Wait a minute. Mobley comes out and says he's opting out (which he practically guaranteed before even coming to the Kings in the first place - it's why he was traded) and now the sky is falling? The Kings are in no worse a position in the wake of this news than they were before. Mobley was as good as gone from day one. When the team went on that losing streak and the brain trust decided to pull the trigger on a Webber deal, that was the real end of our playoff run. Everything else was merely a technicality.
That being said, I think there's plenty of reason to be optimistic here. In Game 5 we lost to Seattle but our three stars played like stars. They played like three guys you build a team around and they've played like that many times before. I haven't lost faith in them yet as a championship core. Webber has been gone since his injury. The team has really been a mess ever since he came back. While acknowledging how great he has been for this franchise in the past, I think it's fair to say his absence will improve team stability. The roles are much more defined now. Petrie hasn't had a chance yet to build a team around these three guys with Webber floating in and out of the equation. This summer is his chance to find the right role players to play with who he's got. Given his track record, I think we have reason to be optimistic he'll do just that.
The Kings were one of the best teams in the league a year ago with a lineup of Bibby-Christie-Peja-Brad-Vlade. Personally, I don't think a way-past-his-prime Vlade and a slowed-by-age-and-injury Christie are impossible players to replace. While it's true that team didn't win the big one, they never really had a chance to try before the Webber return, and we all know how that turned out. They won an awful lot of ball games and judging by recent trends (Phoenix, Miami) that's as good an indicator as any what your title chances are. The sports journalists talk a good talk, but really all they are doing is looking for patterns in statistics. They can't watch every game all the time, so they have to guess and form theories and look for evidence. That's why even the most delusional of fans generally have a better understanding of how their team plays than your average sports writer. They'll keep pounding out how 'defense wins championships' and then someone like Phoenix will win one and they'll find a new axe to grind. Obviously this team has lost a lot of games because of weak defense. That doesn't mean that it's 'hopeless' without scrapping the lot and bringing in KG and Artest. Did any of you mention Bobby Simmons last year as a guy we need to get? What about Larry Hughes? Who predicted Steve Nash would win the MVP? Guys nobody has ever heard of blow up every year. We don't need to steal someone else's superstars to get the job done, we can breed our own. I think Maurice Evans is a star in the making. I'm happier with him starting at SG than Mobley because he's shown a strong commitment to playing defense when he's been asked to (ie "Guard Ray Allen. Good luck.") We definately need some more size and athleticism in our front line. There are some quality guys in this years draft that could fill the need. And there's some quality guys rotting on somebody's bench somewhere that are ready to become stars too.
There's no reason to be depressed about the outlook of this frachise. With a commited ownership, a reliable GM, a proven coach, and a trio of all-star caliber starters, we've got the beginnings of a great playoff run here. Don't panic now. Just think of it as the beginning of a new chapter in Kings history. Hopefully this one has a happier ending.
