Sacramento Kings

Kings loss to Mavs on Friday illustrates season of discontent

2013-04-06T20:29:10Z

It’s frustrating when -

1. A player that averages 11.6 points per game scores 25 and has 12 boards.

The big scorer - Shawn Marion, a guy past his prime that rarely puts up those types of numbers anymore.

2. Your team shoots horrible from beyond the arc.

The big culprit - shooting 6-for-26 from three-point land, including Isaiah Thomas' 0-for-7.

Add it up and it’s not recipe for success - you probably lose that game nine times out of ten.

That’s exactly what happened on Friday evening at Sleep Train Arena when the Dallas Mavericks came to town and beat the Sacramento Kings 117-108 in a game that the home team had under control at the end of the first quarter.

“I knew we had to get a good pace in this basketball game and I thought our guys that started the game did a great job with that,” said Coach Smart from the podium in the press room after the game. “But then we had a big drop-off in the second - gave up 41 points in the second quarter.”

Boy, I’ll say!

But that’s a pattern in this Kings/Mavs rivalry this season.

On December 10, in the first meeting between the two teams this season, The Mavs outscored the Kings 29-14 in the second quarter. On January 10, it was a 33-23 besting in the final frame to tie the game eventually win it in overtime. Then, on February 13, in the second game in as many days, the Kings got blasted again in the second quarter 29-17.

Considering all those numbers, Coach Smart wasn’t surprised at all.

“We’ve had a hard time with this team all year,” said Coach Smart. “This team has done a number on us no matter how we’ve tried to play them.”

You still have to give the players some credit. Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas knew that without DeMarcus Cousins starting (coaches decision) and also realizing one of their volume scorers - Marcus Thornton, would play less than six minutes.

Cousins played nine minutes in the second but never returned to the game.

When Smart was asked about his decision, he was short and to the point in his response.

“It was my decision, a coach’s decision,” said Smart.

Cousins didn’t have an answer either.

“It was his decision,” said Cousins.

Because of Smart’s decisions, Evans and Thomas probably felt like they had to do a little more to pull this one out.

Evans, who visited his brother Doc’s house in the morning to have some green tea as he was feeling a little sick, still put up 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting and had six assists and nine boards.

“Yeah, I’ve been a little under the weather,” said Evans. “I still managed to come out and play and try to help the team win. We had them in the beginning - we wanted to get out to a fast start and we did that, but we just couldn’t hold the lead.”

Thomas understands some of the criticism on the games where his assist total is not where some think it should be but on Friday, he knew he had to be aggressive to make up for the lack of scorers used in the game.

“I felt like I should be in attack mode today just knowing and seeing that DeMarcus wasn’t playing too much and Marcus Thornton wasn’t playing too much and those are our top scoring threats besides Tyreke, so I just felt like I needed to be in attack mode and be a little more aggressive to make plays.”

The Kings closed it to 94-90 Mavericks at the 10:23 mark of the final quarter but then gave up nine straight to put the game out of reach.

Frustrating? Yes.

But what has to get worked out prior to next season?

Either making sure everyone’s happy with the rotation and their role on the team or find players that will accept their position and work as one unit on the floor.

Evans was asked about the rotations and gave an honest answer.

“It’s a little frustrating, everybody’s frustrated,” said Evans. “For us, we have to be professional . . . When he (Smart) doesn’t make the right setup tonight, you can’t get mad. Whoever’s out there - you just gotta work.”

Evans is right.

Whatever the root of this season’s discontent, playing together and having each other’s backs is truely the answer.

KINGS NOTES: Jason Thompson had another solid game with 16 points and 16 rebounds . . . Toney Douglas added 14 off the bench . . . James Johnson saw his first action since missing almost a month for the birth of his son

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

GEORGE YOUNG

Thomas still working on weaknesses, has made great strides this season

2013-04-04T22:18:13Z

When asked at the beginning of the season who I thought should start at the point for your Sacramento Kings, I said Aaron Brooks, no questions asked. For me, starting Isaiah Thomas was not even an option.

Fast forward to the present and, not only have I softened my stance against “The Pizza Guy” starting, but am finally seeing the reasons Coach Keith Smart has stuck with him since inserting him into the starting lineup in the first week of the regular season.

Let’s be honest here. After watching Tyreke Evans run the show for SacTown for nearly three years, I really struggled watching ‘Reke play the small forward late last year. I got the concept, but didn’t think it was the best way to utilize Evans.

Enter Aaron Brooks.

So now I’m thinking that Brooks is the answer and Thomas would be a solid backup. Considering that the Kings also signed James Johnson, moving Tyreke to the two made sense.

After not getting off to the start Coach Smart wanted, he benched Brooks and inserted Thomas into the starting five.

Of course, Thomas brought the flair and excitement that made him a crowd favorite right away at Sleep Train Arena.

But I was reading between the lines, so to speak.

Think about this. This team went from the fans and the players thinking that Evans was the savior and leader to DeMarcus Cousins being the next big thing to the last pick in the draft - and maybe the shortest - Isaiah Thomas being the one to lead Sacramento to the promised land.

That’s not only a tough transition for the loyalists that follow the team, but for the players themselves. And I think that some of that animosity has shown itself on the court this season.

Nonetheless, things are starting to settle down at the old barn and Thomas is finding his way.

Early on, my biggest issue with the second year player out of Washington was that he was hunting for his shot before looking to include his teammates in the action. Exactly the opposite of a point guard’s job. There were many games in which Thomas had 15-20 points and barely registered an assist.

Then there was the Philly game on March 24. One look at Thomas’ line and you would immediately notice. The super sophomore put up 25 points and hit four triples along the way. Did you see the rest of his numbers? Zero assists and zero steals. On paper, one of the most selfish games a point guard could have.

But not so fast says Coach Keith Smart.

“When I went back through the film, there were several occasions where he dropped the pass off to a couple of guys under the basket and they didn’t finish plays,’ said Coach Smart. “He made the plays to a couple of guys at the perimeter and they didn’t make their shots. As you see, the stat sheet says zero, but he did have six or seven plays he made where guys just simply didn’t make their shot.”

“He had a couple of plays where Tyreke came off on a screen right toward the elbow - all he had to do was throw up a jump shot, he was wide open - but he caught it and put it down. A couple times he dropped a pas of to “Cuz but he caught it and put it down two times and went to the basket.

“He was making plays, but that donut just stood there.”

Since then, Thomas has been much more consistent with his assists totals and Smart knows why.

“I think it (the zero assist game) it really stood out to him,” said Smart. “I keep telling him, you’ve got to have a plan for your assists. Kidd, Stockton, Nash - they get out of the gates fast. They get five assists in the first quarter or the first half. Now your on track for ten.”

The issue at hand now seems to be the same issue I’ve ever had with Tyreke Evans. Trying to do too much on his own. Forcing his way into the paint - even attempting to barrel through three guys in the middle - with little to no success.

Thomas’ weakness is very similar in that at times he dribbles and dribbles and dribbles and dribbles and dribbles - you get my point? - until there are either five seconds left on the shot clock or he has it taken away by one of the big guys clogging the lane.

Both are unacceptable and kill the teams momentum every time.

Both Smart and Thomas are aware of this and Smart had a suggestion for the player.

“He has to keep understanding space is his best friend on the floor,” said Smart. “He has a high dribble and he has to get to that point to where he can control that dribble. When guys like Nash and Steph Curry get into tight spots, they get real, real low with the basketball. He’s still at that stage where he is a very high dribbler.”

Thomas, who has corrected or is working on fixing the earlier issues I’ve brought up, understands that this may be the one that puts him over the top.

“If I can get as low as I can get, they don;t want to get as low as they can get because I’m already lower to the ground than they can get,” said Thomas.

How hard will it be for Thomas to learn a shorter, lower to the ground dribble?

“It’s not going not be that much harder,” continued Thomas. “I just have to watch film and really work on it, especially when I’m in the paint. Staying low and finding the cuts and openings to so I can make plays for myself and my teammates.”

“Once the season’s over, I’m going to watch a lot of film and really try and work on it and come back next year even better.”

So for you Pizza Guy lovers, I get it. He is exciting to watch and brings a needed intensity to the club.

If Thomas can truly stop forcing the issue at times and keep all his teammates involved (and hopefully happy - not all on him), the next growth spurt Thomas makes will be one into the national spotlight.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

RON NABITY

http://www.nabityphotos.com/index.htm

Numbers Never Lie: Tyreke Evans continues to make strides in his game

2013-03-22T22:41:05Z

For the second game in a row, Tyreke Evans was an integral part and the catalyst of two Kings comebacks that resulted in wins.

On Thursday evening, March 21, at Sleep Train Arena, the Sacramento Kings toppled the Minnesota Timberwolves 101-98 in front of 12,176 riled up fans.

Make no mistake about it. Ever since the Brothers Maloof’s secret sale became uncovered, the attendance at the ole barn has increased and the fans there are getting louder and louder with their collective “Sac-ra-men-to” and “Here we stay” chants at each game.

With Evans’ contract running out at the end of the season - the club does have the right to match any offer for next season - there is lots of speculation and opinion whether he should be resigned.

For anyone that has followed this team since 'Reke came onboard, the answer should be an easy one.

Yes!

Evans has made many improvements since he’s arrived in town.

From a reporter’s point of view, Evans has gone from a very quiet guy that rarely looked reporters in the eye when answering questions in the locker room after the game, to a guy that looks and speaks directly at you for every query thrown his way.

His quiet demeanor when landing in Sacramento was somewhat misunderstood as arrogance by some. Mostly those who never get a chance to have a real conversation with the guy. Once you do, you realize that he is a little reserved and not cocky at all.

Besides his I-80 speeding incident, Evans has remained out of trouble and in the good graces of the team and fans.

In Tuesday, March 19's game versus the Clippers, Evans got the team cooking early in the fourth when he became the primary ball handler with Isaiah Thomas on the pine. After hitting four free throws in a row to tie the score at 86 with 8:25 remaining in the game, Evans hit two tough driving layups in a row to really give the Kings the feel that they could win this game.

He really clamped down on Jamal Crawford late in the game, and held him scoreless the last 5:15 of the game.

Evans credited Toney Douglas’ defense as his motivator for clamping down on his man late in the game.

“He’s pressuring at full court and making the guards work,” Evans said. “When I see that, it kind of gets me going to pressure my guy and trying to make him work. We’re just all out there having fun and playing defense. It’s always good to get a win when you're having fun playing defense.”

In the fourth quarter against the Wolves on Thursday, Evans took over again. With 8:48 left this time, Evans again was the main ball handler throughout the fourth. Evans would then score 9 of the next eleven points to give the Kings a confident margin.

Evans, who scored 11 of his 21 in the final frame, talked about how he stays ready after having such a quiet first three quarters.

“I just stay ready,” Evans said. “It’s a long game - 48 minutes. Every chance I get, I just try and be patient and make the right play. When it’s time to attack, I attack.”

A further look at Evans' stats fills in more of the picture and shows why he should be a King in the coming years.

His field goal percentage is at 46.8 - the highest in any season so far. He’s shooting 35 percent from three-point land - over five points higher than his previous best. His turnovers are down from three per game in his rookie season to only two each contest this year.

When you delve deeper into some of the more complicated stats, as they say, the numbers never lie. According to Hoopdata.com, he’s at an all-time high in true shooting percentage, percentage of field goals assisted and total rebound rate.

Coach Smart sees the improvement and is trying to put Evans in more successful situations. After taking a bit to accept his new role, Smart says the kid has started to flourish.

“His whole life, he’s been a guy that had the basketball in his hands,” Smart said. “I had to share with him, that what needed from him was defense and developing his shot. He knew it was important for him to do that, but I don’t think he ever really took it serious until this past summer.”

Smart noticed and Evans agreed that early on this year, when the mid-range jumper wasn’t falling, he would resort back to his old form. But neither gave up his shot. And his shot started to come together.

“With his ability to drive the basketball and making those long-range jumpers, it only helped his overall game,” Smart said. “Now, he has the ability to shoot the long shot, drive to the basket and then make plays off the dribble. That’s what a two guard in our league needs to be able to do. He’s done some of those things this year and that’s just the steps he’s making to help solidify our team.”

Both Smart and Evans agree that the only real thing to work on is the mid-range pull-up shot. And when that comes, watch out opposing guards!

“His balance is still not there for that shot, but I think he understands where his spots on the floor are to shoot the long ball,” Smart said. “Having that mid-range pull-up jump shot to now not only with the shot, but also it puts defenses in a decision-making time by saying, do I come to help? If I help, he can drop off the pass.”

So naysayers, still wanna get rid of a truly talented guard that nearly breaks ankles each and every game?

Sure, once or twice a game he turns the ball over while making one of those plays that just takes your breath away.

For my money, no one can drive to the rack like ‘Reke.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

RON NABITY

http://www.nabityphotos.com

Patterson adds range and professionalism to new team

2013-03-11T18:05:55Z

He was supposed to be Buster the third.

I mean, everyone in the family expected it to happen once they found out Tywanna was having the baby.

That is, everyone but Tywanna.

“She refused for me to be another Buster,” Patterson said. “The whole family wanted me to be Buster, but they lost the argument.”

Patrick Patterson is the cornerstone in the trade that also brought Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas to the Kings on February 20 of this year in exchange for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt.

In Patterson, the Kings get a more experienced power forward that can also spread the floor with his outside shooting ability.

For “P-Pat” - as he’s known - it was quite a benefit to be shipped to Sacramento along with Douglas as they had shared the floor on numerous occasions.

“It helps whenever you transition to a new team with a bunch of players in whom you’ve already been comfortable with in Toney (Douglas) and Cole (Aldrich),” Patterson said.

Besides that, Patterson feels close to many on the Kings roster.

“I’m definitely fortunate that I came into a team with players that I’ve already had friendships with like DeMarcus (Cousins), Marcus Thornton, Chuck Hayes, Isaiah (Thomas) and Tyreke (Evans). Just guys whom I’ve already had relationships with, guys I’ve already been around before, guys I pretty much know, so that transition made it a lot smoother and comfortable for myself.”

It’s great that Patterson already has a sense of comfort in the Sactown.

But also important is that in Patterson (and Douglas), Coach Smart sees a high basketball I.Q.

That basketball knowledge was on display immediately after their acquisition.

Smart had given both players a mini-playbook to digest quickly. But even a guy with high expectations like Coach Smart was impressed with how quickly the new guys picked up on it.

“The other night Golden State went into a zone,” Smart said, “and I instinctively called a play that we run against the zone. Both Douglas and Patterson jumped right into their spots. So obviously those guys had looked through their package a little bit, but that’s what pros do. Pros get information, they look at it, they pay attention to it and they try to apply it.”

Ah, if it’s one thing this team needs more of is pros - true professionals.

Some of the key things Patterson brings to this team are rebounding and his defense.

Jason Thompson loves the way he spreads the floor because the other team’s big men have to come out and guard him away from the basket.

“It opens the floor up for everybody and makes it tough on their defense,” Thompson said. “Any time a guy like that - a big guy - can hit some three’s like that, it’s only gonna help.”

Toney Douglas thinks the Kings have just started seeing what Patterson has to offer.

“Rebounding, his shot - he’s a pick and pop player, he’s a smart player, he can screen, knows when to screen and when to post up, great passer and he takes pride in everything he does out there on the floor,” Douglas said. “That’s all you can ask for in a guy like that.”

I guess you could have asked for him to be named Buster.

But then his mother wouldn’t have been happy. And a happy mother makes for a happy Patrick.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

GEORGE YOUNG

PHOTOS: Kings topple Suns in high-scoring affair - four players score 20+

2013-03-10T00:51:54Z

In Kings victory, the issue of playing time starts to simmer

2013-01-18T04:04:34Z

When you’re the Sacramento Kings (15-24) and a team like the Washington Wizards (7-29) come to town, you really should be feeling like a win is in the near future.

Like now.

But if you look at the Kings’ wins this season, they have compiled up just as many wins against good teams - Lakers, Warriors, Blazers, Jazz and Knicks than they have against the bottom of the league - the Torontos, Orlandos, Clevelands and the Washingtons of the world. So gauging the meaning of a single victory is hard these days.

All Kings head honcho Keith Smart knows is that now is the time for W’s - wins to be chalked up onto the big board.

On Wednesday evening at Sleep Train Arena the home town put out the fire of another mediocre team’s attempt at a last-minute comeback win over them with a 95-94 win over the Wizards.

Tyreke Evans hit one-of-two free throws to give the Kings a one point lead with 11.4 seconds left on the clock and that was enough for the victory and to give Sacramento their fifteenth win of the nearly halfway gone season.

Sure, you had the usual suspects having a solid game as DeMarcus Cousins scored 21 points, had 16 boards, five assists and three steals. Also, a somewhat surprising John Salmons kept his high level of play by also scoring 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting.

But it’s the two guards that brought their “A” game to the floor on Wednesday that had me asking some important questions after the contest.

Evans scored 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, had eight assists and eight boards to go along with three steals.

Jimmer Fredette also played well scoring 12 points, hit a couple of three’s and had two assists.

Face it. The facts are the facts. And its finally starting to rear its ugly head.

With Evans, Salmons, Thomas, Brooks, Thornton, Fredette and even throw Garcia in the mix, there are too many guards that can score on this team to (a) keep everyone happy and (b) form a solid rotation so Smart doesn’t have to answer the same question after every game.

“Why didn’t so-and-so start, or why didn’t so-and-so play more minutes" are inevitably the words that come out of some reporters mouth after each contest and rightly so!

After the win on Wednesday, upon seeing that Aaron Brooks and Marcus Thornton, two guys signed to bring the team more scoring and consistency, played only a total of 15:39, the question laid itself at Smart’s feet again.

“I was trying to maybe get certain guys in the game, but every possession was critical,” Smart said in the postgame presser. “I didn’t want a guy to be cold or not really into the game and I thought our bench did a decent job when they came in and played.”

On this night, Smart said he didn’t see enough energy from Isaiah Thomas and admitted that maybe he didn’t see enough off Brooks to judge him as well but was trying to get the floor spaced out wider and bringing in a solid long-range shooter like Jimmer Fredette does that exactly.

In doing so, Smart broke one of his own rules by letting a player play in the second half when he saw zero minutes in the first half.

This brings up probably the hardest thing for the players involved to swallow - limited playing time.

When Sean Cunningham of CBS 1140 Radio asked if Thornton was hurt or something, Smart let us behind the curtain, if ever so briefly.

“I was just focused on the game and I’ll deal with the issues I have to deal with tomorrow,” Smart said. “But, tonight, we won the game. We can get out of the building and get on the road and then I’ll face the issues that I have tomorrow. Tonight we won the game and we’ll work on that.”

That was clear enough for even Helen Keller to understand.

Guys that were brought into town to score are not going to be happy for too long if they don’t get whatever time they think they are due.

Evans looks better than ever after returning from his injury. His shooting percentage has improved, he’s not driving into a jungle of three or four players at the rim nearly as often and you can actually feel that he wants to be a part of running this team.

In Thornton, you got a guy that can score in bunches but when not hitting his shots, may be a liability on this team.

Salmons bring consistency - night in and night out.

Garcia will be fine in coming off the pine at this stage of his career.

Brooks brings instant energy and excitement. And he’s mastered those tough shots that Thomas is still working on.

Thomas is the gun-slinger of the bunch. Whenver he feels froggy, he’s gonna jump at a chance to shoot the ball. A little to loose with the ball if you ask me, but he’s making strides in his overall game.

And then there’s fan-favorite Jimmer Fredette. A guy that every time he comes into the game scores and then scores some more.

Too many players for the allotted time.

Who will be left without a chair in this sometimes painful and always confusing game of Kings Musical Chairs?

For fans, and I’m sure the players involved, let’s hope it’s not Game 82 until a logical, consistent rotation is finally formed when the music finally stops.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

RON NABITY

http://www.nabityphotos.com/index.htm

In his fifth year, Jason Thompson proves to be a model of consistency

2012-12-08T23:24:17Z

In a finally nearly filled Sleep Train Arena on Friday evening, the Sacramento Kings beat the visiting Orlando Magic 91-82 to win two games in a row for only the second time this frustrating season.

DeMarcus Cousins had a big night scoring 17 points, grabbing 14 boards and had three steals, two blocks and four assists. Not a bad night for the Kings’ big man. Four other players scored in double figures including Isaiah Thomas (17), Jimmer Fredette (15), Jason Thompson (12) and Aaron Brooks (11).

So far in the early going of the 2012-13 campaign, the Kings have not got the engine humming smoothly down the tracks.

The early culprits were trying to find the right combo at guard, the suspensions to both Cousins and Thomas Robinson and now the M.I.A. Tyreke Evans.

Evans has missed three of the last four games with a sore right knee, which he thinks he picked up when he banged knees against Andrei Kirilenko of the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 27. Evans had an MRI prior to the game on Friday with results coming back negative - no damage.

With all that is seemingly wrong with the Kings, the one constant bright spot is Jason Thompson.

Thompson has been a model of consistency early this season. Considering the team rarely runs plays his way, his numbers are very satisfying.

In 18 games, Thompson is averaging 11.1 points per game, 1.1 blocks, 7.2 rebounds and is shooting at a .506 clip. In 11 of the 18 games, he has scored in double figures. In three of the six wins he has nine or more rebounds also.

J.T., as he’s affectionately known, is all hustle. He’s the first one down the floor on a fast break. He often takes the ball out to start a possession and still not the last one down the floor and setting up for offense.

For those watching closely, and I have since I’ve been a big fan of him since he joined the team five years ago, even though he has been asked to do and has been used in so many different ways by his many different coaches, he still finds a way to improve each and every year.

The numbers may not show it just yet this season, but Thompson is really starting to reach his true potential.

“I think that it (his game) is coming along,” Thompson said. “I think that I can even be better. I think that I am my toughest critic. So I’m never satisfied at what is going on. The thing is to be consistent and stay healthy. I think I can still do more on the team like stay out of foul trouble and even take some more shots when I have them.”

Fouling out is a facet of the game in which Thompson has certainly improved. He has only gotten tagged with four fouls or more four times this season and only once has he fouled out.

“I’m just trying to improve and making sure that as much as I’m improving, that we can get some wins out of it as well.”

In the search for a vocal team leader, the names Evans and Cousins come up all the time. Sure, it’d be great if either of those guys would step to the plate and become the leader we as fans think they could become. But Evans may be too quiet of a guy and Cousins may not yet be consistent enough.

On the other hand, you’ve got guys like Aaron Brooks, Francisco Garcia, Chuck Hayes and John Salmons that either have the experience or have been on a playoff contender.

In Brooks and Salmons, both guys are more the quiet guys; the ones that show it on the court and not speak it in the locker room. In Garcia and Hayes, neither guy gets enough playing time to be considered a force to reckon with in the locker room.

Enter a guy like Thompson. Thompson is kind of in the middle stages now of becoming a true team leader. His experience level is almost what it needs to be and Thompson’s game is nearly there also.

Does Thompson think he can blossom into one of the voices the team tunes into?

“I think so,” Thompson said. “It’s one thing I can expand in my game. Like you said, with Chuck (Hayes) and ‘Cisco (Garcia) what makes or breaks them is obviously their longevity in the league and also that they’ve experienced the playoffs. For guys to be a voice in here, they really have to have experienced the playoffs and winning consistently.”

For Coach Smart, it’s a blessing to have such a receptive guy on his roster.

“I loved coaching him last year,” Smart said. “I saw him transition into a guy that goes out and plays - you don’t have to run plays for him, although he wants more. He does his job hard every single night. He practices at the same rate every single night, the same pace. And then just watching him stabilize his game.”

The stabilizer, this season, has been Kings big man coach Clifford Ray.

“Clifford Ray has done a great job with slowing his game down at little bit,” Smart continued. “We talked to him about not getting involved with officials or players from other teams that is going to pull his off of his game.”

“They see the guy works extremely hard,” Smart said. “He doesn’t complain. And that’s great for your team. That’s great for any team at whatever stage your team is in. If your in a developmental stage of trying to become a winner, in a team that is in the middle of the pack or a team that is eventually winning consistently.”

“He’s one of those guys fits every stage of a team as they try and become winners . . . He can stabilize all of those things.”

For DeMarcus Cousins, it mean almost more than he can put into word having a guy like J.T. on his team.

“I definitely lucky to have him on my team,” Cousins said. “J.T. Is probably one of the most unselfish players that I have eve played with. He accepts his role. He doesn’t mind playing that role. He goes out and does his job to the best of his ability every night. That’s definitely a player that you want on your team.”

“He’s always willing to play his role and be that catalyst on the team. That’s what every team needs!”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

DAVID ALVAREZ

Who starts at point is settled for now, but backup still not set in stone

2012-12-02T00:45:12Z

Although not on display Friday evening at Sleep Train Arena during the Kings/Pacers matchup (Tyreke Evans sat with a bruised left knee), the recent on-court pairing of Evans and Aaron Brooks seems to have helped Sacramento get it’s offense back on track.

The win totals may not be piling up but it sure is promising to see the team score more points lately.

The decision by Coach Keith Smart to insert Brooks into the starting point guard role to replace Isaiah Thomas coincided with the fact that Evans jumper was finding it’s mark.

Since the change, Evans is averaging 21 points, 4.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds. Brooks’ average has also increased to 10.8 per game.

I caught up with Coach Smart before the game and he explained why Brooks didn’t get the job out of training camp.

“I saw things in training camp where I didn’t think he was himself from when he played in the league before,” Smart said. “I knew it was going to take some time for him and even he said and suggested that he’d been out of it for a while. Sometimes you go and play overseas and you will do things that are necessary for that team at that moment not knowing that you are going to have to do things to get yourself ready to play back in the NBA game.”

Brooks knew how to excel in the NBA game which is one reason why Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie had a soft spot in his heart for Brooks for many years and acquiring him was something Petrie had tried to do a number of times.

With all that in mind, it was just a matter of time.

“Slowly and slowly, he started to get a little bit better, a little bit better and you can see his game is now caught up with him,” Smart said.

Brooks is happy the team is playing a little bit better and thinks that he and Tyreke just click.

“I think we feed off of each other,” Brooks said. “When he shoots a shot, he always has a rhythm and I’m a guy that doesn’t really need the ball as much.”

For Brooks, it’s being in the starting role and knowing he is going to get a chance to establish himself at the point that matters.

“As far as starting or coming off of the bench, you’re playing the same amount of minutes, you just know when you’re playing. That consistency kind of helps you, kind of delegates your game a little bit.”

Both Evans and Brooks credit John Salmons, the crafty veteran, for knowing where to be on the floor and how to help both Evans and Brooks get the ball where they like it.

“We’ve opened up the floor a lot,” Brooks said. “Not just me. A lot of it is John (Salmons) as well. You have to respect his (Evans) outside shot a little bit more so I think that has helped him out and given him some driving lanes as just let him be the athlete that he is.”

“I don’t want to say it was just me or anything like that, but I think we’ve done a collective job of sharing the ball and spreading it out and getting easy shots.”

-----

So that leaves only enough minutes for one more point guard type of player. And the Kings have two.

Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette now seem to be locked in a battle for the remaining minutes.

You may have noticed lately that both players have at least once received the dreaded DNP-CD - the did not play, coaches decision tag. This is something Smart says he’s going to have to figure out going forward.

“What I’m desperately trying to find is that guy,” Smart said. “I’ve got to give those guys some consistent minutes to find out for sure and that means probably eliminating one guy for a period or time. That’s always going to be difficult because both guys (Thomas and Fredette) can play. Both guys bring something completely different.”

The hard part, Smart says, is making sure both guys are always ready to play.

“Let’s say a guy is out of the rotation,” Smart said. “Here comes a night where you need that guy but mentally he may not be there. So I kind of sprinkled one in here and one on there because on any given night I may need something from one of those two guys and I keep their minds clear, but at the same time how to give them the consistent minutes to see if this is the guy or that is the guy.”

-----

For my money, I think Jimmer should get the call to backup Brooks.

And I’m a guy that at the end of last season, Fredette would be a non-factor entering the 2012-12 campaign.

Fredette has done everything that has been asked of him and more. He is one of the few guys on the team that you can tell how much work he put into improving his game in the offseason. He no longer forces his dribble into the land of the giants. He keeps his dribble alive more often than not. And I really like the way he directs traffic when leading the team.

As much of a fan favorite he may be, Thomas is not yet at the level Fredette has attained.

Jimmer has shown remarkable patience this season in his limited time of the floor. And when he gets consistent time on the floor, the spark Fredette brings will only shine brighter and brighter in the future.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

DARREN HALL

https://www.facebook.com/DarrenHallPhotographynet

http://darrenhallphotographynet.zenfolio.com/

Tyreke Evans on the missing ingredient so far - the jump shot

2012-11-19T14:03:28Z

THE SHOT

By now, unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere in the Maldives, you know that Tyreke Evans has spent countless hours during the offseason and into the season working on his jump shot. A shot, unless explained to you, you’d think Evans would or should have in his bag of tricks. Now here’s the explanation.

Let’s, for a moment, compare Evans to another primary ball-handler from his college days, Jimmer Fredette.

Fredette was in an offense that had him not only as the primary ball-handler, but as its main scorer too. His money shot was from the outside - a silky, smooth jumper - from anywhere on the court!

Evans didn’t have to hone his jumper, as in college no one could keep him from charging the hoop for a rim-rattling power dunk or a whirling dervish magical lay-in.

Fredette sees the improvement in Evans’ jumper, but at the same time, understands that it’s a work in progress.

“The biggest thing is that sometimes he still hesitates, but he’s not hesitating as much,” Fredette said. “He just has to trust in his jump shot. You got to come off a screen and if you’re open, shoot the ball. Don’t even hesitate. That mindset will get you to where you’re not thinking about it and you’re just shooting the basketball. I think you’ll get better results that way.”

Fredette went on to explain the mental aspects of shooting.

“It’s got to be more of a natural thing. Shooting is a lot mental. A lot of people shoot the ball really well in practice and they can make a hundred in a row. But once you get out in the game, you start thinking about it. That’s why you can’t shoot the ball as well. You really have to just relax, let your mind go and just shoot the basketball and not worry about the miss or make you just had.

“You gotta have short-term memory loss and not worry about that next shot. Just go to the next one and once you see one go in, things can completely change. You just have to be confident in yourself.”

This seems to be where Evans’ head is at now - gaining confidence.

“My shot is looking good right now,” Evans said. “It’s falling a little bit so I’m shooting with confidence, that’s all I can keep doing.”

I tossed Evans a couple of possible reasons his shot had been hard to find, but one stood out as the main culprit: Falling backwards when rising for his jumper.

This is not as easy to adjust as one might think.

Evans had his way in college and even in his rookie year with the Kings. No one knew how to stop “‘Reke.” But now into his fourth year, most every opponent knows his modus operandi and has an answer to stop his incessant driving in the lane.

Now it’s up to him and his ability to fashion a reliable jumper to make his driving capabilities effective once again.

Evans has run into a wall of guys in the key so many times over the last three years that he had to start falling backwards to give his shot a chance to go in. The problem is that it started to become normal procedure for Evans. He started falling back on every shot he took which resulted in most of his jumpers ending up short.

Prior to the game, Evans was hard at work with Clifford Ray on coming off screens and keeping his form straight up and down when shooting his jumper.

“I have a habit of kicking my leg out,” Evans said. “I’m doing a better job at it. I think I did a good job tonight of going straight up and down and hopefully I can keep it that way.”

It paid off on Friday as Evans was 5-of-11, with the last shot being a “what the hell” three attempt. In essence, he shot 50 percent from the field. Not bad considering half of his attempts were from the outside.

Besides the tireless hours Evans has put in during the offseason honing his jumper, he often finds himself in the gym during the off-hours also.

“I just came in today shooting with confidence,” Evans continued. “I came here last night getting some shots up before the game. I just want to keep working on it because I know I can shoot. I also want to be aggressive and keep driving.”

Coach Keith Smart has noticed Evans’ shot getting better. At the same time, he reminds us that changing a guy’s habits takes longer than just a few games.

“He’s worked so hard and you can obviously see there is a change in his shot, his mechanics and delivery,” Smart said. “Now the biggest focus for him is, how do I harness my instinct - which is to drive and at the last minute take a shot while off-balanced - that’s what he’s wrestling with now.”

“We are taking a young man who is trying to do something completely different than he’s done his entire career and having him harness that instinct to not attempt to drive and just take the shot. He’s caught in between those two worlds right now.”

“Teams are going to still play him the same way right now,” Smart continued. “He may not have that complete part of his game for a month, maybe two months, maybe not until next year.”

What would Evans like to have accomplished in furthering his game by the end of the year?

“Be an improved shooter,” Evans said. “That’s the knock on me, so every day and every night I come back and work on my shot. The hard work you put in is what you get out. So that’s what I keep doing.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

DARREN HALL

https://www.facebook.com/DarrenHallPhotographynet

http://darrenhallphotographynet.zenfolio.com/

Tyreke Evans on staying focused during tough times and finding his shot

2012-11-18T01:09:22Z

When the Sacramento Kings met up with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at newly crowned Sleep Train Arena (sounds good to have Arena back in the name), a couple of goals must have been in mind.

First, play better than they did the week before and second, hope Tyreke’s jumper was coming into form.

I guess you could say they went one-for-two as they lost to the Hawks 112-96 in a game that had the loyal fans on their feet booing in the closing moments, but on the bright side, Tyreke Evans' shot is looking better one game at a time.

THE PLAY

Booing at the obvious lack of effort and an insufficient amount of offensive movement at times shows the fans in attendance (only 11,814 on a Friday) still care.

The question they must have been asking was, does the team care?

In short, they do.

After the game, Coach Keith Smart was in the media room earlier than usual and addressed the masses. It should have been a sign of what was to come. Once Smart was finished, the media throng headed towards the locker room as usual but was met by one of the media relations guys and told that the players weren’t done talking amongst themselves just yet.

Great! This team finally isn’t going to wait until the season is halfway over to focus on the issues at hand.

“We’re just tired of losing,” Evans said. “They just came in here and did whatever they wanted and got easy baskets. We just have to be better as a team. We work hard on defense in Colorado and then we come out here at home and lose by 20 or 15 every night. That’s not gonna get it for us. So we have to be better.”

A players only meeting. Frustration was the word on everyone’s mind after the loss.

Veterans like Chuck Hayes are “very frustrated” right now.

Evans said the fans aren’t the only disheartened folks in the building.

“It’s a little frustrating right now, but we just have to keep playing together as a team and try to figure it out,” Evans said. “We can’t keep coming in here at home and losing by 20. That’s not gonna get it! We have to be aggressive for 48 minutes.”

Evans is not the only one feeling the sense of urgency.

“Everybody is frustrated I think,” Evans said. “I don’t think it’s just me, it’s everybody. We know we’re a better team than that. This is my fourth year. A couple of others guys have been on the team for a long time and we are just tired of losing.”

Evans knows this could be a tipping point. It would be a shame to see the hard work they’ve put in during training camp and the teamwork focus that Coach Smart has tried to instill during that time amount to nothing.

“We have to keep focused,” Evans said. “That’s the main part (of it). Once we hang our heads and point fingers, that’s where we go bad. We have to just play. Other teams go out there and play. They don’t argue. They don’t fight with each other. We just have to be like that. Be a family. We say we’re a family, we gotta play as a family.”

Family. It was Coach Smart’s secret ingredient to success.

The time away from everybody and everything in Colorado prior to preseason starting was meant to be a fresh start, a new beginning.

In that time, the players swore to have each other’s backs and play like a team for an entire season and then judge their performance.

And it started with defense.

When Coach Smart was emphasizing defense during the entire training camp, he thought eventually the offense would catch up, so to speak.

So far this season, the offense has been missing in action.

“We are all having problems with it (offense) right now,” Evans continued. “Last year, we scored the ball so easy. Now this year, it’s a struggle for us. It’s still early, but we have to get it better in practice.”

Evans threw the gauntlet down during the closed door session.

“It starts with practice,” Evans finished. “(No more) joking around. We got to be serious every day from here on out. That’s what we talked about really. Just be serious in practice and it starts tomorrow!”

Part Two on Sunday as Evans and others discuss his effort in finding the perfect jump shot.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

DARREN HALL

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/DarrenHallPhotographynet
SITE: www.darrenhallphotography.net

Beyond the Castle Walls - Thomas or Brooks, who's the Smart choice?

2012-10-19T02:18:09Z

It was one of the ugliest starts I’ve ever seen in a Kings’ game—regular or preseason.

Less than five minutes into the game, the Kings’ starting center and point guard, DeMarcus Cousins and Aaron Brooks, had picked up two early fouls each that took the team completely out of their up-tempo game.

