Geoff Petrie loves this.
Surely not the reporters with darts aimed from across the room, or the emotional tug-of-war from fans that greets every new day of Ron Artest as a King. Petrie doesn't do frantic and, besides, he's the one who often has to slow down those who get caught in some swirl of the moment and may go by the name of Maloof.
But to be a good personnel boss, you have to love the challenge of putting a team together, and Petrie is a good personnel boss. You love deep playoff runs more, because reconstruction means change is demanded, but being the Kings' basketball president in a moment of transition for owners not mandating massive payroll cuts is the challenge of a career. And it certainly is better than being asked to hold a mediocre team together.
This is that very intersection moment for the modern-day Kings. Mike Bibby was three months away from turning 30 when he was traded. Brad Miller will be the next prominent player moved onto the trading block, but he's already 32, and a projected successor, Spencer Hawes, is in place. But Artest is 28 and just finished second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding, and he's the best post presence on offense and the best defender.
If getting away from the Artest madness is a no-brainer – one rival general manager called it "The Ron Show," considering the imagined contract extensions and the swearing of loyalty to the Kings and then saying he doesn't want to be here – Petrie is the one who has to make sure there's something good on the other side of the escape hatch. So he fits pieces, weighs salaries and factors in the added risk of youth.
This is so different than his previous reclamation project. Petrie built those Kings on a foundation of experience, signing Vlade Divac, Scot Pollard, Jon Barry and Bobby Jackson, trading for Chris Webber, Doug Christie and Bibby, and hiring Rick Adelman as coach. Draft picks Jason Williams, Peja Stojakovic and Hedo Turkoglu had important roles, but none was expected to be the best player while developing.
The unknown then was mostly how the veterans would fit in new surroundings. At least they were proven, though, good or bad. With the kids, it's hoping they will fit and also not knowing how good they will be, two proving moments unfolding at once at this crowded intersection to the future.
Kevin Martin is 25 and proven. But from there, Beno Udrih turned 26 earlier this month and has yet to have more than six or eight dependable months in any of four seasons, Hawes is 20, Francisco García is 26, and Jason Thompson turns 22 Monday. Among the more experienced, John Salmons is 28, Mikki Moore is 32, and Miller is 32.
That's Petrie's starting point for the future – Martin, García, Udrih, Salmons, Hawes, Thompson. Artest would have been in the group but, you know. He's been on the set of "The Ron Show" an awful lot lately, and the Kings already have seen all the episodes.
Call The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper, (916) 321-1210.
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