Billy King says the Nets are just about done, just about set with their roster, other than some training camp invitations. Of the 15 players on the Nets roster, all but two (Jorge Gutierrez and Cory Jefferson) are guaranteed for this season.

Now, it will be all about FIBA.  Four international Nets are scheduled to participate in two FIBA tournaments: two each in the FIBA Europe Qualifying Tournament --Mirza Teletovic for Bosnia and Sergey Karasev for Russia-- at the beginning of August; and the FIBA World Cup, in Spain --Bojan Bogdanovic for Croatia and Jorge Gutierrez for Mexico-- at the end of the month.  In addition, Mason Plumlee will be working out next week with the USA Select Team, which will practice against the USA entry in the World Cup. Then, there's the "friendly" or exhibition games the international teams play leading up to the tournaments.

Other notable events on the horizon include the release of the NBA schedule around the 1st of the month.  Nets training camp is likely to start a bit earlier than October 1, the traditional starting date, because Brooklyn is headed to China where they'll play the Kings the first week of October.

Here's what we know...

July 24 - 26 -- Russia will play Israel and the Czech Republic in a friendly tournament in the Moscow suburb of Novogorsk. Sergey Karasev may play for Russia.

July 26 - 27 -- Bosnia will play Sweden in a friendly two-game set, first in Sarajevo, Bosnia's capital, then in Zenica

July 28 - 31 -- Mason Plumlee will practice with the USA Select Team against Team USA in Las Vegas.

August 1 - 2 -- Croatia, led by Bojan Bogdanovic, will play Canada twice in a friendly two set, both in Brod, Croatia.

August 1 - 7 -- FIBA Americas CentroBasket. National teams from Central America and Caribbean compete at a tournament in Mexico. Jorge Gutierrez plays for Mexico.

August 4 -- NBA schedules are traditionally released around this date.

August 3 - 5 -- Bosnia will play in a friendly tournament hosted by Italy. Teams from Italy, Serbia and Canada participate.

August 5 - 8 -- Andrei Kirilenko and Lionel Hollins travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, for Basketball without Borders Africa.

August 8 - 10 -- Tres Naciones tournament in Technopolis, Argentina. Host nation will take on Mexico and Brazil.

August 8 - 10 -- Croatia will play in a tournament in France with the host nation, Serbia and Greece participating.

August 10 - 27 -- FIBA Europe Qualifying Tournament, a competition to fill out brackets in FIBA's European championships, called Eurobasket, in 2015.  Bosnia opens vs. Great Britain, whose coach is Kidd assistant Joe Prunty. Bosnia will play games vs. Great Britain as well as Iceland in home and away sets. Russia opens with Switzerland in Fribourg and plays vs. Italy and Switzerland in home and away sets.

August 20 - 21 -- Croatia will play in a tournament in Spain against the host country, Mexico and Ukraine. This is the only tournament where two Nets, Bogdanovic and Gutierrez, will play against each other.

August 26 -- Final Croatian warm-up for the FIBA World Cup will take place in Zagreb, Croatia's capital vs. Lithuania.

August 30 – September 14 -- FIBA World Championship in Spain. Gutierrez will play for Mexico, Andray Blatche the Philippines and Bogdanovic for Croatia.  The opening game in Sevilla will feature Philippines vs. Croatia, meaning Blatche vs. Bogdanovic. Later that same day in Gran Canaria, it will be Mexico vs. Lithuania.

October 1 -- The traditional date that NBA training camps open. But teams participating in the NBA Global Games, like the Nets, usually start a few days earlier.  This may very well be the last Nets camp to be held at the PNY Center in East Rutherford. It's hoped the Nets new facility in Industry City will be ready for the camp in 2015.

October 7 -- Preseason: Nets vs Maccabi Tel Aviv, Barclays Center

October 12 -- Preseason: Nets vs Kings at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai

October 15 -- Preseason: Nets vs Kings at the MasterCard Center in Beijing

We intend to cover it all.

Isaiah Thomas continues to discuss how Sacramento disrespected him, but they actually treated him pretty well.

Isaiah Thomas has not been shy about discussing his views on his time with the Sacramento Kings.  Another day, another quote about how Isaiah felt disrespected by the organization.  This has been fairly regular since the Kings allowed Isaiah Thomas to leave in restricted free agency, executing a sign-and-trade to the Phoenix Suns.  Now, I think the Kings made a mistake by replacing Isaiah with Darren Collison, especially since Isaiah eventually took only slightly more money than Sacramento wanted to pay him, and Isaiah is accepting the role the Sacramento Kings wanted him to play.  However, I think it's time for Isaiah to get over it.  The Kings didn't really disrespect him.

We can easily point to the long list of players that the Kings organization attempted to replace Isaiah with.  Kings fans and Isaiah can both rattle them off pretty easily.  But really, the current incarnation of the Kings can only be held accountable for Greivis Vasquez and Darren Collison.  Vasquez was acquired as part of the sign-and-trade that sent Tyreke Evans to the New Orleans Pelicans.  The current ownership and management of the Kings had been in place for just a few weeks, the front office wasn't really fully in place yet.  It's difficult to fault the organization for bringing in options at the point guard position when they first took over the team.  Every player on the roster had to prove themselves, except perhaps DeMarcus Cousins.

Vasquez, of course, did not hold the starting job for long.  Isaiah Thomas proved himself to be the better option, and his starting place was secured as the Kings traded Vasquez to the Toronto Raptors as part of the package to acquire Rudy Gay.

As for Collison, it seems clear that the Kings signed him knowing that Isaiah Thomas would not want to stay with the Kings under the conditions the Kings wanted.  We can argue until we're blue in the face whether Isaiah is a starter or not, pundits around the league continue to argue this even as they point to the Kings making a mistake by letting Isaiah leave.  But Collison wasn't really meant to demote Isaiah, he was meant to replace an outgoing player.

Isaiah Thomas feels disrepected.  That much is clear.  He came into the league with a chip on his shoulder, a chip he's used as motivation his entire career.  He's spent his whole life hearing he was too small to succeed at college ball, too small to make it to the NBA, too small to be a starter.  I get it.  That chip isn't coming off that shoulder anytime soon.  But I don't think the Kings disrespected Isaiah.

The Kings made their offer, letting Isaiah know where they valued his services and in what role they wanted to use him.  Once again, the money and role offered were nearly identical to the money and role that Isaiah Thomas eventually accepted from the Phoenix Suns.  When it became clear that the two sides did not see eye to eye, the Kings sat back and allowed Isaiah to find his new opportunity.

