As some of my disruntled, poorly-worded and typo-filled posts this season may have hinted, I have'nt been operating at 100%.  Long story short, I do not recommend severing nerves in your hand.  Its not cool.  Do you realize EVERYTHING you do all day requires two hands?  Try buttoning your pants or putting on a belt with one hand, let alone type.  As a standard touch-typist, one handed hunt-and-peck is beyond frustrating.  Following games online, listening (er, reading?) to you all (and the too oft trollers) debate, talk trash and prophetise on the future of our beloved franchise is both frustrating and entertaining.  Luckily, my primary paw is back, and I am ready to vent.

Since I've missed out on so many topics, and have so much on my mind, I fear this post will be all over the place.  I'll try to break my various thoughts up by subject so its easy to follow. If that doesn't work, pop a pain pill, pound a beer and give it one more try...YES WE CAN!

Sactown Royatly:

First and foremost, this site continues to grow and impress.  Ziller and Section continue to do a great job providing insight while keeping us followers in line. Most of the usual suspects are still here, spreading wisdom and sarcasm in daily doses.  There has also been an explosion of new members on the site.  While there are, and will always be, a few fools in the mix, it is promising to see that most new members continue the refreshingly intelligent discussion and proud fandom that makes this place what it is.

The Where you from? post was great.  It was fun to read where everyone is lives, and how they became a fan of the Kings.  The global following is awesome!  I will add my story to my profile if anyone is interested.  This post is long enough without me rambling on about myself.

Beno Udrih:

My second biggest disappointment this year.  He just looks tight.  I think he got a healthy contract and now feels nervous about living up to it.  There have been stretches where he's shown that he can be great, but the bad turnovers NEED to stop.  All PG's turn the ball over, but he needs to cut it down, significantly.  The unnecessary turnovers are the really frustrating part.  He needs to drive to the hoop and pop the ball out more than he is right now.  This is one of his biggest strengths and for one reason or another, he seems hesitant.  Maybe passing the ball to a giant crustacean has something to do with that.  I am still confident that he can get it to the level I expect (and do not YET regret his contract), but he needs to step it up.

Kevin Martin:

It's hard to tell because he's been hurt so much.  I thought Kevin was relying on his jumped WAY too much at the beginning of the season.  Then he started attacking the rim and playing like normal before he got hurt.  Now that he's back I look forward to him taking the lead on this team.  How he learns to interact and play with the young bigs will play a large roll in the success of this team.  I still argue that he can be the primary scoring option on a championship team.  He just needs an all-star caliber big (PF or Center), an above average PG (Beno needs to get better.  He doesn't need to be Chris Paul, but at least a Billups quality starter) and the right role players.

John Salmons:

He is having a great year.  GREAT.  Sure, he pounds the ball and really likes to dribble, but you cannot say he hasn't exceeded expectations.  If I told you that Salmons was going to average 19.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1assists and shoot over 50% from the field you wouldn't of believe me.  Sure, he needs to step up his rebounding, but his offensive efficiency and strong defense have made him a pleasant surprise.  It says good things about our team when I think his success is only the third most impressive thing about this season.

Jason Thompson:

Speaking of impressive parts of our team, JT looks fantastic.  He looks SO much better than I expected.  He is still a little rough around the edges, but his rebounding, defense and knack for the ball around the rim are promising.  Several of us has complained about his lack of minutes, but I find how he is being utilized far more frustrating.  Reggie runs absolutely ZERO plays for him.  At the beginning of the year we were also so impressed with his ability to play with his back to the basket, and operate with the ball.  It's almost as if Reggie see's his ability to rebound (especially on the offensive end) and thinks that will get him the ball often enough.  Whether he comes off the bench before or after MM, he needs to get the opportunity to use his skills.  That being said, why the eff are we putting MM in the game before JT?  Come on!  Mikki is the model "energy off the bench guy" so let's use him like that.  Free JT.

Spencer Hawes:

Proof that I should never be a professional NBA GM.  I was pissed when we drafted Spencer.  Pissed.  Now I he has shown himself to be a future all-star and important part of bringing this team back to contention.  It's unbelievable.  My SoCal Laker fans all admit he is going to be great, but I'll get back to that in my overall King's thoughts.  Spencer has great hands and the type of court vision that cannot be taught.  Pair that with his quickly improving hook shots, ability to pull the defense out with a respectable 3-point shot, fundamental footwork and passing ability and we have one good player.  Oh yah, and he's only in his second NBA season.  My only frustration with him comes when he falls in love with the mid-range jumper (an important PART of his game, not the majority of his game) and shows the Brad Miller pouty face.  It hasn't made appearances as often this year, but it is the one trait of Brad's I do not want him to inherit.

Donte (how the eff do I get that dash over the E) Green:

Raw talent.  I love it.  I think I differ from many of you in how high I think his ceiling will be.  He reminds me of Gerald Wallace, only Donte is coming in to a system that will allow him to play and develop his game.  I really think he can be the future SF for the team.  Not yet, but give him a few years.

Francisco Garcia:

Get healthy.  You are a bad ass.  This team needs a bad ass.  Get healthy, hit some shots and being out the snarl.

