I have been a sports reporter/broadcaster since 1976 which means ... I'm old and I love sports. I have done play-by-play for minor league baseball - including the infamous "Bad News Bees" - San Jose State football and football and high school sports in the Bay Area and on the Monterey Peninsula. I had the great privilege to host a weekly sports talk show on KNRY Radio Monterey/Salinas with my producer the late,great Gary Araki. I also hosted and produced "the Sports Fanatics" talk show on KSAC Radio in Sacramento. For the last 10 years, I have been a beat reporter covering the Oakland Athletics for Sports Radio Service. Three years ago, I became the senior reporter for our Sacramento Kings coverage. My goal is to bring you the news, views, fun and excitement of every event I am assigned to report on for Sports Radio Service.
The Sacramento Kings have signed guard David Stockton of the Reno Bighorns to a 10-day contract. Stockton is the son of NBA Hall of Fame player John Stockton.
Stockton is 5-11 and weights 165. He was averaging 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 27.5 minutes per game for Reno. He is a 46.0-percent field goal shooter who shoots 36.4-percent from 3-Point range. Stockton shoots 80.6-percent from the free throw line. He was fourth in assists and second in steals per game in the D-League.
Stockton played his college ball at Gonzaga. He went undrafted out of college. Stockton was selected in the third round of the D-League draft by the Maine Red Claws. He was traded on draft night to the Reno Bighorns.
Stockton will be available tonight versus the Boston Celtics.
The Sacramento Kings have traded point guard Ramon Sessions the Washington Wizards in exchange for point/shooting guard Andre Miller. The trade was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The trade reunites Miller with his former coach George Karl. Miller played for Karl in Denver. Their player – coach relationship is described as close.
Miller, who 38 years old, is in his 16th season in the NBA. He was in his second season with the Wizards.
Miller has seen action in 51 games this season coming off the bench. He has been primarily used at point guard. Miller is averaging 3.6 points per game in 12 plus minutes of average playing time. He is shooting 54.2 percent from the field. Miller is not a 3-point shooting threat.
The 28 year old Sessions was averaging 5.4 points per game in just a little over 17 minutes of average playing time for Sacramento.
Why the trade? First, Miller has an expiring contract which gives the Kings some flexibility in the off-season. Secondly, having someone who has played for Karl may help the Kings players to better understand their new coach. Finally, Miller can be a mentor to talented second year point guard Ray McCallum.
George Karl met the press as the Head Coach of the Sacramento Kings for the first time on Tuesday. There were the usual “we are glad he is here” statements from Pete D’Alessandro. Karl gave the usual how great it is to be in a great market like Sacramento lines. Then, George Karl got down to business.
Karl’s main emphasis was on the number 30. The Kings have 30 games left to play this season and Karl wants those 30 games to count. He not only knew the number of games left to play – he knew that he had 22 practices remaining for the season. It became very clear that Karl knows situation in Sacramento and is ready to get to work to change it.
Karl also made it known that he understands what his new team has been through this season. He said he knew this team had been through “basketball hell” since the Malone firing in December. Karl demonstrated that he knows his team needs direction and stability.
Karl also made clear his feelings about DeMarcus Cousins. He made several references to Cousins being the best player on the team. He said that Cousins is not just a great big man. Karl said Cousins is a great basketball player. He went on to say that Cousins may be the best passer on the team. That could be a preview of the offense running through Cousins as a point of emphasis.
When asked about possible trades with the trade deadline on Thursday, Karl said, “You are always looking to get better.” The crafty veteran coach would not say anymore than that on the subject.
Karl indicated he planned to keep the current coaching staff together for the rest of the season. He mentioned he had some ideas on how to mold the staff for next year.
Karl was clear that he was ready to get back into the gym. He sounded excited to working as a coach again.
Karl gave another clue as to what fans should be looking for from his team. He said the one thing he learned at ESPN was that we over analyze the game of basketball. Karl said it is a simple game – find the open man and take the shot. It sounds like the “K.I.S.S.” principle will be in play as the Kings get back to work.
