It is with sadness that I must impart this news on the Suns world.
The Phoenix Suns today announced that forward ChanningFrye will be sidelined indefinitely for medical reasons. Frye has developed a dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart. The condition was discovered during a screening echocardiogram conducted as part of a routine preseason physical by Suns team cardiologist Dr. TimByrne.
Frye will be followed closely by his team of medical specialists. He will not participate in basketball activities and will be re-evaluated in December.
"Nothing is more important to us than the health and well-being of our players," said Suns President of Basketball Operations LonBabby. "Channing and his family have the full support of our organization. His health is our primary concern and we are committed to helping him in any way he needs."
UPDATE, per Coro: Suns forward Channing Frye told azcentral sports that he will miss the 2012-13 season because of medical concerns.
"The good news is it is a virus so it does have a good chance of going away," Frye said. "My heart can be normal again."
Frye will not participate in any basketball activities and his progress will be re-evaluated in December. He said he would rest for six months, confining his activities to golf and yoga.
I was wondering what was up when Channing tweeted a cryptic message the other day. I guessed he'd had a setback on his shoulder recovery, but unfortunately for all us it's not that simple.
Chuck Hayes had a heart abnormality last year (to which the Kings responded with voiding his free agent contract because the contract was on the condition of passing a physical). Within weeks, he was cleared again to play and signed a new contract. It's quite possible that Frye will follow that same road. I myself was diagnosed with an abnormality last year. I did stress tests and came out with flying colors. But for a few days there, I was nervous. The Kings were nervous enough to void Hayes' contract.
The scary part is that an enlarged heart could be fatal. The Hawks' Jason Collier died in 2005 from what was called a "sudden rhythm disturbance caused by an abnormally enlarged heart."
You are in our thoughts and prayers, Channing. You may be a lot of peoples' punching bag, but you're OUR punching bag. We know what it's like to play without you, Channing, to the tune of missed playoffs the last two years after you went down injured.
Training Camp is set to begin in less that two weeks for the Kings and a couple of names of invitees have surfaced. Jason Jones reported that the Kings training camp roster would likely include 18 players, and hoped to have Summer League Standout Tony Mitchell among them. Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom confirmed Mitchell's addition to the training camp roster. According to Santiago, if Mitchell impresses, it could be trouble for Tyler Honeycutt, who sources have told Santiago does not have a guaranteed spot on the team.
Adrian Wojnarowski also reported today that the Kings have invited Free Agent Center Hamady N'Diaye to camp. N'Diaye was with the Wizards for the last two seasons but saw just 83 minutes of playing time. N'Diaye was a phenomenal shot blocker during college and the Kings only have four big men on the roster, so N'Diaye has a shot of making the team.
The other two invitees (if there are really going to be 18) are currently unknown. Former King Darnell Jackson is a good bet, as is Michael Lee, another Summer League standout like Mitchell. For those wondering about Terrence Williams, he accepted a camp invite from the Detroit Pistons, also reported by Wojnarowski.
In the very near future, SB Nation 2.0 will transition to SB Nation United. Those of you who were with us years ago remember the switch from SB Nation 1.0 (also known as Scoop) to 2.0. It was a big change, it was a jolt and ... it was an incredible improvement on every level. The shift to United will be the same: it will be a big change, it will be a jolt and it will be an incredible improvement on every level.
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This would seem to boost the chances for Hamady N'Diaye to make the Kings roster if he performs well in training camp. Keith Smart and Geoff Petrie could also opt to ride with the four big men with guaranteed contracts -- DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, Thomas Robinson and Chuck Hayes -- and use Travis Outlaw as a smallball power forward, if needed. That would help the chances of Tony Mitchell or another wing/guard looking to make the team.
The Kings have 14 players with guaranteed contracts (including Tyler Honeycutt, who is cheap enough to cut if he struggles). The maximum roster size is 15. Chances are that the Kings will roll with their guaranteed contracts unless someone truly stands out in camp.
