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Mobley will be plus - trust Petrie on this one
By Joseph Cronin and Ken Gimblin January 14, 2005 |
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SACRAMENTO - There is a lot of talk on the talk station in Sacramento about the trade of the Kings' Doug Christie, a fan favorite, to Orlando for Cuttino Mobley. There is a problem with Mobley's salary that will make it difficult to sign him next year. Mobley is currently the third-best 3-point shooter in the NBA (58-of-125, 46.4 percent through Thursday), a great offensive star, and can handle the ball well, although not quite as good as Christie. If there is any negative about Mobley, it's the defense. Christie's defense was something the Kings could always bank on. It gave the team a certain character, not exactly tough guys, but good defenders - people you couldn't take for granted. Now Mobley's going to come into a totally different situation. You have to wonder why Orlando made him available, but the Kings are thinking if Mobley can learn to play defense, defense is more than individual. You play defense as a team - the team is responsible for doing the defending even though it takes good, quick defenders. The idea is to watch the guy you've been assigned to and sure he doesn't shoot the ball and make it. This also gives the Kings another dimension - it makes it so all five Kings players must be defended. Since Christie didn't shoot very much and was not a big offensive star, you didn't have to bother with him. If you give Mobley a little bit of space, he'll throw in a 3-pointer so fast, you'll change your mind. Mobley is being underpaid right now by NBA standards. It depends on how he fits into the Kings. The big feature is that it all depends on if people are convinced Mobley wants to learn how to play defense. Christie was a favorite here - a good guy and a terrific defender - but we think the Kings got the best of this one. We were surprised that this deal went down as it did. We think the Kings are looking for a good, classy guard to take the place of the injured Bobby Jackson, something the Kings need more than anything else at this time. Mobley is a guy that can be counted on to get hot later in the game and make threes. Sometimes you need those kind of players, but what it really does to the Kings team is it makes it so every player in purple and white has to be guarded by the other team. Joe Cronin and Ken Gimblin cover the Sacramento Kings and will be co-hosting Sportstalk this week. Catch them on KVVN 1430 San Jose and KLIB 1110 Sacramento. |
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