Kings at Pistons. The disappointing showdown of the year
A look ahead to Saturday Night
The big return of the villain to the scene of the crime is happening tomorrow night. I don’t know what people are expecting, other than a boring game. There are subplots now such as Sacramento vs. Chris Webber and whatever is or isn’t going on between Flip Saunders and Rasheed (and The Insider). As for Ron Ron’s return, I wouldn’t get too excited. If there’s anything I’ve learned from Ron Artest over the years, it’s to expect the unexpected. When you’re waiting for him to snap, he stays calm. When all is going well, he’s more likely to implode. The Kings are even worse than you realize right now. Portland has a better record than them. Let that sink in.
I went to the Kings-Knicks game on Monday, and one thing that struck me is that Ron shouldn’t have been the guy forcing shots at the end. He cost Sacramento the game with his shot selection. Kevin Martin is their best offensive player, and you don’t take your best offensive player out of the game like that. Ron is still a superstar and one of the best two-way players in the game today. He was on the cover of ESPN the Magazine a few weeks ago, and the feature included a thought which I’m paraphrasing as “I’d like to play for the Knicks, but not until next year after I’ve won a championship with Sacramento.” The Kings are closer to the lottery than a championship.
Ron Artest is still my favorite player in the NBA. It’s kind of sad that his return to the Palace is going to be bigger news than his play this year. He’s banged up, and he just isn’t the scorer that he thinks he is. Kevin Martin is shooting over 50% from the field and nearly 42% from three. He leads the team in scoring, even though he takes the third most shots. (Mike Bibby leads the way with 15 per game). In a way, he’s become the new Peja. The best shooter and scorer on the team, but there are other personalities that feel they need to be the guy with the ball in their hands. If the Kings were having a good year, positioning themselves to be one of the few teams that is both physical and high scoring, with Ron in the MVP race, then I’d be worried about a self-destructive implosion. Can’t see that happening this time. Which is a good thing, despite the loss of entertainment value.
The Pistons are a mess for different reasons. They’ve completely sold out their championship identity, which was the defense of the Wallaces and strong leadership from - GASP!!! - Larry Brown. Then again, they are in the East, so they could end up making the Finals anyway. And how did it work out that there was ANOTHER trade that made the West stronger and the East weaker? If the FBI isn’t too busy cracking down on steroids, we could use some help over here sorting out the conference gap.
Saturday Night, what should have been the best “Say hello to the bad guy” game since Roger Clemens pitched at Shea, is just another game. Please keep your beer cups to yourself, Pistons fans.
11 Responses to “Kings at Pistons. The disappointing showdown of the year”
Jan.19 at 1:53 pm
Shotcaller says:
Ron Artest is a punk, and I find it hard to believe that he is anybody’s favorite player. Yeah, he’s a good defender. Yeah, he can score. Superstar? Hardly. His poor shot selection and his self-destructive behavior outweigh all of his benefits. As for the Pistons, I blame Flip Saunders. Ever since the day he arrived he started talking about his offense and zone defenses. They have not made the Pistons a better team in anyway. Losing Ben Wallace didn’t help on the defensive end, but this team is still built for man-to-man defense and half-court offense. And you could tell by the glaze in Flips eyes, and his lack of coaching presence at crucial times in the playoffs last year, that he is not the right fit for this team.
Jan.19 at 2:13 pm
the brown guy says:
WELL, ignoring the kings/pistons game for a second,
sacramento used to be my favorite team, back in the divac/webber/christie/bibby/jackson/peja/getting knocked off by the lakers over and over days.
BUT i dont understand how they became this bad that fast, i mean, worse then the blazers? thats just…disturbing
(and where the hell is divac anyways? that guy was classic)
Jan.19 at 2:24 pm
Shotcaller says:
I loved that Sacramento team. (I hate that Robert Horry)
Jan.19 at 4:06 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Ron Ron the Rottweiler! How could you not love this guy? I’m predicting a near quadruple double in a Sactown win over Detroit. Something along the lines of 17 points, 12 boards, 9 assists, 8 blocks and 2 steals… With NO technical fouls. That’ll show ‘em.
Jan.19 at 4:20 pm
Noah Doucette says:
i think divac retired
Jan.19 at 5:17 pm
Maurice S. Wheeler says:
I am not a fan of Sacramento but I do live there…and I hope Webber drops 20 and 10 and 7 assists on them…Webber’s revenge, also Ron Ron needs to give up the rap game…I’m just saying
Jan.20 at 6:07 pm
Harlem World says:
Time to take off the Ron colored glasses. Artest had/has the potential to be one of the games best - but he lacks focus, motivation and consistency. Right now? I wouldn’t touch him with Larry Browns hands.
Jan.20 at 7:42 pm
Devin says:
the fact is yes that was upsetting but the bright side was antonio mcwutever and kevin garnett about to fight haha kg would have killed it
Jan.21 at 8:35 am
Ryu says:
Sactown is a shame in these days. They probably won’t be the last in the west, thanks to Memphis, but who knows. Pau is back, and there are more than 40 games left. At least I hope this situation gives some extra minutes for Quincy & co.
Jan.21 at 1:53 pm
H to the izzo says:
The only bright thing in Sacto is Kevin Martin if they want to rebuild and be successful they should hand the Franchise to him
Feb.18 at 10:57 pm
Kacey says:
ARTEST looked like SUPERMAN on the court playing against the Rockets in Houston last week — He’s been playing better than ever lately. I’m willing to give him a chance & forget about the Palace incident — especially since it WAS in self-defense — If an angry fan threw a full plastic bottle in my face, I’d probably go after him too. Though Ron Ron will never do it again, think about it — it is human instinct to FIGHT BACK when ASSAULTED.