I believe that we've asked this question every year we've done 30Q. Two years ago, it almost happened. This year, uh, yeah. I think it might finally come to pass. If you missed Friday's arena/Maloofian drama, check the FanShot from CLopez63: Carmichael Dave reports that Carl's Jr. has ended its longtime sponsorship, Sleep Train ended its bid for the arena naming rights and may pull out as a sponsor completely, Thunder Valley is apparently on its way out, Sutter Health is toast and VSP may follow and the alcohol companies are nervous about the Maloofs' intent to focus attention on their boutique vodka and may pull out sponsorships. The reason Sleep Train pulled out of naming rights bidding: the Maloofs wouldn't guarantee they'd be here more than one more season.
With that in mind, let's see how the group feels about the question this year.
What happens when the NBA Draft has to spend a second consecutive year at the Prudential Center in Newark due to renovation of Madison Square Garden? A Groupon for $11 tickets to the draft happens. (Via Rovell.) The Maloof family, unaware they can attend for free, are all over this.
Anyone who knows anything about Thomas Robinson knows how ready he is to be an NBA player. He's carried himself like a professional for some time now and he'll finally get his opportunity to be one with the Sacramento Kings, who selected him with No. 5 overall pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft.
So, it's hard to get upset about taking Thomas Robinson. He's as NBA-ready as anyone in the draft, he's tough, and next to DeMarcus Cousins he gives the Kings a frontline that they can count on for the next decade or so. But Harrison Barnes would have more sense--you can find lots of blue collar power forwards, but it's harder to find a third option as talented as Barnes. He's not good enough to be a superstar on his own, but wedged between Tyreke and DMC, Barnes would have been perfect. Still, Robinson's a solid building block for Sacramento, and even if the Maloofs got cheap and sold a second round pick that could have been Kim English or Quincy Miller (either of whom might have been a solution at the 2/3) ... remember last year? When Sacramento engineered that completely indefensible trade to draft Jimmer in the lottery? Things could be a lot worse than drafting a forward you can pencil into the starting lineup for the next 10 years.
NBA editor and Kings' fan Tom Ziller:
Seeing Robinson drop into their laps because of the Dion Waiters Experience was something like magic for the Kings. It wasn't quite DeMarcus Cousins in 2010 magic, but it could end up that way if ThRob hits all of his potential. It was a smart, solid pick by Geoff Petrie, who could have opted to stretch his legs out and fill the small forward hole with Harrison Barnes. Instead, he took the more inspiring, tough player, one who will make a nasty little tandem with DeMarcus Cousins.
Then the Kings did what the Kings do: they sold a valuable high second-round pick for cash. As I wrote last night, you only sell good second-round picks if you're at roster capacity (the Kings aren't) or bumping up against the luxury tax (not remotely close). Second-round picks don't require guaranteed contracts and don't carry cap holds. It's ridiculous for a bad, cheap team to sell the No. 36 pick when plenty of promising prospects were available. The Kings should know better, having picked up Isaiah Thomas (an All-Rookie team honoree) at No. 60 last year. For a team that needs everything to go right to compete, you can't start cutting off your own limbs for firewood.
The Sacramento Kings appear to have struck gold once again at the NBA Draft, this time landing Kansas forward Thomas Robinson with the No. 5 pick in the first round. Just about everyone had Robinson going No. 2 overall in their mock drafts to the Charlotte Bobcats, but they elected to go elsewhere than the nation's most productive big man last season.
On Saturday afternoon, T-Rob will meet with the media and the fans. Where should you go to see the newest King?
You can see Robinson, head coach Keith Smart, and a few of the other players at the Arden Fair Mall at 3 p.m. You'll also find the Kings Dance Team and Breakers Team providing entertainment, as well. The team will set everything up in the plaza in front of Nordstrom, so get ready to battle old ladies for parking spots.
As for jersey sales, Robinson will wear No. 0, just like he did in college. Those uniforms are not yet available for sale, but they will be beginning this week.
