Reina's transcripts: Media day 2004

[piksi]

Excellent posts as always Reina. Much thanks for your hard work.


I found Adelman's comments the most telling personally. I really like Adelman and have come to respect and appreciate what he does for this team the last 2-3 years. I want a championship a lot, but having a team that wins 50 games every year in the incredibly deep and difficult Western Conference is quite an achievement and one I hope people keep in mind when think they about Rick.

People get antsy and want to see Adelman fired during the course of the season, but these same people seem to forget how unsuccessful we were as a team before he got here. This guy is an EXCEPTIONAL coach at teaching his players chemistry and how to play together and I think as long as we keep him around we're going to have a great team to watch and a team that's going to win their fair share of games.

I don't feel it's fair to blame Rick for our lack of rings, as basically it has come down to getting hurt or a player not making shots they normally should. Anyway, I'm a big Adelman supporter, and I hope other people realize the great things he's done and is doing for this team.

I suppose - I am one of those.
I do not question that he is a good coach and good person.
He just for some reason could not get all the way ( POR & SAC).
When things keep repeating from year to year they just stop being coincidence.

 

[Bricklayer]

When things keep repeating from year to year they just stop being coincidence.

Yes, its funny how consistently running into better/healthier teams has this tendency to result in losses.

 

[AleksandarN]

Yes, its funny how consistently running into better/healthier teams has this tendency to result in losses.

Yes but you can say that his short rotations did not help his players from wearing down,even he[adleman] admitted as much.

 

[Bricklayer]

Yes but you can say that his short rotations did not help his players from wearing down,even he[adleman] admitted as much.

A common myth -- none of the players who got injured was in the top 50 players in the league in minutes at the time they went down.

Furthermore, the myth runs deeper. The Kings have NEVER played their starters significantly longer than other teams around the league -- and that's with 5 real good ones (something most teams do not have). At best they have consolidated more of the bench minutes amongst fewer bench players -- 3 guys playing 20minutes each rather than 5 playing 12min each. But at that point, the myth goes *poof* because ANY NBA player should be able to handle 20-25min in his/her sleep, or else every starter int he league would be hurt every year.

The facts simply do not support the "too many minutes" hypothesis:

The year Peja got hurt he played 2648 minutes during the season. That wouldn't have ranked in the top 50 last year.

The year Webb went down with his knee injury he played 2619 minutes during the season. That also would not have ranked in the Top 50 last year.

Bobby got hurt this year while averaging 23.7mpg, for 1185 on the season. There were over 100 guys who averaged more minutes than him last year.

FOR COMPARISON:
This year's champs, the Pistons:
B.Wallace: 3050
Hamilton: 2772
Billups: 2758
Prince: 2701
R. Wallace: 2390

None of them get hurt. They win the championship. Explain to me again how its about the minutes.

 

[AceKingSuited]

Did Peja have last summer off? I can't remember.

 

[6th]

Did Peja have last summer off? I can't remember.

It seems that the summer that just ended is the 1st summer he has had off in several years. If his injuries are going to be blamed on playing too many minutes then maybe he should change his decision making concerning basketball teams he plays on, which he thankfully did this year. Now, let's see if he can handle the NBA minutes without wearing out by playoff time.

 

[ReinadelosReys]

Reina.....I know exactly what you're talking about, I looked at another Kings site, saw they mentioned the interviews. Didn't think too much of it until I saw how it was written(more like cut and pasted). The only things that were changed were these:

Well at least my "its 2am and I got home and can't sleep typo errors" were fixed. ...Its not like I have any copyrights on this stuff or like I conducted the interviews my self and I could really care less if its posted else where, we are of course all Kings fans, just give the messenger-and that's not just me, but other folks who do things as well-a little credit. I appluad people like Kingsgurl, who already do it.

 

[Evenstar]

thanks for posting all those interviews reina!!!! i'm in LA LA land right now, and checking in for the first time in days, it was nice to read those.

OMG KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I"M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PejaFanatic]

Thanks so much Reina!!!

Is it me or does Chris looking mighty cute?!

I can't say the same to Tag though!!! LOL

 

[C4]

u rock reina! now it made me all the more excited to see the Kings play in China on the 14th & 17th! woohoo!!!!

 

[AceKingSuited]

It seems that the summer that just ended is the 1st summer he has had off in several years. If his injuries are going to be blamed on playing too many minutes then maybe he should change his decision making concerning basketball teams he plays on, which he thankfully did this year. Now, let's see if he can handle the NBA minutes without wearing out by playoff time.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Basically, I was asking because I think a lot of people knock Peja's playoff performance, but I've thought all along it was clearly an issue of stamina.

He didn't look scared to me whatsoever. He just looked fatigued.

Regardless of how many minutes other people played last year, Peja has played for his national team at least the last two years and played the most minutes in a season that he's ever played in his career. Additionally, he played the role of the number one offensive weapon for the kings, instead of his usual number three option. Then was run ragged in the post season by some great defense.

