San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills, left, dribbles away after being double-teamed by Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, center, of Serbia, and De’Aaron Fox, right, 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)
By Morris Phillips
SACRAMENTO–What’s better than one speedy, playmaking, rookie guard? Two.
Especially if their unis have the same purple and gray hue.
Jay-Z and Roc Nation weren’t on hand for the Kings’ pre-season opener, but the rapper/sports agent’s phrasings had a place in the proceedings on Monday every time rookies De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason had the ball and went into attack mode.
The 19-year old Fox and Mason combined for 33 points and a whole bunch of offensive aggressiveness in the Kings 106-100 victory over the Spurs. Coach Dave Joerger promised a team that plays fast, and Fox and Mason delivered by being dribble and drive nightmares.
Typical of pre-season, the game featured few, defensive stops, and Coach Greg Popovich and the Spurs weren’t necessarily on board with the race horse pace, but the Kings’ rookies had a lot to do with that. Spurs point guard Patty Mills especially appeared strained attempting to keep Fox out of the lane.
Mason finished with a team-high 17 points in 22 minutes, and Fox added 16 points in 17 minutes on 7 of 8 shooting.
Joerger opted to start all five of his veterans, including off-season acquisitions George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter. Those three were joined by Kosta Koufos and Garrett Temple. But when the veterans departed near the end of the first quarter, the youngsters took it from there, playing exclusively in the final three quarters.
The Kings didn’t just run, they shot it as well, shooting 52 percent for the game, including 45 percent from three. In all, seven different Kings hit at least one three, Temple and Mason each hit two.
The Spurs were led by LaMarcus Aldridge with 17 points, and Mills with 11. San Antonio opted not to play Tony Parker and off-season, free agent acquisition Rudy Gay. Last season’s MVP contender Kawhi Leonard was not with the team, and is expected to miss the entire exhibition schedule to rehab his thigh and ankle.
NBA veteran and now a member of the Sacramento Kings Zach Randolph was arrested in the Watts area of Los Angeles on Wednesday night on suspicion of marijuana possession and intent to sell. He was one of three men arrested by LAPD. One individual was arrested for being an ex-convict in possession of a gun.
What’s the big deal — isn’t weed about to be legal in California
The big deal is the amount of marijuana that was seized in the arrest. According to TMZ Sports, two pounds of marijuana was taken into custody during the bust by Los Angeles Police. You read that amount correctly — two pounds. That is just a “tad” above the amount that is considered to be for personal consumption.
Randolph has earned an estimated $175-180 million in salary alone in his 16-years in the NBA. One would not think he would need to be selling “weed” to in order pay his bills. The problem is being associated with a large amount of marijuana that is considered beyond what would be normal for personal consumption places a person in the potential sales and distribution business. Even if the individual were giving the product away for free, that act could be deemed illegal.
The whole scene got out of control
According to reports, when LAPD rolled up on the scene a pursuit began for three adult males. That pursuit involved the entry into a home in the area. When the three suspects (one of which was Randolph) were brought out of the house, the crowd that gathered in the area turned ugly.
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, a dispersal order was issued by law enforcement. The crowd then began throwing rocks and bottles at police. They also proceeded to damage several police vehicles.
Fortunately no one in the crowd or any officers were injured in what had to be a very tense situation.
Welcome to the LA County Jail
Randolph was booked into the LA County Jail. He was released on Thursday morning at 8 a.m. on $20,000 bail.
“The charges are false and misleading,” Randolph’s agent and attorney Raymond Brothers told The Associated Press. “We’re looking at all options to resolve this matter.”
He has been arrested not convicted
It is really important that fans remember that Randolph has been charged with crimes not convicted. Because he is such a high profile person, there is a tendency to assume guilt rather than wait for the trail process to play itself out.
Does the situation look bad? It looks horrible, but that still does not mean Randolph is guilty. He deserves his day in court.
What about his future with the Kings and the NBA?
Zach Randolph Photo: bet.com
The Kings have acknowledged that they are aware of the situation but the team is withholding any statement at this time which is not surprising.
If Randolph is found guilty of involvement with marijuana, he would also face sanctions from the NBA for violating the league policy on drug use.
