Kansas City Kings 1990-1991 Pre-Season Presser

[Darth Vegito]

Kansas City Kings 1990–91 Preseason Press Conference

Good afternoon, everyone.

I appreciate all of you taking the time to come out today. Every offseason is different, but I don't think it's an exaggeration to say this has been one of the busiest and most consequential offseasons we've had since I took over the Kansas City Kings. Before we start taking questions, I wanted to take some time to walk everyone through how we got here.

When last season ended, I wasn't angry.

I wasn't disappointed.

I was motivated.

We finished 44-38, tied Houston for the sixth-best record in the Western Conference, and if not for holding the tiebreaker against them, we're probably not even having this press conference as a playoff team. We managed to eliminate Seattle in six games, which I was incredibly proud of because I thought our guys showed resilience and fought through a season that was anything but smooth.

Then we ran into Portland.

They swept us.

Four games.

Season over.

Now, I know a lot of organizations look at a second-round exit and immediately say, "We were close. Let's run it back."

I don't operate that way.

After we cleaned out the lockers, I went back and watched our season again. Not just the playoff games. I watched everything. I wanted to understand who we actually were—not who the box scores said we were.

The more I watched, the more convinced I became that we had a good basketball team.

I also became convinced we weren't built to win a championship.

Those are two very different things.

Looking Back at 1989–90

One of the biggest challenges we faced was something none of us could control.

Kevin McHale's health.

Kevin only played 22 games last season. Yet somehow, in those 22 games, he averaged over 31 points and nearly 11 rebounds a night. That tells you everything you need to know about the caliber of player he still is.

Because of those injuries, though, I never truly got to evaluate our roster as it was intended to be constructed. Every few weeks someone was stepping into a different role. Rotations changed. Responsibilities changed. Chemistry became difficult to establish because we were constantly adapting.

Despite all of that, we still won 44 games.

That should tell you something.

There was real talent in that locker room.

But talent alone isn't enough in this league.

When Dominique Arrived, My Perspective Changed

The acquisition of Dominique Wilkins was one of the biggest moves of last season, and I'd make that trade again today.

Dominique is an incredible player.

But as the season progressed, something started becoming obvious.

Not because Dominique was playing poorly.

Quite the opposite.

Our offense had become crowded.

Mitch Richmond deserved the ball.

Kevin McHale deserved the ball.

Dominique Wilkins deserved the ball.

Meanwhile A.C. Green wasn't the same player he had been a year earlier. He was improving almost monthly and beginning to demand a larger role offensively as well.

At some point I had to stop asking, "How many stars do we have?"

And start asking,

"Do these stars actually fit together?"

That's a much more uncomfortable question.

Nobody likes breaking up talented players.

But sometimes the best basketball decisions aren't the easiest emotional decisions.

Mitch Richmond Became the Answer

As I evaluated the roster, one thing became crystal clear.

Mitch Richmond is the foundation of this franchise.

Everything we're building begins with him.

That isn't a slight toward Kevin.

Or Dominique.

Or anyone else.

It's simply the conclusion I reached after watching this team compete for an entire season.

Mitch is entering the prime of his career. He competes every night, plays both ends of the floor, and has earned the right to become the centerpiece of what we're building.

Likewise, A.C. Green made enormous strides. I honestly think people around the league are sleeping on just how good he's becoming. He can defend multiple positions, rebound at an elite level, and his offensive game continues to grow every season.

Those two players became the foundation upon which every offseason decision was made.

The Mark Price Decision

First, let me say this.

Mark Price deserves every dollar of the contract Washington gave him.

If anyone thinks otherwise, I disagree.

He's one of the premier young point guards in basketball.

The decision wasn't whether Mark deserved a maximum contract.

The decision was whether our organization should devote one of its maximum salary slots to him given the way this roster was evolving.

Months before free agency even opened, I had already made that decision.

If Mark received a max offer, I wasn't going to match it.

That wasn't because I wanted him gone.

It wasn't because I didn't believe in him.

It was because I believed our greatest need was things that Mark could not provide.

Our greatest need was balance.

When Washington won his services, the leverage belonged entirely to them. They could have simply waited for me to decline the offer and acquired Mark without giving us anything in return. Fortunately, they were willing to negotiate a sign-and-trade, and we were able to bring back Dee Brown, Ken Norman, and a future first-round selection.

