GP- Still the King!

[kingskings!]

I never forgot that either. Actually that is the first thing that comes to my mind whenever someone mentions Wallace.

I can't believe he took him self out of one the best games he played the whole season and a chance to earn more minutes in upcoming games. I almost partially blame him for Peja's dissapearance in this years playoffs. If Wallace didn't get in Adelman's doghouse Peja might have been more rested/focused in the playoffs.

Agreed, I loved the potential in GW, I loved his explosive moves to the basket but I hated the fumbles and the dumb out of synch moves. I rooted for the kid to get smarter, to listen, and to still stay so razzle dazzle....kinda like JWill...although JWill had more skills. I wish him the best in Charlotte and hope that his game develops...only time will tell. Don't blame GW though for Peja's tiredness....it seems like all our starters who play the whole season without injury end up being whipped by the playoffs.

KK!

 

[Packt]

So Reina,
Truly, I want to understand. How do you explain what the Kings did to Vlade Divac this off season? That is, before his injury. I wonder how the Kings will treat Chris Webber when he no longer has any value to the team in managdment's eyes. How will you feel about him then? Before the trade deadline this season, or at the end of this season, or the next or the one after that when he's finally gone? When no other team will take him, unlike Vlade. Perhaps that was unwise but Vlade had enough value left in him for the Lakers to make sure he played for them and no other Western Conference team this season and next, or perhaps it was a payback for his earlier trade that allowed them to get Kobe (but I doubt it). How will that make other elite players heading into the end of their careers feel about coming to Sacramento, or should that not matter because it didn't happen to Chris Webber...yet?

Six months ago, most of us were hoping to get one more year of playing time from Vlade and lobbing around the popular idea of perhaps another year as player/coach before he went to the Kings sidelines as a great assistant coach with invaluable experience to impart to the younger players and lauded his locker room abilities. Today, most of us are congratulating ourselves on not being saddled with his injury and ignoring his vast contributions to the Kings.

How does what the team's management did with/to Vlade this off season differ with what will happen to CWebb sooner or later?

I suspect that those who are derided with an "anti-Webb" bias today will find their views validated in the not too distant future. I hope I am wrong.

I am not a Webber hater, I LOVED Chris when he came to the Kings and he tried to prove he was too good for the team (and he may have been right at that point). I guess I am a Webb disappointee. Too much bad behaviour, too many empty promises, too few flashes of the "best" of him. Too many beautiful but empty smiles. Too many declarations of what he wants to be followed by what he is. If I were his wife, I'd still love him but I'd be on the edge of divorcing him because it's all just too painful and chaoticl...LOL!

Not that I'm over-emotionally involved with the Kings!

Your point would be valid if Kings Management dumped or mistreated Vlade but all reports have said the reason he didn't re-sign was because the financial offer was better in L.A. Meaning, the Kings made him an offer, and he declined. That's fine; I've always been a big proponent of players going to a place that is most beneficial to them, whatever that may be. This is still a business and his services weren't as big of a priority here in Sac as they were in L.A., thus the difference in offers made.

I ask you this, why is it that Kings fans and management, are the only ones being asked to be loyal? Why not be upset at Vlade for not being loyal to a place where he is loved, has had some of his best years, knows the system, knows the players and city? A lot of the remarks about Vlade have been constructive or snidely in jest, which isn't surprising since he plays for the hated Lakers.


Vlade leaving Sac for a division rival, for the most part, has been very amicable, let's just leave it at that.

 

[bibbyweb]

Truly, I want to understand. How do you explain what the Kings did to Vlade Divac this off season?

Vlade walked away on his own. Went for a better offer. He was the one who rejected the kings, who had paid him really well for all these years, and could not pay him anymore because of the salary cap situation. So I don't see any fault of the Kings management at all.



