Tag: Sacramento Kings

Kings fight to the final buzzer but come up short as Rockets win 105-100

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
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Cauley-Stein puts in a dunk to cut the Rockets lead to three points with seven seconds to go in the game

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings open the 2017-18 regular season with loss to the powerful Houston Rockets

The Sacramento Kings kicked off their new season before a sellout crowd of 17,583 at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night. Their opponent was the very powerful and talented Houston Rockets who started their season on Tuesday night with a last second win over the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors in Oakland.

The Kings hoped to take advantage of catching the Rockets on the second game of a back-to-back set on the road. They also received some good news when they learned that Chris Paul would not play due to ongoing problems with a knee contusion.

Sacramento (0-1) kept the game close through all four quarters. They even won the third quarter 24-23. The lead changed eight times in the game and the contest was tied four times. Houston’s largest lead was 11 points while the Kings biggest lead was six.

James Harden struggled through the first three quarters of the game appearing to be tired from effort that expended versus the Warriors on Tuesday night. Unfortunately for the Kings, Harden caught a second wind in the final period and scored 12 of his game-high 27 points over those last 12 minutes. That performance really made the difference for the Rockets (2-0).

Despite being down by 11 points with 5:13 remaining in the game the Kings did not give up and cut the Houston lead to just three points with 26-seconds to go in the contest. It was at that point this game took a left turn that the Kings would never recover from.

The Kings George Hill sank two free throws to make it a 98-95 game with Houston in the lead with 26-seconds remaining. On the inbounds play, Hill appeared to disrupt the possession by Eric Gordon who lost control allowing the ball to go out-of-bounds. The big crowd went wild but settled as a video replay was ordered.

What the crowd, the Kings bench and the majority of the media did not understand was the replay was not to determine if Gordon was the last player to touch the ball before it went out-of-bounds. The replay was to confirm a foul call that made on Hill by the referee on the far-side of the court. The replay center in Secaucus upheld the foul call and Gordon was sent to the charity stripe to shoot two shots.

Gordon hit both shots to give Houston a five-point lead with 26-seconds to play essentially sealing the win for the Rockets. The Kings gave it their best effort but came up short.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger addresses the call in a very subdued manner in part two of his video comments.

Dave Joerger was very proud of the effort his team gave against the talented Rockets

  • Sacramento shot 42-for-88 (47.7%) from the floor
  • The Kings shot 8-for-23 (34.8%) from 3-point land
  • The team went just 8-for-10 from the free throw line vs. 27-for-29 for the Rockets

Joerger was not happy about the foul call that was upheld by the video replay center

  • De’Aaron Fox 14 points (7-for-15 shooting), five assists, four rebounds, 23-minutes of playing time
  • Buddy Hield 19 points (8-for-17 shooting including three 3’s), five rebounds, four assists, one steal

Coach Joerger was pleased with the play of Willie Cauley-Stein

  • Cauley-Stein with the double-double: 21 points (game-high for SAC), 10-for-15 shooting, 10 rebounds (four offensive), three blocked shots

This was a Tier One vs a Tier Three game

  • Kings played without Zach Randolph who was sidelined by oral surgery
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic did not play because of a sprained right ankle

The Kentucky connection was very important to the Kings on Wednesday 

  • Skal Labissiere 12 points, 10 rebounds to post a double-double
  • Cauley-Stein, Labissiere and Fox = 47 points, 24 rebounds, seven assists

Up next for the Kings and Rockets

  • Sacramento heads out on the road and will face the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night
  • The Rockets will have their home opener on Saturday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks

Kings Press Row Podcast featuring Ben DuBose of Sports Talk 790 Houston previewing the Rockets

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Charlie O hosts the Kings Press Row Podcast

Ben DuBose Pix

Ben DuBose of Sports Talk 790 Houston and Locked on Rockets Podcast previews the Houston Rockets for Kings fans.

Cp3
CP3 moves past Curry Photo: USA Today
  • How are James Harden and Chris Paul working out as a backcourt team so far in the preseason?
  • With Harden and CP3 on the floor together does that change the pace of play for the Rockets?
  • How does local favorite Ryan Anderson look so far in the preseason?
  • Now that the roster is set – are there any surprises?
  • Is there any worry about a let down on Wednesday in Sacramento after the hype and energy that will be expended in the Bay Area versus the Golden State Warriors?

