The Kings are Dead...Long Live the Kings
Alright, we're close enough to Round 2 of the NBA playoffs that basketball merits some attention. The Sacramento Kings incredible turnaround ended last night with a beat down at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are clearly the class of the west this year, but I think next year the Western Conference is going to be wide open. Some of the top teams, like the Suns, the Clippers, and now the Kings, are going to improve dramatically next year. I would expect the Nuggets and Lakers to improve as well. Why? These teams haven't been together for very long. The Kings are still getting used to their new identity as Ron Artest's team...a gritty, defense first, hard nosed bunch who bruise up their opponents and like to keep the score under 90. It is still unclear how good the Suns will be with a healthy Amare Stoudemire. With Nash and Diaw, arguably two of the three best passers in the league (2nd and 3rd to Jason Kidd), they could be unstoppable. The Clippers are still getting used to the idea of expecting to win, but next year those expectations will be on their shoulders, and it will be interesting to see how they respond.
Meanwhile, the Big Fundamental is beginning to show some signs of aging. He turned 30 this year, and appears to be losing a step or so. He will still be a quality player for the next five or six years, but I wouldn't expect him to dominate the way he has been in the past five years. That's going to leave the Spurs weaker and more vulnerable in the paint. Opposing coaches don't lose sleep over Nazr Mohammed. The Spurs will end up relying on their depth at the guard and small forward positions, and on Tony Parker's speed, quickness, and ability to get other guys their shots. Having guys like Brent Barry and Michael Finley coming off of your bench certainly doesn't hurt...these two would be starting on any other team in the league. However, as the Mav's have shown over the past few years, having a lot of guys who can score points might win a lot of games in the regular season, but won't make you a champion. Aside from that, Manu Ginobili isn't sneaking up on anyone anymore. Everyone knows he's a threat, and opposing coaches are looking to neutralize him. He looked like a superstar when teams were focusing on Duncan and Parker, but now that Ginobili is drawing double teams, his play is declining a bit. Duncan was the centerpiece of this team, and as he goes, so go the Spurs. That doesn't mean they won't be a contender...it just means that other teams in the Western Conference now have a decent shot at beating them.
The real wild card of the three aforementioned teams is the Sacramento Kings. One big factor in whether they will be as successful next year as they were in the latter half of this year is whether Rick Adelman sticks around...or, perhaps, whether he is welcome to stick around. Kings fans were calling for Adelman's head early in the season when the Kings were stinking up the court, which was ridiculous. It's amazing how short some fans' memories can be. Before Adelman came to the Kings, most people didn't even know that Sacramento had a basketball team. Admittedly, it wasn't all Adelman's doing...Chris Webber and Vlade Divac obviously had a huge impact on the Kings emerging into the realm of basketball respectability...but Coach Rick was a critical piece of that puzzle as well. I guarantee that if the Kings let Adelman go, there will be about 15 NBA teams stumbling over themselves and one another to sign him. Adelman is a coach on the level of Larry Brown and Phil Jackson, and is arguably the best of the three.
On the other hand, Adelman's style doesn't fit all that well with the Kings present personnel. Adelman likes to get his offense up and down the court, and defense has never been his top priority. Having said that, I thought that Flip Saunders didn't have a compatable style with the Pistons either. As it turns out, he's doing pretty well up there in Detroit. The Pistons are probably better now than they were under Larry Brown. I'm sure Adelman can adapt his game planning to the new Kings. After all, he did coach a group of talented players who hadn't ever played together before to one of the league's best records in the second half of the season.
If Adelman does leave, I'm not sure who they'd replace him with. I am sure, however, that it would be someone who is less desirable than Rick Adelman. The Kings were smart to shake things up this year, but the Maloofs need to be careful not to take the shake-up too far. The Kings need Rick Adelman more than Rick Adelman needs the Kings.
Round 2 in the Western Conference should be interesting this year. It's unfortunate for the Mavs that they have to deal with the Spurs in Round 2, because that would have made a great Western Conference Final. Suns vs. Lakers hasn't been settled yet, but I expect to see the Suns take care of business in Game 7. If they don't, I think Kobe single-handedly drags the Lakers all the way to the Western Conference Finals, and gives Pop and the Spurs a major headache. The Spurs should take care of the Suns or Lakers in 6, whichever one they face (I don't expect the Clippers to make it this year, but they could be a force next year), and then get swept by the Pistons.
