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Enjoy the wins

Sure, the lottery matters, but we should still enjoy the wins along the way.
By | 82 Comments | Apr 20, 2021

© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

When the Sacramento Kings beat the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, I knew it impacted the Kings lottery odds. I’m not unrealistic enough to think that the Kings will lose every game for the rest of the year, so while I understand wanting better lottery odds I was still surprised to see some Kings fans upset about the win. But even if I cared about the lottery odds, there was a different reason I was happy the Kings beat the Mavericks.

My oldest son is 11 years old. He’s pretty athletic, so he and I have enjoyed plenty of sports-related memories, but he’s never had much interest in watching basketball. I’ve never tried to force it on him, and most Kings games begin around the time he’s heading to bed anyway, so it just never clicked for him.

But he’s recently taken in interest in what I do here with the site, and an interest in the team I spend so much of my time paying attention to. I remember when he was first born, I wrote on our old site that I wasn’t sure if I’d want him to be a Kings fan. It’s a fandom that’s been filled with misery since before he was born, we don’t live in the Sacramento area, and it would be easier (and likely more fun for him) if he rooted for another team. But at the end of the day I’m not going to encourage or discourage him to like or not like any particular team (with the exception of the Lakers, of course).

But my son had taken an interest, and on Sunday the game was on early enough that he would be able to watch it with me. He asked questions about the players, got overly excited with each made and missed basket, and was thrilled to see them actually win the game. It wasn’t what he expected to happen after I’d spent the whole game explaining how the Kings had blown a lot of big leads this season. But he was thrilled.

It reminded me of something that we often say but still seem to forget: this is a game and it’s supposed to be fun.

Maybe that one win ends up costing the Kings in the lottery. Who knows. At the end of that game I wasn’t thinking about lottery ramifications, I was thinking about how happy my son was and I was remembering feeling that same joy when I was watching basketball at his age. The Kings were bad when I was 11, and it didn’t stop me from thinking it was amazing when I’d see them win. I wasn’t a diehard basketball fan at the age, and I don’t suspect that one win turned my son into a diehard either, but those memories last a lifetime.

The lottery matters, but there’s nothing wrong with a winning performance from your 23-year-old star. Enjoy the little wins along the way, whether those be the wins on the court or the wins in getting to share a game with someone important to you. In the end it’s supposed to be fun.

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Marty
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April 20, 2021 10:21 am

So you want me to act like an eleven year old?

Mrs. Marty thinks this will be no problem.

andy_sims
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April 20, 2021 10:30 am
Reply to  Marty

The Princess sims would appreciate the additional maturity of an eleven year-old.

Marty
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April 20, 2021 11:05 am
Reply to  andy_sims

I don’t know what that means

RORDOG
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April 20, 2021 11:10 am
Reply to  Marty

I believe the key word to unlocking this riddle is the word “additional.”

Marty
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April 20, 2021 11:11 am
Reply to  RORDOG

I don’t know what that means

Amonk81
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April 20, 2021 11:09 am
Reply to  Marty

The only way out of this Kangz on going hell w Vivek ruining all is abject failure.

Wins? The victory is losing so much Vivek might be forced to back off. Losing so much they have no excuse to keep Walton and go down this path.

Fuck winning. That’s the worst thing for this franchise at the moment.

Hobby916
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April 20, 2021 1:24 pm
Reply to  Amonk81

It won’t matter, Vivek will blame something or someone else for the team not succeeding. He has not taken responsibility or owned any of the decisions he has made since taking over. Nothing from the past gives me confidence he will all of a sudden change.

The organization will continue to suck while he is meddling and making decisions.

aplumley
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April 20, 2021 10:23 am

Totally agree. And maybe moving back a spot in the lottery means they get the right ping pong ball. All you need is one.
That being said, I enjoy the wins a lot more with guys that are likely to be part of the long term plan carrying the load rather than short term rentals or guys whose career is likely tailing off soon. When Fox and Hali are the key cogs, it’s a lot more fun than if Terrance Davis and Mo Harkless are having career nights.

