Disbelief fills the locker room

[LMM]

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12013987p-12884384c.html

Disbelief fills the locker room

Kings players didn't anticipate the trade of guard Doug Christie.

By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Peja Stojakovic didn't have a nightmare until his nap was over, when his father stirred him in the bed of his Granite Bay home.



The television news reporter was saying Doug Christie had been traded from the Kings to the Orlando Magic, a top story Stojakovic hoped wasn't true.



Hours before, Stojakovic and Christie had been shooting together at the Kings' practice facility. It was, apparently, the last time after four-plus years together.

"I said (to his father), 'You sure? Did you understand it right?' " the forward said. "I called (Chris-tie), found out it was the truth.

"I went to his house (just blocks away). He didn't know what to say, because he really loved this team, loved being in Sacramento. We should all appreciate what he did for us. He'll never be forgotten."

Tuesday night, before the team's first game without Christie, disbelief was the norm in a crowded Kings locker room. Former teammates lamented his departure and struggled to ponder the future that includes new Kings Cuttino Mobley and reserve forward Michael Bradley.

Power forward Chris Webber didn't want to talk before the game, saying it would be "too hard" to discuss the loss of Christie, who was among the core group that helped turn around the once-woeful franchise.

Point guard Mike Bibby said it was "like losing a member of your family."

And speaking from his Granite Bay home, Christie - the most shocked one of all - halted a scheduled 30-minute radio interview after less than 10 minutes when emotions overwhelmed him.

"When it hit me, it was out of the blue, really," Christie told KHTK. "Now that you get a chance to sit back and think, the first thing that comes to mind is that it's a business. You've got to understand that."

Asked if he took comfort in knowing Kings fans would remember him, Christie said, "In a business like this, that could just well be the biggest thing that happens in your career."

He then cut the interview short, with his wife, Jackie, taking over.

"It's emotional," Jackie Christie said. "This is a real trying time. It hurts our heart, but we understand. Orlando will be our new place, but Sacramento will be our home."

The move was Kings president Geoff Petrie's first significant in-season trade in his 10 years with the team, coming after guard Bobby Jackson was lost for the regular season with a wrist injury. Mobley, who is considered an above-average defender, is a superior scorer than Christie, averaging 17 points per game in his six-plus seasons. Mobley is also 29; Christie is 34.

Christie, who was named to the NBA's all-defensive first or second teams the past four seasons, has struggled offensively this season. His 7.3 scoring average is his lowest since he was a reserve for the New York Knicks in the 1994-95 season. He is also plagued with plantar fasciitis, which has nagged him throughout this season.

"I think with Bobby being gone, I hope (Mobley) is going to fill in the shoes pretty well," forward Darius Songaila said. "Offensively we got better, and defensively we probably didn't."

But in the Kings' locker room, Christie was lauded as much for his willingness to teach as he was for his on-court skills.

"(Christie) taught me more in three months I've been here than I learned the last four years playing basketball," rookie guard Kevin Martin said. Added Stojakovic: "We're going to find out what he meant to this team. He always put the team in front of everything. It was always his top priority. He always was a great motivator for everybody, a great example on and off the court. I learned a lot of things from him."

 

[fishgirl]

That definitely says a lot about Doug's character. I myself am still in some cloud of disbelief.

 

[Jc662]

i still cant believe he's gone

 

[Gargamel]

I'm not trying to be harsh so please don't take this as an attack, but is Sacramento this close-knit? No offense, but Doug Christie isn't Mitch Richmond who carried the franchise on his back for years. Why can't they believe a 34 year-old was traded for a younger proven player? Nevermind what Christie meant to them as friends and what he meant to you guys as a symbol. Everyone here knows that his best days were behind him. This was an upgrade, imo, and this is a business most definitely. I have a hard time buying that players and fans of any appreciable amount of time are truly surprised or in disbelief over this trade.

 

[The Freak]

=(

This sounds like a basketball movie like Coach Carter..how one's guys team turns from a bunch of people playing basketball to a close knit family.

