The Kings embraced a game plan that saw them constantly attacking the basket and playing physical and they were rewarded for it with their second win in a row. However they almost gave away the game in the final quarter by going away from that game plan.

How many times in the past decade have we lamented when another team gets all the calls, when another team won't stop shooting free throws? I can think of several occasions from this season alone.

Last night was different. Last night the Kings chose to set the tone early by attacking early and often and not letting up. Toronto has become a good defensive team since the Rudy Gay trade, but they don't exactly have an interior presence. Malone knew that, and so Malone had the Kings going inside constantly.

The Kings as a team won this game because of it. Yes, there was a late Raptors flurry at the end (we'll get to that) but it was their aggressiveness through three quarters that won the game. Toronto ended up making four more field goals and six more threes and still lost by 8. Why? Because the Kings did two things: take care of the ball and get to the line. Sacramento had just 10 turnovers and a whopping 51 free throw attempts. That's only happened 12 times in the Sacramento-era, with the last time being a 2009 overtime game against the Warriors that saw both teams break the 140 point mark (somewhat surprisingly the Kings lost 7 of those 12 games).

There wasn't one King that really shot the ball well. Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas all struggled with their shots, particularly from outside. But because they were aggressive in both getting inside and seeking contact, they got to the line. Those three alone combined for 41 of Sacramento's free throw attempts. 15 of Thomas' 23 points came at the line.

All those free throws meant a lot of fouls on the Raptors as well. Hayes, Vasquez and Lowry all fouled out and Valanciunas had 5 in just 21 minutes.

Sacramento's aggressiveness (and another solid defensive effort) helped them get out to a 20 point lead through three quarters. So how come they only won by 8 and almost let the Raptors cut it to 2? Well, they went away from the game plan.

Starting a few minutes in, just after Cousins made a couple free throws to push the lead to 22, the Raptors went on a 19-2 run on the back of Steve Novak. Novak scored 11 of the Raptors next 19 points, including three triples. The Kings offense, which had gone small (they were running a three guard lineup with Isaiah, Jimmer and Ben with Rudy at PF) sputtered as they reverted to a perimeter game that hadn't really been there all game. Toronto made them pay by getting out quickly and knocking down their shots.

In my personal opinion, Coach Malone made a mistake here by sticking with the small lineup. The Raptors were clearly playing better against it, and Steve Novak in particular was a killer. Toronto had just one big man on the floor in Valanciunas. This is where I would have liked to see Malone send in Jason Thompson to play PF next to Cousins and have the Kings take advantage of the mismatch on the other end. Jason's got a good post-game, and the only thing Novak can do is hit threes. Defending big men (or really anyone) is not part of his repertoire.

It got kind of scary with 25 seconds left when Kyle Lowry drilled a three and a whistle was called. Everyone around me in the arena got flashbacks to Paul George a couple weeks ago, thinking Ben fouled Lowry. However, the refs called Lowry for an offensive foul for kicking his legs out and the basket was discontinued. This was a call that I think the Kings were fortunate to get but get it they did. The play also resulted in Lowry's ejection due to six fouls and a second technical just to be sure.

Sacramento held on to win after the Raptors were forced to play the free throw game. It was yet another example of the Kings being unable to close games out, but they had played well enough through the first three quarters that it didn't come back and bite them in the ass this time. As Malone said afterward, this team still needs to learn how to play 48 minutes of good basketball. Not 42, not 45, but 48.

Random Observations:

• I got to sit in Sign Lady's seat yesterday since she unfortunately was not able to be there (#LoveForSignLady). It was the closest I've ever sat to the court at an NBA game and the view from there is incredible. You see all sorts of stuff you either don't notice on television or from higher up. For instance, there was one play where the Kings messed up on offense but got bailed out on a whistle. Malone saw it and as the guys prepped for their free throws, he went over to his bench and started explaining what should have happened in that scenario and how to do it right. I asked Mr. Sign Lady if the other Kings coaches of the past years had done this, and he says they had, but Malone has done it more often than the rest.
• I really hope Marcus Thornton is ok. I was sitting right by where he fell, and it hurt me when I saw him fall. He was playing pretty well too, one of his first games where he was actually doing well as a complementary piece within the offense.
• Jason Thompson deserves a lot of credit for helping us get out to that early lead. He was a beast on the boards, especially the offensive glass (he and Cousins combined for 11 offensive rebounds) and I thought he should have played more.
• Derrick Williams was out with a "foot strain". That injury is just a little coincidental, don't you think?
• A lot of camaraderie between the old Raps and old Kings last night. When Chuck Hayes entered the game, DeMarcus started laughing and joking with him like "You're gonna guard me? Really?". At another point in the game with DeRozan at the line after a questionable whistle, Aaron Gray stood up and went "Hey DeMar! DeMar! You know you traveled man, don't even lie." while making the traveling motion. Vasquez and Malone were joking with each other between free throws too. It was fun to see.
• Mike Malone had one of the quotes of the year in the post-game presser: "If I knew Patrick was going to shoot like he has been with that mask on, I would have broken his nose two months ago"

Can the Kings take care of business on this upcoming road trip?

How well will the Kings fare on their upcoming 4-game road trip?

The Sacramento Kings are coming off two solid wins. The Kings decimated the Chicago Bulls on Monday, and followed that up with a victory over the Toronto Raptors. The Bulls game was never in doubt, whereas the Kings squandered a 20 point lead and barely held on against Toronto. Nonetheless, Toronto is a much better team than the Bulls.

As the Kings prepare to embark on a 4-game road trip to the East Coast, where should we set our expectations? With upcoming games against the Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks, what can we realistically expect?

The Kings haven't played as well on the road as at home, but I still could see 2 or 3 wins on this trip. Boston is tough to call. The Kings could win, but Boston is certainly still capable of putting up some solid games every now and then.

I would expect a loss to the Wizards, as Washington has played quite well lately. They went into Phoenix and beat the Suns, went into Oakland and beat the Warriors. Beat the Thunder, beat the Trailblazers, took the Spurs to double overtime. The Wizards are not to be trifled with.

The Cavaliers are an outright disaster. I'm afraid of this game simply because of the Kings' tendency to play to the level of their opponent. It's a game the Kings should win.

The Knicks are another coin flip in my book. I could easily see the Kings winning, but the Knicks are still capable of randomly looking competent.

But I put it to you. What are your expectations? How many games will the Kings win on this East Coast swing? Vote in the poll and discuss below.

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Jared Sullinger and Gerald Wallace push the Celtics past DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas, as Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley sat out tonight's game.

In a tight and pretty exciting game, the Celtics managed to grind out the win.

Let's just dub the first quarter "Cousins vs Sully at the Garden". The Celtics started looking for Jared early, and him and Cousins kind of took turns hitting and missing both drives and a couple of spot up shots. Overall however, the Kings managed to keep the Celtics behind them, mainly because the Celtics missed a bunch of tough shots. The C's turned it over a fair bit too, but luckily the Kings didn't really manage to convert more than a couple into actual points.

Two freethrow's by Kelly O'Lynyk prevented a ten-point deficit at the end of the half, 21-29.

