Category: NBA

Kings four game win streak ends as they fall to Charlotte 99-85

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Saturday as they lost to the Charlotte Hornets 99-85. The Buzz City team was in desperate need of a win to stop a five-game losing slide that had them falling farther away from the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Kings (25-34) looked sluggish early on in the game which is to be expected. After experiencing the huge high of the win over Denver on Thursday without DeMarcus Cousins on the roster, the team was really set up to have a let down. Facing a Hornets (25-33) team that has been playing poorly, it was really easy for the young team not to come in pumped up and ready to conquer.

Even after a less than spectacular first half the Kings trailed by just 11 at halftime. It was the opening 4:33 of the third quarter that did Sacramento in and led them to a loss. The Kings did not score until Ben McLemore hit a 3-point bucket at the 7:27 mark but by then the Hornets had opened up a 23-point lead. Charlotte would continue to ride that big lead for the remainder of the contest.

This is going to be the reality of watching this young team over the final 23 games of the season. They will at times look brilliant, full of energy and unstoppable. At other times, they are going to look tired, confused and inept. That is just the reality of having a young roster filled in with seasoned veterans. Sometimes it will be fun and sometimes it won’t.

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Labissiere with a smooth move to the hoop Photo NBAE

Kings head coach Dave Joerger on the game

“Guys battled. I think we spend a lot of emotion as talked about in pregame of the game the other night. Tonight the was a situation where you had a team that is a veteran team, a very physical team. They pushed us around the court most of the night with their size and their experience at all positions. I’m not talking about just in the middle, we were okay in the middle. But twos, threes and fours – they took us out of some stuff. We didn’t do a great job finishing at the rim and in the paint. We were 15-for-34 in the paint and had a tough night shooting. So hats off to them. They’re a good team, and they’ve got a chance to get in the playoffs too.”

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Evans drives to the basket Photo NBAE

Kings

  • Ben McLemore was the Kings leading scorer with 18 points. Ben Mac had a slow start and found his rhythm when he drove the baseline for a slam. It seamed to jolt him alive and he finished shooting 7-for-15
  • Rookie Buddy Hield had a solid game coming off the bench to score 15 points while shooting 5-for-10 from the field in his 26-minutes of playing time
  • Anthony Tolliver made an impact early in the game especially with the 3-ball. Tolliver finished with 11 points going 3-for-6 from 3-point land
  • Tyreke Evans made his presence known with 11 points, five assists and five rebounds in 22 minutes on the floor
  • Darren Collison had a solid game at the point scoring 10 points while dishing out five assists
  • Skal Labissiere had a very nice game scoring eight points and grabbing 13 rebounds (3 offensive). Labissiere is looking very comfortable on the floor
  • Willie Cauley-Stein had a tough game scoring just two points and grabbing only two rebounds

Hornets

  • Big Frank Kaminsky was the man for Charlotte. He scored a game-high 23 points shooting 5-for-9 from behind the 3-point line. Kaminsky also hauled in 13 rebounds for a double-double game
  • Forward Marvin Williams added 16 points while Nicholas Batum put up 15 points despite shooting just 4-for-17 from the floor
  • Kemba Walker had a very quiet game scoring just 12 points while distributing six assists
  • Former King Marco Belinelli scored 13 points shooting 4-for-7 including two 3-point baskets

Up Next

The Kings will be back in action Monday when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center. The Kings are 2-0 versus the T-Wolves this season.

The Hornets have to go back to work on Sunday night in Los Angeles when they will play the Clippers at the Staples Center.

A Malachi Richardson Medical Update

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The Kings rookie shooting guard who suffered a partial tear of the right hamstring continues to rehab the injury. There is still no date for his return to action but there is no need for surgery which is good news for the player and the team.

Surely you can’t be serious but I am – hire Kupchak to help Divac and the Kings

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee

When I posted this tweet, I expected to get some reaction but the reaction I received surprised me. Everyone thought I was joking and it was very funny. The only problem with that reaction is that I am not joking. I am very serious.

The Sacramento Kings are at a very critical juncture right now. They have traded away their one legitimate All-Star and flushed their chances to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. They have for all practical purposes hit the reset button and are starting over in the basketball operations division.

The Kings in all probability will have two first-round draft picks and two second-round draft selections in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft which has been labeled “star-studded”. One of those first-round opportunities is going to be a lottery pick. The second first-round pick is expected to come in the “low teens”. Both selections bring the opportunity to add exceptional talent to the Kings roster.