Brad Miller:

Please see ForThree's brilliant post for the basis of my feelings.  I like Brad, always have and always will.  However, I do not want to see him traded this year (unless we get something REALLY good of course).  His passing and ability to run the offense offer a great learning experience for our young big guys.  Miller benefited from playing with Vlade, and I belive JT and Hawes will benefit from playing with Miller.  I am ok with starting Brad or brining him off the bench, but I think he is ready to play 20-25 minutes a game along side a wide range of line-ups.  Let's not forget how bad our offense looked during the first few games while he was suspended.

Mikki Moore:

In his defense he really does do all the little things.  He sets good screens, he takes the charge, he hussles.  He also can't catch in traffic, barely rebounds the ball and scores at an impressively low rate for an NBA starter. 

But there in lies the problem, he should not be a starter.  I actually think that this is the worst possible situation for him.  He needs to be coming off the bench for a good team.  He brings tons of energy, and like I said above, does all the small things.  He should be a pretty enticing piece in a trade.  He is a solid back up, and would do whatever the coach asks of him.  I hope he ends the season on a contender where he belongs.

Bobby Brown:

Bobby Brown?  This team has Bobby fucking Brown?!?  How cool is that! 

Bobby B came out of no where but with every little step he earned his minutes.  I have always found that no-name shooters tend to be ball hogs when given minutes on the big stage, but BB really is seems the exception, proving that he doesn't always have to be the king of stage.  Not only does he have no problem sharing the rock wit cha, he really looks to be pretty good at it.  Sure, he can knock down some deadly jumpers, but he never seems to make it his prerogative.  Where he falls in the future of our team is yet to be seen, but he is a great new edition.

Bobby Jackson:

I love you Bobby, I really do.  However it is so clear that your time has come and gone.  You no longer elevate on your jumper, which forces you to shoot a fade-away in order to get the ball over your defender.  Your still have ice water in your veins, but you just can't pull it off like you could before.  It makes me smile to see you in a Kings uniform, but it is time to take on more of a coaching role, and give the back-up PG minutes to Bobby B.  When our shooters are cold or we need some late game guts, we'll be sure to call on you.

Quincy Douby:

I'll just come out and say it; Quincy Douby has become a Martyr on this team.  Yes he has let us down, repeatedly, this year, but he does not deserve the level of blame he has recieved.  He will probably be remembered as Petrie's biggest bust, but nobody bats a thousand.  It has been said before but confidence really seems to be his biggest problem.  He has shown un moments of brilliance (recall last years game against the Lakers) but it they are just too few and far between.  I sadly believe that after his game against the Jazz he is destined to ride pine beside the unbeloved K9.  Douby does not deserve that, he is better than that.  I hope that we can include him on a trade where he will have another chance at success.  Hopefully he can make the most of it, because it will probably be his last chance at the NBA.

Reggie Theus:

I stuggle with how to feel about Reggie more than any of part of this team.  Sure, Reggie's substitution patterns, poor play-calling, horrible inability to close games/quarters and an undefendable love for Mikki Moore drive me nuts, but we cant say this year hasn't been entertaining.  The team of two years ago was my least favorite because they never looked like they cared, and didn't try as hard as their salaries warranted.  These 08-09 guys care.  I think part of that comes from youth getting minutes and wanting to prove themselves, but we have to give Reggie his credit.  The effort has been great (except for that first game against Portland) and you can tell the guys really want it.  The Kings are not going to contend for the playoffs this year, but if Reggie can get them to play as hard as they can for the entire season, he deserves respect for that.

That being said, Reggie clearly has no future with the Kings.  At this point, I do not see the benefit of firing him mid season.  Especially when he hasn't been coaching a healthy team all year.  Lets give Speedy another week or so to get to full speed, plus a healthy Salmons, and things could look a lot different.  If things don't get better, than we can begin to explore brining in another coach.

The Sacramento Dance Team:

They're still hot.  It looks like some of the "trouble makers" didn't make it back on the team this year.  But really this is just my pathetic excuse to show a picture. 

your Sacramento Kings:

I am actually pretty happy about our team.  Sure, the 5-15 record sucks, and so does watching us lose 6 games by one possession or less in a two week stretch.  However, this team is full of potential.  If you actually read my entire post above, you can see how positive I feel about so many players.  We are actually in a really lucky situation.  We have one proven all-star caliber player and several young players with the potential to be all-stars.  Obviously not all of them will pan out, but some of them will.  Pair that with our upcoming cap room in the summer of 2010 (and potentially 2009) abd we have a lot to look forward to.

I went to a bar with some of my Laker friends last week to watch some basketball.  I received a back-handed compliment from one of my friends, that I think really sums up how I (and obviously he) feels about our future.  "Watching your team, it's clear they aren't very good.  But they got some pieces., they're just too young.  We probably won't even make a big deal about the Lakers-Kings games this year.  But at least your team is rebuilding.  It'll be cool in a year or two when the rivalry heats up again."

First, I obviously I didn't tape recorded the conversation, so that quote isn't word-for-word accurate.  But secondly, while my friend was take a little jab at me he complimented our young guys (he also thinks Hawes will be great) and admitted our future was bright.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel; we just have to wait to get there.  I see us contending for the playoffs next year, and potentially contending for it all 1-3 years after that.

But hey, this is all just my opinion after 20 games.  :)