Ellis is a key cog in that wheel and a rising star. Unless they don't want to be around when his payday comes due, but this is the new win-it-this-year-or-else NBA, so they can deal with that problem later.

That TMac "trade" was one of my first efforts on the Trade Machine, and even I concluded in the end it wouldn't work. It was posted to generate discussion, and I'd say it fulfilled that mission.

I think the Calderon trade idea was also a longshot and I posted the pros and cons to it, including the reality of it occuring. Toronto has an extra point guard, so they were picking up two starters (Miller, Artest) in exchange for one (Bargnani) and a co-starter (Calderon) now that Ford was back. I even threw in Udrih so they had a decent backup for Ford.

I also think what I threw out regarding a trade with Orlando was worth a shot. It addressed Orlando's main weakness at point guard and gave us expiring contracts in return for Bibby.

I could have taken shots at your weak efforts for a Bulls trade (yeah, they are really a prime destination for Artest), but I refrained. You, on the other hand, load up a cheap shot every time you get a chance.

I have hemmed and hawed, back and forth, regarding the team's chances for this season and the merits of moving the main players and entering full rebuilding mode. As I threw out in a pair of recent diaries, everything had to go right for a playoff spot to be a possibility this season. We've now fallen behind the ambitious 45-win upside target those pieces laid out, and it also appears that even 45 wins isn't going to cut it in the West this year.

My conclusion at the end of that Jan. 19 post:
"If the Kings go on a serious run here, it's going to be hard to break up the team before the deadline. But if the Kings are not at .500 by Feb. 6, Petrie will probably accelerate the rebuild and ship Bibby or Artest or both."

Well, we're here, and they're not. With the acceleration of the arms race in the West, we probably don't have the luxury of worrying how the upcoming matchups with teams ahead of us(Utah, Golden State, Houston) will go. It's time to move our key chips and get some prospects, picks and expiring contracts.

This has been a difficult season. When we have had our full roster together, we've played .600 ball or better. Theus has done an outstanding job keeping his finger in the dike.

Going forward, I really don't think anyone on this roster is untouchable. Even Martin, although he would have to be traded for a player like Ellis who also isn't on the books for much this season. I don't see Salmons or Francisco or Udrih as key building blocks for the future. For some reason, I like Hawes and look forward to seeing more of him on the court going forward.

The team intrigues me, whether Artest or Dahntay Jones is on the floor. They all have their positives and their flaws, and it plays out every night they take the floor. Sometimes it's pretty and inspires hope; other times, like last night, it makes you grab the remote, hit the clicker button and conclude there's more important things in life than worrying about the Kings. But, in any case, their continuing saga is a nice diversion, and I will support all the players -- yes, even Ron -- through their ups and down.

Petrie is on the clock, and I hope he's up to the challenge. His record in recent years is mixed, and hopefully he'll return to his earlier form that brought the team to the precipice of greatness.

The piece I read http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=3029511
said that GS waived him, but it didn't mention any kind of contract buy-out, so, yeah, he's probably still on the books.

Stay dry, PG