GAME 80 vs New Orleans, Game Thread

by Ziller on Apr 12, 2008 3:26 PM PDT in Game Threads

We have another 7 p.m. tip, this one against a team with something to play for. If you're attending, check in with Muff209, who would like to serenade our friend Napes.

Kevin Martin will not play, reports Amick. You'd almost prefer to see Anthony Johnson, Randy Brown and Lorenzen Wright start the game, if only because you can taste the Hornets getting out to a 40-point lead in the first quarter. Better to let Quincy Douby, Spencer Hawes and Friends walk away with a moral victory from slicing the final margin to something like 22.

Go Kings.

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The Numbers

Not a lot of teams are better than the Kings against the spread, but the Hornets are one of them.

http://www.offshoreinsiders.com/index.php?Page=Articles&ArticleID=1901

by coolcatreportdotcom on Apr 12, 2008 6:59 PM PDT 0 recs

at the game

Got the Peaches shirt on House Party with Greek. Also Fat Lever told us that there's a picture of Shawes in his shirt and he was going to check on why Grant hates the nickname Peaches so much.

I'm Grant Napear's favorite fan.

by Muff209 on Apr 12, 2008 7:03 PM PDT 0 recs

You are the MAN

Seriously cool.

TickTickTickTickTickTick

by LeaguePassAddict on Apr 12, 2008 7:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

Caught you two on the replay just now.

Too funny! One Peaches T on each side of Fat's head. I wish I had KingsTV's skills to post a screenshot for everyone.

God bless you, Corliss. You always played as though you knew how expensive my tickets were. -section214

by KK on Apr 12, 2008 10:24 PM PDT up 0 recs

Kings in the Lead!

Woooo! 2 mins left.

Woooo!

Hello.... hello?

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Apr 12, 2008 9:21 PM PDT 0 recs

oh man....if kings give this one away now....

horrible foul by cisco

by DowJones on Apr 12, 2008 9:31 PM PDT 0 recs

oomph

big W against a team fighting to keep its top spot.

Booyah.

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Apr 12, 2008 9:39 PM PDT 0 recs

Another 1st place team bites the dust

nice win. Kinda wish we'd lost that one though. As the win really helps the Lakers. Some big shots down the stretch by Artest.

by Kfan in Korea on Apr 12, 2008 9:39 PM PDT 0 recs

Kings gonna win

Well... Peja does what he always does miss a clutch three with a chance to tie.

Ron, on the other hand hits couple of clutch threes and the Kings win the game.

I kinda wanted the Hornets to win cuz I don't want the Lakers to grab the #1 seed.

DAMN... oh well... Hornets better find some other way to grab the number 1 seed

The NBA Lottery: Where fans turning against their favorite team happens.

by kingme18 on Apr 12, 2008 9:41 PM PDT 0 recs

naah son

Spurs'll get it.

Mikki Moore in the skills challenge! - LPA

by iashwash on Apr 12, 2008 9:47 PM PDT up 0 recs

No Spurs

I wanna see Spurs-Mavs and Lakers-Suns in round 1. Can a brotha dream a bit?

The NBA Lottery: Where fans turning against their favorite team happens.

by kingme18 on Apr 12, 2008 10:13 PM PDT up 0 recs

Never thought I'd say this....

But you guys played a damn fine game. We Laker fans humbly thank you for tying the top of the West for us tonight. I'm worried about the last game of the season.

Good job, y'all.

by lakerfanjeff on Apr 12, 2008 9:55 PM PDT 0 recs

LA

We will come out full force and hopefully Kevin Martin will be back and the Kings grab a one point win off a Kevin Martin three at the buzzer sending LA to the third seed, Spurs to the 2nd seed.

The NBA Lottery: Where fans turning against their favorite team happens.

by kingme18 on Apr 12, 2008 10:14 PM PDT up 0 recs

the season

would be a success if that happened.

by kingsTV on Apr 12, 2008 10:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

so yeah

Chris the Greek and I did a good thing tonight. Hopefully TZ will be getting a surprise soon.

I'm Grant Napear's favorite fan.

by Muff209 on Apr 12, 2008 10:15 PM PDT 0 recs

Close games-

Wouldn't have it any other way with you guys :)

by lakerfanjeff on Apr 12, 2008 10:17 PM PDT 0 recs

Recap

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap;_ylt=Alg8h0ZZtzBbLClDtk4JmO.8vLYF?gid=2008041223&prov=ap

Four threes by Ron in the fourth quarter = a lot of No NO NOO ... YES!!!

Hurry back, Kevin, we're holding down the fort for you.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Apr 12, 2008 10:27 PM PDT 0 recs

The Hornets

The Lakers hold the tiebreaker on them for best record, and they could also lose their division and end up opening the playoffs on the road. Ouch.

The Warriors are still a live after the hold off the Clips and Denver gets pounded by the Jazz.

