My two cents

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#1
Even I, the most optimistic of fans, am feeling depressed.

When this season started, I was more positive than I had been in a very long time. Coming to opening night was a joy, even though we lost. There was an old feeling in the air, a feeling amongst Kings fans that had been missing for far too long. It took a while, but I finally realized what it was...

Hope. Four little letters that make a huge word. Kings fans had hope. We had weathered the storm over our team leaving, we had a new ownership group and we had DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay, fresh off their FIBA championship. There was hope and excitement in Sleep Train Arena that night and it was electric.

The start of the season reinforced that hope. I defy anyone to say they could have expected to see a 5-1 start. The hope and excitement grew in proportion to the wins by our young team...and it continued to grow until DeMarcus Cousins was struck by some unknown virus. (And that brings up another point - WHY on God's green earth did the organization try to hide his illness?). With Cousins out, the team struggled. We lost games we should have won, and - of course - fingers of blame were pointed at Malone. Why wouldn't they be? You always blame the coach for losses and the players for wins.

When the truth about DMC's illness was finally revealed, it was actually a relief. After all, we're Kings fans. We're used to doom and gloom. I think some of us were truly afraid he had come down with ebola or some other frightening condition. So, hope started to peek out once again...

Only to be shattered into little tiny pieces when, without any warning, Mike Malone was summarily dismissed. The excuses of him disagreeing with certain front office decisions were and are ridiculous, an insult to Kings fans everywhere, especially when those rumors pointed to things that had happened over the summer.

Kings fans are not fools. We are not little children who will buy into whatever story we are told. We gave up our blind trust in ownership years ago - right about the first time the Maloofs told us they weren't planning to move the team, they loved Sacramento and didn't want to leave.

I have a lot of respect for Vivek Ranadive. He led the group that saved my beloved Kings. What I do not have a lot of respect for is being lied to or taken for a fool.

I am not a fool and people who lie to me quickly learn I am not at all patient in that regard.

The Kings this year were playing with passion. They were playing freaking DEFENSE. They may have lost some games they should have won but that was fixable. They were still fun to watch because they never gave up...and neither did the fans.

As many know, I live two hours away from Sleep Train Arena. I had to get a more expensive satellite TV package just to be able to watch Kings games. It is a major deal for me to be able to get to any games, but I was already looking forward to attending at least two or three more.

Now, however, those plans are on hold. I cannot justify the expense of the tickets, the gas, etc. to come to a game if the product on the floor is not going to be worth watching. I've spent too much doing that already.

Vivek Ranadive has made a mantra of "This is YOUR team" when speaking to the fans about the Kings. Well, Mr. Ranadive, you're making it clear that the Kings are YOUR team and you will do whatever you wish. That is, of course, your right. You own them.

We, the fans, merely support them with all that we can - some can afford to be season ticket holders while many, many more all over the globe follow them religiously on TV or the radio or the Internet. We buy the jerseys and a lot of other team merchandise and when we do come to games we only have one expectation - we want to see our Kings play Kings basketball.

If this is our team, then the owners need to listen to what we're saying. We have been through enough as Kings fans. We have endured what many fanbases could never endure. We deserve better than what we're seeing right now - and it starts with some honesty from the front office. We've earned that much.
 
Last edited:
G

GQ_Gabriel

Guest
#3
You literally managed to read my mind. I share the same sentiment and feeling about our beloved team. I couldn't agree more with your opening sentence, as all of my excitement and optimism is slowly going away. :(
 
#4
VF21, You are the most positive of all Kings Fans:)

Yet you like most of the rest of us are disheartened about our Kings by the turn of events.


Keep your head up,


Merry Christmas

KB
 
Last edited:

SacTownKid

Hall of Famer
#5
Finally it looked like the ship was heading somewhere. Hopefully they didn't just sink the boat because it wasn't the shade of pink they desired. That said, they deserve some time to put their plan in place. Until then, we'll all bite our nails in anticipation of what that means.
 
#6
Articulated passion by one of Kings best most loyal fans. Vivek said this season would be about wins and losses. Ok, it started going bit downhill mostly during DMC missing in action stretch after such promising start. Now, it's more like an off the rails train wreck conducted as much or more by incompetent FO than Kings players or coaches. Only answer I see at present is - George Karl. Maybe three year $15mil seeming like chump change to correct this error going forward into new arena era. Then let Coach Karl do it the right way, the patient way, and stay out of his way.
 
Last edited:

dude12

Hall of Famer
#8
Yeah...this sentiment has been ongoing for many others since the firing. They ****ed up. Unprecedented move. Confusing move to about 98% of Kings fans AND NBA fans or personnel or media. Disheartening move to the players. I like the media person that said that the players are like children caught in the middle of a divorce. Trying to tell a coach how he should coach the team, as if they know better than the staff that is doing the work. Now the team is just broken and it appears, for now, as if they will not right the ship.