Get the insiders view of the Kings first opponent of the 2017-18 season in just 20 minutes of fast paced questions and answers. Be ready for opening night by knowing more about the Rockets and what to watch for as they play the Kings.

press row image

 

Warriors hand Kings fourth consecutive preseason loss on Friday 117-106

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Where was the TV broadcast?

Related image

Sports fans the story should be the game in Oakland and the loss by the Kings to the Warriors, but this reporter has to ask why was the game shown in the Bay Area and not in Sacramento and the Valley? Frankly this this reporter is still scratching his head trying to figure out why the rabid Kings fans were not able to watch their team take on the best team in the NBA even if it was a preseason game.

The majority of Kings fans will not be able to see the Warriors play their beloved Kings in person this season. They would love to see their team in action against the NBA’s best anytime they have the opportunity to see it happen. So why did Bay Area fans have the opportunity to watch the game while Sacramento fans had to depend on the radio broadcast and internet feeds? There really is not a logical answer. One would think advertisers would have been thrilled to support a broadcast that featured the Kings versus the NBA’s  best.

The Kings held their own in this game

Sacramento trailed just 54-51 at halftime. They were still hanging in there trailing by just three – 84-81 at the end of three quarters. Ultimately, the Warriors were just too strong coming down the stretch as they outscored the Kings 33-25 in the final frame to take the game 117-106.

This game featured 12 lead changes and was tied seven times. The longest point run was a 7-0 run.

Top scorers

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David Stockton – who was just added to the Kings roster – was their leading scorer with 23 points. Stephen Curry led the Warriors in scoring with 18 points in just a little over 18 minutes of playing time.

Top rebounders

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The Warriors Jordan Bell was the leading rebounder in the game with 11. Skal Labissiere was the Kings top man off the glass grabbing eight rebounds.

Assists leaders

David Stockton of Sacramento was the games top assists leader with eight. Klay Thompson was the man for Golden State dishing out six dimes.

Team stats

The Warriors outrebounded the Kings 47-40. Golden State grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to Sacramento’s 13. The Kings controlled the defensive boards 27-26.

GSW dished 34 dimes to the Kings 27.

The Kings made six steals to the Warriors four thefts.

Golden State blocked four shots while Sacramento blocked just two shots.

The Kings turned the ball over 16 times while the Warriors turned it over just 12 times.

Overall shooting percentage: Kings 48.2-percent (41-for-85); Warriors 46.9-percent (46-for-98).

3-point shooting: Sacramento 10-for-22 45.5-percent; Golden State 15-for-33 45.5-percent.

Remember this was a preseason game

No matter how exciting this game was fans cannot forget this was a preseason game. It was in no way representative of what a regular season game between these two teams will be like. That is not to say the regular season games will not be competitive and exciting, but they will be different than the game on Friday night.

The countdown to the regular season is on

The regular season will begin on Wednesday when the Houston Rockets visit the Golden 1 Center to take on the Kings in game one of the 2017-18 season for Sacramento.

No chicken dinner for Kings in Vegas as they lose to Lakers 75-69

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carter vs lakers
Vince Carter directs traffic in the Kings — Lakers game in Las Vegas Photo USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The third preseason game of the year for the Kings was a premiere matchup between Pacific Division rivals. The Kings and the Lakers are both very young teams that are trying reestablish themselves as legitimate playoff contenders in the NBA Western Conference.

Frankly, neither of these teams will be playing a game after the end of the regular season in April. That being said — both the Lakers and Kings are going to be much more entertaining to watch in 2017-18 than they were last season with the players they acquired in the draft and in free agency.

The game on Sunday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was not a “beautiful game”, but it was an entertaining game. The Lakers established a big lead in the first quarter and then the Kings fought their way back into the game in the second period.

The Kings actually took the lead in game in third quarter behind 22-9 run but they would not be able to hold on to that lead in final quarter of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers had held on to record their first win of the preseason 75-69 over the Kings before a decidedly pro-Laker crowd in “Sin City”.

