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

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

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 th

Kids grow up watching and participating in sports. Many, at an early age, begin participating in individual and team sports. There’s no greater joy for most parents than to see their children run around and enjoy playing and being involved in sports. It’s been my experience to note that young children remember things that we as adults easily forget. I remember taking one of my sons to a Giant’s game when he was a small child. My son was wearing a cap from the opposing team (Dodgers) and one of the vendors shouted as we were entering the ballpark “Programs, programs, get your programs!” After seeing my child he shouted “No bottles, no cans, no Dodger fans!” At first I didn’t think much of

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 sign

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

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 S

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,

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

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 Dont

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

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

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

First reported by Dave "Softy" Mahler of Sports Radio 950 KJR-Seattle, the Kings are on the verge of trading undersized power forward Jon Brockman to the Milwaukee Bucks. According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, the Kings would receive forward Darnell Jackson and a future second-round pick in return. Brockman, 23, was extended a qualifying offer by the Kings, but he never signed the offer, missing all of the Kings' summer league action in Las Vegas. He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers No. 36 overall and traded with Sergio Rodriguez to Sacramento. Brockman was one of the NBA's most efficient rebounders last season. At six-feet-seven-inches he grabbed an average of 4.1 re