sacramento kings

[CKR13]

The Sacramento Kings losing to the Dallas Mavericks 110-100. Demarcus Cousins with another stellar performance of 25 points and 18 rebounds. Cousins also had a career high 6 steals.

Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas all scored 16 points.

[CKR13]

A decade ago, the 2001-2002 Sacramento Kings were perennial NBA contenders. They finished with an NBA best record of 61-21 and was the first seed in the western conference. The Kings steamrolled against the aging Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks. It was a fated meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers and into a climatic game 7 defeat against their southern rivals.

Robert Horry's shot that is still a dagger after a decade.

Still, the 2002 Sacramento Kings is my favorite team of all time.

[Bosnian 23]

We play the New Orleans Hornets at 5:00 p.m. PACIFIC time. We are leading the season series with a nice record of 3-0. The game is away for the Sacramento Kings, but nonetheless, I expect a Kings win. If we don't beat the worst team from the Western Conference, I will be very disappointed.

[CKR13]

The Sacramento Kings losing to the New Orleans Hornets 106-95. Marcus Thornton lead the Kings in scoring with 25 points. Jason Thompson added 18 points. The Kings got 18 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals from Tyreke Evans.

Terrence Williams off the bench with 16 points.

[CKR13]

David Stern asked to force Kings sale

Sacramento business leaders are asking NBA commissioner David Stern and league owners to "strongly encourage" the Maloof family to sell the Kings so a deal for a new arena can proceed.

In a letter signed by about two dozen of Sacramento's most powerful businesses leaders and sent to Stern on Thursday, the group accuses Kings owners Joe, Gavin and George Maloof of not negotiating in good faith. It also questions whether the Maloofs have the finances -- and motivation -- to keep the team in Sacramento.

"We feel it is time for the Maloofs to sell their ownership of the franchise, for the good of the city and in the interest of advancing Sacramento's effort to build a downtown arena," a portion of the letter reads. "The city, the fans and the NBA deserve and require an ownership group that is fully committed to being a good-faith constructive participant in the arena process.

"And we deserve an ownership group that is not only committed to the long-term viability of the franchise in this region but also one that has the wherewithal to make it a thriving, competitive organization."

The timing of the letter was no accident.

The Maloofs were giving an update on the project to the NBA Board of Governors during its annual spring meeting in New York. It was exactly a year ago when Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson and the city's business leaders convinced owners -- along with presenting more than $10 million of new sponsorship and ticket sales for this season -- at the same Manhattan hotel to keep the Kings in Sacramento instead of moving to Anaheim, Calif.

Family spokesman Eric Rose said the Maloofs are "saddened and disappointed" by the letter. He said the Maloofs are not selling the team and are committed to help fund the estimated $391 million arena, which would open for the 2015-16 season, pending final approval of the non-binding agreement the City Council already passed.

"We share in the community's frustration on forging a workable agreement on what is ultimately a $400 million transaction that will impact the region for many years to come," Rose said in a statement. "However, we must all remember what is at stake in the development of a new arena in Sacramento, and must insure the agreement works for all parties involved, and most importantly, the residents of the City."

Johnson is expected to meet with the Maloofs and other NBA officials in New York on Friday to try and reconcile the two sides, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Sacramento's place on the NBA map seemed secured only a few weeks ago.

Under the non-binding term sheet, Sacramento will contribute $255.5 million, mostly by leasing out parking garages around the facility. The Kings agreed to pay $73.25 million and arena operator AEG will contribute $58.75 million. The remaining gap will be covered by a ticket surcharge, advertising around the facility, the sale of public lands and a sponsorship campaign to sell bricks and plaques around the complex.

The biggest sticking point has been a dispute over environmental and pre-development costs.

Under the term sheet, the Kings and arena operator AEG each were to pay about $3.25 million in pre-development costs with the city paying the remaining $6.5 million. George Maloof said in a phone interview that he does not believe the team should pay $3.25 million in pre-development costs because they're "playing the role of the tenant."

The NBA, which helped broker the deal, agreed to pay about $200,000 to cover the initial costs and keep the project on schedule. Whether the rest will be covered -- and who will cover it -- was among the items expected to be discussed this week in New York during two days of meetings, which end Friday.

Johnson is expected to be in New York on Friday to meet with the Maloofs and other NBA officials in order to reconcile the two sides, according to the Sacramento Bee.

