Continuing a tradition that dates back to 2009, Sactown Royalty invites you to gather the loved ones and find warmth around the warm glow of your computer screen, and raise your collective voice in song to the Sacramento Kings of Kings.

And for those of you that are new to the StR Yule log, every holiday carol over the past six years has been provided in this post, along with new salutations for this "forever Sacramento" season.

Caroling a la Kings. Nog 'til you blog. A Jim Les-tivus for the rest of us!

On behalf of everyone here at Sactown Royalty, have a blessed holiday season, and may 2015 be a year that brings health, happiness and prosperity to you and yours. These past couple of years have been special for Kings fans, and I am honored and grateful that I had the opportunity to spend and share them with you. Thanks to each and every one of you.

2014

Fire Malone for Christmas (reprise - see 2013)

I'm Malone this Christmas,

with thoughts and little hair.

Lord Vivek has

thoughts of mad jazz.

Now Corbin's in my chair.

.

Christmas day will find me

not watching Despicable Me.

The thought of Gru

seethes me through and through.

I did not sign Sessions, it was he.

.

I'm Malone for Christmas.

It's really quite a shock.

I was shown the door,

because our team's a bore?

Forgive me, but that's a crock.

.

Christmas Eve will find me

taking little or no action.

But I wish you a(r)ll

a speedy George Karl.

‘Cuz' no one deserves Mark Jackson.

***

Gru Christmas

I'll have a Gru Christmas, I can't lie.

I'll be so blue wondering why.

I wanted a four

that could score a bit more,

but instead I received a new Ty.

.

I'll have a Gru Christmas, that's certain.

And when that Gru heartache starts hurtin',

I'll fire down a fifth,

and gird Josh Smith,

or perhaps it's Deron that we're insertin'.

.

I'll have a Gru Christmas, I'm confessin.'

And that's not just because of Ramon Sessions.

But I'll turn my frown,

Full upside-down.

Because I have not yet opened my trade exception.

***

2013

Fire Malone for Christmas (note sarcasm)

Fire Malone for Christmas,
Two months and you can see.
The team does blow, and you must know,
Patience is lost on me.

Christmas day will find me,
watching other NBA teams.
Watch the Kings on Christmas?
If only in my dreams.

Fire Malone for Christmas,
Unfair though it may be.
Make no pretense, there's no defense,
Despite his constant plea.

Christmas Eve will find me,
Wishing for LeBron Jeams.
Fire Malone for Christmas,
If only in my dreams.
If only in my dreams.

***

Hansen Got Run Over by Ranadivé

Hansen got run over by Ranadivé,
Trying to take our team and then his leave.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and KJ, we believe.

He'd been drinkin' too much Ballmer sweat,
And we warned him that our team would not go.
But he blindly followed the Maloof boys,
Blinded by cheap hookers and blow.

When they found him in Seattle,
Unable and willing to stand.
There were Vivek prints on his forehead,
And a cashed check to STOP for 100 grand.

Hansen got run over by Ranadivé,
Trying to take our team and then his leave.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and KJ, we believe.

Now were all so proud of Hansen,
He's been takin' this so well.
See him smilin' with both faces,
We'll sure miss him when he's in hell.

It's not Christmas without Hansen,
He would be here if he could
And we just can't help but wonder
What's he think of Bollywood?

Hansen got run over by Ranadivé,
Trying to take our team and then his leave.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and KJ, we believe.

Grant and Jerry are at the table
And they have long-dried all their tears.
Meanwhile our good and dear friend Hansen
Has interest in Milwaukee deers.

I've warned all my Milwaukee neighbors,
Better watch out for yourselves.
They should never give any credence,
To a man who drives a price and then plays with himself.

Hansen got run over by Ranadivé,
Trying to take our team and then his leave.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and KJ, we believe.

***

Mr. Gru (note some more sarcasm)

You're a mean one, Mr. Gru.
You really make a deal,
First Evans becomes Vasquez, then Vasquez becomes Gay, Mr. Gru,
The team is still bad, but we're watching with great zeal!

You're a monster, Mr. Gru,
Our D's an empty hole,
Tyreke and Luc are goners, as is Malone's hair, Mr. Gru,
Coach wanted defensive diamonds and you gave him lumps of coal!

You're a foul one, Mr. Gru,
You're a Marcus Thornton smile,
Salmons is now history, Hayes is history too, Mr. Gru,
It takes a special sort of madman to willingly inherit this pile.

You're a rotter, Mr. Gru,
You're the king of sinful sots,
You gleefully extended Cousins, which made many of us plotz, Mr. Gru,
You may be right on this one, but our stomachs are still in knots!

You nauseate me, Mr. Gru,
With a nauseous super "naus"!,
Gay's contract is enormous, and Thomas is too short, Mr. Gru,
The only way that things could be any conceivably worse would be if you brought back Spencer Hawes!

You're a foul one, Mr. Gru,
And as a Kings fan I am drunk,
Your heart's a JT errant free throw, your soul's a McLemore missed dunk, Mr. Gru,
The three words that best describe how we feel is as follows, and I quote...
"Thank-you-Pete!!!"

***

2012

The Little Bummer Oy

"Come," they told me, Harumph harumph rumph.
"A new Kings team to see," Harumph harumph rumph. 
"Our finest play we bring," Harumph harumph rumph.
Instead my eyes do sting, Harumph harumph rumph,
Harumph harumph, rumph rumph rumph rumph. 

So please pass the booze, Harumph harumph rumph. 
When we lose. 

Little baby Cuz, Harumph harumph rumph. 
T'd up for all he does, Harumph harumph rumph. 
He's tired of all this crap, Harumph harumph rumph. 
From rage to Turkey Tap, Harumph harumph rumph, 
Harumph harumph, rumph rumph rumph rumph. 

What's your claim to fame, Harumph harumph rumph. 
Suspended another game. 

Petrie nodded off, Harumph harumph rumph. 
With still a perfect coiffe, Harumph harumph rumph. 
I beat my drum for him, Harumph harumph rumph.
Until he left the gym, Harumph harumph rumph, 
Harumph harumph, rumph rumph rumph rumph. 

Then He smiled at me, Harumph harumph rumph. 
No amnesty.

***

Good Kings Head Coach Smart

Good Kings Head Coach Smart looked out,
On his challenged roster.
Hoping to find legit talent,
Instead finding imposters.
Lacking but the slightest clue,
He looks towards the heavens.
Change your lineup yet again,
There's no Tyreke Evans.

Hither, Cisco, stand by Smart,
Tyreke's knee is swelling.
Brooks is chucking up more threes,
And the fans are yelling. 
We're losing another game,
by quite a hefty point spread.
Outlaw is a "Travis-ty,"
His sight the fans do dread.

"Bring me talent", Smart does plead.
"As fading hope's a glimmer."
"You have plenty," says GP,
"For I have brought you Jimmer." 
James Johnson cannot shoot a lick,
A fact known by the masses.
The shooting drills do him no good,
Nor do his brand new glasses.

Smart, the night is darker now,
And the team blows stronger.
John Salmons is in the game,
I can't take this much longer. 
Isaiah doesn't get much burn,
Marcus is looking forlorn.
Tyler was a lucky man,
When he was a Bighorn.

In Paul Westphal's step Smart trod,
Hoping for improvement.
But as the calendar turns,
There has been no movement.
Therefore, Kings fans, please be sure,
Smart's performance does bear mention.
But he's not going anywhere,
He has an extension.

***

"All I Want For Christmas Is Burkle"

I don't want a lot for Christmas,
There is just one thing I need.
I don't care about the head coach,
Even though the fans do plead.

I just want you as my owner.
It would give me such a boner.
Make it come full circle.
All I want for Christmas is Burkle.

I don't want a lot for Christmas,
There is just one thing I want.
I don't care about the GM,
Even though he's looking gaunt.

