A bigger than normal expected bump in the salary cap and luxury tax for next season means that the Kings have a little more wiggle room should Rudy Gay opt in to his contract.
Larry Coon, noted CBA expert and author of the extremely useful CBA FAQ, wrote on his blog yesterday that the NBA issued new salary cap and luxury tax projections for the next two seasons.
The NBA issued new projections for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 salary cap and luxury tax thresholds. The 2014-15 salary cap is now projected to be $63.2 million and the tax level is projected to be $77.0 million. The numbers for 2015-16 are now projected to be $66.5 million and $81.0 million, respectively.
As Coon goes on to note, these are only projections and not the actual numbers, as those numbers will only be revealed in July after the NBA conducts an audit of league finances and revenues. Still, these projections would be a big increase at 7.7% more than this season. According to Coon, the league's usual baseline is 4.5%.
Assuming these numbers hold, this should prove very beneficial to the Kings, especially if Rudy Gay decides to opt in to his $19.3 million option for next season. Currently, the Kings are projected to have a total salary of $67.2 million if Rudy opts in. That's before any signing of Isaiah Thomas or a draft pick. Under the old luxury tax, that only gave the Kings a little under $4 million of room. Now however they could have as much as $10 million. Assuming the Kings pick 7th again, that would allow the Kings to spend about $7 million on Isaiah Thomas before hitting the tax. That's also assuming the Kings don't get a buyout for players like Reggie Evans, Travis Outlaw or Jason Terry. Terry is a prime candidate for a buyout, and although he's scheduled to make $5.85 million next season, he'd likely accept a low buyout offer (the amount of the buyout remains on Sacramento's cap sheet) so that he could go to a contender.
Should Rudy Gay NOT opt in, the Kings will suddenly have about $13 million of cap space before re-signing Isaiah Thomas and/or Gay (Should Gay opt out he could still re-sign with the Kings). In 2015-16 they have even more projected space, with only $31.7 million of committed salary currently. That could change of course with re-signings of Gay and Thomas and/or further trades and signings, but it does seem like the Kings could be primed to have a ton of cap room in a big free agent market with names like Rajon Rondo, Paul Millsap, Anderson Varejao, DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, Kevin Love, Arron Afflalo, Thaddeus Young, Goran Dragic, LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews, Tony Parker all as unrestricted free agents.
Celebrating the greatest coach in Sacramento Kings history as he enters retirement.
The Timberwolves held a press conference today in which they announced Rick Adelman's retirement as an NBA head coach. At 67 years old, Adelman is the oldest coach in the NBA, and with his wife dealing with medical issues the last few years, this news is not unexpected.
Adelman is the greatest coach in Sacramento Kings history. Now that isn't exactly a hard feat to accomplish, given that no Sacramento Kings coach aside from him has had a .500 or better record (wow we've sucked a lot). But even still, the Kings were one of the best teams in the NBA under him, and just a few shots and/or a Chris Webber knee away from winning a title.
In 8 seasons under Adelman, the Kings boasted a 395-229 record (.633). In comparison, since Adelman left, the Kings have been 215-425 (.336). The Kings also made the playoffs in all 8 seasons that Adelman coached, and have only made the playoffs once without him (in 1995-96).
Unfortunately for Rick, he himself wasn't able to find any more success after leaving the Kings, the team he spent the most time with during his career. Adelman was one of the unluckiest coaches I've seen, with multiple stars of teams he led having their careers cut short. In Houston, he joined a promising Rockets team that featured Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady in their primes, but both came down with injuries that reduced them to shadows of their former selves. In Minnesota, he spent a large part of the last few years dealing with major injuries to Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.
Adelman was not just instrumental to making the Kings and teams he coached successful, but also entertaining. Adelman's pass-heavy offense made the Kings "the greatest show on court" according to SportsIllustrated. He rejuvenated the careers of guys like Chris Webber, Doug Christie, and Bobby Jackson and turned Peja Stojakovic from a draft day joke into a star.
In his 23 years as a coach, he only had a sub .500 record six times. He's one of only a few coaches to win over 1000 games, and like many of the stars he coached, he's one of the greatest to never win a ring.
Just like Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, and Mitch Richmond, Adelman should be in the Sacramento rafters for all time. He never wore a jersey per se, but he was just as instrumental (if not more so), to the Kings on-court success during the golden years of Kings basketball and he should be honored for it. This Kings team might not even be here today if the Adelman-led Kings teams didn't help grow an entire generation of new fans, fans that are forever hungry to experience the feeling of success once again.
So farewell and best of luck to Rick Adelman with his retirement. The NBA won't be the same without him.
Rudy Gay has to make one of the biggest decisions of his life in the next couple months, and it could mean leaving a lot of money on the table.
Perhaps the biggest question of the offseason for the Sacramento Kings is whether or not Rudy Gay will opt in to his $19.3 million player option for next season or not. Should he opt out, he'd become an unrestricted free agent, able to go wherever he pleased.
As has been discussed many times before, nobody saw Rudy opting out of the final year of his deal when the Kings traded for him. He was in the midst of a career-worst season with the Raptors, shooting below 40% from the field. However, once he came to the Kings he started to play some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 20.1 points a game on a career-best 48.2% from the field.
With all that being said, $19.3 million is still a lot more than anybody is going to offer Rudy next year, and it's possible that should he opt in, he'll still get a good contract offer next season. Of course, that comes with its own inherent risks, as he'll be a year older, might not play as well, or suffer a big injury which will drastically lower any potential new contracts.
Recently, we've begun to hear some speculation, mainly on local radio like the Grant Napear show, that Rudy will opt out. It's important to note that this is all speculation and Napear has said multiple times that it's just his opinion. Carmichael Dave has also voiced a similar opinion.
I'm inclined to agree with them, for a few reasons.
For starters, Rudy has yet to get to choose where he plays basketball. He was drafted by the Grizzlies, who then gave him a ridiculous maximum contract nobody else was going to offer. After Rudy unsurprisingly failed to live up to that contract, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, who then traded him to the Kings after a year. By opting out of the final year of his contract, Rudy will be able to choose his own destination for the first time, an important choice, given that he'll likely spend his prime years wherever he decides. It might shock you to learn this, but the Kings aren't very good, and Rudy will have options to go to teams that are already good rather than stick around and hope that the Kings become good while he's there.
Second, Rudy is set to be a much bigger name free agent this year than he would be in 2015, even if he manages to duplicate the success he had this year. Take a look at some of the likely top names that will be available this summer and then compare it to the list of likely FAs next year.
Now to be fair to the 2014 Free Agents, many of the 2015 free agents could be off the list as soon as next year thanks to extensions on rookie contracts (Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson for example), and I also left off possible free agents like Miami's big 3 simply because I don't see them leaving Miami. The point is that Rudy is a much more prominent free agent this summer than he'd likely be next year. Right now the only real big names among wings this summer are Luol Deng, Carmelo (who will likely stay in New York), and Gordon Hayward (who Utah will likely match any offer on). I guess you could throw in Trevor Ariza with that group after his much improved year in Washington. I'm not including Paul Pierce because he's largely a role player at this stage in his career.
Finally, opting out also puts some pressure on the Kings to retain him and could drive up his overall market value. Even if Rudy wants to stay with the Kings, it'd make sense for him to test the market and put some pressure on the Kings' side to try to get a deal done, perhaps to guarantee an extra year (something only the Kings can do) or some more salary. Small market teams typically tend to overpay for premier free agents, even when retaining their own. Of course this point could be rendered moot if he simply doesn't want to stay with the Kings and wants to go elsewhere.
Should Rudy Gay opt out, it's not the end of the world for the Kings. It doesn't even mean that he's necessarily leaving the Kings either, although it decreases the chances drastically. Rudy leaving still wouldn't be terrible for the Kings, although retaining him is much preferable. At worst, the trade that acquired Rudy Gay allowed the Kings to save some long term money by shedding the contracts of Chuck Hayes and John Salmons. Without Gay, the Kings will once again be looking for an answer at Small Forward, but will have plenty of cap space and flexibility to do so in the next few years. They could even be poised to make a big splash in the crowded 2015 free agent market themselves, or use their newfound flexibility to make a similar trade to the one that brought Gay to Sacramento in the first place.
The Kings will likely have some clarity on this issue before the 2014 NBA Draft, which is being held June 26th. Gay has until the 30th to decide his player option. I would really like to see him in a Kings uniform for years to come, but I understand his reasoning should that not be the case. Regardless of what happens, it was still a good trade for the Kings, and one that they would do all over again given the chance.
A revised term sheet for the agreement between the city of Sacramento and the Sacramento Kings was released Monday. Under the new agreement, which is scheduled to be voted on by the city council on May 13, the city is provided with more protections as the team takes on more of the financial burden.
The revised term sheet for the new downtown Sacramento arena was released by the city of Sacramento on Monday, revealing that provisions have been made to the deal that further protect the city from potential financial issues.
The cost of the arena has increased from the $447 million price tag last year when the original non-binding term sheet between the city and the Kings was approved, to $477 million. The extra $30 million will go toward upgrades to the practice facility and the outside plaza area. But the Kings, not the city will pick up the tab for that cost overrun.
"The total project cost is currently estimated at $477 million. Consistent with their commitment to cover costs beyond the original project budget, SBH [Sacramento Basketball Holdings] will invest an additional $30 million for these enhancements. SBH also remains responsible for any further cost increases."
In addition, the city's overall contribution to the arena dropped from $258 million to $255 million (the team's contribution got bumped up to $222 million). And there also has been an increase in the amount of money the Kings will be contributing to protect the city's general fund against any losses from the parking fund.
"The earlier plan left a $9 million a year hole in the city's general fund, reflecting parking profits being shipped to bondholders. The city cobbled together a complicated "backfill" plan to replace that $9 million. The team had agreed to contribute at least $1 million in profits and an estimated $3.7 million in revenue from ticket surcharges, for a total of $4.7 million a year. The rest of the backfill was coming from other sources.
The revised plan is a simpler model. The Kings' contribution has grown and become more ironclad. Instead of $4.7 million, much of which depended on ticket sales, the Kings have now committed to a minimum of $6.5 million in annual lease payments. The payment will jump to $7.5 million in 2021 and will grow by at least 3 percent a year after that, depending on inflation. City officials said the team's payments could grow to $18 million or more eventually."
