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How Much Money Will Jorge Gutierrez Make After Signing With Brooklyn Nets?

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Jorge Gutierrez recently signed a multi-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets. Here's a look at how much the former Canton Charge guard will earn.

After playing out two ten-day contracts with the Brooklyn Nets, former Canton Charge guard Jorge Gutierrez has signed a multi-year contract with the team. The pact, which includes a small guarantee for next season, will allow the Nets to keep Gutierrez in town through training camp this coming fall (for the second straight season) before making a formal decision on his contract for the upcoming season.

Having appeared in 35 games with Canton this season, it's safe to say he spent a good chunk of the year in the D-League. With that in mind, will Gutierrez still be able to earn a considerable raise for his time in the NBA, given how late it is in the regular season?

Apparently so. According to our good friends at NetsDaily.com, Gutierrez will net himself a salary in the six-figure range after playing out his ten-day contracts and signing the most recent deal. See below:

Counting both 10-day deals and what he will receive, pro-rated, as a rookie for the remainder of the year, Gutierrez will earn a little more than $120,000 in 2014. If he makes the team next fall, he'll receive another $816,482. The Nets would then control Gutierrez's Early Bird rights.

Such an amount assumedly does not (also) take into account his D-League salary from this season as well.

Waiting around in the D-League for that coveted call from an NBA team can prove to be a tricky thing. As prospects strut their stuff in the minor league, hoping that someone takes notice, they're doing so while making a minimal salary and also turning their backs on more lucrative deals overseas.

Still, though the salary a player like Gutierrez will earn the rest of the way is nowhere near what NBA players earn at the minimum rate over a full season, it  nevertheless provides him with ample security and comfort like that of the everyday working individual.

Despite all of the existent benefits there are to playing in the D-League for a couple of years as one aims to make a name for himself, some simply can't afford (literally) to stick around in the minor league for more than one season. Having said that, signing just a ten-day or two, or even netting a contract towards the end of the season (a la Gutierrez or the Kings' Willie Reed) can at the very least, allow such young guns to exhale a little bit.

At that point, choosing to play in the D-League pays dividends and seems all the more worthwhile.


DeMarcus Cousins: Taking the good with the bad

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DeMarcus Cousins has avoided his 16th technical foul for a month now. Will it last though?

Take the good with the bad and recognize the incremental improvements. That is pretty much how Kings fans have approached this season as a whole, and that same mentality runs parallel to how things are with DeMarcus Cousins.

Cousins is currently on one of his incident-free stretches, having gone more than a month without picking up his 16th technical foul. He also had one of his incredible statistical nights (in a losing effort) on Wednesday against the New York Knicks, with 32 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, shooting 10-15 from the field and 12-12 from the free throw line.

Cousins' numbers this season are the best of his career (22.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.5 steals and shooting 49 percent from the field) and have been well documented, so for the sake of this article, let's focus on the big man's improvements in regulating his emotions.

Head coach Michael Malone shared his thoughts on the subject following the 107-99 loss to the Knicks.

"I think he is doing an outstanding job of handling and controlling his emotions. Ever since that Houston game, you know, he hasn't got a technical foul, I think he should be commended on that," Michael Malone told Sactown Royalty.

The Houston game he is referring to is the one in which Cousins punched Patrick Beverley. He was subsequently fined $20,000 and suspended for it.

He is currently tied with Kevin Durant (heard of that guy?) with 15 technical fouls for the most in the NBA. In 2012-13, Cousins tallied an NBA-high 17 technical fouls, just ahead of Russell Westbrook, who had 15 (heard of that guy?).

On Wednesday, Cousins did not want to discuss the fact that he hasn't had a technical foul in a month, but he did say that he has been more focused lately.

"I just think I'm locked in more on the task at hand, and you know, zoning out the other things," Cousins said.

His non-confrontational, more subdued play as of late would suggest this to be true. There was a sequence in the game against the Knicks when Tyson Chandler appeared to be baiting him a bit by pushing and shoving on consecutive possessions, but Cousins ignored him.

Baby steps.

In reality, however, the chances are Cousins will pick up that 16th technical foul before the season ends, which will result in another suspension. And even if he doesn't, that probably isn't something that should be pointed to as a prime example of how the sky is opening up for the often-troubled center out of Kentucky - he still has been in the top five in technical fouls for four seasons in a row after all. Not to mention we have seen him on good behavior for stretches after incidents before.

He has had five or more personal fouls in 21 games this season, and that hinders his minutes, which impacts his teammates. He had 24 games with five or more personal fouls in 2012-2013 and 23 in 2011-12 (shortened season).

To his credit, Cousins is becoming more vocal about leading the team. He has been pushing and mentoring rookies Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum. He's saying all the right things as well. When asked on Wednesday about putting up 30 points, he said scoring 30 points isn't a concern to him, but winning is. He also complimented the coaching staff for the work they do with scouting reports on opponents.

With these slight signs of improvements, we cannot forget that his slip-ups are not long ago. We already mentioned the Beverley incident, and there also were those reports of him yelling obscenities at the crowd at Sleep Train Arena in December.

He did apologize to Spurs announcer Sean Elliot recently for their 2012 incident.

The good with the bad.

Overall, compared especially to his first two seasons in the league, Cousins seems to be showing more self restraint. And his teammates who were in Sacramento last season say they see a difference in the center.

Travis Outlaw said he has noticed an uptick in Cousins' communication.

"He's talking more, you know, he's become more of a leader on the court so yeah, I mean, I've seen a lot of improvement," Outlaw said. "I believe he set himself up, you know, this season to next season to where he should become an All-Star."

Jason Thompson, who has been Cousins' frontcourt mate for multiple seasons now, said the league is beginning to respect Cousins more.

"He's been more aggressive...I feel like around the league they are starting to respect him more so he's starting to get more of the calls," Thompson said.

Cousins said that his goal at the beginning of the season was to get the Kings to the playoffs. That didn't happen, but he seems motivated to try to make it happen next season, praising the direction of the franchise.

"This season, of course we're not a playoff team, we're not playing for a playoff spot, but we're playing to continue to get better, we're playing to continue to grow," Cousins told Sactown Royalty. "Last year, we were playing to get the season over .... We really didn't have a goal for our future. We were in the moment. It was really no, there was nothing to look forward to last year."

The good has been outweighing the bad a little more frequently as of late with Cousins so maybe Kings fans have something to look forward to next season.

Have things been a complete success with Boogie since he signed a long-term deal with the Kings this past offseason? No. Has it been a failure? No. Is he maturing? Maybe. Maybe not. Are his flare-ups simply a result of his passion to win, as it's been suggested since he was drafted? Only he knows.

Boogie on.

Travis Outlaw is merciful, lets Oklahoma City win 94 to 81

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The Thunder had absolutely no problem with the short handed Kings, leading by as much as 30 in a game where the final score does not show how out of hand it was.

When you look at the final score and see that the Kings only lost to the Thunder by 13, you'd think that was a pretty good job, especially considering that the team was playing without Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Williams.  However, that score doesn't do this game justice.

The Thunder absolutely manhandled the Kings most of the night, leading by more than 30 points at one point.  It was a blowout in every sense of the word.  Kevin Durant scored 29 points on just 11 shots, and Russell Westbrook put up 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in just 24 and a half minutes.  The only reason the score was as close as it was was because of a 4th quarter that saw the Kings bench outplay the Thunder bench by a margin of 30 to 12.

With Thomas absent again, the onus was on Cousins and Gay to pick up the slack.  Cousins got off to a rough start though, missing most of the first half due to foul trouble, and when he did come back, the Thunder did a phenomenal job of covering him both on and off the ball.  Cousins ended up with just 4 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes, one of his weakest performances all season.  Gay didn't far much better with 7 points on 3-11 shooting.

Rookie Ben McLemore led the Kings in scoring with 18 points, but shot just 5-16 from the field (a solid 3-7 from downtown though).  Travis Outlaw had 17 points on 6-13 shooting off the bench, and Jason Thompson had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.  Quincy Acy set a career-high in rebounds with 13.  Ray McCallum got the start again for Thomas, and finished with 13 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 45 minutes.  Both McCallum and McLemore played nearly the entire game.

The Kings as a whole shot just 36.5% from the field, which is surprisingly not the worst FG% of the year.  They've shot worse three times this season, with the season low being 34.5% against Golden State early in the season.

The Kings now head on for another tough matchup against Dallas tomorrow night.  Hopefully Isaiah Thomas will be back and ready for action, because right now this offense is a mess without him.

For the opposing perspective, visit Welcome to Loud City.

