We’re Talkin’ About Practice!
December 4, 2008 by Kayte Christensen
“Practice? We’re talking about Practice?!”
I’m sure we’re all familiar with the infamous Allen Iverson quote about practice. There are a zillion different opinions when it comes to practice and its importance. Michael Jordan thinks practice is important for every single player on the roster in order for a team to improve. Kobe Bryant does as well, and is vocal about pushing his teammates in practice in order to become a better ballclub. Allen Iverson is busy getting tattoos so practice is something he feels gets in the way of him being A.I. Meanwhile, fans generally can’t comprehend how an athlete who gets paid, usually, millions of dollars to play a sport for a living, can complain about going to work to do something most people want to do for fun. Since practice is such a touchy subject, I will avoid the debate. But I can tell you why practice is important for a team that is “developing” youth, such as the Sacramento Kings.
November was a grueling month. The Kings had 17 games in 30 days, tying for the toughest schedule during that period. But things are hardly ever that simple when it comes to professional sports. Many other factors weigh in.
Let’s take injuries for example.
Beno Udrih, the starting point guard who is literally needed to run the show, missed several games in the preseason with a hip flexor problem.
Brad Miller served a League-enforced five-game suspension. It not only took him out of the lineup for the first five regular season games, but four of those were on the road which only complicated the situation. It also limited his role in the last few preseason games so the team could work with the lineups they would have available when the regular season began.
Francisco Garcia strained his right calf in the October 15 preseason game versus the Clippers, causing him to miss the last four preseason games and the team’s first 18 games of the regular season.
Kevin Martin injured his left ankle, which was a pre-existing issue, in the Golden State game on November 9 and it turned into a 23-day departure from the game and practice availability, resulting in a 2-10 record for the team in his absence.
Mikki Moore injured his ankle in the November 16 game against the Spurs and ended up being out for a week and four games.
Quincy Douby, one of the young players this franchise has been looking to develop, missed the entire preseason with an ankle sprain and saw his first action on October 29 on the road against Minnesota.
And now John Salmons, who has been the guy forced to carry this depleted team on his back at BOTH ends of the court, is out with a thigh strain he suffered in the closing minutes of the Dallas game on November 29. He’s only missed one game so far but lets cross our fingers that come Saturday against Denver, we will finally see, for the first time all year, what this 2008-09 Kings team might actually look like.
Now, back to practice!
There are two things required to hold a productive practice. The first is time. When you have 17 games in 30 days and factor in traveling it doesn’t really leave much time to conduct a worthwhile practice. The second is health. As you’ve seen, it’s been a problem plaguing this team since day one.
So if you look back over the past two months, it really tells the tale of the Kings up to this point. So many fans are “stat people” because it is easy to look at a stat sheet and quantify a win or a loss based on the numbers in those categories. Well, here is a number for you, 5-15. Yes, that is the Kings record so far this season. Add in the preseason, and you’re looking at 6-22. Yikes, right?! Well, yes, and no.
Preseason records don’t count for a reason so you should just disregard them right now. If you’ve kept up with my blogs, you’re aware I’ve clarified what the preseason is really for and you know you can’t possibly evaluate a team based on the preseason.
Five of the Kings losses have been by fewer than five points — a loss to Utah by five, losses to Minnesota, Phoenix and San Antonio by two, coupled with a loss to Portland by one. And if you really want to talk numbers, the loss to Detroit by eight came down to fouls and free throws at the end so you can put it in the category of close games the Kings were unable to pull out. Only one of those six teams can be considered a bottom barrel team. And yet the short-handed Kings, with the youth of the franchise at the helm, were able to compete with top echelon teams. Don’t get me wrong, there were some blowouts along the way, but inconsistency is the trademark of youth.
So now, with one practice logged in the past three weeks and that one coming on Monday, December 1, the Kings will get some much-needed court time with healthy bodies to work back into the mix. Taking injuries out of the mix, any youth-laden team needs reps and court time to adjust. You can only watch so much film. You may be able to see what you’re doing wrong in games but until you can get on the court and fix it, the same problems are going to continue to rear their ugly heads.
Now, everyone take a deep breath and relax. December is a new month and we just might see a new Kings team.
See you at ARCO!!
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