The Sacramento Kings never could recover from—at one point—a 15-point deficit, and lost to its rivals the Golden State Warriors 98-88 at Sleep Train Arena on Wednesday, Oct. 17, in front of 10,708 fans.

After closely watching the position battle at the small forward spot during the Monday, Oct. 15, contest against the Trailblazers, I thought I’d focus my attention toward what is quickly becoming the most talked-about and healthy battle of them all.

Who will open the season at starting point guard? Will it be Brooks or the super rookie Isaiah Thomas?

Surprisingly to some, Brooks got the start for the second game in a row for the Kings.

What was the reason?

“I just need a little more data on them,” Smart said. “I know (the way) Marcus, Tyreke and Isaiah (play) —I had 66 games with those guys last year. I need to see how Travis (Outlaw) responds, how he plays. You see how he responded in the third quarter after having a so-so first half, and I thought he did a good job. I wanted to get a better understanding of who Aaron Brooks is. I knew who he was a couple of years ago, but I want to get a feel for him, and you see some flashes there.”

Brooks put himself in a hole when he picked up his second foul less than five minutes into the game and had to be replaced by Thomas.

After the game, Brooks knew exactly what happened.

“I didn’t react to the way the game was being called,” Brooks said. “They were calling it pretty tight in the first half, and I was still playing ‘China’ basketball out there. They made some good calls, and it was just my fault for not adjusting well to it. We just got off to a bad start, period.”

He’s right. No one in the starting lineup seemed to be particularly fired-up to start the contest. It’s the main reason they found themselves down 10-1, 15-3 and finally 29-20 at the end of the first quarter.

When Thomas checked in less than halfway through the first, he immediately hit a three-pointer, then shortly into the second, he hit another. Besides that, Thomas was very quiet, even on defense.

Although Stephen Curry was held scoreless in the first, he and Jarrett Jack seemed to get to where they wanted to be on the floor very easily.

Jimmer Fredette replaced Thomas with seven minutes left in the first half. Fredette will probably only see point guard action in cases like this, which should be rare.

Even though he hit a runner at the rim and had another solid drive through the lane, which picked up a foul, the hard truth of the matter is that Fredette can’t guard anyone.

Several times Fredette’s man easily shook him and found himself open. Fredette’s other major issue is too often trying to take the ball into the forest of big men that are awaiting his arrival at the rim. What’s the outcome? Fredette is either on the floor or has his shot blocked. It’s a problem that doesn’t seem to bother Brooks or even Thomas that much, although Thomas does enter the lane too often when it’s all clogged with defenders.

Brooks seemed to be his old self once the second half began. The Kings opened the half behind by 14, but the energy of Brooks and the rest of the starters brought the team back to within six points. The Kings only found themselves down by seven entering the final quarter.

One reason is that Brooks stopped playing what he called “China” basketball. What is that?

“It’s not as physical in the NBA,” Brooks said. “It’s like playing football in China. A lot of stuff you get away with, such as grabbing and all that, and it doesn’t fly here. The guys are a lot quicker. I’m just making that adjustment. It’s like riding a bike once you get out there.”

Thomas was back in to start the fourth, but didn’t make some of the plays he should have. He made a bad pass almost right after checking in that almost resulted in a turnover, and then shot an ill-advised three when he had plenty of time on the 24-second shot clock.

Shortly after that, he was called for a travel that stopped what little momentum the Kings had rallied.

The offensive flow; that elusive fast-paced flow was missing on this day. Thomas talked about how hard it is to find your rhythm and get into the up-tempo game that Smart is looking at running.

“It is, especially when you’re not getting stops, it’s hard to get out on transition and be aggressive like that,” Thomas said. “It’s more of a half-court game when you’re not getting defensive stops. We just have to watch film and learn from it and move on.”

This is the position battle that, I believe, will come down to the last minute. It is the toughest decision he will make to open the season.

Do you start the guy that opened so many eyes last year while garnering several Rookie of the Month honors? Or do you let the more experienced guy, the guy who Geoff Petrie has wanted for several years, get the opening day nod?

LeBron James thought he had issues a couple of years ago with his "Decision."

It seems that this season, it’s Coach Smart that has a big decision to make. And he only has two weeks to figure it out.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

DAVID ALVAREZ

Beyond the Castle Walls - The battle at the small forward position

2012-10-17T04:08:45Z

In the second preseason game of the 2012-13 year, the Sacramento Kings beat the visiting Portland Trailblazers 117-100.

Behind 23 points from Marcus Thornton, DeMarcus Cousins putting up 20 along with seven boards and three assists and 16 from Aaron Brooks, the Kings beat up on the Blazers for most of three and a half quarters and won a game that means nothing in the standings.

What really matters in these next six or seven games for the men in purple and black?

As the Kings get a few preseason games under their collective belt, the battle for a couple of starting spots seems open for the first time in quite a while.

There is a great competition going on for the starting point guard spot between the incumbent Isaiah Thomas and newcomer Aaron Brooks, but the one that’s really piqued my interest is the campaign to see who will start at the small forward position.

Assuming that Tyreke Evans will hold down the shooting guard position and not play much of the three like he did at the end of last year’s season, the dogfight for playing time comes down to three guys.

Let’s look at all three and how they did in the second exhibition game on Monday at the newly named Sleep Train Arena.

Travis Outlaw started the game at small forward and played almost 17 minutes, scored four points on 2-of-5 shooting and had one rebound.

Not a truckload of numbers for Outlaw, but that’s not what Outlaw gives you on a night-to-night basis. He’s going to get you the occasional triple and some boards, but what Coach Keith Smart likes is his defensive intensity.

“I thought Travis and Tyreke did a great job of setting the defensive tone early on two guys - in Batum and then Aldridge,” Smart said. “Those guys have the ability to score and have big games.”

Outlaw played most of the first quarter and started the second half as well, possibly the most consistent minutes he’s received since arriving in town.

“It felt good to go out there and get back in the rhythm of the game,” Outlaw said. “Tonight, I just really tried to concentrate on my defense and being there at the help position.”

Overall grade for Outlaw: B. He did what the coaches asked of him and played great defense against Nicolas Batum.

Next up was newly signed James Johnson.

Johnson played just over 17 minutes and scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, had four boards, an assist and two turnovers.

Johnson came in at the 2:20 mark of the first and immediately made an impact. Just moments after replacing Outlaw in the lineup, he grabbed an Aaron Brooks miss and jammed it home for the power dunk and his first two points of the night.

Included in his run were some nice buckets, some key boards and more solid defense on the Blazers’ big men. Watching Johnson go almost coast-to-coast for a dunk makes you very cognizant of his ability to handle the ball on the run.

Johnson would play only a little more in the second half, with Smart making it a priority this preseason to give every possible combination a chance to be seen.

Johnson is very aware that this game meant nothing as far as wins and losses go, but means a lot in the focusing and building of this team.

“This is preseason,” Johnson said. “We haven’t won nothing yet and we haven’t gone anywhere yet. All we can do is build and keep building and hope these wins don’t get to our heads, being young and all.”

What will Johnson do to show Kings fans, coaches and fellow players that he can be a mainstay in the rotation?

“I’m just playing basketball, man,” Johnson said. “I don’t have any handicap in my game. I like defense, I play offense and I’ll take the challenge… I feel that there is no man whose heart is going to be pounding more than mine, more aggressive than mine for the win.”

Smart warned not to sleep on Johnson’s defense just because he can find a way to score.

“James has been providing defense all throughout training camp,” Smart said. “He has great principles defensively and he’s a skill player. When he comes into the game, the game changes, right away. He changes a basketball game.”

Overall grade for Johnson: B+. Johnson’s athletic ability is off the charts. He will be able to find many ways to score, but could pick up his defense near the baseline.

The final candidate is longtime fan-favorite Francisco Garcia.

Garcia played 20 minutes and scored four points on 2-of-4 shooting, had two rebounds and two assists.

At first glance, Garcia seems to be the odd man out, but not so fast.

All Garcia did was hit his first two three-point attempts less than a minute after entering the game.

Garcia plays such an intense defense that he can’t keep it up over an entire 48 minutes.

Heck, no one could! Watching him get up in a guy’s face for a couple of hotly contested possessions in a row is priceless. No one gets under a guy’s skin like ‘Cisco.

“I shared with the team about ‘Cisco being ready to play,” Smart said. “He had an incredible practice on Saturday. He shot the ball extremely well. He didn’t play in the first quarter. He got in the game and hit two threes right away. He brought energy right off the bench.”

The battle for the majority of the minutes at the three may come down to Coach Smart using a three-headed monster of sorts. With Outlaw playing solid defense, Johnson running the floor and scoring at will, and Garcia playing that tight, in-your-face defense and hitting some key triples, the team seems to have the spot covered.

Later in the week, come back to find out more about the point guard dilemma that faces the second-year coach.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

DARREN HALL

http://darrenhallphotographynet.zenfolio.com/

Sacramento Kings' Media Day 2012 - Coach Smart's life system at work

2012-10-02T02:27:46Z

Buckle up, ladies and gents, as it’s that time of the year again!

The time to cheer like madmen and madwomen for your purple-and-black court warriors is just around the corner.

The Kings kicked off their 27th season in Sacramento with their annual Media Day on Monday afternoon. The event saw many new faces in the royal purple, black and white, along with the returning core from last year, as they get ready for their second season under the leadership of head coach Keith Smart.

With the influx of several new players — Thomas Robinson (first-round draft pick), along with Aaron Brooks and James Johnson (free-agent signees) — comes the chance to change up the starting rotation, or find a puzzle piece that fits better into what the team is trying to do in their style of play.

Combine that with the fact that Coach Smart understands that the Kings are still building, and nothing is locked down as far as the position battles are concerned.

It’s a problem that Smart welcomes with open arms.

“Having good players at multiple positions is only going to push the next player to grow and get better,” said Smart. “I look forward to a camp that can possibly be real productive, because it’s going to be competitive. I’m going to share that with them. That I want them to compete against each other. At the same time, when we finish training camp, however the chips fall, I want them to know that we are all in this together. That’s our goal for this team.”

The most telling thing, Smart said, related to how determined he is to not trying, but actually turning this team.

“Until we get that five or eight guys every night for the next five years, that I can say every year they are coming back and I know who the one is, know who the two is, the three and so forth, that’s the approach I’m going to take during training camp.”

For a new guy like James Johnson (6 feet 9 inches tall and 248 lbs.), Media Day signals a fresh beginning for a guy that got off to a nice start in Toronto, but after a couple of years of admittedly realizing that you have to work harder to be someone in the NBA than you do in getting here, it seems like the light has finally kicked on the high beams for Johnson.

“I’m not going into camp trying to show them anything different than what they already have seen,” said Johnson. “They know I’m a hard worker. I know they know my play from last season. That’s all it is. It’s competition. We’ve been doing that our whole lives. We’ve been playing basketball and competing for a spot and I feel like it’s no different now.”

Keep checking in over the next couple of weeks, as I’ll have more interviews with the players and coaches of your Sacramento Kings as they open the 2012-13 season and try to make a push for the playoffs.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

RON NABITY
http://nabityphotos.com/

Kings grab stud power forward, Thomas Robinson slips to the fifth pick

2012-06-30T01:18:49Z

As I sat in the Sacramento Kings media room at Power Balance Pavilion on Thursday afternoon, my heart sank when the Charlotte Bobcats took Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the second overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft.

A small forward that can score at the rim is a burning need for the team and I was really looking forward to watching this kid’s defensive and rebounding skills along with the motor he brings to the table. Guys like him don’t lower their level of play — they make the other players on the team raise their collective enthusiasm and desire for the game.

But when Dion Waiters, a shooting guard out of Syracuse, was picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the fourth overall pick in the draft, the possibility of the Kings filling one of their greatest needs — a solid forward that can play right away — came true.

Boom!

The pick came in and Thomas Robinson, a power forward out of Kansas, fell right in their lap.

Robinson, who averaged 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in his junior year and final year, unofficially became a Sacramento King.

“Thank God I’m here,” said Robinson, as he appeared to hold back tears when asked how it felt to be drafted after everything he’s been through in the past year.

Robinson lost his grandmother in December 2011, his grandfather in the middle of January of this year and then his mother less than a week later. All of them passed within three weeks of each other.

You could tell that he yearned for them to be there on this special night, as the young man was overcome with emotion.

“I don’t know where that came from. I worked hard to get here and I’m able to see it play right out in front of me and it really got emotional.”

Sacramento also picked Orlando Johnson with the 36th pick in the draft, but traded him to the Indiana Pacers for cash considerations.

As for Robinson, he wants to wear uniform number zero. By picking that specific number, it’s like he needs and wants to prove it to himself all over again.

“I want to bring my hard work and my ethic back there. The whole attitude of winning again. Just be who I am and that’s a hardworking person.”

Sacramento Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie was not expecting Robinson to fall all the way to the fifth pick.

“Even as of this morning, we were fairly sure that he wouldn’t be at five but that’s why the draft is the draft,” said Petrie. “We certainly have a need there with our depth up front. He’s going to bring a lot of competitive spirit. He’s a ferocious rebounder. He had a lot of quickness, a lot of speed and quick feet. I think he’ll be a great addition to the team.”

His hard work paid off for Kansas, as he earned his way into the starting rotation this season and never looked back. He already understands that this is the continuation of a voyage and not the end of one.

“My journey is not over. I’ve got to come in and work hard again and get back to the top.”

The 21-year-old from Washington, D.C., can’t wait to see what he brings to the dynamic duo of Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins.

“With Tyreke at the guard spot and DeMarcus down low, they are both tough kids and I just want to bring the same toughness to this club with rebounding and energy.”

He’s especially excited to be paired down low with The Big Cuz.

“My biggest thrill is playing besides someone that you know what kind of player they can be,” said Robinson. “In DeMarcus, he’s tough. He’s a young player. He’s gonna play hard. He’s going to help keep my intensity up with no problem because he’s gonna be going hard."

Keith Smart, in his first full season at the helm of the Kings, loves that Robinson has a “live body,” a motor already and some unique skills that made him a great pick.

But again, it was what Robinson has been through in the past six months that set him apart.

“(But) the maturity level that he has,” said Smart, “he’s faced so much already, it let us know that he’s a veteran so to speak coming into our basketball team who is already seasoned.”

Think about it. The kid needs no extra incentive to play his heart out as a pro, after all the loss he’s suffered at such a young age.

“It’s the only reason I’m here. It’s my motivation,” said Robinson.

When asked by NBA TV’s Craig Sager what he would tell his mother if she was there for that moment, Robinson simply said, as he was still visibly emotionally affected, that he had held up his end of the bargain.

“I kept my promise,” said Robinson. “I told her I was going to do it.”

A conversation with Tyreke Evans' closest advisors -- his brothers -- about his future

2012-06-20T06:09:23Z

When I ran into Tyreke Evans and his brothers, Doc and Reggie last week, the burning question I had was whether ‘Reke was going to start the season at the one or the three position.

More importantly, would "Team Tyreke," the group of family members and friends that watch over him and his career, be happy if the guy who fell in love with the way Derrick Rose handled the rock had to start the season at the small forward spot?

“Do I think that it’s his natural position? No,” Doc Evans said. “Do I think that’s a position that he could play as a relief? Yes. But I prefer him to be at the one and sometimes the two, because with the ball in his hands, it creates a mismatch for smaller guards.”

With small forward John Salmons either injured or not playing to expectations when healthy, and the emergence of Isaiah Thomas at point guard, the Kings made a move that sent shockwaves through some the fan base of the Kings. The Kings brass decided to have Thomas start at the point beginning February 17 and Tyreke Evans was asked to play small forward and give up his beloved point guard position.

As the season went on, sentiment was growing to have Thomas, who was emerging as a possible replacement for Evans at the point, be the starter when everything settled into form.

When I brought up the scenario, “What if Tyreke thought that he would make a better point guard than a small forward,” Reggie informed me that a conversation very close to that occurred near the end of the season. They had a similar conversation with Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.

“Myself and his agent got together and had a conversation before the season ended similar to what you just asked, so yes, we will address all of his issues with management, front office people, the coach or whoever to sit down and have that conversation.”

Doc Evans then filled me in on what happened next.

“After that, Reggie, Arn, I and a few others flew into Sac and had a team meeting and told Tyreke that if this is the way you feel, you need to address this to (Geoff) Petrie in a positive way and let him know that there are some things I could be better, but there are some things that I didn’t like the way that they were done and try to make him more vocal and speak up about the things he wants. You know, you can still speak up about what you want and be positive about the whole thing.”

Let it never be misunderstood what “Reke’s quiet demeanor" means.

When Keith Smart asked him to fill in at small forward last year, he essentially said, if that is what you think the team needs, then I’ll be there for you Coach.

“I was just trying to help our team win,” Tyreke Evans said. “Whatever it takes me to do that, I was willing to do it. Coach put me in that position and I got better and better as the season went on.”

“I just want to go out there and be the best I can be," Evans continued. “When I got moved off the ball, I just tried to watch guys like Kevin Durant and other guys that played that position and see how they moved without the ball and they get open shots.”

Some fans still wonder if the move was forced onto Tyreke. Was Thomas just a better point guard than him?

“Here’s a guy that’s a team player and he’ll pretty much just be humble,” said Reggie Evans. “People were talking like it was a demotion or something and Isaiah Thomas was getting his job and it wasn’t like that. It was pretty much the John Salmons situation and they wanted Tyreke to step in and fill that void. It wasn’t a demotion at all and he didn’t take it as such.”

“Certain people that were blogging or the media saying that Isaiah Thomas took his job and now he don’t like him. No, it wasn’t like that at all. He was asked to help out in that position and he’s a team player. He did what the coach asked.”

What did Reggie think of the experience Tyreke received?

“For me, I always loved that idea that my brother got a chance to play the one, two and the three. He’s more valuable than ever! Look at what’s going on in the playoffs right now. Look at all the pieces of the puzzles that are missing. If you can play the one, two and three and you can defend the one, two and three, I think that is a valuable person. I like the idea of his making his resume great by playing all three positions.”

Tyreke Evans has some impressive stats on his side. In each of his first three years, including his second year where he was plagued by plantar fasciitis - a painful inflammatory process on the bottom of the foot - and missed 25 games, he was in the team's top three in average minutes played, steals, assists and points per game.

In the topsy turvy past year - with the coaching changes and position move - he was second in minutes played, third in field goal percentage and third in rebounds. He increased his free throw percentage to a personal high (.779), was third in boards (4.6) and even averaged almost half a block a game.

Those are numbers any player at any position would be happy with considering all he’s been through.

“What player do you know that can go change positions in three years and go through the pain and injuries that he went through and still maintain that high of a scoring average?” Doc asked. “And that’s with him not hitting his jump shot. To me, that’s scary!”

“His confidence in his shot is only gonna grow. His confidence in his game is only going to get better. So when that happens, it’s lights out for everybody else!”

Thinking I knew the answer already, I asked Doc about the possibility of Tyreke starting the season at the small forward position. Would he be upset?

The response caught me off guard.

“I can’t say I would be disappointed,” Doc said. “Because I would be interested to see his growth and maturity. He doesn’t necessarily have to play a certain position. He’s a basketball player first and foremost.”

Doc mentioned his respect for Magic Johnson and his ability to play almost any spot on the floor. He sees Tyreke in a similar way as having the ability to play many spots and guard many different types of players because of his size and strength.

“So if the season started and Coach Smart had him at the three, I wouldn’t be upset. I would be more intrigued to see how he makes the necessary adjustments. Let’s see if he can score his 25 or 30 and still get his teammates involved with the ability he has as a point guard and still find and take his shots in rhythm and move without the ball. I would be intrigued to see that.”

Now the biggest question of all for the fans, and maybe even the player, is what will become of Tyreke Evans during and after season number four.

He would love to stay here and be the starting point guard of this team. Only time, whether he gets traded or not, and Evans' own development will determine the ultimate outcome.

Team Tyreke helps keep 'Reke's life much more simple and in focus

2012-06-18T19:46:15Z

Team Tyreke.

No, this is not a basketball rec league you can join or Evans’ fantasy league team either.

It’s the ultimate story of “it takes a village to raise a child.”

It’s a group of mainly family members that put everything they have to offer into helping a young man focus solely on basketball and charity in a world that demands attention at every turn.

Team Tyreke seems to have covered the bases and consists of several important folks. Reggie Evans, 40, who already had a successful career with Communication Test Design Inc., was the first one to bring up the idea of the family taking charge of their little brother’s career. He handles most of the managerial aspects of Tyreke’s life including travel and discussions with his agent, Arn Tellem, and the management of the Sacramento Kings.

“Doc” Julius Evans, 41, who had a great run with Mars Candy, assists his older brother in some of the management details but is also known as Tyreke’s “shot doctor.” Doc was a playground legend in Chester himself. He makes sure Tyreke gets up several thousand shots every other day or so.

“We both had our own financial situations (covered) and were very successful,” Doc said.

They have since started up Blu Print Inc., with Doc running the musical act side of things and Reggie working on the apparel side.

Then there’s Eric “Pooh” Evans, 34, who readied Tyreke by helping him develop his jab step and most of his dribbling skills.

Other members include Malik, Reggie’s cousin who is part of the support network, and LaMont Peterson, who is his trainer from his days at Memphis and works on his strength and agility.

He’s also got a nutritionalist, a barber and two chiropractors, one on each coast.

“We have an adjustment table right here in the house,” Doc said. “He comes to the house before games and adjusts him.”

All the effort the brothers make on Tyreke’s behalf could be mistaken, by some outsiders, as a group of guys just trying to ride the coattails of a brother’s success. What a joke! Tyreke wouldn’t even be in this position if it weren’t for his loving siblings.

“It’s what we do as brothers, not just management, as brothers because we have kids almost his age and we’d do the same thing for our kids,” Doc Evans continued.

When I asked Doc and Reggie if there was any downside to being a brother and the management team at the same time, Reggie scoffed at the idea.

“We’re family,” he said. “We got the right parenting from my mom first and foremost. She was a great mom. She was a rock!”

“I named him. From day one, I became his guardian. He lived with me since he was ten or eleven years old. I put him in a private school with my daughter so it’s deeper than what this looks like. He’s like almost a brother/son to me. And the whole basketball thing, from day one being four years old, believing that I had a brother with talent. I started off and coached him, then my brothers came along, so we don’t need outsiders coming in and doing what we can do ourselves.”

Doc agreed.

“We know that a lot of people would try to take advantage of people like him. They look at him as a cash cow. We don’t need that. Knowing what his skills could do for him and the potential money they could possibly make at the time - before he was an NBA player - people try to sink their teeth into people like him. We saw that from an early standpoint, that’s why Reggie decided to meet with Nike and start our own AAU team, Team Final.”

“I couldn’t believe, first of all, what a job he (Reggie) did with him in getting him national press and all this, so we just sat down and said this was going to be huge. So we need to all get together and do this and that’s when we did Team Tyreke."

Look for Part Two tomorrow as the brothers discuss Tyreke's move to small forward and what it means for this season.

Tyreke Evans teams up with VSP for free basketball camp & eyeglasses

2012-06-15T01:08:52Z

Not all the Kings players are out of town.

Not only is Tyreke Evans in town, but he’s here doing two of his favorite things — working out and working with kids.

On Thursday, June 14, Evans teamed up with VSP Vision Care at the Dr. Ephraim Williams Family Life Center in the Oak Park section of Sacramento for his second annual free basketball camp for students in need.

The kids were selected by the Family Life Center as well as by VSP partners Asian Resources and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento.

About 100 kids were able to shoot hoops, participate in a Q-and-A session and even get some classroom training alongside Evans and mentors from the Positive Coaching Alliance. Tomorrow, another 100 kids will be getting the same attention.

Evans, who always had his big brothers around to push him and keep him focused in the right direction, enjoys being able to have a positive impact on kids.

“I think it’s great,” said Evans. “A lot of kids don’t have a chance to meet a player at a camp. I know when I was growing up it was a big dream of mine to meet an NBA player or go to one of their camps. To be able to do it for kids at these ages — for free, with VSP’s help — I think it’s a great opportunity for people to come here and get some experience.”

Bill Herenda, the executive director of the Positive Coaching Alliance, was glad to supply coaches for the event.

“It’s an unbelievable opportunity to get out into the community with our message of ‘better athletes, better people,’ and to amplify VSP Vision Care’s mantra of eyesight being critical to the kids’ success and growth on the floor and in the classroom,” said Herenda.

Along with the free hoops clinic Evans and the coaches were hosting, free eye exams were given to those in need, in one of the 45-foot fully loaded buses that VSP owns.

The program was born from a need after Hurricane Katrina. VSP employees traveled to the scene and gave free prescription eyewear to those who either lost everything in the storm or were displaced from their homes.

Since then, the fleet has increased to three, and travels the country in search of others in need.

The eye doctors that give the exams do it all on their own time. On this day, Dr. Russell Ng was the lucky one that got to examine the kids in need.

“The kids in the community need eye care,” said Ng. “It helps them in their academic performance as well as in sports.”

“This is the first time that I’ve been associated with this and I’m definitely going to provide more time going forward.”

Niki Myers is the operations manager for the VSP Mobile Eyes Program. In her time in that role, she’s already traveled the country giving out free exams and glasses, but finds that doing the same in her hometown is also very rewarding.

“We love doing community outreach in our own towns,” said Myers. “We love our partnership with Tyreke. We’ve been working with him for the last three years.”

And then the other shoe dropped.

“Not only does he help VSP put on this basketball camp for the second year in a row, but we also sponsor the city of Chester, Penn., where he came from.”

That’s right. Never say the guy forgot where he came from.

Part of Evans’ deal with VSP is that they go back to not only his school, but also the other schools in the area, and give those kids in need the eyewear and care they may not be able to afford on their own.

Last year, VSP found that about 10 percent of the kids examined needed some kind of correction. Back in ‘Reke’s home town, because of Evans’ encouragement of the local youth to come out and get the exam, that number escalated to between 20 and 30 percent.

No worries, as all the kids that needed new spectacles got them.

Paul Gonzalez was out watching his two boys, 8-year-old Javier and 9-year-old Miguel.

“I enjoy it because I like them enjoying themselves,” said the proud father of two. “They love the game of basketball and are huge Tyreke fans. They both have Tyreke jerseys. It’s an amazing experience to come out here and watch some good coaching and good times with their friends out here.”

Small Market, Big Heart gives Kings fans the whole story - so far

2012-05-15T09:43:34Z

For the never-say-die Kings fan, Jan. 9 was an important day.

It was the premiere of Small Market, Big Heart at the historic Crest Theatre in Downtown Sacramento. A documentary designed, as their promo states, “to share the compelling 26-year story of the people of Sacramento and their battle to get and keep a professional sports franchise”

The film played once more on January 21, on KXTL FOX 40, but then went silent.

On Tuesday, May 15, the outstanding documentary and collective vision of producers James Ham and Blake Ellington as well as director Tobin Halsey, will finally be available across the nation by way of the Small Market, Big Heart website (www.smallmarketbigheart.com) for the first time ever on the Internet. The trailer can be viewed here:

The story didn’t get the happy ending makeover the producers had hoped for, as the new entertainment and sports complex in the Sacramento Rail Yards has been put on ice, at least for the time being.

The updated version being released tomorrow includes a newly filmed epilogue by Sacramento’s Mayor Kevin Johnson that brings the film current.

“A sequel is in the works,” Ham said via telephone, “but we felt this was the proper time to allow the film to be seen by a larger audience. Basketball fans everywhere need to know this story.”

When the trio sat down to discuss the possibility of making a documentary that would, not only inform the masses about the history of the Kings tenuous stay in Sacramento, but look to inject locals with a newfound rabidity for their only professional sports franchise, they looked to a similar situation that had occurred several years before in Seattle, Washington.

The film Sonicsgate shared the gut wrenching story of Seattle’s loss of their beloved basketball team. Call it a model for what Ham, Ellington and Halsey were looking to do, but with one huge difference.

In Seattle, the team was already moving to Oklahoma City and the story was one of “what happened?” and “why did we lose our team?”

For the makers of Small Market, Big Heart, the struggle was just beginning as they built the film as events were still unfolding.

“We saw an opportunity to tell an incredible story in real time,” said Ham. “To try and humanize the fight of the people of Sacramento.”

Ham, an editor of Cowbell Kingdom, an ESPN True Hoops affiliate, took offense to the fact that his local team and major source of passion, could leave town on the same sort of merits that the SuperSonics abandoned Seattle.

“Each of us have our own motivations for delving into a project like this,” stated Ham. “For me, I have two young sons that I want to raise as basketball fans and I have plenty of people I consider friends that work inside the walls of Power Balance Pavilion.”

For co-producer Blake Ellington, the mission was simple - do whatever he could to inform people that, not only that this team should not have to leave, but they darn well better stay.

Ellington is the managing editor of Bleedblackandpurple.com, a Kings blog he set up several years ago. He is also the founder of Here We Stay - a grassroots movement that began in October 2010 as an effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

“Here We Stay is a movement that was created and based on the principles that Kings fans needed the opportunity to have a voice in the process of building a new entertainment and sports complex in Sacramento and, in effect, ensure that their favorite NBA franchise stayed in town,” said Ellington.

“I felt that until that point, it was a conversation that was being held by city leaders and the team’s owners, but didn’t really take into account the feelings and passion for the team that the people of Sacramento had consistently shown over the last 27 years.”

Not only was Here We Stay a rousing success, it spawned several other “Here We...” movements, including Here We Stay nights #1 and #2 as well as Here We Build.

But the fight wasn’t over for Ellington, so he teamed up with Ham and Halsey to create Small Market, Big Heart.

“We wanted to put it out there for the Sacramento community, business leaders, politicians and fans that the desire to get something done and the desire for the fans to express their love for the team was something that needed to be seen on a large scale,” said Ellington.

“It needed to be out there for people to see in the form of a story; something that was tangible for others to see and connect with. Maybe people that weren’t involved with the grassroots movements and didn’t know the history behind what has gone on in Sacramento regarding the team, would get a chance to see that first-hand and get involved themselves.”

You can follow the group on Twitter @SMBHdocumentary or on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SmallMarketBigHeart.

Disclosure: I know James Ham and Blake Ellington as we often run into each other at Kings games and practices. As the rabid Kings fan most of you know me to be, I've seen and enjoyed the movie very much and encourage you to see it!

Kings lose 103-92 to Thunder as The Big Three prepare for playoff run

2012-04-22T00:41:13Z

If it wasn’t enough that it was Grateful Dead night and fans that bought the special ticket package got to talk to the legendary Bill Walton, members of the band and got a special T-shirt to mark the occasion. Then, the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, former Kansas City Royal Oscar Robertson was being recognized. How about that it was Fan Appreciation Night at the ole barn and nearly half in attendance was rewarded with some kind of prize for being a loyal purple-wearing fan. And finally, outstanding Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Isaiah Thomas was honored as this year’s winner of the team’s Oscar Robertson Triple Double Award during the game.

Oh, did I mention that the Sacramento Kings had to play possibly the best team in the league - the Oklahoma City Thunder - on this very special evening?

In a tough battle, it seemed that every time the Kings got close, the Thunder would pull away. They worked hard to pull out a 103-92 victory over the Kings on Friday night at Power Balance Pavilion before continuing their road trip and heading down south to play the Lakers on Sunday.

Again, like in the past several games, the home team pulled out to an early lead and seemed to have some kind of control of the flow of the game.

But when you’re playing against three of the best players in the game today - Kevin Durant (29 points, 14 boards, 7 assists), Russell Westbrook (18 points) and, since he’s averaging 17 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game, James Harden (20 points, 6 boards), an early lead is never enough.

Oh yeah. Don’t forget the most intimidating shot blocking presence in the game today in Serge Ibaka (12 points, 6 boards, 8 blocks).

Yeah, the Thunder are for real.

The Kings had their biggest lead of the game - seven - at the halfway point of the first quarter. That’s all it took for the Thunder to put their collective foot down and say that’s enough.

From that point on, the Kings chances of pulling out a win faded slowly like a desert landscape in the rear view mirror.

One fantastic highlight for the Kings was about three minutes into the game when Tyreke Evans split two defenders on the way to the rack but picked up a third defender just as got close to the hoop. That third defender was Ibaka and Evans instinctively knew he was in trouble. As Ibaka jumped to block the shot he thought was coming, Evans spun to his left and found Jason Thompson, who was closing on the basket from the opposite side of the floor. Evans’ pass went between three players right into J.T.’s waiting hands for the two-handed stuff.

For Thompson (13 points, 8 boards, 2 blocks), this year’s journey was in some respects, much like ones of year’s past. The many coaching changes, getting yanked in and out of the starting lineup of the years and a different style of play every year.

In other ways, this has been Thompson’s breakout season. Although many of his numbers are down from a few years ago, his shooting percentage is up and something seemed to click about one-third of the way through the year.

Whether it was Clifford Ray, who was brought in to work with the big men, getting used to Keith Smart’s system or just finally growing into his body and honing his craft, something happened.

“Kind of being in a consistent situation,” started Thompson. “I’ve had four different coaches in four years. It’s tough to get into a certain type of rhythm. I think for the most part, being a starter and knowing my role for some time, it got me at more of a comfort level. I started to get into a groove.”

But it was really slowing his game down and learning not to rush things that have got to have the Kings’ brass thinking about resigning him in the off-season.

“Kind of playing slower,” said Thompson. “Making the game come to me. Using my ability to run the floor and trying to look for the basketball as much as I can. Then when I got the easier ones, the tougher ones get easier.”

You know how much Kings’ fans hate the Lakers and anything to do with them. That hatred was on full display when Derek Fisher entered the game in the first to a chorus of boos that reigned down upon him like rain in a tropical forest. Heavy.

Early in the second quarter, the Thunder threatened to runaway with it as they gained a 14-point lead, but the Kings rallied to close it to an eight-point lead at the half.

To say the officiating was bad on this night would be an understatement to say the least. Right before the end of the half, there was a sequence where several Kings thought they were being hacked under the basket, so much so, that Coach Smart picked up the technical as he almost exploded in his shoes because of the lack of a foul call after the sequence.

“We can’t let that get the best of us,” said Chuck Hayes. “You just have to keep playing. You keep going to the hole strong, looking for contact and just be physical. Eventually, they’re gonna come.”

DeMarcus Cousins (18 points, 9 boards) came out in the third quarter angry and looking to score. Cousins had eight in the quarter and was making an impact early, but the Thunder know how to wear a team down. Late in the quarter, they would push it to a 15-point lead and never look back.

The Kings went shot-for-shot with Oklahoma City in the final quarter but it wasn’t to pull out a win.

Francisco Garcia, who put a hard foul on Durant towards the end of the game, performed well on this night finishing with 11 points, six boards, four assists and, of course, his two obligatory blocks.

Garcia, now the team’s journeyman, hasn’t received consistent playing time this season, but always does his best to stay ready for the call.

“It felt good to be out there,” said the veteran from Louisville. “Like you said, just playing a certain amount of minutes. It felt good just to be out there.”

And what about Isaiah Thomas, the celebrated King of the evening? What did it mean to him to win the coveted organizational award?

“It meant a lot,” said the rookie. “Any award you win, means a lot. But the one from Oscar Robertson himself, it’s a blessing from God. I was surprised I won it.”

GAME NOTES: Kendrick Perkins had a quiet 10 points and seven boards for the Thunder . . . Jimmer Fredette had 11, but only hit one of his five three-point shots . . . Thomas had 12 points, three boards and four assists . . . Marcus Thornton did not play - sore knee . . . Hayes (7 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals) had a solid game . . . The last home game of the year is Thursday against the rival Lakers

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

DARREN HALL

http://www.darrenhallphotography.net/

http://www.facebook.com/Darrenhallphotography

Kings fade in second half, Spurs play like champions without Duncan

2012-04-20T03:06:30Z

As the season winds down, the challenge becomes: How do you keep a 20-41 team still yearning for more wins and team cohesion?

How about play the San Antonio Spurs (45-16) in front of a nearly packed house and learn from the seemingly simple way the team from Texas goes about its everyday business?

The plan worked for 24 minutes. After halftime, the Spurs decided to lay the smackdown and really show the Sacramento Kings (20-42) how the formula translates on the floor by outscoring the home team 69-42 in the second half on way to a 127-102 rout at Power Balance Pavilion Wednesday evening.

The good news was that the Kings took an early 6-0 lead on the backs of Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson scoring and rebounding.

The bad: That would be the biggest lead the home team would have the entire contest.

After the opening run by the Kings, the balance of the quarter was played very evenly.

For Sacramento, Marcus Thornton (20 points) was on fire. He hit six of seven shots, hit two from beyond the arc and finished the quarter with 14.

One amazing highlight from the first was when, with about eight minutes left, DeMarcus Cousins snatched a rebound and threw the ball more than half the distance of the court to a sprinting Isaiah Thomas, who was being shadowed by Danny Green. Already down on defense for the Spurs was Kawhi Leonard, so, even on the great pass from the Big Cuz, Thomas was essentially already double-teamed.

