Kahn: Right now, its not good to be the Kings

#1
The article is your typical nat'l media article but I like seeing what the team says

http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/7877982/1

Right now, it's not good to be the Kings

Nov. 11, 2004
By Mike Kahn
SportsLine.com Executive Editor


The names and the faces are pretty much the same. They look like the Sacramento Kings, wear the same uniforms, and Rick Adelman is still their coach.


Through the first five games of the 2004-05 NBA season, they have been far too subservient for a team that has averaged 57.5 victories the past four seasons and was a free throw away from reaching the 2002 NBA Finals. There are many reasons.

You can start with the loss of Vlade Divac to free agency, but it really began two years ago when the magnificently coiffed roster put together by president Geoff Petrie began to disintegrate through free agency.

"I think it's run its course over the last two years," Adelman said. "Our depth, our experience on the bench ... it's gone. The multi-positional players we used to have, gone. We used to have a lot of flexible guys, now attrition has set in, and our margin of error as a team shrunk."

And the way they were manhandled by 30 points by the upstart Sonics on Wednesday night in Seattle, that margin of error appears barely above zero.

Even in the locker room, where Divac was really the grandfather prankster who stuck the needle wherever needed to keep it loose, the spark is gone.

Sure, still around are Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson, Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic. But they are no longer on the same page on the floor, in that beautiful passing game. Actually, they appear to be reading different books.

Stojakovic took the summer off from basketball, was upset about Webber's remarks about how the team was soft and took it personally, then asked Petrie for a trade. It didn't happen because, simply put, he's one of the top two or three shooters in the league, coming off a career-high 24.2 points a game last season.

"I'm a professional, I'll honor my contract," Stojakovic said. "It was my request to be traded, a suggestion. I never demanded it. I'm here, and I'll do my best on the floor. The time for talking is over. We just have to play and see what happens."

What's happening is "not much." They are 1-4, and Stojakovic's scoring average has dipped alarmingly more than eight points to 16.0 and his shooting accuracy is down more than 13 percent.

Webber, 31, is also a shell of his former self. He is averaging 18.2 points and 10.0 rebounds, but those stats belie his effectiveness compared to that of the first-team All-NBA forward of three years ago. Webber was 2-of-13 from the field Wednesday night and rarely got off his feet, and the effects of micro-fracture knee surgery in the spring of 2003 still linger like a bad dream.

"Basically, a micro-fracture is terrible because you can't put weight on your joints," Webber said. "You can't do anything that's weight-bearing and 99 percent of the things you do are weight-bearing. It's all part of what we have going on here. We're only five games into the season. I'll get better. We'll get better. We just have to keep going and play our way out of all this."

That's presuming they can. Past their top six players (including perennial sixth man of the year candidate Jackson), they now have Jerry Sloan's former favorite whipping boy at Utah, Greg Ostertag; second-year Darius Songaila; and a group of no-name youngsters filling out the bench.

Adelman hands aren't exactly tied, but suffice to say his fingers have lost dexterity when it comes to pointing out answers to the problems. Christie, now 34, is struggling badly with a foot problem, and that leaves Bibby and Miller as options in the starting lineup. And while Miller was at least effective with 17 points and nine rebounds against the Sonics, Bibby was awful: 2-for-7 from the field and 5-of-10 from the free-throw line with nine points.

"Brad and Mike are the only ones who have been shooting the ball for us," Adelman said. "Two and three years ago, we always played great defense, and we scored easily. Even last year, we were a great offensive team, so our defense didn't have to be as good. This year, we've had neither so far.

"I keep telling them things aren't the same as they used to be. We've been averaging 55-plus wins and that's not going to happen. Heck, 46 wins might not get you into the playoffs in the West. I'm confident because of our experience, we can compete in the playoffs because of the focus, but there's no guarantee we make the playoffs. Our schedule has been ludicrous, so we haven't even been able to get our feet on the ground yet. We need home games to figure out who we are."

