The Sacramento Kings have traded point guard Ramon Sessions the Washington Wizards in exchange for point/shooting guard Andre Miller. The trade was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
The trade reunites Miller with his former coach George Karl. Miller played for Karl in Denver. Their player – coach relationship is described as close.
Miller, who 38 years old, is in his 16th season in the NBA. He was in his second season with the Wizards.
Miller has seen action in 51 games this season coming off the bench. He has been primarily used at point guard. Miller is averaging 3.6 points per game in 12 plus minutes of average playing time. He is shooting 54.2 percent from the field. Miller is not a 3-point shooting threat.
The 28 year old Sessions was averaging 5.4 points per game in just a little over 17 minutes of average playing time for Sacramento.
Why the trade? First, Miller has an expiring contract which gives the Kings some flexibility in the off-season. Secondly, having someone who has played for Karl may help the Kings players to better understand their new coach. Finally, Miller can be a mentor to talented second year point guard Ray McCallum.
George Karl met the press as the Head Coach of the Sacramento Kings for the first time on Tuesday. There were the usual “we are glad he is here” statements from Pete D’Alessandro. Karl gave the usual how great it is to be in a great market like Sacramento lines. Then, George Karl got down to business.
Karl’s main emphasis was on the number 30. The Kings have 30 games left to play this season and Karl wants those 30 games to count. He not only knew the number of games left to play – he knew that he had 22 practices remaining for the season. It became very clear that Karl knows situation in Sacramento and is ready to get to work to change it.
Karl also made it known that he understands what his new team has been through this season. He said he knew this team had been through “basketball hell” since the Malone firing in December. Karl demonstrated that he knows his team needs direction and stability.
Karl also made clear his feelings about DeMarcus Cousins. He made several references to Cousins being the best player on the team. He said that Cousins is not just a great big man. Karl said Cousins is a great basketball player. He went on to say that Cousins may be the best passer on the team. That could be a preview of the offense running through Cousins as a point of emphasis.
When asked about possible trades with the trade deadline on Thursday, Karl said, “You are always looking to get better.” The crafty veteran coach would not say anymore than that on the subject.
Karl indicated he planned to keep the current coaching staff together for the rest of the season. He mentioned he had some ideas on how to mold the staff for next year.
Karl was clear that he was ready to get back into the gym. He sounded excited to working as a coach again.
Karl gave another clue as to what fans should be looking for from his team. He said the one thing he learned at ESPN was that we over analyze the game of basketball. Karl said it is a simple game – find the open man and take the shot. It sounds like the “K.I.S.S.” principle will be in play as the Kings get back to work.
Karl’s first game with his new team will be on Friday in Sacramento versus the Boston Celtics. In the meantime, George Karl and his team have some work to do.
The Sacramento Kings have announced their intentions to make a bid to bring the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend to Sacramento. The event would the crowning achievement of opening the Entertainment and Sports Complex in downtown Sacramento.
The 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend was originally to be held in the Capital City but was moved by the Maloof family to Las Vegas to support their Palms Hotel and Casino business. It is believed that the Maloof’s hoped to use the weekend as a springboard to move the Kings to “Sin City”. That play did not work and the Maloofs now only own a small percentage of the Palms.
There is much to do, but the Kings, the City of Sacramento and our fans never shy away from hard work. Our downtown arena will serve as a global model of technology and sustainability, while showcasing Sacramento’s unique culture,”said Kings President Chris Granger.
The main problem for the Kings has been a lack of hotel rooms. The Sacramento City Planning Commission just “green lighted” the Kings 16 story hotel project to built next to the arena. By February 2019, it is believed that several other hotel projects will have been completed. Another possibility would be to bring cruise ships up the deep water channel and use them as temporary hotels as New York City did for the Superbowl.
The project would require a regional partnership but would also benefit the entire region. Some reports have the Napa area wine industry as major partner in the effort to bring the All-Star Weekend to Sacramento.
The Sacramento Kings have publicly announced an agreement in principle with George Karl to become the head coach of the team. The announcement was made by Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro who worked with Karl in Denver.
The contract is reported to be for $14.5 million over four years. A press conference to formally introduce Karl will be held after the contract is signed.
At the same time Karl was named head coach, the Kings announced that Tyrone Corbin has been relieved of his duties as head coach. Corbin, who was given a contract that runs through the end of the season, will move to the front office as an advisor to team management.
“I have the utmost respect for Tyrone as a coach and person,” said D’Alessandro. “He’s a man of great integrity, a consummate professional that managed a difficult situation with class and professionalism. I look forward to continuing to work with Tyrone moving forward.”
Multiple sources are reporting that the Sacramento Kings have hired George Karl to be their next head coach. The Sacramento Bee was the first to report the signing. No official announcement is not expected for several days. The NBA All-Star break begins on Thursday.
Yahoo Sports is reporting the contract is for four years and $14.5 million.
If the reports are accurate, Karl’s first game as the Kings coach would most likely be on Friday, February 20 versus the Boston Celtics.
Karl is currently working as an analyst for ESPN. He last coached in “the Association” in the 2012-13 season with the Denver Nuggets. Karl was fired after leading the Nuggets to a record of 57-25 and being named NBA Coach of the Year.
Karl has been a head coach in the NBA since 1984. His coaching stops include Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Milwaukee and Denver. Karl’s best finish was when he took the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA Finals in 1996. Seattle ultimately lost in the finals to the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan in six games.
Karl’s career record as head coach is 1131 wins and 756 losses good for a 59.9-winning percentage. The knock against Karl has been his record in the playoffs. He is 80 – 105 (43.2-win percentage) as a coach in the playoffs.
