Category: Sacramento Kings

Sacramento Kings Friday game wrap: Kings make valiant effort but can’t hang on in 98-94 loss to Lakers

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Tyler Ennis, right, tries to take the ball from Sacramento Kings forward Anthony Tolliver during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, April 7, 2017, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 98-94. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

By Jessica Kwong

LOS ANGELES – The Sacramento Kings allowed the Los Angeles Lakers, two spots behind them in rankings and second to last in the western conference, to come up from behind and win Friday night’s game at Staples Center.

After Darren Collison’s triple with 14 seconds remaining, the Kings finished the quarter up 31-18, but that dwindled, and the close game got out of reach for Sacramento in the last minute.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger said what the team talked about postgame was “the consolation prize.”

“That we put ourselves in another game-ending situation, some things that you can learn,” Joerger said.

The Kings quickly blew a 13-point lead from the first quarter. A minute-and-a-half into the second quarter, Jordan Clarkson made a three-pointer to cut the lead to 31-25, forcing the Kings to call a timeout. The Lakers tied the game at 37 points when Julius Randle made two free throws with just under four minutes to go in the quarter.

Los Angeles lead by as many as four points before Collison passed the ball to Skal Labissiere who made a cutting dunk to put the Kings back up 45-44.

The third quarter was head-to-head, with neither team leading by more than five points and four lead changes. Sacramento managed to take the lead after George Papagiannis made an eight-foot turnaround hook shot. Then Collison made a running layup to put the Kings up 70-67, but Brandon Ingram made two free throws to put the Lakers within one point at the end of the quarter.

Sacramento again led by as many as five points in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers tied the game four times and sealed the win in the final minute.

D’Angelo Russell made a driving finger roll lay-up with 41 seconds remaining to give the Lakers up 93-92. Buddy Hield made a bad pass and Corey Brewer stole the ball, the Kings’ 23rd turnover. Langston Galloway fouled Brewer, who made both at the free throw line.

“Guys are trying to make plays. Most of them are not forced turnovers with us. Some of them are just losing the ball or a loose ball rolling off the foot or unforced turnovers,” Hield said. “We have to fix that and I think we’ll be fine.”

Hield made a driving lay-up with a second left in the game to 96-94, but fouled Russell, who made both at the line and give the Lakers a win by four points.

“They threw us around in the paint and got 16 offensive rebounds,” Joerger said. “Is it good for us to learn some of that stuff? Yes, because hopefully down the line that play that we have to draw up at the end is for us to get into the playoffs or the difference between getting fifth seed and seventh seed.”

The regular season for the past few weeks for the Kings has been about giving young players more time on the court and getting ready for a better season next year.

“That’s all this time is right now is gaining experience. Trying to compare through things like that. That’s big for our young guys and us making a step forward to making the playoffs for next year,” Cauley-Stein said. “You have to be able to execute those plays down the stretch. That’s part of learning it.”

The Kings return to the Golden 1 Center on Sunday to face the Houston Rockets. Tipoff is at 3 p.m.

 

Sports Headlines Podcast with Tony Renteria: Will Raiders cough up $800k for back pay on parking lot fees? Will Lynch have skittles in Oakland? Cotton rocked Wednesday waits for next outing

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Tony Avelar, Associated Press photo: Oakland Coliseum parking lot site of the city of Oakland who says Raiders owe for revenue since 2013

On the Sports Headlines podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The City of Oakland says the Oakland Raiders owe revenue for parking fees that was withheld and the city of Oakland wants it’s money. The city says the Raiders owe around $800,000 and the Raiders say they aren’t paying. The city says the Raiders owe $25,000 per game since 2013 and that if the Raiders don’t pay the city will kick the team out before it’s lease expires in 2019. The city will allow the team to play at the Oakland Coliseum until the end of the 2017 but if the missing parking revenue is not met the city will ask the Raiders to leave leaving the 2018 and 2019 up in the air as the team prepares to play in Las Vegas by 2020.

