Watching Damian Lillard be amazing in the playoffs can make a Kings fan wonder "what if", but it's a fool's errand.
Friday night featured one of the craziest series-winning shots I've ever seen. Damian Lillard is nothing short of incredible. When discussing Lillard, it's important to note that he's older than guys like Kawhi Leonard, John Wall, and several other players who are mind-bogglingly great, but Lillard is incredible nonetheless.
But watching Lillard as a Kings fan can sting. After all, the Kings were rumored to be very interested in Lillard, but took Thomas Robinson when he unexpectedly slid down the draft. Robinson, by the way, also had some very nice plays for the Trail Blazers on Friday. So whenever Lillard does something amazing, we're bombarded by comments and thoughts of "what if", but doing so is foolish. It can make you angry, but to what end?
We can't change the past. We did get to change owners, and management, and coaches. We now have an ownership structure that won't ship off a first rounder just for a little extra cash. We have new management making our draft decisions. We have coaches that seem capable of player development (look no further than the dramatic development of Ray McCallum this past season).
But I know that alone isn't enough to get the what-ifs out of our systems. So here is a list of players the Kings could have drafted:
That list is just from the 2009 draft and after. There are a ton of players we'd love to have on the Kings. But there are plenty of other teams that missed on those same guys. And you know what, here are some other players the Kings could have drafted:
And, it's also worth noting that we have a couple guys on this roster that multiple teams passed on. Four teams passed on DeMarcus Cousins. 59 players were taken before Isaiah Thomas.
We can't live and die with every "we could have drafted that guy!" Because there are just as many busts that we could have taken. No team drafts perfectly. The draft is a crap shoot. It involves a lot of luck with the draft order, a lot of luck with the needs of the teams in front of you, and a lot of luck with players developing the way you think they will.
Next month the Kings will make yet another high draft pick. We'll hope they take the best player in the draft, or at least the best player available at their pick. So let's imagine what might be, instead of what might have been.
Another season, another record with less than 30 wins. That's six seasons in a row now. But as we all know, wins and losses don't tell the whole story. I took a look at some advanced statistics to point out some of the differences between this past year and year's past.
Year
ORating
DRating
Pace
SOS
MOV
FT Rate
eFG%
TOV%
ORB%
DRB%
2008-09
105.5
114.7
94.2
10th
-8.76
0.315
.491
14.3%
24.5%
69.9%
2009-10
105.2
109.9
94
5th
-4.37
0.286
.491
13.6%
27.8%
73.5%
2010-11
103.5
109
95.2
2nd
-5.34
0.284
.480
14.4%
29.9%
74.4%
2011-12
103.8
109.8
94.7
2nd
-5.68
0.268
.472
13.0%
29.1%
70.5%
2012-13
106.2
111.4
93.6
4th
-4.88
0.271
.491
13.4%
26.6%
71.0%
2013-14
105.7
108.8
94.4
3rd
-2.9
0.331
.484
13.9%
27.8%
76.6%
ORating = Offensive Rating (Points Per 100 Possesions) DRating = Defensive Rating (Opponent Points Per 100 Possessions) Pace = Possessions per game SOS = Strength of Schedule MOV = Margin of Victory FT Rate = Free Throw Rate (FT per FGA) eFG% = Effective Field Goal % (Field Goal % taking into account 3P% as well) TOV% = Turnover Rate (Estimate of possessions that result in a turnover) ORB% = Offensive Rebound Rate (Percentage of available offensive rebounds the team grabs) DRB% = Defensive Rebound Rate (Percentage of available defensive rebounds the team grabs)
First things first: Damn, NBA! Give us a freaking break already! We have had a top-5 tough schedule for the last five years, and last year's was one of the toughest. Still, even with the tough schedule, the Kings last year managed to make some major improvement in a couple of key areas. While the offense became slightly worse (a lack of three point shooters and unprecedented roster turnover helps explain that), the defense, while still bad, was the best it had been since the 2007-08 season, as was the margin of victory, which was more in line with a 32 win team than a 28 win team.
The Kings also improved from the worst defensive rebounding team to one of the best. A lot of that is credit to DeMarcus Cousins who led the NBA in defensive rebounding rate, but having a real Small Forward in Rudy Gay helped a lot too as the Kings gave up a lot of size in previous years with John Salmons there. The Kings also attempted a lot of free throws, thanks to DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Williams, all of whom are excellent at attacking the rim.
The Kings are still not a great team, or even a good team, but despite a similar record, they were a better team this year than they have been for a while. Hopefully we can see that same level of improvement next season. If we do, the wins will come.
Pete D'Alessandro hosted a reddit AMA (ask me anything) yesterday. Basketball fans from around the internet were able to log in, and well... ask him ANYTHING. Pete answered a ton of great questions and covered a wide range of topics. Here are some the highlights.
Pete D'Alessandro took time out of his day today to answer a few questions, from anyone who dared to ask, when he took part in a reddit AMA Tuesday afternoon. I know what you're thinking (section214)... "What the heck is reddit and what does Pete D'Alessandro have to do with the American Music Awards?!"
Lemme break this down for you guys. reddit.com is an entertainment/news website that focuses on anything and everything. All of the most interesting stories/links/videos of the day eventually get posted to reddit where users with an account can vote up or down the internets' most interesting offerings. Posts with the most votes are granted the most visible spot on what's arguably the world's most popular website or... "The Front Page of the Internet." Each particular post is sub-categorized into groupings of a similar topic called, "subreddits," and one of the most popular subreddits is the AMA (Ask me anything). The rules of the AMA are as simple as the name would suggest. The host slides behind the keyboard while reddit's members hit them with a barrage of questions on any topic under the sun.
Lots of great questions were asked and as you can imagine Pete wasn't able to get to most of them. You can hit up the full AMA to read the entire transcript HERE. The format can be a be a bit confusing for the uninitiated so i'll run down some of the highlights for you. You might even recognize some of the users asking questions from the pages of StR:
Reddit user YusoStoopid (hehehehe) starts us off with a list of the best questions asked by frequenters of the "subreddit" dedicated to the Kings.
Amongst other things, midnightvoyager (note to self... "Midnight Voyager" would be an awesome band name) asks Pete about the plethora of moves he made last season.
I give Greg credit here. He could have stopped with the softball "favorite sandwich" question but he DOESN'T. He makes Pete explain WHY, and this tactic elicits the most touching/genuine sandwich related answer i've ever seen.
Was Gerald Wallace perfect on the floor this season? Was he worth $10 million? No and no. But he was still a valuable member of the Celtics in a few ways, both tangible and not.
When I start to think about Gerald Wallace and reflect upon his first season in Boston, I feel the need to address a larger issue that exists between pro athletes and their fans. It's something that applies to Wallace, yes, but a lot of other guys as well.
Wallace is overpaid. I get that.
I also don't fault him for it.
There are a lot of fans in Boston who have expressed frustration about Wallace and the contributions he's made to the Celtics since his arrival last summer. There are people who, quite frankly, feel cheated by the veteran small forward and his production, and they have 10,105,855 reasons why.
I think this is silly, and I think it's an issue we all need to move past before we can judge Wallace fairly.