Sacramento cannot afford to make a mistake with either pick. With the Cousins era over, the Kings must rebuild quickly to hold the interest of a long suffering fan base that will not have a great deal of patience for excuses about why a first-round draft pick did not work out. Kings fans are looking for results not excuses.

The Kings front office needs help and it needs it now. Enter Mitch Kupchak. I know his recent results have not been that impressive but if the reports are true, there are some explanations for those poor results. Kupchak may well have been handcuffed by an owner who thought he knew more about basketball personnel than he really does. The team’s governor Jeanie Buss spent several of those years concentrating on a bicoastal relationship with Phil Jackson.

Kupchak worked under the great Jerry West before taking over as general manager in Los Angeles in 2000. He is credited with leading the efforts that brought Shaq and Kobe to the Lakers. The team won four championships while he was in charge. The man knows how to run the front office of an NBA franchise.

There have been reports that other general managers have complained that they cannot get Divac on the phone. There is a style and art to being the head of basketball operations for an NBA team. Other general managers must be comfortable working with each other to make deals happen and most of those deals start with phone calls.

Kupchak could act as a mentor, confidant and friend to help Divac during what is going to be a high pressure period between now and the 2017 Draft. Kupchak could also go out on the road to college games, conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament to scout the top talent that will be available come June. Scouting has also been listed as a weakness for the Kings organization.

Basketball executives with 17 years of experience as an NBA general manager do not become available everyday. The Kings are in need of expert help right now and Kupchak is an expert. It is time for Vivek Ranadive to fire up the jet, fly to LA, open up the checkbook and hire a consultant to help take his franchise to the next level.

No Cousins? No problem. Kings stun Nuggets with six scoring in double figures 116-100

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Danilo Gallinari, Willie Cauley-Stein, Nikola Jokic

Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein, center, goes to the basket between Denver Nuggets’ Danilo Gallinari, left, and Nikola Jokic, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won 116-100. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–And the Kings response to the near universal condemnation of the trade of their controversial star DeMarcus Cousins, with the deal frequently termed as being lopsided, even moronic?

No, it wasn’t just the confiscation of a few, mildly negative signs that found their way into Golden 1 Center on Thursday night.  And it wasn’t a last minute trade deadline sell off of Darren Collison or Ben McLemore.

Instead just minutes after Boogie and the Pelicans were blown out at home in their Big Easy debut, the Kings put on a display featuring youth, cohesion, balance and very little bantering with the referees in defensive transition.  The resulting 116-100 win over the Nuggets and former Kings’ coach Mike Malone was an eye-opener to say the least, and it brought the Kings within a half game of the coveted eighth spot in the West.

So, what’s that about Operation Tank Job?  Well on Thursday night, Tank Job was pre-empted by the new era of Sacramento basketball as authored by Vlade and Vivek.

“We don’t have a superstar presence, so we need everybody to step up and kind of fulfill their role.  Everybody needs to chip in one way or another and I thought we did a good job of that,” said Collison, one of six Kings to score in double figures, and one of eight to score at least eight points.

More encouraging was the fact that those guys the Kings need to be most energized by the opportunities afforded them in Cousins’ absence were. Cousins’ replacement in the middle, second-year man Willie Cauley-Stein responded with a career-best 29 points, 10 rebounds.  Rookie Buddy Hield in his Sacramento debut had 16 points off the bench.  And Tyreke Evans made the most of his return to the Kings with 15 points.

And what of the Kings’ Kentucky tandem down low? Cauley-Stein and 20-year old Skal Labissiere combined for 41 of the Kings’ 71 points off the bench, a nice counter to the 65 points posted by Davis and Cousins in New Orleans.   Labissiere, a skinny guy with a world of promise, had 14 DNP-CD’s in January, and six more this month.  But on Thursday, Labissiere was a double-digits scorer at the NBA level for the first time, and needed just 14 minutes, and seven shots to get there.

Afterwards, Labissiere appeared to be seven feet tall, even taller than the 6’11” that he’s listed as.  Coach Dave Joerger, a teacher by trade, looked as if he had just completed an engaging, college lecture.  And Cauley-Stein was unapologetically giddy, genuinely surprised by what he had just accomplished.

“I didn’t come in here to score damn near 30. Just come in here, just play hard, shoot the shots I get and play to the best of my ability and God willing, it happened tonight,” Cauley-Stein said.

“Willie just had a fantastic game, and his confidence was sky high–made a couple of jumpers too,” Joerger said.

