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Ailene Voisin: Kings must do all they can to keep Divac
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Friday, February 27, 2004
Though never one to flex his muscles, Vlade Divac is leaning heavily on the Kings these days. He is playing well enough to warrant a generous contract, durable enough to press for a two-to three-year deal and such a rare commodity - a 7-foot center who passes like a point guard and orchestrates the offense with the creative genius of a conductor at the symphony - he can argue that his value far exceeds his statistics.
And who would disagree?
No one around here.
No one with a clue.
Divac, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, is having such an outstanding season that he has tabled his retirement plans and wants to remain with the Kings for another few years, provided of course, that the feelings are mutual.
"Are you kidding?" replied Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations. "Absolutely. Vlade is the heart and soul of this team. It's hard for me to imagine him playing anywhere else because of our style of play, the fixture that he is within the organization and community. And the fact that, with all the injuries, he has always been there for us, always. We will be the first in line."
Better start moving toward the front then. Though teams cannot formally negotiate with players during their free-agency seasons, the Kings can at least initiate the wooing process, showering Divac with love and affection, and with the promise of a communal bash when he finally decides to retire.
This makes sense for several reasons, primarily because he can still play, because he deserves it, and because if the Kings don't wrap him up tightly, someone else will. Those 36 years notwithstanding - and we can only take Vlade's word on the actual birthdate - he will have numerous suitors and abundant options, though playing in Europe in the immediate future does not appear to be among them.
"That is the way I feel now," said Divac, who will earn $12 million this season. "The last couple weeks I have been feeling great. I was talking to (wife) Ana about this. If the money is even close to what I would get somewhere else, I stay here. But if it's big difference - if (the Kings) offer me $2 million and someone else offers me $4 million - I would have to leave. But I would love to come back to Sacramento. This is my city. I am comfortable here. My family is comfortable here. I just hope I don't get any crazy offers and have to leave."
The Kings cannot let this happen. Absolutely cannot let this happen.
With injured teammates tumbling around him like so much tall timber, Divac, who has missed a grand total of five games in his five-plus seasons here, is enjoying a more productive, energetic season this year than last. There have been fewer of those games when he appears bored or fatigued or distracted by his blueprints for saving the world. He is also playing more minutes (30.4), scoring more points (11.1) and contributing almost twice as many assists (5.9), and more than at any time in his career, is showcasing his extraordinary passing skills.
In the last five games alone, the 15th-year veteran is averaging a staggering 9.8 assists and 38.2 minutes.
"There is no tension in his game at all," noted Petrie. "He sees things before they happen."
Or as Divac himself said after a Must-See-TV performance in San Antonio, "When I pass, sometimes the ball has eyes."
If anything, his passing repertoire seems to be expanding with age. The hook passes. The lobs. The one-bouncers to a cutting Peja Stojakovic. The skip passes to Peja or Mike Bibby in the corners. The backhanded flips to Bibby behind a screen. The outlets to Doug Christie or Bobby Jackson on the break. The give and gos with Miller. The one-bounce toss between the legs that left the Spurs crowd gasping in amazement.
Divac speaks about passing the way a young Michael Jordan talked about elevating for one of his monstrous dunks; the limbs are in motion before the mind delivers directions.
"The ball is going through me all the time now," explained Divac, "and I take pride in passing, even more now than before. And now the staff is taking advantage of that. That helps my game, too, because I can pass, fake, shoot, go to the basket."
Though no longer a consistent finisher around the basket, he has been shooting free throws with greater proficiency, converting the open 17-to 19-foot jumper and willing to play mega-minutes.
But besides rewarding him for his basketball input and invaluable locker-room presence, Vlade deserves props for his loyalty. For starting all of this. Back in 1999 - a time when most free agents routinely crossed Sacramento off the list of possibilities - he became the first premier free agent to sign with the Kings and did so while aware of the club's 27-55 record the previous season, Chris Webber's reluctance to report following his trade from Washington, and the fact that Stojakovic and Jason Williams were unproven rookies.
In essence, in the prime of his career, Divac entrusted his future to Petrie.
"That showed a lot of guts," said Kings co-owner Joe Maloof. "Vlade has meant so much for this franchise ... what can you say? We appreciate everything he has done for us and the city. Obviously we want him back. It's going to be a challenge, but we'll do whatever we can to make it happen. We have to find a way to get it done."
Remember those words on July 1, when negotiations begin in earnest. More than any player in franchise history, Divac deserves to retire a King, his No. 21 jersey surely the next to hang from the rafters. But for this man of the world, his influence stretches far and wide, well beyond the arena doors. Can't forget that either.
