Future plans?

[Packt]

Did they mention anything about Theus?

It ain't my money, but if their plan is still 2010, what was the Bibby trade for? We got an undersized f/c who makes more money than the undersize f/c we had to cut. I'd like them to be a little more proactive, maybe even take on other teams contracts if they package in draft picks. Seems like they're more interested in cost cutting moves in these lean years. That's a lot of wasted years just to get to the starting line in 2010.

 

[VF21]

You don't go from rags to riches in a season unless, of course, you happen to luck into a Kevin Garnett trade - and Boston ain't won nuthin' yet...

The Bibby trade gave us expiring contracts and the ability to resign Beno. But this is all a discussion for another thread.

Since this is obviously going to go far away from the OP, I'm going to split it off..

 

[fnordius]

It ain't my money, but if their plan is still 2010, what was the Bibby trade for?

They'd already promised Kevin an additional $10M a year, so somebody big (or a few smaller pieces) had to go. Whether that was the beginning of a rebuild or just one simple swap remains to be seen.

That's a lot of wasted years just to get to the starting line in 2010.

No argument from me.

 

[upinsmoke]

A true pg should be towards the top of the list. I would like to see Miller traded in a package deal that included salmons and Moore for a solid power foward maybe like Jermaine O'neal(<--expensive) or work out a deal for drew gooden. Salmons has proven a inconsistant backup he should go. (he can start on another team. And for goodness sakes please buy out both KT and SAR if they do not retire.

 

[fnordius]

like Jermaine O'neal

Please explain how picking up a crippled old player with a bloated contract is consistent with rebuilding.

 

[Kingzrool]

Please explain how picking up a crippled old player with a bloated contract is consistent with rebuilding.

Word, please no JO.

 

[Arkitect]

A true pg should be towards the top of the list. I would like to see Miller traded in a package deal that included salmons and Moore for a solid power foward maybe like Jermaine O'neal(<--expensive) or work out a deal for drew gooden. Salmons has proven a inconsistant backup he should go. (he can start on another team. And for goodness sakes please buy out both KT and SAR if they do not retire.

Beno is good enough for right now, if he isn't too expensive and is willing to stay here. We still need a decent BU PG but, we are way more in need of a star caliber PF than anything else. Every other position in the starting lineup is in the average to above average range besides PF. That is by far our most glaring weakness. I still think we need to blow the team up (keeping martin and hawes for sure, garcia, beno, and williams maybe, everyone else is crap/wasted talent.) But as far as priorites for us to become a winning NBA team again, the PF position is horrible and would be a good place to start.

 

[upinsmoke]

Please explain how picking up a crippled old player with a bloated contract is consistent with rebuilding.

Your right man a 6 time all-star that would bring big time D and rebounding and shot blocking would only hurt us.

Granted he was hurt this year but he is still a heck of a player.

 

[Löwenherz]

You know, I seem to remember in the late 90s an agressive trade, solid free agent signing and a gutsy draft pick were enough to drastically change the identity and direction of the team in one season. Webb, Vlade and J-Will didn't make the Kings instant contenders, but they did make them immediately more entertaining and relevent.

I don't think we're looking for a Celtics turnaround, but I sometimes wonder why the closest Petrie has come to mimicing his most successful off-season, has been the summer of the Bonzi for B-Jax trade and SAR signing.

 

[SacKings7]

Please explain how picking up a crippled old player with a bloated contract is consistent with rebuilding.

Jermaine is only 29, turning 30 in October, and he's proven himself before. I'd like to see us acquire him, a lot more than I want to see us get Drew Gooden to add to our mediocre-average PF group

 

[Bricklayer]

You know, I seem to remember in the late 90s an agressive trade, solid free agent signing and a gutsy draft pick were enough to drastically change the identity and direction of the team in one season. Webb, Vlade and J-Will didn't make the Kings instant contenders, but they did make them immediately more entertaining and relevent.

People forget that Webb was only 25-26 when we traded for him. Same age as Kevin. Vlade was the only memeber of that entire core we put together with any age on him. That was why it was exciting -- we seemed to have a window that was going to last for a long long time.

We also had done our prep work before that season -- another reason why Petrie's incompetence of the last few years has been maddening. once upon a time he DID know how to rebuild, or seemed to. Once upon a time he a) quit signing new FAs, b) cleared massive caproom; and c) tanked a season fro better draft position. And the end result was that in the summer of '98 we were primed for the instant rebuild. We had $10mil in caproom to go chase Vlade. We had a #7 pick (that could have been Dirk or Pierce as it turns out, damnit), and we in one dramartic gesture cleared out 2/3 of the garbage that was our roster of the time and completely started over. Unfortunately you can only make such a dramatic move if you plan ahead for it. Since we have not, we will neither have the caproom, the high pick, or the opportunity to turnover neaarly so much of our roster, since so many of them are a) hard to move; and b) Geoff continues to hold out on everythng looking for "value" that nobody else is interested in giving.

