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Artest likes Theus hiring
by: Marc Stein
posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: Sacramento Kings
Ron Artest knows what they're saying in Sacramento. He's well aware of the growing belief around town that either he or Mike Bibby -- or maybe both -- should and will be traded this summer.
But Artest said late Tuesday night, after talking to his new coach for the first time, that he's hoping the Kings decide to exile neither.
Following the hiring of Reggie Theus as the successor to Eric Musselman, Artest insisted that he and Bibby are closer than outsiders think and suggested that they will flourish under Theus even though the ex-King has no NBA coaching experience as he makes the daunting (dreaded?) jump from college ball.
"I'd rather play with Mike any day of the year," Artest said.
Artest went on to explain that he and Bibby "actually work out together every morning at Gold's Gym" when they're both in Sacramento in the offseason. He says they also "shoot [together] at night sometimes" and spend time with each other's children.
Yet none of that changes the fact that last season -- their first full season as teammates -- was a 33-49 disaster. Artest was publicly handed "face of the franchise" status by Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof last summer, but that merely seemed to spawn a locker-room power struggle with Bibby in which the discord was interrupted only by Artest's off-court missteps and constant discussion about Musselman's lack of authority.
Unlike Muss, Theus should last more than a season on the Kings' bench. But he starts his new challenge facing the uncomfortable perception that the Maloof brothers -- after losing Stan Van Gundy to Orlando and clearly unmoved by a variety of periphery candidates in a coaching search that lasted nearly two months -- instructed team president Geoff Petrie to hire Theus as much for the buzz factor as anything in the face of increasing fan frustration in Sactown.
If that isn't messy enough, Theus will be starting out with a flawed roster ... in a conference that's only getting deeper with the impending arrivals of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant ... and with a major test from the start if Artest and Bibby are both still Kings in October.
"Next season will be great," countered Artest, who is scheduled to join the contingent of NBA players, led by Players Association chief Billy Hunter and union president Derek Fisher, who will visit Kenya this summer in an attempt to feed 1 million people by delivering 11 million pounds of rice.
"Coach is proven in the league as a player, so that gives the team more confidence," Artest said. "The Kings made an excellent choice."
Artest turns 28 in November and has two seasons left on his contract at $7.4 million each. But he has an early-termination option in his contract that will allow him to become a free agent in the summer of 2008.
So as a likely free agent-to-be, Artest would appear to be movable thanks to his contractual status if nothing else, in spite of a roller-coaster season in 2006-07, which included Artest telling several teammates in late March that he was thinking about retirement. Bibby, by contrast, likely will remain tougher to move, as the Kings found at February's trade deadline when even strong interest from Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers couldn't lead to a palatable deal financially for all parties. The 29-year-old has an early termination option this summer but isn't expected to exercise it, with Bibby due to earn $28 million over the next two seasons.
A couple weeks ago, when asked about potential trade interest from Miami or the Lakers, , Artest said, "I think the Kings will make the best decision for the Sacramento fans. And that means winning and getting a group of guys who want to play with each other and win games with each other. I had my best individual season of my career, but I didn't reach my potential yet. I'm looking forward to getting back in October with the team. I like how we ended our season as far as playing to the very end."
Now that he knows the identity of his boss, Artest said, "Last season was just unfortunate. People forget Mike was hurt early in the season and Brad [Miller] was hurt and I had my [back] out of place for half of November and all of December. But when a team loses how we lost last year, something had to be wrong.
"I think the season was new for everyone -- new coach, Kevin Martin's arrival [as a frontline player], etcetera. Everyone now is able to read each other and [has] learned how to play with each other. I can't wait to see Kevin Martin be an All-Star."
Artest likes Theus hiring
by: Marc Stein
posted: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: Sacramento Kings
Ron Artest knows what they're saying in Sacramento. He's well aware of the growing belief around town that either he or Mike Bibby -- or maybe both -- should and will be traded this summer.
But Artest said late Tuesday night, after talking to his new coach for the first time, that he's hoping the Kings decide to exile neither.
Following the hiring of Reggie Theus as the successor to Eric Musselman, Artest insisted that he and Bibby are closer than outsiders think and suggested that they will flourish under Theus even though the ex-King has no NBA coaching experience as he makes the daunting (dreaded?) jump from college ball.
"I'd rather play with Mike any day of the year," Artest said.
Artest went on to explain that he and Bibby "actually work out together every morning at Gold's Gym" when they're both in Sacramento in the offseason. He says they also "shoot [together] at night sometimes" and spend time with each other's children.
Yet none of that changes the fact that last season -- their first full season as teammates -- was a 33-49 disaster. Artest was publicly handed "face of the franchise" status by Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof last summer, but that merely seemed to spawn a locker-room power struggle with Bibby in which the discord was interrupted only by Artest's off-court missteps and constant discussion about Musselman's lack of authority.
Unlike Muss, Theus should last more than a season on the Kings' bench. But he starts his new challenge facing the uncomfortable perception that the Maloof brothers -- after losing Stan Van Gundy to Orlando and clearly unmoved by a variety of periphery candidates in a coaching search that lasted nearly two months -- instructed team president Geoff Petrie to hire Theus as much for the buzz factor as anything in the face of increasing fan frustration in Sactown.
If that isn't messy enough, Theus will be starting out with a flawed roster ... in a conference that's only getting deeper with the impending arrivals of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant ... and with a major test from the start if Artest and Bibby are both still Kings in October.
"Next season will be great," countered Artest, who is scheduled to join the contingent of NBA players, led by Players Association chief Billy Hunter and union president Derek Fisher, who will visit Kenya this summer in an attempt to feed 1 million people by delivering 11 million pounds of rice.
"Coach is proven in the league as a player, so that gives the team more confidence," Artest said. "The Kings made an excellent choice."
Artest turns 28 in November and has two seasons left on his contract at $7.4 million each. But he has an early-termination option in his contract that will allow him to become a free agent in the summer of 2008.
So as a likely free agent-to-be, Artest would appear to be movable thanks to his contractual status if nothing else, in spite of a roller-coaster season in 2006-07, which included Artest telling several teammates in late March that he was thinking about retirement. Bibby, by contrast, likely will remain tougher to move, as the Kings found at February's trade deadline when even strong interest from Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers couldn't lead to a palatable deal financially for all parties. The 29-year-old has an early termination option this summer but isn't expected to exercise it, with Bibby due to earn $28 million over the next two seasons.
A couple weeks ago, when asked about potential trade interest from Miami or the Lakers, , Artest said, "I think the Kings will make the best decision for the Sacramento fans. And that means winning and getting a group of guys who want to play with each other and win games with each other. I had my best individual season of my career, but I didn't reach my potential yet. I'm looking forward to getting back in October with the team. I like how we ended our season as far as playing to the very end."
Now that he knows the identity of his boss, Artest said, "Last season was just unfortunate. People forget Mike was hurt early in the season and Brad [Miller] was hurt and I had my [back] out of place for half of November and all of December. But when a team loses how we lost last year, something had to be wrong.
"I think the season was new for everyone -- new coach, Kevin Martin's arrival [as a frontline player], etcetera. Everyone now is able to read each other and [has] learned how to play with each other. I can't wait to see Kevin Martin be an All-Star."