Ailene Voisin: Kings must do all they can to keep Divac
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Friday, February 27, 2004
Though never one to flex his muscles, Vlade Divac is leaning heavily on the Kings these days. He is playing well enough to warrant a generous contract, durable enough to press for a two-to three-year deal and such a rare commodity - a 7-foot center who passes like a point guard and orchestrates the offense with the creative genius of a conductor at the symphony - he can argue that his value far exceeds his statistics.
And who would disagree?
No one around here.
No one with a clue.
Divac, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, is having such an outstanding season that he has tabled his retirement plans and wants to remain with the Kings for another few years, provided of course, that the feelings are mutual.
"Are you kidding?" replied Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations. "Absolutely. Vlade is the heart and soul of this team. It's hard for me to imagine him playing anywhere else because of our style of play, the fixture that he is within the organization and community. And the fact that, with all the injuries, he has always been there for us, always. We will be the first in line."
Better start moving toward the front then. Though teams cannot formally negotiate with players during their free-agency seasons, the Kings can at least initiate the wooing process, showering Divac with love and affection, and with the promise of a communal bash when he finally decides to retire.
This makes sense for several reasons, primarily because he can still play, because he deserves it, and because if the Kings don't wrap him up tightly, someone else will. Those 36 years notwithstanding - and we can only take Vlade's word on the actual birthdate - he will have numerous suitors and abundant options, though playing in Europe in the immediate future does not appear to be among them.
"That is the way I feel now," said Divac, who will earn $12 million this season. "The last couple weeks I have been feeling great. I was talking to (wife) Ana about this. If the money is even close to what I would get somewhere else, I stay here. But if it's big difference - if (the Kings) offer me $2 million and someone else offers me $4 million - I would have to leave. But I would love to come back to Sacramento. This is my city. I am comfortable here. My family is comfortable here. I just hope I don't get any crazy offers and have to leave."
The Kings cannot let this happen. Absolutely cannot let this happen.
With injured teammates tumbling around him like so much tall timber, Divac, who has missed a grand total of five games in his five-plus seasons here, is enjoying a more productive, energetic season this year than last. There have been fewer of those games when he appears bored or fatigued or distracted by his blueprints for saving the world. He is also playing more minutes (30.4), scoring more points (11.1) and contributing almost twice as many assists (5.9), and more than at any time in his career, is showcasing his extraordinary passing skills.
In the last five games alone, the 15th-year veteran is averaging a staggering 9.8 assists and 38.2 minutes.
"There is no tension in his game at all," noted Petrie. "He sees things before they happen."
Or as Divac himself said after a Must-See-TV performance in San Antonio, "When I pass, sometimes the ball has eyes."
If anything, his passing repertoire seems to be expanding with age. The hook passes. The lobs. The one-bouncers to a cutting Peja Stojakovic. The skip passes to Peja or Mike Bibby in the corners. The backhanded flips to Bibby behind a screen. The outlets to Doug Christie or Bobby Jackson on the break. The give and gos with Miller. The one-bounce toss between the legs that left the Spurs crowd gasping in amazement.
Divac speaks about passing the way a young Michael Jordan talked about elevating for one of his monstrous dunks; the limbs are in motion before the mind delivers directions.
"The ball is going through me all the time now," explained Divac, "and I take pride in passing, even more now than before. And now the staff is taking advantage of that. That helps my game, too, because I can pass, fake, shoot, go to the basket."
Though no longer a consistent finisher around the basket, he has been shooting free throws with greater proficiency, converting the open 17-to 19-foot jumper and willing to play mega-minutes.
But besides rewarding him for his basketball input and invaluable locker-room presence, Vlade deserves props for his loyalty. For starting all of this. Back in 1999 - a time when most free agents routinely crossed Sacramento off the list of possibilities - he became the first premier free agent to sign with the Kings and did so while aware of the club's 27-55 record the previous season, Chris Webber's reluctance to report following his trade from Washington, and the fact that Stojakovic and Jason Williams were unproven rookies.
In essence, in the prime of his career, Divac entrusted his future to Petrie.
"That showed a lot of guts," said Kings co-owner Joe Maloof. "Vlade has meant so much for this franchise ... what can you say? We appreciate everything he has done for us and the city. Obviously we want him back. It's going to be a challenge, but we'll do whatever we can to make it happen. We have to find a way to get it done."
Remember those words on July 1, when negotiations begin in earnest. More than any player in franchise history, Divac deserves to retire a King, his No. 21 jersey surely the next to hang from the rafters. But for this man of the world, his influence stretches far and wide, well beyond the arena doors. Can't forget that either.