NickS
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April 20, 2021 10:40 am
Reply to  aplumley

I wouldn’t mind TD sticking around.

BestHyperboleEver
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April 20, 2021 10:49 am
Reply to  NickS

I wouldn’t mind it. I also wouldn’t work all that hard to make it happen.

RikSmits
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April 20, 2021 10:23 am

DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO ENJOY!
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Kosta
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April 20, 2021 11:17 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Ugh…
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PhutureKings
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April 20, 2021 11:28 am
Reply to  Kosta

Typical Vivek…always slingin’ them chakra hand signs.

MillersCornrows
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April 20, 2021 11:35 am
Reply to  PhutureKings

Chakra? 😂

TerzoM
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April 20, 2021 12:03 pm

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PhutureKings
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April 22, 2021 12:40 pm

Whoops. Mixed up sign language slang with my gf’s crystal collection.

andy_sims
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April 20, 2021 10:25 am

What is this “fun” of which you speak?

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Last edited 2 years ago by andy_sims
BestHyperboleEver
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April 20, 2021 10:34 am

I enjoy the game. Whether they win or lose at this point doesn’t mean much to me.

Kingsguru21
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April 20, 2021 10:48 am

This.

ForKingsandCountry
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April 20, 2021 2:00 pm

Bingo.

Malrock
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April 20, 2021 10:40 am

I feel like we are slowly getting the rules for how to fan properly.

  1. No booing
  2. Enjoy the wins
  3. Still TBD
AmateurNerd
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April 20, 2021 10:48 am

Sorry, I just can’t be happy for anything that further deludes Vivek.

Gregoryl
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April 20, 2021 10:50 am

With Marcos Breton’s column today, recent Carmichael Dave comments, etc.: I sense a more wide-ranging “Vivek needs to go go” movement happening….
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rc50cal
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April 20, 2021 10:59 am
Reply to  Gregoryl

A change in ownership greatly increases the risk of team relocation though. That’s the one downside to Vivek selling. New owners would undoubtedly promise to keep team in Sac but then of course fuck off to Vegas or Seattle or someplace else with our Kangz. €œWe really wanted to make it work in Sac but we just couldn’t compete without an even newer, more expensive arena with PSLs that just happens to be in our hometown. Thanks bye!€ €”Asshole billionaires

Henry
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April 20, 2021 11:04 am
Reply to  rc50cal

No, I don’t believe they could just fuck off. I recall a 35-year lease agreement since the development of the new arena was a partnership with the city. Doesn’t mean that leases can’t be broken, but that would presumably come at a very high cost to any new owners.

rc50cal
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April 20, 2021 12:36 pm
Reply to  Henry

Leases can be broken. It happens a lot. If owners think they can come out ahead after fees and fines they’ll do it.

I’m not saying relocation is likely or everyone should worry about it. It’s just the one nagging worry that keeps me from embracing the fire Vivek talk.

This franchise is €œworth€ more than $1B (maybe 1.5) right now. Not many people in the world can afford that.

RobHessing
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April 20, 2021 12:41 pm
Reply to  rc50cal

Leases with a year or two left on them can be negotiated. Leases with decades left on them are a lot trickier.

That said, I couldn’t give two squirts about this team leaving town at this point. They bring no level of civic pride, and their influence to downtown businesses is very limited at best.

RikSmits
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April 20, 2021 1:33 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

and their influence to downtown businesses is very limited at best.

Tell that to Matina and her husband!

SMF-PDXConnection
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April 20, 2021 11:06 am
Reply to  rc50cal

Could depend on what happens with the TWolves. In their own way, they’re a miserable franchise that some might see as ripe for relocation.

Gregoryl
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April 20, 2021 11:33 am
Reply to  rc50cal

It would be interesting to see if there is an agreement within the current ownership group for someone else to take over. I don’t believe that Vivek has majority ownership, he was just named the Chairman by the rest of the ownership group.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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April 20, 2021 1:03 pm
Reply to  Gregoryl

You are correct, but the problem is the NBA sees Vivek as a valuable asset to the Indian market. Unless he commits a league embarrassing sin or steps down, I don’t think he is going anywhere.

