No place like home for the Kings who looked like a different team last night compared with their performance in Seattle. We played a good game and deserved to win against a team that has more talent than it has been showing - the Bobcats. Kings improved to 20-24 and 13-9 at home winning a first game on a 5 game home stand and starting a winning streak at the same time. Kings are 11th in the West with 6.5 games away from PO spot and about as many games away from a good lottery position. If we were in the Least - we would be 7th seed with the record but we also would have better record because we would play more against the Least. With 38 games left - 30 are against the West.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There has been a lot of discussion around here about the direction the team should go and what is good or bad for the future. Some people look ahead more than the others. Other people are more capable to enjoy the moment since "tomorrow" is uncertain anyway. Some want the team to win as often as possible, others only care about good effort and team play some people are open to all possibilities and all of that happens in a situation where isn't as easy to be a Kings fan as it was between 99 and 05 (roughly). However, none of this mean that someone is a better fan than someone else for approaching this situation the way they do. There isn't a right solution to this problem because nothing is set in stone. There isn't a right way that will work - guaranteed. We all want the same here - Kings to be good again and Lakers to suck
. We just have different approach.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now if we were given options for the next 3 seasons for example to either win 3 times 42 games or to win 20, 30 and 55 games respectively - one has to believe that wast majority would pick the 2nd option. But - there aren't any guarantees and there are only probabilities and uncertainties. Sometimes You get Lebron and sometimes You get Previs. Same pick position a "little" different result despite Lebron being overrated. So it looks like we won't make the playoffs and we won't get a high pick either. Not a pretty situation to be in but not the worst thing in the world either. Things sometimes take an unexpected turn when we are expecting it the least and who would have thought a year ago that Celtics would be this good despite losing in the lottery and having Danny Ainge as their GM. You never know.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since we are playing the Hornets - You just have to admire the turnaround considering the whole circumstances. They are at the moment one of the best team in the league playing very attractive basketball. They have lot of talent, they play as a team, they have a great coach and only thing that they don't have is the fan support. I went to couple of their games over the Christmas and it was great but sad at the same time. The city itself is disaster which You wouldn't think if You just stay downtown and in the tourist area. The problem is that New Orleans is more than downtown. If I was brave enough to stop and take some pictures and show it to You - You would never guess that they were taken in the USA because it looks like war zone. I didn't stop because police advised it so mostly saying - "whatever You do - don't get lost and don't leave Your car." It is very bad there and it is such a great city especially if You like European style. Fan support depends of the living standards and people just can't afford the tickets and that won't change. Most pathetic thing - people in that area don't even get to watch the team on TV because of some problem with local TV stations which is too complicated for me to comprehend without investing more than a minute. Finally, NBA and the TV stations with broadcasting rights aren't helping. They keep showing the Heat and the Sonics and the other garbage that no one wants to watch.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And Hornets have Bobby and Pedja and Byron Scott. If You watch their sets - You see so many of the old Kings in them. They play together and share the ball and if their bench is decent they are very hard team to beat. As of tonight they have 2 allstars and a former one. Bobby started slow this season but improved and has been playing great before yet another injury. Same old Bobby - fearless with a lot of energy and chronic bad shot selection. Still one of my favorite players of all time. If I am not mistaking - Pedja has never played a regular season game against the Kings in Sacramento - not that it matters much since it has been a long time ago and it feels like a lifetime ago. Pedja is basically same player just much slower and way overpaid. His back is much worse than it is presented in public. I watched him warm up and play and it doesn't look good. It hurts just by watching. He struggles guarding quick guys so he let's them shoot. He doesn't drive anymore and if You thought that in his prime he didn't get to the line much - well now it is much worse and it is limited by some retarded opponents fouling him shooting jumpers.. Speaking of shooting - he can still do that - make no mistake about it. You don't leave him open and give him space. Lakers did it this season and it was fun to watch. Hornets don't need his scoring or rebounding and they certainly don't need his defense. What they need is that threat that opens the lanes for CP3 and the deadliest pick and roll in the NBA right now. That is Pedja's primary function on that team. In this weird way he makes it easier for their team to do what they do best. Now surely, that isn't worthy of 63 millions for 5 years (he already missed one) but it seams to be a great fit so far.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to the Kingdom where Ron Artest had been profound again as only he can be stating the obvious again which all of us know already. He won't be a Kings next season. Duh ! Bunch of us here would help him pack and drive him to the airport right now. This team will be so much more fun to watch when he is gone and it won't be any better or worse. I know that Ron is looking for a big payday but he just might be in for a surprise because You have to be a lunatic to max out the most mentally unstable player of today. I wouldn't predict another Bonzi Wells situation but I wouldn't be too shocked if it happens. As of his trade value - it isn't any different from what it was when we traded for him. They way I see it - he is "useless" and he is leaving anyways so if we can get anything other than "Kenny Thomas" - it would be a great trade for us.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a positive note and yes there is always something positive - Brad Miller is back. He was an allstar in both conferences so it isn't a shock that he is playing this well since he is capable of it. It is just refreshing since it has been a while. The injuries and Brad's nature were 2 big obstacles that held him back a bit. Brad is as unselfish as You will find in the world of big NBA egos. He would even deffer to Jason Hart. Makes him great teammate. This season I see a lot of Vlade in Brad and I like that a lot. One could argue that overall - Brad has been our best player this season. Last night - he had a career performance in some way. Compared to Bibby and obviously Artest - I wouldn't won't to see Brad leave despite the age and the contract because Brad isn't a player who would slow down the development of Young players. The way he plays - they would benefit a lot. If Brad can be Spencer's Vlade in addition to what he brings to the team on the court - he is a keeper at least for a while longer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bobcats presented themselves as a talented team with potential but also as a team with very low BB IQ as a team prone to retarded decisions. They also suck at the FT line. That would explain their bad record. last night - the 3rd quarter was the difference since the rest of the game was even. We won because we dominated the glass, we didn't turn it over too much and we didn't abuse the 3pt line. JRich helped us a lot too by playing his worst game against the Kings ever.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
AWARD TIME
No TDM winner is always a sign that Kings have won the game.
