http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/33074.html
Ailene Voisin: It's really all about the political arena
The team's future weighs heavily on the Kings, who open training camp today.
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 12:19 am PDT Tuesday, October 3, 2006
There are job postings all over the practice facility. At shooting guard. At power forward. In the backup positions. There is also a new head coach and an old arena, and as the Kings embark on the 2006-07 NBA preseason, there is pressure to succeed that is both enormous and unusual.
This is not just another season.
The thorny arena issue -- the upcoming election that includes ballot measures partly designed to help finance a modern facility -- is squeezing members of the organization like a too-tight jersey. Players routinely are asked whether they're coming or going. Executives shelve their scouting reports to attend news conferences. Heck, before conducting his first scrimmage, incoming coach Eric Musselman stepped into the muck at the railyard, lingering in the background during the news conference that no longer matters.
Sports and politics. Owners and politicians. Arenas and taxes and millions in costs.
Kings-Lakers is a lovefest by comparison.
Yet while Geoff Petrie and Musselman attempt to shield their players, urging the Kings to keep their eyes riveted on the 94 feet between the lines, the matter is unavoidable, and the potential for distraction inevitable.
"We've talked about it," Petrie acknowledged during the opening media availability session Monday, "especially the possibility of that happening before the vote. It's omnipresent. It's always going to be a topic of conversation. But we've got a season to play, a team to coach, and the excitement of all that. I don't think it will be a major issue."
And of course it will. The Kings -- and Monarchs -- can lose at the ballot box -- and based on internal and external polling, they undoubtedly will. But they can't get swept. They can't afford the type of lethargic, dispassionate performances that characterized the first half of the 2005-06 season. This is about staying power, about perseverence. The Kings. Their owners. Their city.
These arena deals usually take years to finalize, sometimes requiring exhaustive negotiating sessions, various incarnations and numerous plans submitted to the voters.
In light of recent developments -- and an accord has yet to be finalized -- most critical to the Kings and their owners and the community is this: That the parties reach agreement before the games behind the scenes overshadow the performances on the court. And even more importantly, before civic leaders and local entrepreneurs in some place like Las Vegas beat them to a new building.
"People are always coming up and asking me, 'Do you want to go to Anaheim?' " related Kevin Martin, "and I say, 'No, I want to start and finish my career in Sac.' But this season, there is a little bit more pressure. It would be nice going into Election Day if we're 11-0. That would make everything more exciting."
In fact, these next several weeks will be about invigorating the public, affirming a 21-year bond that started when the Kings moved here in 1985, capitalizing on the momentum that was generated with the midseason acquisition of Ron Artest and remembering why any of this matters.
Remembering the Kings.
Remember the Kings?
Eight consecutive postseasons. The longest sellout streak in the league. Owners who swear -- and again, we can only take them at their word -- that they have no intention of relocating. Owners, nonetheless, who need a new facility to remain competitive with their 29 other colleagues.
Pressure? What pressure? Young Mr. Musselman has no idea what he stepped into. Or perhaps he does. During Monday's gathering, Musselman was as polished as any of the modern sports facilities. Among other things, he mentioned the passionate nature of Kings fans. He insisted the arena dilemma is unrelated to basketball. He chatted candidly about personnel matters, the duel at power forward, the vacancy at shooting guard, the three-point shooting of center Brad Miller.
But he also recalled the days of the San Diego Clippers and how miserable he felt when Donald Sterling relocated the franchise to Los Angeles in 1984.
"A team leaving is kind of a shock," Musselman said. "I was actually a ballboy when (Bill) Walton played there. Nick Weatherspoon. I can go on and on. You just wake up, and it happens. So for all the kids in San Diego, all the basketball fans, it was a shock."
Asked to relate his experiences to the Kings' current predicament, Musselman, whose two young sons live in the Bay Area, added, "Speaking as coach of the Kings, we've got great fans. The sellout streak speaks for itself. We hope that continues. We look forward to playing here for many years. It's a premier place to play."
He wasn't referring to the old barn of a building, but rather to a community that because of its old-school passion and loyalties has long been known as a unique basketball destination. So, now it's time for the young coach and his players to make their own contributions.
No one is asking for handouts. Just energetic and inspired efforts, and when out at the mall or the restaurant, the occasional handshake. Just a reminder of why all this matters.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: It's really all about the political arena
The team's future weighs heavily on the Kings, who open training camp today.
