So, I skipped my Downbeat slot last week while I was on vacation. I missed you guys. Glad to be back.

Diana gave you a great Downbeat late last night, and I don't want to overshadow her work by stealing the top Downbeat slot so quickly, so make sure you go read her post before continuing here.

One item in Diana's Downbeat summarizes the latest in the Adventures Of Enes Kanter On Twitter -- Moni covers the events on her blog as well -- so I won't rehash that here. Instead, I'll point you to a hilarious mini-exchange between Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert:

@iclark21 vampire

— rudy gobert (@rudygobert15) September 10, 2013

You guys. I would SO watch a "Rudy The Vampire Slayer" TV show. I'm just saying.

These are a bit old, but I don't think we've featured them here yet. A Reddit user composed these pixel-art posters featuring the current starters of every NBA team. Here's the most updated version:

He really nailed Enes. Not sure how I feel about Gordon. Dem nostrils. Also, it looks like he's assuming Marvin Williams will start. Which, no. But good job, good effort.

FanPost time! I have a lot of them to catch up on, but here's a few that caught my eye.

First, jazzyman explores the idea that the Jazz may be a bottom-five team in the NBA this season:

Is this team really going to be that bad? Personally, my W prediction remains at 28 games. (That would be about where Sacramento, New Orleans, and Washington were.) I think our best comparison would be the HornetsPelicans of last year. We look to have a few good starters with an average bench that just doesn't end up winning that many games in a competitive Western Conference.

(Jazzy also let us know that he's off on his Mormon mission now. He won't see this for a while, but thanks for contributing, Jazzy!)

Next, SKMike gives us a brief update on Jazz draftee Ante Tomic's play for Croatia in the FIBA Championships:

Tomic played 21 minutes against Spain, scoring only 3 points on 1/4 FG's and 1/2 FT's. He added 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Against Georgia in 21 minutes he scored 7 points on 2/4 FG's and 3/4 FT's. Only 2 rebounds but an amazing 7 assists. He also scored the game winning layup with 9 seconds left and Croatia down by 1. Earlier he hit 2 clutch FT's with 38 seconds left to give them a 2 point lead.

Finally, thatdoolinkid posits that good NBA teams only have an eight- or nine-man rotation, and he suggests who those players should be for the Jazz:

We've been throwing lineups and minutes around for a long time now this summer. However, many of us have failed to realize that we're trying to get playing time for the C4, 3 rookies, Rush, Marvin, Evans, JL3, and still finding out if Beans has anything left in the tank. Add Jerel McNeal likely rejoining and we have a 13 man rotation. Sadly, this will never pass. A good team plays only 8 or 9 guys. This post outlines who I think should fit that 8 or 9 guys.

Thanks to everyone who writes these great posts! I'm really looking forward to the start of the season, when we have real news to talk about. I can't wait to see what y'all come up with.

It's not Jazz-related, precisely, but Brad Rock of the Deseret News wrote a great posthumous profile of former Utah Stars great Zelmo Beaty. He may not have been a Jazzman, but you've gotta love this description of Beaty's low-post game:

In the early 1970s, downtown Salt Lake was a rough place to be — downtown meaning the paint. That’s where Zelmo Beaty set up shop. The former Utah Stars center considered it his property, on both ends of the court.

A good rule of thumb: Crowd him at your own risk.

"If you started to encroach into some of his territory in the paint — which he considered all his territory — you might get an elbow," former Dallas Chaparrals and Utah Stars coach Tom Nissalke said.

I love the basketball history we have in Utah, from the Stars and the great college teams of the past to the current Jazz roster. Hoops are a part of our heritage.

We've covered Gary Payton's recent comments about John Stockton, but I don't think we've posted this brief NBA.com profile video. (Sorry, can't embed it. Fix that ish, NBA.com.)

It covers a few of Stock's career highlights, includes a couple of money quotes from Jerry Sloan and Bryon Russell, and focuses on the 1999 first-round playoff series with the Sacramento Kings, where Stockton pretty much put the Jazz on his then-37-year-old back.

The one thing the video doesn't cover: the last moment of Stockton's playing career, again versus the Kings in 2003, this time in a losing effort. See below.

I tried not to tear up. I failed.

We still love you, John.

Robert Horry will be eligible for the 2014 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class, as he retired granted mercy to his opponents five years ago. Horry was a pretty good player for a really long time. He did good things in four years at Alabama and spent 16 seasons as an early incarnation of the stretch four with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. Most notably, he won a lot of playoff games with those teams ... and championships, seven of them.

In those championship runs, he hit a number of big shots. His nickname is Big Shot Bob for a reason. (He did try to change his nickname to Big Shot Rob, but that request was denied by the Basketball Gods under the provisions of the Shaq Edict: If Shaq gives you a nickname that is not latently homophobic, you must keep the nickname.)

A daily column on the NBA.

9/9: On 'making your teammates better'
9/6: Doping vs. genetic advantage
9/4: We need more incentive-based contracts
9/2: The next labor battle

Horry had a fun, memorable career. Even if you rooted for teams he did not play for, you had to appreciate his guile (as you cursed his name, of course). Horry is only now not an official curse word in Sacramento after he publicly expressed support for the Kings to stay in the city. The magnificent moments Horry had will never be forgotten. (Especially by the victims.) They will live in montage form, on YouTube, scorched into our frontal lobes forever.

So there's really no reason to put Big Shot Bob in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

He didn't have a Hall of Fame career in any traditional sense: he was a role player in 11 of his 16 seasons, and in those five seasons as a featured player, he peaked at 12 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The funny thing about his reputation as a shot maker is that he was largely a poor per-minute scorer throughout his career. He averaged 10.3 points per 36 minutes, peaking at a whopping 12.4 as a rookie. His rebounding wasn't much better, and in fact was pretty atrocious once he became a full-time power forward. His defense was valuable, but he was never one of the top two defenders on his team. (He might have been the No. 3 defender on a couple of his Lakers teams.) He has two claims to the Hall: championships and famous playoffs shots.

So, basically, serendipity. Horry's entire Hall of Fame case is based on serendipity. That isn't to say that serendipity doesn't play a role in every successful career, basketball or otherwise. But the entire case for Horry in the Hall is serendipity. That's it.