Whatever, it's a done deal now. People can say what they want about Peja, but to say he folded mentally is just haterism. However, 6th, I agree with you about his decision to spread himself too thin. He deserves most, maybe even all of the blame for being tired.

 

[LjuboDaMan]

Excellent posts as always Reina. Much thanks for your hard work.


I found Adelman's comments the most telling personally. I really like Adelman and have come to respect and appreciate what he does for this team the last 2-3 years. I want a championship a lot, but having a team that wins 50 games every year in the incredibly deep and difficult Western Conference is quite an achievement and one I hope people keep in mind when think they about Rick.

People get antsy and want to see Adelman fired during the course of the season, but these same people seem to forget how unsuccessful we were as a team before he got here. This guy is an EXCEPTIONAL coach at teaching his players chemistry and how to play together and I think as long as we keep him around we're going to have a great team to watch and a team that's going to win their fair share of games.

I don't feel it's fair to blame Rick for our lack of rings, as basically it has come down to getting hurt or a player not making shots they normally should. Anyway, I'm a big Adelman supporter, and I hope other people realize the great things he's done and is doing for this team.

i support him too ...

 

[billwrtr]

Thanks Reina!!!!!

Thanks Reina!!!!!

 

[Elise10]

Well at least my "its 2am and I got home and can't sleep typo errors" were fixed. ...Its not like I have any copyrights on this stuff or like I conducted the interviews my self and I could really care less if its posted else where, we are of course all Kings fans, just give the messenger-and that's not just me, but other folks who do things as well-a little credit. I appluad people like Kingsgurl, who already do it.

I understand that....it's just blatantly obvious that no credit was given. I just look and go because why give comments to someone else when you know it's not their work.

 

[piksi]

Yes, its funny how consistently running into better/healthier teams has this tendency to result in losses.

Better ? - I disagree here. Better coached surely but better as in deeper - no way.

healthier - no argument here.

 

[#1sacfan]

Adelman, nice guy, good coach in terms of helping team chemistry. Adelmans in-game decision making and ability to put people in their place, pee poor.

 

[Bricklayer]

Better ? - I disagree here. Better coached surely but better as in deeper - no way.

healthier - no argument here.

Depth, beyond the top 7-8 guys, has never meant diddly when it comes to winning championships. It has always been quality of players, not quantity of players. Even the Bad Boy Pistons, deep as they were, had more great players on their team than Adelman did on his.

Adelman has been denied by three teams, all of them have been dynasties. All of them have featured multiple Hall of Famers. All of them have stayed healthy. All of them have just flat out been better than the teams Rick was able to field against them.

 

[#1sacfan]

Depth, beyond the top 7-8 guys, has never meant diddly when it comes to winning championships. It has always been quality of players, not quantity of players. Even the Bad Boy Pistons, deep as they were, had more great players on their team than Adelman did on his.

Adelman has been denied by three teams, all of them have been dynasties. All of them have featured multiple Hall of Famers. All of them have stayed healthy. All of them have just flat out been better than the teams Rick was able to field against them.

I would not call the 2003 Mavs or the 2004 Wolves dynasty's. And the 2002 Lakers were not better then the Kings in 2002.

 

[Bricklayer]

I would not call the 2003 Mavs or the 2004 Wolves dynasty's. And the 2002 Lakers were not better then the Kings in 2002.

No, but the 2002 Lakers WERE probably better than the 2002 Kings minus Peja Stojakovic.

Similarly, the 2003 Mavs were better than the 2003 Kings minus Chris Webber.

And the 2004 Wolves were likely better than the banged up Kings this past year too.

I've mentioned this before, so far as I know, Rick Adelman has NEVER lost a playoff series he was favored to win with the exception of the Mavs series when Webb went down. And the odds there swung to the Mavs as soon as that injury occurred.

 

[#1sacfan]

No, but the 2002 Lakers WERE probably better than the 2002 Kings minus Peja Stojakovic.

Similarly, the 2003 Mavs were better than the 2003 Kings minus Chris Webber.

And the 2004 Wolves were likely better than the banged up Kings this past year too.

I've mentioned this before, so far as I know, Rick Adelman has NEVER lost a playoff series he was favored to win with the exception of the Mavs series when Webb went down. And the odds there swung to the Mavs as soon as that injury occurred.

He lost to the Lakers in 91' with a superior Blazers team that won 63 games in the regular season.

Also the 2003 Mavs were not better then the Kings w/out Webber. The Kings w/ Webber were way better then the Mavs but w/out him they were still better.

Rick did not use our size advantage as he should have and played small ball instead. He also refused to put Doug Christie on Van Exel and Bobby on Nash. Instead he kept playing Mike who was never fully healed from his injury and worst of all he had him gaurding Van Exel.

Bibby could not gaurd Sam Cassel when Cassel was at 50%.