Stacey King has been speaking his mind freely in recent weeks, especially when it comes to criticizing the opposing team.
Earlier this month, King and fellow announcer Adam Amin, the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls, slammed officials for a “terrible” Nikola Jokić ejection. While King didn’t take aim at the officiating during Friday’s matchups between the Bulls and Spurs, he did aim at San Antonio.
During Chicago’s 114-95 defeat of the Spurs, there were multiple instances where an open Victor Wembanyama called for a lob pass, only to be ignored by his teammates. When it happened again, King spoke up, even before the play in question could materialize.
“I don’t know how you miss a 7’4″ guy,” said an exasperated King. “I just don’t understand that. Like he’s yelling, ‘Throw the ball up to the rim.’ Remember, he hurt the Bulls in San Antonio by just throwing it up there, and he went to go get it. Man, it’s almost like his team is reluctant to throw it to him.”
While the Bulls won that Dec. 8 matchup in San Antonio, Wembanyama had 21 points and 20 rebounds. On Friday, he had seven points, five rebounds and five assists.
“Wembanyama is your number one guy, and everyone else needs to find their role after that,” he added. “Because it seems like just watching this team twice now is that there’s guys trying to figure out if I’m the number one guy. ‘Am I the number one guy?’ No, I hate to break it to you; you’re not.”
Chicago Bulls' color commentator Stacey King was cooking last night
“I don't know how you miss a 7'4" guy. I just don't understand.”
“There are guys trying to figure out if they're the number one guy—you're not.” pic.twitter.com/kGeTHgzsDu
— Spurs Culture (@SpursCulture) December 22, 2023
Wembanyama was why the United Center was near total capacity despite a 4-win team being in town in late December during the Holiday season. Sure, people love their Bulls, but they also came to see the Frenchman, who’s supposed to be the next big thing in the league.
It’s unclear if this is by design, but Wembanyama took just eight shots on Friday, while four of his Spurs teammates took double-digit attempts from the field. If it’s by design, it’s no wonder why the Spurs will enter Christmas a mere 4-24.
Something has to give eventually. If you’re going to be this bad, you might as well let your best player flourish. Even as losses pile up, it shouldn’t come at the expense of Wembanyama’s development; that makes no sense.
The Spurs owe it to themselves and their fans to build around Wembanyama, even if it means swallowing their pride and letting him dominate the offense.
