notes from Kings/Rockets

by coachtheus on Apr 2, 2008 10:48 PM PDT Comment 11 comments

I had the opportunity to work as a PR lackey yesterday as part of my internship at the Sacramento Bee. Thus, I got to talk to a few semi-important people and get a really good view of the game...just a few things I noticed, certainly nothing earth-shattering -

Ron Artest is really vocal when it comes to getting the ball or running the play that he wants to run. And it seems like the rest of the Kings would rather defer to his will than deal with the consequences. He doesn't demand the ball every time down but when he does, the offense better run through him. This worked out better than expected last night, with the exception of the atrocious pass to Mikki with 10 seconds left.

Reggie Theus is also more vocal than he appears to be, especially when the Kings are on defense. Most of that was probably a product of the fact that the Kings forgot how to rebound yesterday.

Kevin Martin's legs are about the size of my forearms.

Marty Mac is a really, really, really funny dude.

And finally, I got the chance to ask Jim Kozimor if he really calls Grant "Peaches". Unfortunately, it seems that it is not the case. He seemed legitimately confused and said that he'd heard that rumor from someone else and didn't know anything about it until then.

I was going to call Grant "Peaches", but I (rather wisely I think) played it safe.

(This is a FanPost from a member of the Sactown Royalty community. The views expressed come from the member, and not Sactown Royalty staff.)

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"Peaches" fits Grant

To the core.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Apr 2, 2008 11:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

stone me for saying this

but where did the nickname "peaches" come from anyways ???

GO KINGS !!!

by maiku on Apr 3, 2008 12:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

His Wikipedia entry

That's where I first read about it anyway.

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

by KK on Apr 3, 2008 10:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

tagging on to section214's post

so that my comment doesn't get buried in the Ron-Ron debate.

Excellent diary, coachtheus. Keep 'em coming!

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

by KK on Apr 3, 2008 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Damn Koz

He's denied the Peaches thing twice. I'll be at teh game tomorrow. Look for the shirt during House Party

Muff rules. http://vegaskings.blogspot.com

by Muff209 on Apr 3, 2008 12:20 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Big surprise

The thing is that the last posession was the most obvious bad one, but not the only bad Ron-run posession.

How many times did he dribble into traffic in the paint and lose the ball or try to lay it in and not even get it up to the rim? How many times did he hold the ball until way late in the shot clock, then either jack up a shot (a few of which he actually made, I'll admit) or pass to someone who had no chance to do anything?

I kind of understand his teammates not wanting to deal with the kind of meltdown that would probably occur if they didn't give him the ball when he demands it, but this is precisely my argument against keeping Artest around.

He's not a team player, regardless of the love he gives his teammates in the media. He doesn't make the people around him better. And his team defense is REALLY bad, especially the last two games.

TickTickTickTickTickTick

by LeaguePassAddict on Apr 3, 2008 7:50 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

with respect

to your basketball analysis. Ron was the reason - or the major reason - the Kings won the game last night. While, along with the rest of his teammates - Cisco, perhaps, the exception - his team defense is average, his man-on-man defense is arguably the best in the league. Certainly, he is easily one of the top 5 defenders in the NBA.

Do you folks really think that a group of grown men - professional athletes - just throw the ball into Ron because he might pitch a fit? No, his teammates go to Ron because he about the only player on the team that can score in the low post and that can actually get his own shot. Now, are your points about forcing shots and being a black hole once the ball comes inside accurate at times. Of course. But, the bottom line is that Ron is a very effective player, who scored 30 points last night and was willing to take big shot after big shot. And we simply don't have another player with the skill or fortitude to be a volume shooter or to score inside.

You wanna trade Ron. Fine. I will probably, in the end, agree for a series of reasons, which Pookey, Section, and others have pointed out. Just remember. We don't get better when he's gone. We are just possibly in a better position to transition to the "kids," which may take a few seasons. And, no, Salmons and Garcia are not adequate replacements. Not even close. Like 'em both. But Ron is a unique talent.

These anti-Ron outbursts remind me of the silly stuff I used to hear when C-Webb was here. You'd have thought instead of having a 20/10/5 possible hall-of-famer, we had some CBA hack.

Perspective people.

by Kusian on Apr 3, 2008 8:10 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A voice of reason thunders down from the heavens..

...and it was good. I whole-heartedly agree with your take on Ron and what he brings night in and night out. He may bog down the offense or take an errant shot (or two) but I think he makes this team better not worse. I'd like to see him retained but financially I do not think that can happen, so I am resigned to see him go.

Ron is a unique talent and one that is irreplacable. Don't blame Artest for Kevin's lack of FGAs blame Kevin for not having the balls to demand more shots. I love K-Mart, he's my new fav King (after Bibby's departure), but as stated in other threads he just doesn't have the mentality to be the alpha dog on a team where he should be.

by Mityt on Apr 3, 2008 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Underestimating Kmart

I think Kevin is starting to step up in the 4th. It happened against the Rockets, and he has started to take charge a little more and be more aggressive and assertive. He has started to take responsibility for being one of the stars of the team.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Apr 3, 2008 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

'Sup K?

Good to see the voice of reason back and participating a bit more. ;)

Slight disagreement though - I think most of the anti-Ron contingent here would agree that he is both the best player on the team AND a guy that we need to be rid of as soon as possible. These are not necessarily diametrically opposed ideas.

Unfortunately for this team, the odds of getting anything of value via a trade for Ron-Ron seem to be long.

I guess I'm ok with having him around for another season (like the team really has a choice at this point). But I think that puts a ton of pressure on Reggie Theus to keep the respect of the players who are going to be on the roster long-term. Another season of Ron-Ron dictating his own playing time, deciding whether he will actually show up for work from game to game, and commandeering the offense on a whim is going to drive most of us insane. And it could, in essence, neuter Theus over the long haul.

The behavioral "quirks" we've seen from Artest at this point are nothing more than little tremors, lying under the surface. Are they a precursor to a 7.5 magnitude earthquake? Many of us think so, and that's why we wouldn't mind seeing one of the best players in the NBA on someone else's roster.

Kenny Thomas - uniting Kings fans since 2006

by otis29 on Apr 3, 2008 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs