TruckeeKingsFan
G-League
Kings trying to adjust to all the changes
By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer
March 18, 2005
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Cuttino Mobley sat alone in Sacramento's locker room, staring at nothing in particular as he pondered another frustrating loss.
Mobley is taking the Kings' struggles pretty hard, and he still seemed discouraged following a pep talk from Hall of Fame assistant coach Pete Carril after a 100-97 defeat at lowly Golden State.
With all the change this franchise has faced in the past month, the product has become unpredictable.
The Kings are sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference standings after Thursday night's defeat by the Warriors, their fourth straight road loss. Sacramento is just one game over .500 since dealing superstar Chris Webber to the Philadelphia 76ers for Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson. The team also is coping with the untimely absence of center Brad Miller, out for at least a month with a broken leg.
And Peja Stojakovic is still trying to find a rhythm with his shot.
``It's going to take some time,'' said Mobley, acquired in a January trade with Orlando that sent popular guard Doug Christie to the Magic. ``We have new guys, it's a new system for a lot of us, and it's a new situation. It's not going to happen overnight. There are games we're going to look really good, and games we're going to look really bad. Down the line, we'll be OK.''
They beat the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons on March 6, then lost to the woeful Warriors 11 days later.
``We have to be more consistent,'' Stojakovic said.
Coach Rick Adelman is nervous to rest Mike Bibby. The tattooed point guard is the most reliable member of the offense these days. When Bibby is on the bench, the Kings become an uncertainty.
``Change does that to you,'' Warriors guard Derek Fisher said. ``There's a lot that comes with familiarity, knowing guys' strengths and weaknesses, where they want the ball on the court. Those are things we've been battling all season.''
Adelman said he constantly is ``learning on the fly'' about his revamped roster -- and he acknowledges the timing isn't ideal, with a handful of teams determined to catch the Kings in the playoff chase.
``Our offense has changed quite a bit with injuries and trades,'' Adelman said. ``We have to find a way to figure out how we're going to win. We've got to find a consistency offensively. We'll get there.''
He hopes that happens soon. Sacramento can't afford a slump.
Skinner, Thomas and Williamson are beginning to get comfortable in Adelman's free-flowing system, though the Kings' up-and-down play can be infuriating at times.
``Those guys weren't part of the Sacramento Kings runs I was so familiar with,'' said Fisher, who faced the Kings in postseason play during his eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers. ``You can't substitute a team knowing how to win together. You have to be together.''
Against Golden State, Sacramento missed its first five shots and gave up too many easy baskets to quickly fall behind by 21 points.
``It feels like it's been a long year with all the changes,'' said forward Darius Songaila, who recently moved into the starting lineup. ``I can't tell you which one has been harder than the other. I think it takes time. ... Once things get back to normal, we're going to be very good.''
Several NBA coaches have said this new Kings team will be more potent on offense because it will be more unselfish, moving the ball more efficiently. Webber had his share of critics who thought he held onto the ball too much.
``We've kept the offense pretty simple, but added more twists to it,'' Skinner said. ``It's just an offense where you have to read. It's a timing offense.''
Three times this month the Kings have scored fewer than 90 points, losing at Charlotte and at Miami, then beating Memphis at home 85-82.
Bibby takes over games, as he did in Sacramento's 105-94 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. He also hit back-to-back game-winning shots in wins over Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 8 and 11.
``This team has to find its identity out,'' Adelman said. ``Sometimes you've got to bite the bullet and see what guys can do, but we've got to win games.''
•••
By JANIE McCAULEY, AP Sports Writer
March 18, 2005
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Cuttino Mobley sat alone in Sacramento's locker room, staring at nothing in particular as he pondered another frustrating loss.
Mobley is taking the Kings' struggles pretty hard, and he still seemed discouraged following a pep talk from Hall of Fame assistant coach Pete Carril after a 100-97 defeat at lowly Golden State.
With all the change this franchise has faced in the past month, the product has become unpredictable.
The Kings are sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference standings after Thursday night's defeat by the Warriors, their fourth straight road loss. Sacramento is just one game over .500 since dealing superstar Chris Webber to the Philadelphia 76ers for Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson. The team also is coping with the untimely absence of center Brad Miller, out for at least a month with a broken leg.
And Peja Stojakovic is still trying to find a rhythm with his shot.
``It's going to take some time,'' said Mobley, acquired in a January trade with Orlando that sent popular guard Doug Christie to the Magic. ``We have new guys, it's a new system for a lot of us, and it's a new situation. It's not going to happen overnight. There are games we're going to look really good, and games we're going to look really bad. Down the line, we'll be OK.''
They beat the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons on March 6, then lost to the woeful Warriors 11 days later.
``We have to be more consistent,'' Stojakovic said.
Coach Rick Adelman is nervous to rest Mike Bibby. The tattooed point guard is the most reliable member of the offense these days. When Bibby is on the bench, the Kings become an uncertainty.
``Change does that to you,'' Warriors guard Derek Fisher said. ``There's a lot that comes with familiarity, knowing guys' strengths and weaknesses, where they want the ball on the court. Those are things we've been battling all season.''
Adelman said he constantly is ``learning on the fly'' about his revamped roster -- and he acknowledges the timing isn't ideal, with a handful of teams determined to catch the Kings in the playoff chase.
``Our offense has changed quite a bit with injuries and trades,'' Adelman said. ``We have to find a way to figure out how we're going to win. We've got to find a consistency offensively. We'll get there.''
He hopes that happens soon. Sacramento can't afford a slump.
Skinner, Thomas and Williamson are beginning to get comfortable in Adelman's free-flowing system, though the Kings' up-and-down play can be infuriating at times.
``Those guys weren't part of the Sacramento Kings runs I was so familiar with,'' said Fisher, who faced the Kings in postseason play during his eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers. ``You can't substitute a team knowing how to win together. You have to be together.''
Against Golden State, Sacramento missed its first five shots and gave up too many easy baskets to quickly fall behind by 21 points.
``It feels like it's been a long year with all the changes,'' said forward Darius Songaila, who recently moved into the starting lineup. ``I can't tell you which one has been harder than the other. I think it takes time. ... Once things get back to normal, we're going to be very good.''
Several NBA coaches have said this new Kings team will be more potent on offense because it will be more unselfish, moving the ball more efficiently. Webber had his share of critics who thought he held onto the ball too much.
``We've kept the offense pretty simple, but added more twists to it,'' Skinner said. ``It's just an offense where you have to read. It's a timing offense.''
Three times this month the Kings have scored fewer than 90 points, losing at Charlotte and at Miami, then beating Memphis at home 85-82.
Bibby takes over games, as he did in Sacramento's 105-94 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. He also hit back-to-back game-winning shots in wins over Memphis and the Los Angeles Clippers on March 8 and 11.
``This team has to find its identity out,'' Adelman said. ``Sometimes you've got to bite the bullet and see what guys can do, but we've got to win games.''
•••
