I had been working on a post regarding the Kings, and this deal, at the same time, but my time ran out before I could post it. Here it is:
So the SacTown honeymoon between the players, the players and their new coach, and fan support for the players and the coach, lasted all of twenty-plus games before the wheels came shooting off, hitting Petrie in the eye.
Bibby started to vocalize his displeasure in leaving the comfort of the old offense, as if that were to blame for his atrocious shooting of late. Well, that and his apparent distain for Artest hogging the ball too much late in games. Or his numerous injuries, the worst being some ligament issues with his shooting hand. Or that Brad Miller never showed up to play for any of the first twenty games of the year. Quite a hiatus for our starting center to take. At any rate, neither Bibby nor Miller have shown any kind of quality leadership needed to right the Kings floundering ship. Bibbly lost twenty pounds over the summer. Made him quicker and more agile, but somehow it also made him start to rush his shots, like if he doesn't fire up a clanker in micro-seconds, he won't get another chance. Thought he was a point guard who should be distributing the ball to more open (and accurate) shooters like Martin or Salmons? My bad. Bibby must think that his rep as an accurate shooting point guard allows him to take the majority of the shots, especially with the game on the line and him driving the lane with no outlet and no where to pass the ball except to opposing players. I admire his raw ability, but his brain is kind of wanting at times.
As for Brad Miller, anyone around here remember him? All Star center for several years, great passer from the post, accurate midrange jumper? No? Didn't think so. His game went on hiatus along with him. He has recovered from that torn ligament in his foot and came back to play at his reknown blazing speed and jumping ability once he returned. (Just wanted to see if you were paying attention). The Kings lack any kind of continuity from the front line. Miller, Thomas, and Abdur-Rahim can play against mediocre opposition like all stars. Put them up against real athletes with foot speed, and the Kings essentially have guards trying to stop centers on fast breaks every time. Note to the rest of the League. The Kings have absolutely no front line. None. Nada. Attack there, you will win. Guaranteed.
Artest took himself out of the last two games, claiming sore knees, NOT his chronically sore back, which he got apparently by driving his wife's much smaller car to and from Arco while his Hummer was being serviced. At any rate, the local hacks picked up on this transparent animosity that is growing between Bibby and Artest and said, and I quote, "One of them has to go". They also noticed that Artest's willingness to work with younger teammates and be available for the wags to banter with has waned considerably from the beginning of the season. Ron-Ron has not, exactly, returned to form, (being a complete A-hole, in other words) but he is clearly not as coherent as he had been. He is starting to sound a bit like a retard during interviews, saying the opposite thing in the same sentence, practically.
The good news? John Salmons took advantage of Artest not traveling with the team to Denver and posted his first career triple double as the replacement starter against his old teammate, Allen Iverson. Now, the Salmons signing (five years at 25 million) was voted by some Internet toadies at the beginning of the year as being the worst off-season free agent signing. As I have observed his play this season, especially when he gets over thirty minutes of playing time, this observation seems to indicate that the person who said it has no credibility whatsoever. Salmons is a locker room stalwart, a coaches dream, works hard while nailing down any of the three smaller positions on the floor, plays great defense, and is starting to look like a bargain at only 25 million over five years.
To those who passed on signing him, like the Suns. Oops. To show how smart he is, he also reneged on going to Toronto before signing with SacTown. And you really have to wonder, now that Iverson is gone from Philadelphia, what would the Sixers be like if they had kept John?
Kevin Martin, most basketball fans have now discovered, is the real deal. After last season, the fan buzz in SacTown was that the Martin drafting was a huge bust, that we should get rid of him and be done with a bad choice. I imagine that these are the same fans who cried when Petrie traded Mitch Richmond for Chris Webber. At some point, they should be advised that Petrie is probably a tad more adept at creating a good basket ball team then they ever will be. After Bonzi Wells said no to a 36 million dollar deal with the Kings (the money saved mostly going to John Salmons), these same fans decried that Petrie should have upped the anti to keep him and God help the Kings if Kevin Martin were to be the replacement starting two-guard.
Now, I miss Wells, I really do, but at the expense of denying Kevin Martin a starting gig? Maybe it won't last, but for now, good choice Geoff.
And finally, to what the near future holds. The Kings have been approached by Elgin Baylor of the Clippers regarding a straight up trade of Artest for disgruntled guard/forward Corey Maggette, who dislikes Dunleavy. That would be a bit of a lopsided deal on the Kings part, as Artest, for all his baggage, is a better all-round player then Maggette, so the Clippers would need to sweeten the pot before Petrie goes for it. But something, if anything, will happen quickly on this, as Baylor has indicated he would like to get the deal done by Friday, or prior to the next Eastern trip for the Clippers next week.