The second quarter started with the Kings playing fairly poorly and the Celtics capitalising, managing a small lead off of some good offensive plays by O'Lynyk combined with some decent defence. There was a small 10-0 run, which was nice. The second quarter also brought a nice (and slightly short) stretch of basketball where Pressey and Thomas were going at eachother.

A nice detail, our bench outscored theirs 20 to 2 in this half. Though a bit messy, the Celtics managed to end the quarter quite strong, going into half-time at a score of 49-46, scoring 28 to the King's 17.

The second half starts of with some bad defense on the Celtic side and some 4 easy points, but a quick time-out call by Brad Stevens put a stop this, as the Celtics proceeded to score 10 straight points off some strong play by Sullinger. Some inspired play in this quarter by Isaiah Thomas kept the Kings in the game, but Bayless countered with some impressive shooting (5 of 5 up to this point) and the quarter ends with the Celtics up 71-69.

The fourth quarter turned nasty with some pretty questionable reffing, resulting in a squable between Isaiah Thomas and a knocked-down Jerryd Bayless, and later a technical foul on a talkative Gerald Wallace.

The story of the quarter is a one-two punch between great play by Wallace and a great outing by Sullinger, as they use the questionable calls to fuel their play. A 15-0 run pretty much got the Celtics in the clear, going up by as many as 18 points, and taking the game by 10 points.

99 - 89, Celtics.

Some notes:

- It didn't come out in the report above, but Gerald Wallace had a ridiculously good game. In 40 minutes he had 12 rebounds, 9 assists and 8 points, some of which came in key stretches.

- Jared Sullinger was stellar, grabbing 16 rebounds and scoring 31 points on 14-24 shooting.

- DeMarcus Cousins managed 16 rebounds, and 31 points as well, but somehow ended up with a +7 plus-minus score where Sully had the +17. Funny how that's also the difference in the one stat that matters.

- Bayless ended with 19 points and 4 assists, shooting 4-5 from three-point land.

- O'Lynyk did his work on the boards with 9 rebounds, chipping in 11 points and a respectable 5 assists.

- Jeff Green managed 17 points as well, mainly from his drives to the basket, as he hit just 2-8 from three.

- Isaiah Thomas was a manace with 24 points and 6 assists.

DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas are all having great seasons, but when one of them doesn't play or underwhelms, the Kings suffer with nobody else able to perform on a consistent basis.

Since the Rudy Gay trade, a lot of attention has been given to Sacramento's "Big Three" of DeMarcus Cousins, Gay and Isaiah Thomas. Together, they form the only trio in the NBA to each average at least 20 points each, and when all three are healthy on the court together, the Kings have performed well (11-11 in those games).

It's when one or more of those guys are absent or underperform that Sacramento really has trouble. Last night was just the latest example as Rudy Gay missed the game with the flu. DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas were the only ones able to generate any real offense of the Kings, scoring 55 of Sacramento's 89 points (almost 62% of Sacramento's total output) on a combined 21 of 42 shooting. The rest of the team however scored just 34 points on 10 of 45 shooting (22.2%).

It's amazing just how quickly it all goes to hell too. Even without Gay, the Kings were still better with Cousins (+7) and Thomas (+3) on the floor than the Celtics, but during two small stretches where they left the floor at the start of the 2nd and 4th quarters, Boston went wild and the Kings couldn't get a score or a stop. Those stretches, encompassing just about 8 total minutes, were all it took for Boston to win the game. Sacramento's bench ended up being outscored 37 to 12. Hell, rookie Kelly Olynyk had more points (19), rebounds (9) and assists (5) in 26 minutes off Boston's bench than Sacramento's entire bench.

Aside from Cousins, Gay and Thomas, the Kings don't have anyone that performs consistently. The Kings hoped Derrick Williams could be such a guy when they acquired him, but so far he's either hit or miss. The same with Carl Landry, but he's missed most of the year and is clearly a ways away from being his old self. Marcus Thornton hasn't really figured out how to contribute unless he's featured heavily in the offense. Jimmer Fredette looks amazing at some points, and completely out of his element at others. Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum are both rookies that need a lot of development yet. Travis Outlaw is Travis Outlaw.

Quincy Acy and Jason Thompson have probably been the most consistent performers of the rest of the crew, but their games are best suited as complements.

One thing to remember though is that the reason the Kings have no real depth is that they gave it up in order to acquire Gay. Patterson, Vasquez, Hayes and even Salmons are all good rotation players in their own right. If the Kings had those guys AND Rudy Gay, this would look like a really solid squad. But we don't, because that was the cost of getting Gay. As such, when Gay is out, the Kings have an even weaker roster than they did before the trade. That helps explain why Sacramento has gone just 1-6 in the seven games since the trade Rudy has been out (that includes the Houston game where he got injured) and why the only Kings players with a positive +/- per 100 possessions are the starters: Isaiah Thomas (+7.5), Marcus Thornton (+6.4), Rudy Gay (+7.5), Jason Thompson (+5.4) and DeMarcus Cousins (+5.8).

The good news is that this is a temporary problem. Depth can be acquired in a few ways, while acquiring stars like Gay is much more difficult. The trade deadline is in a couple weeks and I expect we'll see a few moves from Sacramento's end here. We know we need another ballhandler, we know we need better defenders, but we also need guys who can hit open shots on a consistent basis.

Rebuilding takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. Right now the Kings have three players they can count on any given night, and they've proven that with those three guys, they can play with anyone. Now it's time to build around them and make our "Big Three" more than just an "Only Three".

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It's a clash of capital city juggernauts in this one as the Kings head into D.C. to take on John Wall and the Wizards.

The Kings lost the first game of their road trip and look to bounce back tonight against the Washington Wizards (3:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK 1140). The Kings were without Rudy Gay and Marcus Thornton in their first game of the trip, and could be without both again. The Wizards are a tougher opponent this year than most as they seek to make their first real playoff push in years.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Isaiah Thomas vs. John Wall

John Wall has become a bonafide star as he's helped lead this Wizards team to a near .500 record and will probably push them to the playoffs this year. With him on the court, the Wizards are an obscene +15.1 points per 100 possessions. That's more than double the impact of any one player on the Kings (Isaiah and Rudy are tied at +7.5). Wall is an extremely tough matchup for Isaiah, as he's taller & more athletic. Isaiah will need help from his teammates to prevent Wall from getting to the rim at will.

3 THINGS

1. As we talked about extensively after last game, the Kings need their supporting cast to show up. DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas can't do it alone, especially if Rudy Gay is absent once more. The Wizards are better than the Celtics, so if it's a repeat of Friday's effort, this game will be over by halftime.

2. The Wizards actually have some quality big man depth, even when you look past their veteran frontline of Marcin Gortat and Nene. Kevin Seraphin is a solid player in his own right. DeMarcus has experience against Gortat, as well as the two having beef (is it beef week in Sacramento?). I still expect Cousins to do well, but he'll have to work for it, and he won't be able to take plays off on the other end either.

3. In just his second year, Bradley Beal is proving to be a stud. He's averaging 16.6 points while shooting above 41% from downtown. He's also a decent passer in his own right. Together, Beal and Wall make one of the more formidable backcourts in the NBA, and given their youth, they'll be that way for a long time.

