PDA on the way out??

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I'd like to think that Vivek is turning the corner of being a competent owner by hiring Vlade to basically take over and get us out of this crap.

Universally respected
Beloved in Sacramento by the fan base
Former player who understands basketball
A person who understands loyalty
Knowledgeable

In other words, everything PDA is not
 
OK, getting close to the end.....and I think most of this was known or at least suspected, even if it wasn't accepted by all. Not a lot of new revelations in my mind. Not saying I accept all of it as gospel, but most of it rings true.
 
Phil Jackson is:

Universally respected
Beloved by longtime Knick fans
A legendary coach who understands basketball
A person who understands loyalty
Is Knowledgeable

IMO, he comes in with a background that seems more translatable to GM than Vlade. He's got more contacts in the league and was approached by two other groups to do the same or similar job within 8 years of his retirement.

But Phil wasn't a good rookie GM. And the Knicks are going to pay for his rookie mistakes and/or him not being good at his job. He should have got more for Shumpart and Chandler. He installed an offense that didn't fit his personnel and may not be good for the pace and space era. He may have hired a mediocre coach.

In February, Vivek's eye for talent lead to believe so strongly that Tryone Corbin could finish the season that the fan base and ownership group almost imploded. He almost cost himself and the city of Sacramento a fortune betting on a man that could not coach his way out of a wet paper bag in Utah and executed some coaching decisions in Sacramento that were almost beyond comprehension. Two months later, he's got a great eye for basketball operations people when he hired a new GM (who just happens to be the most beloved King) and he's turned the corner? Sure it's possible. I don't love the odds.

Folks can cherry pick nuggets from Ailene Vosin's stories and KHTK's talking points to construct a narrative that Vivek was green, PDA was the one really bad apple, and despite his thin resume Vlade is a great bet to succeed in the short and long terms.

Folks can take nuggets from the most recent podcast, national writers, the Rise Guys, moments of clarity on KHTK, and frankly common sense to construct a narrative that, even with PDA gone, our franchise is poorly owned, mismanaged, not structured well, and in a constant state of flux and adjustments.

What is becoming super clear is that nobody we read or listen to is both: (1) well informed with good knowledgeable sources; and (2) regularly providing us with honest and objective coverage of what's going on with the team in the big picture or macro. Folks are either guessing without the facts or pitching a theme for the benefit of the team or their media outlet or trying to butter up their sources for more stuff (accurate or not.) So we don't know ... and we can't count on anybody with access to the right people to help us. They've all BSed us one way or the other and lack credibility. And because that's now the norm for this market ... why the hell would they stop?

I'm going to gravitate toward this podcast because it fits my viewpoint and understanding of the facts. VF21 is going to prefer Dave for the same reason. It's not life and death news, but as recently as five years ago is wasn't covered like bad cable news.

It's crazy this is going down after the Maloofs and Grant blatantly lied to the fans, particularly the die hard fans who somehow believed them until the last year with blind loyalty, for several years and the rest of the media rarely stood up to say either: that's not true; or at least, what they are saying makes very little sense objectively. You would think folks would have some same or at least refrain over that fairly recent coverage, but nope, they've joined the game or still won't question those that play it.

I'll submit to you this: KTHK, particularity everyone other than Deuce and J-Ross, has no qualms about saying whatever it takes to keep the die hards listening for profits and their relationship with the Kings. The Bee has serious questions about Vivek and the team will be reluctant to say much for another 2 years because his business model and long term viability as a Sacramento owner might not be as solid as we once thought, which could put the city's budget and the hopes of a massive downtown redevelopment (including but not limited to the properties owned by the team that will sit idle for a few year) at risk. The Bee and political leaders care a lot more about parking revenues and condos going up downtown than whether Vlade knows WCS's upside. So right now, it makes sense to prop Vivek and Vlade up and give them time.

The podcast nailed one thing for sure. Kings fans deserve better media.
 
Phil Jackson is:

Universally respected
Beloved by longtime Knick fans
A legendary coach who understands basketball
A person who understands loyalty
Is Knowledgeable

IMO, he comes in with a background that seems more translatable to GM than Vlade. He's got more contacts in the league and was approached by two other groups to do the same or similar job within 8 years of his retirement.

But Phil wasn't a good rookie GM. And the Knicks are going to pay for his rookie mistakes and/or him not being good at his job. He should have got more for Shumpart and Chandler. He installed an offense that didn't fit his personnel and may not be good for the pace and space era. He may have hired a mediocre coach.

