Crowned Hoops: A Sacramento Kings Blog

Kings Waive Luther Head

2011-03-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

According to the Sacramento Kings Twitter feed, the team has waived guard Luther Head. Head did not dress last night against the Philadelphia 76ers because of a sore right calf.

He averaged 5.6 points in 16.3 minutes per game in 36 games, including 14 starts, with the Kings. His last game was Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played only 17 seconds in the second quarter before he was injured.

Podcast: Sixers Blow Out Kings 102-80

2011-03-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

In this episode of the Crowned Hoops Podcast, Kings coach Paul Westphal explains why this was the worst game of the year for the Kings. He and Jason Thompson didn't blame the fans for booing and Samuel Dalembert's reunion was far from what he was hoping for.

Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes talks about the Kings potential move to Anaheim and teammate Darius Songaila reflects on his time in Sacramento. Sixers coach Doug Collins also explains why Hawes fits in with the team.

Plus, why Iguodala won't play in Portland tonight and which Kings player thinks they can sweep their road trip.

Crowned Hoops Podcast Episode 2: Sixers Blowout Kings 102-80

Podcast: Philadelphia 76ers @ Sacramento Kings Preview

2011-03-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

Before the Sacramento Kings leave for a five-game road trip, they'll face the Philadelphia 76ers.

Kings center Samuel Dalembert will face his old team for the first time since being traded last year and he's excited about tonight's game.

Plus, Kings guard Tyreke Evans returned to practice for the first time in weeks. An update on the reigning Rookie of the Year's progress.

Kings Face Hornets for the First Time Since Trade

2011-03-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

The Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Hornets made a deal that seems to be working in favor of the Kings. After averaging only 7.8 points per game in 46 games with the Hornets, Marcus Thornton is averaging 19.4 points, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals in eight games and earned a starting job with the Kings with Tyreke Evans out.

Carl Landry averaged 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds coming off the bench for most of the season with the Kings. Playing behind David West, Landry is averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 rebounds with the Hornets. Tonight, both players could be looking to make statements against their former teams.

The Kings got the shooter they needed in Thornton, but there's an added quality that he brings to the Kings that could be more important. "Intensity and the will to win," Thornton said. "Whatever the team needs me to do, I do it to help us win. That's what I'm all about."

Thornton's intensity was on full display against the L.A. Clippers when he scored 16 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Kings to a 105-99 win in his home debut. Since then, the Kings have lost five-straight games.

Tonight, the Kings will be looking for their eighth road win in their final meeting with the Hornets, who could get Chris Paul back. According to The Times-Picayune, Paul is listed as probable for tonight's game after suffering a mild concussion six days ago.

The Hornets - who hold the seventh seed in the West - split the last two games, the only games they've played without Paul. If he doesn't go, Jarrett Jack will start in his place. He has scored 44 points in Paul's absence.

The last time the Kings and Hornets met, DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Kings to a 101-96 win at home. Paul had an uncharacteristic game with seven assists and five turnovers.

Cousins has proven he can score against a defensive center in the Hornets Emeka Okafor. Recently, he scored a career-high 29 points against Dwight Howard.

The Hornets are the third-worst scoring team in the NBA but they're the third-best in both scoring and rebounds allowed. They're also the best in steals allowed. Their opponents average a fraction over six steals per game.

The Kings depend heavily on Cousins and Thornton to score. They're already down two scorers in Tyreke Evans (foot) and Beno Udrih (illness). A repeat effort of last night's bench performance would be welcome. Four players on the Kings bench scored in double figures for 59 points last night in San Antonio.

With that said, it wouldn't be surprising to watch Thornton or Landry light up their former teammates tonight.

Kings, Spurs and a Bat, Again

2011-03-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Last season on Halloween night, a bat - out of all animals - made its infamous appearance while the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Sacramento Kings. If you remember, the bat caused a game delay and Manu Ginobili swatted the bat tp the ground.

Since then, Ginobili has learned his lesson after getting a few shots.

"Just wanted to give you guys an update on the bat situation," Ginobili said according to ESPN. "As many of you already know, it wasn't a great idea. Not only for the fact that bats are great part of the ecosystem, but also, because some carry rabies, which is an incurable disease. That's why I had to get vaccinated today [and it wasn't just one shot!]."

Same teams, different season, different bat. Ginobili wanted nothing to do with the bat as the Kings fired a barrage of towels at the bat from the bench, scaring the bat to the stands where a fan eventually hit it.

Even though the Kings arena - Power Balance Pavilion - is the oldest in the NBA, it looks like the AT&T Center still needs to get checked for bats. No, really. They need to check.

Kings Look to Sweep Magic

2011-03-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, the Sacramento Kings rolled into Amway Center short-handed after trading Carl Landry to New Orleans and Tyreke Evans still injured.

After a blowout loss in Miami the night before, the Kings - led by Florida-native Jermaine Taylor and his career high 21 points - shocked the Orlando Magic with a six-point win.

Tonight, the Magic look to get their first win of their five-game road trip. They lost at home against Portland on Monday without Dwight Howard, who was suspended one game after receiving his 16th technical foul. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says that his star player has shown "amazing restraint."

"He's been fouled 593 times," Van Gundy said of Howard to the Orlando Sentinel. "You guys can estimate how many of those were hard hits and how many of those were above the shoulders and for him to retaliate as few times as he has.

"By the way, not one of those 593 hits, with so many of those being above the shoulders and hard (hits), not one of those have been deemed a flagrant foul."

The Kings and Magic are fifth and sixth respectively in rebounding. The Magic hold their opponents to 94.13 points per game, good for fifth-best in the league. The Magic also hold the worst free throw shooting percentage in the league at 69.7 percent.

Sending Howard - a career 59.7 percent free throw shooter - to the line didn't work last time. He had 31 points and 17 rebounds in 43 minutes and drained 11of 12 free throws in his last meeting with the Kings, but Sacramento had six players in double figures and outscored the Magic by 11 in the fourth quarter.

The Kings scored well above the Magic's threshold with 111 points and outrebounded the Magic 42-36.

More importantly, the Kings protected the ball, executed plays and made shots down the stretch in a close game they easily could have lost. Usually, they do the opposite.

"We tightened up our execution and started getting shots again," Kings coach Westphal said after their last win over the Magic. "Fortunately we got a couple stops and were able to climb back in the game both times. Then in the 4th quarter, our execution was excellent."

Tonight, the Magic bring former King Hedo Turkoglu, Sacramento-area native Ryan Anderson and Howard, who will most likely have a chip on his shoulder after his suspension.

Kings centers DeMarcus Cousins and Samuel Dalembert will have their hands full with him tonight.

The Kings will have to have another great team effort to take down this squad again. If not, it could be a repeat of the Houston Rockets blowout win over the Kings on Monday.

Kings Get Marquis Daniels

2011-02-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

After trading Carl Landry to the New Orleans for Marcus Thornton, the Kings made one more move. The Kings drafted a future draft pick and from the Boston Celtics and picked up Marquis Daniels and cash.

Daniels, a 6'6, 200 pound swingman, suffered a bruised spine earlier this month and could miss the rest of the season, according to CSNNE.com. Since he's in the last year of a worth less than $2.4 million, Daniels may never suit up for the Kings.

"There is a chance that he will miss the season and may need surgery to resume his playing career," Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations, said yesterday.

Daniels was able to veto the trade to Sacramento, but his agent knew it was going to happen.

"Spoke with Marquis' agent, Mark Bartelstein," A. Sherrod Blakely said on Twitter before Daniels was traded. "Daniels can veto any trade, but Bartelstein said Daniels wouldn't do that."

Daniels, 30, is an eight-year veteran who also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers. For his career he averages 8.6 points, three rebounds and one steal.

As a rookie, he averaged 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, three assists and two steals in five starts with the Mavs.

After trading for Thronton, the Kings were under salary cap floor. Trading for Daniels put them over 75 percent of the cap, the least an NBA team can spend.

The Kings' roster is now full but they only have 11 healthy players ready to play. Thornton is expected to suit up against the Charlotte Bobcats but Tyreke Evans is out with a sore foot, Francisco Garcia is out with a sore calf and Hassan Whiteside, according to the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones, may need knee surgery.

The Bobcats will be short-handed after trading Gerald Wallace and Nazr Mohammed. The Kings are coming off a big win against the Orlando Magic.

Kings Trade Carl Landry for Marcus Thornton

2011-02-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

Carl Landry (above) played one game short

of a full season before the Kings traded him.

Like Kevin Martin was held out of the second half of a game last year before getting traded to Houston for Carl Landry, the same happened to Landry this season.

The 26-year-old undersized power forward was held out of the Sacramento Kings' blowout loss to the Miami Heat last night. The Kings announced today that they traded him to the New Orleans Hornets. In exchange, the Kings will receive second-year guard Marcus Thornton and cash.

Thornton, 6'4 and 205 pounds, will turn 24 in June. He came off a great rookie season averaging 14.5 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting. This season, he's averaging 7.8 points in 16.2 minutes per game while shooting 41 percent. His playing time dropped as guards Marco Belinelli and Willie Green received more.

“We’re excited about acquiring Marcus Thornton,” said Petrie. “He brings a scorer’s mentality to our team and will certainly add an offensive threat to the backcourt with his ability to shoot from the perimeter."

Thornton makes $762,195 and has a qualifying offer of a little more than $1 million on the table next summer. David Andersen was also slated to join the Kings, but was cut out of the deal.

Thornton will wear No. 23 according to Kings New Media Manager Andrew Nicholson on Twitter.

Here We Stay Rises to Keep Kings in Sacramento

2011-02-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

There's a major effort underway on Twitter to keep the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento. Here We Stay - led by Blake Ellington of the Kings blog Bleed Black and Purple - is a grassroots movement dedicated to bringing a new arena to the city of Sacramento because the 23-year-old Arco Arena - Power Balance Pavilion starting March 1 - isn't enough anymore.

With the talk of the Kings moving to Anaheim at an all-time high, the movement to keep the Kings in Sacramento has gone up a notch.

In 15 hours alone the Here We Rise hasn't garnered just local support alone, but support from well known members of the media from around the nation on Twitter:

Bobby Jackson: 2003-04 Sixth Man of the Year for the Kings, Kings scout.
Grant Napear: Kings Play-by-Play, local sports radio host
Whitey Gleason: Local sports radio host
John Dickinson: Local sports radio host
Tom Ziller: SB Nation, Sactown Royalty
Evan Dunlap: SB Nation, Orlando Pinstriped Post
Noam Schiller: AOL FanHouse
Zach Lowe: Sports Illustrated
Scott Schroeder: AOL FanHouse, Ridiculous Upside
J.E. Skeets: The Basketball Jones
Zach Harper: ESPN Truehoop, Cowbell Kingdom
Matt Moore: Eye on Basketball on CBSSports.com, Hardwood Paroxysm

Moving the Kings to the Honda Center in Anaheim wouldn't necessarily be moving them to a modern facility, according to Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld, via Twitter. He states that the Honda Center is better than Arco Arena, but "not by much."

At 18-years-old, the Honda Center isn't far behind Arco Arena, so it's not exactly a brand new arena either. Anaheim Ducks own Henry Samueli has wanted an NBA franchise in Anaheim, but the the Kings won't be getting a $100 million loan from him, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Back in Sacramento, Twitter followers and Facebook fans for Here We Stay have shot up in less than a day. They're also raising money to buy tickets and sell out the arena on Here We Rise night on Feb 28 against the Los Angeles Clippers, the last day before the NBA relocation deadline on March 1.

As of 3:30 pm, 31 contributors have pitched in a total of $970 and, according to Jonathan Santiago of SLAM Online, are buying and donating tickets to fans who can't buy tickets and kids from a local Boys and Girls Club. They're also strongly encouraging Kings fans to contact local politicians to show their support for their team.

Those who wish to donate can do so on Sactown Royalty, a big part of the movement.

The game is a week away from today and less than 2,000 tickets remain, so the movement is right on track. Kings fans can only hope that the Kings stay. If not, Sacramento will be the only top 30 media market without a major sports team.

DeMarcus Cousins Throws Down at Rookie Challenge

2011-02-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

The Rookie-Sophomore Challenge is the one time of year where the best first and second-year NBA players can showcase their talent during All-Star Weekend.

Last season, Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans took home the game's Most Valuable Player award after leading the Rookies to their first win in eight seasons. Although plantar fasciitis on his left foot knocked him out of this year's game, teammate DeMarcus Cousins was out on the floor.

Cousins was the only King participating in All-Star Weekend.

Cousins finished with 33 points, 14 rebounds and three steals helping the Rookies beat the Sophomores 148-140. He scored 23 points in the second half and the 288 points combined from both teams set a new record for the game.

Cousins had his share of highlights, including the first big dunk of the night, a steal that led to a tomahawk jam right down the lane.

Cousins didn't just dunk in a dunkfest. He had what was the second-best assist of the night when he threw the ball off the glass to former Kentucky teammate John Wall.

Wall brought home the Most Valuable Player Award for his team, the Washington Wizards, after setting a game record with 22 assists to go with 12 points, despite Cousins' big night.

