Series notes: Wells says ball in Kings court

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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14252430p-15068549c.html

Series notes: Wells says ball in Kings' court
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, May 6, 2006

Bonzi Wells, who most would agree was the top player in this series, is not sure where he'll be next season, though he greatly favors a return to the Kings.

"Like I told them when I got here, I don't want to move anymore," said Wells after he scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Friday night's 105-83 series-ending loss to the Spurs

"If I am not here next year it's totally up to them. I want to be here, I want to do everything it takes to be a King for the rest of my career but if they want to go in a different direction I understand."

Kings coach Rick Adelman, who isn't even sure if he'll be back, would like to see Wells stay and continue to excel.

"Obviously, the way he's played, he's definitely changed a mind-set. If there was a mind-set someplace else, he's changed it," Adelman said. "It's a good balance with him and Ron (Artest) and Kevin (Martin). I like the mix of this team. But free agency is such a crapshoot because there's so many people involved - his agent, ownership, other teams. I certainly appreciate everything he's done (this season), and I think it's a very workable situation."

Earlier in the week, Wells said it was important that he play for a title-contender.

"The only thing you can worry about is winning championships, because that's what you are going to be remembered by," he said.

Wells likes Martin's future
Wells sees a little of himself in Kevin Martin, some 40 pounds and a half-dozen belt loops ago.

Wells is the powerfully built Kings shooting guard who plays more like a ransacking linebacker inside the paint, with gruff expressions and a shaved dome. Martin - thin, wiry and explosive with a shock of hair above his youthful face - runs the floor like a deer and jumps like no other man in this best-of-seven series with the Spurs.

Martin is the second-year swingman who admirably replaced Wells in the starting lineup for a spell this season when Wells was nursing a groin tear - and he could replace him permanently should Wells bolt via free agency this summer.

"K-Mart reminds me of myself when I got in the league (eight) years ago, like a déjà vu," Wells said. "When you're 21, 22, 23 years old, before you get all those games on your legs, you have all that cat quickness, all that energy. You need it and you use it."

Wells has been a mentor of sorts for Martin, working him over in training camp, encouraging him to succeed when he was starting. For Wells, his mentor was Steve Smith, the classy veteran who took Wells under his wing when they were Portland Trail Blazers teammates in the late 1990s.

"It's the same exact scenario," Wells said. "I had just come into the league, bouncing and flying up and down the court. I tell Kevin what Steve told me: 'Yeah, keep doing that, young fella. Keep doing it while you've got it.' "

How much left?
Wells talks about young legs with envy, so how much more wear and tear can his 29-year-old wheels stand? Plenty, he insists.

"I'd like to play six or seven more years," Wells said. "I've got a lot left in these legs. They'll have to kick me out of this league. They'll have to wheelchair me out of this league because I love it too much.

"I'll be like Cliff Robinson (the longest-tenured player in the league). This is the best time of my life. This is the only thing I know how to really do, basketball."

Reef's ride
For too long, by his own count, Shareef Abdur-Rahim watched the chaos of the NBA playoffs from afar.

Abdur-Rahim is a playoff participant for the first time in his 10-year NBA career, having brought the curtain down on the second-longest such player drought in NBA history. In past playoff seasons, he would cheer for friends with an uneasy twinge of envy.

Abdur-Rahim said he pumped his fist when former Vancouver Grizzlies teammate Mike Bibby beat the Lakers in Game 5 of the epic 2002 Kings-Lakers series with a late jumper. Abdur-Rahim shouted at his TV, as if to reach old pal Stephon Marbury, when the guard stunned the Spurs with a buzzer-beater in a 2003 first-round game while with the Phoenix Suns.

"I was happy for those guys, and I pulled for my guys," Abdur-Rahim said, adding that he always has pulled for those in his same draft class, including Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal.

Alas, Abdur-Rahim returns to the couch, rooting for friends in round two.

