ReinadelosReys
Starter
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
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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