Unfortunately, Craig Sager had to mention Cousins' recent altercation to Wall. The MVP handled the matter professionally, even though it looked like he didn't want it to be brought up.

The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones tweeted that many members of the media felt the Cousins should have been the MVP. According to another tweet, he said Wall got three votes for MVP, Cousins had one and there was one vote for both as co-MVPs.

Regardless of what happened, both former Wildcats put on a show in this year's high-flying showcase.

Kings Ready to Play Lakers Tonight

2011-01-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

It's been quite some time since the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers were heated rivals. Tonight, Kings will be on the road to square-off for the third time this season against the two-time defending champions.

It's no secret that the Kings will have to try to slow down Lakers stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, but Kings coach Paul Westphal also talked about the challenge of playing against the quick 6'11 power forward Lamar Odom.

"Every team in the league has a tough time matching up with Odom because he's so versatile," Westphal said. "He's a great rebounder, he's great on the perimeter, but he's also is big and can play inside."

Odom could see Jason Thompson, Carl Landry and even DeMarcus Cousins defend him tonight.

Last season, Bryant said that Kings guard Tyreke Evans was his "sleeper pick" in last season's draft. Bryant always has words of wisdom for the reigning Rookie of the Year.

"He likes my game," Evans said about Bryant. "He tells me to stay focused, (that) there's going to come a time where (the Kings will) be a good team and everything's going to be on me. He just tells me to keep working hard and just get better."

The Lakers have had the advantage against the Kings for the past few seasons. The Kings haven't beaten the Lakers since Dec. 9, 2008.

"They're the best team in the league," Evans said. "They won the championship so we got to get out there and beat the world champs - that will be a good feeling."

The Kings will return home tonight to play against the New Orleans Hornets tomorrow.

Photo by Nathan Carter.

Tyreke Evans a "Game-Time Decision" vs. Washington Wizards Tonight

2011-01-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

Sacramento Kings' television play-by-play announcer Grant Napear , via Twitter , announced that Tyreke Evans will not play against the Washington Wizards and sit out for a second game in a row.

The Kings, however, say that Evans will be a game-time decision for tonight.

Evans is traveling with the team on their six-game road trip but did not dress for Sunday's game in a 118-112 loss against the Toronto Raptors.

He sustained a left ankle sprain in a 122-102 win against the Nuggets, notching 27 points, five rebounds, 12 assists and two steals.

Newly acquired Jermaine Taylor started in Evans' place at Toronto and finished with four points and three rebounds in 21 minutes.

The Kings have a game against the Boston Celtics tomorrow night.

Why the Kings Should go for Devin Harris

2011-01-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy few days for the Carmelo Anthony/New Jersey Nets saga. Reportedly, they've pulled in the Detroit Pistons for a three-team blockbuster deal for the Denver Nuggets' superstar.

So where could the Sacramento Kings fit in? According to ESPN New York, Nets point guard Devin Harris, who is involved in the 3-way trade, might not end up in Denver.

"The Nets and Nuggets, meanwhile, have not stopped looking for other teams beyond Detroit that would be interested in joining the trade," ESPN New York reports. "This is a result of Denver lacking a strong need for Harris with young guard Ty Lawson on the roster."

Ailene Voisin from the Sacramento Bee wrote in late-November that the Kings were looking for a point guard.

"The Kings are aggressively pursuing a move and reportedly have inquired about Atlanta's Jeff Teague and Houston's Aaron Brooks," Voisin wrote in her column, saying that they want a point guard so star guard Tyreke Evans can play off the ball more often.

She also writes that the Rockets want more than what the Kings are willing to offer. The Atlanta Hawks rejected the Kings' offer for a Jason Thompson-Jeff Teague swap, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.

If there was anytime for the Kings to go grab a point guard, now would be the time to grab Harris. Why now? The free agent point guard crop in 2011 this summer looks weak.

Brooks, a restricted free agent, and Mo Williams, if he uses his early-termination option, are the top two free agent point guards on the market this summer. After that, there isn't an impact point guard out there.

Bringing in Harris, a one-time All-Star who turns 28 next month, would bring in a natural point guard who can score better than the Kings current starter Beno Udrih. Harris is No. 10 in shots made at the rim among point guards, No. 6 in shots made within 10 feet No. 14 in shots made within 10-15 feet.

Although Udrih, 28, has a higher assist-to-turnover ratio (2.61 compared to Harris' 2.33), Harris nearly seven assists per game, which is ranked 16th in the league, compared to Udrih's 4.1 APG (37th).

Harris has three years and $26.8 million left on his contract, but the Kings will have a lot of cap space and co-owner Gavin Maloof says they will use it.

The Kings backcourt would consist of Harris and Evans, with Udrih and the speedy Pooh Jeter to back them up. With his shooting ability, Udrih can also play shooting guard if he plays with Harris, Evans or Jeter, although he would be a liability on defense.

Harris could ultimately end up in Denver to start, but according to ESPN Dallas, the Dallas Mavericks, his former team, and the Portland Trail Blazers are interested in trading for Harris if he does stay in with the Nuggets.

The Kings have some pieces on their team to offer. Samuel Dalembert and Carl Landry are in the last year of their contracts. Dalembert has grown frustrated with his role and Landry's production has fallen dramatically since last season, but Houston is said to be interested in getting him back.

A move back to Houston is one he wouldn't mind at all. It could happen either as a trade or free agency.

The Kings have been in and out of trade talk this season. Two players they're sure they won't trade are Evans and rookie big man DeMarcus Cousins. If they are still looking for a point guard, Harris would be the one to go for.

Notes from Kings Practice Dec. 31

2010-12-31T16:49:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve the buzz from Tyreke Evans' game-winning half-court shot was still with the Sacramento Kings. Who could blame them?

The guard's 48-foot Hail Mary came after Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo hit an off-balance shot from the top of the free throw circle with 1.5 seconds left and it broke their eight-game losing streak.

They had lost the last 22 out of 24 games before the win two nights ago and the shot was still a hot topic.

"We came in talking about it," rookie center DeMarcus Cousins said. "You were looking for it on T.V. They showed it a lot. It's probably the only time this year we had a highlight reel.

"It was a good feeling to get a win, especially in that way. It gave us a lot of momentum."

Overshadowed by Evans' shot, Cousins had the best game of his young career. He scored a season-high 21 points and tied his season-high of 16 rebounds off the bench. He scored eight points in the final 6:03 of the game.

He came off the bench to start the game but started the second half in place of forward Jason Thompson.

Even though it took a miracle to win a game that easily could have been lost, Kings coach Paul Westphal saw improvement from his team.

"I thought our defense was very good against a high-powered offensive team," he said. "I thought our fourth quarter execution was outstanding. We got 30 points in the fourth quarter.

"We would have killed to have two or three of those points in several fourth quarters that have come before that, so I view that as a very good sign."

Low-scoring quarters have troubled the Kings a lot this season, resulting in a lot of their losses. They scored only 20 points in the third quarter but held the Grizzlies to 23 points.

Evans might have made the shot but forward Donté Greene caught a lot of attention after jumping on the court before the Evans' shot went in and has gotten.

"I know I was a trending topic (on Twitter) for a day-and-a-half," he said. "Guys were making videos of it. It was fun. I've seen one video. It was just a good moment.

"Guys were clowning us on T.V. saying 'We won the championship,' but we needed that win."

Even WNBA star Candace Parker saw Greene's jumping around on ESPN's SportsCenter and "tweeted" about it.

"Me and Candace are good friend through Shelden (Williams)," he said. "Candace was laughing at me for that one."

Williams is married to Parker and Greene will see him tomorrow when the Kings play the Denver Nuggets, who are "expected" to have Carmelo Anthony, according to ESPN.

Anthony missed eight days to mourn the death of his sister and practiced today.

Tomorrow, the Kings will start 2011 exactly one year after the Kings lost a heart-breaker to a Kobe Bryant buzzer-beater in Los Angeles.

They will have another chance to the new year right against Denver, followed by a home game against the Phoenix Suns the next night.

Video: Tyreke Evans Game-Winning Half-Court Shot

2010-12-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

The Sacramento Kings were riding an eight-game losing streak going into the last game of 2010. Memphis Grizzlies gaurd O.J. Mayo made a desperation shot from the foul circle, but what Kings guard Tyreke Evans did in 1.5 seconds with no time outs left was much, much better.

'Reke hit a 48-foot game-winning three-pointer as time expired to win 100-98 and end 2010 on a much needed uplifting note.

Video uploaded by Ben Golliver of Blazersedge.

Jermaine Taylor: The New Sacramento King

2010-12-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

After reports came in yesterday about a swap between the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets, the Kings have acquired second-year guard Jermaine Taylor from the Rockets.

According to the Sacramento Bee, the Kings will receive the six-foot-four-inch, 210 pound guard along with cash in exchange for a conditional second round pick.

“I’m OK with it,” Taylor said in the Houston Chronicle. "I look at it as an opportunity to start over and go someplace else and play."

Taylor was most likely brought in to fill in the void star guard Tyreke Evans has left, since he's struggling with an ailing left foot with plantar fasciitis. Evans sat out due to injury for the first time this season.

As an undersized shooting guard he averages 4.9 points in 9.6 minutes per game shooting at 50 percent. He came out as the second player ever to be drafted out of Central Florida. Taylor was drafted No. 32 by the Washington Wizards and traded to Houston that night.

Taylor averaged 26.2 points on 48 percent shooting and 5.2 rebounds his senior year at Central Florida.

In 31 games his rookie year Taylor did most of his damage at the rim, finishing 34 out of 70 shots there for 48.6 percent. He was cold from everywhere else on the floor but hit three out of seven three-point shots for 42.9 percent.

He started four times last season.

In three stints in the NBA Development League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Taylor averaged 19.8 points on 48 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 1.25 steals in eight games, including four starts.

In the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League, Taylor averaged 18.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and two assists in five starts and was named to the 2010 NBA Summer League All-Tournament Team.

For Taylor, coming to Sacramento will be a new start. “I know what kind of player I am, and I know if I get a chance, I’ll be a great player," he said. "That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

According to the Bee's Jason Jones via Twitter, Taylor might make it to tonight's game hosted by the New Orleans Hornets, but will most likely meet the Kings in Oklahoma City, where they will play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

The Kings roster now stands at 14.

UPDATE: The second-round pick that the Kings shipped to Houston is described as "heavily-protected."

Video: DeMarcus Cousins Dunks on JaVale McGee, McGee Answers Back... and Fails, Miserably

2010-12-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

The Sacramento Kings finally snapped their eight-game losing streak routing the road weary Washington Wizards by a score of 116-91. One of the highlights of the night was Kings rookie center DeMarcus Cousins' one-handed dunk over the Wizards' third-year center JaVale McGee.

Like the Kings season, many things haven't gone right for the Wizards, despite adding John Wall, who sat the game with a sore left foot. They were going to be 0-12 on the road and were getting crushed by 25 points.

Since McGee, who's known for his shot blocking and dunking, couldn't get the block on Cousins, he decided to steal the ball and take off from the free throw line for a dunk on the Wizards last possession.

Result: He was grounded.

Notes from Kings Practice Dec. 2

2010-12-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

Practice opened up earlytoday since the Sacramento Kings were flying out to L.A. to play the Lakers., who are riding a four-game losing streak.

Samuel Dalembert participated in non-contact drills and was upgraded from doubtful to questionable and will start if he's available for tomorrow's game.

Former assistant coach and current Assistant General Manager Shareef Abdur-Rahim was on hand for practice today as well.

Head Coach Paul Westphal and starting power forward Jason Thompson were available to the media and I was able to grab Francisco García before it was over.

Paul Westphal

What happened in practice:

"We kept working on our offensive execution. We tried to fine tune our zone defense a little bit and did some shooting, which is arguably our major problem. Make a few more baskets and a lot of our woes would disappear."

On not getting the shots they want or just missing shots.

"In the NBA, you've got to make some tough shots. For the most part, I would say we're missing shots and we're missing free throws. If we could up our percentage slightly, we would have a better chance to win quite a few games."

Needing Dalembert on Pau Gasol:

"It's certainly is important to have Sam on Gasol as much as possible as well as DeMarcus, who will be available to guard him, but if DeMarcus gets in foul trouble and we have to play a forward on Gasol that can be a pretty tough match-up."

If the Lakers' Lamar Odom is their most difficult cover for the Kings:

"No he's is a very difficult cover, but he's not more difficult than Kobe (Bryant) and Gasol, but not to minimize his gifts, but no."

Who gets to guard Kobe:

"There'll be quite a few people on him from time to time. Certainly, Luther (Head) and Donté (Greene) for the most part. Sometimes, it'll be Tyreke (Evans) and it might be Omri (Casspi) or Cisco."

On Luther Head guarding Bryant last time:

"He was battling. That's all you can do with Kobe. Nobody's going to shut him down. You try to make him work for his points and when it's all said and done, you hope he misses."

