http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_19057.shtml
By Tracy Graven
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Oct 25, 2006, 13:31
There are those that will tell you that consistency is for those who are unimaginative. They will argue that consistency almost falls into routine, a comfort zone that shrouds one so much in security that they often fail to do anything more than is required of them meeting expectations, much less become a person who takes risks.
Try and sell that to a guy who traded a bona fide star for a guy who had a past with more checkers in it that an assisted living facility on board game night.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E was often spelled A - R- T - E - S - T and everyone who was anyone knew that.
Yet Geoff Petrie saw beyond the facade. Beyond the confusion and bravado. And in the core of Ron Artest, he saw the talent ... and that is what the best of President of Basketball Operations get paid to find.
And Geoff Petrie is one of the best there is.
From his days as a Portland Trail Blazer, where his rookie season still holds many records in the Blazers' annals, to his move to the executive washroom, Petrie has been nothing but a success story.
Last spring, he was forced to make a difficult decision after the addition of Artest ironically boosted the Kings into one of the best records of the stretch run of the 2005-06 season. He had to decide whether or not to keep a good friend or move in another direction after the Kings were eliminated from the playoffs, a place where they'd been for the majority of the past eight years.
His decision was to release Rick Adelman and hire the more disciplinary Eric Musselman, a new coach to guide basically the same core group that Adelman had groomed for so many seasons.
How does Petrie feel about this new direction? I recently had the opportunity to sit down with him.
Geoff, some interesting moves over the summer. Obviously there's no use talking about the Bonzi (Wells) issue, because he really did his own deal in. But talk to me about John Salmons.
Well, we really liked John, even early on in free agency, it's just at that point we were committed to trying to keep Bonzi and as things went along, we had to start looking at other alternatives and then we thought John was already going to Toronto. Once he changed his mind, we saw him as a real, legitimate three-position player that is really about to come into his own. He just gives you a lot of versatility and flexibility with the line-ups you can put out on the floor.
How has this year's team make-up changed that much from last year? I know you got in the playoffs for a little bit, fell short, which cost Rick his job, ultimately, and then some cosmetic changes over the summer. But, really you have the same core. What are we looking for in 2006-07 from these Kings?
I think it's gonna be an interesting year for us. I mean, last year was so unusual in that we played so poorly for so long, and it looked like we weren't even going to be a factor as far as even making the playoffs. we made the trade for Ron and the last 35 games of the year, that all turned around and we played well against San Antonio. Essentially, with the exception of Bonzi -- and John replacing Bonzi -- we have the same group that finished last year. We have a new coach and I think we're going to play a different style than we've been playing. And so a lot of how we do this year is going to be a work in progress for a while, in terms of the coach getting to know what he really has and how he wants to use it. But, so far, things have been real encouraging.
Taking a gamble on a guy like Artest, last year with what all went on with him, seems like a very bold and edgy move, something that Geoff Petrie has made a history of doing. But it's worked out great. The guy admittedly took Bonzi under his wing, maybe even a few other players as well, and was actually a steadying force for a team that seemed like it was a little bit lost. Tell me what Ron meant at the end of last year, his visibility and presence in Vegas this summer, and what he's meant through training camp to this team.
I think last year, one of the things with our team until Ron came, we just couldn't develop any real identity. And once he came, he did give us that, because of the intensity that he plays with and the way that he can defend and he's a really unique player in that he can help you win games at both ends of the floor. His whole approach to defending people, and his physical presence that he brought to the court really changed the demeanor of the whole, entire team. So hopefully that'll all carry over into this year and he's been very, very focused in pre-season, in all of our practices and in a couple of games. I think he's set himself up to have a terrific season.
Coach Muss has a reputation, though, as a hard-line guy, a disciplinarian. Do foresee any rough waters ahead for him and Ron? Or is Ron finally matured to a point where that's no longer an issue?
No, I really don't see that because I think they both have a lot of the same values, in terms of how they think the game should be played. Eric's done a great job, starting early and building relationships with a lot of the players. Ron came and played in a couple of summer league games and so I just think that there's a lot of common interest there in terms of how they see the game, and that's usually a good thing.
How has Quincy Douby looked since Vegas?
I really like Quincy a lot. He's really surprised a lot of us. For someone who scored so many points ... he hasn't really scored a lot for us yet in the couple of exhibition games, but his feel for the game, the ability to defend, his handling skills -- again, for someone who scored so many points, he's got a really terrific future in the league.
Can the Sacramento Kings improve on last season in a Western Conference that's admittedly gotten stronger? I mean, Houston's on track and looking like they might be on the way to making a comeback this year, Byron (Scott) could go all the way to Coach of the Year in New Orleans, depending on their success, even though he's in the toughest division in the league. Can the Sacramento Kings stay in the Top 8 consistently throughout the whole season and do better than they did with expectations last year?
Well, right now, I think we're only one of three teams in the league that have made the playoffs the last eight years in a row. Certainly, we want to make in nine and try to get a core going again that can move beyond that. We're going to have to wait and see what happens. You know how the season is. There are a lot of things that can determine where you finish and how things go. But I think we're off to a positive start and our guys are focused. So, I think we're in good shape, but I agree with you, it's really competitive. The only reason Houston didn't make the playoffs last year is because McGrady and Yao got hurt. It's gonna be interesting to see how it all plays out.
