Quantcast
Channel: SB Nation - Sacramento Kings
Viewing all 2536 articles
Browse latest View live

Lakers vs. Rockets final score: Shorthanded Lakers lose 134-108

0
0

Dwight Howard faced the Staples Center crowd against the Lakers for the first time. Let's forget this happened.

The Los Angeles Lakers started off their post All-Star weekend campaign with a 134-108 loss to the Houston Rockets in their first game back. The loss comes just hours after the team completed a trade to send point guard Steve Blake to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for wings MarShon Brooks and Kent Bazemore, leaving the team shorthanded for an entirely different reason on this February night.

Does it sting to see Dwight Howard triumph so decisively over the Lakers in the Rockets first away game against the purple and gold this season? Eh, not as much as it could have. This depleted group of players getting thumped by Houston doesn't have the same sting as a Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol led team getting K.O.'d, so there's the upside to the loss.

The Lakers' eight active players were simply never in position to claim a victory in this one. Howard did it all for Houston, smashing the rim with dunks on his way to 20 points, 13 rebounds, "Howard sucks" chants and the like. He's been a consistent force in Houston in his first season as a Rocket and looked like the player the Lakers franchise was hoping to have for a new era.

Much like he dismantled Orlando on the road last season, he went to work against the Lakers in Los Angeles. Houston led by as many as 35 points in the fourth quarter, building the lead even though Howard called it an early night after putting in 28 minutes.

This is where the Lakers are now. The team is tied with the Sacramento Kings for the worst record in the Western Conference. One of their potential 2014 draft targets, Australian point guard Dante Exum, attended the game along with his agent Rob Pelinka. He got a first hand look at the type of storm the franchise is currently engulfed in, so there's that.

Another day in paradise for the Lakers.

The trade deadline is next on the agenda, with the odds looking as if Jordan Hill will be the next Laker to be sent away. Stay tuned, the deadline ticks over at noon pacific time on Thursday. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to bleach my eyes and go to bed like this game never happened. Because it didn't.


2014 NBA Trade Deadline updates and open thread

0
0

The NBA trade deadline is 3 p.m. on Thursday and we will be right here tracking all of the league activity. Discuss all of the action here:

Wednesday, February 19

Thursday, February 20



Trade Deadline is 3 p.m.

Nets' desire to get younger drove Marcus Thornton trade

0
0

The Nets decision to acquire Marcus Thornton Wednesday was motivated by several factors but getting younger was as big a factor as any in the Nets thinking  This wasn't just a trade for 2013-14.

The shift from pursuing Jarrett Jack to Thornton Wednesday showed how the Nets thinking evolved

Indeed, the Nets did like Jarrett Jack, who at 30 is six years younger than Jason Terry, but according to a league source were turned off by three things: a hefty contract that extends into the 2016-17 season, the Cavaliers demand for two second round picks and their unwillingness to take on Reggie Evans in any deal. The Nets wanted that extra roster spot and wanted rid of Evans.

The contract length was certainly an issue for the Nets front office. A league source told NetsDaily that if the Nets had done the deal, as rumored, the Nets "definitely" would have had to pay the repeater tax in 2015-16.

Moreover, said the league source, the Cavs were only willing to do the deal if they could find a third team to take Jason Terry, who's owed more than $11 million. Cleveland couldn't and ended talks with the Nets who then engaged the Kings and the younger still Thornton. He's only 26. Terry is 36 and Evans three months away from a well-traveled 34. The Nets are, or were, the NBA's oldest team.

As Peter Vecsey tweeted Wednesday night...

Vecsey apparently is referring to Andray Blatche, Andrei Kirilenko and Alan Anderson, all of whom have player options this summer, and Shaun Livingston, who will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

King, who had reportedly tried to get Thornton before, noted Thornton's youth in his comment after the trade was announced.  "Marcus is a proven scorer in this league," said King. "He is a young talent who will help us in the backcourt." (emphasis added)

So did Jason Kidd. "He's a young player that can definitely put the ball in the basket," Kidd said. "So we are happy to have him on board."

The 2-for-1 aspect of the deal appealed to the Nets. It will help them go for more youth. As Vecsey tweeted, "Now Nets have spot 4 (Jordan) Hill or another young big."  Hill is 26.

Finally, Sacramento, unlike Cleveland,  was willing to take on both contracts without any picks, rights or cash.  Why?  What motivated the Kings to do what appears to be a lop-sided deal? They will save more than $1 million over two years in the exchange of contracts, but the larger issue, according to the Sacramento Bee, is a desire to give their younger players, particularly stellar rookie Ben McLemore, more minutes. Also, Thornton's lack of production this season made him unpopular among Kings fans.

As for the short-term effect on the luxury tax bill it's minor when the Nets moves last month are taken into account. In dumping Toko Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor for Marquis Teague, the Nets saved a few million dollars. Adding Thornton while subtracting Terry and Evans means a net increase in luxury taxes of $1.07 million over what was projected after last summer. In other words, it wasn't a factor. "If (the Nets) do the Hill trade that is another animal," said the league source. Estimates for the price tag on that range as high as $17 million.

