Muff has persuasively argued about how Ron is not as crazy as perceived and that perhaps the media might perpetuate his crazy persona. I agree with the majority of his assessment and will add that I think quite a bit of his new-found maturity is a factor of him learning from his mistakes.  When he came into the league he was a newly-rich young man from the streets. What would you do if you went from Queensbridge and broke to famous and wealthy? I'd probably opt for hookers and blow. Maybe Ron did too but he just didn't get caught. Regardless of your vice-of-choice a young man who went from nuthin' to somethin' is going to go apeshit.

On to basketball matters. I have stated it before and I'll state it again. If the Kings do not retain Artest then what is the viable next option? John Salmons? Please don't say it's so. John, while a fine player, simply cannot replace the production that Ron-Ron can give to you on a consistent basis. Salmons just seems to disappear for stretches of games at a time. This is not a trait you want with your (in this hypothetical situation) second best player. Additionally, while Ron freely admits that Salmons is greatly admired by the entire team for his commitment to be drug and alcohol-free, he is not a leader in basketball issues. Ron is vocal, passionate, and the face of the Kings' organization. Yes, Martin is the best player but he is reserved and not very interesting from a media standpoint. I will admit that having a media personality is not a prerequisite for a successful team, but it is indicative of leadership qualities. Ron is the unquestioned heart and soul of this team and inspires players like Cisco, Brad, and even Kevin to play hard and leave it all out on the court. Any replacement for Ron's on-court prowess must also be weighed against his off-the-court contributions as well. 

Some of you may also argue that Garcia can step it up and play the 3. Sure he can, he has shown that he is a viable option in this league and should have a very successful NBA career. Unfortunately he is the backup 2 and 3 and does this task admirably.  I like him in this role and the Kings' bench would suffer tremendously if he was promoted to starter. Also, at this point Cisco does not have the experience or the consistency to be relied upon to be a full-time NBA starter. You can argue that he needs to be thrust into the fire to gain these attributes but I'm not so sure that Francisco can become much more than what he already is. He's a good shooter who plays with a lot of passion and can come up with timely defensive plays while occasionally committing bonehead errors, at times with the game on the line. This is a characteristic he will have for awhile; it must just be accepted as part of his game. 

A third option is to draft a young swingman and hope that this player develops into a serviceable player.  This is probably the best option and also the most feasible. Athletic SFs are the most common commodity in the draft and getting a player who can contribute at this position can be done. However, the timeframe for this would be approximately 3 years, and that's if he was drafted this year. So that means the magical year of 2010 is when there may be a suitable replacement for Ron, and that's a big if. We all know what Ron is going to give you. The offense/defense combo is deadly. What the new incarnation of SF is going to give you is a mystery. While offensive patience and greater efficiency might be gained, defensive tenacity and versatility will surely be lost. A wash is probably the best that can come from a drafted player.

Therefore, how can the Kings best build their team to contend for a championship? Conventional wisdom says that you build through the draft and free-agency while executing some well-timed trades. I suppose you could trade a high draft pick for a lock for the NBA hall-of-fame (see Garnett, Kevin) but those opportunities rarely come about. We all know that the draft is a crapshoot and maybe the Kings can get lucky, maybe not. Additionally, the Kings are good enough to compete for the 8th playoff spot but not good enough to make it far beyond that point. This means you are going to consistently draft in the late lottery and most likely cannot draft an impact player. One might argue that if we dump Artest then the Kings will be horrible and have a chance at that high lottery pick. I can actually agree with some of this logic. However, even without Ron the Kings might be good enough to float around 0.500 and that is counter-productive.

Free agency is always an option for team development and much has been said of the magical year of 2010 when there will be high quality star players available with the Kings having the cap space to pay them. However, I do not have to tell this audience the sad truth. Free agents do not come to Sac. Sure, cash rules everything around me and a player will go for the dolla dolla bills y'all. I just don't see why a big-time player will come to Sac if given a choice between the River City and a mass-media market which comes with the increased chances of making some marketing $$$. Somehow I don't see Folsom-lake Ford forking over the big bucks anytime soon. Thus, what good does massive cap space do if you have nowhere to spend it?

I know how this seems. All of you are saying, "Damn dude stop dick-riding Ron-Ron. He's barely a top 20 player in the L." It's true. Up until this point I have been dick-riding Artest. He's a unique basketball talent and a fiery competitor. He is not without fault for sure. He absolutely bogs down the offense with his need for the ball and will not accept his role as second-banana on this team. Moreover, he sometimes does not use the God-given advantages he has to punish players in the post and instead opts to launch ill-advised jumpers. He is not perfect by far. He is however the best option for the Kings to go forward with at this point. It pains me to think that Ron is younger than I am, but he is. If Artest is resigned, even for $12 million per year, he can be flipped in the future for some other player. Ron's services are always in need and a situation could arise where the Kings get something for him. Letting him walk for nothing is a stiff price to pay. I do not think Ron can be signed and traded right now, but perhaps in the future he can be. If Ron gets away for free, the Kings organization will be set back for years. Players of his caliber do not come about very often and he can be a vital part of a championship run for THIS team. This team does need some more work but we can all be pleased with the progress so far. If Shawes can continue to progress and if down the line a rebounding athletic PF can be added, then this team can and will compete for a championship. To steal a well-known line from another StR member...Book it!   

I've been intently watching the poll regarding the opinion of my fellow StR bretheren and am curious to hear some opinions on why they think this season was or was not a success. I'm especially curious on the opinions of those who voted this season a success "only if we beat the Lakers." I hate the Lakers as much as everyone else here but how can a team's barometer be measured on one game where the two best players for said team won't even be in uniform?

