SACRAMENTO KINGS: A Fan's Perspective: Part I

The only way to watch a Sacramento Kings' game is with a few of these.
(photo courtesy of Josh Chiaratti)

Josh C

After seeing a RealGM feature on Team Roster Composition where the Detroit Pistons tallied 11 players acquired via the NBA DRAFT, disgruntled Sacramento Kings’ fan, Josh C. unleashed yet another, passionate rant on his favorite NBA team.  This is him attempting to keep his emotions in check and sharing why being a Kings’ fan was frustrating enough before the team was sold to a group out of Seattle--Ed

The Detroit Pistons have 11 players on their roster that were acquired via the draft.  Well, I’m here to tell you that it doesn't matter how many draftees you have.  It matters how many difference makers you acquire.  In the right NBA market, all it takes is drafting one difference maker and that difference maker (along with a strong organization and a bit of luck) can bring in the difference making free agents needed to compete for a title.  So even though the Pistons have drafted 11 players that are good enough to remain on their roster, none of them could be considered difference makers.  Only three players were lottery picks:

• Andre Drummond
• Brandon Knight
• Greg Monroe

The Pistons have some nice players and they have developed solid players; none of those players will be taking the Pistons to the next level any time soon.  Detroit is in a sort of NBA Purgatory: mediocre enough to not get a high pick in the NBA DRAFT, but still bad enough to not be playoff contenders.  So a team can rack up as many 1^st round picks as they want, but mid-lottery picks aren't going to get you over the hump. 

Why am I so confident about my statements about the Pistons?  Let’s just say I speak from experience.  20 or so years of watching losing season after losing season and watching most of those teams be good enough to be nothing more than an ordinary squad, but not terrible enough to get a high, lottery pick--that kind of experience.  I’m talking about the Sacramento Kings.

How does one start to strategically vent his 20, or so, years of frustration into writing.  Well, let’s look at the roster:

• 7 Players selected via the Draft
• 1 Player acquired via Draft Rights’ Trade
• 3 Acquired via trade
• 3 Signed Free Agents

It should be noted that the Kings would have more players “Acquired via Draft” if it wasn’t for the fact that the team’s front office basically “sold” away 2^nd round picks for practically nothing.  Also, those drafted players are—you guessed it—not difference makers.  Yes, there are 5 lottery picks:

• DeMarcus Cousins
• Tyreke Evans
• Thomas Robinson
• Jason Thompson
• Jimmer Fredette

But all of those players have proven to not be key, cornerstone, anchored, franchise players that every good title contender needs.  Yes, Cousins might be that guy, but his volatility and immaturity downgrades him in the grand scheme of things.  Would you want your franchise to build their title hopes around Cousins?  Heck, even the Pistons aren’t interested in Cousins!  So we have some up-and-coming talent, but they’re not players who will put any team, let alone the Kings, over the hump.  They’re not difference makers.

It’s bad enough that our collection of drafted players are not good enough, but then GM Geoff Petrie decides that it would be a splendid idea to lock in mediocre veterans to go along with incompetent draftees.  This creates a less flexible, more expensive, subpar, pedestrian, and uninspired team. 

I’m talking about players like Marcus Thornton. Thornton was basically, at best, a Sixth Man, spark plug off the bench.  He finished the 2011 season strong.  And then the Kings do the unthinkable and sign him to a 4 year, $33 million contract.  Really--$33 million for Marcus “freakin” Thornton?

Then there was Chuck Hayes.  The Kings had offered him a four year contract. A long-term deal for Hayes?  That’s inexplicable!  However, the Kings were saved because Hayes failed a physical due to heart problems.  So the Kings saved themselves from a $21.3 million salary cap nightmare.  All is good!  WRONG!!!  After further evaluations, Hayes is cleared to play and not only do the Kings offer him the same four years as originally intended, but they offer him more money!  What is going on here?

But the final blow to the head comes in the shape of John Salmons: a player the Kings were all too thrilled to be rid of the first time around, somehow makes his way back to the team (more on that later). 

And these are just a handful of trades and free agent signings that have plagued the Maloofs and the Kings in the last seven years or so (The Kings are one of two teams since 2005-06 to not make the NBA playoffs—Ed).  But it wasn't always like this.  At one point under the Maloofs, the Kings were good at developing talent, fighting the Los Angeles Lakers for titles, hiring great leadership that signed and traded for amazing talent.  

