Category: NBA

Golden State Warriors end preseason with a win as they outlast the Sacramento Kings 117-106

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Photo credit: GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Warriors evened their preseason record ar 2-2 as they beat the Sacramento Kings Friday night by a score of 117-106. The Warriors were without the service of Kevin Durant who stayed at home as he was not feeling well. Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala did not play as they were a bit banged up, and coach Steve Kerr did not want to see his stars aggravate their problems. Several of the players were still feeling the effects of jet lag. Kerr started Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Young, and Jordan Bell. The Kings, who are rebuilding the team after sending DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans last season, started a lineup of players that are not yet well known. Coach Dave Joerger sent out Willie Cauley-Stein, Frank Mason, Skal Labissiere, Buddy Hield, and Justin Jackson to begin the game for Sacramento.

Steph Curry played the entire first quarter and about half of the second quarter. In his time in the game, he scored 18 points and made four 3-point shots. The other Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, knocked down 9 in his minutes in the first half. Neither Steph nor Klay played in the second half.

The Kings gave the Dubs all they could handle for the first three-quarters of the game. Neither team could grab a big lead. The Dubs led by 54-51 at the end of the first half. The Warriors and the Kings went back and forth in the third quarter, too. The Dubs offense was led by Nick Young. Young appeared to be more comfortable as he made five 3-point shots. Kerr said that Young”looked like himself” and that his performance was “very encouraging.”

Both teams used their young players in the fourth quarter. The Warriors behind the play of Patrick McCaw, Kevon Looney, Jordan Bell, and Nick Young pulled away to win 117-109.

Game Notes- Jordan Bell finished the night with 10 points, 4 assists, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Steve Kerr said this about Bell:”Jordan was great.” With all the talent that the Warriors have in the frontcourt, there is some concern that Bell may languish on the bench once the season starts. Kerr brushed aside the criticism by saying”Jordan will get his chance.”

Kerr was pleased with”how well our young players played. He said it was “encouraging to see the team execute so well. It was all good stuff.”

The Kings young players stayed with the Warriors for most of the game. Guard David Stockton, son of Hall of Fame player John Stockton, tallied 23 points and had 8 assists. Malachi Richardson scored 15, Giorgis Papagiannis 13, JaKarr Sampson, 13, Frank Mason 10, Willie Cauley-Stein 10.

The Warriors made 15 3-point shots and recorded 34 assists. The defense was strong as they had 47 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks. They committed just twelve turnovers, and that stat had to please Steve Kerr and the coaching staff.

The Warriors’ David West received an award from the NBA as he was recognized as the “Best Teammate.” Oracle Arena and the Warriors were recognized for having the “Best Home Court Advantage.”

The Warriors open the defense of their championship on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets. It will be Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, KD, and company against Mike D’Antoni uptempo offense led by James Harden and former Los Angeles guard, Chris Paul. Game time at Oracle Arena will be at 7:30 pm. The Championship banner will be unfurled, and the Warriors will be receiving their championship rings.

Kings (1-4) fall behind in second half drop fourth straight game 104-87 to Clippers

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~ Photo credit: AP

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES– Sacramento lost for the fourth time in a row, as the Clippers (2-2) won by 17 Thursday, 104-87.

In their past three games, the Kings’ scoring has increased but so has the amount of points given up to their opponents.

Meanwhile Los Angeles continued their loss-win trend, scoring 100 points for the third time this preseason.

For the Clippers, Blake Griffin led all with 18 points. Wesley Johnson had 16 points with four three’s. DeAndre Jordan had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Milos Teodosic had a game-high six assists. Tyrone Wallace scored six points off the bench.

Zach Randolph led Sacramento with 14 points.  Off the bench, Frank Mason, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Garrett Temple each scored 13 points. Kosta Koufos scored 10 rebounds.

In the first half, neither team leading for the majority of the quarter mattered.

Los Angeles had the lead for most of the first quarter, with their biggest lead five points, but the Kings ended up top at the end. Jordan missed two free throws and Sacramento started out with the 2-0 lead. All of the Kings’ leads only lasted one possession. Sacramento got the lead again with 7:12 left. Randolph tied the game at 15.  The Kings led again with 2:19 left, before several lead changes. The first then ended with Mason’s 24-22 jumper with 21 seconds left. There were four ties with Griffin and Randolph leading the way.