On the Lakers' struggles:

"Gasol's having a little problem with his hamstring. I think that slowed him down quite a bit. Other than that, it's a tough league. We find out every night. We've run up against some really good teams. The Lakers, even though they can be seemingly invincible sometimes, if there are little problems here and there they can be susceptible to getting nipped as well as anybody else."

Jason Thompson

Playing against Odom:

"If he's starting at (power forward) I think I will be playing him. He's been shooting the ball well. I got to limit him from getting offensive rebounds and easy buckets in the paint and try to make him shoot."

If Odom is tough to cover:

"Of course. He's a guy who has the green light when it comes to getting rebounds and pushing (the ball). Obviously, he's left hand dominant but he can use his right as well too.and I think he shoots a high percentage from the floor."

On the Lakers losing four games in a row:

"We want to, obviously, make it five, but it's going to be tough being in L.A. I'm sure they're going to be fired up."

If it's good or bad for the Kings to play against the Lakers on their losing streak:

"I think it might be a bad thing, but they're going to be fired up regardless. I think it's more energy for them and more focus probably in the practices before this game. Either way, we've got to be ready.

Francisco García

On playing the Lakers:

"We're on the road, so we've got to stay together. We don't have the fans. We only have us so we have to stay together.

On the Lakers and their troubles:

"They're the champions. They know how to overcome. We've just got to be ready to play."

Last but not least, Pooh Jeter's birthday is today. He turned 27 today.

Hassan Whiteside Makes D-League Debut

2010-12-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Sacramento Kings rookie center Hassan Whiteside made his debut with the Kings' NBDL affiliate, the Reno Bighorns.

Whiteside played a little over 13 minutes and posted six points on 3-of-6 shooting, two rebounds, an assist, two steals and four blocks. He also committed five fouls, including three in the first quarter.

The Bighorns defeated the Idaho Stampede 127-117 to improve to 5-0.

Whiteside, who was projected lottery pick, was assigned to the Bighorns on Monday. He fell into the second round of the draft where the Kings grabbed him with the 33rd pick.

His only appearance with the Kings was in the first game of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played only two minutes.

According to Kings head coach Paul Westphal, Whiteside wasn't exactly thrilled to be moving to Reno. "I think he's disappointed, but we explained to him that it's not a demotion," Westphal said. "It's because we think so highly of him.

"We want him to have a chance to play. We're very high on Hassan's potential and he needs experience."

The Bighorns' next game is Friday is against the Dakota Wizards in Bismarck, N.D.

Kings Fall to Pacers 107-98

2010-11-30T23:10:00.000-08:00

The Indiana Pacers were riding high off a win against the Los Angeles Lakers two nights ago and came in to play a Sacramento Kings club that lost 10 of its last 11 games.

The Kings and the Pacers came into the third quarter tied at 52 but the third quarter made the difference in the game. The Pacers outscored the Kings 28-17 in the third quarter and led by as much 18 points at one point.

Despite cutting the Pacers lead down to six points late in the game the Kings couldn't catch up with the Pacers, losing 107-98.

Beno Udrih looked like he got his shot back tonight. He came off the bench making his first seven shots and finished with 24 points, making nine of his 12 shots.

DeMarcus Cousins did a good job staying out of foul early in the game. Even though he racked up five fouls he finished with 20 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 8 rebounds.

Tyreke Evans had a good first half with 11 points and eight assists, but he struggled in the second half for a second straight game finishing with 16 points seven rebounds and nine assists. He also had six turnovers including palming the ball twice.

Carl Landry came off the bench for a second straight game but struggled with foul trouble in the first half. He finished with 8 points.

Danny Granger could not be stopped by any player who defended and was a big part of the Pacers' third quarter surge. He scored 10 points in the quarter and finished with a season-high 37 points.

Roy Hibbert was able to establish deep post position on offense and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

The Kings did a good job in the first half. After a 6-0 start by the Pacers the Kings forced them to take jumpers but it was the Kings' dry spell in the third quarter that the Pacers used to put the game away.

The Kings continue to be one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the league, averaging 70.8 percent before tonight's game. Their percentage is good for third-worst in the NBA.

The Pacers made eight out of nine free throws in the third quarter and 29 out of 34 overall. The Kings made only 15 out of 23 free throws.

Samuel Dalembert left the game early because of right patellar tendinitis. He grabbed 12 rebounds om 22 minutes of play.

The Kings will have a two-day break until the play the Lakers in L.A. on Friday. They'll immediately fly back home to host the Dallas Mavericks.

Notes from Kings Practice Nov. 29

2010-11-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Sacramento Kings made a lot of moves today, but one thing would stay the same for now. Head coach Paul Westphal announced that Jason Thompson would remain the starter for the Kings at power forward.

Carl Landry, who was in the running for Sixth Man of the Year last season with the Houston Rockets, said he doesn't mind coming off the bench.

"It doesn't matter," Landry said. "My role's not going to change. I'm just coming off the bench now. I'm used to that now. I've been doing it pretty much my whole career. It's nothing different."

Westphal saw that the switch would be good for both players and the team.

"I think that Jason's a lot more comfortable as a starter and he can bring a lot for us at that position," Westphal said. "I think Carl is somebody who can be one of the best sixth men in the league. He's a huge part of what we do."

For Thompson, it was a rough start to his season. He was playing as a small forward instead of his natural power forward position and was benched for the first time of his career against the Phoenix Suns. He says that acting professional has helped him through his situation and feels that he can still help the team.

"When my name is called and I'm playing somewhat consistent minutes then I can play consistent for the team," Thompson said. "I feel that if I show that then I can be good.

Landry was practicing his free throws with coach Pete Carill. Landry, who shoots from the line at a 65.6 percent clip, went through a dry spell shooting free throws after practice.

After Carill worked on Landry's shooting mechanics, Landry ended the day making 15 straight free throws before missing the last one. Landry is a career 77.6 percent shooter from the line.

Westphal also said that rookie center Hassan Whiteside was assigned to the Reno Bighorns, the Kings' NBDL affiliate. Whiteside was the 33rd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

"I think he's disappointed, but we explained to him that it's not a demotion," Westphal said. "It's because we think so highly of him. We want him to have a chance to play. We're very high on Hassan's potential and he needs experience."

Whiteside's only appearance was in the first game of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He becomes the second Kings player to be assigned to the Bighorns. Current teammate Donté Greene was the sent to Reno his rookie season season.

Tyreke Evans was ill and didn't practice. Francisco García practiced today and although he's doing better, Westphal said that García was "far from 100 percent." His status is questionable for tomorrow's game against the Indiana Pacers.

Antoine Wright was waived by the Kings earlier today. Wright signed with the team on a minimum salary contract. In seven games with the Kings he averaged 0.3 points and 0.4 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per game.

"Wasn't working for us, wasn't working for him," Westphal said about Wright. He was arrested earlier this month for DUI. The Kings roster now stands at 13 players.

DeMarcus Cousins was kicked out of practice according to Jason Jones via Twitter but Westphal wouldn't say why.

UPDATE: Jason Jones sends an update on DeMarcus Cousins on Twitter. "From what I hear, Cousins was booted from practice for essentially being difficult and mouthing off repeatedly"

Tyreke Evans' New Kicks

2010-11-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

Coming soon to an NBA court near you, Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans will be wearing some new shoes exclusively for "'Reke Havoc" himself, according to Aron Phillips from Dime Magazine.

The reigning Rookie of the Year will be rocking the Nike Hyperdunk 2010 in the Kings' team colors of white, black and purple. Evans will have a pair for home games and a pair for away games.

The base color of the home pair will be white while the away pair will be black.

Click here to check out Evans' new shoes.

Notes from Kings Practice Nov. 9

2010-11-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Sacramento Kings continued their half court work today. They couldn't stay out long after practice. Rookie center Hassan Whiteside was sent out twice to remind everyone of the 2:00 p.m. team meeting. Of course, the rookie was sent out.

The courts after practice were very active today.

Tyreke Evans, Pooh Jeter and coach Otis Hughley played around after practice, shooting left-handed free throws. Afterwards they played another free throw shooting game, where swishes were worth one point, made free throws that hit the rim didn't count and missed free throws took a point away.

Hughley has definitely been more than just DeMarcus Cousins' babysitter.

Omri Casspi and Antoine Wright were shooting three-pointers as usual, Landry shot free throws as coach Mario Elie watched and Samuel Dalembert and Jason Thompson worked on their post game with Truck Robinson.

Luther Head returned to the team today. He practiced shooting inside the arc with Jim Eyen and Pete Carill. Carill left to help with Dalembert and Thompson.

Head Coach Paul Westphal

What the Kings covered in practice today

"We're trying to keep increasing our focus and execution. We're going over our keys offensively so we can get into our sets and options efficiently. Defensively, (we're) working on our zone a little bit more and just working on continuing to work better together and to get our assignments covered and, in general, we just tried to fine tune both ends of the floor today.

We didn't go full court but we did a lot of five-on-five action, we did a lot of review of our principles and it was a good day."

About the team learning from the previous game against Minnesota

"That's always a part of a team's growth. It's okay to make mistakes if you're being aggressive but try not to make the same mistakes over and over. So, we try to focus on anything's that's gone wrong, not just when we played Minnesota but last game, the last few games.

"Anything we can do to shore up our mistakes are positive. Minnesota's a little bit different team than we played last time and it looks like (Luke) Ridnour is probably out and we're a different team because we've got Sam and Tyreke in. There isn't a complete correlation but there's a lot of the same players and same sets to deal with."

The approach on rebounding against Minnesota, the top rebounding team in the NBA (48.71 RPG)

"You do what you always do. You try to have the right people in place and play your fundamentals. Box out and go get the ball. No matter who you're playing against the answer's the same. You have to hit them first and go get the ball."

If Westphal unhappy with the team's switches on defense

"Our defense can continue to improve all the time. I don''t think there's one coach in the league who if you asked him if he's happy with his defense he's gonna say yes. That's why we're working on it.

"We're trying to get better on all the various situations and usually it comes from knowledge of what the other team is trying to do to you and then communication so that it's not just one player trying to stop a play it's our whole team trying to stop them. The better we communicate, the better chance we have of making them take tough shots."

On having a young team studying games

"I think with any team that's one of the hardest to get them to do."

Dalembert's progress with the team

"I think's Sam's getting into shape. It's hard when you miss as much time as he did to not only be in shape but to have your timing and be familiar with your new teammates and your responsibilities on offense and defense. It's still going to take him a while but he's looking more and more comfortable every day."

About Tyreke's jumper effecting his game

"He'll be illegal. When they're worried about his jump shot there will be absolutely no way to guard him. Right now, other teams (would) rather give it to him than give him a drive to the basket, but when it gets to the point where he shoots the ball at a high percentage from the outside he'll be one of the toughest match-ups in the league."

The consistency of Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia

"Both of those players are veteran players who've been with us. Even though Cisco didn't play much he knows where his shots are supposed to come from and teammates look for him.

"Both Beno and Cisco are real versatile offensive players that allow you to plug other players around them and have the team function at a high efficiency."

Using zone defense

"There's a lot of good reasons for that. One is it can take teams out of a certain play. You might have a play you have a hard time defending. If you go to a zone it can change their offensive approach.

"It can break up the rythym for the other team, it can allows us to play a little bigger line-up and not be worried about some of our bigger guys having to chase players around the floor into positions they're unfamiliar defending. So, all those things play into it."

Using JT as a small forward in a zone

"It's a big zone, it's still a mobile zone. It let's you defend quick players. That's one reason that we would play zone is when we have a big frontline in. Another reason is to protect smaller guards.

"You can keep your guard away from the basket, don't have them get posted up so easily and you keep the big guys don't closer to the basket where they don't have to chase perimeter players around. It can be an effective defense."

Player quotes

JT on the importance of reading scouting reports

"I think it's real important. You don't know how crucial it can be by looking at film. Sometimes, you're just watching the college part just the plays of the team, but now, it's such a big difference in the NBA of talent and skill that you should learn certain guys tendencies of what they like to do..

JT on having a near miss with an elbow against Memphis

"It's crazy because if your elbow lands then it's a foul on them and I might have some type of injury or I might have a missing tooth or something like that. Maybe it was instinct, it was close. I was mad and I kind of let the referee know. Thank God I didn't get a tech."

Dalembert on how he can help the team

"I go out there and see what needs to be done. If a guy is giving us trouble, I switch and I guard him and I calm him down a little bit. At the same time, I'll be able to cut up the middle and be a force and be able to get easy, quick rebounds.

"I give it to Tyreke and let him have it in the open court, that's what we're trying to do."

Dalembert on his adductor muscle getting better

"I'm feeling much better every day. I keep stretching, I keep doing a lot of stuff so it should be much better out there, get my leg under me. Now, I'm really taking my time and get a feel for it and maximize the touch that I have down low to score and help the team win games."

Dalembert on the Kings' fan support

"I'm very amazed/The fans are 100 percent behind us no matter what. (Those are) some true fans."

The Kings will have a rematch of their season opener at home against Minnesota tomorrow night a 7 p.m.

