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 J.J. Hickson's Defensive Rebounds, Evan Fournier's FTA, and Wilson Chandler's steals (1 point for one right, 3 points for two right and 5 points for all right)
Sacramento Kings are owned by the first native of India in NBA History.
Nuggets are seeking to change their names to "Dumpster Fire" because the term "S**t Storm" isn't allowed by league "rules".
Here we are ladies and gents!
A preview for the bad Sacramento Kings, and the "getting worse" Denver Nuggets. Let the Jan Vesely era (30 games) begin! To set the mood, here is a guy playing a lute.
Ahhhh...there isn't that relaxing? Now, where were we?
Yes, the Sacramento Kings come to Denver fresh off a trade where they sent Marcus Thornton to the Brooklyn Nets for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans. I will leave it to those in Sacramento to explain exactly WHY the team made such a trade. Terry is a shell of his former self and Reggie "ball grabber" Evans is ... the Joker. Ya dig?
Outside of that, obviously the big move the Kings made was acquiring Rudy Gay earlier in the year. The last time these two teams played Gay was injured, so the Nuggets missed out on that. It has been said, according to those in the know, that Gay has played remarkably better since becoming a member of the Kings. No longer the shot chucking ball hog he was with the Toronto Raptors. It will be interesting to watch that development.
DeMarcus Cousins remains a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in an itchy firearm. Unbelievable talent that can be antagonized. However, who wouldn't want the big guy and his production? Nuggets famously tried to pull off a trade for Cousins featuring Nene Hilario a couple years ago and were (rightly) rebuffed by the Kings. He may be a loose cannon but you can't give up on that type of talent.
Outside of that, I'd like to see Jimmer Fredette get in the game because...well, I want to see 30' threes. Isaiah Thomas has developed into a good (but undersized) point guard. All in all you can see where the Kings are going, and it will be interesting to see "how" they get there.
Nuggets of Wisdom
Not much I can say at this point to make people feel better about where the Nuggets are going. Frankly, the team deserved to be ripped by Brian Shaw after their horrible performance against the Chicago Bulls. It pointed to some mutual disdain that the coach and players have for each other, but at this point the winner of any power struggle is pre-ordained. The Nuggets have no intention of giving up on Brian Shaw, and the players need to understand this. Sometimes it's better to just play out the string with pride with hope that things will improve
Nuggets have been forced into a difficult situation by a combination of injuries and a lack of real chemistry. The team looks to be hitting the restart button as hard as they can. Hopefully the future will be bright on the other side. All we can do is hope.
For the next 27 games, the Sacramento Kings will be playing for a season they're not yet in. Then how does what they're doing in the present translate to that future?
For the eighth straight season, the Sacramento Kings are playing for the future. The young guys are playing to prove themselves worthy of future minutes. The younger vets are playing to maintain their established relevancy (and maybe possibly win some ball games?).
Obviously there's real value in what's done now. Michael Malone and Vivek Ranadive, in their opening presser back in June, both affirmed that the goal of this season is to establish a culture of winning habits. The goal wasn't to win (ya, we know) and while the Kings made some very aggressive personnel moves, the goal never really changed.
If the Kings were to win out from this point on, they'd go 46-36. The 8th seeded Dallas Mavericks would have to go 12-13 to reach the point we would make if we went on a 2012-2013 Miami Heat-ian winning streak. So, basically, the only reason Kings fans should be writing the word "playoffs" is if they're asking what "playoffs" are.
What this means then is that as the season winds down, the lens with which we view Kings games becomes one more centered on those winning habits:
Against the Boston Celtics, Ben McLemore had 11 points on 4-9 shooting and looked more aggressive in attacking the basket and handling the ball up the court.
Rudy Gay had 22 points on 8-18 shooting and looked more like the Rudy Gay of immediately after the trade in terms of maximizing his efficiency.
Carl Landry had 10 points on 4-6 shooting and 6 rebounds while looking like classic Carl Landry. Despite his lack of length and how it hampers his ability to affect shots, it's still extremely fun to watch him bruise other bigs down low.
Isaiah Thomas matched a career high in assists, with 12 (which was accomplished in just the first three quarters), while accruing 21 points on 50% shooting, all marks that would send the "Isaiah Thomas can't be a starting point guard" army back over the hill to lick their wounds and regroup.
DeMarcus Cousins finished with a double-double, piling up 13 points to go along with the 10 times he wanted to kill Kris Humphries as inconspicuously as possible. He also had 7 rebounds.
The latter half of these sentences (save for DeMarcus'), will be the more paramount detail for each of the Kings' players the rest of the season. Yes, they're getting their stats. But how are they getting them?
