Potential, potential, potential!

[treewoman]

I am back at Kingsfans after a break (literally) and I see a lot of negativity and not much hope.

The first two games were real rough but they also showed a lot of potential, I think. I am seeing a coach and players who really WANT to win and are working hard. I think they are struggling right now to bring it all together - this team has a lot of new components but I am seeing a potential here for them to really do well when they do bring it together. Even Brad and Kenny (my two least favorites) look better to me this year than they have in the past. I am over the top excited about how well Kevin is doing; Moore got off to a shaky start but I think he has what it takes; John is doing really well; Francisco know this is his make it or break it year and has incredible motivation and heart; Mike had a great game prior to his injury (and I think he seemed more motivated); Ron is my favorite thug and I think he brings a lot to the game; and I like the look of our other new players.

To me attitude is one of the most critical (and under-rated) aspects of this game. I LIKE what I see in Reggie.

In short I think after a shaky start the Kings are going to surprise us and have a fairly decent year.

GO KINGS!!

 

[VF21]

Good to see you back! I can't agree with you about Kenny and I think Mikki is a first decent game away from settling down into some kind of productive routine, but I haven't lost hope about the Kings having a decent year.

The Texas Tandem was a no-win situation from the moment we found out Bibby wouldn't be playing. No team can expect to go into either San Antonio or Dallas with only three of their five starters (and really only two if you discount Kenny Thomas) and expect to beat two of the West's powerhouses.

There are still positive people with hope around.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Define "decent."

 

[6th]

Define "decent."

Whatever each person wants it to be. Obviously, my definition would be very different from yours.

 

[STF15]

Yes I agree with treewoman!
I think Brad has been playing pretty well and hustling. Last night's game for example Brad was hustling for second chance opportunities which I liked. Salmons has also been playing well, I like his cuts and drives to the basket. I'm really not a stay-negative type of fan so I am hoping that the Kings will rack up a couple of wins when they come back home.

 

[treewoman]

Define "decent."

I wouldn't bet money on it but I wouldn't die of shock if we made it to the playoffs. This is a team in transition. There is nothing that is going to change that. No matter who we wake up with on the Kings tomorrow - there is going to be a transition time. I for one am giving them plenty of space for improvement.

 

[Emma]

good, positive thread

I know I've posted negatively, but I guess it was negativity just rubbing off from other people. I want to be positive about this team. Treewoman is a breath of fresh air, all the negativity has sort of turned me off to kings fans. Maybe we can insert more homerism, hype and blind, unabashed faith. We can turn this board around. It would actually make me feel better.

That doesn't mean we have to be unintelligent fans and just become kings zombies. But you must admit, being something akin to that takes away all of the stress while watching the team struggle.

As an aside, I can't wait for Hawes to become Vlade Divac 2.0! (And yes, I truly believe he will!).

 

[kingzzzfan4ever]

The Kings will get better, when Artest, Williams, Bibby, and Hawes get to step foot on the court. I was really impressed with Salmons, Martin, and Garcia's game last night, they really stepped it up even while being blown out by the Mavs. The team has heart and when it has all the pieces, I predict a playoff spot.

 

[Bricklayer]

I wouldn't bet money on it but I wouldn't die of shock if we made it to the playoffs.

Oh yeah. That's us baby.


Only because of the youth in Seattle, Minnesota, Memphis and Portland (i.e. teams with much brighter futures) and the weakness in L.A. with Brand out, and the looming chaos in Lakerland.
There are nonetheless seven playoff teams:
Spurs
Mavs
Suns
Rockets
Jazz
Nuggets
Hornets

And only one spot to divy up amongst the rest of the garbage. Including the Warriors, the Lakers, and Memphis. And we don't have our PG, in fact any PG, until January. If we have potential, there is not a team in the league right now who cannot claim to have more. And that's actually the GOOD news. During a year like this the last thing you want to do is make the playoffs as some sort of garbage 35 win team or something and lose any chance you have of improving in the lottery. If you're going to suck, let's go ahead and suck and get a chance to reload with a top young talent next offseason.

 

[Glenn]

Define "decent."

