We all need to relaxxx..

[Ed2009]

Hi guys,

Honestly speaking, I am quite dissapointed of the latest performances and results.
Watching the last few games was not the biggest fun and joy.

I also feel and understand that the atmosphere in this forum is not the best towards our players and coaching staff, and we all hope that we will start playing better basketball and win games.

But lets face the fact:
We will only see a better basketball if we will let our young players make mistakes. Mistakes that eventually will cost us games.
We have just done a big step towards our new future by letting KMart go.
We have a potential star player (sorry Hawes i mean Tyreke) and other solid and good young players that are not used to the long season and the travelling in the NBA.

So lets see it more positive. It all simply takes time...
I personally would also like to see us running for the playoff spot right now but this is simply not gonna happen.

Too much pressure will not lead us anywhere.

Times are not easy but al least we are not the NETS.

!GO KINGS!

 

[Sptsjunkie]

I agree. We are moving in the right direction and have one of the brighter futures in the league. Forget "we aren't the Nets," really the only teams that are in a better position for a future championship than us (defined as having a superstar/potential superstar" and good core/assets are:

Lakers
Cavs
Magic
Nuggets
Heat
Thunder

And maybe/essentially even:

Mavs
Jazz
Blazers
Hawks

All of the other teams are young with no superstar, hopeless, or formerly great teams who are no longer seriously contenders and are in decline (Spurs, Suns, Celtics for example).

I'm guessing I will get pushback on a few teams here, but look at their situations:

Spurs - No longer a contender. Duncan is aging and I'm not sure he can be a true #1 superstar anymore. Ginobili is a FA, is aging and injury prone. Parker is a nice complementary player but you can't build a team around him.

Celtics - Definitely out of the EC elite. KG and Rasheed have big multi-year contracts and look to be quickly declining. Can potentially trade Pierce. Rondo is a heck of a player, but not a superstar.

Rockets - A lot depends on Yao's health, but he also needs to prove he can be a true #1 even healthy (1 second round appearance doesn't show that). If they don't get lucky with the Knicks potential picks, the rest of their core is Brooks, KMart, Scola, and Battier.

A lot can still go wrong. And we will suffer through the end of this year and a 30-40 win campaign next year. However, we are one of the few teams headed in the right direction with the key pieces needed to make a run as we grow.

 

[VF21]

In her latest Ful Court Press blog, Kayte Christensen addressed the same issue:

I understand fans’ frustration right now. In all honesty, the Kings had a phenomenal start to the season, and I truly feel we were a little spoiled by the team’s early success. It made us all quickly forget about a season in which 17 wins had a lot of people in the basketball world scratching their heads, wondering how long it would take to turn this team around.

Having 14 wins by the end of 2009 brought about playoff talk on talk radio shows all over Sacramento. Then, January arrived. Two wins later, and a great deal of frustration on the part of players, coaches and even more so fans, resulted in a barrage of trade talk and discussions about who the Kings should keep and who the team should move.

Hoards of fans felt if the team made a major trade by the deadline it would right the ship. Then, many got what they wanted. A major trade, and the arrival of a potential team-changing low-post presence in Carl Landry as well as two additional players in Joey Dorsey and Dominic McGuire, who might very well be able to come in and make an impact on this team despite having minimal roles with Houston and Washington.

We’re now just three games in, and quite frankly, I’m not surprised the trade wasn’t the immediate answer many hoped it would be. Why does it so often evade some people that rebuilding and making significant changes to a team’s make-up doesn’t offer up an instantaneous result? It’s like going to therapy ONE time and expecting all your problems to be resolved in an hour. Let’s be realistic.

So I will spell it out, and hopefully shed a little light on what is going on with the Kings right now.

The team has three brand new players in Carl, Joey and Dominic. Plus, it has Francisco Garcia who had been back in uniform just two games before the Kings first took the floor with their newest trade acquisitions. With just one practice under their belt, in which Coach Westphal wasn’t even present due to a family emergency, and two walkthroughs, could we really expect we’d see a team firing on all cylinders? Again, let’s be realistic.

Landry brought about a serious change to this team before stepping on the floor for the first time as a Kings player on Feb. 20. He brings the possibility of a significant low-post presence to a team that ran plays for guards 90 percent of the time. The first play of the Kings-Clippers game, the team tried to go to him in the post. In theory, once this team acclimates itself with its new pieces, it’ll be great for players like Tyreke, Omri, Cisco and the rest of the guards and wings. It gives them a force in the paint to make their games much easier. In reality, though, it’s going to take awhile.