I want you to own our team.
It would really be such a dream.
No LeBron or Kobe or Dirkle.
All I want for Christmas is Burkle.

Oh all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere.
Real Housewives of B.Hills is taken off the air

And everyone's so happy,
No more M*loofs oh so crappy.
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need,
Won't you please Ron Burkle me?

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas,
This is all I'm asking for.
I just want a brand new owner,
Standing on the hardwood floor.

Please won't you replace the brothers,
I will forsake all the others. 
This could really workle,
All I want for Christmas is Burkle.

All I want for Christmas is Burkle.
All I want for Christmas is Burkle .
All I want for Christmas is Burkle.

***

2011

Westphal's Wonderland

Turnstiles ring, are you listening, 
The urinals are a glistening.
A beautiful sight, 
Until it's a fright, 
Wandering in Westphal's Wonderland.

Gone away is the Yeti, 
Salmons' here, are you ready?
He dribbles around, 
The shot clock winds down, 
Wandering in Westphal's Wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a point guard, 
Then pretend that he will pass the ball.
He'll say: Should I launch it?
We'll say: No man!
But surely Jimmer
will save us one and all.

Later on, we'll conspire,
Of our longed coaching fire.
To face unafraid,
At least Chuck gets paid,
Wandering in Westphal's Wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a center,
Who likes to think that he's a circus clown
We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman,
‘Til the refs keep our frozen brother down.

When we flow, ain't it thrilling,
But when we blow, it's a chilling
We'll curse and we'll pray, the Kings fan way,
Wandering in Westphal's Wonderland.

Wandering in Westphal's Wonderland.

Wandering in Westphal's Wonderland.

***

Deck The Gym

Deck the gym with Powerbalance bracelets.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
As they guard themselves from back debt.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Don we now our new apparel.
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la.
Hope like heck our new squad does gel.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

See the blazing Marcus shooting.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Meanwhile Hassan Whiteside's brooding.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Jimmer Fredette's taking measure.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
We all bask in 3-point treasure.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

We sure hope that Tyreke passes.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
The old offense was like molasses.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
J.J. Hickson's got his man pinned
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Damn, we turned it over again.

Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Tyler's slam dunk leaves us gawking.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Thomas fits right in a stocking.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
Wondering what this season holds.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
I wish I was Jerry Reynolds.
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

***

Chuck HayesIsNotComing To Town

You better watch out,
You better not think.
Better not guess,
I need a drink.
Chuck Hayes is not coming to town.

He's making a test, 
He's taking it twice.
Is it his heart or is it just lice?
Chuck Hayes is not coming to town.

Geoff Petrie must be sleeping, 
GP might be awake.
The test that once was bad is good - 
Pay Chuck more before he flakes.

O! You better watch out!
You better not think.
Better not guess,

How ‘bout one more drink?
Chuck Hayes is not coming to town.
Chuck Hayes is not coming to town.

***

2010

Hark, as Harold Pressley Sings

Hark, as Harold Pressley sings,

These are not your old school Kings.

Though your heart for victory yearns,

At least you're not watching Evers Burns.

The slogan may be Here We Rise,

While the fans moan towards the skies,

With Cuz in the post proclaim,

Lose and Westphal is to blame.

Hark, as Harold Pressley sings,

These are not your old school Kings.

***

I'm Dreaming of a Whiteside Christmas

I'm dreaming of a Whiteside Christmas,

Just like the ones I'd like to know.

Where Carl is traded, and Sam downgraded,

Because our current team does blow.

I'm dreaming of a Whiteside Christmas,

Just like the ones I pray to see.

His potential beckons, in spite of fouls by the seconds,

Under E-Muss he will surely flee.

I'm dreaming of a Whiteside Christmas,

With every thread post that I write.

Can a Kings fan's soul be filled with pride?

Perhaps if this Christmas is Whiteside.

***

The Dreidel Westphal Song (by Omri Casspi)

I have a coach named Westphal,

His rotations made of clay.

And when he's good and ready,

Then maybe I will play.

Oh, Westphal, Westphal, Westphal,

Will I play or will I sit?

I've taken off my warm-ups,

And my Menorah's surely lit.

I think I'm going in now,

But coach has other plans,

It looks like JT at the three,

To the chagrin of the fans.

Oh, Westphal, Westphal, Westphal,

I'm driven to distraction.

It's going to be bad news

When Israel takes action.

My legs are cramping up now,

From sitting on the bench.

I must say my Coach Westphal

Is certainly no mensch.

Oh, Westphal, Westphal, Westphal,

You make me want to fight,

But then I guess it could be worse,

I could be Antoine Wright.

***

2009

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the site

Not a threader was stirring, there was nary a fight.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

Including an old one from Terry DeHere.

The bloggers were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of big men danced through their heads.

And Petrie and Levien reviewing the cap,

To see if someone might take on our crap.

When out of on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see if Sean May had grown fatter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

And found Kenny Thomas counting his cash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,

Gave the objects it brightened an Evans-ly glow.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But two NBA owners with $1 beer.

With an little old driver, so learned and small,

It must be our Coachie next to one Paul Westphal.

More rapid than a hoop-driving Martin they came,

And Westphal whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now JT, now Spencer, now, Tyreke and Donté!

On Beno! On Andres! And what about Omri?"

But Omri's not here, to where did he flew?

He's with Chanukah Harry, delivering toys to the Jews.

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

And lottery balls that once made us cry.

So up to the house-top the coursers set sail,

Aided by Brock's elbows, from which they did flail.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,

The prancing and pawing of Donté, that goof!

As I drew in my head, wondering were I insane,

I was presented with a Doratio candy-Kane.

He was dressed all in fur, and adorned with treasure,

I swore that he was the great Walt Frazier.

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he assured me the Kings were on the right track.

His eyes - how they twinkled! He was kind of like Jerry.

His nose was like fruit - not Peaches, but cherry.

His droll little mouth was drawn like a bow,

And he promised the Kings would no longer blow.

The pipe in his mouth making regular turns,

Makes no sense, but rhymes with Evers Burns.

He had a broad face, and he was quite the joker

He no way resembled Ime Udoker.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

Then I realized it a reflection, I was staring at myself.

A wink of his eyes and a twist of his head,

And the days of lifeless basketball was forever dead.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to work,

Except when he muttered, "Napear's a jerk!'

A laying a finger aside of his nose,

He declared "Tyreke Evans will be greater than Rose!"

He sprang to his sleigh, and whistled his team,

And Spencer and JT instinctively screamed.

But I heard them exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas Kings fans, and to all a good-night!"

I was on the Phil Naessens show again to talk for two segments

Another chance to talk NBA basketball, and I get to talk for two segments this time! The first is at the top of the show, and Phil Naessens and I talk about the MVP Race. Obviously we have to mention Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, LeBron James, and our former Utah Jazz guy Paul Millsap. (And Kyle Lowry and John Wall too?) I guess I am becoming a Chicago homer because I do manage to say nice things about Jimmy Butler as well.

Eventually, though, there is MVP-Fatigue, and they want to give it to a flashy guy who may or may not be up-and-coming.

The second segment, the fourth on the show, starts at the 33:43 mark. And we talk about the Deron Williams to Sacramento Kings rumor. We also talk about Rajon Rondo with the Dallas Mavericks. And about our favorite people in the world, Charles Barkley and Phil Jackson and their apparent feud over social media.

Check it all out here at Phil's site, or be lazy and just listen to it here!

Thanks again Phil for having me on the show, it's always a pleasure to talk about basketball with you. AND GUYS! FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @FlashTennis31 !!!

Merry Christmas (for everyone who isn't offended by that),

Happy Holidays (for the people who prefer this),

and Merry Christmas again (this time for those who specifically are offended by the "Happy Holidays" greeting / salutation)!