PRE-GAME HAIKU

John Wall and Boogie,
formerly they were teammates.
Now they must battle.

PREDICTION

Kings 105, Wizards 95 as President Obama arrives to the game to meet his favorite former Bull, Aaron Gray. Gray is so inspired he has a whole double-double and everything.

Link to The Leaderboard

Below are a series of prediction questions for tonight's game. The first four questions will be asked every game, while the 5th will change each game.

Point value for predictions are listed next to the questions. If you believe that more than one player will lead a category, you can vote for multiple players, and this is worth double points if you are correct, but zero if you are wrong. Alternately, if you only guess one player when multiple players are tied, you get zero points.

All submissions must be input before tip-off. Any submissions after tip-off will not count. You are allowed only one submission and may not change unless specifically stated.

Questions:

1. Who do you think will win the game, and what will the final score be? (1 point for guessing winner. 2 points for guessing winner and correct score of one team. 5 points for guessing winner and exact score)

2. Who will be the game's leading scorer? (1 point for guessing scorer, 2 points for guessing exact points scored)

3. Who will be the game's leading rebounder? (1 point for guessing rebounder, 2 points for guessing exact rebounds)

4. Who will be the game's leading assist man? (1 point for guessing assist man, 2 points for guessing exact assists)

5. Predict the combined Points, Rebounds and Assists for DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall (1 point for one right, 3 points for two right, 5 points for all right.)

Jesse chats with Andrew Schlecht of Down to Dunk, an Oklahoma City Thunder podcast, on the success of the former Pitt student from New Zealand and the success of Panthers in the NBA.

It's like that kid that you watch grow up, and then hear about his success years later.

Well, sort of.

For one, I have no idea what this is actually like because I'm still in college and don't have any kids to meet the friends of. On the other hand, we only saw one year of Steven Adams, and he wasn't exactly what your Grandpa Dick Vitale would refer to as a diaper dandy. But twelve picks later in the NBA Draft, a soul in Oklahoma City saw true potential in the 7-footer from Rotorua, New Zealand, and by no means has the former Panther disappointed.

Steven Adams. DeJuan Blair. Aaron Gray (aka John Krasinski). Sam Young. These names represent the most recent success by Pitt students in the Association. But how well are they actually doing?

I had the chance to talk to Andrew Schlect of Down to Dunk, an Oklahoma City Thunder Podcast, about all of this. From Steven to flopping, we breakdown the University of Pittsburgh's current role in the NBA.

Check it out, and predict the future in the poll below.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the host Jesse Irwin @JesseIrwin_as well as Andrew Schlecht @DTDPodcast

The Washington Wizards look to get back to .500 as they host the Sacramento Kings. Here's what you need to know.

The Washington Wizards are below .500 again, having lost two in a row since defeating the Portland Trailblazers last week. Tonight should offer them as good a chance at getting back on track as they could hope for, as the struggling Sacramento Kings come to town.

Where and when? Tip off is at six p.m. at the Verizon Center.

Are they good? That's totally relative. Sacramento is 17-33 with the point differential of a 21-29 game. They had a little bit of success after trading for Rudy Gay, fell into a rut and lost seven in a row, and have won two of their last three. They have a good if not quite elite offense that is built around the shot creating abilities of Demarcus Cousins, Gay and Isaiah Thomas, and that's rarely good enough to off-set an awful defense. Sacramento would probably be a fringe playoff contender in the East, roughly in the same position as Detroit or Charlotte. Unfortunately for Kings fans, the West is kind of sort just a little bit stacked so their season was basically over a month ago.

Who's out? Al Harrington should be out tonight, although he's expected to return in the next few weeks. Marcus Thornton and Rudy Gay are questionable for Sacramento.

What are they good at? Creating shots. Gay, Cousins and Thomas are all excellent shot creators, fully capable of going off for 30+ points on any given night and scoring from anywhere on the floor. Cousins has become one of the most dominant scoring big men in the NBA and looks like he's finally starting to live up to his All-NBA talent. Gay, despite his reputation as a wildly inaccurate volume shooter, has made 53% of his field goal attempts since coming to Sacramento. Thomas is averaging 20 and 6 assists in 34 minutes a night. The talent is definitely there for this team to put up a ton of points, and this team could become downright scary if they could find a way to surround these three with long three and d specialists who move the ball.

What are they bad at? Protecting the rim. Sacramento is allowing their opponents to make 63% of their shots from five feet or less from the basket, the second worst clip in the NBA per NBA.com/stats. Cousins, largely due to a lack of effort, isn't much of a rim protector, although he's looked better this year. The only other rotation player over 6'10, Jason Thompson, also isn't a particularly strong defender, and the team usually goes small with one of their small forwards at the four which only makes the lack of rim protection more obvious. While it's possible to field a great defense without an elite rim protector, it would require a lot more effort and discipline than the Kings have shown this year.

Who's going to win? I'm going with the Wizards tonight. While Cousins is a handful, Nene excels at guarding strong post players and will likely make him work hard for everything he gets tonight. Meanwhile, the Kings' weak defensive rotations should lead to a lot of open looks for Bradley Beal and John Wall. If Washington loses, it will likely be due to a freak shooting night from someone like Ben McLemore or a lack of effort out of the gate.

The Kings didn't start playing defense until the second half, and DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay were never able to get their offense going.

The Kings aren't going to win many games, if any, when DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay combine to shoot 5-27 from the field and that was the case tonight.  The Wizards did a terrific job of defending them, but they also missed shots that they'd normally make.

Isaiah Thomas was the only real bright spot for the Kings, scoring 30 points for the third time this season to go with 8 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.  Rookie Ben McLemore had a decent game off the bench with 11 points and 6 rebounds.

The Wizards were far more balanced in their scoring, led by Nene's 18 points.  All but two Wizards scored at least 8 points, and five reached double digits.

The Kings shot just 35.4% from the field, and made just 2-11 of their threes.  Washington wasn't all that much better at 43.0% but they did hit 8-21 from three and took care of the ball better as the Kings had 18 turnovers to Washington's 14.

Sacramento got down by as many as 17 points in the 3rd quarter before a huge dunk by Quincy Acy seemed to spark some life in them.

Thomas and McLemore, along with some stingier defense (the Wizards had been shooting around 55% at the half) allowed the Kings to get within 4 points.  However Gay and Cousins still couldn't get going and the Kings missed some good opportunities to chip the lead even further.

Cousins' 3-16 from the field was his lowest of the season and the lowest since shooting 1-12 against Denver in March of last year.  The Kings get a day off to regroup before they play a back-to-back against Cleveland and New York to finish off this Eastern Conference trip.

For the opponent's perspective, visit the excellent Bullets Forever

In some ways, the Kings are far improved from where they were at last year or even at the beginning of this year, but there's still a need for growth.

We've talked at length this season about how this team and individual players, notably DeMarcus Cousins, have improved. There's no doubt in my mind that this Kings team on-court talent base is much improved since the end of last season.

Yet despite improvement, the Kings are still a bad team, and losses like yesterday in Washington exemplify just how much farther the Kings need to go.