The Kings have to make some big decisions in a short period of time
Vlade Divac Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Kings signed Randolph — a 16-year NBA veteran — to be a mentor “on toughness” for their young players. The question the Kings must answer quickly is whether they still want Randolph to mentor their four rookies, three second-year players and other young members of their team.
This not a situation that vice president and general manager Vlade Divac and head coach Dave Joerger were planning on having to deal with as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Photo of Randolph leaving jail taken from TMZ Sports video
Check out the upper left portion of the uniform opposite the “swoosh” and you will see the Blue Diamond Almond patch. All NBA teams are allowed to have a discreet sponsor logo on their uniforms starting this season. Blue Diamond was one of the first companies to sign up.
Standoff mesh to ensure low moisture cling 💦 Moisture repellency allows for maximum airflow 💨 pic.twitter.com/hd3tWukV5s
Each uniform is made of Alpha Yarns and recycled polyester
Every uniform represents approximately 20 recycled PET (plastic) bottles
The new uniforms will wick sweat faster and dry quicker than the current ones
Start saving up your money. It is time to update your NBA wardrobe. Hmm, I’m thinking I would look good in a number 50 “Z-Bo” jersey with the “SAC” logo. (Just a reminder to my family, friends and colleagues, my birthday is next month).
Just as everything appeared to be on the way to stability for the Sacramento Kings — BAM! — big changes have been announced in the front office operations for the team. Executive vice-president for basketball operations Scott Perry has been hired by the New York Knicks to be their new general manager. Reports have Perry receiving a five-year contract.
Perry joined the Kings front office on April 21. The Kings could have told Perry no because he was under contract and told the Knicks to go look elsewhere for a new GM. The fact the team did not block Perry from interviewing for the NYK job says a great deal about the organization’s respect for him as a person and as an executive.
There are some that are questioning the Kings decision to let Perry walk away from the team including two NBA executives that were quoted in the New York Post on Friday:
“It’s a little strange, getting fired in Orlando, then going to Sacramento and they’re willing to let him go so soon after a few months,’’ an NBA executive said.
The SacKings front office was the target of criticism
Divac and Stojakovic
In 2016, the Kings could not get top lottery picks to come to Sacramento for tryouts and interviews. Agents viewed the organization as being in disarray and it was almost like if they avoided Sacramento their clients would not be drafted by the Kings.
There were also rumors that NBA executives were frustrated because they could not get call through or calls back from Kings executives in the front office. The lack of a traditional front office structure appeared to hurting the Kings ability to get things done operationally.
Sacramento had also been criticized for having the smallest scouting staff in the NBA. Experts felt the Kings needed to see more college talent to be successful in the draft.
Perry received much of the credit for the Kings draft and free agent signing success
Analyst have given the Kings very positive reviews for the job they did in the 2017 draft. Virtually everyone loves the selection of point guard De’Aaron Fox out of Kentucky with the number five overall pick. Most experts approve of the team taking SF Justin Jackson (North Carolina), PF Harry Giles (Duke) and PG Frank Mason III (Kansas) in the draft with their other picks. Some have said Mason might be one of the “value picks of the draft”.
“One of the top evaluators of talent in the NBA,” said one NBA executive who has worked with Perry. “The evidence is Sacramento’s free agency this year.” New York Post July 14, 2017
Sacramento then went to work signing three veteran free agents to play for a team stacked with young players. George Hill gives the Kings a veteran at point guard while Fox and Mason develop their skills at the NBA level. Zach Randolph and Vince Carter who played for Dave Joerger in Memphis were signed to play and mentor.
Scott’s leadership was credited as being a major factor in why the Kings were able to pull things together so well in the all-important player acquisition period. The addition of analytics expert Luke Bornn along with the added experience of another year of working together for Vlade Divac and his staff also added to the success of draft and free agent signing period.
Perry is going to be trying to revive a franchise that is in shambles
One the major problems the New York Knicks have to overcome is their owner. James Dolan who has a history of making questionable decisions when it comes to his NBA team. On draft night in June, he was in Manhattan playing with his blues-rock band while Phil Jackson and his staff made the choices on who the future players for the Knicks would be.
