Especially Brad, after the free throw debacle the other night. Not only did he make the free throws, but hit a crucial three and a driving layup to keep the Bulls alive. Good on him.

I’m angry at the way Brad departed as he virtually quit on this team. Beyond that, though, I’m not angry about Salmons, and I’m thrilled this team has financial flexibility to do the things it needs to get on the way about fixing.

Maybe I’m alone in this, but I’m happy for both of them. I’m happy Salmons is doing well, and well, who cares if he opts out in 2010? That only makes the potential for him greater. We’ll see on that one. (And I don’t care about Nocioni’s contract in return. That’s not the point.) I’m just happy the Kings didn’t tie themselves to players who had no real past to speak of (other than Miller) with a positive Kings era, and I’m happy that the franchise has moved on. Miller and Salmons are proof positive that their flaws are fine if you surround them with players of more athleticism and ability than them. It doesn’t work nearly as well when you don’t.

When I see this series, I see Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, and John Salmons and Brad Miller. Which is why Chicago did that deal.

Maybe the best benefit is that the Kings can get as many teams less afraid to deal with Petrie (assuming there were teams un-willing to do so). But, still, the best benefit is that this team has financial flexibility it hasn’t had since the lockout ended in 1999.

I wonder now what would have happened had the Kings continued on and not made that deal. Worse, I wonder what would have happened to the Bulls. The world, the Bulls, and the Kings are all better teams for doing that deal. Maybe there is a God.

…you’re my boy blue…you’re my boy!

Pookey summed up my feelings above when he said

I’m angry at the way Brad departed as he virtually quit on this team.

I love seeing our former players do well. I’m happy to see Salmons doing well. But I’m happy for him because he didn’t give up in Sacramento. Brad gave up. Brad slapped this franchise across the face. And every game in the playoffs where he demonstrated a fire and passion for the game is another slap in the face.

I was on the Brad Miller bandwagon as soon as he got here. I gave him the benefit of the doubt through a lot of things. But seeing this, I cannot be happy for him. I see Vince Carter. I see Tracy McGrady. I see Tim Thomas (oddly enough, Brad’s Bulls teammate). I see players who give up when the going gets tough. I see players who are unhappy about losses, but aren’t willing to work hard enough to try to get a few extra wins.

Goodbye Brad, and good riddance.

Let’s take a quick look at who won yesterday and some of the people responsible

Houston

Rick Adelman: Woebegone former Kings head coach, roundly criticized for defensive deficiencies, who really coached a decent defensive series.

Ron Artest: Former Kings star, whose career in Sacramento was hallmarked by great statistical seasons but limited success in the win column, carries a Rockets team without Tracy McGrady, and passed a hyped Portland, into the second round of the playoffs.

Aaron Brooks: Player Petrie pined for, who due to size seemed like a gimmick pick, now Houston’s starting point guard post-Alston.

Chicago

Vinny Del Negro: Former Kings player who seemed, at least to me, like the one hire more far fetched than Theus. Only, unlike Theus, Del Negro was aware of his limitations as a rookie head coach and hired not one, but two, veterans in Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff.

Salmons/Miller: Discussed above. It should be mentioned, did anyone think that when Miller and Salmons were traded to Chicago they’d be carrying said team to a Game 7? Sacramento, no matter how toxic the situation, was still one of the worst teams in the league with those two here.

Joakim Noah: Another almost King from that 2007 draft. Happy with Hawes but we’ll never see him pull that steal/break away dunk/and one that shifted momentum last night.

Orlando

Stan Van Gundy: Almost Kings head coach very fond of Sacramento Kinkos.

Hedo Turkoglu: Am I the only one surprised that it took Turkoglu 7 years to be relevant in a playoff series again?

JJ Reddick: I always thought the Kings should have traded for him when it appeared he could be had for a second round pick and Sign Man a year or two ago. But that’s personal opinion, apologies.

Admittedly I’m offering most of this as content with very little context. None of the above really proves anything but I think there are a few inferences that could be made:

1) One of the better parts about being a Kings fan in the high times was that, despite how active Petrie was as a General Manager, and despite how often we consequently lost players we’d grown attached to, we very rarely had to see them succeed elsewhere. Webber was supposed to provide the Sixers with renewed relevance, didn’t happen. Doug Christie was going to give Orlando a defensive boost it lacked, he didn’t last. Hell Bibby’s success in Atlanta has been mostly in a complimentary capacity. But much of last night, and other nights, this season, Salmons, Miller, Artest have looked like the best players on the floor.

2) It doesn’t seem entirely too far fetched to believe that, had Stan Van Gundy stayed in Sacramento, that team would be a tad more relevant than it is now. The powers that be had no control over his departure, but they had control over his replacement, just like they had control over Adelman’s dismissal and Musselman’s hire. The ineptness of coaching searches and hires that have haunted this franchise the past few off-seasons have handicapped this team far greater than its aging rosters and curious contracts. So far the only coaching move we’ve seen Petrie or the Maloofs prove that they’re competent of in the post-Adelman era is being really good at firing people.

3) I still blame Billy Donovan for this f*cking mess.

is that he so devalued himself that we had to throw Salmons’ value in to get a deal done. That said, Miller’s stay here was much more good than bad, and I wish them both luck, at least against the Celtics.

VDN has not shown to be a good Head Coach, though the argument that his team is in the playoffs is relevant. The coaching decisions that have been poor have occurred despite having two very experienced former Head Coaches on the bench to assist him in the process in Harris and Bickerstaff. Does this devalue assistant coaches? Does this influence anyone’s opinion of the Kings’ coaching search (and further support GP’s announcement that the next hire will be someone with a record of coaching success?)