Luckily for Thomas (21 points, eight assists), Thornton was trailing the play. Without looking, Thomas jumped in the air and, with his back turned to Thornton, dumped an over-the-shoulder, one-handed pass into the waiting hands of Thornton, who made a sweet reverse lay-up for the bucket.

The final play of the quarter seemed to give the Kings a lift. Cousins, after missing a layup, grabbed the rebound and the bucket to give the Kings a 29-28 lead after one.

The second quarter was nearly identical to the first with the teams taking turns leading. At the midway point of the quarter, the Kings went on an 8-0 run, which was immediately followed by an 8-0 Spurs run.

About halfway through the second, “Magic” Cousins, as Jerry Reynolds like to call him on occasion, grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for a driving layup that brought the crowd to its feet.

Even though the Kings found themselves down by one at the halfway point, it was a great game with both teams shooting over 50 percent. The only real noticeable difference was that the Spurs got to the line 21 times compared to only seven for the Kings.

As they have been lately, the Kings came out in the third trying to establish Cousins inside. Unfortunately, he missed his first four shots which helped the Spurs go on an early 13-4 run and acquire a 10-point lead.

The Spurs interior defense is stifling. Combine that with them shooting almost 64 percent in the third and nearly 59 percent for the game, and they are a tough team to beat.

You could just feel the air come out of the team once the fourth got going. The Spurs opened with a 13-4 run that doomed the home team’s chances of pulling out a win.

A scary situation for Thornton occurred when he banged knees with Manu Ginobili (13 points, five assists) late in the third and had to be helped off the court. It was almost the same spot he was hurt a few weeks back. Word spread that he wouldn’t return, but you can’t keep an angry man down. When will he return to the game?

“Right away, man, right away,” he said. “I’m a competitor first. Pete (Youngman) asked me if I wanted to sit out, and I said no. As it went on it started stiffening up, and they told me to ice it up and try to get ready for Friday.”

He joked that he told Kings trainer Youngman to “make him a whole body armor suit next time.”

Thornton expounded on why the Spurs are such a hard matchup for many teams in the league.

“They’re tough. They’re the best team,” he said. “They’ve got players at every position, and they can go out and be productive, not just on the offensive end but one the defensive end, too. That’s the mark of a great team.”

Playing defense in the paint against the Spurs is a tough challenge for any team, as witnessed by Cousins fouling out and Chuck Hayes picking up five himself. They run the same stuff repeatedly and do it so well, you can’t effectively stop it.

“They have great spacing,” Hayes said. “Everybody knows their roles, and we always got stuck in a position where we were always behind, and that’s how we got into foul trouble.”

Hayes says the Kings can learn from the way San Antonio spreads the floor and sticks with the plan.

“Run your stuff!” he said. “Don’t break the play. Don’t try to be a hero. Run your stuff. And that’s all they do. They don’t do nothing special. They don’t do nothing crazy. They run the play.That’s why they always say it’s boring basketball. But they win. That’s all that matters.”

GAME NOTES: Thomas was acknowledged for his fine play this season by Reebok handing out an autographed pair of shoes and an “I.T.” T-shirt to everyone in Kings Row One . . . Even though he fouled out halfway through the fourth, Cousins ended with 18 points and nine boards . . . Seven players scored in double figures for the Spurs, including Leonard (13 points), Green (11 points), Tony Parker (15 points, eight assists), Stephen Jackson (13 points), Gary Neal (17 points) and Tiago Splitter (17 points, seven boards).

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

NICK HUNTE and MARK NEEDHAM

Kings lose a tough, physical game against the Clippers 93-85

2012-04-07T01:25:55Z

One would think, in a game billed as the “Throwdown Showdown,” a battle between a couple of the game’s best dunkers in Donte Greene and DeMarcus Cousins for the Kings and DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin for the visiting Clippers, that there would be a ton of action at the rim.

Not the case, as Sacramento’s front line did a solid job of protecting the paint against the bigs from Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, it was the guards of the Clippers who did the damage in the key on various drives to the basket by Chris Paul, Randy Foye, Nick Young and Eric Bledsoe. Each of them scored in double figures and constantly pushed the ball into the lane as the Kings lost 93-85 Thursday evening at Power Balance Pavilion.

Coach Keith Smart had Francisco Garcia starting in place of the injured Marcus Thornton. It was the third different starter Smart has used since having to replace Thornton, and Garcia had an immediate effect.

‘Cisco was all over the court early on, garnering two steals and a block in the opening quarter. His defensive presence, along with Cousins and Jason Thompson, filled the middle, keeping Griffin and Jordan from getting to the rim very many times.

Offensively, it was Thompson who led the way, scoring nine and picking up six boards in the opening period. He really performed like he was before he twisted his ankle a couple of weeks ago. Thompson finished with 15 points, 16 boards and a couple of blocks.

Trouble arose when Cousins acquired his fourth turnover late in the first quarter and then his fourth foul very early in the second and had to go to the bench for the rest of the first half. Several of the big man’s turnovers came from trying to put the ball on the floor too close to the basket and Clipper players guarding the paint. Cousins lost the ball several times, which led to him getting frustrated, thus picking up more fouls than usual.

In his absence, Chuck Hayes and Thompson did a great job of limiting the number of easy slams by Clipper big men by closing down the key and keeping them out of the lane.

But it was the “little” guys of Los Angeles that gave the Kings fits. Foye had 20 points, Paul 13 and even Bledsoe had 13 off the pine. It was the pesky Paul’s five steals that kept being the thorn in the collective sides of the guardians of the Kings' castle.

After finding themselves down by 10 with two minutes left in the third, Jimmer Fredette got the crowd back into the contest by nailing a three. The shot brought the 14,411 strong to their feet and started Sacramento on the comeback trail.

After a couple of hustle plays by Terrance Williams and Fredette, the team was down by three with 10:15 remaining in the game.

Isaiah Thomas (17 points, five boards, only one assist) gave the team its first lead since early in the first quarter.

After a Jimmer three and a Thomas jumper, the team stalled out. With a loud “Beat L.A.” chant going in the background, the last lead the Kings had was with 3:42 left on the clock.

Tyreke Evans had his shot with 45 seconds left that would have kept it a one-point game roll around and out. Thirty seconds later, Evans made it a one-point game again with 18 clicks left on the clock by sinking two free throws.

After Evans just missed a steal attempt on the inbounds pass, it was all trips to the line for the Clippers as they capped the victory from the charity stripe.

Just to show you that these teams are starting to not like each other, Kenyon Martin waited until the clock was about to strike zero before launching a long ball that went in as if to rub the Kings’ faces in the loss.

Evans explained after the game about how tough it was to guard the Clippers guards.

“Chris Paul, Foye and Bledsoe, they are all fast and good guards,” Evans said. “They attacked the basket off the break a lot, and they have some crafty guys that play defense. We just have to be better in the paint when we’re down there.”

It was a very physical game with lots of fouls that weren't called along with the ones that were. The uneven refereeing was a topic in the locker room after the game.

Griffin didn’t want to get into the topic, saying they would play again soon, but Cousins had no problem addressing the issue of the day.

“Of course, that’s what Blake is going to say,” Cousins quipped. “He’s in L.A. where actors belong. He’s an actor.”

Cousins also said that if the refs were going to let it be physical, then it’s usually that way on both ends.

Friday morning, Cousins was fined $25,000 for his post-game comments about the officiating.

The Kings play the Clippers Saturday in Los Angeles.

GAME NOTES: Even though the Kings had nine blocks and 10 steals, the assist-to-turnover ratio was poor with the team having 19 assists to 18 turnovers . . . Cousins only had eight points and three boards . . . Evans finished with 14 points, three boards, six assists and two blocked shots . . . Hayes had the second-most boards on the Kings with seven . . . Speaking with Thornton after the game, he said he’s unlikely for Saturday’s rematch with the Clippers.

Photo credit: David Alvarez

Kings continue Smart play with help from Thornton, Cousins and J.T.

2012-03-22T00:48:27Z

In this year of ups and downs, consistency has been the Sacramento Kings missing piece.

After losing two games that the Kings should have won against lesser opponents last week, the team then beat two upper-echelon teams with relative ease. A win would give the team three in a row and would seem to have them on track in digesting and displaying coach Keith Smart’s system. A loss, and the roller coaster ride would continue.

So when the Memphis Grizzlies came to town Tuesday evening, the question was, which Kings team would show up?

The short answer: the good one.

The Kings took over in the first quarter by scoring 37 points and never looked back in downing the Grizzlies 119-110 at Power Balance Pavilion, winning three in a row for only the second time this shortened season.

The home team got out early behind the scoring of DeMarcus Cousins, Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas, who collectively accounted for 31 of the team’s first 37 points.

Cousins’ footwork is improving every game as evidenced by his relentless scoring at the rim. Thomas is finding cutters and hitting his jumpers better and more often. And what can you say about Thornton?

Quite simply, he’s been doing it all.

In the last three wins, Thornton has had 36 against Boston, 24 in the Minnesota matchup and 31 against Memphis. Besides the scoring barrage he has been on, Thornton has been all over the court. Against Boston he had four boards, four assists and five steals. Versus the Timberwolves, he had five rebounds, four assists and four steals. And on this night, seven boards, six assists and three steals.

Marcus Thornton just plays angry.

“Yeah, I do,” Thornton immediately agreed. “When I’m out there on the court, there’s no friends. We can all talk after the game, but when I’m out there on the court, it’s all business.”

And on Tuesday, business was good.

Like in the past two wins, every time the visiting team made a run, the Kings came back with one of their own.

Just before the halftime break, with Memphis on a 13-2 run, the Kings only had a two-point lead. It was then that Cousins made a drive to the hoop and had a one-handed stuff that brought the faithful fans to their feet in roaring applause, so much so that the cheering lasted over a minute as the crowd stood in awe.

Memphis only scored two more in the half.

After taking a halftime lead of 10 to the locker room, it was more of the Thornton and Cousins show. Thornton had 11 in the third and the Big Cuz had nine.

The unsung hero in this current Kings run has to be Jason Thompson. Over the last three games, Thompson has averaged 18.3 points, 13.3 boards and is shooting 83 percent.

Against the Grizz, the Kings’ big man’s run continued. He had 14 points, 13 rebounds and four assists and, as always, was hustling up and down the court on every play. Thompson, after four years, is settling in and blossoming into the player he always thought he could become.

“One, it helps that I’m not in foul trouble”, Thompson said. “Two, that I’m consistently on the floor and that I’m picking and choosing my spots and running the floor. I’m just having fun out there and not worrying about things that I can’t control.”

What he and the other Kings bigs have been controlling has been the paint. The Kings out-rebounded the Celtics 45-28, had 42 boards versus the Timberwolves and garnered 10 more boards than the Grizzlies.

In the second half, Cousins left the floor twice, the second time from a bloody nose after getting smacked in the face hard by Dante Cunningham. While Cuz lay on the floor, he wondered if it was broken because, as he said, “I felt something pop.”

Cousins went to the back to make sure it wasn’t broken and returned in the final quarter.

But it was the unselfish Tyreke Evans, along with the rookie sensation Thomas, who controlled the fourth as they both scored nine points in the quarter to help mop up the Grizzlies.

When asked about why he told Smart to let John Salmons start, since the team seemed to be playing so well, Evans said the decision shows some real growth for this team.

“I want to be the leader of this team, so I have to step up and make decisions,” Evans said after the game. “That’s the decision I wanted to make to help us win more games and to keep John’s confidence going, because he’s been doing a great job.”

GAME NOTES: All five Memphis starters scored in double figures . . . Thomas finished with 18 points, five boards, seven assists and two steals . . . Evans had 13 off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting . . . The Kings assist to turnover ratio was solid again as they had 28 assists to only 13 turnovers . . . The team shot 53.4 percent . . . The Kings signed free agent guard/forward Terrance Williams to a 10-day contract.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

Steven Chea

http://www.stevenchea.com/index.html

Kings hit on all cylinders, outrun Mavericks on way to 110-97 blowout

2012-03-10T23:37:31Z

What a difference a couple of months make.

It was back on January 14 when the keepers of the castle were in Dallas and getting blown off the court. They only scored 23 points in the first half, 60 in the game and shot twenty-six percent in possibily the most disappointing performance of the season.

Fast forward to the present.

Coach Smart has had more quality time to spend with the team, thus the cohesion and his style of play are finally taking shape.

On Friday night at Power Balance Pavilion, the Kings put on display the collective knowledge that Smart has infused into the team as they put a whooping on the visiting Dallas Mavericks 110-97 in front of a nearly-packed house.

For the first time this season, almost everything seemed to go the Kings way. They shot over fifty percent, forty percent from beyond the arc, made all 13 free throws, had 25 assists and only 14 turnovers. A complete game in anyones book!

Early action had the game close, but the Kings were clearly setting the tempo.

On the back of what is becoming one of the most entertaining three-guard combos in the league - Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas - the home team acquired a 13-point lead several times in the opening quarter.

Every time in the first half the Mavs made a run, the boys from Sac Town pushed back as if to say 'not on this night.'

As the game kept moving along, the scenery stayed the same.

Jason Terry was doing everything he could to keep Dallas in the contest as he had 12 points, a couple of long-range bombs and two steals by halftime.

The Kings big men - especially Donte Greene, who got the start because of the Dirk Nowitzski matchup, kept the leagues former MVP under wraps most of the game. Nowitzki finished with only 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting and a lot of that credit goes to the coaching of Keith Smart, who kept putting guys in the right position to shut him down.

Whether it was Chuck Hayes, Jason Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins or Greene, the Kings frontline kept the first European to ever score 20,000 points in the NBA in check by staying in front of him and making him take shots from many different angles.

The Kings offense was running like a dream. It was like watching a hot Ginsu knife go through butter. Players that sliced through the lane were found by willing passers all game as witnessed by the teams 25 assists.

Coach Smart has done a great job in getting everybody involved as every player that hit the floor in the first half in a white and purple uniform scored. For the third game in a row, the team had over 20 dishes.

Each time the Mavs got close, the Kings turned up the speed of the game. The Kings would get up by 13, then Dallas would cut it to six, then back up to 10. It was like that until the halfway through the third when the Kings would push it to a 19-point lead and never look back.

With six minutes left in the game, Coach Rick Carlisle threw in the white towel as he took all five starters off the floor and let the bench clean up the mess.

All night long, the Kings made the Mavericks look old and slow. It was like they were moving through quicksand and the Kings were skating on ice.

Coach Smart talked about getting these players to think as a team instead of individuals.

“If I see that you are hunting, like we did earlier in the year, then this guy hunts and he goes for his shots and wants his numbers. He looks up at the scoreboard and sees he has eight points and decides he wants to score, I got to get him out of the game. But they understand that. But I think overall, what our guys are doing now is trusting each other and cutting hard.”

“I am proud of these guys because they are buying in to what we are trying to preach to them. When you have a game like this against a really good team, on the things that you are doing and preaching every day in practice, it works out.”

Donte Greene, who Smart started in place of Thompson because of the Nowitzski matchup, can feel this team starting to bond.

“Team chemistry man, just building that team chemistry,” said the 6’11” forward out of Syracuse. “A lot of guys really didn’t get a chance to hang out with each other during the lockout, so during the season (we’ve been) hanging out and learning each other’s games.”

Rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas sees things the same way. The guys are starting to click.

“We’re trusting each other,” said Thomas. “If we do that a lot more, we’ll be a better team. You guys see it. If we play together, hit the open guy and make the extra pass, we always play a lot better. That kinda motivates us to play even better defense. We’ve just got to be consistent with it and once we are a consistent team with the way we did today with our offense and our defense, we’ll be a pretty good team.”

GAME NOTES: Francisco Garcia (10 points, 2 3‘s, 3 steals and 2 blocks) was everywhere on the floor . . . Cousins, who was still a little sluggish from the food poisoning, had 5 assists to go along with 15 points . . . Evans was the teams leading rebounder with 9

Kings get first last second victory of the season, beat Hornets 99-98

2012-03-09T02:28:55Z

Unlikely.

If you would have asked almost any Kings fan before the game, they never would have used that word to describe the chances of a win against the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday evening at Power Balance Pavilion.

Not only likely, but darn well better win.

But when it came down to the final moments of the game, the chances of a home victory seemed very unlikely.

With the Kings trailing by one and 14.9 seconds left in the game, Marcus Thornton (25 points, four boards, four steals) missed a runner and the collective breath of the old barn let out a sigh. It seemed a loss was in the near future until an incredible steal from rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas, who then passed to John Salmons for the game-winning bucket as the Kings beat the Hornets 99-98 in a true nail-biter of a game.

The fun didn’t stop there as the Hornets still had 6.8 clicks left on the clock to beat Sacramento. On the final play, great defense by Tyreke Evans on Trevor Ariza made his shot fall short, and the Kings ran off the court victorious.

In a game that saw DeMarcus Cousins out due to food poisoning and J.J. Hickson still nursing his hip, it was last month’s Co-Rookie of the Month Thomas (12 points, two three-pointers) who provided the early spark by scoring seven of the first nine points for Sacramento.

Thomas picked up two early fouls and had to give way to Jimmer Fredette, who played well with 11 points and five assists.

The Kings gained a five-point lead several times in the first quarter only to have New Orleans get the game close every time.

Sloppy play in the second by the reserves gave the Hornets a chance to grab the lead before most of the Kings starters returned. Once they settled back in, the Kings took a 58-54 halftime lead.

By halftime, the difference in rebounding was increasingly noticeable. With Cousins out, the team was missing at least 12 to 15 rebounds per game. As the halftime stats would reveal, the Kings were out-rebounded 22-13.

In the third, the Hornets continued the hot shooting. They followed up their 64.7 percent shooting in the second quarter by shooting 52.6 percent in the third, giving the Kings all they could handle.

Curiously enough, after playing only 4:49 in the third, with no foul trouble, coach Keith Smart sat Thomas. At that point, the last pick in last year’s draft had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting with two long-range bombs and seemed to be playing at a high level. Thomas did not return until there were 58 seconds left in the game.

Considering Thomas made the game-saving steal, it was the first question asked at the post-game press conference.

Why didn’t Thomas play in the fourth quarter until there were 57 seconds left in the game?

“Jarrett Jack is a powerful point guard,” Smart said. “I knew I had to buy some time right there, because he was doing an incredible job of trying to force his will to the basket, so I thought our bigger guards (would do a better job). I needed size on him first, and I thought Salmons did a great job on really defending him in the second half.”

Salmons looks to be settling into his role as the team’s point guard off the bench. Besides the game-winning layup, he had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

Salmons admitted that, after disappointing losses to Phoenix and Denver on the road, this one would have been tough to swallow.

“In coming off of that Denver loss, the way we lost, I think it was good for the guys to get one like that,” he said.

Jack was killing it. He finished with 25 on 11-of-17 shooting and seemed to hit every crucial shot the Hornets needed.

The fourth quarter belonged to Thornton as he scored seven on 3-of-5 shooting. Even though he missed a jumper with 15 clicks left on the clock, he did score five of the last seven points.

When Thomas was asked if he though he could have guarded Jack more in the game, he quickly said yes, but that Salmons was doing a great job, and whatever the coach wants, the coach gets.

“Size isn’t a problem with me,” Thomas said. “I felt like I could have guarded him a little better than I did in the first half. I had two early fouls, so I was a little timid. Coach wanted Johnny and we got the win. You can’t be mad at that because he made a decision and we came out with the win, so I’m happy with it.”

GAME NOTES: Trevor Ariza (20 points, six assists) also had a good game . . . Chris Kaman posted a double double with 18 points and 11 boards and only needed two more assists for a triple double . . . The Kings only had 13 turnovers but had 20 assists . . . Jason Thompson had12 points and 8 boards

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

Ron Nabity Photography
http://nabityphotos.com

Kings let frustration affect game, lose to Clippers 108-100

2012-03-03T02:20:41Z

Playing against the “Lob City” crew and an arsenal of good long-range shooters, the Kings’ task at hand, on this Thursday night, was a tough one.

Add in Kenyon Martin, who just made it back from China, and the Clippers are finally a legitimate contending team in this shortened season.

With that said, the Sacramento Kings hung tough until a bad stretch in the fourth quarter that was initiated by some — as the venerable Bill Walton would say, “horrible” — calls and non-calls by the officials. In the end, the Kings fell too far back late in the game to mount a comeback and lost to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 108-100.

After the Kings got out to a early 6-0 lead on shots from DeMarcus Cousins (23 points, 10 boards, three blocks) and Tyreke Evans (18 points, six boards), things started to even out over the next 10 minutes.

The Blake Griffin dunkfest was on display early as the Clippers big man had 10 points in the opening quarter. About half of those wouldn’t have ended up in dunks had it not been for some poor ball-handling and turnovers by the home team.

The Kings starters played the entire first quarter, as it looked like coach Keith Smart wanted to take advantage of a short window of time when the Clippers starters were resting. Maybe he thought the bench would have a hard time keeping up with the Clips starters.

Smart was right. Once the entire Kings starting five were replaced, Los Angeles mounted a 10-point lead early in the second and, for a minute, looked like they would rack up a huge lead. A three from Jimmer Fredette (11 points, three assists, three threes) got the rest of the team fired up and helped get them even. Add in a couple more long-range bombs for Fredette and one from Francisco Garcia, and the Kings pulled to an eight-point lead late in the first half.

Fredette’s second three blew the roof off the Pavilion and had every player on the Kings bench jumping up and down like madmen. Ex-King and Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro had to call a timeout just to quiet the crowd.

The Kings were outscored 13-4 in the final moments of the first half which pushed the game to a tie after two quarters.

At the half, the Clippers had 18 assists to only two turnovers compared to the Kings 10 assists and nine miscues, a statistic that haunted the Kings for the entire game.

The Kings came out flat in the third and fell behind by nine early. It wasn't until halfway through the third that they started to hit some shots and got the game tied at 72 a piece.

That was the last time Sacramento came close in the game.

“A top-level team made a lot of plays”, Smart said in his post-game presser. “They ratcheted their defense up a little bit. We turned the ball over. We had 18 turnovers that led to 27 points.”

Well said.

What coach didn’t say, and can’t without a hefty fine from the league, is that the officials in this game, particularly Bennie Adams, were terrible. They missed a goal-tend call and several hard fouls by the Clippers that would have at least led to some foul shots by the Kings.

They even let Del Negro walk halfway onto the court and yell at the officials without calling a technical!

The non-calls and turnovers were the catalyst for the wheels falling off as the frustration took the Kings completely out of their game.

Smart agreed but said that they would have to learn to overcome such issues.

“They’ve got to fight through that,” Smart said, admitting that the calls were getting to the team. “We’re not going to get the benefit of calls here and there. We’ve got to be strong with the ball, and we have to attack the basket with a serious purpose until we can establish ourselves as a team that can play physical back with another team.”

Late in the third, J.J. Hickson took a nasty fall while attempting a rebound. He had to go up at an angle to have a shot, and as he came down he skipped off a Clipper and fell about four feet right onto his keister. Hickson was helped off the floor and didn’t return. The media was told after the game that he injured his left hip. He was seen on crutches in the locker room in a lot of pain.

The final score was not indicative of how close the game was, as the Kings were down by 19 with 2:46 left in the game.

Cousins spoke about the Kings faltering down the stretch.

“A lot of open shots we gave up,” Cousins said. “Players that aren’t big pieces on the team, we let them make big plays tonight. That’s what really killed us. Just some mental breakdowns.”

GAME NOTES: Six Clipper players scored in double figures, including Caron Butler (13 points), Randy Foye (16 points and three threes), Chris Paul (22 points, nine assists), Mo Williams (18 points, four threes) and Bobby Simmons had 13 points . . . Marcus Thornton had 18 . . . Co-Rookie of the Month Isaiah Thomas had his worst game since becoming the starting point guard with only 10 points, four assists along with six turnovers . . . Good stat: King won rebounding battle 40-33 . . . Bad stat: Clippers had 30 assists to only 14 for the Kings.

Photos courtesy of Darren Hall, Darren Hall Photography

Dr. Jekyll beats Mr. Hyde as Kings top Thunder in national TV game

2012-02-11T03:37:11Z

Plain and simple: It was one of the best, most exciting games ever played at the old barn.

With a national television audience watching on Thursday evening and the place filled to the rafters with ready-to-burst-with-applause black-adorned rabid fans, the Sacramento Kings pulled off the improbable and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 106-101.

From the opening tip to the final buzzer, this game had it all.

Consider this. Kevin Durant, one of the league’s outstanding players, scored 27. Russell Westbrook had 33. And the Thunder had a franchise record 17 blocks, including 10 from Serge Ibaka.

Add that all up and, on a normal night, it would seem the home team was destined for doom.

Ah, but this was no normal evening.

From the moment the Kings took an early 6-0 lead, it was obvious to even Helen Keller that this was no ordinary contest.

The Kings got out to an early 11-2 lead before the Thunder came fighting back. But even though Oklahoma City took a brief lead in the opening quarter, the Kings held the advantage after the first 12 minutes.

DeMarcus Cousins came out on fire hitting his first four shots and ended the first quarter with eight points but also had three personal fouls. Even though Cousins had to come out and didn’t play a minute of the second quarter, he stayed positive and continued to support his teammates from the pine.

“My team is a lot better when I’m on the floor,” Cousins said on his way to the shower. “I got to find a way to stay out of foul trouble so I can help my team more.”

With the team’s big man on the bench and the starters needing some rest, it was up to the Kings reserves to keep the game tight.

The non-starters did their job and helped the Kings keep the advantage at the end of the first half by scoring all but eight of the 34 points the Kings scored in the second, with Chuck Hayes (eight points) and Donte Greene (six points) leading the way.

The third was all Westbrook as he lit it up for 16 points in the third on 7-of-11 shooting.

With eight minutes left, the “defense” chants from the home crowd were as loud as I’ve ever heard in that building.

Things started to get a little out of hand when the Thunder had a 95-87 lead with just under six minutes left in the game. Coach Keith Smart brought back Greene, Thornton and Evans while Isaiah Thomas, Hayes and Jimmer Fredette, who hit some key shots in the period, all headed back to the bench.

Once the changes were made, the Kings scored seven straight points and cut the lead to one point with 2:45 left.

After a couple of key turnovers by the Thunder, the Kings mounted their final comeback.

Thornton finally heated up with two critical long-range bombs, and Cousins and Evans hit some crucial free throws as the Kings held off the team with the best record in the league.

The Kings took the lead for good with 1:05 left in the game. Every foul shot by the home team brought incredible cheers and added enthusiasm to the arena. As Cousins, then Greene, then Evans, then Cousins and then Evans again made it to the line and made eight of ten of their final free throw attempts to ice the game.

The building was so packed with anticipation and excitement that many of the Kings faithful didn't want to leave or the fun to end.

For Cousins, growth is coming in buckets under Smart. How many previous games would he have three personal fouls by halftime and only pick up one more the entire game? Umm, like never!

Smart looks forward to next season when he can look back and tell Cousins how far he’s come.

“I don’t have to motivate him to play — he wants to play, and he wants to practice” Smart said. “This process as the year moves on and he grows, that’s a huge jump. What can you do if you get yourself in Dwight Howard type of conditioning and work on your post game this summer? Where can you go in the next three or four years? That’s the focus for him this summer.”

While Smart acknowledged that Cousins played a huge role in the win, he also called Tyreke Evans “the unsung hero” of the game for continuing to sacrifice his game for the betterment of the team.

Evans never let Ibaka coming in from nowhere to block his shot effect him. He just kept playing hard.

“I didn’t even see him half the time,” the Kings point guard said. “I’m thinking I got a layup, and he comes and swats the ball out of bounds. It was tough. They are a good team. We just went out there and played hard and showed what kind of team we could be.”

KING NOTES: James Harden had 17 off the bench for the Thunder . . . Every Kings player who hit the floor scored at least four points . . . The Kings had 21 assists and only 12 turnovers . . . Jason Thompson had another double-double with 11 points and 10 boards . . . The 10 blocks for Ibaka was a career high and an arena record . . . The Kings have won four out of their last five and play Phoenix at home Saturday at 7 p.m.

Comeback kids pull one out, Kings turn back Blazers 95-92

2012-02-04T02:01:42Z

Since Keith Smart took over coaching duties last month, the Kings have had very little practice time and never had everyone on the roster available for a game.

Things changed this week when the Kings were able to get more time in between games to work on their new game plans. Add that to a healthy Marcus Thornton returning to the lineup and, wham-o!, a team with real possibilities has emerged.

After being down at the half by nine and being throttled by LaMarcus Aldridge the entire time (19 points on 9-of-11 shooting with five rebounds), Smart changed up his formula in guarding the Blazers standout forward which led to a terrific third quarter as the Kings held on the beat the pesky Portland Trailblazers 95-92 on Thursday evening at Power Balance Pavilion.

The Kings came out hustling, but some dumb fouls on the defensive end turned into easy points for the Blazers.

DeMarcus Cousins looked good early but got into foul trouble quickly and didn’t play most of the first quarter.

Aldridge has a great jump shot from inside the circle and put his skills on display early in this one. It didn’t matter who was matched up defensively against him. The way Portland was moving the ball around the court kept Kings players constantly chasing the ball, and Aldridge found himself more open than not for most of the half.

The lone bright spot in the first half for the home team was the ice-cold-as-of-late John Salmons. Salmons had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting that included two three-point bombs.

The wheels almost fell off in the second quarter as a bad mix of players had several defensive breakdowns. With J.J. Hickson, Isaiah Thomas, Travis Outlaw, Thornton and Chuck Hayes on the floor, it seemed that there wasn’t enough leadership or offensive firepower to keep up with Portland.

Smart noticed in time and stopped the bleeding by putting Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson back in the game with about 6:40 left in the second. Down by nine, that adjustment was enough to get Sacramento within three, until several Kings misses let the Blazers get the nine-point lead back before the buzzer.

The Kings scored six straight points as Evans and Cousins came out aggressive to open the third, until Cousins picked up two quick fouls that sent him to the pine early again.

With Cousins on the bench, it was time for Thompson to step up, and he did.

Thompson is having his best year to date and is a real force inside now for the Kings. Thompson finished with 13 points and 12 boards and was very active on the defensive end.

Thompson is fully aware of his improved play but doesn’t see it as a surprise. The way he tells it, if he didn’t have four different coaches in his four campaigns, things may be a little different for the man from Rider.

“It’s tough,” Thompson said after the contest. “Four different systems, and every coach wanted something differently out of me. For me, to keep my head and always staying ready for the future and being positive, then things can work out well.”

Good for J.T.! When you break it down, he’s been the most consistent player so far this season.

Once Evans slammed a ball home to tie the game at 63-63 late in the third, you could feel the momentum change. It seems that every time you just give the hometown faithful some hope, they jump out of their collective seats to show their support.

Thursday was no different.

The fans, who sat on their hands until this point, went crazy when Portland called a timeout to collect themselves.

When Salmons open the final stanza with a three, the fans stayed in the game the rest of the way.

Like the fans, Salmons has been waiting for his game to come around. Thursday, he had his best game of the season.

“It definitely feels good to hit shots,” he said. “When you’re not hitting shots like you’re supposed to, you get frustrated. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated. You just have to stick with it, keep going and try to continue to believe and keep working hard.”

The final moments saw rookie guard Isaiah Thomas get a jaw-dropping block and the Blazers miss two game-tying three-pointers.

Thornton had 20 in his return from a deep thigh contusion and said it’s hard to sit on the bench when you want to contribute so badly.

“It was very, very frustrating knowing I couldn’t get out there and help my team do anything,” he said. “It made me realize that me without basketball, I’m basically dead. Basketball is my life and has been my life since I was little, so I was just so happy to be out there with my teammates.”

KINGS NOTES: Evans had another solid all-around game with 18 points, five boards, five assists . . . Jimmer Fredette, Francisco Garcia and Donte Greene all had DNP-CDs (did not play - coach’s decision) . . . Chuck Hayes said he’s still being careful with his shoulder as any type of collision could dislocate it again . . . Former King Gerald Wallace was held in check and had only eight points and three boards.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

Darren Hall at www.darrenhallphotography.net/

Kings lose to Nuggets 122-93 in blowout, no one happy about effort

2012-01-27T02:49:13Z

The fans weren’t the only ones leaving the old barn early on Wednesday evening.

Quite honestly, they weren’t the only ones leaving embarrassed either.

By the time the press got into the Kings locker room after losing 122-93 in a blowout to the visiting Denver Nuggets, most of Sacramento’s players had left the arena also.

No Cousins, no Tyreke, not even Donte Greene hung out long enough to give their side of this ugly one-sided loss.

Keith Smart, the new coach of the 6-13 Kings, was alone at the podium to explain.

“Not what I expected,” Smart started his post-game press conference. “And I’m sure our fans didn’t expect that either. Kind of an embarrassing moment for our fans to watch us play that way.”

After pulling out to an early 7-3 lead behind a couple of Jimmer Fredette jumpers - who started in place of an banged up Marcus Thornton, the flood gates broke and the Kings end of the paint opened up like Charlton Heston parting the Red Sea.

Way too easy.

Drive after drive after drive after drive to the rack. The Nuggets kept coming like the incoming tide - relentlessly.

And the Kings didn’t even put up a temporary barrier to stop the avalanche.

By the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets already had 22 points in the paint on 11-of-17 shooting. And they weren’t done yet. They would finish with an incredible 92 points in the paint! This is the most since the NBA began keeping track of this statistic!

Wave after wave after wave of Denver big men and small reaching the rim with uncanny ease.

By halftime, Denver lead 66-43 and the boo birds could already be heard in the old Arco rafters.

Danilo Gallinari, Nene, Kosta Koufos, Andre Miller, Al Harrington and even Ty Lawson before he got hurt were slicing through the lane without facing stiff competition or even a good knock down.

By the half, the Nuggets were shooting almost 60 percent and the Kings were just over 42 percent from the floor.

It wasn’t that the Nuggets ran the Kings off the floor, that wasn’t it at all. It was just that it seemed almost every time a Nuggets player went into the paint, he either scored or another Nugget player grabbed the board and tired to score.

The only defense at the rim for the Kings came in the form of DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins ended up with 17 points and 15 boards. The only other King with more than five rebounds was Greene who had six.

The shocking stat of the night had to be that Evans, who is usually good for 4.8 boards a game came away with none. That’s right, a goose egg - zero rebounds.

Not the sign of a team that is throwing everything they have into trying to get a win.

Jason Thompson, one of the only ones left to speak after the tough loss, ended with nine points and five boards but knew much more was needed.

“It’s frustrating,” said Thompson from his space in front of his locker after the game. “We didn’t take care of business. We knew what the game plan was. From the start, usually come out to a good start but this time we just went against the odds. We weren’t rebounding and we weren’t playing unselfish basketball.”

That’s it! Straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

Thompson’s been here since the beginning. He’s unselfish to a fault most of the time and is finally having the kind of season the front office thought he could have when they drafted him four years ago.

Thompson knows the solution to what ails the team and holds out hope that the players can pull it off.

“We all got to look ourselves in the mirror and say how am I going to guard my man and how am I going to stop my man from scoring. At the end of the day, the great teams play team defense. But first you have to be able to stop your man and then worry about the help.”

The former Rutgers standout felt so strong about his case, he said it again.

“We all got to look ourselves in the mirror and not just worry about everyone getting buckets but worry about getting stops and rebounds and just let everything else come to us.”

KINGS NOTES: Fredette ended up with 19 points and had five three-pointers . . . The Nuggets had seven players in double figures scoring including Gallinari (23 points), Nene (16 points), Andre Miller (15 points, 10 assists), Al Harrington (10 points) and Corey Brewer (15 points) . . . Isaiah Thomas had ended with 16 points and had six assists . . . Ty Lawson hurt his foot or ankle and was seen leaving Power Balance Pavilion in a walking boot . . . To their credit, John Salmons, J.T., Thomas and Fredette were ready to answer questions from the media after the game . . . Thornton could miss another week or so with a deep bruise in his left thigh . . . Chuck Hayes should be on the floor again when the Kings travel to Utah to face the Jazz on Saturday

#SmartBall helps Kings overcome 21-point gap, beat Bucks 103-100

2012-01-07T02:25:36Z

Unbelievable! Amazing! Jaw-dropping! Spectacular!

In sports writing, superlatives are greatly overused. Heck, even The Court Jester abuses the Queen’s English occasionally!

In this case, however, I think not!

After being down 58-37 at the half, being outshot from the floor 60.5 percent to 31.8 perccent in the first half and only scoring 12 points in the second quarter, it looked like another lackluster Kings performance would etch another loss in the standings Thursday evening.

