After another night of channel-surfing through the games on NBA Pass, I settled upon the neighborly Warriors-Suns blowout, and was left wondering yet again how nice Rony Turiaf would have looked in a Kings jersey. He is exactly the type of role player the Kings need - and never seem to acquire. He takes charges. He blocks shots. He understands his role, and particularly, his offensive limitations. He's a wonderful teammate, so say his former Laker buddies. Forget Corey Maggette. Turiaf was Chris Mullin's best offseason acquisition. And for all their problems - maybe it's a Northern California NBA virus - the Warriors should be really happy that Elton Brand wasn't tempted by their offer. He's a nice player, but not a superstar. At his salary (approximately $16 million per year, through 2013), he should be a superstar. Injuries are limiting his effectiveness, but that was true during his tenure with the Clippers, too. Buyer, beware.
As the trade deadline nears ...
Memo to Geoff Petrie: Two weeks remain until the Feb. 19 trade deadlne. Please start shopping. Take an empty cart, fill it with every Kings player except Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes, Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia, and find the best bargain (bargains). More importantly, find pieces that fit. The Kings have some talent, and several players who could be contributors in the right situations. But on this roster, the skills aren't complementary. Puzzling, isn't it? It's up to Petrie to figure it all out ...
About that Development League
Tell me again why the Kings are affiliated with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League if they don't bother to send, say, Donte Greene down for some extra work? The 20-year-old rookie is wasting his time - and theirs - by sitting on the bench, shifting restlessly and jokingly during timeouts, and seemingly not developing his abilities. Additionally, he rarely stays after practice to scrimmage with ultracompetitive youngsters Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson, which makes you wonder about his desire/maturity level. Just a hunch, but either the Kings brain trusts need to prod Greene onto the court to improve his conditioning and his skill, or they really should send him to the Bighorns. A few bumpy bus rides might be good for him. As they say, if you aren't going to develop 20-year-olds, don't draft them ...
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.