The Kings could have threatened to match any offer, hurting Isaiah's market value.  For a clear example of this, take a look at Isaiah's potential teammate-to-be Eric Bledsoe.  Further, when Isaiah signed a deal in the range of the Kings' original offer, the Kings could have opted to match.  Isaiah would have been stuck with the team he felt so disrespected by.  The Kings could have viewed Isaiah as an asset, and matched with the intention of trading him at a later point.  But the Kings didn't.  They allowed Isaiah to leave.

Players often enter restricted free agency with hopes and dreams of finding a new home and a fresh start.  They get wined and dined, fall in love with an organization, sign an offer sheet, only to end up right back where they started.  Some get stuck even after publicly pleading to be allowed to leave, like Eric Gordon.  Players in the league are often treated as assets to be used.  The Kings played none of these games.

I would have preferred it if the Kings had kept Isaiah Thomas.  But they didn't.  C'est la vie.  I've moved on.  It's time for Isaiah Thomas to do the same.

The luxury tax rears its ugly head, among other things.

Yesterday we reported that Sacramento's pursuit of Omri Casspi would likely mean the Kings waiving popular big man Quincy Acy.  Reaction from fans was overwhelmingly negative, particularly after Acy had come off of a strong summer league.  The fact of the matter is, Acy might be waived no matter what, regardless if the Kings win the Casspi "sweepstakes" or not (we should know whether the Kings submitted a successful waiver claim after 2 pm Pacific on Friday).

The way Quincy Acy's contract is structured is that his salary will only be guaranteed if he is not waived on or before July 25th.  According to ShamSports (on an aside, check out Grantland's excellent profile on Mark Deeks who runs the site) Acy's contract is set to be $915,243 if he is not waived.  Casspi's is at $1,063,384.  Acquiring Casspi and keeping Acy would put the Kings roster at 14 players and their total salary cap at $76,916,089 or about $87,089 over the luxury tax.

$87,089 is a pittance in NBA terms, and the Kings almost certainly would be able to make a trade or use a stretch provision on a guy like Terry or Outlaw to get back under the luxury tax.  Waiving Acy and getting Casspi however allows the Kings a little bit more breathing room under the tax by about $828,154.  This gives the Kings just a little bit more flexibility instead of having to keep an irremovable cap hold on the books for 3 years (as a stretch would do) or losing a pick to get rid of a player might.

We've talked a bit recently about the Kings not being able to go over the hard cap because they used the non-taxpayer Mid-Level Exception to sign Darren Collison.  That's true, but the hard cap is pretty irrelevant to a team like the Kings.  For Sacramento's purpose, you can assume the luxury tax as a kind of hard cap;  Make no mistake, the Kings absolutely do not want to end up in a situation where they have to pay luxury tax for a non-playoff team.  Paying the luxury tax doesn't just mean that the Kings would be paying double for any salary over the tax, it also means they would miss out on any potential tax revenue from other taxpaying teams which last year was about $3.033 million per Larry Coon's CBAFaq.

There's also another salary wrinkle that may come into play.  When Deeks updated the Sacramento Kings salary page, I was surprised to see that Darren Collison had not received the full MLE which is set at $5.305 million for this year.  Instead his starting salary was set at $4,797,664, exactly $507,336 less (because I was asked this on Twitter a lot, the hard cap is still in effect. Using any part of the non-taxpayer MLE triggers it).  That $507,336 just so happens to be what the rookie minimum contract is set at this year.  That means the Kings could waive Acy, sign Casspi, and still be able to sign an undrafted rookie (Eric Moreland perhaps?) to a multi-year deal (regular minimum deals can only be for 1 and 2 years, but fitting it in the MLE you can stretch it to 3 or 4) and remain under the tax.

There's also basketball reasons the Kings could go this way.  Acy, for all his hustle and energy, is still stuck behind several players in the rotation.  Reggie Evans is a minimum contract veteran who even ended up starting by the end of the season.  Jason Thompson is always going to have a role as long as he's on this team, and despite how much the Kings would like to trade him (and how much he wants to be traded if we're being honest), the fact that there have been no takers yet after almost a year of them trying to move him is not a great sign.  Landry is in a similar situation to Thompson as far as contracts go, and should he remain healthy this season, he'll very likely be ahead of Acy in the rotation himself.  This is also not counting when the Kings decide to play small ball with Rudy Gay or Derrick Williams (or maybe Casspi?) at the 4.

Of course, there is some debate as to whether Casspi or Acy is more valuable to this Kings team.  One thing that Casspi does bring is perimeter shooting with a career 3P% of 35.2%.  That's not great, but it would have been second best on last year's Kings roster behind Ray McCallum's 37.3%.  Casspi's also a capable rebounder for his position.  One thing he is not however, is a defender, something that Acy has real potential to be even if he wasn't particularly effective there last season (mainly due to inexperience rather than lack of effort).  Michael Malone has spoken a lot about the Kings improving their defense and yet the vast majority of moves that the Sacramento front office has made have been to improve the offense.  These seem to be clashing philosophies, but this offseason is far from over and I gather that we're still looking at an unfinished product.  That being said, a lot has been put on the line this offseason, and improvement will have to be noticeable this year.  28 wins isn't going to cut it anymore.  Casspi for Acy isn't an earth-shattering move either way, but that's the point.  Many Kings fans rightfully feel underwhelmed by what's happened so far this offseason, especially after all the talk and rumors of Sacramento making a big move.  It's hard to look at this team as it's currently constructed and see it as drastically better than the one that finished last season.

Wait and see I guess, but Pete D'Alessandro and co. are on the clock.

Acy's time as a King may not be over yet as the Kings now have more time to figure out a way to keep him.

Don't count out Quincy Acy just yet.

According to Jason Jones, the Kings have agreed to extend the deadline on whether or not to guarantee his contract from July 25th to August 15th.

Deadline for Kings to make a decision on Quincy Acy has been extended to Aug. 15, giving more time to figure out ways to keep him.

— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) July 25, 2014

Kings love Acy, who worked hard on his game and had solid summer league and want to explore ways to keep him, improve team w/o luxury tax

— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) July 25, 2014

By extending the deadline (something both the team and player have to agree upon), the Kings now have a bit more time to explore options to retain him.  The most obvious way would be to reduce team salary through a trade or buyout before that August 15th deadline.  Jason Terry is the most likely candidate to be moved, as he's already declared an interest to play for a contender.  Travis Outlaw and Derrick Williams are also possibilities as they have expiring contracts.

