OFFICIAL Sacramento Kings OFFSEASON POST/EDIT: ARTEST IS GONE, WELCOME B-JAX

[tsamshox]

Well, another year has come to an end and just like last year a sub .500 year with no playoffs. However, unlike last year, the Kings seemed to have ended on agood note and hopefully that follows into next year. I think the Maloofs, Jeff Petrie, and Reggie Theus is gonna have to answer alot of questions and fill alotof holes in the offseason.

Is Ron Artest gonna be traded?
Is brad Miller gonna be traded?
Do we offer the MLE to Beno?
etc...

As far as the draft goes, the most glaring weakness since the deparature of C-Webb has been an athletic PF. It's probably a long shot to get Beasley, butwhat if Kevin Love, Brooke Lopez falls into the Kings? I also think we need to address the PG issue as well. What is Douby's and Udrih's future? Ithink Theus SHAFTED Douby this season by not allowing him to play at all up until the last 2 weeks and Douby should take that as a challenge and step his gameup. i think Martin, Moore, Garcia have all been solid the whole season, Salmons needs to figure out how to be a role player, and Hawes needs to work on hisjumpshot and stop fouling. All in all it was a solid season considering the circumstances

EDIT: Artest out, B-Jax in

 

[darko for mvp]

I think Artest and Brad are basically gone, I hope we get a high draft pick. Our young guys showed promise and potential. Before the season started I said ifthis team wins 35 games then it will be a good season, and they exceeded my expectations. Reggie Theus is a good coach, the players just need to get used tohis style of coaching and discipline. Beno BETTER get resigned, he's a real good player who seems to like it in Sacramento and is a key member on the team.We need a PF, and need to get rid of Kenny Thomas' horrible contract ASAP.

 

[kidskillz858]

I appreciate the Queens For:

-Beating the Hornets last saturday @ Arco Arena.
-For taking a beat down in LA on the last day of the regular season and giving the Lakers the # 1 seed in the western conference.

 

[slow motion g35]

vlad rad + walton for artest

do it kings!

 

[kidskillz858]

Originally Posted by Slow Motion G35

vlad rad + walton for artest

do it kings!

Hell no !

We dont need a basket case, prima donna, team cancer on the this current Laker team.

 

[acidicality]

The Kings can be back in contention very soon...a few issues addressed and maybe they'll contend for a playoff spot again in 1-2 years.

 

[slow motion g35]

Originally Posted by Kidskillz858

Originally Posted by Slow Motion G35

vlad rad + walton for artest

do it kings!

Hell no !

We dont need a basket case, prima donna, team cancer on the this current Laker team.

i'll take that basket case any day of the week over space cadet and puke. its not like phil hasnt coached one before.

 

[jrdnsrnss]

Originally Posted by Kidskillz858

I appreciate the Queens For:

-Beating the Hornets last saturday @ Arco Arena.
-For taking a beat down in LA on the last day of the regular season and giving the Lakers the # 1 seed in the western conference.

My thoughts exactly

 

[beats05]

I totally agree on the point about Salmons needing to learn how to be a role player. He only balls when both Artest and Martin don't play. He's areally great offensive and defensive player, but when he's not "the best" player on the floor, he disappears. That's frustrating.

As for Artest, he needs to go. I hope we can use him to trade up in the draft like what Seattle did with Ray Allen last year. With Salmons, Garcia, and Martin,3 young players with a lot of upside, the Kings don't need Artest taking their playing time. Besides, I don't know about everyone else, but I'msick of his selfish and low-IQ offensive play. He swears he's Kobe Bryant out there. Plus his defense has fell off big-time ever since he decided thathe's a big-time scorer

.

I'd like Miller to stay on board for at least one more year. Hawes is not ready to be a starter yet and can learn a lot more from Miller than he alreadyhas.

Mikki Moore on the other hand needs to be replaced. He just seems like a placeholder--aka an excuse not to play Kenny Thomas--but not a player in the Kingslong term plans, at least as a starter. If Petrie can open up trade talks with New York again, David Lee would be an excellent addition to the team.