Both the Kings games with San Antonio and the Fakers are probably going to have big impacts on playoff seeds.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Apr 12, 2008 10:31 PM PDT 0 recs

nah...

lakers clutched division last night or the night before....they'll at least 3rd seed

by DowJones on Apr 12, 2008 11:05 PM PDT up 0 recs

oops

ignore previous statement

by DowJones on Apr 12, 2008 11:09 PM PDT up 0 recs

Nice Work by the Bench

You can tell how much the Hornets wanted this game as Paul, Chandler and West all played at least 40 minutes and Peja was a hair under 29.

Their bench players only played 48 minutes and scored just nine points. Meanwhile, Cisco, Shelden and Quincy combined for 30 points and played 73 minutes.

Salmons played 46 minutes and Artest almost 44, but no other Kings player played more than Cisco's 28-plus minutes.

I also thought the Kings played some great D down the stretch.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Apr 12, 2008 10:45 PM PDT 0 recs

Agreed

Our bench played great. I think the last 3 games may be the best of 'Cisco's career. Talk about earning your extension.

Wait....Why is everybody clapping? Everyone around me is clapping.... I guess I should be clapping too... GO LAKERS!!! I hate living in So Cal

by 27freethrows on Apr 12, 2008 10:52 PM PDT up 0 recs

So

Now that the Kings have beaten a good team minus Kevin are we going to here the same ridiculous BS about how the Kings play better without Kevin like we do if we win a game without Ron Ron? Oh, BTW, Ron pretty much was the reason we won the game - just in case any of you haters didn't notice...

Again, I'm not saying Ron is the ANSWER or that he should even be around next year, I'm just pointing out the ridiculousness of comments attriubted to the absence of either of our two best players.

by Kusian on Apr 13, 2008 2:34 AM PDT 0 recs

If you like a reply

Here's mine. I think this team is stuck in neutral. I think it will continue to have the same problems (Salmons up & down), Garcia a bit up & down with production, and perhaps the same difficulties of Ron's availabilities will crop up consistently too. I don't think the team will necessarily get better, but I fail to see how this team is WORSE off without Ron given Salmons produces better as a starter. And that doesn't even delve into the fact that Salmons increased production at his current price could make him something near a bargain.

The other problems I see with re-signing Ron come down the road. Do you pay luxury tax to keep Ron Artest? Is Artest a franchise player?

We could build ping-pong ball shrines and make sacrifices at them, like broken ping-pong paddles, or burning Peaches in effigy--LPA

by pookeyguru on Apr 13, 2008 11:58 AM PDT up 0 recs

franchise player

"Is Artest a franchise player?"

No.

To keep or not to keep isn't an easy question to answer because Ron does bring something more and different than Salmons or Garcia - but is what he brings enough to make up for what he takes away from those two? I lean towards trading him but still have a tremendous respect for what he does on the court.

by Kusian on Apr 13, 2008 12:15 PM PDT up 0 recs

You just have given me every reason

to trade the guy Kusian. You admit he isn't a franchise player. He believes at heart he is a franchise player.

I do not doubt, in any way, in the short term there is in high probability a loss of something without Ron around. But that's the fault of Geoff Petrie for not trading him to Denver at the deadline, and certainly not Ron's.

There are spheres of blame here, and depending on which sphere you wish to enter, and I've felt I've expanded on this way too often.

I for one, am glad to see the team upset a few teams down the stretch which might be upsetting the balance of what's going on in the NBA. The increased production of Williams/Shawes/Douby is nice to see, but is that a mirage? I never trust anything about little meaning end of the season success. The dubs did that in Montgomery's first season as coach (04-05 season) shortly after Baron Davis arrived there. They proceeded to stumble the next season after being thought of as an up & coming team.

We could build ping-pong ball shrines and make sacrifices at them, like broken ping-pong paddles, or burning Peaches in effigy--LPA

by pookeyguru on Apr 13, 2008 12:55 PM PDT up 0 recs

I think the "real" question is....

Not whether Ron thinks he's a franchise player or not(I'm sure in his own mind he is)....instead ask if Coach Theus or Geoff Petrie see him as a franchise cornerstone.That's a better indicator of how long his tenure will be here in Sactown, I think.

by Rhondda Nunes on Apr 13, 2008 4:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

First off Rhondda

I know you want them rings baby, but congrats on the 3rd final 4 in as many years. Ben Howland is alot of things, as is Kevin Love, but John Wooden and Kareem Abdul Jabber/Bill Walton they are not. 3 final 4's in as many years is totally impressive.

Now as to the Artest question I think that's totally up to Petrie, and to a real degree still, the Maloof's. Some time back Muff had a comment (i forget where it was sorry) where he mentioned that Joe said something like if he doesn't opt out we'll give him a contract or something like that. It was in regards to Joe being on Inside Dish with JA Adande. I don't know if that remark was true, or not, but if it holds water the Artest negotiations could become very interesting, and so not in a good way.

We could build ping-pong ball shrines and make sacrifices at them, like broken ping-pong paddles, or burning Peaches in effigy--LPA

by pookeyguru on Apr 14, 2008 2:15 AM PDT up 0 recs

I agree with you...

I'd forgotten about those Maloof comments; thanx for the reminder.