Jason Thompson Keeps Moving Forward

2010-11-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

For the Sacramento Kings' Jason Thompson, power forward is his natural position in the NBA. When Spencer Hawes was injured last season, Thompson adjusted to playing the center position.

This season, head coach Paul Westphal will be using Thompson at small forward, a position he's played sparingly in his career.

Early in the season Thompson has played against the Los Angeles Lakers' Ron Artest and Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Gay. Small forward is a job he can take, for a while.

"I can play inside and out. I don't think it's anything permanent," Thompson said. "It's more of an opportunity to expand my game. If I start learning that, I can be a guy that can play three positions."

At 6-11 and 250 pounds Thompson will be able to exploit his size on both sides of the floor. "Rebounding, trying to make mismatches for the other team," Thompson said about using his size advantage. "I had some plays ran for me when I'm in the post.

"I can come off screens. If I get the rebound I'll have to look for another guard to bring it up and run the play."

He'll have to rely on his size when guarding quicker players. Gay was able to get around Thompson when they squared off and it's something he'll have to work on.

"I can use my strength," he said about guarding quicker players. "Even though my feet are kind of big I can move them a little bit. It's a challenge but it something I'm willing to understand"

Another challenge that Thompson has to face is the reduction of his minutes. He's averaging 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game. His minutes have been cut in half and he's not happy about it.

"I think that anytime your minutes get cut it's not the best thing," he said. "But it is what it is and I'm not looking for this to be permanent going down the road."

Despite the cut in minutes, he's staying positive and has gotten advice on how to handle it. "You know the consequences when you're not," he said. "I've talked to veteran guys hat have seen situations like this and there's no good way to come out of it if you're negative.

"You know that everything's not the way you want it all the time, but for us to get better, you can't complain, you can't put your head down. You just keep playing and know that (there are) better times in the future."

Thompson doesn't think he's doing anything wrong to keep him from getting more minutes, but he thinks the talent on the Kings is one of the reasons why. The Kings start Samuel Dalembert, a veteran defensive center, and Carl Landry, a scoring power forward while bringing rookie DeMarcus Cousins off the bench.

Darnell Jackson has been awarded playing time for his recent play. Thompson says he can't let his situation effect his emotions.

"We played only six games so far," he said. "If you're down on yourself and you're negative now, then what's going to happen in the middle of the season and end of the season?"

The next player Thompson will have to defend will be a familiar face to him. Fellow 2008 NBA Draft classmate Michael Beasley, who played power forward for two seasons with the Miami Heat, entered his third season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and is finding some success as a small forward.

"He's a guy that can do a lot too," Thompson said about Beasley. "He's left-handed so it kind of makes it harder for you to defend. (He's) a guy kind of in the same situation with a young team and he's expanding his game as well."

Thompson is going through a test right now, but he's got the right attitude to pass. Who knows? He might surprise you with a three-pointer he worked on over the summer.

"I don't just want to come out there and just gunning and slinging," he said about shooting three-pointers. "But I think if the opportunity is there, why not? I have confidence in it and look out for it."

Antoine Wright Arrested for DUI

2010-11-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Kings swingman Antoine Wright was arrested for driving under the influence last night, according to the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones via Twitter.

Wright was a no-show to today's practice but he, his attorney and the Kings organization, released a statement regarding his situation.

Antoine Wright:

“I’m sorry for having gotten myself into this situation. I sincerely apologize to my teammates and coaches, the Sacramento Kings Organization, the Sacramento community and fans and my family.”

Bill Portanonva (Wright's Attorney):

“We are working closely with the Rocklin Police and cooperating fully in their investigation.”

Kings President of Basketball of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie:

“We are extremely disappointed in the situation Antoine has created for himself and the organization. There certainly has been no shortage of education and/or resources made available to our players in regard to these types of dangerous behaviors. We will, however, respect his right of due process at this time.”

According to head coach Paul Westphal, Wright will miss tomorrow's game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

This isn't the first time in a year the Kings organization have dealt with a DUI.

Exactly one year ago today, former Kings forward Andres Nocioni was arrested for suspicion of DUI. He pleaded no contest to the charge three months later and was suspended for two games by the league a little over a week later.

Even more recent, Kings minority owner George Maloof was arrested less than a month ago in Las Vegas, Nevada for DUI.

Wright signed a one-year minimum salary deal with the Kings over the summer. In two games he's seen only three minutes of action.

DeMarcus Cousins Changes Stance on Derrick Favors

2010-10-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Marc Spears from Yahoo! Sports came to the Sacramento Kings training camp to write a story on DeMarcus Cousins.

The No. 5 overall pick seemed like he had an agenda against the four teams that passed him in the 2010 NBA Draft, saying, "I can't wait to play them because I'm going after their necks, especially the big that got picked before me."

Who were the four players picked before him?

John Wall - Washington Wizards
Evan Turner - Philadelphia 76ers
Derrick Favors - New Jersey Nets
Wesley Johnson -Minnesota Timberwolves

New Jersey Nets power forward Derrick Favors was the big man Cousins was talking about. His stance seemed so strong that he didn't even call Favors, who he's known since eighth grade, by name. You don't want a 6-11, 270-pound center coming after you at any time.

Since then, Cousins has already played against the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with 14 points on 50 percent shooting, eight rebounds and five assists in his NBA debut.

In articles posted today by SLAM Online and The Star-Ledger, the articles rehash what Spears reported exactly three weeks ago, but Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee revealed today that Cousins has softened his stance on Favors, the Nets and three other teams that passed him.

"I love Derrick," Cousins said. "Me and him are boys. But I believe I was the best 'big' hands down."

Why the change in heart? He's in favor of a task that will benefit the Kings.

"I'm coming here to help my team win," he said. "I'm not getting into all that. I'm here to play my role and help my team get another 'W.'"

What does Favors have to say about this? Apparently, he got the message that Cousins was specifically after him, according to Colin Stephenson from The Star-Leger. “I don’t look at all that stuff — read (newspapers and magazines), internet, look at the TV — I don’t get into all that,” he said.

Hopefully, Cousins relays his most recent message to Favors before the game tonight in New Jersey.

Kings Edge Timberwolves 117-116

2010-10-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

For the first time since 2000 the Sacramento Kings won their season opener on the road. This was the seventh consecutive season the Kings played their first game on the road and they were without star guard Tyreke Evans, who is serving a one-game suspension.

Although the Kings are 1-0 for the first time since 2003, the Minnesota Timberwolves proved they weren't pushovers.

Carl Landry led the Kings, with game-highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. He only had three double-doubles last season and although he had a good start to the season, Landry feels that he can still improve.

"Didn't shoot the ball like I wanted to," he said about shooting 44.4 percent from the field. "I usually shoot a little better than that, but I did a good job on the boards.

"Just gave my team second chances. Didn't make my free throws but it's early. I got time to correct those errors and grow."

Francisco Garcia, who was injured for most of the past two seasons started in place of the suspended Tyreke Evans. Garcia also had a game-high 22 points to go with four assists, three steals and a block.

The Kings' Luther Head was the only training camp invite to make it out of camp. Brought in for his shooting, the seven-year veteran did not disappoint. He finished with 14 points, making three of his five shots. He made seven out of eight free throws. He also had two blocks.

Luke Ridnour led the the T'Wolves with team-highs of 20 points and six assists. He also had five rebounds. Teammate Kevin Love played a limited 23 minutes, despite showing no signs of injuries. He finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds

The top rookies for both team had good debuts. Despite a slow start, the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins, the No. 5 overall pick in last year's draft had a good showing. He finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists, tied with L.A. Clippers' rookie Blake Griffin the most assists by any big man on opening night behind Golden State's David Lee (6).

Kings cemter Hassan Whiteside did not score in two minutes of play.

Wesley Johnson, who was picked right before Cousins by Minnesota, finished with 13 points and four rebounds, including a highlight dunk over Head.

The Kings had every opportunity to blow a close game like they did last season. Free throws were one reason the Kings lost many of their games last season. They made 18 out of 24 free throws in the fourth quarter and made all of their last seven free throws.

"We finally started making some (free throws)," Kings head coach Paul Westphal said after the game. "If we would have lost that game it would have been because we missed too many. We got the right guy on the line in the clutch and Beno was money in the bank for us."

Udrih said that defense at the end of the game also helped the team win. "Every time we got a five, six, seven point lead we broke down in defense," he said. "That's why we were basically letting them come back.

"After one time out with three minutes to go," he continued. "we came together and we were talking to each other and we said that we're definitely not going to win on the offense. We've got to win on the defensive end. We played much better (defense), basically make them earn every shot and we made a couple stops. So that helped us a lot."

Timberwolves guard Wayne Ellington said that defense was the difference in the game. "Defense would have won the game," he said. "We scored 116 points. It's not our offense, obviously. If we really got a couple more stops, we would have pulled it out."

The Kings will take on the New Jersey Nets for the second game of a three-game road trip. They will have Evans back and possibly Samuel Dalembert, who missed the preseason to a thigh injury.

Kevin Love Talks DeMarcus Cousins Before Game vs. Kings

2010-10-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins plans on making teams regret their decision of letting him slip to the No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

The Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves all passed on Cousins in that order. The T'Wolves, who took Wesley Johnson at No. 4, play the Kings tonight.

Minnesota's big man Kevin Love said that the team's frontline will have their work cut out for them in the second entry of his new blog called "Love Will Tear Us Apart" on GQ.com

"Myself, Darko (Milicic) and our other big guys are going to have our hands full with him," Love said. "I look at Cousins and I think, 'Man, he could be a 20-10 guy in this league and be an absolute monster.'

"He fell a little bit in the draft, and I definitely think he's out to prove people wrong, show every team that passed on him that they made a mistake. And that includes us."

Love was right on the money. In fact, Minnesota already got their taste of Cousins in the Las Vegas Summer League, where he earned Rookie of the Month honors.

Cousins put up a stat line of 22 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and a block in a 79-78 win over the T'Wolves. He also hit the game-winning hook-shot with 2.8 seconds left in the game, with T'Wolves' general manager David Kahn in attendance.

Cousins is making it known that he's out to make teams that passed him pay.

"I can’t wait to play them because I’m going at their necks," Cousins said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports. "Especially the big (Derrick Favors) that got picked before me.”

Cousins won't have to wait long to play against Favors. The Kings will fly to New Jersey to face the Nets this Friday.

The Jump Shot of Tyreke Evans

2010-10-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Tyreke Evans improved the form of his jump shot during the off-season. As you see from above, he shoots the ball in front of his head now instead of behind it like he did last season.

After showcasing his new jumper, just how well did the reigning Rookie of the Year shoot in the preseason?
Here's a breakdown of every jump shot he took in each game:

Source: ESPN Play-by-Play

* = Shot not specified on website and counted toward average distance from basket.

Preseason Averages and Totals by Game

Oct. 5 vs. Phoenix Suns

10-foot shot missed

3-foot running shot made

25-foot three-point shot missed

25-foot three-point shot made

20-foot shot missed

21-foot shot missed

25-foot three-point shot made

7-foot shot missed

18-foot shot made

< 10 feet

1/2 FG for 50%

10-15 feet

0/1 for 0%

16-23 feet

1/3 for 66.6%

Three-point shots

2/3 for 66.6%

Overall for game

4/9 FG for 44.4%

2/3 3PT for 66.6%

17.1 ft. per shot

Oct. 7 vs. L.A. Clippers

17-foot shot made

4-foot running shot made

6-foot shot missed

26-foot three-point shot missed

< 10 feet

1/2 FG for 50%

10-15 feet

N/A

16-23 feet

1/1 for 100%

Three-point shots

0/1 for 0%

Overall for game

2/4 FG for 50%

0/1 3PT for 0%

13.25 ft. per shot.

Oct. 10 @ Golden State Warriors

21-foot shot made

16-foot shot missed

26-foot three-point shot missed

4-foot shot made

15-foot shot missed

27-foot three-point shot missed

21-foot shot made

19-foot shot missed

< 10 feet

1/1 FG for 100%

10-15 feet

0/1 for 0%

16-23 feet

2/4 for 50%

Three-point shots

0/2 for 0%

Overall

3/8 FG for37.5%

0/2 3PT for 0%

17.375 ft. per shot.

Oct. 12 vs. Golden State Warriors

17-foot shot made

20-foot shot made

22-foot shot missed

16-foot shot missed

6-foot running shot made

5-foot shot missed

27-foot three-point shot made

25-foot three-point shot made

25-foot three-point shot missed

< 10 feet

1/2 FG for 50%

10-15 feet

N/A

16-23 feet

2/4 for 50%

Three-point shots

2/3 for 66.6%

Overall for game

5/9 FG for 55.6%

2/3 3PT for 66.6%

18.1 ft. per shot.

Oct. 13 @ Los Angeles Lakers

4-foot shot missed

17-foot shot missed

22-foot shot made

26-foot three-point shot missed

18-foot shot missed

19-foot shot missed

26-foot three-point shot missed

22-foot shot missed

< 10 feet

0/1 FG for 0%

10-15 feet

N/A

16-23 feet

1/5 for 20%

Three-point shots

0/2 for 0%

Overall for game

1/8 FG for 12.5%

0/2 3PT for 0%

19.25 ft. per shot.