Here is the breakdown of the lease payments, via the term sheet.
In another change, the value of the eight parcels of land the city intends to contribute to the deal has been appraised at $32 million instead of $38 million as it was originally outlined. But like with the other alterations, this will not increase the amount of money the city contributes to the project, according to News 10's Nick Monacelli.
City officials have been adamant over the last year about the city not contributing above the $258 million that was agreed to last March, and it looks like that remains intact in this term sheet.
The city council will be briefed on the revised term sheet at Tuesday's council meeting and then there will be a final vote on the deal at the May 13 council meeting. If approved, the project will have green lights in every direction.
Kings President Chris Granger also confirmed on Monday that the demolition process of the Downtown Plaza could begin as early as May 14...that's May 14 as in a little over three weeks from now.
Oh, and this is worth repeating from the term sheet simply because it can't be said enough:
"SBH [Sacramento Basketball Holdings] will enter into a lease agreement with the City for a term of 35 years plus two 5-year extension options."
To view the term sheet, click here (Items 13 and 14).
The Jazz are conducting a very rare coaching search. Let's discuss.
We all know that Tyrone Corbin and his coaching staff were informed that they would not be coming back to the Utah Jazz in their current positions. You can read the press release here and I recommend you watch the lengthy interview with Dennis Lindsey. There are also numerous articles and opinions on the front page of this here website that are worth your time.
Twitter was certainly ablaze with discussion and votes of confidence yesterday as we all waited for the news. Here are a few tweets that I found especially insightful or appropriate.
As Brian and Paul point out, Ty Corbin is a good guy, who gave his best effort and you can't fault that. You can't argue that he was a great coach while here with the Jazz, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort or commitment. As @carty64 mentions, Ty Corbin's release is sort of like a new chapter in Jazz life. It feels good and cathartic to move on and sort of put the past few years behind us. But Andy and Matt's tweets get to the heart of the matter: finding the right coach to move the Jazz forward.
Dennis Lindsey's guy
I think the biggest thing to consider is that the coach Dennis Lindsey chooses will in many ways define what type of GM Dennis Lindsey is. General Managers are sort of coupled to the head coach they help select for better or for worse. From what we know about Dennis Lindsey and from what he said in yesterday's interview, he won't want to hire a "yes man" by any means, but he will want to hire someone who shares a similar philosophy (emphasis on defense, offensive creativity, ability to think on his feet, communication, team player, ability to teach and develop, etc.) The fact that Dennis Lindsey didn't hire Ty Corbin was probably the biggest thing Coach Corbin had going against him. This will be Dennis Lindsey's hire and he will need to get it right to do his job effectively.
Timeline
Last season a ridiculous 12 head coaches were informed or announced that they would not be returning as a head coach the following season. These decisions were announced between April 18 (Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Doug Collins) and June 10 (Lionel Hollins).
It took the teams an average of 34 days to fill their vacant coaching position, with most teams taking 18-36 days to conduct a search. The 76ers took nearly 4 months and the Cavs and the Kings took only a handful of days. Some teams had someone lined up immediately (Mike Brown, Mike Malone) and other teams had surprise candidates surface to sort of steal the position (Jason Kidd, Jeff Hornacek). Potential names for the Jazz have already swirled around the internet, but I would expect the Jazz to conduct a thorough search and make the decision around the end of May. Just a guess. It also appears that the length of time it takes to find a coach, has no indication of how that coach will perform. The Pistons took nearly 2 months to decide on Mo Cheeks and we all know he was the first coaching casualty of 2014.
So let's talk about possible coaching candidates and to do that, I have broken up the types of coaches available into the remaining three points left.
These guys are popular choices among many Jazz fans. For one, they are good coaches who have had success. There are two things working here however. For one, do any of these guys even want to coach the Jazz? And if so, does Dennis Lindsey want them coaching the Jazz? I would put the chances of the next Jazz coach coming from this group at almost zero, because of these two questions. Even if any of these guys are interested, Dennis Lindsey is automatically going to lose some authority in the decision making process, especially when each of these candidates have history with public discord with previous front office management types. These are the types of coaches you hire, if you just want to sit back and watch them work, not when you have a clear vision for the direction of the franchise, like I believe Dennis Lindsey has.
The savvy assistant coach, who needs a shot at head coaching (Erik Spoelstra, Frank Vogel, Jeff Hornacek).
This coach is probably a coach who Dennis Lindsey knows and is comfortable with. Maybe they come from San Antonio or Houston, where Dennis has a history. Peter tabbed such a candidate early on in Mike Longabardi in Phoenix. But as multiple sources mentioned yesterday, ex-Utah Utes head coach, Jim Boylen, is apparently very high on Dennis Lindsey's wishlist. Utah's own Alex Jensen has also had some head coach pub in the past.
Jim Boylen
Mike Longabardi
Alex Jensen
I am not a Running Utes basketball fan, so I am somewhat naive to Boylen's history in Utah, which judging by the tweets, was not good. So I took to twitter to find out some more yesterday.
This got almost no responses and I'm not sure why. I thought more people would have strong opinions on com aunts. But seriously, Ute fans. What did Boylen do that was so bad? Give me some constructive criticism. He seems like an entertaining guy.
If I were a betting man, I would put the money on the next Utah Jazz head coach coming from this group. Even if it isn't Boylen or Longabardi, this type of opportunity makes the most sense for the young Jazz team and young general manager.
The Veteran Overseas Coach
Ettore Messina
David Blatt
I know quite a bit about both of these guys, but I'd have a really hard time explaining their coaching philosophies. They are both very intelligent men who have American or NBA ties. Messina just recently was an assistant coach with the Lakers and Blatt played college ball at Princeton University. Both coaches have ties to coaching Russian squads and Blatt coached Andrei Kirilenko and Team Russia to a bronze medal in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. He drew up brilliant plays out of time outs with regularity.
While I think hiring an established European coach is a long shot for the Jazz, it would parallel their expansion into increased European and overseas scouting in general. Some franchises have a better grasp on overseas basketball and the Jazz may be or become one of those in the near future.
Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro spoke about Rudy Gay's future with the Kings at a media luncheon Tuesday. D'Alessandro said the organization used this last season as a "getting to know each other" period with Gay in hopes that the positive experience would make the decision to leave Sacramento a difficult one.
Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro is banking, at least partly, on the culture of the Kings and the vibe of Sacramento to make it difficult on Rudy Gay to make a decision on whether or not to leave the purple and black this summer.
D'Alessandro discussed Gay's pending decision on whether to opt out of his contract next season (which would pay him $19.3 million) at a media luncheon in downtown Sacramento on Tuesday. The general manager, who now has a full season with the Kings under his belt, said one of the strategies all along with the talented small forward was to trade for him before he had to make the big decision and give him some time to get to know Sacramento and the culture of the organization. This all in hopes that it would be enough to impact the outcome.
"There was a strategy and I was very upfront with that with Rudy, ‘you are going to get to know us.' So I have no problem saying this - there was a strategy in getting a Rudy Gay now and letting him see who we are and making it really hard for him, and that's what we tried to do," D'Alessandro said. "He says he enjoyed the experience. So it was a year for us to recruit a player that was already ours. Otherwise you get those two days at the beginning of free agency where everyone's running in and it's harder to sell."
The team's staff, the various neighborhoods in Sacramento, Vivek Ranadive's NBA 3.0 vision - it was all part of "recruiting" Gay this season. D'Alessandro, who was candid and conversational with the media at Tuesday's lunch affair, looks forward to the day when the new downtown arena is open and it can be used as the major recruiting tool to lure players to the small market that is Sacramento.
"Right now, we don't have our arena. We don't have the things that I feel like we need to really go after guys. But this was a chance for him [Gay] to get to know us," D'Alessandro said. "I feel good about his feeling for us."
Gay, of course, can either stay and collect his $19.3 million next season; opt out and become a free agent and/or try to get a long-term deal with the Kings (or another team). He gave two-sided answers to questions about which way he was leaning all season, but in February he did tell Sactown Royalty that Sacramento "could be a good home" for him. He also put up some of the best numbers of his career with the Kings.
Gay has until June 30 to decide his path moving forward. D'Alessandro said he doesn't know when Gay plans to make his decision, but that in general, players wait until the deadline.
The other elephant in the room right now is Isaiah Thomas. D'Alessandro confirmed the Kings will extend him a qualifying offer, which would make him a restricted free agent this summer. He said there is a scenario in his head where the Kings could retain Gay, Thomas and their upcoming draft pick, but it all depends on the market.
"There is a scenario, there are multiple ways to do what we need to do I believe. There's no crystal ball here and a lot of it depends on what the market bears," D'Alessandro said. "Last year, I was faced with an offer sheet [for Tyreke Evans]; I just walked in the door and got punched in the face with an offer sheet, and I was sitting there going, ‘OK time to make a decision big guy.' So I made one and Tyreke, he's played well. So those are hard decisions to make. And you don't always have to be ‘no,' you can match that sheet too …. depending on what the market is we'll have a decision to make and we'll have to figure that out."
The Kings would have the opportunity to match any offer another team may extend to Thomas. D'Alessandro praised Thomas for being classy and a hard worker, in addition to the stellar numbers he put up both off the bench and as a starter last season.
When asked if he has the money to play with in order to retain players and build, D'Alessandro said jokingly Vivek Ranadive would have to answer that, but expressed confidence.
"He [Vivek] went out and got Rudy Gay and he didn't do that with the idea of saving money and I appreciate that there's no handcuffs on us here and our ownership group has been very upfront about that, they want to win," D'Alessandro said.
The Kings general manager fielded questions from members of the Sacramento media on various subjects throughout the luncheon. Here are some other takeaways.
He stressed the need for more passing and that that was one of the objectives he had coming into last season, which did not pan out: "I didn't bring the guys in that did it because they're not sharing the ball now." When evaluating players to bring in next season, passing will be a focus. "I need to find players that can do that more consistently and I think players that are more into kind of moving the ball up the floor as opposed to players coming back to the ball, and we do that a lot. We kind of fall back and come back to the ball as opposed to just looking up-court right away." Another focus, in terms of upgrading the team's production, will be shooting, particularly more consistent shooting from the three-point line.
