Kings Blog and Q&A

Question: Am I the only one who wonders about the mental health of the entire Kings team? Besides the obvious troubles of the coach with his DUI and Artest and his ongoing anger issues - the rest of the team seems to act very strange at times. For example - why does Mike Bibby clip his fingernails each and every game while sitting on the bench? How fast could his nails actually grow between games? Is there any sane explanation for this obession? Just wondering if I am the only one who notices!
-- Bill McDonald, Elk Grove

Answer: The Bibby finger-clipping has been infamous for years, though I'm the last guy to analyze that habit. I'm guilty of picking my nails way too often - a nervous habit I guess. As for the other guys, I'll quote my colleague Marcos Breton, who said on TV recently that "two mugshots in one season is two too many."
-- Sam Amick

Question: Musselman needs his own roster at this point. This roster has Adelman written all over it. Bibby and Miller wants the corner series/Princeton offense back (finesse) while Artest, Shareef and Corliss want to play more of a power game. I think Muss is better suited to coaching power than fitness as was apparent in his Golden State days.
-- Ed, Potomac, Md.

Answer: You may be right, but that's nowhere near realistic. It's the NBA, meaning you have to make do with the roster at hand. Crafting personnel takes years and years of salary cap manipulation and a numbers game that is an inexact science. In general, though, I think your take is accurate.
-- Sam Amick

Question: Often I've heard that coach Musselman needs about 50 games to really understand his team, and how to use them effectively as a unit. My question is, Why? Fifty games represent just about an entire season. ...(And) didn't he sell himself during his interview on how well he knew the teams personnel and how to best utilize them in his "Defensive minded" schemes?
-- Tim Cash, Roseville

Answer: I'd be lying if I said I understood that mentality. Nonetheless, this team is finally starting to understand itself around the 60-game mark. As for Musselman's schemes, the defense obviously hasn't performed like he'd like. But as he's pointed out, there have been improvements in some key categories. The Kings are third in the league in forcing turnovers and points off turnovers, which generally reflects a feisty unit defensively. The rebounding has been atrocious, though.
-- Sam Amick

Question: Do you think the Kings could or should hire an older assistant coach like Del Harris, or perhaps get Pete Carril back. Maybe he can work with Musselman and fuse the Princeton offense with some low post activity.
-- Shawn S., Claremont

Answer: "Coachie," as they call him, is really a Geoff Petrie guy, though I don't think he would've complained if Musselman wanted him on his staff. And plenty of people agree with you about the need for a so-called sage, one who could lend some perspective on and off the floor when situations arise. There is a definite value in having a guy who has been there and done that.
-- Sam Amick

Question: What's Bibby's attitude now that he hasn't been traded? any long-term implications since he obviously knows he was "this close" to be traded? he seems like the type of player to hold a grudge or pout.
-- Brandon Castillo, Sacramento

Answer: He's been fine, actually. I think he wanted to get moved only because they seemed so motivated to trade him, but he's also somewhat of a home-body. He has a lot of family and friends settled in the area and has said before that he'd like to finish his career here. I don't see that happening though. He's playing better, too, which is good for Bibby and the Kings in regards to his trade value.
-- Sam Amick

Question: Do you think that David Stern will let the Maloofs take the Kings out of Sacramento and take them to their center of opperations (Las Vegas)?
-- Cameron, Rocklin

Answer: I think he will only if an arena deal in Sacramento can't get done. The league and the Maloofs want to stay in town, but - as has become so plainly evident - the politics of getting it done are a huge obstacle. After the All-Star weekend in Vegas, Stern has some major concerns to address about the city's ability to have its own team, and Vegas has arena issues of its own. What's more, the league's owners would much rather put an expansion team in Vegas because they'd receive a much larger chunk of change than if an existing team moved there.
-- Sam Amick

Question: If the Kings' owners revenue (including T.V.) doesn't change based on the win-loss record of the team, then what's the incentive to spend to acquire the necessary talent to deliver a winning team?
-- Steve Rosetta, Rancho Murieta

Answer: The incentive is good old fashioned success and a brand that's much better off if they're winning. And don't forget that this isn't the traditional NBA brand because of the Maloofs' Vegas endeavors. They use the Kings as a connection with their Palms Casino, and that only gets less attractive if the team is stinking up the joint.
The Maloofs are sincere when they profess to want nothing more than a title. And while they had become increasingly wary of paying the league's luxury tax in recent years, they have been speaking lately as if they're ready to spend carefree again if the pieces could make them relevant again. This offseason will be a fascinating one, with Geoff Petrie hoping to clear enough cap space to be able to bring in some new pieces and continue reshaping the team.
-- Sam Amick