Adrian Wojnarowski updates his report --and those of ESPN's Chris Broussard and Mike Mazzeo--  writing that a phone call on Wednesday failed to produce any agreement and the proposed deal is now on "hiatus."  The impediment? The Kings' insistence that Mason Plumlee be included in the deal, something the Nets have said they will not agree to.

Woj writes...

After the teams' front office officials again talked on Wednesday, both sides insisted they weren't budging on Plumlee's inclusion into a proposed trade and agreed there was no use discussing the deal further in the near future, league sources said.

"Talks aren't dead, but nothing's going to happen with Plumlee involved," a league source told Yahoo Sports.

Under one scenario, the Nets would send Deron Williams and possibly another player to the Kings for Darren Colison, Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson and possibly Nik Stauskas.

Even if the Nets had considered sending Plumlee out --and they have consistent in saying they will not-- Plumlee's latest streak of solid, even spectacular outings has made the idea of including the 24-year-old impossible.  The Kings would be taking on D-Will's $63.1 million over three years, including this one. On the other hand, the Nets would be taking on $34 million in salary from Collison, Williams and Thompson's deals, and another $5.6 million guaranteed if Stauskas was included.

The Nets simply do not want to give up any of their younger players to dump Williams.

Although there have been multiple reports that the Nets are marketing Williams, Brook Lopez and possibly Joe Johnson, league sources insist to NetsDaily that there won't be a fire sale and that they may not trade any of the three.

Meanwhile, at Modell's across from Barclays Center ...

Why is DWill on sale? #Netspic.twitter.com/tEyGBpZAMA

— Doug Bearak (@dbearak) December 24, 2014

• Sources: Kings' trade talks for Deron Williams hit roadblock - Adrian Wojnarowski - Yahoo! Sports
• Report: Nets, Kings deal dead without Mason Plumlee - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
  

The saga of the Sacramento Kings continues as fans wait for the team to regain its balance.

Whether you agree with what Vivek Ranadive and the Kings front office is doing right now, one thing you can't deny is that this team is one of the most entertaining teams in the league. The question is if that is a good or bad thing and how long the wait for this franchise to return to prominence is going to be.

Ranadive and company may be striving for a level of entertainment value on the floor with an up-tempo style of play, but to a certain extent, an entertainment value has already been established by a series of untraditional moves that have at one time or another been considered head-scratchers by many. The DeMarcus Cousins contract, trading for Rudy Gay and letting Isaiah Thomas walk. And then there are the more sensational topics: the talk of implementing a 4-on-5 defensive scheme (Tyrone Corbin said he hasn't heard that idea being floated around, by the way), firing Michael Malone, arguments over the value of Royce White, not yet hiring George Karl after he publicly stated he is interested. The Kingstainment theater is all there to analyze and comb over - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Out of this though, it is obvious Ranadive wants to win, wants to be innovative and believes he has the blueprint. What that means for fans and media alike is a twisting and sometimes confusing path to get to the ultimate goal of a championship parade on J Street.

Vlade Divac was recently in town for Peja Stojakovic's jersey retirement ceremony and he told me (as he put out his cigarette in the parking lot of Sleep Train Arena) fans should continue to wait for the good days and celebrate the team staying in Sacramento.

"The only message I should tell them [Kings fans] is just to be patient and celebrate...that the Kings stayed in Sacramento. It's a huge victory and time will be on the Kings' side," said Divac some 10 years after he took off his Kings jersey for the last time.

It was indeed a huge victory and one that will be cherished for ages, but it has been difficult for most in Kings world after nearly a decade of losing seasons and a 9-5 start to this season that preceded a losing streak and a well-liked coach getting fired.

After Malone was fired the consensus around town has been that the honeymoon is over with this new ownership group. Malone being let go confused fans and the players. He was well respected and it felt like a good fit after all. And the team has not looked good under Tyrone Corbin's leadership. The main issue is there is a sense that ownership and the front office deviated away from something that may have had a few kinks, but was ultimately working. And as their self-imposed clock of being a playoff team by the time the new arena opens in 2016 continues to tick, firing Malone appears (at least up until now) to have been backward progress.

The fans want a plan.

Now attention has quickly shifted to the George Karl snow globe and a "will they or won't they?" situation. The bottom line is the Kings are constantly in the headlines after years of complacency - the Deron Williams and Josh Smith pursuits being two recent prime examples. The abrupt decisions and aggressiveness of the front office gives us all topics to agree on, argue over and contemplate - Kingstainment. And really, that is the essence of sports and one of the main reasons why just a few short years ago, Sacramento fought like the food supply was running short to keep the purple and black in the barn out in Natomas: the sense of community, the passion, the pride.

There are a lot of things to question right now, but with the Kings, the bad can be a tad confusing and entertaining (not threatening like it once was) and the good is fun. And deep down, it should obviously be assumed that Ranadive, who is in his 19th month as an NBA owner, isn't making moves to intentionally sabotage the franchise. In the eyes of most fans he will not have a lifetime free pass, but he is trying to make the team a contender in his own uncommon way.

There is a team in Sacramento and having these discussions is what having a team is all about, despite how perplexing it can get. That shouldn't (and doesn't) quench the thirst of the fan base's desire for wins, so the impatience and pressure being put on this ownership group from fans, and most likely themselves, is warranted.

Maybe the plan is there and in motion. Just as our old friend Vlade suggested, patience will have to be a virtue as the waiting game for this unique franchise continues.

"You can look from a lot of different angles, and how I look is that the organization wants to win, that's why they're making moves, and another thing maybe it's [firing Malone] an unpopular move right now, but maybe in a couple of months or so everybody is going to be happy," Divac said.

The question is how long will the wait go on before consistent offense and defense (and most importantly, wins) return to Sacramento.

The Phoenix Suns will take on the Sacramento Kings at 8PM MST on Fox Sports Arizona and 98.7FM. Here's the lowdown.

Previous Meeting

Early in the season these two teams met and it would be the first of many games the Suns would let slip away at home. The double overtime defeat was an unacceptable loss in which the Suns led by 11 at the end of the third quarter and the Kings didn't have a lead in the game until there was 1:37 left in the fourth quarter. The Suns would also jump out to a 7-point lead in the first overtime and a 4-point lead in the second overtime. It was a horrible loss and you've got to think (and hope) that the Suns remember it.

The Kings

The Sacramento Kings have had a bizarre season. The superstar two-way play of DeMarcus Cousins combined with the resurgence of players like Darren Collison and Ben McLemore had the Kings at a very respectable 11-13 record in the middle of December. With a record like that on the league's second toughest schedule and missing their superstar center for nine games the Kings should have been absolutely fine with that mark. It apparently was not fine with the higher ups in Sacramento as they went on to fire head coach Mike Malone. A move like this with a previously unstable centerpiece that was happy seems strange and everyone is struggling to see the reasoning.

Regardless of that hysteria, the Kings still have to move on. They are 1-3 since Malone was fired and they got Cousins back for the last three games. If you were wondering about Cousins being healthy, he's averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds in those games so I think he's fine. McLemore is finally shooting the way he was supposed to out of the draft (40% from deep this year) and Collison is putting up career highs across the board (except for his FG%). They've gotten some great work off the bench from Omri Casspi and will bring some real strength and size to the power forward position with Jason Thompson and Carl Landry.

The Suns

Besides the Dallas Mavericks game from earlier this year, this two game stretch has been the best basketball we've seen from the Suns this season. Following some unsettling quotes from Isaiah Thomas, head coach Jeff Hornacek has gone with the three point guard lineup more than ever and while it's a small sample size, the numbers have been fantastic. Both games featured six Suns getting into double digits. Any Suns fan who has seen games from both last season and this season know how much of a night and day type switch it is with this team. This could be the start of something.

Prediction

The Kings are (rightfully so) not the same team without Mike Malone and despite having a great big, something Suns fans fear, I think the Suns picked the right time to travel to Sacramento.