Johnson started off the second with a game-tying shot. A strong dunk by Wallace then gave the Clippers the lead. Mason responded with two straight shots as the Kings retook the lead at 8:50, which they held until the end of the quarter. Sacramento’s biggest lead was eight points with the help of two three’s from Bogdanovic. Los Angeles came to within one with 2:59 left. Griffin made a free throw after scoring against Vince Carter. Jordan then tied the game at 44 apiece with 1.9 seconds left, making both of his free throws.

The tie was broken by Randolph in the third with 9:49 left and then the lead switched until 8:34 left. The Kings took control of the score with 6:36 left. The game difference reached a high of nine points as the Clippers shot 47.5% at the end of quarter. Sacramento got as close as three.  

Los Angeles kept on scoring in the fourth while the Kings’ shooting stayed as it had been. C.J. Williams extended the Clippers’ lead to 18 points with 3:33 left.

Game notes: Sacramento’s George Hill and Bogdanovic exited the game with a hurt right groin and a right ankle sprain respectively, but both do not seem serious. The Kings end the preseason on Friday the 13th versus the Golden State Warriors at 7:30pm.

Kings Podcast with Charlie O: Kings and Joerger could use a couple more weeks to get ready for the regular season

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AP File Photo: Sacramento Kings coach Dave Joerger talks to reporters during the NBA basketball team’s media day Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

On the Kings Podcast with Charlie O:

1) What have we learned so far about the Kings in the preseason?

2) Who’s stock is rising & who’s stock is falling right now?

3) Do you think Dave Joerger is concerned about being 1-3 in the preseason right now?

4) What does Charlie expect that we’ll see in the final two preseason games in LA & Oakland?

5) One last question, Lavar Ball just announced he is pulling his youngest son LeMelo out of high school to Home school him & train his son himself. Charlie’s thoughts.

Charlie O does the Kings Podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Kings fall to Blazers 97-83 in final home pre season game

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Sacramento Kings forward Justin Jackson (25) looks for an open teammate around Portland Trail Blazers defender Jusuf Nurkic (27) during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Oct. 9, 2017. The Trail Blazers won 97-83.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

By Jeremy Harness

SACRAMENTO – The Kings rested most of their stars Monday night, while the Portland Trail Blazers played just about everyone.

As a result, the only real intrigue that the game had would be if any players from either team would kneel for the national anthem. Once it was established that all of the players and coaches would stand for the anthem, it continued on as a regular preseason basketball game.

The fans did not get to see new additions Zach Randolph, George Hill nor Vince Carter, and they did not see exciting new rookie De’Aaron Fox, either. Meanwhile, Portland had its full squad on display, and the results were expectedly in the favor of the Blazers, as the Kings fell by the score of 97-83 inside a half-empty Golden 1 Center.

Sacramento, however, did have the services of rookie Justin Jackson, who scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with a pair of rebounds in almost 27 minutes on the floor. Skal Labissiere chipped in with 13 points while making six of his 13 shots from the floor in playing almost 36 minutes.

Monday’s game didn’t give us anything in regards to how the Kings regulars are expected to mesh with one another, since most of them sat the game out. However, Monday’s game did allow some guys who are either on the bubble or not expected to make the team at all a chance to get some burn and exposure.

One of those guys is point guard Marcus Williams, a former first-round pick who had spent the past seven years playing professionally in different leagues around Europe, Asia and Latin America. Since he left college, his career has been a reclamation project of sorts, as during his junior year at the University of Connecticut, he was kicked off the team for several months for attempting to sell stolen laptop computers.

Williams, who is not expected to make the team due to the fact that the Kings already have three point guards – rookies Fox and Frank Mason, who got the start Monday, as well as expected starter George Hill – had a nice start to Monday’s game in handing out three assists in the first quarter.

He played 18 minutes and had three points with five assists and turned the ball over only once.

For the Blazers, center Jusuf Nurkic led the team with 16 points while pulling down seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Oakland native Damian Lillard had 14 points with three assists and three rebounds, while his backcourt partner, C.J McCollum, had 12 points and three rebounds to go along with a pair of assists.owverH

No chicken dinner for Kings in Vegas as they lose to Lakers 75-69

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carter vs lakers
Vince Carter directs traffic in the Kings — Lakers game in Las Vegas Photo USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The third preseason game of the year for the Kings was a premiere matchup between Pacific Division rivals. The Kings and the Lakers are both very young teams that are trying reestablish themselves as legitimate playoff contenders in the NBA Western Conference.

Frankly, neither of these teams will be playing a game after the end of the regular season in April. That being said — both the Lakers and Kings are going to be much more entertaining to watch in 2017-18 than they were last season with the players they acquired in the draft and in free agency.

