Category: Sacramento Kings

Bobcats dethrone Kings, 95-87

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By George Devine, Sr.

A visit to Charlotte proved devastating to the Kings, who lost to the Bobcats, 95-87. The home team led in all quarters excepting the second, when each team scored 21. The game ended a three-game losing streak for Charlotte.

For the Bobcats, Kemba Walker led the scoring with 24 points and Gerald Henderson had 20. Ramon Sessions had 16 and Al Jefferson 10. Sessions was 10 for 17 from the three-point line. For Walker this was the tenth game with ten or more points; he also had 5 assists.

New acquisition Rudy Gay had only 4 points for the Kings, playing only 24 minutes. DeMarcus Cousins had 30 points and 17 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas had 21 points.

Kings Fall In PHX 116-107

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo credit: Barry Gossage

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Three sets of numbers summarize the Kings versus the Suns game on Friday night – 49.4%, 50.0% and 57. The Suns shot 49.4% from the field and posted 50.0% from 3-point land. Phoenix guards Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe combined for 57 points.

The Phoenix Suns defeated the Sacramento Kings 116-107.

Why did the Kings lose the game? Head Coach Michael Malone says it was a lack of defense. In his post-game interview, Malone said, “I am embarrassed by our lack of defense right now.”

The Kings gave up 122 points to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night and gave up 116 to Phoenix. In the NBA, a team is not going to win many games giving up that many points.

Before the beginning of the season, Malone had set a goal of not allowing the opposition more than 20 points in a quarter. The Suns scored 28, 30, 27 and 31 by quarter against the Kings.

In spite of all the negative numbers, the Kings had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. The Kings trailed the Suns by just three points (87-84) at the 11:09 mark, but the play of Bledsoe and four fourth quarter dunks by Miles Plumlee kept Sacramento from making a comeback.

The Suns were led by Dragic with 29 points, Bledsoe’s 28 and Plumlee added 12 of his own. Dragic was four of five from beyond the 3-point line.

The lack of a true defensive effort overshadowed the debut of Rudy Gay in a Kings uniform. Gay scored 24 points in 36 minutes of playing time. He was eight for 12 from the floor (66.6%), eight for nine from the free throw line, had one assist, one steal, two blocks and one rebound. After the game Malone said he was happy with Gay’s debut except the one rebound. There will be rebounding drills tomorrow for the newest King.

Aaron Gray also made his Kings debut against the Suns. Gray scored seven points and pulled down nine rebounds in his 13 minutes on the floor. He also showed his ability to set some serious screens on offense.

Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with 29 points. DeMarcus Cousins put up 15 and Derrick Williams added 14 points.

The Kings will have to regroup quickly as they host the Houston Rockets on Sunday in Sacramento. A strong defensive effort will be needed if the Kings are to defeat Dwight Howard, James Harden and company.

Kings scorched by hot Jazz, 122-101

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By George Devine, Sr.

The Utah Jazz came to Sacramento following a loss, and the Kings had just beaten the Dallas Mavericks, but the positions of winner and loser were reversed with a 122-101 win for the visitors.

The Jazz led in the first three quarters, and the Kings by only one for the fourth. But that slim margin was too little and too late, for by the time that final frame began the Jazz led by 24.

DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Sacramento and Isaiah Thomas hit 20, but it would not be enough.

Richard Jefferson of the Jazz had 20 points. Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward had 17 each and Alec Burks had 15. Favors also contributed 7 boards. It was a record night for Utah in points scored and in assists with 35.

In the third quarter Kings’ coach Mike Malone was hit with a technical foul. The three newest members of the team, acquired earlier this week — Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray — did not play.

Commissioner says no to A’s move but owners would approve in a vote

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

OAKLAND–Major Leauge Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig during last regular season denied the A’s move to San Jose if you read between the lines. They were asking about the San Jose financial status and if San Jose can support a big league club. It makes no sense to me because in a recent survey San Jose was declared the wealthiest city with over one million people.

