hi, just want to share this article from hoopsworld. just can't wait for the season to start!
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_14014.shtml
THE GENERAL CONCENSUS
By C. Sawyer
for HOOPSWORLD.com
The general consensus as summer winds down is that Geoff Petrie, while not making any miracle moves – yet - has made a solid upgrade of the Sacramento Kings. Of course the proof of this will be seen in June, but until then there will be analysis and speculation until all the talking heads are spinning.
The team will be analyzed ‘ad nauseam’ by the time November 2nd rolls around – how they stack up against the other teams in their division and conference, how they’ll perform during the regular season, how they’ll perform during the playoffs, and if they have the makings of a championship team.
At the end of last season it was painfully obvious that the Kings were not a championship team.
The most glaring defect, among many at the time, was the lack of defense. Although statistically their defense measured in the middle of the pack, it certainly felt worse, and then it deteriorated even more into the playoffs (that feeling is somewhat justified when looking at rebounds and blocks allowed, which translated into points allowed, and a high opponent FG%), Then again defense was never a hallmark for the Kings, unfortunately what had been considered strengths were missing in action. Free throw shooting faltered, 3-point shooting was not showing up when needed, and just about everything the Kings attempted to do was smothered. What had made the Kings a force in the West - a “big” that was a threat to shoot or to pass and who opened up the lane for the guards and created shots for everyone – was no longer an option.
Now this is not an ode to Chris Webber or to Vlade Divac, as their abilities to fill this function were fading, but a realization that the Kings’ game plan had not adjusted to the fact that they no longer had the players to execute that game plan. Kenny Thomas gave his best effort, but coming in late to a complicated scheme, the pieces of the puzzle never quite came together. It also didn’t help that key pieces, from Bobby Jackson to Brad Miller to Peja Stojakovic, were either injured or on and off the IR.
Petrie’s first order this summer was to get what Adelman needed to execute the kind of game he would have the Kings play – with or without the right pieces. So how do these new players fit into the puzzle?
At PG the Kings added Jason Hart and Ronnie Price. Hart may not be the scorer that Jackson could be but he should be able to adapt to the constant floor movement plus the extra bonus of adding some defense to the backcourt. Price impressed Petrie over the summer with his hustle and attitude, we’ll see if he continues to impress as the team rolls into October and November.
At SG the Kings added Bonzi Wells and Francisco Garcia. Wells could be the backcourt complement that Mike Bibby needed, he can rebound and defend, move with and without the ball, drive the lane, pass and score – that is if he feels like it, and lately he hasn’t. It will be seen if he still has all the skills that have been attributed to him or if he is living on borrowed time. He has a reputation to overcome, but truly there may be no better place to do it than in Sacramento. If he plays like everyone thinks he is capable of playing he could be feeling the love like he never imagined. Garcia will have his opportunities early on to prove he can score and to show that he isn’t as much of a defensive liability as one would think, but Adelman is not known for giving rookies much of a chance so it is up to Garcia to make a mark whenever he has an opening.
At PF the Kings big pickup was Shareef Abdur-Rahim. His biggest struggle may be living up to the expectations put upon him. Although he will be sharing the scoring burden with Peja, Bibby and Miller, he is going to have to do more than just shoot the ball. The Kings need a Webber/Divac–ish player in order to be successful, and stats-wise he is closer to a Kenny Thomas than to a Chris Webber, but maybe that can be blamed on Portland, in Sacramento it’s all about starting over. However, Shareef is going to have to be able to create his own shot plus create shots for others. He is going to have to be a threat to score to pull defenders away from Bibby and Peja and then he is going to have to get them the ball. A lot of responsibility will be placed on his shoulders, not something that he has claimed to crave, but an obligation he will have to accept.
At C the Kings added Jamal Sampson. He’ll be playing behind Miller and Brian Skinner and unless someone gets injured I doubt we’ll see much of him.
The starting five of Bibby, Wells, Stojakovic, Abdur-Rahim and Miller looks impressive on paper, especially offensively. Even the bench looks like it could be an upgrade, it should be able to hold leads but it is not clear where the offensive spark (ala Bobby Jackson) will come from. And with Corliss Williamson and Kenny Thomas off the bench the Kings have talent, just not much depth, at the forward positions, as there is really no one after them.
Under the new CBA the team must have a minimum 13 players, 12 active and 1 on IR, up to a maximum of 15. Currently the Kings check in with 13. Although the status of Darius Songaila is still in question, Petrie has strongly indicated that he plans to stay pay with this roster, and now that the amnesty deadline has passed it looks like this may be the case.
Although Petrie says there is no money left in the coffer, with the option of having 15 players and the proclivity to injuries that is the Sacramento Kings, it would behoove him to find a way to afford another frontcourt player. Either keep Songaila or, since at a reported $2.2M that is a lot of money to be paying the 3rd option at PF, do a sign & trade. Or find a free agent, at least for insurance purposes. Of course Petrie can always wait for the inevitable and sign someone as needed to one of those 10-day contracts that ultimately get extended for the entire season, ala Rodney Buford or Eddie House. Maybe that’s a calculated risk he is willing to take. As of now Petrie looks like he’s done a better than average job of rebuilding this team although I’m still not convinced that he’s really done.