James Dolan NBA owner or rock star?
Of course just days later, Dolan and Jackson parted ways in a very public break up. If Dolan was planning on replacing Jackson, why did he wait until after the draft? The bottom line is that it is just another in a long line of bad decisions made by Dolan when it comes to his NBA franchise.
Knick, Cavalier, Rocket?
The other major problem that Perry faces in his first days with the Knicks is what to do with Carmelo. Anthony has been making noises about being willing to accept a trade to another team like Houston or Cleveland. His salary and what the Knicks will want in return pose a real problem for the team to actually move Carmelo out and really begin a true rebuilding process.
Perry will work for the Knicks former general manager Steve Mills who will now be the team’s president.
Kings get cash and a future second-round draft pick but what about “Hamilton” tickets?
The Kings will receive an undisclosed amount of cash and a future second-round draft pick as compensation for releasing Perry to sign with the Knicks. Cash? Overrated. Second-drafts picks can be helpful in closing trades.
But Vivek and Vlade, what everyone wants is tickets to “Hamilton” on Broadway. Think about the promotion your marketing team could have put together with a block of “Hamilton” tickets for the week the Kings play the Knicks and Nets in New York. Broadway and Basketball: it would have been a spectacular promotion.
If you do anymore deals with the Knicks or Nets, they must include tickets to “Hamilton”.
The Las Vegas Summer League is about player development and not about wins and losses. Yes, the players and coaches like to win. The fans love wins, but again the goal is the development of young players.
Teams this season are also looking for players to fill roster slots 16 and 17. These are also known as the “two-way” roster players. These players will make one rate when playing in the G-League (officially the NBA Gatorade League) and the NBA minimum rate when playing for their NBA team.
As of today, the number 16 and 17 roster spots for the Kings are empty.
Players are also looking for roster spots on G-League teams. The Kings G-League franchise is the Reno Bighorns. The NBA is in the process of turning the G-League into a true minor league system to feed players to “the association”.
The bottom line is there are many story lines to watch in Las Vegas over the next 11 days.
The Game
The game itself was entertaining. It was a close contest that featured some very talented basketball plays and some very ugly, “we are still learning” plays. There were a few “dust ups” and even some technical fouls.
The were 17 lead changes and the game was tied 14 times. Sacramento’s biggest lead was 6-points while Phoenix held an 8-point advantage at one point. The Suns out-rebounded the Kings 41-39.
The Kings posted 11 assists and turned the ball over 14 times. The Suns turned it over 17 times and had 12 assists. Each team had eight steal.
The Kings had one glaring advantage and it was in blocked shots. Sacramento blocked 9 Phoenix shots while the Suns blocked 4 Kings field goal attempts.
Kings
De’Aaron Fox — It was the “D-Fox” show a number of times in the game, but he is the number one draft pick and isn’t that what you want to see? There was a beautiful Kentucky to Kentucky assist to Labbissiere that led to a nice layup. A cross-court pass to Hield let him glide in for an easy two. Fox finished with 4 assists, 5 steals and let’s not forget his 18 points (7-16 shooting). He also demonstrated his breakaway speed multiple times.
Justin Jackson — The number 15 overall draft selection did not start the game but he made the most of his 26 minutes coming off the bench. He shot 7-for-11 from the floor (2-4 from 3PT range) for a total of 18 points. Jackson does not demand the ball but puts himself in the right spots to score if the ball comes his way.
Buddy Hield — The second-year guard is joining his new teammates in Vegas to tune up for the new season. Hield scored 16 points in 24 minutes of playing time. He shot 6-for-16 but was 0-for-6 from long range. Hield did have two very impressive drives to the bucket which could be a very nice addition to his game.
Skal Labissiere — The big forward appears ready to pick up where he left off in April for the Kings. He scored 10 points in 28 minutes. Labissiere was 4-for-9 shooting while adding two blocked shots and one steal.
Malachi Richardson — The shooting guard who missed the last part of the season due to injury started the game. He was able to play 24 minutes. Richardson posted 8 points shooting 2-for-7 including a 3-point basket. He looked a little rusty but it will not take him long to get back up to speed.
