Tag: Sacramento Kings

by Charlie O. Mallonee

You are NBA head coach and it is Father’s Day. How do you spend your morning? You are not out having brunch and mimosas. You are probably in a gym watching draft prospects go through drills and evaluating their skills.

That is exactly how George Karl spent his Father’s Day. He attended a workout with four players at the Kings practice facility. Two of the players will probably be drafted in the mid to late first round in Thursday’s NBA Draft. The other two players may go in the second round or be potential free agent pick ups.

Karl felt it was a good workout, and that all four players worked really hard.

When asked about his input into the draft process Karl said, “Most of my input is philosophical. Do we need a passer, a shooter or a shot blocker? Do we need a big guy?”

Karl noted that he is seeing most of these players for the first time. Where he sees NBA players multiple times in person and on video, Karl does not have the time to keep up on potential draftees.

“I feel much more comfortable being a consultant on NBA players than I am with the draft,” said Karl.

Karl indicated that he is looking for skills, coachability. speed, size and style of play when he is evaluating players in the workouts..

“When the roster is set, I have to adapt to the style of play a little bit. In pro ball, a coach has to be adaptable. In college, you can recruit the type of player you want. In pro ball, you have to have good players. You have got  to have talented kids. If you (the coach) can’t get your type of player, (you have) to change the style of play until you get your type of player.”

Karl responded to a question about dealing with younger draftees with some strong words. “If I am a basketball sociologist, I’m saying the one and done stuff has not been good for the game – I can buy that. I can also buy that AAU has not been good for college or pro basketball. No one wants to hear that. They want to believe that we can take six months to a year and turn them into pro basketball players.” Karl added, “In our case it’s not one player, (we need) three or four players to get our roster into the right place.”

Karl was clear that the team has plans in place for whatever happens on Thursday night. He indicated that the Kings know who they will take if they keep the sixth overall pick. Karl pointed out the team could also trade the sixth pick for multiple picks or use the pick to trade for experience players.

Karl implied that he would get pretty aggressive on Thursday night if there is a player available who can give him 30-minutes of playing time per night. “I don’t think any guy at six is going to play 30-minutes. Most of these guys we’re considering are 19-year old kids who are going to have to grow up a little bit,” said Karl.

Karl also waxed philosophically about the development of younger players. He told reporters that it is easier for a player to grow up on a winning team than it is on a losing team.

In the NBA, the best prospects go to the worst teams. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on young players to produce quickly.

Karl also pointed out that he will be looking for coachability once gets the young players into the gym. He will be looking for players that want to win and are all about the team. Karl also indicated he has no problem being the policeman for any player who is not about winning and being a team player.

Karl was very clear on what it takes to win. “The best way to do that is to play better as a team.”

By Charlie O. Mallonee 

The Sacramento Kings held their next-to-last pre-draft workout on Sunday at their practice facility next to Sleep Train Arena. The Kings final pre-draft workout will be held on Monday morning.

The Kings evaluated four players on Sunday – Long Beach point guard Mike Caffey, Wisconsin small forward Sam Deckker, Wisconsin power forward Duje Dukan and Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Draft express.com has Deckker being the 16th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night. Draft Express has Hollins-Jefferson projected as the  22nd selection in the draft.

The Kings are looking at Dekker and Hollins-Jefferson in case they make deal for their sixth pick and receive multiple picks later in the first round.

For Hollins-Jefferson, this was his 11th workout for an NBA team. Dekker stated this workout was his ninth audition of the pre-draft season.

The Kings are looking for diamonds in the rough in Dukan and Caffey. Do not forget, the Kings own the Reno franchise in the NBA D-League. If the Kings see a player who is not NBA ready but has some potential, they will invest in some player development for that individual.

The Kings will evaluate four more players on Monday – Colorado point guard Askia Booker, Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky, Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell and St. Mary’s power forward/center Brad Waldow.

Sports Radio Service will be at the Kings’ practice facility on Thursday night for the 2015 NBA Draft.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Multiple sources are reporting that Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro is leaving the organization for a position with the Denver Nuggets. The story was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

D’Alessandro came to the Kings from the Nuggets organization where he was an assistant general manager.

D’Alessandro’s role with the Kings had been greatly diminished with the installation of Vlade Divac as vice-president of franchise and basketball operations following the debacle that ensued after the firing of Michael Malone as head coach of the Kings early in the 2014-15 season.

When Chris Mullin left for St. John’s University, many felt that D’Alessandro’s days with the Kings were numbered. Mullin and D’Alessandro shared much of the same philosophy on how the Kings should be configured and are friends from their days at St. John’s. When the team floundered after Malone’s firing, Mullin and D’Alessandro appeared to lose the ear of Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive.

