Sacramento lost a hundred and twelve to a hundred and twenty-three against Memphis. Nought-three. And in the press conference, Zach LaVine put out a little recruitment notice: leader wanted. Someone to set the tone. He said it can come from the top down, from a player “like a Chris Paul”, from a veteran coach, or even a bench coach. BasketNews reads it as a subtle jab at head coach Doug Christie. I read it as a vacancy with no introduction.
A leader gets announced. I do it like on Saturday night. The dark, well, the dark the caretaker leaves me, half the strip lights. The two spotlights from the school fête. [jingle] Mesdames et messieurs, dames en heren, please welcome the new leader of the Sacramento Kings, number… … …
Two seconds of blank. Then three. Then the sound system, which has opinions, restarts the jingle all on its own.
Because there is no first name. LaVine said it himself: they don’t have that right now, it won’t come anytime soon, they have to work out together what everyone’s strengths are. So I announce the strengths. Sabonis, seventeen rebounds a game, make some noise! LaVine, twenty-nine points. The rookie Acuff, twenty-two. A team, on the mic, takes five announcements. It’s long, but it’s a moment.
We’re looking for a leader at our place too. We found a key, mind you, so that’s something.
Tuesday, the Spurs. If the leader turns up by then, I’ve got the jingle. Just saying.
It’s true, we checked: BasketNews.
