The Maloof Brothers - What Are Your Feelings

[Purple Reign]

We have seen a lot of change and some uncertainty about the future of this organization here in the city of Sacramento. My question is with all that has gone on in the Kings organization and with the arena deal......How do you feel about the Maloof Family on May 10, 2006.

When they first arrived to Sacramento, remember one of the first acts of power was to travel to Arkansas in the middle of a tornando to talk Corliss Williamson into taking a $500,000/1 year deal. We all thought that was the coolest thing.

Fast forward now eight years and we have seen and been a part of a lot of wonderful and memorable events. So many that we can not name them all. We also have seen some not so good things as well. The three that stick out in my mind are:

1. Arena Deal
2. The ushering out of Stojakovic
3. The unceremonial firing of Rick Adelman

Do not get me wrong about the last two. I am down for change. But the way that the change went down; to me sheds light on how the Maloof Family is operating their business. I still support ownership, but i do not get the warm and fuzzy feelings from Joe and Gavin the way I used to.

Listening to Rick Adelman talk today confirmed my feelings that the Maloofs handle business with a lot less personal touch.

 

[BMiller52]

IMO the Maloofs are trashy spoiled rich brothers. I feel like they are clowns who have no respect for their employees.

That is just how I feel.

 

[Sirius]

I appreciate that they care about the team winning at least, not all owners do. This gamblers mentality is driving me crazy though. Getting Artest here was extremely risky in itself and luckily it has paid off so far. I think they are pushing their luck by changing the entire coaching staff.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

My opinion of the Maloofs has decayed along with our decay from a elite team to today. We've gone from active owners who are willing to humble themselves in the name of the team (e.g. cutting C-Webb's lawn.) to little emperors in the luxury boxes, signalling with their thumbs who stays and who goes.

They're clearly as active as they've ever been, but now they want to exert their ownership over the team, and they are unproven in that capacity.

 

[Warhawk]

I voted OK, but this could change depending on who the next coach is and if they let Petrie be Petrie or how things progress from here. I admit their rating with me has fallen over a few of these types of incidents, but I think they really are trying to push this franchise forward in the only way they might feel they can.

Let's see what the team and staff look like when camp starts and re-evaluate.

 

[Warhawk]

I hope they aren't turning into another Cuban....

 

[Team Dime]

IMO the Maloofs are trashy spoiled rich brothers. I feel like they are clowns who have no respect for their employees.

That is just how I feel.

Well I think they care about the team's success, which is the most important thing. Face it, before the Maloof's bought the team, Sactown was the joke of the NBA. Their interest in putting money into the team and putting a winner on the court has put the city on the map. They realized that the team was go nowhere this season, so they got the unhappy Peja out of town, and look at how well the Artest trade panned out. I don't think even the most optimistic person could've envisioned it going this well.

Sorry, but in sports, you don't win by being nice guys who are in touch with their employees feelings.

Just look at the way the New England Patriots do business.

 

[BMiller52]

Sorry but it wouldn't kill them to give a coach that will end up in the HOF respect. If they didn't feel he was the right coach the team then fine, but the way they handled this was extremely disrespectful. Oh and the "Hey Peja you're traded, sorry you had to hear about it on sportscenter first" was very disrespectful especially considering he holds a kings record-most games played as a sacramento king(I think).

 

[Merdiesel]

The Maloofs are Cowards!

 

[SacKings384]

There is no "They are good owners, but what they did to Adelman absolutely sucks" So I'll just not vote

 

[Team Dime]

Sorry but it wouldn't kill them to give a coach that will end up in the HOF respect. If they didn't feel he was the right coach the team then fine, but the way they handled this was extremely disrespectful. Oh and the "Hey Peja you're traded, sorry you had to hear about it on sportscenter first" was very disrespectful especially considering he holds a kings record-most games played as a sacramento king(I think).

But Peja publicly saying he wanted to be traded and not hustling on the court wasn't disrectful to both the Maloofs and the fans??

Like I said, you don't win in pro sports by being a nice guy. If the Kings improve next year and become a serious contender I doubt that too many Kings fans will be missing Adelman.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I'll be honest in that I think the arena deal and the Stojakovich thing are a lot different than what was just done with Rick.

A lot of the problems with the arena are not their fault and in this modern climate owners aren't expected to finance their own stadiums or even do 50-50 deals when there are cities that are willing to do 100% to get a team there. Peja is a player and players get moved all the time without warning, that's another reality.

However dumping the coach without a courtesy call is rather rash and probably worthy of criticism strictly on the basis of how it was handled. It may still prove to be the right move for both the team and the Maloofs however so I'm not going to take it personally like so many others seem to.