 

[Entity]

i hate to say it but you are right. It was a day that was going to happen. As high as i am on Webber one day his contract will run out or he may be traded. Same goes for Peja. Its just something you have to go through as a fan. I got through Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young when they left or retired. Now this is the beginning of changes that will be made to the kings over the next 5 to 6 years. All these guys will be gone. It just has to happen. But it don't mean the players and fans can't be sad about it. Time will heal all wounds.

 

[Entity]

One more thing. Did that say Peja's Dad woke him up??? Peja lives with his Dad?

 

[Gargamel]

i hate to say it but you are right. It was a day that was going to happen. As high as i am on Webber one day his contract will run out or he may be traded. Same goes for Peja. Its just something you have to go through as a fan. I got through Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young when they left or retired. Now this is the beginning of changes that will be made to the kings over the next 5 to 6 years. All these guys will be gone. It just has to happen. But it don't mean the players and fans can't be sad about it. Time will heal all wounds.

Yeah, and trades like this should heal those wounds quickly. I remember tyring to convince Usenet Kings fans in 2001 not to even look back after Williams was traded for Bibby. Now, Williams has largely been forgotten in Sac since Bibby's first season with the Kings. Same will happen with Christie, I predict.

 

[quick dog]

I have some off-the-wall statements, so skip the post if you hate unmitigated sentimentalism.

The reaction that many Kings players and fans have expressed to the Christie trade is very similar to what individuals might feel and say if a close loved-one had died. In a way, this ought to provide a life-lesson.

You better appreciate your friends and relatives while they are around because they will be gone unexpectedly some day, like it or not. The emotions of losing Doug Christie, and I really don't want to be overly dramatic about it, was much like losing a family member. This phenomenum only happens when you lose someone very special to you. This is an interesting study in social dynamics. I think the Christie trade is bigger than the Vlade loss.

So much for the skeptics that continuously criticized doug and his wife for their unusual, by NBA standards, relationship. This guy was loved and respected by a whole lot of Sacramento fans.

 

[WalMatt23]

One more thing. Did that say Peja's Dad woke him up??? Peja lives with his Dad?

i think its more like Peja's dad lives with him, not the other way around. hehe

 

[VF21]

I have some off-the-wall statements, so skip the post if you hate unmitigated sentimentalism.

The reaction that many Kings players and fans have expressed to the Christie trade is very similar to what individuals might feel and say if a close loved-one had died. In a way, this ought to provide a life-lesson.

You better appreciate your friends and relatives while they are around because they will be gone unexpectedly some day, like it or not. The emotions of losing Doug Christie, and I really don't want to be overly dramatic about it, was much like losing a family member. This phenomenum only happens when you lose someone very special to you. This is an interesting study in social dynamics. I think the Christie trade is bigger than the Vlade loss.

So much for the skeptics that continuously criticized doug and his wife for their unusual, by NBA standards, relationship. This guy was loved and respected by a whole lot of Sacramento fans.

word.

 

[Packt]

i think its more like Peja's dad lives with him, not the other way around. hehe

True, and it's really not that unusual in other cultures/countries. It's actually very normal.

 

[Kingsgurl]

I'm not trying to be harsh so please don't take this as an attack, but is Sacramento this close-knit? No offense, but Doug Christie isn't Mitch Richmond who carried the franchise on his back for years. Why can't they believe a 34 year-old was traded for a younger proven player? Nevermind what Christie meant to them as friends and what he meant to you guys as a symbol. Everyone here knows that his best days were behind him. This was an upgrade, imo, and this is a business most definitely. I have a hard time buying that players and fans of any appreciable amount of time are truly surprised or in disbelief over this trade.