#2 Will Marshawn Lynch come out of retirement to join the Oakland Raiders? Lynch is still Seattle Seahawks property and has not played since 2015 but talk has been he would consider coming back and joining the Raiders. Lynch went to school in the East Bay at Cal Berkeley and might like to play a season or two before calling it a career. Keep those skittles on the backburner Lynch might return just yet.

#3 The Oakland A’s starter Jahrel Cotton had a rocky start on Wednesday night against the LA Angels in a 5-0 loss. He struggled surrendering five runs and eight hits. Was it a matter of Cotton having butterflies in his season opening debut, was he off balance, was it just a matter of the Angels saw his pitches and connected. Tony fills us in.

#4 The Sacramento Kings finish up their season this week in Los Angeles as they face the Clippers on Wed Apr 12th. Tony takes a look back on the 2016-17 season and tells us what was his most memorable moment covering the Kings.

#5 The San Francisco Giants have struggled through the first through two of the first three games with the Arizona Diamondbacks but Tony says it’s nothing to worry about it’s an early passing phase and the Giants will be back as they complete this road trip and get ready for their home opener on Mon Apr 10th.

Tony Renteria does the Sports Headlines each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: From the first day of the Kings and Golden One Arena to this month it’s been a great experience

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Sacramento Kings guard Langston Galloway, left, shoots against Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won 98-87. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Charlie O

SACRAMENTO–Time flies it just seems like yesterday when it was the opening of the Sacramento Kings new arena and the beginning of the season and now look were just a week away from the end of the season. I was just downstairs last night at Golden One Arena and it seems like old hat and were all kind of taking it for granted the amazing facility of Golden One as a whole and the professionalism of the Kings media relations staff. Now that were able to work in that great new arena. It’s wonderful to hear the feed back of other people coming into the building about what it’s like to come to Sacramento and cover a game.

The Kings know their not going to the playoffs so you want the best position in the draft lottery you want to get as many ping pong balls that you possibly can because you want to get that number one pick. Last night you have the Dallas Mavericks as a lottery pick team. You got the Kings in the lottery pick and everybody is resting everybody. The Kings rested multiple players last night and it didn’t feel right so somehow the Kings wound up losing it to the Mavs 98-87.

Charlie O does the Sacramento Kings podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

OMG! The Kings win second consecutive game downing the Mavericks 98-87

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

SACRAMENTO–Here is your 2:20 Game Wrap from the Kings 98-87 win over the Mavericks

It is that time of year when winning can be losing and losing can be winning

If you are an NBA team that is not headed to the Playoffs, there is very little incentive for your management to encourage your team to win games. The fact is – the more games your team loses – the better your chances are in the NBA Draft Lottery and the NBA Draft.

The 2017 NBA Draft has been labeled as one of the most talent-laden drafts in a decade or more. Non-playoff teams want to have the best possible selection positions as possible for this once in decade or more event. The question becomes how do you tell your players and fans that their team needs to lose games now to make things better in the future.

“Tanking” is a word that no one in NBA HQ wants to hear or acknowledge exists. The whole concept of a professional sports team doing less than its best to win a game is repugnant to sports fans everywhere, but yet, the current draft system totally encourages teams to “tank” after they are eliminated from Playoff contention.

Commissioner Adam Silver and his staff need to come up with a plan that rewards non-playoff teams for winning rather than losing as they head into the Draft Lottery. It would be better for the fans, players and the game overall. The game cannot have a system where winning is losing.

The Kings won the game because of their 3-point shooting and rebounding

The Kings shot an incredible 54.5-percent (12-for-22) from beyond the 3-point line on Tuesday night. Ben McLemore was a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown. Buddy Hield hit 4-of-7 from long range. Langston Galloway converted 2-of-4 three point attempts.

The Mavericks attempted 43 three-point shots. They were successful just 12 times(27.9-percent).

Sacramento outrebounded Dallas 50-39. The Kings grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and 40 on defense.

The Kings outscored the Mavs in the paint 38-30.