In February, Vivek's eye for talent lead to believe so strongly that Tryone Corbin could finish the season that the fan base and ownership group almost imploded. He almost cost himself and the city of Sacramento a fortune betting on a man that could not coach his way out of a wet paper bag in Utah and executed some coaching decisions in Sacramento that were almost beyond comprehension. Two months later, he's got a great eye for basketball operations people when he hired a new GM (who just happens to be the most beloved King) and he's turned the corner? Sure it's possible. I don't love the odds.

Folks can cherry pick nuggets from Ailene Vosin's stories and KHTK's talking points to construct a narrative that Vivek was green, PDA was the one really bad apple, and despite his thin resume Vlade is a great bet to succeed in the short and long terms.

Folks can take nuggets from the most recent podcast, national writers, the Rise Guys, moments of clarity on KHTK, and frankly common sense to construct a narrative that, even with PDA gone, our franchise is poorly owned, mismanaged, not structured well, and in a constant state of flux and adjustments.

What is becoming super clear is that nobody we read or listen to is both: (1) well informed with good knowledgeable sources; and (2) regularly providing us with honest and objective coverage of what's going on with the team in the big picture or macro. Folks are either guessing without the facts or pitching a theme for the benefit of the team or their media outlet or trying to butter up their sources for more stuff (accurate or not.) So we don't know ... and we can't count on anybody with access to the right people to help us. They've all BSed us one way or the other and lack credibility. And because that's now the norm for this market ... why the hell would they stop?

I'm going to gravitate toward this podcast because it fits my viewpoint and understanding of the facts. VF21 is going to prefer Dave for the same reason. It's not life and death news, but as recently as five years ago is wasn't covered like bad cable news.

It's crazy this is going down after the Maloofs and Grant blatantly lied to the fans, particularly the die hard fans who somehow believed them until the last year with blind loyalty, for several years and the rest of the media rarely stood up to say either: that's not true; or at least, what they are saying makes very little sense objectively. You would think folks would have some same or at least refrain over that fairly recent coverage, but nope, they've joined the game or still won't question those that play it.

I'll submit to you this: KTHK, particularity everyone other than Deuce and J-Ross, has no qualms about saying whatever it takes to keep the die hards listening for profits and their relationship with the Kings. The Bee has serious questions about Vivek and the team will be reluctant to say much for another 2 years because his business model and long term viability as a Sacramento owner might not be as solid as we once thought, which could put the city's budget and the hopes of a massive downtown redevelopment (including but not limited to the properties owned by the team that will sit idle for a few year) at risk. The Bee and political leaders care a lot more about parking revenues and condos going up downtown than whether Vlade knows WCS's upside. So right now, it makes sense to prop Vivek and Vlade up and give them time.

The podcast nailed one thing for sure. Kings fans deserve better media.
Fairly good post except the beginning....and it mirrors my post.

You say that Phil has a background that seems to translate better to GM than Vlade but, correct me if I'm wrong, didn't Vlade own and manage back over seas. Not to mention his international relations. I think your way off here. Phil inherited a mismanaged team and organization (sound familiar). I think the main goal for that team was to move contracts, get a lottery pick, start infusing players that fit his mold.

And as far as Vivek turning the corner, I mentioned that I'd like to think he has started to turn the corner. I'd like to think that Vlade is the answer to stability. I'd like to think we are going to nail the draft and make the correct deals to challenge for the playoffs. Just another way of saying I hope, I hope, I hope.
 
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There is one important difference between Vladie and PJ... HUBRIS! PJ took over NY thinking he had all the answers, Vladie calls Creg Popivich for advice. Of course there are a myriad of other differences but this alone makes a HUGE difference for a rookie in any endeavor.
 
I think the only shocking thing here is that it's actually a tad worse than I thought.

It's a big leap of faith to hope Vivek now has managing a basketball franchise under control.
 
I listened to the podcast earlier. For those that don't know, it's 90 minutes long, but worth the listen. If you didn't like PDA before, you'll really hate him after listening to it. The stuff about the hiring of Corbin, and how they tried to hire Rambis as his lead assistant without even telling him, and then how PDA dragged his feet on Corbin's contract. Just amazing stuff. I think Hamm summed it up when he said something along the lines of, if PDA and Malone happened into each other walking down the street, there would probably be a fist fight, and that Malone would try and throw a bench at him. When you listen to all the events in chronilogical order, which is how they presented it, it's amazing that PDA is still with the team.

In your comments you appear to accept everything they say. What makes this info believable and where has it been all this time. Is it like some of my posts, mostly conjecture and opinion. Seriously looking at the reliability of the source and some idea why the source has not shared parts of this before the "st Johns" rumor. Thank you.
 