You have a ton of Portland ties, and I know business is business, but with those ties and the friendship, it must have been tough to let Rick go last year. You spoke of Sacramento being in the playoffs the last eight seasons, Rick was a huge part of that, of course. What does Eric bring that Rick just didn't have?
I've spent a lot of seasons with Rick and we've been involved with teams that have won a lot of games, and had a lot of success. It's just that at some point, there comes a time when you need to make a change. Eric has a different way ... obviously, there's a lot of different ways to do things, and everybody does it one way then everybody would be doing it. Eric comes in and we've changed just about everything at both ends of the floor that we had been doing for a long time and it's just a different philosophy. The game's going to be at a little higher pace, a little more aggressive defensively and probably utilize more players on somewhat of a more regular basis than we've been doing the last couple of years.
You almost answered my next question. As you may have noticed, George Karl's getting ready to go up-tempo to keep up with teams like the Phoenix Suns. Mike's setting a bar here, making basketball more exciting to watch with that frenetic pace and you're talking about picking up the pace here. Who do you see as your floor leader? Is it still Mike Bibby? Or do you see one of these young guns emerging, like Kevin Martin?
Mike is definitely our floor leader, and he's gotten himself into terrific physical condition to start this season, and has looked very, very good. Kevin Martin has set himself up, too, with the way he played last season and the work he did over the summer. He's come in with a lot of confidence and he has a chance to be a real legitimate scorer in the league.
If you had to say one thing was the biggest opportunity with the Kings right now, what would it be?
To see the group come together and work with Eric and see how we can develop this team.
Petrie has always set the level of the bar high, yet maintained attainable goals.
On the ladder of success, you'd have to put Geoff Petrie at the top, even if the Kings haven't quite gotten there to join him just yet.
After 12 years, where else would he be with as consistent as the Kings have been.
But now it's time to break out of that comfort zone and time for the Kings to join Geoff on the edge, ankles bound and ready to leap into the gorge of uncertainty.
The intensity is great. It's okay to bite off more than you can chew, as long as you chew it.
But, it's why he brought Artest and Musselman on board. They've got the chops every bit as much as Petrie does.
Men who match his respect and eye for the game of basketball ... and the competitive spirit that lies within.
Petrie's ready to get the Kings out of their eight-year comfort zone -- their rut, if you will.
After all, a rut is nothing more than a grave with the ends knocked out.
By Tracy Graven
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Oct 25, 2006, 13:31
There are those that will tell you that consistency is for those who are unimaginative. They will argue that consistency almost falls into routine, a comfort zone that shrouds one so much in security that they often fail to do anything more than is required of them meeting expectations, much less become a person who takes risks.
Try and sell that to a guy who traded a bona fide star for a guy who had a past with more checkers in it that an assisted living facility on board game night.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E was often spelled A - R- T - E - S - T and everyone who was anyone knew that.
Yet Geoff Petrie saw beyond the facade. Beyond the confusion and bravado. And in the core of Ron Artest, he saw the talent ... and that is what the best of President of Basketball Operations get paid to find.
And Geoff Petrie is one of the best there is.
From his days as a Portland Trail Blazer, where his rookie season still holds many records in the Blazers' annals, to his move to the executive washroom, Petrie has been nothing but a success story.
Last spring, he was forced to make a difficult decision after the addition of Artest ironically boosted the Kings into one of the best records of the stretch run of the 2005-06 season. He had to decide whether or not to keep a good friend or move in another direction after the Kings were eliminated from the playoffs, a place where they'd been for the majority of the past eight years.
His decision was to release Rick Adelman and hire the more disciplinary Eric Musselman, a new coach to guide basically the same core group that Adelman had groomed for so many seasons.
How does Petrie feel about this new direction? I recently had the opportunity to sit down with him.
Geoff, some interesting moves over the summer. Obviously there's no use talking about the Bonzi (Wells) issue, because he really did his own deal in. But talk to me about John Salmons.
Well, we really liked John, even early on in free agency, it's just at that point we were committed to trying to keep Bonzi and as things went along, we had to start looking at other alternatives and then we thought John was already going to Toronto. Once he changed his mind, we saw him as a real, legitimate three-position player that is really about to come into his own. He just gives you a lot of versatility and flexibility with the line-ups you can put out on the floor.
How has this year's team make-up changed that much from last year? I know you got in the playoffs for a little bit, fell short, which cost Rick his job, ultimately, and then some cosmetic changes over the summer. But, really you have the same core. What are we looking for in 2006-07 from these Kings?
I think it's gonna be an interesting year for us. I mean, last year was so unusual in that we played so poorly for so long, and it looked like we weren't even going to be a factor as far as even making the playoffs. we made the trade for Ron and the last 35 games of the year, that all turned around and we played well against San Antonio. Essentially, with the exception of Bonzi -- and John replacing Bonzi -- we have the same group that finished last year. We have a new coach and I think we're going to play a different style than we've been playing. And so a lot of how we do this year is going to be a work in progress for a while, in terms of the coach getting to know what he really has and how he wants to use it. But, so far, things have been real encouraging.