If Ben McLemore has 20 points on inefficient shooting or on unsustainable means, I'd care, because that would just be fun in the short term. But I also don't care at all, because that's not what Kings' seasons are for yet.
I'm not saying that we as fans aren't allowed to derive any happiness from things outside of that "winning habits" or "can I see this being important to develop for a potential playoff series?" constriction. I'm just saying that anything outside of that is ultimately going to be meaningless (ducks out of the way).
If Rudy Gay drops 40 points on a series of pull-up threes or fade-away 20 footers, we can rejoice and bask in the glory of that much needed relief. In a season like this, as we all know so well, those breaks from the norm are necessary. But believe that Isaiah Thomas' potential for 15 assists or Ben McLemore maybe going 4-5 from three or Ray McCallum looking like a competent backup point guard (which he did last night) will always be the more important takeaway.
For the Sacramento Kings' brass, to get to this point was the always the expectation. As fans, we inherently believe in the allure of the postseason. We think we've been let down because of the Kings' apparent failures. But as the season comes to a close our expectations should be reconfigured.
No longer will I be holding on to your sweet nothings, Rudy Gay. No longer will I fall for the charm of a Jimmer Fredette three in transition.
For the Sacramento Kings, it's no longer "What have you done for me lately?", as much as it's "What will you do for me later?"
The Kings outscored the Nuggets by 21 in the 3rd quarter, and DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas combined for 92 points in the Kings' second win in a row.
Sacramento beat the Denver Nuggets tonight for their second win in a row, and their first in Denver since 2008. The Kings trailed by double-digits in the 2nd quarter and were down 4 at the half, but a huge 3rd quarter in which the Kings outscored Denver 39 to 18 broke the game open.
Sacramento's "Only Three" of Isaiah Thomas, Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 92 points alone, with no other King scoring more than 6 points. Thomas was incredibly efficient, cruncha munching through the Denver defense like they were Fritos on his sub. He scored his 33 points on just 16 shots. Gay started out 3-10 from the field, but finished 12-23 for 32 points along with 11 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins got going early and never let up, finishing with 27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and a steal in 34 minutes.
The third quarter was not only huge for the Kings offense, but also their defense, which stepped up, especially in the paint. Sacramento had 10 blocks overall (tying a season-high) and 6 of them came in the 3rd quarter.
The shorthanded Nuggets got big efforts from both Randy Foye and Evan Fournier, who scored 27 points each (setting a career-high for Fournier) and combined for 10-16 from downtown. The Nuggets as a team shot 15-32 from three, which was the main reason the score was even as close as it was considering the Nuggets were held to just 37.5% from the field overall. The only other Nugget in double digits was Kenneth Faried with 10 points.
Newly acquired Reggie Evans made his debut in the first half, grabbing 5 rebounds in 8 minutes and almost killing Aaron Brooks with an illegal screen. Rookie Ray McCallum played a season-high 17 minutes but didn't make a shot. He did have 3 rebound and 2 assists though.
The Kings surprisingly have played very well on the second night of a back to back this season. With tonight's win, the Kings are now 6-7 in those games.
Sacramento now gets a day off before coming home to face the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. As a reminder, you can purchase tickets to that game via our special group rate.
For the opposing perspective, visit the excellent Denver Stiffs.
The Rockets overcame some terrible basketball in the middle quarters to beat the Suns 115-112 in Phoenix.
It was not fun for large stretches tonight.
In a game that felt like an exact repeat of the Golden State game at times, the Rockets overcame some poor play in the second and third quarters to persevere against the Suns, winning 115-112.
The Rockets came out red-hot and led 30-16 after the first quarter. The passing was crisp, the Rockets were getting into the paint at will, and the Suns weren't getting out to the break like they desired.
But that all changed in the second quarter. The Rockets built an 18-point lead, but the Suns decided that missing wasn't fun in the second quarter. Goran Dragic reminded the Rockets (once again) what they were missing by slicing them apart and hitting threes as if they were going out of style.
In fact, the Suns scored 40 points in the second quarter. They followed that up with a weak 37 point effort in the third quarter. With a Gerald Green banked three to end the third quarter, the Suns took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.
At that point, it was just a matter of sticking around. The Rockets stayed close and then were able to get Dwight Howard into the game. Donatas Motiejunas replaced Terrence Jones with the starters and held his own. The Rockets clawed back and tied the game at 100.
I felt throughout the game that it was only a matter of time before Phoenix finally started missing, and in the fourth quarter that's precisely what happened. The last five minutes were basically a see-saw battle. The Suns would score, and the Rockets would respond. It felt downright Spurs-ish.
