Official PDA live radio thread

[randymoss1881]

Here's a question:

If Mullin doesnt want to coach, but wants to be involved, how would you feel if Vivek fired PDA and hired Mullin as GM?

PDA or Mullin?

Damn. And that's what I fear if PDA gets fired Mullin comes in. Remember when we laughed at kenny smith being our gm when he was rumored too. He would be 10x better than Mullin or PDA. I know he wouldn't have fired malone or just let a 17-5-5 talent like Evans walk over 2-3 million.

 

[Hadlowe]

A few salient points from this interview.

Poor conditioning - I think this comes back to Vivek's girls team. He won that season by having his girls outrun their competition, full court presses, swarming players on the inbound, etc.. That works well in lower tiers of competition where you can out-commit the opposition; seize a competitive advantage by discarding generally regarded rules of sportsmanship, etc. As the level of competition increases, this gives diminishing returns. Teams at this level know how to beat a fullcourt press. They know how to inbound against pressure (with occasional lapses.) The differences in a maximally conditioned athlete and a submaximally conditioned athlete at this level are miliseconds and micrometers. The odds of those improvements increasing your outcome when there is a talent disparity are miniscule. These guys need a basketball lifer in the office in the worst way.

We are tanking this year to keep the pick. Keeping Corbin is basically an admission that we don't want to win, in which case, I hope that Gay and Cousins are okay with another losing season. I guess the only question now is whether Mullin will be head coach next year. I hope not, but I have no confidence in the organization now.

I am going to take some time to make sense of this mess and try to come back with some devil's advocate arguments as to why Kings fans should hold a positive outlook on this mess.

 

[VF21]

What scares me is i have a feeling they are gonna do what Denver did with Carmelo, trade DMC off for parts that "fit" better for what they want to do.

At one point, I would have screamed at you and totally denied that anything like that was even remotely possible. Unfortunately, that was before I listened to the podcast today and read the comment here.

And that's something else I hate. PDA is almost doing what the Maloofs never could do, no matter how much they tried. He's breaking my spirit and I will NOT allow that to happen without recourse.

Be caredful what you wish for, Pete D'Allesandro. Kings fans are not like any other fans. We have been through the fire too many times. A few more scald marks mean nothing. FIX OUR TEAM AND FIX IT RIGHT. AND FIX IT NOW!

 

[Iced Espresso]

A few salient points from this interview.

Poor conditioning - I think this comes back to Vivek's girls team. He won that season by having his girls outrun their competition, full court presses, swarming players on the inbound, etc.. That works well in lower tiers of competition where you can out-commit the opposition; seize a competitive advantage by discarding generally regarded rules of sportsmanship, etc. As the level of competition increases, this gives diminishing returns. Teams at this level know how to beat a fullcourt press. They know how to inbound against pressure (with occasional lapses.) The differences in a maximally conditioned athlete and a submaximally conditioned athlete at this level are miliseconds and micrometers. The odds of those improvements increasing your outcome when there is a talent disparity are miniscule. These guys need a basketball lifer in the office in the worst way.

We are tanking this year to keep the pick. Keeping Corbin is basically an admission that we don't want to win, in which case, I hope that Gay and Cousins are okay with another losing season. I guess the only question now is whether Mullin will be head coach next year. I hope not, but I have no confidence in the organization now.

I am going to take some time to make sense of this mess and try to come back with some devil's advocate arguments as to why Kings fans should hold a positive outlook on this mess.

I can tell you a few reasons we "could" be happy about the future (next season)

1. McLemore went from a probable bust to showing very high potential liked we all hoped but most of us doubted would happen.
2. Thompson and Landry contracts get easier to move.
3. Expensive over pay for a gamble in Williams expires freeing up cap space.
4. Collison has been a budget friendly signing
5. Cousins has shown the development we all hoped he would
6. Rudy is on a contract
7. We've got a shot to keep our pick now.