Whatever the case, finding a way to retain Acy would be a much preferable solution to losing out on him simply because of financial inflexibility from the rest of the roster.

Play nice, kids.

The Sactown Royalty Show is back!  This week I'm joined by Kevin Nesgoda, managing editor of Sonics Rising.  I know your initial reaction is going to be to grab your trusty pitchfork, but stick with me.  Based on my previous conversations with Kevin, I think you'll enjoy what he has to say about the Sacramento/Seattle friction.

Kevin is also an avid NBA fan in general, so we discussed how the offseason has gone for the Kings, as well as Sacramento's performance at Vegas Summer League.  We talked about Ben McLemore, Nik Stauskas, Quincy Acy, Omri Casspi, Darren Collison, Isaiah Thomas, and much, much more.  Be sure to check it out.

[P.S. I scheduled Kevin's appearance before this morning's Isaiah Thomas article. I swear I'm not just trying to troll everyone.]

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.

As always, thanks for listening.

Jason Thompson has fallen out of favor with Kings fans, but it's just because both parties are ready to move on.

I recently found myself repeatedly discussing the Kings' need to dump Jason Thompson.  I would almost always use that same term.  Dump.  Jason Thompson has definitely fallen out of favor around here, but it's a strange and complex situation.  Most Kings fans would likely rejoice if Thompson was traded, but I don't think there are many Kings fans who actually dislike JT.

Thompson is considered a salary cap issue, but doesn't actually have a terrible contract.  He's due $6 million this season, $6.4 million next year, and $6.8 million in his final year.  3 years, $19 million is a little more than what Thompson is probably worth, but Jodie Meeks just got the same amount from the Pistons this offseason.  For what he brings to the table, I'd rather have Thompson.  The length of JT's deal has been problematic, but he's now under contract for just as long as Carl Landry and Darren Collison.  With the salary cap expected to rise dramatically in the next few seasons, his contract will become even less problematic.

The biggest issue has been Thompson's disagreement with his role.  Thompson wants to be a bigger part of the team, but the team is understandably prioritizing the use of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.  Thompson has dealt with a lot of adversity since joining the Kings, and would probably thrive in a new situation and in a different role. But convincing a team to gamble on that outcome is difficult.

Thompson's been an easy guy to root for.  He's still a serviceable big man.  But we've got a logjam at power forward, and he's unhappy here.  It's just time for both parties to move on.  Thompson is the most likeable guy I've ever hoped to see traded.

I desperately want Jason Thompson traded, but I'll be sad to see him eventually go.

Omri's not coming home... yet?

ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that one time Sacramento Kings small forward, Omri Casspi, has officially cleared waivers. This news comes as quite a surprise to most, as the Kings were rumored to have strong interest in bringing Casspi back to Sacramento, after news broke earlier this week that he'd been waived by the New Orleans Pelicans.

ESPN sources say that Omri Casspi, in a surprise, has just cleared waivers and is a free agent

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2014

With Casspi on a favorable minimum contract, expectation was that he'd be claimed, with Sacramento among the teams expected to put in a bid

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2014

This doesn't mean that the Kings couldn't still go after Casspi, who's just become an unrestricted free agent looking for a new home. For instance, the team could potentially utilize the bi-annual exception to fit him on the roster. But, Sacramento may find that they need to move some other players to make room for him if they're still interested... and Stein believes they still may be.

Casspi clearing waivers actually helps Sacramento's bid to sign him. Kings can now add OC AND keep Quincy Acy without going into luxury tax

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2014

Omri clearing waivers should come as a welcome surprise to Kings fans fearing that fan-favorite Quincy Acy's option wouldn't be picked up, in order to clear up enough cap space for Casspi's contract. We reported earlier this week that the Kings were exploring avenues in which they would be able to keep Acy, and now they have more time to figure out ways to make that happen. So for now, many Kings fans can breath a sign of relief.

But, that's not to say that Omri wouldn't be a welcome addition to the roster. Casspi's rookie year in Sacramento remains his most successful in the NBA in terms of production, but it was last year in Houston where he finally seemed to grasp that his NBA future depended on him embracing being a role player rather than trying to become a star.

The Kings would look to a player like Casspi to help space the floor (he's a career 35.2% three point shooter) as well as push the pace by running in transition.  The Kings have said multiple times this offseason that they want to become a faster, more unselfish team, and Casspi fits into that mold.

Should the Kings sign him he'd likely compete for minutes with Derrick Williams and Travis Outlaw, assuming that those two are still on the team when the season begins.

Cross your fingers this gem that's been floating around the internet doesn't become obsolete... it'd be a terrible waste

***UPDATE 3:01 ***

Stein did the math and it appears the Kings may now have room for both Casspi AND Acy while staying under the tax line. The front office might have taken a gamble in not placing a claim on a player they wanted... but it may have paid off.

Based on my famously dodgy math, Casspi's current contract would have exceeded Sacramento's mere $976,295 under the tax line. This way ...

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2014

This way Casspi can sign deal that only counts for $915,243 on Kings' cap and allows SAC to keep Quincy Acy as opposed to waiving him first

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2014

So how does this work?  Let's head to Larry Coon's CBA Faq for the answer:

When a player has been in the NBA for three or more seasons, and is playing under a one-year, 10-day or rest-of-season contract at the minimum salary, the league reimburses the team for part of his salary -- any amount above the minimum salary level for a two-year veteran. For example, in 2011-12 the minimum salary for a two-year veteran is $854,389, so for a ten-year veteran, with a minimum salary of $1,352,181, the league would reimburse the team $497,792. Only the two-year minimum salary is included in the team salary, not the player's full salary.

So despite Omri's minimum salary being $1.06 million, he would only count as $915,243 against the cap (the 2 year minimum) if the Kings sign him to only a 1 year minimum deal.  This would keep the Kings below the tax even with Acy.

The NBA Players Association is preparing to vote for a new executive director, and Kevin Johnson is no longer part of the process.

The NBA Players Association has narrowed their search for an executive director to three finalists who will each make 45-minute presentations to the players union on Monday, reports Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. The players will then take an official vote to decide on who will replace former executive director Billy Hunter.

The finalists for the position have not been named.