D’Alessandro was praised for the trade that brought Rudy Gay to the Kings from the Toronto Raptors. He was highly criticized for the trade of restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas to Phoenix

The Kings received a $7-million trade exception and the rights to Alex Oriakhi in exchange for Thomas in the sign-and-trade deal with the Suns. Oriakhi has yet to play in the NBA. The Suns received a first-round draft pick for Thomas when they traded him to Boston at the 2015 trade deadline.

According to the Denver Post, D’Alessandro’s duties may include some work for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL as well. Both the Nuggets and Avalanche are owned by Stan Kroenke.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Ryan West assistant scouting director of the Lakers and Travis Schlenk assistant general manager of the Golden State Warriors are being considered for the general manager’s position. It is believed that the Kings desire someone with personnel and operations experience to assist Divac who is new to his position.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, a major change could be coming very soon in the front office of the Sacramento Kings. Wojnarowski cites sources who claim Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro will be a candidate for the Athletic Director’s job at St. John’s University. D’Alessandro is an alumnus of St. John’s.

Multiple news outlets in New York City are reporting that current St. John’s Athletic Director Chris Monasch will be fired or will resign from the position. Monasch has been the AD since 2005 and has been credited with returning the school back to athletic prominence in the redesigned Big East Conference.

Monasch was responsible for bringing another former Kings employee – Chris Mullin – back to St. John’s to become the head men’s basketball coach. It had been rumored that Monasch favored extending the contract of former head coach Steve Lavin, but he was overruled by St.John’s President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw.

The sudden vacancy has led to immediate speculation that D’Alessandro might be reunited with his good friend Mullin at the university.

D’Alessandro – the Kings General Manger – has been relegated to a lesser position in the organization since former player Vlade Divac was appointed Vice-President of Basketball and Franchise Operations. D’Alessandro retained the title of General Manager,but he clearly reports to Divac.

With Divac being new to the job, D’Alessandro’s experience with the salary cap and analytics would be of great help to the new VP as he settles into the job. The problem for D’Alessandro is easy to discern. Who wants to be the guy that has to train the new boss?

It should come as no surprise that D’Alessandro is looking to go elsewhere. If he should go to St.John’s, the Kings can spin the story as D’Alessandro returns to his beloved university.

The question becomes if D’Alessandro leaves, who steps in to assist Divac as he gets his feet on the ground in his new position? What about Geoff Petrie?

Divac knows Petrie. Petrie was the architect of the great teams that Divac was a part of in the early 2000’s. Unfortunately, Petrie was caught up in the craziness that was “Maloof era” as it came to an end. Petrie did not become a poor judge of basketball talent. He became a general manager without the money and resources needed to build a competitive team.

Petrie would become a trusted consultant (think Jerry West and the Golden State Warriors) not a disgruntled employee who has been demoted in a very public fashion. Kings fans know and trust Petrie as a “basketball man”.Divac would have a mentor who is not looking to take over his job.

The problem with this scenario is that it makes too much sense. Kings managing owner Vivek Ranadive likes the new, cutting edge version of everything including his basketball team. New is good but experience is better when it comes to the NBA. It could be NBA version 3.1 instead of 3.0. Let the former great player and new executive work and learn under the tutelage of an experience executive that Divac knows and can trust.

Whatever happens next will be interesting. The front office of the Kings may not be very stable at the moment, but it is never boring.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was named to the All-NBA Second Team today. The Kings All-Star center becomes just the fourth player in the Sacramento-era to earn All-NBA honors. Cousins joins Chris Weber, Mitch Richmond and Peja Stojakovic  as Sacramento players to be named to All-NBA players.

The 2014-15 All-NBA Second Team includes Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Portland Trail Blazers forward-center LaMarcus Aldridge, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol and Cousins.

Cousins averaged 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.53 steals, 1.75 blocks and 34.1 minutes per game last season. He was limited to just 59 games mostly due to an early season bout with viral meningitis. His averages in points, rebounds, assists and blocks were new career-highs.

Among Cousins season accomplishments were finishing tied for third with 47 double-doubles. He was first in fouls drawn with 8.8 per game. Cousins ranked fifth in scoring and third in rebounding for the year.

Cousins received 18 first-place votes from the voting media.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings will have the sixth selection in the 2015 NBA Draft on June 25^th. The Kings did not improve their position in the lottery, but more importantly, they did not lose a position as the New York Knicks did on Tuesday evening.

The Kings must now decide whether to keep the pick or trade it for experienced players.

Vlade Divac – Vice-President of Basketball & Franchise Operations – told the Sacramento Bee:

“We have some options,” Divac said. “I think this class of rookies are very strong. We should be able to get someone who can help us next year.”