Silicon Valley is in the South Bay the only reason that this is happening is because of Giants team president Larry Baer is declaring the team’s territorial rights in San Jose and this might be put to a vote and it’s almost positive that the owners would apporve the move by over a quarter of the majority but it’s the Giants who hold the cards here therefore the A’s are stuck in Oakland and they just recently extended their contract at the Coliseum for two more years.
Eventually something will happen, something will give, it might be that A’s owners Lew Wolf and Don Fisher might get tired of this situation and put the A’s up for sale. For right now the A’s have been denied moving from Oakland to San Jose although that’s not written in blood as we speak it’s not a real definite.
Kings and Warriors arena builds: If the Sacramento Kings can’t build their own arena in downtown Sacramento it would be a shame because Sacramento Mayor Ken Johnson jumped through hoops to keep the team in Sacramento and stopping the team from leaving for Seattle.
When you put a vote like this to the voters who knows you could flip a coin most people in this country are not in the mood to spend tax money on new arenas. Most people 99 percent beleive that most owners have the money to build a new arena. These are the guys who sign players for over $200 million and the average fan or citizen would say they would have the money to build it themselves.
So if the public votes on the new Kings arena and I’m not a betting guy but most people in Sacramento would vote no on spending public money on a new arena. The owners have to be ready to pay and build their own arena. Regarding the Warriors we don’t know the history of San Francisco. All you have to do is look at the Giants and see how many times they tried to build a new stadium with some public money.
The voters turned them down several times until they got approved for Pacific Bell Park, the Warriors want to move to the City at piers 30-32 but right now former San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos is working very hard to prevent the Warriors from moving to the piers. In an election to decide to move the Warriors at the piers won’t be easy it won’t be a matter of “were going to put the Warriors at the piers and that’s all”.
Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber they have great attorneys but they don’t understand the political environmental layout of San Francisco. Even if both Lacob and Gruber could pay for the entire project the voters would vote no because they like the views at the piers just fine.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s baseball and does News and Commentary each week for Sportstalk Radio

Kings tame Mavericks, 112-97

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

By George Devine, Sr.

The Sacramento Kings hosted the Dallas Mavericks with some trepidation, given the fact that the visitors have dominated them in many a recent game. But this time was different: Sacramento sailed to a 112-97 win, largely due to big leads in the first and third quarters.

The key performer for the Kings was a returned DeMarcus Cousins who scored 32 points, accounted for 19 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Isaiah Thomas added 24 points of his own. The team as a whole had an impressive 51 boards, with 40 points in the paint and 12 off the bench

Dallas’ high scorer was former Golden State Warrior Monta Ellis, who scored 21 points, had 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. His team altogether had 39 rebounds, and that difference from Sacramento’s 51 tells the tale of the game. Like the Kings, the Mavericks scored 40 in the paint; they had 12 coming off the bench.

To the excitement of local fans, the Kings ‘today acquired forwards Rudy Gay and Quincy Acy along with center Aaron Gray from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard Greivis Vasquez and forwards John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. “We’re excited to welcome these additions to our team,” said D’Alessandro. “In Rudy we’ve acquired one of the league’s proven scorers while Aaron and Quincy provide size and depth in our frontcourt. We also appreciate the contributions and efforts that John, Chuck, Greivis and Patrick made to the Kings organization. We all wish them the very best moving forward.”

Originally selected eighth overall by Houston in the 2006 NBA Draft, Gay has accrued averages of 18.0 points (.447 FG%, .344 3pt%, .777 FT%), 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.41 steals and 36.1 minutes per game in 530 career contests spanning eight professional campaigns with Memphis (2006-07 – 2012-13) and Toronto (2012-13 – 2013-14). Through 18 contests with the Raptors this season, he registered 19.4 points (.388 FG%, .373 3pt%, .773 FT%), 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.56 steals, 1.28 blocks and 35.5 minutes per game, leading the team in blocks and ranking second in scoring, rebounding and steals.

Gray, a 7-foot center, has posted averages of 3.5 points (.515 FG%, .562 FT%), 3.8 rebounds and 12.3 minutes per game in 285 career appearances with Chicago (2007-08 – 2009-10), New Orleans (2009-10), and Toronto (2011-12 – 2013-14). Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (49th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, he has played for three teams in a six-year NBA career (Chicago 2007-08 – 2009-10, New Orleans 2009-10, Toronto 2011-12 – 2013-14). Gray saw action in just four games this season.

In Acy, Sacramento receives the 37th overall selection in the 2012 NBA Draft, who has averaged 3.8 points (.539 FG%, .429 3pt%, .783 FT%), 2.6 rebounds and 11.2 minutes per game over 36 career games in two seasons with the Raptors. This season, he has seen action in seven contests as a reserve, posting 2.7 points (.429 FG%, .400 3pt%, .625 FT%), 2.1 rebounds and 8.8 minutes per game.