The Basketball Hall of Fame as an institution is, frankly, a mess. A lot of ABA wrongs (like the absence of Artis Gilmore and Roger Brown) are just now being righted. The college-NBA imbalance is still out of whack. The international component really throws everything off kilter. The criteria seems wholly uneven. So I'm sensitive to pro-Horry arguments that the Hall is goofy anyways, so why not?

But it still matters. There's still importance in recognizing the very best the sport offers so that generations to come can appreciate what came before. Horry was never among the top three players on his team and rarely among the top five. He played for really good teams, contributed to seven championships and he hit some favorite shots. That is not enough to be recognized as the best the sport has to offer.

However, I do want to see Horry recognized for his achievements somewhere. So, here are some Halls of Fame for which I wholeheartedly endorse Big Shot Bob.

The Serendipity Hall of Fame with Scotty Thurman, George W. Bush, Buster Douglas and Mark Cuban.

The Basketball Bobs Hall of Fame with Bob Petit, Bob Costas, Bob McAdoo, Bob Cousy, Bob Hurley, Bob Boozer and definitely not Bob Weiss.

The ROLL TIDE Basketball Hall of Fame with Latrell Sprewell, Gerald Wallace, Antonio McDyess, Derrick McKey, T.R. Dunn and, if there is a Bear Bryant in Heaven, Alonzo Gee.

The Basketball Hall of COUNT THE RINGZ at EPCOT Center with Steve Kerr. Animatronic Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson welcome visitors while taking potshots at each other. It's magical.

REVERB FROM SEATTLE

When Chris Hansen agreed to pay $525 million to buy the Sacramento Kings, the assumption was that it would pop other franchise values upward. The Kings, after all, were valued at $300 million by Forbes, and something like $350 million or even $400 million would have been the expected cap on market price. The eventual price Vivek Ranadivé paid -- $535 million -- is outrageous, when you think about it.

While next commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, doesn't really say so, the fat price may have had a chilling effect on other sales. Silver attended the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit Tuesday to talk about the business of the NBA, including that record sale.

"As we look at the coming domestic television deal and a great playoffs and Finals, there's a great buzz around the league right now," Silver said [...]. "There aren't any teams for sale but if there were [the price] would be robust."

Here's analysis from Brian Windhorst in that same piece:

This is a significant departure from the last three-plus years, when teams were selling both cheaply and quickly as nine franchises sold, many at reduced values. It may have reached its nadir in 2011 when Michael Jordan purchased a controlling interest in the Charlotte Bobcats for less than $200 million and the big market Philadelphia 76ers changed hands for a reported $280 million.

Exactly. But here's the post-Kings problem: the owners of the Timberwolves, Raptors, possibly Bucks and likely Hawks want to sell at those inflated Hansen-Ranadivé prices ... but the appetite for buying at that level isn't there. Hansen offered up a crazy amount because the Kings were the best relocation candidate available. Ranadivé matched a crazy amount because if he didn't, Sacramento would have lost the Kings. (Vivek has no personal ties to Sacramento, but he and the rest of the vast ownership group are California-based and see promise in the Capitol market.)

Teams went cheap before the lockout because owners were ready to get out of the game and the price was right. But now owners ready to get out of the game are going to expect massive bids. If those don't come, we're going to see a lot of stalemates. That's just fine in Milwaukee, where owner Herb Kohl is one of the biggest reasons relocation remains a distant threat -- he's believable when he says he's not selling to an out-of-towner. I'm not sure that comfort exists in other markets with owners ready to sell and Seattle looming. Will the next team to sell go for an even crazier price with a Seattle move as its driving force? Will any other team sell for a reasonable (i.e., less than $500 million) price? That's the question.

If Seattle isn't involved in another bid in the next few years, it's a real question as to whether this team sales stalemate could last through this entire collective bargaining agreement.

JESUS TALKS

"You can never smite glory."

That's got to be the most Ray Allen quote ever. He was talking to the Associated Press about the constant reaction to The Shot all summer long. Fans came up to him and credited him for the Heat's Finals win because of The Shot. He says he was just one contributor to the championship, that the famous shot to seal Miami's Game 6 comeback and send the game to overtime, where the Heat would win, was one piece of the total effort. He's Ray Allen, so it's absolutely no surprise that he's thoughtful on the subject in question. He's thoughtful on every subject.

But turning a little phrase like that to explain why he graciously accepts the heap praised on him for the most important, most memorable of his 3,209 NBA three-pointers ... that's what makes Ray Allen Ray Allen.

That and the three-pointers.

(Side note on The Shot: I've never noticed Norris Cole's premature, persistent celebration. He's the guy jumping at the Miami bench. It's just fantastic.)

More from SB Nation NBA:

• Ziller: How to make your teammates better

• 5 reasons the NFL is more popular than the NBA

• A Stephen Hawking theory and the Kobe clutch debate

• Nets to retire Jason Kidd's jersey

• Ziller: Doping, dumb luck and Gladwell's messed-up values

Last week's episode with Scott Moak was a little too high class, so this week the Sactown Royalty Show moves to a bar. I'm in Sacramento for the week, so I decided to take the opportunity to gather with a few Sactown Royalty friends. We'll be podcasting from the bar, so apologies in advance if the audio is a bit worse than normal. The level of conversation may also suffer, as I'm expected to be joined by Robby Biegler, Kevin Fippin, Ed Montes, and Christina_J.

We talked about Michael Beasley, Chris Mullin, STOP, and likely trade moves.  The audio quality is questionable, but the discussion is top notch.  Give it a listen.

Like the show? Subscribe to us on iTunes or on Stitcher! Leave us ratings, leave comments below, let us know how we're doing.

Thanks for listening.

The new Kings ownership group has a lot going on, from rebuilding the roster, to the new downtown arena, to rebranding the team's image.

The next question in our 30Q series is "How much will the fan experience change next season?" and we thought one of the best people to answer this would be new Kings co-owner Andy Miller.

Miller is one of the "whale" owners who stepped up to keep the Kings in Sacramento earlier this year and he has been more than willing to interact with fans on social media. He is the president and chief operating officer of Leap Motion, a San Francisco-based company that develops motion-controlled software that can be used on everything from computers to robotic surgery technology.

Check it out.

OK, back to my boring computer.

Miller also is the former vice president of mobile advertising with Apple, where he reported directly to the late Steve Jobs. Now, Vivek Ranadive has put him in charge of technology for the new Kings ownership group moving forward.

Miller was kind enough to accept our request to answer the question about the fan experience next season.