The mayor's office wouldn't confirm Johnson's plans, as the city had said earlier they wouldn't be sending anyone to the Board of Governors meeting.

-ESPN

[CKR13]

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said that the City will not re-negotiate the financial structure of the new arena deal with the owners of the Sacramento Kings.

Mayor: Sacramento will not renegotiate arena deal

[CKR13]

Demarcus Cousins has had a breakout year on his rookie season. This gives me hope for the future wherein a Sacramento Kings player will be selected to the pool and even be a member of the prestigious Team USA's twelve. Cousins has the footwork, agility, depth of shooting and rebounding skills that the team could use and thrive with the international game. Cousins must manage his fouls though. The international rules only allows five fouls per player.

The last time that a Sacramento Kings player was in the Team USA lineup was in 2006 at the FIBA World Championship that was held in Saitama, Japan. It was Brad Miller, now playing perhaps his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Miller won bronze with that USA team.

[CKR13]

It is a disastrous night as the tentative deal between the franchise owners and the city of Sacramento on the negotiations have crumbled. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said that the deal was good as dead. Now the Maloofs will decide on the franchise's fate on whether to stay put or relocate.

On a sidenote, the Sacramento Kings lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rout fashion 115-89. Isaiah Thomas lead the team with 21 points.

[Bosnian 23]

FT -

POR 103
SAC 104

Feels great to win again, I forgot how it felt for a while. Thornton hit the game-winner after we gave up a three. Overall, a good game from many of our players today. Three players had 20 or more. Tyreke Evans had 20 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Demarcus Cousins had 23 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Thornton had 20 points and of course the clutch shot win the game. Isaiah Thomas 18 points and 8 assists (should have had 22 points if it weren't for two BS calls). We play the hot San Antonio Spurs on April 18th. Maybe we can pull off a shocker on Wednesday? #KingsAllDay

[CKR13]

That breaks the seven game drought for the moment. Good win and I'll take it.

[CKR13]

Thornton's game winner:

[CKR13]

Sacramento Kings owner Joe Maloof said that they are still committed on the franchise staying in Sacramento.

Joe Maloof says the Kings are not leaving Sacramento

[CKR13]

Evans wonders if he is still 'the man' on Kings

Two years ago, there seemed to be no question that Tyreke Evans would be the centerpiece of the Kings' rebuilding effort.
Evans was on his way to winning Rookie of the Year and was the focus of a marketing campaign touting that he was one of just four rookies to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in NBA history.
As the point guard, Evans had been handed control of the Kings. And the higher-priced and more-seasoned Kevin Martin had been traded, making Evans "the man" as a rookie.

Are the Kings still Evans' team?
"I don't know," Evans said. "I'm still trying to find my way from playing the 'one' (point guard) to the 'three' (small forward), so it's an adjustment."
As his third year nears an end, the 6-foot-6 Evans is still trying to figure out how he fits with the Kings, who have finished near or at the bottom of the league standings in recent seasons.
Evans has gone from the "one" in more than one way. Instead of leading the team in scoring, he's the third-leading scorer behind Marcus Thornton and DeMarcus Cousins, averaging a career-low 16.4 points.
Evans has been praised for the changes he's made this season. By moving to small forward, Evans stepped aside to allow rookie Isaiah Thomas to run the team to begin games. He always has had the ball, and now he's learning to lead from a new position.
Evans is eligible for a contract extension during his fourth season, and his worth is uncertain, but it appears unlikely the franchise will give him a maximum contract.
"(Evans has) already proven he's a very good player," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "Going forward for his game to continue to grow, he's got to continue to work on areas of his game that need improvement."
If the Kings don't sign Evans to a long-term deal, his unique combination of size, athleticism and ability to defend and play multiple positions might entice a team to part with a veteran player for him.
Petrie declined to discuss the Kings' plans for Evans, saying a decision won't be made until after the season, when he meets with coach Keith Smart and all player evaluations are done.
"Before going public (with talks), you should have the private ones first," Petrie said.
One thing Evans liked about Sacramento when he arrived was it wasn't a major market with national media focused on him.
During the 20-5-5 campaign in this rookie season, Evans admittedly was embarrassed by the attention. And he said he hasn't given much thought to the future.
"I like it here," Evans said. "I got drafted here, so I'd really like to be here. But I've got to wait and see what happens. You'll never know what's going to happen."
That also could apply to what position Evans plays.
Petrie said Evans can play three positions: point guard, shooting guard and small forward. But Evans isn't a good perimeter shooter; he's made just 21.3 percent of his three-point attempts this season.
"That's the one piece that's missing from his game right now is the consistent jump shot," Smart said.
Evans is shooting 47.4 percent when he starts at forward and 41.1 percent as a guard.
"Regardless of what position he plays, the development of his jump shooting was going to have to come around at some point," Smart said. "So looking at him trying to run the team and trying to develop all those things, for me and for our team, I thought it was best to get him off the ball a little bit."
Petrie agrees Evans' position isn't as important as his overall improvement.
"I don't think he should be pigeonholed as a 'three' at this point," Petrie said.
One thing that's forgotten in Evans' development is that injuries cost him much of his second season. Evans played most of the first half of the season bothered by plantar fasciitis and ankle sprains, missing 25 games.
The Kings were disappointed with Evans' conditioning last season, but Smart said Evans was in better shape this season.
Evans plans to be ready for whatever Smart needs him to do next season.
"I've just got to be prepared better for next year," Evans said. "This year coming in has to be a great year."

