http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/11295484p-12210622c.html
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Ready or not at the start
As the Kings are dogged by dilemmas, their bandwagon might be losing some fans.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 2, 2004
DALLAS - The Kings begin the new season tonight as an exciting and talented team that has never reached the NBA Finals - let alone won the championship, although it has come tantalizingly close.
The highly paid superstar has returned from a serious knee injury some said he would never overcome. He is still devoid of full mobility and strength but, he says, more determined to remind critics of his considerable skills and talents.
The veteran coach has led the team to at least 55 wins in each of the past four seasons but can't get a one-year contract extension from the ownership.
The All-Star small forward could be the NBA's best shooter but has had just one solid playoff performance. He has asked to be traded - despite all the speculation - for basically unexplained reasons.
The team's sparkplug off the bench believes he's underpaid and has had problems staying healthy because he plays so fearlessly, risking injury.
The Kings' bandwagon that once was overflowing with riders might have some empty seats.
The owners, who once spent freely and built one of the league's highest payrolls, are more hesitant to reach for their wallets, just as the city of Sacramento appears equally hesitant to build a new arena.
More or less, these are the 2004-05 Kings who will open the season against a remodeled and talented Dallas Mavericks squad that carries just as many question marks.
And it's a Kings team that says it doesn't care whether some observers no longer believe they deserve to be ranked among the NBA elite.
"I think we're all going to be cool," power forward and newly self-appointed leader Chris Webber said. "I think everybody has had something go on from last year. Whether it was Bobby (Jackson) being hurt, whether it was Peja (Stojakovic), whether it was me, whether it was Vlade (Divac) leaving, whether it was Doug (Christie) with his foot, whether it was Greg (Ostertag) just coming back - so I hope with (the trip to) China and all of that, it's just taken us a little to find ourselves. I hope that's what it is.
"I'm not making excuses because come (tonight), believe me, you're going to see the fun-loving, high-fiving, Mike Bibby-shuffling-after-he-hits-a-jumper team.
"You'll see it."
Kings coach Rick Adelman doesn't think his team should be viewed as one of the favorites to win the league title.
"We still have Webb coming off the injury," Adelman said. "We've changed the team, and it doesn't mean we can't be (one of the league's best teams), but people have picked us before, and it hasn't worked out. So maybe if they don't pick us now, if we put ourselves in the position by the end of the year, we'll be OK."
Adelman always has refused to say outright that his team is a playoff lock. This season, with a deeper and more talented Western Conference and the questions surrounding his team, he is even more cautious.
"I've always gone into the season wondering, What are you going to get?" Adelman said. "This year, especially with the injuries at the start of the season and the schedule, I can see people looking at the San Antonios and the Minnesotas and those teams ahead of us.
"We have to understand that our margin of error, I've said it before, isn't as big as it was before. It's not going to be as easy as it has been in the past.
"There's too much competition. People laugh at me when I say you've got to make the playoffs first, but in the Western Conference, (if) you have a tough injury and get off to a bad start ... then you're chasing. This is going to be the biggest challenge we have, to maintain where we are and put ourselves into position to challenge people at the end."
Stojakovic doesn't regret requesting a trade last summer and stands by his words. He also said he's ready to go.
"I think sometimes, it's up to us," said the NBA's No. 2 scorer last season at 24.2 points per game.
But he quickly added that, in the past, injuries in the playoffs have robbed the Kings of opportunities to advance.
"I think we weren't lucky enough to stay healthy and be together and play at least the last 50 games of the regular season, and be able to close out in the playoffs," Stojakovic said. "But, as always, this team has the talent.
"We've been together. We know what it takes, but we shouldn't talk. We just should go out there and play basketball."
=======================
Ready or not at the start
As the Kings are dogged by dilemmas, their bandwagon might be losing some fans.
By Martin McNeal -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, November 2, 2004
DALLAS - The Kings begin the new season tonight as an exciting and talented team that has never reached the NBA Finals - let alone won the championship, although it has come tantalizingly close.
The highly paid superstar has returned from a serious knee injury some said he would never overcome. He is still devoid of full mobility and strength but, he says, more determined to remind critics of his considerable skills and talents.
The veteran coach has led the team to at least 55 wins in each of the past four seasons but can't get a one-year contract extension from the ownership.
The All-Star small forward could be the NBA's best shooter but has had just one solid playoff performance. He has asked to be traded - despite all the speculation - for basically unexplained reasons.
The team's sparkplug off the bench believes he's underpaid and has had problems staying healthy because he plays so fearlessly, risking injury.
The Kings' bandwagon that once was overflowing with riders might have some empty seats.
The owners, who once spent freely and built one of the league's highest payrolls, are more hesitant to reach for their wallets, just as the city of Sacramento appears equally hesitant to build a new arena.
More or less, these are the 2004-05 Kings who will open the season against a remodeled and talented Dallas Mavericks squad that carries just as many question marks.
And it's a Kings team that says it doesn't care whether some observers no longer believe they deserve to be ranked among the NBA elite.
"I think we're all going to be cool," power forward and newly self-appointed leader Chris Webber said. "I think everybody has had something go on from last year. Whether it was Bobby (Jackson) being hurt, whether it was Peja (Stojakovic), whether it was me, whether it was Vlade (Divac) leaving, whether it was Doug (Christie) with his foot, whether it was Greg (Ostertag) just coming back - so I hope with (the trip to) China and all of that, it's just taken us a little to find ourselves. I hope that's what it is.
"I'm not making excuses because come (tonight), believe me, you're going to see the fun-loving, high-fiving, Mike Bibby-shuffling-after-he-hits-a-jumper team.
"You'll see it."
Kings coach Rick Adelman doesn't think his team should be viewed as one of the favorites to win the league title.
"We still have Webb coming off the injury," Adelman said. "We've changed the team, and it doesn't mean we can't be (one of the league's best teams), but people have picked us before, and it hasn't worked out. So maybe if they don't pick us now, if we put ourselves in the position by the end of the year, we'll be OK."
Adelman always has refused to say outright that his team is a playoff lock. This season, with a deeper and more talented Western Conference and the questions surrounding his team, he is even more cautious.
"I've always gone into the season wondering, What are you going to get?" Adelman said. "This year, especially with the injuries at the start of the season and the schedule, I can see people looking at the San Antonios and the Minnesotas and those teams ahead of us.
"We have to understand that our margin of error, I've said it before, isn't as big as it was before. It's not going to be as easy as it has been in the past.
"There's too much competition. People laugh at me when I say you've got to make the playoffs first, but in the Western Conference, (if) you have a tough injury and get off to a bad start ... then you're chasing. This is going to be the biggest challenge we have, to maintain where we are and put ourselves into position to challenge people at the end."
Stojakovic doesn't regret requesting a trade last summer and stands by his words. He also said he's ready to go.
"I think sometimes, it's up to us," said the NBA's No. 2 scorer last season at 24.2 points per game.
But he quickly added that, in the past, injuries in the playoffs have robbed the Kings of opportunities to advance.
"I think we weren't lucky enough to stay healthy and be together and play at least the last 50 games of the regular season, and be able to close out in the playoffs," Stojakovic said. "But, as always, this team has the talent.
"We've been together. We know what it takes, but we shouldn't talk. We just should go out there and play basketball."
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