In the days before the deadline, pundits felt the Nets were unlikely to make a deal but if they did, they'd be more likely to target a back-up point guard or a young defensive big --which they may still get. But the team was quietly looking for a young wing player as well. They wanted one capable of exploding off the bench, like Terry had in the past. With Terry's shot not falling and his knee still not recovered from off-season surgery, a back-up wing became as much if not more of a priority.

So what to look forward to today?  As Kidd said of his Russian boss, "Our owner is about trying to get the team going in the right direction with different pieces, and he’s probably not done."  Watch this space.

NBA Trade Deadline: Updates and open thread

0
0

All is quiet on the trade rumor front regarding the Pacers, but that can change in a hurry on trade deadline day as rivals also look to make moves to improve for the remainder of the season.

After Larry Bird watched the Pacers' loss in Minnesota last night, he may have the whole roster on the trading block in the waning hours leading up to the NBA's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline TODAY.

Earlier this week, Frank Vogel mentioned he didn't see the Pacers making any moves and all chatter among the trade rumors seems to back that up...so far.

There have already been some deals around the league with more expected by the deadline this afternoon. Here are some links to the deals and some rumors starting to heat up. The Nets made the biggest move, by adding Marcus Thornton in a deal with the Kings. The same Marcus Thornton who lit up the Pacers for a season-high 42 points when the Pacers escaped Sactown with a win.

Kings trade Marcus Thornton to Nets for Jason Terry, Reggie Evans

Steve Blake traded to Warriors for Kent Bazemore, MarShon Brooks - SBNation.com

The Steve Blake trade is really confusing - SBNation.com

NBA trade rumors: Cavs, Kings eye Jarrett Jack-Jason Thompson swap - SBNation.com

Woj: Shortly after Clippers trade talks collapse, New York's Iman Shumpert suffers sprained MCL in left knee

PLEASE use the comments and share reports as you see them throughout the day.

Trade Round-Up: One Trade and a Bunch of Rumors

0
0

A look at what's going on in the trade world!

Can you feel the excitement? I love trade deadline day. As a high schooler and well into college I loved gossip. Stupid, I know but that's me. The NBA trade deadline is rumor and gossip and action and hope and anger all balled into a twitter feed that pops off like it's the Finals. It's a riot. I'll keep you updated all day as best I can, though here's where we are right now.

Up first: Spencer Hawes is now a Cavalier

The Cavs are making a playoff push. A competent big man like Hawes might help get them to the 6-7-8 seed.

Second we have this gem:

The Pelicans need to stop. Winning right now doesn't help them. They aren't making the playoffs. Any movement of assets for a guy like Hill doesn't make sense. Brooklyn actually makes a ton of sense, as despite having a infinty pay roll, they still need help due to injuries. They also have an injury exception from the league front office with all the problems they've had in that front

Keeping on the Hill front, Woj says the following:

So with the Nets and Suns in the mix for Hill, he's probably going to get moved. Very interesting.

Woj also had this to say:

Jimmer is such a puzzle. Maybe he just needs to be on a much better team. His scoring talent should translate.

This is where we are for now. One trade, and a bunch of rumors. More to come as the day whirls along.

Update

I forgot some things happened last night, too! The Kings and Nets have swapped Jason Terry for Marcus Thorton. Jason Terry is a KING. I don't know how to process that. Steve Blake is also a Warrior now too.

Trade Deadline Day is here, more moves could yet be made

0
0

The Kings will likely be working feverishly until the noon deadline to find landing places for Jason Thompson and Jimmer Fredette.

The NBA trade deadline is just under four hours from now and the Kings are in no way done making moves.

Two players in particular that could be traded include Jimmer Fredette and Jason Thompson.  According to Adrian Wojnarowski this morning, the Kings are still trying to get an asset for Jimmer, with a 2014 2nd rounder the probable asking price.

Trading Jason Thompson is likely contingent on finding a 3rd team that is willing to take him on rather than Cleveland.  As we heard yesterday, the Cavaliers are willing to send Jarrett Jack to the Kings, but don't want to take Thompson back.  Finding that third team will be tough, but there are a few teams that I think could benefit from Thompson as their 3rd big:  Portland, L.A. Clippers and Golden State.  All three of those teams could also send lesser contracts to Cleveland in return.  That's just pure speculation on my part though.

Use this as an open thread for the deadline, we'll have posts on any Kings-related rumors or trades that may happen in the next few hours.

Kings acquire Roger Mason and CASH MONEY from the Miami Heat

0
0

Make it rain! How u?

The Kings have reportedly acquired Miami Heat shooting guard Roger Mason, Jr. along with just a bunch of cash, like more cash than any of you have ever made, I mean I'm not sure how much cash it is, but it's a lot, and I'd like some of it.

As someone pointed out to me on Twitter, the Miami Heat are basically paying us to fire Roger Mason, Jr.  It's a cold world, right Jason?