Even though we heard it all year that this season wasn't about wins and losses, D'Alessandro said it was for him. His expectations for next year hinge on winning more games. "It is about wins and losses…I want to win. It's not enjoyable waking up the day after the season and not thinking about who we are playing next and we gotta catch the plane out and go there. So I want our players, our young guys, to feel that. I want our owners to feel that and I think we have a lot of work to get there, but it's going to be about that for me."
If Gay opts out and with the salary cap expected to rise, D'Alessandro said the team would be in a "fairly solid position" but that's "not the goal" for the organization. He said the cap went up slightly more than he expected it to.
There will be more changes to the roster next season, but it may not be as drastic of a turnover as it was last season. "I do think there will be more changes, but I also think we are starting to develop kind of a core of guys and we are starting to feel some comfort in some of these guys in their growth and development."
He said he thinks the draft is a "very good" draft with "good players up top."
He said he has talked to DeMarcus Cousins about playing at the power forward spot if the team could bring in another starting center. "Can he guard a guy at the four? Some yes, some no and he would be the first to say it. But if we had a big shot-blocking guy or something like that, that cleans a lot up too. So we're wide open."
He said having a player like Cousins puts the other players in a position where they can thrive. "Part of the sales pitch of this is: come play with DeMarcus Cousins."
D'Alessandro said he has called quite a few teams that have multiple second-round picks.
He spoke to Jason Terry last week and plans to go to Dallas this offseason to see where the veteran guard is physically and mentally. He wouldn't elaborate on whether he thinks Terry will be on the roster next season but said this team needs guys with Terry's level of experience.
How we would grade his first season as general manager: "28 wins."
"[That’s] frustrating, especially when you have an opportunity [to win]. That is where the game is won — in the trenches. We can’t give up [19] offensive rebounds, especially. That is tough to overcome."
The Nets finished the regular season 29th in team rebounding and ahead of only the Los Angeles Lakers in rebound rate. Last season the Nets were tied for second in rebound rate with the Memphis Grizzlies. So, of course, rebounding has been an issue for the Nets this season, with their All-Star center Brook Lopez out for the season since December 20, 2013, and the team's best rebounder, Reggie Evans, having been traded to the Kings before the NBA Trade Deadline this February.
Of course, the injuries to Kevin Garnett haven't helped. Plus, Jason Kidd decided to "go small," when he placed Paul Pierce as the team's starting power forward. The Nets found great success in Kidd's system during the regular season, but the small lineup really struggled against the likes of Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas and Patrick Patterson, who all give the Raptors length and size.
There should be no cries for an overhaul in the system, not after one loss. As Pierce noted, the team's toughness can compensate for the lack of size, so to speak.
The Nets and the Raptors will get together for Game 3 on Friday night in Brooklyn, where the mantra has always been, "Brooklyn we go hard!" This is the sort of rallying cry from Pierce that the Nets expected from the future Hall of Famer when they traded for him. So, good on Pierce for being that leader that the Nets need to brush off a tough loss on Tuesday and get the team already thinking about what they need to do on Friday to rebound.
We could predict the NBA playoffs until we are blue in the face or we could look at the Steven Adams Rookie Season Highlight Playoffs and figure out which highlight of the young Kiwi's rookie campaign is this years champion.
(Todd Jones of NZ Hoops joins us once again, this time to bring you a tournament like no other.)
It is that time of year where many experts around the league sit down and look to predict the outcome of the playoffs. It is an important task, as many folks want to know just whom their beloved basketball club may face on route to the Larry O’Brien trophy. But how important is it really? Is it as important as looking at the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoff tree and figuring out which Big Funaki highlight sits as king above them all? Which sleeper kiwi highlight could make a run at the championship? These are the most important questions at this time of year and here at WTLC (by way of NZ) we have the answers.
After putting the Steven Adams rookie season highlights into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoff seed generator we ended with some interesting match ups.
Just like Steven Adams and a medium rare prime rib, let us dig in.
Scott Brooks on Steven Adams' toughness: "Nothing phases him. All he cares about is eating a lot of food and playing basketball."
Our first matchup in the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs sees his infamous Kareem-esque hook shot (which airballed, but that is a minor detail) face off against his fifth game in the association or in particular, his first double-double in only his fifth game.
Playing against the DEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL PISTONS, the young kiwi would finish with 17 points from 7-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and three blocks in his 30 minutes of action. It would be the first double-double by a Thunder centre since Kendrick Lamar Perkins had 10 points and 12 rebounds in Game three of the 2012 NBA Finals.
Even if the hook shot had of touched the bottom of the net, I don’t believe it could have move passed the First Dub-Dub. First Double-Double advances.
In the second series of the Stone Cold Conference Quarter Finals we have the ejection of Larry Sanders versus Adams appearance at All-Star weekend. During a matchup with the Thunder, the Bucks centre was charged with a flagrant-two foul and ejected from the contest following a stray elbow to Adams' chiseled jaw. This won’t be the only time an incident in which an opposition player being ejected for reacting to Stone Cold’s hustle appears in the playoffs.
Suiting up for Team Webber in the BBVA Rising Stars game, the young kiwi provided six points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and a game high four blocks in a game where defence is as recognizable as a meaningful Hasheem Thabeet minutes (I’m sorry Dream, you did provide one of my favourite photo’s of the season if only for Kendrick’s comment. It was the clear winner in the ‘Hasheem Thabeet I can’t believe this is my fifth season highlight playoffs).
Although it was All-Star weekend and it probably should have advanced past the Sanders ejection, the fact that it was the poorest rookie class in recent memory hurt its chances. Of course, Adams earned a spot in the game with his form prior to the All-Star break but he didn't exactly have to battle it out to earn a spot.
Larry Sanders advances but look out for the All-Star weekend to hopefully feature in future Steven Adams season highlight playoffs.
3) Six Steal Game Vs. Kareem Photo
Since steals started to be recorded in 1973, no rookie centre had ever grabbed six or more steals in a single game, enter the Kiwi Robin Hood in Steven Adams. During a big win over the Denver Nuggets at home, Adams was able to swipe an NBA record six steals along with adding 12 points on the night. Usually an NBA record would lead to a clean sweep in the first round of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs but the six steal game come up against a photo of Adams and Kareem Abdul-Jabar, a player some would argue is the most successful (when counting championships) basketball player at all levels in history. The Kareem photo quickly turned this into a seven game series but although Adams was sporting the spectacles in the photo, Kareem was without his famous goggles. It is this mistake, although a small one which cost the photo a chance at advancing. Look out for the photo to rebound next year and use this close defeat as motivation.
Since 2004, there have only been three instances in which there has been two series in the first round of the playoffs that have gone to seven games. Here in the first round of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs we aren’t even out of the Stone Cold Conference and we already have two series that went to seven games. Here we saw Adams and his quest for a clothesline come up against his first experience with an upset opponent.
Some may be asking how the Robinson incident made it into the playoffs as it happened in the pre-season. I will refer you to the clarification I gave the NZhoops readers in regards to how the judging was conducted in the now famous Longley-Marks medal, an award given to the best Australian or New Zealand player in the NBA for the season. To follow the award you can read the monthly reviewshere, hereandhere.
Below is a summary of my explanation;
This is not a democracy. This is a dictatorship and an unruly one at that. I am judge, jury and executioner and I make the final call. I am like Big Brother. No, better yet I am like Simon Cowell. No, wait, better than that I am former commissioner David Stern. Yes, I am the stylin’, profiln’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun David Stern! Whooooo!
With this development in the judging process some may ask "Who made this hobbit who only writes about Steven Adams from his Steven Adams bat cave in charge?" This is a fair question and it demands a fair answer. Well basically it was my idea so I am in charge. If you are battling this concept I implore you recall back to your childhood when your mother was demanding you come inside from ballin’ out on the backyard hoop, which always did have that slight bow in it. You thought your mother was looking out for you, not wanting to see her favourite child injured because it was pitch black and you couldn’t see the basket anymore. But in reality she was sick of the look the neighbour gave her the next morning because it was her child that was the one annoying the entire street with the consistent sound of Spalding connecting with concrete. You would ask your mother why you had to come inside and without hesitation your mother would return fire with "Because I’m you mother and I said so". In this instance I am your mother. I am David Stern and your mother.
So if I want to put the Nate Robinson episode into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs, I am going to put the Nate Robinson episode into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs. In saying that, the winner of this intense seven game series was Adams and his house hunting. Most would think that anytime Nate Robinson gets ejected and fined 10,000 jellybeans that it would mean an easy advance to round two. But when it comes to Adams peaking over fences, looking to live on a farm and knowing his wood types, it’s didn't stand a chance.
House Hunting advances.
BEAVER CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
1) Foul Out Vs. Sweaty Hibbert
As we have already seen with the Larry Sanders and Nate Robinson incidents, Adams enjoys the physical play. So much so he encouraged his teammates to take their frustration out on him during pre-season training because he likes to get down and dirty in the paint. So it was no surprise that more than once throughout the season Adams would find himself in foul trouble. In fact, Adams fouled out three times and finished with five fouls seven times during his rookie year. Those three times he fouled out, well they all came in a row. That feat earned an individual entry into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs. During the three game stretch, the big Funaki actually fouled out three times in 40 minutes.
The three game streak faced off against a moment late in the season in which Adams looks to wipe some of his forehead sweat off on to Roy Hibbert’s arm sleeve. Most enjoyable is the absolute focus Adams does it with; stone cold in the face, he just persists to wipe his sweat. Help a brother out Roy.
As fun as it is to mess with Roy Hibbert though, the former Hoya and his club are in a giant slump. If this episode have had happened at the start of the season it probably would have advanced but Roy is battling a lot of demons at the moment, we can’t reward Adams rubbing sweat into the wound that is the Pacers debacle.
Foul Out advances.
2) Dunk City Vs. Vinsanity
As a rookie, it is sometimes tough to know your limits as a basketball player, Adams does not fall into that category. He knows exactly where his bread is buttered, just have a look at his season shot chart;
It comes as no surprise then that the young Kiwi threw down a few dunks throughout the year but this double up against the Lob City Clippers stood tall above them all.
The two slams came up against the third entry via way of a player’s retaliation to Adams and his physical play. The incident involving Adams and the ghost of Vinsanity was the most notable though because of Carter’s standing in history.