The game on Sunday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was not a “beautiful game”, but it was an entertaining game. The Lakers established a big lead in the first quarter and then the Kings fought their way back into the game in the second period.

The Kings actually took the lead in game in third quarter behind 22-9 run but they would not be able to hold on to that lead in final quarter of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers had held on to record their first win of the preseason 75-69 over the Kings before a decidedly pro-Laker crowd in “Sin City”.

There were really no losers on Sunday night in Las Vegas

Magic talks to crowd Lakers
Magic Johnson spoke to the fans in Las Vegas before the game on Sunday Photo USA Today Sports

Both the Kings and Lakers donated their proceeds from the game on Sunday night to victims and first-responders of the mass shooting that happened last Sunday in Las Vegas. The donations will go to the MGM Grand Foundation who will administer the distribution of the proceeds.

This was a very nice gesture on the part of both teams.

The Ball vs Fox matchup did not happen again

The summer league rematch between Lonzo Ball and De’Aaron Fox did happen due to an injury reported by Ball. That brought out many comments about Ball not wanting to be embarrassed by Fox the way he was in the UCLA — Kentucky matchup.

On Sunday, it was announced that Ball would not be available due to an ankle problem. Fox would not have been able to play in the second-half due to a lower back bruise suffered in the first-half of the game.

Do not worry. The big face off is going to happen during the regular season and it will be worth the wait.

Neither team had impressive stats in the game

Kings

Sacramento shot 25-for-80 (31.2-percent) from the floor. They connected on just 7-of-25 (28.0-percent) for 3-point attempts. Those are not the kind of shooting numbers that will win games in the regular season. Sacramento went 12-for-16 (75.0-percent) from the free throw line. The percentage was fine but the number of attempts was too low.

Sacramento grabbed 37 rebounds (5 offensive). They recorded 15 assists and 12 turnovers which is not an acceptable ratio. The Lakers scored 10 points off the Kings 12 turnovers.

Lakers

Los Angeles shot 41.4-percent (29-for-70) from the field. The Lakers hit just 6-of-24 (25.0-percent) from beyond the 3-point line. They were 11-for-15 (73.3-percent) from the charity stripe.

The Lakers hauled in 49 rebounds (2 offensive). They recorded 21 assists and 20 turnovers which is not acceptable to any coach. The Kings scored 18 points off the Lakers 20 turnovers.

Team Leaders

Sacramento

Z-bo vs Lakers
Zach Randolph was a team leader for the Kings on Sunday night Photo USA Today Sports

Zach Randolph led the Kings scoring attack with 16 points. Z-Bo was 7-for-15 shooting. Garrett Temple put up 12 points while Vince Carter added nine. Bogdan Bogdanovic, George Hill and Buddy Hield each added seven points in the game.

George Hill was the Kings top rebounder with eight. Kosta Koufos grabbed seven.

The Kings used just 11 players in the rotation on Sunday night.

LAK

Kuzma Lakers
Rookie Kuzma was a star for the Lakers on Sunday Photo USA Today Sports

Julius Randle posted a double-double by putting up 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Rookie Kyle Kuzma dropped in 15 points. Many observers feel that Kuzma could be a bigger story than Ball this season but remember this is just the preseason. Brook Lopez scored 12 while Jordan Clarkson added 10 points.

Kuzma also pulled down eight rebounds.

Alex Caruso led the Lakers in assists with four and Kuzma had three.

Interesting stat of the game

When you look at the stats, you know this was not a great field goal shooting game. It really became an “old style” NBA battle in the paint contest. Sacramento scored 24 points in the paint (12-for-28) while the Lakers scored 40 points in the key (20-for-34).

Up next

The Kings (1-2) will be back in action on Monday night in Sacramento when they will host the Portland Trail Blazers (2-1). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Warriors kick it up a notch as they trounce the Timberwolves in Shanghai 142-110

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry gestures during the preseason NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Shanghai, China, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017. (AP Photo)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Shanghai, China- The Golden State Warriors won their first game of the preseason as they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 142-110. The Timberwolves scored early and often in the first quarter. The Wolves starting quintet of Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, and Taj Gibson torched the Dubs as the raced to an early 16-11 lead. The Wolves kept the pressure on as they could not be stopped by the Warriors defense. They led 35-31 with 1:44 left in the quarter and were able to increase the lead for the first twelve minutes of play to 44-36.

