So as most of you have heard by now, the Rocket's announcers were making a big deal out of the flash of red they spotted on Landry's shoes. Word was that they were actually Rockets shoes, but covered over with black marker by an anonymous Kings staffer. There are various and sundry theories about why this occured:

1) Landry really is still a Rocket at heart and this is his way of showing it.

2) The Maloofs are so broke from their losses at the Palms that they can't afford new shoes for their players.

3) The Kings are planning on moving to Las Vegas, and so are actually getting ready to unveil new unis in the Running Rebels black and red.

Fortunately the ace detetective Doratio Kane was put on the job and has produced photographic proof that the tiny splashes of red are the result of none of these. Using advanced photo-imaging thechnologies, he zoomed in on the image and discovered . . . . .

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We all knew this was going to come up. So I might as well be the first one to say it. We’ve added a new player. Well, not a new player. He’s actually been here for quite a while. And I have to admit, he’s been very productive. I can absolutely see why management has been impressed enough to make him a starter. The new guy is tough, he’s funny, he posts up regularly. He doesn’t back down from anyone. And after his recent weekly production, you could call him a true three-way player.

But the big question is, can he play with the guy who’s been giving us solid minutes as a starter?

The vet was brought it because of his creativity. I have to admit he’s amazed us all with his talent, and occasionally brought tears to our eyes. When I heard he was our new starter I was pretty dang excited. I mean management has a good eye for talent. And he has delivered. Some of his post-ups have been, well you could even say lyrical. But what has he done for us lately? Is his production beginning to drop?

The trade deadline is coming fast and management has to decide. Can these two play together? Does one plus one make three, or are they going to start fighting for minutes? It’s your call STR. Let the owners know what you think.

Three players:

Player One is listed at 7-1, and 245 lbs. In one year of college play, he averaged 15 pts and 6.5 rebounds in 15 minutes in the PAC 10. In two years of NBA play, he averaged 13.5 pts and 9 rebounds per 36 minutes.

Player Two is listed at 6-11 250 lbs. In four years of college play, he averaged 16.5 and 9.5 in 32 minutes in the MAAC. In his first year of NBA play, he averaged 14 and 9.5 per 36 minutes.

Player Three is listed at 6-9 266 lbs. In three years of college play, he averaged 16 and 10 in 28 minutes in the ACC. In three years of NBA play he has averaged 16 and 9.5 per 36 minutes.

Player 1 has played a total of 150 NBA games. He is 21 years old. He shoots 46% from the field.

Player 2 has played a total of 84 NBA games. He is 23 years old. He shoots 49% from the field.

Player 3 has played a total of 84 NBA games. He is 25 years old. He shoots 46% from the field.

I think you know who these players are and where this is going, but more after the jump.

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I started this as a response on the Boozer post and realized it was really too long for that. I keep reading that we shouldn’t sign this player or that player because we are "rebuilding." By its very nature, rebuilding is tearing something down—or starting with it torn down—and making the same thing or something newer and better. Clearly we are rebuilding. But what phase are we in?

There are two kinds of demolition—intentional and unintentional. The Clippers would be a great example of unintentional demolition. They don’t mean to give away all their best talent, they just do. I think most of us would agree the our demolition phase started unintentionally when Webber injured his knee. We didn’t know it at the time, but we had reached our peak and began the decent. The process sped up as we lost Vlade, Christie, Peja, etc.

A few of us clung to the hope that we had already hit bottom, and keeping players like Artest would help us rebound more quickly. Clearly Kings management didn’t feel that way. Last year we went into full blown, intentional, damn-the-torpedoes, wrecking ball teardown. I would say the last part of that process will be complete when K-9 (woof) goes bye-bye. Since Webber got injured, we have replaced every player on the team. (Yeah, we got B-Jax back, but now he’s probably gone again.) You don’t get much lower than worst in the NBA.

This would put us in the "building" phase. The goal of building is to get us back into the playoffs and hopefully ring contention. How we do this—especially how quickly we do this—depends on what we want to have when all is said and done, which I’ll explore shortly. First we need to know what our base and is, how we can build on it. Let’s take a look at what we have to work with.
(Continued after the jump)

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via i898.photobucket.com

My STR brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me! A draft may come, when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of Fellowship, but it is not this day! An hour of crafty GMs and unsure point guards, when the players we want get chosen before us! But it is not this day! This day we pick! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you, stand, men of the West!"