Karl’s first game with his new team will be on Friday in Sacramento versus the Boston Celtics. In the meantime, George Karl and his team have some work to do.
The Sacramento Kings have announced their intentions to make a bid to bring the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend to Sacramento. The event would the crowning achievement of opening the Entertainment and Sports Complex in downtown Sacramento.
The 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend was originally to be held in the Capital City but was moved by the Maloof family to Las Vegas to support their Palms Hotel and Casino business. It is believed that the Maloof’s hoped to use the weekend as a springboard to move the Kings to “Sin City”. That play did not work and the Maloofs now only own a small percentage of the Palms.
There is much to do, but the Kings, the City of Sacramento and our fans never shy away from hard work. Our downtown arena will serve as a global model of technology and sustainability, while showcasing Sacramento’s unique culture,”said Kings President Chris Granger.
The main problem for the Kings has been a lack of hotel rooms. The Sacramento City Planning Commission just “green lighted” the Kings 16 story hotel project to built next to the arena. By February 2019, it is believed that several other hotel projects will have been completed. Another possibility would be to bring cruise ships up the deep water channel and use them as temporary hotels as New York City did for the Superbowl.
The project would require a regional partnership but would also benefit the entire region. Some reports have the Napa area wine industry as major partner in the effort to bring the All-Star Weekend to Sacramento.
The Sacramento Kings have publicly announced an agreement in principle with George Karl to become the head coach of the team. The announcement was made by Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro who worked with Karl in Denver.
The contract is reported to be for $14.5 million over four years. A press conference to formally introduce Karl will be held after the contract is signed.
At the same time Karl was named head coach, the Kings announced that Tyrone Corbin has been relieved of his duties as head coach. Corbin, who was given a contract that runs through the end of the season, will move to the front office as an advisor to team management.
“I have the utmost respect for Tyrone as a coach and person,” said D’Alessandro. “He’s a man of great integrity, a consummate professional that managed a difficult situation with class and professionalism. I look forward to continuing to work with Tyrone moving forward.”
Multiple sources are reporting that the Sacramento Kings have hired George Karl to be their next head coach. The Sacramento Bee was the first to report the signing. No official announcement is not expected for several days. The NBA All-Star break begins on Thursday.
Yahoo Sports is reporting the contract is for four years and $14.5 million.
If the reports are accurate, Karl’s first game as the Kings coach would most likely be on Friday, February 20 versus the Boston Celtics.
Karl is currently working as an analyst for ESPN. He last coached in “the Association” in the 2012-13 season with the Denver Nuggets. Karl was fired after leading the Nuggets to a record of 57-25 and being named NBA Coach of the Year.
Karl has been a head coach in the NBA since 1984. His coaching stops include Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Milwaukee and Denver. Karl’s best finish was when he took the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA Finals in 1996. Seattle ultimately lost in the finals to the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan in six games.
Karl’s career record as head coach is 1131 wins and 756 losses good for a 59.9-winning percentage. The knock against Karl has been his record in the playoffs. He is 80 – 105 (43.2-win percentage) as a coach in the playoffs.
There had been reports that DeMarcus Cousins camp was showing resistance to the hiring of Karl because of his history of having less than cordial relationships with some players. Cousins vehemently denied the reports.
The misery continued on Saturday night as the Kings lost for the 11th time in their last 12 games. This time the loss came at the hands of the Utah Jazz (18-33) 102-90.
The troubles for the Kings started early as they scored just 15 points in the first quarter. Sacramento shot a miserable 26.1-percent (6 for 23) from the field and were zero for five from 3-point range. The Kings trailed by 10 after the first quarter.
The Kings did not lack energy. They just could get shots to fall.
The Kings shooting percentage improved slightly in the second quarter and they matched the Jazz scoring with 24 points. It was 49-39 at the half.
The Jazz came out strong in the third quarter going on a 15-2 run and building a 23 point lead. The Kings kept battling but the deficit was just too great for them to overcome. Sacramento (17-32) had lost their third consecutive game.
