I am one of the many Kings fans who realizes that it's going to take 30-40 games before our new pieces have gelled together. With that being said, we must consider some possibilities...
If we are completely gelled together then that means our offensive production should be 110+ ppg. This could be enough to win a title, but I seriously doubt it. There are many teams with multiple weapons that can match our offensive output. Also we must go deep into the playoffs if we expect Peja to stick around.
If we don't gel by midseason then we will spend the rest of the season teaching our young ones and continuing to gel. At the end of the season Peja would most likely walk and some trades will be made.
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I believe this team has championship caliber players but is not a championship caliber team. I don't think that down the stretch we can get the stops that are needed to win championships. And what happens on nights where we don't shoot the lights out? We have no defense to lean on for those times. The only way I see Peja returning is if we win a championship, or if no other team offers him a contract. And both of those are unlikely.
Therefore, we must try to trade Peja NOW and get something for him. Oh! Look at that... Ron Artest is available...
PULL THE FRIGGIN TRIGGER!
There is no way Ron is going to do something stupid again, like the brawl. Have you seen his body language, and how he talks to the media? He is not the smartest man, but he isn't a complete idiot. He just wants a new home where he can start fresh. He could come in and instantly have an impact on our defense. That is reason alone to make the trade. Can I envision Ron blowing up? Yes... Offensively. If this team was meant to win the championship this year, then we would be doing better. If this is a rebuilding year then lets rebuild. Peja's contract being up at the end of the year doesn't help that scenario. Either we take a chance with Peja and wait for 3 years if we fail, or we make the trade, and start instituting defense today.
You can't spell BADA$$ without BAD...(or A$$ for that matter)