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Remember when? Who is that clean-cut kid? Back then Jason was the prince and Mike was the pauper.
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CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT

John114AAA

It all comes down to April again....wow...it is nice to be able to say that. Last year, the Kings had the lead and then the lakers went on that 8 - 0 streak and the Kings floundered down the stretch with losses to a couple of weak teams.

Last year the Kings had a 49 - 22 record at the end of March after finishing a 11 - 4 March (7-1 at home and 4-3 on road). This year, the Kings are a better 53 - 19 at the end of March after a 12 - 4 March record (4-2 at home and 8-2 on the road). This is a significant improvement for the Kings, especially considering the schedule.

April 2001 included 5 home games and 6 road games. The Kings lost the first 2 at home against Dalls and Milwaukee and then went on a 5 game win streak, at Utah, at Vancouver, Portland at home, Clippers at home, and at San Antonio. They then lost 3 out of the last 4, at Dallas, at Phoenix and at Denver, with the only win at home against Vancouver.

April 2002 includes 4 home games and 6 road games. My belief is that the Kings have become a better road team than last year and will be in much better shape down the stretch with a predictable Bibby at the point, a healthy Webber (knock on wood) and a rested (and I hope healthy) Peja.

If the Kings go 9-1, then they will own home court no matter what the lakers do. If the lakers go 8-1, then the Kings only need to go 8-2. If the lakers go 7-2, then the Kings must go 7-3. If the lakers go 6-3, then the Kings only need to go 6-4. These numbers all assume that the lakers beat the Kings in the last game. If the Kings win that last game against the lakers, then the numbers above chnage by 1 in favor of Kings.

We will see tonight against memphis whether or not the Kings have learned about playoff stretch focus. Everyone knows that they should easily beat Memphis. If they do not, then I will be very worried about the rest of the season.

GO KINGS.....this is so much fun.....

REST OR RUST? WHAT ABOUT PEJA?

Reno Lady

Jason certainly sounds like he's matured more this season and that he's looking at the game more as a job, not a hobby. It also sounds as if he's tried to work on his relationships with teammates and coach to make the team better. Good for Jason. I hope everything works out great for him.

Rest or rust? That's always a tough one, both for players and coaches. Someone said play Peja for 10-15 minutes tonight and if he seems ok, start him against the Pistons. If I were Adelman (and thank goodness I'm not, both for the team & the fans), I'd insert Peja about 5 minutes before the end of the 1st quarter, then rest him again until 5 minutes before the end of the half and see how he does. If there's no problem, I might go about 8 minutes in the 3rd but then rest him again until 5 or 6 minutes before the end of the 4th. That way he's not playing any real long stretches but is getting enough time to work some of the rust off and also get a gauge on how good that hamstring really is.

If everything's good tonight, then start him tomorrow, but only let him play 6-8 minutes per quarter if he says he's ok.

I agree with Kingsgurl. Why can't the league see that if so many players and so many coaches keep saying things about the officiating, there's probably something wrong with the officiating?

The league needs to be reminded of an old saying: "If a man calls thee a jackass, pay him no heed. If 2 men call thee a jackass, get thee a saddle"!

SactoGreg

I wouldn't play Peja at all in tonight's matchup. The risk of further injuring his hammie could put the post-season in jeopardy for the Kings. Let's face it, without Peja, this team won't go as deep in the playoffs as they would with him.

Now, if the Kings lose for a second time in Memphis tonight, then my way of thinking changes a bit. So, with all this being said, here are my two keys to the Kings going deeper into the playoffs, in order of priority (with respect to this particlular situation):

1) Finish the season with not only the division lead, but the best record in the NBA to secure HCA. This is a MUST

2) Allow Peja to heal 100%. Again, without him, the Kings chances are greatly reduced.

In other words, Peja's return to the lineup should only be expedited if HCA is in jeopardy, otherwise, rest him as much as possible throughout the remainder of the season.

Kingsgurl

I'm with you on waiting till Peja is 100%, but then again, I'm pretty sure the whole team is. I think they have been properly cautious with him since the aborted comeback attempt. If he IS feeling 100%, has responded well in his workouts, I say start working him in gradually (most likely, he will start, as Adelman is old school in that regard, you don't lose your starting job due to injury, but I wouldn't leave him on the floor very long tonight, several brief stretches to see how he responds) With only 10 games left in the season, it would be nice to get him back in the groove as soon as possible, but again, I would err on the side of caution, if he ISN'T 100%, keep him out.

I don't think they are going by just Peja's word. They did the same thing with Chris when he said HE thought he was ready. 'Thats great, Chris, maybe next game ' The timing of this game is good tho, if he is ready. Besides, he should be OK, now that his Bobble Head week is over, it's Bibby who has to watch out.

DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY

Q

You know, for whatever reason, I am no longer concerned about whether or not the Sacramento Kings play this way or that or whether they win the NBA championship this season or not. This just sort of happened overnight. The future I create for myself and my family and what I create in it have become increasingly clear, and regardless of my present body ails my spiritual

space feels nearly infinite. Inertia feels less and less is required to achieve even better results. So, so many things that seemed important or worrisome seem so much less so to the point of - eh, next. A small but enjoyable part of this extends to my entertainment diversions and, regarding the Kings, is that instead of being so fixated on what this or that player is doing to effect the positive or negative play of the team on a game by game basis, I am feeling rather confident about the Kings chances, especially when Peja Stojakovic comes back healed and gets back into a optimum rhythm, and look forward to whatever games I end up actually viewing or tracking in some way unfettered by ghosts of Kings collapses past or whatever. At the moment, only as a Kings fan, I am looking forward to today's and tomorrow's games, and am not concerned about the Kings blowing games or giving up ground to the Lakers or Mavericks. It all feels exciting, but in a unpressured sort of way. Not only am I interested in the games and the resultant box scores and how the Kings do, but I am interested in how players on the other teams do as well. I feel good about all the Kings. I will also enjoy seeing some of the opposing teams' players play, such as Jason Williams and Pau Gasol, Jon Barry, Corliss Williamson and Ben Wallace. And of course, to expand the enjoyment, I will be checking to see how well the Wizards do against the Lakers. It all makes a small portion of today, and tomorrow, an interesting, enjoyable component of what is becoming a challenging yet somehow still promising life experience. I seem to feel good not only about the Kings chances to secure homecourt advantage but also to go on and become NBA champions. This year or next year, or maybe (should all go well) both, just seem like a wonderful opportunity for this great Kings team and their diehard, diverse but vocal fans. This smile is so big my face cannot contain it. Challenges and distractions await, but so do gratifying achievements and boundless joy.

ONE MORE ON PEJA

Milos

My way would be: rest Peja as long as there are any signs of injury, as long as he is not 100% ready. Then rest him for another week. This is the regular season. Yes, it would be great to have the best record in the end of it, but consider this:

A) Does the best record guarantee anything?
B) Does Peja guarantee the best record?

The Kings could play Peja starting today, and still lose the best record, or they could let him sit and still keep the best record. There are no guarantees, so I would prefer lowering the chance of injury to increasing the chance of the best record. And while it is obvious that the home court advantage is important to Kings, I think its importance is overestimated. When the playoffs come Kings will perform better on the road than some people think. If they are ready to take the title, they will take it anywhere. If they are not ready, home court will not help. That's MHO.