Basketball Blogolution! On the Kings "new" Defense.

Seriously, I know the mainstream media has started hiring bloggers as "real" writers, but on the occasion when I visit a mainstream media outlet, I am astonished with the ineptitude and sheer lack of analysis these "professional" writers provide. We really need a Blogolution to rid the mainstream media of its tired excesses and rejuvenate the web with real, dedicated writers who actually know the game, live the game and can explain the game beyond the most basic observations and stats.

This morning, while wasting an extra couple minutes before leaving for the train, so I can catch a bus, so I can walk half a mile for a meeting, I click on an article about the NBA's new defensive juggernaut. And, I read this:

"You have to be able to [defend and score] to be a real good team," Sacramento GM Geoff Petrie says. And while the Kings had little trouble putting the ball in the hoop before this season, finishing among the top three scoring teams in five of the last six seasons -- they dropped to 10th last year -- they also haven't finished better than 17th in scoring defense since 2001. The imbalance ultimately foiled the Kings during the Rick Adelman coaching era, resulting in eight straight playoff appearances without reaching the Finals.

I know this is hard to comprehend for some, but scoring defense does not equal defensive success. Not all teams play at the same pace. And, since the Kings played at the second fastest tempo (after the Mavericks) during its run early this decade (before Steve Nash took his game to Phoenix and the Suns became the poster boy for fast pace and no defense) they gave up a lot of points.

However, this is misleading, as the Kings' defensive FG% led the league in 2002-03 and finished in the top ten in other years. Also, in 2002-03, its scoring margin eas second in the league. So, I ask, which is more important: (1) How many points the other team scores? or (2) How many points your team scores in relation to the other team?

Then, the writer delivers this bit of not telling the whole story:

But Musselman is only part of a transformation that began last season when Sacramento sent Peja Stojakovic to the Pacers for a then-team-suspended Ron Artest. Acquired with the Kings languishing at 18-24, Artest helped spark Sacramento to a 26-14 finish and an unexpected playoff berth.

I love Artest. Just look at my player rankings. However, the 18-24 Kings did not play a single game with their entire roster intact; Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Peja Stojakovic and Bonzi Wells were all injured. The trade for Ron Artest certainly helped, but getting Abdur-Rahim and especially Bonzi Wells back healthy also had a huge effect. The Kings started last season with several new faces in its starting line-up (Andur-Rahim and Wells) and never had a chance to gel because of the injuries. Only after the trade did everyone get healthy and the team played together as a whole for most of the rest of the season.

Also, Mike Bibby losing weight, Brad Miller's injury, Kevin Martin's athleticism and Ronnie Price's development all positively impact the Kings' defense. Bibby rarely if ever provided much resistance to penetration in the past and was asked to play 40+ minutes every night because there was no true back-up PG. Miller is a terrible interior defender, frequently late in help and not a good defender of high on-ball screens; his injury and the inclusion of Abdur-Rahim and Thomas in the starting line-up makes the Kings smaller, but it's the line-up Adelman favored in the play-offs last season too. And, Martin adds the type of length and quickness on the perimeter that Doug Christie provided before he lost a step and suffered some nagging injuries.

Look, I never really liked Adelman. However, scapegoating Adelman and Peja simply short changes the amount of good they did for the Kings organization while in Sacramento. Only one team can win a championship every year; and, unfortunately for the Kings, their peak coincided with the partnership of the top duo in the game with the top coach in the game (especially during play-off series) and they did not win the elusive championship. However, during the first half of this decade, the Kings were easily one of the top four franchises with the Lakers, Pistons and Mavericks. And, Adelman and Peja were very much a part of that, whether the Kings' defense was poor, average or above average (for the record, the defense was actually pretty good; it was rebounding which plagued the Kings and probably that, more than anything, prevented a championship).