The new players don’t even have to learn all the offensive sets and all their teammates’ preferences and tendencies, but they have to learn defensive calls and rotations. For that reason, Kings opponents haven’t necessarily had a difficult time finding the bottom of the net these past few games. It also explains why the Kings offense has seemed stagnant recently.

What we’ve seen is what fans might expect to see in a preseason game, and how can anyone be surprised? Again, I’ll say it, ONE PRACTICE.

Let me add this last little tidbit. Before Landry stepped on the floor against the Clippers, he had been in the starting lineup just one time in his two-plus years in the NBA. One time! He is a starter on this team, and that alone deserves a little time for adjustment.

Everyone who’s concerned, take a deep breath… In. Out. In. Out.

The team will get better. Give it a little time. Rebuilding takes time. This is not a modular home you can just plop down on an empty piece of land. This is a house that needs repairs. It doesn’t happen overnight.

 

[SacTownKid]

Thanks for posting that, VF, I didn't catch it until now. Excellent take on the current issues surrounding this team IMO. Couldn't agree more.

 

[kingsnation]

Lakers
Cavs
Magic
Nuggets
Heat
Thunder

And maybe/essentially even:

Mavs
Jazz
Blazers
Hawks

All of the other teams are young with no superstar, hopeless, or formerly great teams who are no longer seriously contenders and are in decline (Spurs, Suns, Celtics for example).

I agree with your lists here. I don't think the Jazz are a "real" possibility however. Honestly too, I'd probably throw in the Bobcats as being just a few pieces away from being a real contender.

And the Mavs are also a aging team that could just be a couple years from joining SA, PHX and BOS.

The funny thing is though is these lists could change dramatically by the time Free Agency is over.

 

[apollo916]

Kings sucked since we won the championship in 2002

 

[Ed2009]

I agree with your lists here. I don't think the Jazz are a "real" possibility however. Honestly too, I'd probably throw in the Bobcats as being just a few pieces away from being a real contender.

And the Mavs are also a aging team that could just be a couple years from joining SA, PHX and BOS.

The funny thing is though is these lists could change dramatically by the time Free Agency is over.

I see it similar.
We are now rebuilding. Many other teams will have to rebuild after this years summer if they wont be able to hold their star players.
By the start of next season we at least wont have to start from zero and the roles in the team will be clearer..

 

[NewArena]

Kings sucked since we won the championship in 2002

Im sure this one of those indirect ways of saying we got screwed by the refs....or you're just confused after being knocked out for the past 7 years.

 

[Kings Fan Gerard]

Kings sucked since we won the championship in 2002

We won but still no ring to show for it.

 

[DocHolliday]

I understand rebuilding takes time, but you have to look at this from the perspective of other fans and teh rest of the NBA. I've had friends that are friends of other teams, saying "How long are you guys going to rebuild?? It's been like 4 or 5 years already".

Now we know as Kings fans we saw that we should have started rebuilding that long ago. But the fact of the matter is, we REALLY went into full rebuild mode 1-2 seasons ago. So we are in our 2nd or 3rd year depending on how you look at it. The rest of the league thinks that we've been rebuilding for 4-5 and it just seems like an "excuse" from a bad franchise at this point.

People equate the Kings to the Cubs. The perennial lovable losers, they see us as we always have been (except for one blip for a few years), and that we always will be.

 

[DocHolliday]

We won but still no ring to show for it.

Unfortunately if it's not in the record books, and there is no ring, no banner, it doesn't count. We may have been screwed, but either way, we didn't win. If you say that to fans of other teams, and to people in the NBA, or that cover the NBA, they may agree with you that the Kings were screwed, but they'll tell you regardless the Lakers won the Championship. They have the ring, they have the banner, it's recorded in the record books.

 

[pilot305]

Kings sucked since we won the championship in 2002

I know what ya did here!

 

[Big Cuz 15]

I understand rebuilding takes time, but you have to look at this from the perspective of other fans and teh rest of the NBA. I've had friends that are friends of other teams, saying "How long are you guys going to rebuild?? It's been like 4 or 5 years already".