 

[Larry89]

I can tell you a few reasons we "could" be happy about the future (next season)

1. McLemore went from a probable bust to showing very high potential liked we all hoped but most of us doubted would happen.
2. Thompson and Landry contracts get easier to move.
3. Expensive over pay for a gamble in Williams expires freeing up cap space.
4. Collison has been a budget friendly signing
5. Cousins has shown the development we all hoped he would
6. Rudy is on a contract
7. We've got a shot to keep our pick now.

They will most likely resign Derrick Williams to a big contract for a player of his "caliber".

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I don't know how long the afterward Q & A went. If Capt. Factorial was there (I don't know his actual name) maybe he can fill in a bit more.

You don't know my name because I was the guy who FORGOT to mention his association with KF.com when he asked his question. Oops.

Q&A went on for a bit. I thought PDA was a lot more forthcoming in the off-the-record stuff. For the most part, I think he did a pretty good job of addressing some of the major concerns around here. I don't know how much more clear he could have been about the front office valuing wins first and foremost. He believes the team needs to be successful on both offense and defense to win, and he's not ignoring the defensive side of the ball. He actually thinks that under Corbin the pace has been higher than he'd like. 4-on-5 defense was not only never considered, but it was never suggested by Vivek (or anybody, apparently) in the first place.

I think a lot of people wanted things out of this interview that weren't going to happen. There weren't going to be ten people in the audience jeering PDA, nobody was going to ask if he was going to resign, nobody was going to drop an f-bomb on him, and he wasn't going to announce a Karl hiring - or, frankly, say anything that wasn't in direct support of the guy who's currently in charge (by that I mean Corbin). It was what it was. I came out optimistic. Obviously I'm in the minority.

 

[twslam07]

At one point, I would have screamed at you and totally denied that anything like that was even remotely possible. Unfortunately, that was before I listened to the podcast today and read the comment here.

And that's something else I hate. PDA is almost doing what the Maloofs never could do, no matter how much they tried. He's breaking my spirit and I will NOT allow that to happen without recourse.

Be caredful what you wish for, Pete D'Allesandro. Kings fans are not like any other fans. We have been through the fire too many times. A few more scald marks mean nothing. FIX OUR TEAM AND FIX IT RIGHT. AND FIX IT NOW!

 

[Iced Espresso]

They will most likely resign Derrick Williams to a big contract for a player of his "caliber".

Nah, I don't think so, I think they will feel compelled to go after a high dollar high profile person with the cap space.

Whether we agree on who that is, or if they can pull it off is a different story.

 

[HereWeBoogie]

You don't know my name because I was the guy who FORGOT to mention his association with KF.com when he asked his question. Oops.

Q&A went on for a bit. I thought PDA was a lot more forthcoming in the off-the-record stuff. For the most part, I think he did a pretty good job of addressing some of the major concerns around here. I don't know how much more clear he could have been about the front office valuing wins first and foremost. He believes the team needs to be successful on both offense and defense to win, and he's not ignoring the defensive side of the ball. He actually thinks that under Corbin the pace has been higher than he'd like. 4-on-5 defense was not only never considered, but it was never suggested by Vivek (or anybody, apparently) in the first place.

I think a lot of people wanted things out of this interview that weren't going to happen. There weren't going to be ten people in the audience jeering PDA, nobody was going to ask if he was going to resign, nobody was going to drop an f-bomb on him, and he wasn't going to announce a Karl hiring - or, frankly, say anything that wasn't in direct support of the guy who's currently in charge (by that I mean Corbin). It was what it was. I came out optimistic. Obviously I'm in the minority.

i think you're in the minority because out of the few positive things he said, that you mentioned, it is EXTREMELY hard to actually take him seriously. Actions speak louder than words.

when he says crap like the team can still win this season and it's just because DMC is still sick that they aren't, it's hard to take him seriously

 

[chasen4r1]

I can tell you a few reasons we "could" be happy about the future (next season)

1. McLemore went from a probable bust to showing very high potential liked we all hoped but most of us doubted would happen.
2. Thompson and Landry contracts get easier to move.
3. Expensive over pay for a gamble in Williams expires freeing up cap space.
4. Collison has been a budget friendly signing
5. Cousins has shown the development we all hoped he would
6. Rudy is on a contract
7. We've got a shot to keep our pick now.