2013-2014 Game 73 Recap: Kings mail it in, Thunder dominate 94-81

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"If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon." -Montgomery Scott

Stats:Box ScorePopcorn MachinePlay by PlayShot Chart

Recaps:Sactown Royalty RecapMayberry's Nuggets

Highlights:NBA.comJeremy Lamb is VideobombedDurant to Westbrook

Post-Game Interviews: Brooks, Lamb, and WestbrookMike Malone and Ray McCallum

"If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon." -Montgomery Scott

"If it has a tip-off, points scored, and a final buzzer, then it must be a basketball game." -Common Sense

But we all know that what transpired today wasn't much of a basketball game. It was more of a show, put on because money makes the world go round and tanking is a thing. The Kings had absolutely no intention of winning this game. One of their best players was out, and they're locked in the midst of a tight race for valuable lottery position. A win would be nothing but devastating for their future, so they had no real incentive to try for one.

That being said, the King players did try. But they were doomed from the start. Without Isaiah Thomas, the Kings match up horribly with the Thunder. Namely, Demarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay can't really get much going. They're both big players who like using size to their advantage in isolation situations. The Thunder usually have a longer player to match up with them, as well as a weak-side defender willing to help defend any shot at the rim. Cousins and Gay aren't particularly deft passers, so the result is usually a lot of missed King shots.

It's hard to say much positive about anything that happened with the Kings tonight, but their bench lineup is as close as you'll get. The team managed a few semi-dangerous second quarter runs, using some really excellent ball movement to space the floor and take advantage of the Thunder's lax perimeter D. But as soon as the Thunder's stars came back in to face the Kings starters, the game was basically over. The Kings went back to iso-ball, and the Thunder effortlessly got easy opportunities at the rim.

By the time the third quarter rolled around, the Thunder were basically showboating. Westbrook went for a steal on nearly every possession, and far too many plays were ending with easy shots at the rim. Before you knew it, the Thunder had pulled their stars, and we were watching Travis Outlaw lead a hapless team.

Anyway, what was interesting tonight? Well, Jeremy Lamb got his first regular minutes due to Jackson's injury, and had a solid amount of offensive responsibility while this game actually mattered. He was great at working within the offense to find ways to score, and had an incredible shooting night. A couple of his tougher attempts barely rimmed out, but for the most part, there really wasn't much to complain about.

Still, it doesn't matter what I think. Coach Brooks talked to the media after the game about Lamb's role specifically:

"I thought he did a good job of getting himself open. Setting himself up to get open. That's what we've been working on, setups. And I think he was good tonight."

"Nick and Jeremy have a very good relationship on the court, I thought they had good opportunities to get us some open looks."

Brooks went on to say that the minutes would always be there for Lamb, even if not as plentiful as in the past. I'm not sure how much stock I'd put in his words, especially after Lamb was a near DNP-CD at Chicago and Toronto. It's quite possible that Lamb's short stint in the doghouse was simply part of his maturing process, but it's hard to tell at this point. Honestly, I'm just glad to see that Brooks is still fond of his game and that he'll have a chance to contribute in the playoffs.

That's all for now. KD was great, Russ was great, and Ibaka was a defensive beast. To Utah on Sunday!

Slammin' Notes:

  • We have clinched the playoffs. Woo!
  • KD's streak of consecutive 25 point games now stands at 37. Three away from tying Jordan!
  • Hasheem Thabeet returned to action today after spending the past two games on the inactive list.
  • Reggie Jackson sat out tonight with a mid-back sprain, and is listed as day-to-day. My inkling is that this was more precautionary than anything.
  • Reggie Williams was signed to a second ten day contract earlier in the day, after that of Mustafa Shakur expired. He saw floor action for the first time this season, and scored his first points in nearly as much time.He looked like a decent dribble-drive threat, but it's hard to tell from such limited action.

Zorgon's Awards:

Thunder Wonder: Kevin Durant, the basketball machine

Thunder Down Under:Russell Westbrook, who had a very minor funny bone injury today

Thunder Blunder: Perry Jones, who had one of the worst Garbage Time stints I've ever seen

Thunder Plunderer: Jason Thompson, the rebounding fiend

Next Game: Versus the Utah Jazz, Sunday, March 30th, 2 PM Central Standard Time.

Poll
Who was your Thunder Wonder tonight?

  18 votes |Results

Kings vs. Mavericks Preview: Can Kings play the spoilers?

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The Mavericks are in a tough battle with Memphis and Phoenix over the last two playoff spots in the West and are currently on the outside looking in. Can the Kings keep it that way and spoil Dallas' bid?

In the second night of a back to back, the Kings are looking to bounce back from an embarrassing loss last night as they face the Dallas Mavericks (5:30 pm on News10 and KHTK 1140). Dallas is currently on the outside looking in for playoff positioning, and likely have the Kings circled on their schedule as a game for them to get back on track after losing 3 of their last 5.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Ben McLemore vs. Monta Ellis

3 THINGS

1. Despite it being the second game of a back-to-back, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay should be well rested, as neither played major minutes against the Thunder in a blowout loss. Both players failed to find a rhythm when they were on the court, so the Kings will look to their stars to hopefully carry them to victory.

2. Speaking of Kings stars, Isaiah Thomas' status still remains up in the air. Sacramento has been forced to run some weird lineups and play Ray McCallum a lot in his absence, but at this point in the season, Thomas' health trumps any on court concerns. I'd rather see Thomas sit out the rest of the season than aggravate an injury that could have long term effects.

3. I know there were some Kings fans upset that Dirk Nowitzki was an All-Star over DeMarcus Cousins, but man is it incredible what that guy is still able to do even in these later years of his career. He's averaging 21.4 points on nearly 50% from the field, 40% from three and 90% at the line, to go with 6 rebounds and 2.6 assists a game. Dirk's a legend, and one of my all-time favorite non-Kings to watch play. I think those Kings-Mavericks series back in the day were some of the most entertaining with C-Webb, Peja & Bibby going back and forth with Dirk, Nash and Finley.

PRE-GAME HAIKU

Oh man Isaiah,
we need our Pizza Guy back,
with all the toppings.

PREDICTION

Kings 89, Mavericks 97 as Monta Ellis gives a shout out to Sactown Royalty for actively campaigning for the Kings to not sign him after a 40 point, 15 assist, 5 steal effort.

Four-Pointer: Previewing the Sacramento Kings

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The Mavericks will have their hands full as they try to slowdown DeMarcus Cousins and the Kings.

What has Sacramento done lately?

The Kings have won just five of their last 14 games since the start of November. While losing nine games in that span, including a loss to the Thunder Friday night, doesn't seem ideal, this is a team that is playing for the lottery. Wins are just pleasant surprises.

Which Kings player might be due for a big game?

Almost everything points to DeMarcus Cousins having a monster game. Last time Sacramento was in Dallas, Cousins did not play because of a one-game suspension he was serving. He will be playing on Saturday. This season, DMC is averaging 22 points on 49.1 percent field goal shooting, 11.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks.

He is coming off a complete dud of a game against the Thunder (four points, four rebounds, two assists) so one can imagine that he'll be ready to play tonight.

What's the biggest matchup to watch?

Based on everything I just wrote, it's obviously the play of Samuel Dalembert and Cousins. Dalembert has been playing better, perhaps almost inspired, recently. He still fumbles the ball at the rim from time to time but that's just what you have to expect from him. His energy and enthusiasm, despite a sore back, are refreshing.

If Sammy can hold his own and get Cousins in foul trouble like he was in Oklahoma City, it could turn the tide of the game in the Mavs' favor. If not? Well, the fans love it when Bernard James is on the floor. Unfortunately, there are only two scenarios when that happens and only one is good. It wouldn't be good to see him early.

What do the Mavs need to do to be successful against the Kings?

Dallas really needs to limit Sacramento's free throw attempts. The Mavericks have a knack for fouling 3-point shooters which they need to keep in check. They also need to get Cousins in foul trouble if possible. Sacramento turns the ball over often and allows their opponents to shoot a high percentage, the Mavs must exploit these traits by playing the passing lanes on defense and scoring in transition.

Oh, and Dirk Nowitzki needs to show up in the fourth quarter. He hasn't connected on a field goal in the fourth quarter in the three losses Dallas has during the home stand.

The Downbeat - The "Double Memo" Edition

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Who is the best bigman in Jazz history? Who is a MIP candidate? Who should we still watch in the NCAA Tournament?