After the game, Carter was suspended for one game without pay and he apologised for losing his cool "I just want to apologize to the fans of both sides, there's no need for it. They're trying to clean up the game and make it fun for fans to watch. It was one of those things where I got caught in the moment and reacted. My intentions have never been that way. It's just one of those things".
"I definitely felt it. It’s an elbow to the head. I don’t know, just reacting to it is…It was unfortunate that it happened, really. But it’s just part of the game, I guess". When furious styles point guard and underwear designer Russel Westbrook was asked about the elbow he replied "That stuff, he just laughs about when he gets hit and he just walks around. The first thing he came up to me and said was ‘What happened?’ Like, he don’t know what happened. That’s just how he plays."
The fact that Adams got a Dallas Maverick ejected was enough for me, you could have made the entry "Adams gets Maverick ejected" and it would have advanced without seeing who it was playing. Thus the phrase "Kiwi Tech" is created.
In early January, Adams came within a single rebound of his second career double-double, the reason he didn't get the feat: Steven Adams. The game against the Timberwolves proved that the only man who can stop Steven Adams is Steven Adams. Late in the third quarter Adams would come down awkwardly on his ankle and would leave the game. He wasn’t able to return to the floor and as such fell one rebound short of a dub-dub. His final stat line read 15 minutes, 4-of-5 FG, 2-of-2 FT, nine rebounds, two blocks and 10 points. Yes, Iceberg Slim was in his lights out, "I am nobody’s number two" mode, dropping 48 in the win over the T-Wolves but that couldn't overshadow the young Kiwi’s performance. Of course there was concern that Adams may miss a few games with the ankle that forced him from the game BUT Adams suited up for the next game against the Celtics. In particular, the Celtics match-up was not only the next game on the schedule, it was the very next night!
We should have known he would suit up, after the T-Wolves game Adams tweeted out;
Facing off against the Adams resurrection that was worthy of it’s own Easter miracle is the Kings Tag highlight. If you thought the young big coming back from the dead was a true representation of the young Kiwi then you would have Pavlova all over your face. During a match-up with Boogie Cousins and the Kings, the purple people eaters were looking to intentionally foul Adams but the young kiwi would have none of it as he tried to run away from Jared Cunningham and his wandering hands.
The fact that Adams then went on to sink the free throw with confidence makes it tough to beat.
Our last matchup of the first round in the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs sees the final entry via way of a player’s retaliation to Adams physical play. it is matching up against an Adams moment that coming into these playoffs, many bookies had as a favourite, if not the favourite in that of ‘The Handshake." I have managed to slip the handshake into every article I have wrote about the young kiwi and there was no chance I was going to miss this opportunity. The handshake or lack thereof put Adams personality on the map. He was already creating a stir with his early season form but the lack of reciprocation from Byron Mullens on a handshake offered by Adams and the rookie centre’s reaction gave the NBA universe a glimpse of his lovable personality.
The Hamilton incident that saw him suspended for one game without pay and reportedly cost him $10,600. He was the third opposition player to be sent to the showers early as a result of taking an exception to Adams physical play.
I tried to come up with a way to write this as though it was an actual battle, but it wasn’t. Not even close. This series was never going to go any other way than a clean sweep in favour of The Handshake. They can rest up and look forward to a massive conference semi-final.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
STONE COLD CONFERENCE SEMI'S
1) First Dub-Dub Vs. Larry Sanders
The first match-up in the Stone Cold conference semi-finals sees one of our favourites face off against the Larry Sanders ejection. After making light work of the hook shot in round one and only dropping the one game, it was the First Dub-Dub again flexing its muscles in this match-up. As we get deeper into the playoffs the intensity lifts and although having an opposition player ejected from the game for taking a swipe at you is always a positive, the fact it was Larry Sanders makes this series a cake walk for the Dub-Dub. You see, as most of you already know, Larry Sanders was not exactly the most stable player this season.
Here’s a timeline of the Sanders saga In August 2013 Sanders signed a four-year, $44 million extension with thesaveourbucks.com. Two months later his former agent is suing his current representation for alleged client poaching. In November there is reported tension between Coach Larry Drew and Sanders. Then Sanders was involved in a nightclub brawl which saw him tear a ligament in his thumb. As he was cited for this incident by local law enforcement, his record was brought up including animal cruelty charges. Sanders had surgery on the thumb and returned 25 games later when Gary Neal and Sanders are seen arguing post game, Neal telling Sanders to earn his money. Sanders then has the run in with Adams and most recently he was suspended for five games for his third violation of the leagues substance policy.
After reviewing his season, the ejection for taking a swipe at Adams is very minor, for that and the fact that Adams recorded the first double-double by a New Zealander in the NBA since Sean Marks grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 16 points for the Suns on April 16, 2008, the Dub-Dub advances.
2) Six Steal Game Vs. House Hunting
The NBA record for rookie centres coming up against the hunt for a clothesline. On paper this match-up is all but over. But the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs aren't played on paper.
Not to downplay six steals but some of them were not so much steals but rather "hey, the ball is coming to me, I’ll pick it up." Also looking at the time of some of those steals, they came in the garbage time of garbage time. Six steals is still a great accomplishment, but is it the same level of accomplishment as getting a double oven?? I don’t think so.
House Hunting advances.
BEAVER CONFERENCE SEMI'S
1) Foul Out Vs. Vinsanity
Our first game in the Beaver conference semi-finals sees the three game streak of fouling out come up against the standout episode in which an opposition player was ejected after retaliating to Adams toughness in Vince Carter’s brain snap. It’s the "foul or be fouled" battle in the Beaver conference. Carter had played 16-years in the NBA and 1,132 games coming into the November 7th matchup with Adams and the Thunder. He had never been ejected. That is the level at which Adams operates, he has the ability to even get under the skin of a ghost in the ghost of Vinsanity. Ring up another "Kiwi Tech." Not much more to say about this, Vinsanity advances.
2) Kings Tag Vs. The Handshake
By far the marquee matchup of the Conference semi-finals sees Kings Tag play The Handshake. It is very surprising to see these two face off in round two of the playoffs; this has the makings of a conference final if not a finals series. Who are we to be disappointed that we are being treated to a huge series this early in the playoffs? The Kings Tag didn’t receive as much attention as I thought it should have got whereas the Handshake featured on every review show around the league. The fact that Adams felt the need to tweet about being burnt by Byron demonstrates just how much of an impact it had on the rookie;
How do you recover from a denied hand shake? Hahaha
A huge series here, The Dub-Dub matches up very well against House Hunting. Ultimately it was the fact that the Dub-Dub was against the Pistons, who although at the time this game was played we didn’t realise how great of a mess that Joe Dumars had created, they still had Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond roaming around the paint. They were still a quality opposition and the fact Adams had a standout performance against those two along with a filthy block on Jonas Jerabko will give it the edge over House Hunting. House Hunting had a deep playoff run but ultimately it felt like it fell one video short of completion. Would we have liked to see which house Adams settled for? Yes. Would we have liked to see Adams decorate his new home? Yes. Would we have liked to meet his new neighbours? Yes. Pretty much give him a TV series is what we are asking. But the fact we didn't see the result hurt House Hunting at the business end of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs and thus fell to the juggernaut that is the Dub-Dub in a seven game series. The First Dub-Dub advances to the Big Funaki Finals.
BEAVER CONFERENCE FINALS
Vinsanity Vs. The Handshake
Whilst one conference final series was a game for game war right down to game seven, we had a polar opposite in the Beaver conference final. We had the ghost of Vinsanity being sent to the locker room early trying to match it with the force that is The Handshake. After being pushed to six games by Kings Tag, the Handshake was keen to dispose of Vinsanity early as they looked to prepare for The Big Funaki Finals. The Handshake advances unchallenged.
THE BIG FUNAKI FINALS
First Dub-Dub Vs. The Handshake
We made it to the big dance. The Big Funaki. By this stage of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs it is merely a war of attrition. The Big Funaki Finals was always going to be a seven game series and these two powerhouses meeting in the first ever Steven Adams rookie season highlights playoff feels right. To get here, The Handshake had disposed of Jordan Hamilton, Kings Tag and Vinsanity. Coming out of the Stone Cold conferenceThe First Dub-Dub put the Hook Shot, Larry Sanders and House Hunting to the sword. They both deserve their place at the big boys table but only one can take home the Easter chocolates. Adams was one of the first rookies in the class of 2013 to achieve a double-double and although he may have taken a back seat to Michael Carter-Williams opening week antics, nobody would have predicted when the young kiwi was drafted that he would have been one of the first to get a double-double.
But then there is the handshake. One of my heavily biased favourite NBA highlights of all-time. I’ve watched it time and time again and it still isn’t old. For whatever reason Mullens wanted no part of Adams advances, it could have been the fact Adams finished with six points (2-of-5 shooting) and seven rebounds in 24 minutes whereas the Clipper didn’t score a point or grab a rebound in his five minutes on court, missing the only shot he took. But Adams proved once again that folks from Down under are a one man army, we don't need anyone.
How tight was this matchup? It took me four days to award a winner and I only committed to it at the last moment. Ultimately it was the hope in me that awarded the Steven Adams Rookie Season Highlight Playoffs to The First Dub-Dub. We haven't seen a performance of that level from Adams since his fifth game in the man's league but I truly hope we see much more of it. So for that fact that I hope it was a sign of things to come in a long career and I don't want this to be the only year we have The Steven Adams season highlight playoffs.
Therefore, we award the Big Funaki trophy to The First Dub-Dub!
To Steven Adams' first career Dub-Dub, we award the Big Funaki trophy.
We could predict the NBA playoffs until we are blue in the face or we could look at the Steven Adams Rookie Season Highlight Playoffs and figure out which highlight of the young Kiwi's rookie campaign is this years champion.
(Todd Jones of NZ Hoops joins us once again, this time to bring you a tournament like no other.)
It is that time of year where many experts around the league sit down and look to predict the outcome of the playoffs. It is an important task, as many folks want to know just whom their beloved basketball club may face on route to the Larry O'Brien trophy. But how important is it really? Is it as important as looking at the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoff tree and figuring out which Big Funaki highlight sits as king above them all? Which sleeper kiwi highlight could make a run at the championship? These are the most important questions at this time of year and here at WTLC (by way of NZ) we have the answers.