Ben Mac was on fire

Ben McLemore scored 11 points in the final 4:02 of the third quarter. He would go on to lead the Kings in scoring with 22 points. McLemore went 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Buddy Hield – the Western Conference Rookie of the Month – finished with 16 points. Four of his five field goals were 3-point baskets.

The Kings converted 12-of-22 (54.5-percent) from 3-point land in the game.

Game snapshot

  • Biggest lead: Kings 12 Mavericks 7
  • Lead changes in game 10
  • Number of times the game was tied 9

Coach Joerger’s final analysis of the game

Up next for the Kings

The Kings will have two days to rest and regroup before they have to fly to Southern California to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

The Kings hand the T-Wolves a 123-117 loss on the road in Minnesota

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

min kat
Two former Wildcats working against each other Photo NBAE

The Sacramento Kings faced an impossible task on Saturday night in Minneapolis. They had been blown out of the arena in New Orleans on Friday night and then had to make a long flight to the Twin Cities to play the second game of a back-to-back set on the road on Saturday versus the Timeberwolves.

Dealing with losses is something a young team has to do but wait … the Kings did not lose in Minnesota. They beat the Timberwolves 123-117 to up their record to 30-47 on the season which puts them just one game behind the 12th place T-Wolves in the Western Conference standings.

The loss puts Minnesota just one game behind the Kings for the seventh best odds in the NBA Lottery. I hate this time of year where winning can be bad and losing can be good for your team. Somehow that system needs to be tweaked – hello Adam Silver!

This was a game of extremes

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Hield drives on the basket Photo NBAE

The T-Wolves led by 13 after the first 12-minutes. They increased that lead to 16 at one point. The Kings recovered from the big leads and held a 15 point lead of their own at one point.

There were 13 lead changes in this game and it was tied nine times. Both teams fought hard in this contest. The key for Sacramento was outscoring Minnesota 37-28 in the second quarter and 36-26 in the third quarter.

The Kings out-shot the Timberwolves

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Hield scored 22 for the Kings Photo NBAE

Sacramento finished with some very strong shooting stats. They shot 56.4-percent (44-for-78) from the floor overall. They were an incredible 11-for-19 (57.9-percent) from downtown.

Minnesota shot 39-for-87 (44.8-percent) from the field and just 36-percent (9-of-25) from behind the 3-point arc. The two teams tied with 48 points each in the paint.

The big difference was the bench scoring

The Kings bench outscored the Minnesota bench 66-26. It is very tough to stop a team who has a second unit that is that on fire.

Ty Lawson led the Kings bench scoring with 21 points. He was 5-for-8 from the floor and an incredible 11-for-14 from the charity stripe. Langston Galloway put up 17 points and hit 3-of-4 3-point shots. Arron Afflalo scored 16 points for the second unit converting 4-of-5 3-point tries.

Buckets and WCS lead the starters

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WCS ready to shoot Photo NBAE

Rookie Buddy Hield tied his season-high points total with 22 against Minnesota. He went 9-for-15 from the floor and hit 4-of-6 from downtown. Hield played just over 34-minutes in the game.

Willie Cauley-Stein posted another double-double scoring 15 points and posting 10 rebounds. He shot 5-for-9 from the floor and hit 5-of-7 free throws. WCS also had three assists and two steals.

Minnesota’s big two did their best to beat the Kings

Andrew Wiggins scored a game-high 32 points. He hit 13-of-20 shots from the floor and sank 4-of-7 3-point attempts. Interestingly, Wiggins converted just 2-of-6 free throws. He also had three assists and one blocked shot.

Karl-Anthony Towns sank 8-of-17 shots from the field for 26 points. He was just 1-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc. He excelled from the charity stripe by sinking 9-of-10 from the line. Towns posted a double-double game by hauling in 11 rebounds.

The Kings return to the friendly confines of G1C

Sacramento – who has won two of their last three games – will return to action on Tuesday night when they will host the Dallas Mavericks.

Boogie gets his revenge against the Kings leading the Pelicans to a 117-89 victory

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento Kings v New Orleans Pelicans
DeMarcus Cousins dominates versus the Kings Photo: NBAE

Former Kings All-Star center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins did not want to leave Sacramento. In fact not long before the big trade, Cousins said he was looking forward to having his jersey being retired and hanging in the rafters at the Golden 1 Center.

