Voisin: Rubio should be a King

[VF21]

Complete article here

Take away the flowery rhetoric and Voisin gets it right.

His presence in Sacramento would be transformative whether he becomes the next Jason Williams or the modern-day Pete Maravich. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is he plays the lead position – point guard – with all the majesty of a mop-haired maestro.

And she paints a picture I believe will bring a smile and a nod from a lot of Kings fans:

Imagine going to Arco and watching one of the Kings actually, willingly, expertly passing the ball? Executing a two-on-one fast break without dribbling off a foot or pulling up for a three-pointer? Grabbing a defensive board and throwing an outlet for a layup? Kevin Martin cutting and dunking and scoring with ease, no longer forced to beg for the ball?

Rubio will deliver with flair, with his left hand or his right, moving the ball around his back and between his legs, and always, with a sense of purpose. His brilliance is in his simplicity.

I do not always agree with Voisin and have said so pretty publicly. But when she gets it right, she definitely gets it right.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

Complete article here

Take away the flowery rhetoric and Voisin gets it right.



And she paints a picture I believe will bring a smile and a nod from a lot of Kings fans:



I do not always agree with Voisin and have said so pretty publicly. But when she gets it right, she definitely gets it right.

I agree.

 

[PurpleHaze]

I have no doubt Voisin reads from time-to-time our forum - which is great. This article makes me think she definitely read the Bee-Rubio interview thread which she participated with Amick. There's parts of it that seem to almost have direct words, code words, or thoughts lifted from several of the posts.

How disappointing it will be for her and apparently overwhelming majority of Kings fans if Rubio slips from our grasp. It looks more and more likely he falls to #4 and probably only two things could derail it - a trade or the Kings brass not wanting to deal with his buyout.

 

[NME]

Even if the Kings don't get Rubio, we will be subjected to longing references to that mop-top hair for years to come.

 

[Warhawk]

Rubio will deliver with flair, with his left hand or his right, moving the ball around his back and between his legs, and always, with a sense of purpose. His brilliance is in his simplicity.

Am I the only one looking at this and wondering what the heck she means? "Flair" and "simplicity" are essentially opposites in this case. His brilliance is in his vision and ability to make amazing passes with either hand. But that isn't "simple."

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

I hope some team drafts her.

 

[VF21]

Am I the only one looking at this and wondering what the heck she means? "Flair" and "simplicity" are essentially opposites in this case. His brilliance is in his vision and ability to make amazing passes with either hand. But that isn't "simple."

His brilliance - or what makes him truly special - is in his simplicity - a pure point guard who doesn't muddy the waters with mixed agenda. He's a point guard; that's his job, it's what he does. He doesn't want to be nor feel the need to be the #1 option, etc.

 

[Warhawk]

His brilliance - or what makes him truly special - is in his simplicity - a pure point guard who doesn't muddy the waters with mixed agenda. He's a point guard; that's his job, it's what he does. He doesn't want to be nor feel the need to be the #1 option, etc.

I didn't interpret what she wrote that way, but whatever works.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

Voisin is spot on with this. Rubio will bring the Flare, The Hope and the skills we need on this team to get back into contending form. Or at least a fun team to watch. Plus Rubio Running the break with Martin is going to be crazy, both are like Deers just running the floor, I can see alot of fast break points next year if we can improve our defense.(Which Ricky will do).

 

[beb0p]

If Flynn, Thabeet and Rubio are in the same conversation in terms of comparable talent, which player makes the most sense for the Kings?

Think, think, think. The Kings need a point guard, a passer, a potential star. The Kings need to sell tickets, invigorate a fan base, to start over.

Which player makes the most sense depends... Depends on if Westphal is going with a pick n roll, Utah style, then Rubio makes the most sense. If he's sticking with the Princeton then Flynn, Curry, or even Evans make the most sense. If he wants to reinforce the defense then Thabeet makes the most sense.

On a team with so many holes, one player is not going to fix it all. Rubio is not the only player in this draft who can excite the fan base. The biggest question, and the only question, is who will help us win the most games. Not who will help sell the most tickets.

"Lose sight of your ultimate goal and you will lose the war." - Sun Tzu, Art of War.