Decent to me is to have reasonable expectations. "Reasonably" this team was a tad below .500 going into the season. It dropped considerably with the health problems of Bibby and Hawes.

Decent to me would just be not to give up and to put out effort.

I refuse to subscribe to the gloom and doom feel of this board where many posters think they are being bright by pointing out how bad our bigs are. Brilliant observations! These observations do not make you astute basketball fans. We are one major knee injury from having that problem solved but get over it. Until we shed ourselves of the leftovers of the Webber injury, I don't expect much.

 

[VF21]

I know I've posted negatively, but I guess it was negativity just rubbing off from other people. I want to be positive about this team. Treewoman is a breath of fresh air, all the negativity has sort of turned me off to kings fans. Maybe we can insert more homerism, hype and blind, unabashed faith. We can turn this board around. It would actually make me feel better.

That doesn't mean we have to be unintelligent fans and just become kings zombies. But you must admit, being something akin to that takes away all of the stress while watching the team struggle.

As an aside, I can't wait for Hawes to become Vlade Divac 2.0! (And yes, I truly believe he will!).

There's room for everyone, ryanandty... I think the whole thing revolves around expectations and hopes.

Yes, most of us fully realize the team doesn't look that good but hope does spring eternal. As one of the resident homers, I want to find things to enjoy about my Kings...and I can usually do so.

People who are generally more critical may not agree, but that's what makes message boards. As long as we can find a way to accept and understand the other side of the coin, so to speak, we don't have to all think the same way. I do firmly believe, however, that there has to be a way to let BOTH opinions stand without the continual sniping.

It's not a matter of turning the board around. I think we have a pretty good representation of all manner of Kings fans - from the homer to the person who simply cannot or will not see ANYTHING good about the team...

GO KINGS!!!

 

[VF21]

Define "decent."

It finally dawned on me that you might be asking me what I meant by decent in relationship to Mikki Moore...

So I'll give you my OPINION, and hope I don't get crucified for having it.

In watching every game so far, it is my opinion that Mikki Moore is simply trying too hard to prove that he was the right player to sign. I think he needs to relax a bit as far as trying to prove anything, and let the game come to him. He can block shots - on occasion - and I've seen him in there hustling for rebounds. What's frustrating to me is to watch him going for a rebound with another King and they end up canceling each other out.

I think Mikki is one of those who will suffer the most without a legitimate point guard on the court. I think his fumble fingers are a result of the above-mentioned attempts at proving something.

So, if he can put all that aside, grab some rebounds, get his jumper to hit more consistently and not turn the ball over so much I'll call that a decent game.

 

[Emma]

You know what, I predict major losing for a good portion of the season. But we will probably fin a rhythm in February and eek into the playoffs. I can actually see growth in our team, and I can deal with the loss of Artest (if or when it comes. But not Bibby, I think I will cry).
Salmons is extremely gifted. Cisco reminds me of Leandro Barbosa. Martin is basically a carbon copy of Reggie Miller. Just a couple hustlers away from the 6th seed, and from there, one insane PF away from contention.

 

[fnordius]

People shouldn't let the negativity bother them.

If you read one of our recent game threads, it's like the sort of humor you find in an ER. It's us attempting to keep our sanity in what would otherwise be an intolerably depressing situation. OK, so we make sick jokes when discussing Kenny Thomas. It doesn't mean that we hate the team, any more than the ER staff hate their patients. We love the team, or we wouldn't be here.

A lot of us here are fans from the '80s or '90s, and know full well what it means to love a team that sucks. We are loyal, even though the lottery will probably be staring us in the face by Christmas. When we can't find much hope in the present, we drool over the upcoming draft. And there's nothing bad about feeling that way. It's not as if Tinkerbell were dying, and saying "I DO believe in fairies!" would make everything better. Realism doesn't hurt the team a bit, but it does keep us from being crushed by disappointments.

 

[VF21]

Some people, though, do let the negativity bother them - and that's what I think they're trying to say.

When someone posts a "rah-rah" thread there just seems to be a tendency by some to want to immediately pounce on it and reduce it and the poster to ruins. That's what I object to, I know.

There should be room for the "rah-rah" fans to express themselves.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Some people, though, do let the negativity bother them - and that's what I think they're trying to say.