All joking aside, this is a trade that makes sense for the Kings management, and not for fans.  Any time you can get CASH MONEY for nothing, you do it.

Nets get Marcus Thornton, don't get Jordan Hill: Time to grade the trade!

0
0

The NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, and, well, it was surely a quiet one for the most part. In fact, the biggest deal may have come as the Brooklyn Nets traded Jason Terry and Reggie Evans to the Sacramento Kings for Marcus Thornton.

Yup, that was possibly the biggest deal at the deadline, depending on who you ask.

What didn't happen, however, was a trade between the Nets and Los Angeles Lakers that would send Jordan Hill to Brooklyn for what would have amounted to a salary dump, where the Nets were reported to have used their Disabled Player Exception. The Lakers, though, late in the game wanted a second round draft pick and the Nets weren't willing to offer up a pick for Hill.

Here's the bottom line for the Nets..

  • Traded two contracts few thought could be moved, those of Terry and Evans, 36 and 33 years old. Both had a year beyond this one to run;
  • Acquired a healthy 26-year-old wing with a reputation for hot shooting streaks whose recent troubles they think can be cured by a change of address;
  • Retained the rights to Bojan Bogdanovic, who they can either sign in the summer or dangle as a trade asset;
  • Opened two roster spots which they can fill with 10-day deals, vets minimum deals or if the need to, contracts.
  • Let the NBA know that Mikhail Prokhorov is still willing to spend, adding nearly $3 million in salary and luxury taxes in the Thornton deal and approving an attempt to acquire Hill, which would have had added $17 million to his tax bill (and didn't have to spend it!)
  • Retained until March 10 their DPE. So, there is some room for the Nets to make a deal of sorts. We'll just have to wait and see.
  • What's next? Don't be surprised if the Nets start scouring the waiver wire for players who've been dropped as part of the deadline fallout.  Another possibility: the Nets could bring up some of the Armor prospects for look-sees, including Darius Johnson-Odom, Adonis Thomas and Devin Ebanks.

    ...Or they could surprise us.

    For now, vote in our poll below and let us know how you think the Nets did at the trade deadline, and make sure to consider the circumstances.

    Poll
    What grade do you give the Nets at the NBA Trade Deadline?

      1198 votes |Results


    Trade Deadline's over, so what comes next?

    0
    0

    For 28 games at least, the Kings roster is set.

    Despite numerous reports that the Kings were trying to trade Jason Thompson and/or Jimmer Fredette before today's deadline, no such deal came to pass.  Marcus Thornton was the last shoe to drop for the Kings in this season of change.

    The Kings have had an NBA-high 21 different players on their roster this year, and only Cousins, Thomas, Fredette, Thompson and Outlaw remain from last year's team.  Pete D'Alessandro and company have changed this roster immensely in just five months with more changes to come in the next few years.

    So what does the fact that the Kings were unable to offload Jason Thompson or Jimmer Fredette tell us?  For Jason, it's simply that his contract is incredibly onerous to most teams because of the length.  From a basketball standpoint, not trading Jason Thompson is fine.  Jason Thompson is a fine player, and one that many teams would like as a third big.  The reason the Kings would have wanted to move Thompson is two-fold: to acquire a backup PG (evidenced by their interest in Jarrett Jack), and to lower future salary obligations, especially next year when the Kings will be hovering around the luxury tax if Rudy Gay chooses to opt in to his $19.3 million player option.  Should the Kings re-sign Isaiah Thomas, they will almost certainly be above the luxury tax, but will have until the end of next season to maneuver beneath it, so it's not a pressing concern.  A lot can change depending what Rudy Gay does this summer.

    For Jimmer, I was kind of surprised that the Kings weren't even able to acquire a 2nd round pick for him.  Philadelphia for example, has NINE 2014 second round picks and didn't want to send even one for Fredette.  Part of the lack of interest has to do with the fact that he's an unrestricted free agent this year, meaning any team that's interested could simply wait until this summer to sign him to a deal without giving up an asset.  A team would only have given up an asset for him if they thought Jimmer could help them over the rest of this season. Apparently none did.

    There's still some intrigue left this season however, especially regarding Jason Terry.  Will the Kings buy him out? If Terry would accept significantly less money to leave, that would allow him to leave for a contender (Miami just opened up a roster spot) and the Kings to create some breathing room under the tax for next season.

    Should Terry stay, the Kings now have 14 players with 13 said to be active at all times.  Coach Malone has made it clear that Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum will be getting a lot of time over these next 28 games, so the obvious candidates to be made inactive are Reggie Evans or Aaron Gray.  The Kings already have plenty of big men, and Evans and Gray are not a part of this team's future.  I'd much rather see Acy, Landry and Thompson get time.

    These next 28 games will all be about seeing what the Kings have.  There will be more stretches like last night in which the youth is given a chance to contribute, even if it lowers our chances of winning.  Development of those guys, and continued evaluation of guys we have, is more important for this team going forward than the games themselves.  That's not tanking, that's a fact.  As Pete D'Alessandro has said, this roster isn't a finished product, and it likely won't be for quite some time.  The Kings need to figure out if any of these guys will be part of that finished product and these final games will help a little bit in that regard.

