Buddy Hield drives to the hoop in Kings win over the Suns Photo NBAE
SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings played their 41st and final home game of the 2016-17 NBA season Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center. The Kings sent the sellout crowd of 17,608 home happy by soundly defeating the Phoenix Suns (24-58) 129-104.
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) April 12, 2017
The season is now over for Phoenix. They finish with a record of 24-58 in 15th and last place in the Western Conference of the NBA. The Suns currently hold the number two pick in the NBA Draft Lottery before the pull of the ping-pong balls. That means Phoenix has a 19.9-percent chance of winding up with number one overall selection in this years’ draft.
As of now, that would mean the Suns would probably be the winners of the Lonzo Ball sweepstakes. Tighten those seatbelts – it could be a wild ride from here.
The Kings (32-49) are now in a tie for 12th place in the Western Conference with the Dallas Mavericks. If the season were over today, the Kings would own the number nine and 10 picks in the NBA Draft Lottery.
Dave Joerger seemed caught up in the victory celebration after the game
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) April 12, 2017
Major performances on offense
Kings
Buddy Hield leads all scorers in the game with a career-high 30 points
Ty Lawson posts his first career triple-double with 22 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds
Sacramento uses nine players in the game and eight of them score in double figures
Kings shoot 51.8-percent (43-for-83) from the floor for the game
SAC uses the 3-ball hitting 9-for-19 (47.4-percent) from downtown
Ty Lawson posted his career triple-double vs the Suns Photo NBAE
Suns
Tyler Ulis led Phoenix in scoring with 27 points hitting 10-for-25 from the field
Sacramento native Marquese Chriss put up 22 points before a large crowd of family and friends
The Suns attempted 109 shots in the game connecting on just 41 (37.6-percent) of those attempts
PHX went just 14-for-24 (58.3-percent) from the charity stripe
Dave Joerger draws up a play vs PHX on Tuesday Photo NBAE
Up next
The Kings will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday to face the Clippers in the final game of the 2016-17 regular season. This game will help to determine who will finish fourth or fifth in the Western Conference. It is really a battle for home-court advantage.
For the Suns, the season is over. Up next for them, the NBA Draft Lottery.
Intern Jordan Chapin was our videographer for the coverage on Tuesday evening
“I think the whole thing is kind of hard, but some guys came through, played well. Bobby Brown played really well for us and we saw some good stuff. Obviously, a little ragged on both ends, but to be expected,” said Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni.
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) April 10, 2017
Skal Labissiere on the Kings run at the end of the game
“We just started being more alert on defense because they have a hard offense to guard. So we kind of figured it out toward the end and just be more assertive on defense – that’s really what it was.”
Kings head coach Dave Joerger’s comments after the game
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) April 10, 2017
Key Stats from the game
Top Scorers
Harden cheers on his team from the bench Photo NBAE
For Houston: James Harden posted his 21st triple-double of the season scoring 35 points to go with 15 assists and 11 rebounds
For the Kings: Rookie Skal Labissiere recorded 25 points shooting 10-for-12 from the floor. He also hit 5-of-6 from the free throw line
Team shooting stats
The Rockets attempted 80 field goals in the game. 43 of those attempts were from behind the 3-point line. They hit 18 of those 3-point shots (41.9-percent). Houston shot 56.3-percent overall for the game
The Kings shot 47-for-54 (50-percent) from the field which in most cases would be good enough to win the game for a team. They went 9-for-31 (29-percent) from 3-pointland. Sacramento had an unusually poor night shooting from beyond the 3-point arc
Kings who did not play – coach’s decision
Arron Afflalo, Darren Collison, Tyreke Evans and Kosta Koufos did not enter the game on Sunday versus the Rockets.
Kings draft positions after the loss
Sacramento would draft number eight in the Draft Lottery assuming the ping pong balls do not change history for all-time in favor of the Kings and make them number one. The Kings would also draft at number 10 with the pick they received from New Orleans for DeMarcus Cousins.
Tankathon.com projects that the Kings would wind up with French point guard Frank Ntilikina at number eight and small forward Miles Bridges from Michigan State with the number 10 selection.
Up next for the Kings
The Kings will play their final home game of the season on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. Sacramento is 2-1 versus the Suns this season. The Kings two victories came on the road in Phoenix. The Suns won the game in Sacramento 105-103 on February 3rd.
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) April 5, 2017
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.