Yes, the paycheck that Wallace pulled in from the Celtics this year - and will again next season, and a third time in 2016 - was exorbitant. The 31-year-old vet is not an eight-figure guy anymore, and you could argue that with the exception of a brief two-year window during his prime in Charlotte, he never really was. Wallace's game is predicated upon a combination of two things - basketball IQ, which tends not to fully develop in players until 25, and energy, which starts to deplete around 27 or so. I'm making those numbers up, but you get my point. Gerald Wallace wasn't going to be a star forever.
That doesn't mean he's wronged the Celtics in any way. Wallace was merely pursuing the American dream, getting himself paid handsomely for his services, and he happens to have found success. So what was he supposed to do? Tell Mikhail Prokhorov in 2012, "Nah, I'm good, I don't need this much?" Toss a few million back? I think not.
If you're going to blame anyone, blame the Nets' billionaire owner for signing Wallace to that crazy $40 million contract in the first place, and blame Danny Ainge for trading for it. But as for Wallace, leave the man alone. He did everything in his power to earn his money this season in Boston.
That's right, I said it. Gerald Wallace had a decent year.
I didn't know what to expect when Wallace first landed with the Celtics last summer. The guy was incommunicado when he was first traded, refusing to show up to his introductory press conference with the rest of his old Nets guys in July. Then leading up to training camp in September, he remained off the grid. But from media day on, he was one of the Celtics' most devoted guys, a hard worker in the practice gym and on the TD Garden floor, a model veteran on a team that really needed one.
It's true that athletically, Wallace today isn't the player he once was. He earned his nickname, "Crash," because of his ability to bowl into dudes, beating them to rebounds and 50/50 balls with his speed and reckless abandon. Now that he's 31, he doesn't have that same capability, so it's unsurprising that his rebound, steal and block numbers are hovering around career-low levels these days, even on a per-minute basis.
Wallace has shown a bit of a dropoff, but it doesn't seem anything too far out of the norm for a 31-year-old who previously relied on athleticism. Everything we got out of the swingman this season was to be expected.
By which I mean: Including the good stuff. Wallace has a relentless motor and an undying motivation to play hard. In that way, he kind of reminds me of Kevin Garnett, incidentally the man he was traded for. Crash is nowhere near the player that the Big Ticket ever was, but he has the same mentality. There's only one gear there. He plays with the same intensity every night, whether it's Milwaukee in February or a playoff Game 7.
That was Wallace's role on this team. He was an emotional leader - a guy who used every win to stoke the group's pride, and took every loss personally, like a slap in the face. You need at least one guy like that to be successful in the NBA. Some nights, I felt like the Celtics had just the one. When they lost him in March - sidelined for the final six weeks of the season with a torn meniscus - they lost a big piece of their spirit.
It probably wasn't easy for Wallace this season to maintain the same competitive spirit he's always had. Previously, he'd pretty much always played for winners. He came up in Sacramento, when Peja Stojakovic and Mike Bibby were in their primes and the Kings were title contenders. He went to Charlotte and turned the Bobcats into a playoff team. His brief stops in Portland and New Jersey/Brooklyn featured some competitive teams.
Playing on a dud Celtics team wasn't what Wallace wanted. It wasn't a very well-kept secret that after the first few weeks of losing, the veteran started to feel an urge to play elsewhere. But Ainge wasn't trading his contract anywhere, so Wallace stuck with this Boston thing. All in all, that's worked out OK for him - he's earned a lot of people's respect, and he still has a valuable role in Brad Stevens' rotation as an all-purpose sixth man.
Wallace learned to accept Boston for what it is. I'd say it's high time we returned the favor.
Jonathan Abrams just published a fantastic oral history for Grantland on the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Kings and Lakers. For non-Kings and non-Lakers fans, that was simply an incredible back and forth series. For Lakers fans, it was the series that cemented the first three-peat. And of course for Kings fans, it was the one that got away.
The Kings were never closer to getting to the NBA Finals or winning a championship than they were in 2002. As Doug Christie says in the oral history, that series WAS the NBA Finals. We make fun of the how bad the East is today, but at least the East today has the Miami Heat. During the Kings' glory years, the East was never really a threat to beat the West in the playoffs. Everybody knew that whoever won that series was going to win the championship.
I still remember this series vividly despite being just 12 years old at the time. My mom, not really a huge basketball fan, even got into the spirit of things, and put up a big banner on the garage that said "Kings Rule, Lakers Drool". The games were a family event, and we'd have grandparents and uncles and cousins over just to watch. I would go in my backyard after the games and try to recreate the best moments, or if the Kings had lost, shoot the shots that they had missed and wonder if things had gone differently.
My most vivid memory of the series remains the Robert Horry shot. For me, that's one of those moments for Kings fans where you can ask someone where they are and what they were doing and they'll remember exactly, just like the Kennedy Assassination or 9/11. I was at my grandma's house and sitting just a few feet away from the TV. We were winning and there were only a few seconds left. I knew the ball was going to go to either Shaq or Kobe. The Kings knew too and played it beautifully, as Shaq misses a shot and Vlade knocks it out away from the rim. My heart jumps and I get ready to celebrate... wait why is this guy standing out there on this play ... why is the ball going straight to him... oh god... no.
I think I cried the whole way home.
Of course the Kings had their own moments in the series. Bibby's shot the next game was seen as the redemption, but because of the way the series played out, it doesn't stand out as much as Horry's shot. Instead, Kings fans are left constantly thinking "What if": "What if Horry's shot had missed". "What if they had been able to make free throws and open shots in Game 7". "What if C-Webb hadn't blown his knee out a year later". "What if..."
That series remains to this day the pinnacle of Sacramento Kings basketball. That team inspired an entire generation of Kings fans, who to this day pine for better days and the playoffs.
I still count myself lucky that we were able to watch those teams. As Tennyson wrote:
"It is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all"
Sure, he wasn't talking about basketball teams, but man, I loved those Kings teams. And now, thanks to Vivek Ranadivé, Kevin Johnson and co., we have a future to look forward to, rather than simply a past to commemorate.
The Toronto Raptors were only eliminated from the NBA playoffs a few days ago, but Adam Francis has a few early thoughts on the club's impending off-season.
Paul Pierce's fingertips started the process.
The exit interviews, the locker cleanouts, the post-season wraps-ups, and the fan thank you videos:
And now we're in full-on offseason mode, a few weeks later than usual for this franchise, but offseason nonetheless as the club turns its attention to things like the NBA Draft and Free Agency.
The Raptors of course set things in motion by bringing head coach Dwane Casey back earlier this week and we'll likely start hearing discussing regarding the other staff surrounding Casey. My guess is that everyone's back although names like Nick Nurse have come up in various head coaching vacancy discussions.
Next up though, the 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday June 26.
The Raptors at present have three picks, one first round pick (20th overall) and two second round picks, 37th (via the Sacramento Kings) and 59th (via the OKC Thunder.) With a fairly full roster at present, and 2012 second-round pick Tomislav Zubcic stashed overseas, I'm thinking the club keeps its first rounder, and looks to move one, or maybe both of the second-round picks for future options. (Or as part of a bigger trade.) The team has needs that can be addressed to a certain extent via the draft, but with a fairly young club already, Masai Ujiri and co would probably prefer to get some more veteran help instead of rookie assistance.
What needs will the Raptors be looking to fill this offseason?