To add some fodder for debate I will add my opinion to the mix and we shall see what comes of it. I am obviously in the minority as I voted that this Kings season was not a success. You cannot deny that this year's incarnation of the Kings are a better product than last year's, but I think last year's squad was a complete disaster. How a few games improvement (but still under 0.500) can be measured as success I do not know.

I suppose the Kings' play of late has left some with a positive spin on the team and, I must admit, have been superbly impressed with their recent quality play against supposedly superior talent. Too little way too late. One can only hope that this carries over to next season, but who knows what will happen as we all know the current state of flux in the team's roster.

Don't get me wrong, I am optimistic for the future. Certainly much more so than I was at the end of last year's quagmire. We have quality swingmen and an emerging center and possibly a young talented point. There is much to be excited about. However, with all this potential it still has not been realized and may not ever be. To me, if you do not reach the playoffs and have a chance to compete for a championship you have had an unsuccessful season. There may be positive aspects of your season, but it was a failure nonetheless. Take the Warriors for example. They improved their record and had, by most measureable means, a phenomenal year. To me, it was just as much a failure, if not more so, than the Kings' season.

Granted I know, from the poll data, that about 50% or more of you do not agree with me and that is...OK. So tell me why I'm wrong and lets get this party started.

(From the diaries. - TZ)

I was listening to a podcast between J.A. Adande and Joe Maloof on the main NBA page of espn.com and I heard some interesting tidbits. The main thing that caught my attention was Joe's comment regarding Ron Artest. This is a direct quote, slightly paraphrased, made around the 5:30 minute mark of the podcast. "I love Ron Artest... I hope he does not opt-out... and that we have an opportunity to resign him to a longterm contract."

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Uh-oh I hope.... oh wait just read the title. Believe it or not, Ron Artest is the league leader in 3pt FG%. Ex-sqeeze-me, baking-powder?? You heard me, good Lord I hope Ron-Ron does not see this and go buckwild. I'm sure Mr. Artest is an avid reader of StR so I suppose I let the cat outta the bag here... sorry guys I didn't mean it, honest. Anyways, I'm sure nobody minds seeing an efficient 3-pt-shooting Ron but somehow I can just feel this as an impetus to jack-it-up.  

I keep thinking about it and thinking about it and I really haven't gotten anywhere so I submit my question to the Royalty? Why would the Kings want Ben Gordon? I realize he can, at times, be a phenomenal player but we already have a 2 gaurd. If the three team deal between the Lakers and Bulls was really close to being done, what was GP thinking? It couldn't have been as close to a done deal as the media says, right? If so I am still astounded, even if it is not a reality at this point. GP couldn't have wanted that deal could he?? Could he???

OMG, I almost cried when I saw this. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2954719

Since this is the offseason I have to offer this even though it is football. I know there are many Niners fans here and I am almost as rabid a Niners fan as I am a Kings fan (#1a to Sac's #1). A sad day indeed, my sympathies to his family.

I'll tell y'all what (sorry to interject some Texas vernacular, but I can't help it) I am pretty darn excited about USA basketball. I know it is going to be some time before we get to see the finished product against top competition, but I really can't wait to see if we can regain our rightful position of prominence in the world of international hoops. By all accounts, the FIBA World Chamionships are going to be a walkover for the boys in blue, so that leaves us until the Olympics to see how we will do. I realize that this has nothing to do with Kings bball as the only King on the invited roster is B52 but there is no way on God's green Earth that he makes that squad. However, since this is the offseason I thought I'd share my thoughts on the team and ask what y'all think.

First off, I am giddy that Kobe Bryant is on the team. Wait, wait... please keep your rotten tomatoes in their basket, I am not giving any Laker-love here. I hate Kobe the Laker but I adore Kobe the USA basketball star. He is, quite simply, the best singular talent in the NBA and perhaps the world. He is #1 to Tim Duncan's #1A. Too bad Duncan is out, but he is a whiny baby so if he wants out so be it. I honestly do not think anyone can stop Kobe anytime anywhere and it is up to him to determine how far the team goes. He shoots, plays defense, is a good teammate (arguably), and is a leader. If he had any semblance of a team around him in LALA-land the Lakers would be a force. Now, as I slowly bring my lips off of Kobe's ass, I realize he is a ballhog and that the international game is more about teamwork than any other brand of basketball. This is where I hope Kobe's playmaking comes into account. Last year he tried desperately to involve his teammates but, alas, they suck. Hopefully with Team USA (America...fuck yeah!) he will trust his teammates and his passes will result in wideopen looks. The problem, as always, is who can shoot the rock? Michael Redd is the supposed answer, but I am not so sure. He is streaky and the international three gives us Americans fits, for some unknown reason. Carmelo is a shooter, but more of a scorer than spot-up shooter but I suppose he can knock a few down. Billups can also shoot, but again he is streaky. Jason Kidd is a phenomenal addition to USA Basketball and, even though he is 125 years-old, is the best American PG there is. He should give Amare and Bosh (or insert other PF here) easy dunks and layups. Lebron, although to a lesser degree, will also help out his teammates with his passing skills (while Brad can help out with his Bow-hunting skills).

One caveat to all my USA-love is that I expect everyone to be accepting of their roles on the team. Obviously Lebron has to accept second or even third banana on this team, something he might not be used to. The same goes for Melo. Also, this team cannot under-estimate the competition. They are good ladies and gentleman. I fully expect some close games and even maybe some nail-biters. But in the end, USA has the talent and the desire to win the gold and I fully expect them to.

Here is my roster:
Chandler/Bosh/Melo/Kobe/Kidd followed by
Amare/Prince(Boozer?)/Lebron/Redd/Billups

Short on true size but high on defense and playmaking. I haven't put in a tremendous amount of true analytical power into this, just off the top of my head, but it seems nice to me. What do you think?