 

[Bricklayer]

Sorry, but in sports, you don't win by being nice guys who are in touch with their employees feelings.

These are owners, not players. Treating people like crap has exactly ZERO relationship to winning. In fact I would rather guess that quite the opposite is true, as it is in any organization. Its entirely a different question than whether you have the guts to make changes or not -- its hwo yoou go about making those changes.

 

[uolj]

I've disagreed with the Maloofs a lot lately, from their opinion of Adelman to the gold jerseys. Overall, though, I'd still say they are ok. They want the team to win, they're willing to spend money to help the team win, and they have done a lot to bring excitement to the team and organization.

But boy, I really, really, really wish they'd stay out of things and let Petrie handle all basketball related decisions. I'm not saying he's perfect, but I like the Kings chances better with him at the helm than the Maloofs. I can deal with second guessing the GM's basketball decisions, but it makes it frustrating to have to second guess basketball decisions made by people who know as much about the game as the average poster here.

I voted ok even though the extra description in the poll has nothing to do with my reasoning.

 

[Venom]

I'm a little worried about their penchant for THE BIG MOVE, and feel that they may have ulterior motives. But I'll attack this issue by issue.

1. The Arena Deal: Fargo and the Council suck. They're flat-out terrible. I have no idea what direction they want this city to go in, and that's a problem. Then again, I'm not a Sacramento City voter. Anyway, either they don't understand the significance of an aging Arco and the Kings, or they don't care. However, the Maloofs are not blameless. Their PR on this has been tepid at best. But, since Fargo is so worthless, they get a pass on this issue so far.

2. Peja Trade: Good trade, needed to happen. I don't know how Peja found out and I don't care. He knew he was on the block, and the team was on the road so he may have been unreachable at the time. If he's not in his room, or not answering his cell, how can they tell him? Peja's behavior his last two years in Sacramento was pretty pee-poor. He had tenure, but he also had no problem making trade demands through his agent while he was in Greece. And with today's media, as soon as the rumor starts, I don't know that the team has a chance of being the first to actually break the news. The team has to wait until the deal is consummated, but the media doesn't.

3. CWebb Trade: As with Peja, I don't how the team breaks the news first on these things.

4. Adelman Release: Should have brought him in. I know they're busy in Vegas, but they can't dispatch one of the brothers for an afternoon to Sactown? He'd have been out of Vegas for, what, four hours total maybe? Passing word through Petrie seems a little terse.

 

[whozit]

These are owners, not players. Treating people like crap has exactly ZERO relationship to winning. In fact I would rather guess that quite the opposite is true, as it is in any organization. Its entirely a different question than whether you have the guts to make changes or not -- its hwo yoou go about making those changes.

Bingo.

They are the owners.

They spent a lot of money up front buying "respectibility" and that they were "serious players." First impressions often last a long time and they have. However, the last few years they have cut payroll and the product suffered. It is their team. They may seriously want to have a winner. That is in of itself good but .......... they really lack in the personal skills department.

 

[uolj]

I think when they first started they didn't want to mess with things because they were new. Then, as they grew more comfortable as the owners and people in charge, they felt comfortable making comments and eventually making decisions. Unfortunately, they're decision making skills aren't that great, they are really just fans after all, so you end up where the team is at now. A couple of fans running the show. Some good moves, some bad ones, a lot of strange conclusions being drawn apparently based more on emotion than logic. Normal and expected for a fan, but not a decision maker.

 

[whozit]

But boy, I really, really, really wish they'd stay out of things and let Petrie handle all basketball related decisions. I'm not saying he's perfect, but I like the Kings chances better with him at the helm than the Maloofs. I can deal with second guessing the GM's basketball decisions, but it makes it frustrating to have to second guess basketball decisions made by people who know as much about the game as the average poster here.

Actually, their meddling in measured doses may be a good thing. If I remember correctly, Petrie has been critized in the past of not letting go, of letting a team settle/slide into mediocracy. Their meddling may actually help in motivating his hand.

They do however need a course in communication 101.

 

[uolj]

Actually, their meddling in measured doses may be a good thing. If I remember correctly, Petrie has been critized in the past of not letting go, of letting a team settle/slide into mediocracy. Their meddling may actually help in motivating his hand.

I disagree. I'd rather have slow-moving Petrie than meddling Maloofs. Sure, some of their decisions are good, and in some cases I agree with them more than with what Petrie might have done, but in the end it just takes you around in circles and never gets you where you want to be because they are simply not good enough basketball people to do that.