Not so fast, my pretty!

After a day of showing Coach Paul Westphal the door, elevating assistant Keith Smart to the position full-time and holding a players-only film study session before the game, the Kings came out in the second half, scored 66 points and played great defense to pull off the improbable win against the Milwaukee Bucks 103-100 in what had to be the greatest home comeback victory in Sacramento Kings history.

Even though the Kings got out to a 13-6 lead, one could just feel that their recent poor play would be extended at least one more night. Eight turnovers in the first quarter and only shooting 25 percent in the second seemed like it would be enough to doom the Kings once again.

But here’s the thing.

The entire game, the Kings were moving the ball, driving to the basket and making the extra pass: everything Smart asked them to do in his first game as the man in charge. It’s just that the shots weren’t falling, and it seemed like every contested jumper by the Bucks was going through the net.

Tyreke Evans (26 points, 10 boards, 5 assists), Marcus Thornton (27 points, 5 boards) and DeMarcus Cousins (19 points, 15 boards, 2 steals) were the stars of the show.

Early in the game, it was Evans that gave the Kings even a small chance of pulling out a much-needed win by scoring 10 points in the first quarter. Other than that, Cousins was being aggressive, but his shots close to the rim were not going in.

The usually hot-starting Thornton was only one of eight from the field at the intermission. He was so displeased with his performance that he came out early from the halftime break and shot something like 30 three-point shots to try to find a rhythm.

It worked!

Thornton went nine of 15 and scored 25 of his 27 in the second half to help propel the comeback.

Even after the third quarter came to a close, the Kings still found themselves down 82-68.

Yet something was different. Was it just the Westphal firing that put extra energy into a team that was playing its third game in three nights and five in six nights?

I’ll let Cousins explain it to you.

“Everybody said it,” the Kings big man said. “You just felt free out there. You didn’t feel like you had 30-pound bags on your back. You felt good that we were having fun even though we were battling back the whole time. We were having fun working!”

Fun. A little three-letter word that might make all the difference in the world this lockout-shortened season for this team.

The fourth quarter was all Kings.

Despite Brandon Jennings killing it with 31 points and hitting six three-pointers along the way, the Kings pushed the ball hard and laid the smack down on defense. In the end, they outscored the Bucks in the fourth 35-18.

It was either Thornton hitting a jumper, Cousins taking it to the rack hard (and scoring) or Evans driving and getting to the free throw line that made the difference.

Sacramento closed the game on a 22-8 run but wouldn’t take their first lead since late in the first quarter until there was 18 seconds left in the game.

“I just told them to play hard,” Smart said in the post-game press conference. “Just play hard first, and after that your game will kick in. That’s all I said to them. I didn’t go in with a rah-rah speech. I just play hard, and things will start to happen.”

Evans agreed with Cousins in saying that things felt a little different against the Bucks.

“We were just out there playing free,” he said. “He’s a great coach. He’s putting in new things to help guys get looks at the rim and at the basket. We just have to work with him.”

It sounds like the start of a beautiful relationship.

Let’s hope the newly coined hash-tag for Twitter (#SmartBall) catches on in more ways than one! [You should explain this more. What does this have to do with the Kings?]

Kings notes: In the second quarter, Chuck Hayes suffered a dislocated left shoulder in a collision and is expected to be out three to four weeks . . . Despite the slow start and most of his jumpers falling short of the rim, John Salmons scored 13 and had six boards . . . J.J. Hickson had 11 rebounds and seven points . . . Kings went from shooting 31.8 percent shooting in the first half to 48.9 percent in the second half . . . Next game is at home versus the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

Kings beat Warriors in last preseason tilt of the season, 95-91

2011-12-22T01:48:51Z

Twelve thousand plus in attendance for a preseason game told you that Kings head honcho Paul Westphal was right.

“It’s nice to have basketball back in this building, isn’t it?,” Westphal started his post game press conference.

It sure was!

A good crowd for the only home preseason game this season saw the Sacramento Kings tighten up the defense in the final minutes of the game and hold on to beat the Golden State Warriors 95-91 at Power Balance Pavilion on Tuesday evening.

Leading the way for the Kings was Marcus Thornton who had 21 points, seven boards and four assists and J.J. Hickson who scored 19 points and had nine rebounds.

Tyreke Evans scored the first basket of the new season on the home court with a net-ripping three to give the Kings an early 3-2 lead.

Tyler Honeycutt, the UCLA product that was one of the Kings second round picks, was hustling all over the court and making the Warriors take tougher shots in his first start as a King. Honeycutt got the start because John Salmons, the projected starter at small forward, is still nursing a thigh contusion.

Both teams love to run. In the first quarter alone, eight of the Warriors 19 points came off of the break.

David Lee was a thorn in the Kings side as the Warriors big man either finished with a dunk on the break or was hacked and sent to the line where he made four of his first five from the stripe. Lee finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds.

Thornton hit a couple of early long balls and a tough layup with two guys draped on him that helped give the Kings the lead after one quarter, 23-19.

With less than a minute to go in the first half, Warrior stud Stephen Curry rolled his ankle while trying to guard Jimmer Fredette. Fredette put a good move on the Warriors point guard and Curry couldn’t keep up and tweaked the same ankle that gave him trouble a good portion of last season. Curry would not return.

One highlight that Kings fans probably didn’t see coming was the two three-point bombs that newly acquired Travis Outlaw made in the second quarter. Outlaw, who is coming off of hand surgery, had a solid game considering he’s only attended a couple of Kings’ practices.

Another was watching Kings guard Isaiah Thomas sprint to the basket, beat two Warriors to the hoop and score on a sweet reverse lay in as the clock expired in the first half.

The second quarter was more of the same as the Kings would outscore the Warriors again by four points and lead at the half by eight, 49-41.

Sloppy play saw the Kings give away their eight point halftime lead in the third quarter. The Kings had 11 turnovers in the third, led by DeMarcus Cousins’ five giveaways.

Cousins has missed some practice time and it showed.

But when it really mattered, Cousins came through.

The second-year big man had a couple of steals and a crucial block in the last minute of the game that made a huge difference.

Cousins knew it was time to contribute in a different way.

“I’m really just trying to find a rhythm, it’s my first game back,” said Cousins after the game. “A tough game for me offensively, so I tried to do some key things on the defensive end to help the team win.”

Evans was another big reason the Kings held off the pesky Warriors. He had 10 points in the final period and, in general, just took over the game.

“It started with defense,” said Evans. I knew they were going to try and go to Monte (Ellis) a lot, so I took on the challenge and tried to make him take tough shots. I think that’s what we have to do to be a good team. We got to play good defense.”

With 27.1 seconds left, Thornton hit a three that blew the roof off of PBP and sealed the game for the Kings.

J.J. Hickson, who also hit seven of nine free throws, said he’s ready to do whatever the Kings need him to do. Whether it’s play the four or the five position, he can handle it.

“With me, I’m the type of player that is going to do whatever it takes to win,” said Hickson. “I’m not complaining what position I play, as long as we get it done. I don’t care who does what, as long as we get better individually and as a team, then that’s all we can ask for.”

KINGS NOTES: All three rookies scored in their home debut . . . Honeycutt had six, Fredette had 12 to accompany three boards and four assists and Thomas had eight points . . . Cousins had 10 boards and nine turnovers, mostly in that horrible third quarter . . . Francisco Garcia, Donte Greene and Hassan Whiteside all could have played but did not due to coach’s decision . . . The home opener is Monday against bitter rivals the Los Angeles Lakers

The Court Jester - Media Day musings, Cousins keeps 'em laughing

2011-12-16T04:47:25Z

With the season fast approaching, the Sacramento Kings held their annual Media Day on Thursday, December 15 at Power Balance Pavilion.

Every player had various duties on this busy day - multiple media obligations, shooting stand ups and bits for use in-game and even an open scrimmage, where fans across the valley will get their first chance at seeing this version of the new-look Kings.

With the addition of J.J. Hickson (via trade from Cleveland for Omri Casspi), the signing of free agent Chuck Hayes away from Houston and acquiring John Salmons via draft day trade involving Beno Udrih plus the drafting of three rookies in Jimmer Fredette, Isaiah Thomas and Tyler Honeycutt added to the three new assistant coaches added in the offseason. This could be the most changes that any one team has endured during one year.

Everyone that was anyone showed up at center court on the Kings home floor to get their time in front of someone's microphone.

The Court Jester was there and gathered these thoughts about the upcoming season, the new team chemistry and the how the Kings will play during this season.

Coach Westphal on expectations on the season - “We’re going to be better! I don’t have any hesitation in saying that. I like our team and I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Coach Westphal on the shortened time allowed for camp and the effect of trying to put in his offensive and defensive sets - “There certainly is a lot to put in in a very short period of time. I think it’s important to us not to proceed as if we’re rushed. We need to put everything out there and be solid without rushing all the details. They way I’ve tried to do that is to put in the big picture first and then tweaked the details that need tweaking. If we had a summer and a pre-training camp time and then a month of training camp, we might start with the details and build outward. Now we’re starting with the big picture and building inward. We’re trying to do that so we don’t feel rushed and if we can stay healthy, I think it will work for us.”

Donte Greene on the emotions of the last game of the year last campaign - “A lot of emotions. I had a lot of fans coming up to me crying and saying they hope we stay. I was always one of the guys that was a front-runner for us staying here in Sacramento. I’ve been here going on four years, my family loves it here, it’s a beautiful city, so really wanted to stay. Now that we’re here, we need to make sure we stay here and make sure we start winning.”

Donte Greene on the black uniforms the team gets to sport for a few games this year - “The black uni’s are nice. I think we should have had them before. I ask for them in my second year in the league. We finally got them and I think it’s a perfect time for them.”

Donte Greene on coming into camp in better shape physically and more mature as a person - “Just being a professional athlete. That’s another part of me growing up. Last summer, we weren’t really on top of things, so summer I made sure I staying down on my weight and and in 20 pounds lighter than I did last year. Just trying to stay focused. I’m hungry and I’m trying to get another contract to stay in Sacramento. So hopefully that happens.”

Bobby Jackson on his new role as an assistant coach - “I look forward to it. It’s a learning process for me and I’m willing to learn for both of the Jims (Eyen and Todd), Keith Smart and Coach Paul. For me, I’m the new guy coming in and these guys have years of experience and that’s what I want to gain. Gain that experience, gain that knowledge and just learn from probably the best coaches in the league.”

Tyreke Evans on who has impressed him so far out of the news guys - “John (Salmons) is pretty good. I like the pickup when we got him. He’s a three man who can score the ball and play good defense. I think he is going be a great help to this team. Jimmer and the rookies have come in and played well. So I’m looking forward to see how they will play in a game.”

Tyreke Evans on the improvements the team has made in team speed and overall shooting - “I think that is going to be one of our main focuses this year is to try and run teams out of the gym. It’s a short season so I think the more we push the ball, the better chance we have to win.”

Francisco Garcia on his early training camp impressions - “We look pretty good in training camp. Everybody is in pretty good shape. We’re growing well together and think we are going to surprise a lot of people this year.”

Francisco Garcia on how good this year’s group of guys are - “This is the most talent we’ve ever had since I’ve been here. We have a lot of talent. We’re learning how to play together and are doing a pretty good job in training camp right now. We’re focussing a lot on defense.”

Jimmer Fredette on getting some early time to impress in the scrimmage and maybe the first preseason game after Tyreke slightly tweaked an ankle - “I’m just going to do whatever the coaches want me to do and I’ll just try and earn my spot with the playing time given by showing them that I can play with this team and do whatever it is that they want me to in order for this team to win.”

Jimmer Fredette on early comparisons to Tim Tebow - “I’ve heard comparisons, but I still haven’t stepped foot on an NBA floor. I did some good things in college and he did some great things in college as well. I think one thing that is a little bit similar is the naysayers saying what type of position we are. That we can’t do what we did in college in the NBA or the NFL. That remains to be seen from me, but he’s been proving that the last seven or eight weeks with what he’s been doing. I’m just trying to out there and play well, play me game and be a great player for this organization.”
J.J. Hickson on leadership - “I think I lead by example. I think I’m going to take it upon myself to be more vocal this year. Being that I played in the playoffs and got to the Eastern Conference finals, I know what it takes to be that type of team, to be a playoff team and to be a championship caliber type team. I’m in practice going hard in every drill, getting my shots up before and after practice and just doing things a leader is supposed to do.”

Marcus Thornton on the happiness he shared with his mom after signing the Kings offer - “Tears of joy, not that boo hoo crap. It’s great to have an organization that wants you for long term.”

Marcus Thornton on making a splash last year - “It was great timing. I just tried to sieze every moment of it. I just tried to go out there and play hard and to the best of my ability.”

Marcus Thornton on what he needs to improve in his game - “It’s going to start with my conditioning. Getting myself ready to play night in and night out. Getting my conditioning to where it needs to be. Playing against these guys in this league, there are no days off. I’m just going to get my conditioning better and things will fall into place after that.”

Chuck Hayes on showing the Kings players what it means to be tough - “It’s my will to win. I’m a competitive person and I try my best to teach these guys just the little things - the importance of them. We all have talent and can all play this game, but late in the game, our concentration and execution is going to help us win games and we have to make winning plays.”

Chuck Hayes on his game resembling Charles Barkley’s game - “Charles Barkley was my favorite basketball player. Every since I was younger, I was always built like him. I used to follow C-Webb a lot because I lived in Oakland when he was with the Warriors. Then when I moved to Modesto, he went to the Kings so it seemed like I followed his career as well. I’ve always been an undersized guy, a very powerful player - it’s just the way I am. I’ve played the big position since I was little and I’m going to finish playing this game by playing the big position.”

DeMarcus Cousins on, well, whatever he wanted to talk about. He opened the media session by cracking on the media guys and jokingly answering the early questions directed his way - “So, you gonna all stare at me or ask me questions?”

Someone asked him what the biggest difference between last year and this year has been - “We got black jerseys, hello?? Next question! You can’t scare no one with purple - running down the court looking all majestic.”

Once Cousins settled in, he was his typical charming self.

Cousins on differences between being a rookie and now - “Feels good. I don’t have to carry that pick bag anymore.” (referring to his pink Hollie Hobbie backpack) “We’ve got a talented group. We’ve got some veteran leadership. There is a lot of positive energy in the locker room and around the city, so it’s gonna be a new look, a new year for us.”

Cousins on how he tweak his ankle in practice the other day - “I stepped on the midget’s foot - Isaiah. He was definitely in the way,” he jokingly said.

Cousins on how he stayed in shape during the offseason - “Why would I tell you all my secrets? I’m in shape, that’s all that matters. We good!”

Every time he opens his mouth, the gathered masses are ready to burst out laughing. The guy is extremely funny and intelligent at the same time and a real treat to get to cover.

The Court Jester - A Smart addition to staff brings lots of experience

2011-12-14T01:36:08Z

Trust me, Keith Smart had options.

It was just the way Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal struck him during Westphal’s visit to his Bay Area home.

“Coach Paul was incredible as far as the process of trying to get me to come here,” said Smart after the first of two practices on Monday afternoon. “I mean, he came to my house and we sat in my living room for three hours talking about basketball philosophy. And he didn’t have to do that. When the decision came for them to come talk to me, I thought I would have had to come up to Sacramento. He said, ‘Hey, I’ll come visit with you.’ He came up and we sat and talked and I thought that was pretty good. This worked out perfect because it’s right down the highway from my home and I can see my family. My kids in high school and everything. Just being here and having a chance to get back into it again relatively quickly. When you get let go as a head coach, sometimes it doesn’t happen that fast, but I’m back in the teaching fold and learning mode again.”

“I’ve been fortunate to be around coaches that allow you to coach and Paul is one of those coaches as well. He takes input and information that you have and what you want to add to the team and he’s open to all that. It’s a good fit and it worked out really well with me coming here.”

The former head coach of the Golden State Warriors had a record last season of 36-46. But a worse than the Kings road record of 9-32 and the fact that the team never really got newly signed big man and solid rebounder David Lee to fit into what they were trying to accomplish in the East Bay led to his dismissal.

If you remember, Smart is probably known best for his 1987 Final Four heroics when he made a game-winning shot to lead Indiana to a National Championship over highly-touted Syracuse.

Smart has already looked back at what he could have done different in Oakland and intends on learning from past mistakes.

“You look at that you could have went with plays for guys at a certain situations of the game. Percentage-wise, if you go back and look at all the data from the year, you look at that maybe this guy could have done a little bit better in that situation than another guy that I had at that position from time to time. Maybe I should have gone to a particular player in a post up area a little bit more to kind of force the defense to adjust to us a little more. Little things like that.”

“But from managing the team and running a team, which I had a great coach that allowed me to to do a lot of work in Don Nelson, who gave me freedom to run the team and run practice. To have that experience already, that was a plus for me.”

Keith Smart has coaching in his blood.

Even before Don Nelson let him share the pine with him on an NBA bench, Smart was cutting his teeth in the CBA. In his first year as a head coach at any level, he led the Fort Wayne Fury to a franchise-record 31-win season and a spot in the playoffs.

The next season, he did it again. Playoff bound!

While in the CBA, he had an incredible 21 players signed away to NBA contracts. That just screams great coaching.

Smart, who is 47 now, then spent seven years alongside Don Nelson with the Warriors - the longest assistant coaching stint in Golden State history.

Smart knows he has a lot to offer the young Kings’ roster.

“I think that a coach really needs to be hands on in this environment,” said Smart. “Especially with the young players these days leaving school so early. They are still used to a coach being hands on. Until you get to a veteran team to where they pretty much know what they need to do. We need to make sure that we are holding these guys hands to help them to understand how to be a pro. And when they get to that point of being a pro, most of the time your team is going to be better.”

He also thinks that it’s great timing for him because of the influx of so many new players to the team. Another reason is that he can set an example going forward without having to revisit the past.

“I come in blind to everything that may have gone on,” said Smart. “I come in with the idea of teaching and going forward, not so much of looking back because I wasn’t here last year. We have some new pieces, some new players come in and everything fells like its brand new. So for me, I’m able to come in and just look at it from a coaching standpoint and say okay guys I need to do this, I want to do this and move from there as opposed to what went on and what happened and focusing on the negatives. I’m looking at what we can probably do this year to help turn things around and Coach Westphal has been great with all that.”

Coach Smart already sees that this team is unselfish and it started with the teachings of Coach Westphal.

“I think what Coach has done is try and get this team to share the ball, said Smart. “With a young team, that’s always hard because everyone is looking for their own identity. So what he’s tried to do is try and get the players to share and get the coaching staff to have a philosophy of getting them to play with each other and become a team. If they grow as a team, they will get better as a unit and start winning games. If they can understand how important the next guy is, that’s only going to help the team in the long run. And that is what this training camp here is all about.”

Coach Smart and the rest of the coaching staff will first get to see the impact they’ve had on this young team on Saturday, when the Kings travel to Oakland to play Golden State in their first of two preseason games.

On Friday, a look at Thursday’s Media Day and more insight to the season from Kings players.

The Court Jester - Better late than never, training camp begins anew

2011-12-13T02:43:47Z

The long-awaited, lockout-shortened Kings’ season is finally underway as training camp has opened in Natomas at Sacramento’s training facility in the Power Balance Pavilion parking lot.

Here are some observations from the second and third day of the two-week training camp.

State of the Kings Address

Each training camp, Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ President of Basketball Operations, addresses the media to discuss the offseason and his early training camp observations. This year was a lot different for Petrie as he and the staff are having to cram over a months worth of moves, discussions and preparation for the upcoming season in a two-week period.

Here are Petrie’s comments regarding various items during his stand up before the gathered media.

On how he likes the current makeup of the team - “I think at the moment, we are happy where we are. The team has been reconfigured from the last season, so a new group with the potential for what we think is improvement. They all came into camp in pretty good shape considering what turned out to be a very lengthy offseason. They seem focused and energetic and everybody’s glad to be back playing basketball.”

On major differences from last year’s campaign - “I think we are going to be a better shooting team. We’re going to be a better passing team. And I think we will be better able to attack teams offensively in more ways than we were last year.”

On how much room does the team still have under the salary cap considering the signing of Marcus Thornton (4 years, $31 million) and Chuck Hayes (4 years, $21.3 million) as well as rookies Jimmer Fredette, Tyler Honeycutt and Isaiah Thomas to contracts - “We’re still about a million dollars and change away from the minimum salary.”

On how happy he was with the general shape the players came into camp in - “Yeah, I am. In general, there are probably a couple of guys that need to lose a little bit of weight, but overall DeMarcus is ten pounds lighter than he was at the beginning of training camp a year ago. Tyreke is in better shape than he was at the start of camp last year. Marcus is within a few pounds of his game weight. John (Salmons) is in terrific shape. Fredette and all the rookies are fine. Again, considering the amount of time, we are pretty good shape that way.”

Geoff Petrie also emphasized that the team has a couple of offers out there and wouldn’t be surprised if they added another piece or two to the puzzle. At this point, it seems a backup point guard and maybe another big man could be in the mix.

He also sees the amnesty dominos to fall slowly considering that many teams are waiting to see who drops who and what other late deals some teams may be able to throw together.

The Curtain Rises

At some point during each practice, the long canvas shade that keeps the media shielded from the team’s on-court activities rises to allow the gathered newsmen and women to gaze upon the balance of Coach Paul Westpahl’s training drills.

So far this season, the curtain has risen early to allow the media a long look at will be this year’s incarnation of the Sacramento Kings.

Once practice is over, Coach Westphal give his thoughts on the days workout. Here are some of those thoughts from the second and third days of training camp.

On a potential three-guard set with Jimmer, Tyreke and Marcus Thornton and how it’s looked in practice - “It really worked well. At one point, they ran off about 12 or 15 points in a row. We were picking up full court - we’ll be doing a lot more of that this year - and creating some turnovers and early shots and they got out and were explosive. So that’s a combination that can be real effective.”

On how the young guys have looks so far - “Probably the best of everybody. I thought Whiteside had his moments, and Jimmer, Isaiah and Tyler all were excellent.”

On what might be missing from last year that you’ll need this year’s team to step up and get done - “I just think we are trying to grow as a team. We’ve added some players with some experience and some versatility and ball-handling ability. We’ll be a better shooting team. Hopefully healthier and we’ll have a little more depth.”

On whether the Kings will be more of a running team the season - “I think our personnel dictates that can extend the defense a little more effectively and I think we’re doing to try and do that.”

On how John Salmons is fitting in so far - “I think he’s doing an outstanding job! He’s a real pro and he knows where he’s supposed to be and why and he’s helping the other guys. He’s been real good at both ends.”

On J.J. Hickson - “I see a real athletic, dynamic player. He’s still feeling his way with where he’s supposed to be and why, but I think he’s somebody who can bring an element of athleticism to the game every time he comes in.”

Words from the Crown Keepers

Here are some comment from various players after a couple of workouts under their belts.

Isaiah Thomas on being a leader in college and now learning from leaders in the pros - “Because (in college) I was always was the one to lead and was telling people what to do, but now they’re telling me what to do. At the same time, when I do tell them what to do, they are listening too so it’s a mutual thing with all of us. I’m just trying to learn on the flow and learn everything from the vets and the guys that have been here a while.”

Isaiah Thomas on what the coaches are looking for from him - “Just to play hard and come in and bring energy and that’s what I’m going to do whether it’s score for myself or make plays for my teammates, I’m gonna do whatever I can to help the team win and get more wins. That’s my job!”

Isaiah Thomas on getting acclimated to the Sacramento area - “I’m trying to get lost just to see if I can find my way back to the hotel and things like that. I’m just trying to get more comfortable on the court and off.”

John Salmons on his expected leadership role with the team - “I’m just being myself man. I’m not the real vocal type. I just try to come in and be a professional and lead by example. I try and come in everyday and work hard and play the right way.”

John Salmons on what has impressed him the most so far in camp - “They way they share the ball. They are all looking to find the open guy, hitting cutters. I’ve been surprised by that the most.”

John Salmons on having a former teammate - Bobby Jackson - as a coach now - “I guess the longer you play, the more ex-teammates you have as coaches (laughs). Bobby’s cool. Bobby was cool when I was here. We always got along well so we’ll get along well with him as a coach.”

J.J. Hickson on putting in extra time after practice working on his shot - “It’s very important. I’m trying to get better every day. I’m trying to get better with the team so I think it starts with the individual first. I’m gonna get my extra work in when I need to.”

J.J. Hickson on being traded from Cleveland - “I was real surprised. I started in Cleveland. They taught me everything I know up to now. I’m gonna try and come here and let my defensive principals from Mike Brown and Byron Scott roll over into this team.”

J.J. Hickson on what his best attributes are - “I think I’m best when I’m running the floor. Setting screens against the offense real quick. The scoring is icing on the cake but I’m going to do what I have to do to make me and my teammates better.”

Tyler Honeycutt on what he’s already picked up on from the veteran players - “The movement on the floor, reading screens, staying in space and running. (Francisco) Garcia’s been talking to me a lot so I’m listening to him.”

Tyler Honeycutt on Garcia’s mentorship - “He’s been kind of looking over me like a big brother telling me where to go and making sure I’m on the right spots on the floor.”

Tyler Honeycutt on the speed of the game - “It’s like going from high school to college, now it’s college to the big boys. Everybody’s taller, faster, stronger, smarter and more athletic so I’m just trying to get used to that. Getting in the weight room to get stronger.”

Jason Thompson on the new crop of talent and the future of the Kings - “It’s starting to be good. It’s good that everyone is here and healthy. We’re just getting the reps in and putting in the offense, getting used to our defensive principals and get some continuity.”

Jason Thompson on helping the young guys - “Everyone started mature. We’re easing into things with Jimmer and Tyler and Isaiah and just giving them tips and helping them out as we’re learning as well.”

Chuck Hayes on settling in - “There is a lot of energy in the building with the youth and the excitement. I’m learning. I feel like a rookie. I’m learning guys style of play. Learning where they like to shoot the ball, their strength, their weaknesses and trying to get some kind of chemistry with them on the court.”

Chuck Hayes on if he’s, at 6’6”, always played in the middle - “I’ve always been the center from elementary to junior high a little bit in high school and a little bit in college. So playing the position was never foreign to me. I’ve always been the big kid. If you asked to me play point guard, I’d look terrible, but playing center to me is something I’ve been doing my whole life.”

Chuck Hayes on his defensive mindset going against bigger guys night after night - “Every game is a marathon. It’s a 48-minute game. The point is I just try to outwork and outlast my opponent, my guy individually. I try and wear him down and make him uncomfortable. There will be some moments where he’ll get the best of me, but you got to expect that because everybody is a professional. But throughout the 48-minute game, I have to be able to outlast him when it matters.”

Jimmer Fredette on the rush to get ready - “It’s been really exciting to start my first training camp and to start with the team. Everything is pretty accelerated because our first exhibition game is coming up real soon, but we’re doing a great job of trying to stay focused, get the plays down and get our defensive scheme down and all the terminology. It’s a learning process right now, but it’s going well.”

Jimmer Fredette on what about his game will help this team and it’s cohesiveness - “The biggest thing is just to go out there and play my game. If you show them respect, they’ll show respect back to you. Get them the ball when they’re open and take your open shots and hopefully you make them. That’s how you gain respect by going out there and playing as hard as you can, making the right decisions and being a good teammate.”

Tomorrow in The Court Jester, a conversation with the former head honcho of the Golden State Warriors and new Kings' assistant Keith Smart.

May I have your attention please Sacramento - The Jimmer has landed

2011-06-25T06:27:49Z

As he made his way down the escalator in the inside Terminal One at Sacramento International Airport Friday afternoon, his eye-catching smile was happily stretched across his face upon seeing the masses awaiting his arrival into the Capitol City.

That’s right Kings fans, along with the other two draft picks selected this week, the Jimmer has landed!

A couple of hundred of the Kings faithful patiently waited for the slightly delayed flight and they weren’t disappointed when 2011 draft picks Jimmer Fredette, Tyler Honeycutt and Isaiah Thomas made their way through the crowd - high-fiving fans and shaking hands all along the way.

The Kings had to do some wheeling and dealing to land Fredette. A draft day trade that sent Beno Udrih and the seventh pick in the draft to Milwaukee for former King John Salmons and the tenth pick. Moving down allowed the Kings to land the Fredette with the tenth pick where they may have felt they could pick him without looking like they were reaching.

Even though Jimmer had some off-the-chart numbers in his senior season at BYU - 28.9 points per game, 3.4 boards, 4.3 assists and shot almost 40% from beyond the arc - Fredette was slotted to go somewhere between the eleventh and sixteenth pick in the first round. But after Kings executives saw his impressive workout, they moved him up their draft board and happily took him with the tenth overall pick.

Many Kings fans made their way to the airport to greet the college star and Fredette was very happy to see the large welcoming committee.

“I’m really excited to be here,” started Jimmer. “To be a Sacramento King and to see the reception is really exciting for all of us here.”

Moments later he would say what everyone in KingsLand wanted to hear.

“I’m excited to be a King!”, exclaimed Jimmer.

The moment wasn’t lost on Jimmer’s girlfriend as she was seen looking back at the police behind her in awe of the crowd as she and Fredette made their way down the moving staircase.

Fredette, the consensus Player of the Year in college basketball last season, brings a smooth shot, amazing range and a nifty little crossover move to a team that will be looking to run and gun this campaign.

Also arriving were 2nd round picks Tyler Honeycutt (UCLA) and Isaiah Thomas (Washington). With the three new additions, the Kings become more athletic and will have more guys that can create their own shot. This team could become impossible to guard defensively.

The Kings brass were somewhat shocked when they realized the UCLA product was still around come the 35th overall pick.

Honeycutt talked about leaving school early considering he was projected to be a first round pick if he had stayed for his junior year.

“I felt like I had a solid year and I thought it was the right time for me,” said Honeycutt. “I felt parts of my game were ready to go to that next level.”

From what the scouts are saying, Honeycutt has a great basketball IQ, is an excellent passer and can block a lot of shots for his size.

With the last pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Kings selected Isaiah Thomas. He’s only 5’10” but can jump out of the building. With a 39.5-inch vertical leap, it’s easy to see why the Kings thought he has a shot at making the roster.

Thomas, who averaged 16.8 points and 6.1 assists a contest, really improved his passing skills between his sophomore and junior years.

In his second year in the Northwest, he only averaged 3.2 assists, but by the end of his third season with the Huskies, he increased that average substantially.

Thomas was very happy he was able to stay on the West Coast. He was also a little shocked to see how much Kings fans love their basketball.

“I’m very excited,” started Thomas. “I think everything worked out perfectly. I get to stay home in California. As you can see, we got great fans. I don’t know how many other teams this (airport gathering) is happening to!”

Thomas didn’t stop there when declaring how happy he was to be picked by Sacramento.

“It’s a blessing! It’s a great organization. You can already tell the fans are second to none. This is just unbelieveble!”

For those of you that missed the airport arrival, you can catch the three new draftees at the Rookie Rally at the Arden Fair Mall in front of Nordstrom at 2:30 on this Saturday.

Kings, Cousins take out Jazz, packed house enjoys 106-97 Kings win

2011-04-05T01:50:14Z

DeMarcus Cousins sat in front of his locker space exhausted, the effects of a long first season etched in his face and his left shoulder donned in black tape as if held on by Super Glue. At least he wasn’t bleeding this time.

After putting up 17 points, collecting nine rebounds, dealing out six assists and setting a personal high with five steals, it’s understandable why - nearing the end of his rookie campaign - Cousins could barely find the energy to speak to reporters after the game.

“Even though we are not having a great season and everyone knows we are not going to the playoffs, the fan support is unbelievable,” said a soft-spoken Cousins. “They stick with us through thick and thin and we love them for it.”

Cousins was right.

Considering that the long NBA season is coming to a close, combined with the uncertain future whereabouts of the only local major league sports team in the area, it was quite a surprise to see Power Balance Pavilion nearly packed and rocking like the good ole days.

Sunday afternoon, the fans never gave up and neither did the hometown Kings. Spurred on by the constant cheering and defense chants,
DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and the rest of boys in purple took an early lead and rarely looked back in an 106-97 win over the stumbling Utah Jazz.

Evans, who has been moving well and looking like his old self since coming back from the treatment on his foot, had a great night. He put
up a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists, consistently blowing by the Jazz defenders on his way to the rack.

But, for the second straight game, it was Francisco Garcia that was the fire starter. Garcia’s aggressiveness and outside shooting helped
the Kings get out to a 26-19 lead after the first quarter. Garcia ended with 17 points, four boards, two steals and three bombs from
downtown.

The nearly sold out crowd almost lifted the roof off the antiquated building after an incredible behind the back pass from newcomer Marcus Thornton. The pass to Donte Greene for the one-handed stuff gave the Kings a 38-21 lead less than three minutes into the second period of play.

Coach Paul Westphal’s three guard combo of Beno Udrih, Thornton and Evans is starting to show some promise. They can trap the ball so quickly and pressure the ball handler so well that turnovers are created and fast breaks are run to perfection. Considering that all three can handle the ball, shoot well and deliver the pass, the ability to make the opposing team match up to them instead of the other way around will be a constant in this new-look version of the Kings.

It must be noted that reserve forward Darnell Jackson was the Kings leading scorer with 11 points with just over four minutes remaining in
the opening half. This game, he was able to get more minutes since Samuel Dalembert and Cousins had picked up their second foul and
Westphal wanted to make sure they were both available for unlimited minutes in the second half.

Sacramento would maintain a double-digit lead for most of the third. As soon as the Jazz pulled to within five points about four minutes
into the quarter, the Kings would make it a 15-point lead less than three minutes later as the swarming defense paid off.

The trend continued through the end of the game. Utah would never get closer than nine points again.

For the Jazz, Paul Milsap had 21 points and seven boards and Gordon Hayward set a personal high with 19 points on 8 of 14 shooting.

Another bright spot for the ailing Jazz was the performance of recent NBDL call-up Kyle Weaver. Weaver had 19 points off the bench, which included three from long range.

For Cousins and the rest of the Kings, it was another step in the maturation process, another game under their collective belts to
figure out how to play together and jell as a unit.

“Great defensive effort by the team tonight,” said Cousins. “We shared the ball good tonight and it resulted in a win. It was just a great
defensive effort tonight.”

Thornton has really found a niche on this team with Westphal’s newly envisioned three-guard offense and knows that it’s the defensive effort that always contributes to easy scores.

“Cisco, DeMarcus, Sammy - everyone played outstanding defense tonight and that is what got us the win,” said the second-year pro. “We were able to get out and get easy buckets. Against Utah, you need that because they play excellent half-court defense so you need easy
buckets against them.”

Coach Westphal must be, in some ways, sorry the season is coming to a close. In a crazy year that has been filled with the possibility of
the team leaving or not leaving, injuries and infighting, benchings and bloody noses - recently, things in SacTown have the look of a
brighter future. Coach Westphal is sad to see only a few games left on the schedule.

“We’re sorry that the season is coming to an end,” said Westphal. “We’re not just looking forward to the season ending; we want to go
out there and fight these teams and hopefully hurt some of their playoff chances.”

GAME NOTES: The Kings had six players who scored in double figures. Besides Garcia, Evans, Cousins and Jackson, Thornton had 15 points, 7 boards and 7 assists and Udrih pitched in with 12 of his own . . . The Kings ended with 29 assists to only 13 turnovers . . . Cousins and the rest of the Kings’ big men held Al Jefferson in check with only 11 points on 4 of 13 shooting . . . The Jazz were missing several regulars as Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, Raja Bell, Ronnie Price and Devin Harris are all out with injuries.

Kings lose rematch to Nuggets 99-90, Cousins keeps his cool - again

2011-04-03T01:41:41Z

In a rematch of a game in Denver just two days prior, the Kings were hoping that their newfound cohesiveness would be on full display in trying to get one back from the visiting team. No such luck as the Denver Nuggets pulled away in the second half and never looked back in their defeat of the Kings 99-90 in Sacramento on Friday evening.

Make no mistake about it. This was a physical contest. The Nuggets are known for playing that rough, in-your-face, stripping the ball type of irritating defense that tends to get on the opposing players nerves.

It was just after halfway through the first quarter when the Denver center Nene (12 points, 12 boards) pushed Tyreke Evan hard to the ground. Evans was making his first start since coming back from his foot procedure. The fall left Evans grabbing his back in pain for several minutes. It was the opening salvo to let the Kings know that Denver would not be pushed around on this night.

Even though the Kings were able to achieve a seven point lead after one, 28-21, all signs pointed towards the Nuggets keeping the game close. The swarming double teaming of the Kings’ ball handlers was in full effect, causing turnovers and interfering with good shots.

The Nuggets would fight back, as expected, and got the game close by halftime, trailing only by three, 51-48.