Maybe there would be hope if the Bhathal family stepped up?

Gregoryl
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April 20, 2021 1:11 pm
Reply to  Adamsite

If true, that means that Vivek holds all the leverage. That makes me sick.

BeTheBall
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April 20, 2021 1:06 pm
Reply to  Gregoryl

This.

Estimates I’ve read have him around 20% +/- a couple percent. I’m not even sure he’s the largest shareholder with that stake. I recall having read a couple pieces over the years that suggested that Raj Bhathal might have a higher percentage than Vivek. Of course, this was all before the one minority owner sold the 10% stake, so who knows how/if that was divvied up.

Last edited 2 years ago by BeTheBall
Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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April 20, 2021 1:11 pm
Reply to  BeTheBall

That’s the Bhathal family. Father and son are part of the ownership group

Here is a little bio on the son, Alex. His dad Raj is apparently a major lover of sports and I think owned a minor league football team at one point.

Adamsite
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Nostradumbass 14
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April 20, 2021 12:54 pm
Reply to  rc50cal

If the NBA ever wants another city to foot the bill in building an arena, like Golden One was, they’ll never let the Kings relocate regardless of who owns the team. he Kings are no threat to move until Golden One is an old, outdated and in need of replacement arena.

1951
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April 20, 2021 10:54 am
Jman1949
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April 20, 2021 11:26 am
Reply to  1951

comment image&ct=g

ZillersCat
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April 20, 2021 11:45 am
Reply to  Jman1949

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1951
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April 20, 2021 11:06 am

If this article was written by Vivian…

SMF-PDXConnection
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April 20, 2021 11:07 am

If it weren’t for the facts that I won’t be fully vaccinated until the start of the playoffs and I refuse to give this team another cent, I’d have half a mind to go to a Kings game just to boo them like Breton says.

I’m glad you had a good father-son moment, though, Greg, honestly.

Marty
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April 20, 2021 11:26 am

My buddy and I drop in on games spur of the moment style during the season, we play it by ear. We’ve both been anxious to go to at least one game, but not now, neither of us can stomach it. I mean I looked at the schedule and just cringed at each game. Sad.

Last edited 2 years ago by Marty Marty
SMF-PDXConnection
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April 20, 2021 12:06 pm
Reply to  Marty

If the Blazers hold on and stay in the playoff picture, I just might be tempted to go see a game if they start letting fans in. Second dose is the 10th, two weeks to full immunity is the 24th.

Actually, now that I think about it, I think the Blazers are the only team left not letting fans in.

Marty
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April 20, 2021 11:09 am

I hope everyone considers listening to the podcast TKH just posted.
It is P H E N O M E N A L.

RikSmits
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April 20, 2021 11:42 am
Reply to  Marty

Phenomenal in an awful way.

Kosta
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April 20, 2021 11:13 am

“My oldest son is 11 years old. He’s pretty athletic…”

BREAKING: Kings scouts have descended upon the Denver area.

AmateurNerd
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April 20, 2021 11:17 am
Reply to  Kosta

Grab the whiteboard eraser–Vlade needs to update his 2028 draft board!!!

Henry
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April 20, 2021 11:16 am

This is why basing the draft on final standings in any way is poison. No matter how much lottery reform they put in place, it still somehow incentivises losing. I know it’s a dead horse, but the NBA needs a system like ‘the wheel’ or something similar that takes the final record completely out of the picture.

andy_sims
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April 20, 2021 11:21 am
Reply to  Henry

When a championship-caliber team tanks an entire season trying to get the #1 pick, then you further disincentivize losing, but until then, it makes sense for the worst teams to have the best theoretical chance to grab a difference-maker.