-Modesto Bee

It has been a year of ups and downs for Evans, though down for the whole team. Evans started the year as a point guard and when Keith Smart took over, Evans did had good stretches of strong games in playing the point. Then Smart harnessed rookie Isaiah Thomas Jr., who is a revelation as he is the only true point guard of the team. Thomas was inserted into the starting lineup and Evans moved up to small forward. After adjustments, Evans had good stretches on playing forward. Evans has been improving on his defense as well as overall point forward skills.

It is never easy being utilized for dual roles in a team and that difficulty is much harder on being a forward and later playing the point. Demarcus Cousins has emerged as the franchise centerpiece with Evans being second alongside talents like Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton. I for one would definitely extend Evans in the offseason. A contract similar to that of Thornton or a bit higher would do well.

[CKR13]

Could Isaiah Thomas Be Considered for Rookie of the Year?

I would like Thomas to win rookie of the year. That will give us two rookie of the years in three seasons. But most likely, it will be awarded to Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thomas is one of the feel good stories of this season alongside the emergence of Jeremy Lin. Thomas was drafted dead last at #60th and was projected to go undrafted but has accumulated two western conference rookie of the month.

Thomas is the steal of the draft.

[CKR13]

The Sacramento Kings falling to the San Antonio Spurs 127-102. Isaiah Thomas lead the Kings with 21 points and 8 assists.

[CKR13]

Sacramento Kings to Recognize Oscar Robertson at Friday's Game

CINCINNATI – Former University of Cincinnati men’s basketball star and NBA legend Oscar Robertson will be honored by the Sacramento Kings on Friday, April 20, when the franchise plays host to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Kings are recognizing the 50th anniversary of Robertson’s historic triple-double season with the Cincinnati Royals in 1961-62. The former Bearcat averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists during the year. He remains the only player in NBA history to accomplish the feat.

Sacramento will honor Robertson with tribute videos throughout the game. Robertson also will salute a current Kings player with the Robertson Triple Double award, given annually to a player who exemplifies excellence on and off the court.

The Kings also will present a roundtable called “Generations of Basketball” on Thursday. The event will be invitation only but will be broadcast live on www.kings.com. Robertson will be the honored guest and the panelist will include fellow Hall of Famers Bill Walton and Alex English along with former All-Star and Kings president Geoff Petrie and Kings rookie Isaiah Thomas. The focus on the discussion will be both on the history of the game and basketball fundamentals and basketball intelligence.

Friday will also be proclaimed as “Oscar Robertson Day in Sacramento” as former NBA All-Star and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson will present Robertson with the key to the city.

A 12-time NBA All-Star, Robertson is a Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee and has been named the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Player of the Century.

Robinson played 10 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Cincinnati Royals. He won an NBA championship as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks at the conclusion of the 1970-71 season.

The Cincinnati Royals were renamed the Kansas City Kings in 1972 when the organization moved to Kansas City, Mo. The Kings moved to Sacramento, Calif., prior to the 1986 season.

Robertson was honored by the Kings with the retirement of his jersey in February 2003.
Robertson played varsity basketball at UC from 1958 through 1960 and still ranks as the school’s all-time leader in points (2,973), rebounds (1,338), field goals made (1,052) and free throws made (869). He was a three-year consensus all-american and three-time pick for National Player of the Year honors. Robertson helped UC to a 97-7 record and two NCAA Final Four appearances (1959 and 1960) during his college career.

