#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Good afternoon, everyone.

Welcome to the Sacramento Kings Media Day! We at the Kings organization are very happy to complete this offseason with this press conference. It's been an exhausting week for us in the front office ever since the champion Lakers were victorious and offseason officially began. The 2003 season for this team will forever be recognized internally as the biggest risk we've taken that paid off well in the end. Since the trade of Camby for Arenas deal back in the 2001 draft, this was a marking of an owner taking his team on another direction. It has taken a few seasons, but the 2003 Reset, we feel, was a huge success.

The offseason began with the 2004 Draft Lotto, in which we were rewarded with the 6th pick in the draft. We were very excited to have a Top 10 pick, and we were on the fringe of a Top 5 selection. After the first few selections of the draft, I contacted the Nuggets to ask about the #5 pick. They didn't seem as enthused with the talent as we were, and knowing the GM in charge, I felt the pick would be dealt to another team once it got to the Nuggets pick. I had no qualms with giving the Nuggets the Hornets pick to secure the guy I had as my #2 ranked prospect in talent/fit/need, SF Luol Deng. He's young, has potential in all the skills we value, and is a tall, lanky defender. We are excited to see his development continue to grow, as he had a great camp and will begin the season competing for big minutes.

We also had another pick in the draft, #27 from the Raptors, and we were able to take a gamble on Shaun Livingston. When we saw that the 6'7 PG was still on the board, we knew right away we were selecting him. While he doesn't have the skills as a PG with B handles and C passing, he is quick for his size and has the potential to be a three-position backup player. We were pleasantly happy with getting this guy at #27 when picks are usually being sold for 2 points in an average draft.

RFA was unexciting for us. We threw contracts at players that we felt were fair value and we maxed Stephen Jackson, but we didn't win any initial bids. We took the extra day with nothing to do to really take a closer look at UFA, and the front office was eager to get started. With only Tyson Chandler and Darius Songaila as front-court pieces, we focused entirely on getting bigs to help with defense and rebounding. I took another gamble and thew a 3-year-team-option max deal at Shareef Abdur Rahim, former PF from the San Antonio Spurs. The risk was great, because Shareef had taken a hit in the prior training camp for the Spurs. Despite getting hit in the prior training camp, Shareef was still a 20 ppg scorer with great athleticism. We won the bidding for Shareef and he had a modest +8 TC, which we were excited for because he didn't drop in anything. We also added Tom Gugliotta to the roster for a 1-year tryout. At 34 years old, Gugliotta isn't the great and Hall of Fame bound Gugliotta we all know, but we know he can still be a good role player to fill in as the PF or C when needed.

As for the other 3 core guys, well, they are doing just fine. Star player Tracy McGrady finally earned 1st Team honors last season, and at the age of 25, is currently one of the top players in the league. He will now be looked upon as the true veteran and captain of this team, and to lead the young developing players. Tyson Chandler once again had a great camp and continues to fill out as a defensive anchor. While he doesn't shoot much, he does make sure to take the smart shot, and that is beginning to show in his FG%. We think Chandler can have a breakout season and average a double-double, as long as Gugliotta and Shareef don't get in his way. And last, but certainly not least, Kirk Hinrich is ready to lead this team as the first true PG in God-knows-when. Ball movement and turnovers have always been a plague for the Sacramento Kings, and that's 100% on me as the general manager for opting athletic combo guards over pure point guards. The team will play as well as Hinrich plays, so it's important for him to start strong out of the gate this season.

I'll open the floor for questions now.

GWR: A lot of GMs believe the title is yours to lose. What do you have to say about those lofty expectations?

JNR wrote:GWR: A lot of GMs believe the title is yours to lose. What do you have to say about those lofty expectations?

Random Reporter: This offseason seemed to indicate a sudden shift in focus. Why did you abandon the soft-rebuilding project, and what led you to believe that now was the time to do so?

Dr. Rocker, The Cleveland Rocker: You call the reset a success. You had good results. You traded a healthy player for injured an one, a clear more to get worse, but you still had good talent on the team. Why didn't you liquidate that talent? What did you actually do in the reset other than no take on long term salary that was key to this offseason's success?

Some analysts see McGrady as the pre-season favorite for league MVP. Do you feel as though he is the best player in the league right now? What, if anything, do you feel he can improve upon from last season?

Nathan Sliver, sevenfortyseven.com: I'm a big fan of your rebuilding approach. Honestly your core of SAR, T-Mac, Hinrich, Deng, and Chandler scare the living daylights out of me. I also think that they're still too young to be a true contender. What time frame do you give your guys for winning it all?

Xist2Inspire wrote:Random Reporter: This offseason seemed to indicate a sudden shift in focus. Why did you abandon the soft-rebuilding project, and what led you to believe that now was the time to do so?