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson is no longer leading the committee tasked with selecting a new executive director for the NBPA, reports Wojnarowski. The players association has been without an executive director since Hunter was ousted in 2013, and created a committee to oversee the replacement process in April, 2014. The players are now preparing to override the committee, going straight to a vote on Monday with Johnson no longer leading the process.

Johnson has been a vocal figure for the NBPA and was also active in the effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento. Ron Klempner has served as the stand-in executive director without Hunter.

The Kings are finalized a deal to bring Omri Casspi back to Sacramento, according to Marc Stein.

The Sacramento Kings are finalizing a deal to bring small forward Omri Casspi back to Sacramento, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

ESPN sources say Omri Casspi is finalizing a one-year contract at league min. with Sacramento tonight after clearing waivers earlier Friday

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2014

Stein added that the deal will be a one-year minimum contract, which should allow the Kings to retain Quincy Acy. It's a great move for the Kings to be able to keep Acy while still adding the player they wanted.

Kings drafted Casspi in first round in 2009 and will bring him back now on one-year deal that should also allow them to hang onto Quincy Acy

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 25, 2014

Due to some salary cap magic, the Kings have a way to structure Casspi and Darren Collison's deals to still leave space for one more minimum deal without hitting the luxury tax.  It's widely speculated that the Kings will use that space to add Eric Moreland after his strong showing at summer league.  Friday afternoon Moreland tweeted that he had reached an agreement, but it has yet to be confirmed that he's officially a King.

Great news!! I've chosen my NBA home.. It's truly a blessing and all glory to God! Thank you lord!!!

— Eric 〽oreland (@EricMoreland15) July 25, 2014

We'll continue to keep an eye on Moreland's situation.  In the meantime, welcome back to Sacramento, Omri!

Omri Casspi is finalizing a deal to return to the Kings.

The Sacramento Kings and recently-waived free agent Omri Casspi are finalizing terms on a one-year, veteran's minimum contract, reports ESPN's Marc Stein. Casspi was waived by the New Orleans Pelicans after being traded in a package that also sent Omer Asik to New Orleans.

Casspi was drafted by the Kings in 2009 but was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for J.J. Hickson in 2011.  He's struggled to find a home in the NBA, averaging just 18.7 minutes per game last season with the Houston Rockets. This will be the fifth time Casspi will change teams.

Casspi cleared waivers after being released by the Pelicans, allowing the Kings to sign him to a veteran's minimum contract without needing to waive another player. It was believed Sacramento would have to waive big man Quincy Acy if they planned on acquiring Casspi.

The Kings can play Casspi at either forward position, giving them an off-the-bench role player who can run and space the floor.

As Boogie Cousins embarks on a media tour designed to distance himself from his defamatory national narrative, he also brings to light the similarities between he and the city that he represents.

An enigma to most, if not all, there's perhaps no greater example of the human personality's arbitrary nature than DeMarcus Cousins.  One second he's demonstrating a self awareness and indifference of somebody jaded beyond their years, and the next he's laying into an official over a perceived basketball injustice as though he didn't already understand how likely he was to experience it.

This isn't a tired attempt at understanding Boogie Cousins the person, nor is it a dissertation on the flaw in attempting to do so.

As Cousins shyly embarks on his media tour, the awkward nature of it all contradicts with it's apparent necessity.  If he can play his cards right, it seems, he can earn back the public appeal that's eluded him thus far in his career.  In attempting to do so he's laid bare the deep connection between his disposition and that of the city that supports him.

As much potential as we believe Cousins possesses as a player, we also believe in how connected that potential is to his frame of mind.

"If he can stay in shape."

"If he can keep his composure."

The differences between he and the more traditional franchise player are more aesthetic than they are tangible. It's hard, if not immensely fun, to imagine Boogie Cousins hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.  The same goes for imagining him as a media darling riding the wave of good-will to accolades and public approval.

We often reminisce on the "glory days" of Kings basketball.  But when you think about how the glory days consisted of just one conference finals appearance, three second round exits, two first round departures (I'm cutting off the glory days at 2004) and a catastrophic knee injury, we're the first ones to point out how it wasn't entirely about the production but about the team that drove that period.

If anybody asks what was so special about that team we have a universal answer.  "We were a gang of misfits.  Nobody wanted C-Webb, Divac got traded for a rookie coming out of high school (cough, cough), Peja got drafted one spot after a rookie coming out of high school (coughs, chokes), Doug Christie bounced around before finding a home in Sacramento, Scot Pollard was Scot Pollard."

They played a brand of basketball that few else played and they did it in a way that nobody could replicate. Those Sacramento Kings endeared themselves to the national public in part because of how ludicrous it was that they could endear themselves to the national public.

Warts and all, DeMarcus Cousins carries that same burden.  As he lumbers onto television studios and reclines behind microphones answering prepared questions two things are clear: he feels he has to do this and he doesn't particularly want to do this.

He's wasted no time pretending as if he's malleable to a changing narrative because that's not what interests him.  What interests him is the ability to play and behave without a media bias attempting to understand him or paint a picture around whatever he does.

Moments of transparency and introspection are rare during a DeMarcus Cousins interview, but in one while he was on the BS Report last week he spoke of his preference for playing for a small market franchise. However, immediately after, he listed the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and Staples Center as his two favorite places to play.

I couldn't think of a more fitting series of answers.  Where exactly does a celebrity fit on the national landscape if they want their production to resonate on the most transparent and publicized of levels while also being blanketed by the security and family orientation of a small market.

Isn't that what's been at the root of the rift between Cousins' and the existence of his public perception?  He wants to ride the same wave that players such as Dwight Howard or Anthony Davis rode to accolades he felt he was more deserving of, while being too tentative to even dip his toes in the water.

It's this inconsistency that connects Cousins to the city that he plays for.  Sacramento has vacillated between pride and resignation at our small-market label.  We'll roll our eyes at our "cow-town" moniker right as we're dancing in our seats to the "Gotta Have More Cowbell" in-timeout bit during a Kings home game.  We yearn for the national spotlight if only to demonstrate the individuality that disconnects us from the spotlight in the first place.

In this respect, DeMarcus Cousins perfectly encapsulates the small-market superstar.  His unabashed loyalty and commitment to those who've believed in him only further root him as the player we should consider the embodiment of Sacramento on the basketball scene.

I'd choose a different lens from which to look through if I were attempting to prove his case as the player truly capable of lifting Sacramento from the depths of the NBA cellar into the forefront of title contention.  But I'm not.  I really don't know if he is.  But I can't think of a premier NBA talent I'd find a more prideful connection in watching do just that then I would the enigma misunderstood as DeMarcus Cousins.