 

[SacKings7]

People forget that Webb was only 25-26 when we traded for him. Same age as Kevin. Vlade was the only memeber of that entire core we put together with any age on him. That was why it was exciting -- we seemed to have a window that was going to last for a long long time.

We also had done our prep work before that season -- another reason why Petrie's incompetence of the last few years has been maddening. once upon a time he DID know how to rebuild, or seemed to. Once upon a time he a) quit signing new FAs, b) cleared massive caproom; and c) tanked a season fro better draft position. And the end result was that in the summer of '98 we were primed for the instant rebuild. We had $10mil in caproom to go chase Vlade. We had a #7 pick (that could have been Dirk or Pierce as it turns out, damnit), and we in one dramartic gesture cleared out 2/3 of the garbage that was our roster of the time and completely started over. Unfortunately you can only make such a dramatic move if you plan ahead for it. Since we have not, we will neither have the caproom, the high pick, or the opportunity to turnover neaarly so much of our roster, since so many of them are a) hard to move; and b) Geoff continues to hold out on everythng looking for "value" that nobody else is interested in giving.

Yep...you pretty much covered it

 

[bajaden]

People forget that Webb was only 25-26 when we traded for him. Same age as Kevin. Vlade was the only memeber of that entire core we put together with any age on him. That was why it was exciting -- we seemed to have a window that was going to last for a long long time.

We also had done our prep work before that season -- another reason why Petrie's incompetence of the last few years has been maddening. once upon a time he DID know how to rebuild, or seemed to. Once upon a time he a) quit signing new FAs, b) cleared massive caproom; and c) tanked a season fro better draft position. And the end result was that in the summer of '98 we were primed for the instant rebuild. We had $10mil in caproom to go chase Vlade. We had a #7 pick (that could have been Dirk or Pierce as it turns out, damnit), and we in one dramartic gesture cleared out 2/3 of the garbage that was our roster of the time and completely started over. Unfortunately you can only make such a dramatic move if you plan ahead for it. Since we have not, we will neither have the caproom, the high pick, or the opportunity to turnover neaarly so much of our roster, since so many of them are a) hard to move; and b) Geoff continues to hold out on everythng looking for "value" that nobody else is interested in giving.

I wasn't blessed with insites to the interworkings of Petrie's mind as you were. I don't pretend to know what his plans are. I can only guess, which I might add, is what you are doing. Part of the problem with guessing, where Petrie is concerned, is that he simply doesn't give us anything to work with. OK, we can sniff his vapor trail and try and make sense out of it, but thats like trying to tell where the jet aircraft that created it is going. We have no way of knowing what deals didn't get made or fell through at the last moment.
Logic tells us, and I might add that you yourself have stated, that 2010 is when we will be in position to make big moves. Until then, those of us that wish to critizise and throw mud will have plenty of opportunity. I find it non productive. But it does pass the time and time is something that I have. Hopefully.

 

[fnordius]

Logic tells us, and I might add that you yourself have stated, that 2010 is when we will be in position to make big moves. Until then, those of us that wish to critizise and throw mud will have plenty of opportunity. I find it non productive.

Productive or not, if the front office is going to follow a couple of years of sitting on their hands with another 2 years of the same, it is completely deserved.

 

[bajaden]

Productive or not, if the front office is going to follow a couple of years of sitting on their hands with another 2 years of the same, it is completely deserved.

My grandmother said that ( IF ) is for children. Its all speculation my friend, and your certainly welcome to do it. And I'll read it.. For myself, I can't criticize someone for something that they didn't do, based on what I thought that they should do. If that makes any sense. I can criticize them for what they did do. I didn't like the Douby draft pick. I didn't like it the day it was made and I still don't. I didn't like the Mikki Moore signing. He's played better than I though he would, but I'm still not thrilled with him as a player. But I have trouble criticizing him for something he didn't do, when I don't know what it is he didn't do, or what he tried to do. Just me and my illogical mind. But hey, the rest of you can have as much fun as you like. Go for it. It is after all, just a game..

 

[fnordius]

For myself, I can't criticize someone for something that they didn't do, based on what I thought that they should do. If that makes any sense. I can criticize them for what they did do.

Okay.