Georgios Papagiannis — The big center got the start and played 28 minutes. His stats speak to the dichotomy that is “Papa G”. He scored no points (0-3 shooting). It is so frustrating watching him not being able to put-back close shots off rebounds. He led all rebounders with 11 and had 2 blocked shots. Papagiannis uses his size so well in those areas. He also added 2 assists and 1 steal. The key is to remember he is still young and under development.
Suns
Marquese Chriss — The Sacramento area native made it hard to watch him because it is obvious that he is developing into the player his was projected to be when he was drafted by and then traded by the Kings. With a bulked up body, he scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in 33 minutes on the floor. Chriss was 5-for-17 shooting but he made his way to the free throw line 13 times where converted 9 shots. He just bulls his way to the basket. When you watch him, keep saying Labissiere, Richardson, Papagiannis, Bogdanovic over and over again because that is who the Kings received in that trade.
Josh Jackson — The number 4-overall draft pick had a very nice first game for the Suns as he scored 18 points. The forward from Kansas shot 6-for-17 (0-2 3PT) grabbed 8 rebounds and had 2 assists in 34 minutes of playing time. He even showed that he can make the midrange jumper that the experts say he needs to add to his game.
Up next
The Kings will be back in action on Sunday night when they will play the Memphis Grizzlies. Game time is 7:00 p.m. PDT and can be seen on NBA TV. Memphis is 1-0 after beating the Wizards in their first game.
Zach Randolph and Vince Carter are teammates again in Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings knew their young roster needed some veteran experience to help guide them through the upcoming NBA season and to give them a chance to be competitive in the west. First, it was the signings of point guard George Hill and power forward Zach Randolph that brought maturity to the team.
Now according to ESPN reports, veteran small forward/shooting guard Vince Carter’s agents are announcing their client has signed a one-year contract with the Kings worth a reported $8-million. The 40-year old Carter will be entering his 20th season in the NBA in 2017-18.
Carter entered “the association” in 1998 when was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) out of the University of North Carolina by the Golden State Warriors. He then was traded plus cash to the Toronto Raptors in a Draft Night trade that saw the Warriors receive the number four overall pick Antwan Jamison in return.
This is another part of getting the band back together for Joerger
Every coach desires to have the key people from his previous team join him in a new situation, but that is not always feasible. When Dave Joerger found out he would not be returning to the Memphis Grizzlies as head coach, he barely had time to go find a new job and bring assistant coaches with him to Sacramento let alone try to transfer player personnel.
Dave Joerger now has two key veterans from his days in Memphis on his roster in Sacramento with the addition of Carter. Carter joins Zach Randolph who is expected to his special “Z-BO” brand of toughness to the front line of the young Kings team.
Joerger knows how to develop young talent. He earned his way to an NBA head coaching job by spending years coaching young players in the CBA, D-League and then as an assistant in “the association”. Joerger really likes to have inexperienced players learn by observation as well as by instruction. He has some strong talent for them to watch in Carter, Randolph and Hill.
Carter was a key figure for Memphis in ’16-’17
Carter played in 73 games last season – his most appearances since 2013. He averaged 8.0-points per game to go with 3.1-rebounds per game in 24.6-minutes per game. The Grizzlies used him at small forward the majority of the time.
Carter shot 39.4-percent overall in 2016-17. He shot 41.8-percent from 2-point range and 37.8-percent from beyond the 3-point line. His eFG% was 50.8-percent. Carter added an average of 1.2-assists, 0.8-steals and 0.5-blocks per game. He turned the ball over less than once per game (0.7).
Carter is a “long distance” shooter. Of his 490 field goal attempts last season, 303 of them came from a distance of at least 20-feet away from the basket. 175 of those attempts came from 25-29 feet away from the bucket. Carter will help the Kings spread the floor.
They are going to miss “Z-BO” in Memphis
No other Memphis player will ever wear No. 50
The Memphis Grizzlies have announced they are planning to retire the number 50 jersey worn by Zach Randolph who has just become a member of the Sacramento Kings as a free agent. Randolph was in Memphis for eight seasons.