When Markieff Morris hit a lay-up and got fouled with 47 seconds left to put the Suns up 2, it felt like the comeback was not to be. But Morris missed the free throw and then Kevin McHale drew up one hell of a play.
Well actually, it wasn't that special. The Rockets ran a pick-and-roll with Harden and Howard. And as Harden Euro-stepped by Channing Frye, it seemed like the Rockets would tie it up.
But no one noticed Patrick Beverley. He started in the corner for the play, but as Harden drove, Dragic came over to help. Bev moved from the corner to the win and Harden found him for the huge three.
The Suns honored the Kevin Johnson dunk over Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994, but it was the Rockets who reenacted history with Patrick Beverley hitting a "Kiss of Death" three to put the Rockets up 1 with 34 seconds left.
Then the Rockets made a defensive stop that they never could have made last year. Gerald Green had a good look, but Dwight Howard contested and the shot fell short. Beverley grabbed the rebound and hit a couple of free throws to give him a career-high 20 points on the night. Then Dragic made a lay-up with 14 seconds left.
I know this is sounding like a play-by-play, but the last offensive possession must be discussed. The Rockets called timeout to get the ball into the frontcourt. Phoenix had to steal or foul. McHale pulled Dwight, but left in Donatas Motiejunas and his 59% free throw shooting. And wouldn't you know it, the Suns let him catch the ball and fouled.
D-Mo hit the two biggest free throws of his life and Dragic's tying three fell short.
Like I mentioned earlier, this game felt a lot like the Warriors game. The Rockets built a lead early, let the Suns come back and take a lead of their own, then fought back to make the game close late. They say close games are essentially a coin-toss, and the Rockets are 1-1 in their last two. Tonight they had to hit some huge shots late, and that's what they did. Hard not to be proud of the good guys tonight.
TDS Self-Promotional Tweet of the Night:
Shot distribution among starters: 10, 12. 12, 12, 15.
The Rockets will head to Sacramento face a Kings team that they have lost to twice this season. The only win for the Rockets over these Kings came in a game where Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins got injured in the first half. While those two will be healthy, Jason Terry will not be playing for the Kings.
I went to the Kings game in Denver, and watched the Kings get a rare win in the Mile High City.
I love when the Denver Nuggets are a bad team. Not because I hold any particular ill will towards the Nuggets. Living in Colorado, the Nuggets are a team I pay attention to, and it's fun to go to their games. But when the Nuggets are bad, I can get awesome seats for very little money. I was lucky enough to enjoy Sunday's Kings game against the Nuggets from the lower level.
The Kings started out strong. DeMarcus Cousins had 9 points halfway through the first quarter. Unfortunately he also had two quick fouls. Whether the calls were good or not is negligible. But in the NBA, you generally spend the first quarter figuring out how the refs are going to call the night's action. DeMarcus, however, immediately went to work jawing at the refs. And wouldn't you know it, they became more reticent to call fouls in his favor. Weird.
Isaiah Thomas was magnificent. I went to the game with a friend who is a casual Nuggets fan. He was blown away by Isaiah. Luckily Denver was without Ty Lawson, who missed the game with injured ribs, so I didn't have to explain why the other team's point guard was scoring so much.
Rudy Gay was also very impressive. Some nifty moves to shake defenders, and some nice finishes along the way.
For the Nuggets, Evan Fournier was fantastic. I love Fournier, and can't believe how good he is at such a young age. Kenneth Faried was also really active in the game. I understand that he isn't the type of player Brian Shaw wants, but man I think it would be a mistake for Denver to get rid of him.
After the game, I saw a group of Kings fans chanting "Sa-cra-men-to" and waving a Kings banner, so I wandered over to enjoy their company. Turned out they were right behind Grant and Jerry. We ended up on the Sacramento broadcast, which my mom really enjoyed.
I really enjoyed getting to meet some fellow Kings fans, and was impressed by the turnout. Grant and Jerry appreciated us as well. Sorry it's blurry, my phone is incapable of a clear picture, it seems.
In the end, it was simply a joy to watch the Kings win the game. This was Sacramento's first win in Denver since 2008 (This previously said 2002, hat tip to BloodyNate for looking into it and correcting me). I've gone to a lot of those losses. A win, especially in the midst of yet another lost season, was pretty fun.
According to a report from Nets Daily, the Kings are due for some international exposure next year as they'll take on the Nets in China next preseason. While this has yet to be officially announced, Kings season ticket holders were only charged for 43 games rather than 44.
3. Aggressive Ben McLemore
Ben seems to be making a point of attacking the basket more often, and I really like seeing that even when he gets clobbered and no whistle is blown like yesterday against the Nuggets. Learning to attack the basket successfully will only help Ben by either getting him to the line or getting shots around the rim. That can never be a bad thing, and it should open up the rest of his game as well.