With 24 games remaining, all of a sudden the Kings are intriguing, with home games against beatable Minnesota, Charlotte and Brooklyn up next. For now, all of the competing scenarios that could keep the Kings from maximizing their two first-round draft picks in June are in the background, and the focus is on the floor.

For Sacramento fans, it’s not cowbells just yet, but it’s certainly not cobwebs either. For the Kings, an A+ on Thursday night for freshness and originality.

 

 

The Warriors, behind a sensational third quarter performance by Steph Curry, knock off the Clippers again

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors did not play very well in the first half against the LA Clippers Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The four All-Stars, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, did not practice Tuesday or Wednesday. They did participate in the shootaround Thursday, but they looked a wee bit rusty in the first 24 minutes of play as they trailed the Clippers 61-49. The Clippers left the floor feeling that they were going to beat the Dubs, but the Warriors had different thoughts.

The Dubs were fantastic in the third quarter. They have owned that period all season but Thursday night was something special. The Warriors, behind Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, scored 50 points in just 12 minutes of action. Steph had 17 of his 35 points in the period. Durant scored 15 in the quarter, too.The Warriors led by 23 late in the fourth quarter, and head coach Steve Kerr put in the second unit to finish the game. The Warriors win 123-113.

Game Notes and Stats- Steph Curry led the Dubs with 35 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. KD finished the night with a double-double. He kicked in with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. Klay had 18, Draymond 7 points,4 assists, and 6 boards. Zaza Pachulia returned to action after suffering a shoulder injury, and he scored six points to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 blocks. Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston had 8 points each to help the Dubs. David West, in his first game back since he injured a ligament in his thumb, had 4 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Austin Rivers led the Clippers with 19. DeAndre Jordan had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Blake Griffin was held to just 12, and JJ Redick also had 12. Jamal Crawford had 19 off the bench, and Raymond Felton scored 13 in a losing cause.

The Warriors also played defense, especially in the third quarter. They outrebounded the Clips, they had 11 steals and 11 eleven blocks too Not only are the Dubs the best offensive force in the NBA, they are the best defensive team, too. The only negative in the game was the fact that they committed 20 turnovers. Steve Kerr goes ballistic when they lose control of the ball but that happens a lot when a team uses a lot of motion on offense.

The Dubs beat the Clippers for the 10th straight game. The last time LA beat the Dubs was Christmas Day 2014. The last time the Warriors scored 50 points in a quarter was in 1989, and the Lakers scored 51 against the Knicks on March 25th, 2014. The Warriors are 48-9 for the season while the Clippers drop to 35-22.

The Warriors meet the Brooklyn Nets Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm. The Warriors then hit the road for 5 games starting Monday in Philadelphia.

 

 

 

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Two loses before end of first half is not a big deal but more like nitpicking

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The Golden State Warriors had a couple of loses towards the end of the first half of the season in the game against Denver and a game earlier against the Sacramento Kings. Why get bent out of shape over a team whose has won over 40 games before the All Star break. The have the best record in all of basketball. Their in the drivers seat to have home court in all of the post season.

Any criticism we give to the Warriors at this stage is nitpicking, keep in mind they had a great January and they had a really good February inspite of those two loses. January and February was spent without David West in the lineup and Zaza Pachulia there certainly not the key players on this team. That certainly hasn’t limited their ability to switch things up and go with a slightly bigger line up.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: With Cousins and Barnes gone the best the Kings can hope for is a decent rebuild

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AP file photo Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins whose pictured here playing against his future team the New Orleans Pelicans pauses after being called for a technical foul during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

The All Star game on Sunday, let me just say this the next time they have an All Star I’m just going to watch the Harlem Globetrotters because they would be more interesting watching them play the Washington Generals.  That thing was horrible they players just stood there for two hours it is just as bad as the NFL Pro Bowl had become a couple of years ago when they thought about canceling.

Thank goodness for the NFL for stepping up making that game somewhat entertaining and interesting. If the NBA doesn’t start making that game competitive you might as well cancel it. They should make it a skills competition that All Star game was terrible until the big story broke about DeMarcus Cousins being dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans and right when I’m writing the story that there is no way their trading Cousins because their knocking on the door of getting in the playoffs for the first time in ten years.

There is no way at this point that their going to trade Cousins because if they get into the playoffs their first round playoff matchup would have been against Golden State. You know that I know if the Kings get into the first round of the playoffs their not going to beat the Warriors but they might have won a game or two just because the Kings have the make up that matches against the Warriors pretty good. But as of now that’s gone like a puff of smoke the best the Kings can hope for is a decent rebuild over the next couple of years after dealing Cousins and releasing Matt Barnes.