For starters, a true center behind Jonas Valanciunas would be solid. The Raptors used combinations of Chuck Hayes and Tyler Hansbrough at times, both vertically challenged options, or rolled with Amir Johnson, providing less than ideal results. While there are some intriguing big men options in the draft, big men generally take a while to round into form so this area is probably best addressed via trade or free-agency.
However a strong, athletic wing type may be an option. The old adage "you can't teach size" applies here and the draft does provide some options for Toronto. While these players may be raw, all could give the club a boost defensively off the bench, right off the bat, supplanting the likes of John Salmons and Landry Fields.
Other options later in the first round might include Clemson's K.J. McDaniels and Wichita State's Cleanthony Early.
In terms of second-round options, I'd be intrigued to see Toronto take a shot at Florida's Patric Young, Tennessee's Jarnell Stokes, UNLV's Khem Birch and UNC's James Michael McAdoo.
I won't get into a ton of free-agent talk as the NBA playoffs are obviously still a ways from being done, but from this early list of 2014 Free Agents, there are indeed a few names that would be interesting options, from cheapie back-up possibilities like Joel Anthony, to major upgrades like Luol Deng. Who knows which direction Masai Ujiri decides to go but I'm betting he won't make like his predecessor and start swinging for the fences.
This could be an off-season of "tweaks," assuming Kyle Lowry returns, with the bulk of the starting line-up set in stone. It's an exciting prospect for myself, considering the bulk of the time RaptorsHQ has been in existence, each offseason has represented close to a complete overhaul for the franchise. Jermaine O'Neal to Hedo Turkoglu to Rudy Gay, change was the name of the game so it will be nice to have some stability.
I'm hoping it can be equated in fact to the 2000 offseason for the Dinos. The club had key pieces like Vince Carter already in place, and plucked a gem in Morris Peterson out of the later stages of the first round. Peterson was no All-Star, but he'd become a very nice complimentary piece to an already strong core. Incidentally, the Raptors are picking right around the same spot this year, and Masai Ujiri has had success in finding key pieces outside the top 10 spots in the draft. (Faried, Lawson.)
For the Raptors to really take another step forward next season, I think the bulk of the improvement comes not from draft picks or free-agent transactions, but from the club's current core. Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas obviously have room for improvement, DeMar DeRozan continues to add parts to his game, and the same can be said for Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasques.
Even an offseason of rest for the perpetually banged-up Amir Johnson could do wonders.
In his first year on the job, Masai Ujiri finished in the top five of this year's "NBA Executive of the Year" award race mostly due to his "addition by subtraction moves." (Bargnani, Gay.)
I'm not sure about you, but I can't wait to see what year two brings, starting this offseason.
The Kings recent history of such signings hasn't been very good at all. Here's a list of players that I wouldn't consider possible stars that the Kings have paid mid-level or higher salaries for more than a year in recent memory:
Carl Landry (Signed a 4 year, $26 million deal in 2013)
Jason Thompson (Signed a 5 year, $30.1 million deal in 2012)
Marcus Thornton (Signed a 4 year, $31.2 million deal in 2011)
Chuck Hayes (Signed a 4 year, $22.4 million deal in 2011)
John Salmons (Had 4 years and $30 million left when Kings traded for him in 2011)
That's not a great list. Now to be fair, some of those guys probably would have fared better if they were given smaller roles, but on a team whose best players between 2008 and 2013 have been Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, those guys were asked to do a lot more than they were really capable of.
Now though, a core is starting to form on the Kings, assuming they are able to retain Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas, and a better supporting cast has been identified as an area of need for the Kings. They'll need a "pretty good" guy or two as complements. For all we know, they might already have one on the roster in Carl Landry, who missed most of last year due to injuries.
Unfortunately the Kings don't really have a lot of cap space to work with, especially if they retain both Gay and Thomas (the preferable result for most Kings fans). For now at least, the Kings will likely look for some cheap help, guys on minimum contracts or close to it. We saw a bit of that in play last year with all the D-League call-ups, the acquisition of tough bruisers on small contracts like Quincy Acy and Reggie Evans, and our draft pick of Ray McCallum.
That changes should Rudy Gay opt-out and leave though, or if the Kings don't re-sign Isaiah Thomas. Then there's some money to play with, and getting a "pretty good" guy might be on the table.
There is one vote left before the demolition process of Downtown Plaza can begin and the Kings are guaranteed to be in Sacramento for at least 35 years.
In less than two weeks, the city council will conduct its final vote on the deal that will place an arena downtown and guarantee that the Kings will be in Sacramento for at least three decades.
On Tuesday, May 20 the council will be voting on a wide range of subjects, from the arena design, to the master lease for billboards, to the environmental impact report.
Here is one of the main resolutions outlined in the city's Report Summary:
"This resolution includes agreements that establish the legally binding terms and conditions for the design, development, operation, management, maintenance, and funding for the new arena. It also includes a 35-year non-relocation agreement for the Sacramento Kings, the transfer of City-owned property, including the 100-acre Natomas site, three parcels in the Downtown area, and several parcels in and adjacent to Downtown Plaza. Two of the agreements address the management and operation of the Downtown Plaza garages."
The final vote was originally slated for May 13. So what was the short delay about? According to The Sacramento Bee, there were some negotiations to be had between the city and the Kings over safeguarding certain aspects of the deal.
The city will be giving the Kings an initial loan to be paid back in a few months. Here is the Bee.
"One new wrinkle that's emerged in recent weeks: The city will loan the Kings around $12 million from its risk management fund to cover permits and fees that the team has to pay before construction begins. The Kings will repay the loan this fall, Dangberg said."
The city's Report Summary also spells this out:
"The loan covers the costs associated with building permit application fees and development impact fees that are due to the City and outside governmental agencies such as the fees to the school district, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, etc. As set forth in the Arena Finance, Escrow and Disbursement Agreement (AFEDA), the loan will be repaid in full by SBH [Sacramento Basketball Holdings LLC] once its financing is in place shortly after the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract in the fall of 2014."
The arena is slated to cost $477 million with the city contributing $255 million and the Kings contributing $222 million. The team also spent $36 million to purchase Downtown Plaza. As we discussed last month, the Kings also will be making $6.5 million annual lease payments (which is more than the original term sheet called for) toward the city for the first five years of the arena's life, and that will increase to nearly $18 million a year by the arena's 35th birthday.
"Today marks another important milestone in our partnership with the city of Sacramento," said Kings President Chris Granger in a team statement. "We thank them for their efforts and look forward to presenting final details of this extraordinary project to the Mayor, Council and public on May 20th."
The demolition process of Downtown Plaza could begin as early as May 21. The demolition will take place over an extended period of time and include taking down approximately 857,943 square feet of existing retail/commercial and office space. The new arena will be 779,000 square feet with a seating capacity of 17,500. In addition, there will be 82,000-square-feet for the practice facility and team operations, as well as 1.5 million square feet of retail/commercial, office, hotel and residential space.
The May 20 vote at City Hall (915 I Street) is going to be one for the ages. This project, this city and this fan base went through so many ups and downs over the last three to four years. Undoubtedly, it will be a spirited and emotional night as the council members discuss the deal with the public and then decide on whether to put the final stamp of approval on the project. Will you be there?
It's so close y'all.
So close.
(Coincidentally, May 20 also is Draft Lottery Day!)
To view all of the arena documents leading up to the meeting, click here.
When the Kings traded for Rudy Gay, they also received two big men in return: Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray. While Gray was little more than salary filler, Acy offered potential. At just 23 years old, the little used Acy was in just his second year in the league.
