Former Sacramento Kings player Antoine Wright was sentenced Tuesday to three years of informal probation and 15 days in jail for a Nov. 5 drunken driving arrest in Rocklin. The 26-year-old Wright has the option of applying for alternate sentencing to the jail time, such as a work project or home detention, Placer County Superior Court Judge Alan Pineschi said. Pineschi gave Wright credit for one day of time served, and he must report to the Placer County jail on March 30 to serve the remaining 14 days unless granted alternative sentencing. He was also fined $450, according to a press release from Placer County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Art Campos. Wright pleaded no contest t

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 det

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, eac

As part of the NBA Cares campaign, “Paint the Town,” the Sacramento Kings will be greeting fans throughout the Sacramento region Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17 to thank them for their support in advance of the 2010-11 Kings season. The entire Kings training camp roster, members of the Sacramento Kings Dance Team, Slamson and the Kings Breakers will interact with the Sacramento community at various locations. Fans are encouraged to attend and players will be available to greet and interact with fans. Additionally, the Kings Karavan, a Kings-branded bus, will be on display at select locations and exciting Kings prizes will be awarded to Kings fans on-site. Following is the fu

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

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 y

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 mak

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

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 in

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 rad

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 s

On October 3 at 4 p.m, Kings fans will have their first opportunity to welcome the new group of Kings at ARCO Arena. It will be the first chance for you and your friends and or family to see the new talent in action. Coach Paul Westphal and his assistants will be leading the full practice, including a full-court scrimmage between teammates.  Unlike the Las Vegas Summer League, you will be able to see the 2010 Rookie of the Year play with his new teammate and potential 2011 Rookie of the Year, DeMarcus Cousins.  Admission is free and you won't have to worry about paying for parking.  If you are interested in attending you will need to R.S.V.P. If you haven't looked at the roster lately

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 ultim

What a difference one off-season makes. In a span of three months, the Sacramento Kings lost six players from last season’s roster and gained seven new players. It’s a welcome change for a team that’s trying to climb back into the NBA playoffs after being absent the last four years. Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie and the rest of the staff were busy this summer  what the team’s transactions looks like: Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Samuel Dalembert. Drafted DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside. Signed undrafted guard Donald Sloan. Signed-and-traded Jon Brockman to the Milwaukee Bucks for Darnell Jackson and a 2011 second

Antoine Wright (above) signed a one-year contract with the Kings. The Sacramento Kings didn't make a huge splash in the biggest free agent market in NBA history, but they brought in two guards. First reported yesterday by Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News on his Twitter account, the Kings signed Antoine Wright to a one-year deal today. The team also signed Eugene "Pooh" Jeter (pronounced Jetter), who played with the Kings summer league team in 2007. “Antoine Wright and Pooh Jeter are two solid players at their respective positions who will add to our roster’s depth,” Kings’ Vice President of Basketball Operations Wayne Cooper said. “Wright has five years of NBA experience under

Early Friday the Sacramento Kings signed free agent guards Pooh Jeter and Antoine Wright. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed but Kings’ Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Wayne Cooper spoke about the most recent additions. “Antoine Wright and Pooh Jeter are two solid players at their respective positions who will add to our roster’s depth,” said Cooper. “Wright has five years of NBA experience under his belt and Jeter is coming off a great summer league showing as he played for Cleveland’s team in Las Vegas.” Jeter may be a familiar name to some Kings fans as he played for the Kings Summer League in 2007 but was unable to find a spot on the roster. Jeter