Nobody likes losing a player of Mark's caliber.

But watching an elite young player leave for nothing would've been far worse.

The Hardest Decision of My Tenure

If moving on from Mark Price was difficult...

Trading Kevin McHale was even harder.

Kevin is still one of the best players in basketball.

I don't think that's debatable.

But I kept coming back to one question over and over again.

"What does this basketball team actually need?"

Not what would look best on paper.

Not who has the biggest name.

What do we need to beat Portland? What do we need to compete with Milwaukee and San Antonio? What do we need to survive in a league where Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Karl Malone are becoming the standard in the frontcourt?

The answer wasn't another thirty points per game.

The answer was defense.

I looked at Kevin's offensive production, and it was phenomenal. Then I looked at our interior defense. I looked at our rebounding. I looked at the amount of pressure we placed on our wings because we couldn't consistently protect the paint.

That's when I knew we had to change.

Not because Kevin wasn't good enough.

Because the league had changed around us.

Changing the DNA of the Franchise

That realization shaped everything that followed.

We targeted players who embraced doing the dirty work.

LaSalle Thompson.

Manute Bol.

Jeff Ruland.

Those aren't just new names on a roster.

They're a philosophical shift.

Last year, our identity was built around trying to overwhelm teams offensively. This year, I want us to become a team that wins the rebounding battle, protects the rim, and forces opponents to earn every basket.

I don't want teams walking into Kansas City thinking they're in for a track meet.

I want them walking into Kansas City knowing they're in for forty-eight minutes of physical basketball.

Solving the Point Guard Position

After Mark departed, point guard immediately became our biggest need.

There were only a handful of guards in free agency that I believed were worth maximum contracts, but I wasn't going to put all of our hopes into three names. We made aggressive offers to elite talent across multiple positions because if we landed another star, we'd find a way to make it work.

We struck out at point guard.

Instead, we landed LaSalle Thompson.

I was thrilled with that signing, but it still left one glaring hole.

We needed someone to run this team.

Edmund Sherod gave us insurance. I was comfortable entering camp with him if necessary. But I kept making phone calls because I believed there was still a better answer out there.

Eventually those conversations led me to Chicago.

Avery Johnson wasn't the biggest name available, but he was exactly the kind of player this roster needed.

He doesn't need twenty shots.

He doesn't need the offense built around him.

He handles the basketball, distributes it, defends his position, and lets our scorers be scorers.

Sometimes the best acquisition isn't the flashiest one.

Sometimes it's the one that allows everyone else to thrive.

Looking Ahead

As we head into the 1990–91 season, our starting lineup will feature Avery Johnson, Mitch Richmond, Dominique Wilkins, A.C. Green, and LaSalle Thompson, with Manute Bol, Jeff Ruland, Ken Norman, Bob Hansen, and Edmund Sherod anchoring what I believe is one of the deepest benches we've had.

Will there be growing pains?

Of course.

We've changed a lot.

Chemistry takes time.

But I didn't make these moves to win the headlines in July. I made them because I believe this roster has a higher ceiling than the one that won 44 games a season ago.

The Bucks and Spurs have earned the right to be considered the class of this league after meeting in the Finals three straight years. We're not pretending we've arrived.

But we are coming.

I know there will be people who look at this roster and say we lost Kevin McHale and Mark Price, therefore we must be a worse basketball team.

That's a fair opinion.

Time will decide who's right.

I don't judge a roster by how many All-Stars are on it.

I judge it by whether the pieces fit together.

Last year's team won 44 games.

This year's team isn't trying to win 45.

It's trying to become a championship team.

Thank you all for being here today. I'm looking forward to hearing your questions.

[Mike Lowry]

Laselle Thompson was a big signing for you to be excited about.
I noticed that he had an up and down TC.
How do you feel about how him and Dominique WIlkins showed up at camp?
Do either of their off-seasons make you think twice about your intentions?

[BigDaddyd8720]

Picks Emmington, SLOE Gazette,

While you talked highly of Avery Johnson, do you think his lack of experience will be a negative factor for this team? Or do you see it more as he just needs to get acclimated to the guys around him?

[NickMalone77]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: With this change in philosophy, do you think these new additions to the bench will be adequate enough in battling the other bigger oriented squads in the West like you mentioned in the Houston’s, the Minnesota’s, & Spurs of the world.