"I think it will change dramatically. Obviously, it will change incredibly when the new stadium is built because that is just going to be an unbelievable piece of Sacramento and California, and it's going to have such a different vibe with the fan and in-game experience and people around the arena, and just the environment of downtown.

But for next year, I would say it will change significantly, and I think it changes for the core reason that the Kings haven't been a lot of fun and there's been, obviously, instability and apprehension about whether the team is staying. So it is hard as a fan to emotionally invest in something that you are afraid is going to disappear. So that is a big benefit of keeping the team.

And we have a different group of players and coaches and front office people. There's going to be a different level of attention and respect for the fans, which I don't think existed over the last few years. So people will notice that when they come in with how they are greeted and the experience that they have. And we are trying to make as many improvements incrementally to the overall game-day experience that we can in the arena [Sleep Train Arena], even with the fact that we aren't going to be there in a couple of years. So the dollar investment needs to be sort of weighed against that.

And then, I think the level of play will be better - the hustle and the desire. We have a great coach, very defensive-minded. I think the games will just be more exciting because we'll probably be in more of them [Laughs].

From sort of a technology standpoint, and in and around the game, we're doing a lot of things to try to get the fans more involved from a social media perspective. Our app is going to be a real centerpiece that will evolve month over month as the season unfolds and we add new features.

And then, just overall in and around the arena for things that have been tremendously lacking over the years.

What types of things are you talking about?

Well, I think the bar is pretty low there. You know, so amenities [Laughs]. I get plenty of pictures of people sending me broken toilets and urinals, and it's the same one that has been broken for three years. It's funny, but it's not funny. So the bar is really low on that.

To things like Wi-Fi; you can't have an amazing app experience and connected fan base if they can't connect from the arena. So we'll be working hard on that, and I think we'll see a lot of improvements, tremendous improvements by opening day.

And we have arguably the best president in the league, I mean Chris Granger is a godsend for Sacramento, and for this ownership group as well. So really, everything is up for grabs and he is looking at everything no matter who you are and what you are doing in and around the Kings experience. Whether you are at home, on the radio, on TV, on satellite, in India, in the stadium. He's taking a real comprehensive look at how to improve everything and move everything toward 2016 [and a new downtown arena].

Here are a few other takeaways from my conversation with Miller.

• What games he is looking forward to the most next season (he came to California from Boston and had been a Celtics fan for most of his life): "Well, now I am looking forward to the Nets games because half the Celtics are on the Nets. There are a lot of games I am interested in seeing. I think the Warriors games are going to be our real rivalry games now, which is wonderful for the area. I saw in the [San Francisco] Chronicle last week, basically they were talking about how we so called stole from them, all the way down the line from [Chris] Mullin to Pete [D'Alessandro] to coach [Michael Malone] and [Carl] Landry, but that as long as DeMarcus Cousins is ‘slovenly' that the 'Kings will never have a chance to win anything anyways.' So it will be nice to up the ante there with that relationship."
• Miller lives in Palo Alto and said when his two sons wear their Kings gear at school all the kids ask why they aren't wearing Warriors gear. But he's working on it: "We've got a lot of work to do down here, but I'm giving Kings hats out to all my kids' classmates left and right, so hopefully we will have a little fan base out here."
• He recently saw drawings and renderings of the new downtown arena, and the land around the arena, and said, "it is going to be awesome. It is going to be an iconic facility for the state of California; totally identifiable with Sacramento, but something that I think will set a real standard. Again, it's going to be 'Vivek-class.'"
• Last month, he took to Twitter to ask fans for input on additions to the Kings app and how to improve the in-game experience. He said he got hundreds of ideas from fans and shared them with the other owners and after having narrowed them down, he guarantees that some of the fans' ideas will appear in the Kings app soon.

Miller hit Twitter again Wednesday night seeking Kings artist design submissions.

Attention #KingsAllDay artists! Two part text: looking for submissions of amazing, fierce, cool graphic of Kings cowbell. Selected design..

— Andrew Miller (@AndyMillerHCP) September 12, 2013

... will have a starring role in future Kings home games. Email me Amiller @ http://t.co/CWMjlFRmmS. All submissions become Kings property.

— Andrew Miller (@AndyMillerHCP) September 12, 2013

Let's see those cowbell designs King fans. Spread the word! #KingsAllDay#thisisgonnabefun

— Andrew Miller (@AndyMillerHCP) September 12, 2013

Who else is ready for Oct. 30?

Early on in his NBA career, it was hard to fathom a future for the Sacramento Kings without Tyreke Evans as the centerpiece. He was "20-5-5", the player who would finally bring us back into respectability. He was a jump shot away from making the All-Star team. He was a revolutionary point guard who would bully all others into submission on both ends of the court.

Of course, it didn't exactly pan out that way. Evans finished his rookie contract in Sacramento and then the Kings' new management opted to sign-and-trade him to New Orleans for Greivis Vasquez because they felt that the $11 million a year being offered to Evans was too much for what he brought to the court.

So now the Kings enter their first Evans-less season since the infamous 2008-09 year when they finished with the worst record in the NBA. How much will Evans be missed? In my opinion... not too much, especially if Ben McLemore proves to be a good NBA player.

Evans' greatest strength was getting to the basket. He was and is by far one of the best guards in getting to the rim. But everyone figured that out after his rookie season and so while they weren't able to shut him down completely, it definitely made Sacramento's offense with Evans on the court much less varied and easier to stop. Evans got much better with his set three point shot last year, but even so he shot just 33.8% from long range. With Evans gone, the Kings' offense will be spaced much better as his role will be replaced by Marcus Thornton (a better scorer than Evans) and Ben McLemore (a better shooter and more explosive player than Evans). While Evans often commanded the other team's best perimeter defender, Thornton will command the same.

Now defense is another issue. Evans was probably Sacramento's best perimeter defender next to John Salmons. However, being a good individual defender doesn't mean much in the large scale of things when the entire team finished 29th in defensive rating and 30th in opponent points per game. Team defense is much more valuable than individual defense, and Evans wasn't an elite enough defender that he could single-handedly carry a team's defense. Mike Malone was able to take a roster that played notoriously weak defenders Stephen Curry, Jarrett Jack and David Lee huge minutes and still be 14th in defensive rating. The addition of Luc Mbah a Moute also gives the Kings an individual perimeter defender who already is better than Evans on that end of the court.