After putting the Steven Adams rookie season highlights into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoff seed generator we ended with some interesting match ups.
Just like Steven Adams and a medium rare prime rib, let us dig in.
Scott Brooks on Steven Adams' toughness: "Nothing phases him. All he cares about is eating a lot of food and playing basketball."
Our first matchup in the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs sees his infamous Kareem-esque hook shot (which airballed, but that is a minor detail) face off against his fifth game in the association or in particular, his first double-double in only his fifth game.
Playing against the DEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL PISTONS, the young kiwi would finish with 17 points from 7-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, three assists, one steal and three blocks in his 30 minutes of action. It would be the first double-double by a Thunder centre since Kendrick Lamar Perkins had 10 points and 12 rebounds in Game three of the 2012 NBA Finals.
Even if the hook shot had of touched the bottom of the net, I don't believe it could have move passed the First Dub-Dub. First Double-Double advances.
In the second series of the Stone Cold Conference Quarter Finals we have the ejection of Larry Sanders versus Adams appearance at All-Star weekend. During a matchup with the Thunder, the Bucks centre was charged with a flagrant-two foul and ejected from the contest following a stray elbow to Adams' chiseled jaw. This won't be the only time an incident in which an opposition player being ejected for reacting to Stone Cold's hustle appears in the playoffs.
Suiting up for Team Webber in the BBVA Rising Stars game, the young kiwi provided six points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and a game high four blocks in a game where defence is as recognizable as a meaningful Hasheem Thabeet minutes (I'm sorry Dream, you did provide one of my favourite photos of the season if only for Kendrick's comment. It was the clear winner in the ‘Hasheem Thabeet I can't believe this is my fifth season highlight playoffs).
Although it was All-Star weekend and it probably should have advanced past the Sanders ejection, the fact that it was the poorest rookie class in recent memory hurt its chances. Of course, Adams earned a spot in the game with his form prior to the All-Star break but he didn't exactly have to battle it out to earn a spot.
Larry Sanders advances but look out for the All-Star weekend to hopefully feature in future Steven Adams season highlight playoffs.
3) Six Steal Game Vs. Kareem Photo
Since steals started to be recorded in 1973, no rookie centre had ever grabbed six or more steals in a single game, enter the Kiwi Robin Hood in Steven Adams. During a big win over the Denver Nuggets at home, Adams was able to swipe an NBA record six steals along with adding 12 points on the night.
Usually an NBA record would lead to a clean sweep in the first round of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs but the six steal game come up against a photo of Adams and Kareem Abdul-Jabar, a player some would argue is the most successful (when counting championships) basketball player at all levels in history. The Kareem photo quickly turned this into a seven game series but although Adams was sporting the spectacles in the photo, Kareem was without his famous goggles. It is this mistake, although a small one which cost the photo a chance at advancing. Look out for the photo to rebound next year and use this close defeat as motivation.
Since 2004, there have only been three instances in which there has been two series in the first round of the playoffs that have gone to seven games. Here in the first round of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs we aren't even out of the Stone Cold Conference and we already have two series that went to seven games. Here we saw Adams and his quest for a clothesline come up against his first experience with an upset opponent.
Some may be asking how the Robinson incident made it into the playoffs as it happened in the pre-season. I will refer you to the clarification I gave the NZhoops readers in regards to how the judging was conducted in the now famous Longley-Marks medal, an award given to the best Australian or New Zealand player in the NBA for the season. To follow the award you can read the monthly reviews here, here and here.
Below is a summary of my explanation;
This is not a democracy. This is a dictatorship and an unruly one at that. I am judge, jury and executioner and I make the final call. I am like Big Brother. No, better yet I am like Simon Cowell. No, wait, better than that I am former commissioner David Stern. Yes, I am the stylin', profiln', limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun David Stern! Whooooo!
With this development in the judging process some may ask "Who made this hobbit who only writes about Steven Adams from his Steven Adams bat cave in charge?" This is a fair question and it demands a fair answer. Well basically it was my idea so I am in charge. If you are battling this concept I implore you recall back to your childhood when your mother was demanding you come inside from ballin' out on the backyard hoop, which always did have that slight bow in it. You thought your mother was looking out for you, not wanting to see her favourite child injured because it was pitch black and you couldn't see the basket anymore. But in reality she was sick of the look the neighbour gave her the next morning because it was her child that was the one annoying the entire street with the consistent sound of Spalding connecting with concrete. You would ask your mother why you had to come inside and without hesitation your mother would return fire with "Because I'm you mother and I said so". In this instance I am your mother. I am David Stern and your mother.
So if I want to put the Nate Robinson episode into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs, I am going to put the Nate Robinson episode into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs. In saying that, the winner of this intense seven game series was Adams and his house hunting.
Most would think that anytime Nate Robinson gets ejected and fined 10,000 jellybeans that it would mean an easy advance to round two. But when it comes to Adams peaking over fences, looking to live on a farm and knowing his wood types, it's didn't stand a chance.
House Hunting advances.
BEAVER CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS
1) Foul Out Vs. Sweaty Hibbert
As we have already seen with the Larry Sanders and Nate Robinson incidents, Adams enjoys the physical play. So much so he encouraged his teammates to take their frustration out on him during pre-season training because he likes to get down and dirty in the paint. So it was no surprise that more than once throughout the season Adams would find himself in foul trouble. In fact, Adams fouled out three times and finished with five fouls seven times during his rookie year. Those three times he fouled out, well they all came in a row. That feat earned an individual entry into the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs. During the three game stretch, the big Funaki actually fouled out three times in 40 minutes.
The three game streak faced off against a moment late in the season in which Adams looks to wipe some of his forehead sweat off on to Roy Hibbert's arm sleeve. Most enjoyable is the absolute focus Adams does it with; stone cold in the face, he just persists to wipe his sweat. Help a brother out Roy.
As fun as it is to mess with Roy Hibbert though, the former Hoya and his club are in a giant slump. If this episode have had happened at the start of the season it probably would have advanced but Roy is battling a lot of demons at the moment, we can't reward Adams rubbing sweat into the wound that is the Pacers debacle.
Foul Out advances.
2) Dunk City Vs. Vinsanity
As a rookie, it is sometimes tough to know your limits as a basketball player, Adams does not fall into that category. He knows exactly where his bread is buttered, just have a look at his season shot chart:
It comes as no surprise then that the young Kiwi threw down a few dunks throughout the year but this double up against the Lob City Clippers stood tall above them all.
The two slams came up against the third entry via way of a player's retaliation to Adams and his physical play. The incident involving Adams and the ghost of Vinsanity was the most notable though because of Carter's standing in history.
After the game, Carter was suspended for one game without pay and he apologised for losing his cool:
"I just want to apologize to the fans of both sides, there's no need for it. They're trying to clean up the game and make it fun for fans to watch. It was one of those things where I got caught in the moment and reacted. My intentions have never been that way. It's just one of those things."
"I definitely felt it. It's an elbow to the head. I don't know, just reacting to it is...It was unfortunate that it happened, really. But it's just part of the game, I guess". When furious styles point guard and underwear designer Russell Westbrook was asked about the elbow he replied "That stuff, he just laughs about when he gets hit and he just walks around. The first thing he came up to me and said was ‘What happened?' Like, he don't know what happened. That's just how he plays."
The fact that Adams got a Dallas Maverick ejected was enough for me, you could have made the entry "Adams gets Maverick ejected" and it would have advanced without seeing who it was playing. Thus the phrase "Kiwi Tech" is created.
In early January, Adams came within a single rebound of his second career double-double, the reason he didn't get the feat: Steven Adams. The game against the Timberwolves proved that the only man who can stop Steven Adams is Steven Adams. Late in the third quarter Adams would come down awkwardly on his ankle and would leave the game. He wasn't able to return to the floor and as such fell one rebound short of a dub-dub. His final stat line read 15 minutes, 4-of-5 FG, 2-of-2 FT, nine rebounds, two blocks and 10 points. Yes, Iceberg Slim was in his lights out, "I am nobody's number two" mode, dropping 48 in the win over the T-Wolves but that couldn't overshadow the young Kiwi's performance. Of course there was concern that Adams may miss a few games with the ankle that forced him from the game BUT Adams suited up for the next game against the Celtics. In particular, the Celtics match-up was not only the next game on the schedule, it was the very next night!
We should have known he would suit up, after the T-Wolves game Adams tweeted out;
Facing off against the Adams resurrection that was worthy of it's own Easter miracle is the Kings Tag highlight. If you thought the young big coming back from the dead was a true representation of the young Kiwi then you would have Pavlova all over your face. During a match-up with Boogie Cousins and the Kings, the purple people eaters were looking to intentionally foul Adams but the young kiwi would have none of it as he tried to run away from Jared Cunningham and his wandering hands.
The fact that Adams then went on to sink the free throw with confidence makes it tough to beat.
Our last matchup of the first round in the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs sees the final entry via way of a player's retaliation to Adams physical play. it is matching up against an Adams moment that coming into these playoffs, many bookies had as a favourite, if not the favourite in that of ‘The Handshake." I have managed to slip the handshake into every article I have wrote about the young kiwi and there was no chance I was going to miss this opportunity. The handshake or lack thereof put Adams personality on the map. He was already creating a stir with his early season form but the lack of reciprocation from Byron Mullens on a handshake offered by Adams and the rookie centre's reaction gave the NBA universe a glimpse of his lovable personality.
The Hamilton incident that saw him suspended for one game without pay and reportedly cost him $10,600. He was the third opposition player to be sent to the showers early as a result of taking an exception to Adams physical play.
I tried to come up with a way to write this as though it was an actual battle, but it wasn't. Not even close. This series was never going to go any other way than a clean sweep in favour of The Handshake. They can rest up and look forward to a massive conference semi-final.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
STONE COLD CONFERENCE SEMI'S
1) First Dub-Dub Vs. Larry Sanders
The first match-up in the Stone Cold conference semi-finals sees one of our favourites face off against the Larry Sanders ejection. After making light work of the hook shot in round one and only dropping the one game, it was the First Dub-Dub again flexing its muscles in this match-up. As we get deeper into the playoffs the intensity lifts and although having an opposition player ejected from the game for taking a swipe at you is always a positive, the fact it was Larry Sanders makes this series a cake walk for the Dub-Dub. You see, as most of you already know, Larry Sanders was not exactly the most stable player this season.