Forward Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 30 points going 13 for 23 shooting from the floor. Derrick Favors put up 20 points to go with five assists and three blocked shots.
Utah’s Enes Kanter posted a double-double scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
The Jazz shot 50.0-percent (43 for 86) from the floor.They had 21 assists and turned the ball over just nine times. The Jazz outrebounded the Kings 43-40.
DeMarcus Cousins was the Kings leading scorer recording another double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gay, who tweaked his ankle early in the game, scored just four points.
Ben McLemore scored 15 points including three 3-pointers. Ramon Sessions, who started for the injured Darren Collison, put up 11 points to go with five assists.
As a team, the Kings shot just 39.0-percent (32 for 82) from the field. They were just three for 13 (23.1-percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Sacramento, usually a good free throw shooting team, shot just 69.7-percent (23 for 33) from the stripe.
The off-court drama continues
Rumors have persisted over the past week that the Kings would replace Tyrone Corbin as head coach over the All-Star break. The rumor mill has also had the Kings in negotiations with George Karl over the weekend. Now those talks may have hit a snag.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski: Yahoo Sources: The resistance to George Karl hiring by Cousins’ camp has stalled talks and given sides pause about pushing through on deal.
Nothing is going to come easy for the Kings this season. They cannot win games and now, they cannot even hire a permanent coach without controversy.
Up Next
The Kings have no time to rest as they host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night at Sleep Train Arena.
The Sacramento Kings eight game losing streak came an end in Indiana on Saturday night as they beat the Pacers 99-94. Rudy Gay (31), DeMarcus Cousins (20) and Darren Collison (23) combined for 74 of the Kings 99 point total.
“What really helped set the tone was the main three primary guys … and guys kind of took our lead. Once we did it – everybody got into the flow,” said DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins had a tough night shooting going six for 24 from the field, but the Kings’ big man had a perfect night from the free throw line going eight for eight. Cousins grabbed 19 rebounds to record his 28th double-double of the season. He also had three assists and three steals.
When asked how he felt about ending the losing streak Cousins said, “It’s not a good feeling being on a losing streak like that. Come out and get a win – get some relief. Now hopefully we can build off the win.”
Rudy Gay led the Kings in scoring with 31 points including going 11 for 11 from the free throw stripe.
“Especially at time like this, you have to get the ball in the hoop someway, somehow, and I figured (out) a way to do it today,” Rudy Gay said after the game.
Darren Collison put up 23 points shooting nine for 15 from the field including going three for six from 3-Point range. The Kings point guard pulled down five rebounds, dished out five assists and one steal. Collison turned the ball over just once in the game.
Collison said, “We were able to move the ball, get better shots. I thought we got off to a good start.” He scored 12 of his 23 points in the first quarter.
The Kings big three played big minutes on Saturday night. Gay played 43:57, Collison 39:43 and Cousins logged 38:46. Carl Landry was the only player to come off the bench and play double digit minutes (25:32).
The bench was not a factor for the Kings against the Pacers. The Kings bench scored just 11 points compared to the Indiana bench that scored 56 points.
Sacramento shot 42.5-percent (34 for 80) for the game. They were five for 15 (33.3-percent) from beyond the 3-Point line. The Kings shot 88.7-percent (26 for 29) from the free throw line.
The Kings took better care of the basket versus the Pacers. They turned the ball over just 12 times and had 16 assists. They needed to record more assists but the turnover total was in the acceptable range.
Sacramento out-rebounded Indiana 46 to 40.
The Kings defense also showed up on Saturday night. They held the Pacers to just 41.3-percent (33 for 80) shooting. Indiana shot just 20.0-percent (5 for 25) from beyond the 3-Point arc. The Pacers average 32.6-percent for 3-Point shooting this season.
After the game Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin said, “It feels good. We needed to get a win – a tough road win. We had to stick it out there at the end to get it. Through it all we hung together and persevered – was able to get a win that we needed. We stopped the slide.”
David West and CJ Miles led the Pacers in scoring with 17 points each.
The Kings flew home to Sacramento after the game.