BestHyperboleEver
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April 20, 2021 12:03 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

Yeah, I may flatten the odds a bit more. But it’s difficult to come up with a better solution assuming your goal is competitive balance. Or balance of competitive opportunity. Though, if that were my goal, I’d probably focus more on contractual stuff (like losing the max contract and strengthening the cap) than on the draft.

Henry
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April 20, 2021 12:04 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

Really, it makes sense only in theory. Look at teams like the Kings, Wolves and others who have had multiple lottery picks and are still stuck in purgatory. While teams like Utah have been able to build contenders without top picks. It hasn’t actually achieved what it set out to do, and in the process has tainted the sport with the annual tank-a-thon. There’s a reason they keep trying to tweak it, because it’s a bad system. But the tweaks will never address the underlying issue.

Edit: also with the wheel, the worst teams will get a chance at a difference maker, just maybe not that very year they are the worst. But each team would be guaranteed a top five pick every five years or so.

Last edited 2 years ago by Henry
BestHyperboleEver
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April 20, 2021 12:15 pm
Reply to  Henry

The Kings are obviously outliers, but the vast majority of teams don’t spend more than a couple seasons in a row in the lottery.

Henry
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April 20, 2021 12:23 pm

Yes, we are obviously outliers but not unique when it comes to tanking. (In fact, we may be the only team that doesn’t know how to properly tank.) Philly didn’t tank for 15 years straight, but they did still decide to change the rules to address the way they were tanking. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that the system is fundamentally broken. The wheel would not only change team behavior, but fan behavior as well so we aren’t torn between rooting for wins vs. losses at the end of every losing season. It would force GMs to actually be good at GMing. No excuses. No blaming lottery “luck”

Last edited 2 years ago by Henry
BestHyperboleEver
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April 20, 2021 12:51 pm
Reply to  Henry

Yeah, I’m open to a number of ideas, but I don’t think “the wheel” is a useful one. Again, assuming the goal is to give each team incentive and opportunity to build a winning team. The reduces bad team’s chances of building through the draft AND devalues one of their primary assets to trade for high level talent. I think there are plenty of better ways to both achieve more competitive balance AND limit tanking. Heck, simply flipping the lottery odds would probably nearly eliminate tanking and still ensure non-playoff teams have a chance to draft high level talent. You could also put a limit on the number of consecutive seasons a team could spend in the top ___ picks.

The short answer, is I think there are a lot of options that are better than the wheel.

Henry
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April 20, 2021 1:06 pm

The reduces bad team’s chances of building through the draft AND devalues one of their primary assets to trade for high level talent.

Is this the only reason you don’t think it’s a good system? Because I’m not sure either of these are true with the wheel. Bad teams can still absolutely build through the the draft. Every team is guaranteed a top 5 pick and a top 10 pick every 6 years. And it doesn’t devalue anything. It just assigns a more specific value to all future picks. I think it will actually make rebuilding easier since draft picks which are already used as NBA currency will be demystified and make transactions using picks much more common/likely. So rebuilding teams can always “buy” top picks any given year by “selling” top picks in future years, if that’s their chosen strategy. What you’re saying is true only if you look at rebuilding as a one-year project.

Last edited 2 years ago by Henry
BestHyperboleEver
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April 20, 2021 1:41 pm
Reply to  Henry

Ultimately, I think it’s about what your goal is. If your goal is to eliminate tanking for picks, then the wheel is great. If your goal is overall competitive balance, I think there are better ways to achieve it.

NorCalKingsFan
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April 20, 2021 6:29 pm

I’ve heard of flipping the statistical probability argument before and I wish they could try it somehow.

My pulled-out-of-butt fix:
The lottery is only for the 14 non-playoff teams.

The playoffs team are seeded as they currently are, worst to first after the lottery teams.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If a team acquires a pick or picks from a non-playoff team, the acquired pick is treated no different than their own pick. Teams will instead have consecutive picks from whatever position they end up in. This will even the value of picks between teams.