The Sacramento Kings educational tour continued on Friday as they traveled to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors for the final time this season. The Kings had a chance to split the season series at 2-2 with a victory. The Warriors won the game 114-100 and win the season series three games to one.
The Kings did not go with an all youngster starting lineup
Dave Joerger was not of a mind to just let his team be steamrolled for the sake of learning and falling back in the draft lottery standings. Joerger went with Afflalo, Koufos, Cauley-Stein, Hield and Lawson to open the game.
Sacramento did hold out Darren Collison, Tyreke Evans and Anthony Tolliver for “rest”. The bottom line on those decisions are designed to get the less experienced players more time on the court. With the playoffs out of reach, getting playing time for younger players in order to evaluate their talent and value to the organization is the priority.
Buddy Hield led the way again for the Kings
Hield works against Curry Photo: NBAE
Hield had another big night for Sacramento as he finished the game as their leading scorer with 22 points. He shot 7-for-14 (50-percent) overall from the floor and hit 4-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. The rookie out of Oklahoma was perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. He played 33-minutes versus the Warriors.
Hield grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists and had two steals in the game. He continues to show marked improvement in handling the basketball in traffic and passing the ball when open shots are not available.
WCS was efficient on offense
Willie Cauley-Stein works against Curry Photo: NBAE
Cauley-Stein scored 12 points as the starting center playing 27-minutes against Golden State rather than his usual 30-plus minutes of “PT” we have been seeing from him in recent games. He hit 5-of-6 shots from the floor and was a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. He also recorded four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
That other kid from Kentucky played 27-minutes as well
Rookie Skal Labissiere did not start the game but did play substantial minutes. Labissiere finished with a double-double scoring 10 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. He also distributed eight assists.
Labissiere just keeps doing things that amaze and prove that he deserves to be in a Kings uniform and on the floor playing in NBA games. The future is bright for this rookie and the fans in Sacramento.
“Papa G” spent some valuable time in class
Papa G tries to stop Curry Photo: NBAE
Kings rookie center Georgios Papagiannis received 26-minutes of classroom time on the floor versus the Warriors on Friday night. The big man had times when he looked confident and time when he looked lost. Just what you would expect from a 19-year rookie facing the best team in the NBA.
Papagiannis finished with seven points shooting 3-for-6 from the field and hitting 1-of-1 from the free throw line. He also posted four rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.
Other Kings contributors
Ty Lawson scored 20 points hitting 8-of-9 from the floor. Ben McLemore scored 11, Langston Galloway 8 (they need to find this guy more shots), Garrett Temple 5, Arron Afflalo 3 and Kosta Koufos 2 points.
Sacramento team numbers
The Kings shot an impressive 48.2-percent (40-for-83) from the floor. They had a better 3-point shooting percentage – 47.6-percent – than the Warriors. Both teams sank 10 3-point shots.
Two stats that killed the Kings:
Turnovers: Kings 21 that resulted in 36 GSW points; GSW 13 that created seven Kings points
Assists: Kings 27 ; Golden State 37 … let that sink in
Streaks
Kings: have lost four-in-a-row and are 2-8 in their last 10
Warriors: have won six-in-a-row and are 7-3 in their last 10
Up next for SAC
The Kings are back in action on Sunday at 12:30 PM PDT when they will face the LA Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) March 12, 2017
This was the final game of the year between the Nuggets and Kings. The season series ends 2-2. Each team won a game on its homecourt and lost a game on the road.
Where the teams stand after the game
Denver’s record improves to 31-35
The Nuggets have won two games in a row
Denver remains in eighth place in the Western Conference two games ahead of ninth place Portland and five games behind seventh place Memphis
Sacramento’s season record drops to 25-41
The Kings have dropped into 13th place in the Western Conference one game behind 12th place New Orleans and six games behind Denver in the final playoff slot
The Kings are three games ahead of 14th place Phoenix
Sacramento has 16 games remaining in the regular season
Former Michigan State star Gary Harris scored a game-high 24 points shooting 10-for-15 from the field
Center Nikoia Jokic recorded a double-double putting up 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds
Forward Danilo Gallinari added 15 points
Kings
Rookie Buddy Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 17 points. He shot 6-for-8 from the floor including three 3-point buckets. Hield also had three assists
Tyreke Evans made an impact coming off the bench adding 15 points
Willie Cauley-Stein added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists for Sacramento. Head coach Dave Joerger wants to see Cauley-Stein have more assist opportunities
Tyreke Evans was a force off the bench Photo NBAE
Weird stat of the night
The Nuggets committed nine turnovers in the game but the Kings were able to score just four points off those turnovers. Compare that to the Kings who committed 13 turnovers that resulted in 22 points for Denver.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings will be back on their homecourt on Monday night when they host the Orlando Magic. The Magic are also a budding “Draft Lottery” team.