Since being traded to New Orleans, Cousins has been quoted making statements about loyalty – or lack there of – in some not so veiled jabs at his former team. So, everyone who follows the NBA was ready to see the man they call Boogie go off against his former team when they met in NOLA on Friday night. The big man did not disappoint.

Cousins put up 37 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as he led the Pelicans to a 117-89 thrashing of his old team. He also had four assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Cousins teammates made sure their new superstar was able to be in a position to publically embarrass his former team – especially the ownership and front office.

In a post-game interview with the Kings Radio Network, Jordan Crawford of the Pelicans said that he and his teammates were doing everything they could do to help Cousins win the game and dominate his old team. They were successful in their efforts.

Before all Kings fans start tearing their clothes and sitting in ash-heaps in mourning, they need to realize that Cousins presence in New Orleans has not been the difference maker that many people thought it would be when the trade went down.

The “Pels” (33-43) have been on a bit of a roll as they have won eight of their last 11 games and have pulled within 4.5 games of the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers for the final playoff slot in the Western Conference. With just six games remaining, New Orleans would need a miracle to make the playoffs and turn the first-round draft selection they sent to the Kings into a non-Lottery pick.

Yes, Boogie had a big night. But, it was a short-term success because in the long-run the “revenge win” will mean nothing in big picture of the NBA. That is one of the reasons Cousins in no longer with the Kings. There were too many short-term victories and not enough long-term successes.

How did the former Pelicans do against their former team?

nolahield
Buddy Hield working against the his former team the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Buddy “Buckets” Hield scored 13 points shooting 6-for-9 from the floor. He was 1-for-4 from beyond the 3-point line. Hield hauled in eight rebounds, dished out three assists and had one blocked shot.

Tyreke Evans made the start for his old team against his old team – that gets confusing really fast. Evans recorded 11 points going 3-for-9 from the floor including two 3-point baskets. Evans played just 19-minutes in the game.

Langston Galloway played almost 21-minutes but really struggled on offense. He shot just 1-for-7 from the field. His one score was a 3-point bucket.

How did the other young Kings do in the game?

Skal Labissiere played just over 36-minutes on Friday night and scored 13 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds. The rookie did not have his best shooting night going 5-for-16 from the floor. Labissiere did not attempt a 3-point shot which is an oddity for him. He converted 3-of-6 from the free throw line.

nola wcs
Willie Cauley-Stein had a double-double game vs the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Second-year man Willie Cauley-Stein recorded 11 points in 34-minutes of playing time. “WCS” made it a double-double game by posting 14 rebounds. Cauley-Stein is taking advantage his opportunities to start and play big minutes.

Ben Mac leads the Kings in scoring

nola mac
Ben McLemore led the Kings in scoring versus the Pelicans Photo: NBAE

Ben McLemore led the scoring attack for Sacramento recording 15 points against the Pelicans. He shot 6-for-16 from floor, added eight rebounds and distributed four assists in his 25-minutes of playing time. McLemore is an improving player under the guidance of Dave Joerger and his staff.

Up next for the Kings

After the game, the Kings headed for the airport and took off for a long flight from the “Crescent City” to the “Twin Cities” to face the Timberwolves. This is the type of brutal back-to-back scheduling that NBA has to eliminate if coaches are to be persuaded to stop sitting stars for rest.

Kings go to school for the season’s final games, Jazz conduct the first lesson, Kings bow to Jazz 112-82

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AP17089204660958

By Morris Phillips

SACRAMENTO–Skal Labissiere, an NBA rookie, raw and unrefined as any, but improving, shows his growth and limitations in spurts, sometimes alternating from one trip to the offensive end of the floor to the next.

Both promising and maddening, his trials mirror the growth of the young Sacramento Kings, now in full rebuild minus DeMarcus Cousins, along with Coach Dave Joerger’s declaration that his remaining veterans will take a back seat to the youngsters in the season’s final eight games.

