Sacramento Kings Media Release - 2006-2007

[NOLa.]

Welcome to another edition of the Sacramento Kings' Preseason Media Release! Today, I will run through a quick summary of last season, as well as what happened in this offseason, as I always do.

Last season began with high expectations, as I was the defending Pacific champion, which most know I place a premium on being. It's not that we are content with winning only the division, but we are determined to be at the best of our abilities at all times and believe in a very structured set of goals to lead us to a championship:

* Win the division
* Win Round 1
* Win Round 2
* Win Conference Finals
* Win PBSL Finals

Granted the first step isn't necessary and the steps are obvious for any team to win, but I am a very visual and goal-oriented GM. With the goal constantly in mind, I believe I will put my team in the best position to win.

Last season we made no trades or any big moves for acquisitions. For too long I made moves towarss building for the future while trying to win now. This isn't always the best route if what you have can win it all, and so we stuck with what we had. It wasn't sexy and NO ONE NOMINATED ME FOR GMOY, but I was comfortable with where I was.

In the end, I finally achieved what I always wanted. I faced a divisional rival and last-season Cinderella story Suns in the first, the always aggravating Nuggets led by long time rival KG and rising superstar Wade, swept the leg of the unstoppable force Jazz after they went 8-0 in the first two rounds, and finally beat a long-time friend IAmQuailman and his Bucks in the Finals. I tip my hat to all the above teams, as I know they all wanted to win the championship, just not as much as me.

The offseason was quiet for us again, with our only big signing was a re-signing of Tracy McGrady. We were able to bring in a load of bigs to fight for playing time but I don't know all their names.

Training camp was uneventful.

The core is intact and we hope to again challenge for the championship when the playoffs roll around, if we are able to get in.

Sent via Morse code

[TrayWithAnA]

How do you grade out your Pacific opponents this year? Being attached to the Laker franchise, I'm curious to know where you see yourself finishing this year and how things shake out in the division.


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[NOLa.]

How do you grade out your Pacific opponents this year? Being attached to the Laker franchise, I'm curious to know where you see yourself finishing this year and how things shake out in the division.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. Kangs
Last. Lakers
Last. Suns
Last. Blazers
Last. Clippers
Last. Sonics
Last. Warriors

#2-#7 all interchangeable.

Sent via Morse code

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: With Shareef Abdur-Rahim nearing the end of his contract and no immediate successor in sight, what does his future hold as a King?

[NOLa.]

Random Reporter: With Shareef Abdur-Rahim nearing the end of his contract and no immediate successor in sight, what does his future hold as a King?

This will be Shareef and Marion's final season as Kings. Shareef has been nothing short of amazing in his time as a King, but one of the toughest judgements to make as a GM is knowing when it's time to move on from a player. Hopefully we can make Shareef's swan song something to remember.

Sent via Morse code

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: Wow, that's a bombshell. Sorry to ask another question, but in light of that news, how are you planning to address the upcoming hole at PF? Are you confident that Tyson can hold down the post alone?

[NOLa.]

Random Reporter: Wow, that's a bombshell. Sorry to ask another question, but in light of that news, how are you planning to address the upcoming hole at PF? Are you confident that Tyson can hold down the post alone?

We will explore options either through trade before the trade deadline, or the more likely option of waiting until the offseason and look for our next guy up. We've been fortunate having our last few PF signings of Popeye Jones, Vin Baker and Shareef. It will be interesting to see who can join that list.

We do also believe Chandler can grow into a fominant force at the 5. What we will eventually lose in Shareef is rebounding and scoring. Others on the team will hopefully grow further and pickup the slack.

Sent via Morse code

[42PhD]

Dr. Rocker, The Cleveland Rocker: Congrats on winning your title. It conceivable that the less charitable members of our vast audience would call you a pissy little bitch for mentioning the GMOY that went to San Antonio (whose GM is in very good shape, so I'd watch my narrow, yellow ass were I you) last season. If GMOY just went to the GM of the title team, then what's the point of the award?

What criteria do you think GMOY should be based on? Have you used it yourself in years past? Will you use it this season?

Also, getting Kings-specific with your vast GM-ing knowledge, can you share a specific thing you did and why last season that helped you win a title? I'd like to have a cogent response to those uncharitable audience members who say you just get lucky with who develops.