As for exposing Webber to the expansion draft for keeping a player who hardly plays, would be a bad choice. Because whatever anyone says, without Webber it will be really difficult, if not impossible for the Kings to win a championship. Unless, of course you replace him with an equally talanted or better player than him.
However, there aren't many players of his caliber in the league and the one that are there won't be given up by their respective teams.

 

[VF21]

Your point would be valid if Kings Management dumped or mistreated Vlade but all reports have said the reason he didn't re-sign was because the financial offer was better in L.A. Meaning, the Kings made him an offer, and he declined. That's fine; I've always been a big proponent of players going to a place that is most beneficial to them, whatever that may be. This is still a business and his services weren't as big of a priority here in Sac as they were in L.A., thus the difference in offers made.

I ask you this, why is it that Kings fans and management, are the only ones being asked to be loyal? Why not be upset at Vlade for not being loyal to a place where he is loved, has had some of his best years, knows the system, knows the players and city? A lot of the remarks about Vlade have been constructive or snidely in jest, which isn't surprising since he plays for the hated Lakers.


Vlade leaving Sac for a division rival, for the most part, has been very amicable, let's just leave it at that.

Wow. Great post, Packt...

kingskings! - As most of you know, the VF stands for Vladefan... I have been one of his most ardent supporters since the days when he first wore #12 for the dreaded Lakers. I admire and respect Vlade.

Having said that, the NBA is a business. Vlade made a decision and I respect that. We already knew that very quickly Vlade would be taking a back seat to Brad Miller, so it should have come as no surprise to anyone that the Kings weren't willing to pay a lot to retain Vlade's services as a back-up center.

Vlade was NOT thrown out into the cold. He made a decision based on financial considerations, how much he was needed, and - I suspect - a choice between starting in LA and coming off the bench here.

Now, ironically, he's injured. Look at it the other way. Can you imagine the outcry if the Kings HAD ponied up the big bucks to keep Vlade around and then didn't get the value of their money? I shudder to think about the comments.

Bottom line for me is that it was ultimately Vlade's choice to make and he made it.

 

[Mad D]

Vlade was NOT thrown out into the cold. He made a decision based on financial considerations, how much he was needed, and - I suspect - a choice between starting in LA and coming off the bench here.

Plus he probably wanted to go back to the city where he was given his first chance in the NBA before he retires. Also he is good friends with Magic.

 

[Ryle]

I was going to mention that, but I wasn't sure if he was put on the IL so much because he was really injured or if he was put there because they needed to put someone on and he was their least effective player position wise.

Not that I put much credence into this but in a post season interview Adelman had said that the first time Wallace was able to practice in the past 2 months of the season was the day before the playoffs started. I don't fully recall what his injury was(I think it was a sprained toe) but Gerald even said it really effected him and limited him the second half of the season.

 

[slugking50]

Not that I put much credence into this but in a post season interview Adelman had said that the first time Wallace was able to practice in the past 2 months of the season was the day before the playoffs started. I don't fully recall what his injury was(I think it was a sprained toe) but Gerald even said it really effected him and limited him the second half of the season.

I heard a rumor it Playstationitis. Similiar to another fomer King that had Nintendoitis

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

I heard a rumor it Playstationitis. Similiar to another fomer King that had Nintendoitis

And what former King was that, Lionel Simmons...I remember he had hand problems from playing his Gameboy too much on road trips.

 

[kingskings!]

Wow. Great post, Packt...

kingskings! - As most of you know, the VF stands for Vladefan... I have been one of his most ardent supporters since the days when he first wore #12 for the dreaded Lakers. I admire and respect Vlade.

Having said that, the NBA is a business. Vlade made a decision and I respect that. We already knew that very quickly Vlade would be taking a back seat to Brad Miller, so it should have come as no surprise to anyone that the Kings weren't willing to pay a lot to retain Vlade's services as a back-up center.

Vlade was NOT thrown out into the cold. He made a decision based on financial considerations, how much he was needed, and - I suspect - a choice between starting in LA and coming off the bench here.