Remembering yesteryear
In 1990, Adelman was coaching a proven product, the highly touted Portland Trail Blazers against the upstart Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. The Blazers prevailed in seven games, including a dramatic finale when they rallied from seven down in the closing minutes and won in double overtime, en route to a trip to the Finals.

"The thing I remember about that series is how the Spurs killed us in their three home games," said Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, who was then a front office executive with the Blazers.
Rod Strickland doomed the Spurs with a late turnover in Game 7, and Portland signed him later, with Adelman cracking recently: "We paid him back."

* Spurs coach Gregg Popovich earlier in the series, after Melvin Sanders - the lone player the Spurs left off their playoff roster - tore a knee ligament in practice: "I might be a (bad) coach, but I sure know who to put on the injured list."

About the writer: The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at jdavidson@sacbee.com.
 
i'm sure someone here has already claimed this. but i'll say it too. and predict. there is no way bonzi is a king next year.

not because HE doesn't want to be. but a playoff performance such as his means people will be throwing money at him. like...crazy isaiah thomas kinda money. kings can't/won't match. bonzi takes it as offense. he'll be bummed for a bit. then realize he's playing for the knicks. and doesn't have artest fueling his passion. and he'll get bored. and unhappy. then realize he has a mountain of money at home to roll around. weee!

mark my words. mark a calendar.

artest/bonzi/martin developing together would have made for many sights to see. oh well.
 
Sluggah said:
i'm sure someone here has already claimed this. but i'll say it too. and predict. there is no way bonzi is a king next year.

not because HE doesn't want to be. but a playoff performance such as his means people will be throwing money at him. like...crazy isaiah thomas kinda money. kings can't/won't match. bonzi takes it as offense. he'll be bummed for a bit. then realize he's playing for the knicks. and doesn't have artest fueling his passion. and he'll get bored. and unhappy. then realize he has a mountain of money at home to roll around. weee!

mark my words. mark a calendar.

artest/bonzi/martin developing together would have made for many sights to see. oh well.

I think you're wrong.

Bonzi has made it very apparent that it's not about the money as much as being in a place where he feels wanted, appreciated, is able to play, etc. He's found that here, after bouncing around elsewhere. I firmly believe if the Maloofs make him a decent offer he will, in fact, opt to stay here.

Mark my words.

;)
 
VF21 said:
I think you're wrong.

Bonzi has made it very apparent that it's not about the money as much as being in a place where he feels wanted, appreciated, is able to play, etc. He's found that here, after bouncing around elsewhere. I firmly believe if the Maloofs make him a decent offer he will, in fact, opt to stay here.

Mark my words.

;)

I hope your right... someone is going to throw him 60 mil for 5 years... you just know it! so many teams will be after him and crazy teams will joe johnson him.... IT will be up to the maloofs to stand firm on thier 35-45 mil range. He should get 5 years 35 mil, and that would put us in a finacial situation of perfection... my guess he will want 8 mil a year for 5 years... or more... but if he can can accpet6-7 a yr it will really help us.
 
5 years 35 million is an insult. You start with what he's making this year and then add a bit to sweeten it. Since he's already making $8 mil you don't reduce it.

I trust Petrie will do the right thing and I strongly suspect the Maloofs have told him to "get 'er dun." Bonzi is exactly the type of player they love. They aren't going to let him get away.
 
I'm not sure I'd give Bonzi a deal around 5 years, 9/year. I love what he brings to the team but there are so many potential concerns for me:

1. What if this was a contract year thing? It's not like Bonzi has a great track record and while we have a nice history of guys turning things around in Sac, it doesn't always happen.

2. What about KMart? Is he comfortable coming off the bench for the next 5 years?

3. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about a 35 year old troubled sg that depends on his physical skills making around 9-10 million.

Not saying we shouldn't resign him as I think he brings much needed skills and desire, but I would hate the last week (and a relatively strong season) to fool the team into making a less than wise decision.
 