Let's be real. Mehmet Okur is one of the best Utah Jazz players of all time. And it's easy to argue that he was our best center ever. Yes, he only went as far as the Western Conference Finals once, but that was also the case for Mark Eaton. Greg Ostertag was a part of two NBA Finals teams, but let's also be real: he wasn't the guy taking them there. Memo didn't block a ton of shots and was never Defensive player of the year, while Mark Eaton did it twice. But Memo still played Yao Ming in single coverage in the playoffs and kept him to -3.0 ppg from Yao's season average against the Jazz there. He was also much more capable in the pick and roll than Big Mark ever was -- bum rushing Tracy McGrady in Game 7 countless times.

One of the best things about Memo is that his nearly unique talents allowed Jerry Sloan to maintain his amazing offense despite NBA rules changes. Sloan's playbook would look awful against a zone defense, and looked unbeatable in the years of those illegal defense rules. The years of posting up a power forward while the center waited at the three point line (and taking a defender with him) were ending -- until Memo came along.

His three point range was a force multiplier for Jerry Sloan. And with Memo on the court it was the first time many Jazz teams were playing 5 on 5 on offense and on defense.

Since then we've had Al Jefferson in the middle for us, and he pretty much one-manned the offense for the Jazz. But he did so while complicating things for the rest of the teams. Guys who loved that left corner three (Marvin Williams) couldn't take it. Guys who lived in the paint had to develop outside shots (Paul Millsap, Josh Howard). Guards who drove had to sublimate their game for him (Devin Harris).

Big Al is a great guy, but Memo came into the team, improved the coach's playbook, and fit like a glove with the other players. Memo could also play hurt, make clutch shots, and was tough. (Who remembers him almost ending Juwan Howard's career a few years back?)

Also this:


And this:


If you add it up, few people did as much as he did in a Jazz uni at the five spot. If only he didn't give 110% every game he may have been healthier at the end of the season and not injured for the playoffs. But if he half-arsed it he wouldn't have been our Money Man.

We love you Memo!

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Wait, so who are the best Jazz bigmen ever? Well, we know it's Karl Malone and Kyrylo Fesenko. But more specifically what if you got all the bigs who played at least 200 games for the franchise, and listed them? Don't worry, I did it for you.

PlayerSeasGMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGBARPS/ Min
1Karl Malone18143437.2925.3710.183.551.420.7841.301.11
2Carlos Boozer635434.0419.2710.492.861.030.3934.031.00
3Al Jefferson322134.3618.509.502.020.781.5532.360.94
4Mehmet Okur747431.7115.317.591.940.550.7326.110.82
5Andrei Kirilenko1068130.8212.355.632.821.412.0324.240.79
6Paul Millsap754027.4512.437.021.761.120.9623.290.85
7Thurl Bailey1070828.9913.985.481.590.521.2422.810.79
8Otto Moore320227.467.368.702.370.791.4520.660.75
9Rich Kelley749722.958.147.992.490.891.0020.510.89
10Derrick Favors422824.2810.137.200.930.791.3920.450.84
11Ben Poquette432128.628.956.611.730.711.6119.600.68
12Mark Eaton1187528.765.967.930.960.423.5018.770.65
13E.C. Coleman322128.948.036.861.330.900.4517.580.61
14Jeff Wilkins642722.218.075.731.040.400.5515.790.71
15Enes Kanter320818.518.065.220.500.350.4414.560.79
16Paul Griffin324020.404.835.821.990.800.5213.950.68
17David Benoit641519.747.314.290.630.440.5413.210.67
18Greg Ostertag1070020.284.895.680.580.261.7913.210.65
19Antoine Carr430618.817.542.580.860.280.8112.080.64
20Mike Brown539418.215.844.660.720.410.3211.930.66
21Adam Keefe640517.745.244.230.680.500.3210.980.62
22Scott Padgett423113.744.942.960.860.450.219.420.69
23Jarron Collins848016.884.253.110.860.280.208.690.52
24Greg Foster427213.334.092.650.490.140.297.650.57
25Marc Iavaroni426212.313.542.480.630.230.207.070.57

I did have to fill in some of the cracks with people like Benoit and Keefe, but they played more like PFs than SFs. If you remove all the guys who aren't primarily centers, and did not play at least 20.00 mpg you get this list.

PlayerSeasGMPGPPGRPGAPGSPGBPGBARPS/ Min
1Al Jefferson322134.3618.509.502.020.781.5532.360.94
2Mehmet Okur747431.7115.317.591.940.550.7326.110.82
3Thurl Bailey1070828.9913.985.481.590.521.2422.810.79
4Otto Moore320227.467.368.702.370.791.4520.660.75
5Rich Kelley749722.958.147.992.490.891.0020.510.89
6Derrick Favors422824.2810.137.200.930.791.3920.450.84
7Ben Poquette432128.628.956.611.730.711.6119.600.68
8Mark Eaton1187528.765.967.930.960.423.5018.770.65
9Jeff Wilkins642722.218.075.731.040.400.5515.790.71
10Greg Ostertag1070020.284.895.680.580.261.7913.210.65

See how high Memo is here? If you add in the fact that he fit like a glove for our team and defended better than Big Al on pick and rolls (didn't block as much) while hitting "real" clutch shots like game winning threes it's not hard to see why Memo is our best center in franchise history. (I will say that time has really helped us forget how awful Mark Eaton and his 45.8 fg% were on offense.) Of note is also how efficient Kanter is on the floor. He's 9th best out of the 25 person list, and still so young.

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Have you been following the whole March Madness stuff? I have, but only so far as to watch the players who could be draft picks for us. There are only eight teams left: Arizona, UConn, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan St, Wisconsin -- and the Cinderella team Dayton. The remain players left to watch are:

Possible Lotto picks:

  • Julius Randle (5.20) -- Kentucky power forward
  • Aaron Gordon (8.40) -- Arizona power forward
  • Gary Harris (10.43) -- Michigan State shooting guard

Remaining 1st round picks:

Other potential guys who could get drafted:

There are 11 other players on Top 100 lists that are still playing, but really, we're not seeing anything we really like at this stage. Right? The players we like / love are all already out of the tournament. At least that's how I see it. Still, this is an opportunity to learn more about these guys. We know the Utah Jazz like to draft guys who lose in the NCAA Championship game (Deron Williams, Gordon Hayward, Trey Burke). One of these guys could be there!

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NBA.com 's John Schuhmann wrote a post on possible MIP Candidates. He goes over a number of statistical lists that chart the positive change in production (be it through efficiency, or PIE, or whatever.) Schuh features a few players in this article: Marco Belinelli (Spurs); DeMarcus Cousins (Kings); Markieff Morris (Suns); and Lance Stephenson (Pacers). Our own Alec Burks is named only once in the entire article ... and at that at the end of a table showing the biggest PIE increases.

20140312_ajl_bn1_324

I find it interesting that in a "no need for wins" year after deciding "not to skip steps", and focus on development, we see only one Jazz player in an NBA.com article about improvement. Favors, Kanter, Hayward, and Burks were all lotto picks and finally getting a chance to start. Burks doesn't start, but he's the guy who is at least statistically notable here. The guy who is starting at SF (let's be real, Alec could play SF) is Richard Jefferson. Jefferson receives as many mentions in this article as Alec does, with RJ being last on the short list for largest Total Eff difference.

That's the kind of season we're having. By the metrics that people at NBA.com use, this season the C4 are improving no better than the over the hill vets on the team are.

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Someone vandalized the wiki page for Tyrone Corbin. That's not cool. I'm not going to tell you what they did, but I will link to the 'user' so you can all do the right thing, and report that person. He's not our favorite guy, but he's still our head coach. And still a member of the Utah Jazz family. And as a result, he deserves better.


Also, he still needs to do this job, which includes interacting with the media.

Talking Kings with Sactown Royalty

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Sacramento is headed to the lottery this summer and has some potentially tough free agent decisions to make. On the bright side, their new arena seems to be moving along nicely.

Obviously, this is a season in which the Kings are more focused on building the team for the future. I don't want to say that the team is tanking because they can sometimes jump all over their opponents. They aren't guaranteed a great draft pick but that depends on how the balls bounce. What position are the Kings most interested in drafting?

The Kings are in a very interesting spot because two of their three best players face uncertain futures with the team. Rudy Gay has a player option this summer that nobody ever thought he would opt out of, but since coming to Sacramento that's changed as he's having the best year of his career. There's also Isaiah Thomas, who while he will be a restricted free agent, may command a salary higher than the Kings would be willing to match. That happened last season with the Kings and Tyreke Evans. That being said, the Kings current biggest needs are defense, shooting, ballhandling and shotblocking. If the Kings are drafting somewhere in the 6-8 range, I think the guys they take a serious look at include Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon, and Noah Vonleh.

Rudy Gay is currently on the books for $17+ million. He has a player option for the 2014-15 season. What is his future with the Kings?