There were really no losers on Sunday night in Las Vegas

Magic talks to crowd Lakers
Magic Johnson spoke to the fans in Las Vegas before the game on Sunday Photo USA Today Sports

Both the Kings and Lakers donated their proceeds from the game on Sunday night to victims and first-responders of the mass shooting that happened last Sunday in Las Vegas. The donations will go to the MGM Grand Foundation who will administer the distribution of the proceeds.

This was a very nice gesture on the part of both teams.

The Ball vs Fox matchup did not happen again

The summer league rematch between Lonzo Ball and De’Aaron Fox did happen due to an injury reported by Ball. That brought out many comments about Ball not wanting to be embarrassed by Fox the way he was in the UCLA — Kentucky matchup.

On Sunday, it was announced that Ball would not be available due to an ankle problem. Fox would not have been able to play in the second-half due to a lower back bruise suffered in the first-half of the game.

Do not worry. The big face off is going to happen during the regular season and it will be worth the wait.

Neither team had impressive stats in the game

Kings

Sacramento shot 25-for-80 (31.2-percent) from the floor. They connected on just 7-of-25 (28.0-percent) for 3-point attempts. Those are not the kind of shooting numbers that will win games in the regular season. Sacramento went 12-for-16 (75.0-percent) from the free throw line. The percentage was fine but the number of attempts was too low.

Sacramento grabbed 37 rebounds (5 offensive). They recorded 15 assists and 12 turnovers which is not an acceptable ratio. The Lakers scored 10 points off the Kings 12 turnovers.

Lakers

Los Angeles shot 41.4-percent (29-for-70) from the field. The Lakers hit just 6-of-24 (25.0-percent) from beyond the 3-point line. They were 11-for-15 (73.3-percent) from the charity stripe.

The Lakers hauled in 49 rebounds (2 offensive). They recorded 21 assists and 20 turnovers which is not acceptable to any coach. The Kings scored 18 points off the Lakers 20 turnovers.

Team Leaders

Sacramento

Z-bo vs Lakers
Zach Randolph was a team leader for the Kings on Sunday night Photo USA Today Sports

Zach Randolph led the Kings scoring attack with 16 points. Z-Bo was 7-for-15 shooting. Garrett Temple put up 12 points while Vince Carter added nine. Bogdan Bogdanovic, George Hill and Buddy Hield each added seven points in the game.

George Hill was the Kings top rebounder with eight. Kosta Koufos grabbed seven.

The Kings used just 11 players in the rotation on Sunday night.

LAK

Kuzma Lakers
Rookie Kuzma was a star for the Lakers on Sunday Photo USA Today Sports

Julius Randle posted a double-double by putting up 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Rookie Kyle Kuzma dropped in 15 points. Many observers feel that Kuzma could be a bigger story than Ball this season but remember this is just the preseason. Brook Lopez scored 12 while Jordan Clarkson added 10 points.

Kuzma also pulled down eight rebounds.

Alex Caruso led the Lakers in assists with four and Kuzma had three.

Interesting stat of the game

When you look at the stats, you know this was not a great field goal shooting game. It really became an “old style” NBA battle in the paint contest. Sacramento scored 24 points in the paint (12-for-28) while the Lakers scored 40 points in the key (20-for-34).

Up next

The Kings (1-2) will be back in action on Monday night in Sacramento when they will host the Portland Trail Blazers (2-1). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Young Kings can’t make it two wins in a row over Spurs; lose 113-93 on the road

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spurs WCSby Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings learned the very tough lesson on Friday night that all NBA teams must learn – it is very tough to win on the road in “the Association”. After beating the Spurs in their preseason opener in Sacramento, the Kings suffered their first loss of the preseason on Friday night in “the Alamo City” losing to the Spurs 113-93.

Sacramento came out of the gate fast

The Kings outscored the Spurs 24-15 in the first quarter of the game on Friday night. Buddy Hield led the Kings scoring barrage putting up eight points in the first 12-minutes of the game. Willie Cauley-Stein and Frank Mason added four points each in what would be a 24-point first quarter for Sacramento.

Unlike Monday, it was the young the Kings who were chosen to start on Friday night on the road. Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox were the starting five in San Antonio.