An 11-year veteran who was in his second stint with the Kings, Salmons is averaging 9.8 points (.434 FG%, .365 3pt%, .801 FT%), 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 27.2 minutes per game in 814 career games with Philadelphia (2002-03 – 2005-06), Sacramento (2006-07 – 2008-09 and 2011-12 – 2013-14), Chicago (2008-09 – 2009-10), and Milwaukee (2009-10 – 2010-11). Through 18 games (started eight) this season, he has posted 5.8 points (.350 FG%, .381 3pt%, 7-7 FT), 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 24.7 minutes per contest.

Vasquez, who was acquired during the offseason in a three-team trade by Sacramento from New Orleans in exchange for guard Tyreke Evans, averaged 9.8 points (.433 FG%, .320 3pt%, .938 FT%), 1.9 rebounds, a team-high 5.3 assists and 25.8 minutes per game in starting all 18 games for the Kings this season. In his four NBA campaigns with Memphis (2010-11), New Orleans (2011-12 – 2012-13) and Sacramento, Vasquez is averaging 9.0 points (.429 FG%, .325 3pt%, .818 FT%), 2.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 24.6 minutes per game in 232 career contests. Born in Venezuela, he was drafted by the Grizzlies out of Maryland with the 28th overall selection of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Signed by the Kings as a free agent on December 23, 2011, Hayes is averaging averaging 4.0 points (.502 FG%, .612 FT%), 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 19.3 minutes per game in 568 career contests with Houston (2005-06 – 2010-11) and Sacramento (2011-12 – 2013-14). Through 16 games this season, he has registered 2.1 points (.438 FG%, .714 FT%), 2.9 rebounds and 11.2 minutes per game, including one start.

Patterson, acquired by the Kings last season in a multi-player trade with Houston, has accrued averages of 6.9 points (.410 FG%, .231 3pt%, .563 FT%), a career-high 5.8 rebounds and 24.4 minutes per game in 17 games (started six) this season. Drafted by the Rockets in the first round (14th overall) in the 2010 NBA Draft, he has amassed career averages of 8.2 points (.488 FG%, .341 3pt%, .713 FT%), 4.5 rebounds and 22.3 minutes per game in 204 contests in four seasons with Houston (2010-11 – 2012-13) and Sacramento (2012-13 – 2013-14).

It’s Official: Rudy Gay to Kings in Seven Player Deal

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

gayacygraytrade_670

Photo credit: Kings.com

By Charlie O. Mallonee

It’s official, Rudy Gay and two players have been traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Greivis Vasquez and three additional Kings’ players.

Gay, a 6-9 forward, averages 19.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 38 minutes per game this season. In 18 games this year, he has a field goal percentage of 38.8% and is 77.3% from the free throw line. Gay is 27 years old and is in his seventh year in the league.

Gray is a 7-0 center who averages 1.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Acy is a 6-7 forward who scores 2.7 points and pulls down 2.1 rebounds per contest.

The players going to Toronto are Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Hayes is the only player that has a guaranteed contract for 2014-15.

Point guard Greivis Vasquez appears to be the key player in the trade for Toronto. Vazquez has been the starting point guard for the Kings, He becomes expendable because the Kings have Isaiah Thomas who has been playing point guard coming off the bench as a sixth man. The Kings also have rookie point guard Ray McCallum who has seen very little action this season.

The Kings host the Dallas Mavericks Monday night in Sacramento. The new Kings arrived in Sacramento Monday afternoon but will not play until Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.

“We’re excited to welcome these additions to our team,” said Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. “In Rudy we’ve acquired one of the league’s proven scorers while Aaron and Quincy provide size and depth in our frontcourt. We also appreciate the contributions and efforts that John, Chuck, Greivis and Patrick made to the Kings organization. We all wish them the very best moving forward.”

Kings Arena: Bid rules to be loosened for arena contractors, non union firms to get a shot

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment

by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–Non Union contractors who protested that union only contractors get to develop the Sacramento Kings new basketball arena downtown when the contractors were originally announced will have a shot during a possilbe new bid process. ICON Venue Group was given the contract to manage the project, Turner Construction group was selected to do the pre construction work, and AECOM was chosen to do the architect work design on the arena, during the bid process AECOM and Turner were selected by the city.

According to Sacramento officials the bid process would be suspended loosening up the competetive bid procedures and it will now allow small businesses to get involved in the arena build. The Kings will be in charge of decdiding who wins in the bid process. Non-union contractors had taken up sides with anti downtown arena groups in their attempt to put a subsidy proposal on the Sacramento June 2014 ballot that would allow voters to answer the question if public subsidies should be allowed to build new entertainment or sports facilities in Sacramento.