I actually feel bad for whoever our rookie is next year. He is going to be the result of this lost season, and he better be damn well worth it.

When he fails to be the savior everybody wants, he will unfairly receive criticism for it. I already feel bad for him. Whomever he may be.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

How many times did he laughed nervously during the interview?

 

[PurpleHaze]

I wouldn't be mad in the slightest if DeMarcus forced his way out because he is obviously working with some serious ineptitude at the head of the snake.

That's why more than ever we Kings fans can't be apathetic, resigned to another debacle losing season - a season Vivek said was to be all about wins and losses. We must organize to make our opinion of incompetent PDA (and others - Mullin, etc.) heard damn loud and clear. At every game, in the form of t-shirts, loud chants, feedback to minority owners as well as the majority owner, STH holding back on commitment, etc. We can't stand pat, see DMC grow more frustrated along with all of us. Petey's snake head served up - NOW! I'll still go to games but with a serious mission... Lots of... SAC-RA-MEN-TO!! SAC-RA-MEN-TO!! But even more... FIRE PETE!! FIRE PETE!! FIRE PETE!!

 

[Padrino]

He also said that he liked the way our summer league team was playing, and expected that to continue into the season. Really? Now I grant you, that watching our summer league team play this year was fun. But there are so many variables in the competition that its impossible to project much of anything other than maybe, how individuals play. I mean come on, Stauskas looked like a veteran NBA player in summer league. He looked better than McLemore. But once the real season began, reality set in. Because something works in summer league, doesn't mean it will work during the real season. You get ten fouls for gods sake.

by the way, i really think it needs to be emphasized that it is borderline insane for any nba executive to bring up f***ing summer league during a regular season interview regarding the state of the team. sure, summer league is fun; it's a nice mid-afternoon snack while nba fans salivate for the evening appetizer of preseason, which is itself just a hunger pang for the main course of the regular season. but summer league should never be some kind of baseline of expectation for regular season performance, and it only underscores just how frighteningly green pete d'allesandro comes across when he's speaking on behalf of the sacramento kings...

now, i don't honestly believe that d'allesandro values summer league so highly that he would judge regular season play against SL performance. rather, i think it was just his half-assed way of attempting to lend further authority to tyrone corbin, who coached the kings' summer league squad. but i still can't believe he actually brought up summer league unprompted. it's the kind of sh** that, like "4-on-5 defense," gets giddily snatched up for a pull-quote, and makes the rounds in national media outlets, thus heaping further insult on the team during a time of considerable adversity, and requiring further damage control from the various PR limbs of the organization...

 

[Iced Espresso]

I actually feel bad for whoever our rookie is next year. He is going to be the result of this lost season, and he better be damn well worth it.

When he fails to be the savior everybody wants, he will unfairly receive criticism for it. I already feel bad for him. Whomever he may be.

I hope we get a top 3 miracle, but we all know our pick is going to fall at 11, and fade to oblivion.

Should we keep it somehow, that rookie will have some surrounding players not to have that much pressure on him at all.

1, 2, 3, 5 we are pretty solid.

So not much pressure IMO.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

can we have the fans own the team like the Green Bay Packers?

No. It's against NBA bylaws.

 

[funkykingston]

Capt. is Jeff.

THANK YOU so much for repping us. I don't have any problem with you being the first to leave. When he totally disrespected you and your question with that BS response, you did the honorable thing. The other choice you had would have been something Bricklayer has made reference to and I don't know how long it would have taken us to raise bail money.

