Now that we can once again talk basketball (hooray!!!), I was taking a gander at the upcoming free agent class as the new CBA makes clear, the Kings have got to spend some cash this abbreviated offseason. Here are some names I like and might be worth a shot. I will not include the obvious choices of Nene or Gasol. I think you give a max offer to Nene on the first day possible and watch as he signs elsewhere. You still have to make that offer, in my opinion. Gasol is tricky, not worth a max contract; but it might take that to outbid the other suitors, including Memphis. I am also assuming that Dalembert is gone and is gone for free (i.e. without a sign-and-trade bringing other contracts/assets). On to the list (in no particular order)...

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We have had quite a discussion on StR these last few weeks with nearly all of it centering on the massive disappointment that the Kings have been thus far in 2010. From the infamous WestphalGate to the mysterious who-dun-it PlaybookGate to finally defeated acceptance of a shitty team...Gate, we have been treated to a roller coaster ride with more unexpected twists likely to come. So amidst all of the smoke and blood of artillery fire being constantly lobbed around this site, I took a moment to step back and reflect on the Kings and how this ship might be potentially recovered from the depths of the unforgiving sea. Unfortunately, the conclusions are not pretty.

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Tonight we refrain from our DMC vs. WJ vs. TTDP (that's trade the damn pick for the acronym-impaired) debate to take up a cause which comes from a higher calling. Tonight we will stop discussing trade proposals and debating player worth to ponder something much more important than that. Tonight, we as a community must come together and focus our collective attention on something that truly matters, something much more real and concrete than silly debates regarding our team's off-season. No, tonight we will not be discussing this or that or the other as my fellow StR brethren will band together, united for a cause to do some good for a change. Just like the shelter animals, your support is needed now more than ever.

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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?

So far nobody has commented on the Rashard Lewis' signing by the Magic and I feel obligated to give my opinion as I am both astounded and saddened at the situation. I realize that this is in no way connected to Kings bball, but when a fringe all-star player signs a 6-year 110-120 million dollar contract, this needs to be discussed. I think nobody will argue that Rashard is not a max-player and that the Magic indeed overpayed for his services. He is not a bad fit for the Magic basketball-wise as they need some perimeter shooting to help out Dwight Howard. JJ Redick would fit this role (Jameer Nelson too for that matter) but I suppose they don't have much confidence in those two. Quite frankly I suppose you cannot blame them. Lewis is a proven commodity who will give you 20 and 7 a night. However, the Magic have CRIPPLED themselves for the next five or six years and really need to hope Howard develops into the best big in the game in the next 2-3 years. This is not unfathomable as most will agree that Howard is an absolute beast on the boards and around the basket. He can become what Amare Stoudemire was before the microfracture surgury. That is a big IF, by the way. Personally, I think that unless Dwight can up his arsenal real soon I do not know if his potential will be realized. Howard will re-up with the Magic with close to max numbers for him. This means that Lewis and Rashard will account for roughly 2/3 of the team's cap number for a long time. If they become the second coming of Kobe and Shaq then good for them. I don't see it happening. They will have to find some real bargains to be anything other than contenders. In the east I suppose all you need is to be in the hunt, but for my $120 million dollars I want to be a favorite for the title, not just a 4-8 seed (which is probably where they sit right now).

I truly hope that this works out for the Magic, I really do. They have a history of getting screwed (Shaq <wins the title after he leaves, Grant Hill <wins the title with Phx wink!>). Methinks they just got the shaft again.  

I do not get to watch many games as I am in Texas, but when the Kings come on national TV, I always partake in may favorite activity... watching Kings basketball. Usually I rely upon SR for game insight and analysis as many of you go to the games and the rest watch `em on the tube. Since I got a chance to watch my boys in action here is some observations I made about our hero Eric Musselman.