The Kings' first three games were home openers in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, leading to an 0-3 start by an average 9.3 points. They bounced back pretty well at home to crush the surprising Raptors by 16 on Tuesday before Wednesday's collapse. Now they head to Phoenix on Friday before Saturday's home game against the Denver Nuggets. So out of their first seven games, six are back-to-back and five are on the road.

Of course, following the Nuggets game, there are four more home games, and the season is 82 games long. Nonetheless, it's difficult to comprehend the impact of such a start on a team that has lost its edge and already is splintering psychologically. The goal is to get back to the conference finals, as they did in 2002 when poor foul shooting in Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers cost them the Western Conference title.

There's plenty of time, but it's hard to find the wherewithal in this group.

"Our expectations are still to win a championship," Webber said. "We lost a key player in Vlade, but our experience of playing together and winning is still there. We've been there before. I don't see why we would slip out of the title hunt. But if that's what people want to think, that's cool. All that matters is what we think, and none of it matters until we get to the playoffs anyway."

Presuming they get there.
 
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piksi

Hall of Famer
#2
ReinadelosReys said:
"Our expectations are still to win a championship," Webber said. "We lost a key player in Vlade, but our experience of playing together and winning is still there. We've been there before. I don't see why we would slip out of the title hunt. But if that's what people want to think, that's cool. All that matters is what we think, and none of it matters until we get to the playoffs anyway."
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He uses "we" too many times. How about they start playing as "we".

In his case it means that grabing a rebound dribling a ball to the top of the key and jacking up a shot is not a good example of "we"
Bibby - how about guarding somebody sometimes somehow
Pedja - where do I start with Pedja ? He needs to "give a damn"
Christie - Not really fit but he should have dealt with it over the summer.
Brad - by far our best player. By far.
The rest including B.Jax. - we call it bench but it does not deserve that name.
We do not have a coach either.

My point:

They ALL need to look in the mirror and start using more "I" and less "we" at the moment. When "I" does better - "we" will be just fine.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#3
Oh, geez. YOU need to quit dissecting every single statement Webber makes.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with his use of the word "we."

"THE KINGS lost a key player in Vlade, but THE KINGS experience of playing together and winning is still there. THE KINGS have been there before. I don't see why THE KINGS would slip out of the title hunt. But if that's what people want to think, that's cool. All that matters is what THE KINGS (players) think, and none of it matters until THE KINGS get to the playoffs anyway."

It's real easy to take potshots at players after bad performances, but IMHO you're off-base. Doug DID deal with his plantar fasciitis over the summer. He followed doctor's orders and had the ultra-sound treatment when the doctor recommended it.

The last thing the team needs is to start thinking about themselves first and the team second. That path is fraught with nothing but danger *cough LAKERS cough*...
 

piksi

Hall of Famer
#4
VF21 said:
The last thing the team needs is to start thinking about themselves first and the team second. That path is fraught with nothing but danger *cough LAKERS cough*...
3 rings is pretty good achievement in about 6 years that they have been together before imploding.
We are getting there and got nothing to show for.
BTW I did not say they should think more about themelves and put the team second. I said that everybody should take more responsibility as an individual to help a team which is almost non existent at the moment anyway. I do not believe in things like "too early in the season" or " it is just one game" or "there are still XX games left" etc... In my opinion - that is a "loser talk" People are generally scared of change especialy when situation has been OK for a while. Sometimes one has to risk something to take the next step. Kings are running out of time.
 