A month ago it was announced, PDA was staying, clearly on the urging of Karl, who is not going anywhere for the next couple of years. They were obviously hedging their bets, thinking PDA might stay.
After Woj aired St. John rumor they probably got confirmation, that PDA is done and out of the loop for sure, so it was safe to tell the story.
 
Not only that but these guys were continuously dropping hint all along. Bruski has been all over this from the very start. If you follow him on Twitter or listen to this podcast weekly, he has been dropping nuggets of information all along. People just needed to connect dots to get it. All that's different now is that they connected the dots for everyone in this latest podcast.
 
One aspect I didn't mention from the podcast is that Bruski went into detail about his reporting situation:
He doesn't make a dime covering the Kings - they aren't his team - he's paid for his other work.
So he presumably has less to lose than other reporters on this topic, so is more willing to tell it like it is.

(Paraphrasing) He also said (joked?) he may stop covering the Kings and revealing these stories depending on how this podcast is received. You'd have to listen yourself (it's right near the end) to determine how he meant it.

Based on how this podcast calls into question every person who covers the Kings and their choice not to reveal the information they have (supposedly to protect their leak sources or protect the FO in general), Bruski may be correct that this podcast may be ignored or attacked by that same media it is calling into question.

Personally, I am pissed off at all the media people that cover the Kings, and would likely be very confrontational and direct in my accusations of their collusion with management if I was to encounter them (in person or on air or online).

This includes you, Carmichael Dave.

We deserve better media coverage.
This team cannot survive the incompetence and abject cowardice of our reporting crew.
The only way for the team to succeed is to root out this incompetence, arrogance, and rampant ego asap and make the right decisions.
That can not happen if the past mistakes are ignored, misinformation is allowed to fester, or the culprits feet aren't held to the fire.
Everyone, including the media, are not stepping up and taking responsibility for what EVERYONE was complicit in.
 
Great listen - worth the 90 minutes. Only real revelation to me was the seriousness of the friction among the ownership group over letting Corbin lame-duck the season out. "minority owners were looking to sell their shares" = wow.

I just have a couple bones to pick with Bruski:

a) He does not allow for reasonable differences of opinion re IT. There are many of us who thought IT and his ego were a net drain on team morale and performance - based on what we saw ON THE COURT. Bruski seems to think anybody who wanted IT gone was a sucker for PDA's line of crap - and that just isn't so. If you tell Bruski that IT went and disrupted morale in Phoenix - caused a rift such that they had to blow up the team and lose Dragic... he will call you a dumbPACE. He just won't accept that every right thinking person doesn't love IT, or that IT might... just might.. be a negative to have around.

b) At the end.. and I really wish he hadn't done it... Bruski did the whole "I like Pete as a guy - he's a family guy" crap. It is such a load of crap. Pete told me the same thing about Michael Malone "I like Mike as a guy, he's a great guy blah blah blah blah". It is like some secret code bullPACE that Bruski should rise above and not participate in. He spent 75 minutes cutting PDA to ribbons (hurrah - I loved it), and then 10 minutes saying what a good family man Pete is. Come on man - that was stooping to Pete's level.

But... 90 minutes well spent. Especially if you're a bit pre-disposed against Pete, you will love it. If you're a Pete supporter, it will disappoint you - your boy is a certifiable douche sorry.
 
Based on how this podcast calls into question every person who covers the Kings and their choice not to reveal the information they have (supposedly to protect their leak sources or protect the FO in general), Bruski may be correct that this podcast may be ignored or attacked by that same media it is calling into question.

Personally, I am pissed off at all the media people that cover the Kings, and would likely be very confrontational and direct in my accusations of their collusion with management if I was to encounter them (in person or on air or online).

This includes you, Carmichael Dave.

I love me some Carmichael Dave, but I think he tread on a slippery slope with his very latest DMC crowdsource tweets - insinuating that moving DMC may be necessary for the good of the team, that it wouldn't make Vlade a liar to trade DMC, etc. A very slippery slope because it sounds very very Pete D'Alessandro mouthpiece'ish. Very PDA "crowd-source'ish".

Dave... do not let Pete's stink stick to you when this is all said and done. Please don't - I love you man, but there is nobody left who trusts Pete. Prepare for a future without that creep - don't answer his calls anymore he will PACE up your rep.
 
Disclaimer: Ham aka broke blogger and I are not friends and never will be after what happened when filming SMBH. We tried to do the right thing to get the word out on bigger than basketball but he wanted to use the film as HWS propaganda while minimizing KJ's role (that's exactly as the film was) in an attempt to launch his career (he said so himself about launching his career). Notice he hasn't said a word about PTW or ESPN films on the Kings relocation saga. Must be upset making SMBH 2 is irrelevant.

