Kings.com: Practice Quotes 11/24/05

#1
Practice Quotes-November 24, 2005


Kings Coach Rick Adelman
“We shot today, the starters didn’t do much, they played a lot of minutes yesterday, so we just kind of had them go through shooting drills. (Peja) did all that, so we’ll see tomorrow when he comes out what his status is.”

On Peja's sore hand:
“It’s just sore and stiff. So catching the ball and handling the ball and doing all those things are tough. It’s just going to come down to when he feels good and the trainer and the doctor say it’s time to go.”

On a story that appeared in the 11/24 Sacramento Bee reporting a confrontation between Bonzi Wells and Peja Stojakovic:
“It’s just ridiculous. If people want to try to manufacture stuff…I mean, Elston Turner is in the locker room before the game, I’m in the locker room before the game and there was nothing like that happening. If people want to try and make something up to stir up controversy, I just think that’s wrong. You have to have something there first. We’re trying to come together as a team. I know I was in the locker room, and I saw those guys before and after the game and there was nothing to it. I don’t know, if someone wants to make something up, then so be it. It’s just someone trying to create some kind of story.”

“You can take it any way you want to take. All I’m saying that as a coach I trust each guy. If they are hurt, then they’re hurt. I’m not going to question a guy, and I don’t think anybody should, and I don’t see why there should be some kind of controversy when one guy is sitting out with a sore hand and another is not. If you like to create that controversy than fine, but I’m more worried about wins and losses. ”



Bonzi Wells
On the Sacramento Bee story:
“That cat right there, the beat writer, wrote a bad article, and I confronted him about it. I brought him in, and me, Peja, and Brad got in his face and let him know that there was nothing like that, and that he was just starting drama. I just don’t appreciate it—it’s the second time it’s happened since I’ve been here. I just get tired of it because it seems like they just want to start controversies around me because of maybe my past. I just thought it would be different here.”

“I’m just talking about me, and I can’t talk about anyone else. I was just talking about me. I know that other players play through stuff too, but when you want to go run with stuff, that’s when it becomes bad press for us.”

On his quote after Wednesday's game regarding Peja's injury:
“What’s wrong with that? I’ve only known Peja for two months. I didn’t lie, I haven’t been here for six, seven years like Mike and those guys. I’m not a doctor—I don’t know what’s wrong with his hand, I can only speak about me. If you guys are trying to stir something up, stir it up, I don’t care.”


Peja Stojakovic
On his injury status:
“We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and I’ll decide before the game. We’re going to try a couple of things, maybe a glove to protect the hand, but other wise I’ve just been resting it and treating it for a couple of games and it feels better.”

On the Sacramento Bee story:
“That’s some thing that I just had a discussion with the beat writer about, and it’s something that doesn’t have any sense. I was very surprised, we were both surprised—we have something nice going on with the team and it was a little bit…not a little bit, very disrespectful to us. I mean we all have a relationship with the media and if there is something to ask it’s better to come to us and ask about that –not going around and hoping you might get false information. I mean, I was surprised and disappointed.”
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/Practice_QuotesNovember_24_2-158832-58.html

Good stuff.
 
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HndsmCelt

Hall of Famer
#4
If they really wanted to dispell the story and build up Pedja's rep Bonzi should have held Amick while Pedja worked him over with his good hand. Would have shown team spirt, team work and helped establish Pedja as a tough guy. ;)
 

6th

Homer Fan Since 1985
#5
Way to set the story straight, guys. And, way to take the writer to task for reporting on something that did not happen.

Bonzi needs to understand that it is not necessarily about him...or his past. Writers will try and stir up controversy to create interest no matter what or where or who.
 
#6
HndsmCelt said:
If they really wanted to dispell the story and build up Pedja's rep Bonzi should have held Amick while Pedja worked him over with his good hand. Would have shown team spirt, team work and helped establish Pedja as a tough guy. ;)
The way things are going around Kings right now, Bonzi would get all the bad publicity and Pedja would break his good hand as well.
 
#8
Bee makes me sick. STOP VILLIFYING THE PLAYERS. Jeez if the kings leave the city, the bee will be one of the things to blame. All this negative publicity to make a storry. Well if they keep it up there won't be a storry because the kings won't be here. Sacramento Bee is a bad newspaper for doing this.
 
#9
So will Sam man up and report the truth on this or is he the wussy?

Bonzi, Peja and Brad should just get the BIG NASTY on him. A body slam followed by an elbow to the head should do the trick.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#10
HndsmCelt said:
If they really wanted to dispell the story and build up Pedja's rep Bonzi should have held Amick while Pedja worked him over with his good hand. Would have shown team spirt, team work and helped establish Pedja as a tough guy. ;)
If he was REALLY a tough guy he would have worked him over with his bad pinky. ;)
 
#12
I have not been overly impressed with Sam's writing in the Bee. The problem I have with him, besides the manufacturing of this story, is that he has been wrong on a number of details in his columns.
 
#13
Why would a beat writer that has to follow the team for 82 games, blatantly lie about something so dynamic? It does not make professional sense to me.

"Where there is smoke there is fire". I am sure at some point the truth will come out.
 
#14
I'm not terribly inclined to believe that the story was fabricated just because Adelman, Bonzi and Peja say it was.

Then again, I really don't give a rat's patoot one way or the other. I'm of the opinion that an atmosphere of constant sunshine and lollipops in the locker room is highly overrated, anyway.
 