VF21 said:
5 years 35 million is an insult. You start with what he's making this year and then add a bit to sweeten it. Since he's already making $8 mil you don't reduce it.

I trust Petrie will do the right thing and I strongly suspect the Maloofs have told him to "get 'er dun." Bonzi is exactly the type of player they love. They aren't going to let him get away.

I hope you're right. With the Maloofs as our owners, we do have the $. I just hope we can back this up with getting a new stadium and keeping the Kings in Sacto. It would really suck if the Kings went elsewhere after we have loved them so much. That would be a huge huge lose, the fan base here is amazing we aren't the loudest fans in the NBA for nothing....and to lose our team. Sorry to lose focus. Sign Bonzi to a big deal or have the very real chance of losing Artest. Artest is the franchise Kings player and he should have some say as to who should stand next to him and he said Bonzi. Let's build on Bonzi and Artest with some big interior Center and we'll have something to go into the playoffs with....watch out Spurs next year. :D
 
sdballer said:
I'm not sure I'd give Bonzi a deal around 5 years, 9/year. I love what he brings to the team but there are so many potential concerns for me:

1. What if this was a contract year thing? It's not like Bonzi has a great track record and while we have a nice history of guys turning things around in Sac, it doesn't always happen.

2. What about KMart? Is he comfortable coming off the bench for the next 5 years?

3. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about a 35 year old troubled sg that depends on his physical skills making around 9-10 million.

Not saying we shouldn't resign him as I think he brings much needed skills and desire, but I would hate the last week (and a relatively strong season) to fool the team into making a less than wise decision.

These are very valid points, it would suck to delegate KMart to the bench behind Bonzi, is it possible to hone his PG skills? If Cisco can do it, I think KMart can. I don't think we are seeing a contract Bonzi, this is what Bonzi can and will do...heart and wanting to win isn't something you can train he is a warrior like Artest and we need him on this new Kings team. I see him making between 8-9M/yr for 5 years, but then you have Miller and Bibby making the big $ and you say....why cannot I. :D
 
I love Bonzi and would love to have him back but I have a concern. I think Kevin Martin is ready for the starting role. Two shooting guards that can start and bring two different games to the table. Can they both co-exist for the next 3-5 years? What about the developement of Garcia? Would we be better off in a sign and trade with Bonzi and try to bring in some kind of defensive presence in the middle (if someone is available) or a back up PG and some depth. I don't know. I like the players but want what's best for the team.
 
Troy said:
These are very valid points, it would suck to delegate KMart to the bench behind Bonzi, is it possible to hone his PG skills? If Cisco can do it, I think KMart can. I don't think we are seeing a contract Bonzi, this is what Bonzi can and will do...heart and wanting to win isn't something you can train he is a warrior like Artest and we need him on this new Kings team. I see him making between 8-9M/yr for 5 years, but then you have Miller and Bibby making the big $ and you say....why cannot I. :D

Martin is just about as pure a shooting guard as you'll see. I don't see him stepping into the backup PG role...

Kevin could well become the sixth man for this Kings team if Bonzi is resigned. I think he'd rather be the sixth man for the Kings than a starter for the Bobcats.

We saw some great mixes of on-the-court lineups this year because our guards are versatile. It makes us much more dangerous. If we address the front court issues we are going to have a team the rest of the West will have even more problems with...
 
VF21 said:
5 years 35 million is an insult. You start with what he's making this year and then add a bit to sweeten it. Since he's already making $8 mil you don't reduce it.

I trust Petrie will do the right thing and I strongly suspect the Maloofs have told him to "get 'er dun." Bonzi is exactly the type of player they love. They aren't going to let him get away.

Its not about offering him what he deserves to make... after this series, hos preformace deserves 10+ a year... but its about accepting a reduced pay to help the team... Bonzi says he doenst wnat to leave... well then he should (as should all players) do whts best for the team and take a lower salary so we have more buildign room.
 