-gobearcats.com

Robertson was a generation ahead of his peers during the 60's. In an era where the influx of game changers like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were playing, Robertson was a man of great versatility and perhaps the first true big guard.

[CKR13]

SLAM Online Q & A with Isaiah Thomas

[DonPugfâché]

It has been a year of ups and downs for Evans, though down for the whole team. Evans started the year as a point guard and when Keith Smart took over, Evans did had good stretches of strong games in playing the point. Then Smart harnessed rookie Isaiah Thomas Jr., who is a revelation as he is the only true point guard of the team. Thomas was inserted into the starting lineup and Evans moved up to small forward. After adjustments, Evans had good stretches on playing forward. Evans has been improving on his defense as well as overall point forward skills.

It is never easy being utilized for dual roles in a team and that difficulty is much harder on being a forward and later playing the point. Demarcus Cousins has emerged as the franchise centerpiece with Evans being second alongside talents like Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton. I for one would definitely extend Evans in the offseason. A contract similar to that of Thornton or a bit higher would do well.

I'd love to keep him, as I still think he has the potential to be an solid all-star if he could just develop a half-decent jumper. But realistically, it's hard to tell if he'll ever truly live up to his potential if he stays with the Kings as long as they keep moving him around and changing his role... and from what it appears with how the team is headed, he doesn't look like a chemistry fit anymore. If I were him, I'd probably want a change of scenery.

He was actually playing well at the PG after Smart took over and started to look like the Tyreke from his rookie year. But if you're gonna have Thomas starting at PG and Thorton at SG, then he's basically gonna placed into a role where he has to play off-ball a lot more (which is not his strength considering he has ZERO jumpshot). Combine that with the fact that you have DMC and Thorton taking a ton of shots, and he becomes the odd man out. Basically, unless Tyreke is at the point, I don't see him and Thornton co-existing because that forces Tyreke into an off-ball SF role.

You could move him to the bench as a 6th man where he can be the focal point (and I also like the chemistry w/ him and Jimmer), but a bench role is probably not what he's looking for (especially if he sees himself as better player than both Isaiah and MT).
Anyway, it just seems like there's been a ton of experimenting with the line-ups all season, but no positive results (unless you count Isaiah trending up at the expense of Tyreke trending down). What a frustrating season!

[CKR13]

I'd love to keep him, as I still think he has the potential to be an solid all-star if he could just develop a half-decent jumper. But realistically, it's hard to tell if he'll ever truly live up to his potential if he stays with the Kings as long as they keep moving him around and changing his role... and from what it appears with how the team is headed, he doesn't look like a chemistry fit anymore. If I were him, I'd probably want a change of scenery.

It may take awhile for Evans to develop and refine his jumpshot in terms of respected NBA standards. His form which is a slight inching fadeaway affects his accuracy as it is flawed in fundamental where he is intentionally out of balance. That said, what is your ideal potential for Evans? Honestly, I find it difficult to imagine as well. In a perfect world, he would be the franchise player that will harness everyone around him like that of LeBron James when he was still playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Second scenario is Evans being the perimeter go-to-guy for the team wherein the emerging Demarcus Cousins is the accepted franchise player. It is hard to tell on what is the ideal potential for Evans given the direction of the team. Some would say superstar status or all-star status, but I would dismiss it as it leaves no detail at all for actual team structure and player dynamics.

It is looking like the Kings are heading into the direction where Cousins is the star player.

He was actually playing well at the PG after Smart took over and started to look like the Tyreke from his rookie year. But if you're gonna have Thomas starting at PG and Thorton at SG, then he's basically gonna placed into a role where he has to play off-ball a lot more (which is not his strength considering he has ZERO jumpshot). Combine that with the fact that you have DMC and Thorton taking a ton of shots, and he becomes the odd man out. Basically, unless Tyreke is at the point, I don't see him and Thornton co-existing because that forces Tyreke into an off-ball SF role.

I agree, Evans had a good stretch playing point guard under Smart. But Thomas really changed things for the Kings when he got the keys to the team as the lead. Which brings us to Evans where he is a driving guard that needs the ball for his offense to thrive in the game. Evans has not really developed the sense to be an off-ball offensive player where he will navigate through the team offense and read the defense for opportunities for an entry pass. Evans has not yet developed the quick-reading out of the dribbling penetration for playmaking. So all that is left for Evans is to shoot wherein his jumpshot is still far from being consistent.