Someone contacted me to listen at a certain point in the podcast because I never listen to it.

He discussed the DC contract signing and only mentioned that a fan group was there but refused to say it was CDT. We were invited by Pete. It's not every day you get to attend a professional sports player's contract signing.

It was then mentioned a fan wore an IT jersey to it. Once again he left my name out. Maybe he thinks I'll try to sue him as he tried to sue me (yes, I did get a cease and desist letter from SMBH via email).

Anyway I wear 22 because Mitch Richmond is my favorite Kings player. Ah but he wears 2 and so out of respect to him I added a second 2 to make my jersey number 22. It has nothing to do with IT. He could have asked me but he blocked me on Twitter for calling him out on a Kings message board on Facebook about how he doesn't have inside sources.

When was the last time the broke blogger broke any news? He didn't on Cousins's extension, Gay's new contract, the illness of Cousins, signing of Sessions, the firing of Malone and that Karl was the next coach in line, etc.

When news breaks he will tweet "sources confirm." Get out of here. You have no sources.

Bottom line is don't believe the hype of a blogger. Bruski on the other hand has a proven track record.
 
One aspect I didn't mention from the podcast is that Bruski went into detail about his reporting situation:
He doesn't make a dime covering the Kings - they aren't his team - he's paid for his other work.
So he presumably has less to lose than other reporters on this topic, so is more willing to tell it like it is.

(Paraphrasing) He also said (joked?) he may stop covering the Kings and revealing these stories depending on how this podcast is received. You'd have to listen yourself (it's right near the end) to determine how he meant it.

Based on how this podcast calls into question every person who covers the Kings and their choice not to reveal the information they have (supposedly to protect their leak sources or protect the FO in general), Bruski may be correct that this podcast may be ignored or attacked by that same media it is calling into question.

Personally, I am pissed off at all the media people that cover the Kings, and would likely be very confrontational and direct in my accusations of their collusion with management if I was to encounter them (in person or on air or online).

This includes you, Carmichael Dave.

We deserve better media coverage.
This team cannot survive the incompetence and abject cowardice of our reporting crew.
The only way for the team to succeed is to root out this incompetence, arrogance, and rampant ego asap and make the right decisions.
That can not happen if the past mistakes are ignored, misinformation is allowed to fester, or the culprits feet aren't held to the fire.
Everyone, including the media, are not stepping up and taking responsibility for what EVERYONE was complicit in.

All this from a media source who, if any of this is true, was hiding these facts from us in this mass cover-up.. Maybe this is as hard to believe as it is "easy to believe". Any great or small "coloring " of this information? Just squeezing the source a bit and this buying it like gospel. Just squeezing.
 
Phil Jackson is:

Universally respected
Beloved by longtime Knick fans
A legendary coach who understands basketball
A person who understands loyalty
Is Knowledgeable

IMO, he comes in with a background that seems more translatable to GM than Vlade. He's got more contacts in the league and was approached by two other groups to do the same or similar job within 8 years of his retirement.

But Phil wasn't a good rookie GM. And the Knicks are going to pay for his rookie mistakes and/or him not being good at his job. He should have got more for Shumpart and Chandler. He installed an offense that didn't fit his personnel and may not be good for the pace and space era. He may have hired a mediocre coach.

This is the difference. Phil came in to do it his way and his style. Vlade is getting advice from Pop, Petrie etc and make his decisions based on gathering info not forcing his way into the situation.
 
OK, getting close to the end.....and I think most of this was known or at least suspected, even if it wasn't accepted by all. Not a lot of new revelations in my mind. Not saying I accept all of it as gospel, but most of it rings true.
What's interesting, if this podcast is to be believed and I generally believe most of it, outside the IT nonsense, is that all the leaks we debated on here repeatedly were true and had a purpose. And I mean how many times did something come out and instead of debating the actual leak, did we get caught up in fans debating the source of the leak? Well it appears this FO, and others for that matter, regularly leaks intentionally and on purpose. There's always a reason. With modern social media it's just another tool in the pockets of league FO's. Leaks coming out on social media shouldn't be brushed off as easily as they have been by a few. All along those who've been incredibly pessimistic about this new regime apparently have had their worst fears come true.

And the leaks continue to this day. The leaks surrounding Cuz are and were the most worrying to me. Some played them down but the accusation our FO dragged Cuz into this Karl nonsense in order to a) lower Karl's asking price and to b) cover for the mistake of not only promoting Corbin but also ending his interim label and hiring him as head coach for the rest of the season causes great concern.