This was a reset, pure and simple. Over the course of several seasons of trading for and drafting young players, I found myself having a near full starting rotation. Signing SAR and Gugliotta in the first round wasn't a guarantee. I put a lot of faith in signing players who will help me win, and if I didn't win I would be weak up front with not a lot of hope for competing. I like to think of the signings as an extra lottery prize at the end of the offseason.

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42PhD wrote:Dr. Rocker, The Cleveland Rocker: You call the reset a success. You had good results. You traded a healthy player for injured an one, a clear more to get worse, but you still had good talent on the team. Why didn't you liquidate that talent? What did you actually do in the reset other than no take on long term salary that was key to this offseason's success?

Too many times, teams decide to trade every liquidable asset to make themselves as bad as possible, sometimes even their best player in their late 20s. We call it "rebuilding" and I did it once before in the 95-96 season.

I did not consider trading McGrary, Chandler, or Hinrich when I went through the reset. Instead, I moved players who I didn't want for pieces I wanted. I got picks for now and later, which are turning out to be good ones, and cap space flexibility to sign guys like SAR and Gugs.

Basically, I was just patient. This was in motion since I traded Camby, and im happy to be in my position.

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Do you view Hinrich more as a SG due to his lack of quickness or he will get the opportunity to run the point and let everyone else do the scoring while he handles the rock and spots up for open 3s?

Obviously free agency was a home run for you. What did you guys offer Gugs and Shareef to entice them to come?

"People" say you are the Champs before the season has started. You say no. Who will stop you?

The self-dismantled Lakers?
The "other" Los Angeles team?
The Houston Grandpas?
The Dallas Darths?
The Utah MJs?

WHO???

aburns211 wrote:Some analysts see McGrady as the pre-season favorite for league MVP. Do you feel as though he is the best player in the league right now? What, if anything, do you feel he can improve upon from last season?

As great as McGrady is, I don't think McGrady is the best player in the league. I believe he is close, and a case can be made for Top 5 and possibly 3. Tim Duncan should be the favorite to win the MVP again, as he is the top scorer in the league and one of the best rebounders as well.

We really need McGrady to not turn the ball over so much. He has a very high usage rate, so the total turnovers seem much, but his turnover % isn't that bad. We hope he can convert some of those turnovers into assists.

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Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, to piggyback off of your answer about T-Mac turning some of those turnovers into assists. How much will it help that his supporting cast will include guys like Gugliotta, Shareef, and a much improved Hinrich as opposed to guys like Oscar Torres and Songalia?

kucoach7 wrote:Nathan Sliver, sevenfortyseven.com: I'm a big fan of your rebuilding approach. Honestly your core of SAR, T-Mac, Hinrich, Deng, and Chandler scare the living daylights out of me. I also think that they're still too young to be a true contender. What time frame do you give your guys for winning it all?

Winning it all is a big goal, but it's why we play. I agree 100% with your opinion on being too young. It was the first thing I thought of when going into this offseason and a bigger reason why I went after SAR and Gugs.

I've had a plan to truly peak and be at my strongest in the 2005-2006 season, and it's still the case. The Lakers selling off Kidd, KVH and Reid were unexpected and has pushed our team into the front of some conversations. I dont agree with those yet.

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Random Dallas reporter: With TMac's versatility, it seems like he could handle starting point guard duties well. How long of a leash does Hinrich have as the leading floor general?

78# wrote:Do you view Hinrich more as a SG due to his lack of quickness or he will get the opportunity to run the point and let everyone else do the scoring while he handles the rock and spots up for open 3s?

Obviously free agency was a home run for you. What did you guys offer Gugs and Shareef to entice them to come?

While he is a little slow, we are hopeful Hinrich can effectively play the PG spot. We are trying a new philosophy with the PG position than in previous years in which we are valuing pure skill over pure athleticism. We haven't had a capable PG since Pooh Richardson to spread the wealth, over 10 seasons ago! With McGrady, SAR, and Gugs, we won't need to lean on Hinrich to score.

As for what we used to lure SAR and Gugs, it was a mix of money and championship aspirations that did them in.

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Brian Windhorst wrote:"People" say you are the Champs before the season has started. You say no. Who will stop you?

The self-dismantled Lakers?
The "other" Los Angeles team?
The Houston Grandpas?
The Dallas Darths?
The Utah MJs?

WHO???

All if those teams can win the title, and others weren't mentioned. You could even throw me in that list as "The undeveloped Kings"

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How do you plan to mask Shareef Abdul Rahim's defensive deficiency against the likes of Webber, Duncan, Nowitzki, Jamison, and other Western Conference power forwards?

WigNosy wrote:How do you plan to mask Shareef Abdul Rahim's defensive deficiency against the likes of Webber, Duncan, Nowitzki, Jamison, and other Western Conference power forwards?

Move him to SF.

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