At the end of next month, Team USA will head to Spain for the 2014 FIBA World Cup.  DeMarcus Cousins could be among the 12 team roster hoping to defend USA's 2010 championship.

Cousins has been in the Team USA system for a few years now, but this is his first real chance of making the roster, especially after big men Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge all withdrew their names for consideration.  That leaves Cousins and Anthony Davis as the two most prominent big men on the roster.

Last season, Cousins made a big leap in his game, and this year the Kings are going to need him to do it again.  With Isaiah Thomas gone, Cousins and Gay are the primary scorers for this Kings team.  It will also be up to Cousins to be a leader by example on the other end of the court.  That's why being on Team USA could be so huge for him.  Cousins can be around a guy like Kevin Durant and perhaps focus on improving things like defense and ball movement.

More importantly he can get a taste for winning again, and winning on a big stage.  I don't question Cousins' desire to win, but it's been 4 years, 4 long years since Cousins last tasted success back at the University of Kentucky.  In that time the Kings haven't come close to sniffing the playoffs and haven't even yet managed to win 30 games in a season.  Cousins needs this experience, he needs to remember what it's like to win and he needs to bring that mentality back to this young Kings team.  In the NBA, you're only as good as your best players, and this Kings team will only go as far as Cousins will take them.  Hopefully his experience with USA basketball this summer can carry over into the NBA season and the leap we saw Cousins take last year will be magnified in seasons to come.

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The Nets have yet to officially announce Lionel Hollins coaching staff but the head coach has identified all but two of his assistants. On Monday, Hollins was in Las Vegas for the Team USA practices where was joined by the men who will be his lead assistant, former head coach Paul Westphal, offensive guru John Welch and new big man coach, Joe Wolf.

A lot of NBA executives flock to Vegas this time of year, but presence of Wolf suggests that one of their main missions was to watch the progress of Mason Plumlee, who as a member of the USA Select Team is practicing against Team USA.

Plumlee rewarded them, us and anyone with an internet account with one of those moves that have people muttering, "I didn't know he could do THAT."  Judge for yourself, from this Instagram video, of whether Plumlee would like to fill one of those power forward slots left open by the loss of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge.  That was Anthony  Davis he embarrassed and posterized.

Meanwhile, Westphal told Kings beat reporter Ailene Voisin how happy he was the team stayed in Sacramento. He was let go in 2012 and as coach the year before was in tears when he addressed the announced sellout crowd after the 2010-11 season finale against the Lakers, when it looked like the Maloofs were about move the team to Anaheim.

• Team USA basketball notes: Former Kings coach Paul Westphal happy for Sacramento - Ailene Voisin - Sacramento Bee
  

Carl Landry really hasn't had a chance to prove himself worthy of that four-year contract he signed with the Kings last summer. If the circumstances are right, he may get a chance next season.

Carl Landry was Pete D'Alessandro's first free agent signing last summer, and let's face it; the move has been a bust up until now due to injuries.

But a healthy Landry could actually help the team next season - the only problem is that statement comes with a lot of "ifs."

If he stays healthy. Landry will turn 31 before next season begins and is coming off knee surgery. Last season, he only played in 18 games due to a torn hip flexor and that knee surgery. That could mean one of two things: he is beginning his decline and will be dealing with injuries for the rest of his career, or it was a fluke/terrible coincidence with the timing of the Kings signing and he is going to rebound next season and actually play a role.

Hopefully, it is the latter and he will be better than what we saw out of him for the month or so that he played midway through last season. Over that stretch, Landry averaged 4.2 points, 3.2 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. His per 36 last season for those 18 games was 11.7 points and 8.8 rebounds, according to basketball-reference.com. Though it was a small sample size and he needed time to adjust back into the NBA game, he just never really seemed to get acclimated, which was a little concerning considering he is a veteran with a pretty good basketball IQ.

At full strength, Landry could represent a key offseason acquisition this time around and provide a spark to the offense. He can also get under the skin of opponents from time to time on defense.

If he is still on the team. There is a possibility Landry won't even be on the Kings roster come October because the team is trying to free up the logjam at power forward. If the Kings can use Landry to do that, they probably will. But with $20 million left on his four-year deal, to go along with shaky knees, you have to wonder how many teams would be willing to take a chance on him.

Out of the power forwards on the roster, Jason Thompson, who has a similar contract and skillset to Landry, is in more dire need to be moved and may be more of an attractive prospect because he is a few years younger. So there is still a chance Landry suits up for the black and purple next season.

If he has a defined role. Landry has served as a bench player for the majority of his career - in the 444 NBA games he has played (including playoff games) he has only started in 75. He has a career average of 11.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and a 53 percent field goal percentage in 24 minutes per game. That sort of production would be a welcome addition to a Kings bench that will, in all likelihood seek scoring from newly acquired Omri Casspi and/or Travis Outlaw, and youngsters like Ray McCallum, Ben McLemore or Nik Stauskas.

If Thompson is traded and the Kings don't manage to land a power forward through a trade that is worth starting, Landry could very well find himself as the starter at the beginning of the season.

Landry's best statistical stretch of games of his career were the 28 games he started in Sacramento in the 2009-10 season after being traded from Houston, in which he averaged 18 points, 6.5 rebounds 1 steal and nearly 1 assist per game on 52 percent from the field in 37 minutes per game. Then again, that was four years ago, which very well could have been his prime.

The NBA TV broadcast team put the following prospective depth chart up during the Summer League championship between the Kings and Rockets.

This assumes Thompson is still around and Landry outplays Reggie Evans and Quincy Acy (if they are still around). (It also doesn't included Casspi, but we are talking about power forwards anyway.) The front office liked what they saw out of Quincy Acy in the Summer League and started Evans in 14 games last season. But at full strength, Landry is a better overall player because of his offensive game, although Acy has developed in that area. I can't imagine Thompson being too pleased about backing up Cousins either.

The other problem is that there isn't really a big man on the roster who compliments Landry's style of play. Landry is best when paired with a power forward or center with a true shooting stroke who can/will clear space for him to work. And while Cousins is certainly taking his shooting to the next level, he is the one who will command space under the basket to create because, well, he is the best player on the roster.

There is probably no bigger "if" at this point than which big men are going to actually be on the team when the season starts, and that outcome will almost certainly have an impact on Landry's production.

