The MailSac Returns, albeit with about half of your questions lost due to the Joerger hire

Well a lot has happened since I asked you all for your Kings questions, and about half of those questions got obliterated when the Kings made the decision to hire Dave Joerger this week.  Still, there are plenty left that are still applicable so let's get started.

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From otis: "Do we know what the team's current philosophy is - do they plan on keeping it uptempo with DeMarcus Cousins as the centerpiece?" and from TheFifthMookie: "Is style of play (tempo primarily) still considered major focus of the front office/ownership? If so, is there potential gains to be made by changing up personnel that can match that style, and would a major shift in personnel be beneficial in that case?"

A: These first two questions are both related so I'm gonna take a stab at them here.  I think every front office has a style of play they'd prefer to see, but I also think some teams tend to let their coaches and personnel dictate style more.  This offseason for example we saw Larry Bird opt not to bring Frank Vogel in part because Bird wanted the Pacers to play more small ball.  I still the Kings want to play uptempo and unselfish (especially Vlade, since that was his preferred style of play when he was a player), but I also think they've learned that they have to work with what they've got.  If they are really set on building around DeMarcus Cousins, having an incredibly fast-paced team is just a bad idea.  Joerger seems to be the best of both worlds, in that he has wanted to play more uptempo for a while now (but faced some resistance from his veterans), but also knows how to play to his strengths.  I think the Kings will see a fairly significant slowdown in terms of pace next season under Joerger, but they also probably won't be at a snails pace like Joerger's Memphis teams.  This is a fresh start for all involved, and I'm sure Joerger is eager to try out some new stuff with this team.

From Camera Marty: "Would you consider doing profiles on some of your forum members?  There are so many people I would love to know more about.  I SWEAR I bump into some while I'm out-and-about in Sacramento.  It would be nice to be able to deliver that secret handshake."

A: That sounds like it could be a cool FanPost series that I absolutely do not have the time for.  Still, I'd be willing to promote it if someone else wanted to run it.  But first, what is the StR secret handshake? It has to be "Rise the Hot Hand" right?

From Carl: "Vivek has largely stepped back from being a public figure.  What other changes have been made or lessons learned after three years of owning the team?"

A: I think one of the biggest things the ownership has learned through these past few years is not to set huge expectations.  Last year was more of the same, with all this talk about how the Kings were going to prove everyone wrong, how it was us against the world.  That was hubris, and the team was punished for it.  The Kings seem to be a bit more level-headed and humbled now, and that's for the better.

From RikSmits: "If things don't improve soon with regard to DMC's on-court attitude, demeanor and willingness to be coached, will you consider trading him by the trade deadline?"

A: I'm already on the record as saying I think the Kings should trade him this summer.  That being said, I never thought it was a real possibility considering how much the team has backed him in the past.  I'm also a bit excited to see how Dave Joerger utilizes him considering the work he did with both Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.

From caseycheesecake: "Do you think Vlade and co. will be 1) extremely active 2)opportunistic 3)not very active with regards to roster shake up this offseason?"

A: Here's the thing: I think Vlade was extremely active this trade deadline and absolutely nothing happened.  Why is that?  For starters, I think the Kings just don't have very many attractive trade assets aside from DeMarcus Cousins.  Second, the Kings dysfunction is working against them with teams throwing lowball offers for everything.  I'm actually kind of glad that Vlade didn't make any moves at the deadline for that reason.  I think the team will be more opportunistic this offseason, in search of value deals.  Having Ken Catanella on board will help in that regard.  I'm still hopeful that the Kings do not re-sign Rajon Rondo, but that's a topic of conversation for another day.

From kingsbruins02: "If the Kings fail to make the playoffs next year, will Vlade still be the GM?"

A: Unless the Kings somehow end up worse than last year (and not due to injuries), I think Vlade will still be the GM.  I think Vivek has learned his lesson about being too hasty with firings and hirings and doesn't want to make the same mistake with a GM he just gave an extension to.  It would take a colossal screw-up for Vlade to be fired in my opinion, but hey, if there's a team that knows colossal screw-ups, it's the Kings.

From RikSmits: "Which pseudo-celebrities will we see with Vivek courtside this season?"