Sporting a splendid beard and a never-quit mentality, Acy quickly became a fan favorite with his ferocious dunks and scrappy defense. His actual on-court contributions were less than spectacular however, and his minutes seemed to dip as the season went along as Jason Thompson and then Reggie Evans took most of the non-Cousins big man minutes.
One surprising thing about Acy was that despite his athleticism and resemblance to Reggie Evans, he had a lot more variety to his game, particularly offensively. The first time he stepped out and hit a jumper, I was surprised, but he's actually quite capable of hitting those shots. Unfortunately, at this stage of his career, he's not particularly effective anywhere but around the rim. His Rim % was 60% for the season according to basketball-reference, while he was just 40.9% from everywhere else.
Acy also wasn't nearly the rebounder or defender that his look-a-like Evans was either. His 19.5% defensive rebound rate, while not bad, wasn't really much better than average for a Power Forward. Defensively, the team was about 3 points per 100 possessions better when he was off the court than on it, although to be fair to Acy, he wasn't exactly paired up with the best defenders when he came in with the rest of the bench. He also fouled at an exceedingly high rate, with 5.2 fouls per 36 minutes.
Acy will be entering the final year of his rookie contract next season, and he'll need to really work on his game this summer if he hopes to stand out and increase his role, especially given the possibility that Carl Landry could come back fully healthy next season. One way he could stand out and provide something different is by really developing that outside shot, and perhaps getting consistent with at least the corner three. If he can add that to his game, he'll increase his value both for the Kings and around the league.
Staying on the court, both in terms of not fouling and not getting techs
Less Magic Cousins to avoid silly turnovers
Continuing to improve mid-range jumper
Analysis:
This was a fantastic year for DeMarcus Cousins, and one in which he should have earned his first All-Star berth. By not making the All-Star team, Cousins became the only player in NBA history to have a PER of over 26 (26.1) and not make the team despite being fully healthy (Abdul-Jabbar missed it back in the 70s but he was out for much of the first part of the season).
Cousins was among the league leaders in multiple categories:
Stat
Rank
FTM
8th
FTA
7th
PPG
9th
RPG
5th
STL/G
19th
BLK/G
20th
PER
5th
DRB%
1st
TRB%
4th
STL%
19th
USG%
2nd
Def Rtg
17th
PER = Player Efficiency Rating DRB% = Defensive Rebound Rate TRB% = Total Rebound Rate STL% = Steal Rate USG% = Usage Rate Def Rtg = Defensive Rating
Unfortunately he was also among the league leaders in Personal Fouls (3rd) and Technical Fouls (1st) and those two categories prevented him from being even higher among the league leaders in the other statistical categories. Cousins was able to play a career-high 32.4 minutes a game this season, but most of the league's best players are able to play around 36 minutes. Among the players in the Top 20 in PER this season, Cousins played fewer minutes than all but Andre Drummond (32.3), Tim Duncan (29.2) and Nikola Pekovic (30.8). He wasn't even the leader in minutes played on his own team (that would be Isaiah Thomas followed by Rudy Gay). That's a problem, because for the first time since Cousins has come into the league, the Kings were indubitably better when he was on the court than off of it thanks to his huge improvement.
In his first three seasons, the Kings were arguably worse with Cousins on the court than off it, particularly offensively, as Cousins used up tons of possessions at a fairly inefficient rate. His rookie year, he shot just 43.0% from the field, and that only improved to 46.5% by 2012-13. For a big man that saw as many offensive touches as Cousins did, that's pretty bad.
This season however, that all changed, as he became more efficient at putting the ball into the basket and in getting to the line. He had the biggest jump in FG% we've seen yet, getting to 49.6% from the field, a much better rate for a big man, especially for one that shoots as many jumpers as Cousins does. His FG% at the rim had never been higher than 63.9% in his first three seasons, and this year it jumped up to 67.3% on more attempts. Part of that was the Kings doing a better job of getting him the ball when he was in good position to score, as 55.2% of his rim attempts were assisted, up from 49% last year. He also improved his jumper from 10-16 feet (39.0%) and from 16-23 feet (42.3%) as the season progressed. In March particularly, his jumper was relatively automatic, as he went 55 of 121 (45.4%) on all shots outside of the paint. That number is closer to 50% if you don't include the first few games of March. If that upward trend continues into next season, it will open up even more opportunities for Cousins to act as a triple-threat in the high post.
Cousins also saw a big jump in his scoring and efficiency by getting to the line more often, at 9.3 attempts per 36 minutes compared to just 6.7 attempts per 36 last season and 6.9 per 36 the year before that. He showcased more patience in the post and on drives than we've seen before, and that led to both the better scoring and increased Free Throw attempts.
Cousins' defense was perhaps the most surprising improvement. In previous years, he was a lazy defender who fouled too much. He seemed to conserve most of his energy for the other side of the court. While his foul problems remained (his 4.2 PF per 36 remained the same as the previous year), when he wasn't in foul trouble, he was actually quite good on the defensive end, with the Kings about 3.1 points per 100 possessions better defensively with him on the court. While there were still some lazy moments, they were fewer and farther in between, and he even improved his shot blocking in the absence of another rim protector on the Kings. His defensive rating of 101 was by far the best on the Kings, a team with too few defenders already. As the team's best player, Cousins has to lead by example, and at least last season he began to do that.
There's not much that DeMarcus Cousins can't do. A three point shot is probably the only thing missing from his arsenal. He's become excellent in the post and on drives, he's got a reliable jumper, he's one of the best passing and stealing big men in the league and he'll be just 24 years old next season. The sky's the limit for Boogie Cousins, and if we see another improvement on par with the jump we saw from year 3 to year 4, wins and accolades will be coming sooner rather than later. That improvement doesn't have to come statistically either, as he can improve in ways that aren't seen in the stat sheet. He went 22 games without a technical foul before picking up the one that knocked him out of the final game. Why not try for 82, and in the process improve his reputation around both the league and with his team.
The Lakers' Mr. Irrelevant could become a relevant rotational big man in the NBA if he continues on the path he's on.
Sometimes it stings -- ok, it always does -- when I see a nice stat line from Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas. The Lakers have been haunted by a distinct lack of production at the point guard position for years and he's been a steal for that up-north franchise for years now. Mr. Irrelevant is a term of endearment for the player drafted with pick No. 60 each and every NBA Draft, and that's what Thomas was. The Lakers pulled some random names out of a hat just a few picks ahead of him that year -- Ater Majok and Chukwudiebere Maduabum -- that will never be bodies in the NBA or even the D-league at this point.
Fast forward one season later and the Lakers were the ones at the podium for a Mr. Irrelevant of their own: Robert Sacre. They haven't found anything as dramatic as an "answer" while they rebuild, but they likely found something important for the process in Sacre. He's becoming a serviceable big man in the NBA and should be an able rotation center in the NBA for years to come with his size and growing skill set.
Sometimes it's hard to appreciate and pay any mind to players that contribute at Sacre's level. His minimal 16.8 minutes per game are easy to overlook and take for granted, but he was a productive player in his sophomore year. The roster itself was a disaster, something like a plate haphazardly mashed together plate at your local China Buffet. There was a little of this and a little of that, but no real continuity or theme. The mashed potatoes seeped on top of the pepperoni pizza, so to speak. That might not get any better next season as the team has just a handful of players returning, but the Lakers have a player they can continue to develop in their frontcourt who just so happens to be a cheap option for years to come.