In a tweet, Grizzlies majority owner Robert Para said that number 50 “will never be worn by another member of the Memphis Grizzlies.” He also thanked Randolph for helping turn a lottery team into a playoff contender and helping to make the team a model of community service.
Randolph will be the first Memphis player to have his number retired in team history.
Kings add to the coaching staff
Phil Ricci is now an assistant coach for the Kings
Phil Ricci has been hired to be an assistant player development coach for the Sacramento Kings working on head coach Dave Joerger’s staff.
Ricci has a resume that includes almost twenty years of coaching and playing time at the professional and collegiate levels. He played in the NBA Development League (now the G-League) and overseas.
This is a homecoming for Ricci who attended high school in Galt and played basketball at Delta Community College (Stockton) prior to going to Oregon State.
The Sacramento Kings appeared to be in neutral on the free agent market while waiting to see if the Washington Wizards would match their offer sheet for Otto Porter Jr. In reality, they were working on deals in a stealth mode that caught most observers by total surprise.
Kings get experience at point guard
Sacramento is very happy with the talent they drafted at point guard in De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III. The only problem is that neither player has one minute of playing time in the NBA. That is not an acceptable situation.
The Kings point guards from last season were both free agents. Darren Collison just signed a two-year deal with the Indiana Pacers. There were reports that Sacramento was in discussions with Ty Lawson about returning to the team, but he certainly would be looking for a guaranteed contract with multiple years or options. Lawson played last season on a one-year non-guaranteed contract.
Enter George Hill. Hill had been rumored to be heading to Los Angeles to play with the Lakers and to be a mentor to Lonzo Ball. Reports are circling the Lakers were only willing to offer a one-year deal. Not the kind of security a 31-year old, nine-year NBA veteran in a salary market gone mad is looking for this year.
It has been reported the Jazz tried to sign Hill to an extension during the season valued at $88-million but he and his representatives thought he would do better on the open market in the offseason. The free agent market did not fall Hill’s direction.
According to the Vertical who broke the story, the deal is for three years and worth $57-million. David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting the third year is only partially guaranteed.
Hill will almost certainly be the starter in Sacramento. Head coach Dave Joerger makes no bones about not being thrilled about throwing rookies into starting roles. Last season, first-year players sat at the end of the bench and then were summoned into the game for limited minutes. Depending on their performance, more or less playing time was awarded to the young players.
Hill will be expected to mentor the young point guards. He can also play along side them as an off-guard. Joerger also liked using an offense that incorporated two point guards on the floor in a “small ball” lineup.
Hill averaged 16.9 points per game in 49 games last season. His overall shooting percentage was 47.7. He shot 40.3-percent from 3-point range. Hill averaged 4.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1.7 turnovers per game.
The injury that caused Hill to miss so many games last season was a sprained big toe. He said it was a freak injury and it proved to be a nagging injury that did not heal well under the pressure of playing. The toe did not require any surgery in the offseason.
He’s big — he’s bad — he’s Z-Bo and now he is a King
The other player the Kings reportedly signed on Tuesday brings a dimension of toughness to the team that they lost when DeMarcus Cousins was traded away. The difference is that Zach Randolph knows how to keep things under control while banging under the basket.
“Z-Bo” as he is known has reportedly signed a two-year, $24-million contract with Sacramento. The signing was first reported by the “the Woj” of ESPN. Randolph’s signing also reunites him with his old coach Dave Joerger who was the head man in Memphis for three seasons.
Last season in Memphis, Randolph worked as a sixth man for the Grizzlies. He averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 29.5 minutes playing time per game. Will Randolph be a sixth man in Sac? Dave Joerger likes to vary starting lineups based on matchups and on who is hot at the moment. The one thing you can count on is the Randolph was not signed to come sit on the Kings bench.
Randolph — who will turn 36 later this month — has been in “the association” since 2001. He has made stops in Portland, New York, Los Angeles (Clippers) and Memphis. Randolph played his college basketball at Michigan State for Tom Izzo and helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA Final Four in 2001.