In the third quarter Wednesday night, with the Kings concluding their 17-minute, mid-game push for respectability after falling behind by 20 to Utah in the first quarter, Labissiere was on display for three straight offensive trips.

First, Labissiere drove from the top of the key and seamlessly dropped his jump hook in the lane, and after Boris Diaw’s answer three, the Kings’ rookie spun baseline and missed a jump hook, a lower percentage play than him turning or driving middle, then the third time Labissiere drove again, deftly shuttling the ball to Willie Cauley-Stein, who was fouled at the rim.

Some good, some bad.  The Kings started Labissiere’s display down seven.  It finished, the Kings were down eight.

“Every game, like I said before, is a learning experience,” he said.

Coach Dave Joerger says he wants to see his team’s basketball I.Q. soar.  But it’s a process, practice, film and games all factor in, and time, if not patience, is short. Sensing blood, Utah pounced, shooting 63 percent after halftime.

“Their size at the wing and their experience–they just moved us around places,” Joerger said. “Like I said, it was a good learning experience for our younger guys.  In the middle of five games in seven nights, you just try to pick yourself up and on to the next one.”

Joerger knows, having coached playoff-caliber Memphis, this isn’t what it supposed to look like.  With Cauley-Stein and Labissiere on the floor extensively, one or both have to get to shooters out to the three-point line, and the Jazz exploited the inexperience with five threes in the first quarter, and 13 for the game.  The nuanced nature of NBA pick and rolls put the Kentucky pair and mountain man Georgios Papagiannis, who played 20 minutes, in tough spots away from the rim which led to baskets in a pair of big runs that ballooned the Utah lead.

Papagiannis had a pair of smooth jump hooks.  The Greek center also left his feet defensively on the baseline away from the basket, and instantly turned Jeff Withey into a swooping dunk artist on par with Tom Chambers.

Ben McLemore came up with 17 points in the Kings’ resurgent second quarter, the highest scoring quarter of his pro career. But with the Kings trying to cut the deficit to single digits that same period, McLemore was stripped by Rodney Hood igniting a Jazz fastbreak.

The Kings made just two threes, intensifying the disparity between the clubs from distance.  The two makes was a season low; Buddy Hield missed all three of his attempts from three, McLemore was 1 of 4.

The Kings knew rebounding would be key against the physical Jazz, but perhaps not this aspect: the Kings managed just two offensive rebounds and often weren’t in position for second chance opportunities when shots were released.

Those finer points come with time and repetition, building blocks that don’t currently favor rebuilding Sacramento.

“By and large we just dribbled the bajeebers out of the basketball for most of the game so it’s hard to find guys who are open when we’re just constantly dribbling it,” Joerger admitted.

The Kings followed consecutive one-point wins over the Grizzlies and Clippers with the 112-82 loss to Utah.  The Kings never led, but after trailing 34-14 after one quarter, sliced Utah’s lead to two, twice in the third.  The Jazz responded by scoring 27 of the next 38 points.

Utah remained a game-and-a-half ahead of the Clippers in the race for the fourth spot in the Western Conference and home court in the first round of the playoffs.

 

 

 

The Sacramento Kings need an executive like Chris Granger for Basketball Operations

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

This article first appeared on this site just after the NBA All-Star Game in February. In light of recent events, it seemed appropriate to post it again.

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday was overshadowed by the news that the Sacramento Kings had traded their All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans for three guards and two draft picks in the 2017 draft. The trade stunned Kings fans who had placed all of their hopes for success on Cousins for the past seven  years.

In a news conference on Monday, vice president of basketball operations and general manager Vlade Divac revealed that Kings missed out on a better trade for Cousins two days earlier after it was pulled off the table. A franchise that has been viewed as unstable and without direction looked even more so after that revelation.

messy office 2

In the 2016 off-season, free agents and top draft prospects refused to come to Sacramento for workouts. The events of the past 48 hours have done nothing to improve that situation for the upcoming free agent period and 2017 NBA Draft which has been labeled as being “star-studded”.

