Can this King be a prince?
Shooting guard hits all the right notes on Day 1
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, August 5,
For a day, Bonzi Wells pulled it off.
He brought the angel when the devil was on the schedule, made a room full of media members wonder how this charming, forthright fellow came into town so vilified. There was the All-American feel at the Kings practice facility Thursday, with the beauty of Wells' longtime girlfriend and the innocence of his three young boys in their brightly colored shirts that warmed the room. The newest King donned dark green slacks and a matching shirt, the getup of choice for a seamless introduction.
Wells said all the right things, answered all the tough questions, proclaimed that seven years in the league and two sour endings at his first two stops have turned him into a changed man, an appreciative man, a one-time train wreck who's finally ready to chug along.
"When my agent called me and told me there was a chance for me to come (to Sacramento), I was overwhelmed, very happy and excited," said Wells, who was traded in the deal that sent guard Bobby Jackson to Memphis and center Greg Ostertag to Utah. "It was almost like the best day of my life, like draft day, because I get a new chance to redeem myself, to show myself that I can do this on a consistent level without any kind of off-court things that get you off the track sometimes. I don't want to go off the track no more."
For a day, it was almost enough to keep everyone's head from looking back - or, as Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie likes to say, "moving forward." That is, both he and Wells agree, the only way to do this dance.
"Sacramento's my new love, so I'm going to take this first date and hopefully make a marriage out of it," Wells said.
For a day, the union made sense. Wells - who is 28 and only a few years removed from his glory days in Portland when he topped off at 17 points per game in 2001-02 - has one year left on his contract that will pay him $8 million. What he won't have are the elements that led to disaster in Portland and Memphis, namely a lack of playing time and a contentious relationship with his coach.
He can expect to play 30-plus minutes per night as a King, in an offense far more freeing than the rigid system he was no fan of in Memphis. And if first impressions of his new coach take hold, don't be surprised if Wells starts his own Rick Adelman fan club sometime soon.
The Adelman phone calls caught him completely off guard. The first one was nice, a chance to say hello and discuss the hypotheticals of Wells in a Kings uniform. But then came the second, and the third, and eventually the seventh, with Adelman calling from his house in Oregon, from Sacramento, even from Las Vegas while the Kings played in summer league.
"He's called me the most out of anybody lately, calling me on his personal time and telling me what he feels about me, what he expects of me," Wells said. "He just said, 'Bonzi, all the stuff (people) said about you, all that stuff, I don't care about any of that stuff. I just care about how you treat me from the day we talk.'
"He said how guys like Chris Webber had questionable pasts, and then when he got here everybody loved him. I really appreciated that, respected that. ... Just saying that (gives me) goose bumps coming down my spine, because that's just a sign of respect."
Petrie, meanwhile, was doing his own background check. Seeking the truth about Wells' one-game suspension in the playoffs last season, Petrie talked on numerous occasions to Grizzlies general manager Jerry West and was given assurances that Wells was no ticking time bomb. He also sought the opinion of Kings assistant Elston Turner, who was an assistant in Portland for Wells' first two seasons.
It was, apparently, an effective gameplan. Wells' agent, William Phillips, said his client never wanted to be anywhere but here. He would turn a deaf ear when Phillips discussed other options that included the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit and Cleveland.
"Every time, he'd just say, 'What's up with Sac?' " Phillips said. Not bad for a day.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13357378p-14199089c.html
Shooting guard hits all the right notes on Day 1
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, August 5,
For a day, Bonzi Wells pulled it off.
He brought the angel when the devil was on the schedule, made a room full of media members wonder how this charming, forthright fellow came into town so vilified. There was the All-American feel at the Kings practice facility Thursday, with the beauty of Wells' longtime girlfriend and the innocence of his three young boys in their brightly colored shirts that warmed the room. The newest King donned dark green slacks and a matching shirt, the getup of choice for a seamless introduction.
Wells said all the right things, answered all the tough questions, proclaimed that seven years in the league and two sour endings at his first two stops have turned him into a changed man, an appreciative man, a one-time train wreck who's finally ready to chug along.
"When my agent called me and told me there was a chance for me to come (to Sacramento), I was overwhelmed, very happy and excited," said Wells, who was traded in the deal that sent guard Bobby Jackson to Memphis and center Greg Ostertag to Utah. "It was almost like the best day of my life, like draft day, because I get a new chance to redeem myself, to show myself that I can do this on a consistent level without any kind of off-court things that get you off the track sometimes. I don't want to go off the track no more."
For a day, it was almost enough to keep everyone's head from looking back - or, as Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie likes to say, "moving forward." That is, both he and Wells agree, the only way to do this dance.
"Sacramento's my new love, so I'm going to take this first date and hopefully make a marriage out of it," Wells said.
For a day, the union made sense. Wells - who is 28 and only a few years removed from his glory days in Portland when he topped off at 17 points per game in 2001-02 - has one year left on his contract that will pay him $8 million. What he won't have are the elements that led to disaster in Portland and Memphis, namely a lack of playing time and a contentious relationship with his coach.
He can expect to play 30-plus minutes per night as a King, in an offense far more freeing than the rigid system he was no fan of in Memphis. And if first impressions of his new coach take hold, don't be surprised if Wells starts his own Rick Adelman fan club sometime soon.
The Adelman phone calls caught him completely off guard. The first one was nice, a chance to say hello and discuss the hypotheticals of Wells in a Kings uniform. But then came the second, and the third, and eventually the seventh, with Adelman calling from his house in Oregon, from Sacramento, even from Las Vegas while the Kings played in summer league.
"He's called me the most out of anybody lately, calling me on his personal time and telling me what he feels about me, what he expects of me," Wells said. "He just said, 'Bonzi, all the stuff (people) said about you, all that stuff, I don't care about any of that stuff. I just care about how you treat me from the day we talk.'
"He said how guys like Chris Webber had questionable pasts, and then when he got here everybody loved him. I really appreciated that, respected that. ... Just saying that (gives me) goose bumps coming down my spine, because that's just a sign of respect."
Petrie, meanwhile, was doing his own background check. Seeking the truth about Wells' one-game suspension in the playoffs last season, Petrie talked on numerous occasions to Grizzlies general manager Jerry West and was given assurances that Wells was no ticking time bomb. He also sought the opinion of Kings assistant Elston Turner, who was an assistant in Portland for Wells' first two seasons.
It was, apparently, an effective gameplan. Wells' agent, William Phillips, said his client never wanted to be anywhere but here. He would turn a deaf ear when Phillips discussed other options that included the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit and Cleveland.
"Every time, he'd just say, 'What's up with Sac?' " Phillips said. Not bad for a day.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13357378p-14199089c.html
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