Kings notes: Is it the right mix?

VF21

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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13862088p-14701779c.html

Kings notes: Is this the right mix?
The players haven't meshed as quickly as people hoped.

By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 15, 2005


Puzzles are, by their inherent nature, puzzling.

The pieces must fit, while the picture unfolds with all the parts coming together slowly.

But with their 2-5 start, the Kings have been left staring at their game table in near-shock, while their pieces both old and new haven't meshed nearly as quickly as Kings coach Rick Adelman would have hoped.

Which, of course, begs the question: Are these the right pieces? "I think it's a mix that is a little tough, because you've got two new starters in there, three young guys at the perimeter spots off the bench, and three power forwards who are used to playing," Adelman said. "It's not ideal, but that happens in this league.... I do think this mix is a heck of a lot better than what we've shown so far, and that's what I have to get out of them."

Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said he's counting on time to fix the mix.

"Hopefully it's just a matter of time," Maloof said. "We have a great team, a great group of guys. Let them work together. Let them play together more, get used to each other. But they have to come out with a little more intensity, more energy."

Bull-oney or future Bull? - It's becoming an annual affair.

Kings small forward Peja Stojakovic hears rumblings that he wants to play for the Chicago Bulls, who play in the city with a large Serbian population base and for a coach in Scott Skiles who coached Stojakovic in the PAOK league in Greece in 1998.

Stojakovic promptly proceeds to dispel said reports.

Stojakovic, the free-agent-to-be who entered himself in the rumor mill when he asked to be traded before last season, was part of an Arlington Heights Daily Herald report claiming that "rumors persist that ... Stojakovic wants a trade to the Bulls or is hoping to sign here as a free agent next summer."

"I can't control the papers, or what somebody's going to write," Stojakovic said. "I can't really say what's going to happen."

Stojakovic's agent, David Bauman, did not return a call for a comment.

About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
 
VF21 said:
"I can't control the papers, or what somebody's going to write," Stojakovic said. "I can't really say what's going to happen."

would have been easier to say "I do not want a trade from sacramento"
 
piksi said:
Would be much more honest to say - " show me the money!"

Hopefully the kings don't show him the money, a 6 year contract for a shooter in his prime already making the max could be a franchise killer.
 
More like I want a max contract, and I want to play in Sac because they can give me the biggest contract. I have no doubt that Peja will go to the highest bidder, regardless of a local Serbian community. He didn't want to play in Serbia over the summer, and I think that the Serbian community over there is a little bigger than the one in Chicago.
 
KP said:
Lets just hope Peja can play the same as Webb did that year too.

Well, Webber couldn't stay healthy and it lead us to where we are now. Giving someone 6 years contract (age 34 when expires) should be based on much more than the performance in the contrac year. Kings should have at leats learn that lesson.
 
piksi said:
Well, Webber couldn't stay healthy and it lead us to where we are now. Giving someone 6 years contract (age 34 when expires) should be based on much more than the performance in the contrac year. Kings should have at leats learn that lesson.
Injuries are unpredictable and if you over-factor them in you would never sign anybody, at some point you have to take chances and leave it up to the basketball gods. Just make sure they are worth it, and at the time Chris was. That's one thing I've learned from this year. If Bibby and Brad can't play better... I dunno... I would have to admit to being very wrong about both of them.
 
piksi said:
Well, Webber couldn't stay healthy and it lead us to where we are now. Giving someone 6 years contract (age 34 when expires) should be based on much more than the performance in the contrac year. Kings should have at leats learn that lesson.