    The Sactown Royalty Show Ep 36: Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game

    0
    0

    Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Games joins us to talk about this week's Kings/Nets trade.

    The Sactown Royalty Show is back! This week I'm joined by Devin Kharpertian, managing editor and founding partner of The Brooklyn Game. Those of you on Twitter may know Devin better as uuords, which is one of my favorite Twitter handles.

    Devin is joining us to to discuss the ins and outs of this week's trade between the Sacramento Kings and the Brooklyn Nets. We'll get an idea of what we can expect from Jason Terry and Reggie Evans, and we'll talk about what did and didn't work with Marcus Thornton in Sacramento.

    You can listen to us live starting at 9pm PT.

    Devin is going to be on the show for about a half an hour. If you'd like to call in as he's leaving, I'll take some calls and answer your questions. I won't be taking calls while he's on the show, only after, so if you call in early please be patient as you might be on hold for a while. That being said, call me. 347-838-9709.

    Like the show? Subscribe to us on iTunes or on Stitcher! Leave us ratings, leave comments, let us know how we're doing. Ratings and comments on iTunes really help us out with promoting the show. And of course, continue the discussion in the comments below.

    As always, thanks for listening.

    Departure of Marcus Thornton clears path for Ben McLemore to improve

    0
    0

    Ben McLemore has plenty of room for improvement. The departure of Marcus Thornton clears a path for him to balance out what has been a rocky start to his rookie season.

    With Marcus Thornton headed to the Brooklyn Nets, Kings rookie Ben McLemore will get his shot at establishing himself as the team's shooting guard of the future, and he has a lot of work to do.

    The Kansas standout certainly has had an up and down season. Currently averaging 7.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1 assist per game, McLemore has been rotated in and out of the starting lineup, named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month, participated in the dunk contest at the NBA All-Star Game and, unfortunately, has disappeared in the Kings' offense more frequently than not this season.

    The disappearing act was something that showed up in his pre-NBA scouting reports, one of the many things that were flagged about McLemore leading up to the draft. Others included notes about him playing with a passive nature, not being able to knock down shots consistently, getting lost off the ball, lacking consistency on the defensive end and questions about whether he is a three-point shooter or someone who scores on the fast break, or both.

    It's only his first year, so this is not a knock on him or a question of whether the Kings should have taken him with the seventh pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, but it is unfortunate that all of the things listed above are still very prevalent with 28 games left this season.

    McLemore's potential remains sky high though. You see it in his athleticism and speed. He has had some good stretches, scoring 20 points twice the season and flirting with a double-double in a couple of games as well with nine rebounds and double-digit scoring.

    He is too good of an athlete not to get to the foul line at least three, four, or five times a game -Michael Malone

    Other than the fact that he is only 21 years old, there are a lot of things at play here. The Kings are structuring their future around the contract decisions with Isaiah Thomas and Rudy Gay that loom and are trying to bring in players that fit at the same time. The team also is still trying to find its identity and the offense isn't exactly a well-oiled machine that can compliment McLemore's style. But clearly, the coaching staff has a lot of work still ahead to develop and harness the raw talent of McLemore - talent they so covet.

    So what should they do to get their rookie on a consistent track? Well, the first thing is minutes and head coach Michael Malone has made it clear that McLemore is going to see an increase there, especially with no other true shooting guards on the roster. But I also think Malone was right on point Wednesday when assessing what his two guard should focus on.

    "I want him to be a lot more consistent and a lot more aggressive offensively; not settling for jump shots. I think he has to get to the foul line. He is too good of an athlete not to get to the foul line at least three, four, or five times a game," Malone told Sactown Royalty.

    With McLemore struggling to get the ball in his hands, and create when he does get it, and the fact that he gets lost as a cutter, one of the key things he could focus on at this point is putting his head down, crashing into the lane and getting to the foul line (he is shooting 78 percent from the free throw stripe). He could force his way into the action (something he doesn't seem quite comfortable with yet) this way and maybe allow himself to get into a shooting rhythm quicker. His ball-handling skills would need to improve a little more to be able to accomplish this though. Remember back when Kevin Martin figured out he could impact a game by getting to the foul line? It changed the way he played and his game took a huge leap forward.

    The quiet McLemore, who never seems to impose or encroach on any of his teammates, knows he has a lot of work to do in the final stretch of the season.

    "My all around game. You know, defensive, offensive. Working on everything; ball-handling, shooting, getting stronger, getting more quick. Things like that just to build my game even more to the next level and be ready for next year," McLemore told Sactown Royalty.

    McLemore said his now former teammate Marcus Thornton served as a good mentor to him this season.

    "He helped me a lot, you know, he's been in the league for a while, he knows his stuff and tried to get a lot of advice from him, as much advice as I can just to help myself," McLemore said.

    The Kings' front office is hoping more playing time (he is currently averaging 23 minutes per game) helps McLemore refine his game. Both Malone and general manager Pete D'Alessandro reiterated leading up to the trade deadline that McLemore is not available, so they clearly have faith in him. One of the things they must like about him is his ability to "wow" a crowd, which he did during the dunk contest (in an interesting fashion).