Start with the 14th worst team, give them the best odds of getting the #1 pick but no greater than 25% with a descending percentage to the remaining 13 worst teams with the 1st worst team having a chance no worse than 10%. By percentage points, I basically equate 1% to a ping-pong ball that goes in the hopper (14th worst team gets 25 balls, 1st team gets 10 balls).

If a team received a top 3 pick in the lottery a year before, they automatically go to the end of the line of statistical probability but are still placed within the lottery (their ping-pong balls would not be in the hopper) but immediately before the playoff teams. Up to 3 teams may be hit with this ‘draft winners’ tax, they get placed in the opposing order of picks (1st pick goes 14th, 2nd would go 13th, 3rd goes 12th).

Ran out of butt ideas.

SMF-PDXConnection
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April 20, 2021 12:12 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

Here’s an interesting idea: intra-league relegation via scheduling. Bad teams still get to make money when a good team with stars comes to play, right? Like how G1C fills up with Warriors and Lakers fans. What if the schedule were altered to minimize that as much as possible based on the previous season record?

Break it into third. Have the top ten teams from the previous season get a weighted schedule to play each other, middle ten teams play each other, and bottom ten teams play each other. You still have every team play each other, of course, but do away with divisions. Instead of a 60 win Warriors team playing a 25 win Kings four times a year, stick the Kings against a 20 win Magic team 3-4 times and only get the Warriors once.

This is just stream of consciousness right now, I have in no way fully thought such an idea out.

BestHyperboleEver
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April 20, 2021 1:07 pm

Are you doing away with playoffs and only the teams in the top 3rd are qualified to win the title? And why do we want to minimize tickets sales for bad teams?

I’m all for doing away with divisions. Mostly so the opponents can be MORE balance though. Not less.

The advantages of promotion-relegation are good ones. It gives the bottom teams something to play for and the lack of playoffs give a truer measure of who has been the best basketball team over a season. But the money issues make those ideas non-starters in the NBA, IMO.

Henry
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April 20, 2021 1:22 pm

Yeah look at what’s happening with Euro football now with top clubs attempting to form an American-model sports league. All about the $

Last edited 2 years ago by Henry
SMF-PDXConnection
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April 20, 2021 3:15 pm

Minimizing ticket sales could hypothetically increase management’s desire to field competitive teams: spend more to get more. Of course, in our late stage capitalist hellscape, as we’ve seen over the weekend with European soccer, the owners might just say screw it.

I honestly don’t know, I think every team still has a chance at the playoffs, like, if there’s a team that was 20 wins the previous year and then things click and they win 48, yeah, that’s a playoff team. None of this will ever happen, of course. It seems there are far more sports team owners who just want something shiny and exclusive for their portfolios than competitive fans who want to win.

NorCalKingsFan
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April 20, 2021 6:35 pm

The only way to really fix it is to target the money or the owners won’t care at all.

Like you said though, we are in what looks to be late-stage capitalism. Its entirely about entrenched interests erecting obstacles so others can’t come along behind and carve a piece of the pie for themselves. A zero-sum game and all.

Kosta
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April 20, 2021 11:19 am

Are we allowed to enjoy the losses, too?

andy_sims
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April 20, 2021 11:44 am
Reply to  Kosta

I think you have to, given that they serve a purpose. I still watch in hope of seeing good basketball, but if Sacramento loses, I just think, “Oh well. No harm done.”

They played great against Dallas, but if the Mavs had come back and won, I’d not have been bothered. There’s nothing simple about being a Kings’ fan.

Last edited 2 years ago by andy_sims
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April 20, 2021 11:57 am

Wins or losses have zero impact on me at this point. I enjoy watching Fox and Haliburton play well. I enjoy Holmes’ energy and Barnes’ professionalism. Aaaaaand that’s about it right now.

Ranadive’s reign has been eight years of empty calories and empty promises as it pertains to the product on the floor. Mullin, PDA, Divac, Dumars, McNair, Malone, Corbin, Karl, Joerger, Walton, and approximately 100 players that have worn a Kings uni under his “stewardship.” The faces change under Vivek, but the end result is a constant. I may enjoy Fox in the micro, but the macro looms, and based on history it is difficult to source optimism.