The Dubs kept pace with the Wolves in the second quarter. They were trailing by ten points when Steph Curry came back into the game. The Warriors were able to turn the game around, and they looked like the champions that they are. Steph and Klay led the offensive onslaught as they won the quarter 40-28 and led 76-72 at the half. The Dubs’ defense, fantastic last season, looked like they were back.

In the third quarter, Steph, Klay, and Kevin Durant wowed the 16,007 fans in attendance as they made several three-point shots and dominated play in the period. They outscored the Wolves 38-23 to put the game out of reach. Steph was done for the night, and he watched the game as he was sitting on the floor signing autographs for the fans.

The Warriors started Klay, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, David West, and KD in the fourth quarter. They increased the lead to twenty-six before being replaced by Omri Casspi, Patrick McCaw, and the rookie from the University of Oregon Jordan Bell. In the last six minutes of the game, Bell scored eleven points and blocked two shots. Bell’s play should get him some playing time when the season starts for real on October 17th.

Game Notes and Stats- Before the start of the game, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler each thanked the people of China for the terrific week the players experienced. The crowd enjoyed the show the teams put on, and it appeared the fans were a little bit louder when the Warriors had the ball. There was a stretch in the third quarter when the Dubs made five three-pointers in a row to blow the game wide open. The fans roared every time Steph lined up for a three and went ballistic when he made the shot.

Steph Curry was a man on a mission as he knocked down forty points and made at least six three-point shots. Klay Thompson knocked down twenty-eight, and KD had twenty-two. Draymond Green tallied eleven, and he blocked three shots.

Leading scorers for Minnesota were Andrew Wiggins with nineteen, Towns had sixteen, Jimmy Butler fifteen, Jeff Teague ten, Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad each had eleven. The Timberwolves finished the preseason with a 2-1 record. The next game they play will be the first game of the 2017-2018 season.

The Warriors are 1-2 and meet the Sacramento Kings on Friday, October 13th, at the Oracle Arena at 7:30 pm. This will be the final preseason game for the Dubs. They play the Houston Rockets in Oakland on October 17th.

Stanford Cardinal Football Podcast with Matt Harrington: Stanford QB Chryst gets the nod after missing most of the last two games

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Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst carries against UCLA during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

On the Stanford Podcast with Matt:

After last week’s brilliant performance Stanford running back Bryce Love will be going up against one of the toughest defenses in the Pac 12 the Utah Utes. The Utes are second in scoring defense and they also place first in interceptions, turnovers and pass defense efficiency.

The Cardinal who got a ten point win over the ASU Sun Devils at Stanford last week 34-24 and saw running back Bryce Love run for 301 yards to see how he runs on Utah’s defense will be answered soon enough at 7:15pm tonight. Love had a coming out after Stanford lost two straight road games to USC and San Diego State. Then soon after winning two straight games against UCLA and last week to ASU.

The Utes who had last weekend off and are well rested for this one have one player listed as injured for Saturday’s contest quarterback Tyler Huntley who is listed as doubtful and back up quarterback Troy Williams is probable to start. Cardinal quarterback Keller Chryst is back after missing most of the UCLA game and back up KJ Costello started the next game against ASU which the Cardinal won. The Cardinal head coach David Shaw has full confidence in his quarterbacks.

Matt Harrington does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Young Kings can’t make it two wins in a row over Spurs; lose 113-93 on the road

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spurs WCSby Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings learned the very tough lesson on Friday night that all NBA teams must learn – it is very tough to win on the road in “the Association”. After beating the Spurs in their preseason opener in Sacramento, the Kings suffered their first loss of the preseason on Friday night in “the Alamo City” losing to the Spurs 113-93.

Sacramento came out of the gate fast

The Kings outscored the Spurs 24-15 in the first quarter of the game on Friday night. Buddy Hield led the Kings scoring barrage putting up eight points in the first 12-minutes of the game. Willie Cauley-Stein and Frank Mason added four points each in what would be a 24-point first quarter for Sacramento.

Unlike Monday, it was the young the Kings who were chosen to start on Friday night on the road. Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox were the starting five in San Antonio.

The Spurs outscored the Kings in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters

The Spurs outscored the Kings by 12 points in the second quarter, six points in the third quarter and by 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Danny Green led the way with 20 points for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge shot 5-for-10 from the field to score 10 points for San Antonio. Brandon Paul, Bryn Forbes and Davis Bertrans scored nine points each against the Kings.

The Spurs shot 55.4-percent from the field and 48.4-percent (15-for-31) from 3-point range. San Antonio had 28 assists and 17 turnovers. That is not the ratio a team wants to have but is was good enough to post a win on Friday night.