In terms of passing, Evans was one of Sacramento's best passing guards, which wasn't saying much considering his assist rate has been dropping since his rookie year and was at just 19.0% last year. Now the Kings will have the ball in the hands of much better passing guards like Greivis Vasquez and Isaiah Thomas and should get better scoring opportunities because of it.

Evans will be missed by fans, as he should, but in terms of on the court production, I don't think the Kings as a whole will miss him too much. They'll make up for it in other areas, and should be a better team overall. The same goes for New Orleans, who added Evans. I really like the concept of using Evans as a sixth man, where his strengths become even stronger and his weaknesses don't show up as much. I don't think the Kings could have justified using Evans as a sixth man, but New Orleans can, and if Evans can embrace it, he could be phenomenal in that role.

More from Sactown Royalty:

• 30Q: How much will the fan experience change next season? Andy Miller weighs in
• The Sactown Royalty Show Ep 14: Biegler, Fippin & Friends
• 30Q: Will the Kings be able to grant Cousins' wish and obtain a defensive sidekick?
• The official jerky of Sactown Royalty
• I believe Chris Hansen

DeQuan Jones will be in the Kings' training camp, according to ShamSports.com's Mark Deeks (who is now also an SBNation.com contributor!):

The Kings have signed DeQuan Jones for training camp.

— Mark Deeks (@MarkDeeksNBA) September 13, 2013

Jones, a 23-year-old 6'8 wing, went undrafted out of Miami in 2012, but made the Magic roster after a training camp invite. He played 800 minutes for Orlando, appearing in 63 games and starting 17. Jones is super athletic, but put up really mediocre numbers at The U and in Orlando despite being a top-25 recruit back in 2008. Yahoo!'s Marc Spears wrote a good story about DeQuan's path to the NBA last year.

As is the case with the other training camp invites, there's not much roster space. But if Jones elects to stay in the United States this season and opts for the D-League, the Kings can have him assigned to Reno where he'll remain in the pipeline. It's worth noting that Jones is from Marietta, Ga., where Bighorns GM Shareef Abdur-Rahim grew up.

Also, in terms of salary:

@sactownroyalty For the record: Jones and Aitken have no guaranteed money, and Lockett has $35,000.

— Mark Deeks (@MarkDeeksNBA) September 13, 2013

More from Sactown Royalty:

• 30Q: Will the absence of Tyreke Evans be noticeable, and if so how?
• 30Q: How much will the fan experience change next season? Andy Miller weighs in
• The Sactown Royalty Show Ep 14: Biegler, Fippin & Friends
• 30Q: Will the Kings be able to grant Cousins' wish and obtain a defensive sidekick?
• The official jerky of Sactown Royalty

The Sacramento Kings have signed former Orlando Magic swingman DeQuan Jones for training camp, Mark Deeks reported Friday.

Jones, 23, went undrafted out of Miami in 2012, but caught on with the Magic's Orlando Pro Summer League team, for which he averaged six points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He later joined Orlando for training camp and ultimately beat out veteran swingman Quentin Richardson for the final spot on Orlando's roster.

After his rookie season, the Magic elected not to make Jones a restricted free agent, but did invite him to Orlando Pro Summer League again. Jones averaged 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in just 12 minutes per game, and the Magic informed him after his final Orlando Pro Summer League appearance that he was not in their future plans.

Though not an especially productive player in Orlando--he averaged just 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game--Jones gained something of a cult following for his high energy level; ability to make athletic plays, such as this alley-oop conversion; and defensive acumen.

More from Orlando Pinstriped Post:

• Oladipo: "I really didn't want to go to Cleveland"
• Photos: Magic celebrate anniversary with new décor
• How fairly did the Magic spend in 2012/13?
• EuroBasket ends for Vučević, Türkoğlu
• Report: Davis could receive medical clearance soon

When the Kings signed Chuck Hayes after the lockout, it was widely seen as a great move by both local and national pundits. Here was a veteran who could provide leadership, teamwork and defense, all things a young Kings team needed.

However during the past two years, Hayes hasn't exactly lived up to the hype. He's definitely been a good defender, but former coach Keith Smart used him almost exclusively as a bench player against the other team's second unit, which takes away his greatest strength: guarding the opposing team's best big man. By playing with the second unit, he also saw a lot of time next to guys like Thomas Robinson, James Johnson, Travis Outlaw or Patrick Patterson, big men who were either undersized or playing out of position.

He's also probably Sacramento's second best defensive rebounder next to DeMarcus Cousins. Thompson is probably the closest, but both Patterson and Landry are subpar. Hayes' rebounding numbers have suffered a bit in Sacramento because of the aforementioned pairings with guys like Johnson & Outlaw. The Kings were the worst defensive rebounding team in the league last year, and Hayes can help.

One of the primary reasons for not starting Hayes is that he's very limited offensively. He has no range outside of the paint, and while he's a good passer, he turns the ball over at a high rate too. When you can't hit a jumper and you can't really drive into the paint, it's a lot easier to guard against the pass from the high post.

Unfortunately for Hayes, I don't see this trend of not playing much changing any time soon. He probably should have played much more the last couple seasons, but this year the Kings finally have a glut of big men who can play. Patrick Patterson can light it up from outside, Jason Thompson is capable on both ends of the floor and Carl Landry was recently signed to a long-term deal with the Kings. It's hard for me to see Hayes beating those three guys for playing time other than in specific situations. There's only 48 minutes to go around at both PF and C, and unless the Kings do something different, like using Patterson at SF, I don't see where Hayes gets the time.

Hayes best chance for playing time probably lies in the fact that Mike Malone is now coaching the team, and Mike Malone is a defensive minded coach. According to 82games.com, the Kings defense was 6.2 points per 100 possessions better with Hayes on the floor. MySynergySports provides more detailed individual numbers: Hayes gave up just 0.74 points per possession (PPP) and a field goal percentage of just 36.5%. That puts him at 20th best in the league. Against the post-up, he allowed just 0.73 PPP (53rd) and 35.2%.

Hayes is way too good of a defender to simply rot on the bench. The Kings should either find a way to utilize him or trade him to a team that will.

Last month it was reported that California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg would be introducing legislation to help speed up the environmental review process for the Downtown Sacramento Arena.  Steinberg has been a staunch ally in the fight to keep the Kings in Sacramento, and he was a big part of the delegation that went to New York with Mayor Johnson to make Sacramento's case to the NBA Board of Governors.