Here's a timeline of the Sanders saga In August 2013 Sanders signed a four-year, $44 million extension with thesaveourbucks.com. Two months later his former agent is suing his current representation for alleged client poaching. In November there is reported tension between Coach Larry Drew and Sanders. Then Sanders was involved in a nightclub brawl which saw him tear a ligament in his thumb. As he was cited for this incident by local law enforcement, his record was brought up including animal cruelty charges. Sanders had surgery on the thumb and returned 25 games later when Gary Neal and Sanders are seen arguing post game, Neal telling Sanders to earn his money. Sanders then has the run in with Adams and most recently he was suspended for five games for his third violation of the leagues substance policy.
After reviewing his season, the ejection for taking a swipe at Adams is very minor, for that and the fact that Adams recorded the first double-double by a New Zealander in the NBA since Sean Marks grabbed 13 rebounds and scored 16 points for the Suns on April 16, 2008, the Dub-Dub advances.
2) Six Steal Game Vs. House Hunting
The NBA record for rookie centres coming up against the hunt for a clothesline. On paper this match-up is all but over. But the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs aren't played on paper.
Not to downplay six steals but some of them were not so much steals but rather "hey, the ball is coming to me, I'll pick it up." Also looking at the time of some of those steals, they came in the garbage time of garbage time. Six steals is still a great accomplishment, but is it the same level of accomplishment as getting a double oven?? I don't think so.
House Hunting advances.
BEAVER CONFERENCE SEMI'S
1) Foul Out Vs. Vinsanity
Our first game in the Beaver conference semi-finals sees the three game streak of fouling out come up against the standout episode in which an opposition player was ejected after retaliating to Adams toughness in Vince Carter's brain snap. It's the "foul or be fouled" battle in the Beaver conference. Carter had played 16-years in the NBA and 1,132 games coming into the November 7th matchup with Adams and the Thunder. He had never been ejected. That is the level at which Adams operates, he has the ability to even get under the skin of a ghost in the ghost of Vinsanity. Ring up another "Kiwi Tech." Not much more to say about this, Vinsanity advances.
2) Kings Tag Vs. The Handshake
By far the marquee matchup of the Conference semi-finals sees Kings Tag play The Handshake. It is very surprising to see these two face off in round two of the playoffs; this has the makings of a conference final if not a finals series. Who are we to be disappointed that we are being treated to a huge series this early in the playoffs? The Kings Tag didn't receive as much attention as I thought it should have got whereas the Handshake featured on every review show around the league. The fact that Adams felt the need to tweet about being burnt by Byron demonstrates just how much of an impact it had on the rookie;
How do you recover from a denied hand shake? Hahaha
A huge series here, The Dub-Dub matches up very well against House Hunting. Ultimately it was the fact that the Dub-Dub was against the Pistons, who although at the time this game was played we didn't realise how great of a mess that Joe Dumars had created, they still had Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond roaming around the paint. They were still a quality opposition and the fact Adams had a standout performance against those two along with a filthy block on Jonas Jerabko will give it the edge over House Hunting. House Hunting had a deep playoff run but ultimately it felt like it fell one video short of completion. Would we have liked to see which house Adams settled for? Yes. Would we have liked to see Adams decorate his new home? Yes. Would we have liked to meet his new neighbours? Yes. Pretty much give him a TV series is what we are asking. But the fact we didn't see the result hurt House Hunting at the business end of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs and thus fell to the juggernaut that is the Dub-Dub in a seven game series.
The First Dub-Dub advances to the Big Funaki Finals.
BEAVER CONFERENCE FINALS
Vinsanity Vs. The Handshake
Whilst one conference final series was a game for game war right down to game seven, we had a polar opposite in the Beaver conference final. We had the ghost of Vinsanity being sent to the locker room early trying to match it with the force that is The Handshake. After being pushed to six games by Kings Tag, the Handshake was keen to dispose of Vinsanity early as they looked to prepare for The Big Funaki Finals. The Handshake advances unchallenged.
THE BIG FUNAKI FINALS
First Dub-Dub Vs. The Handshake
We made it to the big dance. The Big Funaki. By this stage of the Steven Adams rookie season highlight playoffs it is merely a war of attrition. The Big Funaki Finals was always going to be a seven game series and these two powerhouses meeting in the first ever Steven Adams rookie season highlights playoff feels right. To get here, The Handshake had disposed of Jordan Hamilton, Kings Tag and Vinsanity. Coming out of the Stone Cold conferenceThe First Dub-Dub put the Hook Shot, Larry Sanders and House Hunting to the sword. They both deserve their place at the big boys table but only one can take home the Easter chocolates. Adams was one of the first rookies in the class of 2013 to achieve a double-double and although he may have taken a back seat to Michael Carter-Williams opening week antics, nobody would have predicted when the young kiwi was drafted that he would have been one of the first to get a double-double. Let's watch it again!
But then there is the handshake. One of my heavily biased favourite NBA highlights of all-time. I've watched it time and time again and it still isn't old. For whatever reason Mullens wanted no part of Adams advances, it could have been the fact Adams finished with six points (2-of-5 shooting) and seven rebounds in 24 minutes whereas the Clipper didn't score a point or grab a rebound in his five minutes on court, missing the only shot he took. But Adams proved once again that folks from Down under are a one man army, we don't need anyone.
How tight was this match-up? It took me four days to award a winner and I only committed to it at the last moment. Ultimately it was the hope in me that awarded the Steven Adams Rookie Season Highlight Playoffs to The First Dub-Dub. We haven't seen a performance of that level from Adams since his fifth game in the man's league but I truly hope we see much more of it. So for that fact that I hope it was a sign of things to come in a long career and I don't want this to be the only year we have The Steven Adams season highlight playoffs.
Therefore, we award the Big Funaki trophy to:
The First Dub-Dub!
To Steven Adams' first career Dub-Dub, we award the Big Funaki trophy.
DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas were fantastic this season, but they also had to carry a huge load because of the lack of a supporting cast.
If you haven't yet read Blake's excellent breakdown of the Pete D'Alessandro media Q&A from earlier today, you should rectify that immediately. One of the things that Pete stressed to the media was the need to improve both the ball movement and the shooting of this team.
Now, you don't have to be an assist heavy team to have a good offense. While the Kings weren't a good offense (they finished the year 20th in Offensive Rating), a lot of that had to do with the fact that besides DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas, there wasn't anybody that could reliably make a shot, hence me dubbing them "the Only 3" rather than "the Big 3".
Cousins, Thomas and Gay combined for 3,131 of Sacramento's 6,766 Field Goal Attempts. That's 46.3% of Sacramento's total shots going to three players. They also combined for 50.8% of the team's total points. Those are insane numbers. Yet, given the makeup of the team this past year it's not completely unreasonable. Just take a look at the shooting numbers of the top 15 shot takers on the team:
Once you get past the trio at the top, you get a whole lot of bad shooting. Ben McLemore was 4th in shots on the Kings and shot an abysmal 37.6%. Jason Thompson's 50.6% was good, but players like him, Acy and Evans are not players you're looking for offense from. Jimmer Fredette however was, and he was the only player among the rest that shot even acceptably well (he shot very well). 4 of our top 9 shooters shot less than 40% from the field. You aren't going to get many assists if you're passing to guys who can't hit a shot.
This isn't the only reason the Kings offense was so inefficient. From Pete's interview:
"I need to find players that can [pass] more consistently and I think players that are more into kind of moving the ball up the floor as opposed to players coming back to the ball, and we do that a lot. We kind of fall back and come back to the ball as opposed to just looking up-court right away."
Take a look at the team with the 29th most assists and it might surprise you. It's the Phoenix Suns, who had the 8th best offense in the league and won 48 games, just barely missing out on the playoffs. How did the Suns do it? By doing exactly what Pete said and getting the ball up the floor on fastbreaks. The Suns led the league this year in fastbreak points at 18.7 a game. The Kings were 16th at 13.1. Getting fastbreak opportunities tends to lead to higher efficiency shots and more free throw attempts. Now, that definitely wasn't the case for anybody watching the Kings play this year. I don't think I've seen a team run as many bad fastbreaks as this year's Kings team. Too often they would try to go for a highlight play rather than a simple one, and it often led to a turnover or a missed opportunity.
Another thing the Suns were good at was hitting the three ball, making 37.2% of their attempts as a team. The Kings were 27th at 33.3%, and even that's skewed by the fact that the Kings traded their best three point shooters this season. By the end of the year, their best three point shooter was Ray McCallum at 37.9%, and he only shot 59 attempts this season. Isaiah Thomas was well above 40% before he trended downward (his wrist injury certainly affected him) to finish at 34.9%. Travis Outlaw was at 35%. Then you have Ben McLemore at 32% on almost 300 attempts.
Now, some of the Kings' problems in these areas came in part due to their inexperience. Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum in particular should see their shooting percentages rise with a year under their belts (if they don't, that's going to be a big cause for concern). We saw both players improve as the season went along, a good sign for the future.
The other part of course is getting better personnel. Travis Outlaw, bless his heart, should not be the go-to option off the bench, and yet that's what happened as the season went on, mostly because he wasn't afraid to shoot and guys like Derrick Williams were. I'm glad to see the team is going to have Williams play in the Summer League because he needs to learn how to stay consistently aggressive and play to his strengths (he's excellent at attacking the basket and drawing fouls). Then there's Carl Landry. A healthy Carl Landry should theoretically be a big boon to our bench next year, as we're lacking a reliable post option when Cousins goes to the bench.
I will be very interested to see how D'Alessandro addresses these issues this summer. There are some interesting options on the Free Agent market (Jodie Meeks or C.J. Miles anyone?). Of course, a lot of it depends on what happens with Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas, but even should both stay, moves will still need to be made. This team can't just be 3 guys if it ever wants to be good. We need a reliable supporting cast too.
The only logical way to follow up Vivek's appearance.
The Sactown Royalty Show is back! This week I'm joined by Nate Hughart, better known around Sactown Royalty as pookeyguru. We've got a lot to cover.