When someone posts a "rah-rah" thread there just seems to be a tendency by some to want to immediately pounce on it and reduce it and the poster to ruins...

Perhaps I'm just being biased because of my point of view, but it seems to me that the inverse happens at least as often.

 

[6th]

Some people, though, do let the negativity bother them - and that's what I think they're trying to say.

When someone posts a "rah-rah" thread there just seems to be a tendency by some to want to immediately pounce on it and reduce it and the poster to ruins. That's what I object to, I know.

There should be room for the "rah-rah" fans to express themselves.

I'm going to jump into this (officially as the Goodwill Ambassador of KingsFans.com)

VF21 is correct!! There should be room for the "rah-rah" fans to express themselves, just as the "doom and gloom" fans have their say.

People, to remain a respected site, and the best Kings message board on the internet, we MUST allow each other their point of view without putting down the opposition. Therein lies the problem. We are not opposition for one another. We are simply fans with different views.

LET'S GET BACK THE RESPECT WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD FOR OTHER FANS........or at the very least....SHOW SOME RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER!

 

[VF21]

Perhaps I'm just being biased because of my point of view, but it seems to me that the inverse happens at least as often.

Okay... This is a topic that will never be resolved so I'll agree to disagree and leave it at that.

 

[Glenn]

Some people, though, do let the negativity bother them - and that's what I think they're trying to say.

When someone posts a "rah-rah" thread there just seems to be a tendency by some to want to immediately pounce on it and reduce it and the poster to ruins. That's what I object to, I know.

There should be room for the "rah-rah" fans to express themselves.

Bravo!

 

[fnordius]

Hey, here's a cause for some cautious optimism...

Now, let me preface this by saying that, in case you've been absent from the site for the last few weeks, it is abundantly clear that speculation about Justin Williams' legal situation is not universally popular with the moderators. So please, no speculation, this is just an update.

The police have finished with the case, and passed it along to the DA on Friday. Our long wait should be over shortly.
http://www.my58.com/sports/14500869/detail.html

 

[kingsfan101]

During a year like this the last thing you want to do is make the playoffs as some sort of garbage 35 win team or something and lose any chance you have of improving in the lottery. If you're going to suck, let's go ahead and suck and get a chance to reload with a top young talent next offseason.

Hopefully, multiple draft picks.

 

[fnordius]

Hopefully, multiple draft picks.

Considering that this upcoming draft will be only the second time since 2001 that we don't have any traded away in advance, I'm pretty excited about getting one in each round. Of course, if Portland wants to give us theirs + Raef LaFrentz in return for KT and SAR, I'm game...

 

[Kingster]

I am back at Kingsfans after a break (literally) and I see a lot of negativity and not much hope.

The first two games were real rough but they also showed a lot of potential, I think. I am seeing a coach and players who really WANT to win and are working hard. I think they are struggling right now to bring it all together - this team has a lot of new components but I am seeing a potential here for them to really do well when they do bring it together. Even Brad and Kenny (my two least favorites) look better to me this year than they have in the past. I am over the top excited about how well Kevin is doing; Moore got off to a shaky start but I think he has what it takes; John is doing really well; Francisco know this is his make it or break it year and has incredible motivation and heart; Mike had a great game prior to his injury (and I think he seemed more motivated); Ron is my favorite thug and I think he brings a lot to the game; and I like the look of our other new players.

To me attitude is one of the most critical (and under-rated) aspects of this game. I LIKE what I see in Reggie.

In short I think after a shaky start the Kings are going to surprise us and have a fairly decent year.

First, Bibby didn't have great game prior to his injury. Unless in your dictionary great means "pretty good."

If 25-30 wins gets us a top 5 pick in next year's draft, it will be a fairly decent year. If we get the top pick in the draft, it will be a very decent year. And if we can trade Artest for a youngin and/or a high pick, that will be decent too.

We have some good wing players. The other players we have suck. If we continue to spin our wheels for the next two years like we have been the last two years that will be a horror story. That would be terribly indecent.