A: Such a good question, and I hope the rest of you join in on the speculation in the comments below.  Let's pick just three.  My three:  Guy Fieri, Stephen Baldwin and Ringo.

From Dub_TC: "we all know things haven't been that great, and some have started to throw in the towel. My question, is there a point in which you would be done with the Kings? Like stop watching their games, stop coming to STR, etc?"

A:  Yeah, yeah, I know.  One of you a-holes dug up a comment I made years ago where I said I'd quit the Kings if they didn't win 40+ by 2015.  Honestly, I think the only way I'd consider quitting the team would be if they moved out of town, and that doesn't seem like a distinct possibility anymore like it did a few years ago.  I've invested too much at this point.

From 1951: "Does section214 wear pants to staff meetings and/or events"

A: This is like asking if a Grizzly Bear wears shoes.  Yes, you could probably get them to wear a pair, but you also risk severe injury or death if you try to put them on.

From -Joel-: "How come I want Boogie to stay and also want him to be gone?"

A: This is why DeMarcus Cousins is so divisive.  He's so damn good.  There are moments where he literally looks unstoppable.  Then there are moments when he'll loaf back up the court, complaining to a referee the whole way while the other team scores a quick basket because they got to play 5 on 4.  Another factor is we want to see the guy we've invested so much time and energy in succeed and succeed here.  Others don't want to risk seeing him succeed elsewhere after we spent so much time trying to find a winning formula with him.  I don't think there's ever been a player as divisive among fans in this franchise's history as DeMarcus Cousins.

From getPGwithbounce: "What's it going to take for Cousins' usage and TO to decrease?"

A: An excellent question.  I'm of the opinion that for DeMarcus to truly ascend to the next level, he's going to have to lower his usage and get the rest of the team more involved.  This will benefit both him and the team, as the team won't be so dependent on DeMarcus that when he's off the floor or out of games that the whole game plan changes.  It also would help late game execution as I can't tell you how many times our offense stagnates because the other team knows exactly where the ball is going late in the game and we play right into it anyway.  I think Joerger will do his best to mitigate this, and I'm particularly hopeful he utilizes Cousins as more of a mid-post distributor like he did with Gasol in Memphis.  Of course the multi-million dollar question is if Cousins will buy in or not.

From pentavalent: "Do you guys get paid when we click on ads?"

A: Just Greg. Greg gets paid purely in clicks. Every time you click on your screen, he gets $0.00001.  He's nearly up to a nickel now! (On a serious note though, no. And if you guys ever see a bad ad, e-mail support@sbnation.com to let them know, because they don't program most ads)

From 10KingsFans10: "Which of the following would you go back and change if you could:

1. Robert Horry's game-winning shot in Game 4 of the 2002 WCF (result: he misses, Kings go up 3-1 in their return to Sacramento for Game 5)

2. Chris Webber's knee injury (result: only out the rest of that game, returns just fine for Game 3 of the WCSF in Sacramento)

3. Kings select Jimmer Fredette in the 2011 NBA Draft (result: Kings select Kawhi Leonard / Klay Thompson, your choice)

4. Maloofs, cash-strapped, handicap the team's roster and ultimately try to sell it to Seattle in January 2013 (result: Maloofs randomly strike it rich in January 2013, are now completely willing to spend money on team and help pay for new arena, become "good guys" to everyone)

5. Kings fire Mike Malone in December of 2014 (result: Malone stays head coach and won't be fired any time soon)"

A: Instantly I narrow my choice down to either 1 or 2.  I think having Horry miss almost inevitably means the Kings win a championship in 2002.  However, Webber's knee injury might have done more damage long-term to this franchise.  They probably would have remained contenders for several years after had Webber not gone down with an injury, and might have wont the title in 2003 as well.  The team also ended up having to trade Webber for a really low return due to the injury, which led to this incredibly long rebuilding project as we never really got any great assets in return for our best players from that era.  Still, in the end, I think I'd be more likely to take the sure thing and opt for Horry missing in Game 4.

Thanks for the questions everybody!  As always, if you ever do have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at asksactownroyalty@gmail.com