4 years for 35 millions (this is what I would prefer) or 5 years for 40 millions is about right for Bonzi if he keeps up his current production level. However, I serously doubt that he can maintain his current production level after age 32.
 
SacKings4Life21 said:
Its not about offering him what he deserves to make... after this series, hos preformace deserves 10+ a year... but its about accepting a reduced pay to help the team... Bonzi says he doenst wnat to leave... well then he should (as should all players) do whts best for the team and take a lower salary so we have more buildign room.

Accepting a reduced pay to help the team? Good lord. This isn't Oz or any other fantasy land you could name.

Bonzi should do what's best for the team? He's doing what's best for the team. He's putting it all out there on the court every single night. And he deserves to be fairly compensated in line with others in his chosen profession.

You don't all of a sudden low-ball a valued player because you don't think professional athletes deserve to be paid less.

If the Maloofs give Bonzi a fair offer, he'll stay even if he receives a higher offer from someone like Charlotte. That's pretty much a given. But it's incredibly naive to think that he'd accept chump change for the good of the team...

And people accuse me of looking through purple-tinted glasses.

;)
 
I don't think we should sign Bonzi.....

1) He will definitely want too much money.
2) Might stunt Martins growth keeping him on the bench.
3) I like the idea of Garcia being the first guard off the bench. He can spell Martin or Bibby where as Martin could only spell Wells. And Wells cannot play PG if he were the one off the bench.
4) With Garcia being the first off the bench he could also fill our backup PG role which we had been looking for.
 
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VF21 said:
I think you're wrong.

Bonzi has made it very apparent that it's not about the money as much as being in a place where he feels wanted, appreciated, is able to play, etc. He's found that here, after bouncing around elsewhere. I firmly believe if the Maloofs make him a decent offer he will, in fact, opt to stay here.

Mark my words.

;)
6 Yrs 48-54 Mil, the same kinda money that Magette and Manu got in '04. I think it's within Kings (Maloof's) budget and still quite respectful and fulfilling for Bonzi.
 
SpursIndonesia said:
6 Yrs 48-54 Mil, the same kinda money that Magette and Manu got in '04. I think it's within Kings (Maloof's) budget and still quite respectful and fulfilling for Bonzi.
this sounds about right, although I think it will only be for 5 years, maybe with a team option for a 6th year.
 
Sorry, i dunno really how the cba works, but can a contract be linked to some sort of performance clause ? Perhaps like a 48 mil full guaranteed contract, and 6 mil playoff bonuses if the Kings always become a division winner in the reg season each yr ?
 
BRING HIM BACK GEOFF!

i would love having the toughness of bonzi starting, and the improving kevin as a weapon off the bench.
 
The reason I don't like the signing of Bonzi is that we would totally kill Martins growth.. UNLESS We give Bonzi something like four years. Start for 2-3 years, and bench for 1-2 years. Of course we all realize that we would never be able to get rid of his salary in the last couple years of the contract if we had to.
 
Gary said:
The reason I don't like the signing of Bonzi is that we would totally kill Martins growth.. UNLESS We give Bonzi something like four years. Start for 2-3 years, and bench for 1-2 years. Of course we all realize that we would never be able to get rid of his salary in the last couple years of the contract if we had to.

As we don't know what Martin's growth is going to look like, that's all speculation.

Mentioned before, if he's good enough to push Bonzi out of the way, Kevin will eventually do it. then either Bonzi accepts a bench role, or you trade him coming off of several years as a productive starter.

If he's not good enough to push Bonzi out of the way, then no big loss, and Kevin settles in as the bench guy.

In any case, for Kevin to be more effective than Bonzi, to pass him up, he probably has to emerge as about an 18ppg+ scorer. He's not there yet. And with our championship window with this crew (assuming large parts of it are back) pretty much NOW, tossing talent overboard in the hopes of future development could easily be the difference between ever making a serious run at things or just being caught perpetually hanging around the playoff edges.