Score: Phoenix Suns 114, Sacramento Kings 97

Isaiah Thomas makes his first return to Sacramento since being signed-and-traded this summer.  The Kings have been off since Monday so hopefully they're rested and ready to defend home court.  Today's action tips off at 7:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and on KHTK 1140.

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The Suns have a lot of scoring options.  Their top five scorers (Dragic, Bledsoe, Thomas, Morris and Green) all average between 14.2 and 16.3 points.  That's about 75 points a game from just five players.  They've also got some excellent roleplayers like Marcus Morris, P.J. Tucker and Miles Plumlee as well as up and coming big man Alex Len.  This is a dangerous and difficult to guard team.

2.  Like Houston, Phoenix is a team that loves shooting the three ball.  They're second in both attempts and makes on the season and also 9th in terms of percentage.  They have shooters at every position except for Center.  Their shooting also helps space the floors for drives from their guards.  The Kings' defense has not been good for a while now, and they barely snuck out a win the first time these two teams played, back when this Kings team was on a roll.

3. If Phoenix has a weakness, it's on the interior.  They give up a lot of rebounds to their opponent, and they also foul a lot, which means a lot of opportunities to get to the line.  In fact, in Sacramento's first meeting this year, the biggest difference was the free throw discrepancy; Sacramento made 33 of 39 attempts while the Suns were just 18 of 25.  Sacramento won by just two points in double overtime, so those free throws were really important.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Goran Dragic vs. Darren Collison

The Suns have a lot of threats but Goran Dragic might be the biggest one.  Dragic is a constant triple-threat, able to shoot, drive or pass either while already on the move or when catching the ball.  He's also big for a Point Guard, and has given Darren Collison some problems in the past.  Collison will have to make him work on both ends of the court and try to keep him from getting into the paint and settle for jump shots instead; Almost 40% of Dragic's FGA come right at the rim, and 30 from three.  Forcing him to shoot for somewhere in between is a win for the Kings defense.

PREGAME LIMERICK

Isaiah Thomas will seethe over any slight,
from his name to his rather short height.
Loved him as a King,
but defeat would sting,
so let's beat the Suns on StR night!

PREDICTION

Kings 114, Suns 112 after Isaiah Thomas' game-winning three attempt comes up just short.

What does it take to make a professional soccer team appear in a virtual soccer wasteland? The internet, hard work, courage, and a little luck.

From the makers of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" comes a question that is its soccer equivalent; which came first, the club or its supporters? (When it comes to MLS, this is a trick question. The money comes first.)

In the case of Louisville, however, it's safe to say that without the Louisville Coopers there wouldn't be a Louisville City FC. The club's relationship to its supporters group is a fascinating example of American soccer's existence in the 21st century. In Orlando City SC's USL PRO affiliate, a few inventive and passionate Louisvillians created something from nothing -- a soccer club from thin air.

The Seeds of a Club

"MLS in Louisville is not achievable, USL Louisville is realistic." - Wayne Estopinal

"The Coopers were founded by a few individuals stemming from a conversation that they had on a Facebook board entitled 'Make Louisville an MLS Expansion City,'" according to Augustus Waiters, the Coopers Capo Chairperson.

The Facebook conversation in question was part of an ongoing discussion on whether Louisville could, should, and would entertain the idea of having a professional soccer team. Some of the page's posters believed Louisville should shoot for the stars and try for an MLS team right our of the gate, while others felt Louisville should look toward the lower leagues for its professional soccer beginning.

"After doing some research on what it truly takes to put together the foundation of an MLS franchise, I concluded that MLS was probably out of our reach for the moment," said Taylor Sorrels, co-founder and first president of the Coopers. "Some other guys that followed that page or from similar discussions on Reddit came to the same conclusion."

The watershed post was started on Sept. 25, 2013, by the man who would eventually become Louisville City FC Principal Owner, Wayne Estopinal. In it, he weighed in with opinions on the debate. "Relocating a USL team to Louisville is the best option," Estopinal posted. "Currently, I'm a minority owner of Orlando City Soccer Club. OCSC will likely be moving to the MLS in 2015, conversations with USL executives (regarding Louisville) occurred at last weekend's USL Championship Game in Orlando. We need to develop a USL Louisville Supporters Group, develop support within Metro Government and create a USL Louisville Ownership Group of adequate means to fund the team.

"MLS in Louisville is not achievable, USL Louisville is realistic."

The wheels began to turn, and with the material motivation of a potential USL club on the horizon, the Coopers became a reality. "After that post, four of us sat down over coffee, and The Coopers were off and running," said Coopers member and co-founder J.C. Cissell.

"J.C. (Cissell), John McCulloch, Taylor Sorrels and myself met up in a local café one afternoon, and discussed what was possible, what was plausible, and what we could do," said Martin French, an Irishman who found his way to the Bluegrass State to co-found the Coopers. "We couldn't own a team, or build a stadium, but we could work to create a supporters group to prove a desire. So we set to work."

"By December, we had a board of directors and merchandise. By January, Orlando City’s ownership was having beers with us at Molly Malone’s," Cissell added.

In the Coopers, Louisville had it's supporters group. In Estopinal, Louisville had the beginnings of a potential ownership group and the keys to a future USL franchise in its lap. What they needed next was the approval and support of the local government. Enter the man who would become the second Coopers President, Timothy Clark.

Louisville's Inferiority Complex

"I would support a professional soccer team, but we're still hard at it on the NBA." - Louisville Metro Councilman Dan Johnson

I've written before for The Mane Land on our old site about Louisville's potential as an MLS city, specifically in the context of it being a basketball hotbed. Louisville has a love affair with the game of basketball, and it has both been a boon for the city and a source of its heartbreak. While Louisville consistently achieves high viewing ratings for college basketball broadcasts nationwide, it has been without a major league professional outfit since the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA. Despite being one of the leaders in attendance throughout the league's existence as one of the ABA's most successful clubs on and off the court, the Colonels folded after the 1976 NBA-ABA merger for reasons both financial and political. Louisville was left behind like the last kid at the park, shooting hoops by herself.

Ever since, Louisville has been on a journey, searching for its basketball holy grail. We've been misled and teased. We've been told about the Hornets (before New Orleans), Rockets (before the Toyota Center), Grizzlies (before Memphis), and Kings (before the new ownership) all moving here and fulfilling our dreams. We trusted our pro hoops fate to one J. Bruce Miller, who has only used our collective yearning to dupe the local government into paying him $89,000 because he had an ever-illusive "unnamed foreign billionaire" on the hook to buy an NBA franchise and bring it to Louisville. All the while, he used his self-created public persona as our forlorn NBA messiah to peddle a book deal at every turn, despite never actually coming through with that foreign moneybag due, in part, to -- at least according to him -- the most recent NBA lockout.

All of this is why I find Councilman Dan Johnson's comments on August 8th, 2013 so frustrating.

Aug. 8, 2013, was the day that future Coopers President Timothy Clark, along with Neal Turpin and Chris Heading, addressed the Louisville Metro Council on the general advantages and benefits of Louisville adding a professional soccer team. Their message was clear: soccer presented Louisville with a legitimate opportunity to become a major league city. "Louisville could be the hub of soccer for Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and southern Ohio," Heading said in his portion of the address. "All too often, Louisville has waited for surrounding cities to act, and then tried to copy them. This cannot wait."

When it came time for Clark to speak, Johnson felt it necessary to rear the ugly head of Louisville's decade-old NBA inferiority complex (around the 6:30 mark of the embedded video). "I would support a professional soccer team," Johnson said, "but we're still hard at it on the NBA."