Now for Udrih...I think he's definitely overrated by Kings fans. I recall him saying before he played his first game in a Kings uniform that "someoneshould be averaging 7 or more assists on this team" and that he'd be it. Well it turned out he averaged 4 assists per game, barely ever cracking 7.He's not a skilled passer. He's a streak shooter and a decent slasher, but overall, not dependable as an offensive option. There are a lot of betterpoint guards out there that a lot of Kings fans ignore. Watson, Ridnour, Arroyo, Calderon, Felton, Jameer Nelson, Delonte West, and Steve Blake are just a fewguys off the top of my head who are not high profile or All-Star type guys, but who are better than Udrih. If the Kings can upgrade, they should. They shouldsign him however. He's definitely back-up PG material. But as a starter for a team that wants to get back into the playoffs ASAP? He has a lot of improvingto do...

With all that said, I'm really looking forward to the draft and the offseason trades and signings. This team has a lot of upside with Martin, Salmons,Garcia, and Hawes.

 

[pkballr]

Appreciated. Except the Faker fans still coming into our threads to bash us about irrelevant things surrounding the Kings. (Such as still referring to us asthe Queens)

Some notes about specific players:

Beno - This man is good. And I mean good in the goodest sense possible. But he's not great, and honestly not a starting PG on a championship team. He'syoung though and deserves the contract we offer him. He's been impressive thus far. The only question marks are his durability throughout a season andtrying to get his assist numbers up. Prognosis - Could be a prospective part in our future, but does not deserve more than 7+ million/MLE.

Martin - Once again this guy has been impressive. Ever since working together with Theus though, his game improved dramatically. He's not just out runninghis defenders anymore, but out juking them. He's an important factor to the future of this franchise, and can easily take the reigns as our franchiseplayer. Needs to still work on his defense, as he tends to fall asleep and lets his opponent drive right past him. Prognosis - This is our franchise player andis someone to really look forward to. He's got a little bit of an edge in his game, and has slowly quieted the naysayers. To put him in talks with MIP forthe second year in a row, that's something to really note.

Artest - What can I say? This guy is the devil in angel's clothing. He'll bring all the intangibles and irritations as a player of his caliber. No onehas questioned his defense, but his offense is almost reminiscent of a black hole. This guy loves to become MJ in the 4th quarter, which I can say has hurt ourteam more than its help. But his prowess and ability to draw double teams is what makes him important. Future outlook on this team next season though reallydepends on how badly Kobe lights up the Nuggets. Which I'm shooting for an inferno. Prognosis: Bleek. They say he'll resign with the Kings but is thatreally the case here?

Moore - This guy has been the veteran leader this team has needed ever since Vlade left us. His loud voice, hustle, and determination on every play is whatmakes us excited about this team. His enthusiasm is through the roof and he brings energy to every play. Too bad he sucks. Not Kenny Thomas suck, but man, thisguy has stone hand syndrome. Way too many dropped passes. Plus he's fricken old. But he's our veteran voice in this team of young kids that needdirection. Prognosis - Super Glue.

Miller - Nickname this guy the phoenix because he just revived his career. Man, where have you been Brad? His season was impressive, mostly due to himrefocusing his game and losing some weight. I mean, three straight games of 20 and 20? Are you serious? Well, of course he had to cut his hand. He couldn'tbelieve it was happening either. Miller has also been a great mentor to Hawes, which happens to work in our favor as Hawes really looks up to him. Aging centerthat would be beneficial for a championship caliber team trying to add a big-man center that brings intangibles such as a great passing game. Prognosis - Onemore year and one last look of Hawes before he passes the reigns.

Salmons - The beginning of this year, before the season started, his nickname was Ohn Salmons. Honestly, he has no J. But given the starting role, he producedand easily became a fan favorite during the first half of the season. But all of a sudden, he was placed on the bench for superstar number one Ron Artest, andhe moped and complained. He was dead fish out there, even when given the same minutes he had while he was starting. Salmons is like Ron Ron jr., except lesscrazy and more homeless looking. Honestly though, he was given the opportunity to earn his starting role back, but failed to capitalize and just became deadweight during our second string playing time. Prognosis - Before signing with the Kings, the Suns took great interest in Salmons. The Kings announcers will besure to remind you how much he thrives in an open-court offense. If the Suns fail to produce during the post-season, they may want to take another look atSalmons. Another interesting thing to note, after the Hornets game, Jerry Reynolds mentioned about Salmons auditioning for other teams. He rephrased it to meanthat the Spurs and Lakers will know how to defend him, but his choice of words were suspect.