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Sports Columnist
Last Updated 12:19 am PDT Tuesday, October 3, 2006
There are job postings all over the practice facility. At shooting guard. At power forward. In the backup positions. There is also a new head coach and an old arena, and as the Kings embark on the 2006-07 NBA preseason, there is pressure to succeed that is both enormous and unusual.
This is not just another season.
The thorny arena issue -- the upcoming election that includes ballot measures partly designed to help finance a modern facility -- is squeezing members of the organization like a too-tight jersey. Players routinely are asked whether they're coming or going. Executives shelve their scouting reports to attend news conferences. Heck, before conducting his first scrimmage, incoming coach Eric Musselman stepped into the muck at the railyard, lingering in the background during the news conference that no longer matters.
Sports and politics. Owners and politicians. Arenas and taxes and millions in costs.
Kings-Lakers is a lovefest by comparison.
Yet while Geoff Petrie and Musselman attempt to shield their players, urging the Kings to keep their eyes riveted on the 94 feet between the lines, the matter is unavoidable, and the potential for distraction inevitable.
"We've talked about it," Petrie acknowledged during the opening media availability session Monday, "especially the possibility of that happening before the vote. It's omnipresent. It's always going to be a topic of conversation. But we've got a season to play, a team to coach, and the excitement of all that. I don't think it will be a major issue."
And of course it will. The Kings -- and Monarchs -- can lose at the ballot box -- and based on internal and external polling, they undoubtedly will. But they can't get swept. They can't afford the type of lethargic, dispassionate performances that characterized the first half of the 2005-06 season. This is about staying power, about perseverence. The Kings. Their owners. Their city.
These arena deals usually take years to finalize, sometimes requiring exhaustive negotiating sessions, various incarnations and numerous plans submitted to the voters.
In light of recent developments -- and an accord has yet to be finalized -- most critical to the Kings and their owners and the community is this: That the parties reach agreement before the games behind the scenes overshadow the performances on the court. And even more importantly, before civic leaders and local entrepreneurs in some place like Las Vegas beat them to a new building.
"People are always coming up and asking me, 'Do you want to go to Anaheim?' " related Kevin Martin, "and I say, 'No, I want to start and finish my career in Sac.' But this season, there is a little bit more pressure. It would be nice going into Election Day if we're 11-0. That would make everything more exciting."
In fact, these next several weeks will be about invigorating the public, affirming a 21-year bond that started when the Kings moved here in 1985, capitalizing on the momentum that was generated with the midseason acquisition of Ron Artest and remembering why any of this matters.
Remembering the Kings.
Remember the Kings?
Eight consecutive postseasons. The longest sellout streak in the league. Owners who swear -- and again, we can only take them at their word -- that they have no intention of relocating. Owners, nonetheless, who need a new facility to remain competitive with their 29 other colleagues.
Pressure? What pressure? Young Mr. Musselman has no idea what he stepped into. Or perhaps he does. During Monday's gathering, Musselman was as polished as any of the modern sports facilities. Among other things, he mentioned the passionate nature of Kings fans. He insisted the arena dilemma is unrelated to basketball. He chatted candidly about personnel matters, the duel at power forward, the vacancy at shooting guard, the three-point shooting of center Brad Miller.
But he also recalled the days of the San Diego Clippers and how miserable he felt when Donald Sterling relocated the franchise to Los Angeles in 1984.
"A team leaving is kind of a shock," Musselman said. "I was actually a ballboy when (Bill) Walton played there. Nick Weatherspoon. I can go on and on. You just wake up, and it happens. So for all the kids in San Diego, all the basketball fans, it was a shock."
Asked to relate his experiences to the Kings' current predicament, Musselman, whose two young sons live in the Bay Area, added, "Speaking as coach of the Kings, we've got great fans. The sellout streak speaks for itself. We hope that continues. We look forward to playing here for many years. It's a premier place to play."
He wasn't referring to the old barn of a building, but rather to a community that because of its old-school passion and loyalties has long been known as a unique basketball destination. So, now it's time for the young coach and his players to make their own contributions.
No one is asking for handouts. Just energetic and inspired efforts, and when out at the mall or the restaurant, the occasional handshake. Just a reminder of why all this matters.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