The ultimate goal here is winning. That's it. Sorry, but things like selling jerseys, filling seats, and exciting a fan base are not reason to draft a player. You draft the kid who can help you win the most games, even if he is the most boring, unexciting human on earth. You draft him. Perhaps Rubio is the right player to help us win; perhaps Voisin reaches the right conclusion, but for the wrong reasons.

My point is, do not let a player's popularity blind you to the fact that another player is better. Case in point, if GP can redo the 1998 draft he would not have drafted Jason Williams. There were at least two other players on the board that would have help us win the championship better than JWill could. And winning is the only thing that matters.

 

[jon e]

we can imagine anything but we wont know nothing until something happens

 

[VF21]

I didn't interpret what she wrote that way, but whatever works.

We can certainly agree to disagree ... I was simply pointing out an interpretation you apparently hadn't considered.

 

[VF21]

Which player makes the most sense depends... Depends on if Westphal is going with a pick n roll, Utah style, then Rubio makes the most sense. If he's sticking with the Princeton then Flynn, Curry, or even Evans make the most sense. If he wants to reinforce the defense then Thabeet makes the most sense.

On a team with so many holes, one player is not going to fix it all. Rubio is not the only player in this draft who can excite the fan base. The biggest question, and the only question, is who will help us win the most games. Not who will help sell the most tickets.

"Lose sight of your ultimate goal and you will lose the war." - Sun Tzu, Art of War.

The ultimate goal here is winning. That's it. Sorry, but things like selling jerseys, filling seats, and exciting a fan base are not reason to draft a player. You draft the kid who can help you win the most games, even if he is the most boring, unexciting human on earth. You draft him. Perhaps Rubio is the right player to help us win; perhaps Voisin reaches the right conclusion, but for the wrong reasons.

My point is, do not let a player's popularity blind you to the fact that another player is better. Case in point, if GP can redo the 1998 draft he would not have drafted Jason Williams. There were at least two other players on the board that would have help us win the championship better than JWill could. And winning is the only thing that matters.

On paper your argument sounds fine. BUT this isn't on paper. This is the real world.

Fact #1. The Kings are NOT going to immediately return to winning ways by picking someone other than Ricky Rubio.

Fact #2. The Sacramento Kings fanbase supports enthusiastic and exciting basketball.

Fact #3. You cannot prove that Petrie would have drafted anyone other than Jason Williams at that point in time. Hindsight is 20-20 and all that but it doesn't take a rocket sicentist to see what Jason brought to the Kings, to the fan base, and to the national basketball scene in general. Look at the SI cover again... That group started a fire that covered the landscape.

Fact #4. The franchise needs butts in the seats and a player like Rubio will solve that immediate problem. There's an old saying: When you're up to your arses in alligators, it's hard to remember your original objective was to drain the swamp. Well, the Kings are up to their arses in declining ticket sales, fan apathy, etc. THAT'S the first problem they need to solve and Ricky Rubio can do that.

After we get people on board and watching again is when we start to fine tune the team and look to getting back into the elite status we enjoyed for all too brief a time. And the fans will come along for the ride.

If Rubio is available, and Petrie doesn't take him I'll be pretty disappointed. I simply do not think there's a player in this draft with the POTENTIAL to do as much for our Kings as Rubio...

 

[beb0p]

On paper your argument sounds fine. BUT this isn't on paper. This is the real world.

Note that the argument is not originated by me, it's originated by a guy who wrote a book that is taught in every single military academy in our country. Not to mention required reading by many business and coaching courses. The argument applies to the real world, not just on paper. I am not going to defend this argument because it is not necessary to defend an argument contains in the Art of War. But you are still welcome to disagree with anything originated by me,of course.

Ultimately VF21, the difference here is your goal is different from the Kings' goal. Your goal is to be excited, to have a reason to buy tickets, and to have a face for the franchise. That's fine. Rubio suits your goal.

But for the Kings, their goal is to win a championship. It doesn't matter if the goal is near or far, if it's the goal it's the goal. If someone can achieve that goal better than Rubio than sorry, that other player should be drafted. It's isn't that complicated nor is it debatable.

