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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13270501p-14112856c.html
Mark Kreidler: Wells a problem child? The Kings have no hangups with that
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, July 21, 2005
You wonder why the Kings would pursue a serial problem child like Bonzi Wells? Shoot, that's easy: (1) The guy is a genuine athlete, and (2) They're exactly that desperate.
Now, you wonder why the Kings haven't already worked out a solid deal to bring Wells to Sacramento as the starting two-guard? Got that one covered, too.
And the answer is: Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
It's a convoluted thing, and it is nearly encased in all the cross-talk and counterintuition that seem to trail around these kinds of conversations. But Abdur-Rahim, though reported to be all but delivered to the New Jersey Nets, is by no means counted out around the Kings' front offices.
"We're obviously still interested in him if he's interested in us," Kings executive Geoff Petrie said Wednesday. "It remains to be seen."
And it does. It absolutely remains to be seen whether Abdur-Rahim's "verbal" commitment to sign with the Nets, either outright or via a sign-and-trade from Portland, is worth the Internet bandwith that has already been spent blogging on it.
For everything you've heard over the past few weeks - Cuttino Mobley to the Clippers, Kwame Brown to the Lakers, Ray Allen back with the Sonics, all that - it is worth noting that nothing actually has been done yet. The NBA won't allow it until the post-labor negotiation moratorium on signings and trades has been lifted, and Petrie has been told that won't occur until perhaps a week from Friday.
Until then, nothing is set, and anything could happen. And that still includes the part about Petrie working something complicated, such as a multi-player deal with some other team that yields the Kings a trade "exception," which could make an Abdur-Rahim deal work.
The Nets have such an exception, which allows them to trade for the player without having to deal equivalent salary to Portland - critical, since the Trail Blazers have made it known they don't want to take any salary back in the Abdur-Rahim deal, just future draft picks.
The exception also means New Jersey can agree to a trade that might net Abdur-Rahim something closer to $38 million over the life of the contract rather than the $28 million or so that the standard mid-level exception (MLE), available to every team every year, offers over the same span. The Kings, at this point, have only the MLE to spend, worth somewhere north of $5 million to begin.
Petrie isn't saying much, but don't confuse that with inactivity. The Abdur-Rahim conversation is ongoing - and so is the idea of waiting for Memphis to cut Wells loose and then pursuing him with some or all of that mid-level exception. (That would also mark the end of the Mo Evans era, for those keeping score.)
Joe and Gavin Maloof have given Petrie the latitude to spend that money - and, for that matter, there is no specific "tundra out there that they say, 'You can't cross that,' " Petrie said Wednesday. The question is how to get better, and what is the point of spending the loot.
When it comes to Wells, making that case is easier than you'd think, and it goes back to the head coach. Over the years, Rick Adelman has gotten mileage and production out of a whole host of players who either flamed out at previous NBA stops or were judged to be so difficult to coach - or simply so erratic or unpredictable - that they constituted significant risk.
Vernon Maxwell. Jason Williams. Chris Webber. Jon Barry, who arrived in Sacramento with a reputation for prickliness and wound up a beloved local.
Jimmy Jackson. Even Doug Christie had a knock as being hard to coach, though you never saw that during his outstanding years with the Kings.
Adelman's ability to work with these disparate types of players gives Petrie the flexibility to simply consider athletic ability and team fit, which is where Wells comes in.
Wells has burned bridges now at two stops, and he may have reached a career nadir this spring when Memphis coach Mike Fratello benched him for Game 2 of the Grizzlies' playoff series with Phoenix, then ordered him not to come anywhere near the building for Game 4.
Since Fratello has no use for him, Memphis will decline the $8 million option on Wells' contract. And Petrie ought to be waiting for him, with most of that MLE to spend.
Wells can be a first-class knucklehead, but much of his unhappiness over the years can be traced to playing time (a career average of fewer than 23 minutes per game). If he starts for Adelman, that's no issue - and what Wells gives the Kings in return is a player who can make a shot, post up a defender and crash inside.
Wells meets the team's need to get more athletic and more versatile; he can play shooting guard or small forward. Abdur-Rahim is the more obvious scoring talent, but then Abdur-Rahim is likely to require more money to secure it.
Wells is the better value, and he spares Adelman the agony of starting either unproven Kevin Martin or rookie Francisco García. That alone ought to be worth $5 million to Adelman, if not his boss - but that's only if Abdur-Rahim doesn't get here first. The Kings figure themselves to be still in that conversation. It's the one worth having.