Yes, Sacramento IS this close knit. If you read the comments, not one player said the trade was a BAD trade, they all understand it's a business. Their comments, and ours expressing sorrow at Doug's departure, have NOTHING to do with the business side of it. We see the advantages and can think of it as a good trade and STILL be saddened by his loss. The surprise came at the suddeness. One minute he's at practice, the next, he is gone, never to don a Kings jersey again.
No offense, but we don't reserve our affections for only the big name players. We, as fans, and the team, as players and friends, are deeply appreciative of Doug, as a player and a man. What was written about in the article was the human side of it. These guys ARE human, you know. You can't just say "Nevermind what he meant to them as friends"

 

[6th]

Yes, Sacramento IS this close knit. If you read the comments, not one player said the trade was a BAD trade, they all understand it's a business. Their comments, and ours expressing sorrow at Doug's departure, have NOTHING to do with the business side of it. We see the advantages and can think of it as a good trade and STILL be saddened by his loss. The surprise came at the suddeness. One minute he's at practice, the next, he is gone, never to don a Kings jersey again.
No offense, but we don't reserve our affections for only the big name players. We, as fans, and the team, as players and friends, are deeply appreciative of Doug, as a player and a man. What was written about in the article was the human side of it. These guys ARE human, you know. You can't just say "Nevermind what he meant to them as friends"

Absolutely excellent response!! I couldn't have said it better.

 

[TheSerbianQueen]

I have some off-the-wall statements, so skip the post if you hate unmitigated sentimentalism.

The reaction that many Kings players and fans have expressed to the Christie trade is very similar to what individuals might feel and say if a close loved-one had died. In a way, this ought to provide a life-lesson.

You better appreciate your friends and relatives while they are around because they will be gone unexpectedly some day, like it or not. The emotions of losing Doug Christie, and I really don't want to be overly dramatic about it, was much like losing a family member. This phenomenum only happens when you lose someone very special to you. This is an interesting study in social dynamics. I think the Christie trade is bigger than the Vlade loss.

So much for the skeptics that continuously criticized doug and his wife for their unusual, by NBA standards, relationship. This guy was loved and respected by a whole lot of Sacramento fans.

Well said!!

 

[Gargamel]

I have some off-the-wall statements, so skip the post if you hate unmitigated sentimentalism.

The reaction that many Kings players and fans have expressed to the Christie trade is very similar to what individuals might feel and say if a close loved-one had died. In a way, this ought to provide a life-lesson.

I decided to ignore the initial warning, but then realized it was a mistake and stopped here. I didn't realize it was this bad. I shall bow out of this thread at once.

 

[tbear03]

I have some off-the-wall statements, so skip the post if you hate unmitigated sentimentalism.

The reaction that many Kings players and fans have expressed to the Christie trade is very similar to what individuals might feel and say if a close loved-one had died. In a way, this ought to provide a life-lesson.

You better appreciate your friends and relatives while they are around because they will be gone unexpectedly some day, like it or not. The emotions of losing Doug Christie, and I really don't want to be overly dramatic about it, was much like losing a family member. This phenomenum only happens when you lose someone very special to you. This is an interesting study in social dynamics. I think the Christie trade is bigger than the Vlade loss.

So much for the skeptics that continuously criticized doug and his wife for their unusual, by NBA standards, relationship. This guy was loved and respected by a whole lot of Sacramento fans.

WORD. I was trying to think of the way to describe how I felt, and this and Kingsgurl's comments are pretty much it.

He will be missed but not forgotten - he brought a whole lot to this team, and as Peja said, they WILL find out just what he meant to them.

GO KINGS!!

 

[Ryle]

I'm not trying to be harsh so please don't take this as an attack, but is Sacramento this close-knit? No offense, but Doug Christie isn't Mitch Richmond who carried the franchise on his back for years. Why can't they believe a 34 year-old was traded for a younger proven player? Nevermind what Christie meant to them as friends and what he meant to you guys as a symbol. Everyone here knows that his best days were behind him. This was an upgrade, imo, and this is a business most definitely. I have a hard time buying that players and fans of any appreciable amount of time are truly surprised or in disbelief over this trade.