It must be pointed out that DeMarcus Cousins, in the last month alone, has incurred probably four bloody noses and several other incidents where he was bullied - I know that sounds kinda funny for a guy that is 6’11” and built like a Freightliner - but he didn’t even receive the benefit of a call in any of those cases. Against Denver, circumstances were no different. Another bloody nose and another foul not called.

A look at the second quarter shows the beginnings of the breakdown. The Kings shot 39% on 9 of 23 shooting, were 0 of 6 from the three-point line, missed 3 of 8 free throws and had five turnovers. As the esoteric Bill Walton would say, “Horrible!”

The third was no better for the home squad. Denver came out very aggressive on defense. The Kings again missed all six long-range bombs, made only two of six free throws and had four more turnovers. Sacramento only scored 16 points in the period.

On the strength of the good guard play late in the third and into the fourth quarter by Raymond Felton - 14 points in the fourth and 17 for the game - the Nuggets were able to pull to a 17 point lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Ty Lawson’s pressure on the ball and Felton’s aggressiveness off the bench and at the rack was a problem for the Kings.

About this point, Cousins grabbed his left shoulder and winced in pain from some more of the constant abuse he took in the game.

As the defense chants started to permeate Power Balance Pavilion, the Kings made a mini-run backed by Evans looking like his old self and trying to take over the game. Evans and the Kings cut the lead to six, trailing 90-84 before slowly fading away.

Shortly before the end of the game, Cousins took another blow to the mouth from Dario Gallinari, this one much more intentional. Gallinari swung his hand right under Cousins’s chin and if it wasn’t for Cousins being quick on his feet, the rookie would have been knock out cold. The fact that he didn’t go all Ron Artest on him says a lot.

Cousins talked about his path to maturity during those types of situations.

“I’m trying to show that I’m growing up and I can keep cool,” said Cousins. “I’m not the person everybody believes I am every time I get touched, like it’s going to be the end of the world or something. I was trying to win the game. I didn’t want to do anything like get a technical, ejection or something crazy to mess up the game. I was still trying to win the game and just play through it, but we just couldn't get the win.”

Cousins thinks that after taking the beating he has in the last month or so that maybe his nose is even broken. All he knows is that it’s swollen and it hurts.

“I don’t know what to do,” finished Cousins. “Hopefully, I can just have my nose at the end of the season. That’s what I pray for.”

Kenyon Martin, who finished with 14 points and four rebounds, was happy for the win and knows that Denver must win these types of games if they want to be a contender down the stretch.

Martin also knows what it’s like to be in Cousins’ shoes. In his first few years in the league, he was known as a “problem child”, a guy that would use the rough stuff and argue a lot with the refs and the opposing players.

Martin sees a bright future in the Kings big rookie and talked about what he sees in him and some of the advice he’s given Cousins.

“He’s a young great talent and a beast on the block if he can eliminate all the extra stuff,” said Martin on his way out of the arena. “He’s too good for that. I told him to just play basketball the way he knows how to. Just go out and keep playing hard. He’s young, gifted and he works hard, you can tell. His upside is great.”

“I know what it’s like to go out there and wear your emotions on your sleeve each and every day thinking everyone is out to get you but it’s all about basketball at the end of the day.”

One man, one tweet leads to avalanche of support, #Here We Build

2011-04-01T05:30:37Z

In between cheering, yelling and annoying the apathetic, so-called fan in Row F, Section 107, Seat 17 during the Kings game on Tuesday evening, I was caught up on my tweets when I saw that KHTK 1140 personality Carmichael Dave posed a question via Twitter (@CarmichaelDave) asking folks how much they would pitch in, not necessarily to save the Kings, but to show the Kings and the city how much the community really does want this NBA franchise to stay in town by building a new sports and entertainment complex.

Shortly after scolding the lady next to me for reading a book during free throws, she abruptly nudged me and wondered aloud why was it okay then, for me, to be reading my Twitter feed.

I immediately sat upright in my plastic chair and embarrassingly told her she was right but that I couldn’t stop. I had stumbled onto something with the potential for greatness. This is what “Social Media” was invented for I told her.

Carmichael Dave cried out with a passionate plea upon hearing about the 5-0 vote by the Anaheim City Council to approve $75 million worth of bonds to improve the aging Honda Center in an effort to lure our hometown Kings to southern California.

"How much would you give to keep the Kings?"

“I said that Carmichael Dave,” said Dave, when recapping his initial "tweets" on the subject, “has voted 1-0 to donate $200 towards building a new arena in Sacramento."

"Wouldn’t it be great if we could just bypass all the bureaucratic, red-tape-filled politicians in this city and have the Kings fans and city fans, because it’s not just about the Kings, what if we could “pass the hat” like in a church and build this thing on our own and come up with the money and tell all the politicians to get bent?”

Dave had no idea what was about to happen.

“The next thing you know," Dave continued, "someone donated $50, then somebody donated $100, then somebody donated $5.35 because they are a college student and they’re poor and then it just took off. We got the hash tag going called #HereWeBuild and off it went”

Back to the game. So I start filling in the bookworm lady next to me about this crazy movement. It even brought a moment of hope to her previously heart-broken eyes knowing that people like her still cared that much.

As I rolled a little more through Twitter on my iPhone, I saw where some guy that has something to do with the local Jiffy Lubes had pledged $25,000! Really? $25,000!!!

Okay, now we’re breaking out the big lumber.

Matt Graham, the marketing director for 25 Jiffy Lubes in the greater Sacramento area, was watching his Twitter feed and felt compelled to be a part of something grassroots.

Being a corporate sponsor of the Kings this season and understanding that many of his customers and employees are big fans of the Kings as well as professional sports, he just wanted to help get this movement rolling.

“We felt a substantial amount would have an impact,” said Graham, “as well as maybe getting other local businesses or high network people to join in and see what we can make out of it.”

“You could see all the passion in the Twitter feeds and as it started to gain momentum, in my mind I thought, well, I’ll donate a $1000 for every store we have in the area, so that’s how I came up with $25,000. After talking to Carmichael Dave, we decided if we could do something to either: A) save the Kings or B) make a statement for any other professional sports team’s owners out there to go ‘Wow!, there is definitely passion and a fan base out there and we’ll look at Sacramento in the future.'”

After seeing the $25K drop, Carmichael Dave said it was starting to play out in his mind like a dream Hollywood movie ending with the community coming together and saving this team. Was there still time for the guy in the white hat to come riding in and do something? What if with his 140 words or less he was able to start something that made a difference? Something that people could really get behind?

In just over the time it took to play an average basketball game, a guy with a Twitter account and the people who “retweeted” his original plea, raised over 100 thousand dollars in pledges to build a new arena in hopes that the Kings would stay in town.

Talk about the power of the tweet! Eat your heart out Charlie Sheen!

With the help of Jiffy Lubes of Sacramento and Matt Graham, by Wednesday morning, less than eight hours after the first tweet, there were five HERE WE BUILD electronic billboards up in the area.

Dave knows as this movement grows, he will need guidance and support from people with much more knowledge and more connections than himself to keep the movement rolling.

“I’ll be spearheading this at the beginning, but I can’t wait to step out of the way and let the smart people get involved," he said. "This thing is going to be twice as big tomorrow and ten times bigger the next day. I’ve had several calls, some unbelievable calls from a lot of heavyweights who are much smarter than I, who are much more connected and powerful than I saying that they want to be a part of this. We have been looking for a catalyst. Maybe we have the brains, maybe we have the brawn but we don’t have the public wherewithal to PR this thing through. That’s really what I want to do.”

Dave’s not sure how much money it would really take to get someone’s attention, but he does know what he is going to do next.

“I want to get in front of the smart people and say, ‘I have a nation of fans standing behind me right now with their wallets and their blood, sweat and tears held out in front of them.’”

Now how could you say no to that.

At least the lady seated next to me during the game has something more uplifting to read today other than that cheesy romance novel.

CHECK THIS OUT

In less than 48 hours after Carmichael Dave's first tweet, the Here We Build movement had over $250,000 pledged. For more information regarding making a pledge, upcoming meetings and all things concerning building an arena and keeping our Sacramento Kings in our community, check out HERE WE BUILD on their F acebook site, their Meetup.com site or the HereWeBuild.com website. Carmichael Dave is the producer/punching bag for The Don Geronimo Show, weekdays from noon to 4pm on KHTK 1140.

Kings lose battle of the cellar dwellers, Cavs win 97-93

2011-03-18T17:37:58Z

When looking at the Cavaliers roster, it’s hard to find a bunch of names that roll off the tongue as if you’ve heard of them many times before. On the other hand, just to make it to an NBA roster means you have special skills and should never be taken lightly.

In this case, I don’t think a team that has the second worst record in the Association - the Kings - would or could afford to take any team for granted. They didn’t, but still came up a little short.

In a battle of teams with the two worst records in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the Sacramento Kings, 97-93, in a game the Kings should have won.

From the outset, the Kings cranked up the defensive pressure by constantly harassing the Cavs’ shooters. Francisco Garcia, who has been playing very well since returning from injury, was covering his man like a wet blanket and picked up two steals and a block in the opening quarter.

Although the Kings ended the first with three steals and two blocks, the Cavs still shot 53% from the field in the opening stanza.

Samuel Dalembert, who is contributing much more than most folks thought he would, continued his fine play as of late by scoring early and often and by using his incredible wingspan for swatting away shots near the rim. Dalembert was the Kings second leading scorer and finished with another double-double consisting of 16 points, 10 boards and two blocks.

Speaking of double-doubles, Cousins ended with 11 points, a game high 16 rebounds but it was his poor shooting percentage that came back to haunt the Kings. The rookie shot only 26% for the game on 5 of 19 shooting.

After getting off to a 28-18 lead after one, things started to turn sour for the home team.

Almost immediately after he came into the game, Luther Head left with calf tightness and was soon followed to the tunnel by Jason Thompson, who appeared to re-injure his ankle at the 7:28 mark of the second quarter.

Enter reserve forward Darnell Jackson.

Grant Napear is right about this guy. Even though used sparingly, Jackson, along with guys like Pooh Jeter and Omri Casspi, provide the spark and energy that the Kings need from their bench. He scored two quick hoops in the first 69 seconds he was in the game.

The Kings opened the second half leading 51-45, but quickly saw Cleveland get right back into the game and even surge ahead in less than four minutes to a 59-55 lead for the Cavs.

The Kings would not be down for long as the Kings rained down long-range bombs and hit four three-point shots in a five shot stretch - three of them by newcomer Marcus Thornton. Thornton would end up the high scorer for the Kings with 23 points.

The Kings would hold slim lead for much of the rest of the game until Cavalier forward J.J. Hickson got the Cavs the lead with 4:31 left in the game.

Now usually, the Kings bench plays a bigger part than it did in Wednesday’s game. But on this night, the bench clearly let the team down. Only the five starters were in double figures in scoring as the bench totaled only 15 points on 6 of 20 shooting for the evening.

“I thought when we went to the bench,” Coach Paul Westphal pointed out after the game, “we didn’t really come in with the same intensity and focus that the starters had and they (Cleveland) made a nice run”

It was a back and forth game down the stretch until the Ramon Sessions hit a shot with 18 seconds left to give the Cavs a slim two point lead. Sessions led the Cavs in scoring finishing with 20 points, five boards and six assists.

Westphal decided to run a play for Cousins and let the big man find a hole and attempt a drive to the rack. Cousins got his opening and made his way into the lane. It appeared that he could have been fouled by Cavs guard Alonzo Gee at the rim, but there was no call and Cousins shot hit off the backboard, then the front of the rim and bounced away essentially ending the game.

After saying that he felt they let this one get away, Westphal talked about the final play call.

“We cleared the right side for DeMarcus and he drove to the basket, got there and the ball didn’t go in.”

For Cousins, who picked up a bloody nose without the benefit of a foul call in the last minute of the game and is learning to not complain about things like that, took the responsibility himself.

“Coach wanted me to iso and drive to the basket and try to get a layup,” Cousins said while seated in front of his locker. “I had a good drive, just couldn’t finish the layup.”

When asked if he received the ball cleanly, did he think that maybe that had something to do with the missed shot, Cousins paused and admitted that maybe it did.

“Umm, yeah, I did kind of mess it up, but I still had a clean drive and just couldn’t finish the layup.”

The maturation process of the big rookie has been nothing short of amazing since the beginning of the year. He’s gone from at times not wanting to give Westphal a high five when being taken off the floor to coming over to the coach - on his own accord - and asking what he could or should be doing.

Let’s hope we here in Sacramento can watch him grow into his potential. It would be really worth buying a ticket to witness.

Kings let struggling Jazz back in game, lose tough one, 107-104

2011-02-09T02:16:43Z

After starting out 2-0 during this tough stretch of games, the Kings are working their way through the home part of the journey hoping to rack up some good wins against good teams before going on the road again.

The Utah Jazz were in town with their 3-9 record in their last 12 games and appeared to be ripe for the picking. Unfortunately, it was the Jazz that did the harvesting, as they held on to upend the Kings 107-104 on the strength of Deron Williams’ court magic and Al Jefferson’s play around the rim.

Utah came out firing with Jefferson (23 points, 3 steals), the offensive powerhouse acquired in the offseason, was having his way with DeMarcus Cousins on the block. Jefferson’s great footwork and post moves to the basket were too much for the younger, less-experienced Cousins, who had picked up two early ticky-tack fouls in less than five minutes. The Jazz center seemed to score his 12 points in the opening quarter with ease.

Luckily, Samuel Dalembert (9 points, 11 boards) was up to the task of bodying up against Jefferson. Dalembert came in for an effective stretch as he started to make things more difficult for the Jazz center.

Tyreke Evans picked up his second personal foul at the end of the first to put the two most dynamic Kings players in early foul trouble. The uncommon pairing of reserve guards Pooh Jeter and Luther Head played well and helped the Kings stay close while the starters were out.

By the end of the first half, the Kings had 10 players who had scored.

The Udrih/Evans guard combo was working well, as they were constantly driving to the basket and kicking to open players on the wing or top of the key.

Watching Williams (21 points, 6 boards, 9 assists) play guard for the Jazz was a treat. His lay-ups off the glass were a thing of beauty. So high up on the Plexiglas – no one could even get a fingertip on them.

Which is why when Williams went to the bench with what looked like a wrist injury, it appeared the Kings would be poised for a run. The two young superstars for the Kings – Evans and Cousins – took full advantage of Williams’ wrist issue and dominated the floor. Evans led the way with 13 points and three blocks while Cousins had 11 points and eight boards in the period to help Sacramento get a 10-point lead at one juncture in the third.

So there we were again.

The Kings had a small lead, 87-80, after three quarters. Nobody was in foul trouble. Even Deron Williams was constantly grabbing at his wrist in pain.

The table was set. It looked like the Kings would be able to hold on.

In short, they didn’t. It only took four minutes for the Kings to give up the lead and let Utah back in the game.

With the game tied, the Kings pulled ahead 97-91 with just over half the quarter left. During that stretch, Cousins picked up his fourth and fifth fouls.

Yes, Dalembert played well, but Cousins (25 points, 14 boards) was the difference-maker. Cousins was the leading scorer in the final period with seven points as the rest of the boys in purple stalled out. Even Evans (21 points) had only two points in the quarter.

Turnovers doomed the Kings. Sacramento, which finished with 20 giveaways, was led by Evans’ six, while Thompson and Cousins had four each.

Almost as soon as Cousins was sent to the pine to await the call, Dalembert picked up his fifth foul and had to take a seat, bringing Cousins back in – and maybe a little too soon. With the Kings down 101-99, Cousins readied himself to re-enter the game.

The Kings were still down by one after Cousins made a basket and the foul shot before fouling out and Dalembert had to return.

The usually reliable Andre Kirilenko got to the line twice in the waning seconds, but only made one of two on two separate trips to the line, leaving the door open for the Kings to tie on a long-range bomb.

Coach Paul Westphal had all of his reliable three-point shooters on the floor for the final eight seconds of the game. The Kings’ last shot came from Casspi, whose apparently clear look at the rim wasn’t good enough, and his shot fell short.

Westphal talked about the final play.

“We wanted to get a three up,” said a clearly disappointed Westphal. “You can’t tell who is going to get it for sure – you space the floor, you try and make them make some decisions, and you attack and take whatever three you think you can get.”

After the game, the Kings’ locker room was semi-cleared out. Evans and Cousins, who are usually very open to interviews after a win or a loss, were nowhere to be found, as they had left before the media was allowed in.

Among Casspi’s supporters were Thompson, Landry, Jeter, Dalembert and Donte Greene, who stuck around as if to not let Casspi fall on the sword alone. Casspi, who sat in front of his locker space with his head in his hands for several minutes after his shower, stood tall to answer for the missed shot.

“All the pressure is on me now to make them (three-point shots),” said a frustrated Casspi. “I’m missing a lot of shots that, I don’t know, I don’t remember myself missing those kinds of shots. I’ve been working a lot in practice. I feel like I don’t have my legs under me for some reason.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

RON NABITY

http://nabityphotos.com/

Kings push Celtics to the brink but fall short, lose 95-90 at Arco

2011-02-03T05:30:47Z

Going into the game, Sacramento was missing a few big men: Jason Thompson (sprained ankle) and Hassan Whiteside (knee strain), and then Darnell Jackson right before halftime in a freak incident.

You would think the Kings would have had no chance in matching up with the daunting Boston Celtics, the team with the best record in the NBA.

You would be wrong, as for most of the game the Kings were in it and even pushed back almost every time the Celts pushed them. If it wasn’t for Ray Allen’s fiery halftime locker room speech, the Kings may have prevailed. In the end, in a tough, physical game, The C’s from Beantown got by the hometown Kings, 95-90.

It was the first time this tough season that the Arco Arena was really rockin’. I guess that shouldn’t have been a surprise since Boston is playing like world champions and the Kings have started to show they can win the tough games.

But what was an eye-opener was how many Boston fans were in the building. At times, it sounded like a third of the fans in attendance were cheering for the boys in green, a sound that only angered the loyalists in the facility as they pumped up the noise in their collective effort to drown out the fans wearing the green and white.

Even though the Kings blocked five shots in the first quarter, it was Sacramento’s poor shooting percentage in the period (28.6 percent) that hurt the team. Boston led after one, 27-20.

The game started to get chippy in the second as the Kings were not letting the semi-cheating little things that the Celtics are known for get to them. Even DeMarcus Cousins (20 points, 6 boards, 2 blocks) kept his cool after being shoved by Rajon Rondo during a break in the action. Much like when Cousins went over to Chris Paul after Paul threw Beno Udrih on the ground in the Charlotte game, Tyreke Evans (20 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, 2 blocks) got in Rondo’s face after the shove on Cousins. It’s great to see the Kings coming together though adversity.

Donte Greene (15 points, 2 boards), who’s been getting a lot more playing time with Francisco Garcia on injured reserve, scored 13 points in the stanza to help jump-start the home team. That, along with the fire and instant energy that reserve guard Pooh Jeter brings every time he hits the floor, pushed the Kings to a 54-45 lead at the half. Jeter (8 points, 3 assists) had six points and three assists in the quarter and took a critical charge late in the period.

In a scary scene at the end of the first half, as the Kings were walking off the floor, Darnell Jackson collapsed. After several minutes and what appeared to be something like smelling salts, Jackson was able to sit up and eventually walk off the court on his own accord. The word came down that Jackson was having shortness of breath and would not return to the contest.

Boston kept the intensity going in the fourth by again helping the Kings to six more turnovers in the final quarter. Glen Davis (14 points, 4 boards) had 10 in the period for the Celts by hitting several open jumpers. With all the great interior defense the Kings were playing, it came at the expense of not rotating out far enough to cover Boston’s big men on the outside. And Boston made them pay.

Along with Big Baby Davis, Allen (22 points, 6 boards) was a key factor for Boston. Allen hit four 3-pointers to go with 9-of-15 shooting from the field.

It appeared that Sacramento would have a chance at the end, but the Kings stopped running the ball across the half-court line with two minutes remaining in the game, a choice that would cost them.

“I just thought that if we could create a turnover, that might be a little better chance than hoping that Ray Allen missed a free throw,” Coach Paul Westphal said from the podium after the game.

Even though the Celtics beat the Kings, there’s been a lot of progress made in the last few weeks and the players are noticing.

“I think we are going to be OK from here on out,” Evans said from his space in the locker room. “We just need to keep playing the way we’ve been playing. Our confidence, our starting lineup out there — I think we bring a good effort. Then the bench comes in and they do a good job too.”

Jeter, who's turning into a big crowd favorite, added this on the way out of the arena.

“I’m just glad we had the effort. We’ve been showing in a lot of games that we can play. We played against a great team and I’m glad we didn’t give up.”

GAME NOTES: After having 10 blocks in the first half, the Kings finished with only 12 . . . Udrih had a poor shooting night going 2-of-10 from the field, but did have 6 boards and 6 assists . . . Samuel Dalembert had a good night with 5 blocks and 7 boards . . . Carl Landry only played 16 minutes as Westphal thought the match-ups and the way Dalembert was playing kept Landry from being on the floor more . . . A combination of Casspi and Greene did a good job on Paul Piece holding him to 15 points . . . The Kings play again on Friday at home against the San Antonio Spurs.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF:

JAMES K. LEASH

http://www.sharp-eyeimages.com/

Johnson/Crawford best Evans/Cousins' great night, Hawks down Kings

2011-01-06T01:33:51Z

With the worst record in the association, the Sacramento Kings were just looking for improvement in the showdown with the Atlanta Hawks.

There was improvement throughout the game in the team’s collective effort and hustle, coach Paul Westphal said afterward.

But even with Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins scoring 31 of the team’s 39 fourth quarter points, it was not enough to get a home win as the Kings fell to the Hawks, 108-102. The strength of Atlanta guards Jamal Crawford and Joe Johnson, who combined to make 60 points in the game, was too much for the Kings.

Early on, it was the rebirth of longtime fan favorite Mike Bibby (9 points, 10 boards, 4 assists) as he easily found ways to get clear of Beno Udrih’s defensive attempts to nail two beyond-the-arc bombs and snatching up five rebounds.

Speaking of Udrih, it seems that 2011 has not been so kind so far. So far in the new year, he seems to be losing his man often on the defensive side of the ball, and his scoring numbers – eight points in three games on 3 of 17 shooting – are far below his 15.5 points per game average in December.

Even though the Kings were running better offense, the Hawks led after one quarter 27-23 on the strength of 5 of 7 shooting from the three-point line and Jamal Crawford’s impressive bench play. Crawford had eight points in less than six minutes in the first.

Pooh Jeter (4 points, 6 assists) entered the game in the second and turned it up a notch, getting Carl Landry (8 points) involved, and Landry payed him back my making two in a row.

The tempo change that Jeter always brings gave Sacramento the lead 31-30 with 9:22 left in the first half, but the Kings couldn’t get out of their own way the rest of the second quarter as Atlanta got several breakaways and Sacramento couldn’t finish shots.

Atlanta led at the halfway point, 54-40, as Crawford led the way with 15 points off the bench.

By the end of the first half, the Hawks had drained 7 of 11 three-point shots – a pace that the Kings wouldn’t be able to keep up with if continued.

Tyreke Evans (29 points, 4 boards, 8 assists, 5 steals) tried to take over, as he tends to do when the offense gets stagnant, and forced his way into the lane a couple of times for easy baskets.

Joe Johnson proved to be a tough matchup for Evans and the rest of the Sacramento backcourt as he had 11 of his team-high 29 points in the third and seemed to make every contested shot as well as the easy ones.

At the end of three, the Hawks led 77-63.

The guards of Atlanta were having their way with the Kings – pulling up for open jumpers all night long.

The combination of Bibby, Johnson and Crawford proved lethal for the home squad. If it wasn’t Bibby nailing a wide-open trey or Crawford blowing by the Kings’ porous defense, it was Johnson hitting, well, any shot he wanted. The trio combined for 69 points and hit seven threes along the way.

People started leaving the Arco at the 7:45 mark of the final period as the Hawks had acquired a 22-point lead, and it looked like there would be no miraculous comeback on the night.

The problem was, a couple of Kings in particular weren’t ready to call it an evening. Evans’ circus shots and DeMarcus Cousins’ forcefulness were the only offensive firepower the Kings could muster in the fourth. Cousins had 16, and Evans 15 in the final quarter.

Coach Paul Westphal reached deep into the bench looking for someone who could guard Jamal Crawford to cool his fourth-quarter rampage (10 points in the quarter) and pulled Donte Greene out of the bag. Crawford promptly came down and drained one in Greene’s face – like he did all night.

The Kings made a push, pulling to within 12 with 3:26 left in the affair, and Evans’ effort got the game even closer as the Kings only trailed by 9 with 2 minutes remaining.

Landry made two free throws that saw Sacramento close it to seven points with 1:40 remaining, and another amazing Evans’ steal got the Kings to within five as the fans still in the arena were in hopes of watching another improbable victory rally.

All hopes ended when Evans threw up a rushed longball that barely drew iron, and the Kings had to foul the rest of the game.

Even though Evans did everything he could to get the Kings within striking distance by game’s end, the Hawks won, 108-102.

Evans talked about finally getting into a smoother tempo.

“I just found a rhythm,” Evans said from his locker room chair. “We got some movement, and I got the ball off the screen, I’d shoot the ball going full speed and get a layup or an assist.”

As for Cousins, with another good game in the books, it appears the big man is finding himself and his place on this team.

“I became a better professional today,” said a calm Cousins after his shower, “playing through adversity in the first half and then coming out and trying to finish strong. So I believe I actually grew today.”

GAME NOTES:

Josh Smith had a double double with 14 points and 11 boards . . . Omri Casspi continued his consistent play, also having a double double with 10 points and 11 rebounds . . . Bibby was the second-leading rebounder for the Hawks with 10 . . . Bill Walton and Hawks announcer and former great Dominique Wilkins held a pow wow before the game with Kings rookie Cousins giving him some friendly big-man advice.

PHOTOS COURTESY of DARREN HALL
http://www.darrenhallphotography.net

Kings pull the shades down on the Suns, comeback and win 89-84

2011-01-04T01:20:08Z

It was the first home game of the new year. A fresh start. A new beginning. A chance to recapture the home team magic.

As the opponent was another revamped version of the run-and-gun Suns, the Kings would have their hands full trying to keep Phoenix's mad bombers at bay.

With some great defensive pressure in the final quarter and the outstanding play of rookie DeMarcus Cousins – playing like a larger version of last year’s rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans – the Kings provided another fantastic fourth-quarter comeback and held on to beat the Suns 89-84 at Arco Arena on Sunday evening.

It was a slow start for the Kings as the Suns’ Mickael Pietrus (7 points, 4 rebounds) and Steve Nash (20 points, 12 assists) were free to roam around the three-point arc and nail mid- and long-range jumpers the entire first quarter.

Add that to the poor shooting and turnover-ridden Kings, and the Suns led after one, 27-17.

The only real early spark plugs for the home team were Francisco Garcia and Jason Thompson. Garcia had two blocks and eight points in the opening quarter, and Thompson was near the rim early, snatching up rebounds.

The Kings opened the second with seven unanswered points before a foul-plagued Vince Carter (17 points, 5 fouls) scored to break the Kings momentum. The Kings grabbed the lead on a couple of Evans free throws but eventually gave way to the Suns, who finished the first half scoring eight straight points.

The Suns led at the half, 48-39.

As I sat in my upper perch, I kept wondering if the Kings would be able to stop the most basic play in basketball: The pick and roll.

Any time Steve Nash wanted it, it was open. He would just have Marcin Gortat set a pick on the top of the key, and then Gortat would slide off of Nash and roll to the basket as Nash was getting him the ball. An easy two points every time.

The Kings were torched on that same play way too many times in the first half as noted by Gortat, not one of the Suns’ leading scorers, having 11 points at the intermission.

Sacramento opened the second half with a little run to close to within four points at 50-46. But as he always seems to do, Nash, the two-time league MVP and 15-year veteran, did not let the Suns set quietly that night. Nash scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the third, and the Suns led after three, 73-65.

Even though it appeared that DeMarcus Cousins was on his usual foul pace, the rookie kept his cool and played most of the fourth quarter with five fouls. He would not pick up his sixth.

Now that is the maturation the Kings have been waiting for.

As the Kings fell behind by 14 early in the fourth, the play and speed of Pooh Jeter started to become a problem for the Suns. Jeter, who replaced Beno Udrih on the floor because Udrih banged knees with Nash in the third, started to run circles around the Suns defense.

As noted by Garcia after the game, Jeter’s play and the defensive intensity provided the fire for the resurgence, and the Kings started their run.

Down by 10, Cousins just wouldn’t be denied. He muscled his way into the lane for some easy baskets as well as hitting some nice jumpers. The most exciting part of Cousins’ game is really starting to develop. The big man can pass the rock!

With the score getting close, the Kings heated up late on Jeter’s drives into the lane and guys started hitting open shots. Casspi and Garcia hit back-to-back jumpers to get the Kings within three, 87-84, with 3:30 left in the game.

The “defense” chants permeated the half-full Arco Arena as the fans hadn’t given up yet, and it payed off. The Suns didn’t score in the final 3:17 of the game.

After Cousins threw up a crazy Evans-like layup shot near the rim and it went in, he tied the game from the foul line at 89 with 1:45 to go.

Arco was rocking as Casspi nailed a cold-blooded three to put the Kings ahead with 25.6 seconds left in the game.

In a move that should show the bonding of this team to the naysayers, Coach Paul Westphal asked Evans after the Casspi three if he wanted to go back in the game for Jeter, and Evans clearly shook his head no. A classy move by both guys, and it shows the true cohesiveness of this season’s group.

“That’s team!,” said an excited Jeter. “He showed he’s a good teammate right there. That’s my brother – I love that dude! Everybody would do that on this team. I’m just happy he gave me that opportunity.”

The Kings won 89-84.

Cousins had a season-high 28 points to accompany his eight boards, six assists and was perfect from the free throw line going six of six. After the game, Cousins let the gathered masses take note that more good things are coming for this version of the Kings.

“We are making plays when we need to – down the stretch,” he said. “And we are (all) benefiting from it.”

GAME NOTES:

Kings out-rebounded the Suns 60-32, but the Suns took three more shots and had eight steals versus two for Sacramento . . . The Kings had three players with double-doubles – Garcia (20 points, 11 boards, 3 blocks), Casspi (14 points, 10 boards) and Carl Landry (11 points, 12 boards).

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEVEN CHEA, the best in the biz!

http://www.examiner.com/concert-photography-1-in-sacramento/steven-chea

or check out his SacPress splash page at:

http://www.sacramentopress.com/tag/stevenchea

Kings get run over by reindeer in tough loss to Milwaukee

2010-12-25T01:37:28Z

Please don’t kill the messenger.

Yes, the story is one you’ve read before. One you’ve read way too often this hoops season.

The Sacramento Kings carry a lead into the final quarter and suddenly the offense stops moving and the team seemingly forgets it’s true mission: Beating a team they should beat on the home floor.

After a back and forth battle, the Kings give another game away as the offense stalls and the players look like they abruptly forget how to execute the essentials as they lose to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 84-79 on Thursday night.

This was the first game for the team after Coach Westphal decided to start Samuel Dalembert instead of DeMarcus Cousins after the “choke signal incident” against the Warriors on Tuesday.

Dalembert (13 points, 12 boards, 2 blocks) seemed to come out with some extra hop in his step and scored a quick five points to help the Kings get out to an early 7-0 lead. After a Kings mid-period drought, Beno Udrih started to heat up and had nine points in the opening quarter.

Cousins (2 points, 5 rebounds) entered the game for the first time at the 4:15 mark of the first. About 75 seconds later, he picked up his second foul and had to be taken out of the game and was replaced by Darnell Jackson.

The second quarter was the ugliest 12 minutes of basketball played at the Arco in some time. The Kings only scored 14 and the Bucks answered with only 19 points in the stanza.

How about these numbers for the quarter: The Kings had five shots blocked, six turnovers and even a goaltending call go against them in the second twelve minutes of play. Not a recipe for success.

Add that to the fact that Tyreke Evans - zero points in the first half - hasn’t seemed to be himself in a while. A situation even noticed by Kings play-by-play announcer Grant Napear as he wondered aloud as a pass hit Evans in the back “Boy, is Tyreke even in the game?” More on this in a bit.

The wheels nearly fly off the axle of the Kings chariot as the first half ends with the Bucks up by four, 43-39.

Carl Landry, who seems to be coming out of his early season funk, kept the Kings in the game by scoring had eight points in the third. Landry finished nine points and a career high 12 rebounds.

The Bucks looked like they took a cat nap during halftime and continued their poor play scoring only 19 points in back-to-back quarters.

The Kings led after three, 64-62.

The defensive effort from Sacramento improved as the game went on - really picking up early in the final period, but mental lapses ended up costing the Kings.

Case in point: Pooh Jeter gets caught on a pick from covering Earl Boykins and no one finds Boykins as he gets all the way to the rim for an easy two points.

The Kings led 75-69 Kings with 8:24 left in the game. After that, the Kings went ice cold scoring only another four points the entire game. Four points in over eight minutes! Pitiful.

Finally, Evans scores his first basket of the game with 2:30 left and then scores again. It was too little and way too late.

It has become obvious that the honeymoon is over as the fans were ready to rip the roof off the Arco with the sound of boos as they watch the Kings falter down the stretch again - an all-too often occurrence this season.

A microcosm of the season occurred with nine seconds left in the game. The Kings break huddle and six Kings players headed on the court! Even in SacTown we still only play with five. It really looks like the team can’t even pull of the fundamentals of the game they love right now.

The Kings lose, 84-79.

For the heavily antlered deer that are the Milwaukee Bucks, Andrew Bogut was a constant with 15 points and 13 rebounds. He had help off the bench from Boykins who contributed 19 points as well who stepped it up in the absence of sophomore sensation Brandon Jennings, who is out recovering from left foot surgery.

During the postgame press conference, Westphal revealed that Evans had just told him in the locker room after the game that he was having some personal issues that are family related for about four months now that are keeping him from being fully-invested while out on the court.

“I got a lot on my mind,” said Evans after the game, “and I’m trying to find a way to get over it.”

Evans hopes that spending some quality time with his family and friends over the holidays will help him reemerge as the player he wants and knows he can be.

GAME NOTES

Evans would not elaborate on what is bothering him, just that it is family related . . . Ex-Kings John Salmons and Jon Brockman each received a nice round of applause when announced . . . After this loss, the rumor mill is swirling regarding Westphal’s and Geoff Petrie’s future with the club even though Westy was signed to a contract extension earlier this year . . . How about these team numbers for the Kings: They only had two players that scored in double figures - a season low, 25 turnovers, 36.5% shooting from the field, 66.7% from the line but a season high in rebounds with 57.

Kings help South Sac school kids get healthy with "Get Fit with the Kings" program

2010-12-10T03:27:39Z

Sure, you see the Kings everywhere in the community donating either time, money or tickets to a future home game.

But this time it was different. And, according to Kings President of Business Operations Matina Kolokotronis, it was one of the most important community-minded event the Kings have ever had the chance in which to participate.

On Thursday, the Sacramento Kings, The California Endowment and the Sacramento City Unified School District gathered at Earl Warren Elementary School in South Sacramento to announce their partnership in creating the new “Get Fit with the Kings” program that is intended to boost the overall health of Sacramento-area youth.

On-hand for the festivities were a slew of Kings’ employees: players DeMarcus Cousins, Pooh Jeter and Francisco Garcia; Kings Ambassador Bobby Jackson; Kings Strength and Conditioning Coach Daniel Shapiro; the Sacramento Kings Dance Team; Slamson; the Kings Breakers and lots of Kings personnel.

The program is intended to support the work of South Sac’s “Building Healthy Communities,” a 10-year, $1 billion program of The California Endowment, by encouraging kids to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle and stay in school as a step to becoming engaged.

South Sacramento was one of 14 communities across the state to benefit from the 10-year commitment of The California Endowment. The three schools chosen, Earl Warren Elementary School, Will C. Wood Middle School and Hiram Johnson High School, will get help increasing their FITNESSGRAM scores - an annual statewide test given to the children.

Jim Keddy, the Director of Health and Communities for Northern California, said he thinks the importance of getting and helping keep kids healthy can’t be overlooked.

“It’s important because we have escalating rates of obesity in this country with children, which means escalating rates of diabetes,” Keddy said. “We are coming together to reverse that trend, and we’re doing it by working together and promoting physical education in schools and better school food.”

Keddy also spoke about why they choose the Kings as partners in this venture.

“The Kings are a powerful motivator,” Keedy said. “You can see what’s going on in the auditorium right now. The kids see the Kings players, the dance team and the kind of modeling they provide in terms of physical health and nutrition. It’s inspiring! It just adds electricity to what were trying to do.”

