A Kings Review That Finally Makes Some Sense! (No not because it praises the Kings)

#1
The Lakers look a lot different. The Nuggets continue to upgrade. The Rockets refueled with T-Mac. The Hornets are new residents. But only the Spurs, Timberwolves and Kings can be called Western Conference favorites. NBA.com continues its 2004-05 Season Preview.
The window might be closing, but it's still plenty ajar if the Sacramento Kings can get their act together in the postseason.


The Kings lost Vlade Divac to free agency and Gerald Wallace in the expansion draft, but the rotation is more or less unchanged otherwise. The only dip into the free agent pool was to nab Greg Ostertag as a backup to Brad Miller.

Miller steps in at center after a career-best year, when he averaged a double-double and 4.3 assists per game in his first season in Sacramento. Though he was slated as a sixth man last year, he started most of the season for Chris Webber, who missed 59 games.

Webber is back, hoping to regain his double-double form of a year ago. His numbers were down accross the board a year ago, but the biggest cause for concern was the 41 percent shooting from the field. If he returns to his dominant form and spends less time on the perimeter, the Kings have one of the league's premier power forwards.

Webber, to his credit, deserves a lifetime achievement award from the Kings. After initially spurning the team and the city upon his arrival in 1998, he is the player most responsible for turning around the Kings fortunes and turning them into an elite team.

Mike Bibby and Doug Christie started 82 games together in the Kings backcourt. That shouldn't change. Bibby is one of the league's top clutch players, who is coming off of a career year (18.4 points per game). Christie, 34, is still a defensive stopper who somehow managed to reach double figures (10.1 points per game last year) in a loaded lineup.

Peja Stojakovic took the Olympics off to rest up after averaging 40 minutes a game and looking tired during the postseason. Stojakovic picked up the scoring load in Webber's absence, leading the Kings with 24.2 points per game.

The Kings have so much punch in their starting lineup that their lack of depth might only surface in the event of an injury. The biggest asset on the bench is Bobby Jackson, a combo guard who has been one of the league's best bench players the past three seasons. Continuity under Rick Adelman, big men who pass the ball, spectacular 3-point shooting; it seems the Kings have a little of everything except an NBA title to show for their success. Sacramento is a contender once again, but isn't equipped to endure an extended injury, so they'll need a little good fortune (but then who doesn't?) to make the ultimate triumph.
http://www.nba.com/preview2004/sac.html
 
#3
Window talk? Check.
Starting 5 praise? Check.

What? Are you sure they are talking about the Kings? The one's from Sacramento? The one's who's locker room is in turmoil and where no one likes the golden boy?

This is getting a little tired. The Kings are good, most people recognize that. The question has always been whether or not they can be great/whether or not they have found the right mix/whether or not they can stay healthy when they need to most. Anyone who doesn't recognize that is simply stirring the pot-or attempting to.

P.S. Saw some footage on the news of one of the Kings practices: I saw Chris Webber drive, dish one of those bounce passes to a cutting Bobby Jackson who threw it back to Webb at the top of the key, he pump fakes, passes to....who? Peja? What I thought big bad Webber was sabotaging Peja....(he then passed to Mike Bibby.)
 
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#4
Finally someone in the professional field who is ready to accpet the Kings place. I was thinking that something has to be wrong with what I was thought the team was. Because every writer has been banishing the Kings lower and lower in the so called preseason rankings.

GO KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#6
ReinadelosReys said:
P.S. Saw some footage on the news of one of the Kings practices: I saw Chris Webber drive, dish one of those bounce passes to a cutting Bobby Jackson who threw it back to Webb at the top of the key, he pump fakes, passes to....who? Peja? What I thought big bad Webber was sabotaging Peja....(he then passed to Mike Bibby.)
never mind that ... hehe im waiting for the season to start

cwebb said some nice things about peja ... he called him a sniper :cool: