Kings win back-to-back home games, but what does it mean? We'll see

It’s important to attempt to discern what we’re seeing.

It’s not just that the Kings have won two of their past three games.

Or that they’ve won their past two home games over Memphis and Phoenix, respectively.

Or that their 7-24 record results in the NBA’s worst winning percentage at .226. Or that the Kings currently are grouped with the L.A. Clippers (10-24); Minnesota (9-25); New Jersey (9-25); Washington (8-24); Detroit (11-22); Toronto (11-22) and Charlotte (11-20).

Basically, these are the worst of the worst. And Sacramento’s .226 winning percentage comes on the heels of two victories, while uplifting in nature, that surely rank as remarkable, if not downright miraculous.

Actually, the Kings could have lost those games more easily than they were won.

Teams usually do not win with 55-foot shots, buzzer-beaters as the Kings did with Tyreke Evans bomb against Memphis.

Nor do they normally outscore their opponents, 19-2, during the game’s final six minutes by limiting a team to one basket in its final 10 possessions as they did against Phoenix.

There can be no sugar-coating where the Kings and the rest of these teams reside in the NBA’s hierarchy. We’re talking way on the outside hoping to get into a position in which they can look.

While assessing the Kings, the surroundings cannot be ignored. The teams whom share Sacramento’s early-season struggles have youthful bases.

New Jersey (Avery Johnson) and Washington (Flip Saunders) are considered first-class coaches. Larry Brown almost is universally acknowledged to be one of the world’s best coaches, yet he’s already been replaced in Charlotte by Paul Silas.

Others such as the Clippers, Minnesota, Detroit and Toronto have relatively young, new and/or inexperienced coaches.

The league’s most successful coach – the L.A. Lakers’ Phil Jackson – has his own problems at this time. Granted, the two-time NBA champion Lakers’ problems are relative and totally unlike those of the bottom-barrel group.

Yet, problems are problems and as Kings coach Paul Westphal alluded to following the victory over Memphis, the season can be described as attempting to plug leaks in a dike. Just when a hole is filled, another arises.

Many of the teams struggling to win also struggle to score. The Kings rank sixth from the bottom in scoring at 94.1 points per game. The inability to score usually indicates a lack of prime-time talent.

Yet, New Orleans averages 93.9 points with all-star point guard Chris Paul running the show. There are no givens when teams struggle other than all teams will. Some just will do it more and longer than others.

Clearly, the recent performances of rookie center DeMarcus Cousins have given the Kings reason for optimism. While Cousins figures his way, the Kings should be realizing their course of patience with the 20-year-old must be followed.

Cousins’ youth and inexperience will be a factor, but his growth cannot be denied. Cousins understands his growth also requires patience. As much as he’d like to be an immediate dominant presence, he has to learn the league, his teammates and himself.

Said Westphal of Cousins, “He’s cutting down some of his impatient mistakes and doing a better job of getting a wider base. He’s reading the defenses better, before he makes his move and he’s staying out of foul trouble.”

Cousins has a unique and distinctive game. He’s listed at 6-foot-11, yet at times he plays the game as if he’s a 6-footer. He’ll attempt to push the ball upcourt via the dribble or lay in the backcourt to try to poke the ball away from a guard.

These aren’t particularly smart moves, but they are part of what makes him who he is. Cousins isn’t scared and that heart in a big man has been needed around here a little longer than virtually forever.

He plays as if he‘s a big guy who grew tall relatively late instead of always being a big guy. He says that’s not the case.

“For me, I was never afraid to try stuff,” he said Sunday night after scoring a career-high 28 points, grabbing eight rebounds and handing out season-high and team-leading six assists. “When I first started playing ball, I used to take off dribbling the ball and coaches would flip their (lids). I’d just keep going and I guess I’ve benefited from it.

“My shot has been messed up, but I’m comfortable shooting (15-footers).”

The extra bonus Sacramento gets with Cousins is he is naturally silly and funny. It’s difficult ever imaging an uptight locker room with him roaming with walk-bys.

When told most of the Phoenix players believed he’d walked on a key fourth-quarter, three-point play, he said, “I took eight steps because I had a guy (Robin Lopez) on my back and I couldn’t control that.”

What Westphal and the rest of the Kings coaching staff and front office have not been capable of controlling is the players’ inability to make shots. It’s the coaching staff’s job to help their players get good shots. The coaches can’t make the shots for them.

Perhaps the players need to put in more work and control what they can control.

Witness 23.1 percent field-goal shooting (6-for-26) in the first quarter against Phoenix and 35 percent shooting in the second quarter. Then the Kings shoot 61.1 percent (11-for-18) in the third quarter and 10 of 20 in the fourth.

Explain that! Moreover, the Kings made eight of their last 12 shots in the fourth, so that means they missed six of their first eight. Explain that, too!

We’re still waiting to see what the Kings look like if they play a solid 48 minutes. It was nice Sunday, however, to see Sacramento receive workmanlike performances from Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson as well as Cousins. For once it didn’t matter that Evans and Beno Udrih stunk up the joint.

And it didn’t hurt that Pooh Jeter contributed four points, four assists and no turnovers during the fourth quarter, his only 12 minutes of action.

Lakers show Kings how far they have to go

The Los Angeles Lakers strolled into Arco Arena Wednesday night delivered all that is real.

Clearly, it was too real for the young Sacramento Kings.

It wasn’t just the 12-point victory margin. It was the team-wide defensive intensity combined with a self-knowledge, championship confidence and swagger combined with a discipline of execution that overwhelmed the Kings’ youthful intentions and desires.

The Lakers are what every team wants to be and where every team is attempting to get.

They’ve already won back-to-back titles and nothing was apparent last night to reveal they now aren’t on a similar course.

Could they become better this season than last? Only a season’s evolution and development can lead to that determination.

Yet, as the new-and-still improving almost 31-year-old (Nov. 6) Lamar Odom said, “Better? I hope so. That’s our goal. It’s always realistic, when you strive. Being perfect is like a realistic goal for us. That’s our way of thinking, our thought process.”

Can you get to that? Other teams are attempting to get into the playoffs, perhaps get a high playoff-seed, even. Meanwhile, the Lakers have begun the season 5-0 and have yet to put 23-year-old 7-foot talent Andrew Bynum on the court.

The Lakers seek perfection. Odom sounded like Denzel Washington in “Remember the Titans”, but the sincerity in his delivery and eyes, showed the versatile swingman was deadly serious.

Just as Kobe Bryant always is serious when he steps onto the floor, the Lakers carry themselves with an air of invincibility. That quotient never should be underestimated.

In some ways, Bryant’s presence and dominance manifest themselves in each of the Lakers. That goes the same for legendary coach Phil Jackson.

They don’t get shaken and there never is a situation in which they feel a loss of control.

Listen to how Odom and Derek Fisher speak of Bryant, who had off-season surgery on his right knee for the third time.

Said Odom, “Kobe is coming off surgery. He’s going to will the basketball game to kind of go his way. So, this is nothing different than what I’ve seen since I’ve been playing with him.”

Fisher and Bryant joined the Lakers together in 1996.

“I thought he might start off struggling to find some rhythm,” Fisher said of Bryant, “and he might build some rhythm as things went. But to see him playing this well, this early, he’s on my team, so that’s good for me. But that’s not good for everybody else when he’s playing this good this early.

“It’s not surprising. Nothing that he does surprises me. I’ve just seen too much, too many times. He’s capable of doing pretty much anything and everything.”

That’s the sound of reverence, of ultimate respect and confidence. The Lakers are a finished product that somehow still has an upside.

Meanwhile, the Kings are attempting to find their way with games such as the Lakers contest serving as monitoring levels. Sacramento’s leader on the floor is 21-year-old second-year guard Tyreke Evans.

Evans couldn’t stay on the floor against the Lakers and much of it was his own doing. He picked up his third foul with 1:08 left in the first half while defending Bryant’s shot attempt.

Evans’ fourth foul came with 8:42 left in the third quarter. He was caught reaching 20 feet from the basket as Bryant attempted to catch a pass. He was replaced 34 seconds later and sat the rest of the third.

It was no coincidence the Lakers quickly raced to an 82-62 lead as the Kings offense went ka-put.

Kings coach Paul Westphal didn’t mention Evans by name, but it was apparent the guard’s absence during the third quarter’s final minutes was a crucial factor.