DeMarcus Cousins easily had his worst game of the season, although if you look at the raw stats of 14 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks it doesn't look like it. Those stats fail to mention the abysmal 3-16 shooting and 4 turnovers while also playing some incredibly lazy defense. There was a sequence in the first half when Marcus Thornton missed an assignment and the Wizards scored and DeMarcus went off on him, with the mics picking up at least two F-bombs, including "it was the same effing play". It's ok to get frustrated, but for DeMarcus, it was a bit hypocritical, as the Wizards were absolutely killing him in the first half with the Pick and Roll, something his teammates no doubt noticed as well. Marcin Gortat scored 17 points on just 10 shots, and almost all of them came right at the rim.

Cousins said this year he wants to be a leader, but to do that, he has to lead by example. I'm more fine with the occasional bad offensive game (which has grown rarer and rarer) than I am with bad defense and then berating a teammate for doing the same. He also needs to maintain his poise when he doesn't believe fouls are going his way. Too often he gets frustrated with a non-call and it hurts his game.

There are other players that need more literal growth as well, in particular Ben McLemore, who I thought played one of his best games. It was very nice to see him attacking the rim and staying active on defense, but all of Ben's weaknesses still shone. His handle needs a lot of work, as he gets stripped routinely trying to dribble to the basket. His touch around the rim has drastically improved from his shotput like layups early on, but he's not Tyreke Evans just yet. In many ways, Ben is the anti-Tyreke, although his outside shot isn't yet consistent enough.

It's defense where Ben can really make his living though, as he's got the size and athleticism to be good there. We saw moments yesterday where he did really well, particularly on Trevor Ariza (who shot just 2-11, although he helped hold Gay to the same). It's when his man doesn't have the ball that Ben tends to drift, which is a problem considering he's usually assigned to really good shooters. The bad thing is that he isn't quick to correct his mistakes and it happens again and again. I understand wanting to help, but he hasn't yet grasped the concept of overhelping.

One thing I love about Ben though is that he never stops working on either end. He's always hustling, always running to try to get an open look, and he's not selfish either. There was a play where Isaiah and Ben had a breakaway and Thomas got blocked at the rim, but the play was saved thanks to Ben's hustle. Ben doesn't have much quit in him, and that I like.

Rebuilding is a process. You have to grow from the outside (trading for Gay, Williams, etc.) and the inside (Cousins, McLemore, etc.). The Kings are showing progress on both fronts, but the finish line isn't in sight.

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When it comes to former Kings players that are still in the NBA, which ones are dreams (ooh!) and which ones are duds (ugh!)?

I went to the Kings/Raptors game last week, and I couldn’t help but notice the varying levels of reception for each of the four former Kings, running from warm (Chuck Hayes) to polite (Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson) to somewhere between tepid and surly (John Salmons). This got me thinking about all of the other former Kings that are currently employed in the NB of A, and it inspired me to create a list of the players and how I perceive they would be received at Sleep Train Arena in the here and the now.

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The "Welcome Home, Brother" Bunch– These are the guys that would receive the warmest of receptions. Stay as long as you want. Mi casa es su casa. Kind of like when your favorite sibling or a really hot distant cousin visits.

Francisco Garcia– I believe that Cisco is the last player to sit on a Kings roster that actually played in a playoff game for the Kings. Francisco played in 462 games for the Kings, ranking him fifth on the all-time Sacramento Kings list and ahead of guys like Vlade Divac and Lionel Simmons. Coming out of Louisville as the 23^rd pick of the 2005 draft, Garcia was the consummate competitor and teammate. Like Corliss Williamson, he had/has the look of a guy that will be a career basketball man if that is what he chooses. I think that Garcia will always be very warmly received in Sacramento. Perhaps not Bobby Jackson status, but close.

Hedo Turkoglu– Hedo comes in right behind Garcia. It seems hard to believe that Turkoglu played his last game in a Sacramento uniform in the 2003 playoffs. He was a fan favorite when he was here for his precociousness and his little brother persona to Divac and Chris Webber. Turkoglu gets love for being part of the golden age of Kings basketball, and for being a great guy while he was here in Sacramento.

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The "Welcome Home, Cousin" Bunch - Guys that receive a warm welcome, but no one offers to put them up for the night. This is your favorite Uncle before he has that one-too-many drink at Thanksgiving.

Ron Artest / Metta World Peace– Artest / MWP wound up being a bit of a lovable nut while he was here, malnutritioned dogs notwithstanding. Sort of the old anti-hero becomes a hero story. He pretty much single-handedly saved the 2005-06 season, and he kept things pretty interesting until his departure in 2008. Artest / MWP has gone from villain to caricature to renaissance man as the years have passed, and he generally receives a nice reception when he comes to town…at least since he stopped wearing Laker yellow.

Kevin Martin– Martin may have been the first truly polarizing player of Sactown Royalty’s existence. Those that loved him noted the efficiency, while those that loathed him blamed him for the team’s miserable performance (a scarlet letter that he passed on to Tyreke Evans upon his exodus). But Martin has pretty much been exonerated for having played for the Kings during the M*loofian downfall, and he is probably thought of as the third best shooting guard of the Kings’ Sacramento era, behind only Mitch Richmond and Doug Christie.

Tyreke Evans – Tyreke received a nice welcome when he visited here for the first time as a New Orleans Pelican, and he rewarded everyone by hanging a 25/12/6 night on the Kings. But I think that he will always receive a better-than-polite greeting here, and that by and large the Kings fan base wishes him well.

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The "Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" Bunch – This group is more fondly remembered than the sum of their work would merit. This is like thinking fondly about an ex-spouse, while your friends look at you and shake their collective heads in astonishment.

Gerald Wallace– Gerald always gets a nice reception when he plays here. Gerald averaged 3 points and 2 rebounds per game as a Sacramento King. But he finished second to Jason Richardson in a slam dunk contest in which many felt he was robbed (Bavetta!), and he is a symbol of what is wrong with the Kings to a generation of fans that came along after he was gone.

Omri Casspi– Casspi had to the physical tool kit to be the defensive-minded, three-point shooting 3/4 that they had been desperately looking for. But he either didn’t have the head, or he didn’t have the desire to be the third or fourth fiddle in the orchestra (do orchestras have fiddles?). He was ultimately dealt to Cleveland for !@#$%^&*, where he did not fare much better. He is enjoying a rebirth of sorts in Houston this year, where he’s basically putting up the same numbers that he put here during his rookie year. But there was a lot of hype and pride over Omri being the first Israeli player to be chosen in the draft, and the picture of him and Iran’s Hamed Hadaddi was an instant classic. Kings fans like Omri Casspi.

Beno Udrih– No one boos the Yeti! Honestly, part of the love for Beno revolves around who he is not, and that fish will spawn upstream later on this list. But Beno never harmed anyone and generally played hard, and he is OK as far as Kings fans are concerned.

Chuck Hayes – Can’t lie, the warm reception for Ground Chuck the other night surprised me a little. Overpaid and overweight punctuated Hayes’ stay here. But when he was right, he set picks and played defense, and he’s kind of a local guy, and that gives him the nod of approval of most Kings fans.