So DeMarcus Cousins and Jerry Colangelo ended up having a verbal tiff after the USA Basketball camp. Cousins is on the Select team working out with USA Basketball, and although he made a go at trying to make the team, it was clear the depth was too great to get on the team this time around.
"He's got a long way to go, in terms of his game, but this is great experience for him," Colangelo told News10 on Friday. "Some people were pushing for him - if he really had a chance to make this team, and if you saw today, that would have been a little bit of a stretch."
Cousins had this counter.
"I asked him how I was being immature," Cousins said, after an afternoon practice session with Team USA. "He never really gave me an answer. He just said it was his opinion. I told him I'm just trying to come out and play hard."
I'm not sure how much thought Colangelo put into his comments. There was little chance Cousins was going to make the team anyway, so he was probably just feeding into prior conceptions of Cousins as an immature player who needs to continue developing. It does seem a bit arrogant and off-putting, particularly if Cousins claims that he never addressed those concerns. That sort of issue should stay in-house.
Does Cousins need to continue to develop? Yes. But so does everyone else, including some of the players past and present on Team USA. Every basketball player needs to learn, adapt, grow, develop and evolve. That's the nature of the game. There's no reason to keep on singling out Cousins because he's the popular punching bag of the NBA as long as he continues to show upward progress, which it seems he's showing plenty of this offseason.
I expect better out of the director of United States men's basketball. Talk about Cousins and Colangelo with Kings fans at Sactown Royalty.
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Team USA Is looking to bring home another gold medal at the 2012 Olympics next month. While expectations remain high, the team and coaching staff have already had to deal with multiple injury issues.
Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh were both replaced on the team due to their respective issues, and now Blake Griffin will not play after tweaking his surgically repaired knee from two years ago. Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins was once in the running to make the squad, but he was not named to the original roster.
Even with Cousins reportedly being the best player on the floor at Team USA practices this week, it looks like he'll be passed over again for Griffin's spot by an 18-year-old rookie.
My sources have told me that, while the executives went with Davis, the former Kentucky standout, the Kings' DeMarcus Cousins was discussed as a replacement. Cousins had a shaky first day here while playing with the Select Team, was earned great reviews for his play and comportment thereafter. One USAB type told me he was the best player on the floor during Tuesday's scrimmages.
For a team that has already lost a ton of talent, why would you not take the best player available?
For more on the Kings and Cousins, be sure to check out Sactown Royalty.
These awards, of course, are never official. But they do create a sense of where players stood in terms of their performance at the Las Vegas Summer League. You'll have players come out of nowhere with breakout performances and you'll get a chance to see some heralded rookies up close for the first time.
Robinson shot just 34.4 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from the free throw line while coughing up the ball to the tune of 4.8 turnovers per game.
Robinson made a lot of claims that due to his college production, he should have been the first pick in the draft. Only way to rectify his ‘falling' to the Kings at no. 4 is to outplay his draft position.
This isn't a good start.
For more on the Kings and their offseason plans, check out Sactown Royalty.
Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins learned about the Dwight Howard to the Lakers trade on Thursday night, he processed it, and he responded the only way he knows how: by trolling hard.
Check out what Boogie posted on Instagram as the news of the trade leaked out, via Greg Wissinger:
Uh huh. He used one on this photo, but clearly Cousins has #nofilter.
Although the 2012-2013 NBA season still seems a long way's off, the folks in Vegas have been busy putting together their odds for the season. If you are a Cleveland Cavaliers fan hoping to see some hope from oddsmakers, don't get your hopes up.
You can check out the odds for them and the rest of the NBA after the jump.
The Heat and Lakers have identical odds of winning the NBA championship in 2012-13, according to the Vegas Insider projections. It's clear what the Lakers have been able to do this offseason, by signing-and-trading for Steve Nash before trading for Dwight Howard without giving up Pau Gasol, is being felt around the league.
Vegas Insider says both the Heat and Lakers have 11/5 odds to win. The young Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls are right behind them, while the Spurs round out the top five. It looks like Vegas is thinking along the lines of fans and experts alike -- that LA put itself in a position to return to the Finals for the first time in three years, while the Heat are on pace to get there for the third straight year. The odds are below the jump.
Fredette is only 23 years old, but his future doesn't look promising, particularly in Sacramento.
With the emergence of Isaiah Thomas as the starting point guard and ball-dominant players like DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans, there isn't room for Fredette outside of a spot-up jump shooter and he wasn't able to accomplish that during his rookie campaign.
Known as a dead-eye shooter, Fredette shot 36.1% from three and 38.6% overall from the field. Fredette will have to drastically change those numbers if he wants to establish himself as a viable guard off the bench both for the Kings and in the league.
The lure of his magical college run is officially over.
For more on Fredette and the Kings, check out Sactown Royalty.
So SB Nation's blogs have been having a mock draft. You can find all of the info at Ridiculous Upside here. We were more likely to wheel and deal than actual NBA GMs and wheel and deal we did. Here's how it all went down.
Last season the Utah Jazz started three guys on the wrong side of 30 at point guard during any random part of the season. The most complete player was the oldest. The best defender was coming off an injury. And the youngest was the one who has the least ‘point guard-y' game of the trio. The madness must stop in a Western Conference stocked with talented point guards who love to run the pick and roll. The Jazz need to correct all of the point guard fail, and will attempt to do so in short order by drafting Schroeder. While he's young and turnover prone, he's injury free and fearless. His shot needs work, but admits with pride that his calling card is defense. It's easy to see why, he has a 6'7.75 wingspan and will get his hands on more balls than a urologist. The Jazz don't need a me-first point guard on the team, they need a PG who can spoon feed our young bigmen and know how to play defense. Out of all that point guards in this draft no one does those two things better than Dennis. Meeting him at the NBA Draft Combine I immediately hated this guy. (A German guy who doesn't listen to Techno music?) However, the entire Jazz roster is filled with pussycats. Maybe it's time we got someone with a little attitude back on the court.
The Jazz currently field Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. They are the future towers that the team will build around, and their exploits are apparent. Favors routinely emasculates other big men by blocking their shots or dunking on them; while Kanter is a throwback bruiser who has already had a 20/20 game by the tender age of 20. They both rebound and play defense. But neither have that stretch ability that all good big men of this era need to have. That's where Kelly Olynyk comes in.
He is a stretch big who shot 33.3 3pt% over his three year collegiate career. At the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago he was one of the few bigmen to participate in the Pick and Pop, and Spot up around the world from three drills. He surprised me by actually being a way better shooter from deep (NBA three point range) than I had anticipated. I guess this is a product of working on his game for three years in college.
Olynyk is actually older than both Favors and Kanter, which is a plus, and finished his last NCAA season with a robust line of 18 / 7 / 2 / 1 / 1. He's more than just a jump shooter, and it's obvious that Utah needs some more polished younger guys on their roster. But probably the best thing about Kelly is that he's not going to challenge Favors and Kanter for the lion's share of the minutes in the frontcourt. It (Mehmet) Okurs to me that he could be a solid third big on an up and coming team.
Steven Adams is a steal at #26 and needed to be picked up. He's a 19 year old 7 footer, his agent is Arn Tellen, and the super raw young man has only been playing basketball for a handful of years. As a result, he hasn't learned any bad habits yet. He's primed to get better and with the right coaching could be a rotation player in this league for a very long time. As a Freshman he averaged 2.0 bpg in less than 24 mpg. That's not too shabby for a guy who doesn't know how to play yet. While he's young and inexperienced he has an NBA ready body at 255 pounds, and NBA ready athleticism for a 7 footer with a 33.0 Maximum Vertical , 6.7% body fat, and a 3.40 second sprint time. Adams could be a bubble lotto pick who fell down to the bottom of the first. This is a no brainer. And that's fine, because Karl Malone was hired on to work with the bigmen. Adding Adams to Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Kelly Olynyk - and brains aren't his specialty. Brawn is.