Like I discussed above, Rudy has a player option for next season and it's for $19.3 million. Common sense would seem to indicate that there is no way in hell that someone would turn down a guaranteed $19.3 million a year, and I'm still of the mind that I'll believe it when I see it. Then again, he's played so well this season for the Kings that should he opt out, he'll likely command a hefty salary in Free Agency that will allow him to have more guaranteed money over a longer period of time, which is good insurance in case of a career-ending injury. The Kings love Rudy and would very much like him to stay. In games where he, Cousins and Thomas have all played 30 minutes or more, the team's record is 16-13, and it's at or slightly below .500 when they're together at all. Gay seems to thrive with a low post presence, as he did in Memphis with Z-Bo and Marc, and now in Sacramento with Cousins, so hopefully he feels that the Kings are a team that has a bright future and one he can be a part of.

Injuries have certainly hampered the Kings' success. What player has missed the most time that you feel would have contributed most to improving the the team and their record?

Carl Landry was signed this season to a 4 year, $26 million deal to add some scoring punch and veteran leadership on our bench. However he only managed to play 18 games this season after first tearing his hip flexor in training camp and then tearing his meniscus once he did come back. Landry was never his old self in the few games he did play. The Kings bench has been relatively weak all season, and without Carl (who was a legitimate 6th man of the year candidate last year in Golden State), production has been lacking even more.

Sacramento's also seen Cousins miss a fair amount of time, and they're 0-10 in games that he hasn't played.

I haven't looked into the new arena details in a while. How is that coming along?

The new arena is full steam ahead. Almost every hurdle has been cleared, with the only things really remaining being an environmental review scheduled for this summer. Should everything go well, demolition of the arena site could begin in May and construction will start in September. The arena itself will hopefully be ready for the start of the 2016-17 season. You can check out some of the arena renderings here.

So, what's the deal with Royce White?

The Kings signed White to two 10-day deals, with the first taking place entirely in the D-League with the Reno Bighorns where he played limited minutes. In Sacramento he saw action in just three games, with the only real meaningful stint coming against the Knicks on Wednesday. He faced the tough task of being matched up against Carmelo Anthony, and was soon pulled after getting burned repeatedly on defense. The Kings reportedly like how he fits with the team in practice and on the bench, but as of the time I'm writing this, they haven't signed him to another deal. Since he's already signed two 10-days, any other deal would have to be for the remainder of the season.


Dallas Final Score: Mavericks Escape Kings, 103-100

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The Mavericks got a much needed win against the Kings in a game that was far too close for comfort

The Mavericks pulled out a late win Saturday night against the Kings, winning 103-100. Dirk Nowitzki had an up and down game but finished with a fantastic 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Rudy Gay had another great game with 30 points and 7 rebounds.

The first quarter started with a solid outburst from Dallas, with Monta Ellis getting to the rim repeatedly and the Kings struggling to find a rhythm. Sam Dalembert continued his recent strong play, starting the game with a bucket at the rim and even hitting an off the dribble jumper. The Mavericks took advantage of the Kings early in transition with Monta and Shawn Marion attacking the rim repeatedly. Though DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay settled the Kings a bit, the Mavericks ended the quarter with a 26-19 lead.

The second period saw Dallas continue to apply pressure to the short-handed Kings (missing point guard Isaiah Thomas), building their lead to as many as 17. Vince Carter and Dirk Nowitzki finally saw shots fall in the second after each had a rough first quarter. Dirk hit a crazy backdown, spinning, fading jumper that looked out of a time machine, considering how poor Dirk's looked on the move lately. Brandan Wright was a key player this period with solid at the rim defense, including two blocks. After a 7-0 run saw their lead extend all the way to 50-33, the Kings finished the half on a 9-4 run to close the lead to 12 points. Dallas led 54-42 after two quarters, on the strength of 55% shooting from the field.

The third period was frustrating for Dallas. After getting DeMarcus Cousins to head to the bench with 4 fouls early in the quarter, the Mavericks got sloppy on both defense and offense. Dirk committed two turnovers and picked up his fourth foul at the 7:22 mark, sending him to the bench for the remainder of the quarter as well. The Kings kept the pressure on Dallas, slowly whittling away the lead. With the 12 point lead all the way down to 1, Vince Carter hit a deep three to give the Mavericks some breathing room. After a pair of Jae Crowder free throws the Kings would answer again, with Ray McCallum hitting a tough transition lay up and three to match Carter's second of the quarter. Jae Crowder hit a tough lay in over Reggie Evans but Travis Outlaw had the final points of the quarter. Dallas led just 72-70 heading into the final period.

The fourth started with Devin Harris getting to the line immediately where he hit one of two. Dirk then scored on the next possession on a baseline jumper before Outlaw and Gay scored to bring the Kings within one again. Brandan Wright dunked on a fantastic ally-oop pass, yet Ray McCallum answered with a three to tie the game for the first time since 11:26 of the first quarter. Wright put Dallas back on top with free throws, but Jason Thompson tied the game again with a put back dunk. Devin Harris got two more free throws on a drive, but connected on only one of two. That foul gave the Kings four for the period with over 7 minutes left.

The Kings took the lead on a put back from Rudy Gay, then extended that lead to three on another Gay put back the very next play. After a timeout Monta Ellis took an ill-advised long three, and the Kings scored on the ensuing possession, once again on an offensive rebound. The Kings picked up their fifth foul, fouling Monta Ellis on a screen. Ellis hit both free throws. After a great Dirk rebound, Ellis drove in transition and committed an offensive foul against DeMarcus Cousins. After Cousins extended the King lead back to five, Ellis scored in transition. After another multi-shot possession for Sacramento saw Jason Thompson get a jumper to fall. However, Dallas managed to answer with a Jose Calderon corner three as the Kings simply forgot to guard him.

Dirk tied the game near the three minute mark with a pair of free throws. The Kings turned the ball over and Shawn Marion returned the lead to Dallas with free throws after getting fouled on a rebound. Sacramento turned it over again, which led to a Marion corner three boosting the lead back up to five. Rudy Gay dunked to bring the Kings within three. After a questionable Monta Ellis pull up, the Kings had a chance to cut into the lead again, but Sam Dalembert knocked away an entry pass to Cousins. Dirk was fouled on the ensuing fast break and hit both free throws. Dirk was fouled again grabbing a defensive rebound on the next possession, putting Dallas up by 7 and essentially ending the game, though the Kings would not go away easily. And Monta needs to hit his free throws. Dallas won 103-100

Notes -

-Sorry for the insane 4th quarter recap. One more thing... ONE HANDED SAM SLAM OOP JAM YEEEAAAAH

-I'm glad Dallas won, because a loss to a team like this when the playoff race is this tight... we can't have that. Dallas is tied for the 8th seed with Memphis again, with one more win and one more loss.

-On the other hand... can't give up 14 offensive rebounds.

-Sam Dalembert is looking good. He's going to get more fourth quarter minutes if Dallas can't clean the defensive glass.

-I don't really have anything else to say. I'm on pins and needles every game. This is going to be a crazy few weeks.

Second half comeback falls short, Kings lose 100 to 103 in Dallas

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Ray McCallum and Rudy Gay led a valiant Kings comeback effort, but the Kings couldn't seal the deal.

Early in this game, it seemed that it would be another long night for Sacramento, playing once again without Isaiah Thomas.  The offense couldn't generate much of anything, and Dallas was able to get out to an early double-digit lead, which they maintained for much of the first half, leading by 12 at the half.

The Kings played much better in the second half however, especially in the 3rd quarter, where they outscored the Mavericks 28 to 18.  They carried that momentum into the 4th and even led by as much as 5 points before Dallas made some big shots and got to the line plenty since the Kings were in the penalty so early.  Free throws proved to be a huge factor in this game, as Dallas shot 35 of them to Sacramento's 19.

With only about 18 seconds left in the game, the Kings found themselves down 6 points.  Ben McLemore hit a three with 9.9 seconds to cut it to three, and the Kings were forced to foul Monta Ellis and hope he would miss his free throws.  Ellis obliged, and the Kings had an opportunity to send it into overtime.  With no timeouts and about 5 seconds on the clock, Travis Outlaw streaked down the court but was well covered by Dallas, and his would-be tying shot missed badly.

A lot of credit is due to the Kings for their excellent second half effort and how they willed their way back into this game.  Rudy Gay got off to another slow start, but he ended up finishing with a game-high 30 points on 11-19 shooting and 7 rebounds.  One area of concern however was his 7 turnovers to no assists.

DeMarcus Cousins saw his time limited due to foul trouble and only played 27 minutes, but he did score 17 points to go with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.  If that seems like a low number of rebounds for Cousins, that's because Reggie Evans snagged 18 in his 29 minutes of action.