[Darth Vegito]

Laselle Thompson was a big signing for you to be excited about.
I noticed that he had an up and down TC.
How do you feel about how him and Dominique WIlkins showed up at camp?
Do either of their off-seasons make you think twice about your intentions?

Any time you have players that are 29 yrs old and older, this can happen. And you should expect it. Dominique pretty much stayed the same. LaSalle lost some athleticism and no, I am not happy about it. But I don't think it will change my gameplan for this season. He is still an elite rebounder and defender. They have a bit of time to get back in shape, I think by mid-season they'll both be back in form.

[Darth Vegito]

Picks Emmington, SLOE Gazette,

While you talked highly of Avery Johnson, do you think his lack of experience will be a negative factor for this team? Or do you see it more as he just needs to get acclimated to the guys around him?

I think he will adjust fairly quickly. What we need from him as a team, he has no issue doing. We don't need the offense, and Avery doesn't really want to shoot. He gets his rocks off setting up everyone else. He lives for it. He can if he needs but with the firepower on this team, he won't need to. Maybe it'll take a few sims to get his bearings, but by All-Star break this team and Avery will be humming on all cylinders.

[Darth Vegito]

Nick Melon; Charlotte Observer: With this change in philosophy, do you think these new additions to the bench will be adequate enough in battling the other bigger oriented squads in the West like you mentioned in the Houston’s, the Minnesota’s, & Spurs of the world.

Now let's not get carried away. Do I hope this team can take down the reigning champs? Of course, every GM should say that. That's yet to be seen. I hope we can compete and go toe to toe with them for sure. They are one of those most dominant teams we've in years and that's still AFTER they lost Thomas and McCray.

Do I think this team can lock up the 2 seed and find ourselves in the Western Conference Championship? I absolutely do.

[JNR]

GWR: What do you have to say about the rumor that Kings players are afraid of buying houses for fear they'll be shipped out at a moment's notice?

[Eazy P]

Mitch Richmond had a great preseason. Are you excited about his upcoming season and him potentially being in the MVP race?

[Darth Vegito]

GWR: What do you have to say about the rumor that Kings players are afraid of buying houses for fear they'll be shipped out at a moment's notice?

Oof...that's fair. Though I will say that this Front Office and myself are very loyal to it's players. You may laugh at that notion but it's true. If you come in and perform at your full potential and at the levels expected, you'll be here a long time. As I believe Mitch will be in KC for a while. AC isn't going anywhere.

Look we are trying to win another ship. It's been over 7 years since the last one in 83'. My job is to this city and it's fans, to bring back the gold. And if I have to move pieces around every season or multiple times per season, that's what I'll do. The fans expect nothing less.

[Darth Vegito]

Mitch Richmond had a great preseason. Are you excited about his upcoming season and him potentially being in the MVP race?

He did have a great off-season and he's looked great in pre-season as well. I don't like to put a lot of weight into pre-season. We know not all players will play, the defenses are more lax as well. But I do like what I've seen. The West is LOADED. Yeah the Spurs are the dominant team still. But they've been joined by other powerhouses like Seattle, Phoenix, and Minnesota.

So if we truly want to compete in this Conference, we will need Mitch playing at an All-Star level every night. And that's where he's been...former ROY, 2x All-Star, and All-Star MVP...but it will require a Mitch that is playing at such a high level there will be no way his name won't be discussed in the MVP race.

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: Can you go into details about your gripes about the current health of the league?


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[Darth Vegito]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome News: Can you go into details about your gripes about the current health of the league?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll likely turn this into a media article this season. But I'll just say that I do look at things differently than most. Some GMs can roll their eyes, but I was an integral part of putting this league together(the original PBSL ofc). I know the back end, I know the engine, and a lot of the systems and procedures we still do were some of my creations. The fact that most have evolved and improved over time is exactly why we need to keep having open discussions for the health of the league. Things can always be improved, and I'll keep advocating for that.

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Any concerns about Avery Johnson's small stature allowing bigger guards to cook you in the playoffs?

[Darth Vegito]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Any concerns about Avery Johnson's small stature allowing bigger guards to cook you in the playoffs?

He's big where it counts...if you know what I mean And of course I mean that he plays big and thinks big. He'll be fine. But I would also tell you to not be shocked if Avery isn't the starting PG going into the playoffs.