Devil's Advocate...

[Showtime]

...because there has to be somebody...

I love the Kings, and since I'm often cynical, that leads me to see the negative and what it might bring for this team.

Tonight, from what I saw, the team shot well. However, the style of play since the big 3 came back is troublesome. Despite the great outside shooting tonight against the Nets (15-24 from 3), in the last 4 games, the kings have gone a total of 44-94 from 3, which is about 47% on 24 attempts per game (the team averages around 17 a game this season). Not bad, and the Kings are 3-1 during that stretch, however, I don't see how this team can continue to win this way against better teams.

Teams like the suns have shown that if you live by the 3, then you die by the 3. What happens when the Kings continue to put up 24 three point attempts per game, but aren't hot? When shots aren't falling, then what? What has made the team competitive during the injuries, was attacking the basket, breaking down defenses, and either finishing around the basket, finding the open man, or getting to the line. The K-Mart I saw tonight wasn't the same Martin that was recently comming off the bench and attacking like a madman. I saw him settle for the 3 alot more, and not be the Martin that is most dangerous.

The bottom line is that if the Kings are going to continue this trend, then they better be able to keep shooting 47%.

 

[venom_7]

The other bottom line is that most of those shots have been wide open. In the game of basketball, you are supposed to take wide open shots. They have shown they can win other ways. Look at the Detroit game.

 

[Mozart]

Good point and this...

...is where we need to trade Artest and promote Salmons to the starting lineup, which is a move that would greatly enhance the King's ability to drive to the basket, as opposed to jacking up shots like Artest does far too many times.


And when the shots don't fall are the times when the Kings must drive to the basket and there's plenty of players who can drive to the basket just fine, so I'm not worried about when the shots don't fall.


It's the needless jacking up shots that I hate and Artest is the worst of the bunch in that regard, which is another reason to trade him. Any bets on what day he'd be traded soon?

 

[91sickness]

It's the needless jacking up shots that I hate and Artest is the worst of the bunch in that regard, which is another reason to trade him. Any bets on what day he'd be traded soon?

Kings get hot....no one gets traded....kings make the playoffs...lose first round....Artest walks to NY (not literally of course).

 

[LPKingsFan]

The thing that gives me most pause about this game--other than the fact that this team is going to live and die by the jump shot, but that's nothing new--is that the rotation only worked seamlessly because Salmons got hurt. I did like how Reggie managed his substitutions, but really, there still aren't enough minutes for Martin, Artest, Salmons and Garcia.

 

[Andriod_KiNg]

This is the first time in a couple years that, i think we have the players to adjust.

Tonight we had open 3s, we took them, we made them, when the Nets started to creep out, we attacked the paint. I dont think the plan was to come out jack up 3, it was take what the defense gives you.

I think we have a seen a nice balanced offense this season and tonight was one of those games, where we couldnt miss, so we kept taking outside shots.

and if one of those games that we seem to go cold, we got guys like Martin, Salmons, Artest, Beno, and even Moore to attack the insides.

 

[Variant]

I actually was thinking the same thing in the 1st quarter Showtime. I figured we were actually in trouble because we'd fall in love with the three and were bound not to shoot that high of a % for the whole game. Well, we did, and also the Nets suck.

But I am looking forward (sort of) to a game where we shoot poorly and are forced to get points by slashing, drawing fouls and forcing turnovers (to be fair we did plenty of that tonight as well).

Don't like being a team that "lives by the jumpshot and dies by the jumpshot". Inevitably you die by it.

 

[SacTownKid]

Kings get hot....no one gets traded....kings make the playoffs...lose first round....Artest walks to NY (not literally of course).

...Petrie gets fired.

Or

Petrie signs Artest to long term contract....still a mediocre team....Petrie gets fired.

 

[VF21]

I doubt if Petrie's future hinges one way or the other on what Ron Artest does or doesn't do...

 

[Heuge]

I doubt if Petrie's future hinges one way or the other on what Ron Artest does or doesn't do...

well, if he stays in Sactown long term, potentially.

 

[dude12]

...is where we need to trade Artest and promote Salmons to the starting lineup, which is a move that would greatly enhance the King's ability to drive to the basket, as opposed to jacking up shots like Artest does far too many times.


And when the shots don't fall are the times when the Kings must drive to the basket and there's plenty of players who can drive to the basket just fine, so I'm not worried about when the shots don't fall.


It's the needless jacking up shots that I hate and Artest is the worst of the bunch in that regard, which is another reason to trade him. Any bets on what day he'd be traded soon?

Artest was pretty good tonight...in fact he's pretty good most nights.

 

[Mozart]

I do agree with that, but...

Artest was pretty good tonight...in fact he's pretty good most nights.