    McLemore said John Wall's winning dunk, in which he jumped over the Wizards mascot, grabbed the ball out of G-Man's hands (no, not our G-Man) and did a reverse dunk, was "great." But he admitted he wished the format allowed him a few more dunks.

    "Definitely, I think everybody wanted to see more out of me," McLemore said.

    For the remainder of the season, the Kings' front office and Malone definitely want to see more out of him.

    The Danny Granger Dilemma: To buyout or to keep?

    0
    0

    Will the Sixers grant Danny Granger his wish and buyout his contract?

    After multiple sources indicated to Liberty Ballers that the Sixers will likely buy out Danny Granger's contract over the next several days, Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie told reporters that he would have "discussions" with the eighth-year small forward Philadelphia acquired, along with a future second-round pick, in exchange for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen.

    While it may seem like a very cut and dry situation, the prospect of buying out Granger's current one-year, $14 million deal is a bit more complicated beneath the surface.

    At a first glance, it would makes sense for Hinkie and the Sixers to let Granger test free agency, sign with a contender and compete for a championship. That's certainly what Granger would prefer.

    Entrapping Granger inside this Philly tank would be nothing but torture for the one-time All-Star, and the Sixers can grant his wishes to compete for a ring buy paying the roughly $4.5 million buyout clause in Granger's current deal. Granger would then become an unrestricted free agent free to sign with any NBA team other than Philadelphia and Indiana.

    At the same time, keeping Danny Granger under contract until July 1, could also prove valuable to the Sixers. No, not to provide "veteran leadership" to the youngest team in NBA history, but to maintain control of his bird rights. Having Granger's bird rights would allow the Sixers to move Granger in a sign-and-trade this summer similar to how Sacramento received Greivis Vazquez in return for Tyreke Evans fleeing the Kings organization for the New Orleans Pelicans last July. In this route, the Sixers could potentially move Granger to receive younger talent or future picks in return.

    It would be safe to say, knowing Hinkie's brief, yet diabolical, tinkering history at the helm of the Sixers, there is no telling what he could haul with that trade chip in his pocket.

    However, expect Granger to be bought out over before Monday.

    Judge leaning towards upholding City Clerk's rejection of arena petitions

    0
    0

    Judge Timothy Frawley won't make a final ruling until next Tuesday, but made it clear that he is heavily leaning towards upholding the City Clerk's rejection of STOP's arena petitions.

    The arena battle headed to a courtroom today as Judge Timothy Frawley heard arguments from both the City and STOP regarding the validity of the petitions that were rejected by the City Clerk on January 24th.  Those petitions were rejected by the Clerk due to numerous failures to comply with election code and the Sacramento City Charter.

    STOP's argument in court was that the deficiencies in the petitions were technical and minor and that the people who signed them were not being misled.  These "techincal deficiencies" included not listing names on the notice of intent, not including an enacting clause on any petition, and submitting nine different petitions with different wording on each.

    Judge Frawley did not seem sympathetic to STOP's arguments of "substantial compliance" stating that while no one error was enough to reject the petitions, "collectively there are so many errors that the flaws are fatal".  The Judge also expressed disappointment that STOP's attorneys did not bother to address the issue of these petitions being against the City Charter, which does not allow decisions such as these to be put up to a vote.  He also declared that with the level of funding that STOP received, there should have been a substantially better product put forward and that these errors could have been avoided.

    While the Judge did not make a final ruling, he did say that he was currently in favor of ruling for the city and that STOP would have to make a "compelling" argument to convince him otherwise.  That written argument (there will be no more oral arguments) must be submitted by Tuesday, at which time Judge Frawley will make his formal decision.

    Most tellingly, STOP's lawyer asked the Judge to make a final ruling today, even after hearing that he was leaning towards siding with the city, all in the "interest of time" and STOP's pocketbook.  Per the Bee's Ryan Lillis, that's a bad sign for a potential appeal, especially if STOP is running out of funds.

    This was definitely good news for Sacramento Kings fans and supporters of the downtown Arena.  We'll know once and for all on Tuesday whether this issue will ever be up for a vote, but as of now it appears very unlikely.  If that's the case, the city will vote on approving bonds in May and groundbreaking could begin as early as September.

    Jason Terry shut down by Sacramento Kings

    0
    0

    Jason Terry is done for the season. The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones tweeted that Kings coach Michael Malone announced that Terry, traded by the Nets on Thursday, never fully recovered from his off-season knee injury.

    After his off-season knee surgery, Terry missed part of training camp. Then after playing 11 games, he had to shut it down for the next 15.  He admitted he had come back too soon from surgery and never got it going, shooting 25.8 percent overall in February.

    Larry Coon thinks the Kings are likely to dump Terry this summer.