Charlie O podcasts Sacramento Kings basketball each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

It’s official: Kings waive Matt Barnes

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

Matt Barnes was added to the Kings roster to give them some toughness and to take some pressure off All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. People avoided using the word but the fact is Barnes was brought in to be an “enforcer”. That’s a title the NBA avoids while the NHL has accepted the role and title for years. 

Barnes had also played for head coach Dave Joerger in Memphis which set him up to help interpret Joerger’s philosophy and actions to his new teammates. Add in Barnes ability to be a force on offense or defense as needed and it is easy to see why the Kings added him to the roster. 

The fact that Barnes is a Sacramento product didn’t hurt his value to the Kings. Local hard-core fans followed Barnes because he was a Del Campo High School player – he was like their own personal connection to “the association”. Now Barnes would become their personal tie to the Kings. 

Things started off great. Barnes took on the older brother role for the team. When things were not going well, Barnes would have the press corps come to him to ask questions and get answers. It was all going well until a fateful night in Manhattan when Barnes and DeMarcus Cousins were supposedly involved in a fight inside a trendy nightclub following a Kings loss to the Knicks. 

Since that time, Barnes has not been able to be that force in the locker room with the press he once was before the NYC incident. He continued to play at a high level on the court even after having to return to New York to be charged with a misdemeanor. 

Now, Cousins is gone and making the playoffs is no longer the number one priority. Remaking the team and culture is the new agenda for the Kings; therefore, Matt “the enforcer” Barnes is no longer needed in Sacramento. 

With Kings paying the bulk of his salary, expect a team fighting to make the playoffs or looking to move up in the seeding to “rent” Barnes’ services for the remainder of the season and playoffs. 

Organizational Stability must now be the Kings number one goal

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings did what?

silent-scream

SACRAMENTO–An NBA organization that was already labeled “unstable” just became more unstable in the minds of owners, managers, coaches, players, agents and fans with the sudden and surprising trade of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. The trade came on the heels of Vlade Divac – vice president and general manager of the Kings – telling ESPN that his team was about to sign Cousins to a 5-year, $200-million plus deal.

Cousins appeared to be excited about the possibilities of staying in Sacramento long-term. Cousins told ESPN, “I’m very happy. It’s where I want to be. I think we’re on the right path this season. We’re playing the best basketball of the season so far. Our team is extremely confident. We believe we can make this push and make it happen. We’ve been preaching it all year. It’s on us to make it happen.”

At the All-Star Break, the Kings are just 1.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot behind the Denver Nuggets. Fans in Sacramento – who have not seen a playoff game in 10 long years – have been be anticipating a first-round match-up between the Kings and the Golden State Warriors. Kings fans hold no illusions about beating the Warriors but what a return to the playoffs that would be for the loyal supporters of the team.

Now, it’s shock and awe time for Sacramento fans once again. Cousins is gone and so are the playoffs. The team now has more shooting guards than any organization can use. Management’s credibility is totally destroyed around “the association”and that credibility was almost no existent before this fiasco. Remember last summer, top rated draft prospects would not even come to Sacramento for workouts.

The Kings need an experienced general manager

vlade-peja

The time has come to promote Vlade Divac to president of basketball operations and let him handle things at a 10,000 foot level while he learns the intricacies of running the day to day operations of an NBA team (see the Philadelphia transaction that the Kings came out on the short end of). An experienced GM could also groom Peja Stojakovic in the area of player development. By all reports, the Kings scouting department needs a boost as well.

Divac and Stojakovic are smart guys who have played the game at the highest level. Now, they need to learn how to manage the game at the highest level. It’s like when they were young players. They need guidance.

Sacramento can also help make a social impact in “the association”

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Troy Weaver Asst. GM OKC Thunder

While bringing in experienced management to help Divac and Stojakovic, the Kings could also be a part of making a major impact in the NBA. In a June 2016 article in The Undefeated, Marc Spears pointed out that there is “a distressing lack of black leadership in the NBA”. He also reference a 2015 survey that 74.4-percent of the players in “the association” were black while there was one African-American team president, two African-American general managers and one native African general manager among the 30 teams.