Oct. 19 @ Los Angeles Clippers

5-foot shot missed

Shot missed*

19-foot shot missed

19-foot shot made

18-foot shot missed

28-foot three-point shot made

21-foot shot missed

18-foot shot made

27-foot three-point shot missed

25-foot three-point shot missed

< 10 feet

0/1 FG for 0%

10-15 feet

N/A

16-23 feet

2/6 for 33.3%

Three-point shots

1/3 for 33.3%

Overall for game

3/11 FG for 27.27%

1/3 3PT for 33.3%

18 ft. per shot.

Oct. 22 @ Utah Jazz:

Running shot made*

16-foot shot missed

24-foot three-point shot made

Three-point shot missed*

< 10 feet

1/1 for 100%

10-15 feet

N/A

16-23 feet

0/1 for 0%

Three-point shots

1/2 for 50%

Overall for game

2/4 FG for 50%

1/2 3PT, 50%

20 feet per shot

Preseason Averages and Totals

<10 feet

4/9

44.4%

10-15 feet

0/2

16-23 feet

9/24

37.5

Three-point shots

6/17

35.3%

Averages

2.9/7.6 FG

0.9/2.4 3PTs

Totals

20/53 for 37.7%

6/17 3PT, 35.3%

With seven games under his belt in the preseason, Evans has shown that he has an improved jump shot, not just an improved form.

From within 10 feet, Evans shot 44.4% from that range, compared to 33.3 percent last season. From the 16-23 foot range he shot 37.5 percent compared to 32 percent last season, according to Hoopdata.

Evans drastically improved his three-point shooting from last preseason. He shot 23.1 percent last season and increased it this season by 12.2 percent. He doubled last preseason's three-point shots made total from three to six.

He shot 25.5 percent behind the arc in the regular season.

The statistic that jumps out the most is that in seven games, Evans only took two shots from the 10-15 foot range. He missed both shots.

Evans made 16 out of 37 shots from the 10-15 foot range last season. He averaged 43.2 percent from that range, the second-highest percentage behind his shot percentage at the rim. However, he took and made the fewest shots in that range.

Evans' best jump shooting game came at home against the Warriors. He made five out nine jump shots, the most he made in the preseason, He also had a preseason high jump shooting percentage of 55.6 percent.

His worst game with his jump shot came against the Lakers at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. He made only one out of nine jump shots, making a preseason low 12.5 percent of his jumpers.

Along with more experience, Evans' jump shot can take his play to the next level.

Whiteside Scrimmages, Kings Getting Ready for Undefeated Jazz

2010-10-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

The big news out of Sacramento Kings training camp today was that rookie big man Hassan Whiteside was back on the court after suffering a strained left patellar tendon. He participated in a five-on-five scrimmage at the end of practice and had a nice drive to the basket, getting fouled and making the basket.

He also had a nice dunk near the end.

"It's been going good," Whiteside said. "I've been trying to catch up with the plays, and just getting my wind back and just get used to playing basketball."

Whiteside was one of five players who Westphal pulled to the side after practice working on the basics of the offense. DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, Pooh Jeter and Luther Head were the other four.

"Remedial offense," Westphal said the players were working on. "Trying to learn the very basics of our very basic play. We're not quite three weeks into training camp and (we've) got guys need a refresher course. We made more progress yesterday.

"I think we took a step backwards today but that's because we have a lot of new guys playing a different position today."

During the scrimmage Carl Landry was placed at the small forward position. He usually plays power forward.

With only one game left in preseason Whiteside hopes he can play against the Utah Jazz tomorrow. "I'm hoping that I can play a couple of minutes," Whiteside said.

Head coach Paul Westphal didn't sound too optimistic about Whiteside playing tomorrow. "I'm not sure," he said. "I have to talk to the medical (staff) and he's got to learn a couple plays. At least one or two."

Tyreke Evans will play in the team's last preseason game against the undefeated Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City before his one-game suspension takes effect.

"They got a bigger team," Evans said. "They have (Al) Jefferson down there. He's a good low post player. Still got Deron Williams. They have a great team. They run their offense well, so we just got to go down there and try to play defense and try to stop their offense."

The preseason has been a test run for his improved jump shot.

"I feel comfortable with it," he said. "Just keep shooting the ball the same way every time."

Evans was one of the many players battling injuries during camp. After rolling both ankles in the preseason he revealed that he was dealing with plantar fasciitis on his foot and it wasn't the first time he dealt with it.

"(Trainer) Pete (Youngman) did some icing after practice, he said. "That's the only thing I can do. I had it in Memphis and I played with it the whole year. Just try to keep icing it and hopefully it'll get better."

The Kings had a rash of injuries during training camp with as many as eight players battling injuries at once, and it hindered the team's progress.

"I think we did as much as we can possibly can do," Westphal said. "Given how our hands became tied with all the injuries. I think that we're probably not as far along as I hoped we would be because we're making up now making up now as guys are filtering back.

"At the same time I think it was a good camp. A lot of good things came out of it."

Kings big man Jason Thompson's brother, Ryan Thompson was recently cut from the Jazz. The two brothers won't be playing against each other. Landry's brother, Marcus Landry, was cut by the Kings last week.

After tomorrow's game in Utah, the Kings will open up the season with a three-game road trip, starting with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 27. Barring injury, Beno Udrih, Francisco Garcia, Donte Greene, Landry and Cousins will be the starters.

Video: Tyreke Evans Game-Winner vs. L.A. Clippers

2010-10-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

No one really wants to play in overtime in the preseason. Los Angeles Clippers rookie forward Al-Farouq Aminu hit a 28-foot three pointer to try to make that happen, but Sacramento Kings guard and reigning Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans had other plans in L.A.

chuang4u on YouTube uploaded this video of 'Reke's game-winner from the lower bowl of Staples Center. Not a bad view.

Kings Training Camp Invites: Where Are They Now?

2010-10-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Seven players came to Sacramento Kings training camp with non-guaranteed contracts, but only two made the team.

Guards Donald Sloan and J.R. Giddens were the first to be cut on Oct. 4. Guard Joe Crawford, forward Marcus Landry and center Connor Atchley were the last to be excused from the team 11 days later. Forward Darnell Jackson and guard Luther Head survived the cuts.

With Head and Jackson still on the team, where did the others land? A few of them found teams.

Atchley and Crawford returned to the National Basketball Development League, according to DLeagueDaily.com, via Twitter. Atchley went back to the Iowa Energy, while Crawford joined the Texas Legends.

J.R. Giddens went overseas to Europe, signing with PLK champion Asseco Prokom in Poland, according to European basketball site Hoops Leader. Apparently, he likes the spaghetti over there too.

Marcus Landry hasn't signed with a team yet but he's looking at his options with their agent, according to Kings forward and big brother Carl Landry.

Donald Sloan has not signed with a team yet.

Q&A with Carl Landry

2010-10-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Kings forward Carl Landry sat down with me after training camp ended for the day and we touched on a variety of subjects from last Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers to his brother, Marcus Landry getting waived by the Kings today.

Me: You had your first day off since training camp began (Sept. 28). How did it feel just to have that day off?

Landry: It felt really great. Any job having the day off is great. Most people work from Monday to Friday and they have Saturday and Sunday and the y look forward to the weekend. Anytime you get a day off, it's great.

Me: Two nights ago against the Lakers, how did the game go for you?

Landry: It went well. I think we improved a little bit as a team. There's still some areas we need to work on but we're working on them. Working on them in film, working on them in practice. We'll get better.

Me: Is there anything you learned from the Lakers because you'll be facing them five games into the season.

Landry: It's just good to play against teams like the Lakers, the champs, in preseason because they're the best. That's a good practice run against them. I just know that we've got to play hard every night.

Me: I was listening on the radio when you and Matt Barnes got tangled up and you fell on the ground into a Laker Girl. First thing I thought, "Is there a technical foul coming?" It didn't happen but what were you thinking as it was happening?

Landry: I knew he was going to get ejected right away, just from what he did. But hey, it's part of the game. The game is physical sometimes, and no technical (on Barnes) and not even a foul on him. A foul on me. That's the way the ball bounces sometimes and you just got to continue to be focused and stay aggressive.

Me: What do you think about these new technical foul rules?

Landry: Well, I don't like it. I never got a technical in four years playing and I got my first technical the other night and the fine is kinda expensive so I don't like it at all. But it's a part of the game. We're all professional players and we just got to adjust. It's a new rule that's a point of emphasis this year. We just go to adjust and go out there and keep our mouths shut and play the game. (Landry has five technical fouls throughout his career, according to ESPN.)

Me: Speaking of adjustments, your brother, Marcus, isn't here anymore. Your thoughts on that? (Marcus Landry was waived from the team earlier today.)

Landry: He's my brother first and foremost. I'm proud of him because he played extremely well here in training camp. Sometimes that's just the way the ball bounces. He was a tremendous addition to the training camp roster, he outplayed a lot of guys, including myself.

Some people thought he should have been here. Some people thought otherwise, but it's a business at he end of the day. Who knows, we may see him again here in Sacramento. We may see Joe Crawford here or Connor Atchley here. They're all great players and I wish them the best because the sky's the limit for those guys. (Marcus, Crawford and Atchley are eligible to be allocated to the Kings' NBA Developmental League team, the Reno Bighorns, by Nov. 1 to call them up and track their development, if they choose to do so.)

Me: Do you know what's next for Marcus?

Landry: Not right now. I talked to him a little bit after he got the news. He was discussing with our agent (Andrew "Buddy" Baker) some of the options that he might go, but I'm sure I'll hear more in a little bit when I see him once I get home. He's a great player. He did what he's supposed to do. He came here and worked hard every day, paid attention and wasn't a distraction.

Do I think he deserves to be on the team? I mean, he's my brother, but that's the way the business is sometimes. It's a game, it's a business and it's about numbers. Unfortunately, he's not with us, but he'll definitely be a professional basketball player in the near future.

Me: You've got a week before you got the Clippers in L.A. What's your focus going into next week.

Landry: My focus is to get better every day. Offensively I think we got better today. It was a non-physical practice. Coach (Paul Westphal) taught more about execution and I think we can get better as a team that way. He sat down with all the players and had an individual meeting with us. We didn't do much today, but we've grown a lot mentally with more of an informal practice.

My goal is just to get better, take one day at a time. Do what ever I can to improve my individual skills and improve this team.

Luther Head Getting Back on Track

2010-10-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

It’s been a rocky road for Luther Head at this stage of his career. After being waived by the Houston Rockets in the 2008-09 season Head played only 57 games with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers. Despite going through a rough patch in his career, Head had a great start in the NBA.

After reaching the NCAA National Championship in 2005 with Illinois, along with Deron Williams and Dee Brown, Head was drafted No. 24 overall by the Rockets. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game, earning spots in the 2006 Rookie Challenge and on the 2005-06 All-Rookie Second Team.

The next season he averaged 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and one steal as his playing time slightly decreased from 28.9 minutes to 27.6 minutes per game. Again, he made the Rookie Challenge and finished the season shooting 44.1 percent from beyond the arc, third-best in franchise history and fourth best of the season.

Just when it seemed like Head was primed for a breakout season, things would go in the opposite direction. The Rockets went on an incredible 22-game win-streak while Head saw an 8-and-a-half minute drop in his playing time and scored only 7.6 points. Head averaged three points per game through 12 games combined in the 2006 and 2007 playoffs.

Things only got worse as the injury bug caught him the following season. During that time, a sore foot caused Head to miss 20 games. He was benched for 18 games and placed on the inactive list three times while healthy. He appeared in only 22 games, averaging 4.8 points in 14.6 minutes per game before he was waived. He played for the Heat for 10 games later in the season but a broken left hand forced him to miss the final eight games of the regular season and the playoffs.

Not much would change for Head after he landed with the Pacers for a season. He appeared in only 47 games, averaging 7.6 points in 17.3 minutes per game.

Now, entering his sixth season, Head finds himself on the Sacramento Kings with a non-guaranteed contract worth the $992,000. The Kings were a team looking to bring in shooters over the summer, and their need was right down his alley.

“They didn’t have a lot of guards coming back this year who played last year,” he said. “Being able to play the one and two slot that was something I was looking for whoever I signed with. Just the opportunity.”

Over the summer, he agreed to join the New Orleans Hornets with a two-year, $2.5 million deal, but after general manager Jeff Bower left the Hornets, the team withdrew the offer after telling him he failed their physical, pointing out his left ankle he injured with Indiana.

“I felt like I was healthy then before I went and took the physical with them,” he said on media day. “I took the same physical with them and they said I passed it. So I’m just rolling with that.”

While joining the Kings, Head joins two former Rockets teammates. Kings forward Carl Landry and Kings scout and ambassador Bobby Jackson. “It’s exciting man,” he said about reuniting with them. “Especially Carl. Playing with him, being on the court with him, it’s fun again. We always had a connection from over there. I always like to see him flying high so I was able to give him passes for dunks.”