Coming Up
The Kings come home and will have three of their next four games at Sleep Train Arena.
Tuesday the Kings host the Golden State Warriors. This will be the final meeting of the teams for the season.
The Sacramento Kings went into Cleveland looking for their first win of the shortened three game road trip. They did not get the win as the Cavaliers beat the Kings 101-90. For Cleveland (28-20), it was their ninth consecutive win. For Sacramento (16-29), it was their eighth consecutive loss.
Earlier in the day, it appeared that Cleveland would have to play without LeBron James who was nursing an injured right wrist. James was able to start the game but was obviously not playing at 100-percent. Even playing hurt, James was able to put up 19 points to go with three rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocked shots in 33 minutes of playing time.
The game opened with James creating a turnover and then going coast-to-coast for the first score of the contest.
The Kings were victimized by another stellar performance in a single quarter. This time it was Kevin Love who scored 16 points in the opening period on just nine shots. Love went for seven for nine from the field and two for three from beyond the 3-Point line. He finished the game with a double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds).
“It was like we were a step slow. They were aggressive,” said Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin. “They were doubling DeMarcus in the post early. We got a little impatient at times … turned the ball over. We never got a good rhythm offensively.”
The Kings turned the ball over 16 times allowing 18 points off of those miscues. As a team, Sacramento tallied only 15 assists. With that kind of assist to turnover ratio, a team cannot expect to record wins in the NBA.
Sacramento shot just 35.7-percent (30 for 84) from the floor. They were a pitiful three for 18 (16.7-percent) from beyond the 3-Point arc.
Newly minted All-Star DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings scoring with 21 points and 13 rebounds – his 27th double-double of the season. Rudy Gay put up 20 points, Darren Collison (11 points) and Ben McLemore (6 points) both had very quiet scoring nights. Omri Casspi led the scoring off the bench with 15 points against his former team.
Tyrone Corbin emptied his bench with 7:27 to go in the game. That unit made up of Ryan Hollins, Quincy Miller, Nik Stauskas, Ray McCallum and Casspi surprised the Cavs second unit closing the scoring gap and forcing Irving and James to reenter the contest to stop the Kings run.
“I thought that group at the end played with a lot of energy to give us a chance,” said Corbin of his substitutes.
The Cavaliers shot 47.5-percent (38 for 80) from the field and were 11 for 31 (35.5-percent) from 3-Point land. Cleveland did struggle from the free throw line going 14 for 24 (63.6-percent).
After the game, DeMarcus Cousins told reporters his team is having trouble adjusting to the pace of play. “Guys are lost,” said Cousins.
The Kings flew to Indianapolis after the game where they will play the Pacers on Saturday night. Cleveland will play Minnesota in Minneapolis tomorrow evening.
From the Notebook
DeMarcus Cousins was named to the Western Conference All-Star team by Commissioner Adam Silver. Cousins replaces the injured Kobe Bryant on the roster.
The Kings have signed forward Quincy Miller to a second 10 day contract. Miller comes to Sacramento from their D-League affiliate in Reno.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has selected DeMarcus Cousins to replace Kobe Bryant on the Western Conference All-Star team. Bryant will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn rotator cuff.
Cousins is the first Kings player named to the All-Star team since Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic represented Sacramento in 2004. He is the sixth Sacramento King to play in the game and the 23rd player in franchise history to be named an All-Star.
“I’m extremely excited to play in my first All-Star game. I appreciate the recognition and want to thank my teammates and the fans for their support throughout the season,” said Cousins. “Representing the Kings and the city of Sacramento is a great honor.”
“Everyone in the Kings organization is thrilled for DeMarcus and happy that his diligence and commitment to becoming the best player he can be has been recognized,” said Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro.
Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin added, “This honor is a result of the hard work and determination DeMarcus has shown throughout the season.”
Cousins is averaging 23.8 points per game to go with 12.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists,1.38 steals and 1.63 blocks in 33.8 minutes of average playing time. Cousins is fourth in the NBA in double-doubles (26), fifth in scoring and third in rebounding.
The 63rd NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, February 15th at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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