4. STOP appears to be stopped
STOP and the city went to court this week to debate the legitimacy of the petitions to put the arena subsidy to a vote. As we all know, the city clerk tossed out the petitions due to numerous flaws, thus bringing a lawsuit in response from STOP. However, the judge doesn't seem especially sympathetic to their cause, pointing out that while not one flaw by itself could be considered fatal, all of them added together can be. The judge held back on giving a final ruling, but will likely do so this week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday. An appeal would likely not occur in time to get the vote on the June ballot, since it would need to be completed by March 3rd.
This week was probably Carl's best run in this stint as a King. He looked more fluid and confident, essentially more like his old self. That's the Carl the Kings signed to a long term deal this summer, and it will be good for him to get these games under his belt in order to be ready for next season.
The Kings are now playing the famous riff from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" whenever Travis Outlaw makes a shot. I love it.
7. The Great Rudini returns
Admittedly, Rudy had a rough game against the Warriors, but Andre Iguodala is a menace on the defensive end so I can't blame him too much. He did much better against the Celtics and Nuggets, and I think there's a big difference in how he plays with Cousins on or off the floor since Cousins draws so much of the defense's attention. Rudy's been great for this team, and the Kings are now 13-14 in the games where Cousins/Thomas/Rudy have all been healthy.
Cuz missed one game due to injury this week, and in the two games he did play, he displayed an enormously negative attitude. Against Boston, he was continuously frustrated by Kris Humphries' physical play and it resulted in Humphries simply outplaying Cousins (something that should never, ever, ever happen). Cousins also had a bit of an attitude in the Nuggets game, chirping at the officials and then at the end with victory assured, seemingly complaining when Derrick Williams took a rebound away that would have given him a double-double. That's not something I want to see as a fan.
I know that the rest of this season is about getting more minutes for the young guys but man is it tough to watch the team when Ray McCallum is running the offense. He's just not ready to be a lead guard at this level. Against the Celtics, McCallum played 11 minutes and somehow managed to have an Offensive Rating of 0. He's got good potential on the defensive end, but that doesn't mean a thing if the team can't score anything on offense.
3. Derrick Williams fadeaway jumpers
There are few shots I like less than when Derrick Williams has the ball in the post and then turns around to shoot the fadeaway jumper. He's very good at attacking the basket, and should be doing it every chance he gets.
I kinda feel bad for Jason that the Kings weren't able to trade him. I don't think he very much likes it here at the moment. I don't mind having Jason on the team, I think he's a good player and a good big man, but the Kings would like some future cap flexibility with a potential luxury tax bill coming next season. Jason might not be long for Sacramento after this season, and I'm not sure he'll mind if he does get traded.
How the mighty have fallen. Once upon a time, we had hoped Marcus Thornton could be our Kevin Martin of the future, a guy who could explode for 30 points on any given night. When we first traded Carl Landry for him, he became a quick fan favorite, and helped fuel a fun stretch of basketball down the stretch, leading the team in scoring along the way. Unfortunately, the Kings decided to offer him a large extension without letting the market dictate his value (he was a restricted Free Agent). Since then, Thornton's production dropped to the point where the Kings basically traded him simply to trade him. The Kings didn't even save all that much money on this deal, but it was still a necessary trade to break up Thornton's contract (and open the possibility of buying out Terry and saving more money). It's a sad fall from grace for a player that was once many of our favorites. He joined this team during a rough time in its history, and brought a little bit of joy to us during that time. This alley-oop to Casspi at the first Here We Stay night will always be one of my favorite in-game memories.
2. Turnovers
The Kings were turnover machines this week, with 59 of them over three games. That's an obscene rate, and one that cannot continue if the Kings hope to win more games. Too often the Kings try to make a tough pass rather than the easy one, especially on fast breaks where we've seen so many ruined by overthrown balls or bad decisions. The Kings also seem tentative with their passing rather than decisive. There are many times where the Kings are trying to make a pass and everyone is standing still watching rather than trying to get open.
3. Jimmer Fredette's future as a King
I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more DNP-CDs in Jimmer's foreseeable future. The Kings tried to trade him, even for a 2nd round pick, and there were no takers. He's going to be gone at the end of the season. The Kings would rather give his minutes to McCallum so they can develop him. It's a sad state of affairs for Jimmer, who does deserve better than this, but it is what it is. It's unfortunate for both parties that a trade wasn't able to be worked out last week.
