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**Peja Vu** · 11-18-2007, 12:16 AM

Ailene Voisin: Kings working on transition game

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Editor's note: Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie recently sat down with Bee columnist Ailene Voisin for an interview in which he discussed, among other things, getting under the NBA salary cap and his assessment of the players. Excerpts from part one of the interview follow. Tuesday, Petrie talks about his relationship with Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof.

Q: Are you in full rebuilding mode or trying to reach the playoffs even though that means worse drafting position for what is being projected as a very strong 2007-08 class?

A: The team is in a state of transition. ... We're trying to develop our younger players and get the best leadership, the best productivity out of the veteran guys we have, win as many games as we can and along the way, emerge with a new core that starts to win again. ... The exact timetable for that is as quick as possible. But it's still a function of the development of your players, the draft, your trade opportunities and some salary cap flexibility.

Q: So there is a plan?

A: I think it's obvious by what we're doing that there is a plan. We have to see with Kevin (Martin) and Francisco (García) and Quincy (Douby) and Spencer (Hawes) and John (Salmons), and even Ron (Artest). Ron's only (28). He's still young. And Beno (Udrih), as a young point guard, hasn't had an opportunity to show us what he can do yet. They're all showing signs that they can be good NBA players. Now, getting around to a unit that is going to start winning again is the next part.

Q: Your team payroll can be reduced by nearly $20 million at the end of next season. Are you positioning yourself for another offseason similar to that of 1998, when you wooed Vlade Divac, traded for Chris Webber, signed Peja Stojakovic, drafted Jason Williams – in essence, obtained the nucleus for the Kings' most successful teams?

A: Yes, that's been by design to a large extent. Now, that's always subject to change, too. If something came along that made sense, talent-wise, and compromised that somewhat, we would pursue that. Otherwise, you're going to have to restrain your spending between now and then to preserve that salary cap flexibility. The overall plan is to get to the year after next and have some real cap room of significance.

Q: Have you discussed this with Kings coach Reggie Theus? It's a fine line there, isn't it, trying to develop young players, auditioning veterans you might want to retain, while remaining competitive?

A: Yeah, coaches want to win, and everybody wants to do the best you can every day. And you never know for sure exactly what's going to happen until you get into a significant portion of a season, and the season reveals itself to you.

Q: ESPN already is running spots touting the freshman college class ...

A: I think it will be good. Whether you have two players that jump out like (Greg) Oden and (Kevin) Durant remains to be seen. But historically, your best chance of getting that special player, the odds are stacked in your favor if you're in the bottom five (of the standings).

Q: Does the prospect of rebuilding the roster and transforming the Kings for the second time into a faster, more skillful and athletic team invigorate you, or do you get tired thinking about the task ahead?

A: I like the challenge, and in a lot of ways – it's funny – sometimes I think I know more now about how to do the job than I ever did. But it's not an instantaneous process. As soon as possible, though, is how I look at it.

Q: These past few seasons, though, you have certainly received more scrutiny and criticism than you did throughout the first decade of your tenure here as basketball president. Is that hard to hear?

A: I think it comes with the territory, and I don't think everything I do or we do is absolutely right. But I think on balance, a much higher percentage of our decisions were good. And I think over time, that will happen again. A lot of those people, a lot of our fans – and I care the most about the people who come and spend the money, and buy the tickets, and our sponsors – they have a right to have a voice, too.

I think about (opera tenor Luciano) Pavarotti. I saw one of his interviews not long ago. He got booed by some of the people at the opera his last four, five years, because his voice cracked. They asked him, 'Does that bother you?' And he said, 'No, it really doesn't, because they're the caretakers of the opera, and they have a right to boo.' He enjoyed doing what he was doing, and he was one of the greatest of all times. So that's kind of how I feel about it.

**R-Star** · 11-18-2007, 12:27 AM

Isnt saying we're going to rebuild through the draft, trades and current roster players pretty much hitting every avenue outside of signing guys in the off-season?

Good to hear the Kings are rebuilding. They should probably trade Ron to a contender for young talent, and move Bibby for another young player while hes still got high value.

HB · 11-18-2007, 12:49 PM

Rebuilding is extremely risky.

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