***

Based on his comments last season, dealing with his injuries was frustrating for Landry.

He's got to have some extra motivation this season to bounce back and prove to the Kings front office that they didn't make a mistake on him. He was in Las Vegas during Summer League working out with the team.

So here's to hoping Top Hat erases some of these "ifs" by either returning as a healthy and steady contributor for the Kings, or by serving as a piece of a trade that helps make the team better.

Until then, that contract remains curious.

RealGM is reporting that the Kings have come to terms with the Summer League standout.

As Kings fans have been eagerly anticipating, Shams Charania of RealGM is reporting that the Kings are signing Eric Moreland.

The Sacramento Kings have reached agreement with summer league forward Eric Moreland on a free agent contract, league sources tell RealGM.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 30, 2014

Moreland made a strong impression at Las Vegas Summer League for the Kings, and it's been expected that the Kings would sign him to a minimum deal.  The Kings are overstocked at the power forward position, but Moreland brings a unique skill set that the Kings have been missing.  We'll need to see how he fares against NBA talent, but Moreland is likely already the Kings' best rim protector.

We're still waiting for the official announcement from the Kings organization, as well as an official announcement regarding Omri Casspi, but there's no reason not to believe this particular report.

Welcome to Sacramento, Eric Moreland!

Update: Moreland confirmed the report, via his Twitter.

I guess the news is out but yes it's official and Im happy and humble to now be a part of the @SacramentoKings organization !! #youngking

— Eric 〽oreland (@EricMoreland15) July 30, 2014

Update: Charania is now reporting that it's a 3 year deal

Eric Moreland, a shot-blocking force in Summer League, will sign a three-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, league sources tell RealGM.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 30, 2014

It's no secret that the Kings do not consider the current roster a finished product. The signings of Omri Casspi and Eric Moreland could be setting up additional moves.

On the surface, the signing of Eric Moreland and the expected signing of Omri Casspi (expected to be made official as early as Wednesday) are somewhat insignificant for the Sacramento Kings.  Casspi is an underwhelming back-up small forward who was already on a very cheap contract and still cleared waivers.  He brings some skills, and understands his role, but he certainly has his fair share of flaws.  Eric Moreland went undrafted, and earned his opportunity based on a strong showing in Las Vegas Summer League.  But Moreland is a specialist.  A rim-protecting specialist is nothing to scoff at, but he represents yet another power forward on a roster already overloaded with them.

But the signings make a lot more sense when we re-examine the Kings after last year's trade for Rudy Gay.  The Kings got the best player in the trade, and got a prospect in Quincy Acy.  The Kings gave up nothing notable, trading away John Salmons, Chuck Hayes, Greivis Vasquez, and Patrick Patterson.  All had underwhelmed with the Kings.  The trade helped the Kings by bringing in Rudy Gay, instantly becoming the best Kings small forward since Ron Artest.  But a lack of depth quickly became on obvious issue.

The Rudy Gay trade was a rare win-win deal in the NBA, as the castoffs from Sacramento found success as veteran depth for a playoff team.  Salmons, Patterson, and Vasquez especially thrived.  The trade worked for the Raptors because prior to the trade they were struggling with a lack of depth.  The Kings and Raptors essentially traded problems, with the Kings gambling on a resurgence from Gay and the ability to add depth in other ways.  The Kings had some time to address their depth issues.  They weren't pushing for the playoffs like Toronto.

Now, the Kings once again find themselves wanting to trade a package of players in exchange for a big name.  Josh Smith has been mentioned repeatedly, but the Kings are surely pursuing multiple targets of a similar profile.  The Kings presumably want to unload some combination of Jason Thompson, Derrick Williams, Carl Landry, Jason Terry, and Travis Outlaw.

If Jason Terry gets dealt, the Kings have other depth at shooting guard.  With Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas, Jason Terry isn't a player the Kings would need to replace.  Assuming one or two of Thompson, Williams and Landry are dealt (with Landry being the least likely, in my opinion), the Kings would need more depth at power forward.  This is obviously dependent on who the Kings acquired, though.  If the Kings acquired Smith and kept Landry, they would mostly just need Acy and Moreland as protection against injuries.  If Outlaw was included in a deal, Casspi suddenly becomes much more important to the rotation.

More than anything, these moves are about having flexibility.  Let's say a couple of our power forwards are traded away for a legitimate back-up center, and maybe Acy is included as a cheap yet promising young asset.  Suddenly it becomes more important to have Moreland as a guy you might plug into the lineup.  Being able to make trades without the concern of destroying your bench depth puts the Kings in a position of strength in negotiations.

On the surface, these moves may not be of significant impact.  But as a precursor to additional moves, these signings could prove quite important.

Isaiah Thomas is no longer a King, but he was in Sacramento for his youth basketball camp this week and took some time to speak to us about his departure from the Kings, his new role with the Suns, his relationship with Mayor Kevin Johnson and more.

Isaiah Thomas held his Elite Youth Camp in Rocklin this week. The camp brought Thomas back to Sacramento after the free agency period landed him a four-year, $28 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.

At his camp, Thomas taught kids ages 6-16 basketball fundamentals and how to have fun while playing. He also put an emphasis on being a good teammate, he said. His camp is from Monday through Thursday, but the former King is in Sacramento until Friday as he moves things out of his house and prepares for the transition into his new basketball life.

The ever-approachable Thomas was kind enough to answer some questions for Sactown Royalty. Below are excerpts from the interview, in which we discussed everything from Darren Collison to his future with Pizza Guys and their popular commercials with him.

What was going through your mind when you heard the Kings were going to sign Darren Collison?

When they did that, I knew I wasn't coming back. Going into my fourth year, I felt like I kind of proved myself to be a starter, especially on the Sacramento Kings and like I told them, coach Malone, who was one of my biggest fans and the best coaches that I have had in my three years in the NBA, I told him if you bring somebody in better than me I'm just going to compete, I understand if you bring somebody like Chris Paul that's somebody that I'm not going to start over no matter what, I'm going to play my role and I'm going to compete. But if you bring in somebody, a draft pick or somebody that's just not better than me I feel like it is disrespectful. When they picked Darren Collison, I felt like it was time for me to move on.

So say the Kings had matched the Suns' offer and ended up keeping you, would you have been OK coming back to Sacramento given the circumstances?