[NickMalone77]

Nick Melon; The Advocate; Does winning a championship change the way you look at your team in a philosophical way or does it make you hungry and more determined to get back to reclaim your throne?

[NOLa.]

Dr. Rocker, The Cleveland Rocker: Congrats on winning your title. It conceivable that the less charitable members of our vast audience would call you a pissy little bitch for mentioning the GMOY that went to San Antonio (whose GM is in very good shape, so I'd watch my narrow, yellow ass were I you) last season. If GMOY just went to the GM of the title team, then what's the point of the award?

What criteria do you think GMOY should be based on? Have you used it yourself in years past? Will you use it this season?

Also, getting Kings-specific with your vast GM-ing knowledge, can you share a specific thing you did and why last season that helped you win a title? I'd like to have a cogent response to those uncharitable audience members who say you just get lucky with who develops.

I like this first part of the question a lot because it really brings me back to the mid 90s of sim league when there was a debate on whether a champion-caliber team should really be considered GMOY if they made no moves or if the GMOY was merely a "Most Improved Team" award. A lot of debate went into that discussion, but here is my stance on GMOY:

The GM that puts his team in the best opportunity possible to win weighs the most worth. After that, you look at if the team built sustainability going forward if needed. Success in regular season comes next for me, followed by miscellaneous factors like adapting to injuries and such.

The GMOY should not be given to the champion and it can't, because it's a regular season award decided before the first round even starts.

Given these factors, Eazy definitely deserved the award and I think the second part is why coltsguy did not win.

In regards to if I have used these standards myself, I have advocated for others who used the "if it aint broke dont fix it" approach. I didn't nominate myself this season because I won the season before, and know that the league doesn't vote for repeats.

Phew. Now that that's out of the way, a key factor in my run last season was me not making any trades to shakeup my team. I had many talks before deadline and was close on a few, but ultimately liked where I was and did not want to give up more than I needed. Also, what I had last year was going to carry over into this year with my main core all being under 30 years old, meaning less potential of being <expletive deleted> by TC. I only play the odds to the best of my ability and hope for a lot of luck. No shame in admitting that, because you can find the best gameplan and gather the best players and do everything right. The game can take away with injuries and TC, and I was fortunate to get by without Hinrich in round 1.

Sent via Morse code

[NOLa.]

Nick Melon; The Advocate; Does winning a championship change the way you look at your team in a philosophical way or does it make you hungry and more determined to get back to reclaim your throne?

More determined than ever. When I won I was more relieved than excited, because I built the pressure around me to win. It's what alphas do. Once the weight was off my shoulders, I began immediately looking towards a repeat like the past greats have done (Hawks twice, Celtics and Mavs). No team in the Pacific has done this. Not balls, and not OP Kemp, which I was amazed by. I'm a very prideful person, so I put a lot of weight into being a repeat to show this wasn't a one trick pony show. Plus, it's great knowing I've assembled some of the most talented teams ever without having to trape my way to the top. A trail of blood trickling from my penis is not what I want to be remembered by.

Sent via Morse code

[42PhD]

Dr. Rocker, The Cleveland Rocker: Congrats on winning your title. It conceivable that the less charitable members of our vast audience would call you a pissy little bitch for mentioning the GMOY that went to San Antonio (whose GM is in very good shape, so I'd watch my narrow, yellow ass were I you) last season. If GMOY just went to the GM of the title team, then what's the point of the award?

What criteria do you think GMOY should be based on? Have you used it yourself in years past? Will you use it this season?

Also, getting Kings-specific with your vast GM-ing knowledge, can you share a specific thing you did and why last season that helped you win a title? I'd like to have a cogent response to those uncharitable audience members who say you just get lucky with who develops.

I like this first part of the question a lot because it really brings me back to the mid 90s of sim league when there was a debate on whether a champion-caliber team should really be considered GMOY if they made no moves or if the GMOY was merely a "Most Improved Team" award. A lot of debate went into that discussion, but here is my stance on GMOY:

The GM that puts his team in the best opportunity possible to win weighs the most worth. After that, you look at if the team built sustainability going forward if needed. Success in regular season comes next for me, followed by miscellaneous factors like adapting to injuries and such.

The GMOY should not be given to the champion and it can't, because it's a regular season award decided before the first round even starts.

