<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">he Kings will be formidable this coming NBA season, but they might not even make the playoffs. That's the opinion of Gail Goodrich, the Hall of Famer who works as a color analyst for NBA TV and whose job is to break down and study teams in and out of season. In the Kings, Goodrich sees a good coach replacing a very good, proven one -- Eric Musselman in for Rick Adelman -- and he said there's a clear defensive foundation with Ron Artest. Other than that, don't expect 50 wins this season. "They got a lot of work cut out for them," Goodrich said from his cell phone while plodding through New York traffic. "Ron is a tremendous basketball player, one of the top 10 players in the world. But losing Bonzi Wells really hurts. That's a big loss. He really stepped up for them and gave them what they needed inside and with rebounding. "I think you'll see a period of adjustment with that team. I have a great deal of respect for (club president of basketball operations) Geoff Petrie. But the Kings are in sort of a rebuilding mode." Goodrich said the Kings made solid summer additions -- drafting Rutgers guard Quincy Douby and signing free-agent swingman John Salmons and 7-foot-2 center Loren Woods. But there was no one splash addition -- unless a trade brings in new blood, Goodrich said. "I think the Kings will be pretty much like last year in terms of finish -- the eighth seed, but that won't be easy," Goodrich said. "If you look at the other teams in the Pacific Division with the Kings, there's a lot of talent with Phoenix, the Clippers, and the Lakers are going to get better. The Kings will be OK, but it may take awhile for them to be really good again." Bonzi watch -- Wells and his agent, William Phillips, are still waiting for a taker. Having rejected the Kings' offer of a five-year, $38 million deal earlier this summer, a move that looks to have burned them both, it appears the shooting guard will have to settle for a one-year deal somewhere. The money has dried up quickly across the NBA landscape. Transitional talk -- Kings guard Mike Bibby said he's impressed with the fire of Musselman after talking with him several times this summer. But the veteran said he'll miss Adelman, the only coach he played for in his five Kings seasons, a period in which Bibby played his best games. "Of course he'll be missed," Bibby said. "Rick was a great coach. But in this league, players move on, and coaches move on. You still remember them, though." Artest clinic -- The Ron Artest Tru Warier Clinic Tip-Off Dinner and two-day clinic presented by 3rd-Degree will be held in Sacramento at the end of September. It starts with a dinner at the Hyatt Regency on Sept. 29, followed by a Saturday-Sunday clinic at Capital Christian High School for boys and girls, ages 5-17. "I'm really looking forward to it," said Artest, who added he wants to make such events a regular occurrence in Sacramento. "The kids will have a great time -- I promise."</div> Source
Dallas, Phoenix, Memphis, Denver, Spurs, Clippers and potentially the Jazz, Houston, Utah, Lakers and Golden State will be possibly making the playoffs. I wouldn't say that its "mentally retarded" to say that the Kings might have to do a lot of battling to get into the playoffs, or to be even a 7 or 8th seed for that matter.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting asdf:</div><div class="quote_post">Dallas, Phoenix, Memphis, Denver, Spurs, Clippers and potentially the Jazz, Houston, Utah, Lakers and Golden State will be possibly making the playoffs. I wouldn't say that its "mentally retarded" to say that the Kings might have to do a lot of battling to get into the playoffs, or to be even a 7 or 8th seed for that matter.</div> I understand what you're saying, but c'mon this happens every year. people want to get excited about teams and say they're going to make the playoffs, but it just ain't happening. The only team i would say that didnt make the playoffs last year and will be in it next season is houston IF everyone is healthy. we'll just have to wait and see. But what i know for sure is tat the Kings are a lot better than those teams and wont have to do much battling this season just to get a 7th or 8th seed.
I don't know, the Kings were helter skelter last season. They looked lost until Artest came to Sacramento, but how will this team adjust to their new head coach? The team must sign Bonzi back to have a chance IMO. The West has so many potential teams capable of making the playoffs next season. Team's who can stay healthy and play consistent are the ones who make it to the post season next year. I don't think any team in the West can go on one or two 5 or 6 game losing streaks this upcoming season and expect to make the postseason.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Gametime?:</div><div class="quote_post">whoever thinks the Kings are not going to make the playoffs is mentally retarded...</div> Thats not really fair... its BEYOND tough this year, so many teams on the rise, you have to at least consider the fact that its a possibility. Hell, if the Lakers don't give it everything night in, night out, they won't make it.
Until the 82 games are played anything can happen, (Phoenix, Dallas, Spurs) will definitely make playoffs. But after that, injuries can affect a team's season. Golden State has Nellie Lakers always have a shot Clippers are looking good Denver has Melo and lots of bigs (Camby, Nene, Eduardo Nahera, Joe Smith, K-Mart) Jazz will have a healthy Boozer, AK47, Okur as well as a 2nd year Deron Williams Memphis gets Damon Stoudamire back, Rudy Gay, and Stro Swift New Orleans have a 2nd year Chris Paul, and newly added Peja and Chandler Minnesota has a chance with KG, Ricky Davis, Foye and Mike James Houston has Tmac, Yao Ming, Battier, and Dekembe Sacramento has a new coach, and its core of Miller, Bibby, and Artest So I think that any given team may make the playoffs and any given team could slip.
of course, there's always the possibility. But just look at the team, do you think Ron Artest and Mike Bibby and all the other vets won't take this team past 82 games? Even last season when they were 8 games under .500 and Artest got here and took us there. Yeah they will definitely have to win more games next season, but I can't see this team not making it.