webb wasn't necessarily injury prone (that is, specific recurring health problems) prior to his big contract, and peja isn't injury prone right now, either. i agree, contract year performance should never be the single reason for signing a player to an oversized contract (extreme example: jerome james' 5 games against the kings), but hopefully it gives a clear-cut vision of what a player can offer you over several more years. if peja plays like he usually does (soft, non-combatative, with flashes of brilliance mixed in), then that's what you can expect of him the next 6 years of his contract. that is, basically, a signal of the most that he's willing to give your team. webb played inspired ball, and played like an mvp, and played to win a title, even though they didn't. he "deserved" his contract. i dont necessarily believe that any athlete deserves the ludicrous money they're paid, but given what the sports world is, i'd say webb was deserving of his contract. the maloofs couldnt predict that he was gonna go down with knee injuries. it sucks, but ya gotta roll the dice every once in a while for a player who is worth it. webber was worth it. he wanted to win. he wanted to be the face of the franchise. he wanted to win a championship for sacramento. peja has shown me none of this yet. he's playing more inspired of late, but the kings aren't winning. until he throws the team on his shoulders, and commits to leading the team to a winning record and legitimate playoff contention (even if it's a delusion of grandeur), then he is not deserving of the "big money," imo.
 
piksi said:
Pedja is a King since 1998. Should be enough to know what You have

yes, you know what you have, but do you know what he's willing to give you? the contract year should be indicative of this, to a degree. i'm not putting complete faith in the contract year performance, but when you're dealing with many millions of dollars, it certainly must be a factor, especially if you want to invest the future of the team in this single player.
 
KP said:
Injuries are unpredictable and if you over-factor them in you would never sign anybody, at some point you have to take chances and leave it up to the basketball gods. Just make sure they are worth it, and at the time Chris was. That's one thing I've learned from this year. If Bibby and Brad can't play better... I dunno... I would have to admit to being very wrong about both of them.
but the thing is peja is not worth that max contract at todays time, and he most likely never will be unless a miracle happens and starts passing like c-webb and defending and rebounding like ben wallace.

peja just doesnt have the talent or dedication or so it seems to add new parts to his game.

however the max is what geoff needs to give him so he could stay with the kings.

but honestly i don't want peja back for that amount of contract, but hey it's out of my hands. personally id rather see a sign and trade deal or developemtn of younger players. i wuldnt mind seeing peja back for a cheaper contract and IN FORM but i just don't see it happening and i think it'd rather be best if the kings moved on...

PLZ GEOFF, plz do whats best for the team, and for whatever you have to do, and if that means losing peja then please put your love towards him aside and do what's best for the SACRAMENTO KINGS! :D
 
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Padrino said:
webb played inspired ball, and played like an mvp, and played to win a title, even though they didn't. he "deserved" his contract. i dont necessarily believe that any athlete deserves the ludicrous money they're paid, but given what the sports world is, i'd say webb was deserving of his contract. ...ya gotta roll the dice every once in a while for a player who is worth it. webber was worth it. he wanted to win. he wanted to be the face of the franchise. he wanted to win a championship for sacramento. peja has shown me none of this yet. he's playing more inspired of late, but the kings aren't winning. until he throws the team on his shoulders, and commits to leading the team to a winning record and legitimate playoff contention (even if it's a delusion of grandeur), then he is not deserving of the "big money," imo.

Glad I read this before I posted because it's exactly what I wanted to say! To me, a max player SHOULD be one who lives and breathes basketball, and who wants it so badly they inspire others. Webb brought that to the table, Peja doesn't. (Note I said "SHOULD" -- I have no doubt the Peja will receive a max contract from someone, I just personally think that a max contract should be about more than shooting)
 
Padrino said:
yes, you know what you have, but do you know what he's willing to give you? the contract year should be indicative of this, to a degree. i'm not putting complete faith in the contract year performance, but when you're dealing with many millions of dollars, it certainly must be a factor, especially if you want to invest the future of the team in this single player.

Knowing what a guy is "willing to give you" in a contract you is incredibly deceptive. How do you weight that? Oh, for 7 years you give us x, but then it comes time to get paid and you give x + y?...well, it seems to me that next year and the year after and the year after etc. the guy is not going to be in a contract year, so unless I can get him to agree to a series of one year deals there are far too many Erick Dampier stories out there for me to making contract decisions based on one year of self-interested play.
 
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