Last night, Steinberg's bill overwhelmingly passed both houses of Legislature.  The Assembly approved it 55-6 and the Senate approved it 32-5.  The bill now awaits Gov. Brown's final signature and approval before becoming law.

Per the Bee:

The bill will speed the judicial process for handling any environmental lawsuits brought against the planned $448 million arena the city and the Kings plan to build in Downtown Plaza. It also limits the courts' ability to stop construction of the project if a lawsuit is filed, and bolsters the city's ability to use eminent domain, if needed, to purchase the Macy's men's store downtown to make room for the arena. Macy's plans to consolidate its downtown retail at the women's store a block away.

The bill passed after several changes made during the past week.  Steinberg feels confident that the Governor will approve the bill.

This is yet another significant milestone in Sacramento's path towards a new arena.

The first time anyone wrote about Vivek Ranadivé and basketball, it wasn't about the Kings. It was about a team of 11- and 12-year-old girls from Menlo Park and Redwood City, a team Vivek coached. His daughter Anjali played on the team. Vivek had no experience with basketball -- he hadn't yet bought into the Warriors, he had never played. Yet he recognized that for his girls, the full-court press was the team's best chance to beat taller, more skilled, more experienced players.

So they ran the press. And they won a lot. Even skilled 11- and 12-year-olds weren't used to being challenged the full length of the court. It flustered them. From Malcolm Gladwell's excellent New Yorker piece:

Redwood City's strategy was built around the two deadlines that all basketball teams must meet in order to advance the ball. The first is the inbounds pass. When one team scores, a player from the other team takes the ball out of bounds and has five seconds to pass it to a teammate on the court. If that deadline is missed, the ball goes to the other team. Usually, that's not an issue, because teams don't contest the inbounds pass. They run back to their own end. Redwood City did not. Each girl on the team closely shadowed her counterpart. When some teams play the press, the defender plays behind the offensive player she's guarding, to impede her once she catches the ball. The Redwood City girls, by contrast, played in front of their opponents, to prevent them from catching the inbounds pass in the first place. And they didn't guard the player throwing the ball in. Why bother? Ranadivé used that extra player as a floater, who could serve as a second defender against the other team's best player. "Think about football," Ranadivé said. "The quarterback can run with the ball. He has the whole field to throw to, and it's still damned difficult to complete a pass." Basketball was harder. A smaller court. A five-second deadline. A heavier, bigger ball. As often as not, the teams Redwood City was playing against simply couldn't make the inbounds pass within the five-second limit. Or the inbounding player, panicked by the thought that her five seconds were about to be up, would throw the ball away. Or her pass would be intercepted by one of the Redwood City players. Ranadivé's girls were maniacal.

The second deadline requires a team to advance the ball across mid-court, into its opponent's end, within ten seconds, and if Redwood City's opponents met the first deadline the girls would turn their attention to the second. They would descend on the girl who caught the inbounds pass and "trap" her. Anjali was the designated trapper. She'd sprint over and double-team the dribbler, stretching her long arms high and wide. Maybe she'd steal the ball. Maybe the other player would throw it away in a panic-or get bottled up and stalled, so that the ref would end up blowing the whistle. "When we first started out, no one knew how to play defense or anything," Anjali said. "So my dad said the whole game long, ‘Your job is to guard someone and make sure they never get the ball on inbounds plays.' It's the best feeling in the world to steal the ball from someone. We would press and steal, and do that over and over again. It made people so nervous. There were teams that were a lot better than us, that had been playing a long time, and we would beat them."

Spoiler alert: they finally lost in the national championship third round at a 8 a.m. game in which the referee didn't like the press strategy and called repeated touch fouls. Ranadivé called off the press, and the dream ended.

Will the press ever work long-term in the NBA? The advantage Team Vivek had isn't present at this level: players can handle the ball and find openings. Most lineups have two or three good ball-handlers on the court. Rick Pitino has made it a staple of his college teams, but those games are shorter and college recruiting allows Pitino to find coaches that fit the scheme. Michael Malone hasn't said anything about using a press, though he wants an aggressive defense and transition opportunities. I see two massive red flags to any sort of prominent press defense for Sacramento at this point: DeMarcus Cousins and a lack of small forward depth.

The Kings might have the backcourt depth to hold up with a press for a substantial chunk of the game, especially considering that there are a lot of young legs back there. But up front, I don't think it's viable: small forward is three-deep if you include Johnny Salmons, and power forward features three bodies. Cousins is a whole 'nother matter. He's kept himself in really superb shape through most of his NBA career. But his type of body is not meant to sprint up and down the court. He's agile, but he's never looked agile on defense (except when taking a charge). I struggle to envision most NBA centers in a press. I especially struggle to see Cousins in a press.

I'd love to be wrong, because it'd be interesting to watch the Kings be innovative again. But I'm not sure this is one of 3.0 concepts that will translate.

More from Sactown Royalty:

• Arena Legislation Overwhelmingly Passes, Goes to Gov. Brown for Approval
• 30Q: Will Chuck Hayes see more playing time under Mike Malone?
• Kings sign DeQuan Jones to training camp deal, according to report
• 30Q: Will the absence of Tyreke Evans be noticeable, and if so how?
• 30Q: How much will the fan experience change next season? Andy Miller weighs in

Jimmer Fredette was an absolute monster in college, averaging almost 30 points per game despite being the sole focus of the opposing defenses. He rode his college success to the NBA lottery, when just a year prior he was being discussed as a possible second round pick. The Kings picked him up hoping that he'd be the perfect complement to Tyreke Evans: A Point Guard that could shoot the hell out of the ball while also sharing ballhandling duties.

It hasn't worked out that way. 60th pick Isaiah Thomas usurped Fredette midway through their rookie season as he was better able to cope with NBA defenses. Jimmer could still shoot the ball well, but he had a much harder time getting the same quality of looks. He became very hesitant at times and didn't seem to know when he should shoot the ball or pass it. He went into his first offseason with a clear to-do list, particularly in improving his ballhandling skills and confidence.

Last year, he played more games than his rookie season but far fewer minutes. However his efficiency was much better, in large part due to a restored confidence in his shot. His percentages across the board went up by significant margins, and despite the fewer minutes, he scored almost the same amount of points.