You really, really have to wonder how many bridges have been burned with Cuz. Is it repairable? He's a guy which doesn't forget. We can all hope Vlade turns it around but as was brought up, many in our organization are quite fearful Cuz is going to demand a trade. Add to that the accusation that this is only 10-15% of the crap which actually happened behind closed doors and it's one of the worst descriptions of a sports organization I've ever heard. PDA should go work for FIFA, he'd fit right in. You just have to wonder how much of this does Cuz put at the feet of Vivek who oversaw all of this. That's another shocking element in all this, that this crap started since the month after the new regime took over and Vivek was either oblivious to it all or just flat out didn't have the backbone to do something about it. Right now as I type this, PDA is still working for the Kings and still leaking to the media.

Talk about a toxic culture. Still plenty of concerns. A culture this toxic doesn't fix itself simply because Mullin is now in NY and PDA may follow at some point. There had to be a lot more people with their hands in this for it to get so bad, even if their attitude is just to go along and not speak up while a select few capsize this ship. That Karl ties himself to PDA and there appears to be a faction there between him and others is another concern. I'm no way confident the Karl/Cuz dynamic will work out given the the incredibly rocky foundation their relationship was built on and that Karl is backing the guy who Cuz and all the players want jettisoned out of this organization. And the complaints about Sac area media also ring true and it's clear to me given what Napear regularly says, he's also a front for a bunch of this misdirection. The Bee is a total waste.

The worst part about all of this is those from Vivek to our FO to our media give a giant slap in the face to all the fans who stuck by this franchise through thick and thin, who fought to keep this team here and had this organization turn around and take a giant dump on them, on top of killing all the good will and positive momentum coming from keeping the team and getting the new arena approved.
 
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Oy, what a revealing perspective. It's really tough to hear of all the dysfunction given what we've gone through as fans; this was supposed to be a fresh start, but it's more of the same as far as dysfunction goes.

It'd be great if this could all be resolved while DeMarcus is in his prime, but following the NBA for years, it's going to take a series of risky and aggressive moves that need to all be hits. Will DeMarcus stick around for a team that can't get past the first round of the playoffs?

PDA clearly has some talent, but it's not as a GM. As Ham pointed out, his cap maneuvering last summer and the Rudy Gay trade/extension are to be lauded. But that's about it. We're now under the clock to build a contender around DeMarcus, and with a lack of assets and recent draft luck, there is little budding talent nor "gotta have" players outside Darren, Rudy and DMC.

It's hard for anyone to accept a lesser role and be ostracized in any professional setting, and often, if folks don't leave the organization in this situation they typically resort to bad behavior that damages the business. Given Pete's nature (according to this podcast) and the aforementioned adversity he's facing, it'd be prudent that he leave the organization while the Kings find a replacement who specializes in "modern GM'ing" (ie cap management, contracts, analytics, creative trades). I'd also take a hard look at our talent evaluation, but first things first.
 
What's interesting, if this podcast is to be believed and I generally believe most of it, outside the IT nonsense, is that all the leaks we debated on here repeatedly were true and had a purpose. And I mean how many times did something come out and instead of debating the actual leak, did we get caught up in fans debating the source of the leak? Well it appears this FO, and others for that matter, regularly leaks intentionally and on purpose. There's always a reason. With modern social media it's just another tool in the pockets of league FO's. Leaks coming out on social media shouldn't be brushed off as easily as they have been by a few. All along those who've been incredibly pessimistic about this new regime apparently have had their worst fears come true.

And the leaks continue to this day. The leaks surrounding Cuz are and were the most worrying to me. Some played them down but the accusation our FO dragged Cuz into this Karl nonsense in order to a) lower Karl's asking price and to b) cover for the mistake of not only promoting Corbin but also ending his interim label and hiring him as head coach for the rest of the season causes great concern.

You really, really have to wonder how many bridges have been burned with Cuz. Is it repairable? He's a guy which doesn't forget. We can all hope Vlade turns it around but as was brought up, many in our organization are quite fearful Cuz is going to demand a trade. Add to that the accusation that this is only 10-15% of the crap which actually happened behind closed doors and it's one of the worst descriptions of a sports organization I've ever heard. PDA should go work for FIFA, he'd fit right in. You just have to wonder how much of this does Cuz put at the feet of Vivek who oversaw all of this. That's another shocking element in all this, that this crap started since the month after the new regime took over and Vivek was either oblivious to it all or just flat out didn't have the backbone to do something about it. Right now as I type this, PDA is still working for the Kings and still leaking to the media.