Taking a gamble on a guy like Artest, last year with what all went on with him, seems like a very bold and edgy move, something that Geoff Petrie has made a history of doing. But it's worked out great. The guy admittedly took Bonzi under his wing, maybe even a few other players as well, and was actually a steadying force for a team that seemed like it was a little bit lost. Tell me what Ron meant at the end of last year, his visibility and presence in Vegas this summer, and what he's meant through training camp to this team.
I think last year, one of the things with our team until Ron came, we just couldn't develop any real identity. And once he came, he did give us that, because of the intensity that he plays with and the way that he can defend and he's a really unique player in that he can help you win games at both ends of the floor. His whole approach to defending people, and his physical presence that he brought to the court really changed the demeanor of the whole, entire team. So hopefully that'll all carry over into this year and he's been very, very focused in pre-season, in all of our practices and in a couple of games. I think he's set himself up to have a terrific season.
Coach Muss has a reputation, though, as a hard-line guy, a disciplinarian. Do foresee any rough waters ahead for him and Ron? Or is Ron finally matured to a point where that's no longer an issue?
No, I really don't see that because I think they both have a lot of the same values, in terms of how they think the game should be played. Eric's done a great job, starting early and building relationships with a lot of the players. Ron came and played in a couple of summer league games and so I just think that there's a lot of common interest there in terms of how they see the game, and that's usually a good thing.
How has Quincy Douby looked since Vegas?
I really like Quincy a lot. He's really surprised a lot of us. For someone who scored so many points ... he hasn't really scored a lot for us yet in the couple of exhibition games, but his feel for the game, the ability to defend, his handling skills -- again, for someone who scored so many points, he's got a really terrific future in the league.
Can the Sacramento Kings improve on last season in a Western Conference that's admittedly gotten stronger? I mean, Houston's on track and looking like they might be on the way to making a comeback this year, Byron (Scott) could go all the way to Coach of the Year in New Orleans, depending on their success, even though he's in the toughest division in the league. Can the Sacramento Kings stay in the Top 8 consistently throughout the whole season and do better than they did with expectations last year?
Well, right now, I think we're only one of three teams in the league that have made the playoffs the last eight years in a row. Certainly, we want to make in nine and try to get a core going again that can move beyond that. We're going to have to wait and see what happens. You know how the season is. There are a lot of things that can determine where you finish and how things go. But I think we're off to a positive start and our guys are focused. So, I think we're in good shape, but I agree with you, it's really competitive. The only reason Houston didn't make the playoffs last year is because McGrady and Yao got hurt. It's gonna be interesting to see how it all plays out.
You have a ton of Portland ties, and I know business is business, but with those ties and the friendship, it must have been tough to let Rick go last year. You spoke of Sacramento being in the playoffs the last eight seasons, Rick was a huge part of that, of course. What does Eric bring that Rick just didn't have?
I've spent a lot of seasons with Rick and we've been involved with teams that have won a lot of games, and had a lot of success. It's just that at some point, there comes a time when you need to make a change. Eric has a different way ... obviously, there's a lot of different ways to do things, and everybody does it one way then everybody would be doing it. Eric comes in and we've changed just about everything at both ends of the floor that we had been doing for a long time and it's just a different philosophy. The game's going to be at a little higher pace, a little more aggressive defensively and probably utilize more players on somewhat of a more regular basis than we've been doing the last couple of years.
You almost answered my next question. As you may have noticed, George Karl's getting ready to go up-tempo to keep up with teams like the Phoenix Suns. Mike's setting a bar here, making basketball more exciting to watch with that frenetic pace and you're talking about picking up the pace here. Who do you see as your floor leader? Is it still Mike Bibby? Or do you see one of these young guns emerging, like Kevin Martin?
Mike is definitely our floor leader, and he's gotten himself into terrific physical condition to start this season, and has looked very, very good. Kevin Martin has set himself up, too, with the way he played last season and the work he did over the summer. He's come in with a lot of confidence and he has a chance to be a real legitimate scorer in the league.
If you had to say one thing was the biggest opportunity with the Kings right now, what would it be?
To see the group come together and work with Eric and see how we can develop this team.
Petrie has always set the level of the bar high, yet maintained attainable goals.
On the ladder of success, you'd have to put Geoff Petrie at the top, even if the Kings haven't quite gotten there to join him just yet.
After 12 years, where else would he be with as consistent as the Kings have been.
But now it's time to break out of that comfort zone and time for the Kings to join Geoff on the edge, ankles bound and ready to leap into the gorge of uncertainty.
The intensity is great. It's okay to bite off more than you can chew, as long as you chew it.
But, it's why he brought Artest and Musselman on board. They've got the chops every bit as much as Petrie does.
Men who match his respect and eye for the game of basketball ... and the competitive spirit that lies within.
Petrie's ready to get the Kings out of their eight-year comfort zone -- their rut, if you will.
After all, a rut is nothing more than a grave with the ends knocked out.