The Spurs outscored the Kings in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters

The Spurs outscored the Kings by 12 points in the second quarter, six points in the third quarter and by 11 points in the fourth quarter.

Danny Green led the way with 20 points for the Spurs. LaMarcus Aldridge shot 5-for-10 from the field to score 10 points for San Antonio. Brandon Paul, Bryn Forbes and Davis Bertrans scored nine points each against the Kings.

The Spurs shot 55.4-percent from the field and 48.4-percent (15-for-31) from 3-point range. San Antonio had 28 assists and 17 turnovers. That is not the ratio a team wants to have but is was good enough to post a win on Friday night.

The Kings young players were featured on Friday

spurs hield

Willie Cauley-Stein was the Kings leading scorer in game with 14-points. He also grabbed nine rebounds and turned the ball over just two times.

Skal Labissiere had a 13-point game for the Kings on Friday night. He went 6-for-10 from the field, hauled in two rebounds and did not turn the ball over in 25-plus minutes of playing time.

Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox each added 12-points in their time on the floor.Georgios Papagiannis played 29-minutes and recorded 10-points and three rebounds. Marcus Williams who is fighting for a spot at the end of the bench put up nine points in 13-minutes of playing time.

The Kings shot 45.2-percent from the field and 26.7-percent from 3-point land. Sacramento had 32 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

The bottom line lesson

Winning on the road in NBA is very hard. Unfortunately for the young Kings, that is a lesson that will be a lesson that will be learned many times in 2017-18.

Up next for Sacramento 

The Kings will return to preseason action on Sunday night in Las Vegas when they will face the Los Angeles Lakers. Proceeds from the game will be donated to victims of the tragic shooting of the Route 91 Harvest music festival.

Harry Giles update

The Kings have revealed that Harry Giles will not be available to play until January 2018 as he continues to rehab from his surgery for an injury to his ACL. Giles who was originally projected to be the number one pick in the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery has suffered setbacks due to knee troubles.

Giles is just 19-years old so the Kings can afford to patient. He has been most often compared to Chris Webber. If he can be close to  Webber, waiting until he his fully healthy will be worth the wait.

Off and running: Kings’ rookie guards impress in pre-season opener

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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.

 

Z-Bo arrested – Did the Kings plan for veteran leadership just go up in smoke?

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

Z-bo Police car damage
Photo from totalprosports.com

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

cali sign

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

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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

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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?

z-bo headshot
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

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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

Kings get their veteran PG in George Hill and add grit up front in Zach Randolph

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

SAC Icon

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 guardGreorge Hill

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

zach Randolph

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.

Sacramento meets their new Kings

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by Charlie O. Mallonee

The four new Kings react to being drafted by Sacramento

Kings head coach Dave Joerger talks about his new players

De’Aaron Fox explains why he is happy to be in Sacramento

De’Aaron Fox is also going to be a star off the court

Frank Mason III brings experience to the Kings

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

Harry Giles tells the media  and fans he is healthy and ready to play

UNBELIEVABLE! Kings will pick at 5 & 10 but it could have been at number 3 & 10

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Right at the top of this story – let me say that it is time for the NBA Lottery to go away. Yes, it creates some interesting discussions during the playoffs for the fans of non-playoff teams, but the purpose of the inverse draft is to allow the worst teams in your league to obtain top talent to become competitive again. 

The National Basketball Association is a worldwide marketing behemoth that is spreading its brand across the globe at a lighting pace. The NBA no longer needs gimmicks like the Draft Lottery when they have Steph Curry, James Harden, LeBron, Russell Westbrook and the 3-point shot to captivate fans for 48 minutes per game. The game itself is enough to market to the fans. No gimmicks are needed at this time.

The Kings got lucky and then got ******!

sixers logo

The problem with the whole scenario is the Kings did this to themselves. The Kings made a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers to trade number one picks if the Kings selection was a better pick than the Sixers pick in 2017 as a part of a salary dump trade in 2015. That trade also cost Sacramento their 2014 first-round pick shooting guard Nik Stauskas. And if that is not enough, the Sixers get the Kings first-pick unprotected in 2019 now that Chicago can no longer receive a first-round selection from Sacramento.

reich

Confused? Nate Silverman and former Secretary of Labor Dr. Robert Reich will be holding a seminar at UC-Berkeley on Wednesday to sort the situation out for “die-hard NBA fans” (that’s not true).