If it was competition, if it was training camp starts and the best man may win, I would be happy. I'm a professional though, so no matter what happens, I'm going to stay professional, I'm going to do my job and I'm going to play my role, but I would have definitely been upset if it wouldn't have been no competition, especially if it's somebody who is not better than me.

You say that you are OK coming off the bench if the guy in front of you is better than you. How many guys in this league are better than you in your eyes?

I don't think nobody is better than me, honestly. But nah, there are certain guys that no matter who comes in, he's going to start: Chris Paul, Steph Curry, [Russell] Westbrook - those types of guys, All-Star caliber guys. Like I said, if you're not bringing guys in that made the All-Star team or the Olympic team or stuff like that, I feel like I'm better than them.

When you had your exit interview with the Kings what was said?

I had two different ones. I had one with Mike Malone and one with Chris Mullin and Pete [D'Alessandro], and they said they wanted me back. They want me back, they know it's a business and at the end of the day I got to do what's best for me. That's what it came down to, so when the time came, it didn't feel like they really wanted me back as much as they said in previous times. At the end of the day, I know it's a business, there's no hard feelings, they had to do what they had to do and what they felt was best for the Sacramento Kings, and I had to do what I had to do.

Obviously, this is a different front office and everything changed while you were in Sacramento, but do you respect the fact that the Kings were the team that drafted you?

No doubt. I respect the Sacramento Kings, I got the upmost respect for them, they're the ones that gave me a chance before anybody did so I would never put down the Sacramento Kings front office, or anybody in that organization because they welcomed me with open arms. So when I say I felt disrespected, I just felt like the way I played the game of basketball wasn't appreciated. So they always say you don't know what you got until it's gone, and I feel like that's going to happen.

On the floor last season, you guys won 28 games. What was missing?

Just trust, I think that's the biggest thing. For whatever reason we didn't trust each other. When things hit the fan, when things went bad in games we kind of went our separate ways and you can't win in the NBA like that and that's how it's been my whole three years - it's been up and down. But the group of players is talented man, you can ask anybody in the NBA, that Sacramento Kings group, we competed and on any given night we can beat any team. But one thing about being in the NBA is you've got to be consistent and we were definitely an inconsistent basketball team.

What have the Suns told you about how you can fit it in with what they are trying to do there?

If Bledsoe comes back, basically it's a three-guard rotation. They said ‘you're going to have a big role in whatever we do,' and that's what I wanted most, I wanted to be a big part of something. And I know they won 48 games last year, they were one game out of the NBA playoffs, and that's big. And I told them, when it comes to winning, I'll set everything aside because at the end of the day, you're judged by how many wins you have and how far you can take your basketball team. So like I said, if Eric Bledsoe does come back it'll be a three-guard rotation with us playing, they said there will always be two of us on the floor. They didn't really say nothing about starting or coming off the bench and I'm happy with that. They didn't tell me what I wanted to hear, ‘you're going to start from day one,' no, you're going to come in and compete and you're going to have a big role on this team.

How do you see it working? You guys are all three different types of players.

I think it's going to be good because, like you said, we're all three different basketball players. We don't do really nothing the same other than me and Dragic being left handed. We attack very differently, we're very aggressive in our different ways and we go about our games a lot different, so I think it is going to be tough for teams to guard that because you can't really scout three, aggressive, good guards that are proven in the NBA.

You and Mayor Kevin Johnson had some back and forth on Twitter after the Phoenix deal was announced. Talk about your relationship with him.

We talked throughout the whole free agency process. He's been a big mentor of mine since day one, I actually met him before I ever stepped foot on a Sacramento basketball court and he's been by my side since day one and I can't thank him enough. He's been a guy that sometimes we talk at 2 or 3 in the morning and it doesn't have to be about basketball. Like I said, his character is more than basketball man, he's a great person and I can't thank him enough and I'm going to keep him in my phone book and I'm going to keep talking to him and keep learning from him.

What are you guys talking about at 2 and 3 in the morning?

Sometimes he talks about the city council meetings, things like that - things that I can help out in Sacramento. He doesn't just always hit me up about basketball because he knows being a basketball player that is what most people hit you up about. We'll talk about everything. How I can help with the community, how I can help with the education system in Sacramento and all sorts of things...he was very upset when I didn't become a Sacramento King.

Having played for a couple of different coaches in Sacramento, do you think that that area of the Kings is finally on the right path with Malone?

Yeah, you can say that. I mean Mike Malone and his coaching staff is the best coaching staff I've had. No disrespect to all of the other coaches that coached me, but they just knew their stuff and I tell people all the time, I hope people don't blame 28 wins on the coaching staff because they did their part. We just as players didn't do our part every night and that's what as players you've got to look yourself in the mirror every day say, ‘am I doing what I can to help this team?' And I don't think we did that every night.

During the free agency period, did you talk to DeMarcus [Cousins] and Rudy [Gay] much?

I didn't. I didn't actually talk to nobody.

Just went silent?

They didn't reach out to me. They only reached out when I signed my deal so I mean I had a feeling, I kind of knew I wasn't coming back. Other than coming back for Mike Malone, I didn't think nobody really wanted me, like they wanted Darren Collison. Not like that, but I mean, they picked Darren Collison the second day of free agency. He's a good player; I hope the best for him and the Sacramento Kings, honestly.

Do you think DeMarcus is the best center in the league?

No doubt, skill-wise nobody can mess with him. I think the thing he has to work on most is being a leader and learning how to lead and not by just scoring the most points or getting the most rebounds, but being that example on the practice floor and in the game.

Did you see much progression in that area of his game over the three seasons you played with him, or do you think there is still room for improvement?

There's still a lot of room for improvement, on the leadership side … I think if he ran the floor a little more, he would make the game a lot easier for him. But other than that, I don't really say too much about his game because his skillset, he's the best big man in the league. But to take it to the next level and take his team to the next level, I think he needs to become a better leader.

Do you have a favorite memory on the floor as a King?

I don't think it's just a specific game, just the whole experience. It was different from I think anybody else's because three different coaches in three years, front office changing, the arena situation, us maybe moving to Seattle, all of that plays a part in the whole experience and I wouldn't change it for anything. I tell everybody I love Sacramento, I always will love Sacramento, but when we play them I'm going to kill Sacramento.

So what is your prediction on your stat line in that first game against the Kings?

I don't got no prediction, I'm just going to play very hard man. I'm going to leave it all out on the floor like I always do, but that definitely will be a game that I mark on my calendar.

What is the latest with Pizza Guys, are you still working with them?