*

The "Gone But Not Forgotten" Bunch – Guys that did just enough to earn less than love, and less than wrath. Pretty much any of your nieces or nephews that you see once in a blue moon.

Ronnie Price– Not everyone remembers Ronnie Price’s time with the Kings, but those that do remember this, and that earns him a spot here on the list.

Toney Douglas– Toney may scoot down this list as the years go by, but right now he is remembered as a willing defender, and a guy that would be giving needed minutes behind Isaiah Thomas right about now.

Thomas Robinson– Kind of seen as a victim of circumstance at this point. Most Kings fans are rooting for him.

Greivis Vasquez – He was what we were told he was and not what we hoped he was. But he said all the right things and was fun to watch from time to time.

Cole Aldrich– Many Kings fans have a soft spot for the big lug. Currently not playing for the Knicks, which is really saying something when you consider what the Knicks have been through this year. But he posted back-to-back double-doubles late in the season for the Kings last year, so he gets the Ike Diogu treatment from Kings fans.

Patrick Patterson – Nice guy that couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn when the Kings really needed it, but has been better lately. Worked hard enough to avoid the ire of Kings fans.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute – Oh Luc, how could we not love your penchant for defense? How could we live with those balky knees? Meh. Meh, meh, meh.

*

The "Expendables" – Guys that never played here but kind of get a soft pass when they play here. They are kind of like the fourth cousins, twice removed of your family.

Garrett (ten day) Temple, Robin (just passing through) Lopez, Bismack (boy, are you guys not going to like this trade) Biyombo and Orlando (cash considerations) Johnson.

*

The "I Have No Son" Bunch – Excommunicated from the family. Ranked in progressive order, from mildly ticked off to "You better have that vein in your forehead looked at right away!"

John Salmons – To a degree, Salmons is a victim of circumstance. It wasn’t his idea to execute the God-awful trade that brought him back here, and who’s going to say no to the contract that was offered to him? On top of that, he was asked to fill a position (small forward) that was not really his strong suit. But the combination of the environment during his two stays here, his style of play and his demeanor has earned him at least a few detractors, and there were at least a few scattered boos for him when Toronto came to town.

James Johnson– Kings fans had high hopes for Johnson, which he quickly dashed, save for a desperation 3-pointer against the Knicks. Out of shape and seemingly disinterested, Johnson fell out of favor with Kings fans. But it was the wearing of the Seattle Sonics hat during the relocation saga that sealed his deal, and the fact that he has shed what looks like 40 pounds and is playing the best basketball of his life for Memphis doesn’t help matters, either. Boo, James. Boo.

J.J. Hickson– OK, here’s the thing. Hickson gets booed everywhere that he has previously played. They boo him in Cleveland, they boo him in Sacramento, and they boo him in Portland. One day he will be booed in Denver. He is the consummate stat stuffer that seems to have very little to do with whether his team wins or loses. He had the look of a guy that quit on his team here, and Kings fans don’t like quitters.

Matt Barnes– Honestly, there are probably a lot of folks that don’t even know that Barnes played here (he signed here in 2004 and was shipped out as part of the Chris Webber purge), and he’s a local guy to boot. But he’s been a punk on the court and a punk off the court, and Kings fans really, really don’t like this guy. He’s the silver medalist of this bunch. He could have been public enemy #1 if not for the efforts of:

Spencer Hawes– How can a guy that wears a "Peaches" shirt ascend to the top/bottom of this list? By being a douchenozzle when it came to the potential relocation of the Kings to Seattle, that’s how. Hawes is virtually the only ex-King to get booed almost every time he touches the ball (this probably happens in Philadelphia, too). He is pure, unadulterated evil. Spencer Hawes is everything that is wrong with America, and he is why sometimes puppies get run over and the Kings never get lucky in the lottery. He is the demon seed. He’s Robert Horry’s negative reflection. And I hear that he smells like three-day-old Greg Ostertag (well that’s what I heard!). BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

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I’m pretty sure that I missed a player or two (remember, I was just going over the active players), so feel free to light up the thread with my omissions. Or pontificate on the day when non-King Marcus Thornton or Jimmer Fredette visits Sacramento. And as always, thanks for reading.

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Remember, you can always send your questions or topic ideas to asksactownroyalty@gmail.com. An empty mailbox means that I get to write about whatever I want, and that’s not good for anybody.

Rumors persist that the Kings are interested in acquiring another point guard. Here's why it makes perfect sense.

In his latest power rankings, Marc J Spears of Yahoo Sports has the following to say about the Sacramento Kings:

The Kings still like Isaiah Thomas, but they are also interested in acquiring a true point guard as the trade deadline approaches, a source said.

This isn't the first time we've heard such rumors.  Sam Amick has shared similar sentiments, suggesting the Kings were looking to acquire another point guard.  Now, Spears in particular caveats his report with the statement that the Kings like Isaiah Thomas.  This, contrary to common assumption, suggests that the Kings might be looking for a back-up point guard, rather than an Isaiah Thomas replacement.

I know a lot of folks around here see talk of the Kings acquiring a point guard and immediately associate that with the Kings trying to replace Isaiah Thomas.  While that's certainly a concern, there are reasons it makes a lot of sense for the Kings to acquire another point guard.

The Second Unit

The most obvious reason is that Sacramento's second unit is a disaster right now.  As Akis recently pointed out, our Big 3 is often more of an Only 3.  If the Kings have an opportunity to acquire a proven back-up point guard, it stands to reason that the Kings second unit would play better.  Jimmer Fredette remains inconsistent, and Ray McCallum has shown himself to be far from ready for regular rotation minutes.

Acquiring another point guard takes the pressure off of McCallum and allows him to develop slowly.  I still believe he can be a solid back-up point guard in this league, he just needs time to develop.  Jimmer Fredette may still find his niche, but I'm becoming less and less hopeful that he might find it in Sacramento.

Insurance, Part 1

The Kings have really struggled when any one of the Big 3 are out.  A lot of that is tied to the issues detailed under The Second Unit, but the issues are most apparent if Isaiah has to miss time.  Adding point guard depth would allow Michael Malone to scale back Isaiah's minutes slightly, preserving Isaiah's health and energy.

Insurance, Part 2

The elephant in the room, the topic nobody wants to talk about, is what would the Kings do if Isaiah gets a significant offer sheet in restricted free agency this summer.  I have no clue how the market for Isaiah will play out, but there's always the chance that someone could offer more than what Pete D'Alessandro wants to match.

In this scenario, the Kings could look to draft a point guard.  Marcus Smart has been mentioned often in connection to the Kings, both by fans and by writers.  But what if a newly drafted player isn't immediately ready to contribute, a la Ben McLemore this season?  It makes sense to have a solid back up as a worst-case fall back in the event Isaiah is allowed to leave.

Experimentation

There was a lot of talk early this season about how the Kings might look with a more traditional point guard.  That was supposed to be Greivis Vasquez, but he didn't work out as planned.  But there were still flashes.  Derrick Williams looked amazing with Vasquez, and was a frequent beneficiary of Vasquez's lobs and precise passes.  Who else on the current roster might improve with a better passing point guard?

