Insider Article for 11/11/04

#61
Well, here it is:

Ford: Yesterday, got an upset call from them (the Kings). This was just based on someone with first hand knowledge who was on the plane who witnessed a short out burst from Bibby upset about benching in the 4th Q and some harsh words from Aldeman. But numerous sources saying there is a growing rift there between Bibby and Aldeman as well as a you can imagine between several members of the team and Peja Stojakovic who demanded a trade this summer, who has been generally aloof on the team so far and who has also gotten off to a bad start along with a number of other Kings

Whitey: It sounds as if you are standing by your story. Afternoons we have Grant Napear here, who's the Kings play-by-play guy, and he dismissed your story saying it was a bunch of nonsense. But you're standing by your story and you think the sources you have here are pretty reliable, huh Chad?

Ford: Absolutely. The person, the source that I have, I've known for years, they gave me details about the incident. While the Kings called me initially denied the story, when I pressed them a little bit, gave them a few more details, they backed off a little bit and said they were going to investigate more. So...They didn't have all the information either. So...whether...you know I'm not sure what they are going to say, but that's going to be the party line from the team anyway. There not any problems, there's never any problems anyway, I mean the Pacers say there are no problems with them and Ron Artest.

Whitey: Why would there be?

Ford: Right, so this is going to be the standard thing. If you don't think there are problems on the Kings, whether chemistry and the way things have been going, I think you can watch that on the court and see some of those issues.

Phantom: In says here that there is a growing rift in the locker room which leads me to believe this is not something that has arisen in the last couple of days, this is something that has been building up, a series of events. Is that what your sources have been telling you, that this has been going on for quite some time, maybe at the beginning of the season, maybe even in to last season?

Ford: Right. You know...It started in the playoffs last year. Contingence...which is pretty common in locker rooms where certain guys hang out together, and they talk and other guys don't. Its ... definitely tough where you have a guy who really carried the Kings for the..entire season last year. Stojakovic, really put up an MVP season until Webber came back...and then the team kind of handed the team over to Webber whether he's capable of caring it or not we'll still see physically. And Stojakovic is uncomfortable there and I think it probably has made some of the Kings players uncomfortable with the fact to that he has asked out of there and made it very clear that he is uncomfortable there.

Kevin the Rat: Grant Napear addressed some of the items in the column and inparticular one about Stojakovic separating himself from the team and the rift that's growing. Grant said that is no way true and he in fact pointed out after a particular game last week Webber and Stojakovic were walking in front of him to the team plane and kind of joking and laughing together. And he points out if your not getting along with somebody, why would those two have that interaction blah blah blah. From his observation he none of that to be the case as far as Peja relationship with his teammates.

Ford: You know I can't speak to that...If I can reveal my sources on some of this stuff I think it would become much clearer to you guys about what's going on. Unfortunately I can't, these guys were off the record. But I can just tell you that people with first hand knowledge of the team, not play-by-play announcers, but people on the team, including players have spoken to me and mentioned this. And frankly, if you look at Stojakovic and the own words he has said publicly, that is not completely true

Whitey: You also wrote, and this is just your opinion...you say hey its time for the Kings to start talking with the Pacers about Ron Artest. In your opinion, do you think there is any chance of that obviously happening, that both sides would be interested?

Ford: Well, they talked this summer. And the Kings rebuffed them as well as everyone else who called about Stojakovic. The line that I'm getting from the Pacers right now, is that they have still been told by the Kings that they are willing to trade Stojakovic, but there is certainly pressure there coming from his agent David Bauman to make that trade happen. They are hoping that something happens before the trade deadline with Stojakovic. I think if the team continues to struggle, they are going to have to be very careful with what they do. In the Western Conference you can't get off to a terrible terrible start and expect to be playoff team. Winning solves a lot of issues. Even the Lakers who were the soap opera team of the last 5 years, when they were winning, you really didn't hear much coming out of their camp, when you lose the rifts tend to widen. If the Kings continue to lose, I think with the amount of money the Maloofs have spent and the feeling in the organization that this is still a championship contender you got to make those...changes. I think not only is Stojakovic the guy who wants out, but he's probably the most tradable asset the team has when you look at the salary, how much he has left and the fact that so many teams in the L are hungry for shooters, I think Ron Artest is probably the best player the Kings can get back in return. I think on the court he's a better player than Stojakovic because of how he attacks the game from the defensive end as well as his ability to score offensively. The question is, would the Kings be willing to put up with his off the court problems which are well documented.

Kevin the Rat: Yes or no, is Ron Artest a little bit nuts?

Ford: I don't know, I can't say that. People have been asking me that for the last two days. I know this, he's very immature. And he is marches to the beat of his own drummer. Whether that means he's nuts, whether his is some sort of mentally ill, I don't know that. I don't know how any of us could know. But he's different, there's no question. I mean when he says stuff like he did the last couple of days it really doesn't think-really doesn't understand what the big deal is. He's different.