I agree with you 100%. Problem is alot of Kings fans get attached to players and it's hard for them to realize the facts. I have never been a Doug Christie fan but I do think he was a great teammate and came to play every night. He played hurt and was a true warrior out on the court. With that said I think we upgraded the roster with Mobley and I was ecstatic about the trade.

 

[VF21]

I agree with you 100%. Problem is alot of Kings fans get attached to players and it's hard for them to realize the facts. I have never been a Doug Christie fan but I do think he was a great teammate and came to play every night. He played hurt and was a true warrior out on the court. With that said I think we upgraded the roster with Mobley and I was ecstatic about the trade.

I don't think there's a problem if a Kings fan gets attached to a player. Hard for them to realize the facts? No, they're just expressing remorse over losing someone they thought brought a lot to the organization, the team AND to the fans. If you don't react the same way, it doesn't make you right and them wrong OR you wrong and them right. It's just different reactions. I think there's more than enough room around here for the ones who have been deeply affected, at least for a short period, to express those feelings with other people who share them.

I think you're misunderstanding some of the comments. No one is saying it was a bad trade. I think we can talk about the loss of Christie AND be excited about Mobley and what he's going to bring. It's not an either/or situation.



If you looked, Gargamel realized this in a subsequent post:

I decided to ignore the initial warning, but then realized it was a mistake and stopped here. I didn't realize it was this bad. I shall bow out of this thread at once.

 

[quick dog]

I think you're misunderstanding some of the comments. No one is saying it was a bad trade. I think we can talk about the loss of Christie AND be excited about Mobley and what he's going to bring. It's not an either/or situation. If you looked, Gargamel realized this in a subsequent post:

How do you get from point A to point B with Gargie's comment?

 

[VF21]

I was simply saying that Gargamel made some initial comments, which Ryle responded to. Then, in the subsequent post by Gargy, he pretty much bowed out because, after reading your (qd) comments, he realized emotions were running much higher than he had understood at first.

 

[SacTown]

This article is a perfect example of why Kings fans are so attached to the players rather than the franchise (including myself) is because this team is- and I quote- a family. I've never seen a sports team of any kind by such good friends as this team is, and that is why they are so appealing to everyone. Who wants to watch a team that hates each other. I love my Kings because they are together on and off the court, it's great.
I am personally heart broken over Dougs sudden departure, mainly because it wasn't expected. I definetly expected something after this season, but not so suddenly and without warning.

 

[Packt]

Yes, Sacramento IS this close knit. If you read the comments, not one player said the trade was a BAD trade, they all understand it's a business. Their comments, and ours expressing sorrow at Doug's departure, have NOTHING to do with the business side of it. We see the advantages and can think of it as a good trade and STILL be saddened by his loss. The surprise came at the suddeness. One minute he's at practice, the next, he is gone, never to don a Kings jersey again. No offense, but we don't reserve our affections for only the big name players. We, as fans, and the team, as players and friends, are deeply appreciative of Doug, as a player and a man. What was written about in the article was the human side of it. These guys ARE human, you know. You can't just say "Nevermind what he meant to them as friends"

they're just expressing remorse over losing someone they thought brought a lot to the organization, the team AND to the fans. If you don't react the same way, it doesn't make you right and them wrong OR you wrong and them right. It's just different reactions. I think there's more than enough room around here for the ones who have been deeply affected, at least for a short period, to express those feelings with other people who share them. I think you're misunderstanding some of the comments. No one is saying it was a bad trade. I think we can talk about the loss of Christie AND be excited about Mobley and what he's going to bring. It's not an either/or situation.

Exactly. I'm excited at the possibilities of a player like Mobley. I'm actually shocked that we've acquired such a player but I'm also very saddened that a player of Doug's caliber had to be moved; very mixed feelings. I love and appreciated all that Doug brought. To me, he was a great representation of what this team meant to me as a fan. It's sad to see him go. He represented an era of Kings ball we'll all remember.