We're done. I'm probably going to partner with them in the future, they're trying to do some things up in the northwest so we're going to keep that relationship going...they're always at all of my events so I can't thank them enough, I appreciate them. I was joking around with them because when I go places, people call me the Pizza Guy before they say Isaiah or Isaiah Thomas.

In which I recommend Zach Randolph read a post-apocalyptic novel, Jon Leuer read poetry, and Coach Joerger read a series that may never be completed.

In Part 1, I recommended books for the Grizzlies guards and wings. In Part 2, we cover the bigs:

Marc Gasol - "Atlas Shrugged", Ayn Rand -

Best line: "Atlas Shrugged."

This isn't the best book ever written, but it is the worst book ever written. The best two words of the book are, in fact, the title. Intrigues us by riffing on a mythos we are vaguely familiar with, while also connecting the book to the grand idea that there are people who hold the world in the palm of their hand.

The title is also the only time Rand chooses to use two words instead of four thousand.

"Atlas Shrugged" is referred to as a novel, but it actually isn't.  To explain: when I was a child I played with Legos. The bad guys were the Lego men whose eyebrows were pointed upwards - pirates, dark knights riding dragons, the occasional creature constructed completely out of Legos. This overwhelming horde would attack the good guys. All would seem lost. But then, against all odds, the good guys would win.

This is the basic structure of Atlas Shrugged. The good guys are the rich people. And the bad guys, rather than owners of upturned eyebrows, are owners of nothing.

Spoiler alert: the good guys, despite harrowingly small numbers and hordes of lazy people threatening to beat down their doors, prevail in Rand's book. They win by creating a secret utopia where only rich people are allowed. The lazy people can't find this secret utopia because, again, they are too busy being lazy and dumb. Left to their own devices, the poor people eventually die (the final scene depicts the protagonists [read: rich folk] looking over the dark, ruined America they've abandoned: "The road is cleared," said Galt. "We are going back to the world." He raised his hand and over the desolate earth he traced in space the sign of the dollar.")

Actually, maybe Atlas Shrugged is a comedy...

So why do I want Marc Gasol to read the worst book ever written?  Because reading this book will piss him off.  Setting aside the non-novel's message, just the specter of wasting entire days of your life reading a book (my copy was well over 1,000 pages) whose characters preach at their readers for sometimes dozens of uninterrupted pages will be enough to stoke the anger inside Gasol. He will never get those days back. He could have done so much with that time. But it is gone, wasted, and it is Rand's fault. Angry Gasol is the best Gasol. His anger will burn bright into the playoffs. He will bring us the heads of many foes, and raise them on pikes around the FedEx Forum.

Otherwise reading this book is a waste.

_________________________________

Zach Randolph - "The Road," Cormac McCarthy -

Best line: "Then they set out along the blacktop in the gunmetal light, shuffling through ash, each the other's world entire."

Randolph has made his share of mistakes, but they have largely been a thing of the past. The picture we have today of Z-Bo is that of a hardworking player, who puts team before self, and family above all.

"The Road" follows a father and his boy "each the other's world entire" as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world whose population has turned to cannibalism when they can't find food.

This may not be McCarthy's best book - I don't have the patience for his sparse writing style to find out - but it is perhaps the one best suited for a wider audience. "The Road" takes the best parts of McCarthy - his ability to write violence as if blood leaks from the page, his blank language leaving gaps for the readers to fill in - and stuffs them into a world with the simple goal of staying alive until the end of the book.

"The Road" deeply affects. The boy and his father, neither given even the gift of a name, will have ZBo wishing he could leap into their plight, shepherd them through it, use those fists he can't use on an NBA court.

________________________________________

Kosta Koufos - "A Farewell to Arms," Ernest Hemingway -

Best line: "There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity.... Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and dates."

The recently engaged Koufos gets another love story recommendation. The last half dozen or so attempt to rip your heart out. Reader beware.

____________________________

Jarnell Stokes - "The Art of War," Sun Tzu -

Best line: "Warfare is the way of deception."

Dude is twenty years old, about to play basketball with grown-ass men. He needs as much wisdom (amongst other things) as he can get. "The Art of War" is a quick read - again, we want our man on the court not in his recliner, feet vertical, reading a several thousand year old Asian talk about the virtues of capturing the high ground before a fight.

_____________________________

Jon Leuer - "The Second Coming," W.B. Yeats -

Best line: "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last/Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

Leuer gets off easy. I picked the shortest brilliant poem I could think of because every second Leuer spends reading is one less second he isn't shooting corner threes.

Random aside. Poetry gets a bad knock, mostly because people still think of it as something lovestruck Englishmen did to win the hand of their fair maiden of choice (even the love poets of today, aka Pablo Neruda, are badasses). Poetry rocks. T.S Eliot, Derek Walcott, Neruda, Yeats - all awesome.

__________________________________

Coach Joerger - "A Song of Ice and Fire," George R. R. Martin -

Best line: "Never forget who you are for surely the world won't. Make it your strength, then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it and, it can never be used to hurt you."

If you know me, you know I'm not making it through this list without recommending these books.  Martin's fantasy series from which HBO's popular "Game of Thrones" springs is, in short, a masterpiece. This cycle contains unforgettable characters, crackling dialogue and, of course, a few thousand metric shit tons of blood and sex.

But one theme Martin's books obsess over is what it takes to lead, how tenuous a King's grasp over his realm truly is. We watch a parade of Kings, would-be Kings, Queens, rightful heirs, usurpers, and Masters of Whispers all take their turns climbing to the top of a ladder. The higher they get, the easier it is, they find, to be knocked from their perch.

Joerger's rookie season was truly a tight rope act. Joerger learned on the job while battling injuries and expectations. I'm not sure we can confidently say he is a good leader (though we can probably say he's not a bad one). Still, if Joerger learns nothing from the "aSoIaF" series, he will, at the very least, learn to never trust a Frey.

_______________________

In closing, quite a few of these books are amongst my favorites. Life's too short to read every book, let alone the books you can't put down; just read the ones that make you put them down.

The Brooklyn Nets have released their 2014-15 preseason schedule, which, as we know, will include two games in China against the Sacramento Kings. The Nets will also play three games at Barclays Center and one game on the road, within the United Sates, against the Boston Celtics.

Along with the Global Games in China, the Nets will play a home game against 6-time Euroleague Champions Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Here is the complete schedule:

And just like that, we're a little over two months away from some preseason basketball. Hey, October, hurry up!