Talk about a toxic culture. Still plenty of concerns. A culture this toxic doesn't fix itself simply because Mullin is now in NY and PDA may follow at some point. There had to be a lot more people with their hands in this for it to get so bad, even if their attitude is just to go along and not speak up while a select few capsize this ship. That Karl ties himself to PDA and there appears to be a faction there between him and others is another concern. I'm no way confident the Karl/Cuz dynamic will work out given the the incredibly rocky foundation their relationship was built on and that Karl is backing the guy who Cuz and all the players want jettisoned out of this organization. And the complaints about Sac area media also ring true and it's clear to me given what Napear regularly says, he's also a front for a bunch of this misdirection.

The worst part about all of this is those from Vivek to our FO to our media give a giant slap in the face to all the fans who stuck by this franchise through thick and thin, who fought to keep this team here and had this organization turn around and take a giant dump on them, on top of killing all the good will and positive momentum coming from keeping the team and getting the new arena approved.

It only takes 1 insider to ruin the batch. Not necessarily a massive conspiracy. All the 1 insider needs is some truth, just a little, and a couple of contacts with an audience. Just a match and some kindling.

You may have played the "whisper" game back in school?

The kids form a circle with their desks, and the teacher says something quietly to one student, then that student repeats it to the next. By the end of the game you may have some of the basics still being passed along, but all sorts of unexpected things or odd things are there by the end of the message as well.
 
All this from a media source who, if any of this is true, was hiding these facts from us in this mass cover-up.. Maybe this is as hard to believe as it is "easy to believe". Any great or small "coloring " of this information? Just squeezing the source a bit and this buying it like gospel. Just squeezing.
No, a lot of this stuff has been floating around the entire time and been discussed here regularly. We just haven't had media members come out and say that point blank, it's been true all along and actually worse behind the scenes. It also matches up with all the leaks we've seen for two years now.

With all due respect, if you think all of this has been hidden or these accusation are sudden, you haven't paid attention.
 
I would look to hire a young smart person who is 3rd or 4th in line with the Spurs, Hawks, Rockets. Basically like Paul DePodesta / Jonah Hill from Money Ball. The 2nd best person working for those teams won't take the Sacramento job, because it's not a good job. But the 3rd or 4th best person should take the job because it's a high profile job and if they help make it work here, they could get the same or better job in a better market in 4-5 years. We should be looking with a person that has been trained up in a competent franchise, is very smart, and knows the CBA and the market of the league cold.

Sure we struck out with PDA looking to make that hire. That's on Vivek. He has to try again. And if he keeps failing ... that's on him. But that's the move. Not a guy that's been gone for 2 years, on Maloof auto pilot for 3 years before than, and is a decade removed from any high level results.

I agree with everything you said except for this. A 2nd in command could conceivably come to the Kings because he would have the confidence and ability to make it a good job, especially with Divac to run interference for him with Vivek.
 
* (Trading Tyreke for Grevious Vasquez) was the beginning of the crusade against Isaiah Thomas by PDA, because IT was kicking Grevious ass up and down the court every day in practice.

This part cracked me up. I can just envision IT torching Grevious in practice while PDA was watching, and saying to PDA: "How's that trade working for you, Pete?"
 
Everyone needs to sit through and listen to the entire 90 minutes (minus the first few).
They go over so many aspects of the last 2 years, it's vital info.
Here's the most important parts I heard:

* It's been ugly and unfortunate for the many people who lost their jobs.

* (Trading Tyreke for Grevious Vasquez) was the beginning of the crusade against Isaiah Thomas by PDA, because IT was kicking Grevious ass up and down the court every day in practice.

* Luc Bhah a Moute was known in NBA circles as not wanting to play, just wanted to cash a paycheck and wear expensive suits?!

* PDA had no answer last summer when asked "Are you going to pick up some 3pt shooters this summer, since you need them so badly, having given up your best 4?" He didn't seem to understand the need.

* Word from Reno : "Royce White's not a good basketball player." He's not a real NBA player - he's a fictional player.
Malone was like "I want to win games." They were like "No, we're going to keep waiving players and not give you anybody you can win with."

* With a PDA FO, you get this - They're so wired into the major media channels, that the narrative that's being pushed is whatever they want the public to perceive.

* Shareef - Have you ever heard about what happened to him, any press release, etc? He was unceremoniously shown the door, like so many others (Malone, Corbin).
We see what goes on with this FO - they say things like "We love him. Love his family, he's a great guy, etc." yet they actually hate him.