Now, before you take up your pitchforks, hear me out.  Isaiah is a good passer, but he is not a pure passing point guard.  There are passes that Isaiah doesn't make as well as some other point guards can.  It's worth a look at the rest of the roster to see who benefits from a "pure" point.  Experiment, and see what you have.

So What Now?

Now, of course, comes the fun part.  You disagree with me, tell me why I'm wrong.  Or you heap praise upon my ego, and tell me who the Kings should go get.  Have at it.

More from Sactown Royalty

Follow @sactownroyaltyFollow @SBNationNBA

• More Rantdumb Thoughts: Cheers and Jeers for Former Kings
• This team still has some growing up to do
• Sacramento's "Big Three" proving to be more of an "Only Three"
• Jared Sullinger dominates Kings, Boston wins 99 to 89
• Former Kings return to Sacramento, take loss hard

The Cavs lost by 44 last time they played the Kings, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that won't happen again.

Who:Sacramento Kings (17-34) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (18-33)

When: 7:00 pm ET

Where: Quicken Loans Arena -- Cleveland, Ohio

Where on my eyeballs: Fox Sports Ohio/ NBA League Pass

Music:

Here we go, folks.

There are only nine days left until the NBA trade deadline. Tough decisions need to be made in the very near future and the Cavs players have limited opportunities to either make a case for staying with this team, or they will find themselves gone by the deadline. The happiest I've been as a fan this season has been from watching Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters make an effort to make their partnership work. As a tandem they've looked great over the past couple games, while they've had their differences, maybe they feel they owe it to the man that believed in their ability to play together and will really try to make this work. I truly hope that was the wake up call they needed, better late than never. Look for Mike Brown to give them more minutes together as the team continues to gauge where they stand.

I want Jarrett Jack off this team. Two ball dominant guards is fine, three is a crowd. MOAR DELLY BALL!

Tristan Thompson needs to play better tonight on both ends of the floor. He played some very good defense at times, but he needs to play a less sporadic game on the offensive side of the floor. While it would be nice to see him be able to make his opponent work more on defense, he needs to play more within himself down the stretch this season. We've seen his game expand in some ways this season, but with him trying to add more aspects to the game he's taking too long to make a decision. Now is not the time to experiment, the Cavaliers as a whole need to settle into their roles and stop trying to do too much. Jason Thompson had a big game against Tristan in their last matchup, Tristan will need to step up to the challenge of guarding both Thompson and Cousins throughout the night.

The Kings feature one of the few lineups with three 20+ ppg scorers. They are a very dangerous offensive team, but their offense doesn't seem to travel well. While they've taken down some very good teams since the Gay trade, they have really struggled on the road. The Cavaliers should know from their previous meeting that this is not a team that should be taken lightly, they simply cannot let this team get into a comfort zone. Once the Kings get going they are incredibly tough to stop.

Do you like awesome PG matchups? I do! Kyrie Irving vs. Isaiah Thomas should be an explosive, exciting duel throughout the night.

Now a special message to all those that want Bill Simmons to be the next Cavs GM:

Fear the Sword's Fearless Prediction:

Kyrie and Dion combine for 45 and 16, Bennett scores 8, Derrick Williams is still Derrick Williams.

Cavs win 108-102

The Kings have just two games left on this road trip and tonight's game against the Cavs might just be the best chance they have to win at least one before the All-Star break.

The Kings have yet to win on this road trip and will look to do so tonight in Cleveland(4:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK 1140). Sacramento had their biggest win of the season against the Cavs last month when they beat them by 44 points.  The Cavaliers likely haven't forgotten that, and they have been playing better as of late, coming off of two wins against the Wizards and Grizzlies.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Isaiah Thomas vs. Kyrie Irving

We all know by now that Isaiah loves going up against Irving, the player taken 1st in the draft when he was taken 60th.  Thomas especially outplayed him in their last matchup, a game in which Irving looked disinterested and scored just 7 points on 14 shots.  In many ways, Irving and Thomas are similar players (they put up incredibly similar statistics, with Thomas edging Irving in a couple categories) and since the Cavs usually go as Irving goes (24.5 points & 7.4 assists in wins compared to 20 points and 5.7 assists in losses), it will be crucial for Thomas to win this matchup or at least make it even.

3 THINGS

1. The Cavaliers are not a team that's particularly good at any one thing aside from offensive rebounding (where they are fourth).  Their offense and defense aren't terrible, but they're also not good.  They're one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA at just 42.8%.  The Cavs also might be without the services of both C.J. Miles (sore foot) and Anderson Varejao (back issues) tonight, which would really hurt their depth.

2. DeMarcus Cousins has looked a bit sluggish the last couple games, even when scoring 31 points against Boston.  Tonight will be a good opportunity for him to bounce back as the Cavaliers feature a whole host of nobody to guard him, especially if Varejao is out (Varejao is still a good defender but not nearly the same as he once was).  Without Varejao, the biggest body the Cavs could put on Cousins is sophomore Tyler Zeller, and that's a matchup I like.

3. Rudy Gay is also in need of a bounce back game after going just 2-11 against Washington and he's going to have a tough task with Cleveland's best defender in Luol Deng on him.  Deng's a good offensive player as well so Rudy will have his hands full.

PRE-GAME HAIKU

ElRon doesn't like these.
He'd rather I do limericks.
(Fart noises go here)

PREDICTION

Kings 112, Cavaliers 91 as Cavaliers players are left flat-footed on defense as they can't pay attention to anything but Quincy Acy's beard.

More from Sactown Royalty

Follow @sactownroyaltyFollow @SBNationNBA

• Kings vs. Cavaliers Preview: Tonight's the best chance to come home with a win
• Kings Trade Rumors: Sacramento still looking for another point guard
• More Rantdumb Thoughts: Cheers and Jeers for Former Kings
• This team still has some growing up to do
• Kings 84, Wizards 93: Kings take too long to show up, lose second straight

Huge bench production doesn't guarantee success in the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers should be more concerned about creating a reserve unit that fits together rather than one that puts up huge numbers.

Group A: San Antonio, LA Lakers, Denver, Brooklyn, Phoenix, Cleveland, Milwaukee

Group B: Houston, Toronto, Indiana, Minnesota, Washington, Golden State, Portland

What's the difference between the two? Group B has exceeded expectations while Group A has wavered at times? Group A has a vastly stronger head-to-head record against Group B? Group A was voted to have better jerseys than Group B?

In fact, Group A, according to Hoops Stats, includes the top seven teams with the highest average bench scoring output, while Group B is the bottom seven. Yet, how should we process the importance of this contrast when more teams from the latter group are on track to make the playoffs?

Bench play is an interesting phenomenon in the NBA. While certainly important in moments of keeping pace or sparking a run, it isn't necessarily a requirement for success. For example, Indiana was second to last in bench scoring a year ago (only Portland was worse) and that didn't prevent them from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

For certain teams, having a quality bench is a luxury. For others, the second unit serves as a major question mark, especially when the starters are playing well. Either way, this topic's increased visibility and emphasis across SB Nation this week shows how paramount that unit can be for a team, and what it takes to create a truly successful bench.