Sacre is due $915,243 next season and a fully unguaranteed $981,348 the following season. This is a true seven-foot center who is 260 pounds of muscle. He's athletic, he's learning, he keeps his head down and plays hard. It's hard to argue against him being a solid value, even if he winds up as the third string center on the roster next season. The front office's trust in his development could even be a factor if it comes down to dollar signs with unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill.
When judging unfinished players like Sacre it's important to identify tangible talents that can be useful. That's why scouting departments devour game film like Jordan Belfort devoured quaaludes throughout The Wolf of Wall Street. Sacre has plenty of those to offer the Lakers at a budget price. Tangible talents, not quaaludes, of course.
The pick-and-roll finisher
I know, I know. It's a Mike D'Antoni offense so this is a given, but it's important to note just how successful Sacre was at finishing as a roll man. He consistently showed he would abide by the coaching staff's philosophy by rolling hard to the rim and it paid off. He finished putting up 1.07 points per possession as a roll man, shooting 53.3 percent in this category, according to Synergy Sports Technology. That's actually just a tad better than Jordan Hill, who put up 1.03 points per possession when rolling to the rim.
Sacre and Marshall will likely spend time on the court together next season and should continue to make great connections like the one above.
Before the conclusion becomes this all means nothing because Mike D'Antoni decided to take his ball and go home on his own terms, let's not forget how integral a simple pick-and-roll is in nearly any offense in the NBA. Every big man is setting screens for their ball-handling guards, and having a guy who can actually force the defense to make decisions by being a threat to finish at the rim is important to any team trying to create space.
He has great size, mobility and the soft hands to go with it which make him a fantastic target for the Lakers out of the pick-and-roll. It's a simple skill, but it's going to help him carve a role in the league for years to come. He's still learning the in's and out's of the big league, but Sacre has proven he can be a capable player in this role. Check.
The offensive glass
Sacre isn't a prolific rebounder in the league but that doesn't mean he can't develop in this area of his game. His defensive rebounding percentages are low -- he grabbed just 16.9 percent of all available defensive rebounds, per Basketball-Reference -- but he's much better at generating extra possessions with offensive rebounds. He was the team's second-best offensive rebounder, collecting eight percent of the available offensive rebounds when he was on the floor.
Set a screen, cut to the rim, grab a board. Simple things put Sacre in the right place for offensive rebounds.
One of the reasons he's often in position to clean the glass on offense is how he's made it a habit of rolling hard or cutting to the rim once a shot goes up. This puts him in deep post position with a great chance of grabbing a missed shot.
He stays active without the ball and this allows him to slide in front of mismatches or clean up easy rebound opportunities. Sacre is often in the right place at the right time when positioning for rebounds, something that transforms into a talent more than a fluke over time.
He still has a great deal of room to improve here, especially when it comes to actively putting up immediate field goal attempts once he secures the rebound. He shoots 54.8 percent when attempting a shot following an offensive rebound but only attempted 31 putbacks on the 82 offensive rebounds he pulled down last season.
Defense
The Lakers' defense stunk last season, but that was an obvious team-wide issue. Sacre did a solid job on defense for a second-year player surrounded by first-class bums on defense.
"Matador defense" was synonymous with Lakers defense, and this put a huge emphasis on the Lakers bigs defensive awareness. Watch as Damian Lillard blows by Steve Blake without any resistance but meets the outstretched arms of Sacre when he leaves his feet for a layup:
Sacre held his own in the post, allowing just .69 points per possession in this category, per Synergy Sports Technology. Scrolling through his game film shows he isn't just going up against reserve bigs but throwing players like Marc Gasol, Al Jefferson, DeMarcus Cousins and other premiere post players off their games.
He was also arguably the most athletic big man on the roster last season -- yes that isn't saying much but there was also Jordan Hill -- and this makes him crucial for the team's transition defense. He runs the floor, which is often times more than what can be said for the other bigs wearing purple and gold uniforms, and his timing on contesting shots is average at least. Watch him work up the court for a block on Tony Allen:
Sacre isn't an all-NBA defensive presence, but much like on offense, he has the talent to earn him minutes. There are things he needs to work on, like recovering after he helps on pick-and-rolls, but that should come with time. He's clearly a very mobile player who has size to go with it, and he's not a detriment to the team's defensive efforts.
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Maybe Robert Sacre won't be a true seventh or eighth man type until a few more years into his career, but there's no reason to believe he'll be out of the league any time soon. This isn't to say he's going to be a top-tier talent in the league or has a cape on to save the franchise, but there are about 300 active roster spots to fill out every season. He'll be in position to be one of those players getting paid for the foreseeable future.
Players taken before him will fade into obscurity, just like Majok and Maduabom did while Thomas has become a legitimate NBA player. The Lakers own Mr. Irrelevant is on a path to becoming a relevant player, too.
This summer is going to be an important time for Ben McLemore as he looks to take his game to the next level after a bumpy rookie season. He also plans to begin classes again at the University of Kansas in an effort to earn his diploma.
While Ben McLemore had on OK rookie campaign, he has acknowledged how important his growth next season will be. A summer of training will be key for that development. He also will be striving toward something else that is important in his personal growth: finishing his education.
The 6'5'' shooting guard is splitting his training time between Sacramento and Kansas this summer as he works toward his goal of obtaining a college degree. He plans to take classes at the University of Kansas, the school he left to enter the NBA draft last year, every summer until he gets his diploma. Speaking over the phone on Tuesday, McLemore shared how valuable it would be for him to finish his education and how proud it would make his mother and the rest of his family.
McLemore also discussed expanding his game at the same time this summer. Specifically, he talked earnestly about being more of a complete player.
"I don't want to just be that guy that is a spot-up shooter. I want to be an all-around player and I want to be one of the best two guards in the league," McLemore said.
At the moment, the Kings could use a complete player and a spot-up shooter. One of the things general manager Pete D'Alessandro has stressed so far this offseason is the need for better shooting, specifically three-point shooting. As a team, the Kings shot an OK, but not great, 44 percent from the field last season (18th in the league) and 33 percent from three (27th in the league). McLemore's shooting percentages from the field weren't too great in his rookie campaign – 37 percent and 32 percent from three (which placed him tied with Tony Snell of the Chicago Bulls for 42nd in the league among qualified shooting guards). He shot 49 percent from the field and 42 percent from three in college. College and the NBA are a different ballgame, of course, and so is the distance of the three-point line.
But a starting shooting guard in the NBA has to have better percentages. McLemore knows that and plans to work on it.
"I think it's going to get better ... I think I can improve and that is one of the things I want to work on," McLemore said.
He's proven he is at least headed in the right direction. As we mentioned at the end of the season, McLemore did improve his overall shooting in the last 15 games of the latest Kings campaign.
With the confidence of the organization behind him and some athletic gifts not every player in the NBA possesses, combined with a well-regarded work ethic, there is no reason why the Kansas standout can't improve enough to help fill some of the void in the shooting department for the Kings next season. (And hopefully he shows improvement on the defensive side of the ball as well.)