As if the Colonels folding wasn't enough. As if J. Bruce Miller leading Louisville around for the better part of 20 years like a dog on a leash wasn't enough. That Johnson had the audacity to imply that somehow Louisville chasing its NBA dream is counter to the possibility of professional soccer in the city is startling, if not ignorant. Did he think that another 30 years, sitting around, waiting for the NBA to finally come calling with flowers and chocolates was worth passing up the real opportunity of soccer? Did he think we should continue to throw money at a lawyer with imaginary billionaires and illusory NBA connections in his pocket?

Despite Johnson's indignant response, Clark approached the podium and spoke of the great numbers of youth players in the area as more evidence of soccer's support here and the potential value in having a pro soccer team here. "I want Louisville to become a world-class city," he said. "A world-class sport could be another attraction to our growing city."

Someone in the room was listening.

When Clark finished, another councilman piped up with his thoughts. "These guys are right on it. It is something that's very possible," said Councilman James Peden. "The mentality is already there. As much as we think of ourselves as basketball -- and kudos to Councilman Johnson -- this is probably an easier reach to become a pro sports city than some of our other aspirations."

Clark, Turpin and Heading were on the extravagant side of the MLS vs. lower leagues debate that was raging (in internet terms) on the pages of Facebook, and their visit to the council predated Estopinal's post, announcing his USL intent. While the quixotic MLS-centric details of their address to the council were premature, the overall message was important in the Louisville professional soccer timeline; Louisville had the support for professional soccer and the people with the courage to shake the windows and rattle the walls of the local government. It began to understand.

A Team, Finally

"I see nothing but a bright future for soccer in Louisville." - Jason Ence, Member of the Coopers

Fast forward from Estopinal's first post in fall of 2013 until the official announcement of Louisville City FC in the summer of 2014, and the Coopers finally had the club they were created to support. However, the club's announcement wasn't without its hiccups.

"The old logo, good god was that awful," Waiters said. "It really hit me how bad it was when the whole fiasco hit Deadspin. It was the first time that we as Coopers had to go up against the ownership group and demand a change, and they actually relented on the day the team was announced. Ownership has been very welcoming to us ever since they started up, and this spirit of cooperation has extended to the executive staff of the club as well."

"No start-up is going to be perfect," French said. "But what is heartening is that it is improving. I've been committed to this for over a year already, and the club was only announced about seven months (ago), so I have seen a lot of what has happened. There are elements that I think could have been handled better -- the original crest being the best example -- but I do see that there is a steep learning curve and things continue to improve."

For all their work so far -- from Facebook, to the founding of the group, to working with ownership to change the original crest -- the Coopers don't see this as being a finished job. But their outlook is positive.

"An average attendance of 5,000 or more in Louisville is a very realistic expectation," says Cissell. "That doesn't mean it will absolutely happen, of course -- the team has to market itself well and the fans need to buy tickets -- but I believe it will. Among Louisville City's strengths is a large investment group, rather than a single owner, and a first-rate downtown stadium that -- while not designed for soccer -- will offer one of the most complete fan experiences in the league."

Jason Ence, the Coopers' PR representative, is even more bullish. "I see no reason why this cannot be a great success," he said. "We have the support, we have the passionate fans that live here, and our history has shown that we support our teams here. As long as we get this off to a great start and ownership continues to show they are going to work with the fans, the city, and everyone else involved, I see nothing but a bright future for soccer in Louisville."

It suffices to say that if Louisville soccer dreams prove successful, the Louisville Coopers will have had a big hand.

DeMarcus Cousins is out with an illness tonight. Ryan Hollins and Ramon Sessions are also out.

The Phoenix Suns beat a Sacramento Kings team without DeMarcus Cousins by the score of 115-106. The story for three quarters was the Suns hot shooting from beyond the arc that was being neutralized by the Kings play in smaller areas of the floor. The Kings had 24 points off of turnovers, beat the Suns 54-46 at points in the paint despite not playing a center, and had 17 offensive rebounds despite not playing a center.

Still, the Suns centers got their worth. Alex Len and Miles Plumlee went to town on the Kings without DeMarcus Cousins or Ryan Hollins out there. Len had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks while Plumlee added 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 blocks. The twins had an absolute field day in this one, shooting 14-23 combined including Marcus' 6-7 effort from three. Here's your recap by halves.

First Half

The story of the first half was the ball movement for the Suns. While the score may not have reflected it, it felt like the Suns were the much better team and should have been up by more. The Suns had 17 assists, 10 of which came from Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. They only had five turnovers and were generally getting it done offensively.

The Kings kept making mini-runs to keep themselves in the game, essentially playing in spurts. The Suns have really had trouble staying focused for a full 48 minutes at times and this was what was keeping the Kings in the game.

Second Half

It seemed like to me at least that the Suns came out with some newfound energy and decided that they were over the Kings being in this game. A 7-0 run to start off of the third quarter made it seem that the Suns were about blow the doors off in the game. That would not happen, as the Suns would let up yet again and allow Sacramento back into the game. They would commit seven turnovers in the quarter, most of which resulted with points on the other end. Still, the Suns went 5-6 from three and despite not completely buzzing out there they were still up 4 going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter after another Marcus Morris technical and some Isaiah Thomas glaring at the Kings bench the Suns started to pull away. Len was getting more and more space around the basket and the Kings started to not get points in other areas of the court. Zoran Dragic made an appearance with a minute left.

NBA 3.0 was in full effect, but an up-and-down style without Cousins predictably favored the Suns

With DeMarcus Cousins ruled out with a stomach ailment and Ryan Hollins out for personal reasons, the Sacramento Kings were forced to go smaller than we usually see. Combine that with a directive to play faster from management and an opponent that seeks to run at every opportunity, the Friday night affair with the Phoenix Suns turned into a full-on track meet. Unfortunately for the Kings, the Suns featured a more talented squad better equipped to play that style, and outraced the Kings to a 115-106 victory.

The Kings were beaten in several predictable facets. First, the starting lineup featuring Reggie Evans and Jason Thompson was too offensively limited to work. The Suns, featuring the solid interior defense of Alex Len and Miles Plumlee, were able to zone away from their assignments at will and made life extremely tough for Darren Collison, Ben McLemore, and Rudy Gay, who shot a combined 17/41 (41%) from the field. Second, the Kings were forced to go with Carl Landry at center off the bench, forcing the Kings to constantly bring extra help into the paint and leave open shooters. The Suns made 14 threes at a solid 42% clip and racking up 25 assists on the night. Lastly, the Kings continue to let stretch fours go off; both Morris twins were difference makers in the game, with Markieff adding 17 points on 8/11 shooting and Marcus adding 20 on 7/12 shooting (and 6/7 from three).

Offensively, it wasn't all bad. Evans, while showing a disturbing lack of touch around the rim and willingness to pass out of double and triple teams in the paint, crashed the glass hard to rack up 16 rebounds on the night, 9 of them offensive. Derrick Williams exploded for 16 points on 7/9 shooting from the field; the game's wide open style allowed Williams to wreak havoc in transition with his athleticism. Ray McCallum played solidly, despite his inability to finish around the rim against Phoenix's size, adding five assists and zero turnovers in his 26 minutes. Omri Casspi chipped in 11 points of his own. McLemore, Gay and Collison were able to chug their way to life when the Kings went small, but could not add enough to win.

Isaiah Thomas made his triumphant return to Sacramento with 17 points and five assists on the night at a 7/17 shooting clip. He also got into it with the Kings and their fans, exchanging a bump with Casspi and mean-mugging after every dagger shot he made. Thomas didn't set the arena on fire with his play, but played solidly enough to beat the Kings without Cousins.

The Kings now fall to 12-17 on the year and lose valuable ground against Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the West. Although it is widely accepted that Oklahoma City will eventually claim the spot, the Kings' brain trust expects this roster to remain competitive in the race. Unfortunately, that is looking like a longshot at the moment. But, with five teams coming up next on the schedule under .500, the team could have a better idea where they are at. We will see if its good enough or not for Vivek Ranadive and company as they contemplate their next moves.

