http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13798511p-14640062c.html
Kings open season a work in progress
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 1, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY - Ready or not, here comes the regular season.
The Kings' consensus: Not.
In a perfect Kings world, Bonzi and Bibby and Brad and the other boys would head off to an undisclosed location for a few more weeks, where the practice time would be unlimited and games would come only at convenient intervals. The challenge that is meshing so many talented, yet unfamiliar, parts would grow easier by the day, with coach Rick Adelman slowly forming the very Western Conference contender his bosses envisioned with so many offseason moves.
Fantasy being just that, the reality is a regular season opener against the New Orleans Hornets in Oklahoma City tonight that comes way too soon for the Kings, who admit that they'd be dreaming to think that cohesiveness and confidence are anywhere near the ready levels.
The 3-5 preseason record wasn't the problem, especially considering title favorites San Antonio finished 2-7 and the supposedly revived Golden State Warriors went 2-5. But the Kings' new mix only mixed in short spurts, offering glimpses of what could be but mostly produced list of concerns longer than Adelman had hoped for come November.
In order of importance ...
1) The rotation.
The talent pool is so deep, they just might sink in it.
Adelman announced on Monday morning that Shareef Abdur-Rahim would be the starting power forward and Kenny Thomas would be a more-than-able reserve. He likes Abdur-Rahim's low-post presence to start and Thomas' energy off the bench. Now comes the task of creating a rotation for eight more. If the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers was any indicator (10 players with at least 16 minutes), at least 10 players will see ample time, a larger number than has been rotated in years past.
Will depth be the blessing or the curse? "It's really hard to have to play 10 people, and (especially) when you get five new guys on the floor," Adelman said. "I think I have a sense of what I'm going to do, but I may be taking one guy who starts for us out earlier than the other guys so I can bring him back with the group that's on the floor in the second quarter."
2) The inconsistencies.
Now you see 'em, now you don't.
At both ends of the floor, the Kings have been hot and cold with nothing lukewarm in between. In wins over Portland and Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers, they beat teams missing their main stars - from the Trail Blazers' Zach Randolph to the Warriors' Jason Richardson to the Clippers' Elton Brand, Chris Kaman and Shaun Livingston.
"One night the starters are pretty good, and the next the backup people are pretty good," Adelman said. "I really haven't seen the whole thing yet, and I think it's going to be a while."
3) The schedule.
Between the last four preseason games and the first five regular season games, the Kings will have played at Arco Arena once, against Detroit on Nov. 8. Being away from home certainly won't help the players already trying to keep up with their new system.
Adelman is the most worried in the bunch.
"In the preseason, you get all your screw-ups and mess-ups out of the way," center Brian Skinner said. "Regular season will be a different thing -guys going for every rebound now, guys going for every blocked shot, guys trying to contest. The preseason only counts for something in terms of ... seeing what the pros and cons are, what we can do better."
Said shooting guard Bonzi Wells: "It ain't no time to panic. We haven't even played a game yet."
So let it begin.
"If we struggle, we struggle, but I think there's definitely enough here that we're going to get it together," Adelman said. "It's just a matter of when and that we hold the fort down until everybody is comfortable."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Kings open season a work in progress
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 1, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY - Ready or not, here comes the regular season.
The Kings' consensus: Not.
In a perfect Kings world, Bonzi and Bibby and Brad and the other boys would head off to an undisclosed location for a few more weeks, where the practice time would be unlimited and games would come only at convenient intervals. The challenge that is meshing so many talented, yet unfamiliar, parts would grow easier by the day, with coach Rick Adelman slowly forming the very Western Conference contender his bosses envisioned with so many offseason moves.
Fantasy being just that, the reality is a regular season opener against the New Orleans Hornets in Oklahoma City tonight that comes way too soon for the Kings, who admit that they'd be dreaming to think that cohesiveness and confidence are anywhere near the ready levels.
The 3-5 preseason record wasn't the problem, especially considering title favorites San Antonio finished 2-7 and the supposedly revived Golden State Warriors went 2-5. But the Kings' new mix only mixed in short spurts, offering glimpses of what could be but mostly produced list of concerns longer than Adelman had hoped for come November.
In order of importance ...
1) The rotation.
The talent pool is so deep, they just might sink in it.
Adelman announced on Monday morning that Shareef Abdur-Rahim would be the starting power forward and Kenny Thomas would be a more-than-able reserve. He likes Abdur-Rahim's low-post presence to start and Thomas' energy off the bench. Now comes the task of creating a rotation for eight more. If the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers was any indicator (10 players with at least 16 minutes), at least 10 players will see ample time, a larger number than has been rotated in years past.
Will depth be the blessing or the curse? "It's really hard to have to play 10 people, and (especially) when you get five new guys on the floor," Adelman said. "I think I have a sense of what I'm going to do, but I may be taking one guy who starts for us out earlier than the other guys so I can bring him back with the group that's on the floor in the second quarter."
2) The inconsistencies.
Now you see 'em, now you don't.
At both ends of the floor, the Kings have been hot and cold with nothing lukewarm in between. In wins over Portland and Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers, they beat teams missing their main stars - from the Trail Blazers' Zach Randolph to the Warriors' Jason Richardson to the Clippers' Elton Brand, Chris Kaman and Shaun Livingston.
"One night the starters are pretty good, and the next the backup people are pretty good," Adelman said. "I really haven't seen the whole thing yet, and I think it's going to be a while."
3) The schedule.
Between the last four preseason games and the first five regular season games, the Kings will have played at Arco Arena once, against Detroit on Nov. 8. Being away from home certainly won't help the players already trying to keep up with their new system.
Adelman is the most worried in the bunch.
"In the preseason, you get all your screw-ups and mess-ups out of the way," center Brian Skinner said. "Regular season will be a different thing -guys going for every rebound now, guys going for every blocked shot, guys trying to contest. The preseason only counts for something in terms of ... seeing what the pros and cons are, what we can do better."
Said shooting guard Bonzi Wells: "It ain't no time to panic. We haven't even played a game yet."
So let it begin.
"If we struggle, we struggle, but I think there's definitely enough here that we're going to get it together," Adelman said. "It's just a matter of when and that we hold the fort down until everybody is comfortable."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