Sacramento's rookie backcourt helped kickstart the run in the third quarter.  Ray McCallum played all 48 minutes, and finished with 16 points and 8 assists, more than holding his own against Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon and Devin Harris.  Ben McLemore scored 10 points on 4-9 shooting.  He went down with an injury in the 3rd quarter but was able to shake it off and come back in later.

The Mavericks got a very balanced scoring effort from their starters, all finishing in double digits, led by Dirk Nowitzki's 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.  Former King Samuel Dalembert scored 15 points on 7-8 shooting, almost exclusively at dunks around the rim.  Both Sammy D and Brandan Wright had 3 blocks.

The Kings as a team managed to outshoot the Mavericks from the floor 51.9% to 48.6%, outrebound them 47 to 35 and even had more steals at 10 to 6.  But it was not meant to be, and the Kings remain winless in Dallas since 2003.

The Kings will get a day's rest before heading to New Orleans to finish this road trip.

For the opposing perspective, visit Mavs Moneyball.

VIDEO QUOTEBOARD: Dallas Mavericks eek out a win against Sacramento, 103-100

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The Mavericks played down to the level of the Kings, but took the win with a late-game surge.

Rick Carlisle

On what helped the team flip the switch and win the game

You know, good question. Probably getting our backs up against the wall...again. We responded, so it was a good finish. We got a bunch of stops in a row and scored, and getting into the bonus helped us. But look, it's not a good way of doing business. Tough trying to win that way. We just got to keep working and getting better.

On Dalembert's play

Great. [He's] playing really well. Really important tonight with Cousins out there to get a big guy out there with length who can get rebounds and block a few shots. He was getting the ball in the basket tonight, too. He played a huge roll.

On Shawn Marion's late success

Yeah, he was great. Great on defense, had a couple of free throws, knocked in the three. Those are big plays. Yeah, he did a good job at the end.

On why the team keeps having problems late in the game

We're struggling in some areas. With eight games left, what I would tell you is that we're 74 games into this. There's been so much of this that it's unfortunately part of our DNA and I just feel like we're going to snap out of it. I know that we have to. I'm a very positive thinker on this, and we're going to do to better on Tuesday.

On Dalembert's great stretch of play

He's been doing a lot of great things. Maybe it took a while for him to get things, I'm not really sure, but teammates have been behind him for most of the year. We ran the first play for him, he knocked in the shot. That gets him going, too. He really realizes how important he is to our whole thing, so he's doing great.

On the offensive rebounding woes (Sacramento grabbed 14)

That's just them kicking our ass. I mean, they got a bunch of big bullies in there. They're hard to play on the inside. I say bully in a positive way. They're just strong and physical. Evans is one of the best rebounders in the league. Their last five games, they're plus 14 boards in their wins and plus 9 in their losses. They're kicking ass, win or lose, so you've got to try to play them as even as you can, and we were -12, so we're lucky to survive.

On whether he's worried about the team getting "manhandled" in the paint

Am I worried about it? Yeah. I've been concerned about a lot of things, but it's always the same answer: we need to do things collectively and we've just got to play each minute with a great amount of force and a great amount of respect for whoever the opponent is. With eight games to go, our guys don't feel great about the way they lost another lead and stuff like that. We need a day off, we're going to take a day off tomorrow. We'll regather on Monday and get ready for Golden State. That's where we are.

On how he would evaluate the execution in the last three minutes

My team's execution? I'm in favor of it. (laughter) I include myself in that, too. We did some good things, but we had some challenges, but the only way we can overcome them is collectively. I've got to be a positive facilitator on things, and I've always got to look to be doing a better job. Our guys have to look to stay with it. Dirk getting his third and fourth foul within a minute, that was big in the game. That was a mental mistake on his part. Those are things we've just got to avoid.

After 12 years of this, I'm never going to make a win feel like a loss. Wins are just too hard to come by in this league, so I'm happy we won. Monday we'll have a good practice and we'll get ready for Tuesday. Golden State is another really hard team to play.

Dirk

On whether he was worried this game would slip away

Yeah, that wasn't pretty there for a second. I thought the shot of the game was actually Jose's three in the corner. They had just made a run, they went up 5 with a couple of minutes to go. If he doesn't make that three and they go down a score again, it's really ugly. So that was a big shot for us, kind of woke us up, got it back to a two-point game. The good thing is that we were in the bonus early, and every little foul, we went to the foul line, and that was big. We strung together some stops, which all night, we really didn't, but there, we had three or four in a row and it gave us a little lead. That stretch right there is what we needed to win the game.

On Sam Dalembert's play

Yeah, he's been really active. He's been fun to watch, keeping balls alive on the offensive end, and on the defensive end he's going for everything, trying to get blocks, be physical in the post. He's rebounding well on this homestand, so all the things we need him to do, and it's been great.

On why this game was a struggle

We lose leads, that's what we do.

On how Holger being here helps

I actually felt good tonight. Felt confident, even though I only shot about 50 percent. I felt good today.

On if this is the best the team has played since Tyson

You're forgetting Kaman. Kaman's my boy, I had to give him a shoutout. But yeah, I said it before the season that Sammy can bring some of the stuff that Tyson brought because he's so athletic and so long. If he uses his length and is a factor in there, he's fast, he can run, he can jump. So yeah, he's an athlete, and that's definitely a plus next to me.

On the factors of losing all these double-digit leads

Well, you've got to keep playing. I feel like we turn the ball over too easily sometimes, and that's never a good thing. We're obviously not the fastest team, so that usually puts the other team right in transition or a layup. We've got to just keep executing on offense, keep getting good shots. We all know basketball's a game of runs.

On whether he's worried about not making it to the playoffs at this point in his career

I worry about not making the playoffs, not necessarily for my career, but just because I like to compete at the highest level and that's what the playoffs are all about. I don't think it makes or breaks my career. ... We didn't get there last year, so we said from day one of training camp that's what we're going to do -- make the playoffs. So that was our goal, and that's my goal. It's still doable, we just have a tough schedule. We play some of those teams right around us, with Golden State and Memphis and Phoenix. There are some fun challenges and hopefully we're ready for it.

Shawn Marion

Samuel Dalembert

On whether things are clicking

Defensively, it's been a challenge throughout the season with the three big man rotation and trying to maximize the time you're out there, and do the best you can. So it has been a challenge, when you find that way you can really make a big difference and try to stick with it -- not worry about the first five, six minutes in the first quarter, and not worry about fouls. Just go out there, study the teams your playing against, knowing exactly the tendency, and try to contribute offensively.

On the alley oop dunk at the end

Yeah, I told [Brandan] I still have a little fuel left. I took off a little bit. It was great, it was a great pass.

On when he started realizing how important he is to this team

Yeah, I knew that from the beginning. That's why I wanted to come here. The games I played last year to the games I played, I wanted to fill that spot. It was a little challenge, but after the All-Star, I really picked it up a little bit and really contribute and make an impact in this game before my time is up.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: 2013-14 Week 21

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The Kings had a rough time with Isaiah Thomas' injury, but there were still some good signs, particularly from the young players.

The Good:

1. DeMarcus Cousins

See Player of the Week

2. Kings showing they're taking D-League seriously

So when news broke that the Kings were signing Willie Reed to a contract, I was a little surprised because the last thing the Kings need is yet another big man.  After all, the Kings do only have three guards on the active roster right now and one of them (Thomas) is injured.  The Kings have been forced to play Travis Outlaw and Rudy Gay at Shooting Guard.  But it turns out the Kings weren't signing Reed to help this team, but to help the Bighorns.  The Bighorns were fighting for the 8th seed in the D-League playoffs, and were in need of another big man.  Acquiring Reed's rights from the Armor and moving him to the Bighorns has allowed them to secure their playoff spot and potentially play even longer.  It goes to show that the Kings are intent on developing a two-way relationship with Reno, where they don't just help the Kings, but the Kings also help Reno.

3. Ray McCallum does as best he can

The raw numbers don't look particularly kind for Ray this week after being given heavy minutes in Isaiah's absence, but I think he did as well as can be expected, and more importantly improved as the week went on.  He started really slow against the Knicks, but finished it up with an excellent performance against Dallas in which he was heavily responsible for Sacramento's near comeback.  McCallum still has a lot of work to do, but there's definitely potential here.

4. Ben McLemore continues to improve

Perhaps the best part of Ben's March is that he's been able to have some sustained success.  His only poor shooting performance this week was against the Thunder, but he still led the Kings in scoring with 18 points.  He also was excellent from three point range all week, hitting 8 of 16 of his threes.  One big change I've noticed recently is that the Kings seem to be making a conscious effort of giving Ben the ball in the corner for three.  When I wrote the post about diagnosing his shot selection, I noted that he's already very good from there, so it's good to see that the Kings have been playing to his strength.