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1) The Rise Guys were making fun of him saying that he sounded "nervous"
2) Rick Aldeman has been in the NBA for decades, can we really trust a guy who mispronounces his name? Ford kept calling him A-delmen
 
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#62
Thanks for the transcript Reina... It is so much nicer to listen to interviews live or read transcripts than to hear second or third hand regurgitations.

By the way, is there a reason you always spell Adelman's name Aldeman? ;)
 
#63
ReinadelosReys said:
Kevin the Rat: Grant Napear addressed some of the items in the column and inparticular one about Stojakovic separating himself from the team and the rift that's growing. Grant said that is no way true and he in fact pointed out after a particular game last week Webber and Stojakovic were walking in front of him to the team plane and kind of joking and laughing together. And he points out if your not getting along with somebody, why would those two have that interaction blah blah blah. From his observation he none of that to be the case as far as Peja relationship with his teammates.

Ford: You know I can't speak to that...If I can reveal my sources on some of this stuff I think it would become much clearer to you guys about what's going on. Unfortunately I can't, these guys were off the record. But I can just tell you that people with first hand knowledge of the team, not play-by-play announcers, but people on the team, including players have spoken to me and mentioned this. And frankly, if you look at Stojakovic and the own words he has said publicly, that is not completely true
I noticed that he didn't address the question. If they can't stand each other and aren't getting along, why would they be joking and pal'ing around with each other?
 
#64
Ok, lets review:

We have Chad Ford and his "sources", and then we have people actually on and around the team dismissing everthing, i.e.
  1. Grant Napear dissmissing pretty much everything yesterday
  2. Marty McNeal & Joe Davidson saying this it simply isn't there
  3. Mike Bibby saying the paper that its a bunch of hooey
  4. Brad Miller just saying on the radio its a bunch of hooey too and specifcially reguarding Bibby's supposed "tirade" that its " the biggest joke" he's ever heard and that they all " had a good laugh about it"
We've either got ourselves a group of academy award winners or the "insider" has lost his insight.
-----------------------------
uolj said:
By the way, is there a reason you always spell Adelman's name Aldeman? ;)
Ha, I didn't even notice. Just add it to the my list of words I always "mis-type."
 
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VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#65
ReinadelosReys said:
We've either got ourselves a group of academy award winners or the "insider" has lost his insight.
Think about the commercials the guys have done. They are NOT actors...

The "insider" is full of it. IMHO he has the journalistic integrity of a sea slug, and that's probably insulting to the whole genus oceanus slugus... (no offense, slugking50).

"If I told you who my sources were...blah, blah, blah..."

"Not just a play-by-play annoucner...blah, blah, blah..."

Sounds like pure and blatant puffery to me and an attempt to rationalize his rantings.

IF things were that bad, we have local writers who (unless the rumors of her being kidnapped by aliens are, in fact, true) would be all over this story in a hot second.

Chad Ford is full of himself.
 
#66
ReinadelosReys said:
Ok, lets review:

We have Chad Ford and his "sources", and then we have people actually on and around the team dismissing everthing, i.e.
  1. Grant Napear dissmissing pretty much everything yesterday
  2. Marty McNeal & Joe Davidson saying this it simply isn't there
  3. Mike Bibby saying the paper that its a bunch of hooey
  4. Brad Miller just saying on the radio its a bunch of hooey too and specifcially reguarding Bibby's supposed "tirade" that its " the biggest joke" he's ever heard and that they all " had a good laugh about it"
thanks for the transcript! if they're gonna make up someone having a tirade against a coach, they should atleast make it believable.. bibby vs adelman? it's just not gonna happen..
 
#67
I was just thinking, what if Peja never demanded the trade this summer? Would all these writers still be writing about the so-called chemistry problems with the Kings? I know we can't really go the what if route, but it's just something to think about. If the Kings were just struggling and chemistry wasn't an issue, would so many fans still be upset and would the media still be writing about the Kings non stop. I don't remember any other year where the national media has paid so much attention to the Kings early in the season. Peja has struggled early on in seasons before. Remember two or three years ago, when he had his plantar fascititis and he had a horrible shooting percentage. Fans were asking for him to be traded then too. But then he started getting better before the all star break, so let's just wait and see what happens.
 
#69
VF21 said:
The "insider" is full of it. IMHO he has the journalistic integrity of a sea slug, and that's probably insulting to the whole genus oceanus slugus... (no offense, slugking50).
Hmmm... None taken I think;)


Chad Ford is full of himself.
He always has been. Even was during the days of his now defunct NBA/MLB/NFL/NHLtalk.com sites. You printed the same garbage then as he does now. I used to be a poster on the message board(One of the very few anyways). Only different is the money in his pocket and having ESPN attatched to his name.
 
#71
I think fans should realize the Kings organization has a good control over the local media here. It could very well be that the sources are the same people denying it publicly. What this team says and does, as we all know, is not always the same thing. Even Adleman has been quoted about the fact he has no bench to work with now, but on the other hand he had a bench the past two years and didn't really use it. Napear is pretty much a PR boy. Granted he is closer to the team than Chad Ford, but he isn't anymore trustworthy than Chad Ford. So instead of believing one guy or the other, I'd just look at things for myself. Obviously this team is lacking on court chemistry, so the possibility of off-court chemistry being an issue is pretty good.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#73
swisshh said:
I think fans should realize the Kings organization has a good control over the local media here...
That is simply not true.