LW-VC award went to JRich for a very pathetic performance
Carroll gets the RA&1 award for performing acordingly
WTF moment of the game - Dwight Who ?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hornets are next and they are for real and a good test for us because of their 16-5 road record which is the 2nd best in the NBA and because they have won 17 of the last 20 games they played. They have an 8 game winning streak on the road. Also they lost at home to GS the other night so they will look to bounce back. We don't match too well with them and I hope to god that we don't play zone. What we have to do is attack Pedja as much as we can and we can't let them have a great start because if their bench comes in and has a lead they usually play decent enough to conserve it. So in the 3rd quarter they switch to another gear and blow You out. If they have to come back from behind - their starters play big minutes and they might run out of gas . We need to contain pick and roll and no zone defense because they can score 20 points in 3-4 minutes if they catch fire.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike - good luck with CP3 - You will need it
Kevin - Attack Pedja
Ron - don't do anything stupid
Mikki - Is Brad a new Jason Kidd ?
Brad - do it again, do it again
bench - we need more from You
Coach T - no zone!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hornets are 2nd best in the West right now with 32-13 record. This is their first game on the 3 game road trip. They are great road team and after the home loss in that last game - they will be looking to make it up since they consider this game as must win. Pressure is on them anyway. They have 2 new allstars and one guy (Chandler) who could have made it too. Pedja has been more consistant as of late shooting around 50% and averaging 20 pts in the last 8 games which is good for the 3rd option. Their bench is suspect especially if Peterson and Jackson are out. TDM will go to Pargo. LW-VC will go to West or so I hope. Other awards possible. It will be a good test for us and despite them being really good - we have a decent chance to win the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isn't it great to see Kobe's face when lakers lose a close game like they did tonight ?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There has been a lot of discussion around here about the direction the team should go and what is good or bad for the future. Some people look ahead more than the others. Other people are more capable to enjoy the moment since "tomorrow" is uncertain anyway. Some want the team to win as often as possible, others only care about good effort and team play some people are open to all possibilities and all of that happens in a situation where isn't as easy to be a Kings fan as it was between 99 and 05 (roughly). However, none of this mean that someone is a better fan than someone else for approaching this situation the way they do. There isn't a right solution to this problem because nothing is set in stone. There isn't a right way that will work - guaranteed. We all want the same here - Kings to be good again and Lakers to suck
. We just have different approach. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now if we were given options for the next 3 seasons for example to either win 3 times 42 games or to win 20, 30 and 55 games respectively - one has to believe that wast majority would pick the 2nd option. But - there aren't any guarantees and there are only probabilities and uncertainties. Sometimes You get Lebron and sometimes You get Previs. Same pick position a "little" different result despite Lebron being overrated
. So it looks like we won't make the playoffs and we won't get a high pick either. Not a pretty situation to be in but not the worst thing in the world either. Things sometimes take an unexpected turn when we are expecting it the least and who would have thought a year ago that Celtics would be this good despite losing in the lottery and having Danny Ainge as their GM. You never know.--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since we are playing the Hornets - You just have to admire the turnaround considering the whole circumstances. They are at the moment one of the best team in the league playing very attractive basketball. They have lot of talent, they play as a team, they have a great coach and only thing that they don't have is the fan support. I went to couple of their games over the Christmas and it was great but sad at the same time. The city itself is disaster which You wouldn't think if You just stay downtown and in the tourist area. The problem is that New Orleans is more than downtown. If I was brave enough to stop and take some pictures and show it to You - You would never guess that they were taken in the USA because it looks like war zone. I didn't stop because police advised it so mostly saying - "whatever You do - don't get lost and don't leave Your car." It is very bad there and it is such a great city especially if You like European style. Fan support depends of the living standards and people just can't afford the tickets and that won't change. Most pathetic thing - people in that area don't even get to watch the team on TV because of some problem with local TV stations which is too complicated for me to comprehend without investing more than a minute. Finally, NBA and the TV stations with broadcasting rights aren't helping. They keep showing the Heat and the Sonics and the other garbage that no one wants to watch.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
