ducks
05-29-2004, 03:13 PM
Mark Kreidler: Joe Maloof - 'The ship's not sinking'
Don't expect radical changes, says the Kings' owner
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, May 29, 2004
It's not too late to get into a Fantasy Sports League. Sign up here.
Joe Maloof is calling from Las Vegas with a message about the basketball team that just broke his heart again. But before we get to that, let's get to this.
"I think two days after that loss in Minnesota, Gavin and I were at a bar mitzvah at some good friends of ours in Sacramento," Joe says, "and John Madden was there. You know John Madden, the broadcaster, who used to be the football coach? You know who Madden is.
"And he says to us, 'Lemme tell ya something: You guys are so close. You were four free throws away from going to the Western Conference finals.' He says, 'Be careful. Don't do drastic things. This is still one of the top teams in the NBA.' "
And that's the deal, at least as Maloof currently sees it from his postseason chill-out position at the Palms casino his family owns. The 83-80 loss to the Timberwolves that dispatched the Kings, the one that dug a fresh blade into the owner's scarred basketball psyche, might not have been a beginning - but it's also no end.
"I think the message I want to give you," Maloof says, "is that we're going to be very, very careful. The ship's not sinking. The ship is on a steady course. We're not going to make emotional decisions."
Thus would be precluded a radical restructuring of the roster, which some people feel is necessary if the Kings are ever going to reach the NBA Finals (Maloof disagrees); a termination of coach Rick Adelman's tenure (Maloof sounds incredulous at the thought); and even much depth of discussion about the areas of concern pointed up by the Minnesota series: toughness, interior play, Peja Stojakovic's disappearance, Chris Webber's long-term status, et cetera.
None of which is to suggest that nothing at all will happen. In fact, Geoff Petrie's run of the house as president of basketball operations suggests the opposite. He added Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie in 2000, Mike Bibby in 2001, Keon Clark and Jim Jackson in 2002, Brad Miller and Anthony Peeler in 2003.
Moves will be made, in other words. What Maloof seems to be cautioning against are blockbuster expectations, this flowing from his overarching conclusion that the only blame that can usefully be thrown around is of the freak-of-nature sort.
"You hear all the comments after we lose - and, listen, don't get me wrong, we're not satisfied with how we finished - but the comments like, 'They've got to tear it up,' or, 'It's so-and-so's fault,' " Maloof says. "Listen, it ain't the coach's fault. It isn't one player's fault. It's nobody's fault.
"We played without the Sixth Man of the Year (Bobby Jackson), and with Chris Webber at two-thirds or three-quarters or whatever. We played injured again.
"Injuries have crippled our chances in the playoffs - and even though you don't want to use that as an excuse when you're in the middle of it, Bobby Jackson would sure be worth more than three points in Game 7."
And there you have it: Team salvation via full health. Of course, full health hasn't occurred around here in the years of playoff ache; witness Stojakovic's lousy ankle in 2002, Webber's knee in 2003 and Jackson's abdominal strain in the spring of 2004. But, at full strength, Maloof still likes his current roster - with Brad Miller at center and Vlade Divac perhaps coming off the bench - as a title contender.
Maloof mentions Jackson's absence so often that he prompts the question people around Sacramento have been asking, the one about whether Jackson could have played against Minnesota but held back. There have been some in the Kings' organization, in fact, who wondered whether Maloof himself was unhappy with Jackson's declining to suit up.
"No," Joe says. "Listen, I've seen what the guy has done, and I've seen the heart that he has. If he says that he can't go, he can't go ... (long pause) But I'll tell you this: Going into that (Timberwolves) series, if we'd have had him, we'd have won."
For such a passionate fan, Maloof seldom forgets he's a franchise owner when it comes time to meet the press. He attributes Stojakovic's dreadful postseason work to "peaks and valleys," adding, "Peja's an All-Star, second-leading scorer in the NBA. He's great for our franchise."
Maloof wants to see Webber at his post-surgical best far more than he wants to see Webber dealt away, and he knows that, at $80 million over the next four seasons, Webber's contract would be difficult to move under the best of circumstances.
And if Adelman is in trouble, there's nothing on the record to suggest it. Or, to quote Maloof directly, "I don't know how anybody in the world could fault Rick Adelman ... What he did this year, with the injuries we had, losing our sixth man, no Webber for months - we were disappointed we didn't get to where we wanted, but Rick did an unbelievable job."
So steady the course, says the captain, who admits to being "devastated" when Webber's last-gasp three-pointer rattled out at the end of Game 7 against Minnesota.
"Of course," says Maloof, "I've had that feeling every year now since we've owned the team."