#15
Like I've said before

Sac Bee = Enemy of the SACRAMENTO Kings

It's a rag not worth buying....
I'm boycotting the Bee by never buying it as long as they continue on their agenda of bringing down the King's organization.
 
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Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#16
Purple Reign said:
Why would a beat writer that has to follow the team for 82 games, blatantly lie about something so dynamic? It does not make professional sense to me.

"Where there is smoke there is fire". I am sure at some point the truth will come out.
I suspect there was a confrontation, just likely on a much lower level than reported. Then it goes through two levels of hearsay and before long the gusy were shouting at each other. Bonzi probably asked Peja if he was going, Peja said no, Bonzi asked why, Peja told him, Bonzi shakes head, Brad says "come on guys, it is what it is, we just have to go witht he guys we've got". Then by the time it hits the papers we've got shouting etc.

Amick's been doing fine to this point and has given us a lot more stuff than Marty did in his last few years. Hope this doesn't lead to a cold war between the media and the lockerroom. Could particularly become a problme with Bonzi's background.
 
#17
I dunno.. I'm not sure whos side to take, but if this is true Sam should lose his job. The truth is important in journalism. Fer gad sakes it's not supposed to be a tabloid.
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#18
BLNINJA #81 said:
I dunno.. I'm not sure whos side to take, but if this is true Sam should lose his job. The truth is important in journalism. Fer gad sakes it's not supposed to be a tabloid.
Have a very hard time believing Amick would just fabricate the story given that he is the beat writer and has to be around the team every day to do his job. The great fabricators are normally the Fords and Vesceys of the world who have no relationship at all with the people they make up stories about and so have nothing to lose. But as a beat writer...most I could imagine was Amick sensationalizing a lesser event. If he flat out invents a major story how is he ever going to be able to function in the locker room again? Hence my suspicion that there was something there, just perhaps not as much as was reported.
 
#19
Good quotes... Peja getting in someone's face? That I'd like to see. :D Seriously, though, for me, whether the truth is somewhere in the middle there or closer to one version or the other, it simply just got blown out of context with a huge hand from Amick. I agree with Brick saying that I hope this doesn't lead to a cold war between the media and the players - Bonzi, in particular.
 
#20
The problem is that we can only read what the players say and what sam says. We can't read hesitation and tone and inflection in their voices and body language--Things that make it easier to tell whose telling the truth. I suspect that there is a bit of fabrication on both parts. Exageration from Sam, and denial from the players. I agree with Brick that it was probably something that was blown out of proportion and now the team is scrambling to put their fans at ease. Bonzi sure seems to be upset about what was said as well. I think that if there was no truth at all to it he would blow it off much more easily. He's been playing great for us lately, and he doesn't need this type of drama to worry about. As for a confession from Sam? Not going to happen.
 
#21
Something happened....what? we will never know. But if Bonzi wants to try and light a fire under Peja's a** so be it. MJ got on his teammates all the time. Bonzi expects everybody to go as hard as he does, day after day. Which isn't such a bad thing.
 
#22
Bonzi was a target. The reporter was using Bonzi's checkered past (alleged troublemaker) as an opportunity to generate some newspaper sales. It was a hurtful piece, and of absolutely no redeeming value.

Peja was also a target. The reporter was using Peja's checkered past (alleged wimp) as an opportunity to generate some newspaper sales. It was a hurtful piece, and of absolutely no redeeming value.

The Kings are trying to get something done this year on behalf of themselves and the fans. The whole 2005-2006 season is questionable at this point. Some of these Bee reporters serve no useful function and should assigned to cover Hollywood twits like Angelina Jolee and Brad Pitt. The Bee is indeed a rag, but not just for sports coverage.
 
#23
This right here is the difference between Marty Mac and Amick. I'm sure Marty saw a lot of this stuff when he covered the team and chose not to print it. It seems like this guy is covering the team like he's a hollywood gossip columnist. All it's going to get him is a bunch of no comments and he'll be covering the high school beat soon.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#27
Before we put Amick in the pillory out front of the arena, keep in mind that he says "two players on the Kings" told him about the incident. The problem might not be with Amick, who seems a good enough sort.

It could be the players were pulling his leg; it could actually be somewhat true but overblown.

I strongly DOUBT if Amick would risk his job to make up something like this completely out of thin air. The Bee has fired at least one writer for that recently and I suspect would have no problems firing another.

There may have been a couple of words exchanged. So what? IMHO some things should remain in the locker room. I'd be more interested in finding out who the leak was - and WHY they thought it was worth leaking - than I am about this situation.

Players say things in the heat of the moment to each other just like family members. That doesn't mean there's a problem. It just means they're human and have tempers, feelings, etc.

Again, my problem is more with whoever might be telling tales out of school. That sounds like something T-Mass would have been guilty of...
 
#28
hmm.. so there's a rat.. Never know if we will find out who it is, but if it is ever know they should be punished for spilling dirty laundry, true or false.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#29
We don't KNOW if there's a rat. But, we don't need to know.

The team will know if it's true or not and I have faith that they will take whatever action - if any - is necessary to stop the leak.

I'm just glad that whatever (IF anything) happened behind closed doors is apparently going to stay behind closed doors, as far as the Kings are concerned. I like the solidarity I'm seeing, whether it's to protest a private dispute or to present a united front against something that was totally blown out of proportion.

It's TEAM unity...and I like it.