I am not going to bash Muss for the sake of bashing him as I feel that he needs his time to put his stamp onto the team. How long this will take is a crapshoot, but I at least will give him until after next season. However, this season has not been the best for dear old Muss.  Let me explain... Last night against the Spurs I noticed a few subtle things regarding our coach which troubled me. In the first quarter the Kings called a timeout (maybe TV-time but regardless a timeout) after the Spurs went on a mini-run. I believe the game was 18-14 or so Spurs. Muss comes onto the court after the timeout and looks up at the scoreboard to, I assume, check the score of the game. Maybe he was checking out a hot chick in the stands or maybe he had a crick in his neck but it definitely seemed as if he was totally unaware of the game situation. When he glanced up he seemed surprised that the Kings were down and let a little frown creep across his face. This incident may be innocent enough but I would expect that a coach is constantly aware of the game situation at all times. I do not expect a running box score in the coach's brain but I also do not expect the coach to be surprised his team is getting their asses handed to them.

My second observation (actually it was before the first one, but who is counting...oh wait I am, nevermind) was the lack of timeout calls in the first when the Spurs were opening it up.  They eventually went on an approx. 9-0 run before Muss stopped the bleeding. I did my own hand-signal timeout after three made Spurs baskets in-a-row because I expected a TO, but to my shock it never came. If I know to call TO, then Muss should know it to. The Spurs scored twice more...'nuff said.

My third observation came when the Kings were getting back into the game. They went on a run and Pop called timeout (wow...what a concept). As the Kings were returning to the sidelines John Salmons was leading the way to the bench, and had just made a few good plays. Muss comes out to give a high-five to J-Salm to celebrate his non-suckitude and he stiffs Muss. That's right people Muss was left hangin' on national TV. Was it purely coincidental or purposeful? The world may never know.

My last observation came during the action of the game. It was a tight contest at this point and really anyone's game. The Kings got a defensive stop and had momentum to finally take the lead as the ball crossed half-court. Brad gets the ball near the right wing and then looks to the sideline at Muss with a look of pure confusion on his face. I have seen this look in someone's eyes before and it was as clear as if he was speaking to me. Brad was saying, "Coach WTF are we running here." The fact that the team seems to have no set offense and that one of the most tenured Kings has no idea what the team is going to do on a critical offensive possession is inexcusable. The ball ended up in Bibby's hands and he jacked up a bad shot and well, you know how the rest of the game went.

My method to all this madness is that a guy who marketed himself on preparedness seemed remarkably unprepared in this basketball game. Maybe he sucked back too much of grandpa's old cough syrup. I really dunno. Muss has got to get his act together for next season (if he is around...but I bet he is). What do you think?  

Many here at SR.com have wondered out loud, why are the Kings doing so poorly this season?  Aren't they the same team, minus Mr. Wells, who almost felled perennial title contender San Antone? The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is an emphatic NO. Say what you will, Bonzi was worth every penny Petrie was going to give him... perhaps even worth what Bonzi's former agent was demanding (but to the Kings only..let me explain).  I will freely admit that as an individual BW is an above average player, nothing more nothing less. Okay I lied, Bonzi is a mediocre player some of the time, a stellar player some of the time and hurt the rest of the time, but when he is on... it's lights out baby.

What Wells did provide for the Kings was actually more than the stat-sheet can show... by BW starting, he dramatically improved the quality of the bench. Last year, BW would be spelled by K-Mart, and with his awesome efficiency was tremendous off the pine.  Who wouldn't love a guy who can score almost a point a minute? What Bonzi also provided was another clutch go-to-guy who wasn't afraid to take it to the basket or get that offensive put-back to keep the opponents at bay.

Lastly, BW played decent defense and certainly is an improvement over K-mart. I love Kevin but at this point he is not strong enough to contend with a top-tier SG of the league. Not to say Wells will shut down Kobe or T-Mac.... but at least the post-up opportunities will be limited. If I was Kobe and saw Martin in front of me I would just turn my back to him and shove my way (Shaq-style) to within ten feet...turnaround jumper...basket.