In Miami, Hot Hot Hoops delved into the past and present of Norris Cole. The third-year guard's production actually declined slightly a year ago, but he has had a turnaround year this season by shooting 46% from the field, including 39% from three. Also noted by author Isaac Koppel: Cole's improved ability inside and from mid-range are making a mark. He's now more effective in pick-and-roll situations with Miami's undersized, athletic bigs, and he's creating more drive-and-kick opportunities too.

Added up, Cole provides a spark off the bench for a Miami team that often needs it -- especially when you consider the minutes restriction put on Dwyane Wade and a never-sure-what-you'll-get group that includes Greg Oden and Michael Beasley. While not necessarily the image of consistency, Cole's improvement has allowed for some (Wade included) to deliver in ways that cater to their strengths. Obviously the team goes as LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Wade go, but having a player that has learned how to complement both the team's starters and other bench players is clearly an added value.

There are a few other teams around the league that have had to rely on bench efficiency, though in different ways. A big example of this is in Brooklyn, where the Nets have turned the corner on a difficult start to the season and look headed for an easy playoff berth. This change was briefly covered by Net Income on Brooklyn’s affiliate Nets Daily. The piece highlighted a post by John Schuhmann of NBA.com, who noted the importance of depth for an aging team that was likely to have injury and fatigue issues.

"It makes you realize that, even though [starting center Brook] Lopez is done for the season, the Nets are still one of the deepest teams in the league, so deep that Jason Terry got a DNP on Thursday," Schuhmann wrote. "The talent was always there. The healthy bodies were not."

Brooklyn and Miami have vastly different bench styles -- one that relies heavily on the depth (Brooklyn) while the other simply needs it to give the starters a rest (Miami) -- but both are effective in their own way. You could argue, then, it isn’t so much about the bench being "good." Rather, it’s more about the bench being the "correct" fit into the style the team plays.

On the flip side, there are moments when the stars of the team are shining bright, but the guys behind them barely flicker in the distance. That is the case in Sacramento, where the trio of DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas each average over 20 points per night -- but get very little help from anywhere else.

This was a main discussion point on Sactown Royalty this week. The author (@Aykis16 on Twitter) runs down the list of players that have underperformed on the team or simply aren't ready to contribute, from Carl Landy and Derrick Williams to Ben McLemore and Travis Outlaw. The article comes on the heels of Boston rookie Kelly Olynyk singlehandedly out-producing the entire Kings bench in scoring, rebounding and assists last week.

Sacramento could really use the help, as they are looking up at the majority of teams in the Western Conference. The author does rightly note that "the reason the Kings have no real depth is that they gave it up in order to acquire Gay." They are also one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Yet, it seems to prove the point further: a lack of bench impact is easily recognizable on both good teams and bad.

Sacramento is hardly the only team this year that has had less production than anticipated. There's the obvious example of reigning 6^th Man of the Year J.R, Smith, whose antics outshone his inconsistent start to the year (he's managed to turn things around in recent weeks). Then there are teams that, like Brooklyn, struggled mightily once their top dogs went down to injury, like Memphis or New Orleans, but didn't have the firepower to keep afloat.

This brings the story to Portland. Amid a few other elephants in the room, including decreased ball movement and mediocre defense (two talking points that are brought up so many times on Blazer's Edge that Dave's latest game recap against Minnesota avoided beating them to a pulp), the Trail Blazers' second unit continues to be a major question mark.

The stories and stats laid out above might provide some hope for the Blazers, even if the bench has been one of the worst in the NBA by output.

As a start, a high-production bench doesn't necessarily correlate to success. Really San Antonio is the only "elite" team that shows up consistently in the top five of bench scoring, rebounding, assists, etc. Ironically, teams like Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Cleveland are often at the top of that list too -- all teams that have had their own ups and downs (lots of downs) this year.

Secondly, it isn't a requirement for the entire second unit to be strong. Instead, sometimes all it takes is to have one player be "that guy" coming off the bench to make an impact. Norris Cole embraces that role in Miami, spelling the starters (who are the overwhelming producers on the team) and understanding his role. That's the major key: Knowing your role and improving in that way can be tremendously important for a bench player, much like Cole did over the last year.

When speaking about "output," judging the best bench isn't always about who scores or rebounds the most. Instead, it's about reflecting on whether the second unit can embrace specific roles and acknowledging the fact that building a young team often comes with sacrificing a bit in the short-term.

In Portland, based on how well the starters have played, the end goal likely means having more Norris Cole-type players that fully understand their roles and develop with that in mind. That probably makes this a long-term project, even if there is a sense of urgency to strike while the iron's hot this year.

Ultimately, it's not always about comparing bench scoring to bench scoring or assists to assists. Instead, it's about which team's bench executed their plan better; doing otherwise is an apples-to-oranges conversation.

Link to The Leaderboard

Below are a series of prediction questions for tonight's game. The first four questions will be asked every game, while the 5th will change each game.

Point value for predictions are listed next to the questions. If you believe that more than one player will lead a category, you can vote for multiple players, and this is worth double points if you are correct, but zero if you are wrong. Alternately, if you only guess one player when multiple players are tied, you get zero points.

All submissions must be input before tip-off. Any submissions after tip-off will not count. You are allowed only one submission and may not change unless specifically stated.

Questions:

1. Who do you think will win the game, and what will the final score be? (1 point for guessing winner. 2 points for guessing winner and correct score of one team. 5 points for guessing winner and exact score)

2. Who will be the game's leading scorer? (1 point for guessing scorer, 2 points for guessing exact points scored)

3. Who will be the game's leading rebounder? (1 point for guessing rebounder, 2 points for guessing exact rebounds)

4. Who will be the game's leading assist man? (1 point for guessing assist man, 2 points for guessing exact assists)

5. Out of Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving, predict which player will have the most points, rebounds, assists, steals and turnovers (1 point for each right.)

The Kings lost to Anthony Bennett, but that's to be expected from a first overall pick.

The Sacramento Kings became the latest victim to rookie superstar Anthony Bennett, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-99 in Cleveland.  Bennett, the first overall pick in this year's draft, put up a stellar performance, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds.  The Kings had hoped to steal a win in Cleveland, but the Cavs have been firing on all cylinders this season, and have been led by the consistent play of Anthony Bennett.

The Kings were led by 21 points and 10 rebounds from DeMarcus Cousins.  The Kings were hesitant to rely on Cousins in this game, but it made sense against a powerhouse big man like Tyler Zeller.

Ultimately, the Cavs are just too good.  Even without Anderson Varejao and C.J. Miles, the Cavs just have too many weapons.  Luol Deng led the Cavs in scoring, continuing his trend of fitting in wonderfully since being acquired from the Bulls.  Dion Waiters continued his stellar career with 20 points and eight assists.

The Kings next travel to New York for a game Wednesday against the Knicks.  Yet another team with no issues to speak of, working in perfect harmony.  The Kings certainly face an uphill battle on this roadtrip that nobody had high expectations for.

For the opponent's perspective, be sure to check out Fear The Sword, our excellent Cavs blog.

Well, maybe there is something to this.