Meanwhile, the Big Fundamental is beginning to show some signs of aging. He turned 30 this year, and appears to be losing a step or so. He will still be a quality player for the next five or six years, but I wouldn't expect him to dominate the way he has been in the past five years. That's going to leave the Spurs weaker and more vulnerable in the paint. Opposing coaches don't lose sleep over Nazr Mohammed. The Spurs will end up relying on their depth at the guard and small forward positions, and on Tony Parker's speed, quickness, and ability to get other guys their shots. Having guys like Brent Barry and Michael Finley coming off of your bench certainly doesn't hurt...these two would be starting on any other team in the league. However, as the Mav's have shown over the past few years, having a lot of guys who can score points might win a lot of games in the regular season, but won't make you a champion. Aside from that, Manu Ginobili isn't sneaking up on anyone anymore. Everyone knows he's a threat, and opposing coaches are looking to neutralize him. He looked like a superstar when teams were focusing on Duncan and Parker, but now that Ginobili is drawing double teams, his play is declining a bit. Duncan was the centerpiece of this team, and as he goes, so go the Spurs. That doesn't mean they won't be a contender...it just means that other teams in the Western Conference now have a decent shot at beating them.
The real wild card of the three aforementioned teams is the Sacramento Kings. One big factor in whether they will be as successful next year as they were in the latter half of this year is whether Rick Adelman sticks around...or, perhaps, whether he is welcome to stick around. Kings fans were calling for Adelman's head early in the season when the Kings were stinking up the court, which was ridiculous. It's amazing how short some fans' memories can be. Before Adelman came to the Kings, most people didn't even know that Sacramento had a basketball team. Admittedly, it wasn't all Adelman's doing...Chris Webber and Vlade Divac obviously had a huge impact on the Kings emerging into the realm of basketball respectability...but Coach Rick was a critical piece of that puzzle as well. I guarantee that if the Kings let Adelman go, there will be about 15 NBA teams stumbling over themselves and one another to sign him. Adelman is a coach on the level of Larry Brown and Phil Jackson, and is arguably the best of the three.
On the other hand, Adelman's style doesn't fit all that well with the Kings present personnel. Adelman likes to get his offense up and down the court, and defense has never been his top priority. Having said that, I thought that Flip Saunders didn't have a compatable style with the Pistons either. As it turns out, he's doing pretty well up there in Detroit. The Pistons are probably better now than they were under Larry Brown. I'm sure Adelman can adapt his game planning to the new Kings. After all, he did coach a group of talented players who hadn't ever played together before to one of the league's best records in the second half of the season.
If Adelman does leave, I'm not sure who they'd replace him with. I am sure, however, that it would be someone who is less desirable than Rick Adelman. The Kings were smart to shake things up this year, but the Maloofs need to be careful not to take the shake-up too far. The Kings need Rick Adelman more than Rick Adelman needs the Kings.
Round 2 in the Western Conference should be interesting this year. It's unfortunate for the Mavs that they have to deal with the Spurs in Round 2, because that would have made a great Western Conference Final. Suns vs. Lakers hasn't been settled yet, but I expect to see the Suns take care of business in Game 7. If they don't, I think Kobe single-handedly drags the Lakers all the way to the Western Conference Finals, and gives Pop and the Spurs a major headache. The Spurs should take care of the Suns or Lakers in 6, whichever one they face (I don't expect the Clippers to make it this year, but they could be a force next year), and then get swept by the Pistons.
posted by AdmiralLando at 10:07 AM
1 Comments:
Don't lose any sleep over Adelman finding a job. He'll have offers by the end of the month. Count on it.
As for the Kings, they are now going to have the joy of fishing through the pool of coaches who currently don't have jobs to find a replacement for a living legend. Good luck, Maloofs. You're going to need it.
The Kings still have a chance to be very good next year if the Maloofs are smart with this hire. They need to pick out a prominent NBA assistant...someone who has seen some success. That's the only way that guys like Artest and Bibby are going to respect the incoming guy. If they try to bring a college coach in, it would be a bad situation for everyone.
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