Let me sum-up...
(1)    Vastly improved bench
(2)    Improved defense from starters
(3)    Increased "scrappiness" (i.e. offensive put-backs)
(4)    Just once I wanted to see Ron and Bonzi fight some other team...maybe even in a tag-team bout. That would have been the moment of my life.  

I daily go to peruse NBA news over the web and usually start with ESPN.com or sacbee for my Kings related news. However ESPN insider is pushing me out of the door and I am frustrated as hell at ESPNs web coverage. Why should I even bother to go to that site when 70% of the content is restricted pay-for-it material. I can get most of the same information from the net and SR really has better news than any other mainstream official sports website I have seen. Really... why would I pay for espn insider when I can get the same info 1-2 hours later than "breaking news." I mean, perhaps if I wasn't a cheap bastard then this wouldn't be a problem but I don't even see the real value in the content they provide. It is interesting to hear the latest trade rumors but this content alone is not enough to encourage me to buy. Maybe if they bundled streaming videos of games or something I would think about it. During the season I can get fairly detailed video highlights from NBA.com for free so I feel I should be getting "can't do without it in-depth material" for my buck and I just don't see it. Why would a mainstream sports juggernaut want to alienate most of its browsers? Is the extra dough thay receive really worth the loss of free viewers...and subsequent loss of advertising viewing (which I would speculate is more revenue than insider gets).

I suppose I should apologize if you read my rant all the way down to here for I tend to really harp on a subject when it really gets under my skin. Perhaps this really bothers others as well. Take the poll and lets find out.

This is Rick Adelman's coaching resume accoring to wikipedia.com. Please do not let this be a sign for things to come.

Preceded by:
Mike Schuler Portland Trail Blazers head coach
1989-1994 Succeeded by:
P. J. Carlesimo
Preceded by:
Bob Lanier Golden State Warriors head coach
1995-1997 Succeeded by:
P. J. Carlesimo
Preceded by:
Eddie Jordan Sacramento Kings head coach
1998-2006 Succeeded by:
vacant

Since Kings BBall is over and only offseason drama remains I begin to look into other aspects of sports and can discuss things other than Kings basketball. But when I saw this I just was stunned. Deron freakin' Williams received one vote for ROY thereby leaving Chris Paul with 124 out of 125 first place votes. While he still wins by a landslide I take offense to him not getting all the votes. I have seen both Paul and DW play and let me tell you Deron Williams pretty much sucks at this point in his career. This is not to say he won't someday become a fine NBA player, but he did not play worthy of even a top-five vote. Charlie Villanueva, Bogut, and Channing Frye all played much better than Williams and the ONLY guy who could MAYBE steal a vote from CP3 is Villanueva. He played out of his mind this year...for a bad team. Nobody thought the Raptors did a good job in the draft but they have some of the best young players in the league. I really don't see why they can't compete but that's a different story. So am I crazy or is the ROY voting a joke??

Im a NorCal transplant to Houston, Texas so I don't get to see too many Kings games nowadays. I had NBA league pass for awhile but found I did nothing but watch basketball all night (miss that NBATV however). I have been to every Kings-Rockets game in the last four years and cheer louder than anyone at the Toyota Center. I boycotted the most recent game here for I was fedup with the lack of effort I saw coming from my team (pre-Artest... post-Peja, however you see it). Last night against San Antonio I was pounding my chest and pumping my fists as time and time again we answered the pressure administered from the Spurs. Sure, San Antonio perhaps was a little tired and a bit disinterested but a win in San Antone is a big one. I kept waiting for the collapse but it just didnt happen. If we bring forth that energy and enthusiasm every game from here on out the Kings will be in fantastic shape. However the refs might not be as friendly in the playoffs as they were last night. We hacked SA quite a few times with no calls which lead to the rather large fast break point total. Maybe were due for some ref-love cause god knows weve been on the other side of that fence.