We talked about this past season of Kings basketball, and the upcoming offseason. Pookey, being one of our resident CBA experts, discussed the impact of the higher-than-expected salary cap on DeMarcus Cousins' contract, and on Rudy Gay. We also covered the upcoming draft class. And, because it's pookey, we had some completely unexpected and hilarious moments. Keep an ear our for pookey's impression of DeMarcus Cousins.
All in all, it was a really fun episode. Be sure to check it out.
Like the show? Subscribe to us on iTunes or on Stitcher! Leave us ratings, leave comments, let us know how we're doing. Ratings and comments on iTunes really help us out with promoting the show. And of course, continue the discussion in the comments below.
And a big thanks to Audible.com for supporting us. To get your free 30-day trial and a free audiobook, sign up here. Using that particular link gets you the special offer, and let's them know you heard about them through our show.
Would trading the pick be worth it or would the Kings be better off keeping it, wherever it may land?
Twitter can be fun. Twitter can be awful. Twitter is certainly never boring. It allows you to spew thoughts at random, often without a filter that would normally be in place. It's also not great on expounding on said thoughts should you want to, mainly due to the 140 character limit.
Last night as I watched the Hawks beat the Pacers yet again, I used Twitter to muse:
Maybe the Kings can trade for Roy Hibbert on the cheap this summer.
I wasn't expecting much to come of this tweet, but surprisingly my Twitter blew up. I was surprised at the vitriol that both trading for Hibbert (who admittedly has really struggled these past couple months) and trading our pick in a hyped draft was drawing from a few very vocal fans.
Now I didn't tweet this suggestion like it was a real possibility, because it probably isn't. Twitter is not the best for showing nuance. For starters, Indiana's probably not going to blow everything up over two months of bad play. But it left me wondering: What would it take for the Kings to trade their pick? Would it be worth it to use the pick to trade down in the draft and perhaps relieve some salary? Would you package the pick for a known quantity?
It all of course depends on where the Kings are drafting to me. I don't foresee the Kings trading the pick in the unlikely scenario where they actually move up in the draft. But at 7 or 8?
To get an idea of what kind of value teams have gotten for trading those picks around draft day I decided to do a little bit of research on picks traded in the 5 -10 range in the last 10 years.
2013: Minnesota trades the #9 pick (Trey Burke) to Utah for the 14th (Shabazz Muhammad) and 21st pick (Gorgui Dieng). - So far this is looking like a good trade for Minnesota. They didn't need a Point Guard, and Dieng came on really strong in the final part of the year. Even Shabazz looked better.
2011: Sacramento trades the #7 pick (Bismack Biyombo) to Charlotte and Beno Udrih to Milwaukee. Charlotte trades Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston and the #19 pick to Milwaukee. Milwaukee trades the #10 pick and John Salmons to the Kings and Corey Maggette to Charlotte. - One of the worst trades I can ever remember. Seriously. The only team that's benefited has been Charlotte, and that's because they still have Biyombo (who isn't very good). The Kings did traded for an older, more overpaid veteran while TRADING DOWN in the draft to get a player who ended up being bought out in his 3rd season. Trade would still have been bad even if the Kings had drafted a Klay Thompson or a Kawhi Leonard, simply because you could take those guys at 7 and call it a day rather than also taking on John Salmons' salary.
2009: Washington traded the #5 pick (Ricky Rubio), Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov to Minnesota for Mike Miller and Randy Foye - Disastrous trade for Washington. Miller and Foye aren't game-changing veterans, and they could have gotten Steph Curry or Ricky Rubio by keeping the pick.
2008: Memphis trades the #5 pick (Kevin Love), Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins to Minnesota for the #3 pick (O.J. Mayo), Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and Greg Buckner. - Great trade for Minnesota, both because of who they drafted and the better cap relief they got by trading down. Bad for Memphis, but only really because they drafted worse. If they drafted Russell Westbrook (taken 4th), doesn't look nearly as bad.
2007: Seattle trades Ray Allen and the 35th pick (Glen Davis) to Boston for the #5 pick (Jeff Green), Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and a future second rounder. - Kinda worked out for both teams, although it obviously was better for Boston in part thanks to their other trade for Garnett. Green was good for Seattle/OKC, but not great especially when Joakim Noah was still on the board (could you imagine a Thunder frontline of Noah, Ibaka, Durant???).
2007: Golden State trades Jason Richardson and the 36th pick (Jermareo Davidson) to Charlotte for the #8 pick (Brandan Wright). - This was kind of a meh trade. Richardson's addition helped the Bobcats get to their first ever playoffs, but they could have kept the pick and drafted Noah. The Warriors also screwed up taking Wright over Noah, although to be fair to them, Wright suffered a lot of injuries in his time with the Warriors that kind of derailed his career, even though he's now a useful roleplayer for Dallas.
2006: Boston trades the #7 pick (Randy Foye), Dan Dickau and Raef Lafrentz to Portland for Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and a 2008 2nd round pick. Portland then traded the #7 pick (Foye) in a straight up deal with Minnesota for the #6 pick (Brandon Roy). Boston gambled that Telfair would be a better fit at PG than Foye. They were wrong, but fortunately the guy they drafted at 21 (Rajon Rondo) turned out to be pretty good. Portland then got a potential superstar in Roy for Randy freaking Foye. Unfortunately Roy's career came to an abrupt end in the past few years because of several knee injuries. This was also a really bad draft. Rudy Gay, Rondo, Kyle Lowry, J.J. Redick and Paul Millsap were the only notable names after 7th.
2005: Portland trades the #3 pick (Deron Williams) to Utah for the #6 pick (Martell Webster), the #27 pick (Linas Kleiza) and a 2006 1st round pick that became Joel Freeland. - Yeah, not so much Portland. They did get a nice theoretical bounty back with 3 picks, but they missed out on the chance to draft either Williams or Paul (taken 4th). Even if they had struck gold with all 3 picks they wouldn't have ended up with anyone as good as those two.
2004: Phoenix trades the #7 pick (Luol Deng) to Chicago for Jackson Vroman and a 2005 1st round pick that would become Nate Robinson. - I think Phoenix was banking on the Bulls to be bad the next season or something but they really screwed up here. Deng ended up being a fantastic wing, and the Bulls improved by 24 games in a year, dropping Phoenix's pick to 21. Then there's the fact that aside from Deng you had guys like Iguodala and Al Jefferson available as well.
***
As we can see by this sampling of draft day trades, it's kind of a mixed bag. Perhaps the team that had the most success in trading their pick was the Celtics, since they were the only ones to get a surefire star in Ray Allen and won a championship that year. For the others, it was still about who you drafted, and most of the time (2013 remains to be seen) the people who traded up in the draft got more than the ones who traded down. That makes sense, since you're more likely to get a great player in the top 3 than the the top 10.
Trading in the draft is always scary, only because you never know if you're trading away a great player or a scrub. I'm not sure I'd want the Kings doing so unless it meant getting a surefire star back, and those are rare occasions. One of the greatest trades in Kings history was trading the #3 pick for Mitch Richmond, but that was one of those trades with very little risk, as Richmond was still young and a known quantity, while Billy Owens was an unknown quantity. Now of course, a #3 pick has way more value than the likely #7 or #8 pick the Kings will have.
Trading the pick down to get some salary relief also seems like a shortsighted move, as does trading down to get a marginally better veteran (and in John Salmons' case it wasn't even marginally better). The best move for young teams still seems to be to keep their picks or trade up, but again, it's all about who you draft.
The embattled Clippers owner is unaware his team shares an arena with the Los Angeles Kings.
LOS ANGELES (Lighthouse Press) _ Just days after publishing an audio tape reportedly featuring Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making shocking racist comments to his girlfriend, gossip site TMZ has released a second tape that reveals Sterling does not know that his team shares an arena with L.A.'s NHL team, the Kings.
The five minute recording, which, according to TMZ chronologically proceeds the tape it released on Friday, contains a man believed to be Sterling sounding incredulous that Staples Center would also be the home to an ice hockey team.
The conversation with his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, stemmed from Stiviano posting personal photos on Instagram showing her with several members of the Kings, who Sterling did not recognize. As the argument grew more heated, Sterling, 80, mistook the hockey players as local ne'er-do-wells or criminals that Stiviano had been seeing behind his back.
(Transcript)
Stiviano: I don't understand, I don't see your views. They're nice guys. Dowds, Quicky, Kopi, Richie...
Sterling: Well then, if you like them so much, don't come to my games. Don't bring these toothless, scruffy ragamuffins, and don't come.
Stiviano: Do you know that they play for the hockey team that plays in the same arena as the basketball team you own?
Sterling: You just... do I know? You think I don't know what happens at the arena? I know everything that happens at the arena. Clippers, Lakers, concerts. That's it. A hockey team at Staples Center? Why the hell would they play hockey at Staples Center? The floor is made of wood, not ice. Or did your Eskimo friends not tell you that? Get lost.
Stiviano goes on to tell Sterling the players names, uniform numbers and positions, but Sterling refuses to listen. He continues to insist that Los Angeles could not support a hockey team because the climate is too warm and celebrities can't be seen sitting in the stands.
Sterling: It's the weather! You go to Florida, Texas, Arizona. They don't play hockey there, either.
Stiviano: Yes they do. So why do you have to treat them like that?
Sterling: The hockey player is a criminal, do you understand? Canada kicks them out and they come here to kill animals and steal our women.
Stiviano: Are hockey players worse than blacks?
Sterling: Now you're being unreasonable.
The Kings have shared Staples Center with the Lakers and Clippers since the arena opened in 1999. They won the franchise's first Stanley Cup in 2012.
The hockey player is a criminal, do you understand? Canada kicks them out and they come here to kill animals and steal our women. - L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling
Sterling, a real estate mogul who bought the then-San Diego Clippers in 1981, has been known for insensitive and racist behavior through the years. In one high-profile suit in 2009, he was forced to pay almost $3 million to settle a case alleging he discriminated against African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities in his buildings. The NBA is investigating taking further action against Sterling after the TMZ audio tape went public.
So while the prejudiced invective from Sterling isn't surprising, many are shocked that in 2014 he still didn't know a professional hockey team has been skating for 15 years - and winning a championship - on the same spot where he sits courtside to watch the basketball team he owns.