The Nuggets will also be back in action on Monday when they host the Los Angeles Lakers in the Mile High City.
Arron Afflalo puts the ball up for the Kings Photo NBAE
If you are Dave Joerger this morning, you are probably having an agony and ecstasy moment over your coffee. The ecstasy is your team played a great game on Sunday versus a very talented playoff bound Utah Jazz squad. The agony is your team let a 16 point lead slip away and you lost in overtime on a tip-in with 1-tenth of a second left on the clock.
Joerger really had a good attitude after the game on Sunday. “It was good. Arron Afflalo, like I said pregame, has really stepped up into the leadership position. I thought he really set the tone for us. I think he made four of his first five, five of his first six. He was aggressive. He did a great job at (defending) Gordon Hayward.
Afflalo scored 17 points shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He had four rebounds and three assists. Afflalo was one of seven Kings to score in double figures.
“It was good,” said Afflalo after the game. “I was extremely proud of my teammates. Everybody was engaged on both ends of the court. We played with a purpose to win tonight. It’s going to be a true test of our will to take a tough loss like this and play the team (Denver) tomorrow (Monday) that we’re trying to catch for the eighth spot.”
Garrett Temple returned to the court
Garrett Temple returned after missing 11 games Photo NBAE
Garrett Temple returned to action for the Kings on Sunday night after missing 11 games with a partially torn left ham string. Temple scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting including two 3-point baskets to go with four assists and three steals.
“Well certainly he has a positive impact,”, said Dave Joerger. “We were better defensively whether he was in there or not. He is certainly a positive defender and a solid positive contributor for sure.”
Willie Cauley-Stein played with intensity
Cauley-Stein dunks it over Gobert Photo NBAE
“That was a playoff game for us,” opined Joerger. “We played with playoff intensity. If a guy plays 12 minutes of that, that’s better than four (quarters) in summer leagues where he plays 38 minutes. Summer league, you just get minutes, they keep score and that’s great. This is where you find out where you are as a player and what you need to work on. The intensity of competition is a fantastic experience.
Cauley-Stein put up 15 points while shooting 6-for-12 and grabbing 9 rebounds. “WCS” also had Three assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
The Kings have now lost four in a row
The Kings have now lost four consecutive games and their record has fallen to 25-37 for the season. Sacramento has fallen to 11th place in the Western Conference three games behind Denver in the eighth and final playoff spot. They are tied with the Timberwolves while Portland and Dallas stand in between them and the Nuggets.
Kings (25-37) must face the Nuggets (28-34) Monday night in Denver
The Kings have the tough task of playing the Nuggets in the second game of a back-to-back set on the road at high altitude in Denver. The Nuggets are coming off a loss to the Hornets and are anxious to take advantage of the fact that 8 of their next 11 games at home.
FiveThirtEight.com projects that the Kings have just a 17-percent chance of winning the game in Denver (ouch!). The second game of a back-to-back on the road coupled with the high altitude seems to the influencing factors. This lopsided prediction is out there despite the fact the Kings are 2-0 versus the Nuggets this season. The second Kings win came after the DeMarcus Cousins trade to New Orleans but that win came in Sacramento.
The Jazz were thrilled to escape Sacramento with the overtime win
“It’s a big lift,” said Jazz head coach Quin Snyder.”I think particularly, Sacramento played well. We made some plays to win the game, but they did a heck of a job and probably deserved to win. I like to think our guys did some good things and we were able to steal one. It gives you a lift. There’s no question about it. With plenty more to go right now, you can’t rest on that any more than you can with getting beat.”
The Jazz also have a back-to-back
The Jazz flew home to Utah where they will host the New Orleans Pelicans in the second game of a back-to-back set. Both teams are coming off wins on Sunday. The Pels picked up their first win with DeMarcus Cousins on the roster by beating the Lakers in Los Angeles.
Utah will be looking to increase their 1.5-game lead over the fifth-place Clippers. The Pelicans are in 13th-place in the Western Conference 3.5-games out of playoff contention.