The non union groups joined the campaign after it was learned that only union groups would be used as contract developers for the new arena. The non union groups said that the bid process was not fair and equal and that non union contractors should have an opportunity to work on the new arena as well. After it was learned they would not be included in the construction process a non union group leader took the microphone at a Kings ceromony at Westfield Mall and told the group and Kings organizers standing there that the non-union group would protest the new arena.

The Sacramento city council will be asked to vote on the bid proposal rules to allow the smaller groups and non union groups to have a shot at working on the arena. If the non-union groups are allowed to work on the new arena they will most likely drop out of the anti arena campaign to put the subsisdy question on the ballot.

However it was reported the damage might have been done and that the subsidy question could be placed on the June ballot as it’s been disclosed that STOP Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork and Voters for a Fair Arena Deal two groups who are trying to gather signatures on the petition to get the measure in the ballot are closing in on the 22,000 signatures required by mid December.

The NBA has stated that they expect the arena to be up and running by October 2016 in time for the pre season if not the NBA has the option to move the club.

Ken Gimblin is covering the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors arena builds for Sportstalk Radio

Kings Beat Jazz in Overtime

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

 

Photo credit: Melissa Majchrak

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings defeated the Utah Jazz on Saturday night in overtime 112-102. It was not only a big road win, but it was a win in a close game that Kings needed very badly.

The Kings had lost the proverbial heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Friday night. The team, the coaching staff and the fans were beginning to wonder if the team would ever be able to win a close game this season.

Saturday did not start off the way the Kings would have liked. DeMarcus Cousins picked up two personal fouls in the first minute of the game. With Cousins on the bench, the Kings had their work cut out for them to just keep the game close until their star center could return.

The Jazz led the game 50-47 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Kings began to open up the game. The Jazz had no answer for Cousins down low in the paint. Isaiah Thomas was breaking down the Utah defense driving the lane and distributing the ball at will. The Kings led 74-70 after three quarters, and it felt like the Kings could run away with the game if they could continue playing the way they did in the third.

Early in the fourth quarter the Kings shooting went cold. At one point, the Kings were shooting just 29% while the Jazz were shooting 54% from the field. It began to look like the Lakers, Golden State and Oklahoma City games all over again.

After the game, head coach Michael Malone said he kept calling timeouts not to set plays or the defense, but to try and instill confidence in his team that they could win a close game.

With 11.9 seconds to go in the game, the Kings trailed the Jazz 97-94. Isaiah Thomas took the ball and started to drive the lane when looked to his right and saw Ben McLemore. He swung the ball to McLemore who shot a 25 footer that was good for three points tying the game at 97-97. The Jazz were unable to score, and it was off to overtime for the second time this season for both teams.

DeMarcus Cousins scored the first points in the extra period on a layup with an assist from John Salmons. That basket set the tone for the Kings who would go on to outscore the Jazz 15-5 in overtime. Sacramento closed out the period on a 10-0 run to win the game 112-102.

Cousins led all scorers with 28 points. He added seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and three blocked shots. Isaiah Thomas tallied 26 points, eight assists and four steals. Ben McLemore posted 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals in his 38 minutes of playing time.

Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Sacramento’s record improves to 5-13 on the season. Utah falls to 4-18 for the year.

The Kings flew home after the game and will now prepare for a Monday night contest with the Dallas Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena.

Kings Fold in the Fourth; Lose to Lakers 106-100

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

Image

Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings lost at home on Friday night to the Los Angeles Lakers 106-100. It was game they did not have to lose. It was a game the Kings should have won.

After the game, Kings Head Coach Michael Malone said one word was on his mind, “discipline. And, we had none in this game tonight.”

Turnovers and lack of defense in the fourth quarter led to the Kings defeat. The Kings turned to ball over five times in the final period. The Lakers outscored the Kings 25-13 in fourth. That lack of discipline cost Sacramento the 87-81 lead they had after three periods of play.

The game started slow for the Kings. It looked like they might fall back into their habit of falling seriously behind and then having to play catch up later in the game. With 3:19 to play in the first, Isaiah Thomas came into the game for Vasquez and the Kings’ tempo changed dramatically. They went from trailing the Lakers by seven to leading the game by two points (30-28) by the end of the quarter. The crowd knew their team could win the game if they continued to play at that level.

In the second quarter, Thomas continued to lead the way. He played the entire 12 minutes, scored 10 points and dished out three assists. The problem for the Kings became their shot selection and shooting percentage. Sacramento’s field goal shooting dropped to 36.0% (9/25) while the Lakers shot 50.0%. The Kings managed to outscore the Lakers 25-24 in the quarter and took a 55-52 lead with them to locker room at the half.