Believe what you want but actions speak infinitely louder than words, especially from unnamed sources.

If you go to a game, watch the bench. You don't see hostility. You see frustration if they're losing, but you don't see any chemistry issues.

If you - or anyone else - prefers to believe the rantings of people like Chad Ford, Marc Stein, etc. then more power to you.

Personally I'll believe what I and other fans have seen IN PERSON over what he (and other hacks like him) have written.

Ford hides behind his hot tip from "someone with first-hand knowledge who was on the plane" like he's talking to a top-secret spy. Grant, who has had no problem in the past with dumping on the team or the players when he thought something was wrong, was ALSO ON THAT PLANE. He said Ford was full of it. Who are you really going to believe?

People who want to believe there are troubles within the team will believe that, no matter what. In this instance, however, Ford is pretty much out there alone in the cold on this - because it's not true.

Everyone should look at things for themselves - and that means in person, not on TV. The camera doesn't focus on the bench a lot, and the actions of the guys while they're sitting on the bench speaks volumes. Sure, a quick glimpse now and then tells you who's sitting next to whom but not much else.

This ISN'T a team in turmoil. It's a team having to work very hard after having training camp essentially totally erased because of that trip to China, having to bring back players like Doug and Tag from injury, and having to deal with a lot of hostility instead of support from parts of their fan base.

IMHO they'll be fine...
 
#74
swisshh said:
I think fans should realize the Kings organization has a good control over the local media here. It could very well be that the sources are the same people denying it publicly. What this team says and does, as we all know, is not always the same thing. Even Adleman has been quoted about the fact he has no bench to work with now, but on the other hand he had a bench the past two years and didn't really use it. Napear is pretty much a PR boy. Granted he is closer to the team than Chad Ford, but he isn't anymore trustworthy than Chad Ford. So instead of believing one guy or the other, I'd just look at things for myself. Obviously this team is lacking on court chemistry, so the possibility of off-court chemistry being an issue is pretty good.
I'm inclined to agree with this take about Grant...isn't Grant the guy that was railing on BJax? If so, when did he get his credibility back?
 
#75
Grant, who has had no problem in the past with dumping on the team or the players when he thought something was wrong, was ALSO ON THAT PLANE.
Grant is a company line guy, come on now. Sure he'll state the obvious "the team isn't playing well", but he won't go any further than that. He'll say "this team just needs to start shooting well" when the ugly truth is that if this team is going to so completely rely on shooting to win it's going to be a very long season.

If you want to discuss on the court, then you may want to look at how Webber found Bibby to pass to more than Peja in that Seattle game. There was a moment where Peja was wide open in the corner and Webber waited to hand the ball off to Bibby instead. It's not a drastic or obvious thing, but it is something I noticed. Hopefully its an aberration.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#76
4cwebb said:
I'm inclined to agree with this take about Grant...isn't Grant the guy that was railing on BJax? If so, when did he get his credibility back?
Perhaps never.

But it does beg the question I was asking over the summer -- if Grant is a Kings PR man, why did he beat up on BJax? Would seem to suggest either a) he's not a Kings PR guy; or b) he felt like he had a green light from his bosses to attack BJax.
 

6th

Homer Fan Since 1985
#77
swisshh said:
Grant is a company line guy, come on now. Sure he'll state the obvious "the team isn't playing well", but he won't go any further than that. He'll say "this team just needs to start shooting well" when the ugly truth is that if this team is going to so completely rely on shooting to win it's going to be a very long season.

If you want to discuss on the court, then you may want to look at how Webber found Bibby to pass to more than Peja in that Seattle game. There was a moment where Peja was wide open in the corner and Webber waited to hand the ball off to Bibby instead. It's not a drastic or obvious thing, but it is something I noticed. Hopefully its an aberration.
It may well have been an aberration...or anything you want to call it. I have watched all the games (on LP). And there were many times Webb got the ball to Peja. In one game we even commented (in the chat room) that Webb was obviously trying to get Peja involved.
 
#78
Bricklayer said:
Perhaps never.

But it does beg the question I was asking over the summer -- if Grant is a Kings PR man, why did he beat up on BJax? Would seem to suggest either a) he's not a Kings PR guy; or b) he felt like he had a green light from his bosses to attack BJax.
i was thinking about that, too..
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#79
Grant ISN'T a Kings PR man. He is not affiliated with the public relations department of Maloof Sports and Entertainment in any way, shape or form. He's part of the broadcast team - BIG difference.

His radio show doesn't just talk about the Kings. They're the main focus a lot of times because they're the only big game in town, for the most part. He also talks about the 49ers, the Raiders, the Giants, the As, etc.

Chad Ford is a hack; he's been a hack for a long time.

Period. End of story.