Garcia - I'm biased on this guy. He's my favorite player on this team. He plays the same erratic and irrational playing style that I do. But thisseason has really shown his development. He went from "Good Cisco, Bad Cisco" to a consistent threat against other teams. He still has some of hissilly errors (fouling Mo Pete behind the 3-point line, c'mon kid!!!) But his game has really developed. Favorite with Theus, and has shown some leadershipskills during the game, his future with us as maybe a 3rd or 4th option is very plausible. Prognosis - Expect bigger minutes from him next season.

Douby - This guy went from project PG, to bench fodder, to DNP-CD, and ending the season with backup at SG. Everything we knew about him was evident thisseason. Able to score, long and lanky, and thickest unibrow ever. But he hasn't really earned his minutes. At times looked completely loss, jacking upthree pointers with 21 seconds left on the shot clock. He can score in bunches and is great on deflections and hustle defense, but he is no PG. In a rosterwith 3 SGs, Douby hasn't been given much of a chance this season. Prognosis - You're on your last lifeline buddy. It's hard because of thesituation you were placed in, but you have to earn your minutes. A game to note this season. His outstanding 3rd and 4th quarter against the Jazz this season.

Hawes - The rookie. Can you believe this kid is 19? People calling him a bust and such. SMH. His passing game has REALLY developed (thanks to a Mr. Miller (notthe beer, he's too young to drink!!!) and his offensive skill set is coming along. Does tend to miss some easy shots. Rebounding and defense is shoddy andsometimes really uninspiring. But he's still a kid. Ranked amongst other rookies this season, he has to be somewhere in the top 20. All this while earninghis minutes along the way. And get this, he's 19!! Yeah, he may not be top 10 pick in many of your guys minds one year ago, but we see the signs. Pair himup with a defensive/rebounding PF and this tandem can be really scary. Prognosis - Very bright. Can't wait to see a sophomore season with more development.If there was a way to make you bigger and faster at the same time, I'd like to get you on this program. And since you're so young, how about growing acouple of more inches while you're at it?

Williams - His reasoning for coming to the Kings was he wanted to get more playing time so he can prove that he's worth a top 5 pick. So what do we do whenhe gets here? Make him bench fodder. He's slowly come out to play last couple of games this season, but his limitations have been very noticeable. He'sa big body though and is able to snag some rebounds in there. He just needs a killer instinct and become an enforcer during the game. He's not going togive you many points, but his rebounds and size should make up for it. Prognosis - You have one more year to prove your worth on this team, please do the bestyou can.

Johnson - This old fogey really disappeared after the Maloofs wanted Theus to start playing the young guys. His season was minimal at best. At this point inhis career, he's 2nd string material. Too slow to guard the quicker point guards in this league, and doesn't have the consistent savvyness that wewould want from a PG. Prognosis - This guy was dead fish ever since he put back on the Kings jersey. His career could likely be done, or picked up by anotherteam for veteran's minimum. If the Kings don't draft a PG this year though, he may be another possibility.

Wright - Wha... you were on our team? No, seriously though. This guy showed up to every single game and was there to root for his team through the bitter end.He was a good (and expensive) cheerleader. Prognosis - Good luck staying in the league next year.

Thomas - Is not what you can say for this guy. After losing his starting job over Mikki, and than relegated to nether regions of our bench, he stopped showingup to games. If he was there, he would pout and wouldn't join huddles. This guy just didn't have much going for him this season. His career with theKings is essentially over, and many of us here in Sacramento won't shed a tear for that. Prognosis - Will continue to eat up our salary thanks to anotherKing, Mr. Billy King and his awful contract he gave him. Hopefully will become useful in two more years when he becomes a large expiring contract. Till than,expect more of the doghouse for K-9.

SAR - Man, for a 30 something year old, he has knees of a guy about to go on retirement. Which wouldn't be too far of a stretch for Kings fans. He was ableto produce for us in what seems like eons ago, but he's slow. He's clearly overweight, and his knees will continue to need surgery until he stopsplaying basketball. Even if he were to revive his career, this isn't the team to be on. Prognosis - Hopefully we can do the right thing for this guy andwaive him so he can sign with a contender next season. If not, please retire sir.