For Kings’ strength and conditioning coach Daniel Shapiro, it was a chance to share some of what he’s been doing all of his life.

“(When I was a kid), I was outside until the sun went down,” Shapiro said. “You didn’t play video games, and if you did, it was when you got inside. I think we’ve kind of lost that.

“The importance of having public schools with good P.E. programs, outdoor parks and just access to people and education to a healthy lifestyle is something that you can’t replace, because it pays off so much in the long run.”

The “Get Fit with the Kings” program will be a comprehensive plan of action including:

- Workshops for students, parents and teachers from Kings players and staff on the importance of exercise and how the school can better promote it

- A “Get Fit with the Kings” website that features nutrition tips, healthy recipes and an “Ask the Doctor” interactive feature

- Investments by the Kings to improve gyms, fields and fitness equipment at the schools

- Community rallies and health clinics at the schools featuring Kings players, staff, dance members and Kings Breakers

A familiar face at these community events has been Kings newcomer and rookie Pooh Jeter, who always seems to be in the mix.

Jeter said he is one who would love to give back to the community any chance he gets when he’s not wearing out the hardwood floors of the Kings’ training facility. He’s also very excited that The California Endowment stepped up for this incredible opportunity for the kids in this area.

“Whenever I have a chance to give back, that’s what I do, especially with kids,” said the 27-year old rookie. “I’m so happy they (The California Endowment) are doing this, because the kids need it. Health is part of life. I’m glad that we started with the kids so they can continue this process as they become adults.”

Photos by Mark Needham

Clock runs out on Kings, lose great game to Mavs 105-103

2010-12-06T03:38:13Z

Mama said there’d be days like this.

During the long NBA season, there are games where a team will come up short but still feel they’ve played a good game. Saturday’s Kings game against the Mavericks was one of those games. Close — oh so close — but no cigar.

In a game where the Sacramento Kings led most of the way until the final moments, the home team couldn’t get off the game-tying shot in time as they let a nine-point lead with 5:24 left in the game slowly disappear, and the Dallas Mavericks pulled out the win 105-103 at Arco Arena.

Tyreke Evans (25 points, five boards and eight assists) played possibly his best overall game of the young season by hitting open shots, including three long-range bombs, finding teammates in good spots on the floor and even going to his left for a sweet reverse layup in the second half.

Alas, it was not enough as the Mavericks answered the Kings big shots with big shots of their own. Dirk Nowitzki (25 points, five boards, five assists) and Jason Terry (23 points) consistently hit their outside shots.

The Kings got off to a good start early spreading the floor nicely. Evans shredded the Mavs defense by either driving to the rack and kicking it back out or draining his mid-range jumpers. His shot is looking so much better when he doesn’t fade backward as he shoots.

The first quarter ended with the Kings leading 37-28.

One great note of progress for the young rookie DeMarcus Cousins (17 points, 11 boards) was that he didn’t pick up his first foul until 8:23 left in the first half — definitely the longest he’s gone into a game before picking up a personal.

Another interesting note is that Coach Paul Westphal really tightened up the rotation for this game. The only subs in the first half were Carl Landry, Samuel Dalembert and Pooh Jeter, who looks to be the guard Westphal will bring in now to run the point when Evans or Beno Udrih need a breather.

The Mavs made a run late in the second quarter fueled by Nowitski’s 15 points that helped the bring the Mavericks back. As the teams headed into the locker room at the halftime break, the Kings led 55-54.

One concern for the Kings should be that since Landry has been relegated to coming off the bench, his offensive game has been nonexistent. Even though he played over 28 minutes, Landry only had four points on one-of-six shooting from the field along with zero rebounds and five fouls.

The Mavericks stood tall in the third and the game headed to the fourth tied at 80.

Francisco Garcia, who entered the game for the first time late in the third, started to heat things up for the Kings. He scored eight points in a two-minute span early in the final quarter to help push the Kings ahead of the Mavs 94-81.

With 5:24 left, the Kings still held a nine-point lead.

Suddenly, the ball stopped falling for the Kings. The Kings missed eight of their next nine attempts and found themselves behind 105-101 with 28 seconds left on the clock before they made their next attempt.

The Kings were down by two as backup guard Jose Juan Barea went to the line to finish off the home team, but Barea missed both chances.

The Kings were still alive.

The final play was to get Evans the ball for a mid-range jumper or other easy shot, but the Kings couldn’t get Evans open and never got him the ball. With the clock running down, Landry tossed a last-second pass to opposing Terry and the clock expired.

The Kings lost a tough fought battle that saw them play the way Westphal thinks they can on a regular basis. Westphal continues to stress that it’s the lack of collective composure that’s the main factor the Kings can’t tighten the noose around the neck of opposing teams once they have them down.

“The one thing more than anything that I emphasized at halftime and after the game: For us to take the next step, we’ve got to have poise,” he said. “You can’t let the last play affect what you do in the next play in a negative way. That happened to us too often tonight.”

GAME NOTES

The better the offense looks and the more Cousins can stay out of foul trouble, the more Samuel Dalembert doesn't seem to fit. Dalembert can be a black hole win not hitting his shots and played only 16 minutes while scoring five points to go along with four boards . . . Donte Greene played well scoring 19 points . . . Uidrih had 16 points before a rare foul out . . . The Kings had a season-high 11 three-pointers . . . Luther Head appears to be the new odd man out as Westphal reiterated after the game that Jeter will continue to get minutes.

Photos by Steven Chea.

Ball not so stable - Kings file complaint over Garcia's 2009 training camp accident

2010-12-02T23:58:35Z

Working out is supposed to be rewarding. For some, even fun.

On Oct. 9, 2009, for Sacramento Kings forward Francisco Garcia it was neither.

Garcia was in training camp preparing his body for the rigorous NBA season. During a bench press exercise, while laying on his back on an exercise ball known as the Gymnic – “Burst Resistant” Plus Stability Ball, the ball suddenly burst open and sent Garcia crashing to the floor while still holding on to the weights. Garcia broke his right forearm and damaged ligaments in his wrist in the fall and missed all but 25 games of the 2009-10 season.

Roger A. Dreyer of the law firm Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood, attorney for the Sacramento Kings Limited Partnership and Maloof Sports and Entertainment, announced Wednesday that they have filed a product liability action against the manufacturer, seller and another company in federal court on behalf of the organization. The lawsuit covers three claims – strict product liability, negligence and breach of warranty.

Dreyer, who recently was recognized as California’s 2010 Consumer Attorney of the Year, said that the time in between the time of the accident and today has been filled with the Kings attempting to deal with the responsible parties and get the matter handled without litigation.

“What the Maloofs and the Kings organization wanted to get out was that this ball was dangerous,” Dreyer said. “The users and consumers of the ball had to be aware of that, and the manufacturer and distributor were not telling people that piece of information back at the time these balls were purchased. They had been told by the distributor, Perform Better, that they could and should use the ball in a fashion that ’Cisco Garcia was using the ball at the time of the incident.”

Perform Better is a distributor of workout products for most if not all NBA teams. On the company’s website at the time of the incident, there were diagrams showing a stick figure using weights while working out on the ball. Sometime after the accident at the King’s training facility, the website pulled those images off and now has an annotation in small print below a picture of someone working out on the ball reading “Stability Balls are not intended to be used with weights.”

Dreyer said that the “burst resistant” ball used by Garcia has been examined by a well-respected laboratory, and it was determined that the ball was not abused or misused before it exploded.

“The ball was completely in good shape,” Dreyer said. “There was no failure on the part of the ball in terms of misuse or abuse.”

Dreyer said that for the manufacturer and at least one of the distributors, this is not the first time they have been sued for the catastrophic failure of the ball. Starting in 2000, lawsuits have sprung up in Colorado, San Diego, Tennessee and New York where the ball has failed.

Calls to Mitch Popham, the attorney representing Ledraplastic, the stability ball’s manufacturer, were not returned.

Dreyer closed the press conference reiterating that the Sacramento Kings Limited Partnership and Maloof Sports and Entertainment wants the parties at fault to acknowledge that they know there is a problem and they’re not letting the consumer know.

“The users have a responsibility to use the product in a fashion.” Dreyer said. “But we don’t have as consumers the information that the manufacturer has. We don’t know that they’ve been sued multiple times. And if they’ve been sued multiple times, you can be pretty much assured that they’ve had many occasions where the balls have failed. From our perspective, the civil justice system affords the ability to hold manufacturers accountable for the consumer, and that’s were doing here today. With the help from the media, now that information will get out.”

"Here We Stay" group looks to impact Kings' arena plans

2010-11-08T01:49:01Z

You’ve got your freshly mustard-smothered hot dog and ice cold soda, and you are finding your way to your lower level seats in the arena. The crowd is poppin’. The mood is as uplifting as a pastor’s Sunday sermon. The rock will soon be in the air.

All of a sudden, your body shakes. The forethought of intense excitement has stirred your soul. Your crusty eyes open only to find that it was all a dream. Yes, you live in Sacramento still, but there is no basketball team here anymore.

Could it be that those days of high-flying hoops action will be soon behind this town, as a combination of people and problems let the River City down during the process of trying to find the Kings a new facility in which to display their collective talents?

That is the concern of the members of the newly formed “Here We Stay” group and they intend on doing something about it.

Here We Stay, according to founder Blake Ellington, is a local movement dedicated to helping the elected officials of the Sacramento area, the NBA and the Sacramento Kings get a new sports and entertainment facility built here in Sacramento.

Ellington runs Bleed Black and Purple, one of the popular blogging sites dedicated to covering the Kings.

Ellington communicated the idea to many of his fellow bloggers in the area, and they decided to work together and move the effort forward. He figures that since all the blogs or message boards would have a vested interest and that they are already the Internet voice of the fans, they might as well use that outlet to help the fans get involved in the process. They even started an e-mail chain to get the effort moving forward.

“The whole process that has been going on recently, the land swap deal going under, David Stern’s comments and the rest — there really hasn’t been a voice from the fans’ perspective,” Ellington said. “We want to get all the elected officials in the area, the NBA, the Kings, the fans and everybody involved to help get a new sports and entertainment facility in Sacramento.”

It’s Ellington’s perspective, as well as many other concerned fans’, the Kings need not only to “Rise” here, but “Stay” here as they are an integral part of getting the arena built. The ideal arena would bring in everything from entertainment acts to the NCAA tournament, a tournament that refuses to come here anymore because of the deteriorating condition of Arco Arena.

Therein lies the rub.

The support for the Kings is undeniable. The fans do come and will show up in larger numbers as the team puts a higher quality product on the floor.

The problem is with the support the City Council has seen during this process. It was reported that only one Kings fan was in attendance during the last round of meetings. Abysmal.

It’s one thing to garner their collection of Kings’ T-shirts, bumper stickers and headwear, or even drop some hard-earned dollars on some premium tickets. But when it comes to speaking up and having their voices heard about how bad they want the team to stay, the fans may need a gentle push and maybe some tools to help get them motivated.

“We want to get the number of people attending meetings up so that the city sees that the fans are really interested in this and they have a way to communicate with them through us,” Ellington said.

The group intends on providing updates and stories on the issue. They also plan to communicate with the City Council’s Board of Directors, the Kings and the NBA. They even want to look at the plans and talk to some of the developers and maybe even put their support behind one of the ideas.

Tom Ziller, the man behind the slogan, is also the keeper of Sactown Royalty, the highly popular blog/fan site covering the Kings.

Ziller knows that the fans must show a collective voice to be heard.

“You can call in to a sports talk show, write a letter to the editor, show up at a City Council meeting or just rant about it,” Ziller said. “(It’s hard) without a collective voice showing the city leaders, elected officials, as well as the Maloofs and the NBA, that we want to get this done and are willing to do whatever we can to help out.”

With the last day of February being the deadline for moving next year, Ziller thinks the area is safe for now, considering the uncertainty in the labor situation and that he doesn’t think that the Maloofs want to sign a lease for next season not knowing if next season is going to happen. Within a year from now, Ziller said, someone better have something good on the table.

“The clock’s been ticking for a long time now, and I think it’s getting closer to that doomsday scenario, but I still think we have time to get something done,” Ziller said.

For more information, Here We Stay has created a Facebook page and a Twitter account so concerned folks can follow the progress of the group and be notified about newsworthy items concerning building a new arena and keeping the team in Sacramento. You can also get the suggested form letter to send to elected officials regarding a new arena here.

Memphis' Gay and Kings' turnovers doom Sacramento, lose 100-91

2010-11-08T01:18:35Z

It seemed like a perfect opportunity for the Kings.

You know, take advantage of a tired, worn out Memphis team who were not only coming off a double-overtime loss the night before, but catch them on their fourth game in five nights.

Even though Sacramento head coach Paul Westphal told his team before the game that he didn't believe in that mumbo jumbo, the team from Tennessee grabbed an early lead and rarely looked back as the Kings lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 100-91.

“I never bought into that stuff,” Westphal said in the postgame press conference. “We won’t use that as an excuse if that happens to us, and it doesn’t mean we’re supposed to win because they played last night. This is the NBA.”

A standout performance by future all-star Rudy Gay propelled the Grizzlies to victory while only Tyreke Evans and Francisco Garcia held up their end of the offensive load for the Kings.

Early on, it was a seesaw affair as the Kings stayed even with the Grizzlies for the first six minutes of the opening quarter.

Evans, showing the driving skills that helped make him last year’s Rookie of the Year, had a stretch about midway through the period where he scored on three straight layups.

The game started turning early. Besides letting Zach Randolph (20 points, 11 rebounds) plant himself in the paint and caused chaos with his size, the Kings picked up seven of their 20 turnovers in the first while Memphis had only one. Sacramento had several early traveling calls. The Kings dug themselves a hole and, even though Omri Casspi made a crazy half-court shot at the buzzer, the Kings trailed after one, 30-24.

For the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay was consistently finding open spots on the floor. Gay, who finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals, seemed to have an easy time finding shots while being guarded by Francisco Garcia and Casspi, even though he played 51 minutes in a taxing double-overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns the previous evening.

The Grizzlies started slow in the second, missing some shots, collecting fouls and, following the Kings lead, committing turnovers. After committing only one personal in the first, Memphis racked up seven in the second, opening the door for the Kings to get even.

The Kings were able to tie it up with 2:47 left on two Carl Landry free throws, his first points of the game, but finished the half down four, 53-49.

Landry (four points, zero boards) looked out-of-sorts all game. At times he was slow getting back on defense; other times just getting shoved out of the lane and closed off of the glass completely.

One of the downsides in the first half for the Kings was that rookie DeMarcus Cousins, even though now backing up Samuel Dalembert to solve the early foul trouble problem, picked up his third foul five minutes into the second quarter and was forced to sit the rest of the half.

It was a rough start for the Kings to start the second half as the Grizzlies went on a 14-4 tear with Gay leading the charge.

The Kings go cold and shoot 36.8 percent in the third while getting outscored 27-18. Evans forced the issue several times when wing players were open and was having a hard time guarding O.J. Mayo (14 points, four boards) in the third.

Evans (30 points, eight boards, five assists, four steals and five turnovers) and Garcia (21 points off the bench) led the comeback in the fourth combining for 22 points.

But as the Kings only had three players with double-digit scoring numbers — Casspi finished with 10 — it just wasn’t enough.

Gay (32 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals) felt they needed a break after losing a heart-breaker the night before.

“It was a must-win,” Gay said. “After last night, we wanted to come out here and prove ourselves early and make sure the outcome went our way.”

NOTES: Darnell Jackson had another good game off the bench, pitching in seven boards and locking down Randolph for stretches. Gay disclosed after the game that he was playing at about 60 percent because of an oblique strain. Donte Greene didn’t play again and is the 11th or 12th man off the bench for now. Dalembert had 12 rebounds along with seven points and five huge blocks. The Kings had 10 blocks in the contest.

PHOTO CREDIT:
Marc McLaughlin
www.marcmclaughlin.com

Kings beat Cavs and start season 2-1 for first time since 2003

2010-11-01T01:36:18Z

Coming off a tough loss, the Kings rolled into Cleveland (1-1) to face the Cavaliers hoping to salvage a winning road trip and start the season above .500 for the first time in a long time.

As the final whistle sounded, and even though the Kings stumbled at the finish line, Sacramento didn’t make the same mistakes as the night before and held onto their late-game lead to pull out the victory 107-104

The Kings started out nicely as Tyreke Evans made his presence felt early with one of those whirling dervish moves between three guys that only “Reke" can pull off. A few minutes later, he dropped a 26-foot three and the Kings took an early four-point lead at 11-7.

Trouble arose when Ramon Sessions scored eight of the first 18 points for the Cavs and was finding his way into the paint too easily.

With the Kings missing shots and doing a poor job maintaining possession — losing the ball three times within a three minute span — the Cavs pulled ahead by five on an Anderson Varejao mid-range jumper.

Things started to even out and the high-scoring first quarter ended with the game tied 34-34.

The Kings came out cold in the second quarter missing several shots and falling behind by 11 before Jason Thompson, who only played 12 minutes, sank a 10-footer to stop the bleeding. Seven more unanswered points by the Cavs put the lead at 16 with no end in sight.

It could have been much worse.

DeMarcus Cousins was not only playing like he was tired, by lagging up and down the floor, but by making rookie mistakes. But I guess we should expect some of that right now. It is only his third professional game after only one year of college.

As for the Cavs, they slowly capitalized on the Kings woes. Ryan Hollins, Jawad Williams, Sessions, J.J. Hickson and Anthony Parker all had Cavs second-quarter contributions.

Cleveland led at the half, 67-53.

Samuel Dalembert opened the second half as a starter and it paid off with a block and a couple of boards in the opening minutes of the half.

A quick sideline camera shot shows the rookie Cousins was not sporting his best smile.

About halfway through the third, the tide started to turn. The Kings finally showed some life.

Evans was either making jumpers or slashing into the lane and getting hacked on the way. He helped the Kings make a run and cut the lead to five before dropping a long-range three that cut it to two.

Moments later, Darnell Jackson sank a couple of foul shots and drained a long jumper that gave the Kings a 84-82 lead going into the final quarter.

Omri Casspi opened the fourth with another long-range bomb and was simply on fire.

The Kings led 92-86 with just over nine minutes remaining. It was starting to have the feel of the tough loss from the night before until Casspi kicked it up a notch.

To this point, Casspi had played like a man possessed. He drained another three and followed that with a sweet assist to Evans, who finished with solid numbers racking up 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Casspi's intense defense and scoring throughout the game was a main reason the Kings pulled this one out. He finished with 20 points, hitting five threes along with four boards and two steals, but it didn’t help the Kings guarantee the win as he missed both of his free throws with six seconds left in the game.

Even though Cousins made the heart stop again as he blew his chance to put the game out of reach, the clock expired on a wild length-of-the-court shot that fell short and wide, and the Kings won 107-104.

Coach Paul Westphal thought it was a good road trip for the Kings. While he couldn’t help but wonder if the team could really be 3-0, he realized that Sacramento was behind double digits in each of the three games so far, and just winning two of those games was quite an accomplishment.

As the press conference came to a close, Westphal couldn’t let the moment pass without complimenting the referees at the style of officiating he saw during the game, compared to the previous game’s constant whistle-blowing.

“We are not supposed to comment on the officials, but I think we can give them a compliment,” Westphal said. “It was a man’s game out there and that’s the way you like to see the game called.”

Kings let one drift away on the Jersey shore

2010-10-30T10:55:25Z

Could the Kings start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2000?

That was the question on every Kings fan’s mind entering the game in New Jersey as the Kings took on the Nets (1-0).

Unfortunately, the answer for those nonstop cheering Kings fans back home was no as the Kings faltered at the end by having too many big men in foul trouble and missing big shots. The Kings lost a close one 106-100.

Even though the Kings scored the first bucket, a long jumper by DeMarcus Cousins, it was the Nets who started the quarter hot as Carl Landry missed several shots and seemed out of sorts until he was substituted halfway through the quarter.

Brook Lopez, the young outstanding center for the Nets, started off quickly with 11 points in the opening quarter.

For the Kings, Omri Casspi led in scoring with five points, and Cousins, Beno Udrih and Tyreke Evans each had four as the Kings trailed 29-21 after one.

Nothing changed early in the second as the Kings’ shooting remained frozen in time – just a carryover from quarter number one.

Udrih missed, Landry turned it over, Luther Head walked – it was like fingernails on a chalkboard: painful.

Before you knew it, it was 42-30 Nets, as Jordan Farmar, ex-Los Angeles Laker, racked up seven points early in the second and was joined in the scoring parade by Lopez and guard Devin Harris.

The only bright spot for the Kings was Cousins, who was perfect from the line in the quarter going six for six from the charity stripe.

Evans tried to take over the game late in the second with a flurry of activity, scoring 10 points. Darnell Jackson had five quick points near the end of the half with most coming from the line.

The Kings’ slight comeback, along with the Nets missing their last three shots, closed the first half having the Nets leading by eight at 61-53.

New Kings correspondent Jim Gray caught up with Evans at the halftime break.

“The refs are calling ticky-tack fouls,” Evans said, “but that can’t stop us from playing a good game.”

Sorry Tyreke, but come out and play well they did not.

After a couple of early Landry buckets, the Kings got stagnant. Even Udrih missed two free throws in a row.

The Kings didn’t have much to cheer about until late in the period when Jackson’s aggressive play earned him five points in a three-minute stretch and the team defense of the Kings held the Nets to 15 points in the third.

The third ended with the Kings trailing by one, 77-76.

The fouls were starting to catch up with the Kings. It wasn’t that they had a truckload – the teams were about even at this point – it’s just that the big men of the Kings were the ones picking up the fouls. They were also the ones scoring. Therein lied the rub.

Cousins (12 points, four rebounds), Landry (14 points) and Jason Thompson (two points, one rebound) were all being rotated because none of them could stay on the floor for any meaningful stretch of time. If fact, Thompson only played 14 minutes because of the situation.

Despite the circumstances, the Kings came out a little quicker than the Nets in the final stanza as several of the players hit jumpers. Garcia led the way with eight points in about eight minutes of play.

The Kings got out to an eight-point lead with 3:40 to go on a creative up and under by Evans.

That’s when the music stopped. And when it did, the Kings were left without a chair to sit in.

Sacramento missed six straight shots while New Jersey wasn’t missing much at all. New Jersey scored 14 unanswered points to essentially end the game.

Harris had nine of his 21 points in the fourth and finished with five boards and 10 assists, and Lopez scored consistently each quarter, finishing with 29 points and six rebounds while the Nets shot 52.5 percent from the field.

A late Garcia three-pointer cut it to two at 102-100 with 15 seconds left, but Farmar, who finished with 14 points off the bench, hit the free throws at the end as the Kings let this one slip away.

Kings standouts in the disappointing loss included Garcia with 18 points, three boards, two assists, two steals and a block; Udrih with 14 points, five boards and four assists; and Evans capped off a good first start of the season with 18 points, four boards and seven assists.

Afterward, Head Coach Paul Westphal said he thought they had a chance to win the game but had many shots go in and out while the competition's shots were sinking cleanly.

He also recognized that the foul trouble was a serious factor in the team not pulling out the win.

“That’s (missing shots) not the whole story of the game though,” said a disappointed Westphal. “We foul too much, and we have all our big guys sitting on the bench all the time – it’s hard to play.

“When you take 91 shots and the other team gets 63, you’re supposed to win the game.”

Garcia, Landry and Cousins shine as Kings win first game

2010-10-29T00:01:47Z

With two of last year’s promising rookies – Minnesota’s Jonny Flynn and last year’s Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans – not suited up, the first game of the season seemed to hinge on their replacements.

Francisco Garcia handled the shooting guard duties for the missing Evans and Luke Ridnour the point guard responsibilities for Flynn, who is recovering from hip surgery.

Even though both came through for their respective teams, it was the Kings who finished off the Timberwolves 117-116 to win a road game that went down to the wire.

Garcia finished with 22 points, three rebounds, four assists, three steals and hit both of his three attempts. Garcia had 21 of his 22 by the end of the third, and his pressure defense helped contain the outside game of the Wolves.

Ridnour had a great game himself finishing with 20 points, making him Minnesota's leading scorer with five boards and six assists to boot.

It was ironic that longtime disappointment Darko Milicic scored the first basket for the T-Wolves. Nevertheless, it was Ridnour that got off to the hot start scoring early and often and picking up nine points in the first by finding easy ways to cut into the defense of the
Kings and slashing through the lane.

Milicic, whom Wolves Coach Kurt Rambis is really counting on this season, did have four blocks, six points and four rebounds in his 24 minutes of action.

Beno Udrih, who finished with 18 points, six assists and three steals, had six in the opening 12 minutes and was a steadying force throughout the game.

Omri Casspi was very active early and was harassing the Wolves with his defense, which helped turn a Timberwolves four-point lead with four minutes left in the first into a four-point Kings lead by the end of the quarter. Casspi finished with 10 points.

Despite not scoring his first points until halfway through the second quarter, DeMarcus Cousins, the fifth pick of the draft his year, had a gratifying game in his first NBA start, finishing with 14 points, eight boards and five assists.

Udrih, Garcia and Carl Landry all scored in the second, but the Kings were outscored 35-26 in the period.

Landry had a monster stat night putting up 22 points, 11 boards (seven offensive) and three assists.

At the break, the Timberwolves led 58-53.

Garcia opened the third with back-to-back baskets, and the Kings led 62-60 in the third.

Cousins really started to assert himself in the third, taking a charge and handling a double miss by the Kings with a stuff back.

The Kings led after three 87-83.

For Minnesota, second-year player Kevin Love, who is expected to really pick up the numbers left behind by the departure of Al Jefferson, had 11 points and 10 boards but didn’t get much time in the second half as it was speculated that he was already in the coach's doghouse.

Off the bench for the Kings, Luther Head’s energy was a huge plus. Head finished with 14 points, three boards, three assists and two blocks.

The Wolves fought back with help from Sebastian Telfair and Michael Beasley to tie the game with 6:39 left. The game stayed nearly tied the rest of the way.

The turning point of the game could have been when, after fouling Cousins, Milicic batted the ball into the crowd and was awarded an automatic technical foul.

Along with Udrih’s four free throws to seal the deal at the end, the difference down the stretch was Landry and Cousins playing rough at the rim and hanging tough in the post. Both made tough shots around the basket and defended well as the clock ran out.

Cousins commented on the coach giving him the ball down the stretch.

“When the game is on the line, I want the ball,” Cousins said. “He believed in me. I wanted the ball, so give me the ball.”

Head Coach Paul Westphal praised the growth Cousins has shown in such a short time.

“Cousins has fantastic poise,” Westphal said. “The tougher it gets, the more faith I have in him. His mind wanders early in the game when he’s not challenged, but he really makes you play him when you need him the most.”

The Wolves had six players with double-digit scoring and did out-rebound the Kings by one despite the loss.

Even though it's early, the Kings take a share of the lead in the Pacific Division for the first time since 2003.

The Court Jester - A new dawn for the Kings

2010-10-27T07:54:23Z

The wait is over. The off-season is behind them. The up-and-coming Kings are primed and ready to pounce on opponents this season, giving weight to the slogan – Here We Rise.

The Sacramento Kings take to the hardwood Wednesday in their season opener as they travel to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves, embarking on a three-game road trip.

HERE – Sactown is their home

Even following year after year of speculation that the team will somehow abandon our little town for the riches of Las Vegas or the South Bay or even back to the familiar Kansas/Missouri border has never materialized, the arena situation and the current economic crunch continues to put the topic back in the spotlight and deters from what could be the bigger picture. The Kings are gearing up for a run at the playoffs.

Coming from a 17-win season in 2008-09 under Reggie Theus and Kenny Natt to a 25-win season under current leader Paul Westphal was considered a decent jump in wins, bearing in mind the coaching change and the addition of new leader and rookie sensation Tyreke Evans.

Even though Theus was able to help bring 38 wins to the River City just a couple of years ago, the town never really thought that the team was on the right track.

This year, by most expert accounts, Westphal’s group is poised to make another decent jump in the win column. Those with inside knowledge of all things NBA have put that number anywhere from the low 30s to low 40s.

If that happens, and the fans come out to support this retooled team, then the future looks brighter in Sacramento than it has since the days of C-Webb, Vlade, Christie and Bibby.

WE – The town and the team bonding as one

It takes two to tango, and the world of pro basketball is no different. Any great team requires great fans. Those great fans, in turn, deserve maximum effort on the court.

Kings fans have never been short of praise for their team. Sacramentans have been very patient watching their team work the draft and bring in help that will hopefully catapult the Kings into the uppe stratosphere of the Association.

For the community, it’s time to start climbing out of the Western Conference cellar and reach for the next rung – the playoffs.

As for the players, they have been out in the community either donating time or tickets or both to underprivileged and sick children and their families.

From Evans’ meeting sick children and handing out tickets at the Kiwanis Family House to Francisco Garcia and Beno Udrih stopping by a youth center in West Sacramento and doing the same to newly acquired Samuel Dalembert rallying the troops to continue helping Haiti after their devastating earthquake, Kings’ players are always active in the community.

The Maloof family emphasizes and expects players to donate their time away from the court to help those who as not as fortunate.

RISE – The maturation process right in front of your eyes

With so many new faces and the minor injury situations that occurred during training camp, it will take some time to adjust to Westphal’s game plan and get everybody on the same page. Once these players get firing on all cylinders, there is no telling how far they can go.

In looking at the late addition last year of Carl Landry and this year’s acquisitions of Dalembert, Darnell Jackson, Antoine Wright and draft picks DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside, the current band of basket-makers has more size than any Kings team in the last 10 years or more.

Newly signed Pooh Jeter and Luther Head will help Evans and Udrih in the backcourt during the long season also.

The continued development of Omri Casspi, Donte Greene, Jason Thompson and last year’s rookie of the year, Evans, would all be signs of an improved team. When the Kings start to show some cohesiveness, at some point, sunglasses will be required.

The tagline fits. Here in the land of hopefulness, the slogan goes - Here We Rise.

Kings fill library shelves during NBA Cares Week of Service

2010-10-25T06:34:24Z

Books - the basic building block in the foundation of learning - were missing from a new high school in Natomas, and it sounded like a job for the community-minded Sacramento Kings.

As part of the 2010 NBA Cares Week of Service and to celebrate the five-year anniversary of NBA Cares, the Sacramento Kings landed the Kings Karavan bus along with several players on Saturday at Natomas Pacific Pathways Preparatory School (NP3) for a community book drive in an effort to fill those barren shelves in the school’s library.

The slight drizzle turned to rain as the temperature dropped and the waterproof ponchos were handed out.

That didn’t stop Darnell Jackson, Pooh Jeter, Jason Thompson and Donte Greene from coming out to gather books from the vehicles driving through various collection drop boxes steadied by Kings Breakers and Sacramento Kings Dance Team members, as well as students.

Since NP3 opened almost two years ago, the library has had computers but very few tangible reading sources. The shelves are almost completely empty, but after today’s campaign, the wooden racks will have many more reading options available to the students.

Principal Tom Rutten was more than pleased to have the Kings in attendance helping collect the reading material for the students that are eager to learn.

“It’s awesome,” Rutten said, smiling. “For them to be willing to take the time and their commitment to the community, it’s just fantastic. We haven’t set a total of how many books we wanted, we just want to get the books into the kids' hands so that they are reading.”

There were several students giving an assist to the Kings personnel on hand.

“We don’t really have much,” student Zohaiv Arshad. “Some of the things that are missing are the sports programs and our library. We are always in the library, but there were computers in there but no books. We thought it would help the future of the school if we got a library.”

Jeter, a Kings player in his first year with the team, always appreciates when an organization such as the Kings partners with the community.

“It’s great that the Sacramento Kings and the community have that kind of relationship,” Jeter said. “This is something that all the kids need. Read to achieve.”

Jackson, a forward acquired by the Kings in the trade that sent Jon Brockman away, agreed with Jeter, saying that when kids go off to college or to reach that next level, they need to know how to read.

The rain couldn’t keep the determined donors away as cars made their way through the maze of kids, dancers and, of course, Slamson.

Collin Pitts, a child who came through hoping to see a few Kings players, was even luckier than that, as Slamson climbed into the backseat of his mom’s car and almost hitched a ride home with the youngster.

Since the inception of the NBA Cares program, the league, its teams and its players have donated more than $145 million to charity, completed more than 1.4 million hours of community service and created more than 525 places where kids and families can live, learn or play.

If you would like to donate a book or two, please visit NP3 at 3700 Del Paso Rd. All donations are greatly needed and will go a long way in building their library collection.

Kings Karavan keeps cruisin' along

2010-10-23T01:14:45Z

As the NBA season kicks off, the Kings are ramping up their promotions, both on and off the court.

New this season is the Kings Karavan – a 40-foot Kings-branded luxury bus that will be cruising in the greater Sacramento area in search of “ Here We Rise” placards on fans’ cars. It will also be making stops throughout town in October looking for the best fans in the NBA.

The Karavan joins Slamson, the Sacramento Kings Dance Team, the Kings Breakers, the Here We Rise campaign and more in this year’s push for greater awareness of the new Kings players and new ticket promotions.

Thursday, the Karavan made its whistle stop at the Capitol. Loaded with Slamson, some SKDT members and even a few Kings Breakers, they were anxiously greeted by packs of kids waiting on the steps when the Karavan rolled up.

The California AfterSchool Network was having an event at the Capitol, and Jeff Davis, a representative for the group, said the Karavan stop was a great experience for the kids.

“It means a lot to have the Kings come out here and support after-school programs,” Davis said. “The programs are a benefit to the youth in their physical activity and their academics, their leadership and their positive development of youth beyond academics and the after school hours.”

An impromptu break dancing contest broke out between the kids and the Kings Breakers. A circle formed as all the kids got a chance to show off their moves.

Shawn Saephanh was visiting with the kids group and wanted to see how his dance skills compared to the Kings Breakers.

“As we keep practicing and dancing, we improve, and it’s fun,” Saephanh said, adding that the Breakers have been role models for him.

Danielle Norquist is in her first year on the SKDT (Sacramento Kings Dance Team) and said she loves this part of the job.

“It’s great because you get to see everyone’s smiling faces,” Norquist said. “It’s something I’ve always loved to do, and if you can make a difference in any way, then I’m there doing it.”

Slamson is a hit wherever he goes, and it was no different Thursday. He signed autographs and wrestled with the kids, who seemed drawn to him.

One way to meet the folks on the Karavan is to have a “Here We Rise” placard in your car’s back window. If they find your car, there’s a chance they will stop you and give you some Kings prizes.

The Kings Karavan will make its way through Woodland, Vacaville and Sacramento until the end of the month.

The Karavan will be at Natomas Pathways Prep (NP3) located at 3700 Del Paso Road from 3 - 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Also on Saturday, in conjunction with the bus stop at Natomas Pathways Prep, the Kings will host a community book drive that is part of the 2010 NBA Cares Week of Service. To celebrate the five-year anniversary of NBA Cares, Kings players Darnell Jackson, Donte’ Greene, Jason Thompson and Pooh Jeter will be on-hand at NP3 collecting books from Kings fans to help fill the empty bookshelves of the NP3 library. All fans who donate books will receive an exclusive opportunity to purchase specially priced tickets to the Kings Home Opener for only $10

On Sunday, the Karavan stops at the Carl’ s Jr. located at 289 Orange Drive In Vacaville from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

For a complete list of future scheduled stops of the Kings Karavan, click here. If you would like a Here We Rise placard, visit Herewerise.com.

There are only 3,400 tickets left for opening night – Nov. 1 – when the Kings face the Toronto Raptors. For more information on tickets, click here or call 1-888-91-KINGS.

Photos courtesy of Kati Garner

Kings provide balanced attack in win over Warriors

2010-10-13T23:55:52Z

With the Kings down Beno Udrih and Samuel Dalembert out and the small forward position up for grabs, Coach Paul Westphal is still searching for a winning starting lineup.

The Golden State Warriors held it close for three quarters Tuesday, but it was the Kings who secured their second preseason win by pulling away in the final period to win 116-97 at Arco Arena.

The Kings had six players scoring in double figures and a balanced rebounding effort making for a solid fourth quarter. A three-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter turned into a 22-point lead late in the game thanks to a strong defense and converting turnovers into points.

Both teams had stretches of sloppiness, each with more than 20 turnovers. That, along with 59 total fouls in the game, made for an interesting evening.

The starting lineup was Tyreke Evans, Carl Landry, DeMarcus Cousins, Luther Head and Donte Greene. Head started in place of an injured Udrih.

Things started out quickly for the Kings as they opened with a 10-2 run that was aided by two early turnovers from the Warriors.

Greene was really asserting himself, racking up six points, four rebounds and two steals. He has not received many minutes yet this preseason, but he looked refreshed in his first preseason start.