I have seen games where Evans disappears where Cousins and Thornton are thriving offensively while Thomas is on a roll. Evans and Thompson have the same tendency in the starting lineup. Task that to Keith Smart on instilling Evans into the offense via off-ball plays and the right reaction given the situation.

If there is some good out of this is that Evans is not complaining on who gets the shots or possession tendencies. But I would not guarantee it for long. Lately, Evans is puzzled on what is his role with the team.

You could move him to the bench as a 6th man where he can be the focal point (and I also like the chemistry w/ him and Jimmer), but a bench role is probably not what he's looking for (especially if he sees himself as better player than both Isaiah and MT).
Anyway, it just seems like there's been a ton of experimenting with the line-ups all season, but no positive results (unless you count Isaiah trending up at the expense of Tyreke trending down). What a frustrating season!

A bench role for Evans could make him unhappy. For now, I would prefer him starting as the small forward. He has shown games for a potential in being a point forward, but that is the stretch where either Thornton is struggling or when Thornton was injured with a calf injury.

I agree, the season was a learning curve especially when the team was going nowhere with Westphal even to the eventual hiring of Kieth Smart. Smart has been experimenting as well. Trying out starting five combinations that lead to the Cousins, Thompson, Evans, Thornton and Thomas quintet. Smart has been experimenting with bench reserves and in combination with starters.

We have made progress but not ground breaking, only modest progress. Gone are the offensive meltdowns from last season. We are the second highest scoring team in the game at some point though we are second to the last in offensive efficiency; we are second in points in the paint this season, thanks to the emergence of COusins. The emergence of Cousins has been attributed to Smart giving him more possessions via the feed. I guess that counts as progress for Cousins. If there is any major setback is our defense. Among the worst in the league as Smart's pace is faster than the Phoenix Suns or at the time when D'Antoni was still with the Knicks on his 7-seconds or less offense.

Our brisk offense really compromises the defense as it is turnover prone and leaves a lot of 50-50 possession instances that has lead to opponents scoring off our turnovers. Plus we have no shot-blockers, only hustle shot-blockers. I look for us to improve our defense if we are to win more games next season. Up next is the NBA Draft.

[DonPugfâché]

We are the second highest scoring team in the game at some point though we are second to the last in offensive efficiency; we are second in points in the paint this season, thanks to the emergence of COusins. The emergence of Cousins has been attributed to Smart giving him more possessions via the feed. I guess that counts as progress for Cousins. If there is any major setback is our defense. Among the worst in the league as Smart's pace is faster than the Phoenix Suns or at the time when D'Antoni was still with the Knicks on his 7-seconds or less offense.

Our brisk offense really compromises the defense as it is turnover prone and leaves a lot of 50-50 possession instances that has lead to opponents scoring off our turnovers. Plus we have no shot-blockers, only hustle shot-blockers. I look for us to improve our defense if we are to win more games next season. Up next is the NBA Draft.

That's the main reason why I'm not as blown away by Isaiah as a lot of Kings fans are. Don't get me wrong, it's a great underdog story, he can clearly play in the league and he's an asset. But a big part of the argument in favor of starting Isaiah is that the Kings offense has been playing at a high level. But like you pointed out, that's not really true... sure they score a ton, but it's because they play at a crazy fast pace. They still have a terrible offensive efficiency though, and the frantic pace - combined with that poor offensive efficiency - also hurts them defensively. At least with Evans at the PG, you get a guy who can defend the other teams best back court scorer and can sometimes force a switch with Marcus (as usually the other team's SG ends up guarding Evans, allowing Marcus to work against a smaller PG). But if you run with Isaiah at the PG with Thorton and Evans, you're looking at a very undersized group. And while they have more raw offensive firepower with that group, because you have Evans playing out of position, you don't get to fully realize the benefit of that firepower. I feel like that's kind of been a theme all year though ... the sum of the whole hasn't been anywhere near the sum of the individual parts.

On the plus side, DMC looks like he could be the next dominant big man. He's actually learning to play like a big man with guard skills instead of like a guard with enormous size. He still has a few shots every game when I can't help but facepalm myself ... but not nearly as many as earlier in the year.