i do, i am glad i got see it happen...i dont remember peja's contract situation at the time? but he was not performing how we wanted him to, and artest was the best deal we can get..and ron actually helped us reach the playoffs that year, and were a lucky brent barry bounce away from having all the momentum in the series...i was willing to take a chance on him, and it paid off for that year
do you guys still think it was worth trading peja for ron ?
- Thread starter GoSACtown
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Peja was one of my favorite players. He didn't ask to be considered a superstar, or the savior of the Kings. The team was in upheaval at the time. Valde was gone. Christie was gone. Webber was gone. And too many losses were being blamed on him.
I do think he needed a change of scenery. The air had gotten too stale where he was. I'm just sorry it had to be Artest. His getting us into the playoffs for one year, just isn't enough of a payback for all the grief he has caused. Peja in many ways was the exact opposite of Artest. He seldom said anything in the press that stirred the blood. He never hungered for the spotlight. Boy, do I miss that..
I do think he needed a change of scenery. The air had gotten too stale where he was. I'm just sorry it had to be Artest. His getting us into the playoffs for one year, just isn't enough of a payback for all the grief he has caused. Peja in many ways was the exact opposite of Artest. He seldom said anything in the press that stirred the blood. He never hungered for the spotlight. Boy, do I miss that..
K
At that time, Yes! We were not going to make the playoffs that year if we didn't acquire Bill late in the season. Even if we kept Peja, it was highly unlikely that we were going to resign him that summer when his contract expired. So, the trade definitely benefited us in short term and in the long run since we can still make a play with Bill's trade value.
peja is and was always a first class act... never said anything bad and random.. but in my honest opinion i think the trade shouldnt have happened, why?
simply we were taking a risk.. we tried to see if lighting will hit twice (by that i meant trading to get webber) but Artest is the big big risk.. he is NO SUPER STAR if we were to trade back then it should have been for some expiring and a first round pick.
Artest may pass every physical exam, but hell he wont pass a maturity exam the way he behaves...
I didnt think Peja was soft he was just one of those guys who did the things that was told of him to do.. and i dont think he is a BAD defender.. looking back on that Mavs-Kings game in 04 (i think it was 04 where he defended well on crucial plays)
so all in all it wasnt worth all of this, Indiana should have added a pick for the mental anguish the fanbase is going through,
simply we were taking a risk.. we tried to see if lighting will hit twice (by that i meant trading to get webber) but Artest is the big big risk.. he is NO SUPER STAR if we were to trade back then it should have been for some expiring and a first round pick.
Artest may pass every physical exam, but hell he wont pass a maturity exam the way he behaves...
I didnt think Peja was soft he was just one of those guys who did the things that was told of him to do.. and i dont think he is a BAD defender.. looking back on that Mavs-Kings game in 04 (i think it was 04 where he defended well on crucial plays)
so all in all it wasnt worth all of this, Indiana should have added a pick for the mental anguish the fanbase is going through,
I think it was the right move at the time. Hindsight is great and everything, and I think we all knew there would be incredible distractions. The one wrinkle that I never saw coming was Ron's belief that he had become a Kobe Bryant-level scorer, which led to him killing offensive chemistry throughout his entire stay, and also led to a wavering commitment to defense that he shuts on and off throughout the season. If we had gotten pre-brawl Ron Artest I think he would still be an incredibly valuable player or a valuable trade piece, even with the off-the-court stuff. But now, not only do teams have to worry that Ron is going to go nuts, they also have to worry that he's going to mess up their on-court chemistry.
So yeah, I think whenever you make a trade for Artest you know it's buyer-beware. I just never really thought he would be a problem on the court. Oh well.
So yeah, I think whenever you make a trade for Artest you know it's buyer-beware. I just never really thought he would be a problem on the court. Oh well.
I think it was. Yes. The Kings had something going for a minute with Artest and Bonzi and would have remained relevant had they reunited for a 2nd season. Sadly Bonzi went down in a blaze of dumb-dumb and the Kings are history. I'm not saying Bonzi is a superstar, but matching up with Artest presented a "superstar-like" dilemma (in terms of matching up) for other squads. It was no fluke they played the Spurs tough, and they may have attracted another piece to keep the Kings in the top 5 in the West.
Almost.
Almost.
No regrets. Peja had one year left. So either he would have left for nothing or we would be bound by the huge contract he ended up signing in new orleans.
That year Artest was a great addition, and we made more noise than we should have in the Playoffs.
Now..Artest may be a poisonous drama queen but he's still very tradeable with many teams interested ..and hey, there's even a high chance we can throw away Kenny Thomas with him! Well worth it IMO.
That year Artest was a great addition, and we made more noise than we should have in the Playoffs.
Now..Artest may be a poisonous drama queen but he's still very tradeable with many teams interested ..and hey, there's even a high chance we can throw away Kenny Thomas with him! Well worth it IMO.
Yes. Peja gave up on the team...He was stinking it up that season, and didnt look like he gave half a damn on the court. When Ron Ron came here things turned around in a jiffy. We were the team that nobody wanted to get stuck with in the 1st round.
Ron may have gone nutty on us, just like he's gone nutty on every team he has been on...But still, he gave us a magical half a season (that playoff push was amazin). Peja was a bum.
Ron may have gone nutty on us, just like he's gone nutty on every team he has been on...But still, he gave us a magical half a season (that playoff push was amazin). Peja was a bum.
Peja needed to go, but I screamed bloody murder about this trade from the beginning. Artest was a problem then, he was a problem the whole time he was here and he'll be a problem after he leaves.
I will give Artest credit for turning a dead-end team around that season, but I deduct just as many points from Geoff Petrie for putting off the rebuild for 2 1/2 years to construct 33 and 38 win teams in the interim.
I will give Artest credit for turning a dead-end team around that season, but I deduct just as many points from Geoff Petrie for putting off the rebuild for 2 1/2 years to construct 33 and 38 win teams in the interim.
I had mixed feelings about the trade at the time and still do. I think Peja needed new scenery and I think the team needed a change. Ron provided the spark we needed that year, but obviously hasn't been an unqualified success. I guess the question is whether we think the team would be any better with Peja than they are with Ron, and I really don't know the answer to that. The team needs more than either Ron or Peja can offer to become a team that has any serious potential. So, I guess I'm ambivalent about the trade. Not sure it was a great help, not sure it really hurt us too badly either....
Yes. As was pointed out previously, Peja was going just through the motions at the time. Ron was a spark, and is arguably a better all-around player. The words Peja and defense have never been put together in the same sentence without an adjective (bad, horrible, non-existent, etc.). It is also true the words Artest and calm have never been used together, either.
If Peja had stayed and missed a majority of the next season, there would have been serious discussion on this site asking why we didn't trade for Artest.
If Peja had stayed and missed a majority of the next season, there would have been serious discussion on this site asking why we didn't trade for Artest.
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I'll bet that most Kings fans would still be unhappy with Peja if he were still in Sacramento. Artest, who I defended from the start, is clearly unbalanced to the point of being annoying. Yet, Peja was, and still is, wimpy to the point of being annoying to some.
Perhaps with a cage in the training building, some pugil sticks, marginal food, and the judicial application of lit cigarette butts, Peja could have been turned into an angry and tough man. Maybe that would have made everyone happy
Perhaps with a cage in the training building, some pugil sticks, marginal food, and the judicial application of lit cigarette butts, Peja could have been turned into an angry and tough man. Maybe that would have made everyone happy