Mark Kreidler: Wells a problem child? The Kings have no hangups with that
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, July 21, 2005
You wonder why the Kings would pursue a serial problem child like Bonzi Wells? Shoot, that's easy: (1) The guy is a genuine athlete, and (2) They're exactly that desperate.
Now, you wonder why the Kings haven't already worked out a solid deal to bring Wells to Sacramento as the starting two-guard? Got that one covered, too.
And the answer is: Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
It's a convoluted thing, and it is nearly encased in all the cross-talk and counterintuition that seem to trail around these kinds of conversations. But Abdur-Rahim, though reported to be all but delivered to the New Jersey Nets, is by no means counted out around the Kings' front offices.
"We're obviously still interested in him if he's interested in us," Kings executive Geoff Petrie said Wednesday. "It remains to be seen."
And it does. It absolutely remains to be seen whether Abdur-Rahim's "verbal" commitment to sign with the Nets, either outright or via a sign-and-trade from Portland, is worth the Internet bandwith that has already been spent blogging on it.
For everything you've heard over the past few weeks - Cuttino Mobley to the Clippers, Kwame Brown to the Lakers, Ray Allen back with the Sonics, all that - it is worth noting that nothing actually has been done yet. The NBA won't allow it until the post-labor negotiation moratorium on signings and trades has been lifted, and Petrie has been told that won't occur until perhaps a week from Friday.
Until then, nothing is set, and anything could happen. And that still includes the part about Petrie working something complicated, such as a multi-player deal with some other team that yields the Kings a trade "exception," which could make an Abdur-Rahim deal work.
The Nets have such an exception, which allows them to trade for the player without having to deal equivalent salary to Portland - critical, since the Trail Blazers have made it known they don't want to take any salary back in the Abdur-Rahim deal, just future draft picks.
The exception also means New Jersey can agree to a trade that might net Abdur-Rahim something closer to $38 million over the life of the contract rather than the $28 million or so that the standard mid-level exception (MLE), available to every team every year, offers over the same span. The Kings, at this point, have only the MLE to spend, worth somewhere north of $5 million to begin.
Petrie isn't saying much, but don't confuse that with inactivity. The Abdur-Rahim conversation is ongoing - and so is the idea of waiting for Memphis to cut Wells loose and then pursuing him with some or all of that mid-level exception. (That would also mark the end of the Mo Evans era, for those keeping score.)
Joe and Gavin Maloof have given Petrie the latitude to spend that money - and, for that matter, there is no specific "tundra out there that they say, 'You can't cross that,' " Petrie said Wednesday. The question is how to get better, and what is the point of spending the loot.
When it comes to Wells, making that case is easier than you'd think, and it goes back to the head coach. Over the years, Rick Adelman has gotten mileage and production out of a whole host of players who either flamed out at previous NBA stops or were judged to be so difficult to coach - or simply so erratic or unpredictable - that they constituted significant risk.
Vernon Maxwell. Jason Williams. Chris Webber. Jon Barry, who arrived in Sacramento with a reputation for prickliness and wound up a beloved local.
Jimmy Jackson. Even Doug Christie had a knock as being hard to coach, though you never saw that during his outstanding years with the Kings.
Adelman's ability to work with these disparate types of players gives Petrie the flexibility to simply consider athletic ability and team fit, which is where Wells comes in.
Wells has burned bridges now at two stops, and he may have reached a career nadir this spring when Memphis coach Mike Fratello benched him for Game 2 of the Grizzlies' playoff series with Phoenix, then ordered him not to come anywhere near the building for Game 4.
Since Fratello has no use for him, Memphis will decline the $8 million option on Wells' contract. And Petrie ought to be waiting for him, with most of that MLE to spend.
Wells can be a first-class knucklehead, but much of his unhappiness over the years can be traced to playing time (a career average of fewer than 23 minutes per game). If he starts for Adelman, that's no issue - and what Wells gives the Kings in return is a player who can make a shot, post up a defender and crash inside.
Wells meets the team's need to get more athletic and more versatile; he can play shooting guard or small forward. Abdur-Rahim is the more obvious scoring talent, but then Abdur-Rahim is likely to require more money to secure it.
Wells is the better value, and he spares Adelman the agony of starting either unproven Kevin Martin or rookie Francisco García. That alone ought to be worth $5 million to Adelman, if not his boss - but that's only if Abdur-Rahim doesn't get here first. The Kings figure themselves to be still in that conversation. It's the one worth having.