Decent for me is playing our young guys, developing them, playing hard, getting those young guys better, so that next year we can start getting ourselves out of the hole instead of digging it deeper. Hopefully Justin Williams and Hawes will get some significant minutes in December. And hopefully the pf who should not be named will get zero minutes and Miki will get very few minutes. If Hawes and Miller split their minutes that would be fine with me.

So far I like the fact that Theus is a straight talker and isn't intimidated by the vets. That's a very good thing. Can he improve our young guys? That remains to be seen, but that's my main criterion for judging Theus. Making the playoffs certainly isn't.

 

[kingsfan916]

landing 1s pick will be better than decent it would be great for building a young core

 

[kingsfan101]

Considering that this upcoming draft will be only the second time since 2001 that we don't have any traded away in advance, I'm pretty excited about getting one in each round. Of course, if Portland wants to give us theirs + Raef LaFrentz in return for KT and SAR, I'm game...

Should have clarified. Hopefully, multiple first round picks.

Even protected picks are fine. Our rebuilding is going to be a long term project, and patience is a virtue we shall all need to develop (if we haven't already ).

 

[twocents]

i am sorry but "treewoman"? maybe it is because i am turkish, but the image this nick generates in my mind is really funny and bizarre at the same time.

by the way, it is always fun to see your lovely avatar, glenn. i am hoping you are still enjoying kings basketball "on your own terms".

 

[treewoman]

My, my. Interesting comments. I guess I should admit that while watching the Spurs game my inclination was to throw a blanket over my head and scream (much like watching a horror movie) and only after a very large bowl of ice cream with fudge topping, cherries and nuts was I able to summon my "cup half full" perspective.... the improvement in the third quarter helped.

And I suppose I would have to admit, after consideration, that my idea of "decent" is somewhat reduced from what it was at this point (beginning of the season) three years ago.

Honestly, what I am hoping for is to see spark and future potential. I do not really have huge expectations for this year. I want to watch games that make me hold my breath in excitement (rather than throwing blankets over my head). I want to watch Mike throw the winning basket. I want to watch Kevin fly and twist in ways that seem impossible to me. I want to see Francisco's hustle. In short, I just want to enjoy watching them.

Last year was not fun to watch. They were miserable, I was miserable, fans were miserable. This year so far, while not spectacular - I am seeing players that appear to be giving a good effort and a coach that seems much better suited to our team. . .

So rah, rah, rah!


P.S. Two cents: I live in the forest and I am a woman -hence the name.

 

[Bricklayer]

My, my. Interesting comments. I guess I should admit that while watching the Spurs game my inclination was to throw a blanket over my head and scream (much like watching a horror movie) and only after a very large bowl of ice cream with fudge topping, cherries and nuts was I able to summon my "cup half full" perspective....

Well there's something we can agree on -- my kind of therapy.

 

[Glenn]

Should have clarified. Hopefully, multiple first round picks.

Even protected picks are fine. Our rebuilding is going to be a long term project, and patience is a virtue we shall all need to develop (if we haven't already ).

Back in ancient history we once had 4 first round picks. One had a moderately good career considering what we were used to (L-Train), one didn't make it at all (Travis Mayes), one was a mediocre journeyman (Bonner), and then there was Causwell who makes our bigs look good.

We also had the #1 pick in the draft once: Pervis Ellison. Remember him?

Point being, there are no guarantees in the draft.

 

[mcsluggo]

well.... First off, while i am in the camp that believes that Geof P. is "somewhat over-rated"... one of the big REASONS he is over-rated is precisely because he is NO WHERE NEAR as big a chump as the GMs that ran the Sac Kings before him. I have faith that he would be able to produce something better than the 1980s, early 90s fodder that passed through the King's via the draft. (I know, I know...I set the bar HIGH for the man, no? )

Secondly, the sad fact of the matter is that Dwayne friggin Causwell may indeed be HEAD AND SHOULDERS better than anyone we have in the front court right now <shudder>. Our rooke may be better (who knows) and Miller and s.a.r. HAVE BEEN better... but right now.... ? Causey in his Kings years was as at least a presence in the middle (a bumbling boneheaded presense who seemingly had all of his fingers cut off whenever he tried to catch the ball... but a physical presense none the less) perhaps Justin will fill a similar role, but surpass him.... IF he ever plays again.