The kid certainly has drive, as illustrated by his push for his degree. McLemore still needs somewhere between 45 and 48 credit hours to graduate. He registers for classes next week and begins in early June. While he hasn't chosen a major yet, he sounded excited to find one that fits him best. He also has been busy in the University of Kansas gym (Allen Fieldhouse) where a member of the Kings development staff worked out with him last week.
On top of this, he has been spending time with his family and doing community work in his old Missouri neighborhood, Wellston. In all of the analysis and expectations, we sometimes lose sight of where some of these players come from. McLemore certainly hasn't forgotten. He grew up in a home that was less than 600 square feet and sometimes shared it with up to 10 relatives. On some nights when there was no hot water he would microwave water and run to pour it into the bathtub to try to take a warm bath. So yeah, where he is now – worrying about how much he can best contribute to one of the 30 teams in the NBA – is a long way removed from where he was as a kid growing up.
McLemore has been helping his high school coach's 501 (c)(3) organization that assists kids in the Wellston area, recently throwing a bowling party for kids through the organization, for example. He also plans to help raise money in Lawrence, Kansas for holiday giveaways.
Set on a foundation of family, school and basketball, McLemore expects this summer to be a major building block in his career and development as a person.
"This summer is going to be the best summer of my life," McLemore said. "I'm very excited for next season."
McLemore will join Ray McCallum and Derrick Williams on this year's Kings NBA Summer League squad. The Las Vegas Summer League begins on July 11 at the COX Pavilion and Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
The Kings traded Marcus Thornton to get rid of his contract, but in Reggie Evans they found a veteran forward that was able to contribute on both ends of the floor.
Teaching the other Kings bigs how to set a proper screen
Free Throw Shooting? I don't know, I feel like he would have improved this by now if he could.
Analysis:
When the Kings traded Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans, it was largely viewed as a trade to merely split Thornton's large contract into two smaller (and hopefully more moveable) pieces. Terry ended up not suiting up for the Kings and could end up never suiting up. But Evans did, and he ended up being the starting Power Forward over the final 14 games of the season, proving to be a welcome addition to a team in need of solid veteran help.
Evans has always been one of the best rebounders in the league, and that continued to be the case in Sacramento, grabbing almost 8 boards a game in just over 20 minutes of action a night. His 20.9% Total Rebound Rate was greater than even DeMarcus Cousins' rate of 20.4%, thanks to his knack for getting offensive boards. He's simply a rebounding magnet, and when he was paired up with Cousins, the Kings became one of the best rebounding teams in the league.
Evans also brought experience and savvy in other areas. He was easily the best (and some might say only) setter of screens on offense, and he displayed a surprisingly deft touch around the basket. The word around Evans had always been that he was a huge negative on the offensive end, but in Sacramento, he was able to live off the few putbacks and touches he got around the rim, and thanks to his overall work, the Kings were slightly better offensively with him on the court (106.0 Off Rtg) than when he was off it (105.7 Off Rtg).
Evans also has had a reputation as a scrappy defender, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a good defender. The Kings were basically the same defensively whether he was off the court or not, and in Brooklyn the team was actually worse on that end of the floor. He's one of the worst shotblocking big men in the league, with just 3 blocks all last season. In fact, over his entire career he has just 110 blocks. By comparison DeMarcus Cousins has 289 over 4 seasons and he's far from what anyone would call a great shotblocker himself.
Evans is under contract at minimal cost for one more season, and I have a feeling the Kings will retain him thanks to the rapport he showed with Cousins and the need for a veteran presence on a young roster. However I don't feel as if the Kings will be able to justify having him as a full season starter at PF, and that will need to be figured out at some point, whether through the draft, trade or free agency.
When the Kings traded for Rudy Gay, it was a gamble that Gay would be more like the player he was in Memphis than the one he was in Toronto. It also helped that the only thing the gamble cost the Kings was John Salmons, Chuck Hayes and the expiring contracts of Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez.
Sacramento's gamble not only panned out, it surpassed expectations, as Gay had the best year of his career with the Kings, setting career-highs in Points per game, FG%, Assists per game and PER. Now Gay is debating whether to test Free Agency or opt in to a player option worth $19.3 million.
Perhaps the biggest reason for Gay's improvement efficiency wise is that he upped his attempts closer to the basket and started hitting his mid-range jumpers at an incredibly high rate.
He's so good at getting to the basket, using his long strides and long arms to make layups that are otherwise difficult for other players. I would even like to see him attack the basket even more. He still shoots way more 16-23 foot jumpers than necessary, and it's by far the least efficient shot he could be taking (while he shoots a lower 3P%, his effective Field Goal % on 3 pointers is equivalent to shooting 46.7% on 2 pointers). Having DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas on the floor as well takes a lot of the attention off of Rudy, as Cousins draws double and sometimes triple teams. With Rudy on the floor, the Kings were a better team, almost a full 5 points per 100 possessions better offensively.
Rudy also had his best year as a passer, with a career-high 3.2 assists per 36 minutes and 16.3% assist rate, decent numbers for a Small Forward. However his assist to turnover ratio was just 1:1, which is not great, although with how often he has the ball in his hands it's a little skewed. Many of his turnovers came due to his high dribble, which defenders have found easy to pickpocket. He also tends to get in trouble when doubled and often times tries to make a difficult pass rather than a simple one (of which he wasn't the only Kings player at fault for this).
While Rudy was a blessing on offense, his defense left much to be desired, especially for a player as athletic and long as he is. His On-Off stats show that the Kings gave up 2.1 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, not enough to overcome his offensive contributions, but still not good. It should be noted that Gay played almost 20 games with the Kings this season in which they didn't have Cousins and/or Thomas on the floor due to injury so those numbers might be skewed a bit, as he actually was a defensive plus in Toronto and Memphis (although he was paired with much better defenders as teammates as well). Still, should he come back to the Kings, a renewed defensive effort would be very welcome.
There is absolutely no doubt that Rudy Gay was a good acquisition for the Kings this past season and I hope that when he comes to a decision on his future, he sees himself as a part of Sacramento's future.
As Kevin Johnson's profile continues to rise, so do questions about his past.
Around Sactown Royalty, Kevin Johnson is generally considered a hero. He's on the Mount Rushmore of who saved the Kings. Because of this, it's viewed as a minor sacriledge to say anything negative about the man. He's the popular Mayor of Sacramento, he's the Mayor who helped Sacramento remain an NBA city, and he's gaining national recognition for his work with the NBA Players Association during the Donald Sterling situation. It's widely assumed that Johnson has aspirations above his current office, as most politicians do.
But with added publicity comes added scrutiny. Deadspin has published an extensive history of past allegations against Johnson. There are a great number of allegations, and they truly make you wonder. Are the allegations true? Johnson has never been charged, and certainly never convicted. But these controversial allegations continue to follow him.
Deadspin reveals no new information. Everything they list has been reported as early as 2009. None of that changes the fact that, if these things are true, they are despicable. I hope they aren't true, but I only know Johnson as the Mayor of Sacramento who helped save the Kings. I'll always be grateful to him for that. I know absolutely nothing about Johnson's past. But the most common reaction I've seen to Deadspin's piece is surprise. These allegations have followed Johnson, but still remain pretty quiet.
Perhaps that's because, as Deadspin eventually acknowledges in the next to last paragraph:
[T]he mayor's press secretary, Ben Sosenko, issued the following statement: "While appreciating that those who are in the news generate click-throughs, the Inspector General's report is really old news from 2009 that had no merit then as confirmed by the fact that the book on the matter was closed a long time ago by both local and federal officials, including the US Attorney who independently concluded that the report was misleading."
