Rising from the ashes

VF21

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[drupal=102]Rising from the ashes[/drupal]

No, this isn't going to be a comparison of the Kings to Phoenix. What I want to talk about is a resurrection but not of the legendary phoenix. I want to talk about a resurrection of TEAM KINGS.

No one expected the Kings to beat the Mavericks tonight. In fact, no one would really have been surprised if the Kings rolled over and played dead early on, going through the motions until the final buzzer so they could get on the plane and head home.

It didn't happen, though. There was a miracle of sorts in Dallas and Kings fans hopefully took notice.

Did you hear the voice yell out "High pick! High pick!"? Was it unfamiliar to you?

Yelling out a pick alert to a teammate was our new #5, Andres Nocioni. And it was a joy to this fan's ears. That's what teammates do for each other ... and it's the first step on the road to a resurrection of team play and chemistry.

All year long I've begged for heart and hustle, energy and effort. Tonight we saw it ... and it was good.

Last night's victory against Memphis was fun, but it could easily have been scripted in Hollywood. It was totally predictable that the ragtag group of players would find a way to band together and win. Adrenalin and pride combined with a favorable matchup and the Kings got the W.

Tonight, however, the Kings didn't stand a chance of winning. They knew it; we knew it; people on Alpha Centauri most likely knew it. But it didn't matter.

Tonight was about pride and teamwork and focus. It was about respect for themselves, for each other and for the game we love.

Tonight may have been a loss but it was a team effort, with the emphasis being on the words "team" and "effort." The Kings didn't lose. The Mavericks won because they were simply the much better team.

There's hope for the future when you see effort like tonight. It wasn't perfect and it wasn't the end result. But it was a beginning. And that's what we've all been waiting for.

Oddly enough, one of the best moments for me was actually watching Dirk Nowitzki walk off the court at the end of the game, waving a towel as though they'd just won a playoff game. Hey, Dirk? We'll be back. And next time? You might just be in for a surprise. Before you celebrate too much, keep in mind you're excited over beating a cellar dweller whose roster was blown up 48 hours ago. Were you really that afraid of us?

GO KINGS!!!
 
The funny thing is that Nocioni wasn't calling out defense, he was just rooting for Chris Webber at the lottery draw. High pick indeed, Andres, high pick indeed. ;)
 
Have we fallen so far that a professional basketball player yelling out "High Pick" in a basketball game is an anomaly? I yell that out in pick-up games at the gym.
 
he got off the plane there with barely enough time to meet and greet everyone let alone play a game - give him a break ay
 
Have we fallen so far that a professional basketball player yelling out "High Pick" in a basketball game is an anomaly? I yell that out in pick-up games at the gym.


I made that same remark in the grades. Its basketball 101. Also jsut common courtesy so your guards don't get splatted. But I swear I have not heard a Kings player perform such a simple act all season long, and wiht as quiet as our gym as been, I'm pretty sure you would hear.
 
Hm..so as long as someone calls out "High Pick!", it's okay for them to shoot 2 for 11....guess so :rolleyes:

This is one of the most absurd statements I've seen yet. The guy doesn't even know the names of the rest of the team yet. He flew to Sacramento from Chicago for the physical, then jumped on a plane to get to Dallas to join the team.

I defy ANYONE to have had a good shooting night after something like that.

People continually whine about defense and fundamentals. What Nocioni did with that one action was to show a respect for his teammates AND the game that has been sorely lacking.
 
I know nobody liikes Nocioni's contract, but he will have a positive presence in the locker room and on the court. His effort, physicality, and experience will rub off on the young guys. I hope! We probably won't see a positive results untill next year, but I think his style of play will only help JT, Spencer, Kevin, etc.
 
This is one of the most absurd statements I've seen yet. The guy doesn't even know the names of the rest of the team yet. He flew to Sacramento from Chicago for the physical, then jumped on a plane to get to Dallas to join the team.

I defy ANYONE to have had a good shooting night after something like that.

People continually whine about defense and fundamentals. What Nocioni did with that one action was to show a respect for his teammates AND the game that has been sorely lacking.

John Salmons looked pretty good tonight.... :rolleyes:
 
John Salmons looked pretty good tonight.... :rolleyes:

I'm happy for Salmons and hopes he's successful with Chicago. That's not the point...

I'm at least willing to be open-minded about Nocioni coming to the Kings. He, just like every other player (and ironically, that would include John Salmons), comes to the Kings with a clean slate.

What I saw with his first effort on the court was encouraging. I'm not the kind of person to dump on our own players anyway, and I'm certainly not going to dump on someone who has voiced their enthusiasm about coming to Sacramento, shows up and tries to be productive and helpful to a team he doesn't know yet, and shows at least an awareness of some of the most basic components of the game.

The only real dig people have had on him is his salary and I'm not paying it, so I'm going to judge him on what I see on the court. And thus far, I'm pretty happy...
 
I agree VF21 and concerning Andres Nocioni. In such a really downer year for the Kings it seems least fans at Arco can do is yell - Noc! Noc! Noc! (Nooch) if he gets it going on the court with his toughness and intensity which is pretty likely to energize at some point. No question our now suffering drearly fans are dying to deliver some kind of adulation. Even in Chicago they went nuts (see link) when he got everyone fired up. In his first game as a King, Andres showed that his "shocking" yell on defense was loud enough to be heard throughout the arena in Big D and over TV/radio airwaves. So Arco fans will hopefully be able to return a mighty yell back to him in this down year:)

One more time for all time sake! Nocioni Nation comes calling!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbxzfVl_7c4
 
I'm happy for Salmons and hopes he's successful with Chicago. That's not the point...