So what happened?

Part II of the story is available here.

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NY KNICKS: Contenders or Pretenders?

Johnny J

       

The New York Knicks have played 38 games in 72 days with a record of 25-13, which puts them in first place of their division. Not bad; except that the Knicks started the season 18-5 with remarkable blowout wins against the Miami Heat and other contenders. Injuries and age may have caught up with them after going 7-8 in their last 15 games.

The Knicks received a break in the schedule by having to play one game against an underachieving Detroit Pistons' team in London. The Knicks won 102-87 at the 02 Arena in London. The game was highlited by the return of Iman Shumphert, who tore his ACL against the Miami Heat in last year's playoffs. Shumphert, played 15 minutes in his first game and scored 8 points. (I'm glad to see him back. As a fan and friend, your defensive presence was highly missed. Now we can just bench Ronnie Brewer, that untalented scrub!).

One of the reasons why the Knicks have been struggling is due to injuries, Even though the Knicks welcomed back Shumphert on Thursday, the Knicks are banged up:

• Point guard Raymond Felton--"broken pinkie" 
• Marcus Camby--"inflammation of the foot" 
• Rasheed Wallace--"foot injury" 
• Amar'e Stoudemire is trying to work his way back into form after having knee surgery in the preseason.

Stoudemire's minutes have been limited and it looks like his passion for the game has gone out the door. There are games that he plays and it looks like he just doesn't try to compete. As a team, the Knicks are happy to see two of their good players back, but they lack a big man on the frontline with Camby and Wallace out. Entering tonight's games, the Knicks rank 27th in rebounding at 40.6 per game!

(For more on the importance of rebounding, please check out NBA Lessons--Ed).

Its been rumored that Wallace's foot injury could cost him the season and I know its hard for Wallace and Head Coach Mike Woodson to accept; you just don't bring someone out of retirement to cut them because of injury. "He'll be back -- but when, I don't know," Woodson said. "We're gradually trying to get him back where he can run again so he can get back in a uniform. But when? we don't know when yet." If the Knicks do cut Wallace, they would likely pursue veteran Kenyon Martin. Since I don't want to see that happen I hope Wallace can come back. He's a great defender and a threat around the three-point arc. I don't have any respect at all for Martin, who I don't think is a school-yard bully like Wallace. He doesn't intimidate players at all and has no offense to speak of. Which is the reason that he's still a free agent.

The Knicks are the oldest team in the NBA with an average age of just less than 33 years-old.

They have been criticized for adding a ton of veterans, such as Jason Kidd, (39) Kurt Thomas, (39) Marcus Camby, (38) Rasheed Wallace (38). One person who doesn't have a problem with it, is Carmelo Anthony, who enjoys the presence of the veterans. "It forces me to mature out there," Anthony said about the influence of the veterans. "Having the veterans, those guys bringing me up under their wings. It's a learning process to have guys like Jason. I've never been on a team with veterans like we have. Everybody in the world knows I can score. For me to come out here and do something else, it makes us better."  That is something that I like to hear from a leader and recently voted as a starter to this year's All-Star game, his fifth appearance, and second as a Knick.

Could J.R. Smith join him? (He better!--Ed). Numbers don't lie, or asWallace would say,"Ball don't lie."  Smith is averaging a career best 16.8 PPG, with assists and rebounds being up from last season. He has two buzzer-beating, game-winning shots and he has been grounded this year with the things that he does off the court. Right now Smith is playing to the point where he should at least be mentioned. If he keeps this up, he deserves to get the sixth-man of the year award (Stiff competition from the Clippers' Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes though--Ed.)

What I don't like to hear is Knicks' owner James Dolan babying Anthony. After Anthony and Kevin Garnett's altercation over his wife tasting like, "honey nut cheerios," Dolan had two microphones put in on both ends of the court at Madison Square Garden, claiming that he's trying to protect Anthony from opponents' trash-talking. I, however, think you're hurting him even more: it's bad enough to hear Anthony has been having bad games because he was, "fasting for spiritual reasons,"; now I have to see the star player lay his head down on the owner's shoulder when someone says hurtful things? Anthony has just shown a weakness: now everybody including fans, players, and the media will be able to get to him. All I can say is, "it was fun while it lasted."

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