For the opponent's perspective, visit Bright Side of the Sun

HMMMMMMM.....

FIRST LASTNAME had a great game. pic.twitter.com/10fZM8YbMk

— patrick (@patrickredford) December 27, 2014

This graphic displayed on the Sacramento Kings post-game show is riddled with glorious mistakes.

1) FIRST LASTNAME. OK, honest mistake. It's just generic filler text for a player's name. It happens.

2) Baseball stats in a basketball graphic. Getting worse.

3) The baseball stats aren't even possible! 0 for 0 for a home run CAN'T be done in baseball, let alone basketball.

Three strikes, you're out.

Here you go, Suns fans. Rate the players and coach in the 115-106 win over the Sacramento Kings!

The three-headed monster - Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and Eric Bledsoe - all had 16-18 points and 5-6 assists apiece. They seem to be doing what we thought they would do...

The Morrii continue their strong season, each putting up 17-20 points and 8-9 rebounds.

And Alex Len had a double-double in 23 minutes - 10 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks, while Miles Plumlee had 4 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks of his own in just 17 minutes.

And Zoran Dragic played!! A whole minute!!

Sports & Games Lists on Ranker

It's tough being a Kings fan right now. It's nothing we aren't used to, and that's why it's such a problem.

The Sacramento Kings aren't particularly fun right now. Following the abrupt firing of Michael Malone, the team has been in a tailspin. The defense has disappeared, losses are stacking up, and Kings fans are unhappy, to say the least. Kings fans have been through a lot of bad basketball, and the team was finally entertaining, and therein lies the problem.

Michael Malone had made the Kings better than a laughingstock. Nobody though the Kings could challenge for a title, but they were competitive and could challenge playoffs teams on a night in and night out basis. That was a massive improvement after what we as Kings fans had grown accustomed to. But was that alone worth maintaining the course? At the tail end of the Kings glory years, management failed to break apart a middling team, slowing down the rebuild process. It's something that Kings fans lamented for years afterwards.

Obviously, the Kings are not currently breaking down a team to begin a rebuild. It's a different situation. But the philosophy is similar. I haven't enjoyed the past few games. I don't think Malone should have been fired. I think it would be neat if the Kings had hired George Karl by now. I'm frustrated just like anyone else. But before I get overly upset at Pete, Vivek and Co, I have to ask myself the following:

• Were the Kings going to make the playoffs this year?
• Was Michael Malone a coach I could see leading the Kings to a championship?
• Are we sure the Kings wouldn't have fallen off even if Malone was still around?

The answer is no, to all of them. It's possible the Kings could have made the playoffs, but it would have been a miracle. It's possible Malone could be a championship caliber coach, but I believe that would only happen with a far different roster than the Kings'. And there was reason to believe the Kings were due to fall off a bit. Who knows? But it was certainly possible.

This isn't the first time we've been upset with management. Isaiah Thomas was a fan favorite, and most folks around here agreed that he should have been brought back. Some still believe this. And yet the team was doing pretty good this season. Hell, they're still over .400 on the year. The DeMarcus Cousins extension, the Rudy Gay trade, both were bold moves. The team is willing to be bold. And to be willing to be bold is to be willing to wrong.

Time may prove Malone's firing to be a mistake. But the front office has earned time to see how this plays out. A single decision we disagree with does not prove the front office or ownership to be incompetent, meddling, or idiotic. It's hard to be patient since we were patient so long and finally got a taste of success, but patience is what is called for now.

Boogie appears to be healthy.

Despite being sidelined by illness recently, DeMarcus Cousins is still healthy enough to do this:

#KingsReplay: DeMarcus Cousins posterizes Dalembert! #SacramentoPRoud#NBABallothttps://t.co/Hc8uvHBMuk

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) December 28, 2014

Samuel Dalembert probably wishes Cousins had sat out another game.

The Kings squeak past the Knicks in Overtime riding a superstar effort from DeMarcus Cousins

Boy, is that DeMarcus Cousins guy something or what? In another game where the Sacramento Kings' defense utterly failed them, another game where a fourth quarter double-digit lead evaporated down the stretch, and another game where several roleplayers went off, the Kings turned to their budding superstar to carry them to victory. Cousins did not disappoint, powering the Kings with 39 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists for the game, including 9 points and a big assist for a three in overtime, helping the Kings edge out the New York Knicks 135-129.

While Cousins was magnificent, he had major help from the Kings' second and third guns. Rudy Gay dueled with Carmelo Anthony all game long, ending the game with 29 points on 12/21 shooting to help offset his counterpart's 36 points. Darren Collison came up huge with 27 points of his own, including 3/3 from three point range, none bigger than the dagger he buried from the corner in overtime. In Tyrone Corbin's offense, Collison has been more aggressive looking for his spot-up threes, and its paid dividends for the offense.

Unfortunately, there is also the unfortunate fact that the Kings needed overtime to beat the woeful Knicks at home, who now fall to 5-27 on the year. The Knicks were able to shred the Kings' defense seemingly at will, especially in the interior. The Knicks scored 62 points in the paint, nearly doubling their season average of 33, dishing out 30 assists with only 15 turnovers. While Cousins was dominant offensively, on defense he was clearly slowed by fatigue. And with Ryan Hollins out again due to his father's funeral in Los Angeles, the Kings' lack of rim protection was especially glaring on the night. Cole Aldrich scored a season high 18 points on only 9 shots, Jason Smith chipped in with 12, and Sam Dalembert added 11.

Another positive is that the bench has been much better of late. The Kings' young duo of Ray McCallum and Nik Stauskas were both solid, scoring 10 and 11 points respectively. McCallum was also given the nod down the stretch of the game at shooting guard and played solid defense while giving the Kings some much-needed relief ballhandling. McCallum also has a knack for being at the right place at the right time, securing several key rebounds and scoring in opportunistic situations. Stauskas showed greater confidence in his handle and has finally started to hit his shot at a more consistent clip, a big boost for a team desperate for shooting.

Ultimately, it wasn't the most satisfying win of the season but it was well earned. The Knicks, while boasting a horrific record on the year, have also seen 20 of their 27 games within a 5 point margin with 5 minutes to go or less. The defense definitely needs serious work, but the offense and pace has been more inline with what Pete D'Alessandro and company expect. Its great to get back in the win column for a team in desperate need of a confidence boost and send the team into 2015 on a positive note.

For the opponent's perspective, visit Posting and Toasting

The Blazers continue their extended homestand tonight when they host Carmelo Anthony and the 5-27 New York Knicks.

New York Knicks (5-27) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (24-7)
Sunday, December 28
Moda Center; Portland, OR  | 6:00 p.m. PST | Local TV/Radio: CSNNWHD; 620 AM
Out for the Blazers:Robin Lopez, LaMarcus Aldridge (doubtful) | Out for the Knicks: Iman Shumpert, Cleanthony Early, Amar'e Stoudemire, Andrea Bargnani, J.R. Smith (questionable)
SBN Affiliate: Posting & Toasting | Timmay's Viewing Guide | Blazer's Edge Night

The Blazers host the struggling New York Knicks tonight, a team that's missing several rotation players and coming in after an overtime loss last night to the Kings in Sacramento.

Knicks coach Derek Fisher was brought on board this past offseason to help new President Phil Jackson install the triangle offense, leading to some enthusiasm around the team. New York has now lost 17 of its last 18 games and seven straight, however, and hasn't won since Dec. 12 in Boston.

The Knicks feature one of the least efficient offense in the NBA. Over the last five games, New York has averaged just 94.6 points per game (No. 26 in the league) and 20.6 assists (No. 25), while shooting 44.7 percent from the field (No. 21) and 30.7 percent from outside (No. 26). According to ESPN.com, the Knicks are No. 23 in offensive efficiency for the season.