They can suggest or question all they want, but I wish they'd leave final basketball decisions up to Petrie again.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I don't think they should get off the hook entirely but one other point I'd like to make - when you quit your job or get fired you usually have a chat with your boss and not the owner of the company. The Maloofs and Cuban seem to get some sort of special scrutiny, I doubt Senator Kohl is expected to personally meet with every Bucks coach that is hired or fired or to personally tell a player he is about to be traded.

 

[SacKings4Life21]

Firing Rick should have been done years ago. Today is a great day

 

[kpm308]

I have been a Raiders fan as long as I remember, and to me, the Maloofs seem to be headed in the Al Davis direction. Seems to me that they are beginning to feel that they know more than the people that they have hired to run the show for them, and are more interested in the big names than they are trying to find talent and develop a team. I don't really have any facts to support this theory, as I am obviously unaware of what they are really thinking, but the way they seemingly have no reservations in taking credit for the Artest trade really undermines Petries position, much like Davis has done to his staff for a long time now. Anyway, I really hope that isn't the way its going, because I would hate to see the Kings in the position that the Raiders are in where they can't even get someone to coach. Just seems that way to me when I see someone like TO sitting between the Maloofs and they both put on those creepy fake smiles and the big thumbs up for the camera.

 

[Team Dime]

These are owners, not players. Treating people like crap has exactly ZERO relationship to winning. In fact I would rather guess that quite the opposite is true, as it is in any organization. Its entirely a different question than whether you have the guts to make changes or not -- its hwo yoou go about making those changes.

The Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the GM, Scott Pioli are whom I was referring to. As soon as someone starts getting old or isn't producing, they get rid of them. Look at what they did to respected veteran Lawyer Milloy, caught him 6 days before the season opener.

I think the whole uproar over Adelman is overrated. He knew he was gone. When he didn't get a contract extension all year and the Maloofs still said "let's wait and see" while being interviewed on the sidelines during round 1 by Jim Gray, everyone knew Adelman wasn't coming back.

People are mad that the Maloofs didn't give Adelman enough respect by having a personal meeting. Well, they brought respectability to Sacramento and have rewarded several big contracts to star players (Webber, Bibby). Players like the Maloofs and I don't see any reason for that to continue.

These guys want to win. I think that was best evidenced when they supposedly went over Petrie to make the Artest trade. Lots of other teams have owners who could care less about the team's success, I think we're all very fortunate to have such active owners.

 

[DocHolliday]

Some people want to trash the Maloofs now, but they are still some of the best owners in the NBA. The majority are worse. Just remember that.

 

[Folsom Al]

I'll try to keep it short ....

The Maloof's passion for winning has infected their BUSINESS relationship with the King's Staff/Players.

I'm concerned about their making decisions on hirings/firiings. Isn't that what a Pres/V-Pres/GM are on the payroll for ???

Next thing we'll see is them getting fines (like Mark Cuban) for being so demonstrative and negative visiblity during games.

I like what the Maloof's have done/given to Sacramento. There are not enough words to show appreciation for what they've done. They've REJUVENATED this area - it's people - and it's involvement in what a sports franchise can do to a community. That's priceless.

I'll stop there .... it's a love/hate relationship with me.

Love what they've done/given to us fans - would like to see more professionalism in the handling of business decisions with their employees.

 

[SkinnerBox]

I don't think they know as much about basketball as they think they do.

 

[Ryle]

They did the right thing in getting rid of Adelman because he wasn't going to take the team where they wanted it to go.....end of story. Cry and whine all you want but the highest paid player on this team tuned him out about 2 years ago and Adelman doesn't have the sack to confront anyone....that's why he is considered a "players" coach because he let's the inmates run the asylum with no accountability.

I'm guessing none of you remember the first part of this season when practically everyone was calling for his head because the team was a joke???

 

[Folsom Al]

They did the right thing in getting rid of Adelman because he wasn't going to take the team where they wanted it to go.....end of story. Cry and whine all you want but the highest paid player on this team tuned him out about 2 years ago and Adelman doesn't have the sack to confront anyone....that's why he is considered a "players" coach because he let's the inmates run the asylum with no accountability.

I'm guessing none of you remember the first part of this season when practically everyone was calling for his head because the team was a joke???

The question was about The Maloof's ... not Adelman.

 

[Ryle]

The question was about The Maloof's ... not Adelman.

Um, yeah???

I said they did the right thing which was pretty much what this thread was asking.

Other people are derailing this thread into something that it wasn't supposed to be and I'm just responding.

 

[SacTownKid]

I hope they aren't turning into another Cuban....

God forbid, the Mavs are only a top 3 team year after year. It sucks having owners like that.