After a month or so of struggling to shoot the ball, Isaiah seems to be rounding back into his more efficient self, with this week being an extreme example. Scoring 26.7 points alone is impressive, but to do so while shooting 60% overall, and 50% from three is incredible. He also was doing a good job of dishing out the ball to the tune of 8.3 assists. He did however average 5.7 turnovers this week too, in a somewhat troubling trend. As explained above, the Kings have seen their turnover rate climb sharply in the past few weeks, and that needs to be curtailed. As Point Guard, Isaiah Thomas has the primary responsibility for the offense and it would be nice to see him try to make a concerted effort to keep turnovers down the rest of the way.
4:30 – Rise and shine 4:35 – Listen to Vivek motivational "shower 3.0" mp3 4:40 – Shower 3.0 5:00 – Brush teeth, shine scalp 5:15 – Breakfast: A big bowl of Cousins Flakes w/ two "t" spoons of honey 5:30 – Put away Murphy bed in office and get to the day’s business 5:35 – Call Danny Ainge 5:36 – 6:15 – Help Danny Ainge figure out how speaker phone works 6:16 – Call back Danny Ainge after he inadvertently hangs up 6:17 – 6:45 – Repeat of 5:35-6:15 6:45 – 7:15 – Repeat of 6:17 – 6:45 7:16 – Call NY Nets 7:17 – Jason Kidd answers; spend the next 90 minutes trying to convince him that you’re not Lawrence Frank 8:50 – Potty break 9:15 – I wouldn’t go in there for 20 minutes! 9:17 – Banana, Ensure 9:22 – Mess with the height setting on Michael Malone’s chair 9:30 – Bungee jumping off Sleep Train Arena catwalk with Aaron Gray, Jerry and Ed Montes 11:00 – Change shorts 11:15 – Prank call Mitch Kupchak ("Do you have Sir Walter Raleigh in a can?") 11:30 – Do Adam Silver impression for office staff 11:40 – Lunch 1:00 – Call Miami, offer Jimmer for LeBron and a draft pick 1:15 – Call Reno Bighorns, tell them that you are sending Isaiah Thomas down until he becomes a pass-first point guard 1:30 – Yahtzee Skype call with John Hollinger and Greg Wissinger 2:00 – Ouzo and Cheeze-its with Aykis16 2:30 – 10:00 – Cousins Kumbaya with otis and pookey
A reminder of the rules for the Caption Contest. Leave your caption in the comments below, and the most rec'd (to recommend a comment, hit action, then rec) caption wins.
Nostradumbass Prediction for Next Week:
v. Houston 2/25 L (We're 2-1 against the Rockets this year, and that's two more wins than I would have expected. I'll settle for the season tie)
@ L.A. Lakers 2/28 W (We have suffered two rather embarrassing losses to the Lakers already this season, let's not make a habit of it.)
v. Minnesota 3/1 W (The Wolves are hurt, with Kevin Martin out for a while and Nikola Pekovic missing games with ankle bursitis. The Kings already beat the Wolves on their home court when they were at full strength, surely we can do so on our home court?)
Nostradumbass Record for the Year: 25-30
Random Observations from around the league:
The trade deadline was pretty quiet but the Sixers and Pacers made a pretty big splash when they traded Danny Granger (and a 2nd round pick) for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen. It's a good move for both teams in my opinion, but it's also sad. Danny Granger WAS the Indiana Pacers for a long time, and now that they're finally contenders, he's been moved for someone younger, healthier and more productive. The Sixers meanwhile add more picks to their stockpile. They now have EIGHT second round picks this year. They won't use them all of course, but those picks are essentially currency that can be traded at a later date. Sam Hinkie is doing a marvelous job of collecting assets, now comes the hard part: turning those assets into good players.
Jason Collins signed a contract with the Nets and became the first openly gay player in the NBA. Meanwhile, Rudy Gay gets no credit for being the first openly Rudy Gay player in the NBA (credit to Russ Bengston for the joke). Seriously though, good for Jason Collins. One day this won't be news.
It's been a long time coming, but Brian Shaw announces something the Stiffs have wanted almost all season. Break out the Mozgov Militia T-Shirts.
At practice in Pepsi Center today Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw announced that Timofey Mozgov will be starting at center in place of J.J. Hickson. In a question I asked him about Jan Vesely, Shaw dropped the bombshell and admitted he had been pondering it for awhile, saying:
"...it was a tough decision (bringing in Mozgov to start at center) and it's something I've been thinking about doing for the last couple of weeks." Shaw said. "I wanted Timo to really come in of a better performance than last night (versus the Sacramento Kings) but ... with some of these big centers that we have been playing against I like his size in there and his ability to protect the rim, more so than we have been getting."