That could mean trading the pick. The Kings are intent on improving as fast as possible, raising the possibility of a deal for immediate help.

“I think we should be very open,” Divac said. “Our goal is we want to improve next year. We want to be much, much better.”

Scott Howard-Copper of NBA.com sees the Kings drafting center Willie Cauley-Stein, 7-0/245,  of Kentucky:

He is an ideal fit next to DeMarcus Cousins as a big who will win games without needing shots. Questions about his passion for the game will not go away, to the point that WCS himself is mentioning the criticism without being asked, but the special level of defense and athleticism could also push him into the top five. “I actually think that Cauley-Stein is a little underrated,” one executive said. “I think people have focused so much on his lack of offensive skill that they’re not looking at just how good a defender he is.” He will head into the draft with preparation unmatched from the college game: three seasons of experience in pressure situations, three seasons against top competition and, best of all, three seasons of Kentucky practices filled with future NBA players.

 CBS Sports and Bleacher Report agree with Howard-Cooper. They both see the Kings taking the talented Cauley-Stein who has been compared to Tyson Chandler.

USA Today thinks the Kings will select Emmanuel Mudiay, PG/G who skipped college to go pro in China:

Have seen some “Mudiay to the Lakers” tweets, which is crazy, given the potential to add Rondo, the rookie year of Clarkson, and the fact that even in a wing league, explosive guards are more easily found than true post players. Mudiay would be a terrific fit for the Kings, who could bring him along slowly in year one, backing up Darren Colllison. How about a trio of Mudiay/Gay/Cousins?

NBA Draft Room says Mudiay is faster than Tyreke Evans.

I believe the Kings would love to see the very talented Mudiay fall to number six, but most experts see him being taken by the Knicks at number four if they do not deal the pick away for veterans.

NBA Draft Room believes the Kings will go with Kristaps Porzingis PF 7-1 of Latvia who is playing professionally in Spain. They see Prozingis as:

A long and skilled 7-footer with intriguing upside. A very fluid and mobile big man with high skill level. Shoots the ball with nice form with range out to 3. Has great length and suprising coordination.

Lacks power and strength. Will have to make an adjustment to the American game.

 NBA Draft Room compares Porzingis’ game to that of former NBA great, Rick Smits.

 Porzingis would be the answer to the Kings wish for a “stretch four forward”. Drafting the Latvian would allow the Kings to keep Rudy Gay at small forward.

Assuming the Kings retain the pick, the question becomes do they draft for need or do they take the best available athlete?

Drafting for need is always a very dicey proposition. If you pick and miss with the selection, a team can be saddled with a Jimmer Fredette type situation where you have a great young man that does not help your team on the floor one bit.

If you draft the best available athlete, a team has a valuable asset that can be traded for proven, veteran players who can fill needs that exist on the roster. The Kings must come away with value from this draft. They cannot shoot and miss.

The 2015 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 25^th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Sports Radio Service will provide coverage live from the Kings’ Sacramento draft headquarters.

by Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings will travel to Mexico City next December to play the Boston Celtics as part of the NBA Global Games 2015. The December 3rd game will be a regular season contest and the Kings will be the home team. The game will be played in the Mexico City Arena.

The Global Games are a part of the NBA marketing initiative to take “the Association” to basketball fans around the world. The Kings played preseason games in China in 2014 as a part of the Global Games.

“We’re honored to participate in the NBA’s Global Games,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadive. “The ultimate power of sports is the ability to connect people across geographic, economic and cultural lines. As part of our NBA 3.0 philosophy, we look forward to connecting with fans in Mexico City and sharing our experience through social media and digital platforms with fans around the world.”

The teams will also be involved in a number of off court activities that will include community programs and interactive fan events.

“International competition provides an opportunity for our players and staff to grow closer together while experiencing basketball in a foreign setting,” said Kings Head Coach George Karl. “We’re all excited about the trip to Mexico City and look forward to entertaining many great NBA fans in Latin America.”

While it is clear why the NBA wants to market itself around the world, it is not clear how this game benefits the fans in Sacramento. Rather than 41 home games in 2015-16, there will be only 40 home dates. Since Sacramento will be the home team, local fans will not have the opportunity to see the Boston Celtics and local favorite Isaiah Thomas next season.

The local fans need to be compensated for the loss of a home game so the NBA can further its Global Marketing plan. How should they be compensated is open to question. What do you think? What would make you – the fans – feel better about the loss of a home game for the “good” of the league? Maybe a viewing party and fiesta at Sleep Train Arena the night of the game would help make up for the loss of the home contest.

Let us know what you think. Post your ideas below.