Scoring is not an issue for Jimmer. Even in the NBA, he's been able to put the ball in the basket, although at a far less gaudy rate. But 18.4 points per 36 minutes isn't a bad rate, especially for a 23 year old sophomore. It's the rest of Jimmer's game that has been lacking. He wasn't much of a passer in college either, but there was hope that he could perhaps transform that part of his game so he could play the Point Guard position. So far, he's only had an assist rate of 15.4% for his career, which is good for a shooting guard, but not nearly enough for a Point Guard.

Defensively Jimmer has big problems. Although he tries hard, he simply doesn't possess the quickness or athleticism to stay in front of his man. MySynergySports rates him as the 401st best defender in the NBA, allowing 0.97 points per possession. Given that there are only 450 available positions in the NBA, that's terrible.

The opportunities for Jimmer to show that he deserves a rotation spot in the NBA keep dwindling as well. The Kings got rid of Tyreke Evans this summer but they added two point guards (Greivis Vasquez and Ray McCallum) and a shooting guard (Ben McLemore). Both Vasquez and McLemore look to be heavy rotation players, along with returning guards Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton.

New head coach Michael Malone has been fairly clear in his statements that he believes Jimmer Fredette is not a Point Guard, something both Paul Westphal and Keith Smart believed he could be. So how can Jimmer stand out from the rest of the bunch in order to get playing time?

For starters, Jimmer needs to continue to improve his ballhandling. He'll never be a Point Guard in the NBA, but he can be a shooting guard that can pass well. There have always been a lot of comparisons to J.J. Redick made by NBA pundits as to a possible career path for Jimmer. Jimmer's already a far better passer than Redick was when he first came into the league. But Redick managed to improve that part of his game to give him more versatility on the offensive end of the court. Jimmer can do the same.

By far the biggest thing that will help Jimmer is if Sacramento can develop a good team defensive scheme. Stephen Curry, who Malone coached last year in Golden State, is an atrocious defender. If we look at MySynergySports again, he's 380th in the league, allowing almost as many points per possession (0.95) as Jimmer. But Golden State's team defense was able to overcome that individual weakness.

Personally, I believe that Jimmer Fredette can still become a good rotational NBA player. Right now he's only good at shooting and scoring. Fortunately for him, those are two very important things to be good at in the NBA. I think the reason the Kings haven't been quick to trade him despite some interest around the league is because they believe that as well. He could potentially be a much cheaper and more efficient Marcus Thornton. Thornton isn't a particularly good defender either, and while he possesses a little bit more size and athleticism than Jimmer, they both score at a similar rate. Jimmer will also be on his rookie contract for both this season and the next, while Thornton is making $8+ million in each of the next two seasons.

Of course, a lot also depends on rookie Ben McLemore and how he develops. But there is definitely a place for Jimmer Fredette in the NBA. I'm just not sure he'll get the chance to prove it in Sacramento.

The Kings and News10 announced today that they will be renewing their television partnership for the 2013-14 season.  News10 will air 11 games including the home opener, which will be commercial-free so that fans watching from home can share in the at-the-arena experience.

From the press release:

"No one was more excited than we were about the decision to keep the Kings in Sacramento," News10 General Manager Maria Barrs said. "This is a pivotal year, and a commercial-free opening game is a great chance for fans to tune-in and rediscover why Kings basketball is so exciting and so important to this community."

"News10 has been a loyal and valuable partner for us, and we look forward to working with them again this year," said Sacramento Kings President Chris Granger. "We are excited to offer the home opener commercial-free, and give our wonderful fans a peek into the arena experience on what is certain to be a special night."

The complete list of games on News10 is as follows:

Day                  Date                Opponent                                Time

Wednesday       Oct. 30              Denver Nuggets                         7:00 p.m

Sunday              Dec. 1               Golden State Warriors                3:00 p.m

Friday               Dec. 27             Miami Heat                                7:00 p.m

Friday               Jan. 17              @ Memphis Grizzlies                  5:00 p.m

Friday               Jan. 24              Indiana Pacers                           7:00 p.m.

Sunday              Jan. 26              Denver Nuggets                         6:00 p.m.

Saturday           Feb. 1               @ San Antonio Spurs                  5:30 p.m.

Friday               Feb. 28             @ LA Lakers                              7:30 p.m.

Saturday           Mar. 15             @ Chicago Bulls                         5:00 p.m.

Friday               Mar. 28             @ Oklahoma City Thunder          5:00 p.m.

Saturday           Mar. 29             @ Dallas Mavericks                    5:30 p.m.

***

Comcast Sportsnet will carry 70 games and ESPN will carry the Nov. 15th game against the Detroit Pistons.  There is no word yet on whether or not the Kings will air any of the preseason games.

On Monday News10 announced it would carry 11 Sacramento Kings games this season, including the Oct. 30 opener against the Nuggets. Huzzah! Having a national affiliate exposes the team to more fans. News10's Bryan May also offered this cryptic tweet.

.@24wharf Are Grant and Jerry doing the games this year? Yes, with one more person added to the mix. Stay tuned...

— Bryan May (@BMayNews10) September 16, 2013

I caught a couple minutes of Grant's show, and he demurred on the topic, saying he's not in a position to announce it. And honestly, I have no clue who it might be. SO ...

A partial list of people who will definitely not be the third person in the Kings broadcast team:

* Chris Hansen.

* Chris Daniels.

* Spencer Hawes.

* Darren Rovell.

* This dope.

* Grant Napear's evil twin Brant Napear.

* Larry Bird.

* Phil Jackson.

* Andre Iguodala.

* Greg Oden.

* Geoff Petrie.

* Heather Fargo.

* Sandy Sheedy.

* Julian Camacho.

* Mac Worthy.

* Hassan Whiteside.

* Slamson.

* DeMarcus Cousins.

* Jimmer Fredette.

* Tim Tebow.

* Jerry Brown.

* Sutter Brown.

* Aunt Mildred.

* Gavin Maloof.

* Joe Maloof.

* Adrienne Maloof.

* George Maloof.

* Phil Maloof.

* Colleen Maloof.

* Basically any damn Maloof.

Your additions to this list and guesses as to whom it might actually be will be reviewed henceforth.

More from Sactown Royalty:

• Kings and News10 Announce Renewed Partnership for 11 Games of 2013-14 Season
• 30Q: Will the focus on defense come to fruition?
• 30Q: Can Jimmer Fredette become more than a shooter?
• 30Q: Will the Kings use the press?
• Arena Legislation Overwhelmingly Passes, Goes to Gov. Brown for Approval

So much for all of our guessing late Monday: The Bee's Ailene Voisin got it confirmed for Tuesday's paper that former Kings sideline reporter Kayte Christensen will rejoin the team in that role for the 2013-14 season.