And Hornets have Bobby and Pedja and Byron Scott. If You watch their sets - You see so many of the old Kings in them. They play together and share the ball and if their bench is decent they are very hard team to beat. As of tonight they have 2 allstars and a former one. Bobby started slow this season but improved and has been playing great before yet another injury. Same old Bobby - fearless with a lot of energy and chronic bad shot selection. Still one of my favorite players of all time. If I am not mistaking - Pedja has never played a regular season game against the Kings in Sacramento - not that it matters much since it has been a long time ago and it feels like a lifetime ago. Pedja is basically same player just much slower and way overpaid. His back is much worse than it is presented in public. I watched him warm up and play and it doesn't look good. It hurts just by watching. He struggles guarding quick guys so he let's them shoot. He doesn't drive anymore and if You thought that in his prime he didn't get to the line much - well now it is much worse and it is limited by some retarded opponents fouling him shooting jumpers.. Speaking of shooting - he can still do that - make no mistake about it. You don't leave him open and give him space. Lakers did it this season and it was fun to watch. Hornets don't need his scoring or rebounding and they certainly don't need his defense. What they need is that threat that opens the lanes for CP3 and the deadliest pick and roll in the NBA right now. That is Pedja's primary function on that team. In this weird way he makes it easier for their team to do what they do best. Now surely, that isn't worthy of 63 millions for 5 years (he already missed one) but it seams to be a great fit so far.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to the Kingdom where Ron Artest had been profound again as only he can be stating the obvious again which all of us know already. He won't be a Kings next season. Duh ! Bunch of us here would help him pack and drive him to the airport right now. This team will be so much more fun to watch when he is gone and it won't be any better or worse. I know that Ron is looking for a big payday but he just might be in for a surprise because You have to be a lunatic to max out the most mentally unstable player of today. I wouldn't predict another Bonzi Wells situation but I wouldn't be too shocked if it happens. As of his trade value - it isn't any different from what it was when we traded for him. They way I see it - he is "useless" and he is leaving anyways so if we can get anything other than "Kenny Thomas" - it would be a great trade for us.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a positive note and yes there is always something positive - Brad Miller is back. He was an allstar in both conferences so it isn't a shock that he is playing this well since he is capable of it. It is just refreshing since it has been a while. The injuries and Brad's nature were 2 big obstacles that held him back a bit. Brad is as unselfish as You will find in the world of big NBA egos. He would even deffer to Jason Hart. Makes him great teammate. This season I see a lot of Vlade in Brad and I like that a lot. One could argue that overall - Brad has been our best player this season. Last night - he had a career performance in some way. Compared to Bibby and obviously Artest - I wouldn't won't to see Brad leave despite the age and the contract because Brad isn't a player who would slow down the development of Young players. The way he plays - they would benefit a lot. If Brad can be Spencer's Vlade in addition to what he brings to the team on the court - he is a keeper at least for a while longer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bobcats presented themselves as a talented team with potential but also as a team with very low BB IQ as a team prone to retarded decisions. They also suck at the FT line. That would explain their bad record. last night - the 3rd quarter was the difference since the rest of the game was even. We won because we dominated the glass, we didn't turn it over too much and we didn't abuse the 3pt line. JRich helped us a lot too by playing his worst game against the Kings ever.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
AWARD TIME
No TDM winner is always a sign that Kings have won the game.
LW-VC award went to JRich for a very pathetic performance
Carroll gets the RA&1 award for performing acordingly
WTF moment of the game - Dwight Who ?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hornets are next and they are for real and a good test for us because of their 16-5 road record which is the 2nd best in the NBA and because they have won 17 of the last 20 games they played. They have an 8 game winning streak on the road. Also they lost at home to GS the other night so they will look to bounce back. We don't match too well with them and I hope to god that we don't play zone. What we have to do is attack Pedja as much as we can and we can't let them have a great start because if their bench comes in and has a lead they usually play decent enough to conserve it. So in the 3rd quarter they switch to another gear and blow You out. If they have to come back from behind - their starters play big minutes and they might run out of gas . We need to contain pick and roll and no zone defense because they can score 20 points in 3-4 minutes if they catch fire.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike - good luck with CP3 - You will need it
Kevin - Attack Pedja
Ron - don't do anything stupid
Mikki - Is Brad a new Jason Kidd ?
Brad - do it again, do it again
bench - we need more from You
Coach T - no zone!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hornets are 2nd best in the West right now with 32-13 record. This is their first game on the 3 game road trip. They are great road team and after the home loss in that last game - they will be looking to make it up since they consider this game as must win. Pressure is on them anyway. They have 2 new allstars and one guy (Chandler) who could have made it too. Pedja has been more consistant as of late shooting around 50% and averaging 20 pts in the last 8 games which is good for the 3rd option. Their bench is suspect especially if Peterson and Jackson are out. TDM will go to Pargo. LW-VC will go to West or so I hope. Other awards possible. It will be a good test for us and despite them being really good - we have a decent chance to win the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isn't it great to see Kobe's face when lakers lose a close game like they did tonight ?
Last edited:
