How could Petrie have screwed up so massively?

[IfAt1st]

(Nothing new in this thread, just feel like venting)

This team is so obviously missing:

* a vet playmaker that distributes the ball, initiates/steadies the offense, doesn't look for his own offense first, isn't a liability on D, and has high bball IQ

* a quality, NBA vet SF, preferably defensive minded that doesn't look for his own shot.

* a second big man, preferably defensive minded vet that doesn't look for his own shot and can get a frigging rebound.

Let's see what the Kings had LAST season:
*Beno, who qualifies in every category except some people would fault him on his defense (which I think was incorrectly blaming him for team defense problems, since pick-n-rolls are NOT primarily a PG responsibility to stop).

* noone at SF. This was the huge hole everyone in the league knew HAD to be filled, and Petrie chose to give up Beno for Salmons. He didn't get anyone who remotely filled the need this team has, and don't tell me noone is out there in the league that fills that basic of requirements.

* Dalembert, who wasn't worth over $10 million a year IMO, but certainly filled the rebounding abyss the Kings are in when DMC isn't on the floor. And when they were both on the floor, the rebounding was in a pretty good place.

Other than the natural progression of Demarcus, IMO this team is worse in almost every way than last year's team and there's only Petrie (and the ghost of Westphal) to blame for it.
And they are in much worse shape contractually/cap-wise.

Just imagine how much easier the endless lineup headscratching becomes with Beno and Dalembert on the roster.
Hell, if you want to add Salmons than make Milwaukee take Garcia for the privilege of us taking Salmons contract and moving them up in the draft.

Now, I just don't see any easy way out of this mess.
The Kings need a starting PG who can facilitate an offense, a starting SF, and a starting Center/PF. That's just too many holes to fill, and they'll likely waste precious months and years getting the right combination of players/personalities (and that's assuming they pick the right guys to fit the first shot).

 

[rainmaker]

If we're talking Petrie, which I believe is fair, read this if you haven't.

http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2012/3/12/2861776/nba-trade-deadline-sacramento-kings-history

and there's obviously more, as the trades around draft day last year were just as poor. I'd say I've lost confidence. Is there a better replacement? Anyone confident in the Maloofs hiring a replacement? That's another discussion.

 

[Bricklayer]

As much as all the venting and ranting does get silly after a while, on the general point I agree: the great majority of the problems we have seen out there this year were our own creation during a very putrid offseason. We have three big holes, and two of the three we created just this year. There's he said/she said fuzz on the Dalembert situation that can always be thrown out as an ameliorating factor, but really, we bring back Westphal then bring in a coach who keeps going smaller and smaller. Daly could have ended up playing 15 min a night as Cousins' backup even if we did bring him back. I have repeatedly accusedd the organization/Petrie of not valuing that style player enoguh, and there's certinaly nothing that happened this offseason to get me to change that assessment.

Anyway, many of our structural problems and holes are not due to long term planning issues -- they were due to a single very poor offseason, and yes, I think it may have set us back a full year. My own offseason plan, stated before it started, was to simply bring back Thornton and Daly, and then try to sign AK47. Now the latter was not happening as it turned out, and there's no guarantee I get that hole filled as Battier surely still goes to Miami and Prince resigned in Detroit. But I certainly don't rip two new holes in our lineup blundering about. We had a good thing forming up at the end of last year. Trading away Beno never really occurred to me. I might have been willing to trade the pick to get a vet SF, but not John frickin' Salmons. That too never occured to me.

Somewhat water under the bridge at this point though. It is what it is. The concern becomes if we feel compelled to make some sort of sdumb move scuttling our future to patch up holes we ourselves created just a few months ago.

 

[TTown Kings]

I agree on all fronts

 

[upinsmoke]

Sow how much longer does he get a pass?

 

[kingjatt]

Sow how much longer does he get a pass?

as long as he lets the maloofs meddle

 

[Glenn]

I didn't read the whole thread as I know what is being said. Let me shift into optimistic move. To preface, I don't know who to blame for the poor collection of humans we have running around the court and the bargain basement coaching. I tend to think it was influenced by the fact that the Maloofs didn't know what their future had in store. Now they know. There will be a new arena. A new arena translates into stability and increased money for the Maloofs.

I think the tightness on the purse strings will be loosened and I think we are seeing signs of that already. We have two new coaches in Alex English and Clifford Ray. Now the Maloofs know the can spend more money and are starting to do so. There is no longer any reason to have the lowest salary in the NBA.

 

[whozit]

I didn't read the whole thread as I know what is being said. Let me shift into optimistic move. To preface, I don't know who to blame for the poor collection of humans we have running around the court and the bargain basement coaching. I tend to think it was influenced by the fact that the Maloofs didn't know what their future had in store. Now they know. There will be a new arena. A new arena translates into stability and increased money for the Maloofs.