Penalties for inaction are everywhere, from criminal and civil sanctions, to losing your job, to... almost anything. In the marketplace, the penalty is that your business loses money instead of making it, resulting in drastic changes or bankruptcy.

The drop in ticket and souvenier sales last year must have been at least in the tens of millions. The drop next year is looking to be considerably greater, because fans will go on voting with their wallets. This is brutal punishment, and there is no recourse. Either the front office fields a team that people want to watch, or the Maloofs will be forced into major changes of one sort or another.

And that's the harsh reality of business. You make a product your customers find worth the money, or you are quickly gone and forgotten. It doesn't even matter if you didn't pass up any great opportunities. You are toast, end of story.

 

[hrdboild]

If there's any way to trade Brad Miller, this off-season is probably the time to do it. Spencer has shown he can handle a starting role and Brad isn't staying past his current contract, so we might as well get value for him while we can.

Jermaine O'Neal doesn't help us with the rebuild, but he's only got two years left on his contract and we're not going to have cap room for two years anyway so that huge contract doesn't actually hurt us salary wise. Maybe it would even be a good thing to put all that money into one player so Petrie will stop splurging on Mid-Level signings that last for four or five years. If Indiana is that desperate to trade him, I don't think we have the right pieces to get him-- not without giving up a draft pick anyway which we definitely should not do--but I've heard worse ideas. I don't think he's done yet. He's 30 this year. If he does experience a resurgence, great -- we're set at PF. If not, he's a Free Agent in two years.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Jermaine O'Neal doesn't help us with the rebuild, but he's only got two years left on his contract and we're not going to have cap room for two years anyway so that huge contract doesn't actually hurt us salary wise. Maybe it would even be a good thing to put all that money into one player so Petrie will stop splurging on Mid-Level signings that last for four or five years. If Indiana is that desperate to trade him, I don't think we have the right pieces to get him-- not without giving up a draft pick anyway which we definitely should not do--but I've heard worse ideas. I don't think he's done yet. He's 30 this year. If he does experience a resurgence, great -- we're set at PF. If not, he's a Free Agent in two years.

what about Ron Artest and Jermaine??

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Does anybody see a chance Ron Artest might retire for a year/take a year off?

 

[hrdboild]

Ron has said that he wanted to get out of Indiana, out of a Pacers uniform, away from the legacy of one bad decision. He never said he wanted to get away from his old teammates. Actually, he's said that he's sorry now that he demanded a trade because he would have loved to finish his career playing with those guys. I don't see the O'Neal connection as a problem for Ron. I don't know if it would be for Jermaine though. He sounded pretty offended when Ron demanded a trade, but that may be forgotten by now.

 

[bajaden]

Okay.

Penalties for inaction are everywhere, from criminal and civil sanctions, to losing your job, to... almost anything. In the marketplace, the penalty is that your business loses money instead of making it, resulting in drastic changes or bankruptcy.

The drop in ticket and souvenier sales last year must have been at least in the tens of millions. The drop next year is looking to be considerably greater, because fans will go on voting with their wallets. This is brutal punishment, and there is no recourse. Either the front office fields a team that people want to watch, or the Maloofs will be forced into major changes of one sort or another.

And that's the harsh reality of business. You make a product your customers find worth the money, or you are quickly gone and forgotten. It doesn't even matter if you didn't pass up any great opportunities. You are toast, end of story.

I don't disagree with anything you've said. There's no doubt that inaction has effect. Sometimes good and sometimes bad. In my case, what you see as inaction I see as patience. Perhaps too much sometimes, but thats Petrie's nature. What we don't know is what he may tried to do and couldn't pull it off. You never hear from him why a trade failed to materialize. All you hear is speculation from the media or perhaps a leak from the other organization. We heard all sorts of rumors why the Artest trade didn't go down with Denver, but it could have been as simple as they were afraid to take a risk with him.
I will admit that my patience runs thin sometimes. Especially in the dog days of summer.

 

[bajaden]

Does anybody see a chance Ron Artest might retire for a year/take a year off?

I think he likes to play too much. Only if his daughter needed him, then maybe, but I really doubt it.
As far as O'Neal is concerned, he may only be 29 yrs old, but its an old 29. He's really been beat up the last few years and I think its starting to take its toll on him. I still have those visions of Ralph Sampson barely getting up and down the court. I know, I know, he's not that bad.

 

[fnordius]

What we don't know is what he may tried to do and couldn't pull it off.

I guess that's the dividing line. I no longer care whether or not we were offered anything very good. We can't get a bag of chips for SAR and KT put together, for example, but no attempt to explain it away will change anything. It's failure, pure and simple.