The only way to get this back on track:
Fire PDA and rehire Malone....which won't happen
Hire G Karl.....which should happen
Pull off a to good to be true trade.....won't happen
 
#9
This is a pretty great summary as to how I feel. I'm a little bit more cynical when it comes to the motivations of the ownership/management (I'm really worried they want to play gimmick small ball and no defense) but I'm also torn because they saved the franchise. We looked better than we have in years, we just needed time to gel. We didn't need a full reboot (or to change our identity as a tough half-court team). I've unsubscribed to league pass but will definitely re-subscribe if they hire Karl and/or start playing tough, defense-first basketball.
 
Last edited:
#10
The only way to get this back on track:
Fire PDA and rehire Malone....which won't happen
Hire G Karl.....which should happen
Can you imagine if Vivek decides to go total rogue anti GSW fast basketball? What if he did fire Pete and Mullin. Then rehires Malone and barring that brings in George Karl!!!

We have all heard of Viveks daughters teams exploits, We know about Mullins Run TMC era and are familar with Pete's experience at Denver and GSW. Well none of those teams had DEMARCUS FREAKING COUSINS!!!!!!

BUILD A DEFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT AROUND THE BEST YOUNG CENTER OF THIS ERA!!!

BRING BACK MALONE!!!!

Happy Holidays:)
KB
 
Last edited:

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#11
Maybe the front office can come on these boards and see how much the fans are hurting and in a state of depression...the team was heading in a proper direction, Pop said it best...it takes PATIENCE to build a foundation and you all ready established a solid starting unit who had a good disciplined coach. Too bad the GM and owner don't understand that concept and we are back to square one.
 
#12
Maybe the front office can come on these boards and see how much the fans are hurting and in a state of depression...the team was heading in a proper direction, Pop said it best...it takes PATIENCE to build a foundation and you all ready established a solid starting unit who had a good disciplined coach. Too bad the GM and owner don't understand that concept and we are back to square one.
Our starting five was amoung the top 5 in the league when healthy and on the court together, lets not forget that before cuz went down gay and collison missed a few games, which makes what malone did all the more surprising.
 

CruzDude

Senior Member sharing a brew with bajaden
#18
Great post and to-the-point. Now if only the FO can or will read it. Patience as Pop said, is critical along with consistency and continuing progress, not shooting from the hip for perceived market value when you don't yet have a product to sell to us fans.
 
#21
Just by what I have seen from this forum so far, it's safe to assume that we all would still have clung onto hope even if we went 0-10 in the stretch without DeMarcus -- we were a growing team, no matter what Ranadive was saying about "wins and losses". We would have said that there is light at the end of the tunnel... but the front office decided that the Kings needed to use a different tunnel to get to the light.
 
#23
Very sincere post, VF. Many a Kings fan feels the same way including myself. The team was steadily climbing uphill and all of a sudden the team is spinning its wheels and trying not to roll down the hill. With Corbin in now as HC it just feels like the honeymoon is over. I hope the organization doesn't waste precious time chasing its tail while we have one of the best players in the NBA; a player in which a good team can be built around. Time flies. The organization cannot afford to take one step forward and 2 steps backward.

Hope springs eternal.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#24
Interesting to listen to Grant Napear right now. It seems like the callers are echoing our feelings. Maybe if we all close our eyes and wish real hard we'll get an answer from the front office that makes sense...


...


...


And now we all laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

Grant says we've definitely taken a step back, but if we eventually take those two steps forward it will all be worth it. The positive part of me wants to believe. The part sharing the cookies doesn't want to hear it.
 
G

GQ_Gabriel

Guest
#25
Grant Napear on his show moments ago: "There is not chaos in the locker room."

Hopefully that's true.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#26
Grant Napear on his show moments ago: "There is not chaos in the locker room."

Hopefully that's true.
I think it's true. It's not like when IT/DMC and others were making it very difficult in the locker room. I think right now they're trying to figure out how to do their jobs with a new leader. If anything, they're becoming MORE banded together in a us against them kind of scenario.
 
G

GQ_Gabriel

Guest
#27
I think it's true. It's not like when IT/DMC and others were making it very difficult in the locker room. I think right now they're trying to figure out how to do their jobs with a new leader. If anything, they're becoming MORE banded together in a us against them kind of scenario.
I sure hope so. If this team can manage to sustain collective unity during this stretch, I am positive that we will take two giant steps forward very soon.
 
#29
Your two cents always counts with me. Well said. But have hope. In another couple of weeks when Cuz is back in shape and Casspi is warmed up expect some big steps back to where we were. Put all the distractions aside and watch team stamina, team play and results to improve. Play offs ? Too soon for that but improved play - yes.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#30
Your two cents always counts with me. Well said. But have hope. In another couple of weeks when Cuz is back in shape and Casspi is warmed up expect some big steps back to where we were. Put all the distractions aside and watch team stamina, team play and results to improve. Play offs ? Too soon for that but improved play - yes.
You have no idea how much I want to believe this. Truly.