Given these factors, Eazy definitely deserved the award and I think the second part is why coltsguy did not win.

In regards to if I have used these standards myself, I have advocated for others who used the "if it aint broke dont fix it" approach. I didn't nominate myself this season because I won the season before, and know that the league doesn't vote for repeats.

Phew. Now that that's out of the way, a key factor in my run last season was me not making any trades to shakeup my team. I had many talks before deadline and was close on a few, but ultimately liked where I was and did not want to give up more than I needed. Also, what I had last year was going to carry over into this year with my main core all being under 30 years old, meaning less potential of being <expletive deleted> by TC. I only play the odds to the best of my ability and hope for a lot of luck. No shame in admitting that, because you can find the best gameplan and gather the best players and do everything right. The game can take away with injuries and TC, and I was fortunate to get by without Hinrich in round 1.

Sent via Morse code

I agree with you on the regular season. Many championship GM's mention this (including yourself), so I decided to give you the chance to make a clear statement. You did, and you should be commended.

Following up: Are you suggesting, implying, or even close to directly stating that too much roster tinkering affects, among other things, understanding how your team is affected by varied depth charts? Do too many teams try to assemble hot talent or names and then proverbially "roll the ball out" while ignoring their need to sharpen their ability to apply that talent?

Are you in fact saying there some teams take themselves out of contention by failing to have faith in their own ability to assemble and evaluate a roster leading to tinkering, then failing to being able to set a DC because of the tinkering?

[NOLa.]

Dr. Rocker, The Cleveland Rocker: Congrats on winning your title. It conceivable that the less charitable members of our vast audience would call you a pissy little bitch for mentioning the GMOY that went to San Antonio (whose GM is in very good shape, so I'd watch my narrow, yellow ass were I you) last season. If GMOY just went to the GM of the title team, then what's the point of the award?

What criteria do you think GMOY should be based on? Have you used it yourself in years past? Will you use it this season?

Also, getting Kings-specific with your vast GM-ing knowledge, can you share a specific thing you did and why last season that helped you win a title? I'd like to have a cogent response to those uncharitable audience members who say you just get lucky with who develops.

I like this first part of the question a lot because it really brings me back to the mid 90s of sim league when there was a debate on whether a champion-caliber team should really be considered GMOY if they made no moves or if the GMOY was merely a "Most Improved Team" award. A lot of debate went into that discussion, but here is my stance on GMOY:

The GM that puts his team in the best opportunity possible to win weighs the most worth. After that, you look at if the team built sustainability going forward if needed. Success in regular season comes next for me, followed by miscellaneous factors like adapting to injuries and such.

The GMOY should not be given to the champion and it can't, because it's a regular season award decided before the first round even starts.

Given these factors, Eazy definitely deserved the award and I think the second part is why coltsguy did not win.

In regards to if I have used these standards myself, I have advocated for others who used the "if it aint broke dont fix it" approach. I didn't nominate myself this season because I won the season before, and know that the league doesn't vote for repeats.

Phew. Now that that's out of the way, a key factor in my run last season was me not making any trades to shakeup my team. I had many talks before deadline and was close on a few, but ultimately liked where I was and did not want to give up more than I needed. Also, what I had last year was going to carry over into this year with my main core all being under 30 years old, meaning less potential of being <expletive deleted> by TC. I only play the odds to the best of my ability and hope for a lot of luck. No shame in admitting that, because you can find the best gameplan and gather the best players and do everything right. The game can take away with injuries and TC, and I was fortunate to get by without Hinrich in round 1.

Sent via Morse code

I agree with you on the regular season. Many championship GM's mention this (including yourself), so I decided to give you the chance to make a clear statement. You did, and you should be commended.

Following up: Are you suggesting, implying, or even close to directly stating that too much roster tinkering affects, among other things, understanding how your team is affected by varied depth charts? Do too many teams try to assemble hot talent or names and then proverbially "roll the ball out" while ignoring their need to sharpen their ability to apply that talent?

Are you in fact saying there some teams take themselves out of contention by failing to have faith in their own ability to assemble and evaluate a roster leading to tinkering, then failing to being able to set a DC because of the tinkering?

Absolutely

Just absolutely.

This isn't a particular shot at any one team, because I have been guilty of this not once, but multiple times.