Now we know as Kings fans we saw that we should have started rebuilding that long ago. But the fact of the matter is, we REALLY went into full rebuild mode 1-2 seasons ago. So we are in our 2nd or 3rd year depending on how you look at it. The rest of the league thinks that we've been rebuilding for 4-5 and it just seems like an "excuse" from a bad franchise at this point.

People equate the Kings to the Cubs. The perennial lovable losers, they see us as we always have been (except for one blip for a few years), and that we always will be.

great post doc. we were half assing the rebuild i mean refurbishing for the longest until the maloofs woke up and smelled the rot coming from the aging vets.

kings fans, this IS the summer that we can actually make a big splash. we have some good young pieces in place, potentially a top 5 pick if we continue the trend and a hoard of cap space to play the free agency game where there will be some of the best talent available!!

we have enough capspace to offer a max or close to max contract to a free agent and if the balls fall the right way, we could be looking at john wall this offseason. things are definitely going the right way ppl. we are probably 1-2 seasons away from making a push to the playoffs.

 

[Ed2009]

I understand rebuilding takes time, but you have to look at this from the perspective of other fans and teh rest of the NBA. I've had friends that are friends of other teams, saying "How long are you guys going to rebuild?? It's been like 4 or 5 years already".

Now we know as Kings fans we saw that we should have started rebuilding that long ago. But the fact of the matter is, we REALLY went into full rebuild mode 1-2 seasons ago. So we are in our 2nd or 3rd year depending on how you look at it. The rest of the league thinks that we've been rebuilding for 4-5 and it just seems like an "excuse" from a bad franchise at this point.

People equate the Kings to the Cubs. The perennial lovable losers, they see us as we always have been (except for one blip for a few years), and that we always will be.

Maybe this is also the essence of being a real fan.
You go through the hard time of rebuilding a team which seems endless and long but after a certain time you get to enjoy the progress of the team and see the guys winning which is a even bigger joy and reward.

To be frank I dont really care what the others think.
Fans of other organisations usually only pay attention to their favorite club and the better teams in this league but dont really see what is happening below them.

If you look at this season, we really had a certain period of time where the league recognized that this team has the potential to become a good and solid team in the NBA.
This happend exactly when KMart hurt himself and some of us already thought the season was over.

The situation right now is frustrating but as a real fan its seems to be a part of the game..

 

[Kingstime]

These guys are gonna be fine, we brought in a confident young player that doesn't wanna be apart of a losing team. We have a couple confident young rookies that hate to lose, and we have a coach that has experienced success as a player.

We have all the tools to become great right in front of us, we just need our guys to get better and smarter. A nice signing in the free agent market wouldn't hurt either, or a ping pong ball here or there and we are looking at a GREAT situation.

The West is definately gonna be shifting f as only the Lakers,Blazers Thunder and the Nuggets really have a real look at where there teams will be down the line. We just gotta be patient finish out this season, see where we land draft wise and hope our youngins show some growth this offseason.

 

[drogba]

Hi guys,

Honestly speaking, I am quite dissapointed of the latest performances and results.
Watching the last few games was not the biggest fun and joy.

I also feel and understand that the atmosphere in this forum is not the best towards our players and coaching staff, and we all hope that we will start playing better basketball and win games.

But lets face the fact:
We will only see a better basketball if we will let our young players make mistakes. Mistakes that eventually will cost us games.
We have just done a big step towards our new future by letting KMart go.
We have a potential star player (sorry Hawes i mean Tyreke) and other solid and good young players that are not used to the long season and the travelling in the NBA.

So lets see it more positive. It all simply takes time...
I personally would also like to see us running for the playoff spot right now but this is simply not gonna happen.

Too much pressure will not lead us anywhere.

Times are not easy but al least we are not the NETS.

!GO KINGS!

agreed

 

[CruzDude]

WOW! A thread full of common sense NBA wise and understanding. Refreshing for sure and showing KingsFans maturity.

We all want wins so we can set that desire aside as 100% agreement.

how to do that in the rebuilding environment is the core subject of this thread and the dilemma facing the coaches. There are now 9 new pieces to the puzzle and arguably the youngest team in the league. How fun is that?

The Thunder of 1-2 years ago are the Kings of last year and this year and look where they are now. Evev poor ole Memphis is doing
much better.

So taking it easy and understanding even a little bit of the coaching dilemma will go a long way to happiness in your and the Kings family.

 

[bajaden]

I understand rebuilding takes time, but you have to look at this from the perspective of other fans and teh rest of the NBA. I've had friends that are friends of other teams, saying "How long are you guys going to rebuild?? It's been like 4 or 5 years already".