Now, ironically, he's injured. Look at it the other way. Can you imagine the outcry if the Kings HAD ponied up the big bucks to keep Vlade around and then didn't get the value of their money? I shudder to think about the comments.

Bottom line for me is that it was ultimately Vlade's choice to make and he made it.

Lots of good points...I know you are/were a huge Vlade Divac fan (as I am). Neither of us was foolish enough to think that Vlade had many more years left in him for playing, but for coaching/mentoring/teaching? Look at Coachie...how old is that guy anyway? But he still knows ball and he still knows strategy and he still teaches it to anyone who will learn. I guess that's what I had in mind for Vlade's future with the Kings.

As far as the money goes? Yeah, sorry, but I do think the Kings management hung him out to dry and I do agree with you that he took the offer for the most money (didn't Chris do the same thing when he re-signed with Sac? How many times have we heard of all the things lacking Sacto that Chris wanted with his next contract? I truly don't believe he re-signed in Sac. because of the Maloof Lawn Service Contract.)

As far as O-tag and Vlade, if Vlade was such a diminished player, why did the Lakers go after him with their reported $8-10M instead of Greg? I'm serious, by the way. Both were free agents at the time and if the reported contracts are valid (and I'm not saying they are), then the Kings gave Ostertag as much or more than the Lakers gave Divac. Why? Locker room issues? Webber? What? I mean, does anyone expect Ostertag, given the same regular season minutes Vlade played last year, to perform any better in the post-season than Vlade did last year? Based on what past performance? And I don't hate Greg Ostertag as a player, honest!

And, FWIW, VF? I agree with your Vlade injury comment. I'm not sure how I'd feel (except that I do see the promise of Vlade as a coach) if we had spent the OTag money to re-sign Vlade and have him injured right now...but if was still with the Kings, would he have been trying SPIN MOVES in the off season??? heehee...

 

[bibbyweb]

Lots of good points...I know you are/were a huge Vlade Divac fan (as I am). Neither of us was foolish enough to think that Vlade had many more years left in him for playing, but for coaching/mentoring/teaching? Look at Coachie...how old is that guy anyway? But he still knows ball and he still knows strategy and he still teaches it to anyone who will learn. I guess that's what I had in mind for Vlade's future with the Kings.

As far as the money goes? Yeah, sorry, but I do think the Kings management hung him out to dry and I do agree with you that he took the offer for the most money (didn't Chris do the same thing when he re-signed with Sac? How many times have we heard of all the things lacking Sacto that Chris wanted with his next contract? I truly don't believe he re-signed in Sac. because of the Maloof Lawn Service Contract.)

As far as O-tag and Vlade, if Vlade was such a diminished player, why did the Lakers go after him with their reported $8-10M instead of Greg? I'm serious, by the way. Both were free agents at the time and if the reported contracts are valid (and I'm not saying they are), then the Kings gave Ostertag as much or more than the Lakers gave Divac. Why? Locker room issues? Webber? What? I mean, does anyone expect Ostertag, given the same regular season minutes Vlade played last year, to perform any better in the post-season than Vlade did last year? Based on what past performance? And I don't hate Greg Ostertag as a player, honest!

And, FWIW, VF? I agree with your Vlade injury comment. I'm not sure how I'd feel (except that I do see the promise of Vlade as a coach) if we had spent the OTag money to re-sign Vlade and have him injured right now...but if was still with the Kings, would he have been trying SPIN MOVES in the off season??? heehee...

Well I don't know what the lakers were thinking, but I think that at this moment of time O-Tag was better for us than Vlade. We could see in the last season that Vlade didn't really have much in him. Especially in the playoffs he wasn't used much and he didn't do much either whenever used. The fact is he has come to the end of his career.

As for being the coach that's a different issue. He is a great motivator and good in the locker room, but I don't know if that qualifies him to be a coach(probably u mean an assistant coach). He might be turn out to be good. But that still remains to be proved.