The Kings came out in the third quarter ready to do battle. They established an eight point lead (68-60) by the 7:39 mark in the period. Then with 6:39 to play, DeMarcus Cousins picked up his fourth personal foul which would ultimately have a dramatic impact on the game as he had to sit on the bench. The rest of the Kings went to work picking up the slack. When Ben McLemore hit back-to-back 3-pointers, it looked like the Kings were poised to beat the Lakers. When the quarter ended, the score was the Kings 87 and the Lakers 81.

Then came the disastrous fourth quarter and the Kings shot just 23.5% (4/17). Isaiah Thomas was 0/4, Cousins was 0/4 and Williams 0/1 from the field. Sacramento turned the ball over five times. They allowed the Lakers to steal the ball five times in the period. The Lakers outscored the Kings 25-13. The Kings ran out of gas, things got ugly and they lost the game 106-100.

“Obviously this isn’t what we worked on, diagrammed or hoped for,” said Michael Malone. “It’s obvious that we have to do a lot more. I thought we had great late-game execution against Golden State. We got whatever we wanted, we scored, and we executed. Tonight, down the stretch, we turned the ball over on almost every possession. It was very disappointing, obviously. We’ll have another chance tomorrow in Utah and we need to regroup to find a way to get a road win.”

DeMarcus Cousins and Ben McLemore led all scorers in the game with 20 points each. Isaiah Thomas tallied 14 points before going cold in the fourth quarter. John Salmons added 13 points; Williams and Thompson had nine points each.

Cousins made it a double-double game with his 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Pau Gasol and Jodie Meeks led the Lakers in scoring with 19 points each. Nick Young scored 14, Wesley Johnson and Steve Blake 13 each and Robert Sacre added 11 points.  Blake posted a double-double by adding 10 assists.

The Kings boarded a plane for Salt Lake City after the game. They will play the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. The Jazz were destroyed by the Trail Blazers on Friday night 130-97. On paper, the Kings should have real chance to defeat the Jazz, but that’s on paper. The reality is the game is on road versus a team that is just as hungry for a win as are the Kings.

Kings new arena: Local businessman donates 25K to keep subsidy question on ballot

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment

 by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–Local business tycoon Chris Rufer has put up $25,000 in donated money to the campaign to stop the Sacramento Kings downtown arena which would place a subsidy question on the June 2014 Sacramento ballot. While the City, local government, and many supporters of the Kings proposed new downtown arena at Westfield Mall is under plans the opposition could turn out to be a wild card as they’re fund raising is starting to take on a life of it’s on.

Rufer whose business is in Sacramento is taking the opposing view. In addition to Rufer’s donation there are two groups working to oppose the arena build in downtown and they both have raised tens of thousands of dollars in their campaign to oppose it.

The groups are fighting to keep an intiative on the ballot that questions if public sudsidies should finance any new proposed sports or entertainment facilities in Sacramento. So far the group STOP Sacramento Taxpayers opposed to Pork and Voters for a Fair Arena Deal have stepped up raising nearly $40,000.

A group who is in favor of the subsidy has delivered collecting cash and checks in the amount of $26,000 and this group is fighting to keep the question of public subsidies being used off the ballot. The price tag for a new Sacramento downtown arena subsidy is $258 million.

The Voters for a Fair Arena Deal have raised $8,500 and STOP has raised $31,473 both groups who are pushing for the opposition to the new arena and putting the question about public funds being spent towards any new such subsidies need 22,000 signatures on the petition to get the queston on the ballot. The 22,000 signatures needed are due by mid December.

The campaign’s credibilty was in question over  the summer when Chris Hansen who wanted to buy the Kings and move them to Seattle funded the signature gathering effort to get the question on the ballot spending $100,000 and having a Los Angeles law firm manage the campaign. STOP said they had no idea that Hansen funded the campaign and Hansen later ended up having to pay a $50,000 fine for violating California campaign disclosure laws.

Rufer is the founder of a company group called Morning Star which is a tamato producer which profits $350 million annually. Rufer’s company now controls 40 percent of the tamato processing in America. Rufer had issues in his company when a former Morning Star executive Fredrick Scott Salyer was sentenced to six years in prison for rackateering and price fixing charges. Rufer said in court papers that alledgedly Salyer cheated the company by bribing executives from competing companies at Kraft foods and Frito Lay, Salyer also alledgedly bribed Rufer’s personal assistant to steal confidential company data.

Ken Gimblin is covering the Sacramento Kings new arena build for Sportstalk Radio