Some final notes. We as Kings fans knew by the beginning of this season we were not a playoff contending team. Pre-Bibby trade, there wasn't much hope fora rebuild and it seemed like mediocrity was where we were going to be headed for the next few years. After the last piece of the "championship" Kingsera was removed, the rebuilding was finally able to occur. Hell, a couple of games here or there (we were without Artest for the first seven games andMartin's missed about 1/4 of the season) we could have even had a chance to make the playoffs. We got something to really look forward to next year, andthe addition of another rookie on this team is something to look forward to. (Hopefully, Petrie can work his magic and land us two first rounders) Our youthfor the most part has really been developing well, and there have been flashes of cohesiveness throughout this season. Much of the credit belongs with Theuswho was able to take a team that was on the brink of destruction and put us on a positive path has really given us Kings fans something to look forward to. No,we won't be competing next year either, and we'll most likely not make the playoffs either, but there's a bright future in our youth for us asKings fans to look forward to.

On a side note, I can't wait for the draft!!!

 

[senorroboto2k5]

Unappreciated. If I were still in Sac then I would probably be hearing people complain about Kobe and the refs tomorrow.

As for the Kings interests, it should be keeping Beno, hoping they get a good draft pick, and throwing tons of effort into keeping Shelden Williams frombecoming a bust. Spend time developing that, plus Hawes and their draft pick. I only see them returning to the playoffs down the line if they pick well again,because I wouldn't count on any franchise-changing free-agents to come over. The last one was... Divac?

Get rid of Artest because he's not going to fit in any aspect of this Kings team, and you might as well try to get rid of Miller for some kind of possiblediamond in the rough (Beno 2.0?). Martin, Douby, and Garcia can hold down the 12-10th spot in the West, add some developed talent and they can make it to 8 in3-4 years.

 

[ce0 mal]

Can we get an athletic big guy please?

Kings are always appreciated.

 

[pkballr]

Interesting interview of Theus talking about Artest being his number one option and go to guy. Irreplaceable. Number one priority for next season is keepingArtest. Weird because it seems like he's a black hole when the ball touches him.

 

[daprescription]

People were talking really bad about Hawes, but I think he is going to be a really good player.

 

[tsamshox]

Yeah I actually heard it was Ron that told Theus that he should close it up for the rest of the season but Theus said no and that he should keep on playing

 

[pkballr]

Wtup guys. So anyways, here's a link to a transcript with Mr. Big Petrie.

http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/946782.html

Check it out.

 

[acbboyz84]

Rofl. Some of the analysis in here are too funny

 

[swizzc]

Kings fans check in, what do you see us doing this offseason now that Ron says he doesn't want to opt out of his deal? I for one do not like this at all, Ithink the Kings were at their best with Kmart/Sisco/Salmons all on the court at once.

 

[monopolyman630]

I'm walking on Tuesday and the Kings receiving the #1 overall pick would be an awesome graduation gift!

 

[senorroboto2k5]

If Artest is staying then they're just stuck in neutral. The young guys aren't going to get that much better, not enough to vault this same team toplayoff contention. I believe Kevin Martin is around the level he'll be playing at for the rest of his career, just with shorter shooting slumps... and theyoungsters like Garcia and Douby, while good, are nothing special if you step back and take an objective look at it...

Take a look at the teams at the bottom of the playoff race. GS with Baron, Ellis, Jackson, etc.; Denver with Melo, AI, Camby, etc.; Portland with Roy, Oden,Aldridge, etc.; Dallas with Dirk, Kidd, Howard. The Kings team as it is has nowhere near the talent to compete with them, even if the young guys do show someimprovement.

They need to trade Artest at least. If they started it with Bibby why only go half-hearted? Who cares if he says he wants to stay, if you're Petrie youneed to trade him. Josh Howard would be ideal if he can get away with it, because he's a solid young guy with way more talent than Artest and an equalamount of baggage; David Lee as well, if the reports that D'Antoni doesn't like him in his system are true. Both would be major steals though.

 

[niketalker23]

WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS HOW UPSET AND CHEATED I FEEL RIGHT NOW

 

[pkballr]

Even if all this is resolved, the Kings still get no ring/banner/no joy of winning. Nothing good is coming out of this.

 

[dyyhard]

[h3]A Great Comeback + Ron Artest = Fun[/h3]
LOS ANGELES - That may have been one of the more thrilling NBA Finals games that I've ever covered. Yes, it was awesome to be in Staples Center to see the Boston Celtics pull out the greatest comeback in NBA Finals' history, and take a 3-1 series lead with a 97-91 victory.