For Landry, the feeling was mutual. “He’s just a wonderful player,” Landry said about Head. “He can play the one, two or three. He’s doesn’t have the size to guard the three, but the heart and determination and will that he has. He’s a great player and is definitely a great addition to this ball club.”

Even before B-Jax was traded to the Rockets, Head was studying him. “I learned so much from him before he got to Houston,” he said. “I actually watched him to learn Rick Adelman’s offense. When he got there, to see it first hand, he just been great.”

Although he’s not an assistant coach, Jackson assists with the Kings’ practices and has seen what Head has been able to do in Sacramento. “He’s been a constant professional,” Jackson said about Head. “He‘s been here, competing every day. He brings that outside shooting, that quickness, he can create his own shot at the guard spot. He always wants to get better.”

At 6-feet-3-inches he’s considered an undersized shooter but he insists that there’s more to him than that. “A lot of people say my shooting, but I would say my defense,” he said when asked about the strongest aspect of his game. “I try to keep my guy in front of me at the one guard, play some two. I think I do both pretty well.”

Head will see some time on the floor with last season’s Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans and Landry thinks that they compliment each other. “They can both get to the hoop,” Landry said. “They both shoot, they’re both fast, both smart players.”

Going into the season, Head wants to show the 29 other teams in the NBA that he can still play. ”It’s that year to put myself on a positive (mindset) and take myself of that negative mindset of a lot of people,” he said.

To Head, getting another contract isn’t a priority right now. “I love it here (in Sacramento),” he said. “If I could get a contract that would be a blessing but I’m not trying to think about it now. I’m just playing, coming in practice, truing to do what I can do to get better.”

Even with all of the bumps in his career, bumps that could have knocked him out of the league, Head still sees a long career ahead in the NBA. “I want to play as long as I can,” he said. I’m going to keep doing the things that’s keeping me around. Defense, knocking down open shots and you might see a little bit more from me.”

Head has overcome his injuries for a chance to stay in the league. Now he has the chance to show the Kings and every other team that he can still be productive in the NBA.

Marcus Landry Earns Starting Spot

2010-10-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Kings have announced, via Twitter, that Paul Westphal has decided on tonight's starting line-ups for tonight's home game against the Phoenix Suns. Marcus Landry, a camp invite and brother of power forward Carl Landry, has earned the starting small forward spot. Here's tonight's starting line-up:

PG - Beno Udrih
SG - Tyreke Evans
SF - Marcus Landry
PF -Carl Landry
C - DeMarcus Cousins

Pooh Jeter (groin) has been upgraded to probable tonight. Samuel Dalembert (adductor), Hassan Whiteside (patellar tendon), Darnell Jackson (hip) and Francisco Garcia (personal reasons) are out for tonight's game.

Kings Basketball is Finally Here

2010-10-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

For this year in particular, it seems that five months of no Sacramento Kings basketball felt like it's been forever in Sacramento. There was much to look forward to after the season ended:

The anticipation of Tyreke Evans winning Rookie of the Year, which he did.
Trading Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni for a defensive stopper in Samuel Dalembert, which grabbed a lot of buzz on the day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics.
Drafting the top rated center in DeMarcus Cousins and grabbing lottery-projected Hassan Whiteside in the second round.
Cousins' impressive performance in summer league, earning Rookie of the Month honors.
The start of Evans' sophomore season and his improved jump shot.

No more guessing. No more wondering. No more imagining. Tonight, Kings basketball is finally back and playing at home against the Phoenix Suns is one of the best ways to start off the preseason.

Pointing out the obvious, Steve Nash comes to town in the Suns' first unofficial game without Amar'e Stoudemire. Another point is that former King Hedo Turkoglu makes his first appearance in a Suns uniform. Josh Childress plays on American soil for the first time since signing in Greece. Jason Richardson, Grant Hill (whose 38th birthday is today) and the rest of the Suns core will be entertaining to watch.

For fans wanting to see their Kings, they'll have to wait for the debuts of Dalembert and Whiteside. They're both out because of injuries. That means that Cousins will most likely have the start against Robin Lopez. It's not known who will start at the forward positions yet, but Evans and Beno Udrih have the guard slots locked up. Carl Landry did not perform well late in training camp, leaving the door open for Jason Thompson to start at power forward.

Small forward is even more of a mystery. Omri Casspi, Donte Greene and Antoine Wright could all have consideration, but Landry's brother Marcus has been one of the best all-around players in camp. Marcus could be the best player to start at small forward. No matter what the starting line-up is, fans at the arena will be anxious to see how the new team plays, especially Cousins.

Preseason starts tonight and the games are meaningless in the end, but to the Kings fanbase, it's the start of a new era.

Sacramento Kings News and Notes: Oct. 4, 2010

2010-10-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Kings finished practice early in the afternoon in preparation of their first preseason game against the Phoenix Suns tomorrow. There were some players who were cut and new injuries, why Samuel Dalembert compares coach Pete Carril to his former Larry Brown and DeMarcus Cousins fell on a few fans, but first check out DeMarcus Cousins' 35-foot jumper after practice ended. Per NBA policy, video is up for only 48 hours. Video after the jump.

Team News

Guards J.R. Giddens and Donald Sloan were waived today by the team. Sloan was guaranteed only $10,000. The players with non-guaranteed contracts that remain with the team are Marcus Landry, Luther Head, Joe Crawford, Darnell Jackson and Connor Atchley.
The starts it's preseason schedule tomorrow at home against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns. This will be the first game after the departure of Amar'e Stoudemire. The game starts at 7 p.m. and won't be televised.

Coach's Notes

Head coach Paul Westphal says that the they're focused evaluating the team rather than winning games in the preseason.
When asked who stood out in yesterday's scrimmage, he mentioned Cousins (13 points, 12 rebounds), Pooh Jeter (eight points, six assists), Tyreke Evans (17 points, 5 rebounds, four assists) and his shooting and Darnell Jackson (10 points, seven rebounds, two blocks).
Westphal liked the way Cousins and Jason Thompson played together in the scrimmage. "They definitely get all over the boards," he said. "They're both versatile enough where they can post up, make plays from the high post and they can both shoot the ball well. It's a good combination."
Westphal said that J.T. is "a viable option" at center this season and will see time at center with Dalembert out tomorrow.
He mentioned Antoine Wright as "one of the best ball handlers and decision makers" for the swing positions.
Westphal says that he's still deciding who will play at the small forward position. Wright, Omri Casspi, Donte Greene and Francisco Garcia could all be given consideration. Evans and Beno Udrih will start at the guard positions.

Player Notes

Westphal mentioned that the players were getting tired of playing each other and Cousins was one of them. "We're tired of seeing each others faces, guarding the same player every day," he said. "It would be nice to get a change."
During today's scrimmage, Crawford and Luther Head defended each other at the lead guard position.
DeMarcus Cousins played good defense against Omri Casspi near the top of the key and stripped the ball from him.
Although the coaching staff will be evaluating the team during the preseason, the players will be looking for wins. "We want to go out and win," Cousins said.
Cousins also has an apology for the fans he fell on in the front row while diving for a loose ball during yesterday's scrimmage. "I tried to dodge the kid and I ended up mushing the lady, but I had to choose who would I rather hurt," he said laughingly. "So I have to apologize to them."
While Cousins was in a good mood, Samuel Dalembert's mood was somber after sitting out another practice. Dalembert, who hasn't missed a game the past four seasons, has a strained left adductor he sustained over two weeks ago. He played in yesterday's scrimmage but today was a "step back." "It's disappointing for me," he said. "I love what I'm seeing in practice. I love the system that coach is putting together. I just want to be part of it so quickly. It's what I miss right now."
Although he didn't participate in practice today, Dalembert worked on basic post moves with coach Pete Carril. "The guy knows so much, it's amazing," Dalembert said. "The good thing about coach, he takes you as an individual. He doesn't try to tell you the same thing like he tells everybody. He sees your strength and weakness and he understands the best teacher is yourself. I would say another coach that is similar to him Larry Brown."

Injury Report

Dalembert and Hassan Whiteside are out and Pooh Jeter (sore left groin) is questionable for tomorrow's game vs. the Phoenix Suns, according to Westphal.
Darnell Jackson practiced but pulled out because a hip muscle was hurting. He is out for tomorrow's game.

Photos From Sacramento Kings Training Camp

2010-10-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Won't be going to Day 5 of the Sacramento Kings training camping, but I do plan on going to tomorrow's open scrimmage at Arco Arena, which is open to the public. Parking and admission is free, doors open at 3:30 p.m. and the scrimmage starts at 4 p.m. If you're interested in going can print your free tickets here.

If the Kings do not scrimmage today during media availability today, tomorrow will be the first time anyone outside of the organization sees the Kings scrimmage. For now I have photos of training camp that I've been meaning to upload, including photos of Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Carl Landry, Omri Casspi and more.

Click here to view photos of the Sacramento Kings Training Camp Days 2-4

UPDATE: The Kings did scrimmage at training camp today.

Kings Center DeMarcus Cousins Is No Head Case

2010-09-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Kings Center DeMarcus Cousins Is No Head Case on Blogcritics.

Over the summer, DeMarcus Cousins’ maturity and work ethic were constantly under fire by the media, being labeled a head case even before he was drafted.

Yes, it’s true that the 6'11'' 270-pound center did have some problems while attending high school in Alabama and showed some immaturity while at Kentucky, but he can‘t be held responsible in the NBA for something that‘s happened in the past.

It’s funny that a 20-year-old rookie who hasn’t played one game gets treated like he's the next Ron Artest or Derrick Coleman. He hasn’t played a preseason game, was stellar in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 14.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, and earned Rookie of the Month honors.

At media day and after the first session of training camp, the Cousins I’ve seen and heard has shown a willingness to learn and a seriousness for the game of basketball.

"I just came in and just try to soak up as much as possible," Cousins said after the morning session on the first day of training camp. "I was all ears. I wanted to make sure I learned everything, so I could be on my 'Ps' and 'Qs' when it's time to play."

Cousins may be goofy off the court, but he has his game face on when it’s time to play. During a summer league game on July 14, he was jawing with Minnesota Timberwolves center Greg Stiemsma. Rather than let his emotions get the best of him, Cousins channeled that anger and turned it into production on the court, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and the game-winning jump hook.

"He (Timberwolves assistant coach Reggie Theus) was like 'We got into his head,'" Cousins said to the Sacramento Bee after the game. "I was like thank you coach, I'm going to kill you this half. And after the game I was like told you I was going to kill you this half. That's all that was."

He showcased a variety of skills: scoring in the post, from the perimeter rebounding, defending, passing and running the floor. Ironically, the Timberwolves passed on Cousins in favor of Wesley Johnson, a move they may regret.

Cousins has already taken the time to learn from a proven veteran in Samuel Dalembert, a defensive center who was acquired by the Kings over the summer. "Sam is a great teacher," he said. "Sam's been talking to me the whole time. Him being on the team, I know that's going to help me out a lot. He's an incredible defender.”

He likes the make-up of the rest of the team as well. “It's a great group of guys," he said. "Everybody gets along. Very family-oriented. So far, so good."

Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans, was impressed by Cousins' work ethic before camp even started. “He’s a great big man,” Evans said. “He takes his time. He’s young, but at the same time he loves to play the game. He’s a hard worker and I’m going to enjoy playing with him this season.”

Both Evans and Cousins shared the same head coach, John Calipari, in college. Evans went to the University of Memphis from 2008-2009. Calipari left for the University of Kentucky the next season, where Cousins played.

Fellow rookie big man Hassan Whiteside has played against Cousins since high school and is happy to share the same team. “All my teammates, they like to joke around,” he said during media day. “They like to laugh and just have fun, like DeMarcus always comes over to my house, playing Madden. We’re always playing video games and just laughing.”

Barring injury, on October 5, Kings fans will get the opportunity to see Cousins play against the Phoenix Suns, and it’s a day he’s anxiously looking forward to. “I’m very ready,” he said at media day. “At the same time I‘m nervous. It’s my first NBA game.”

Cousins has not been afraid to say that he wants to win the Rookie of the Year award and wants to make the playoffs in a still rugged Western Conference. He’ll be competing against former Kentucky teammate and Washington Wizards point guard John Wall and Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin.

"I want to be the Rookie of the Year,” he said in the Sacramento Bee. “I didn't get a chance to be the Player of the Year in college. I need my own individual award. I want mine."

Cousins has shown no signs of being a head case like many critics have labeled him throughout the offseason. Maybe he can put those thoughts to rest with a good season.

He seems to be a guy who likes to have fun on the side, but when it comes to basketball, he’s a student of the game who gets down to business.

Notes from Kings Media Day & Training Camp Day 1

2010-09-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

I spent the day at Arco Arena for the Sacramento Kings Media Day and attended the morning session of today's training camp.. I was in intrerview sessions with Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, Hassan Whiteside, Antoine Wright, J.R. Giddens, Donald Sloan, Luther Head, Joe Crawford, Geoff Petrie, Paul Westphal at media day and Cousins, Thompson, Whiteside and Eugene "Pooh" Jeter at training camp.