I'm at least willing to be open-minded about Nocioni coming to the Kings. He, just like every other player (and ironically, that would include John Salmons), comes to the Kings with a clean slate.

What I saw with his first effort on the court was encouraging. I'm not the kind of person to dump on our own players anyway, and I'm certainly not going to dump on someone who has voiced their enthusiasm about coming to Sacramento, shows up and tries to be productive and helpful to a team he doesn't know yet, and shows at least an awareness of some of the most basic components of the game.

The only real dig people have had on him is his salary and I'm not paying it, so I'm going to judge him on what I see on the court. And thus far, I'm pretty happy...

That's fine, I'm just saying, I don't think it's impossible to have a good game immediately with your new team, and others, such as Salmons, proved that. But we'll see how Noci does next game.
 
...sigh...

Andres Nocioni is the ONLY one who spent almost two full days traveling, had no breathing time or even a meal with his new teammates before taking the court. Salmons made one flight and had time to get his bearings.

It's pretty clear you're looking for reasons to not like him and that's fine. We'll agree to disagree...
 
I don't think you should be trying to explain anything to him / her using logic. How they expected Noc to have a good game when he doesn't know ONE single play is absurd. He was at least running his *** off trying to find space, playing tough defense and yes, calling out "high pick". Nobody is anoiting him to be the next MJ, but either stop drinking the haterade and make a intelligent post or find somewhere else to troll.

FYI - I watched the bulls game where Salmons played. He was the beneficiary of terrific passes by his teammates, which resulted in WIDE open 3s. He's playing for a team with a shot at the playoffs, with much better passing guards than the Kings. He's also auditioning for playing time, and had time to get acclimated.
 
Nocioni will be just fine. He can't be judged on one game with the team after not having even one practice. Salmons also had miller in the lineup with him which makes a big difference. I guess if rose came over in the trade and had started at pg for us, nocioni might have looked a little better. Lets save our judgement untill these guys at least have a few practices together.
 
I watched the previous 2 games Nocioni played and he did well. I'm not disagreeing w/ you, VF. I'm impressed w/ his playing style... and even though the Kings lost to the Hornets, you could tell they played hard. Nocioni & Jackson's aggressiveness did rub off on other players, which is indeed encouraging..

But to title the thread, "Rising from the Ashes", I think is a little over the top in my opinion...But don't get me wrong. I really admire your optimism, but we're still a pretty "charred up" w/ the worst record in the league.

If we're able to string a few Ws together... that's a different story... (which I do hope will happen)

;)
 
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I used "rising from the ashes" partially because we were playing Phoenix at the time I wrote it and the play on words appealed to me.

I also used "rising from the ashes" because to me it seems as though the team is, in fact, looking up instead of simply staring at their feet or just going through the motions.

The trades made a big difference in the body language of the team. It's made a big difference in the attitudes of a lot of fans. Rising from the ashes means we're no longer just lying there as charred ruins. It doesn't mean we're back on top; it just means we may finally be taking the first small steps towards getting back to where we can look towards the playoffs in a couple of years as a realistic goal and not just a fond memory...

And good God Naismith NO! We do NOT want to string together a few Ws in late February, March or even April. That would, in fact, be about the worst possible thing we could do.

Why? Because we've sucked all year and our suckatude has us in great position for a good chance at a #1-#4 draft pick.

Meaningless wins at this point wouldn't do a thing to help our Kings in the long run. I don't say that lightly, either. I sit at home watching every game, rooting in the moment. As long as they play with heart and hustle, energy and enthusiasm, I'm happy. When the dust clears and we're one step closer to being able to draft Griffin, Thabeet, Rubio, etc., I'm even happier.
 
I used "rising from the ashes" partially because we were playing Phoenix at the time I wrote it and the play on words appealed to me.

I also used "rising from the ashes" because to me it seems as though the team is, in fact, looking up instead of simply staring at their feet or just going through the motions.

The trades made a big difference in the body language of the team. It's made a big difference in the attitudes of a lot of fans. Rising from the ashes means we're no longer just lying there as charred ruins. It doesn't mean we're back on top; it just means we may finally be taking the first small steps towards getting back to where we can look towards the playoffs in a couple of years as a realistic goal and not just a fond memory...

And good God Naismith NO! We do NOT want to string together a few Ws in late February, March or even April. That would, in fact, be about the worst possible thing we could do.

Why? Because we've sucked all year and our suckatude has us in great position for a good chance at a #1-#4 draft pick.

Meaningless wins at this point wouldn't do a thing to help our Kings in the long run. I don't say that lightly, either. I sit at home watching every game, rooting in the moment. As long as they play with heart and hustle, energy and enthusiasm, I'm happy. When the dust clears and we're one step closer to being able to draft Griffin, Thabeet, Rubio, etc., I'm even happier.

I have to agree that I do like the direction.. It would be even better if we were able to unload KT's contract for Nate Robinson... But even though I am hoping for a HIGH draft pick as well... But I can't help but HOPE for a win everytime I watch the Kings play even though I know it ruins their chances..... that's just me.

I guess we can get everything, right?
 
I do think with Nocioni we will play with more energy and our defensive intensity will pick up. We will be more competitive but I don't think that will translate into more than 3-5 more wins. Gooden playing for a contract is what scares me. I don't mind us competing hard, and letting the young guys learn, but Gooden might just get us a few more wins. AND THATS THE LAST THING WE NEED
 
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