I was about 90% sure that was the Capt. but I didn't want to assume. Didn't get to talk to him before we went inside.

And I didn't feel disrespected. I just felt like I was talking to a politician - which is pretty much what I expected. Lots of spin, very little substance.

But here's the thing. I've talked to Geoff Petrie in person a couple times when he was the GM. He never gave me anything of substance either. No secret insight that wasn't public knowledge. And I get that, from Petrie and D'Alessandro. But with Geoff I ALWAYS felt like I was talking to a basketball guy. A lifer. I don't get that vibe from Pete. Agent? Sure. Attorney? Yup. Political campaigner? Absolutely. True hoops head? Nope.

Which is why despite my best efforts I rolled my eyes at him when he was answering a question and asking us to trust in him and their plans. Trust is earned. He hasn't earned mine. And today only emphasized that fact further.

 

[RichieInRocklin]

listened to the interview while getting ready this morning. goodness, i haven't heard a general manager so out of his depth since david kahn... who was himself a former lawyer before spectacularly failing in his position as the timberwolves gm. one can only hope that vivek ranadive will have as quick a trigger finger in firing pete d'allesandro as pete did in firing mike malone.

My thoughts exactly!! And until the FO starts to #FIX OUR KINGS, I will be in a state of apathy. PDA has to go before he runs the team down as low as the Magoof's did.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

"I'm not an idiot" "guys, I mean, I'm not new at this" - PDA

Then why would you fire a coach that was performing above expections, PDA?

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

"We have to defend." Our defense has been terrible." Hahahahaha

Then why the heck did you fire our defense first head coach?

 

[Iced Espresso]

When you think about it all he has done really well is the following.

1. Max Cousins (easy decision)
2. Having Rudy here and getting a team friendly contract (You could argue keeping Evans decision makes this a wash)
3. Budget deal for Collison
4. Dirt cheap Casspi deal
5. McLemore draft (he technically slid though, was not any special insight)
6. Drafting Ray

That's pretty much it

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

seriously, **** this guy. Minority owners need to step up and tell Vivek to can this clown asap

Problem is, PDA may just be Vivek's puppet.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

by the way, i really think it needs to be emphasized that it is borderline insane for any nba executive to bring up f***ing summer league during a regular season interview regarding the state of the team. sure, summer league is fun; it's a nice mid-afternoon snack while nba fans salivate for the evening appetizer of preseason, which is itself just a hunger pang for the main course of the regular season. but summer league should never be some kind of baseline of expectation for regular season performance, and it only underscores just how frighteningly green pete d'allesandro comes across when he's speaking on behalf of the sacramento kings...

now, i don't honestly believe that d'allesandro values summer league so highly that he would judge regular season play against SL performance. rather, i think it was just his half-assed way of attempting to lend further authority to tyrone corbin, who coached the kings' summer league squad. but i still can't believe he actually brought up summer league unprompted. it's the kind of sh** that, like "4-on-5 defense," gets giddily snatched up for a pull-quote, and makes the rounds in national media outlets, thus heaping further insult on the team during a time of considerable adversity, and requiring further damage control from the various PR limbs of the organization...

I remember after we beat Houston in that game, and people were on here ****ting on the team about feeling good about winning a summer league 'championship'. I remember, at that point, standing up for the team for having something positive to build on. Now, I feel like an ass, realizing that the KFO may have actually thought that was a 'big deal'.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

PDA: "There's lot of reasons we felt different about it (reasons for firing Malone) but I don't want to get into it." "It was not personal." Then what was it, when are you ever going to give the "lots of reasons?"

Why the heck would you not want to get into it? Isn't it the exact reason why you are at the radio doing a Q&A? PDA really thinks no one sees through it? If you are not going to own up to anything and give some answers, doing the interview makes things absolutely worse. So is PDA really smart?

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Exactly. I'm so disappointed in the hosts. I listened to jed york get lambasted by the KNBR host. I wanted that!!!