5. Travis Outlaw, 6th man

Travis Outlaw was phenomenal this week.  Yes, Travis Outlaw.  Travis led Sacramento's bench in scoring in all but one game, and shot nearly 50% from the field this week.  He's been forced to play out of position at two-guard as well.  Travis has gotten a lot of flak since coming here, and I'll admit I've been hard on him too.  But you can't ever call Travis a quitter, and he's been having his best year as a King.

The Bad:

1. Giving up more three point records

J.R. Smith hit a Knicks franchise record for threes in a game with 9.  I almost feel as if the Kings have an NBA record for giving up NBA records from three point range.  We've seen Chalmers hit 10 threes, we've seen the Magic hit more than 20, we've seen the Lakers hit almost 90% of their attempts and those are only the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

2. Derrick Williams

Derrick has been pretty disappointing lately.  We have needed someone from our bench to step up, and Williams should be that guy.  Instead it's been guys like Outlaw or Jason Thompson.  Williams almost seems too unselfish at times, when I think his strengths lie in being aggressive.

3. Rudy Gay's turnover issues

The Kings turned to Rudy Gay to play some backup Point Guard this week, and it didn't really work that well.  In three games, Rudy had just 4 assists to a whopping 15 turnovers.  That's a terrible rate.  Rudy has good vision, but he also tends to wait too long to make a pass until he's in trouble, and he also has a really high dribble that gets him into trouble when he gets into traffic.  To me, Rudy's at his worst when he's dominating the ball.  I'd rather see him make a quick, aggressive move.  Having additional ballhandlers would help that.

The Ugly:

1. The Kings without Isaiah Thomas

Re-signing Isaiah may have become more of a priority this week after he missed each game with a bruised thigh.  In Thomas' offense, the reins were handed over to rookie Ray McCallum, who was forced to play heavy minutes as the only guard that could reliably handle the ball available.  Sacramento trailed by double digits in each game, and only managed to come back in two games thanks to late second half flurries.

2. Thunderstorm

The Kings could not keep up with the Oklahoma City Thunder at all.  The only reason the Kings lost by just 13 was because the Thunder were able to play out their string for the entire 4th quarter.  DeMarcus Cousins barely played, and didn't make much of an impact in the time he did, Rudy couldn't hit a shot, and the Thunder blew it open in the first quarter.

Player of the Week:

DeMarcus Cousins

17.7 PPG, .526 FG%, 8.7 RPG, 5.0 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.7 BLK

Discounting a poor performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder (and the whole team was awful against the Thunder), DeMarcus did everything he could to try to carry an extra load in Isaiah Thomas' absence.  Against the Knicks he was incredible, posting a near triple-double and nearly leading the Kings to a 24 point comeback.  Perhaps most impressive about Cousins' performance this week was his passing, although I can live without him trying to play Point Guard on fastbreaks.  For the season, Cousins now has an assist rate of 17.9%, a phenomenal rate for a big man.  Only Pau Gasol, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Josh McRoberts and Joakim Noah have higher rates among big men.

Images / GIFs of the Week:

Well, that Thunderstorm ran right over us tonight.

Comments of the Week:

I'm a little out of the loop

Is Orlando Johnson still playing out his second 10-day?

Because I have to be honest here. I’m not sure I can handle two Johnsons at the same time.

Highlight of the Week:


Caption Contest:

Link to Last Week's Picture

Last Week's Winner: adamsite

(In an excited Australian accented whisper while hiding in the bush):

A sight indeed. We appear to be witnessing a rare thing in the wild…a lion trying to bag a couple of cougars.

Last Week's Runner-Up: Benjamin Wong

And this was the closest the Kings bench came to scoring all year

This Week's Picture:

20140326_jcd_ax5_248

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:

3/31 @ New Orleans L (The Kings have done well against the Pelicans this season, but New Orleans has been playing well lately, and I'm gonna predict that Isaiah probably just rests this road trip)

4/2 vs. L.A. Lakers W (Man, I know this would help the Lakers in lottery positioning for us to beat them, but we have to beat them at least once this season. And it's Bollywood night!)

4/4 @ Golden State L (The Warriors are too good and playing for something too important to lose to the Kings at home)

4/6 vs. Dallas W (The Kings should be at full health here, and given that they gave Dallas a scare without one of their best players, I like our chances at home.)

Nostradumbass Record for the Year: 40-33

Random Observations from around the league:

  • The Sixers have gotten a lot of flak for their 26 game losing streak, but I think a team like the Pistons, who Philadelphia beat to end that streak, deserves more jeers.  At least the Sixers are trying to be bad.  Detroit is a team that was trying to spend big to get back into the playoffs.  They got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, and already had Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.  Instead the Pistons have played themselves into the lottery race, and are just one win ahead of the Kings in the standings.  If Joe Dumars still has a job after this year, I will be shocked.
  • The Raptors are making the playoffs for the first time in their history without Chris Bosh or Vince Carter.  This team is one of the better stories of the Eastern Conference, a team that was too good to tank.  The trade of Rudy Gay to Sacramento has helped both teams out immensely: by giving the Kings a star wing, and giving Toronto needed depth and room for their young guys to perform.

Kings vs. Pelicans Preview: Third time's the charm

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The Kings are 0 for 2 so far on their road trip. Can they fare better against the Pelicans?

So far, Sacramento is winless on this short road trip, but they face their best chance at a win tonight in New Orleans (5:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK 1140).  The team is likely to be without Isaiah Thomas yet again, who has missed the last three games with a thigh contusion.  Meanwhile, New Orleans has been playing some of their best basketball all year, thanks to the recent resurgence of Tyreke Evans and the continued dominance of Anthony Davis.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Rudy Gay vs. Tyreke Evans

The Kings have been torched by Evans in almost every single game he's played against them this season, and it's not hard to see why.  Evans excels at getting to the rim, the Kings have no real lockdown perimeter defender or rim protector, and their Shooting Guard is a rookie.  Evans should be dominating.  That's why I think the Kings will likely match up Evans with the longer and taller Rudy Gay.  Gay should be able to keep Evans working on both ends at least.

3 THINGS

1. Anthony Davis is unlikely to play this game because of a sprained ankle, which means the Kings should be even more aggressive at attacking the basket as New Orleans' big man depth is almost nonexistent without him.  DeMarcus Cousins has had a field day against these Pelicans this season, and without Davis, the Pelicans will have to rely a lot on guys like Greg Stiemsma, Alexis Ajinca and rookie Jeff Withey.  Sacramento should attack them early and often.

2. The Kings rookie guards have definitely been improving as the season goes on.  Ray McCallum has been given huge minutes in Thomas' absence, and played perhaps his best game of the year against Dallas on Saturday, scoring 16 points and dishing 8 assists while playing the whole 48 minutes.  Barring a disastrous night on high volume, Ben will likely finish with his first month at above 40% shooting from the field, a good sign as the season has progressed.  He shot 50% from three in his last three games on 16 attempts.

3. New Orleans could be without Eric Gordon as well tonight, as he's missed the last several games.  It's actually been quite amazing that New Orleans has won as many games as it has when their injury list has looked like their projected starting lineup for much of the season.

PRE-GAME HAIKU

Oh Tyreke Evans,
Why are you a demigod
when you play the Kings?

PREDICTION

Kings 108, Pelicans 95 as even Jason Thompson gets in on the fun with a season-high in points against New Orleans weak front line.

What Do NBA D-League Players Value Most -- Team Play or Individual Production?

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In a guest post for RidiculousUpside.com, David Vertsberger ponders what matters most in the D-League --- team play or individual production?

Minor league sports is one of the few places where taking a job with the mindset of it being a platform for future opportunities, and not a destination, is perfectly okay.

The D-League is no different, with hundreds of athletes playing basketball for close to nothing, traveling around the country with the luxuries of a high school class on a field trip in order to one day, hopefully, reach the NBA.

This end goal in mind, casual NBA fans could assume that D-League players have only one person's interests in mind - their own. Beckley Mason of ESPN's TrueHoop blog thinks of this as a significant problem impeding the league's path to becoming the primary source of player development for those not quite at the NBA level.

Setting aside the statement that selfish play is ruining the D-League's chances at being a successful minor league, Mason's tweets point to what could be a legitimate struggle in D-League players. Performing within the team concept, doing what it takes to win for the team paying said athlete and appeasing the coaching staff versus showing off personal skill, stealing the spotlight in hopes of an NBA scout taking notice. But does this internal conflict exist?

