January 25, 2006 ...I know because I track these things… Tim Duncan is running at a recent low efficiency level for him. His .697 EFR is still good enough to be in the top three among power forwards in the NBA’s Western Conference. Duncan hovered at 80% from the free throw line during the pre-season, and well into the first month of the present campaign. Where is he now? Back to 65%. For his career—Duncan is 68% - representing the one real flaw in his game.

 

January 24, 2006 ...What a crazy day for the Sacramento Kings. The word was out that a deal between the Kings and Pacers was imminent. At the NBA league office was a deal for Peja Stojakovic to be traded to Indiana for Ron Artest. It was reported as a “done deal” on KNBR radio. But as of right now at 8:27 PM PST, the deal is off. ESPN is saying that Ron Artest’s agent told the Kings brass that Artest did not want to come to Sacramento. I don’t know the real story—but the whole deal sounds fishy to me. It seems very unlike the cool, and calculated Geoff Petrie to have a messy deal like this. Whatever the case is (Did the Maloof’s go over Petrie's head?), the deal should absolutely not be done in my opinion. I am, and recently have been, in favor of trading Stojakovic but not for Ron Artest. John Wooden says you have to have trust on a team for it to succeed. Can you trust Artest? ...I will throw out a few other folks I would like to see the Kings pursue—maybe they have? Al Jefferson—Boston. He is young and can defensive rebound all day. He is efficient and strong. A monster in the making in his second year. How about Steve Francis? Less crazy than Artest. Unhappy in Orlando. A real scorer and athlete that might thrive in Sac. ...Shane Battier. A defender supreme and a guy you can trust all night. I bet he stays in on Saturday night road trips to Miami. ...Josh Howard—Dallas. He defends and runs all day. ...Corey Maggette - LA Clippers. I am a huge fan of Maggette. If he is rumored available in a Artest deal himself—why wouldn’t the Kings want Maggette? He gets to the line. He can shoot. He is as athletic as anyone in the show. ...Stephon Marbury. Why not. He and Bibby would be hard to guard. ...Mo Williams & Dan Gadzuric. Yes I would. I would trade Peja to the Bucks—I would trade Peja after lunch. I would trade Peja to the Lake for Chris Mihm and Brian Cook for goodness sake. ...I would trade Peja for Gerald Wallace. Would the Suns trade Boris Diaw? The selling point is that Stojakovic is the “best shooter in the game”. Aim high. Higher than Ron Artest.  How about young Tyson Chandler in Chicago? Their team stinks.

 

...January 17, 2006 ...I saw the Kings crush Phoenix tonight at ARCO. Kevin Martin was great! Kurt Thomas has not been getting enough credit for a solid job with the Suns so far this season. ...How do you figure the sudden non-growth of Tyson Chandler in Chicago? I am sure this kid is way too good to be as non-productive as he has been. He is shooting 38% from the line.

...January 3, 2006 ...The Kings lost to Philadelphia tonight at ARCO, dropping to 12-18 on the season. Yikes!  Sacramento continues to make life tough for themselves. Their lack of a defensive presence in the middle is sometimes laughable at an NBA level. It is all you can eat for opponents at ARCO. As we have previously stated—Brad Miller does not react nor block shots enough to be called a Center at this level. He can pass, score, and hit from the line—but he is not a defender. Agreed? Per 48 minutes only Brian Skinner ranks as a Sac team member in the top 80 in blocked shots among NBA players this season. Yet Skinner rarely plays. Miller ranks 201st in the NBA in blocked shots per 48 minutes. Look no further than that to explain why the Kings can’t stop anyone. For the record—Shareef Abdur-Rahim’s, Kenny Thomas’, Bonzi Wells’, and rookie Francisco Garcia’s blocks per minute are higher than Miller’s. Jamal Sampson is an afterthought as the other Center on the Kings roster. So why is Miller your Center? I maintain the Kings HAVE to play Skinner all the minutes he can handle. The coaches would say—”And sit Miller???”  No. Play Miller at the FOUR alongside Skinner. That leaves you Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, and for now Kevin Martin until Bonzi  comes back from his injury.  Thomas doesn’t like to come off the bench but his choices should be that or a trade to somewhere. When Abdur-Rahim returns—you have another conversation about what to do.  ...The Chris Webber trade is still topic number one in Sacramento—and I still think that for the long term—the Kings will come out ahead. Webber has always been a favorite of mine but I thought the right move for the Kings was to trade him. I respect Chris who has stepped up to be an 82% free throw shooter (which I never thought he would be), and so-far he has not missed a game this season. The truth is—his efficiency rating is lower this year than any previous year. The Sixers are a game over .500 and no one is thinking about Philly having a shot at beating Detroit, or Miami in June. However, in the short term, Webber is still a very good basketball player. He is top-seven or eight at his spot in the East. Allen Iverson’s efficiency has never been higher—in part—because he is the recipient of many smart Webber passes. Likewise, Bibby and Stojakovic are not as efficient as years past in the absence of C-Webb. Another under-appreciated part of Webber’s game is the “love factor”. Chris is not a ‘hater’. When you see a sullen group like the Kings have now—it is easy to appreciate guys like Webber and Doug Christie more. When Miller was hot during tonight’s game—he was getting his bench love from security man Joe Nolan. His teammates seemed less than thrilled. I cannot fault all. I think Corliss Williamson is a classy pro, and rookie Ronnie Price is often up encouraging his teammates. …Just for the record—since this is the stuff on the talk shows - I WOULD trade Peja Stojakovic for a decent deal. ...I WOULD have changed the coach two years ago. ...I was happy to see Garcia turn down some open looks from deep to attack the basket. His whole game’s effectiveness is rooted in his quickness off the bounce. ... NBA All-Stars—EAST / WEST Top Five at Each Position.