The Kings are in desperate need of an basketball operations executive who can set a direction, develop realistic goals and establish stability for the team. They need a person who can create a can do atmosphere and attract top talent. You are probably thinking the Kings could never recruit that kind of top executive talent. That is where you would be wrong.

Granger
Chris Granger Photo: Capradio.org

Let me introduce you to Chris Granger – President of the Sacramento Kings and Sacramento Basketball Holdings, LLC and here is what he has accomplished in that position:

  • The value the franchise has risen to $1.025-billion from the original purchase price of $534-million in 2013
  • The Golden 1 Center was built in downtown Sacramento in joint public – private partnership that saved the Kings franchise from moving to Seattle
  • The Golden 1 Center has been tagged as “the Tesla of arenas”
  • Granger and the Kings are the driving force behind a $500-million mixed-use downtown development that includes a team owned 16 story hotel that is center-piece of a city revitalization project
  • Under Granger’s watch – a downtown that became a “ghost town” after sunset is now alive and thriving because of the thousands of people coming to the city center for sports and entertainment events on evenings and weekends  at the Golden 1 Center

Fast Company just named the Sacramento Kings the Number One of the “Most Innovative Companies” in the Sports Sector for creating a what they call the “Modern Day Fan Experience”.

Granger came to the Kings with a wealth of experience in the NBA having worked in the league offices from 1999-2013. In his last assignment, he was the executive vice president of Team Marketing  and Business Operations advising NBA, WNBA and NBA D-League teams on ticket and sponsorship sales, marketing, communications, digital media and community relations. The Sacramento franchise has excelled in all of these areas because of his experience.

If Vivek Ranadive had hired a basketball operations leader with same level of experience that Granger possesses on the business side, the Sacramento Kings would not find themselves in the disarray that they are in currently.

reset

The Kings have hit the “reset button”. They cannot afford to blow this reset. The fan base in Sacramento has been waiting for 10 long years for a return to the playoffs. They have endured multiple threats to have the team ripped away and moved to another city. Fans stepped up and purchased every available season ticket package in support of the team moving into the new arena.

Now, the Kings one legitimate All-Star has been traded away for three guards and two draft picks. The not so hidden message to the fans is “you’ll have to be patient while we figure this out.” The fans will not be patient for long because they are very, very tired from years of chaos from what is supposed to be entertainment and escape from the cares of daily life.

If Ranadive can recruit and hire a high-powered executive like Chris Granger to run the business operations and “make it rain” money for organization, he is capable finding an experienced basketball operations executive with a successful track record who can come in and turn the Kings around.

hinkie
Sam Hinkie

Bringing in a President of Basketball Operations does not mean that Vlade Divac and his staff need to pushed out the door. Having Divac and Peja Stojakovic in the front office is a great link to the history of the franchise and to the fans. They also have great ties to Europe which is becoming an increasingly more important player development and recruiting region for the NBA.

Ranadive needs to do one more thing. He needs to follow the “Rooney Rule” even though the NBA does not have a mandate to follow that protocol.  Marc J. Spears wrote in June 2016 on his theundefeated.com about the distressing lack of black leadership in the NBA. Mr. Ranadive has the opportunity to address two critical issues simultaneously.

The key is Ranadive must act now. The Kings cannot afford to make a miscalculation in this year’s draft. A major mistake could have years of negative impact. The team must also create an atmosphere where at least quality second unit free agents are willing to come play in Sacramento.

Ranadive did not become a baron in the high tech world by letting things just happen. He has a man of experience and action on the business side. Now, he must hire someone with the same level of expertise on the basketball operations side or face years of anguish and frustration.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings seek permission to speak with 76ers GM; team seeking operations manager

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nbcphiladelphia.com still: Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie speaks to the media as talks about his possible being the Sacramento Kings Basketball Operations Manager has been the latest news

by Charlie O

SACRAMENTO–There been a lot talk regarding a new basketball of operations man that could take over and be over team president Vlade Divac. This was a story that was broke by Mark Stein of ESPN. You hear a rumor coming down from his level him and CBS Sports Jack Maloney you sit up and take notice. All of a sudden you hear those two guys say that the Kings and owner Vivek Ranadive who is the managing governor for the Kings that they are seeking permission to talk to Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie.

