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

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 f

Young patients at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento received a King-sized holiday surprise Sunday afternoon from some special guests. Kings players DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, Carl Landry and Luther Head, Kings mascot Slamson, members of the Sacramento Kings Dance Team, Regional Vice President of Wells Fargo and Kings Ambassador Chevo Ramirez and Wells Fargo Vice President of Marketing Rick Cwynar teamed up to visit children and families at the Shriners Hospital for Children and host a Kings Pizza Party. Amidst the energetic music and festive atmosphere, the young patients received autographs, took photos and spent quality time socializing with their newfound friends

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

On an afternoon mired in careless ball handling and poor shooting by both teams, the visiting New Orleans Hornets narrowly defeated the Sacramento Kings 75-71 in a Sunday matinée at Arco Arena. Both teams started the game out slowly despite an 11-2 first-quarter run by the Kings led by Tyreke Evans’ six points and highlighted by an authoritative alley-oop dunk by Donte Green from Luther Head. However, Sacramento set a trend of turning over the ball early with five in the first quarter. It appeared that Sacramento was poised to get some quality production off of the bench as Jason Thompson entered the game and quickly tacked on six points that included a slick turnaround jumper from seven

    ►►► GAME COVERAGE ►►► FOLLOWED BY GAME NOTES ►►► FOLLOWED BY COMMENTARY   ♦ THE GAME The ordeal is over. The Kings finally won a game. Avenging their lone loss in the 3-game road trip that opened their season, the Kings beat the New Jersey Nets at Arco Friday night, 86 - 81. The Kings had played New Jersey in the second game of the season. In that game, they had fallen behind by 18 points, but surged in the 3rd quarter and actually held an 8 point lead with less than 4 minutes to play. Sadly, New Jersey outscored the Kings 17 - 3 in the final 3:41, and won going away. Having started the season by taking 2 out of 3 road games, the Kings had returned to Sacramento feeling confiden

If you live, work, or play in Sacramento I’m sure you’ve seen the new Sacramento Kings billboards. There is one in particular right off of I-80 that reads “Bigger. Badder. Better.” One player who is pictured on that billboard, and a handful of other billboards around the area, is Kings Rookie DeMarcus Cousins. He and his teammates took on the Detroit Pistons in a matinee game Sunday at ARCO Arena, whether they lived up to the third and final word of the billboard is still yet to be determined. The Detroit Pistons started the season off with five straight losses but won three of their last four before they suited up to play the Kings. Sacramento, on the other hand, won two of their first

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,

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,

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

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

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