I think the tightness on the purse strings will be loosened and I think we are seeing signs of that already. We have two new coaches in Alex English and Clifford Ray. Now the Maloofs know the can spend more money and are starting to do so. There is no longer any reason to have the lowest salary in the NBA.

I hope so. Petrie was at his best when he had an open purse, assets and was allowed flexibility. He didn't create but when the opportunity arose he struck just like a deadly spot-up shooter. He has been operating out of weakness and the results show.

Hopefully, the stability the arena gives going forward will open the purse strings and allow him flexibility to regain his touch.

 

[asakkings]

Petrie has been destroyed on every trade he has made lately beside the Landry for Thornton trade. He can't keep his forever because of trades he made in the 90s. Webber trade happened when I was in 6th grade and now I am in med school, feels like ages ago when we were respectable.

 

[ElRey]

If we're talking Petrie, which I believe is fair, read this if you haven't.

http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2012/3/12/2861776/nba-trade-deadline-sacramento-kings-history

and there's obviously more, as the trades around draft day last year were just as poor. I'd say I've lost confidence. Is there a better replacement? Anyone confident in the Maloofs hiring a replacement? That's another discussion.

That article also makes a good point that LOt of Petrie's moves the past few years have been for CASH. You can't build a good team when you got a broke owners pinching pennies on every move. What Petrie really should have done in this scenario was load up on draft picks, that way he saves the Maloofs money AND get to do what he does best, which is draft talent.

 

[jalfa]

picking up Smart's option for next season was not necessarily a bad move, as arguments can be made in his favour. however, should Nate McMillan be fired this season/offseason, the Kings can't go after him because of Smart and another team like the Wizards get him... that's just another thing that Petrie just doesn't very well in his capacity as a GM. he's way too quick to reward, massively reward, any measure of success any personnel has with the team. extensions come too soon and are too big for being pretty speculative (I would include Thornton in this category, although I'm pretty confident in him) and he overspends for crummy free agents sometimes.

 

[ArcoKings]

I doubt Petrie called the Maloofs and said: Hey Joe and Gav, you know, I really think we should extend Keith. My take is that Joe and Gavin called Petrie and said: Hey Geoff, go ahead and give Keith the extension. We don't have money and at least we have a coach locked in for one more year AND FOR CHEAP (then Petrie hears giggles from the brothers as they hang up).

 

[Big Cuz 15]

I doubt Petrie called the Maloofs and said: Hey Joe and Gav, you know, I really think we should extend Keith. My take is that Joe and Gavin called Petrie and said: Hey Geoff, go ahead and give Keith the extension. We don't have money and at least we have a coach locked in for one more year AND FOR CHEAP (then Petrie hears giggles from the brothers as they hang up).

lol thanks for the laugh

 

[pshn80]

I'm sure glad Petrie picked up Smart's option. Good move. And tell me again, what things has Petrie screwed up? I continue to treasure the fact we have Petrie as the GM. Some of these posts are truly curious.

 

[Prince_XY]

I doubt Petrie called the Maloofs and said: Hey Joe and Gav, you know, I really think we should extend Keith. My take is that Joe and Gavin called Petrie and said: Hey Geoff, go ahead and give Keith the extension. We don't have money and at least we have a coach locked in for one more year AND FOR CHEAP (then Petrie hears giggles from the brothers as they hang up).

lol

And this is also probably how it happened too when they signed Westphail. Petrie didn't even care to think or say anything. He just went with the flow.

We should all be envious of Petrie if this is really the case. He does not have to work and think hard about whether a transaction would be bad for the organization. He gets paid by the Maloofs for doing the minimal. He probably does not even give a sound advice to the owners on what direction the team should take. Oh well, that is probably Petrie's nature anyways. Passive. This is probably why there aren't that much leak on what he is about to do. It is not because he does his negotiations very secretively, but maybe because there realy isn't anything that he is planning. This GM just wait and just pulls the trigger on the last minute without thinking - just for the sake of making a move. That is why this team is a mess and nobody with a big name wants to play with the Kings. Oh yeah, he can't even convince mediocre players like Dalembert to resign with the team!

 

[UK_King]

When Smart was installed as Coach Gavin Maloof was on the radio and was asked about the length of his contract and he said "i don't know we leave that all to Geoff"

 

[Prince_XY]

When Smart was installed as Coach Gavin Maloof was on the radio and was asked about the length of his contract and he said "i don't know we leave that all to Geoff"

And yet, some fans (or shall we say Petrie's relatives in this board?) will find a way to put the blame on other people as if Petrie is infallible. Petrie messes up big time, some fans finds a way to put the blame away from him.