Now we know as Kings fans we saw that we should have started rebuilding that long ago. But the fact of the matter is, we REALLY went into full rebuild mode 1-2 seasons ago. So we are in our 2nd or 3rd year depending on how you look at it. The rest of the league thinks that we've been rebuilding for 4-5 and it just seems like an "excuse" from a bad franchise at this point.

People equate the Kings to the Cubs. The perennial lovable losers, they see us as we always have been (except for one blip for a few years), and that we always will be.

I think the article from Kayte deals with reality and not what should have been. I understand your point to that extent, but I don't see the relevence of it. We are what we are today, and not what we could have been if something else would have been done. I prefer to live in the present because thats something you can do something about. Its one thing to learn from the past. Its quite another to live there.

Please don't take offense. My point is not to take you to task. Your points are all valid and many on the fourm feel the same way you do. Its just that I've never been into finger pointing and laying blame when it comes to the past. I've also never been into accepting, thats the way its always going to be. It will always be that way as long as people accept it. There was slavery in this country because people accepted it. Once they quit accepting it, slavery ended. A bit of an extreme example, but the point is valid.

I think the hardest lesson I ever had to learn in life was to be patient. I was probably one of the most impatient people on the planet earlier in my life. When all the cars on the freeway are going 80 and I was going 70, there was something that would kick on in my mind and suddenly I found myself going 85. I wanted no one ahead of me and no one going faster than me. Unfortunately the highway patrol disagreed with my concepts at times. It wasn't until I learned to slow down that I started to see things in life that I had missed before. Tiny details of why things were the way they were. But details that were fixable. You can't fix them if you can't see them. And you can't see them if your too impatient to see them.

There is a beginning, a middle, and an end to everything. I think a lot of people on this fourm just want to read the beginning and the end and leave out the middle. And the substance is in the middle. When your young and you take a trip, the most famous line is, " Are we there yet ". Its all about getting there. I understand that. But to get there, you take a journey. We need to learn to enjoy the journey. Even if the road gets a little bumpy at times. Sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into a lecture...

 

[DocHolliday]

Maybe this is also the essence of being a real fan.
You go through the hard time of rebuilding a team which seems endless and long but after a certain time you get to enjoy the progress of the team and see the guys winning which is a even bigger joy and reward.

To be frank I dont really care what the others think.
Fans of other organisations usually only pay attention to their favorite club and the better teams in this league but dont really see what is happening below them.

If you look at this season, we really had a certain period of time where the league recognized that this team has the potential to become a good and solid team in the NBA.
This happend exactly when KMart hurt himself and some of us already thought the season was over.

The situation right now is frustrating but as a real fan its seems to be a part of the game..

The point of the post is other teams that started slipping were able to re-tool and at least 'compete" a lot quicker than the Kings, because the Kings waited too long. That is undeniable. Real fan or not, we should be competing already if the right steps were taken, and the organization didn't try to hold on to "trying" to be competitive with what they had.....it was a sinking ship and they waited until the end was imminent, instead of forecasting and starting much earlier.

 

[DocHolliday]

I think the article from Kayte deals with reality and not what should have been. I understand your point to that extent, but I don't see the relevence of it. We are what we are today, and not what we could have been if something else would have been done. I prefer to live in the present because thats something you can do something about. Its one thing to learn from the past. Its quite another to live there.

Please don't take offense. My point is not to take you to task. Your points are all valid and many on the fourm feel the same way you do. Its just that I've never been into finger pointing and laying blame when it comes to the past. I've also never been into accepting, thats the way its always going to be. It will always be that way as long as people accept it. There was slavery in this country because people accepted it. Once they quit accepting it, slavery ended. A bit of an extreme example, but the point is valid.

I think the hardest lesson I ever had to learn in life was to be patient. I was probably one of the most impatient people on the planet earlier in my life. When all the cars on the freeway are going 80 and I was going 70, there was something that would kick on in my mind and suddenly I found myself going 85. I wanted no one ahead of me and no one going faster than me. Unfortunately the highway patrol disagreed with my concepts at times. It wasn't until I learned to slow down that I started to see things in life that I had missed before. Tiny details of why things were the way they were. But details that were fixable. You can't fix them if you can't see them. And you can't see them if your too impatient to see them.