A prime time target for the Kings should be Oklahoma City Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver. Weaver – who is an African-American – has been interviewed for the top job by several teams but has never received the call. Weaver is known for his strong scouting abilities which the Kings need. As the story goes, he led the charge to take the chance on Russell Westbrook. As an assistant coach at Syracuse he helped to recruit Carmelo Anthony. Weaver has been an assistant coach and recruiter at the college level. He has been a scout and director of player personnel for the Utah Jazz as well working for the Thunder.

An experienced executive like Weaver would have to have real decision making power to lead and set the direction for the Kings. He would also need some time. Unfortunately, the Cousins transaction means a return to a dependence on newly drafted players to make an immediate impact for the team. That usually does not have positive results as rookies have to learn how to play in the league. Time is needed to develop a team while time without wins and trips to the playoffs is the enemy of marketing and ticket sales.

The team has made some solid decisions

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Hiring Dave Joerger as head coach has been one of the best decisions the Kings have made in recent memory. After the turbulent rule of George Karl, Joerger has calmed the locker room, won the respect of the players (including the now departed DeMarcus Cousins) and worked hard on developing young talent (see the resurgence of Ben McLemore). Joerger has also been a master at making adjustments as he has lost players to injury. Now, he has to make an adjustment for the loss of an All-Star center and his regular double-double games.

The Kings number one priority must be establishing stability in the basketball operations. They have done a great job of doing that on the business side which is why the team has doubled in value to just over $1-billion. Now they must achieve excellence on the basketball court.

 

Multiple reports: The “Boogie” era is over in Sacramento

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–The DeMarcus Cousins era in Sacramento has apparently come to an end. Multiple reports have Cousins going to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for shooting guard Buddy – “the Nutcracker”- Hield, guard (and former King) Tyreke Evans, shooting guard Langston Galloway plus a future first-round and second-round draft pick.

hield
Buddy Hield goes to the hoop

“The Woj” of The Vertical was the first to send the rumors of the possible trade up the wires earlier on Sunday. Most of the reaction to the rumor was negative based on Vlade Divac’s statements to ESPN last week on the Kings intentions to sign Cousins to a long-term extension and the fact that Sacramento is still in contention for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

As the day progressed and the All-Star Game got underway, the rumors of a Cousins trade continued to heat up. Where it had just been New Orleans as a possible destination, there then became rumors that other teams were vying for Cousins. As time passed, the story began “to grow legs”.

tyreke-evans
Tyreke Evans is coming back to Sacramento

Adding fuel to the fire was the limited amount of playing time that Cousins saw in the All-Star Game. Cousins played just two minutes and scored three points.

It would appear that the Kings have moved into a rebuilding mode. If they hold unto the number 10 or better lottery draft pick, the Kings will retain that selection rather than having to send that pick to the Chicago Bulls. The upcoming draft has been deemed one of the most star-studded in years. The trade would indicate that the Kings want to participate in the draft process.

Do not forget that Sacramento hedged their bets by sending Marquese Chriss to Phoenix for the rights to shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who is currently playing in Turkey. He is seen as a potential impact player in the NBA.

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Bogdan Bogdanovic will be a King next season

This certainly marks a major change in philosophy for the Kings. Up until now, it has been “all Boogie – all the time”. Now, it’s a clean slate. What kind of team do the Kings want to build? Vivek Ranadive was a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors and loves their style of play. Who doesn’t love the Warriors style?

All change is crisis. So, the Kings are in the middle of another major crisis. They have to justify to their long-suffering fans why they did an about-face and dropped out of the playoff race while jettisoning their only legitimate All-Star player.

I would not want to be an account representative having to call season ticket holders for renewal orders on Monday. When those current season ticket holders ask what are the Kings plans for the future, the answer at this point is probably an honest … I’m not sure.

There is one constant that has not changed. The Sacramento Kings are never boring. They are never easy to understand, but they are never, never boring.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: A couple of losses will not stop the Warriors as demonstrated in win over Kings

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The problem with the Golden State Warriors is not their not only a good team that lost a couple of games the problem is their so amazing that they lost a couple of games and thing get blown out of proportion. If they have a poor half against Sacramento or they drop a game by 15 to the Denver Nuggets we all get up in arms let’s just step back for a minute it’s the All Star break the Warriors are 47-9.

Between 1994-2011 the Warriors won 47 games in a season once. That was that 48 game season the year after the “We Believe” team 2007-08 season the was the only time in that 20 year time frame where they won more than 47 and won 48. The Warriors have 47 at the All Star break so let’s not get too bent out of shape out of shape and we have to have some prospective here and the Warriors are a great team.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com