As for UCLA, much as I hate to admit it; you're also right there, I gotta love Howland & how he's got a formerly "soft" program to play some hard 'd' in the Big East tradition, but the Wizard of Westwood he isn't nor is his supporting cast Kareem, Big red, et al, etc. Yet.

by Rhondda Nunes on Apr 14, 2008 6:31 PM PDT up 0 recs

If the supporting cast is better

than Lew, or Big Red, they better be winning alot of rings. :)

We could build ping-pong ball shrines and make sacrifices at them, like broken ping-pong paddles, or burning Peaches in effigy--LPA

by pookeyguru on Apr 15, 2008 1:46 AM PDT up 0 recs

Well..that's the hope..

But the UCLA boosters are an arrogant lot. Kinda like the fakernation.

by Rhondda Nunes on Apr 15, 2008 2:26 AM PDT up 0 recs

Not to offend you

but that might go hand in hand as well.

We could build ping-pong ball shrines and make sacrifices at them, like broken ping-pong paddles, or burning Peaches in effigy--LPA

by pookeyguru on Apr 15, 2008 12:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

Positives

The Kings are learning to win when some of their best players are out. No more excuses, no more "Kevin or Ron or Brad are out so we're going to lose." They find a way to win or at least compete with playoff-bound teams, even with all the injuries. At the same time, their bench players are showing some growth, which is fun to see.

Sometimes a stand-pat approach helps to build continuity and leads to success. This may be a team that can surprise folks with its current lineup and some additions around the edge. It may not be necessary to completely blow it up to get better.

The team added Theus, Beno, Mikki, Shelden and Spencer this season to a core of Brad, Ron, Cisco, Salmons and Quincy and substracted Bibby. Maybe that team can jell next season if it is held together.

I think of the draft coming up, and the Kings have some decisions to make. Is the current front line of Brad, Mikki, Spencer and Sheldon good enough to become more competitive on a consistent basis if it is given more time to develop? If not, who are you going to give up on if you draft a big or sign someone? There's simply not enough playing time for five bigs unless you plan to bring the rookie along real slowly a la the Warriors approach to Brandon Wright or give up on Shelden.

Because of that and the question marks surrounding Beno (mostly injury-related), I think the Kings will resign Beno, draft a point guard and bring back Anthony Johnson as added insurance.

Then they'll play this hand to mid-season and see what happens. That will give the team more time to build on the positives of this season, a full training camp with all the pieces together and the opportunity to more patiently evaluate who fits into the Kings future and who doesn't.

Because of the "dead-money" salaries, the team doesn't have a lot of choices anyway for the time being. Petrie's approach may win out in the end.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Apr 13, 2008 2:57 PM PDT up 0 recs

Artest revisited

just in case any of you haters didn't notice...

I don't think any of Artest's detractors (myself included) have ever said the guy can't play. He can. He can bring fire. He can ignite the team.

My main issues with Artest are that 1- he tends to disrupt our motion offense and takes a disproportionate number of shot attempts, and 2- he is very often a distraction, both on and off the court.

I also don't believe that he's worth, either to our team or on the open market, what he and his agent believe he is worth. He's a good, even great piece, but you can't make him the centerpiece of a team.

TickTickTickTickTickTick

by LeaguePassAddict on Apr 13, 2008 8:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

legit

I think your #1 issue is very legit. Regarding #2, I would argue that every player has his "issues" (i.e. characteristics about the player that you'd prefer to change or abilities that you'd prefer to see enhanced - and tendencies you like to see eliminated.) Frankly, I'm not that concerned about #2. In fact, I'd replace your #2 with my concern for the number of games he has missed this year due to injury. (But then again guys like Artest, who play very, very hard tend to get banged up.)

The Kings will have to decide what kind of team they want to be in the future and then determine whether Ron can fit into the scheme. I do believe that they can be a very successful offensive unit minus Ron. As the team is presently composed, however, we are not better in totality without him.

In terms of what he is "worth," I just don't know as I am unfamiliar with what top-tier SFs are worth in the open market right now. I do know that he is clearly and unequivocally one of the best two-way players in the NBA.

by Kusian on Apr 14, 2008 10:30 AM PDT up 0 recs

What you said,

I agree with completely.

What Kusian said should be considered as concern #3, not as a replacement to concern #2.

My agreement should come as no to surprise to anyone. LPA and Kusian's posts are just better argued than mine would be.

I love good Ron-Ron on this team, I loath bad Ron-Ron on this team. I think that I "get" that bad Ron-Ron comes from his desire to win. I effing hate that his takeover behavior seems to come from his distrust of his teammates being able to help.

Although it doesn't happen every game, I freakin' hate games where Ron "takes over" the game. You can feel and see it coming and you just want to scream "NOOOOOOOOOOOO". Sometimes it works out and the Kings win, most times it doesn't. The biggest problem is, those low percentage shots, that one-on-one pounding the rock. It's unsuccessful, far to often.

God bless you, Corliss. You always played as though you knew how expensive my tickets were. -section214

by KK on Apr 15, 2008 12:44 AM PDT up 0 recs