A few snippets:
About the DMC trade:
HE HAD A BETTER DEAL TWO DAYS AGO? Online memes mocked Divac at blinding speed, along with a raft of the most unflattering photos of Divac that every outlet could find.
Where are the apologies? The recognition of failed hot takes? Don’t hold your breath. Divac isn’t.
“Time is going to defend me,” Divac said last week before leaving with the team on its longest road trip of the season. ”I’m a very confident person. I know what I meant. They took me out of context because of my language barrier.
Other bits:
Here is the secret to Divac’s success and the Kings’ success under him. He doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t wallow in negativity. He doesn’t care what people think about him. Who you are doesn’t dictate how he relates to you.
Remember that story when juxtaposed against the same Divac who told his rich-guy bosses to back off. Remember it when juxtaposed against my question to Divac about why he passed up star NBA rookie Luka Doncic for Marvin Bagley. Doncic is starring for the Dallas Mavericks and being feted by the same media corps that crushed Divac nearly two years ago.
What does he say to fans who wish Doncic was in a Kings uniform? “I say they should go root for Dallas,” he said.
Doncic needs to have the ball in his hands to excel. Bagley fits within a team structure Divac is trying to nurture.
“I love basketball the right way,” Divac said. “Where everybody is sharing the ball. When you do that, your team has fun. And when your team has fun, your fans have fun.
The Kings went from a one-dimensional loser weighted down by a turbulent asset to the surprise of the NBA with a fresh new culture. The transition was orchestrated by a man branded as dumb and clueless. It was executed with deft moves that cleared veteran players going nowhere for young ones on the rise.