SB Nation User Blog: coolcatreportdotcom

Petrie's Handling of Artest Trade

coolcatreportdotcom — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:00:00 -0000

A lot of people here want Ron Artest traded. For some of them, yesterday would be too soon. For some of them, what we get back in return is of little consequence.

While I would like to see Artest on the opening-day roster and see what this team as presently constructed can do, I am not naive enough to think there's no way Artest will be dealt before then.

In my opinion, a lot of energy has been expended here with Artest for garbage, play the kids, let's go into full-on rebuild mode thinking. While anything is possible, I think it's pretty clear that is not Geoff Petrie's general method of operation.

As a counterpoint, the Bibby trade was essentially that - a proven player for Shelden Williams, a draft pick and three guys who are no longer in the picture. It's worth noting, however, that the Kings had Beno Udrih in the picture and there was a general feeling that he was as good as Bibby overall, certainly more of pure point guard and definitely younger and cheaper.

The Webber trade was also that - a declining vet for three role players. I won't say much more, except to note it is at least possible Petrie will eventually take less than I think in an Artest trade.

Some have argued Salmons and Garcia are as good as Artest, or that there wouldn't be much of a dropoff, or that if we get someone who is better at the 4 then the tradeoff between a better 4 and a "slightly" worse 3 (aka Artest for Odom) would balance things out. Naturally, such musings tend to forget about the drafting of Jason Thompson and the still unknown development of Shelden Williams.

I think the most reasonable assessments leading to the likeliness of Artest being dealt comes from those who feel Petrie will deal Artest if he can get a star back. In other words, Petrie is open to star-for-star trades.

I think most, even those who want Artest dealt, concede he is one of the top two players on the team. So what we have going on are some chess matches.

Opposing teams are lowballing the Kings and often offering garbage, while Petrie is scouring their roster and saying, "Give me one of your top 2-3 players. Plus, give me a draft pick or a promising player. And, oh yeah, did I mention that you taking Kenny Thomas off my hands HAS to be part of the equation?"

It's all likely to add up to nothing soon, unless the other teams blink or REALLY want Artest.

Rather than look to trade Artest for a 4, I think the better idea is to trade him for another star 3. I also think getting a strong combo guard who can back up both Udrih and Martin as a sixth man - someone like Jason Terry or Barbosa, just to throw out a couple of names - would help the Kings. That may not happen in an Artest trade, but I think Petrie is spying that opportunity.

I think Garcia-Salmons, while both fairly versatile players who can help the Kings in several ways, are both better suited to backing up the 3 hole. One of them might need to be dealt. So maybe you have a potential deal somewhere down the road where Petrie packages some spare parts like Salmons, Williams, Douby, Moore (maybe even Miller) and comes up with a solid combo guard.

I am also not sold on our future at the center position. Miller is a solid mid-level center, and a nice high-post player passer with great passing skills, but he's probably on his way out. Hawes also is more of an outside shooting type who is not really well-suited for mixing it up with the big boys down low or defending monsters, although it's certainly too early to write him off.

Thompson might end up being the center-power forward type, and maybe we end up signing or trading for a decent 4 at some point to team up with him. I think it's too much to expect Williams to develop into much more than a decent backup.

JJ Hickson

coolcatreportdotcom — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:21:39 -0000

This guy could be a nice power forward prospect if we can get a second pick in the 15-20 range. Maybe dump Salmons, Douby or whoever and our second-round picks to add a second pick.

Hickson has great size, and he's not drawing the attention he probably should since he's only played one year. He probably would have been a lottery pick next year if he had stayed in school and played another year. I am sure NC State feels the same way.

Artest "99% Sure" He'll Play for Kings

coolcatreportdotcom — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:18:27 -0000

Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest, attending Tuesday night's Game 6 of the NBA Finals, told ESPN.com that he's "99 percent sure I won't opt out of my contract" this month to become a free agent July 1.

I guess this is another of those 13 stories in 13 days deals ... he did leave that 1% option just in case someone (Lakers? Spurs?) makes him a deal he can't refuse.

Now that the NBA title no longer goes through the Western Conference, you might see some really crazy things happen.

Who The Kings Should Draft

coolcatreportdotcom — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:11:40 -0000

"With the 12th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings select ..."

I'd like to see David Stern finish this sentence with the words "Joe Alexander," and I think it's also the kind of pick Geoff Petrie likes to make: a scorer with upside. Never mind that he's another small forward, because he's actually a 6-8 tweener and Artest could play more at the 4. Alexander is a potential go-to guy at crunch time, and that's a current weakness for the Kings.