“I thought it was an offensive breakdown in the third quarter,” the coach said. “I thought we were missing a lot of shots in the third quarter and let them get out. They’re too good of a team to let them get (into) transition and just miss, miss, miss over and over.”

Westphal knows how much the Kings (3-2) collectively have to improve to even approach the neighborhood in which the Lakers reside.

“The Lakers don’t even know who we are right now,” he said. “We would like to build a rivalry with the best team in the world, but to answer that question as if there’s a rivalry, that’d be an insult to them.

“We’ve got to win some games before there’s a rivalry. They are where we want to be.”

It's nut-cutting time

One of the best (and funniest) people I've met during 32 years of covering sports is Lionel Simmons.

They called him the L-Train because of his name, but also because he was one of college basketball's most prolific scorers.

Simmons was a first-round draft choice (No. 7 overall) by the Sacramento Kings in 1990 (one of a record four (Travis Mays, Duane Causwell and Anthony Bonner) and used his knowledge of the game, mental and physical toughness as well as skill versatility to average 16 to 17 points, seven or eight rebounds and four assists.

Simmons only played until he was 28 before knee troubles strongly encouraged him to retire. Knee pain reduced his time on the court. Simmons had enough foresight to consider life after hoops, both financially and physically.

Simmons, despite less than superior athleticism, was an excellent clutch player. Not only did he possess the acumen to get a shot he wanted and could make under duress, Simmons also made plays for his teammates, who early in his career lacked in overall quality.

Simmons used to call those game-turning situations, 'nut-cutting time.' Exactly why, I'm not sure, but the dire circumstances were translated.

You know - do what you do or get off the pot.

You don't have to go home, but you've got to get the hell out of here.

Hit your point or give up the dice.

The NBA Finals have reached nut-cutting time, folks, particularly for the Los Angeles Lakers. They have kicked their margin for error to the curb. The Lakers, who held 1-0 and 2-1 advantages in this best-of-seven series, have to come up big in Tuesday night's Game Six or they are done.

All of Kobe Bryant's heroics will go for naught, unless the rest of the Lakers can play to their potential. The bit players need not perform excellently, but no longer can they get down at a sub-par rate en masse.

The Boston Celtics clearly have stepped up individually to perform as a team at a level at which even the Lakers have had to marvel. Boston's team defense has turned the Lakers normally efficient offense into five guys looking for their first pickup game together.

It's the rare situation when the Lakers are able to uncover an open shot, particularly by anyone capable of consistently make one.

What this series is showing is Bryant is the best tough-shot maker in NBA history. Boston's defense is consistently providing opportunities for Bryant to display this quality.

The Celtics inevitably are able to get one defender, if not two, to challenge virtually every Lakers shot attempt.

The series opened with conversation about whether Bryant had reached Michael Jordan status.

What we've also learned is Phil Jackson better unearth a Steve Kerr clone; a Craig Hodges light at the offensive end. Defensively, Jackson better find some players who will refuse to fold and go gently.

Remember Gasol spoke earlier this series accurately about how Kevin Garnett's athleticism had declined. Perhaps now Gasol realizes that Garnett's heart and desire have not dissipated. And at this point, heart and desire are just as important, if not more so, than athleticism and execution.

Who wants it more?

That's what we'll find out Tuesday night.

Certainly, if the Celtics can win Game Six, it'll be their second victory in L.A. in three Finals games and they will have displayed their mettle to get a well-earned second title in three seasons.

Fast breaks

Ron Artest needs to stop thinking and play.

Boston's Glen (Big Baby) Davis is the classic example for teams to look at how well players can move their feet when drafting.

If those who listen to Glenn (Doc) Rivers manage his team don't realize this guy is a heck of a coach, they'd might want to invest in ear wax removal.

I'm with Bryant. If he needs now to tell his teammates what time it is, this series is over before Game Six begins.

Can Gasol score again against Boston in the post?

If the Celtics were the second-best road team (tied with Cleveland at 26 wins, behind Dallas' 27) and the Lakers were tied with Atlanta, Orlando and Denver with 34 victories behind Cleveland's league-leading 35 home wins, what does this truly mean? Just as much as Phil Jackson's 47-0 mark in series after winning Game One.

Those stats mean nothing - never did, never will. Stats achieved during this series carry far more weight.

More, more and more, yet

Let me see if I've got this right: Tom Izzo is 55 and needs to hear from LeBron James if he should go from Michigan State to Cleveland and make $3 million more a year for the next five years.

As nice as James is, if I'm Izzo and Cleveland is jocking me as hard as it appears to be, I'd crack for another $1 million a year if James doesn't return. For $20 million more during that span, I'd coach the Fat Boys.

All of this college football shagging just illuminates how powerless the NCAA really is in 2010. I'd sure have no problem if 'student-athletes' unionized and asked for a percentage of all this money coming into the mix.

And another thing: I think I should get some of my people (and your people, too) together and work on the safest, secure, plush and stylish strip club on the West Coast.

If athletes, such as Vince Young (since he's in the news right now) can't keep their butts and surplus dinero out of these clubs, somehow I should monetize.

If that's impossible, perhaps establishing Marty Mac's travelling dancing girls could be the hookup. We'd line up a veritable harem of beautiful ladies who could come to the athletes' place of choice so we could keep these knuckleheads out of trouble, particularly public trouble.

Let's see, you are in a strip club and instead of enjoying the company of the ladies, you are talking to some other hard-heads about whatever.

Whatever is right!

Strasburg, Vaughn come from different perspectives

Center fielder Cory Vaughn and Stephen Strasburg were two-year teammates on the San Diego State University baseball team, but the similarities pretty much end there.

Strasburg was selected first overall by the Washington Nationals June 8, 2009. Vaughn, meanwhile, was selected Tuesday by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2010 first-year draft.

Strasburg's major-league career began Tuesday night in Washington with a 14-strikeout, zero-

walk victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Strasburg already has signed a four-year, $15-million deal with the Nationals.

Vaughn, like nearly all of the players who sign after being selected during the 50-round draft, soon will begin play in a low-level minor league in his quest to get to the big leagues.

Strasburg clearly is a phenom. However, the predominance of young baseball players will take the long, hard route. Strasburg will receive a great deal of attention, even with the likelihood that he cannot duplicate that sterling debut.

Vaughn has perspective and insight delivered from his father, Greg, who hit 355 home runs in 15 major-league seasons.

Greg Vaughn spent 1986 in Helena, Montana; 1987 in Beloit, Wisconsin; 1988 in El Paso, Texas and parts of 1989 in Denver before being elevated for 38 games late in the season.

The senior Vaughn accompanied his son last week to pre-draft workouts in Arizona, Denver, Milwaukee and Minnesota.

It wasn't always like this in baseball. Scouts would do their due diligence and then selections would be made.

The senior Vaughn said his son now will have an opportunity to play baseball and make money once he becomes a major-leaguer.

"Hopefully," he said, "you show your stuff now and get your money when you get into the majors. That's what makes baseball special."

Vaughn, who played for five teams (Milwaukee, San Diego, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and Colorado), believes American baseball players have been hindered by the way they are taught on the way up the ladder.

"As a kid, you are taught how to play one way, how to run, how to hit, how not to hit," Vaughn said. "Those ways you are taught change at every level, high school, AAU, college and then pro ball.

One advantage Hispanic kids have is they are taught to play one way coming up and there is no confusion about how the game is played."

Vaughn said Strasburg has shown a poise and talent level that has him pointed towards stardom.

"He's one of the best competitors you'll find," Vaughn said of the Nationals rookie, "but you can talk to him. He's a quality guy with a great work ethic. Nothing is a big deal to him. He's got a power arm and he wants to be great. And throwing 95-96 miles per hour certainly can help him be great because he's got other pitches he can go to."

Greatness always will receive grandiose media attention, however, there always will be far more players attempting to make their respective ways - step by step - to the majors.

College sports shows not everything must change

All long-time sports fans sit with open mouths as we watch the state of college sports altered as never before.

Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Colorado reportedly are slated to join what was known as the Pacific-10 Conference. Nebraska is headed to the Big 10 and what last week was known as the Big 12 could become a mirage.

And we all know, but rarely hear from powers-that-be, it's about money, network television and TV markets.

Perhaps this is the geographic precursor to what we've always heard out here from earthquake-leery folks about the West Coast. When the Big One hits, the coast will be drastically altered, and there could be an Island division.

The next card to be played likely will come from Notre Dame, which has stood as a high and mighty independent.

Both ironic and disgusting, throughout all of this sports university juggling, is nary a mention of the student-athletes, as the NCAA likes to call them.

Then again, on the same day much of these changes appear legitimate, USC is handed a two-year bowl penalty as well as reduced scholarships among other sanctions for behavior that went against 'the heart of the NCAA's amateurism principles.'

There is no questioning here that Reggie Bush and/or O.J. Mayo may have financially benefited while playing for the Trojans. The point is college football programs are multi-million conglomerates.

Other USC players likely did as well. Ditto for UCLA players, University of Nebraska players, Colorado, you name it. Pick a high-profile university and some players on the basketball and football teams received uhh, upgrades.

That's merely the way of the world. Those who have excesses and acclaim get free dinner, upgraded parking and better seats, just to name a few.

Joey Johnson and Mickey Martin, the postal and garbage workers, have to pay their respective ways.

It says here, the NCAA spent five years going after USC, so don't stop here. Jam up every school for the exact same behavior. Spend those same what likely were millions of dollars to clean up collegiate athletics.

Prevent coaches from moving from school to school and improving their personal financial lots while leaving their recruits high and dry.

Yeah, right, that's going to happen.

As long as schools can make their moves and take in more cheddar, then it's not that unforgivable or unrealistic student-athletes also look to take advantage of their opportunities.

As schools have shown, free money is difficult to turn down.

It still looks like a long NBA Finals

Each of the first three NBA Finals games could have been won by the loser, so it makes little sense to foresee the rest of the series to be any other way.

Both coaches, L.A.'s Phil Jackson and Boston's Doc Rivers, have complained about the officiating. OK, here's another news flash, it'll be hot in Mexico City in August.

Coaches always complain about officiating during series, be it first-round, conference semifinals and conference finals, much less the NBA Finals.

Once the game begins, it always has been about heart. When everything is on the line, the team that gets more of its players performing at a high level will win. The easiest way to perform at a high level offensively is to take the ball to the rack as diligently, relentlessly and strongly as possible.

Only the strongest survives.

Where should LeBron James sign?

Don't fall for okey-doke

One of the more interesting phenomena during any sports series is how so-called experts (we prefer observers) react to one game. Most become waver masters.

Certainly, see Boston in the NBA Finals after watching Cleveland blow out the Celtics at home in Game Three of the Eastern Conference semifinals should be a lesson to us all.

Those needing more history should think back or look up the 1984 Lakers-Celtics Finals matchup. Larry Bird's Celtics were spanked 137-104 in Game Three in Los Angeles and the Birdman said his team played like sissies. The Celtics won Game Four 129-125 in overtime and went on to win the series in seven games.

Don't get it twisted. We'd rather be with the Los Angeles Lakers, in this instance, ahead 1-0 in this best-of-seven series with the homecourt advantage.

Simply put, every game won is a huge feather in the Kangol. You need four to win.

Yet, the Boston Celtics will be ecstatic if they can heist Game Two Sunday and go home for Games Three, Four and Five with the series tied 1-1.

That, quietly, was their realistic goal when they came to L.A.

Surely, winning both games would have been greatness personified. However, that was such an unlikely occurrence, realism suggested getting one for the Green would be all good.

The Celtics have made their way to this point by handling what is in front of them. Sunday, the only remainders of Game One will be motivation from how they lost and increased intensity because of necessity.

Boston would rather drink spoiled milk than go east trailing 0-2. That is a larger deficit for Boston than a 2-0 advantage for the Lakers, if possible.

That deficit eliminates any margin of error for the Celtics, not to mention giving the Lakers three shots to win their third game and return to L.A. for two games, needing just one to win.

Game One was viewed as ugly by many observers, Lakers coach Phil Jackson included.

Well, wait until Game Two. It promises to be uglier.

Boston will play with a sense of urgency bordering on desperation. Every movement on each end of the court will be challenged. Every thing that can be gotten away with will be used.

It'll be the two old-head squads playing on Sunday morning at the park and only the strong will survive. That will be strength of mind as well as physical.

Boston appears to need a rejuvenated Kevin Garnett. As he moves about the court, the question is whether he's physically capable of using his quickness and length even in the neighborhood of where he once could play.