New York barely scores in the paint and doesn't push the ball often. The only consistently positive takeaway from the Knicks' offense lately is that they hold on to the ball well, but that's been a recent development and is subject to change at any time.

The defense from New York is almost as abysmal as the offense. Opponents can move the ball easily against the Knicks without fear of turning the ball over, and they've allowed 48.3 percent shooting from the field (No. 27 in the NBA) and 44.6 percent shooting from deep (No. 30). New York doesn't foul much, protects the paint well and sometimes manages to dictate the tempo but, like the offense, the defense rarely puts forth a solid 48-minute performance and doesn't have much to hang its hat on.

Jackson and Fisher seem like the only Knicks left with any faith in the franchise; Forward Carmelo Anthony recently told ESPN.com that the team "is dying," wing J.R. Smith called this season so far a "nightmare" and guard Pablo Prigioni recently wondered aloud whether or not New York has enough talent to win games.

Anthony has gotten up over two-dozen shots per outing over his last five, sinking 46.9 percent of them. He's a good finisher at the rim and has hit almost half his midrange field goals the last couple weeks, but he was making just 22.2 percent of his threes heading into last night's game against the Kings. Anthony finished with 36 points in the losing effort, making 13 of his 29 shots but shooting 2-of-7 from deep. Most of his offense comes off the dribble, and for how much he dominates the ball, he doesn't pick up many assists.

Second-year guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has slid into a starting role on the wing, but that hasn't translated into a reliable field goal percentage. Hardaway is a capable scorer at the rim, but his jumper isn't that great and he's a 29 percent shooter from outside the last five games, attempting almost half his shots from long-range.

Guard Jose Calderon is mostly a jumpshooter at this point in his career. He's made almost 45 percent of his midrange shots the last five games and has cashed in on 42.9 percent of his threes. Prigioni, who comes off the bench, rarely shoots and when he does, it's not usually very pretty. He's the best distributor the Knicks have, though, and he rarely turns the ball over.

With power forward Amar'e Stoudemire out and center Samuel Dalembert relegated to a bench role recently, New York starts big men Jason Smith and Cole Aldrich in the frontcourt. Smith takes most of his shots from 10 feet out or more, making fewer than a third of his jumpers the last several games. Aldrich rarely shoots but when he does, it's at the rim and it goes in the majority of the time.

Reserve guard Shane Larkin and forward Quincy Acy play off the bench and shoot well in limited attempts. Wing Travis Wear and Dalembert don't get up many shots, neither a huge threat offensively. J.R. Smith may try to play tonight on a bad heel, but he's missed nine straight games and hasn't scored consistently all season, though he did manage to shoot 8-for-12 and score 20 points in the Knicks' loss to Portland three weeks ago.

The Blazers will likely be without power forward LaMarcus Aldridge as he continues his recovery from an upper-respiratory illness. Center Chris Kaman missed Friday's win over the 76ers as he awaited the birth of his first child, which came yesterday (congratulations to Kaman and his wife Emilie, who welcomed Barrett Christopher into the world at 12:27 a.m.). Blazers coach Terry Stotts expects Kaman to be available tonight, which will give Portland's frontcourt added depth with center Robin Lopez still out for the next several weeks and Aldridge likely requiring more recovery time.

Point guard Damian Lillard torched Philly for 28 points and nine assists Friday night, hitting nine of his 17 shots and three of his eight three-point attempts. He's nailed over half his jumpers and two-thirds of his tries at the basket the last five games, while hitting 45 percent of his eight outside shots per contest in that span. Lillard has coughed the ball up a little more often than usual lately, but his increased distribution and improved finishing at the rim have more than offset any turnover troubles for the third-year All-Star who has twice led the Blazers to overtime victories in the last nine days.

Guard Wesley Matthews went bonkers from deep against the Sixers, draining 7-of-14 attempts and bringing the "Bow and Arrow Bomb" three-point celebration to the attention of Portland fans. Matthews' scoring hasn't been great from within the arc lately, but he's been good for 45.5 percent of his threes the last five games and will again see plenty of attempts with Aldridge out.

Wing Nicolas Batum had a solid outing against the 76ers Friday night, netting 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. A modest four rebounds and three assists may not jump off the page, but Blazers fans welcome an aggressive Batum after he's struggled with a litany of injuries all season.

Stotts started forward Thomas Robinson and big man Joel Freeland in place of Aldridge and Lopez, respectively, integrating forwards Victor Claver and Dorell Wright into the frontcourt rotation along with center Meyers Leonard. With Kaman's presumed return tonight, one of these players will likely go back to the end of the bench. Between Robinson, Freeland, Claver, Wright and Leonard, not one has gotten up more than a half-dozen shots a game the last five. Leonard and Claver have been the odd men out all season, and probably won't see much playing time going forward as Portland's frontcourt gets closer to full strength.

Backup guards Steve Blake, CJ McCollum and Allen Crabbe all played 16-19 minutes Friday, all struggling to hit shots from the floor with any regularity. McCollum is likely the best of the bunch at creating his own offense, but hasn't looked good from anywhere but deep lately. Blake has been a decent outside shooter, and Crabbe is having a tough stretch shooting the ball, though he rarely shoots unless left open or on a fastbreak.

Portland has been scoring a lot of points lately, relying heavily on an outside attack that has seen the team hit 41.6 percent of its 32.2 three-point attempts the last five games. The Blazers have been average at shooting otherwise, and were pulling in a pedestrian amount of assists per game recently until they sliced up Philly's defense Friday.

Portland's defense has been a strong point the last several games, as opponents have struggled to shoot well both from inside and outside of the arc while dealing with the Blazers' tough perimeter defense that limits easy ball movement. They've also uncharacteristically forced a lot of turnovers recently, an unexpected-but-welcomed development.

The Knicks don't have a single game-changing individual rebounder but are pretty good at grabbing their own misses -- of which there are many. Portland leads the league in defensive rebounds per game the last five, but hasn't been so hot on the other end. Freeland brought in 17 boards on Friday against Philly, and the return of Kaman should give the Blazers a decent advantage on the glass tonight.

Even though Portland -- the first team in the NBA to reach 24 wins this season -- is playing at home tonight against one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year, the Knicks did manage to hang close with the Blazers three weeks ago and held a small lead with a few minutes remaining before Aldridge put them away.

Portland has the talent to overpower an injury-plagued New York team, especially at the Moda Center, but Anthony and J.R. Smith -- if he plays -- are always a threat to go off individually. If the Blazers can handle those two, though, they should be able to absorb any scoring from the supporting cast and have a good chance to pick up another win and allow Aldridge to get another game's worth of rest.

-- Chris Lucia | bedgecast@gmail.com | Twitter

(Editor's Note: The writing of this preview was started before the conclusion of the Knick's loss in Sacramento last night and all cumulative stats are collected from the five games prior).

Sam Tongue's Key Matchup:

After the Kings win over the Knicks, Cousins had a lot to say about the team.

It's great that the Kings won, but the win over the Knicks simply confirmed the major issues with the team.

The Sacramento Kings are a bit of a hot mess. Sure, the Kings beat the New York Knicks on Saturday, but a single win hardly covers the flaws that are increasingly apparent with the team. This isn't about Michael Malone or Tyrone Corbin or George Karl. These issues existed under Malone, they still exist under Corbin, and hiring Karl doesn't fix anything overnight, despite what some Kings fans may insist.

The Kings can't hold a lead. That was a persistent issue under Malone, and it reared its ugly head again against the Knicks. The Knicks have a legitimate if flawed star in Carmelo Anthony. But the Knicks are bloody awful this season. They've won five games all season. They were without Amare Stoudamire, Quincy Acy, and JR Smith. I mean, criminy, the Kings should have run away with this game. And they did for a bit. The Kings led comfortably most of the game, with the Knicks just barely hanging around. The game never should have gone to overtime.