Pushing for an S&T NOW, before we can be sure about Kevin, and while Bonzi is in the driver's seat as to where he goes, makes no sense. If Kevin's good enough, you can always trade Bonzi later, when we are in control, and when we are sure that we're not shooting ourselves in the foot.
 
If the season had ended the way it started, I would say we should let Bonzi (and Peja if no Artest trade) walk, develop Martin and Cisco, try to trade up in the draft to get a talented big and go young with Bibby/Miller/SAR as veterens.

However, we really have something here to build on. We can cause serious problems for other teams with Bonzi/Artest. A piece or two and we are contending for the next two years. You don't throw that away to try and develop young talent.

I remember a few years ago when Hedo was bummed about low minutes. Webber stated publicly something like "I can understand him being frustrated but we are trying to win a chamionship right now". Development of youth goes on hold when you are contending. Darko is another example.

Sign Bonzi!
 
Bricklayer said:
As we don't know what Martin's growth is going to look like, that's all speculation.

Mentioned before, if he's good enough to push Bonzi out of the way, Kevin will eventually do it. then either Bonzi accepts a bench role, or you trade him coming off of several years as a productive starter.

If he's not good enough to push Bonzi out of the way, then no big loss, and Kevin settles in as the bench guy.

In any case, for Kevin to be more effective than Bonzi, to pass him up, he probably has to emerge as about an 18ppg+ scorer. He's not there yet. And with our championship window with this crew (assuming large parts of it are back) pretty much NOW, tossing talent overboard in the hopes of future development could easily be the difference between ever making a serious run at things or just being caught perpetually hanging around the playoff edges.

Pushing for an S&T NOW, before we can be sure about Kevin, and while Bonzi is in the driver's seat as to where he goes, makes no sense. If Kevin's good enough, you can always trade Bonzi later, when we are in control, and when we are sure that we're not shooting ourselves in the foot.

Yep. What he said. But we need to re-sign him first. He and Rick both. Dealing with any other roster changes should come after these 2 things happen.
 
Bricklayer said:
As we don't know what Martin's growth is going to look like, that's all speculation.

Mentioned before, if he's good enough to push Bonzi out of the way, Kevin will eventually do it. then either Bonzi accepts a bench role, or you trade him coming off of several years as a productive starter.

If he's not good enough to push Bonzi out of the way, then no big loss, and Kevin settles in as the bench guy.

In any case, for Kevin to be more effective than Bonzi, to pass him up, he probably has to emerge as about an 18ppg+ scorer. He's not there yet. And with our championship window with this crew (assuming large parts of it are back) pretty much NOW, tossing talent overboard in the hopes of future development could easily be the difference between ever making a serious run at things or just being caught perpetually hanging around the playoff edges.

Pushing for an S&T NOW, before we can be sure about Kevin, and while Bonzi is in the driver's seat as to where he goes, makes no sense. If Kevin's good enough, you can always trade Bonzi later, when we are in control, and when we are sure that we're not shooting ourselves in the foot.

How maturely do you think Bonzi will take his benching when it happens? How will that effect his trade stock?

With starter minutes, Kevin could score 18 a game. He's active, can shoot, and really gets out on the break. That would be a pretty high figure for him to reach, but not out of the realm of possibility.

There is no championship window right now. Not with this current crew. They're still a year or two away, with some significant personnel changes required. Miller needs to be replaced before we can really contend. I know they made a nice run at the end, and were frisky against the Spurs. But ultimately, they were dismissed quite handily by the Spurs. The Kings took the two home games, and lost a close one w/out Artest. But their other three losses were not overly competitive. Game 5 was close, but then the Spurs dialed it up a notch and it was game over. That's not championship material. It's a really nice start, and quite promising, but no reason to make rash personnel decisions or freeze the development of talent.
 
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