He also admitted it wasn't necessarily about Hickson's recent poor showing
"It's not an indictment on J.J.. It's just no secret he has been struggling at the free throw line". Shaw added. "I feel like it's affected his confidence ... like him not rolling to the basket as aggressively as he had been. Running the floor maybe because he didn't want to get fouled.and go to the free throw line."
Shaw also indicated that this move with Mozgov may not be a permanent move for the season.
"Its not a permanent thing, but it's something we've got to go through now."
So, after long clamoring from Denver Stiffs nation, Timofey Mozgov will finally get his chance to not just be an "injury replacement" starter. Will he make it hard for Shaw to take him out of the starting lineup? Or will he have another disappointing game like he did against the Kings?
In which we take a stroll down memory lane and look at each of JT's 65 teammates.
With the trade deadline behind us, Jason Thompson remains the longest tenured Sacramento King. Jason's been through a lot in Sacramento, including the now oft-repeated statistic of 65 different teammates. I felt a strange compulsion to look at who those teammates were.
The list is a who's who of cheap contracts, roster fillers, and StR crushes of old (miss u Donté). So take a look, and keep this list in mind the next time JT seems pissed off to still be a King. Looking at this list, I don't blame him.
They're 20-36 so they must suck, right? Except they don't.
They're an enigma. You watch them play and you think, "This could be a playoff team." They have 3 starters who are way above-average at their positions, they have firepower off the bench, and they're young and experienced at the same time.
The Kings have wins over the Suns (twice), Mavs, Heat, Blazers, and the Bulls. They have a handful of close losses against good teams.
Oh, and they have beaten the Rockets twice.
They made the Rockets look silly in the first meeting and fought back in the second matchup. The third time around, Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins both got injured in the first half and the Rockets were able to blow them out at Toyota Center. Literally, the Rockets' best defense against the Kings has been injuring their two best players.
Needless to say, this is an important game for the Rockets. A win would take them to a season-high 21 games above .500 and guarantee at least a 3-2 road trip. With the Clippers off today and hosting the Rockets tomorrow, it's important not to look ahead since both teams have had the Rockets' number this season.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - Basketball (via aco22193)
Beverthree (yeah that's terrible) hasn't shot well against the Kings at all. The Rockets need the Beverley from the Suns game, and even Bev admitted after the game that the Rockets would have lost that game a month ago. Role players stepping up will be huge from here on out.
Remember when Will Smith dominated Isaiah?
Fresh prince of belair- Will Smith vs Isiah Thomas (via ralphkevin15)
I still don't like the new-look Rudy Gay. I appreciated him way more when he was inefficient.
But it seems he's turned a corner and is now attacking the rim and taking smarter shots. That's a dangerous combination, but it begs the question: why now? What happened to transform Rudy Gay from Hollinger's nightmare into a Kings fan's wet dream?
Rebound and Putback Slam Thompson. He always gets one.
And what is happening with Terrence Jones. He comes out hot, and then he fades. It's an issue, but as long as Donatas Motiejunas keeps playing the way he's playing lately, it's a problem that the Rockets can work around.
On Sunday, Cousins played 34 minutes, got to the line 12 times, scored 27 points, grabbed 9 boards, had 5 assists, and had 5 blocks. He finished with a ridiculous +36 and was outstanding.
I know Dwight Howard is pretty good too, but in a few years Daryl Morey might be opening his cap space for the Kentucky product.
The Kings Big 3 searches for their 3rd win in a row and their 3rd win of the season against the Houston Rockets.
As they say, three's the Magic number, and the Kings hope that's the case tonight as they face the Houston Rockets (7:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK 1140) for the final time this season. The Kings have surprisingly won two of the three games against the Rockets so far this season. Their last loss to the Rockets saw injuries to both DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay early in the game that knocked both out for quite a few games.
1. The Rockets are one of the hottest teams in the league, having won 9 of their last 10 and 17 of their last 22. Dwight Howard is becoming a force again, James Harden is as good as ever, and the roleplayers aren't bad themselves. The Kings have been stepping up their defense as of late (they're now 24th in defensive rating) but the Rockets are one of the better offensive teams the Kings have played as of late.
2. DeMarcus Cousins seems to step it up a notch when going up against Dwight Howard. In fact, in their 8 matchups to date, the Kings have been 4-4, despite Howard's teams being much better than the Kings during that time. Cousins will have to step it up on the defensive end against Howard though, especially off the ball, since Howard's a master finisher in the Pick & Roll, one of Cousins' biggest defensive weaknesses.
3. The Kings bench hasn't been of much help lately. I would really like to see Derrick Williams have a good game attacking the basket. He can be a great bench player if he sticks to his strengths and doesn't try to do too much.
Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo reportedly stayed in Los Angeles for his birthday instead of going to a game he would have watched from the bench.
Rajon Rondo didn't accompany the Boston Celtics when they flew from Los Angeles to Sacramento for Saturday's game against the Kings. He wasn't scheduled to play in the game anyway -- Rondo is still skipping most back-to-backs -- but he did not receive official permission from the Celtics to do so, according to the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett.
Rondo turned 28 on Saturday and multiple sources told the Herald that the reason he stayed in Los Angeles was to celebrate his birthday, but the point guard didn't have much to say about the situation when asked about it in Utah on Monday:
"We already talked about it," Rondo said. "There's nothing to talk about."
That doesn't appear to be the case. President of basketball operations Danny Aingesaid yesterday he is still looking into the situation.
"I plan on talking to Rondo when he gets back into town," he told the Herald. "I'll find out more about what went into it, and then we'll handle it internally. We handle all of those kind of issues internally."
…
"His wife and kids were with him in LA, and there were some other people who came in," a source said. "I think he felt obligated to them, too, and what they had planned for his birthday."
According to the Herald, there is a possibility that Boston will fine Rondo for this incident, but if not then there will just be clearer rules on the subject.
Rondo had 18 points, 10 assists and three rebounds against the Jazz on Monday.
SIGN UP FOR OUR NBA NEWSLETTER
Get news, links and Ziller's #hottakes in your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo! Sports Wojnarowski reports that the Kings will buyout Jimmer Fredette, making him a free agent. Is he a good fit for the Jazz? Would you want him on this team?
In a move that looks to shatter and change the balance of power in the NBA for generations, it appears as though the Sacramento Kings are in talks to buy out guard Jimmer Fredette. Or that's what Yahoo! Sport's Adrian Wojnarowski reports:
Yahoo Sources: Sacramento is close on finalizing a buyout agreement with guard Jimmer Fredette. http://t.co/gygfKPZHZL
The Kings tried to move Fredette before Thursday's trade deadline, but were unable to find a destination for him. Fredette had been one of college basketball's most prolific scorers at BYU – scoring 2,599 points in his career – and earning consensus honors as college basketball's player of the year in 2011.
Nevertheless, he has struggled to find his niche with the Kings. Still, there are expected to be several teams with interest in signing him for the rest of the season, league sources said.
Fredette, 25, has averaged 5.9 points per game for the Kings this season – and seven in his three-year NBA career.
Before the season, the Kings passed on picking up the 2014-15 option on Fredette's contract, almost assuring that he'd be elsewhere next season. - Wojnarowski, 2014
Safe to say, #WojBombs are law in our NBA circle.
Most know Jimmer from his days at BYU where played for four years, and finished with Senior season averages of 28.9 ppg, 4.3 apg, and 3.4 rpg. He shot from crazy range and was someone the other team had to gameplan for. Now in his third season in the NBA, Fredette has not seen the same type of success. Though, few have when paired with DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans. This season the guard is shooting the ball well, 47.5 fg%, 89.5 ft%, and most importantly, 49.3 3pt%. These career high values in percentages contrast his ever diminishing minutes per game, shot attempts per game, and over all use to their franchise. He can bomb from deep at this level though if open. There is no doubt.
I feel as though the New York Knicks, the team Jimmer admitted to being a fan up back in the run up to pre-draft interviews as he is from New York, may need him more with their current Raymond Felton trouble. The Jazz already have Trey Burke.
if Jimmer is bought out he will be linked to the Jazz. Should he clear NBA waivers he will be a free agent and ready to sign with any team that wants him.
EDIT: It's also Jimmer's birthday today! Happy Birthday Jimmer! You are 25 today! The Jazz have 4 guards younger than you already on the roster! Gordon Hayward is 23. Alec Burks and Ian Clark are 22. And Trey Burke is 21. That doesn't include Raul Neto! Happy Birthday!
Multiple reports indicate that Jimmer's time as a King is over.
Multiple reports this morning indicate that the Sacramento Kings are working on a buyout agreement with point guard Jimmer Fredette. It was expected that Jimmer would have a reduced role the remainder of the season, but it comes as somewhat of a surprise that he'll be bought out.
Jimmer has the best three point field goal percentage among all qualified players in the NBA, and should be a coveted free agent once a buyout is completed.
The Kings attempted to trade Jimmer at the deadline, but we're unable to fetch even a second round pick.
Jimmer is a talented player, but has never fit with any of the multitude of Kings coaches. Fredette was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft. As a reminder, the Kings traded back in that draft as part of the acquisition of John Salmons. Thanks Geoff Petrie.