Here's hoping there are some things a man never gets used to.
link (http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/9466531p-10390530c.htm)
Don't expect radical changes, says the Kings' owner
By Mark Kreidler -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, May 29, 2004
It's not too late to get into a Fantasy Sports League. Sign up here.
Joe Maloof is calling from Las Vegas with a message about the basketball team that just broke his heart again. But before we get to that, let's get to this.
"I think two days after that loss in Minnesota, Gavin and I were at a bar mitzvah at some good friends of ours in Sacramento," Joe says, "and John Madden was there. You know John Madden, the broadcaster, who used to be the football coach? You know who Madden is.
"And he says to us, 'Lemme tell ya something: You guys are so close. You were four free throws away from going to the Western Conference finals.' He says, 'Be careful. Don't do drastic things. This is still one of the top teams in the NBA.' "
And that's the deal, at least as Maloof currently sees it from his postseason chill-out position at the Palms casino his family owns. The 83-80 loss to the Timberwolves that dispatched the Kings, the one that dug a fresh blade into the owner's scarred basketball psyche, might not have been a beginning - but it's also no end.
"I think the message I want to give you," Maloof says, "is that we're going to be very, very careful. The ship's not sinking. The ship is on a steady course. We're not going to make emotional decisions."
Thus would be precluded a radical restructuring of the roster, which some people feel is necessary if the Kings are ever going to reach the NBA Finals (Maloof disagrees); a termination of coach Rick Adelman's tenure (Maloof sounds incredulous at the thought); and even much depth of discussion about the areas of concern pointed up by the Minnesota series: toughness, interior play, Peja Stojakovic's disappearance, Chris Webber's long-term status, et cetera.
None of which is to suggest that nothing at all will happen. In fact, Geoff Petrie's run of the house as president of basketball operations suggests the opposite. He added Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie in 2000, Mike Bibby in 2001, Keon Clark and Jim Jackson in 2002, Brad Miller and Anthony Peeler in 2003.
Moves will be made, in other words. What Maloof seems to be cautioning against are blockbuster expectations, this flowing from his overarching conclusion that the only blame that can usefully be thrown around is of the freak-of-nature sort.
"You hear all the comments after we lose - and, listen, don't get me wrong, we're not satisfied with how we finished - but the comments like, 'They've got to tear it up,' or, 'It's so-and-so's fault,' " Maloof says. "Listen, it ain't the coach's fault. It isn't one player's fault. It's nobody's fault.
"We played without the Sixth Man of the Year (Bobby Jackson), and with Chris Webber at two-thirds or three-quarters or whatever. We played injured again.
"Injuries have crippled our chances in the playoffs - and even though you don't want to use that as an excuse when you're in the middle of it, Bobby Jackson would sure be worth more than three points in Game 7."
And there you have it: Team salvation via full health. Of course, full health hasn't occurred around here in the years of playoff ache; witness Stojakovic's lousy ankle in 2002, Webber's knee in 2003 and Jackson's abdominal strain in the spring of 2004. But, at full strength, Maloof still likes his current roster - with Brad Miller at center and Vlade Divac perhaps coming off the bench - as a title contender.
Maloof mentions Jackson's absence so often that he prompts the question people around Sacramento have been asking, the one about whether Jackson could have played against Minnesota but held back. There have been some in the Kings' organization, in fact, who wondered whether Maloof himself was unhappy with Jackson's declining to suit up.
"No," Joe says. "Listen, I've seen what the guy has done, and I've seen the heart that he has. If he says that he can't go, he can't go ... (long pause) But I'll tell you this: Going into that (Timberwolves) series, if we'd have had him, we'd have won."
For such a passionate fan, Maloof seldom forgets he's a franchise owner when it comes time to meet the press. He attributes Stojakovic's dreadful postseason work to "peaks and valleys," adding, "Peja's an All-Star, second-leading scorer in the NBA. He's great for our franchise."
Maloof wants to see Webber at his post-surgical best far more than he wants to see Webber dealt away, and he knows that, at $80 million over the next four seasons, Webber's contract would be difficult to move under the best of circumstances.
And if Adelman is in trouble, there's nothing on the record to suggest it. Or, to quote Maloof directly, "I don't know how anybody in the world could fault Rick Adelman ... What he did this year, with the injuries we had, losing our sixth man, no Webber for months - we were disappointed we didn't get to where we wanted, but Rick did an unbelievable job."
So steady the course, says the captain, who admits to being "devastated" when Webber's last-gasp three-pointer rattled out at the end of Game 7 against Minnesota.
"Of course," says Maloof, "I've had that feeling every year now since we've owned the team."
Here's hoping there are some things a man never gets used to.
link (http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/9466531p-10390530c.htm)