* Then we get to IT being shown the door. This is a guy who shows up at city council meetings, who was one of the few honest people in the room - one of the good guys.
IT was a Mike Malone guy - He was his floor general. They got rid of IT partially because of their fighting with Malone.
Ham went to every single player in the lockerroom and asked them if IT was a bad guy, and everyone said to a man "He's a quiet guy off the court - everyone liked him, never caused waves."

* The leaks etc was all just the FO's Exit Strategy - PR moves to start spoiling the barrel, to allow the fanbase to distance themselves from a player that may be moved soon.
(My note - this is why we all need to be very aware when the FO starts throwing damaging words out there about a player we think the Kings should keep - don't buy the lies so easily!)

* When you can sit with fans and tell bald-faced lies - wow! That's pretty rare in the league - you don't see that very often to this level.

* Kurt Rambis was brought in and interviewed to be the lead assistant, and Mike Malone did not know! They only buckled because it was part of Malone's contract that he chooses his staff. He says it's Ty Corbin, they say well, he has to coach Summer League.
Ty Corbin wasn't under contract even after the 3rd day of Summer League!? They literally sat there in response to that question and said, "Yeah, we need to get around to inking that contract with Ty." Unbelievable!
They didn't sign Omri until later in the season just to pro-rate the days his below-minimum contract would accrue?!

* So everyone knows - Malone was not insubordinate.
PDA and Malone had no working relationship. PDA had already made his approach clear by taking away all of his players, choosing his coaches for him, etc.

* Who actually pulled the trigger on Malone's firing?
PDA felt his job was on the line, and with Vivek being a demanding boss, PDA and Mullin went after Malone to protect themselves.

* Nobody went to Vivek and said "Look, Malone has the respect of everyone in the lockerroom, and if you get rid of him, they will be crushed. It will not work." Nobody in the FO understood that. Nobody got it.

* Why didn't they immediately hire Karl?
Because Vivek was convinced that Corbin could succeed as a coach. He also didn't want to pay since he thought Ty could coach the team to wins. Pete vs Vivek vs Mullin ("I'm not sticking around if Karl's the coach").

* Big name minority owners are looking to sell their shares in the team because of what was going on!

* PDA actually apologized about bringing DMC's name (and throwing it into the mud) into the whole coaching decision fiasco in an aside during Karl's signing (which Vivek and Mullin didn't even show up for).

* Someone was trying to negotiate with Karl about salary by using Demarcus f-ing Cousins' name and reputation, your franchise player?! Really?!
(Earlier on in the podcast, I had written "They stopped talking about what they were going to say about Demarcus' reaction and question about hiring Karl! The media KNOWS the exact situation with Karl and Demarcus, but are afraid to say it." but maybe this is where they discussed some of it - I still think there's a lot more they know here they aren't telling)

* You don't know how many players in the league have talked with them about the dysfunction in the Kings. How they treat their personnel. Noone knows who's making the decisions with the Kings.

* They imply that Stauskas was not Vivek's pick - it was PDA's. You hear it was Vivek's because media people are going to soon have their leak source dried up, and won't like it so they'll make up things about the owner.

* 3 weeks from the end of the season, we all knew PDA was being ready to be given his walking papers. Then we hear he will be retained as a contracts guy, providing help, etc.
Now, he will be leaving to join his crony at St. John's?

* Amick Aaron Bruski actually implored media people to stop carrying PDA's water with destructive leaks and sloppy narratives, just because you like your leaks and info. It's not worth it. It's time to turn the page and let him go.

* 90 to 95% of the information that has come out of the Kings organization the past 2 years is complete BS. Complete fabrications that we knew without a doubt was false.
They lie to reporter's faces, and it's not fun, it's incredibly frustrating.
And we as media members likely only know 15% of the atrocities this organization committed - they can only imagine how bad it was to actually live through it personally.

* Hold your media accountable. Demand more of your media. (He's implying that they know more than they are reporting on, and allowing the FO distort the truth way too much. This info is not that hard to uncover.)
They actually threw down a gauntlet, pointing out that however this podcast is retweeted and reported on will let you know what side and loyalties that person falls on.

This is fantastic post, a fantastic summary, along with the editorializing. Thanks for the work you put into this summary.
 
No, a lot of this stuff has been floating around the entire time and been discussed here regularly. We just haven't had media members come out and say that point blank, it's been true all along and actually worse behind the scenes. It also matches up with all the leaks we've seen for two years now.

With all due respect, if you think all of this has been hidden or these accusation are sudden, you haven't paid attention.

Thanks, rainmaker. Just squeezing. Since it, to a large extent and as you say, is hearing what want to hear, it's a little hard for me to buy it all. And which should buy and which not?
 
I love me some Carmichael Dave, but I think he tread on a slippery slope with his very latest DMC crowdsource tweets - insinuating that moving DMC may be necessary for the good of the team, that it wouldn't make Vlade a liar to trade DMC, etc. A very slippery slope because it sounds very very Pete D'Alessandro mouthpiece'ish. Very PDA "crowd-source'ish".

Dave... do not let Pete's stink stick to you when this is all said and done. Please don't - I love you man, but there is nobody left who trusts Pete. Prepare for a future without that creep - don't answer his calls anymore he will PACE up your rep.

Ok. I'll bite.

Huh??
 
It was great... I really think Vivek has learned from his mistakes.... For all those guys thats wanna hate on Vivek non stop about all the drama thats unfolded since he took over. I just wanna say this guy again saved us to have a team to complain over. He's just learning the ropes and unfortunately had the wrong guys helping him... He trusted Chris Mullin and friends....Pete clearly was a bad choice... Had he gone with someone more established and professional things would have been different... As painful as its been we go into next season with a great leader Divac now leading the way and a HOF coach in Karl.... So you could say that we need all that to happen as it did to get those 2 guys... I expect an upgrade in talent and balance with the roster. I think that play we saw at the beginning of the year will be back and this team will be even better next season. Winning can heal a ton .... Making the playoffs or just missing could be enough to fix it all.
 
there's a reason that i value tangible basketball experience so highly when it comes to the position of general manager. that's not to say that all basketball lifers make good gm's, but it is to say that i don't feel comfortable trusting a former lawyer and player agent with the responsibility of building both a coherent roster and a culture of relative stability. i was uncomfortable with the PDA hire initially, and i was never given a reason to doubt my instincts, as it turns out. basketball teams are not built in labs or on computers. and basketball games are not won by gm's and owners. PDA's rather mercenary approach--and vivek's trust in that approach--has poisoned the culture of this team, a culture that was already toxic upon the arrival of the new regime. i will not shed a tear if PDA leaves for st. john's of his own volition. nor will i shed a tear if he's fired. a simple demotion to cap specialist is a suitable fix, but removing the cancer altogether seems like a more appropriate solution...
 
Ok. I'll bite.

Huh??

Dave I'm talking about the fantasy trade idea DMC to Lakers proposed by Jeremy Smith on twitter. You appear to be saying that trading DMC is, and should be, on the table in spite of Vlade's recent statement to the contrary. I think that is a surprising position to take unless you have a "hunch" that there is in fact such a movement afoot, at least in the minds of at least one rodent in the front office.

Jeremy Smith‏@JTGuapo
@carmichaeldave fantasy GM would you trade DMC to the Lakers for Julius Randle + 2nd pick...start fresh with randle, d Russell, Cauley-stein

Carmichael Dave ‏@CarmichaelDave May 27
Very interesting deal. Wouldn't work salary wise though

coyote‏@coyote95667
@carmichaeldave Nobody would ever believe another word out of Vlade Divac's mouth if that trade happened.

Carmichael Dave ‏@CarmichaelDave May 27
Not true in the slightest. He's got to do what's best for the team regardless. And you don't drive down value.
 
Dave I'm talking about the fantasy trade idea DMC to Lakers proposed by Jeremy Smith on twitter. You appear to be saying that trading DMC is, and should be, on the table in spite of Vlade's recent statement to the contrary. I think that is a surprising position to take unless you have a "hunch" that there is in fact such a movement afoot, at least in the minds of at least one rodent in the front office.
Yes, no one discusses that as a possibility in their right mind unless there's something else going on behind the scenes.

And interestingly enough, this popped up around the time Napear starting entertaining trade Cuz discussions, as well as Karl saying no player is untradeable while his closest ally in the organization is the weasel responsible for many of our leaks. It's direct evidence of leaks from our FO to select media members to sway public opinion, as alluded to in the podcast.
 
Yes. And I still do. Especially if all the parameters aren't known.

You're a 28,28, and 29 win team. NO ONE should be untouchable. No one.

I'm not advocating trading the guy. At all. But to not listen to offers? Come on.

And as far as making Vlade "a liar", gimme a break. What's he supposed to do, say "oh yeah, we are super totally going to explore trades, it's not working out"?? Then you drive down the market for your biggest asset, should you trade him.

Thus me saying "Vlade will do what's best for the TEAM", and I'm not really worried about him showing his entire hand.

I still don't get what the other comments in this thread are about, in regards to mouthpiecing and agendas, etc. I'm always a big fan of direct questions equal direct answers, so let's go.
 
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