...given a choice of keeping Artest or trading for another quality player, or even letting Artest walk all the way from Sacramento to NY on foot (I'd like to see Artest get a KF handle of "SacToNY"!), I'll take a good trade for a quality post-up player. But it's hard to replace a talent like Artest, I must admit.


Most of the time I do like Artest's game, but he just does not flow with the game a few too many times in most games.


I'm a bit ambivalent with the idea of trading Artest...sometimes I'm all for it, other times I'm not. I dunno.

 

[VF21]

I'm a bit ambivalent with the idea of trading Artest...sometimes I'm all for it, other times I'm not. I dunno.

And that's the conundrum about Ron Artest. Unfortunately, we also have that annoying ticking in the background to further confuse the issue...

 

[SacTownKid]

I doubt if Petrie's future hinges one way or the other on what Ron Artest does or doesn't do...

It may on what Petrie does, or doesn't do however.

 

[Packt]

On the flip side they had 30 assists, which is a season high. The slashing one-on-one play didn't produce much of anything other than padded stats. We've been at the bottom of the league in assists all season, just slightly ahead of the Knicks. The past couple of games the ball has been moving well. Obviously adjustments will be made to try to counter some of that. But contrary to what some people thought, the ball movement hasn't stopped and has been moving as good if not better than before.

The only thing to get cynical about is if this continues we'll be lucky to get the 11th pick.

 

[dude12]

...I'm a bit ambivalent with the idea of trading Artest...sometimes I'm all for it, other times I'm not. I dunno.

He does have that affect on lots people.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

Kings get hot....no one gets traded....kings make the playoffs...lose first round....Artest walks to NY (not literally of course).

Well...I doubt it VERY seriously we'll play the .700, or so, basketball we need to for the rest of this season to catch a team like Golden State in the #8 spot, the West is so damn tough to grab even the LAST playoff spot, so I dont think we'll have to worry about a 1st Rnd. playoff exit this year. I like the idea of trading Bibby, not Artest...and getting Ron locked up for a few years, and get a good PG in this year's draft(and there will be a good handful of PG's in it, too)

 

[Bricklayer]

Well...I doubt it VERY seriously we'll play the .700, or so, basketball we need to for the rest of this season to catch a team like Golden State in the #8 spot, the West is so damn tough to grab even the LAST playoff spot, so I dont think we'll have to worry about a 1st Rnd. playoff exit this year. I like the idea of trading Bibby, not Artest...and getting Ron locked up for a few years, and get a good PG in this year's draft(and there will be a good handful of PG's in it, too)

I think the more likely outcome = Kings win enough to theoretically remain alive for the playoffs by the trade deadline, this gives the front office the excuse it needs not to do anything, we miss the playoffs, Ron walks to wherever.

 

[reid1boys]

Isnt artest locked up for all of net season also??

Petrie has done a GREAT job of getting in some players. How many teams can turnover a lineup like the kings have this fast. They have young, good players starting to impact the game. Sign Beno and get a big body and this team is pretty good for a while.

I guess taking Martin or Cisco doesnt count for much? Signing Salmons who has proven he can play was a mistake?? What would you expect Petrie to do. His lineup exploded a few years ago with Webbers knee.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Petrie has done a GREAT job of getting in some players. How many teams can turnover a lineup like the kings have this fast. They have young, good players starting to impact the game. Sign Beno and get a big body and this team is pretty good for a while.

I shudder to think of how bad we'd have to suck before you'd consider him doing a bad job...

The Kings' lineup hasn't hardly turned over at all; we still have six of the same top eight players in our rotation that we had last year, and an eight-man rotation is essentially as deep as we're going to go in any game that's close.

 

[VF21]

It may on what Petrie does, or doesn't do however.

Only if you believe - which I don't - that all the decisions made in the past few years have been Petrie's. If the Maloofs have been having significant input into the management of the team they cannot easily fire the guy they've been putting the pressure on.

From what I've heard all along, the Maloofs like and respect Geoff Petrie and are not anywhere near as disappointed with him as some might think.

 

[reid1boys]

IM not talking about a turnover fromlast season. NO TEAM tunrs over an entire roster in 1 year. Im talking about from 3 seasons ago. When you have a title contender and that time has past, that is when the rebuilding starts.

How many of the current Kings were playing in Sac 3 years ago?

Bibby and Miller, and no reason to get rid of either of them IMO.

When a team must start over, they are going to suck, and it doesnt look like that will mean 5 years of no playoffs like many other teams go through.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

IM not talking about a turnover fromlast season. NO TEAM tunrs over an entire roster in 1 year.

Entire is relative; we didn't even turn over a third.

How many of the current Kings were playing in Sac 3 years ago?

According to NBA.com, seven.