In the second round I'd like to see the Kings address their big man needs by drafting Sasha Kahn of Kansas. Smart, physical player and a proven winner.

Let's use the other second-round pick on a point guard sleeper or an unknown Euro.

What is a Franchise Player, and Other Nagging Questions

coolcatreportdotcom — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:41:57 -0000

Is Artest a franchise player?

-- Pookey

That's such a great question, but I'm confused because it raises all sorts of other questions for me. Maybe Pookey and the rest of the folks here can fill in some of the blanks.

Is Artest a franchise player?
What is a franchise player? Is there some formula you can plug numbers in to get the answer? Or is it more of a subjective question where you "know" what one looks like when you see him.
How many "franchise players" are there currently in the NBA, and who are they?
Has a team ever won an NBA title without a franchise player? How many franchise players do you need to be a true contender?
If a player is not a franchise player, should you get rid of him?
Is Ben Wallace a franchise player? He makes more than twice what Ron Artest makes, so I guess he should be.
Do the Kings have any current franchise players on their roster? Any players we feel are "potential" franchise players?
Have the Kings ever had a franchise player? If so, how many and who were they?
How much is a franchise player worth in salary? What's the most you should pay for a player who is good but is not good enough to be a franchise player?
Is building a team all about franchise players, or are there other factors in a team's success?

March Madness Recap

coolcatreportdotcom — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:02:15 -0000

The top nine finishers in our Sactown Madness group had Kansas to win it all. No. 10 Mid Major Meltdown had Memphis.

Overall, it took 175 points to win the $10k. Five tied at the top.

Congrats to our top finishers and to all who participated. Let the bragging begin!

Lopez Brothers are Clones (Glen) 147
WildCardz 145
Jerry Rice Has the Answers (Chris B) 144
Nicotine Winning Patch (TZ) 143
Spiegel 143
wolfgang amatheus mozart 139
kingsTV 133
Ball_in_Cup 132
300 Spartans 130
Mid-Major Meltdown 124
chri5 110
Banner #12 (thekangarooster) 107
Hammer (jjham15) 106
otis29 102
The Ghosts of Darrick Martin 98
kingme 97
Coolcat Madness 94
Upset city (iashwash) 94
Artestify! 91
Kingsfan banished to AZ 86
27freethrows 86
jacquetbg 84
Bracketizzle (stankpalmer) 82
KB24 81
section 214's sure fire losers 80
GTO{AP} 79
Punchbowl 75
Team Murf 74
ridnour elite 8 74
RN 72
moproblemz 72
ST (kings52) 70
Cinderella Man 70
Brett Edwards NCAA Clueless 67
Red_Reign 67
Candi248 65
Arizona all the way!!! (sacmike10) 65
Muff209 61
JKJK 40

Updated Kings Player Rankings

coolcatreportdotcom — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:21:48 -0000

I initiated a discussion on the rankings of Kings players in January.

My list then:

Artest.
Martin.
Miller.
Salmons.
Bibby.
Udrih.
Garcia.
D. Jones.
Douby.
Moore.
Hawes.
J. Williams.
K. Thomas.

The consensus of all who posted in that thread:

Artest
Martin
Miller
Bibby
Salmons
Udrih
Garcia
Moore
D Jones
Douby
Hawes
J. Williams
Thomas (a unanimous pick)

Since then, Bibby has been traded for four Hawks, three of whom are still with the team, and Jones and Williams were waived. To me, Salmons and Douby have seen their stock fall, while Martin, Garcia, Moore and Hawes are on the way up.

Here's my updated list:

Martin
Artest
Miller
Garcia
Moore
Udrih
Salmons
Hawes
A. Johnson
Williams
Douby
L. Wright
Thomas

Martin's game is growing by leaps and bounds and he's starting to take control of games. It's a nice transition to witness.

Artest and Brad are solid veterans.

Garcia continues to show his versatility and toughness.

Moore is not as tentative as he was early in the season and is now a full partner in the Kings success instead of one of the new guys who has to wait his turn.

"Udrih" and "injured" are becoming synonymns. Good thing we have other capable point guards.

Salmons has good overall skills, but his production has taken a big hit.

Hawes continues to show mixes of brilliance with typical rookie mistakes.

Johnson has stepped up when the Kings have needed him. He's also gotten beyond that "new guy" tag. The big question is whether he will be around next year.

Williams has also contributed when given a decent chance and when he focuses on his "new guy" role.

Douby won't be around next year. I had higher hopes for him.

Wright is a good teammate and cheerleader.

Thomas will soon be a Preparation H spokesman.