 

[VF21]

We're not talking war, dude. We're talking basketball. The goal of the Sacramento Kings is EVENTUALLY to win a championship. But if the team doesn't keep enough butts in the seats to get to the point where they can seriously contend - AND get a new arena - they aren't going to be around for the final battle.

You're assuming that if the Kings pick Rubio they're losing sight of their ultimate goal. I say if they pick Rubio they're making it more likely they'll be able to continue the battle.

 

[NowImLost]

We're not talking war, dude.

hahahahaha. damn that was funny.

You're assuming that if the Kings pick Rubio they're losing sight of their ultimate goal. I say if they pick Rubio they're making it more likely they'll be able to continue the battle.

Win the crowd.

Winning the crowd creates Arco Thunder.

Players like Arco Thunder.

When players like Arco Thunder, magic starts to happen.

When magic starts to happen, winning starts to happen.

When winning starts to happen, players get confident.

When players are confident, they have faith and believe they can win.

When you have faith and believe in yourself, you can do anything.

When you can do anything, you can do anything.

When the ultimate goal in the NBA is to win an NBA championship, and the players believe they can win the championship, they can.

And We Will.

GO KINGS!!!!

Bebop.
This isn't War dude, it's basketball.

lolz.

 

[beb0p]

We're not talking war, dude. We're talking basketball. The goal of the Sacramento Kings is EVENTUALLY to win a championship. But if the team doesn't keep enough butts in the seats to get to the point where they can seriously contend - AND get a new arena - they aren't going to be around for the final battle.

You're assuming that if the Kings pick Rubio they're losing sight of their ultimate goal. I say if they pick Rubio they're making it more likely they'll be able to continue the battle.

Um.... Art of War isn't about war, it's about management and strategy. That's why it's taught in business and coaching.

And no, I'm not against picking Rubio. That's not my point. But pick him for the right reason, which IS my point.

We're not talking war, dude. We're talking basketball. The goal of the Sacramento Kings is EVENTUALLY to win a championship. But if the team doesn't keep enough butts in the seats to get to the point where they can seriously contend - AND get a new arena - they aren't going to be around for the final battle.

New arena? What are we talking about here? Rubio is going to sell a lot of tickets and inspire a new arena to be built? I think the expectation needs to be adjusted.

Here is a novel idea: Win Games! That'll help put butts in the seats don't you think? Why can't we draft a kid who can help the Kings win more games and thereby bring out more fans to watch them? What's so wrong with filling the arena by putting forth a good product? Why this insistence of using a gimmick to sell tickets?

 

[beb0p]

Bebop.
This isn't War dude, it's basketball.

lolz.

Oh boy.

This may sound rude and I don't mean to, but you don't have the slightest idea that The Art of War is not about war right? Right? I mean, you think The War of the Roses is about a battle between flowers, right?

 

[VF21]

Um.... Art of War isn't about war, it's about management and strategy. That's why it's taught in business and coaching.

And no, I'm not against picking Rubio. That's not my point. But pick him for the right reason, which IS my point.




New arena? What are we talking about here? Rubio is going to sell a lot of tickets and inspire a new arena to be built? I think the expectation needs to be adjusted.

Here is a novel idea: Win Games! That'll help put butts in the seats don't you think? Why can't we draft a kid who can help the Kings win more games and thereby bring out more fans to watch them? What's so wrong with filling the arena by putting forth a good product? Why this insistence of using a gimmick to sell tickets?

Bottom line is that you seem to think Rubio is just a gimmick... I don't.

But hey, we're talking on a sports message board and have differing opinions. It's cool...

 

[beb0p]

Bottom line is that you seem to think Rubio is just a gimmick... I don't.

But hey, we're talking on a sports message board and have differing opinions. It's cool...

Just to be clear, I don't think Rubio is a gimmick; but I do think that if the Kings continue to be miserably bad then the act of using Rubio to draw fans is a gimmick. No difference from the "Free Autograph Day", "Free Hat Day", or other promotion to draw the fans out to see a bad team.