In one of the Maloofs' more bizarre moves of anti-genius, the Kings let Christensen go after the 2009-10 season so that professional weirdo Jim Gray could work like a dozen games on the sidelines per year. So, hey, that's over!

Christensen is a former WNBA player who knows the game and, if I remember correctly, doesn't mince words. She was also adept at getting injury info, which is a key duty for a sideline reporter. (Which made it all the more unnerving that we had a part-time sideline reporter for the past couple years.)

Welcome back, Kayte!

(Please do not turn this thread into a gawking, photo-posting embarrassment. I know everyone gets a little gaga over good-looking ladies, but please remember that we also have many women posting at StR who are probably not comfortable with everyone else in the room expressing how much they love certain female physical attributes. And I'm pretty sure the object of affection isn't too keen on it either. In closing: please, for the love of Vlade, don't be that guy.)

More from Sactown Royalty:

• A list of people who will definitely not be the third person in the Kings broadcast team
• Kings and News10 Announce Renewed Partnership for 11 Games of 2013-14 Season
• 30Q: Will the focus on defense come to fruition?
• 30Q: Can Jimmer Fredette become more than a shooter?
• 30Q: Will the Kings use the press?

The Sacramento Kings opening game on October 30 against the Denver Nuggets will be aired without commercials by KXTV, reports The Sacramento Bee.

"We are excited to offer the home opener commercial-free," Kings president Chris Granger said in a statement, "and give our wonderful fans a peek into the arena experience of what is certain to be a special night."

The broadcast station partnered with the franchise and will air 11 Kings games through the season. It is unclear as to what the team will do with the additional air-time, but this will be the first Kings home game since the ownership change and Sacramento's successful campaign in keeping the franchise.

The new ownership of the Kings has repeatedly mentioned that enhancing the fan experience is a focus of the upcoming season and beyond. Andy Miller, one of the new Kings co-owners, spoke with Sactown Royalty last week and discussed what changes fans can expect. Changes ownership is looking to make range from a raised level of "respect and attention" to fans attending games at Sleep Train Arena to more fan involvement with social media.

More from SB Nation NBA:

• The Hook: How to encourage more competitive teams

• NBA roundup: Kobe update, Nets cleared on AK-47

• Russell Westbrook hits Fashion Week

• Knicks players fixed games in 80s, book claims

• Bogut "100 percent" healthy entering contract year

There's a chicken-egg paradox with DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings to date.

Cousins has not been professional as a professional. He's fought with a teammate, gotten into shouting matches with coaches and the trainer, been suspended by two different head coaches and the league, gotten into an argument with another team's broadcaster and been near the top of the league in technical fouls, almost always for arguing calls.

Cousins in 2010 came into a rudderless team, one of the saddest, most poorly-run franchises in all of sports. There was never any accountability: from the owners, from the GM, from his first head coach, from the team's best players. This was not really a professional team: it was a holding company for vodka salesmen. There were no leaders in leadership positions.

Has Cousins had such a rough start to his NBA career because of the lack of structure in Sacramento, or has Sacramento been in crisis in part because Cousins is so immature?

The good news is that it doesn't matter this season, because it seems like the Kings are re-entering the league. With new ownership, a new front office and a new coach, the pieces around Cousins have improved. There's structure. There's leadership. There's support. Now, they just need Boogie to come along. We'll quickly see if he can.

Well, we'll probably see if he can. There was a honeymoon period of sorts after Paul Westphal was fired in early 2012. So perhaps Cousins will be on his best behavior for a few months before reverting to the Cousins we know and love. It's worth noting, though, that Cousins is said to be in great shape and has spent time working out with Michael Malone and a few teammates, including Isaiah Thomas. Take it with whatever amount of salt you like, but he's coming in as if this is a new day. Let's hope that's sincere.

We're edging closer to the deadline for an extension -- end of October -- and we haven't heard a peep out of DMC or his agent about aggravation at the lack of a deal, which is as good a sign as we'll get. Whether that situation factors into Cousins's ... mood remains to be seen.

Regardless, this is the season that determines whether Boogie is going to be a tenable NBA professional or a walking blowtorch. And that will decide if he's staying or leaving. He can still be difficult and salty: he just needs to not get suspended multiple times a season for insubordination. He just needs to not make the locker room more miserable than it may be due to losses. He needs to have some small modicum of control over his temper to the point where he's not hurting his team through absence, technical foul shots or otherwise.

He can do that, or he can do what he's done for three years.

More from Sactown Royalty:

• 30Q: Can Jimmer Fredette become more than a shooter?
• 30Q: Will the Kings use the press?
• Arena Legislation Overwhelmingly Passes, Goes to Gov. Brown for Approval
• 30Q: Will Chuck Hayes see more playing time under Mike Malone?
• Kings sign DeQuan Jones to training camp deal, according to report

The Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings open the season against each other on Oct. 30th and the Kings will make the event special for their fans. Check out Ben Golliver's piece, from Sports Illustrated's Point Forward:

The Kings announced Monday their Oct. 30 regular season opener against the Nuggets, set for Sacramento's Sleep Train Arena, will be televised without commercials.

It's an unusual move, and one aimed at celebrating the return of the franchise after an attempted relocation to Seattle earlier this year. The game will be televised on Sacramento's "News10," with the broadcast being dubbed the "Long Live the Kings" opener. All that extra on-air time will be filled with shots, one would expect, of Kings fans enjoying a hard-fought and truly sweet victory.

The commercial free aspect of sporting events has been implemented in English Premier League soccer games, making them a great viewing experience for fans. And consider this, from a Wall Street Journal piece from 2010:

According to a Wall Street Journal study of four recent broadcasts, and similar estimates by researchers, the average amount of time the ball is in play on the field during an NFL game is about 11 minutes.

In other words, if you tally up everything that happens between the time the ball is snapped and the play is whistled dead by the officials, there's barely enough time to prepare a hard-boiled egg. In fact, the average telecast devotes 56% more time to showing replays.

So what do the networks do with the other 174 minutes in a typical broadcast? Not surprisingly, commercials take up about an hour.

Things are a little bit different in the NBA vs. the NFL. There isn't standing around while the play-clocks wind down. Well, at least the defense has a chance to make a play while the offense is trying to stall in basketball. In the NFL, teams can eat up the clock while the defense is unable to do anything but wait for the ball to be snapped.