Here are some observations from each of those players:

Tyreke Evans, Guard

Evans is the best player on the Kings. Can he call it his team. "Not yet," he said, pointing out that there are veterans on the team.
He likes that the Kings improved the team's frontline, specifically mentioning DeMarcus Cousins and Samuel Dalembert.
Evans stated that the team's goal was to make the playoffs this season. "Playoffs is where we want to be," he said. "We have a variety of big men we can use this year and I think that's going to help us a lot on the defensive end."
Evans practiced on his jump shot over the summer, shooting the ball in front of his head instead of behind it. "I'm looking forward to get out there in the game," he said about using his jump shot. "Just don't be afraid to shoot it."

DeMarcus Cousins, Center/Forward

When critics questioned Cousins' work ethic, Evans called him "a hard worker."
For those wondering if Cousins would bring back the headband after not wearing it in the summer league, he was wearing it today.
Cousins has made it clear that he wants to be Rookie of the Year on more than one occasion. Evans, last season's winner, had some advice for Cousins "Go out there and play the game," he said. "Don't try to force anything."
Cousins said his first session of training camp went well. "I just came in and just try to soak up as much as possible," he said. "I was all ears. I wanted to make sure I learned everything, so I could be on my 'Ps' and 'Qs' when it's time to play."
Cousins has already learned from Dalembert, a center known for his defense who was acquired over the off-season. "Sam is a great teacher," he said. "Sam's been talking to me the whole time.Him being on the team, I know that's going to help me out a lot. He's an incredible defender."

Jason Thompson, Forward/Center

Thompson said he added muscle over the off-season and so did the frontline. He said he likes the added depth and wants he wants to be more consistent.
He's heard of he new technical foul rules but he plans to pick up less of those fouls. "I want to keep my money in my pocket," Thompson said. "It's something I've got to work on. Why not start now?"
Even with the significant additions to the frontline, Thompson is comfortable because he knows the system has added goals of averaging a double-double and reaching 40 wins.

Hassan Whiteside, Forward/Center

Whiteside went from 227 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine in May to 250 pounds. He says that the weight gain hasn't effected his game and he feels better physically. "When I first got here, JT (Thompson) could push me out more," he said. "Now, he's having a lot more trouble."
He likes the chemistry that the team has. "All my teammates, they like to joke around," he said. "They like to laugh and just have fun. DeMarcus always coming over to my house playing Madden. We're always just playing video games and just laughing."
Over the summer, Whiteside worked out with Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon. "He's a real nice man," Whiteside said. "He's got so many moves it's impossible to guard him. I wish I knew half of those in college."

Antoine Wright, Forward/Guard

Wright is one of the seasoned veterans the Kings brought in and plans on demonstrating it for the younger players. "My mindset is 'Just try to bring in some veteran leadership,'" he said. "Try to bring some consistency to the games and also try to bring a lot of energy.
He had a couple of stars at his position that helped him adjust to the league playing for the New Jersey Nets. "My first couple of years in the league I was able to play with Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson," he said. "Those guys helped me a lot, just in terms of taking everything one game at a time."
Youth was one of the reasons he was drawn to the Kings. "I think the nucleus of young guys and the opportunity that's here," Wright said. "It was an opportunity for me to really put my career on the path I wanted to be on. I have some experience with Westphal in Dallas. I'm excited about what I can bring to this team."

J.R. Giddens, Forward/Guard

Giddens feels that he can bring deep shooting, athleticism and energy to the Kings.
He feels that defense is one of his strong suits and is very confident in his versatility, guarding point guards the swing positions and even power forwards.. "That's one of the good aspects of my game," he said at media day. "I can help (on team defense) or I can shut a man down.
Although he didn't spend much time on the floor, Giddens says that he learned from the Big 3 of the Boston Celtics. "I picked up a great work ethic, being around people like Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce," he said. "They're very professional. They teach you to come in day in and day out, bring your hard hat and your lunch pail. Hopefully it'll catch on here."

Donald Sloan, Point Guard

Although he didn't look good on the Kings summer league team, Sloan feels like it gave him an advantage over the other camp invites "It kind of got me ahead of a lot of guys here," he said. "Now I know what to expect. I think summer league was one of the hardest things about the NBA, besides actually playing the game."
He said that he was thinking too much during summer league and he had to adjust to the speed of the game. After summer league, the coaches told him to get comfortable. "I think a lot of mistakes that were made out in summer league because I was uptight nervous," Sloan said. "I didn't know what to expect.

Luther Head, Guard

Head has been in Sacramento for only a week and was signed before media day started. He was drawn in by the opportunity to play and says that he can play and defend both guard positions. "I'm a student of the game," he said. "I've learned basketball to a different extent. So I'm just going to try to help in a lot of ways, and spread some veteran leadership, showing some things a lot of young guys probably don't know in the NBA yet."
Head failed a physical in with the New Orleans Hornets but an earlier report on AOL FanHouse suggests that the team lied about his physical. "I felt I was healthy then before I took the physical with them (Hornets), but they had some complaints about my ankle," he said. "I took the same physical here and they said I passed it. So we're just rolling with that."

Joe Crawford, Guard/Forward

Crawford believes he can bring outside shooting and intensity on defense for the Kings
Crawford said that his team in the National Basketball Development League playing for the Los Angeles D-Fenders was a great experience. “It gave me a chance to show people what I can do that I didn‘t show in college,”
Crawford said he got to showcase his ball handling and ability to guard different positions while in the D-League
He also said that he came to Kings for the “huge” opportunity at the guard spot. “They really liked my game,” he said. “They were thinking about signing me after my performance in L.A. and I just see the opportunity to comer here and be with young players on an up and coming team.”

Eugene "Pooh" Jeter, Point Guard

Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie noted that Jeter "has grown as a point guard," which landed him at least one guaranteed season with the team."I always thought he could shoot the ball," Petrie said. "His sense of what's going on out on the court is really improved."
The most valuable thing he says that he learned in Europe was to be vocal and aggressive, "I believe that it helped me for this moment here," he said in training camp. "I just want to let God do his thing and I'll follow behind that.
There was some questioning over his pronunciation of his last name. Confirmed by the man himself, it's pronounced "Jetter," not like Derek Jeter.

Connor Atchley, Forward/Center

Atchley, an the only invite from the Kings summer league team, said that the key to keeping a spot on the roster was to find a role and he might have one. Atchley showed good range from the college three-point line and has a jump shot reminiscent of Brad Miller.
"I think my strength is that I can spread the floor," he said on media day."I can shoot the ball very well. I think that being able to get shots consistently hit shots that are open helps spread the floor for the bigger guys, they'll be able to do their things down low.

Geoff Petrie, President, Basketball Operations

Since 1994 Petrie has been the architect of the Kings. He built the team during the "Glory-Era in the early 2000s. Now he's building a new team to help get them back. "I think we should have a better presence on both ends of the court," he said. "(We have) more depth, especially if you compare what we're starting with this year to what we did a year ago."
Petrie says that the team could carry 12-13 players into the regular season. Only 12 of the 19 players on the training camp roster have guaranteed contracts for the whole season.
When asked about expectations of the team, rather than use one of his famous "Petrie-isms" he used an old army slogan, saying, "That we will be all that we can be."
Petrie also noted some of the improvements that need to be made this season. "We certainly would like to shoot the ball better from three, or at least more consistently," he said.
The NBA came out with new allocation rules, allowing teams to send the last three cuts from training camp to be sent to the National Basketball Development League, but Petrie says that he doesn't know if he'll use it this season. The only time he used the D-League is when he sent Donte Greene to the Reno Bighorns and brought him back

Paul Westphal, Head Coach

Westphal is going into his second year of coaching the team after winning 25 games amd hopes to win more with a new line-up. "I think we made a lot of changes that give us a chance to compete because we have more size," he said. "I think that's a very important start."
He also said it's important to say where the conditioning of the players are at and should be able to find out in the first day of training camp.
Westphal hopes that the outside shooting will improve to give his inside players more opportunity. "The more players you have that can knock the outside shot, the better chance you have of getting to the basket," he said. "It's a balance and we're trying to have a balnace of inside and outside players on our roster."

The Kings first preseason game starts on Oct. 5 at home against the Phoenix Suns.

New Allocation Rule could Benefit Kings

2010-09-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

The NBA and the NBA Development League have changed an allocation rule, a rule that allows teams to send players to their D-League affiliate, according to Scott Schroeder of AOL Fanhouse. The revision can benefit the Sacramento Kings and its D-League affiliate the Reno Bighorns, who also have the No. 1 pick in the D-League draft.

Here's what Schroeder wrote in his article:

"Beginning this season, up to three players cut last from the roster of an NBA team before the D-League Draft will be allocated to that team's D-League affiliate provided they sign the standard D-League contract."

Along with the first pick in the draft, the Bighorns can receive up to three players cut by the Kings and the Golden State Warriors as long as the cuts occur before the draft. Marcus Landry, Joe Crawford, J.R. Giddens, Darnell Jackson and Connor Atchley all have non-guaranteed contracts and are D-League eligible.

Donald Sloan is guaranteed only $10,000 and is also D-League eligible. He and Jackson have spots on the regular season roster, leaving the last of 15 slots open.

The Kings have sent only Donte Greene to the Bighorns to develop during his rookie season. He was also their only call-up to the team.

So, if the Kings like the last three players cut from their team and feel that they need to develop, Reno is the place to send them. It could be beneficial for them later in the future.

Rafer Alston, Chris Andersen and Aaron Brooks are a few players that have played in the D-League and enjoyed success in the NBA. Former Kings players that played in the D-League include Matt Barnes, Mikki Moore, Ime Udoka, and Anthony Johnson.

Maybe another D-League player could find success with the Kings.

Cal Expo Board Votes Down Kings Arena Land Swap

2010-09-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Cal Expo Board rejected a land swap deal that would have moved the California State Fair to Natomas, according to the Sacramento Bee's Tony Bizjak.

The board stated that the current Arco Arena site, which currently hosts the Sacramento Kings, is too small and lacks the visibility that the current state fair grounds has.

The proposed deal, created by developer Gerry Kamilos and his partners in the deal, would have moved the Sacramento Kings from Natomas to the railyards in Downtown Sacramento and the railyards would have been given Cal Expo's property.

David Taylor, a Downtown Sacramento developer who has been working with Kamilos, says that Kamilos' group has 30 days to find a back-up plan. One alternative is to develop the current arena and use the proceeds for a new arena in the railyards.

UPDATE: Kings co-owner Joe Maloof have released a statement in a press release.

“We must continue to work hard to find a solution. We look forward to hearing what are the next steps and options. Right now we are focused on our exciting upcoming season.”

Sacramento Kings 2010-11 Season Preview

2010-09-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Required by law of the NBA blogosphere (not really), I'm obligated to write a preview of the Sacramento Kings since I run a Kings blog right here. So, enjoy.

Team Name: Sacramento Kings
Last Year’s Record: 25-57
Key Losses: Spencer Hawes, Andres Nocioni, Jon Brockman, Ime Udoka, Sean May, Dominic McGuire.
Key Additions: DeMarcus Cousins, Samuel Dalembert, Hassan Whiteside, Antoine Wright, Pooh Jeter, Darnell Jackson, Donald Sloan.

1. Significant moves the Kings made in the off-season.
The Kings made all the right moves last summer. They shipped an unhappy Andres Nocioni and an inconsistent center in Spencer Hawes for a proven defensive center in Samuel Dalembert. The Kings weren't done sizing up their frontline. They drafted DeMarcus Cousins with the fifth pick and Hassan Whiteside, who slipped all the way to the 33rd pick. The Kings also addressed their need for shooters, signing Antoine Wright and Pooh Jeter. The team also has Luther Head in training camp as well. By pairing Cousins with Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, the Kings now has two promising top-5 draft picks to work with.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?
Rebounding is definitely the team's biggest strength. The Kings have three players on their frontline that could average eight boards per night. The rotation of Dalembert, Cousins, Carl Landry and Jason Thompson may prove to be a tough match-up for any team. It's a major improvement over the previous frontlines they've had over the past few years.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?
One of the Kings' biggest weaknesses was their inexperience. They had the least experienced roster in the NBA last season. This season won't be much different. Nine players on the regular season roster have less than three years of experience. Inexperience led to mistakes, but the team should learn from what happened last season. Shooting is also a weakness for the Kings, but if Francisco Garcia can stay healthy and Wright shoots well from the inside the arc that could change. Did I mention that Evans was working on his jumper over the summer as well?

4. What are the goals for this team?
Improvement. Two seasons ago, the Kings were the worst team in the NBA. Last season, the team brought it together before falling apart after the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. Their record was 11-40 after December after starting out with a 14-17 record. With the additions made over the summer, the Kings should see significant improvement, but they're not expected to be playoff bound.

5. Can the Kings start off well like last season?
Definitely. The Kings start on the road for the seventh time in a row, but many of their games through the first month of play are against non-playoff teams. They did last season and hovered around 0.500 for the first 30 games. The Kings are looking to draw in fans again, launching the "Here We Rise" campaign, highlighting Evans and Cousins. Many fans are excited for the start of the season and could be in for a treat during the start of the season.

