http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13812047p-14653098c.html
Offensive machine is running on empty
Bibby and Stojakovic have started slowly, as the Kings struggle to put points on the board.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, November 4, 2005
When the offseason of many moves had unfolded, with Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie receiving rave reviews leaguewide for improving a roster that had been exposed as sub-playoff ready, there were still enough questions to fill an Arco Arena suite.
Would the additions of Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim help defensively? Would new backup point guard Jason Hart be able to run the Princeton offense? Would draft pick Francisco García and Kevin Martin come around quickly enough to contribute?
Scoring, it seemed, would be reliable as always, with plenty of firepower between the old and new for the franchise that has been ranked third or higher among NBA teams in points per game since the 1998-99 season.
But two games in, that too has become an unanswered query. In losses to New Orleans/Oklahoma City and Houston, the Kings would be better dubbed the Klangs, with enough rim-shaking misses to bring the oldest of Sacramento fans back to the glory-less days. And that's when they're hitting the rim.
All told, the Kings are shooting 36.1 percent. Small forward Peja Stojakovic and point guard Mike Bibby - who each had corner three-point attempts fly off the top of the backboard against the Rockets - have been the worst offenders, continuing cold streaks that began in the preseason.
After shooting 37 percent in the preseason, Stojakovic has hit 8 of 27 shots (29.6 percent) since, one of them his 1,000th career three-pointer that only emphasized the peculiarity of his present struggles. Bibby, who shot 36.2 percent in exhibition games but vowed a turnaround when it truly mattered, has sunk lower, hitting 5 of 22 shots (22.7 percent) and 1 of 5 three-pointers in the regular season.
With 67 points in Oklahoma City and 89 in Houston, the Kings failed to score at least 90 points in back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 28-29, 2000.
"We've had some good looks we didn't make," said forward Abdur-Rahim, the only player who is shooting above 50 percent. "A lot of the shots we had, nine out of 10 nights those guys are going to make those shots. Everybody goes through their struggles throughout the year. If you made them all, it wouldn't be fun, so we'll just keep going."
There have been no saviors in the second line, either. In the opener, Hornets guard Speedy Claxton matched the Kings' bench with 17 points - a tie in the match of one man vs. seven. A night later in Houston, former King turned King-killer Jon Barry outscored Sacramento's bench 24-14. Kings forward Kenny Thomas, whose request to start last month was more about his own comfort level with the role than pure ego, has yet to find his flow off the bench. He is the most polished offensive threat not starting, yet he has a total of eight points in nearly 36 minutes. Hart, who has one field goal in 29 minutes, said the Kings need to go inside to get out of their funk.
"We probably need to penetrate a little bit more," Hart said. "We shoot a lot of jumpers. It's tough to win when you shoot a lot of jump shots. We've got to get a little something more going to the basket and continue to trust each other."
The Kings' long-range ways led to their unraveling in Houston, when a 49-46 halftime lead became a 12-point deficit with a flurry of misfirings. The Kings missed 16 of their first 18 shots in the third quarter, with 10 of the misses coming from at least 11 feet out.
Meanwhile, Abdur-Rahim has been the proof in the paint in both games, hitting 15 of 29 shots with decisive power moves and plenty of touch.
From coach Rick Adelman on down, the belief is that the collective breakout will come.
"I know (Bibby and Stojakovic) are pros," said shooting guard Bonzi Wells, who recovered from a tough opener to score 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting against Houston. "They've been doing it in this league for years. It's two games. I'm not going to count them out. I know they're going to come back and do their thing."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Offensive machine is running on empty
Bibby and Stojakovic have started slowly, as the Kings struggle to put points on the board.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, November 4, 2005
When the offseason of many moves had unfolded, with Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie receiving rave reviews leaguewide for improving a roster that had been exposed as sub-playoff ready, there were still enough questions to fill an Arco Arena suite.
Would the additions of Bonzi Wells and Shareef Abdur-Rahim help defensively? Would new backup point guard Jason Hart be able to run the Princeton offense? Would draft pick Francisco García and Kevin Martin come around quickly enough to contribute?
Scoring, it seemed, would be reliable as always, with plenty of firepower between the old and new for the franchise that has been ranked third or higher among NBA teams in points per game since the 1998-99 season.
But two games in, that too has become an unanswered query. In losses to New Orleans/Oklahoma City and Houston, the Kings would be better dubbed the Klangs, with enough rim-shaking misses to bring the oldest of Sacramento fans back to the glory-less days. And that's when they're hitting the rim.
All told, the Kings are shooting 36.1 percent. Small forward Peja Stojakovic and point guard Mike Bibby - who each had corner three-point attempts fly off the top of the backboard against the Rockets - have been the worst offenders, continuing cold streaks that began in the preseason.
After shooting 37 percent in the preseason, Stojakovic has hit 8 of 27 shots (29.6 percent) since, one of them his 1,000th career three-pointer that only emphasized the peculiarity of his present struggles. Bibby, who shot 36.2 percent in exhibition games but vowed a turnaround when it truly mattered, has sunk lower, hitting 5 of 22 shots (22.7 percent) and 1 of 5 three-pointers in the regular season.
With 67 points in Oklahoma City and 89 in Houston, the Kings failed to score at least 90 points in back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 28-29, 2000.
"We've had some good looks we didn't make," said forward Abdur-Rahim, the only player who is shooting above 50 percent. "A lot of the shots we had, nine out of 10 nights those guys are going to make those shots. Everybody goes through their struggles throughout the year. If you made them all, it wouldn't be fun, so we'll just keep going."
There have been no saviors in the second line, either. In the opener, Hornets guard Speedy Claxton matched the Kings' bench with 17 points - a tie in the match of one man vs. seven. A night later in Houston, former King turned King-killer Jon Barry outscored Sacramento's bench 24-14. Kings forward Kenny Thomas, whose request to start last month was more about his own comfort level with the role than pure ego, has yet to find his flow off the bench. He is the most polished offensive threat not starting, yet he has a total of eight points in nearly 36 minutes. Hart, who has one field goal in 29 minutes, said the Kings need to go inside to get out of their funk.
"We probably need to penetrate a little bit more," Hart said. "We shoot a lot of jumpers. It's tough to win when you shoot a lot of jump shots. We've got to get a little something more going to the basket and continue to trust each other."
The Kings' long-range ways led to their unraveling in Houston, when a 49-46 halftime lead became a 12-point deficit with a flurry of misfirings. The Kings missed 16 of their first 18 shots in the third quarter, with 10 of the misses coming from at least 11 feet out.
Meanwhile, Abdur-Rahim has been the proof in the paint in both games, hitting 15 of 29 shots with decisive power moves and plenty of touch.
From coach Rick Adelman on down, the belief is that the collective breakout will come.
"I know (Bibby and Stojakovic) are pros," said shooting guard Bonzi Wells, who recovered from a tough opener to score 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting against Houston. "They've been doing it in this league for years. It's two games. I'm not going to count them out. I know they're going to come back and do their thing."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