#5
:rolleyes:

Isn't "I" a part of "we"...that is unless you want to say "me, myslef and I" then "we" only includes "you". But you know, considering I've spoken English my whole life-like to consider myself an expert ;)- when I talk in reference to a group, I am usually included-but hey, that's just me
 
#7
I think it is interesting that over the past five years Kings fans have really expanded their expectations for the Kings. Fans have invested a great deal of emotion into the Kings' success. We have grown to expect excellence and community happiness. But wait! Three years of brutal injuries, playoff disappointments, the loss of several popular bench players, talk of the Kings moving away, and the defacto loss of Peja Stojakovic, has chopped the legs out from under many Kings fans. There is only so much grief an average fan can take. In my opinion, we have been psychologically thrust back into the "bad old (pre-Adelman) days".

I think that this pervasive gloom and doom is unhealthy. This town is a mess. The Kings will probably turn this around, and hopefully soon. If they don't, a bunch of Kings' fans will probably ***** and moan themselves to death.

We need to put the kings situation into it's proper perspective. Basketball is just a stupid game, and it's not even in Fallujah.

The Kings will win a lot of games this year. I predicted 48 wins in early October, and of course, I was verbally scathed mercilessly for my defeatist attitude.
 
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#8
piksi said:
Usually "I" is part of "we" when "I" screws up and uses "we" to cover it or hide behind it
Sorry, I might have been watching the wrong game, but it looked as if everyone scewed up and thus "we" would be more than appropriate.

Webb can't win. He mentions guys indivudally (or at least in context) and its "Webb how could you do that? How could you call out your teammates" and then he references everyone, himself included, and its " Webb how could you place the blame else where"....You can't have it both ways.
 
#10
piksi said:
3 rings is pretty good achievement in about 6 years that they have been together before imploding.
We are getting there and got nothing to show for.
BTW I did not say they should think more about themelves and put the team second. I said that everybody should take more responsibility as an individual to help a team which is almost non existent at the moment anyway. I do not believe in things like "too early in the season" or " it is just one game" or "there are still XX games left" etc... In my opinion - that is a "loser talk" People are generally scared of change especialy when situation has been OK for a while. Sometimes one has to risk something to take the next step. Kings are running out of time.
Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner....throw in the white towel and give up. With a record of 1-4 how can we get into the Playoff. My gosh with the season just started and players using "We" instead of "I" how are we going to win. How can you loser still believe the Kings have a chance when you should be a winner and think about giving up? Winner give up at the site of hardship, I totally agree with you Piksi. If the Kings are even going to win they better start taking Piksi advice and quit...wait for the summer and start making changes. What the hell...we should just start deleting players right now. Yes we are running out of time...the season is over. We shouldn't even try to compete it's pointless at this time. There's no hope.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#11
Don't worry, fellow Kings fans! I'm here to help!!!

All of you who purchase season tickets are now pretty much screwed (excuse my bluntness). But I, the kindly VF21, will help keep you from total loss...

I hereby offer to buy any pairs of tickets in the lower level for 10 cents on the dollar. No, you don't have to thank me. It's the least I can do. The best I can offer for upper level tickets is just 5 cents on the dollar, but I will take up to four tickets.

I know, it's unbelieveably kind of me but, hey! what is a true fan if she can't help other true fans avoid the heartbreak of having to actually attend games for a sorry bunch of losers?

I feel your pain and I await your PMs. Everything will be okay. Auntie VF21 is here...

 
#12
I. you, me, we, us. Who cares really??? The Kings just need to start playing better ball. I don't believe the Kings have imploded as there are alot games left for them to get their groove back. Toronto was a good example of how we are capable of playing, it's just a matter of playing like that consistently. The brutal schedule, the injuries, shaken chemistry (if it exists) are all factors that play into our currrent scenario, but that doesn't mean that should be used as an excuse. The Kings are better than that.
 
#13
You may ride your starters in the playoffs but not during the regular season. And our bench gives us no depth. I guess all the big contracts the Kings were throwing around has finally caught up to them -- no new money to spend. I also think going to China during the preseason hurt our preparation, as well as everyone taking time off and having a bunch of new players. But the season just started and a veteran team probably takes a tad longer to get started (or serious). Hopefully everyone will snap out of their malaise soon.