The Sacramento Kings have an estimated $59-million of available money under the $99-million salary cap limit for the 2017-18 season to sign free agents to play for the team. Part of that money — approximately $9-million — will go to Serbian shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic who the team signed to a three-year contract last week.
Kings new shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic
The Kings obtained the rights to Bogdanovic last year in a draft-day trade that sent Marquese Chriss to Phoenix and ultimately netted the Kings Georgios Papagiannis, Skal Labissiere and the signing rights to Bogdonovic.
Bogdanovic refused to sign with the Phoenix after being drafted by the Suns in 2014. By waiting until 2017, Bogdanovic was able to bypass the NBA Rookie System and enter the league in the Free Agent salary pool. He rolled the dice, played well in Europe for Fenerbahce of Turkey who won the EuroLeague Championship in 2017. Now he is a member of the Sacramento Kings making big dollars.
Signing the 6-foot-6 shooting guard fills a major need for the Kings but does not complete the many needs the Kings have for experienced players at key positions. Sacramento is a very young team at point guard, small forward and power forward. They need some veterans to play vital minutes until very young players can be developed to take over those positions which could take one to three seasons.
The Free Agent Market Opened on July 1
Otto Porter Jr. of the Washington Wizards
The Kings have been active in trying to interest free agents to come to Sacramento. The Kings were rumored have been fringe players in the Andre Iguodala sweepstakes. Not that it was a realistic pursuit, but it does prove the team has their sights set high.
Currently, they Kings are rumored to have made an offer to Restricted Free Agent Otto Porter, Jr. Reports have the Kings meeting with Porter on Sunday and offering him a maximum contract of $106-million over 4-years to take over the small forward role for the club. The Kings lost their veteran small forward when Rudy Gay decided to opt out of the final year of his contract to become a free agent.
Porter had his best best year as a pro in 2016-17 for the Washington Wizards. He averaged 13.7 points per game in 32-minutes of playing time. Porter shot 51.6-percent overall from the floor (43.4-percent from 3-point range). He averaged 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
As a restricted free agent, the Wizards have the right to match any offer that Porter receives from another team. Washington has indicated they intend to match any such offers; however, matching a “max offer of $106-million over four years would put the Wizards over the salary cap and force them to pay luxury tax. Most observers feel the team really does not want to pay that tax and will let Porter walk.
If the Wizards are inclined to let Porter go because of the money, that does not mean he automatically winds up in Sacramento. He is reportedly meeting with the Nets on Monday and will be meeting with a third unnamed team this week.
Porter is just 24-years old so he fits the Kings youth movement perfectly. He also has four years of experience that would be very welcome on team that is so young and full of rookies.
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) June 25, 2017
Justin Jackson has won a National Championship with North Carolina
Apologies to Justin for the bad lighting but I wanted fans to hear his comments
Justin Jackson has a ring winning a Nat. Championship with Tar Heels. Brings winning attitude to #SacKings. Fills need for SF for #Kings. pic.twitter.com/iDp4xzO65Z
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) June 25, 2017
Harry Giles tells the media and fans he is healthy and ready to play
The 2017 NBA Draft is history and now it is time to evaluate how well each team did in the draft. The Kings turned three picks into four selections by trading the 10th pick to Portland in exchange for the number 15 and 20 selections. Was that a good move by the Kings?
NBA Draft expert Ben Stram of FANRAG Sports breaks down the Kings selections and gives the team an overall grade for their choices.
Did he like the selection of De’Aaron Fox at number five?
Point guard De’Aaron Fox is now a Sacramento King
What did Ben think of trading away Zach Collins for the 15th and 20th picks?
Is Harry Giles worth the risk of dealing with his injury riddled past?
Will Justin Jackson be an impact player?
Justin Jackson the Kings #15 overall draft pick
How will Frank Mason III fit into the Kings youth movement?
Kings second round selection Frank Mason
We also asked Ben who lives in the Chicago area about the impact of the Jimmy Butler trade to the T-Wolves?
Ben also gives a grade to the 2017 NBA Draft as a whole.
If you are a Kings fan, this will be 18-minutes and 30-seconds well spent. Enjoy.
Sports Radio Service 