets with themselves and teammates on which one looks the most buffed at the end of all the grunting sessions.
6)Try to re-sign Big Nasty Corlis Williamson by offering him a sweetheart deal of player-assistant coach after next season.
7)Make versatile John Salmons believe he can do more, such as invent a consistent jump shot and finish stronger at the rim.
8)Ronnie Price has burgeoning point guard talent, heart, and a kind of Ron Artest toughness that needs to be encouraged (better word, demanded) of every single player on next years team.
9.) Find another solid rebounding and shot blocking big man like Justin Williams (keeping him around) in the draft or via free agency but make sure he also has a productive offensive inside game to go with all the rest.

10.)Fire Eric “Big Mistake” Musselman at seasons end so he can’t do any more damage heading into the NBA draft. With his hiring he accomplished the near impossible or certainly the improbable. Arrested for DUI upon his arrival in Sac “the NBA head coach” got excused mostly because of who he was from picking up trash along area roads like 99.9% of drunken offenders. At the helm of a Kings team that had been to the playoff eight straight years he promptly drove the franchise off into a ditch behind his oversold, highly touted “defensive philosophy” – LOL! That’s laughing hysterically online folks!

I'd keep Martin, Cisco, Douby, Price and Williams. Everybody else I'd trade for youth and picks. If Corliss would want to stay, I'd try to sign him, just because he's a great role model and by all accounts a good coach for the younger guys. When it comes to young vets that Petrie can sign, I'm hoping that there are some guys that teams have given up on, a point guard or a center, that just need a little more time to show they belong in the NBA.

 

[Kingster]

Brad has been disappointing for the past two seasons, and struggled with injuries. But he's still a 7 footer with top notch passing skills and an outside shot.

Pair him with a pick-and-roll partner and an inside presence to cover his back defensively like Ben Wallace and that would be a match-up nightmare for most teams.

In fact, I think the Bulls might be a good place for him to land.

I've been thinking the same thing. We'll see...

 

[Kingzrool]

And since his trade value is so low now anyway, I say we see what we can do with him, especially if we add some defensive minded players -- and if it doesn't work, just accept the cap relief when he comes off the books.

If GP can get nothing for him, fine keep him around, but Team Leader?, build the team around him?? These are seriously scary thoughts.

The only question is, can we survive another 2 years with Hannibal at the dinner table.

I think we all have a pretty good idea of the answer to that question. GP will trade him when the right deal comes along.

 

[VF21]

Ah, my first point-by-point rebuttal from VF. Thanks for the baptism by fire, on Easter Sunday no less.

When the news Artest was joining the Kings first broke, a friend asked me how I felt about the trade.

I said "The same way I would feel if you told me Hannibal Lector was coming to dinner: excited to have such a distinguished guest at the table, but I'll jump everytime he reaches for a fork."

And I still feel that way, so I understand the feelings about him.

But I think we'd agree he can single handedly change a game with his defense.

And since his trade value is so low now anyway, I say we see what we can do with him, especially if we add some defensive minded players -- and if it doesn't work, just accept the cap relief when he comes off the books.

The only question is, can we survive another 2 years with Hannibal at the dinner table.

On those points we are in total and complete agreement. You'll get no dispute from me about the former; it's the latter, however, that is the real issue...

And, without getting too graphic, it's the image of Hannibal dining "with" Ray Liotta that keeps worrying me.

There's always going to be something about Artest to distract the team. I admire his talents and skills and desire to win but that's only the good part. The baggage he carries with him - and keeps adding to - is just, IMHO, too much to have to deal with on a regular basis.

But, having said all that, as long as he wears the uniform of the Sacramento Kings I'll cheer for him because of those good things (and keep my fingers crossed).

 

[Löwenherz]

You and me both. Hide the forks.

 

[ParniValjak]

For our friend in San Diego: You could probably add was swapped for Kings fan favorite Peja S. who ironically was shipped off to Indiana last year and turned in a mediocre season for the Pacers. Then the golden boy Serb signs a big free agent contract with the Hornets and misses the entire season due to chronic back injury. Meanwhile, all Artest does is carry the Kings back from the dead late last year upon his arrival and personally will the Kings into the playoffs showing tremendous leadership. This seasons relatively minor distractions (compared to the brawl at Auburn Hills) notwithstanding he's had a very good second half on the court, but in mostly provincial, narrow-minded, petty, Sactown he should have never been brought here in the first place, is a rappin' street thug criminal, animal abuser, wife beater, wildly unpredictable, bad-boy role model, the opposite of a goody two-shoes that Sactown has long had a reputation for worshiping lavishly.

Peja was a fan favourite?

 

[Bricklayer]

Peja was a fan favourite?

Once upon a time the worst.

But once people got disappointed, the fall from grace was harsh.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Peja was a fan favourite?

He certainly was prior to the Webber trade... as you should recall since you've been here for a while.

Basically what it came down to was that, in the minds of a lot of fans, Webber was traded to "make room" for Stojakovic to be The Man. And, when Stojakovic ended up proving that he's not The Man, people turned on him in droves.

EDIT - Looks like Bricklayer got here first...