The Warriors, who will have an improved inside-outside game this season with Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and newly acquired David Lee, attained a six-point lead late in the first quarter as they rebounded nearly every missed shot by the Kings and scored.

As the first quarter ended, the Kings were only down 30-29.

The second was a low-scoring and sloppy quarter. Even though the Warriors incurred four fouls in less than two minutes, the Kings had seven personal fouls and seven turnovers of their own.

Omri Casspi's aggressiveness helped keep the Kings close as he had six points and three rebounds in the period.

After a disjointed second quarter, the Kings led 53-51.

Fouls plagued the Kings in the third quarter. Cousins and Jason Thompson fouled out. It appeared that without them, the middle would open for the Warriors and allow them to drive unobstructed to the rim. If it wasn’t for Evans’ outstanding play in the third, the Kings could have easily trailed going into the fourth.

The fourth quarter got under way with the Kings leading 80-77. Cousins hit a nice three early on, and both he, Head and Jeter led the charge on the court with hustle and determination, helping their team clinch the win.

Good performances from Greene (10 points, 4 boards, 3 steals), Carl Landry (15 points of 7 of 10 shooting), Cousins (20 points, 8 rebounds), Evans (17 points), Head (15 points, 2 steals) and Casspi (11 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks) helped create a balanced attack for the Kings.

“The guys did a much better job of getting back on defense,” Westphal said. “They kept the paint tight in many of the half-court sets, and offensively we moved the ball like we want the Kings to move the ball. We dominated the boards, played good defense, and I thought we made really good decisions as far as sharing the ball and getting the ball inside out and attacking the
rim.”

Westphal said that Darnell Jackson did a good job of coming in when the other Kings big men were in foul trouble. He said he gave great minutes – plugging the middle, rotating on defense, covering up and getting rebounds in traffic.

Jackson is not as easily satisfied.

“My effort was okay, but I want to really give credit to my coaches; Coach Mario (Elie) and Coach Truck (Robinson),” Jackson said. “Those two coaches talk to me every day. When you include Coach O (Otis Hughley), those three right there are talking to me every day saying, ‘C’mon Jack, c’mon Jack.’ My whole mindset is to soak everything in on and off the court.”

The strangest stat of the night is that even though the Kings were outscored in the paint 54-34, they out-rebounded the Warriors 46-33.

The only two Kings to not get any floor time were Marcus Landry and Antoine Wright who, ironically, are both trying to nab a wing spot with the team.

The Kings will go on the road to Las Vegas to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Francisco Garcia will not make the trip, as he had a slight sprain of his ankle during the game. Dalembert may also miss four to six weeks, after an MRI confirmed his left adductor strain.

King’s in-game promos keep fans in (and out) of their seats

2010-10-11T05:31:10Z

You’re sitting there minding your own business when a purple- and black-dressed aficionado scampers over and hands you a free, delicious, piping hot, pepperoni-laced, cheese-dripping piece of mouthwatering pizza.

Just a fantasy? Not anymore.

The Sacramento Kings and their promotions and publicity department continue to lead the league when it comes to banging the drum for the local basketball team. On top of giving the loyal fan base just a hardworking group of guys on the floor every game, they are now handing out more than their fair share of pizza at each Kings home game this season.

With the economy still in the tank, the Kings have come out reaching for the rafters again this season to bring the loyalists something to cheer about besides just their hardwood heroes. One trip to Arco Arena for a game is all it takes to discover a world of free handouts.

Many new ideas are in store for anyone in attendance this season, as well as some old standards.

One constant for the last several years has been the “Thunder Sticks” they let drop from the catwalks during the first and third quarters each contest. They are air-filled, two-foot-long plastic tubes released into the crowd stationed behind the opposition’s backboard so the fanatics can crash them together and wave them fanatically to distract the free throw-shooters.

The organization tries to get everyone involved. Between the Sacramento Kings Dance Team (SKDT), the Sacramento Kings Breakers (a group of young guys who show off their “poppin’” skills each game) and game night host Scott Freshour, it seems that someone from the organization is always walking the crowd while handing out Kings gear.

Production manager Maurice Brazelton and SKDT and events coordinator Jennifer Santich get into the act by running through the stands and handing out even more prize swag. Brazelton and Santich also grab the mic during the festivities and encourage the gathered masses to have fun.

Besides the free pizza (and there seemed to be plenty) handed out by the SKDT and the Kings Breakers, earlier in the evening, the Kings gave out a free Blu-ray player to one lucky fan and everyone in the same row was handed a free DVD.

Not bad for just coming to watch your favorite team.

Mitch Germann, the Kings vice president of marketing and communications, said the idea is to reward the fan who is already at the arena and has plopped down their hard-earned dollars.

“Our goal is to make the experience in-game something that the fan can’t replicate outside of this building,” Germann said. “We need to come up with such an attractive and memorable experience that the fans have to be here on game night. We really pride ourselves on not only the entertainment value in a Kings game, but also in the fun promotions and offers that come with that. It’s just part of our philosophy to keeping our fans engaged all times . . . it’s an experience they just can’t replicate anywhere else."

Germann said that since the Maloofs came to town, that has been one goal at the forefront of their collective minds.

“It’s the Maloof family philosophy,” Germann said. “They want to do everything over the top. They were raised to believe that if you take care of the customers and take care of the employees, you are going to be successful.”

It seems the Maloofs and the Kings organization are consistently one of the best at pleasing the fans with plenty of goodies to go around. Even though this was only a preseason game, the promotional department looks to be in regular season form.

The fun didn’t stop there, as later in the evening they gave away a pair of tickets to see Alan Jackson at Arco later in the month and held the traditional T-shirt toss.

The real kicker is when they head to the upper level of the building and hand out lower bowl tickets as part of a “Movin’ On Up” campaign, which includes the theme song from the old television show "The Jeffersons." That’s right, Kings' row tickets that weren’t sold that night are given out to some lucky diehard fans who’s pockets are not as deep. Many hardcore fans reside in the upper regions of Arco, and a gesture like that goes a long way.

The Kings personnel find a way to use every tool in the shed to ensure an entertaining evening for the fans to enjoy.

Get out to the arena for a Kings game sometime this season and partake in the incredible festivities. The play on the court and the fun in the stands make it a worthwhile trip.

Abdur-Rahim moves up the Kings ladder another rung

2010-10-11T04:39:55Z

The Sacramento Kings have decided to promote from within and elevate Shareef Abdur-Rahim from the position of assistant coach, a role he’s held for the past two years, to the front office position of assistant general manager. Abdur-Rahim is now one of the few players ever to be a longtime player (12 years), a coach and now rounding it all out by becoming part of the management team alongside Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.

Abdur-Rahim, a soft-spoken man, said he was very grateful for the opportunity.

“It’s a great opportunity from the organization,” Abdur-Rahim said. “The Maloof family, Geoff Petrie and Wayne Cooper have given me a great chance to part of this organization and move into a different role. I’m fortunate to be in this situation and I look forward to being part of this organization and make a contribution that helps this team.”

Prior to the promotion, Abdur-Rahim could be seen frequently working with the current crop of Kings big men. Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, DeMarcus Cousins and more have been seen receiving instruction on a daily basis, and the new promotion will not keep him from continuing his love of coaching.

“I have a lifelong passion for the game of basketball,” Abdur-Rahim said. “I want to see guys improve. I want to see guys play the right way. I’ll still be around. Coach has kind of left it open for me to jump out on the floor before practice and after practice to work with the guys. I still enjoy that, so I make it a point to do that.”

To anyone behind the curtain, this is the ongoing progression of a man who has dedicated his entire life to the game he loves.

Even early on in his coaching career, the management team would let him sit in on meetings preparing for the draft and help him understand the process of evaluating players.

Petrie spoke about the unique qualities it takes to be accomplished at three different positions within an organization.

“You have to have integrity, an understanding of the game and being able to relate to all kinds of people, and Shareef is capable of all of that and is a great individual to have around,” Petrie said.

Abdur-Rahim spent 12 years running up and down the court until having to step aside because of recurring knee problems. During his career, besides playing for Sacramento from the 2005-06 to 2007-08 seasons, he spent time with the Vancouver Grizzlies (five seasons), Atlanta Hawks (three seasons) and Portland Trailblazers (two seasons).

Abdur-Rahim’s career exploded early on as he became the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach the 10,000 point mark by the age of 26. Only Kobe Bryant, Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also hold that record.

During the best stretch of his career, Abdur-Rahim averaged 20 or more points and seven or more rebounds for five consecutive seasons. He was also a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 2000 and was selected as an All-Star for the Eastern Conference in 2002.

Over his career, Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and shot a more than respectable .452 from the floor and .810 from the free throw line.

Rookie Cousins get double-double in Kings preseason win

2010-10-08T08:12:35Z

The new-look Kings took the hardwood on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns for the first exhibition game of the year and came away with a 109-95 victory against their Western Conference rivals.

It was a time to let Head Coach Paul Westphal see how the younger guys have improved and give him a chance to figure out who will be on his final roster.

For the fans, it was a time to have renewed enthusiasm. A time to see the future. A time for hope once again.

For the players, it was and a chance to bang on someone else besides each other. For the training camp hopefuls who wandered into town a few weeks ago, it was a chance to prove they belong.

And at the end of the day, most everyone seemed to have their wish fulfilled.

The Kings started out a little sluggish as the big men of the Suns were able to get to the rim way too easily. Sacramento was not rotating in time, and it led to several open drives to the basket for Phoenix.

Suns guard/forward Jason Richardson looked early on like he was going the be the Kings killer this game. Richardson, who’s in his 10th season and was the only Suns projected opening-day starter to get significant playing time besides center Robin Lopez, had a nice three and was the leading scorer for the Suns with 4:32 left in the first quarter with six points. No one was stopping Richardson’s drives to the middle or guarding him out on the three-point arc. Lucky for the Kings, Richardson only made one of his five three-point attempts.

The Kings, on the other hand, were getting support from an unlikely candidate – surprising starter Marcus Landry. Landry, who finished with 11 points, two rebounds and was three of five from the three-point line, provided some early offense and the defensive stability that the Kings have been searching for.

Westphal said he was impressed. Considering that Landry has led the team in rebounding and charges drawn since the beginning of training camp, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Westphal is starting to have a soft spot for the younger Landry.

With that said, Marcus Landry is flat-out a solid basketball player. The things that Landry can offer are what the Kings sorely need: stability, effort and basketball smarts. He can even nail the open three. Westpahl said that you can be assured that is not a case of nepotism. The kid can play and was part of the reason the Kings didn’t get run off the floor early in the game.

Carl Landry was able to have one of his dreams come true: playing alongside his little brother in an NBA setting.

“It felt really good, and I’m real proud of him,” Carl said. “He had a really good game. He was trying to push me, as I’m still struggling a little bit. To have your brother out there with you – that’s amazing!”

Tyreke Evans was showing off his new shooting form and ended up making nine of 17 shots and had scored 26 points by game’s end. Evans also made two of three from long range. The offseason work he’s put in is starting to show, and if he can stay with it, the fans will be seeing some huge scoring nights from him.

Despite the efforts of Omri Casspi and Pooh Jeter off the bench, the Kings trailed 31-26 after the first quarter. That was a little scary considering that two of the Suns starters – Steve Nash and Grant Hill – were pulled after playing just under six minutes and the Kings were treating it like more of a regular season outing, as the starters ended up logging significant minutes.

Things got a littler dicier when the Suns opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run to bring the score to 36-26 with 10:54 left in the half. If it wasn’t for rookie sensation DeMarcus Cousins, Casspi and Jeter stepping up the defense, things would have been worse.

Somewhat reminiscent of Sunday’s open practice, Donte Greene didn’t make an appearance until there was 6:12 left in the first half. There is no telling if it means anything at this point, but it was a little strange considering that the Kings didn’t have Samuel Dalembert, Hassan Whiteside and Darnell Jackson suited up for action. That’s three big guys on the sideline and a 6-foot-11 Greene not playing much and, when he did, not having a real impact.

Late in the second quarter, Casspi was turning up the heat defensively and had a great block called off because of a foul. Casspi finished the half with eight points, four boards and two assists.

Jeter was another of the new “bench mob” that was hustling after loose balls, causing chaos for the Suns. Jeter, who has spent the last few seasons playing for different teams overseas, is starting making his mark on this team. He was three of four from the field and had six points along with two steals before the second quarter ended with the Kings down 58-51.

Once the clock got rolling in the third quarter, you could sense that Westphal had been in their collective ear during halftime. The Kings came out a different team.

Gone were the open drives down the lane that the Suns were starting to get used to. The Kings defensive rotation was starting to click. The chemistry is still evolving, and the process of learning how to play as a team is still in its infant stages.

Evans came out on fire. On one drive, he had a behind the back dribble-drive that was reminiscent of last year and got him to the charity stripe. A minute later, he took a nice pass from Carl Landry and converted. Add that to the three he nailed a moment later along with a Cousins follow on an Evans miss, and the Kings took their first lead of the game 63-62 with 9:03 left in the third quarter.

The elder Landry, Cousins and Evans were really starting to click at this point. You could feel the energy and momentum starting to shift.

Moments later, Cousins had an awesome dunk off a missed shot. After a couple of Marcus Landry long-range bombs, the Kings held a small lead 74-70 with 4:46 left in the third.

Back to Greene’s game for a moment. While he took a nice charge late in the third, he dropped a hard pass from Jason Thompson and missed a wide-open three on a setup from Jeter. Greene received less than 11 minutes on the floor the entire game. Of the personnel who played, only Luther Head and Antoine Wright had less time on the floor.

Because of sloppy play near the end of the quarter, the Suns managed to battle back and tie the game 80-80 after three.

Keeping in mind that the Suns barely gave their probable opening day starting lineup any time on the floor together, the Kings started to pull away in the fourth.

Yes, having all five of the Kings starters play at least 22 minutes was a difference-maker, but the atmosphere was changing regardless. The crowd was really into it even though it wouldn’t count in the standings.

The Kings opened the fourth by showing some full-court defensive pressure and not just letting anyone walk into the lane as they did in the opening period.

Thompson had a nice block and combined to complete a give-and-go with Beno Udrih that gave the Kings a 91-88 lead with 7:08 left in the game. As the crowd started to sense the change on the floor, the first chants of “Defense . . . Defense” were heard throughout the facility.

Thompson was making his presence felt on each end of the floor. He had a great all-around game that included 17 points, 10 boards (five of which were offensive), four assists, one steal and three blocks.

Evans, who finished with 26 points, three rebounds and five assists, ended up being two of three from downtown. Not bad for a guy who last season was, at times, considered to be an inconsistent gunner from that range.

The Kings had some very balanced scoring once the clock wound down to zero. In all, six players (Marcus Landry, Cousins, Evans, Udrih, Thompson and Jeter) finished in double figures in scoring, and two Kings – Cousins and Thompson – had double digits in rebounds.

The only two suited players who didn’t get any court time were Connor Atchley and Joe Crawford. While these guys have been great for the rest of the team to bang against during practice and are giving their all, I think that unless the Kings come down with an unforeseen injury situation, both of these guys will not be on the opening-day roster.

Now if the team can get Dalembert, Whiteside and Jackson healthy, the inside presence the team has missed for many years will be a thing of the past. Even missing all those big men, the Kings still out-rebounded the Suns 47-36.

Now that’s not only news, but new.

After the game, Coach Westphal wanted to recognize one of the harder workers on the Kings roster by giving Jason Thompson his due.

“He’s making great strides,” said the second-year Kings coach. “You take him for granted, his effort, but every practice and every game you know that he is going all-out, and he’s really made a strong case for himself. He’s better than he was last year and better last year than the year before that. Hard work pays off.”

This new chapter in the life of the Kings, whenever it takes it’s full form, will be something the fans of this town have been clamoring for since the days of Vlade, C-Webb and Bad Brad left town.

The time to create new memories lies just around the bend. Even though the fans have heard it before, patience will be the biggest virtue the loyalists can have this season. If so, the rewards and the victories will soon begin to pile up.

Did you go to the game? The Court Jester would love to hear from you. Please put any comments, questions or criticisms below and I will respond.

The Curtain Rises - Fans Get First Look at New Kings

2010-10-06T00:09:56Z

It all began just like any other training camp gathering. The players hit the floor to do some stretching, jogging and even doing the “monster walk” to get flexible and be ready to bang some bodies. It was a day like any other day this past week. Except this time, there was a major difference. The practice had been moved out of the Kings’ practice facility and over to Arco Arena. Oh, and one more thing. There were people watching – lots of people.

The Sacramento Kings raised the curtain on their new-look team on Sunday for all to see for the first time since making some major acquisitions and building their team with draft picks in the off season.

It was the first scrimmage held this year that the general public could witness. For the fans, a time for hopefulness is upon them again. For the players, a time to prove they belong. By all accounts, progress has been made on both fronts, as the people were ready with bated breath.

The assembled masses packed about two-thirds of the lower bowl as the rest of the arena seating was roped off. Not a bad get-together for a game that would not even light the scoreboard until later as it appeared that they were not going to keep score for quite a while.

While many came to see this year’s first-round draft pick DeMarcus Cousins hit the hardwood at Arco for the first time, there were plenty of cheers to go around. Besides Cousins, the largest applause of the afternoon went to Omri Casspi, Tyreke Evans and, surprisingly, newcomer and possible new fan favorite Pooh Jeter.

After Head Coach Paul Westphal thanked those in the crowd and assured them that this year’s product will be fun to watch, it was time for the tip.

The players were split into two teams – black jerseys and white jerseys.

The starters for the black team were Marcus and Carl Landry, Samuel Dalembert, Evans and Beno Udrih. The reserves for this opening-day type of lineup were Casspi, Darnell Jackson, Joe Crawford and Luther Head.

For the white team, the starters were Donte Greene, Jason Thompson, Francisco Garcia, Jeter and possible rookie-of-the-year Cousins. Off the pine for the white squad were Antoine Wright, Connor Atchley, J.R. Giddens and Donald Sloan.

Some of the first-quarter action included a nice dunk by rookie sensation Cousins, a couple of beyond-the-arc net-swishers by Casspi, and Jeter pushing the ball hard up the floor.

Jeter’s biggest cheerleader this camp has been the coach himself. During the opening period, Westphal could be heard encouraging Jeter.

“Way to push it Pooh, way to burn,” Westphal said from his sideline position.

After Thompson just missed a couple of shots, Evans came thundering down the lane for a score and the foul. Soon thereafter, Thompson redeemed himself by taking one to the rack and picking up a foul along the way.

Late in the first, the white team started to show some great defensive pressure and nice rotation. On one set, there was great rotation by Atchley and Jeter to block an Evans attempt to get to the rack. In short, Evans was denied.

Other first-quarter observations include Cousins knocking Carl Landry down while driving to the hoop. Landry was standing outside the circle and was promptly knocked on his rear. Evans’ instinct is still to drive the lane, but there was see improvement on his mid-range jumper as the game continued.

The second quarter was a chance for some of the so-called “fringe” players to display their skills.

Crawford seemed to muscle into the lane fairly easily at times, and Jackson was a beast on the glass, which included a real nice tip-in early.

Jackson had a real nice game, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Even after putting up respectable numbers, he still wasn’t going to be easily satisfied.

“I think I did pretty good,” Jackson said. “There were some little things I messed up on. My coach from Milwaukee told me that I had to master the little things first to develop your game. My biggest thing when I’m out here is to try and do every little thing right. My role here is to try to be the banger, try to be the dirty guy by diving on the floor and trying to get rebounds and extra possessions for my teammates.”

At this point, newly acquired Dalembert was seen gabbing his left knee after a rebound and was not really much of a factor in the game. One could assume that he is not completely healed yet and has not been able to compete in every practice. He looked a little rusty and didn’t have much lift on his jumper or when rebounding. No worries though, as it’s not a long-term thing. He should be in game shape just around the corner.

It was at this juncture that I wondered where Greene was and why I wasn’t noticing him much. Don’t misunderstand me – he was trying. It’s just that he wasn’t a factor. During one stretch, he dropped a nice alley-oop from Sloan, went one of three from the free throw line and resorted to some of last year’s antics of lagging behind in transition or rolling his eyes after getting beaten. There are a lot of guys who want the kind of time Greene received last season. Maybe he’s just feeling the pressure a little.

Near the halftime break, Marcus Landry nailed a nice shot from downtown. Soon after, Assistant Coach Mario Elie, who was coaching the white team, told the bench that the younger Landry was “killing” Greene.

Marcus enjoyed his time on the floor with his older brother.

“It was good,” he said, “and as we keep playing together, we’ll get to know each other a little more as players. We’ll just blend together. You don’t really think about it too much while you’re out there, you think of him as just another player. We go home, and you have somebody there that is going to stay on your case, and I’m staying on his case. It’s good.”

After a short break, the all the Kings men returned to the hardwood. The only differences in the lineup between what was trotted out to the floor in the first quarter was that the black team had Casspi and Jackson replace Dalembert and Marcus Landry, and the white team started Wright instead of Greene. I guess I wasn’t the only one who noticed Greene’s sub-par play.

Jackson, who came to the Kings in the Jon Brockman trade, started to get his. He kicked out a rebound and was rewarded with an immediate pass back to slam one home. If that wasn’t enough, he came back down on the next possession and dropped another two points. That was enough to again get Westphal to say some nice things about Jackson.

“He continues doing what he’s been doing in practice,” Westphal said. “He’s making a very strong case for himself because of his all-around play.”

Evans had a burst of greatness during a third-quarter run that included hitting a couple of nice jumpers and continued driving into the lane and “rekeing” havoc.

As much as Evans was the spark plug for the black team, Jeter was nearly his equal for the white team. Jeter was constantly pushing the ball quickly up the floor and making good decisions. Back-to-back dishes by Jeter – one to a quick-cutting Wright and the other to Atchley for a lay in – and a nice layup shortly thereafter, are some of the reasons that Westphal likes this kid so much.

Not to kick a guy when he’s down, but Greene had another disappointing stretch in the third. On one play, he didn’t come all the way to get the ball from the passer. Subsequently, he missed the jumper.

With the black team leading for the majority of the game, time was getting short for the white team. Assisting them in their comeback were Cousins, Wright, Jeter and Garcia, who had a very nice game. Garcia and Jeter were the glue that helped their team make a run for the win.

With 24 seconds left in the game, the white team made it a one-point game on a Garcia drive to the bucket. Almost immediately, Udrih ran the ball up the floor and scored on a well-defended layup for the black team. Besides a Marcus Landry dunk at the end, that was the end of the scoring.

When the scoreboard dimmed, the game was over, and the black team won 79-74.

As I caught up with Jerry Reynolds on the way to the parking lot, I asked him about his thoughts, and he told me in typical Jerry Reynolds fashion.

“I thought it was good – a lot of fun to watch,” Reynolds said. “In something like this, they are trying hard. You know, the Kings won, and that’s the main thing.”

Yes, Jerry, the Kings did win. And if this is the effort they will collectively bring every night when it counts, the fans have a lot to look forward to every single game this season.

NOTES: During practice on Monday, Westphal advised the media that Sloan and Giddens had been cut.

Also, on the injury front, out for Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns will be Dalembert, Hassan Whiteside and Jackson with some minor issues. Jeter is listed as questionable with a minor groin strain, but did practice some on Monday.

Westphal also stated that he “was in no hurry” in regards to cutting the roster any more right now. He said he would like to get to know the rest of the new guys a little better over the next few days.

Did you go to the scrimmage? If so, I'd love to hear your take. The Court Jester would love your feedback. You agree, disagree or just plain think I'm crazy, please put your comments below and I will respond.

Photos courtesy of Mark Needham

#1 Coach Westphal surveys the floor

#2 Darnell Jackson, Tyreke Evans and Samuel Dalembert

#3 Practice drills

#4 Long-time Kings braodcaster Gary Gerould

#5 Pooh Jeter

#6 Donte Greene driving to the rack

#7 Antoine Wright

#8 "Hitting the Glass"

#9 "Hitting the Glass 2"

#!0 "Hitting the Glass 3"

#11 Jeter stretching

#12 Francisco Garcia getting ready

#13 Shootaround essentials

#14 The Brothers Landry

#15 "The Monster Walk"

#16 "If You Build It, They Will Come"

#17 Slamson

The Court Jester - Practice Makes Perfect (Fun)

2010-10-04T06:05:17Z

On the Sacramento Kings’ to-do list of creating interest in this year’s team, the first was a rip-roaring good time this past Saturday at Arco Arena.

The “Box Office Party” was the opening salvo in a barrage of activities the Kings are planning for community outreach and awareness during the upcoming season. And with the Kings Dance Team, some players and a free hot dog on tap for anyone purchasing a ticket for a future game, the preseason optimism, compared to recent years, is sky high.

The word of the day was “exciting,” and it seemed to be gushing out of everyone’s mouths: fans, players and Kings’ personnel alike.

Joe Crawford, a second-year guard out of Kentucky who is trying to make this year’s roster, was happy to be there, with a message for the remarkable Kings fans.

“We just came out here to show people we are excited about the upcoming year, and we are going to give it our all,” he said.

Crawford’s enthusiasm was easy to see as he was one of several Kings players who signed autographs, mingled with the crowd and even served hot dogs to some hungry fans.

Joseph Smith is a long-time Kings fan who has been a season ticket holder since 2002. Smith, who normally has his wife Rhonda and son Steven with him when involved in anything Kings, had to come out alone. Even though he was on a solo mission, it was the least he could do to show his appreciation for a team that he is very much looking forward to seeing perform.

“I came to celebrate the new team and meet some of the new players, the Kings dance squad and get to know the team better,” Smith said. “We’ve got a good group of young players now, a good core, and I know they are going in the right direction. I’m looking forward to the excitement and the anticipation of the new season. They’re going to do well this year.”

Paul Kornowski is another fan with a positive outlook. When asked why he was in attentance, he was quick to respond.

“Kings tickets, baby!” Kornowski exclaimed. “(Geoff) Petrie has done everything he can in rebuilding this team. You try and get the best players and the best bang for the buck.”

Sacramento resident Joyce Bezazian was hoping to see one of the new giants on the team in DeMarcus Cousins. Even though Cousins wasn’t available for her perusal, she still had a great time in coming out to support her team.

“I already have my tickets, so I thought I would check it out,” she said.

Mitch Germann, the Kings vice president of marketing and communications, discussed how the day shaped up.

“It’s a nice turnout,” he said. “There was a long line of people when we got here this morning. We started selling tickets at noon, but had people lining up outside at 9:30 or 10 today. People are excited about the upcoming season, and it’s translating into a good turnout at an event like the one today.”

Germann was right. The positive vibe was felt throughout the crowd, and the players in attendance were energized about what they saw.

Antoine Wright, another of the players on the training camp roster hoping to be on the final roster going into opening day, has been through this before. And given he is gearing up for his sixth season in the league, he is still eager to show the dedicated Sacramento fan base what this team can offer.

“It shows the fans that you want to give back and that you are excited about the upcoming season and to show them we care that they are here supporting us,” Wright said.

Excited. It kept creeping out of people’s mouths. So much so that Wright had a hard time containing his eagerness to show what this team has to offer.

“I’m excited about it,” Wright said about the fans’ first chance to see the team play on Sunday. “It’s going to be the first open practice for the public so they can get a look and see the improvements we’ve made as a team.”

Connor Atchley, a rookie out of Texas who is trying to make the team based on his outstanding perimeter shooting, truly understands the effect the fans can have on the entire situation and thinks this stop on the tour was an important one.

“You want to make sure you get to know the people because they are the ones that will be you and come support you,” Atchley said. “Without them, you really don’t have a Sacramento Kings team.”

Pooh Jeter, a player oozing with positive energy, could hardly contain himself again on this day.

“This is great!” Jeter exclaimed. “It’s a good time for us to mingle and get to know our fans because it’s going to be a long year. We will be able to see each other all year, and I like to know faces and be familiar with people.”

This event is just one in a long line of promotions the Kings management will stage for the die-hard fans of the community. After Sunday’s open practice, there are 23 scheduled stops that the “Kings Karavan,” a Kings-branded bus carrying the Kings Dance Team members, the Kings Breakers, Slamson and occasional special guests, will make across the area. With the first stop at a Subway restaurant in Stockton on Sunday, the expedition will continue all the way until Oct. 27 when the tour is scheduled for its last stop at a Carl’s Jr. in Woodland.

With events scheduled all month long, even before the regular season has begun, the Kings continue to lead the way in embracing the fans of the region and finding ways to extract the most enthusiasm out of this community.

For the full schedule of the Kings Karavan, check out the Kings website here.

Photos courtesy of Mark Needham

#1 Omri Casspi w/ fan

#2 Carol Dean, Tamera Howard & Lula English

#3 Joe Crawford & Connor Atchley w/ fan

#4 Beno Udrih signing for fan

#5 Udrih, Donald Sloan & Tyreke Evans

#6 Joyce Bezazian

#7 Lining up early for tickets

#8 Kings Dance Team

#9 "At the Window"

#10 Kings television play-by-play man Grant Napear

#11 Kings Game Night Host Scott Freshour

#12 Curtis Anderson w/ family

#13 Andrew MacDonald

#14 Udrih & Sloan

#15 "Come Inside"

#16 Crawford signing

#17 Evans signing

#18 Kings Karavan Bus

The Court Jester - The Cream Starts to Rise

2010-10-04T04:40:44Z

Kings training camp continued last week with two-a-days Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as the guys got in some significant work on the hardwood. Finally, on Friday, the team went to one practice per day for most of the rest of camp.

With much preparation before the first practice, which is open to the public on Sunday, the guys are learning new sets and gearing up for the preseason.

Training Camp – day three

Lob Pass

Samuel Dalembert and Antoine Wright were available for the morning workout . . . More five-on-none as they worked on setting screens and making sure the players know where to be on some of the new sets the team has put in this year . . . Lots of guys stayed after practice today, including Beno Udrih, Dalembert, Joe Crawford, Carl and Marcus Landry, Luther Head, J.R. Giddens, Pooh Jeter, and a few others all throwing up some extra shots . . . The elder Landry has been spending a lot of time after the workouts working with the coaches on his post moves and practicing his free-throw shooting . . . Udrih helped Dalembert on shots from the stripe . . . Crawford and Jeter spent time with Mario “The Jedi” Elie working on their outside shot . . . Wright worked hard on the elliptical machine after the workout, trying to get his left quad ready for the tougher evening scrimmage.

Beyond the Inner Curtain

The following are Coach Paul Westphal’s annotations to the media:

On Pooh Jeter: He’s a standout in every way.

On Landry’s potential to play the small forward position: Probably not much time there, maybe in a zone defense. It would be pretty hard for Carl or Jason (Thompson) to guard the other three, but it’s certainly not something we are ready to focus on yet.

On Marcus Landry: Wednesday (evening) he had an outstanding of the offensive boards. Although he is still learning the pace of the game, he brings some great strengths to the table. One thing I don’t have any doubts about is that he can do high level is rebound.

On Hassan Whiteside: He’s very smooth and once in a while will come from the weak side and block a shot that nobody’s ever had blocked before in this gym.

On Whiteside needing to be patient: It’s hard for any young player to stay aggressive and have a long-term goal without some short-term gratification, but that’s his world right now and we are trying to keep him focused. He’s doing a good job of that.

On having brothers on the same team: We have to put them on different teams because they only pass it to each other (speaking jokingly on Marcus and Carl Landry).

Knights of the Hardwood

It’s not often that a new player will come into training camp and find someone he knows well. Then again, it’s not every day you get to play against your brother outside of the driveway escapades of days gone by.

That is not the case this season as the brothers Landry, Carl and the younger Marcus, have had the opportunity to challenge each other for the first time since those days in the front yard.

Carl was admittedly tough on his younger sibling during their childhood rivalry. Some days even ended in a fistfight or two. But in the Landry household, it was just part of growing up. Tough love at it’s best.

“I was always the big brother, so I felt like he was soft and weak, so I always beat up on him,” Carl said. “It always ended good.”

The elder Landry did pave the way for Marcus. Carl is two years older and had a chance to go to college first and show Marcus that not only was attending a university possible, but playing hoops was also open to him.

“He had somebody to look up to that went to college so he knew he could go,” Carl said. “I wouldn’t say I paved the way for him; I just gave him some hope. A lot of kids these days, they still know it’s a one in a million shot, but they get down on themselves and they think there is no hope. My brother has seen the light at the end of the tunnel. He saw my work ethic and he continued to work. I just tried to lead by example and be the big brother I am.”

Marcus has taken the longer road. Since having a child around the time he was getting ready for college, he decided to stay closer to his son and ended up attending Wisconsin instead of Purdue like his brother. It didn’t matter really. The brothers were always taking a different direction.

“We were always competing against each other,” the elder Landry said. “If I wanted one thing, he wanted another.”

As to what Carl sees his brother’s chance in making the Kings roster? Carl knows he has some very valuable tools that the Kings can utilize.

“He can offer defense, is a good guy on and off the court, and he’s not going to make too many mistakes,” Carl said. “He’s focused and he wants to get better. You want guys on your team that want to get better that are coming in early and staying late — guys that are not messing up in practice. He’s one of those guys. I think because he has that mindset, he’ll play in this league for a long time.”

Marcus never had a problem with looking up to his older brother. The early success Carl had wasn’t lost on Marcus. If fact, it inspired him to reach for his own personal greatness and he has a message for Carl.

“At a really young age he was somebody I looked up to,” Marcus said. “I never really tell him that, but he was playing basketball and making teams, and I said, ‘Everything he does, I want to do better.’ He’s been a good example and a good leader. It’s the way he goes about things that is keeping me focused.”

Staying focused must get a lot easier since the days of banging bodies with the more mature Carl in the front yard. Back then, there were some real battles between the two and it took a while for Marcus to realize what Carl was breaking him in for.

“Now that I look back on it, I realize he was trying to make me better instead of just teasing me,” the younger Landry said. “He would always make me go left and would never, never let me go right, so I would lose all the time. I’d be mad because he’d be laughing or throw the ball out of bounds or he’d steal it, but it made me a better player.

“It helped me because it made me realize that you better get a left hand and you better get it good quick because guys do their scouting reports. I probably recognized in my senior year of high school that what he was doing for me was probably best for me.”

As with any sibling rivalry, there are times when things went to far.

“It did end in some fights because I was mad when I lost,” Marcus said. “I remember one time when the game was on the line. He was going to shoot and I turned around to box out and he threw the ball off my head and that really got me going. Some days ended in fights, but we’re still brothers, you know.”

Marcus tried to pass the torch, at least on the punishment part, to another of the Landry children: his younger sister.

“She held her own,” Marcus said. “Things ended with some fights with her too. It was just tough family love out there on that court, but she could hold her own. We knew we couldn’t do that much since we would get in trouble when we got back in the house. We kind of had to mellow it down for her, but still gave her that tough love.”

It sounds like the entire Landry family is a family of tough, gritty and determined kids.

Marcus has decided to take the coaches’ advice and work on what they tell him do work on. Things that will help him make the roster. In his case, they have asked him to knock down shots, rebound and defend. And that’s all he is trying to do. That’s very impressive for a young guy.

This could be the year. Even his mind is coming to grips with the fact that he is good enough to help an NBA team.

“Everything is starting to come together,” Marcus said. “I think that maybe I don’t know how good I can be at this level. This is my second year and I’m just soaking it all in. My main focus is mentally, and everything else will improve. It’s my mental game of being competitive and having that killer instinct all the time.”

If he can just summon those reminders of his daily battles with his brother from the days on the concrete driveway out in front of the house, he will be just fine in his quest to join his brother in the NBA. And maybe, just maybe, even on the Kings.

Photos Courtesy of Mark Needham

#1 Omri Casspi

#2 Carl Landry

#3 Antoine Wright

#4 Connor Acthley

#5 Casspi, Atchely & Coach Carril

#6 Luther Head

#7 Jason Thompson

#8 Carl Landry

#9 Casspi & Achtley

#10 Gavin Maloof w/ Pooh Jeter

#11 Marcus Landry

#12 DeMarcus Cousins

#13 Marcus Landry's towel

The Court Jester - Camping in the Capital, The Early Days

2010-10-01T09:06:11Z

Kings training camp kicked off Monday, and when the day was over, it was all sweat and smiles at their facility in Natomas.

The Court Jester was there, and here are some observations:

Training camp – day one

Lob Pass

The Kings worked on defense and five-on-none offense as the guys were trying to find their spacing and where to be on the floor in certain sets . . . Head Coach Paul Westphal was seen checking notes from his back pocket making sure he was staying on-track . . . Samuel Dalembert was helping guys find the right spot on the floor during a certain set . . . Hassan Whiteside was setting some nice screens and really looking bulked up . . . Pooh Jeter was looking to get others involved and was really calm under pressure . . . First-round draft pick DeMarcus Cousins was hustling and running up and down the court well.