    It's the second time in a month that a Nets player didn't play after being traded. Tyshawn Taylor was sent to the Pelicans for the draft rights to Edin Bavcic. Shortly afterwards, New Orleans released him. After a stint in the D-League, Taylor signed Friday with a team in the Puerto Rican league.

    Jason Terry will not join the Kings this season

    0
    0

    Coach Michael Malone told Grant Napear that Terry will be spending the rest of the season in Dallas rehabbing his knees. As of yet, the Kings have no plans to buy out the rest of his deal.

    Coach Malone went on the Grant Napear show yesterday and announced that Jason Terry, recently acquired from Brooklyn along with Reggie Evans in a trade for Marcus Thornton, would not be joining the team this season.  Instead, Terry will be rehabbing his left knee in Dallas.

    Terry had offseason surgery on his knee and apparently has not felt right all season.  Before this decision, Terry was having the worst season of his career by far, with career lows in most statistical categories.

    Terry's absence this season doesn't mean much for the Kings, who are probably fine with this development.  The trade for Terry was more about getting rid of Thornton's contract and freeing up time for Ben McLemore than anything.  Malone has made it quite clear that the rest of the season will be about giving McLemore and Ray McCallum time on the court.

    Terry's absence this season does not necessarily mean that he will never join the team.  He is still under contract for next season, and should the team not buy him out or trade him, he'll likely rejoin the team next training camp.

    Reggie Evans will be with the team this year although it's unlikely he'll see much playing time barring injury and/or foul trouble of our other big men.

    UPDATE 10:04 AM: The Kings have sent out a press release on Terry:

    The Sacramento Kings today announced that newly-acquired guard Jason Terry will spend the remainder of this season rehabilitating his left knee, according to Kings General Manager Pete D'Alessandro.

    "Our focus remains on reinventing this franchise and building a foundation for future success," said D'Alessandro. "Affording Jason time to rehab during the balance of this season allows him to return at full strength next year while giving our younger players the minutes and experience needed to help us improve as a team going forward."

    "I want to thank the Kings for their understanding during this process," said Terry. "Through my interactions with the front office and medical staff, it's clear that the organization cares about its players and has their best interest at heart. I'm confident that rehab presents the best opportunity to be ready for next season."

    Terry, a 15-year NBA veteran, has accrued career averages of 15.4 points (.446 FG%, .379 3pt%, .846 FT%), 2.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.31 steals and 32.5 minutes per game in 1136 contests with the Atlanta Hawks (1999-2004), Dallas Mavericks (2004-2012), Boston Celtics (2012-13) and Brooklyn Nets (2013-14).


    Kings vs. Celtics Preview: Payback time

    0
    0

    The Celtics beat the Kings shortly before the All-Star break and now the two teams meet for the final time this season in Sacramento.

    The Kings might have lost to the Warriors on Wednesday but they were not at full strength. Tonight they play the Celtics (7:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK 1140) and DeMarcus Cousins will be back. Newcomer Reggie Evans may also be available, although it's doubtful he plays even if he is.

    MATCHUP OF THE GAME

    DeMarcus Cousins vs. Jared Sullinger

    The last time these two met, Cousins and Sullinger both scored 31 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. The problem with that is for DeMarcus Cousins, that's expected, while it's not for Jared Sullinger, whose averaging 13.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. Cousins may be a little bit rusty, as he hasn't played in a game for a week and a half, but he can't let Sullinger equal or surpass his own productions. The Kings will have little chance of winning if that happens. Aside from Sullinger, the Celtics don't have much of an inside presence, so it should (key word there) be a good game for DeMarcus to get going early and often.

    3 THINGS

    1. Rajon Rondo didn't play in the last Kings-Celtics game but likely will tonight. Rondo still isn't his normal self, but he's still an incredible passer and an underrated scorer. Isaiah Thomas has had some good games against Rondo in the past, and he'll need to take advantage of Rondo's rust tonight.

    2. The Kings bench hasn't offered much production lately, and a particular low point was in the last game against the Celtics. In that game, rookie Kelly Olynyk outscored, outrebounded and outassisted the entire Kings bench. That can't happen again.

    3. Against the Warriors, the Kings had just 13 assists to 21 turnovers. Reverse those numbers and the Kings probably win that game easily. The Celtics aren't nearly as good as the Warriors but Sacramento will still need to take care of the ball and make the easy pass, not the tough one.

    START FOUR

    We are starting a new Start Four contest due to the popularity of the last one.  It will encompass the next four games, including this one.  Check out this FanPost for details!

    PRE-GAME HAIKU

    JET's taking a break
    but we don't need him tonight,
    or ever really.

    PREDICTION

    Kings 108, Celtics 95 as Rajon Rondo's presence on the court makes both Isaiah Thomas and Ben McLemore have career games.

    Kings vs. Celtics Fan Predictions

    0
    0

    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 Ray McCallum's Playing Time (1 point for within a minute, 3 points within 10 seconds, 5 points for within 5 seconds, 10 points for exactly right unless it's 0 minutes then just 1 point)

    Kings 105, Celtics 98: Kings Start Hot And Never Look Back!