These past allegations did not prevent Johnson from becoming Mayor. They did not stop Johnson from receiving prestigious roles in the United States Conference of Mayors. But these issues will continue to be brought up more as Johnson draws more attention.
If nothing else, it's worth remembering that our heroes are people. Some people have a dark side. Some people have the bad luck to have their name dragged through the mud. I don't know which of these describes Kevin Johnson. But even the people we most appreciate aren't perfect.
Beyond that, this is little more than reminding a larger audience of past allegations. And once more, I am not brushing this off. There has never been sufficient evidence against Johnson for charges to be filed. He might have done some awful things to people and then paid to cover it up. Or he might have paid to prevent unjust damage to his reputation. That's a thing that happens more often than we'd like to imagine. I don't know the truth of it.
Taking this information and framing it as "KJ is an asshole" feels like a a click-bait hit job. But I'm more than willing to accept the concept that KJ might be an asshole.
[Editors note: These are sensitive topics and serious allegations, please think twice about what you're saying before commenting.]
Coming into this past season, the Kings were generally quiet on the Free Agent market, opting to make most of their newer acquisitions via trade and the draft. But the one signing they did make was to give Carl Landry a 4 year, $26 million deal. The deal was curious at the time with Jason Thompson already under contract for a similar amount of time and money, and the fact that Landry didn't really provide anything the Kings desperately needed from a big man (rebounding, defense, shotblocking). Still, the worst case scenario seemed to be that we'd have an overpaid veteran that could provide a punch off the bench.
Unfortunately, reality was much worse, as Landry tore a muscle in training camp, and then when he finally came back midseason, was out of shape and a shadow of his former self. He managed to play just 18 games before injuring himself again, this time his knee, which knocked him out for the rest of the season.
Now the Kings have a veteran on a relatively lengthy contract (in this new CBA at least) who has yet to live up to that investment at all. The Kings' only hope to recoup some value back on this investment is that Landry makes a full recovery and can provide some veteran leadership and much needed bench depth, because if he doesn't, he's essentially a cap hole that will be very hard to remove until his contract is either set to expire or actually does expire.
The Sacramento Kings are using a crowdsourcing methodology to help with their upcoming NBA Draft preparations. Couldn't the Raptors have used some of this in the past?
None of these players have been pure busts, but considering the positions they were picked, and the other players selected around them, it's been a big part of why the Kings have amassed a 182 and 376 mark over that time period, equating to a beautiful win percentage of .326.
But the Sacramento Kings are indeed inviting fans to submit their case for who the team should select in the upcoming draft, using whatever homemade analytics, video breakdowns and cartoon drawings you've got.
Grantland's Kirk Goldsberry did a nice piece on the "Kings' Gambit" already so I won't trudge through all the details again. But it's a very interesting concept and I have to agree with him that it's certainly worth a shot. At worst it ends up being a nice PR/fan involvement piece and at best, well, you grab Damian Lillard next time instead of Thomas Robinson.
From a Raptors' fan's perspective, I particularly enjoyed this idea, especially because some of the team's past draft blunders could CERTAINLY have been avoided via crowdsourcing could they not? I mean, I'm pretty sure this was the way most conversations went regarding the 2004 NBA draft, in Raptors' fans' living rooms across Canada:
"Oh well, guess it's Andre Iguodala then, not the end of the world."
"Wait..."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???"
And the "Hoffa" era began in Toronto.
I don't think there was a Raptors' fan on the planet that approved of this pick, let alone saw it coming.
And crowdsourcing likely would have netted the Raptors Danny Granger over either Charlie Villanueva or Joey Graham, and who knows about the Andrea Bargnani draft. That one was a random offering and while many fans would have made their argument for LaMarcus Aldridge, just as many, would have argued for Tyrus Thomas or Adam Morrison. (I was riding that Thomas bandwagon for all it was worth after he took apart Duke single-handily in that spring's NCAA Tourney.
It's not exactly a solution to draft-day gaffes, but as Goldsberry points out, this crowd-sourcing play is an opportunity to mine a vast resource of untapped NBA Superfans, and their analytical potential. While many GM's are likely scoffing at the Kings' decision here, it's hard to be that critical of the move when every year, the bulk of lottery teams make bad decisions regarding their selections. The current draft evaluation process done by most teams obviously isn't working, otherwise an upcoming contender like Memphis doesn't draft Hasheem Thabeet second overall, nor does a "trying to rebuild" Washington Wizards club follow their no-brainer John Wall selection with Kevin Seraphin, Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton.
So why not try something a little different?
I'd love to see the Toronto Raptors do something similar and who knows, maybe down the road we see many teams move to a model like this, not only to tap into fan knowledge and outside-the-box evaluation concepts, but also in terms of connecting with fans. Such a move does a great job of encouraging fan involvement in one of the more passionate NBA topics, the NBA draft process.
Again, at worst the exercise solely becomes something of the latter variety and none of the fan suggestions are worthy of inclusion in final draft day decisions.
But at best, the team doesn't select an unathletic centre with short arms and a shark tattoo.
We have heard the rumors. We have seen the signal. We have heard the rumors. But what kind of guy is this Pizza Guy? We separate the truth from the rumor in the sage of our favorite superhero, and even tackle the rumors of a new sidekick.
By now, we have all heard the legends, but know nothing about him. For three years, he has stealthily traipsed through the streets of Sacramento keeping crime at bay. While many have claimed to have seen him, others claim he does not even exist. There are many different opinions of who he is. A vigilante. A criminal. A hero. A villain. The one thing we know for sure, is that he is a Pizza Guy.
Pizza Guy is the latest in a long line of rumored superheroes that have helped protect the city for many years. Following in the footsteps of those before him, from the Smoking Douby, to The Greene Hornet, the Slammin Salmon, all the way to Greg Ostertag (the only superhero of the bunch to make no attempt in hiding his variety, choosing instead to sport a simple purple speedo). There are many urban legends about the origins of this mysterious masked man. Some say he was bitten by a radioactive delivery man. Others say he fell into a vat of marinara sauce. Some even say that he is from another planet, and came here many years ago. One of the more far out theories is that he is none other than Isaiah Thomas, the starting point guard for the Sacramento Kings.
"Yeah, I heard that one," an inexplicably caped Isaiah Thomas said. "I’m a basketball player, that is that. Maybe this ‘Pizza Guy’ doesn’t want people to know who he is! What kind of stupid question is that?"
We wanted to ask him more questions about these ridiculous accusations, but as the second question started, he got a page (yes, a page), and seemingly flew out of sight. We couldn’t blame him, he’s got bigger things to worry about, like his impending free agency.
Sightings of Pizza Guy started three years ago, when he started fighting off criminals like the Maloof Cartel, S.T.O.P. (Sinister Thugs Opposing Progress), and the Hansenator with a practical swiss army knife of super powers. From heat vision, where he can cook his enemies to desired doneness, be it original or extra crispy, to his Mozzerella web, which lets him swing seemlessly around the city, to his proficiency with a large staff he calls the breadstick, Pizza Guy is sure to give his enemies a large slice of justice, with an extra side of pain. While the police did not appreciate someone doing their job, Mayor Kevin Johnson embraced him, even going as far as installing a "Pizza Signal" on top of City Hall.