There is a beginning, a middle, and an end to everything. I think a lot of people on this fourm just want to read the beginning and the end and leave out the middle. And the substance is in the middle. When your young and you take a trip, the most famous line is, " Are we there yet ". Its all about getting there. I understand that. But to get there, you take a journey. We need to learn to enjoy the journey. Even if the road gets a little bumpy at times. Sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into a lecture...

I can understand living with what is, not what could have been, or with what should have been done. However, we can not disgregard that the rebuild should have started sooner. If we don't pay attention to history we are destined to repeat it.

When a project is completed it is common to look be and have a "Lessons Learned" review. You not them, you can even build SOP's around them. The point of that is not repeate the same mistakes, move forward, and be more successful in your project next time.

This is no different. While this project is not complete, the organization must take note that, "Yea, we waited to long. We so desperately wanted the good tiems to continue, that in turn we really extended how long the bad times would be.".

And I am patient. If I wasn't I would have renounced, or at least put my fandom of the Kings on the backburner, and returned to the team I followed growing up........The Lakers.

I've noted before I grew up a Lakers fan. If I didnt' want to wait I could be the fan of the current NBA Champion, and current NBA Champion contender.

 

[kennadog]

I think we waited too long, but sometimes people forget what these "other teams" advantages were or how long they were bad, or how lucky they got.

 

[Kingstime]

The point of the post is other teams that started slipping were able to re-tool and at least 'compete" a lot quicker than the Kings, because the Kings waited too long. That is undeniable. Real fan or not, we should be competing already if the right steps were taken, and the organization didn't try to hold on to "trying" to be competitive with what they had.....it was a sinking ship and they waited until the end was imminent, instead of forecasting and starting much earlier.

True the rebuild shoulda started the minute Cuttino Mobley walked through them doors.

 

[bajaden]

I can understand living with what is, not what could have been, or with what should have been done. However, we can not disgregard that the rebuild should have started sooner. If we don't pay attention to history we are destined to repeat it.

When a project is completed it is common to look be and have a "Lessons Learned" review. You not them, you can even build SOP's around them. The point of that is not repeate the same mistakes, move forward, and be more successful in your project next time.

This is no different. While this project is not complete, the organization must take note that, "Yea, we waited to long. We so desperately wanted the good tiems to continue, that in turn we really extended how long the bad times would be.".

And I am patient. If I wasn't I would have renounced, or at least put my fandom of the Kings on the backburner, and returned to the team I followed growing up........The Lakers.

I've noted before I grew up a Lakers fan. If I didnt' want to wait I could be the fan of the current NBA Champion, and current NBA Champion contender.

I don't disagree with you. Some of my point, and I didn't reference it very well, is that there are things that are out of our hands. Actually most of it is out of our hands, and all we can really do is comment on it. We can only hope that the orginization learns from the past. But we as fans have little control over it, other than by supporting or non-supporting.

My post wasn't really directed at you, but more at a general feeling that affects the fourm at times. Yes, the team screwed up by not starting sooner. I'm sure they had their reasons, which we'll probably never know, unless Petrie writes a book someday. But its the results that matter, and the results show that they should have started sooner.

Having said that, there's nothing thats going to change that now. Whats done is done. There's nothing wrong with remembering, but anything more than that is wasted energy. Anyway, I think were in agreement. And as I said, I didn't mean to single you out. Sorry!

 

[Larry89]

Curse of Nocioni

 

[CruzDude]

Ahhh, PATUIE!!!!!

Somehow this all reminds me the story of the old bull and the young bull on a hill looking down at a herd of heiffers:

The young bull says, "Hey, lets run down there and get us one!"

The old bull says says, "Well son, why not walk down there, and have them all?"
Sorta like the impatient youth on the board vs. us more patient older (been there-done that) folk with the "..have them all" metaphor being playoffs and championship.

The back and forth dialog is what this site is all about. Dumm, smart and everything in-between. Once the Kings fell from the 50 wins (or more) in 8 straight years, it took them 5 years to hit bottom (last year). The rebuild was little pieces until Tyreke came aboard. In 1998, first it was JWill then Peja, Vlade and CWebb. It still took them 3-4 years to reach the top.

Thats all. Enjoy the home team and stay KingsFans.

 

[Sptsjunkie]

I agree with your lists here. I don't think the Jazz are a "real" possibility however. Honestly too, I'd probably throw in the Bobcats as being just a few pieces away from being a real contender.