    0
    0

    Led by the stellar play of Isaiah Thomas and Rudy Gay, the Kings took the lead early and never looked back.

    If you're going to win despite turning the ball over a lot and not defending particularly well, you'll need to find a team who's willing to return the favor.  Enter the Boston Celtics.

    The Kings jumped out to an early 23-16 lead, behind a great first quarter from their backcourt, and never looked back.  Isaiah Thomas and Ben McLemore played the entire 1st quarter and the Rondo-less Celtics didn't have any answers for them.

    We'd heard Malone say that the McCallum will get a lot of run the remainder of the season and he was true to his word. McCallum was the first (and only, if we're being honest) guard off the bench. In fact, the first 6 minutes of the 2nd quarter was "RayMac and the Forwards."

    We'd seen similar lineups in the past with Jimmer running point, but the lineup seemed to work better tonight than in previous attempts.  Presumably because Ray is a better ball handler and defender, the first of which becomes paramount when the second ball handler is Rudy Gay.  Ray didn't tally any offensive stats during his 11 minutes of play, but he defended well, helped maintain the lead, and didn't turn the ball over once.  He was tantamount to a "game managing" QB in the NFL. And if you ask me (which you did not), this isn't such a bad thing from your first PG off the bench.

    Kris Humphries got under DeMarcus Cousins' skin in the second half.  DMC pretty much lost all composure in the 3rd, which caused DeMarcus to spend much of the quarter on the bench with foul trouble, but not before racking up his 12th technical foul of the season.  Cousins would eventually reenter the game in the 4th and deliver a pretty obvious elbow to Mr. Kardashian's chest (not obvious enough for the refs to see/call it). They are clearly NOT friends... though I have no idea where the distaste for each other stems from.  I expect to see some Dunleavy-esque "he's a clown" post-game comments later on. However, despite getting in foul trouble, DMC did finish the game with a respectable albeit quiet 13pts and 7rebs.

    Carl Landry looked like the Top Hat of old and Isaiah Thomas and Rudy Gay were PHENOMENAL tonight!  The Pizza Guy tallied his 6th double double of the season (21pts/12asts) and Rudy was back to post-Canadian levels of efficiency (22pts on 8-18 shooting).  Also, IT and Thrilly D Williams treated us to an off-the-backboard-alley-oop that we BETTER be seeing on Sports Center tonight!

    H/T to Gifdsports for the vine

    Tonight was one of the more physical games of the season and devolved into a slobber knocker down low late in the game.  Both teams were turning the ball over at an alarming rate as well.  This really was the kind of game the Sacramento Kings would normally find a way to lose late.

    It may not have been pretty... but we'll take it. Now get to dancin'!!

    For the opponent's perspective, visit the wonderful CelticsBlog.

    Celtics drop second of back-to-back

    0
    0

    The Boston Celtics did not manage to pull out a win against the home team Sacramento Kings. In a technical-foul-filled event, our boys managed to keep their head fairly cool until late into the game, but fourth quarter fouls ended up costing us a close game.

    Without Jared Sullinger (mild concussion), Rajon Rondo (rest) and Avery Bradley, the Celtics started Brandon Bass, Gerald Wallace, Jeff Green, Kris Humphries and Phil Pressey. Jeff showed up in spurts, and though he was the top scorer of the game, Humphries was really the player of the game on the Celtic side.

    Here's a quarter-by-quarter recap.

    First quarter

    Jeff Geen had Ben McLemore on him, a mismatch in size, but his first 8 shots failed to turn into points. In fact, McLemore was the one to score 7 points in the quarter for the Kings.

    6 Minutes into the quarter, the Kings spent a time-out after going up 6-14 on 66% shooting, seemingly to let the Celtics gather themselves a bit. It didn't quite work out in the Celtic's favor though, as two minutes later the score was 12-19 and the Celtics took a time-out themselves. One can only assume this was an attempt to address their leaky defense or poor shooting percentage, 26% in the first quarter.

    It didn't seem to matter much, as Isaiah Thomas kept carving up the Celtics defense, notching 8 points and 5 assists in this first quarter.

    Quarter end: 16-23 Kings.

    Second quarter

    The team in green seemed aggressive, driving inside instead of taking the fade-aways they took in the first. Unfortunately, their defense was still slightly too haphazzard to take advantage of this change in offensive aggression. This aggression paid off because they got to go to the foul line a bit, as they still didn't manage to convert many of their shots or cut down on the turnovers.

    At this point, the only thing keeping the C's in the game were their second-chance points, scoring 12 of them.

    The Kings seemed to out-work the Celtics for most of the quarter, running faster offensive plays and fighting harder for loose balls.

    Jeff Green didn't manage a field goal until 2 minutes before half-time, going 0-10 from the field before that. And then he flipped the switch. Three quick buckets and some free-throws made him the Celtics top-scorer at half-time with 10 points hitting 3 out of 13 shots.

    As a side note, Rudy gay remained scoreless through the first quarter, but made up for it by scoring 9 and grabbing 5 rebounds in the second.

    Kings lead at the half, 43-51.