But wouldn't it be sweet to see what is discussed during timeouts, rather than see what new car you should be buying or what new chips are on the market? That's not quite what Sacramento fans will be getting on Oct. 30th, but there will likely be some cool new wrinkles that will be put on display.

Could a game or rather an NBA season really withstand a commercial free existence? Would it add to the game? Only if things were sped up so that there were not "TV timeouts" and breaks. Games might be over a lot faster and going to games might not be such a long experience either. Might be more enjoyable that way. Get in, see the game, and go on your merry way.

With talk of advertising coming to NBA uniforms, could the commercial free era be on the way? Don't plan on it. NBA owners wouldn't be likely to do one or the other - not with money talking.

But for one night, the people of Sacramento will get a look into a world we NBA fans will never know.

Nate_Timmons on Twitter
ntimmons73@yahoo.com

Coach Nick delves through stats and video to pick apart the differences between Cavs star Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings. The findings may surprise you.

The final theme day of the offseason for the SB Nation NBA crew is an intriguing topic: if you could add one player from franchise history to the current team, who would it be? For the Kings, I limited it to the Sacramento era: I have trouble 'claiming' Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald, Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes. Once you do that, you're left with a choice.

Do you pick the best player from the past and add him to the mix, or do you look to augment the current team a different way?

Chris Webber is, in my opinion, the greatest Sacramento King. He doesn't seem like a great fit with DeMarcus Cousins, though I might be wrong about that. Mitch Richmond is a close No. 2 (and No. 1 for many). But we have Ben McLemore now, and Mitch already carried the Kings through one tough era. The team wasn't very good when he was the team's best player. Peja Stojakovic can certainly play small forward, but the Kings need defense as badly as they need shooting. And let's face it: with any one of those players in their primes, the team still wouldn't be much more than a contender for a low seed in the playoffs this year.

So I choose Vlade Divac.

He wasn't the best player in Sacramento history, but he was pretty darn good. More important, he was a unifier. I'm not the sentimental type, and I cringe at the word "intangibles." But remember how sour Webber was before he arrives in Sactown and hooked up with Vlade. Remember the rep Jason Williams had. I mean, this was a strange, strange cast of characters. And every single one of them credits Vlade with pulling the squad together and being a leader on the court and off.

Let's not forget that he was also a fine player. He was one of the league's better defensive centers in his prime, and he remains the greatest passing big man ever. (Sorry, Darko.) How good could Cousins be next to Vlade? Remember: Webber was knocking on the MVP's door for a couple seasons there. Webber deserves most of that credit -- he was an incomparable talent -- but Vlade gets some, too. Peja credits Vlade with his meteoric rise. Doug Christie, Mike Bibby, Geoff Petrie, Rick Adelman, Bobby Jackson: they all pointed to Vlade as a huge piece of what turned the Kings from a laughingstock into the envy of every fan base.

Webber, Rock, Peja or even Walt Williams might have gotten the Kings more wins next year. But adding Vlade to this mix would pay dividends for years to come. And so that's who I'd bring back.

More from Sactown Royalty:

• 30Q: Which path with DeMarcus Cousins take?
• Kayte Christensen returns to Kings broadcasts
• A list of people who will definitely not be the third person in the Kings broadcast team
• Kings and News10 Announce Renewed Partnership for 11 Games of 2013-14 Season
• 30Q: Will the focus on defense come to fruition?

The new regime of the Sacramento Kings made one significant free agent signing this offseason.  To the surprise of many, the Kings signed Carl Landry to a four-year, $26 million contract.  The move was surprising for multiple reasons.  The Kings already had a logjam at power forward, with Jason Thompson, Patrick Patterson, and Chuck Hayes under contract.

It was also somewhat surprising that Landry would want to return to Kings after his previous stint in Sacramento.  Landry was often misused, being asked to space the floor rather than operating at the rim where he was most effective.  Obviously Landry knew that there was a new regime in Sacramento, but the Kings weren't expected to be on Landry's radar.

Coming from Golden State, Landry leaves behind a situation where he came off the bench, had a defined role, and was being used appropriately.  The coaching staff knew how to set Landry up for success.  Landry averaged 10.8 points and 6 rebounds per game, almost exclusively as a bench contributor.  And he did so with a fantastic True Shooting percentage of .605.  So the question we now ponder is whether Landry can replicate that success.  I see no reason why he can't.

It seems a fair assumption that Landry came to Sacramento, at least in part, because he knows and trusts Michael Malone as a coach.  Malone and Landry are familiar with one another.  Malone witnessed firsthand how effective Landry was last season in Golden State.  There is no reason to believe that Malone will put Landry in a situation that doesn't utilize Landry's strengths.

The only roadblock to Landry's success is the logjam in Sacramento's front court.  How Malone balances the rotation of Landry, Thompson, Patterson and Hayes can impact Landry's success.  Unlike previous regimes, though, I believe Malone will identify defined roles for each player.  So the only thing holding back Landry in this regard is his play and the play of others.  He needs to earn his spot in the rotation.

Landry's numbers last season are strikingly similar to those of Jason Thompson and Patrick Patterson on a per game basis.  Landry was a far more efficient scorer, but the raw numbers are similar.  But on a per minute basis, Landry emerges.  Per 36 minutes, Landry averaged 16.8 points and 9.3 rebounds, easily the best of Sacramento's power forwards.  Landry played more minutes than Patterson last season, but fewer than Thompson.  Landry had a slightly higher usage rate at 20%, compared to 17.6% for Patterson and 18.2% for JT.

Landry's ability to excel in a bench role, combined with his efficiency, indicate no reason to be concerned about his ability to thrive in Sacramento.  He'll likely come off the bench, and seems likely to be paired with either Cousins or JT, as I imagine JT serving as reserve center regardless of whether he's in the starting line-up or not.

There are no indications of Landry having the issues he faced last time he was a King.  He's paired with a coach who knows how to use him, and a coach who will have clearly defined roles.  Landry has never been a player who struggled with understanding and accepting his role.  Landry may not have been the splash that some Kings fans wanted in free agency, but he's stepping into a situation to provide reliable depth.

I still wonder about the length of Landry's contact as he'll turn 30 tomorrow (Happy Birthday Top Hat!), but for the immediate future there's no reason to expect a drop off in Landry's production.