Talking to the Springfield Armor following a practice in mid-March, Jeff Foote told RidiculousUpside.com that he believes so. "For sure. Some people I don't think realize that the better your team is the more you get looked at. I think a lot of people have the me-first mentality, which you said you have to have a little bit in this league but at the same time if you're the best player on the worst team it's not that good."

Foote's head coach Doug Overton, who played 11 years in the NBA, agreed that such a conflict could be prevalent.. "That's fair enough. You got so many things on your mind when you come to the D-League. It can be adjustment - because you know this is not your ultimate goal - you want to get to the D-League to help develop and get to the next level. I'm sure that's what everybody's goal is."

However, Foote's former teammate Willie Reed (now with the Sacramento Kings), thinks otherwise. "I don't think [such a mentality] really exists. With them having to play in the team aspect, I think if you play hard and you do what you do best, the NBA is all about what [teams] need, filling a position," the big man said. "They love guys that play hard and defend. I think that should be everybody's role. Whether you can score the basketball or not you still have to be able to play defense to make it to the next level."

Former Los Angeles Lakers' draft pick Devin Ebanks sided with Reed. "I don't believe that. We all know what it takes to get to the next level and that's actually to play like a team. NBA teams want winners, if you look back at who got called up, a lot of players came off teams who were winning going to the playoffs, he added. "It's not really about individual play you have to win games and play as a team."

In the 2012-2013 D-League/NBA season, 31 players were called up. 21 of which were called up from teams with a winning percentage of above .500. The Armor's Khalif Wyatt raised another point regarding shot attempts:

"You see guys around the league shooting 35 shots, scoring a lot of points, but those aren't necessarily the guys that get called up. Coach always mentions that to us. It's not the guys scoring the points that get called up it's the guys that are doing the other stuff," he said.

The statistics back up Wyatt's claim as well. Of the 20 players leading D-League in field goal attempts per 40 minutes this season (not assigned by an NBA team) only one of them were called up. Just one.

Still, there are those players who believe they can shoot their way to the next level.

"I've seen some before," said Foote of players that would look to score their way to the top over putting team basketball first. "I haven't seen it first hand on my team but I've seen it elsewhere." Reed chimed in, "You have those guys, but I think that's when you have to be mentally strong and mentally grow to become a better player."

But do a few bad eggs spoil the entire carton?

According to coach Overton, they don't, simply because their individual efforts don't get them anywhere. "That's not going to work. NBA scouts and personnel, they're pretty smart at what they're looking at. If you think that's the way to go you're probably going about it wrong. People can tell you're trying to be selfish. You want to be a team player, you want to do the things that's going to help an NBA team.

He continued, "Numbers have some importance but most of all it's showing them that you know how to play and that you'd be a good teammate at that level.Trying to go out here and get your own, everybody knows that's not the way to do it."

In reality, If this issue was prevalent anywhere it would be at NBA Summer League.

"I think that's more of an individual stage," said Ebanks on the annual Summer League the NBA holds in Las Vegas. "It's 5 games, you're really auditioning." Foote shared the same ideal. "With the Summer League the coaches tend to put a lot of the onus on the guys that they actually draft. So I think there's a little bit of difference that way... At the Summer League you're face to face with the head coach, as opposed to you don't know who's here [scouting the D-League] and who's not."

The D-League continues to make strides in becoming the lead stage as a means of developing young players. One-to-one affiliation and ownership for all 30 NBA teams isn't in a very distant future, with D-League players making a larger impact on the league upstairs every season. Is it perfect? Certainly not, but it's role is defined and it's playing said role well. As do the best of the league's alumni, the ones that have reached their destination.

Game Preview: Pelicans v. Kings

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Without Anthony Davis, the Pelicans predictably rolled over in San Antonio Saturday night, 96-80. With him using crutches just a day prior, expect him to miss tonight as well. However, unlike the Spurs, the Kings are beatable without our superstar as they've only won 5 times (out of 15) in March. Their point guard, Isaiah Thomas, has missed the last three games, all losses. He is a game-time decision, but if he's able to go, a New Orleans victory would be a harder achievement.

3 things to watch:

  • Rudy Gay's Perimeter Shot. Over the last 10 games, Gay has made only 2 three point shots out of 21 attempts. That's Josh Smith territory. Let him shoot Aminu and company!
  • Steamer/Ajinca's 12 fouls v. Cousins. DeMarcus Cousins is the remaining Big 3 King who is still playing or producing at an effective rate. The Pelicans cannot allow him to dictate everything in the paint and Greg Stiemsma will get the first crack at slowing down one of the best young bigs in the game. If true to form, he'll fail and the game could turn on how well Cousins is shooting his freebies on the night.
  • Tyreke Evans. Against his former team, he is averaging 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.3 steals. Reke is going to need to be huge again for the Pelicans to walk away with their 10th win in the last 14 games.
Stop by Sactown Royalty for some additional input.

Cousins, McCallum lead Kings in 102-97 win over Pelicans

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DeMarcus Cousins and Ray McCallum both finished with double-doubles as they led the Kings in a fun win over the Pelicans in New Orleans.

The Sacramento Kings have struggled in any game this season in which they lacked one of their big three.  Isaiah Thomas was once again out of action as he recovers from a bruised quad.  And yet the Sacramento Kings put together a promising win over the New Orleans Pelicans, winning 102-97.

DeMarcus Cousins feasted on the Pelicans front line, finishing with 35 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.  Cousins has had good games against New Orleans this season, but in this game Cousins seemed to be absolutely everywhere.

Ray McCallum has fared well as he's been thrust into the starting role, but has had an expected amount of growing pains.  But against New Orleans McCallum found a groove.  McCallum finished with 22 points and 10 assists, both are career highs. He played solid defense throughout the game, and registered just one turnover in 44 minutes of action.  It's difficult to say how high McCallum's ceiling is, but at worst he's proven himself capable as a very solid back-up guard. I really like what he's showing out on the floor.

The Pelicans were led by Anthony Davis, who finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and four assists.

For the opponent's perspective, visit our friends at The Bird Writes.

Pistons vs. Bucks final score: Strong fourth quarter, Josh Smith lifts Detroit to sad victory

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The Bucks failed to win No. 15 in their 74th game of the season.

What happened:

The Pistons trailed by nine at the half and by as many as 11 in the third quarter before mounting a comeback against the 14-win Milwaukee Bucks.

After the Bucks went up 11 early in the third quarter, the Pistons outscored the Bucks 27-17 the rest of the frame behind ... I'm not sure what exactly. The Pistons only shot 39 percent in the quarter, but the Bucks are the Bucks.

In the fourth quarter, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith combined to shoot 11-for-16 and score 25 of the Pistons' 35 points in making up the final difference. With a minute and a half remaining in the game, Smith hit a three and dunked the game out of reach and even more obnoxiously celebrated like he just swindled Joe Dumars.

Who stood out:

Smith scored 26 points on 11-for-19 shooting and had some highlight plays. Did I mention the Bucks have won only 14 games this season?

Greg Monroe had a game-high 28 points on 12-for-21 shooting.

Bullets:

-- Andre Drummond only played 28 minutes and had 10 points, 16 rebounds.

-- Box Score

-- Brandon Knight was 7 for 21 shooting (0 for 4 from three), but he did get to the line 14 times, making 11 of his freebies. He had 25 points in all, while also grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists opposite zero turnovers. Not a bad final line for the former 'ston, considering the shooting.

-- Brandon Jennings had 20 points and 13 assists (one turnover).

-- Will Bynum had 12 points and eight assists (zero turnovers) off the bench.

-- Luckily for the Pistons, the Kings also won, which means they are still a game back of the No. 7 spot. Due to the Lakers not playing, LAL moved into the No. 6 spot, a game and a half ahead of the Pistons.

-- Roll Call

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Pelicans Out-Muscled by Kings, 102-97

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Sacramento's physicality was the biggest determining factor and DeMarcus Cousins was simply a man among boys.

The Rant

In today's pre-game comments, Monty claimed the jury is still out on whether Tyreke Evans is best suited as a starter or reserve on this team because of Ryan Anderson's absence. He claimed that without Anderson's floor spacing abilities, Evans numbers as a reserve might have suffered as an extra big has often met him at the basket.

Sigh.

Yet, it doesn't seem to be a problem to surround Evans at the start of games with Al-Farouq Aminu and Greg Stiemsma, or more aptly, continue to give minutes to the Unholy Trio. Oh, they remain as awful as ever. Last 10 games, last 66 minutes, a NetRtg of -37.0.

Groan.

Never mind the fact that other capable shooters do exist on this team. Or disregard the statistics Evans has put up as a starter, despite the flawed rotations. And ignore the bond that is growing before everyone's eyes between Reke and our franchise player.