This issue stems not from coaching, but from effort and depth. The Kings' second unit has been a disaster most of the season. Under Corbin we've seen more of Ray McCallum and less of Ramon Sessions, which seems to be an improvement, albeit a minor one overall. Long term, I believe it to be the right move, but it doesn't change the fact that the second unit needs work. Nik Stauskas is coming along slowly, but had a nice 11 points on four shots against the Knicks.

I like seeing McCallum in the games instead of Sessions. I think Stauskas will be fine long term and he's not worth cutting bait on. I like the energy from Omri Casspi off the bench. Derrick Williams hasn't been a complete disaster, but I still worry about relying on him. And I'm confused as hell by Carl Landry getting just 11 minutes on Saturday. Safe to say, the Kings' bench is still a bit of a mess.

And the issues don't end there. The Kings ended regulation on Saturday with a predictable and predictably ineffective isolation play for Rudy Gay. DeMarcus Cousins was livid when the play resulted in a turnover, and he had every right to be upset. Cousins had been destroying the Knicks, who were left to throw Samuel Dalembert and Cole Aldrich (former Kings all around!) at Cousins, and yet he had to watch Rudy dribble for 20 seconds before turning the ball over. Once again, this isn't a new issue that's cropped up with Corbin. This was an issue with Malone as well. But it's an issue that needs to be fixed.

Next, what does Ben McLemore need to do to prove he deserves to be involved in the offense? He's been a fantastic surprise this season, and I love that he's not a guy who demands a lot of shots or touches to be effective. He scored five points on four shots, had five rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. But he's shown himself to be a valuable part of the offense. The team can't run a few plays a game to create an open look for him? Just a bad look. Ben fits into the flow, and isn't going to force his looks. If you don't call plays for him, it's easy for him to disappear into a game. Call the plays.

Finally, the team is too reliant on Boogie. Most teams with a top 10 player are reliant on that player for success. That's to be expected. But the Kings are a wreck whenever Cousins is on the bench. Even more so when Cousins misses a game to illness or injury. If the Kings want to be a great team, the need to be able to succeed without Cousins on the floor. Cousins can't carry it all. Rudy Gay has been wonderful, but he's best suited as the secondary player. I don't mean this as a slight. As a secondary option, Rudy is elite, Without a big man to draw the defense, Rudy struggles. We saw it when Cousins was out with meningitis. And it's been cited as why the Kings wanted to trade for him. Rudy is great with Cousins, but he can't be relied on to carry the team when Boogie isn't on the floor. Collison, too, has been great. He had a superb line against the Knicks. But he's not a guy you can rely on to carry the Kings. The Kings need another guy who can shoulder the load. Easier said than done, of course, but it's an obvious issue.

So one win doesn't fix the Kings. The issues remain. The issue aren't due to the lack of Michael Malone, the presence of Tyrone Corbin, or the absence of George Karl. They are issues with the team as a concept and a reality. The Malone firing made the issues fall under additional scrutiny. The issues need to be fixed in order to achieve the stated goals of ownership and management. Head coaching is important, but head coaching be damned. Kings management needs to make a move to repair the roster. And they need to make a move soon.

The Kings defense we saw at the beginning of the season is gone and the players want to get it back.

The Kings let the five-win New York Knicks storm back in the fourth quarter in Sacramento on Saturday night to tie up a game they had been in control of. But it wasn't just the comeback that displayed problems. Throughout the entire game the dysfunction of the Knicks could not disguise the defensive issues the Kings are battling right now.

Since the coaching change from Michael Malone to Tyrone Corbin (six games), the Kings have given up 114 points per game to their opponents. The worst season-long average rests with the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves at 109 points per game. Long are the November days when defense was a key cog in the Kings' hot start to the season. From Oct. 29 through Nov. 30, the Kings allowed teams to score 100 points per game.

Despite the win over the Knicks, DeMarcus Cousins, who has battled illness over the last several weeks, wasn't happy with himself, specifically his defense, after a dominant performance. Cousins, who had 39 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks in 32 minutes, said he didn't play well, pointing out that he let Cole Aldrich have a good game (18 points and 7 rebounds). But beyond that, Cousins talked about the Kings needing to get back to how things were with the old team earlier this season.

"That's wanting to defend at a high level, you know taking pride in actually playing defense. Can't be a team that tries to come out every night and outscore people. That's not us, we defend and our defense transitions over to our offense," Cousins told Sactown Royalty. "We've got to get back to playing that type of basketball. Right now, we're taking steps back so we've got to get back on the right path."

Jason Thompson, whose defense alongside Cousins earlier in the season was much improved and helped contribute to the success, talked about allowing the struggling Knicks to score the way they did.

"We've got to finish. Still got to find ways to get stops. They're not a good offensive team, but still got to the 100s even though it was overtime. So got to find ways to limit them to one shot, finish with rebounds and get back to our defensive ways like we did earlier in the season," Thompson told Sactown Royalty. "You don't want to try and outscore them because there are going to be nights where you don't shoot the ball well."

In his postgame session with the media, head coach Tyrone Corbin broke down the problems the Kings are experiencing, specifically not being able to put a solid stretch of defense together.

"We don't complete plays. We're 15 seconds of good defense and slack up or 20 seconds of good defense and end up getting a stop and giving them a second opportunity. Or a slip back backdoor because we over-rotate, it's just small things that is kind of hurting us," Corbin said. "I think our initial part of our defense is pretty good when we do get back. There are times when we don't get back in transition, we're hanging out, ball watching...offensively we've been fine, just defensively, the different combinations we're trying, the pace that we're trying to play with, how that pace on the offensive end have to make sure it doesn't hurt us on the defensive end."

Darren Collison, who has 27 points and 10 assists against the Knicks, said he thinks the team can get back to where it was on defense.

"We show signs that we can get back to that. When we have guys in and out the lineup that throws you off a little bit. So defensively, I think we'll be fine, we've just got to find more consistency in the lineup and I think we'll get back to playing that real soon," Collison said.

The win on Saturday was a welcome sight for the Kings considering they now head out on a four-game road trip to close out 2014. Cousins characterized everything as "new" right now with a new playing style and new lineups. He characterized the upcoming trip as a good thing.

"There's a lot going on ... so getting on the road, kind of getting away from it I think would be pretty beneficial for the team," Cousins said.

For Collison, the road trip will give the Kings a chance to bond again.

"I think we need it. We need to get away for a little bit. We need to bond a little bit, get to know each other way more than we know each other already and just be around each other, have some fun. So I think this trip will be good for us," Collison said.

Stefan Bondy and Fred Kerber take a look at the Lionel Hollins coaching style as it applies to the recent play of  two of his three highest paid players ... and it can be boiled down to two words, "no excuses."

"There are no excuses," Hollins said of Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. "They didn’t play very well, and they have to play better for us to be better — or for them to get more playing time and more consistent playing time."

He repeated that line, even more harshly regarding Lopez.

"You have to ask him where his confidence is," Hollins said. "Where is my confidence in those guys that shoot so poorly on the bench? This is a different story.

"We are all professionals. We have to go out there and play, and we didn’t get it done. There are no excuses."

As Bondy writes, this is new territory for Williams, who once joked that he was Billy King's "assistant GM."

"He’s the first Nets coach to call out Williams for his poor play, without offering the tired excuses of injuries and rust," Bondy notes.

Will the tough love approach work?  Impossible to tell.  Also impossible to tell from a fans' perspective is how much physical ailments are affecting the two.  A month ago Monday, he said of Mason Plumlee, "He. Has. To. Play. Better," and it worked.

Williams and Lopez said all the right things after Friday's discouraging loss to India, but whether Hollins got through to either will have to wait until Monday night and the Kings.

• Benching a new low for Deron Williams with Nets - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
• Nets coach on Brook Lopez: ‘Ask him where his confidence is’ - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• Nets’ Brook Lopez bubbling over with frustration - Andy Vasquez - The Record