Basically any promotion that has nothing to do with the performance of the team is a gimmick. Note that I'm not condoning gimmicks, but to me, the best way to excite the fan base is to win games. If Rubio is the guy to do that then draft him. But all this talk about filling seats, getting fans excited, etc is 1) not related to the ultimate goal and 2) only works in the short term. In the long run, you still have to win games to attract fans. So worry only about who can help us win the most games; the rest is not important - is my point

And I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

[kennadog]

"Lose sight of your ultimate goal and you will lose the war." - Sun Tzu, Art of War.

Sun Tzu, believe or not, was not an all-seeing God. You can read many, many philosophies. Philosophy isn't science. its perceptions, theories, beliefs and values.

Winning the war won't matter much, if, in the end, you realize you picked the wrong goal, or sacrificed too much to achieve it. That happens way more often to people than getting to their "ultimate" goal and finding out it was exactly what they hoped it would be.

It's entirely possible to "fight" for more than one goal, or to decide not to sacrifice everything important to achieve it.

I do realize that the organization's "ultimate" goal is to win a championship. For some of the fans, however, it'll be a big disappointment if it happens in another city.

 

[kennadog]

I guess I'd have to say, that Rubio may be able to do both, although it may not be immediately. Or maybe I should say that I don't think there's a clear better choice, after Griffin. I'd rather the Kings swing for the fences, than take a perceived "safer" choice.

 

[kupman]

I have hoped that Rubio lands with the Kings for months. Having said that, I think starting a Rubio love affair is waaaaaay premature.

 

[kennadog]

I have hoped that Rubio lands with the Kings for months. Having said that, I think starting a Rubio love affair is waaaaaay premature.

Kings fans are desperate and its TDOS. What can I say.

 

[beb0p]

I do realize that the organization's "ultimate" goal is to win a championship. For some of the fans, however, it'll be a big disappointment if it happens in another city.

It'd be disappointing if the Kings relocate, but I don't think this draft is going to have much affect on this matter. Not unless Rubio comes with a $500 million bond money that is free to use on a new arena.

People are setting themselves up for disappointment if they think this kid is going to, all by himself, fill the seats and inspire a new arena.

Just as Sun Tzu is not an all-seeing god, neither is Rubio. He is a young baller, treat him like one.

 

[VF21]

I don't believe anyone has said Rubio is anything more than an exciting young basketball player with tons of potential. If I want to start a Rubio fan club, I'm going to start it. You don't have to join, you know...

And please DO NOT underestimate the ability of a young player with flair and excitement to rev up a fan base. It happens - and it's not always the most talented player who does it.

 

[Gary]

hahahahaha. damn that was funny.



Win the crowd.

Winning the crowd creates Arco Thunder.

Players like Arco Thunder.

When players like Arco Thunder, magic starts to happen.

When magic starts to happen, winning starts to happen.

When winning starts to happen, players get confident.

When players are confident, they have faith and believe they can win.

When you have faith and believe in yourself, you can do anything.

When you can do anything, you can do anything.

When the ultimate goal in the NBA is to win an NBA championship, and the players believe they can win the championship, they can.

And We Will.

GO KINGS!!!!

Bebop.
This isn't War dude, it's basketball.

lolz.

I remember back in the day when the Kings sucked. We would always have the 5 win road record, and be about .600+ at home. There was a reason for that and you pointed it out!

 

[6th]

The Maloofs are businessmen. They cannot afford for their business to fail. Therefore, while winning a championship may be an "ultimate" goal, putting butts in the seats and making their business successful must be a primary goal for them.

 

[Telemachus]

Fact #1. The Kings are NOT going to immediately return to winning ways by picking someone other than Ricky Rubio.

I don't think you can list that as a fact. There are several players that could make the Kings better at #4 and help turn them around. Only time will tell. There also is NO guarantee that Rubio would return the Kings to their winning ways. No matter who the Kings pick at #4, we won't know for some time how they will help the Kings next season.

 

[VF21]

My point was poorly worded. beb0p seemed to be implying that picking someone other than Rubio would lead to more wins. My comment was meant to say that we weren't going to start winning more games by anyone we pick at the #4 alone... be it Rubio or Flynn or anyone else.

Sorry for the confusion.