I'm sure Dave had to agree to a framework of how the interview will be conducted and what he can and cannot do. Politicians are very good at setting that up.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

When you think about it all he has done really well is the following.

1. Max Cousins (easy decision)
2. Having Rudy here and getting a team friendly contract (You could argue keeping Evans decision makes this a wash)
3. Budget deal for Collison
4. Dirt cheap Casspi deal
5. McLemore draft (he technically slid though, was not any special insight)
6. Drafting Ray

That's pretty much it

"All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?"

 

[Larry David]

If you are pissed, going to these games, and don't want to boo the players, in 1991 Knicks fans were crystal clear with ownership about why they were pissed and what needed to happen.

http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/02/sports/basketball-knicks-fans-turn-up-the-heat-on-bianchi.html

Pete Must Go!

 

[VF21]

A few salient points from this interview.

Poor conditioning - I think this comes back to Vivek's girls team. He won that season by having his girls outrun their competition, full court presses, swarming players on the inbound, etc.. That works well in lower tiers of competition where you can out-commit the opposition; seize a competitive advantage by discarding generally regarded rules of sportsmanship, etc. As the level of competition increases, this gives diminishing returns. Teams at this level know how to beat a fullcourt press. They know how to inbound against pressure (with occasional lapses.) The differences in a maximally conditioned athlete and a submaximally conditioned athlete at this level are miliseconds and micrometers. The odds of those improvements increasing your outcome when there is a talent disparity are miniscule. These guys need a basketball lifer in the office in the worst way.

We are tanking this year to keep the pick. Keeping Corbin is basically an admission that we don't want to win, in which case, I hope that Gay and Cousins are okay with another losing season. I guess the only question now is whether Mullin will be head coach next year. I hope not, but I have no confidence in the organization now.

I am going to take some time to make sense of this mess and try to come back with some devil's advocate arguments as to why Kings fans should hold a positive outlook on this mess.

You make good points. I need to just sit back and not react viscerally.

Bottom line was, is and always will be one thing: I AM A KINGS FAN. That is not going to change because of PDA. It is not going to change because Malone got fired. I didn't stop when they traded Webber and I won't stop now.

 

[funkykingston]

I remember after we beat Houston in that game, and people were on here ****ting on the team about feeling good about winning a summer league 'championship'. I remember, at that point, standing up for the team for having something positive to build on. Now, I feel like an ass, realizing that the KFO may have actually thought that was a 'big deal'.

FWIW I was with you at the time. The Kings young guys SHOULD feel good about winning Summer League. Here were three guys we need minutes out of (Ben, Ray, Nik) and another that might eventually be a find (Moreland) and they played like a team and won. It's a small thing but something to build on. ANY winning ways that can carry over to the regular season are great. Same reason that Rudy And Boogie's summer experience was good, albeit at a much higher level. None of those games matter when the regular season starts but if they help you be a better player and teammate then they are absolutely valuable experiences.

But yeah, in terms of overall vision for the franchise if Pete and Vivek are seriously taking cues from Summer League or the circus in Reno then I don't really know what to say.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

What we need right now: Pitchfork tees with FIRE PETE emblazoned and thousands at the arena wearing

Honestly, firing pete won't change a damn thing. Because the madness most likely came from Vivek.

 

[swisshh]

Why not Sacramento? Well, you fired the coach and hired Ty effing Corbin.

This would have been a great counter, but they didn't really have enough time with Pete's long winded responses.

Guys like Landry and Collison came here because of a guy like Malone. Not just because of Malone, but I felt the team's best lure was that you had a coach that players respected and a top tier talent in Cousins. Those were your assets for FA. Nice weather can be found in other places. "Hey winter is okay here" isn't turning heads Pete. However, ownership meddling with the coach within a turnaround season? That will turn heads the other way.

Because we saw former Kings comment on what happened and it wasn't positive. I am positive other players and potential FAs are seeing/thinking the same thing. They see no stability here.