Maybe someday Ranadive will learn how to own a successful NBA team, but each passing year casts more doubt. While that does not change a road win against Dallas, it does make it virtually impossible to attach any relevance to it.

Go Kings fans!

Kangz_Landing
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April 20, 2021 12:00 pm

Can’t enjoy little wins along the way when that’s all there’s been for 15 years and there’s been quadruple the amount of big losses compared to little wins.

For every Tyrese there was a Ben, TRob, Jimmer, and Papa G. For every Holmes, we get Dedmon, Cojo, Ariza, and Afflalo. For every win led by Fox, there’s a loss due to no help, no defense, no heart, and no coaching. For every 7-1 stretch, there’s a 9 game losing Streak. For every Malone and Joerger there was Karl, Corbin, Natt, Walton, Musselman, Theus, and Westphal (RIP). For the Kings staying in SAC we got Vivek, Pete D., Grant Napear being a doof, Mark Jones, Doug Christie, and Kyle Draper.

So yea, done with these little wins.

Last edited 2 years ago by Kangz_Landing
andy_sims
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April 20, 2021 1:41 pm
Reply to  Kangz_Landing

I’ll be damned if I can think of any “big losses” during that time. Maybe when Joerger sat his starters rather than go for the arbitrary fortieth win, it cost him his job?

If you’re not competitive, there aren’t big losses or wins. All games are incremental, positive, negative, or inconsequential.

Kangz_Landing
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April 20, 2021 4:49 pm
Reply to  andy_sims

Not talking about actual wins and losses when I say big losses. As Greg was not talking about enjoying the Mavs win but he was talking about enjoying Fox’s winning performance or the win of watching a win with his son.

The Big losses I’m talking about are every bad organizational move (Bagley over Luka) that overshadows every small win (Tyrese falling to us) we get.

GorgeousGeorgios
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April 20, 2021 12:53 pm

Amen, Kings fans endure so much, gotta give yourself a break and enjoy a momentary win now and then, when given the chance.

Want-to-be-gm
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April 20, 2021 6:46 pm

There’s something in coaching called habit of play and establishing an effort culture which hopefully leads to a winning culture. I don’t believe in tanking as defined by giving less than a complete and total effort toward winning every play, every minute, every quarter and every game. You could do what OKC was doing earlier in the year playing a very deep roster but still not accepting anything less than a 100 percent effort from every player who takes the floor. I don’t like what OKC has however been doing lately. I respect the Kings for trying to still play to win until they are mathematically eliminated. The NFL you almost never see tanking and there is almost never a game where winning is devalued.

So from a culture standpoint tanking is completely unacceptable. On an additional note the NBA has a real problem with devaluing the regular season. They play 82 games to eliminate 10 of 30 teams. As a result, you have tanking in various forms and also by contending teams who put out minimal effort in a given game. You have players taking nights off for things like fatigue and general soreness and managing workloads because a given game can mean very little.

IMO, the number of games should be reduced to 72 permanently which won’t happen, the number of playoff teams should be reduced to 10 (also won’t happen) with the 4 and 5 seeds from the east and west playing a 2 out of 3 series for the 4th playoff seed. All playoff series after that will be 4 out of 7. As for the draft the remaining 20 teams go into a equal weight lottery draft. So what if the team with the 11th best record happens to snag the number 1 pick or the draft order doesn’t compensate the teams with the worst records disproportionately. Some poor records are the result of a rash of injuries like the Warriors had last year and do not necessarily represent the state of the franchise. So I ask with the current system are the worse teams really get the best lottery odds? The teams with the worst records are a combination of several factors (injuries, tanking, poor rosters etc) and not necessarily the worst teams.

The fans deserve better from what they are getting in the NBA regular season. A simple solution for the fans is to stop going to regular season games and stop buying NBA league pass until the NBA starts valuing the regular season more.

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