But you really want to know why this was a great experience? Well, how often do you get to watch a game with Ron Artest sitting next to you? Yes, I'm talking about that Ron Artest.

I'm a fan like the rest of y'all.(Photo by Jack Arent/NBAE/Getty Images)

I showed up at my seat late in the second quarter (David Stern's pre-game press conference had me writing for most of the first quarter) and Artest, wearing a New York Mets cap, was chatting it up with the New York Post's Hoop Du Jour Peter Vecsey, who was seated next to me. Artest was about to leave when I showed up, but I told him it was cool if he stuck around. Who wouldn't want to watch a game with Ron Ron?

I asked Artest if he had a place in Los Angeles or if he was just hanging out. He told me that he used to have a spot, but he was just in town to watch the games. Artest wasn't hiding his support of the Lakers. He has known fellow Queens native Lamar Odom since he was 12, and they were on the same AAU team. Artest also is a huge, huge Kobe Bryant fan. I've talked to Artest several times before, but I never realized what a cool, regular dude he was until last night. He shared a pretzel with Vecsey, shook hands with fans and signed autographs.

After Odom dominated in the first half, dazzling with his aggressive drives to the basket and his playing making ability, Artest said, "When we played together. . .that's the only Lamar I know." He shouted encouragement to Odom throughout the entire game, especially in the second half, when Odom reverted to his passive ways. "He's got to shoot the ball," Artest said.

As the Celtics slowly cut down the lead, Artest kept saying, "Uh oh. We've got a ballgame, folks."

In the words of Artest - This is unreal. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

One of the funniest moments of the game, came late in the fourth quarter, after Celtics reserve James Posey hit a three-pointer to bring Boston within 81-80. The Lakers worked the ball into Gasol and Artest shouted, "C'mon. You've got be strong. Be strong."

Gasol threw up a pretty weak shotput, that gave the Lakers a three-point lead. I said, "That wasn't what I would call strong, but it worked." Then, when Kevin Garnett drove toward the basket and knocked Gasol on his back, I said, "That really wasn't strong."

When the Celtics scored the next eight points to take an 88-83 lead, Artest said, "C'mon Kobe, show them what you're made of."

After Ray Allen drive past Sasha Vujacic and around Gasol for the game-clinching layup, Artest shook his head and got up out of his seat. "This is unreal," he said.

It really was. This series had 2-2 written all over it in the first half. The Staples Center was rocking, too (that's relative, though, since the crowd here and the one in Boston aren't even close. It's like comparing a cat's meow to a lion's roar).

It was all good for the Lakers at this moment. . .(Photo by Jack Arent/NBAE/Getty Images)

But Justin Timberlake got up and danced, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith made out on the Kiss Me cam over the Jumbotron. And of course, Jack Nicholson was as cool as ever. The stars were out, and the Lakers were putting on a show as they were up 45-21 in the first half on Thursday.

It was a surreal performance. Not just because Odom was the best player on the court through the first 24 minutes, or that players like Trevor Ariza, Vladimir Radmanovic and Jordan Farmar seemed to hit every shot they put up. The most startling aspect of the Lakers' first half dominance - and they're rather imposing 18-point halftime lead - was that the Lakers had built the lead without a single field goal by Kobe Bryant.

Bryant has a well-earned reputation as the game's best closer, but in the fourth quarter, it seemed as if the Lakers were hoping, wishing and praying for Bryant to save them. They somehow forgot that ball movement got them the lead. It was kind of hard to watch the Celtics just punk them out of the win.

Vecsey wanted me to mention this, but with less than six minutes left in the third quarter, the Lakers led 70-52 and Radmanovic rushed a three-pointer that missed badly. Eddie House made a three-pointer on the other end to cut the deficit to 15. Vescey said that Radmanovic shot was going to kill the Lakers if the Celtics eventually came back and won.

"I would've called a timeout," he said, "right after that shot and taken [Radmanovic] out of the game."

"Phil's got nine rings," Artest said. "I don't know if I'm going to question a guy with nine rings."

"I will," Vecsey said.

It was a fun night.

 

[pkballr]

lol. Ron Artest is still a King.

 

[mister916]

I had no idea there was a kings off season thread but I'm glad Ron Artest stayed with his contract.