"Donald Sterling is a very busy man with many interests," said one NBA executive who chose to remain anonymous. "In addition to the real estate, the Clippers and the pending lawsuits against him, there's also the cotton fields he owns, the human auctions he oversees and the opulent plantation where he entertains heads of state and Hollywood royalty. It's not surprising that hockey would escape him.
"In fact, just after the Kings won the Cup, a few of their players sat right next to Sterling at a Clippers game wearing their black-and-white home jerseys. Sterling asked me after the game when Staples Center started butler service and 'why the manservents were wearing those strange tuxedos with numbers.'"
A day before the NBA formally addresses the Donald Sterling situation, Philadelphia 76ers' managing owner Josh Harris issued a terse response to the alleged comments.
The fallout from the racially-charged comments allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers' owner Donald Sterling continues: While the NBA will wait until tomorrow to officially respond to the now infamous voice recordings, the Philadelphia 76ers have made it abundantly clear where they stand on the issue.
"Without question, discrimination in any form is unacceptable and has no place in the National Basketball Association or anywhere else in society. The comments were hurtful and outrageous, and in no way reflect the values and beliefs of myself, our ownership group or the Philadelphia 76ers organization.
I am confident that Commissioner Silver will undertake a thorough and thoughtful investigation into the matter."
The Sterling scandal is the first real test for new commissioner Adam Silver, and with the eyes of the world - and the NBA's 29 other majority owners - watching, it's clear that the league must mete out swift justice once its investigation is complete.
It sure is quiet around these parts, eh? For the past few years, the end of the season has simply been the beginning of the battle for Kings fans. Immediately after the final game our attention turned to the Board of Governors meeting, and event that wasn't even a blip on the radar this year.
We're past the torture of spending late April and early May glued to Twitter and StR comment threads, waiting for any snippet of news to break.
Instead, we're free to enjoy the playoffs, adopt a team perhaps (I'm kind of pulling for Portland to make a run at things), and start looking forward to the draft lottery on May 20th. It's calm. It's nice. It's a little boring. But it's the best boring I've ever experienced.
Soon enough things will kick back into high gear. We'll have the draft lottery, the draft itself, free agency (which promises to be a whirlwind for us), Summer League, and it'll be the start of the season. But for now I've just been enjoying the breather. The season takes its toll on me, and it's nice to recharge for a bit.
Personally, I'm planning to watch more of the playoffs as they progress and there are fewer games to track each day. And I'm planning to supplement that with a heavy dose of actual draft research. I want to watch more Draft Express videos. I want to read more takes on potential future Kings.
Fear not, we're working on a few projects to keep you entertained this offseason. But how about you? Let's treat this as a How I Spent My Summer Vacation, but with a proactive approach. What are you doing with your spare time now that the season is over? How are you going to spend this offseason?
The only current Hawkeye plying his trade in the NBA is Reggie Evans of the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 5.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game after he was traded to the Kings from the Brooklyn Nets. Evans has been in the league since 2002-03 and has been a fairly dominant rebounder for his entire career. His career per 36 minute rebounding rate is 13.3 per game. He also lead the league in three point field goal percentage in 2007-08 by going 1-for-1 from distance. So, there's that.
Since I've clearly lost my train of thought, let's take a quick look see at who may be joining Evans in the NBA next year. Roy Devyn Marble, Melsahn Basabe, and Zach McCabe are the seniors in the draft for Iowa this year. We've speculated on McCabe's prospects around these parts before, and they aren't looking great. Marble is the best prospect for Iowa and some prognosticators have him going as high as mid-second round. Hopefully a team takes a chance on Marble, a versatile scorer who can get to the rim, so that Evans isn't lonely next year at the annual Iowa Basketball Players in the NBA Ball.
Shaq has apologized for a boneheaded Instagram post.
Sacramento Kings minority owner Shaquille O'Neal recently posted an Instagram photo mocking the selfie of a Michigan man with a rare disorder. Jahmel Binion has ectodermal dysplasia, which affects his face, teeth and hair. Shaq immediately came under fire for his insensitive post, which has since been deleted. On Wednesday Shaq tweeted that he had called Binion and apologized.
Made a new friend today when I called and apologized to Jahmel Binion. Great dude.#alwayslearning#MYBADCUZ
There are several lessons to be taken from this incident. Primarily, that Instagram will clearly be the downfall of all NBA owners. On a serious note, it's a reminder that we can probably all treat each other better. And that celebrities need to not be idiots.
Since Instagram was so instrumental an element in the NBA's banning of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, it's easy to point to the Slippery Slope argument, and speculate if the NBA should be required to respond with equal force to Shaq's picture. While it demonstrated a complete lack of sensitivity, Shaq's gaffe seems like a stupid, poor attempt at a joke. Sterling, meanwhile, has a long and well documented history of racial discrimination. The two are not on par with one another.
As such, it doesn't seem that there will be any further fallout for Shaq. He was in his usual role as a member of TNT's studio show during Wednesday's games.
Pete D'Alessandro has mentioned in multiple interviews that he'd be interested in buying into the second round this year since the Kings have no pick of their own. Second round picks can be extremely valuable if they're good picks because you can get big production for a very small contract. The current Kings roster has several second round picks on their rookie contracts currently: Isaiah Thomas, Quincy Acy and Ray McCallum.
The easiest way for D'Alessandro to get a second round pick is simply to send cash to a team with multiple picks, of which there are several this year:
Milwaukee: 31st, 48th
Philadeliphia: 32nd, 39th, 47th, 52nd, 54th
Dallas: 34th, 51st
Toronto: 37th, 59th
Minnesota: 40th, 44th, 53rd
Denver: 41st, 56th
San Antonio: 58th, 60th
Additionally, the Phoenix Suns have three first round picks (14th, 18th, 27th), and I doubt they'll want three rookies on their team next year. The Kings will have plenty of options in which to acquire another pick, although of course it will depend on who they'd want to draft. Just as a hypothetical, maybe the Kings really like Adreian Payne's potential as a shot-blocking stretch four next to DeMarcus Cousins, but don't want to spend the 7th pick on him. Would it then be worth it to trade the 7th pick to Phoenix for the 14th and 18th picks and get Payne along with someone else, like Rodney Hood or Zach LaVine (I'm just spouting names here)? Maybe. Draft day should be very interesting for the Kings this year.
Sactown Royalty offers everyone an opportunity to express themselves through words. But Greg and I have decided that it is time to allow you to express yourself through another classic form of communication: Art.
Many of us have our own voices here in a variety of different mediums, but it is time that we turn up the class a little bit on this site and start embracing the finer things in life. Art is one of the earliest known achievements by human beings. It can be used to communicate, tell a story, make a statement, sell a product, and pretty much anything else. And that is where Sactown Royalty comes in to play. This off season, we will be holding a weekly competition for all of you fine artists out there.
In this modern world, it is pretty much universally known that Michaelangelo and Da Vinci would have used Microsoft Paint, or similar software to make their masterpieces today, and we want YOU to show off YOUR skills. Whether you are a MSPaint Picasso, or have the skills of a First Grader who just discovered a computer, we want to see YOUR work. Every week, we will have a theme (obviously Kings related), and it is up to you to put your pen to paper (or in this case mouse to screen, finger to touchscreen, or fancy drawing pen thingy to fancy drawing pad thingy) and let your inner Van Gogh out! (Actually, if you really want to put pen, pencil, paint, or chisel to work, feel free!) It is really that simple. Some may be as simple as a portrait, while others may dive deeper into the stranger realm. With all that said, let your creative juices flow!
We also want you to vote for which of our drawings you like better. We'll keep track each week, and after a designated length of time the lose will have to suffer a punishment yet to be determined.
RULES
1. This is all for for fun. While this is technically a MSPaint competition, whether or not you want to go all out, it is up to you! This really is for entertainment. Whatever program, app, pencil, paper, paint, cave drawing, or sculpting equipment, or Play Doh you want to use is up to you! (Actually, Play Doh is encouraged.)
2. That said, while cutouts are fine as part of the art, this is for "Drawn" or "painted" "art".
3. When you see Greg and I's sample masterpieces, don't get too discouraged at how professional and great they look. It takes decades of practice to get to the MSPaint level that we have reached.
4. Winner is decided by the number of recs.
5. For your entry to be considered it must be posted on this page.
6. Painting on ceilings other than your own is illegal in most places.
7. Same goes for Graffiti.
8. I'm basically just making stuff up at this point
9. HAVE FUN WITH IT
10. Winner will be announced the following week. Prizes may include, but are not guaranteed to be. (Nothing, A Marcin Gortat headshot signed by Kevin Fippin. A Kevin Fippin headshot signed by Marcin Gortat. A friendly Tweet. Lifelong fame, and much, much, more!)
This Week's Theme is
TRAVIS OUTLAW PORTRAITS! (OF COURSE!)
Paint him in whatever way you seem fit. Greg and I both did one for my Jesty post, which caused the discussion to begin with! Draw him in whatever way you deem necessary!
For a little bit of reference. Here are the masterpieces that Greg and I came up with.
Brad
Greg
Remember, don't let our advanced abilities intimidate you!
Calling all Photoshop Jedis, you're our only hope! I may be able to do the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, but I know I'm just a padawan learner compared to many of you. I took the opportunity on this holy day, in the midst of an epic first round, to throw together a nostalgic Kings photoshop with a bit of Star Wars flare.
Think you can top it? Maybe you want to try your hand at a photoshop with the current roster? Lets see your best "May the Fourth" Kings photoshops!
Maybe you're not the best at Photoshop but you'd like to recast the characters. Maloof Vader? Chew-Cousins-bacca? ITD2? Derrick Calrissian? Lets see your cast lists in the comments.
And remember friends. In the immortal words of Jedi Master Coachie Pete Carrill, "Do or do not, there is no try."
As Brian and Paul point out, Ty Corbin is a good guy, who gave his best effort and you can't fault that. You can't argue that he was a great coach while here with the Jazz, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort or commitment. As @carty64 mentions, Ty Corbin's release is sort of like a new chapter in Jazz life. It feels good and cathartic to move on and sort of put the past few years behind us. But Andy and Matt's tweets get to the heart of the matter: finding the right coach to move the Jazz forward.
So let's talk about possible coaching candidates and to do that, I have broken up the types of coaches available into the remaining three points left.