Garnett's movements appeared unsteady during the season's second half and it could be the length of playoffs have taken away leg strength. There are movements he can make without thought, but many more he cannot.

In many ways, the limited mobility of Garnett and Laker center Andrew Bynum appear similar. They can be productive still, but fluidity in their current physical states is only a dream.

The Celtics more likely will get amped production from Ray Allen, who received at least two bogus foul calls from the uptight and inconsistent officiating crew of Joe DeRosa, Derrick Stafford and Joey Crawford.

Allen still has the NBA's prettiest jumpers and lethal as well. Boston coach Doc Rivers preaches playing together and Allen suffers most when the Celtics fall short.

As poorly as Boston played, Rivers was accurate when noted there were opportunities for the Celtics to get into the game.

If those openings arise again, both teams could head east tied at the hip with a great, albeit ugly season awaiting us all.

Gasol leads Lakers not named Kobe

Pau Gasol's 23 points, 14 rebounds (eight offensive), three assists and three blocks during a game-high 47 minutes helped provide a base for Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

Gasol produced without having the ball pounded into him. Ron Artest, Derek Fisher and Bynum did the same as Jordan Farmar, Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown off the bench.

The Lakers ultimately put the outcome in the ice box in the middle of the fourth with Bryant on the bench.

Lies, lies and more lies

We're entering a period of NBA life during which there possibly will be more lies, lies and more lies told than ever before.

There are so many lies out here right now, even before I can get started on this topic, I just heard another one.

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson Wednesday afternoon on being tied 2-2 in the Western Conference Finals with the Phoenix Suns after losing back-to-back games in the Valley, "There's absolutely no doubt that we love this. This is what champions are made of. We had this situation with Oklahoma. We had it with Denver last year in the (Conference) finals. It should be like this."

Yeah, Phil. Really?

Why do people feed us this garbage like we're disposals? I mean, you can't just put anything even in a disposal.

He's got a center in Andrew Bynum, who currently because of a knee injury has the mobility of former mountainous Utah center Mark Eaton.

The Suns have used a 2-3 matchup zone of sorts to lure the Lakers into make shooting from the perimeter in the past two games and they've been incapable of handling the responsibility.

The Lakers went to Phoenix with a 2-0 lead and left tied 2-2 and Jackson wants us, somebody, anybody to believe he'd rather be in this position than ahead 3-1 with a chance to move to Finals Thursday night.

Imagine this concept Phil, you wouldn't rather have won both of those game and have clinched a Finals berth?

Yeah, Phil. Let's just say I've got some land in Montana I need to sell. Oh, that's right, you've already got a spread up there.

Jackson's impending contract situation actually was one of the motivations behind this subject. ESPN.com's Mark Stein, whom I hold in high regard, reported the New Jersey Nets indirectly have inquired about Jackson's potential interest in coaching their squad next season.

Jackson's contract is up after this season and word is Lakers owner Jerry Buss wants the zenmaestro to return, albeit with a drastically reduced salary. He made $12 million and it's been reported Buss wants that dropped by roughly half.

Now I have doubts about that. Could Buss be crazy/senile enough to think Jackson, whose lady friend Jeanne happens to be Jerry's daughter and a Lakers exectutive, would take such a deal. For goodness sakes the man could be coming off back-to-back championships.

Jackson says he nor none of his people have discussed potential coaching gigs with New Jersey or Chicago or Cleveland.

So some one or somebody or some people are lying.

Each side can't be telling the truth.

We're told LeBron James had nothing to do with the firing of coach Mike Brown. Yeah, right.

That we've not heard James told the Cavs he'd come back if they retained Brown means the young star had something to do with Brown's release.

Coaches come and go because teams eventually stop wanting to hear their message and the grass always is greener.

Shoot, I loved my late father, but there were days I'd have traded his butt for two slices of Valentino pizza at the bus terminal on 165th street in Queens. No doubt, there are nights my son would make the cheesesteak for dad trade, too.

After having covered the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings, being lied to comes with putting on socks in the morning. Executives and coaches lie to beat writers regularly. It's part of their job and as long as we accept that, it's a free world.

There are times the truth can destroy impending or possible transactions. That's understood.

However, can we keep a little sanity about these untruths. At least work on the falsehood. It's not like you come home and tell the wife just anything. Can we as fans and writers get similar respect, please?