The Kings came into the lottery with the eighth worst record in the NBA. Sacramento has never been particularly lucky when it comes to the ping-pong balls on Lottery Night. On Tuesday night, the Kings jumped from number eight to number three. For a brief moment, Sacramento became the luckiest team in the lottery. Then the Philadelphia 76ers raised their hand and said we’ll take that pick.

The Kings immediately fell back to number five in lottery order. They still made a major move from number eight to number five, but the fact is that for “one shining moment” Sacramento was number three in the order.

bar fight

There were many loud and demonstrative discussions going on over beer and shots in sports bars all over the Sacramento area on Tuesday night about what had just happened to their beloved Kings.

The Kings will also pick at number 10 thanks to DMC and the Pelicans

The Kings will have two lottery selections because of the DeMarcus Cousins trade to New Orleans. That pick was protected if it had been an one to three pick. It held at its pre-lottery spot of number 10. In this talented laden 2017 draft, the Kings are sure to have the opportunity to draft a high quality prospect with that selection.

Will that player be another DeMarcus Cousins? Probably not. Will he be a highly talented player that Kings can build around to become a playoff contender? The answer is probably yes.

Who will be available at number five?

isaac

Tankathon.com (my new personal favorite site for many reasons) has the Kings taking small forward Jonathan Isaac out of Florida State at number five. He is 6-11 and would have just turned 20 years old as the season starts. He averaged 12.0 points per game along with 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game. If Rudy Gay does opt out of his contract, the Kings will need a small forward.

DeAaron-Fox-2

Draft Express says the Kings will wind up with Kentucky’s fine point guard De’Aaron Fox with the number five selection. Finding a young point guard who can be with the club for the long-haul has been a goal the Kings have been trying to fulfill for some time. Fox scores 16.7 ppg, 4.6 assists per game to go with 4.0 rebounds per game. Sacramento loves Kentucky Wildcats players (see Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere).

tatum

NBAdraft.net has the Kings taking Duke small forward Jayson Tatum at number five. Tatum is a 6-8 SF that is seen a good wing prospect. Again if Rudy Gay is opting out, the Kings need to replace that talent on the floor. Tatum is a good mid-range scorer who can score from multiple spots on the floor. He is also known as a good defender. By the way, he is also a Duke guy. If Coach K liked him, that is a pretty high recommendation.

And who will be there when the number 10 pick is on the board?

CS Bakersfield Arizona Basketball

Tankathon.com projects the Kings taking Arizona big man Lauri Markkanen with the number 10 selection they picked up from the Pelicans. He will be 20 years old by the beginning of the season. He is a seven-footer who weighs 225 pounds. Markkanen averaged 15.6 ppg with 7.2 rpg and shot 42.3-percent from beyond the 3-point line. Can you say “stretch four”?

collins

Draft Express says that the Kings will bring the “Zags” Zach Collins to Sacramento with the number 10 pick. The 7-0 foot power forward/center averages 10 points per game to go with 5.9 rebounds per game. Drafting Collins could mean that Koufos could be on the move.

Ntililinilna

NBAdraft.net has Sacramento going with point guard with the number 10 selection. They see the Kings taking international sensation Frank Ntilikina tenth. This kid is the darling of the Euroleague. He is 6-5 with a seven foot wing span! He is a true point guard with a pass first mentality. The drawback is that he is young – just 18 years old. He is a project. Ntilikina needs to learn how to play at the next level, but everyone says he has a very high basketball IQ. The reality is – he is not NBA ready yet. Well, neither was Skal Labissiere. Some time in Reno took care of that problem.

It’s now a war room problem

Between now and June 22, 2017 there will be multiple scenarios that will be run through the war room in Sacramento about who should be drafted by the Kings. Players will be brought in for tryouts and teams will be calling about possible trades for the draft slots that Kings have available.

What happens in the next 30 days may be the most important decisions that have been made in the history of this franchise in the last 20 years. What decisions are made will most certainly set the direction of the franchise for the next five to seven years. This is high drama if you are a fan of the Sacramento Kings.