It's a disappointing end to Jimmer's Kings career, but he's been a consummate professional in Sacramento. We wish him all the best.
With Sacramento waiving Jimmer Fredette today and Milwaukee having dealt Tobias Harris last year, Bismack Biyombo is the only remaining draft pick from 2011's big draft day deal.
Like just about every year, analysts and fans were already calling 2011's a weak draft.
The Bobcats had two first round picks and analysts couldn't quite get a bead on their targets. Having started Kwame Brown and 33-year-old Nazr Mohammed for a combined 80 games, it was painfully clear they needed a big man. But nothing on that roster was set in stone. They had no guard or forward who seemed to possess the dynamic scoring ability required to lead the team, unless you want to count the aging Stephen Jackson. Their best young prospects were D.J. Augustin and Gerald Henderson, two players hardly cemented as players to build around.
They had their own pick at No. 9 and the 19th overall pick, from Portland (who got it from New Orleans) as part of the Gerald Wallace trade months prior.
The night of the draft, reports leaked that the Bobcats were a part of a three-team trade with the Bucks and Kings as their partners. The deal was this:
Charlotte traded Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston and the rights to the No. 19 pick to Milwaukee. Milwaukee sent Charlotte Corey Maggette and gave John Salmons and the No. 10 pick to Sacramento. Sacramento gave Charlotte the No. 7 pick and Milwaukee was gifted Beno Udrih. The Bobcats drafted Bismack Biyombo at No. 7 and Kemba Walker at No. 9; The Kings drafted Jimmer Fredette at No. 10; The Bucks drafted Tobias Harris at No. 19.
It was an odd trade then and it's an odd trade today. Charlotte gave up a better player in Jackson, but they had to in order to get a decent return. Maggette's contract had the same length as Jackson's but with $2 million more on his deal. The Bobcats also relinquished their guard depth in sending Livingston to the Bucks, but financially they didn't give up much. All told, Charlotte moved from 19th in the draft to 7th, without giving up their 9th overall pick and without worsening their financial flexibility, to take Biyombo, who they feared would be gone before their 9th overall pick.
Milwaukee did fine too, saving about $10 million with their moves. They moved back in the draft but still managed to get a solid talent in Tobias Harris.
They took back John Salmons' terrible contract, which had four years and $31 million remaining on it. And they moved from the seventh pick to the tenth to draft Jimmer Fredette. It made no sense then and it makes no sense now. They took on more money to move back to the draft. Makes sense.
And now nearly three years later, most of the pieces involved in this trade, the players that these teams made these moves to acquire are gone, leaving Biyombo as the only remaining major piece of this trade.
The Kings buying out Jimmer Fredette is just the latest piece to fall. Salmons, who they had acquired from the Bucks, was turned into Rudy Gay and other small pieces. Sacramento is currently a game from last place in the Western Conference.
The Bucks dealt former No. 19 pick Tobias Harris and Beno Udrih last year at the trade deadline for J.J. Redick, who then was traded to the Clippers in a sign-and-trade the following summer. Milwaukee waived Gustavo Ayon right after the Redick deadline trade and Ish Smith dealt to Phoenix in the three-team sign-and-trade deal with the Clippers that sent Redick to Los Angeles. Milwaukee is currently wallowing in last place in the league standings.
Which leaves us with the Bobcats. Corey Maggette made a minimal impact on the team in their historically bad lockout season due to injuries and the team's on-court incompetence and roster weaknesses. Charlotte's front office made an impressive move in the subsequent offseason, swapping Maggette for Ben Gordon and a first-round pick with limited protections. The Bobcats added on another year of a bloated contract to get that pick from Detroit's ever-imploding front office.
Bismack Biyombo is now the only draft pick from this trade still with his original team, but even that could end sooner than hoped when he was picked. The Bobcats seemed to be open to dealing him at the deadline, to the surprise of no one. Biyombo's impact has declined mostly due to his minutes being nearly cut in half, though he's scoring efficiently, blocking a higher percentage of shots and rebounding better on the defensive side. In spite of his 64.5 field goal percentage, Biyombo's still a limited offensive player, something everyone knew when he was drafted. His defense has been solid but clearly hasn't outweighed his offensive shortcomings, which is quite short of the hopes we had for him as the next Ben Wallace.
Biyombo has another year on guaranteed money at about $3.8 million before the Bobcats will be forced to decide on whether to make a $5.2 million qualifying offer to make Biyombo a restricted free agent.
But for now, it seems the most lasting impact of this trade was not the centerpiece of draft picks and young players, but the management and movement of the bloated contract to acquire talent or other assets in a sad showing of inept scouting or retaining young quality players.