Sob.

Yes, there was a game played tonight and the Pelicans lost, but it struck me more meaningful to first examine our coach's mindset and actions. There is no doubt Monty understands Evans needs to be surrounded by shooters, to give him the space he needs to operate in the paint. However, he has defiantly refused to make it a priority whereby making the necessary adjustments. Why? My best guess is he still clings onto some false hope that Aminu at SF and Steamer at C give this team the best chance defensively to carry out his strategy. That our offense will come from our defense. But there is one enormous problem: the combination of Aminu and Stiemsma are not only lousy on offense but just as pathetic on the other end of the floor.

Gasp.

This is what Pelican fans have to look forward to next season. There is a 99.9% chance Monty Williams will return as the head coach this coming Fall and with it, his system. Where it's more important to plug square pegs into round holes rather than react to a given roster. To dismiss statistics that scream bloody murder.

Howl.

The Game

As for what transpired on the hard court, the Unholy Trio lived up to their billing. Out of the King's first 9 shot attempts, they made 8 of them. They were in the bonus with 3:57 remaining of the first quarter. Fortunately, the Kings quickly cooled and the Pelicans went on a fantastic run. Outside of Alexis Ajinca, the bench was marvelous as they tallied 25 first half points (Kings only 4). Jeff Withey was blocking shots, Anthony Morrow scoring baskets and Austin Rivers dropping dimes. With 4 minutes until halftime, the Pelicans were up 6. Just 8 minutes earlier, they had been down 7.

Well, that was as good as it was going to get. Right before intermission, the unimaginative offense ended in a poor Brian Roberts attempt, and then he incredulously fouled a Ray McCallum desperation shot to beat the buzzer. What might have been a 6 point lead was 2.

UGH.

The third quarter was all DeMarcus Cousins -- he scored 16 points in 9 minutes. On one possession, he had an And-1 opportunity but missed the FT. Not to worry, he grabbed his own miss and put it back in. By the time he sat down, the Kings had turned their deficit into a 10 point lead. And once again, the Unholy Trio put the opponent into the bonus early, this time with 4:16 remaining on the clock.

Reggie Evans or, if you prefer, the referees gave the Pelicans one more chance. With 1:05 of the third, Evans leaned hard into a shot and Anthony Davis caught an elbow to the face. It didn't seem all that intentional live, but when the referees witnessed the brutality of it on replay and probably recalled Evans penchant for contact, they called a flagrant two. An automatic ejection. Two free throws by AD and a Morrow three pointer cut the lead to 4.

Momentum swing, right? Nope, not today. Just as in the previous quarter, the offense sputtered in the final frame. Then when you add Ray McCallum scoring 8 consecutive points, ballgame.

Game Notes

- It was nice to see Anthony Davis return but he didn't look like the same guy from just several games ago. 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks is nothing to sneeze at, but the combination of Evans and Cousins slowed he and his gimpy ankle enough.

- Anthony Morrow poured in 23 points and 4 treys on 9-13 from the field. Shooters shoot and tonight it was going in.

- Tyreke Evans stat line, including 15 points, had little positive effect. A down game for sure.

- Greg Stiemsma and Alexis Ajinca combined for 8 fouls, 4 points and 1 rebound in 22+ minutes of action.

- Jeff Withey went a perfect 4-4 from the field for 8 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks (new career high).

- Austin Rivers only had 6 points but did add 9 dimes.

- Darius Miller played close to 29 minutes, took 4 shots and made 3 of them. Yep, shoot the ball more!

- Pelicans were out-rebounded 47-30 (15-3 offensive) but the worst of it came in the 2nd half.

Kings vs. Lakers Preview: Win one for the Gipper

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With just 8 games left in the season, the Kings play their last team under .500, and it's a Lakers team that has somehow beaten Sacramento three times this season.

The Kings' season is winding down as there are 8 games left, but tonight's game against the Lakers (7:00 pm on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK 1140) is their last against a sub-.500 team.  A win for the Lakers would bring them into a tie with the Kings for last place in the Pacific Division and help increase the Kings lottery odds, but screw that.  We can't let the Lakers sweep us this year.  We've got to win at least one.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

The Kings vs. The Three Point Line

In Sacramento's three losses to the Lakers this season, Los Angeles has won in part thanks to incredible shooting from beyond the arc.  In the last matchup at the end of February, they hit 19 of 27 from beyond the arc, with Jordan Farmar alone going 8 for 10.  Mike D'Antoni led teams love shooting the three, and the Lakers are full of guys that can do so, unlike the Kings.  Sacramento will have to work hard to deny the Lakers one of their best offensive weapons.

3 THINGS

1. Ray McCallum has steadily been doing better and better as a starter the last 4 games, topping it off with 22 points and 10 assists in his most recent game against the Pelicans.  Los Angeles' Point Guard crop isn't all that special, and Jordan Farmar is likely out due to injury as well, which means McCallum will likely play a lot against Kendall Marshall.  This is of course unless Isaiah Thomas comes back, although at this point we can't be certain and I'd rather the team err on the side of caution in Thomas' case.

2. DeMarcus Cousins was unavailable last time these two teams met because of his suspension for hitting Patrick Beverly, and that was a big reason the Kings lost.  The Lakers don't exactly have a low post defensive presence, and Cousins should be able to dominate inside.  He's been playing some great basketball lately, and that shouldn't change against the Lakers.

3. Of all the years the Lakers have to be bad, it's a year in which the draft class is supposed to be amazing and in which they have tons of cap space available for next season in which they could also sign another star.  It's infuriating.

PRE-GAME HAIKU

Can't let Lakers sweep,
not here in Shaqramento
against Boogie Smooth.

PREDICTION

Kings 201, Lakers 99 as Shaq spends the entire game playing pranks on the Lakers bench and nobody stops him because Shaq.

To re-sign or not to re-sign, that is the question Rudy Gay will face this summer

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Rudy is in complete control of his destiny for the first time in his professional career. Will he choose to re-sign with the Kings or will he go elsewhere?

Aside from the continue development of DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings acquisition of Rudy Gay has been the biggest game-changer in Sacramento rebuilding process.  Teams like the Kings don't often get players of Rudy Gay's quality by any means other than the draft, but the Kings took advantage of his struggles in Toronto, a strong relationship between the front offices (Pete and Masai worked together in Denver), and an ownership wanting to make a splash to make the deal.  There was no guarantee that the acquisition of Gay would work out or that he'd be better here than he was in Toronto, but the Kings had virtually nothing to lose by trying.

Fortunately, Rudy has fit in extremely well in Sacramento, averaging career-highs in Points (20.2), Field Goal Percentage (.484), Assists (3.1) and Player Efficiency Rating (19.8).  Together with DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas, Gay is part of the only trio in the NBA that has three players averaging 20 or more points a game, and when all three have played together, the Kings have done fairly well, with a near .500 record in those games (the record is even better when all three play at least 30 minutes).

As such, Rudy faces a tough choice this summer with regards to his future.  For the first time in his professional life, he'll be able to get to choose his destiny, assuming he decides to test the Free Agent waters.  At 28 years old, wherever Rudy decides to sign is a place where he would likely spend the prime of his career.

In a recent interview with NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper, Rudy touched on this issue, and his thoughts about staying with the Kings:

"I'm not the age right now where I just have to be on a championship team," he says. "Right now, I'm at the age where I can still make a good team great. Rebuilding, I possibly could do that too. Those are the things I have to weigh. Do I want to be on the rebuilding side? Do I want to make a good team great?"

Wanting to feel a connection where he works and lives? "These people have been so great to me. They've been really great to me, to my family. They've been great. The coaches have all welcomed with me with open arms. Everybody in the organization. Vivek (Ranadive), he's a great owner. I think this team will be good in the future. I do think so. I'm not throwing out the notion that I will be here. They know that they have a chance of me being here."

As a Kings fan who would love to see Rudy stay, that's great to hear, even if he's very non-committal in his other answers regarding his future.

There really are quite a lot of good reasons for Gay to stay in Sacramento as well, despite the team missing the playoffs for the 8th straight season.  Sacramento is the only team that can give him a five year deal.  Sacramento is the only team that can pay him $19.3 million next season (should he decide to opt in to his final year and become a free agent in 2015 instead).  In DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings have a potential star partner for Gay where he doesn't have to be the main guy (which was a big problem in Toronto).  Finally, in just two years, the Kings will have the newest and possibly most state-of-the-art arena in the NBA to play in.

The Kings future certainly looks a lot brighter than it has in years past, but part of that is because of Rudy.  He says that the Kings have been great to him, but he's been great to the Kings, and I hope that's a relationship that can continue for years to come.

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