Jeremy Evans was a troublemaker in Utah, with his consistently poor work habits, penchant for arriving to practice and flights late, and his better left unstated "$5,000 a day Faberge egg" habit. It was the last straw when instead of working on his game in the off-season he took off with two UtahJazz.com employees to go on a road trip - more like a vision quest - to remote locations of the American South West. Okay, only the last part is true, and he's doing charity work right now to underserved communities. He's a great guy, but not a very useful basketball player. He has been in the league three seasons and has not yet developed the skills needed to be a power forward, or transition to a small forward. No ball handling skills. No jumper. No post moves. Did not gain any weight. He is really good a jumping though. J.J. Barea is a little pricey right now, but last season Mo Williams and Randy Foye cost the Jazz $11 million alone. He does what they do, but at less than half the cost. Jub Jub also brings championship experience to the lottery Jazz. Utah takes on some salary here, but they also get a late 1st round pick.
Furthermore, the draft ended before we could sign off on a deal we are working with the Oklahoma City Thunder that could only happen after July 1st (or 15th, I'm not a cap expert). It would be: Al Jefferson, J.J. Barea, and Steven Adams (2013 #26) for Kendrick Perkins, Cody Zeller (the 2013 #12), the 2013 #32. We did not do a second round, but I would have for sure picked the BPA shooting guard there (Ricky Ledo or Tim Hardaway Jr.). Hopefully if he lasted that long I would have also picked up Myck Kabongo with our #46, or traded up for him with the #46 and cash.
Everyone of the contributors at SLC Dunk gave their input for this exercise and it was a team selection each time. I'm happy with what we were able to accomplish.
The Kings have announced that UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad will return to Sacramento for a second workout on Saturday. Muhammad will take part in his second competitive workout for the team, this time appearing with Detroit's Doug Anderson, JMU's A.J. Davis, Sac State's John Dickson, Georgia Tech's Mfon Udofia and CSU Fullerton's Kwame Vaughn. (Those guys are all likely to go undrafted.)
Muhammad worked out for the Kings before the team hired Pete D'Alessandro as general manager. Coach Michael Malone was in place for and ran that workout. Reports at the time suggested the workout went well; this return could be a chance for D'Alessandro and assistant GM Mike Bratz to see first-hand what Malone might be saying about the wing.
Regardless, the double workout indicates that at this point, Muhammad is definitely in play with the No. 7 pick.
About a months worth of voting has resulted in this, your 2013 Sactown Royalty Community Draft Board:
1. Nerlens Noel
2. Otto Porter
3. Ben McLemore
4. Victor Oladipo
5. Trey Burke
6. Michael Carter-Williams
7. Anthony Bennett
8. Alex Len
9. Cody Zeller
10. Dennis Schroeder
11. C.J. McCollum
12. Gorgui Dieng
13. Shabazz Muhammad
14. Sergey Karasev
15. Rudy Gobert
16. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
17. Jamaal Franklin
18. Steven Adams
19. Giannis Adetokunbo
20. Tim Hardaway, Jr.
21. Tony Snell
22. Kelly Olynyk
Tony Mitchell, Mike Muscala and Shane Larkin also received significant percentages of the vote in the final poll.
It's interesting to see the poll play out over the course of the month because opinions on players change during that month as they work out for teams and as more scouting reports are released. I know that a month ago, Tony Snell probably wouldn't have made this board, but with the Kings showing more interest he had a late surge.
Let us know what you think of the board in the comments below. Are there players that you voted for early on that you probably wouldn't have voted at the same spot again? Are there players you would have voted higher with the information you know now?
New general manager Pete D'Alessandro said Saturday that while he doesn't yet know what position Abdur-Rahim will fill, he does plan to keep him. He indicated he would have looked at hiring 'Reef had Pete D. gotten the Nuggets GM job. The Bee also reports that former player George McCloud will be a scout for the Kings.
Abdur-Rahim played a couple of seasons for the Kings before taking a medical retirement and joining the coaching staff. He and Bobby Jackson eventually switched places, with Jackson becoming an assistant coach and 'Reef joining the front office. Jackson will also remain with the team, though not as a coach.