With a re-vamped starting five and a newly loaded bench, and with Wells, Peja and Hart all having expiring contracts, this should be an exciting season.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_14014.shtml
THE GENERAL CONCENSUS
By C. Sawyer
for HOOPSWORLD.com
The general consensus as summer winds down is that Geoff Petrie, while not making any miracle moves – yet - has made a solid upgrade of the Sacramento Kings. Of course the proof of this will be seen in June, but until then there will be analysis and speculation until all the talking heads are spinning.
The team will be analyzed ‘ad nauseam’ by the time November 2nd rolls around – how they stack up against the other teams in their division and conference, how they’ll perform during the regular season, how they’ll perform during the playoffs, and if they have the makings of a championship team.
At the end of last season it was painfully obvious that the Kings were not a championship team.
The most glaring defect, among many at the time, was the lack of defense. Although statistically their defense measured in the middle of the pack, it certainly felt worse, and then it deteriorated even more into the playoffs (that feeling is somewhat justified when looking at rebounds and blocks allowed, which translated into points allowed, and a high opponent FG%), Then again defense was never a hallmark for the Kings, unfortunately what had been considered strengths were missing in action. Free throw shooting faltered, 3-point shooting was not showing up when needed, and just about everything the Kings attempted to do was smothered. What had made the Kings a force in the West - a “big” that was a threat to shoot or to pass and who opened up the lane for the guards and created shots for everyone – was no longer an option.
Now this is not an ode to Chris Webber or to Vlade Divac, as their abilities to fill this function were fading, but a realization that the Kings’ game plan had not adjusted to the fact that they no longer had the players to execute that game plan. Kenny Thomas gave his best effort, but coming in late to a complicated scheme, the pieces of the puzzle never quite came together. It also didn’t help that key pieces, from Bobby Jackson to Brad Miller to Peja Stojakovic, were either injured or on and off the IR.
Petrie’s first order this summer was to get what Adelman needed to execute the kind of game he would have the Kings play – with or without the right pieces. So how do these new players fit into the puzzle?
At PG the Kings added Jason Hart and Ronnie Price. Hart may not be the scorer that Jackson could be but he should be able to adapt to the constant floor movement plus the extra bonus of adding some defense to the backcourt. Price impressed Petrie over the summer with his hustle and attitude, we’ll see if he continues to impress as the team rolls into October and November.
At SG the Kings added Bonzi Wells and Francisco Garcia. Wells could be the backcourt complement that Mike Bibby needed, he can rebound and defend, move with and without the ball, drive the lane, pass and score – that is if he feels like it, and lately he hasn’t. It will be seen if he still has all the skills that have been attributed to him or if he is living on borrowed time. He has a reputation to overcome, but truly there may be no better place to do it than in Sacramento. If he plays like everyone thinks he is capable of playing he could be feeling the love like he never imagined. Garcia will have his opportunities early on to prove he can score and to show that he isn’t as much of a defensive liability as one would think, but Adelman is not known for giving rookies much of a chance so it is up to Garcia to make a mark whenever he has an opening.
At PF the Kings big pickup was Shareef Abdur-Rahim. His biggest struggle may be living up to the expectations put upon him. Although he will be sharing the scoring burden with Peja, Bibby and Miller, he is going to have to do more than just shoot the ball. The Kings need a Webber/Divac–ish player in order to be successful, and stats-wise he is closer to a Kenny Thomas than to a Chris Webber, but maybe that can be blamed on Portland, in Sacramento it’s all about starting over. However, Shareef is going to have to be able to create his own shot plus create shots for others. He is going to have to be a threat to score to pull defenders away from Bibby and Peja and then he is going to have to get them the ball. A lot of responsibility will be placed on his shoulders, not something that he has claimed to crave, but an obligation he will have to accept.
At C the Kings added Jamal Sampson. He’ll be playing behind Miller and Brian Skinner and unless someone gets injured I doubt we’ll see much of him.
The starting five of Bibby, Wells, Stojakovic, Abdur-Rahim and Miller looks impressive on paper, especially offensively. Even the bench looks like it could be an upgrade, it should be able to hold leads but it is not clear where the offensive spark (ala Bobby Jackson) will come from. And with Corliss Williamson and Kenny Thomas off the bench the Kings have talent, just not much depth, at the forward positions, as there is really no one after them.
Under the new CBA the team must have a minimum 13 players, 12 active and 1 on IR, up to a maximum of 15. Currently the Kings check in with 13. Although the status of Darius Songaila is still in question, Petrie has strongly indicated that he plans to stay pay with this roster, and now that the amnesty deadline has passed it looks like this may be the case.
Although Petrie says there is no money left in the coffer, with the option of having 15 players and the proclivity to injuries that is the Sacramento Kings, it would behoove him to find a way to afford another frontcourt player. Either keep Songaila or, since at a reported $2.2M that is a lot of money to be paying the 3rd option at PF, do a sign & trade. Or find a free agent, at least for insurance purposes. Of course Petrie can always wait for the inevitable and sign someone as needed to one of those 10-day contracts that ultimately get extended for the entire season, ala Rodney Buford or Eddie House. Maybe that’s a calculated risk he is willing to take. As of now Petrie looks like he’s done a better than average job of rebuilding this team although I’m still not convinced that he’s really done.
With a re-vamped starting five and a newly loaded bench, and with Wells, Peja and Hart all having expiring contracts, this should be an exciting season.