    Third quarter

    Humphries had a good start to the quarter, scoring 4 points early, as the Celtics managed some point in the paint, coming back to within 3 at 50-53.

    DeMarcus Cousins had a lot of fun talking to the refs early, even though he had already been T'd up in an earlier double Tech on him and Humphries. Further damage was averted as he was pulled out with 8 minutes remaining in the quarter, after picking up his fourth foul.

    The shooting percentage for the Celtics picked up a little bit, helping us not fall behind too much regardless of continuing defensive struggles.

    Jeff Green had a rough start to the half, 0-3 from the field and 1-4 from the charity stripe, but recovered after a time-out. This helped the Celtics once again stay in the game, trailing by as little as 3 points.

    At this point, Isiah Thomas put the Kings on his back by driving and either scoring or dishing. Most of his drives ended in un-contested layups as the team in green parted like the red sea.

    End of quarter, 70-77 Kings.

    Fourth quarter

    Again, the Celtics got behind by fumbling the ball on offense, then got back into it with some good shooting. Humphries played a key part in this. He got under DeMarcus' skin to the point where DeMarcus should've been tossed out of the game when he shoved Hump after a whistle.

    The game got especially physical when Olynyk got hammered by Carl Landry as the Klynyc was about to go up for two. A flagrant was called and Kelly tied the game at 85, Celtics ball.

    Foul trouble made the rest of the game a bit tougher to watch, as the Kings were guaranteed trips to the line about halfway through the quarter.

    Unfortunately, deep threes and shoddy offensive sets didn't work in our favor, and the Kings managed to build a lead mainly off of free-throws in a chippy fourth quarter.

    ... and with 35 seconds left, Gerald Wallace and coach Brad Stevens both got tossed for complaining to the refs.

    - Lot's of technical fouls, and even the Kings announcers disagreed with a bunch of calls made by the refs (both ways) ... and that's all we'll say about that today.

    - You're not going to win if you keep shooting crummy shots (38% from the field), while letting your opponent hit 53% of their field-goal attempts.

    - Isaiah Thomas, 21 points,  12 assists, messed us up again.

    - Humphries really deserves some praise. He very clearly got into DeMarcus' head with some tough defense, and scored 19 points on 9-15 shooting, while grabbing a game-high 8 rebounds.

    - DeMarcus Cousins was kept down to 13 points and 7 rebounds, which is not bad.

    - Jeff Green hit just 7 of his 25 attempts, and just 13 of 18 freebies. He had 29 points and a plus-minus of -12.

    - Pressey did not impress. 2 assists and 2 points.

    - Rondo's free-throw shooting seems to be rubbing off on the team, as they hit only 66%, 24 out of 36.

    Overall, It was a hard fought loss, one of many so far.

    Kings vs. Nuggets Preview: We're going streaking

    0
    0

    The Kings look to extend their incredible one game winning streak in Denver tonight.

    Sacramento beat the Celtics last night but now head to Denver (5:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK 1140) to face the depleted Nuggets, whose only available Point Guard is newly acquired Aaron Brooks.  The Kings may be without the services of DeMarcus Cousins, who is still dealing with his hip injury, one which he says slowed him down significantly yesterday.

    MATCHUP OF THE GAME

    Ben McLemore vs. Randy Foye

    The Kings rookie played a decent game yesterday, and seemed to take Coach Malone's advice to be aggressive attacking the basket to heart.  I want to see if he can do it again, especially going against smaller guard in Randy Foye.  He'll have to make sure to also not leave Foye open off the ball, as one thing Foye can do very well is shoot.

    3 THINGS

    1. Ray McCallum got some serious burn against last night and didn't really do much in that time.  He was 0-1 from the field, had no assists, turnovers, points or rebounds.  He did have 1 steal and 2 fouls though.  Obviously that's not what we want to see from the rookie.  He needs to be either making plays for himself or for his teammates.

    2. One guy who actually looked pretty good out there last night was Carl Landry.  That's the Carl Landry we signed.  He was efficient from the field, rebounded well, and seemed pretty confident whenever he made a move.  If that's the Carl we get going forward, that's really good for us.

    3. Isaiah Thomas had 12 assists last night to just 4 turnovers, a fine number but it's a bit worrisome that the rest of the team managed just 6 themselves.  Too often they don't go for the easy pass but the difficult one.  Rudy Gay is especially bad at this.  The Kings have turned the ball over on fastbreaks so many times because passes were overthrown or unnecessary.  That's leaving points on the table.

    START FOUR

    Start Four is back and we're now one game into our four game contest.  Winners will get Sactown Royalty t-shirts, and you can't win if you don't play. Check out this FanPost for details!

    PRE-GAME HAIKU

    Can we do it twice?
    I'm talking about winning,
    that thing we don't do.

    PREDICTION

    Kings 114, Nuggets 115 after Greg Wissinger, who will be in attendance, is assessed a technical foul for loudly singing "I Love It" by Icona Pop.  He was also booing.

    Viewing all 2536 articles
    Browse latest View live




    Latest Images