Cohesion is real in this game ane none of us know what it does or the true impact it has, but the game grades it. When you make trades, signings or releases, you effect that grade. Allowing my team to basically "sit still" other than two releases made to cut tax bill, and a mid-season signing because of injury, I put faith I would be rewarded with a cohesion advantage. Don't know if I had it, but I at least did everything to get one.

The biggest factor to me, which you brought up, was the DC gameplan. It took half the season but I really tinkered a lot until the All Star Game sim. I found what worked for me, not what worked against other teams. When I found it, my team began rolling and was winning on the road, which indicated to me that we were ready.

Most teams can win a lot at home. Even the shittiest teams win more at home than on the road, but to win on the road is special. In the playoffs, I felt more comfortable when it was the other team's turn at home than they did playing there. The gameplan was to always steal a road game. If you cant prevent the best team in the league of doing that, you lost.

Again, not calling any one team out on that because it has happened to me in the past (Lakers, Mavs and Spurs). I learned a lot because I failed a lot, but losers give up after failing. Persistence pays off big time.

Sent via Morse code

[TrayWithAnA]

How do you grade out your Pacific opponents this year? Being attached to the Laker franchise, I'm curious to know where you see yourself finishing this year and how things shake out in the division.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. Kangs
Last. Lakers
Last. Suns
Last. Blazers
Last. Clippers
Last. Sonics
Last. Warriors

#2-#7 all interchangeable.

Sent via Morse code

Your analysis is unprecedented


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NOLa.]

How do you grade out your Pacific opponents this year? Being attached to the Laker franchise, I'm curious to know where you see yourself finishing this year and how things shake out in the division.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

1. Kangs
Last. Lakers
Last. Suns
Last. Blazers
Last. Clippers
Last. Sonics
Last. Warriors

#2-#7 all interchangeable.

Sent via Morse code

Your analysis is unprecedented


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent via Morse code

[WigNosy]

Congratulations on a title win after your almost-reset. When do you plan on completing the team reset by trading Tracy McGrady?

[NOLa.]

Congratulations on a title win after your almost-reset. When do you plan on completing the team reset by trading Tracy McGrady?

Thank you, Wig.

If I had traded McGrady, it would have been a clear rebuild/tank job. Having kept McGrady, we were able to pull off a tremendous reset.

As far as the possibility of trading McGrady, his time has not come for him to be traded just yet. It's amazing that McGrady is only in his prime when multiple GMs in the league have said it feels like McGrady has been here forever. This season, McGrady will be a King. Beyond that, I have not finalized my long-term plans yet. So no comment on that part.

Sent via Morse code

[IamQuailman]

Congrats on your Championship team. Who in the West do you see as the team to really push or challenge you for your top spot? Also, is Tyson Chandler choking on his food, because his face is turning purple.

[78#]

What was the feeling at the exact moment of winning the title?

Will you pass out your training camp formula just as the Rockets use your DC formula?

Will Antonio Daniels and Shandon Anderson get honorary rings for their contributions to the franchise?

[NOLa.]

Congrats on your Championship team. Who in the West do you see as the team to really push or challenge you for your top spot? Also, is Tyson Chandler choking on his food, because his face is turning purple.

I'm not very certain anymore who in the West will challenge, because every season it's someone different. There's some good teams in the Midwest, but I couldn't put a ranking on them until we are a few sims deep into the season.

Tyson Chandler is that color because he's shy from all the unnecessary attention he has gotten recently.

Sent via Morse code

[NOLa.]

What was the feeling at the exact moment of winning the title?

Will you pass out your training camp formula just as the Rockets use your DC formula?

Will Antonio Daniels and Shandon Anderson get honorary rings for their contributions to the franchise?

Relief. As soon as I saw the score to the last game, two and a half years of building teams finally won the big one. It was a gut-punch when the regular season ended and I had the most regular season wons in the history of the league with no ring to show for it. But now I'm thinking "It's only 1 ring.... a cat has 4." Relief quickly faded.

I don't think many people would want my training camps. It's easy to want my blessings but no one wants the problems that accompanies them. My grandpa told me "We all have problems. If everyone in the world could put their problems in a bucket, would you want to pull from it?"

I don't know any of the two players you are talking about towards the end.

Sent via Morse code