Sacramento Kings Wise To Re-sign Kevin Martin, Must Figure Out Ron Artest & Mike Bibby’s Future August 28 07 The Sacramento Bee reports on the Kings inking Kevin Martin to contract extension:
Martin, whose breakout 2006-07 season will vault him into the upper pay ranks of NBA shooting guards, unexpectedly flew in from his training hub at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., and arrived in Sacramento on Monday in anticipation of signing his new contract. A news conference is expected this week to announce the deal. The Kings had until Oct. 31 to finalize an extension or allow him to become a free agent next offseason, but discussions between Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie and Martin’s agent, Jason Levien, began in early August.
My Quick Take: K-Mart is no longer a discount. The sale is finished, replaced by a big ticket price tag. Sometime this week, Sacramento will officially sign Kevin Martin to a five year, 55 million dollar contract.
Make no mistake about it, the two-guard is the featured player in the Kings’ rebuilding efforts. He can score. He shoots a high percentage. He’s athletic. And he possesses a great attitude.
So it was smart to lock Martin up before his rookie contract would expire next summer and he had an opportunity to test the free agent waters. But Martin, for all his talent and potential, will underachieve if the Kings don’t get some direction and provide him with a solid supporting cast.
Bottom line: Sacramento must decide whether to keep or trade Ron Artest and Mike Bibby. Artest is talented, but unreliable. And Bibby can dominate, but seems unhappy.
Personally, I believe the Kings must trade both players in order to rebuild. This is more about circumstances than a slight against Artest and Bibby. Starting over is better than sticking with a stale line-up that can only win 30 games.
Signing Martin was the easy part. Now Sacramento must figure out what to do with Artest and Bibby. Should Sacramento trade or keep Artest or Bibby? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts.
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Posted by
Sierra Lanae
on 02.10.2008 | After what Mike has done for the Kings in the past years he should go. Yes they did win 50...60 games with him back then but in order to love something you have to let it go. Ron Artest, that’s a different story. Though I didn’t like him from the beginning, he posses a big mismatch in the paint, rarely shoots the three well, and can drive inside when his back isn’t "acting up". He’s too strong for 3’s but too fast for 4’s. Strong but nonconsistant....Send Mike to New Jersey for Jason Kidd and trade Ron to Phoenix for Amare, Leonardo, or Raja Bell. . | Posted by
peezy
on 09.13.2007 | Trade Bibby, keep Artest. Although Artest can be a headache, he’s a top 20 talent in the NBA when on top of his game. Further, he brings another element to the team that is sorely needed—hustle. The guy puts his body on the line every night to help the team. Aside from his selfishness on offense, there are few flaws in his game. If he could stay out of trouble, he’d easily be worth $15 million a year in the NBA. But since he only costs $7 million per season, the Kings must keep the premium value they get at a discount price, assuming he can get his act together. Bibby, on the other hand, is the last piece of Sacramento’s past and needs to be moved, most importantly, to signify a changing of the guard. He’s too expensive for what he can feasibly contribute at this point. I’d suggest the Kings hold onto him until the trade deadline in order to allow him to increase his trade value, as his current value is at an all-time low. Should his productivity increase, a desperate team will be willing to mortgage their future to win now by acquiring him, i.e. draft picks and expiring contracts. The Kings need to wait for the right trade that will catapult their plans to rebuild for the future, for the current proposals for Bibby (as advertised in the media thus far including Miami and Cleveland) don’t appear to help the Kings a great deal. . | Posted by
on 09.1.2007 | Bibby can dominate the game as shown in the phoenix game where he hit 9 threes after that he had a steady end of the season but no one cared he was playin through injury having to share the ball with a artest who hogs the ball isnt easy....send bibby to Cleveland Lakers or Miami he can be the number two or 3 scorer and still lead the point in those places...Artest is to much of a risk good defense but wants to be the hero to often trade him for shooters . | Posted by
on 08.31.2007 | send bibby and artest for lamar odom and andrew bynum and a 2nd round pick . | Posted by
on 08.29.2007 | They have to trade Bibby. he is un-athletic and cannot play defense to save his life. Ron Artest is the real leader of the Kings and from what I’ve heard he’s been working out like a madman over the summer. Bibby is done. We need defense not a slow washed up point guard. . | Posted by
deejay baze
on 08.28.2007 | miami should trade for both ron artest and mike bibby in exchange for j will, wayne simien, etc. and cash/draft picks. heat line up of shaq, haslem, artest, wade and bibby can mix it up with anybody (even the west heavyweights) on any given night. add their bench players in zo, penny, walker, and smush and you have a championship caliber team again. GO HEAT! . | Posted by
wal
on 08.28.2007 | whoa are you kidding me thats what heyre giving that kid its practically billups contract but add 5 mill im shocked i dont think he deserves that nuch .he gots to be they saviour and get them to the nba finals lmao which will neva happen in a million years lmao ohh and get bibby outta there he deserves better . | Posted by
on 08.28.2007 | If Sacremento could make this mega trade listed below they could(Bibby and K Thomas to the laker’s for a combination of players. K brown, Cook Farmar, Vujacic and Radmanovic) They could also trade Artest and Abdur-Rahim to the heat for Jason Williams and Udonis Haslem. I The kings would probably just buyout J will contract if this trade could Happen.This would give the kings a good chance to match up with the up coming teams like blazers, wolves, Grizz and supersonics on the west.Farmar,K. Mart, Radmanovic, Haslemand B. miller that would be nice team for the future. . | Posted by
gm for hire
on 08.28.2007 | "Artest is talented, but unreliable. And Bibby can dominate, but seems unhappy". i you couldn’t say it any clearer than that. I think both have has what it takes to help win a championship. They might have something in Sac Town if they would just stop trading people people away. If they do trade they should go young. The maloffs should try to get the best the best talent available. Maybe they could trade Bibby and K Thomas to the laker’s for a combination of players. K brown, Cook Farmar, Vujacic and Radmanovic would be nice for both teams and would be mathematically correct as far as salary requirements . | Posted by
on 08.28.2007 | I love Bibby. They should keep him! . | Posted by
on 08.28.2007 | Send mike bibby to denver for kenyon martin. send ron artest to miami . |
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Oly Sandor | Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More |
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