Beyond the Inner Curtain

The following are some of Westphal’s annotations relayed to the gathered media after practice:

On Luther Head: He needs to find a spot for himself – do something the other players aren’t doing as well and succeed at it.

On Hassan Whiteside: He has taken the coaches’ recommendations to heart when he first came in, and it’s paying off for him.

On Pooh Jeter: A very mature player, and he is the fastest player on the court whenever. The staff likes his decision-making the most.

On Jason Thompson: He’s a real versatile player at the four and the five spots and has gained the experience to play without getting into foul trouble. Besides Jeter, he came into camp in the best shape.

On Samuel Dalembert: He was very engaged, trying to do the right things defensively and answering a few questions from some of the other players about where to be on the floor.

The Spoken Word

Cousins on playing defense in the NBA: “There is a lot more to defense than you think . . . You’ve got to talk a lot, and you’re the basically the eyes of the floor.”

Jeter on being in Sacramento: “I’ve been here three weeks, lifting and playing and getting that chemistry. I was working a lot with Donte (Greene), Jason and ’Cisco (Garcia) a lot. ’Cisco lives in here really, these last three weeks. We are in here all day and encouraging each other. I feel like this is home since the team gave me my first shot five years ago and now this time.”

Jeter on hoops: “Basketball is really my life. I don’t do much else. They’re going to have to tear my jersey off before I stop (playing).”

Carl Landry on the extra floor work: “I ran through some set and some defensive principles, and it feels good to get my feet wet. Every day I’ve got to be in the gym, and as one of the older guys on the team, I’ve got to lead by example by being here early and staying late. It’s not only for myself, but for my teammates.”

There was also a closed practice later in the evening in which Dalembert and Antoine Wright did not participate. Dalembert has a slight left groin strain, and Wright had a left quad issue, and both got treatment instead of floor work.

Training camp – day two

Lob Pass

Another day of two-a-days was in store for the team as the drills became more complex . . . There was much more running up and down the floor as players were out late working on fast breaks bringing the ball up and back a few times before letting the other group come to replace them . . . Assistant Coach Pete Carril still had the spark to share his vast knowledge with the players and was spending some extra time on the floor today with Tyreke Evans . . . Westphal was working with the big men along with Truck Robinson . . . Head’s jump shot really propels him forward as he releases the ball, and he lands a few feet forward from where he starts . . . Dalembert and Wright didn't practice in the morning as Wright was getting treatment and Dalembert was watching and talking up his teammates.

Beyond the Inner Curtain

The following are Westphal’s annotations to the media:

On what was being accomplished that day: “We are laying the groundwork, and we’ll come back tonight for some competition. The night practices are much more like playing the game.”

On first impressions: “The guys came in here in pretty good shape. They are working hard and putting the team first. A lot of them are putting in a lot of extra time.”

On Garcia basically living at the facility: ’Cisco is always around, and you’re afraid you might trip over him if you come in here at night – he’s a real hard worker.”

Knights of the Hardwood

It's early in the camp, but so far, the talk of the practices has been rookie Eugene “Pooh” Jeter and his tireless dedication to the sport he loves. I spoke with him and one of his biggest supporters, Bobby Jackson, as I caught up with both of them after they put in an extra 45 minutes being involved in a three-point shooting contest with Connor Atchley and Joe Crawford. Even though Jackson could still put up the rock, today his role is being a mentor and helping the younger guys get with the program.

“Pooh is always the first and last person in the gym,” Jackson said. “He’s been overseas, and they normally take that attitude of being a workaholic. He’s really a leader – he’s always getting people in their spots, always talking. If he was about 6-foot-1-inches or 6-foot-2-inches, he’d probably be a starter in this league. He’s been running a team for a long time, and we love him and what he brings to the table. He wants to win.”

For the normally reserved Jackson, this was high praise.

The former Sixth Man of the Year Award winner really had a hard time not talking about how impressed he has been with Jeter’s performance.

“He’s pushing guys,” Jackson said. “Even in pick-up games, he wants to win. You can tell he has that winning attitude. He’s going to tell you if you’re doing something right, and he’s going to tell you if you do something wrong. To be a reserve guard, you need to be vocal leader. You need to keep that second unit stable and on the right page.”

“If he plays hard, the sky is the limit for him,” Jackson said. “He’s fast and a pest on the defensive end. I really think he has a chance to be a household name in this league. He’s always been a positive guy and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. You need the kind of guy that changes things and puts energy in the game.”

Jeter, still humble even after spending five years trying to make his dream come true, is as positive now as the day he walked into the Kings’ summer league camp many years ago.

Of all the things that have changed over the years, Jeter was happy to find that Jackson was still part of the scenery.

“Before I came here, I knew Bobby Brown, and he was telling me about Bobby Jackson and telling me how cool he was and how he worked with him,” Jeter said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity, and I’m glad God put people like that in my life.”

Jeter, a deeply faithful man, spent some time in Israel working on his game overseas. And when speaking about his blessed life, he’s the first to give credit to God.

“I’m a real spiritual person,” Jeter said, “so living in the Holy Land was the way to spend my last year abroad.”

Jeter was given his nickname by his grandmother after Winnie the Pooh. Since the third grade, the only person he can remember calling him Eugene is his father. His dad owned a music store in Inglewood, Calif., and he said he thinks that helped him with the karaoke singing he had to do for a promo that fans will hopefully see later this year.

As for the influence Jackson could have on him, Jeter said he would love to follow in his footsteps.

“I would love to do what Bobby did,” Jeter said. “I get great advice from him and am glad he’s here. Guys like him and Spud Webb and Tiny Archibald paved the way for people like me. If it wasn’t for them, there wouldn’t be many little men in the league.”

Early indications are that Jeter is on the right track to make a difference on the court this season for the Kings. But more than that, Jeter said he would love to set an example for others in the community.

“I just want to go out there and be a role model for the kids,” Jeter said. “I want to show people that I’m a good person and that my attitude is even better than the way I play.”

If Jeter’s play on the court is anywhere near as refreshing as his personality, dedication and perseverance, the fans are in for one heck of a show.

Photos courtesy of Mark Needham

#1 Tyreke Evans chatting with Francisco Garcia

#2 Connor Atchley

#3 Samuel Dalembert

#4 Tyreke Evans w/ Pete Carril

#5 Joe Crawford and Pooh Jeter shooting jumpers

#6 The Legendary Pete Carril

#7 Pooh Jeter from downtown

The Court Jester - And Now For Something Completely Different

2010-09-29T04:21:28Z

It was like driving up to Mendocino County and getting out of the car only to find yourself standing in the Land of the Giants – big, strong redwoods that could be seen out of every corner of your eye.

The evidence was clear. The new direction has been established. This year, the Kings will not go quietly into the night.

The abundance of wingspans and altitude was on display as the Sacramento Kings opened their 26th annual media day at Arco Arena on Monday. With all the local news outlets and many national folks on-hand, the question of the day was clearly the acquisition of several new big men and how the team’s newfound height would impact the team.

“I think we’ve changed our team radically.” said Head Coach Paul Westphal. “Sam (Dalembert) has been a double-double guy that can help our shot blocking, having Carl (Landry) here from the start of the season (will help) and Jason Thompson has continued to improve his game. Then we drafted two very talented young big men who are both very good rebounders. So all of a sudden we have size where this time last year we didn’t, and that is an exciting change.”

And the excitement can be felt across the first floor of the arena on this day as a new season always brings abundant optimism.

As longtime President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie declared, the start of a new season is always a time for confidence.

“This is always a fun time of year,” Petrie said. “You have a new team with hopefully a new look – it’s always an exciting time to get started and see what it turns into.”

Petrie isn’t the only one ready to see what this new-look team can bring on a nightly basis. Thompson, who is in his third campaign, said he really likes the competition the team brought in this year and feels like it will push him to become the player he wants to become.

“The really competitive teams in the league, you look at their depth chart,” Thompson said. “With the additions we’ve added, we have one of the deepest teams in the league.”

It’s not only deep, but also deep at a couple of positions where the Kings haven’t had that luxury in quite some time.

Donte Greene is looking forward to joining the other frontcourt monsters in causing havoc for the opposition.

“It will help a lot on the defensive end by blocking shots,” said the 6-foot-11-inch Greene. “(We will be) clogging up the lane and making sure guys don’t get easy buckets.”

Now that’s something that local folks have been dying to hear for many a moon now. Good, hard play, standing your ground and knocking a guy down if it comes to that. This will be the new calling card of this incarnation of the Kings.

Looking for another reason to beam? How about the young guys who have been brought in to fill out the last of the lineup card?

It’s been easy to see how enthusiastic the camp invitees are based on the endless smiles at the arena.

J.R. Giddens, one of the longshots to make this team, said this is what he lives for – a chance to make an NBA roster going into October. He considers himself to be a “human spark plug” with his outside shooting, athleticism and loads of energy to expend.

As for some of the other new faces on the training camp register, Joe Crawford said he knows he can’t take a play off if he is to be successful and admits that his intensity on the defensive end may make the difference between staying or leaving once the season starts.

Luther Head, an outside shooter who can also bring the ball up the court, said he believes he can help the young guys get more out of their game.

“I’m a student of the game,” said Head, one of the men who has a great chance of catching on in Sacramento. “I can bring a lot of things the younger guys don’t already know about the NBA.”

Even though Head has had some legitimate NBA game experience, he is still young and is looking forward to being pushed by the other invitees.

“I feel like a vet with all the young guys,” Head continued, “but it’s good for me, as it puts more energy in me.”

Antoine Wright has been brought in to fill out the important wing position that can be played by either a two guard or a small forward. And if there is one thing he has learned over the 290 games he’s played in the league, it’s taking everything that the coaches have to offer and making it happen on the court.

“It comes down to knowing coverages,” said Wright, who started 52 games during the 2008-09 season for the Dallas Mavericks. “Being comfortable with the schemes and being able to execute. It’s not all about a one-on-one game. You have to scheme, and I think it’s the guys that execute that are going to get the minutes.”

Of all the guys I had a chance to meet, Pooh Jeter (pronounced jet-er) seemed to understand the calm before the storm more than anyone.

Jeter, who has spent the last five years trying to catch on with a pro team in the states, has had to end each attempt by signing across the pond to continue work in his dream job.

He spent last season overseas playing in Israel and earned the All-Israeli Premier League Sixth Man of the Year Award. It’s never say die for the kid who continued to make the pilgrimage to Las Vegas each year trying to assure himself a spot on a fall roster.

“I believed that every year I would hook on,” the diminutive Jeter said. “I told myself that this was my fifth year in summer league, and this was going to be the last time. If it didn’t happen, I was getting a lot of offers from overseas, and that’s the approach I took, and now I’m here.”

The time for talking is done. It’s Westphal and wind sprints for now at the Kings’ training facility. One can only hope that every guy on the preseason roster is as ready as Jeter seems to be.

“I’ve prepared a lot for this moment,” Jeter said. “It’s time to get going, and I’m excited.”

And so are we Pooh, so are we.

Photos courtesy of Brandon Darnell

Photo #1 Paul Westphal, #2 Omri Casspi, #3 Hassan Whiteside, #4 DeMarcus Cousins, #5 Pooh Jeter

The Court Jester would love your feedback. You agree, disagree or just plain think I'm crazy, please put your comments below and I will respond.

The Court Jester - King's Training Camp / Preseason Preview - Pt. 2

2010-09-28T05:31:44Z

In the second part of my two-part look at the Kings prior to training camp and preseason activities, I focus on the forward situation and possible lineups that Head Coach Paul Westphal could throw out there to start the season.

Since going to print with part one, the Kings have added one more forward to the roster. Marcus Landry is a 6-foot 7-inch second-year forward out of Wisconsin who is also Carl Landry’s younger brother. Add to that the previously mentioned forwards – Conner Atchley, Darnell Jackson and six-year pro Antoine Wright – and you’ve got four players vying for maybe one spot.

I think that this is so much easier to do than calculating what the staff will do with the guard situation. I believe that the choice is, barring some bizarre incident or major improvement in one of the younger guys, the veteran Wright.

Let’s quickly take a look at the other candidates:

Conner Atchley, a 6-foot 10-inch forward/center out of Texas, averaged only 4.6 points per game with only 3.1 rebounds a contest. Add that to his paltry .397 shooting percentage, and he is really just a roster-filler at this point.

Darnell Jackson, a 6-foot 9-inch forward out of Kansas a few years back, shot an incredible .626 from the field with averages of 11.2 points and 6.7 boards per game. Even with the limited minutes given him in his short stint at the pro level, he has shown a nose for the rim. Ironically, after getting a couple of opportunities to get some minutes for Cleveland, he finished the season with Milwaukee. With the Bucks, he was relegated to the pine and got no attention at all.

Marcus Landry, a 6-foot 7-inch prospect from the University of Wisconsin, was coincidentally included in a trade that also involved J.R. Giddens, another Kings’ training camp hopeful. As a non-draftee in the 2009 draft, he managed to get some limited time with the New York Knicks and one game with the Boston Celtics before being assigned to the Maine Red Claws in the NBA D-League.

And lastly, the most experienced player in the group: Antoine Wright. The well-traveled Wright’s previous flight plan looks like this: two years in New Jersey with the Nets, then on to Dallas for the 2007-08 campaign but back to the Nets before the season ended, then played for the Mavericks for 2008-09 before spending last year with the Toronto Raptors.

Let’s dismiss Atchley right away, as he doesn’t seem to fit a need. Now that the Kings have several new big men in Samuel Dalembert, DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside, there really is no need for him. It sounds funny to say considering the lack of decent big men on the Kings roster in recent years.

If you throw in Donte Greene and Jason Thompson, the Kings have five players over 6-foot 11 inches. I can’t even remember when we had that kind of length in the frontcourt. Atchley’s out. Let’s move on.

The younger Landry is another training camp roster-filler. It was nice of the Kings to give him a home before the season starts. But unless he does something he is not really know for, like scoring in large clips, his services won’t be needed. At 6-foot 7-inches, I think he will be lost in the shuffle. I’m sorry Marcus, but there is only room for one Landry on this roster. Try again next year when your brother may not even be here if the younger guys continue to develop.

Jackson is the one who has me raising my “People’s Eyebrow.” We know what we are getting, for the most part, with all the other guys. Jackson is intriguing. Originally he was considered a throwaway that was lumped in with the Jon Brockman trade. But given the fact that he was a driving force behind the Kansas Jayhawks’ 2008 championship season, he may be able to offer up some help. He will need to be strong in camp if he is to be considered at all. Again, all of these guys except Wright have very little, if any, experience, and I think that is the key. They need balance. A nice mix of veterans and youth that can bring the spark and fire up this town.

Wright may be the guy who brings that kind of energy. Except for his rookie year, Wright has played in 56 or more games per season. Even though his field goal percentage has hovered just around 40 percent the last four years, he still appears to have something left in the tank. Training camp will really be the test for Wright. Wright needs the Kings more than they need him. Does he still have the hunger to bang game after game and make the sacrifices that will be placed upon him?

He will need to understand that unless the Kings lose a few guys to injury or make a trade for a shooting guard of small forward of star quality and lose a couple of their forwards in the process, he will not get a lot of time.

Facts are facts. The Kings are finally loaded with frontcourt help. And they need to make this an advantage this season. Having Wright around makes a lot of sense. With a boatload of younger talent now, Wright’s seasoned play may bring a needed benefit to the roster. Maturity and stability is what the team will look for in Wright. If he can bring those two things, he will have a spot guaranteed.

The other big question to be settled this preseason is what kind of rotation Westphal is looking for and how he sees the pieces fitting together.

When looking at how to assemble a starting team, you have to follow my logic the rest of the way. There are a few things you need to know, and these are critical as we go forward in understanding my thinking.

1. Carl Landry is NOT a small forward.
2. Donte Greene is NOT a shooting guard or a power forward.
3. Francisco Garcia is NOT a point guard.

If you can accept these realities, the reasons that follow will make much more sense.

Let’s begin with what one so-called expert and a Kings insider both think about the current situation.

The roster that Foxsports.com has concluded the Kings will throw out on the floor, once again, not counting Evans’ one-game suspension, will be as follows:

G Tyreke Evans

G Donte Greene

F Omri Casspi

F DeMarcus Cousins

C Jason Thompson

I have one huge problem with this projected lineup. While I don’t mind the frontcourt possibilities by throwing Cousins, Thompson and Casspi out there, I think I would switch Cousins and Thompson. I’d let Cousins play center and Thompson be the four. Thompson has a little quicker feet, and I think he would have an easier time covering the opposing power forward. That will free up Cousins to cover the basket and use his shot-blocking prowess to guard the rim. Either way, I love having to make the other team get around two guys over 6-foot-11 just to get to the rack.

That leaves the huge problem I still have left. Greene is 6-foot 11-inches. He is not, I repeat, not a shooting guard. This was a hot topic in the Needham house all last season. Greene can run the floor on the break. That’s great, but unless he is able to pass almost immediately upon arriving at the other end of the floor or before, he is stuck. He has shown zero ability to pull up with the jumper at the end of a dribble. That is what defines a shooting guard. Occasionally, Greene can hit a jumper, but it is well after the play has developed. He may catch a pass off a screen and drain one, but other than that, he is horrible at pulling up off the break and sinking one.

Don’t get me wrong – I love Greene’s athleticism. If he can continue slashing to the basket and catching easy passes under or close to the rim and scoring the ball, he is a great asset to the team. Besides that, it seems that Evans really likes being on the floor with him. Don’t underestimate how important that will be. Evans is so important to this team that he will get what he wants a lot of the time, as Westphal will have to concede at times to his budding superstar.

During a recent interview for nba.com, Sacramento’s Director of Player Personnel

Jerry Reynolds proposed this lineup:

G Evans

G Garcia

F Casspi

F Landry

C Dalembert

At first glance, this looks like a lineup I could live with. But let’s scratch away at some of the issues I see with this group of guys.

First off, Garcia is still somewhat of an unknown commodity. Even though he has five years under his belt on this team, he was hurt almost all of last year. Add that to that the fact that we really do have a different chemistry this season and, I believe, time will tell as to how Garcia fits in. He definitely has something to offer that this team needs. I just think that the spark he provides would be more necessary off the bench.

There is no reason to not put Beno Udrih out there as a starter. All he did last year was have his best season yet. If you really dig inside the numbers, you can see why. There is a great stat by Dean Oliver, founder of a great NBA stat analysis website called powerbasketball.com, that is called “approximate value,” or “AV.” It is fairly complex on how he not only came up with this stat, but also fine-tuned it along the way to make sure it is relevant. It is an accumulation of the good things a player does on the court, but then he takes away the bad things that one does. After that, he has finished off the formula with a calculation that gives the player a rating from 1-20.

After grasping how important this stat was, it struck me how important Udrih really is. On that chart of AV, the top three were Evans, Thompson and Udrih. Landry and Greene are almost half of what Udrih is. It’s a huge difference.

Before uncovering this stat, I already believed that the three most indispensable players from last year were Evans, Thompson and Udrih. This new knowledge confirms my suspicions. No doubt about it: Udrih needs to be in the starting lineup.

The “versatility index” or “VI” is another stat developed by Oliver. This stat tries to calculate how well rounded a player is. In this category, the top four were Evans, Kevin Martin, Thompson and Udrih once again. Take out Martin, and they place exactly the same. This time, Landry lags only a little behind Udrih, but they both are far ahead of Greene.

Coincidence? Not hardly. Numbers do mean something. They are what contracts are based on. They are the heart and soul of the value of a player or a team.

Saying that, there is one stat that some people get way too excited about. The dreaded plus/minus category is a horrible judge of basketball proficiency. If you take a look at efficiency or EFF, you will really see a better evaluator of talent.

All you Sergio Rodriguez fans pay attention. Rodriguez was in six of the top 12 starting lineups in terms of having a positive plus/minus last season. A closer look behind the numbers proves this. Rodriguez’s EFF was worse than anyone who is left on the team. He was also inferior in AV to everyone except Garcia, and I attribute that to ’Cisco not getting a lot of time. Rodriguez was tied for last in the versatility index with Greene. Rodriguez had to go. But I digress.

As for why Landry is not in my starting five, I think we have better options now that we have some length on the team. Remember, it’s not about who has the biggest contract or who did well last campaign. It’s about the here and now. On this year’s roster, the Kings will need a strong bench. Honestly, it may be the most important year for the team’s reserves in a long while.

With all this in mind, here is what I propose as the first five:

G Udrih

G Evans

F Casspi

F Thompson

C Dalembert

In a perfect world, here are the back-ups for each of those positions:

G Pooh Jeter (or whoever makes it on the team out of training camp)

G Garcia/Head

F Greene/Wright

F Landry

C Cousins

Why do I fancy this setup?

Starting with both Evans and Udrih on the floor gives Westphal several advantages that the other options don’t offer. Either one can run the point. Either one can shoot. Plain and simple – neither Greene nor Garcia offer that on a steady basis. Greene is the worst shooter of the four at just over 44 percent, and his gunner mentality does cost the team at times. Garcia, as well-rounded as he is, averaged 1.8 assists per game, and Greene averaged only half of that.

Truth be told, as stated in part one, the Kings need Jeter or someone like him to make an impression this year. When the situation occurs, as it often will, when Evans and Udrih are off the floor at the same time, a real leader and floor general will not be there. It presents a scary scenario – one that the Kings had trouble overcoming last year as well.

Contrary to popular belief, the Kings have enough scoring, if a few things fall their way. Evans needs to continue to develop and will. Obviously. His maturity this year will be the key to the season. Casspi, Greene and Thompson all should improve their scoring averages. The combination of a reinvigorated Dalembert, as well as an eager-to-please Cousins, will easily improve the frontcourt scoring potential. Newly signed Wright will also be an asset in this area.

When I think of having Greene, Landry, Garcia, Cousins and even Wright coming off the bench, chills run down my spine. Instant energy, spunk and a lot of intangibles will be the calling card of this group.

Scoring will be better. Enough said.

On the other side of things, the defense will be much improved as the Kings can now clog the lane for the first time in what seems like forever. Lots of possible combinations abound. They could have three guys at 6-foot-11 or better on the floor at the same time. And we’re not talking a bunch of Joe Kleine-like guys, either. They have some real athletes this year.

Dalembert will be guarding the rim along with Cousins and Thompson, and even Hassan Whiteside can come of the bench for a segment or two. Having a bunch of 6-foot 11-inch monsters to swamp the lane will completely change the way other teams think about penetrating on the Kings.

It will be completely different than last year. And all for the good, I’d bet.

As the season progresses, I’d like to see if Garcia can develop into a solid two guard who is capable of earning premium minutes so that Evans can flourish as the point. Along with that, have Cousins move into the starting five and move Dalembert to the pine. He won’t be here next year, realistically, anyway, so get Cousins primed for the long haul next season. Maybe Whiteside can show he belongs over the course of the year. If so, that really makes for some exciting combinations on the floor.

At the end of the year, my dream lineup would be:

G Evans

G Garcia

F Casspi

F Thompson

C Cousins

They would then have Landry, Greene, Dalembert and even Whiteside waiting in the wings to cover the frontcourt. Udrih would be a spark plug off the bench if he got enough minutes – and he would.

Make no mistake about it – this is a season that will impact the Kings for several years to come. Will Evans continue his improvements and show that his leadership ability is not in question? Can Garcia go injury-free and finally live up to his potential? Will Cousins be a pro and take the coaching he will need to succeed? Is Casspi a starter, or will he be relegated to coming off the bench?

Lots of questions lie ahead. The path to improvement is a rocky road. The list of things that can go wrong is endless.

With a steady hand of guidance and the willingness of the guys to buy into Coach Westphal’s philosophy, this team looks better on paper than it has it many a moon.

Westphal can lead these players to the watering hole. Now let’s just hope that the guys are willing to drink the Kool-Aid.

The Court Jester would love your feedback. You agree, disagree or just plain think I'm crazy, please put your comments below and I will respond.

Street Kings - A Closer Look at Kings Helping the Community

2010-09-23T21:04:50Z

A couple of Sacramento Kings players visited a West Sacramento youth gathering site the other day, and while it wasn’t a typical day at the office for Francisco Garcia and Beno Udrih, it was, in some respects, much more rewarding.

Garcia and Udrih were at the Collings West Sacramento Teen Center on Tuesday to announce a special gift to the kids at the center and youngsters like them across the area. Between the two of them, they have purchased 50 lower-level season tickets to give away to children considered at-risk in our community. For each of them, it was just another in a long line of gifts they’ve given the area that they hope will keep on giving.

The setting was perfect for the generous donation of time and tickets. Being held at the Collings Teen Center was just what the doctor ordered as, according to the center, more than a third of the city’s teenagers live in poverty. And, according to Don Bosley, the center’s executive director, teens are the perfect audience to appreciate such a donation.

“It is the at-risk population that comes here – these aren’t the kids that go to Kings games,” Bosley said. “These aren’t the kids that really have a hope or a dream of going to a Kings game.”

And then the other shoe dropped, but in a grand way. Garcia and Udrih also brought each child who was at the center a free voucher that, in turn, will get them into the home opener.

That, Bosley said, was a game-changer.

“To be able to see players in the flesh,” Bosley continued, “and to have those players invite them to become part of the home opener – it’s really hard to calculate the meaningfulness of that to these kids. You can see them. Their eyes are still going, ‘Wait, you mean we get to go to a game?’ It’s not the world in which they normally get to operate so it’s very, very exciting.”

And as for what it meant for ’Cisco, as Garcia is affectionately called, to be able to give back to the community with his “La Casa de Garcia” organization? Well, those thoughts were easy to coax from the 2009 Oscar Robertson Triple-Double Award winner – an award given out to the King whose charitable work is above and beyond.

“Just help(ing) kids, it’s all about the kids – most of all the kids that really need it,” Garcia said. “They just need help to stay off the streets. Nowadays, there are a lot of kids that are just hanging in the streets – they really don’t know their role. I’m just a guy that plays basketball and comes to talk to them because I thought it might help.”

Unlike a lot of professional athletes these days, Garcia said he has no problem carrying the role model label.

“I have a daughter myself, and she’s 3 right now,” Garcia said. “I try and conduct myself certain ways so she will always be proud of me as well as the kids in the streets.”

Udrih also has founded an organization that will just-as-assuredly change people’s lives. His is called the “One-B Club” and benefits individuals who have experienced tragedy in their lives.

“It supports kids that have (had) a tragedy in the family,” said the six-year veteran from Slovenia. “I’m just trying to donate and give back to the community so that some kids can go to the game and have fun.”

Udrih said he has enjoyed his time in Sacramento and feels that the fans have treated him well. Even though he’s a professional ball player, he still understands the reality of life for the average person these days.

“I don’t like some of what is going on in the world right now,” Udrih said. “With all the families having tragedies and the economy is really bad, I’m just trying to reach out and help.”

And help it does. The Kings players can always been seen around town doing their part. But Tuesday was about having fun – the kids weren’t the only ones having a great time.

A couple of members of the Kings popular break dancing team were also on-hand. There was a dance contest that featured not only a group of the kids on stage, but another of the kids’ mentors who brought the house down with laughter. Besides standing on the edge of the stage contributing to some of the comedy, both Kings in attendance also helped make the occasion festive by tossing out T-shirts, balls and posters, which they were happy to autograph as the event wound down.

The day was not lost on Steven Royster, who approached Garcia afterward and thanked him for coming. He couldn’t wipe the smile of off his face.

“I did it because not a lot of players do this,” Royster said. “I thought it would be a good thing to thank them because they are taking time out of their day to come see us and talk to us and sign stuff.”

It seems that the center, whose motto is “Embrace, Engage and Empower,” has had a positive effect on the youngsters.

Bosley said he didn’t let the moment at the Collings Teen Center get lost on him, and he was sure it wouldn’t be lost on the kids in attendance.

“Ultimately, we exist as a teen center to help kids feel valued and loved and embraced,” he said as the day concluded. “A move like this extends value to them. The Kings helped us take an ongoing step toward our goal today in valuing kids. I really appreciate it – it’s pretty personal to us.”

Notes: For more information on the Collings Teen Center, call 916-375-0681 or check it out online at collingsteencenter.org. For more on the Kings in the community, visit nba.com/kings.

Photos by Mark Needham

The Court Jester - King's Training Camp & Preseason Preview - Pt. 1

2010-09-21T06:25:26Z

Every year at this time, a group of young NBA hopefuls gather at the Sacramento Kings’ training facility in an effort to impress the coaching staff enough to get a shot at their dream – making an NBA roster.

Usually, prospective players are brought in only to give the main roster someone to scrimmage against or in case someone goes down with an injury. The difference this year is that it looks like two of them have a real chance of making the team and getting playing time.

With 10 spots all but sealed-up, there should be some real competition going on during training camp and early in the preseason.

In this two-part look at what the Kings’ options appear to be in searching for the ultimate starting lineup, I will analyze who should be starting and why, and who should make the team from the group of young talent that is just drooling at a chance to make the roster.

With training camp starting next week, the 10 who will be on the team barring some major trade or injury situation are as folows.

At guard are Beno Udrih and Tyreke Evans.

In the forward position, there are several players who are trying to show they deserve significant time on the floor: Omri Casspi, Francisco Garcia, Donte Greene, Carl Landry and Jason Thompson.

At center, they have DeMarcus Cousins, Samuel Dalembert and Hassan Whiteside. Eugene “Pooh” Jeter has signed a two-year deal with the second year not guaranteed, and Antoine Wright has signed for one year.

That’s 12 players with contracts. Knowing that Jeter and/or Wright could be waived and just paid off with little salary consequence, the last few spots on the opening-day roster will be up for grabs.

To date, the other training camp invitees are Connor Atchley, Joe Crawford, J.R. Giddens, Luther Head, Darnell Jackson and Donald Sloan. Out of those, only Sloan is guaranteed anything, and that is just $10,000. After watching Sloan during the Las Vegas Summer League, his showing was lackluster at best. I would bet he won’t make the final roster.

The Kings are in a rare situation as of late. Not having any real veterans who are assured to make the team is not the norm.

Since guys like Ime Udoka, Andres Nocioni and little-used Kenny Thomas are not around this campaign, someone in this group should get some significant playing time.

Sacramento really has only two point guards. Francisco Garcia can bring the rock up the floor, but I really don’t think that is the position the Kings want to put themselves in. He is a two guard at heart and really as good a small forward also. Unless Coach Paul Westphal falls in love with him or he’s setting the hoop on fire with made baskets during preseason, I don’t really see him getting the start on opening day (not counting Evans’ one-game suspension). Considering all that, we still must throw him in the mix to play quite a few minutes at one guard spot or the other. Going into the year with only two and a half guards is living on the edge.

So let’s accept the fact that we should hope that one of these point/shooting guard invitees play well enough to not only make the roster, but also have a chance of making a difference during the long season.

Let’s take a brief look at the contenders:

Joe Crawford, a guard out of Kentucky a few years back, had a very brief stint with the New York Knicks. He’s a 6-foot 5-inch shooting guard with decent hands. While on the Wildcats, he averaged 18 points and 3.4 assists per game his senior season. Director of Player Personnel Jerry Reynolds said Crawford is a good defender, but his offense was what he questioned.

J.R. Giddens, a shooting guard with a little NBA experience the last two years, was Mountain West Co-Player of the Year his senior year of college. Giddens offers a little bit of everything as his final season numbers reflect – 16.2 points per game, 8.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and an astonishing .626 shooting percentage! It was the very good player in a good conference scenario.

Donald Sloan, the leading scorer from the New Mexico Aggies, didn’t do much in the previously mentioned summer league. Although he averaged 17.8 points per game in his last year in college, he failed to shine in Vegas. Some might say he got lost in the shuffle that can be the summer league. I say he got enough time to prove himself.

Take Jason Thompson’s younger brother Ryan, for example. He was also on the Kings’ summer roster and fared somewhat better. The younger Thompson averaged more points, rebounds and a better shooting percentage, all while getting a little less time on the floor. Having watched every game over the summer, it sure looked like Thompson had more to offer than Sloan. For the record, Thompson is looking to catch on with the San Antonio Spurs this season.

Pooh Jeter has been trying to get on with an NBA team since 2006. He had an outstanding summer run with the Cleveland Cavaliers averaging 14.4 points per game and 5.4 assists all while shooting an admirable 48 percent from the field. In the 2008-09 season, he played with ViveMenorca and Unicaja Málaga out of Spain and averaged 16 points, 3 assists and 3 boards while playing 32 minutes a game.

During the 2009-10 campaign, he was in Israel playing for Hapoel Jerusalem. Even though he only averaged about 10 minutes per game, he still put up almost 11 points per contest.

And last is Luther Head, the candidate with the most professional experience. Head has spent time with the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers since 2005. He averaged 7.6 points per game in only 17.3 minutes with Indiana last year and is a career 38 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

Not really an assist guy, Head could really add a boost from the outside. His magnus opus last season was a 30-point outburst on Dec. 30 against the Memphis Grizzlies. In that game, he also had seven rebounds, made all six free throws and sank four three-pointers. In all, Head scored more than 10 points in16 games. It seems that when given significant time on the court, Head can deliver. For his impact to be felt, he is going to need to average at least 20-25 minutes a night.

The competition is going to be fierce. There seems to not be enough room for more than one of them if we are to believe that the late summer acquisition of 6-foot 7-inch forward/guard Antoine Wright means anything. If Wright makes the squad, it will certainly only leave one unassigned spot.

Of course, the Kings, along with many other teams, find a way to keep an extra player or two just in case. And that method is known as the injured list. Considering that you can have up to three players on the list during the season, a team can really break camp with up to 15 players. Not very often will a team use all three spots. But usually you can’t look around the league without finding a player or three that come up with plantar fasciitis or some other unprovable injury that is just waiting his time for someone to really go down.

So, whom do you keep? Is it a critical question whose answer is going to mean the difference between a possible .500 season or making the playoffs? Realistically? I think probably not. Possibly? Yes, it could matter, and I’d feel better if a couple of these men grabbed the brass ring while they had the chance.

After all this information – it boils down to this. The Kings really need someone who can handle the ball. I think that cutting down on being third-worst in turnover ratio last year is more important than trying to increase the sixth-worst scoring average. Besides, most of this young team is only going to get better at the offensive game.

The Kings just flat out need another guard.

Evans is still young and may get into foul trouble on occasion. And Udrih is better off not playing starter-like minutes for the entire season. They really look like they need a guy who can run and pass and play some decent defense.

They may get lucky and be able to hold onto two of these guys if the injured reserve list works out for them. That would be the ideal. That way they could grab a guy who is more of a scorer to shore up the shooting guard position. Remember, this is based on that the Kings will not sign some well-known, semi-superstar right before the season starts or something else crazy.

In scouting this group of guys and assuming that none of them have really raised their game in the offseason, the Kings should grab the two guys who have the legitimate experience.

The real ball handler here is Jeter. This young man has busted his tail overseas for years now and finally deserves his shot. He can provide an even keel on the floor and will keep up with the rest of the guys on the break. He can deliver the ball nicely and will afford assured stability while on the hardwood. He really impressed in his stint during the summer, and his minutes should be limited, so there isn’t much concern here.

For the other guard spot, unless Crawford or Giddens really surprise, I think you need to run Luther Head out there. He could be a blessing in disguise, or he could be just about out of his 15 minutes of fame.

I think chemistry is going to be the question with him. Will he just be happy to be on an NBA roster again? One that really looks like it is on the "rise", so to speak? And will he gel with the younger stars on the roster? At this point, he really is a young veteran. Let’s give him a chance and see if he can fit in. He skill set is one that the team could really benefit from.

Head and Jeter are my picks to shore up the shortage of guards on the Kings.

I’m convinced that Head can come off the bench for 8-10 minutes maybe twice a game and put up some points. Maybe he won’t have quite as many rebounds, but kind of Bobby Jackson-like minutes, best-case scenario.

Jeter will be able to bring the ball up the court and get it to guys who are darting through the lane. His improved focus on passing the ball really showed during the summer. He ran circles around defenders and reminded me of a poor man’s version of Steve Nash.

They’re worth the gamble. If they don’t work out, the team can make a run without them or whoever ends up being our 11th and 12th men. The waiver wire is ready for the picking right before the season starts. We may even be surprised by who lands on waivers when preseason is over.

Once again, that’s why the Kings should give them the shot. They both work hard and have made improvements in their game. They offer what the Kings are truly lacking. No doubt about it, if they play the way they are capable of, they can help.

Coming soon in part two, I will take a brief look at the forwards and centers who are trying to show what they can offer. I will also examine the possible lineups the Kings will run out there and a couple that they probably won’t, but should.

Photos are Pooh Jeter and Luther Head