And the Mavs are also a aging team that could just be a couple years from joining SA, PHX and BOS.

The funny thing is though is these lists could change dramatically by the time Free Agency is over.

Actually agree about the Jazz, but was trying to be over instead of under inclusive.

I wouldn't include the Cats. Wallace is a 3rd tier player who will never be a superstar, even though he would be a good complementary player. Jackson is on the wrong side of 30. Felton can still improve, but I can't imagine him becoming an all star. They really don't have any trade chips. And their draft picks will all be in the mid to late teens.

And yeah, the Mavs I left in there, because Dirk is still a superstar. However, they are committed to so much salary and are only a lower level playoff team. However, if Cuban gets gutsy and they trade for a good 2nd banana next season, they could still have another run left in them.

 

[Rookie]

Ahhh, PATUIE!!!!!

Somehow this all reminds me the story of the old bull and the young bull on a hill looking down at a herd of heiffers:

The young bull says, "Hey, lets run down there and get us one!"

The old bull says says, "Well son, why not walk down there, and have them all?"

Sorta like the impatient youth on the board vs. us more patient older (been there-done that) folk with the "..have them all" metaphor being playoffs and championship.

hey wait a minute...

I don't want to get them all...I just want the best looking one.

 

[DocHolliday]

Ahhh, PATUIE!!!!!

Somehow this all reminds me the story of the old bull and the young bull on a hill looking down at a herd of heiffers:

The young bull says, "Hey, lets run down there and get us one!"

The old bull says says, "Well son, why not walk down there, and have them all?"
Sorta like the impatient youth on the board vs. us more patient older (been there-done that) folk with the "..have them all" metaphor being playoffs and championship.

The back and forth dialog is what this site is all about. Dumm, smart and everything in-between. Once the Kings fell from the 50 wins (or more) in 8 straight years, it took them 5 years to hit bottom (last year). The rebuild was little pieces until Tyreke came aboard. In 1998, first it was JWill then Peja, Vlade and CWebb. It still took them 3-4 years to reach the top.

Thats all. Enjoy the home team and stay KingsFans.

I don't think that relates very well. Somehow that insinuates in this instance that if we take longer to rebuild we'll be enjoying "more" of something, and really we aren't guaranteed anything either way; whether the rebuild happens fast or slow. And, I don't think 5 years is trying to run down the hill. If things go well we're 3 years away. If things continue to flail, and we continue to have one REALLY good player surrounded by a collection of pretty good to average players, instead of a team full of talented players as well as one more star quality player, there is no end in site.

By the way..age doesn't guarantee wisdom. I've known plenty of ignorant people who are "older" than me. Me I'm in between. I'm not old, nor young (32).

 

[kennadog]

By the way..age doesn't guarantee wisdom. I've known plenty of ignorant people who are "older" than me. Me I'm in between. I'm not old, nor young (32).

There are no guarantees of wisdom with age. It just makes wisdom about life more likely. Somewhat like veterans vs. rookies on a team.

What's interesting is that "oldsters" seem to have more patience, when generally, we actually have increasingly less time to wait.

 

[VF21]

I understand rebuilding takes time, but you have to look at this from the perspective of other fans and teh rest of the NBA. I've had friends that are friends of other teams, saying "How long are you guys going to rebuild?? It's been like 4 or 5 years already".

Now we know as Kings fans we saw that we should have started rebuilding that long ago. But the fact of the matter is, we REALLY went into full rebuild mode 1-2 seasons ago. So we are in our 2nd or 3rd year depending on how you look at it. The rest of the league thinks that we've been rebuilding for 4-5 and it just seems like an "excuse" from a bad franchise at this point.

People equate the Kings to the Cubs. The perennial lovable losers, they see us as we always have been (except for one blip for a few years), and that we always will be.

Not really responding to you as much as using your comments to voice a question/observation I've had for some time...

It seems some Kings fans are unduly worried about what their "friends" may say about the team. It's the old peer pressure thing, I suppose, but does it really matter that much what they may think or say if you truly enjoy being a Kings fan?

I guess I'm just old-school, but I couldn't possibly care less what fans of other teams might think about the Kings. People saw us as losers before, too, and I didn't care then either...

If you're a fan, IMHO, you're a fan. It shouldn't matter if your friend laughs at you. If you are overly impacted by his/her reaction, then perhaps you are more worried about social acceptance than fandom?

Just thoughts, of course.