Anthony Bennett got off to a historically bad start to the season. It was awful for the fans, it was awful for the Cavs, it was awful for Bennett. I am writing in past tense.

Bennett is figuring some things out. Tonight, he played fantastic. Finishing with 19 points on 9 shots, 10 rebounds, competent defense most of the time, and only 1 turnover that came on a charge (which I will take because it means he was being aggressive) this was by far Bennett's best game as a pro. Even the preseason game against Orlando when Bennett went nova can't compare to this. That game involved Bennett hitting contested midrange shots. He got hot.

That isn't what happened tonight. He had quick spin moves, forced his way to the free throw line, hit some three pointers (which he will need to do) and got easy looks at the rim on cuts. It was really, really promising because if he does what he did tonight, it can be sustainable. Bennett has a long way to go. He gets lost defensively, but that's the sort of thing you expect from any rookie. He seems to be starting to carve out a solid role off the bench. It isn't limiting his minutes; he was effective tonight and played 30. It's working.

Bennett wasn't the only Cavalier who played well, though. Dion Waiters imposed his will on the game. He defended, pushed the ball in transition, kept teammates involved with great passes and got where ever he wanted on the court. He created for himself with cuts off the ball (including what looked to be a trick play with Delly where he pretended to sulk after giving up the ball) and created for teammates and finished at the rim.

It was the most complete game I have ever seen him play, and, just like Bennett, he did it with things that can be sustainable. While he ended with 20 points on 17 shots, at one point he was shooting 5-14 from the field. I didn't care. He can control his effort every game. He can control his defense. There was one stretch in the 2nd quarter that summed up Waiters' game for me. He attacked the basket, got bumped, didn't get the call. He raced back defensively, made a good play on a ball in the restricted area, and got called for a weak foul.

Now, after he got called for the foul, Waiters ran off in frustration. But the original missed call didn't keep him from defending, and I loved it. He was dialed in and made two plays. He reacted after the whistle had blown. He didn't get the right result on this one, but the right results will come. He finished with 8 assists to just 1 turnover. Can't gush any more.

Oh, by the way, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were pretty darn good too. Irving played good defense on Isaiah Thomas all night, scored 13 points, and 6 assists to 1 turnover. His body language was great, laughing with Waiters and coach Mike Brown at various points.

Thompson had 16 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. He spent a lot of time guarding DeMarcus Cousins, a matchup in which he gives up a lot of size. He held his own.

The Kings aren't a good team, but there is a lot to build on here. Luol Deng was great and I haven't even touched on him. If Dion Waiters and Anthony Bennett are good NBA players, the outlook on the Cavs long term is bright.

A satirical look at why the Kings have been so darn inconsistent all season (and Michael Malone's obsession with a certain Hollywood actor).

Shocking news came out of Mike Malone's press conference following the Kings third straight loss on a 4 game road trip. The first-year coach revealed that understudies have been used in different capacities all season.

"Let's face it... some nights guys just don't feel like playing, so we decided to solve that problem. If an actor on Broadway has to miss a show for whatever reason, an understudy is used, so we decided, 'Why not do it in the NBA?'"

This shocking revelation at least partially explains why the Kings play has been so sporadic all season. Some players, like DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas, have used their lookalikes only sporadically.

"Finding a seven footer was rather hard, but after a rigorous search, we found Bart Jenkins, a lumberjack from North Dakota. Surprisingly, Isaiah's was a little tougher, as finding someone who was 3'5 with that much skill is hard to come by, but we scoured YouTube and found former child actor Ross Bagley, (AKA Nicky from 90's sit com Fresh Prince of Bel Air)."

Jimmer Fredette has only used his understudy a couple of times, and while Coach Malone would not say who exactly it was, he did say that it was a "currently unemployed NFL quarterback."

While DeMarcus, Isaiah, and Jimmer's stand-ins have rarely played, other players have borderline abused the privilege of having their very own understudy.

"Marcus has actually only been available for four games this season. We did not expect to have to use his understudy this much, but what can you do? I'm sure those who have watched could tell which games we had the real Marcus, and which games we had his doppelganger, Jean Luc." the coach said.

The blockbuster deal that took place in December meant that the teams scouts had to work hard and quickly find a replacement, even resorting to stalling Greivis Vasquez from entering Canada.

"It was definitely a long day, but we had the best scouts in the business working overtime to make it happen."

Luckily the team found the stand-ins for Gay and Acy after 24 hours of exhaustive work in Jared Vogelsong and Eduardo Von Stubenberg.  Von Stubenberg got the job after agreeing to supply his own beard.  As for Aaron Gray, the team decided that it would be in everyone's best interest if Aaron Gray acted as his own stand-in.

Aaron is not the only player without a stand-in, Coach Malone explained, "Travis was the one that we just could not replace. It is hard to find someone of that stature with even half of his dynamic skills, his flawless technique, and his silky smooth jumper. It's like trying to find someone to be a stand-in for George Clooney, they can try, but they just cannot do it."

This is not the first time Mike Malone has used a George Clooney analogy.

"The guy's obsessed with him." an unnamed Kings player (or their stand-in) told us. "Sometimes it makes sense, but other times it's just weird! Just last week, Isaiah missed a shot and Malone yelled 'Come on, Danny Ocean gave more effort than that in three movies, is it too much to ask for some passion in one shot?' It's bizarre, man."'

Malone reportedly even went as far as asking if George Clooney could be his stand-in, but Vivek kindly declined.

Whatever the case may be in this bizarre situation, it at least sheds some light on the King's shoddy performance as of late.

(Editor's note: Bradley Geiser's stand-in was used to write this article)

Bennett enjoyed the best game of his career against the Kings as the Cavs won their third straight game after firing Chris Grant.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won three straight games since Chris Grant was fired as general manager, and rather ironically, the man who may have been the last strike against Grant is now finally looking like a competent NBA player.

That of course would be No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, who had the best game of his young career in a 109-99 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. In 30 minutes, Bennett had 19 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 6-of-9 overall and 3-of-3 from three. He only committed one foul and one turnover during that time.

After the game, Kings coach Mike Malone bluntly explained what happened, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal:

"Anthony Bennett kicked our ass," Kings coach (and former Cavs assistant) Mike Malone said after the game. "I'm sure Chris Grant is smiling at home, and deservedly so. His number one guy came in and gets his career high in points and rebounds."

Grant may feel vindicated a bit now, but one has to imagine he wishes this kind of play would have showed up sooner. Perhaps he would still have a job if that was the case.

Bennett's struggles at the start of the season were historically bad. After undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, the No. 1 pick came in to camp woefully out of shape, and he struggled to crack the rotation. When he did play, he was a bricklaying, fouling and turnover machine.

There were calls to send Bennett to the D-League, but the Cavs preferred Bennett work things out in practice. And while Bennett was struggling on the court, he remained diligent in getting back into shape. All the hard work appears to have paid off, as Bennett has lost 30 pounds since October and is starting to show why Grant had enough faith to draft him No. 1.

Bennett has some ways to go before shedding the bust label that was prematurely placed on him. Having a big game or two is great, but the key is showing consistency. But at the very least, it's nice to see Bennett finally contributing and having some fun out there.

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