The Kings lost to the Utah Jazz on Sunday night 110-109 in OT with literally 1-tenth of a second left on the clock. It took a replay decision in New Jersey to decide the final outcome of the game. It was exciting, frustrating and exhausting all at the same time.
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) March 6, 2017
You can watch the final 1.6-seconds of the overtime period in these highlight clips from the Utah Jazz of Rudy Gobert (sorry you will have endure a 15-commercial) by just clicking on the link. Gobert – who has been a Kings killer – posted a double-double recording 16 points and 24 rebounds (6 OR) in addition to scoring the game winning bucket.
— Sports Radio Service (@SportsRadioSrvc) March 6, 2017
Gobert on the final game-winning basket
“I was rolling because I thought he was going to pull up into the shot and I didn’t know if I had time to get the rebound or not. When I saw the ball of on the side, I just tipped it in.”
Kings head coach Dave Joerger’s analysis
“This was a playoff game for us. We played with playoff intensity.”
Kings have no time to rest
The Kings headed to the airport after the game and flew to Denver where they will play the Nuggets on Monday night. Sacramento is three games behind Denver who is in the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference.
Sacramento Kings Brooklyn Nets during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, March 1, 2017. The Nets won 109-100. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)
By Morris Phillips
SACRAMENTO–Not enough defense early, and far too little offense late would be a fair label for the reconfigured Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. But a more bottom line analysis had its roots elsewhere on a night in which the NBA’s worst team snapped a 16-game losing streak, leading start to finish in a 109-100 victory at the Golden 1 Center.
Both the Kings and Nets should have been equally energized with their prospects for a rare victory enhanced by facing each other. But the Nets alone seized that storyline from the game’s opening tip. Consequently, King’s coach Dave Joerger could decipher his team’s malaise, but not prevent it.
“We didn’t come out with enough force to start the game and they physically manhandled us around the perimeter of the floor,” Joerger explained.
While the Nets made nine of their first 11 shot attempts and led 21-6 at one point, the Kings struggled to run their offense, and get out of each other’s way. The Nets surprised with accurate three-point shooting–they made six from distance in a 35-point first quarter. The Kings started slow personified by a pair of turnovers by surprise starter Skal Labissiere.
The Kings’ responded initially with offense; Aaron Afflalo contributed 10 points in the first quarter as the Kings sliced the Nets’ lead to four, 35-31, after one. But the Kings would score just 69 points over a final three quarters littered with tentative play, over dribbling and stilted ball movement. Sacramento finished with just 12 assists on 35 made baskets, and seven of the Kings that saw action failed to record a single assist.
“I don’t think we’re necessarily focusing on playing the right way,” said Darren Collison, who had the only two assists credited to the team’s five starters. “I know we have a lot of guys who are unselfish but when you see a guy like DeMarcus Cousins, your best player out, a lot of guys try to take it upon themselves to score, to make a play, instead of just letting the game come to them.”
Defensively, the inbalance in the Kings’post-trade roster is glaring, with guard Ben McLemore routinely matched with bigger forwards in the Kings’ three-guard starting lineup. With not enough bodies in the frontcourt, and Brooklyn’s Robin Lopez bullying his way to the hoop, the Kings suffered a huge disparity in points in the paint on Wednesday. But the interior defense was just a part of it; the hot-shooting Nets finished with 11 made threes, at least one from eight different players.
Brooklyn had dropped 27 of 28 overall since winning at home the day after Christmas, and Wednesday marked only their third win this season on the road. The Kings have dropped three straight since beating Denver in their impressive debut following the Cousins trade.
And whatever designs the Kings maintain on making the playoffs in Cousins’ absence took another blow. With the loss, and the Timberwolves’ surprising, 27-point road win at Utah, the two teams are now tied for ninth, with three other teams just a game back. Of the five teams looking to unseat the Nuggets for the final postseason spot in the West, the Trailblazers have the fewest road games (9) and the most recent–last season–playoff experience.
At least, the Kings do have a leg up in the “moronic” trade competition. The Pelicans registered their first win since trading for Cousins, but ironically did so without the former King, who was suspended for last night’s game against the Pistons for his ongoing accumulation of technical fouls. So the standings are: Kings, Pelicans 1-3; Cousins 0-3 and still looking for his first victory in the Big Easy.
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.
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.”
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
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.
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.
Sports Radio Service 