Shareef Abdur-Rahim signs with Sacramento

[Chaplin]

Kings reach deal with Adbur-Rahim
Bee Sports Staff
Published 3:25 pm PDT Friday, August 12, 2005
[Updated: 4:30 p.m. Friday] The Sacramento Kings signed forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim on Friday, ending speculation about where the highly coveted power forward would play in 2005-2006.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed, as is Kings policy.

Abdur-Rahim was introduced at a hastily called news conference Friday afternoon. Last season with Portland, Abdur-Rahim averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 54 games.

"The Kings are a great team," Abdur-Rahim was quoted in a statement released by the Kings. "It's a team that's used to winning, competing at a high level and competing for a championship. I'm just looking forward to coming in and being a part of it and helping them carry on that tradition.

Abdur-Rahim played his college ball at Cal before being drafted by the then-Vancouver Grizzlies in 1996. He was the third overall selection in the draft. He played for the Grizzlies for five years and was traded to Atlanta and, three years later, to Portland.

"We're really delighted to be able to add a high-caliber player, as well as a high-quality person to our team," Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie said in a statement. "His addition will improve us in a number of areas in which we wanted to get better."

The Kings' likely lineup will be Mike Bibby, Bonzi Wells, Peja Stojakovic, Abdur-Rahim and Brad Miller.

"We're very happy that it worked out the way it did," Kings coach Rick Adelman said in a statement. "He's a guy we wanted all along. I think Shareef is going to really help us. He gives us a proven scorer inside. He's also a very good rebounder. He's going to give us a threat around the basket that we need at this point with this team."

 

[F-Dog]

SAR is a good fit for the Kings' system. They've got a much better chance of making the playoffs now.


The Nets claimed they saw something 'new' during Shareef's physical, something nobody had known about before. I wonder what it was...

 

[elindholm]

The Kings' likely lineup will be Mike Bibby, Bonzi Wells, Peja Stojakovic, Abdur-Rahim and Brad Miller.

That's a pretty good looking starting five if Wells can keep his head on straight. Abdur-Rahim brings nearly as much to the table as Webber in this stage of their careers, and the Kings' bench has some decent players on it. I wouldn't go engraving Phoenix onto the 2006 Pacific Division trophy just yet.

The good news is that Sacramento is even thinner at center than the Suns are. They have Miller and Skinner, clearly a weaker rotation than Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas. The difference is that the Kings also have other power forwards...

 

[coloradosun]

The Kings' likely lineup will be Mike Bibby, Bonzi Wells, Peja Stojakovic, Abdur-Rahim and Brad Miller.

That's a pretty good looking starting five if Wells can keep his head on straight. Abdur-Rahim brings nearly as much to the table as Webber in this stage of their careers, and the Kings' bench has some decent players on it. I wouldn't go engraving Phoenix onto the 2006 Pacific Division trophy just yet.

The good news is that Sacramento is even thinner at center than the Suns are. They have Miller and Skinner, clearly a weaker rotation than Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas. The difference is that the Kings also have other power forwards...

I think Miller and Skinner are all they need in the middle, that's more than the Suns had last season with Hunter and Voskuhl.. SAR is going to be very capable of matching up with Amare if the Suns go small. Miller and Thomas can battle each other when they are on the court.

The Kings bench has some punch, Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas, Jason Hart, Skinner and Francisco Garcia. I think they will be a better team than last year obviously but they may be even a better team than when they had Christie and Webber. Wells and SAR are just as equal to Christie and Webber.