Dahntay Jones is now a Mad Ant

coolcatreportdotcom — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:59:01 -0000

I swear to God: Dahntay Jones has become a Mad Ant!

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080321/SPORTS0603/803210351/-1/SPORTS

I think Dahntay's career with the Kings started to end the day Reggie put him on Jason Terry and Terry blew by him for a layup. That was Jan. 14, the night Salmons won the game against the Mavs with the coast-to-coast runner off glass.

Dahntay had averaged about 13 minutes a game while Artest and Martin were out with injuries in late December and early January and had given the Kings some solid physical play and strong defense. The Dallas game was Martin's first game back, and Artest and Bibby came back the next game against the Raptors. And Dahntay's shot ended as well.

He got four DNPs after that and only played 16 seconds against the Sonics, with Reggie yanking him after he travelled just after checking into the game.

Dahntay only played about 29 minutes in his last 15 games with the Kings until being waived when Bibby was dealt to the Hawks. That included 11 minutes of mopup work in a rout of the Nets and seven minutes when we stunk up the gym in the following game against the Clippers. He played a total of nine minutes in his last 10 games.

I was sorry to see him leave the team and I wish him the best.

Screw the Kings ... It's Time for Some March Madness

coolcatreportdotcom — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:54:21 -0000

I've got to get my priorities straight.

No more worries about whether Kevin can become more consistent or if Ron is taking good shots. I've got better things to care about than whether Beno is a top 30 NBA point guard or if Salmons is on non-starters suicide watch. Will Mikki ever grow a pair of hands or will Brad ever grow a pair, period? I just don't care right now.

That's because ...

It's bracket time.

Lay it on me, folks. Give me your upset specials. Give me the $5 million perfect bracket.

I've created a group at Yahoo! Sports called Sactown Madness. If you are 18 and in the continental US and agree to give up your first-born child, you can enter for a chance to win $10,000 if you pick the best bracket. That goes up to $5 million if you have the perfect bracket. And it will track the standings and determine who from this board has picked the best bracket --aka "bragging rights."

I am looking for UCLA, Texas, Kansas and Tennessee in the Final Four. I think Michael Beasley will start planning his NBA career after a one-and-done loss to USC. The Georgia bubble will burst, and West Virginia wil be this year's Cinderella. Gonzaga will be yesterday's news after their first game.

Agree? Disagree? Give me your best shot. They don't include the play-in game Tuesday in the contest, so all entries are due by the tip-off of the first game Thursday morning.

Click the link above and join the group. Here is the rest of the info you need to join:

Private Group Name: Sactown Madness.
Group ID#: 133218.
Password: Sactown.

After that, just fill out your bracket. Best of luck to all who take part.

A Tale of Two Teams

coolcatreportdotcom — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:06:15 -0000

There's a real story going on here, but a lot of fans and definitely the sportswriters are missing it as they try to drum up drama.

The Kings are 17-11 in games in which Kevin Martin, Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Beno Udrih AND Francisco Garcia all play, including a sterling 12-2 record at Arco. That includes wins over Detroit (twice), Utah (twice), San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans and a two-point loss to Phoenix.

Home 12-2; Away 5-9.

Pts for: 106.3 per game.

Pts. Against: 105.1 per game.

Point Differential: +33.

The Kings are 9-20 in games in which either Kevin Martin, Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Beno Udrih OR Francisco Garcia do not play. That includes the marquee wins against Dallas and Orlando.

Home 6-8; Away 4-13.

Pts for: 96.6 per game.

Pts. Against: 101.8 per game.

Point Differential: -159.

John Salmons and Mikki Moore are the only Kings to play in all 59 games, so they figure on both sides of the ledger.

Some other factioids:

Kenny Thomas has not played since Jan. 2. The Kings are 8-15 in games in which Kenny Thomas played. They are 19-17 when he doesn't play.

The Kings are 6-1 when Quincy Douby does not play, and 21-31 when he does play.

The Kings are 2-5 when Spencer Hawes does not play, and 25-26 when he does play.

The Kings were 8-3 with Mike Bibby and all the players above playing, 0-4 when one of them was missing.

Sam Amick is a Sac State graduate in his first job, and it looks like he's finally figured out that the way to make the jump out of Sactown to a "real" job is to create some controversy. It's too bad he's missing such a nice story in the process. You could say the same thing about some other "journalists" as well.

While making the playoffs are clearly a big longshot and the team needs to look at the younger players as much as possible, I don't blame Ron Artest and Kevin Martin for getting upset. They are right. This is a pretty decent team that may only be a few pieces away from becoming a force to reckon with, and they haven't had the luxury of having the full team together much this year and the winning feeling that goes with it.