Record Preediction: 37-45

Other Kings Previews:

Sactown Royalty
Cowbell Kingdom
SB Nation
Pick and Scroll
NBA.com

Kings invite Marcus Landry to training camp

2010-09-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

It seems to be a trend in the Sacramento Kings organization. Ron Artest's brother, Daniel played for the Kings in the 2007 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Jason Thompson's brother, Ryan, played for the Kings in summer league this season.

Marcus Landry, younger brother of Kings forward Carl Landry, will be heading to the Sacramento Kings' training camp, according to AOL Fanhouse's Scott Schroeder.

Landry, 24, is a 6-foot-7-inch, 230 pound swingman who should be competing against Luther Head, J.R. Giddens and Joe Crawford for a roster spot.

In 17 games with the New York Knicks he averaged 2.6 points and 1.1 rebound in 6.4 minutes per game. He was traded to the Boston Celtics and played only one game before being waived. Giddens was part of the trade as he was shipped from Boston to New York.

Landry made 39 percent of his shots last season as a three-point specialist Out of the 43 shots he took, 28 of them were from beyond the arc. He made 34.6 of his three-pointers with the Knicks.

In the NBDL, Landry averaged 11.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game with the Maine Red Claws. He made 40.6 percent of his field goals and 38.6 of his three-pointers. Twenty-one of his 54 made shots were three-pointers.

Landry played in the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues over the summer. He spent time with the Indiana Pacers in Orlando, but he played better with the Knicks, averaging 8.3 points and two rebounds in just 13.8 minutes per game.

He shot 41.7 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from downtown. Better free throw shooting also contributed to his scoring, making 14 out of 17 of his free throws through both summer leagues.

Only eight days ago, Carl, sent a message, via Twitter, for teams to invite his brother to training camp:

"THIS MESSAGE IS FOR ALL NBA GM's: One of the top Wing Free Agents is still available(Marcus Landry). Don't let a wonderful player pass u by."

Carl's wish has come true. He and his brother will be in camp together, which starts on Monday. The Kings' training camp roster now stands at 19.

ARCO Arena to be renamed

2010-09-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

For many 24 years, the Sacramento Kings and their fans know have known Arco Arena as home. In February the name of the arena can change.

The gas company's agreement for the naming rights will expire in less than five months and Maloof Sports & Entertainment (MS&E) will be searching for a new name for the arena.

Joe and Gavin Maloof of MS&E and ARCO Brand Insights Manager Kris Kaligian released their own statements in a press release:

"We are deeply appreciative of the historic 24-year run we enjoyed with our friends at ARCO,” said Joe and Gavin Maloof. “This was one of the original, pioneering naming rights partnerships in major league sports and entertainment. Now there is an incredible opportunity for a new brand to integrate across all Maloof Sports & Entertainment platforms including nearly 200 events per year which welcome two million guests annually and frequently showcase the Sacramento region through national and international media.”

“This long term relationship has been mutually beneficial to the Sacramento Kings and ARCO,” said Kris Kaligian, ARCO Brand and Insights Manager. “We look forward to enjoying those benefits during the final season of our association with the Kings.”

ARCO Arena been the name for the Kings' arena since 1985. The naming rights contract was extended in 2007. According to Sactown Royalty, no NBA team has held one name longer. The Detroit Pistons have held their name arena's "The Palace in Auburn Hills" since 1988.

Kings Offering Variable Ticket Pricing

2010-09-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Kings will be offering variable pricing on individual tickets this season, according to a press release. Individual tickets will go on sale on Oct. 2. Season ticket prices will remain the same.

“We realize that all games are not created equal,” said Matina Kolokotronis, Kings president of business operations. "This new structure also allows us to price many games at a lower price than last season, making Kings games even more accessible for fans.”

You wouldn't want to see the Minnesota Timberwolves for the same price to see the Miami Heat, would you? So tickets against lower tier teams should be priced lower than against playoff teams.

The price for the same game on one day may change on another, due to the demand of tickets. So it's better to buy a ticket to a game as early as possible so you don't pay more later.

A good move for the fans by the Kings.

Why DeMarcus Cousins is a Player to Watch

2010-09-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

I just started the first part of a six-part series on my NBA blog Rob on Hoops called "Five NBA Players to Watch." I started with the Pacific Division and listed Kings center DeMarcus Cousins as one of the five players to watch.

Click here to jump to the story to see what I wrote about Cousins and see who else made the list. Make sure you check out the rest of the series as it comes out.

Kings Announce 'Here We Rise' Campaign

2010-09-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Kings are looking to keep fans excited throughout the upcoming season by launching the season-long "Here We Rise" campaign Thursday afternoon.

Recently, they hung up the largest banner in the history of the Sacramento area on the side of the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) building in West Sacramento that can be seen from Interstate-5.

The 177-foot banner, which features last season's Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans and rookie DeMarcus Cousins, is part of the team's new campaign.

"'Here We Rise' is a tribute to the Kings and the Sacramento Kings community coming together," Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof said in front of the CalSTRS building. "The team and the city have very bright futures, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. Our best days are definitely ahead of us."

Kings head coach Paul Westphal and President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie were also present for the announcement and shared their thoughts.

"We're looking forward to rising together with the community and bringing back the wildest arena in the NBA," Westphal said about bringing back fans to Arco Arena."

Petrie, who orchestrated the Kings drafting involving Cousins and Evans, talked about his players.

"Our guys have been in, working out consistently over the last couple weeks," he said. "We have a frontline that's bigger, badder and better. We definitely beieve that the seeds of revival have been sown here. We're going to be young, but we're going to be exciting and we're going to be committed."

The "Here We Rise" campaign has already seen online support. The Kings are encouraging fans to use #HereWeRise on Twitter to show their suport of the campaign.

The Kings are also supporting CalSTRS in another way, other than hanging up a nationally recognized banner on the side of the building. The Kings will have a "California Educators' Night" on Nov. 10 when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It should also be noted that the banner is lit by solar-powered lights for travelers to view at night.
The Kings also announced the "Here We Rise Full Season Pass," for $440, the lowest season ticket price in team history. There are only 500 of these passes available.

The team also announced that they'll once again host an open scrimmage on Oct. 3 and bring back "Kings Paint the Town." on Oct. 16 and 17, where fans can meet players at different locations.

In addition, there will be a Kings caravan that will cruise around Sacramento next month.

The Kings are doing a lot of work before the season begins, but they see a bright future ahead.

Story first posted on Sacramento Press.

Have you Seen the Kings' "Here We Rise" Banner?

2010-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Kings have a new 177 foot banner hanging from the CalSTRS building in Sacramento, Calif.

The banner features last season's Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans and Kings rookie DeMarcus Cousins.

It also has a web address on the bottom, herewerise.com, where Kings fans can sign up to be the first to hear about a "major announcement."

This is only the third banner the Kings have put up in the off-season. Evans and Cousins have their own 118 feet long banners at Arco Arena, the largest ever put up at the arena.

Click here to see Evans' banner.
Click here to see Cousins' banner.

UPDATE: DeMarcus Cousins retweeted my photo (above) on Twitter. The photo has seen over 800 views on Flickr, and counting. His Twitter account is @boogiecousins.

Landry the New Face of La-Z-Boy in Sacramento

2010-09-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

If you live in Sacramento, you could be hearing or seeing Sacramento Kings forward Carl Landry on a La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries advertisement very soon, according to Kelly Johnson of Sacramento Business Journal.

A press release sent to the media outlet said that Landry will appear on outdoor billboards, print advertisements, radio commercials and promotional materials inside La-Z-Boy showrooms.

Former Kings Jon Barry, Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson had previous endorsement deals with La-Z-Boy.

Not the endorsement deal Akis Yerocostas, associate editor of Sactown Royalty and author of Pick and Scroll, had in mind when he created an illustration of what an ESPN Sacramento website would look like a few months ago, with Landry endorsing a Carl's Jr. burger "The Big Carl" (good burger).

Nevertheless, it's still a good deal for both parties. Landry's contract with the Kings expires after the upcoming season.

Kings filling up training camp roster

2010-09-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Kings will have shooting guards Luther Head, J.R. Giddens and Joe Crawford on their training camp roster. All three players have NBA experience.

According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie says that he plans on having 20 players at the most in training camp, which means that six additional players, at the most, will fight for the team's last roster spot.

So far, 17 slots have been filled, and the team starts camp on Sept. 28, which I'll be attending.

Out of the three camp invites so far, Head has the most NBA experience. A 6-foot-3-inch and 185-pound guard, Head has spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Houston Rockets, 10 games with the Miami Heat and last season with the Indiana Pacers.

Head has career averages of 8.5 points on 42.3 percent shooting, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals in 23.1 minutes per game. His second season was his best, averaging 10.9 points on 43.7 percent shooting, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a steal in 27.6 minutes per game. He also shot 44.1 percent from behind the three-point line.

He shot 38.2 percent from the 15-23 foot range last season and his $992,000 contract becomes guaranteed if he's on the roster by Dec. 1, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

His report also suggests that Head didn't fail his physical for the New Orleans Hornets. Head agreed to a one-year deal with general manager Jeff Bower, but Bower was fired after the agreement.

According to Wojnarowski's sources, team president Hugh Weber didn't want the next GM to have Head's contract and that Head's ankle, which was the given reason why Head failed his physical, is fine.

Giddens, a 6-foot-6-inch, 215-pound guard, played only 27 games in one-and-a-half seasons with the Boston Celtics. He was traded to the New York Knicks last season and after recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, he averaged 4.1 points on 48.7 percent shooting and 2.6 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game in 11 appearances.

Although he missed almost all of his shots outside of the paint, Giddens made 22 out of 30 shots (73.3 percent) in the paint.

Crawford, a 6-foot-5 inch, 210-pound guard, only played two NBA games with the New York Knicks in the 2008-09 season. He spent his time in the NBA Developmental League with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, averaging 17.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 36.3 minutes per game.

The season before, he averaged 20.8 points on 47.4 percent shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal in 38.1 minutes per game. He played in the 2010 NBDL All-Star Game as a replacement.

Head is the favorite going into camp because he bring the most to the table. The Kings were looking to bring in shooters in the offseason and signed veteran swingman Antoine Wright. A career 42.2 percent shooter from the field, Head could round out the guard rotation for the Kings.

Here's what the training camp rotation looks like so far.

C - Samuel Dalembert, DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside
PF - Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, Darnell Jackson
SF - Omri Casspi, Donte Greene, Antoine Wright
SG - Tyreke Evans, Francisco Garcia, Luther Head, J.R. Giddens, Joe Crawford
PG - Beno Udrih, Pooh Jeter, Donald Sloan

Bold = Training Camp Invite

It should also be noted that Sloan could be fighting for a roster spot as well. The undrafted rookie guard didn't perform well in the Las Vegas Summer League and his contract has only $10,000 guaranteed. Darnell Jackson's contract is fully non-guaranteed.

So it won't be a surprise to see a couple of point guards or big men come in to fight for roster spots that can potentially be open. The Kings want to focus on Whiteside as a power forward, the position he started at in the summer league

Training camp doesn't start for 15 days and preseason starts a week later, so there will be more invites on the way. Right now, Head is the favorite to make the team.

Article first published as “Sacramento Kings Fill Up Training Camp Roster” on Blogcritics.org.

Welcome to Crowned Hoops: A Sacramento Kings Blog

2010-09-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Crowned Hoops, a Sacramento Kings blog written by me, Rob Small, about the Sacramento Kings.

I'm no stranger to the Kings since I live in Antelope, actually, a short drive from the Sacramento and even shorter drive to Arco Arena. I'm no stranger to the organization either because I covered the Kings at the arena last year for Sacramento Press.

I wrote for the Sacramento Kings' Tyreke Evans Rookie of the Year (RekeROY) campaign for SacPress. Going to practices, watching warm-ups courtside, interviews in the locker room, sitting in the press box, I did it all.

Even after the campaign ended I went to the draft workouts and covered the 2010 NBA Draft at the Kings' practice facility. You're not getting some guy who only watches the games on TV. I'm there.

About the blog, I'll cover everything I can about the Kings. I plan on going to the games again so there's no reason I can't come up with quotes from players and coaches if I'm part of the media. I'll cover every player I can from Kings star Tyreke Evans to training camp invites like J.R. Giddens.

In addition, I run two other blogs: The Archives, my résumé blog, and Rob on Hoops, my general basketball blog.

I grew up with the Kings and I love my home team, but as a Journalism major (got my Associate's Degree!) I won't allow bias to keep from telling both sides of the story.

I'll do my best to keep up with the latest Kings news, but I'm planning to transfer to Azusa Pacific University in Los Angeles County this January. After that I don't know how much I'll cover the Kings. I'll probably have to move on to cover the Lakers and Clippers, but that's not a bad thing.

Until then, I'll do the best I can with Kings coverage and I plan on posting one post a week on Blogcritics. Thanks for reading and enjoy the blog. My first story will be posted at 12pm Pacific time.