"Pizza Guy is a local hero. He shows the heart and strive that it takes to be a true Sacramentan. As far as I am concerned, the Pizza Guy always delivers the goods."
That is the Pizza Guy’s mantra. When crime rears it’s ugly head, he promises that justice will be there in 30 minute or less, or the criminal runs free. A criminal is yet to run free.
Recently, a sidekick has been spotted tailing Pizza Guy. Kid Outlaw, a cowboy themed vigilante that is noted for his ridiculous skill, and witty one liners, has been helping Pizza Guy clean up the streets. Witnesses have claimed that Kid Outlaw has insane accuracy with his throwing stars, is proficient with nunchucks, and light on his feet. Some are speculating that he is not so much a sidekick, as a replacement, as some believe that Pizza Guy could be headed out of town. We were able to catch up with him for one quick comment on these rumors.
"You know, being a free agent, er, being a hero, sometimes other teams, I mean cities, need your help. We shall see, I hope I can stay here in Sac. They were kind enough to draft, I mean birth me. Time will tell."
Until then, one can only wonder what the future lies for Sacramento’s favorite superhero. Hopefully, Pizza Guy is here to deliver justice for many years to come.
A Yahoo! Sports report indicates the Kings are willing to trade for Kevin Love even without an assurance that he will re-sign or stay long term. Despite the risk involved, it's a gamble that the Kings should make.
If you haven't heard, it appears likely that the Minnesota Timberwolves will trade Kevin Love at some point, as he's reportedly indicated to management that he is going to opt out after next season and test Free Agency. This has drawn heavy speculation that teams like the Rockets, Knicks and Bulls among others would make runs at Love before the season began.
The Sacramento Kings have let the Minnesota Timberwolves know they are interested in trading for All-Star forward Kevin Love - and the Kings would make a deal without any assurance from Love he'd re-sign with them, a league source told Yahoo Sports.
The Kings are willing to give up their eighth overall pick in this year's NBA draft and a combination of players for Love, even though he would not be expected to sign a contract extension before next season - if ever, with the rebuilding, small-market franchise, the source said. Sacramento envisions Love and DeMarcus Cousins playing alongside each other in the front court. Swingman Rudy Gay has a player's option for next season.
At first glance, this seems to be a big risk the Kings would take. To acquire Love, the Kings would probably have to trade most of their valuable assets. The only asset that doesn't appear to be on the table is DeMarcus Cousins, something that should please Kings fans who voted overwhelmingly against trading Cousins for Love in Greg's recent poll regarding Love being available.
No doubt some will feel that going after Love and giving up a lot of value will hurt the Kings should Love leave after one year; We aren't a popular venue like Los Angeles that can set themselves up to bounce back after a similar gamble for Dwight Howard because Free Agents will always want to play there. But that's exactly why we DO have to take this risk if we can. This is the only way the Kings can acquire a player who is arguably in the Top 5 or at least Top 10 in the NBA, and those are the kinds of players that make bad teams good and good teams great. That kind of player is never coming to Sacramento of his own volition, and that's just a fact. The biggest name the Kings have ever gotten in Free Agency is Vlade Divac.
Is there a possibility the pick and or young players (McLemore, McCallum) we trade for Love could end up better? I guess, but there's a much, much greater chance that they don't become close to the player he is. Love will be just 26 years old in October and entering the prime of his career. He's an elite shooter, rebounder and passer and has already been named to 3 All-Star teams in 6 years. While he has yet to make the playoffs, he and his teams have gotten better every year, and only freak injuries and poor teammates have really kept him from playing on past mid-April.
Sacramento already took a similar risk with Rudy Gay, although the level of risk was much lower as Rudy was a less valuable target than Love. The most they had to give up there were a couple of expiring contracts and two bad ones. For Love, a much higher price would have to be paid.
Should Sacramento get Love, they'd instantly have one of the best frontcourts in the NBA, if not the best, at least statistically speaking. DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Love together would be a nightmare to match up against, with both being able to pass and score in a variety of ways. Trading for Love also would likely be a huge incentive for Rudy Gay to re-sign with the Kings.
All that being said, I don't think the Kings will be Kevin Love's next destination, although I really would like to be wrong. There are other teams out there who will also be bidding on Love's services, and I think some teams, like Chicago for example, can offer more enticing packages. But it says a lot about the Kings' current management that they're willing to try, and I for one hope they succeed. In the NBA, one player can make a huge difference for a team, and Kevin Love is that kind of guy. Get him if you can and worry about keeping him later.
When the Kings acquired Derrick Williams early in the season for Luc Mbah a Moute, it was a gamble that Williams would be able to finally live up to the potential given a fresh start in a new environment.
Williams had his moments for sure, particularly in a few games as a starter shortly after we acquired him, such as when he dropped 31 points on the Mavericks in a blowout win. Unfortunately there just wasn't any real consistency with Williams (aside from when he played the Timberwolves, where he averaged 15.3 points on 52.9% shooting over 4 games), and his role took a big hit once the Kings traded for Rudy Gay just about a month later. Williams became a reserve but didn't seem to have quite the same impact off the bench as he did in the starting unit.
Williams' strengths lie in attacking the basket and running the open floor, where he's a terror in transition since he can both handle the ball on a break and/or be the finisher. About a third of Williams' total FGA came right at the rim, and he shot a very good 67.4% on those attempts. He also showcased a great ability to get to the line, with an excellent .568 Free Throw Attempt Rate. His problems lie everywhere else on the court offensively, as he failed to shoot higher than 35.7% from any other distance, with jumpers being particularly troublesome. 297 of Williams' 481 FGA in 2014 (61.7%) were jumpers according to basketball-reference, and he only shot 28.3% on those. That's a problem in that he really hasn't shown much improvement in his shot since coming to the league, yet still takes a bunch of them.
Because of his lack of shooting, Williams makes an awkward fit positionally. He's either a big SF who can't shoot or a small PF who can get overwhelmed inside. Fixing the jump shot has to be a priority regardless, but there also needs to be some guidance from the Kings as to what they want him to be. Right now it appears his future is at the wing, especially with Sacramento's glut of PFs and the very good possibility that Rudy Gay is not a Sacramento King next season.
Even with his offensive struggles and inconsistencies, Williams finds a way to be able to contribute offensively. The Kings were slightly better with him on offense than without him (0.8 points per 100 possessions) and they probably could have been even better had he stuck to his strengths and cut out a lot of the jumpers. Because Williams is so good near the basket and attacking the rim as the statistics indicate, he shouldn't be settling, especially with his jump shot as weak as it is.
Defense is another area where Williams needs to get a lot better. He's got the athleticism to become a good defender, but often got lost in the team defensive schemes and suffered when playing against quicker wings or bigger and stronger big men (again, weird fit positionally). The Kings were 2.2 points per 100 possessions worse with him defensively, but it's not like they were great without him. He likely needs to trim down a bit if he's going to become a full time SF, and he hopefully does better with another year's experience under him.
Williams definitely has a lot of talent, and it's nice to see the Kings intent on developing him. He could end up being a very valuable piece if he harnesses that talent, and with next season being the last of his rookie contract, he'll have to take a big step in the right direction to earn another contract and become a piece of Sacramento's future.
[–]petedalessandro[S]52 points