The Kings young players were featured on Friday

spurs hield

Willie Cauley-Stein was the Kings leading scorer in game with 14-points. He also grabbed nine rebounds and turned the ball over just two times.

Skal Labissiere had a 13-point game for the Kings on Friday night. He went 6-for-10 from the field, hauled in two rebounds and did not turn the ball over in 25-plus minutes of playing time.

Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox each added 12-points in their time on the floor.Georgios Papagiannis played 29-minutes and recorded 10-points and three rebounds. Marcus Williams who is fighting for a spot at the end of the bench put up nine points in 13-minutes of playing time.

The Kings shot 45.2-percent from the field and 26.7-percent from 3-point land. Sacramento had 32 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

The bottom line lesson

Winning on the road in NBA is very hard. Unfortunately for the young Kings, that is a lesson that will be a lesson that will be learned many times in 2017-18.

Up next for Sacramento 

The Kings will return to preseason action on Sunday night in Las Vegas when they will face the Los Angeles Lakers. Proceeds from the game will be donated to victims of the tragic shooting of the Route 91 Harvest music festival.

Harry Giles update

The Kings have revealed that Harry Giles will not be available to play until January 2018 as he continues to rehab from his surgery for an injury to his ACL. Giles who was originally projected to be the number one pick in the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery has suffered setbacks due to knee troubles.

Giles is just 19-years old so the Kings can afford to patient. He has been most often compared to Chris Webber. If he can be close to  Webber, waiting until he his fully healthy will be worth the wait.

Warriors lose to the Timberwolves in China 111-97

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, center, reacts during a break at the basketball match of the 2017 NBA Global Games against Minnesota Timberwolves in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong province, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Shenzhen, China – The Golden State Warriors started well against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first of two games in China, The Warriors, who have a fantastic following in China, started well and had the lead after three-quarters of play. Coach Steve Kerr removed his starters in the third quarter, and the T-Wolves bench beat the Warriors bench to win 111-97. Preseason games don’t count, but the players want to do well as some of them are fighting for spots on the roster. The Warriors starters did well. The ran, the moved the ball, and they recorded a lot of assists in the early going. However, they made a lot of mistakes. Steph Curry had five fouls in 24 minutes of play. They were called for traveling violations, and they turned the ball over 19 times.

Coach Steve Kerr had this to say about the team’s performance:” We played well for about a quarter and a half and then started getting careless with the ball.” We got lazy.”

Kevin Durant led the team with twenty points. Curry scored fourteen. Klay Thompson made some shots in the first quarter, too. Rookie Jordan Bell played well, and Omri Casspi looked ready to contribute. Nick Young and Patrick McCaw were on the floor in the fourth quarter when the T-Wolves made their run to win the game.

The Warriors look to be loaded again as they defend their championship beginning on October 17th. The will have to make decisions regarding Damian Jones and Kevon Looney. Jones may make the team, but the same cannot be said for Looney.

The T-Wolves added Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson from the Chicago Bulls where their coach Tom Thibodeau used to work. The Wolves have two terrific players in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins and will be looking to improve as they aim to make the playoffs.

The teams meet Sunday in Shanghai before returning home for the final preseason game. The Warriors’  season starts on October 17th at Oracle Arena against the Houston Rockets.

 

Sacramento Kings Podcast with Charlie O: Kings won’t tank in order to get a high draft pick; Randolph felonies reduced to misdemeanors

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Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein, center, goes to the basket between San Antonio Spurs’ Davis Bertans, left, and Danny Green, during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won 106-100. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

On the Kings Podcast with Charlie O:

1) this the kickoff to the first full season without DeMarcus Cousins in Purple & White – how significant is that?

2) what is your opinion of the Kings new roster?

3)Zach Randolph ran into some trouble in SoCal late in the summer does that worry you?

4) What about his statements about being wrongly arrested?

5) People are saying the Kings should have done more to Keep Scott Perry in Sac rather than letting him go to the Knicks. Some are saying the successful draft and veteran player signings were all his doing. Should Vlade Divac stepped into a ceremonial role and given the keys to the Kingdom to Perry?

6) What about the Kings win over the Spurs Monday night – your impressions and thoughts.?

7) Some observers are talking about the Kings tanking this year to get the best draft pick they can because the do not have a #1 pick in 2019 – do you agree those thoughts?

8) Vlade & Dave Joerger just received contact extensions – how is that important to the organization?

9)What’s coming up for the Kings?

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts for http://www.sportsradioservice.com each week