The Kings who acquired all of the 76ers draft picks you then sit up and take notice and say “wow” the other thing that kind of makes that interesting is that Hinkie is living in Northern California right now and that makes it a little more intriguing as the story goes along. Just to give a little background on that as managing or majority owner Ranadive apparently does not have much of a percentage with the Ranadive group and does not have as large of a percentage as you might think.

There’s varied reports on what that percentage is but his group has the largest percentage therefore they ended up with the managing partner status, they wound up with the governorship which doesn’t have anything to do with the Lakers situation involving the Buss family. Jeanie Buss wound up as owner of the Lakers for life after some legal struggles with her brothers.

There’s a lot more on the Kings management scramble and Charlie O covers it’s all at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Sacramento Kings Monday game wrap: Collison’s steady hand lifts Kings 91-90

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Sacramento Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein (00) breaks away for a dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, March. 27, 2017. The Kings won 91-90. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

By Jeremy Harness

SACRAMENTO – Things were going very smoothly for Darren Collison and the rest of his Kings teammates going into the fourth quarter, but the wheels started to fall off in the final minutes and allowed the bigger, more intimidating SUV that is the Memphis Grizzlies to get back in to the game and take the lead.

However, Collison did not back off and continued to attack, and after Sacramento lost the lead in the final minute, he went to the basket and forced the Grizzlies to foul him. He then knocked down two free throws with 5.7 seconds left to give the Kings a 91-90 win Monday night at the Golden 1 Center.

It was the Kings’ second win against a playoff-bound team in as many days, a night after knocking off the Los Angeles Clippers in another game that came down to the final possession. This can be seen as a young team passing a major test in its development into the playoff team that it aspires to be.

Collison, who has arguably been the Kings’ steadiest player in the past month, got the better of his head-to-head matchup with his point-guard counterpart in Mike Conley – who just happens to be the NBA’s highest-paid player – scoring 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with seven assists and four rebounds, while Conley had 22 but went 8-for-23 from the field to do it.

To do so, Collison continually came off of high screens and pulled up for midrange jumpers – which he seemed to have down for three quarters – or making quick darts to the basket for nifty layups, the exact moves that he was seen rehearsing in the hour leading up to Monday’s game.

In fact, he only missed one of his nine shots for that timeframe, and the Kings were in control of the game.

In the fourth quarter, however, things swung heavily in the other direction. The shots that poured in during the first three quarters began to bounce off the rim in the fourth, allowing the more physical, playoff-tested Grizzlies to use their style to get right back into the game.

Even Collison couldn’t find the basket in the final minutes. Leading by one with less than a minute left, for instance, the Kings had the ball and ran a high screen for Collison, but he missed the elbow jumper that had served him well for three quarters.

Sacramento secured the offensive rebound, but Anthony Tolliver then missed an open 3-pointer. Memphis then grabbed the rebound and forced a foul on the other end, and when Zach Randolph sank a pair of free throws as part of his 17 points and 15 rebounds, the Kings had lost the lead for the first time in the quarter.

The Kings, however, would have the final say, thanks to Collison.

Sacramento controlled the action for much of the first quarter, as the team was jump-started by the early hot shooting by Buddy Hield, who nailed a pair of threes to put Sacramento ahead. Hield finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting and also grabbed four rebounds.

The Kings also edged the Grizzlies from the free-throw line, drawing six fouls on Memphis in the first quarter and making all but one of their nine free throws.

They found themselves leading 51-49 at the half, and after Memphis took the lead early in the third quarter, Collison seized control of the game and keyed a surge that saw the Kings leading by as many as nine. He scored seven points and hit all three of his shots in the quarter, and when he wasn’t putting it in the basket himself, he was finding teammates such as Garrett Temple and Willie Cauley-Stein for wide-open threes and alley-oops.