There had been reports that DeMarcus Cousins camp was showing resistance to the hiring of Karl because of his history of having less than cordial relationships with some players. Cousins vehemently denied the reports.
The All-Star break couldn’t have come sooner for the struggling Sacramento Kings, who ended the first half of the season by dropping 13 of their last 15 games after suffering a 111-103 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
The 13-game skid sends coach Tyrone Corbin out on a poor note, as the team reportedly agreed to terms with George Karl to become the new head coach of the team when the second half of the season resumes on February 20th against the Boston Celtics.
Milwaukee was led by guard Brandon Knight, who is arguably having an All-Star caliber season despite being left off of the East’s roster. Knight led the Bucks with 20 points, 6 rebounds and five assists on the night. O.J Mayo provided some pop off the bench for Milwaukee by dumping in 21 points in 25 minutes as well.
The Kings received a strong effort from DeMarcus Cousins, who will be making an appearance in New York’s All-Star game, as the big man posted an impressive stat line 28 points and 19 rebounds in the losing effort. Cousins was followed by Rudy Gay, who had 17 points and 8 rebounds on the night.
The Kings will hope that Karl’s veteran coaching presence will be able to revive the struggling team, who currently sit 13th in the Western division, ahead of only the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves with an 18-34 record.
Karl is currently the sixth most winning coach in NBA history. CSN Bay Area reported that the deal is rumored to be anywhere between $4 million and $5 million dollars per year.
A trio of Bulls led the charge against Sacramento on Tuesday night, as Chicago steadily dispatched the stumbling Kings with a 104-86 trouncing at the United Center.
The Kings seemingly had no answer for Chicago’s Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose and Tony Snell, who combined for 73 of the Bulls’ 104 points on the night. Snell turned in a career night against the Kings, scoring 24 points on 9 of 11 shooting.
Sacramento’s efforts were derailed in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s contest after a 19-4 run in the beginning of the frame sunk any chance for the Kings to mount a comeback. The Kings did themselves no favor on the defensive side of the ball as well, as a lackluster effort allowed Chicago to shoot 52.5 percent from the field on the night, including 7-of-20 from beyond the arc.
The loss was yet another frustrating effort from Sacramento, who have now lost 12 of their last 14 games while earning an 18-33 record in the Pacific division.
But help might soon be on the way for the struggling Kings, as there are reports that George Karl may soon be at the helm of the team. The 63-year old veteran coach, who currently sits sixth in NBA history with 1,131 wins, can give the Kings some much needed guidance in order to turn the troubled club around.
In what may prove to be his final game as head coach, Tyrone Corbin and the Kings will limp into Milwaukee on Wednesday night to take on the Bucks before receiving a much needed break over All-Star weekend.
The misery continued on Saturday night as the Kings lost for the 11th time in their last 12 games. This time the loss came at the hands of the Utah Jazz (18-33) 102-90.
The troubles for the Kings started early as they scored just 15 points in the first quarter. Sacramento shot a miserable 26.1-percent (6 for 23) from the field and were zero for five from 3-point range. The Kings trailed by 10 after the first quarter.
The Kings did not lack energy. They just could get shots to fall.
The Kings shooting percentage improved slightly in the second quarter and they matched the Jazz scoring with 24 points. It was 49-39 at the half.
The Jazz came out strong in the third quarter going on a 15-2 run and building a 23 point lead. The Kings kept battling but the deficit was just too great for them to overcome. Sacramento (17-32) had lost their third consecutive game.
Forward Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 30 points going 13 for 23 shooting from the floor. Derrick Favors put up 20 points to go with five assists and three blocked shots.
Utah’s Enes Kanter posted a double-double scoring 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
The Jazz shot 50.0-percent (43 for 86) from the floor.They had 21 assists and turned the ball over just nine times. The Jazz outrebounded the Kings 43-40.
DeMarcus Cousins was the Kings leading scorer recording another double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gay, who tweaked his ankle early in the game, scored just four points.
Ben McLemore scored 15 points including three 3-pointers. Ramon Sessions, who started for the injured Darren Collison, put up 11 points to go with five assists.
As a team, the Kings shot just 39.0-percent (32 for 82) from the field. They were just three for 13 (23.1-percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Sacramento, usually a good free throw shooting team, shot just 69.7-percent (23 for 33) from the stripe.
The off-court drama continues
Rumors have persisted over the past week that the Kings would replace Tyrone Corbin as head coach over the All-Star break. The rumor mill has also had the Kings in negotiations with George Karl over the weekend. Now those talks may have hit a snag.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski: Yahoo Sources: The resistance to George Karl hiring by Cousins’ camp has stalled talks and given sides pause about pushing through on deal.
Nothing is going to come easy for the Kings this season. They cannot win games and now, they cannot even hire a permanent coach without controversy.
Up Next
The Kings have no time to rest as they host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night at Sleep Train Arena.
The Golden State Warriors got off to a slow start Tuesday night as the played the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento. The Kings (17-29) started Darren Collison, Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore, Derrick Williams and All-Star Center DeMarcus Cousins hoping to somehow beat the Warriors and prevent the Warriors from sweeping the 4 game season series. The Kings got off to a hot start and behind Ben McLemore’s eleven points took an early 20-10 lead. The Warriors then went on a 19-2 run behind the great play of the second unit. Key players were Andre Iguodala, David Lee. Mo Speights, Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingstone and the first period ended with the Warriors holding a seven point 29-22 advantage.
The Warriors behind great defense and great hustle of the second unit extended the lead to 37-22 before Sacramento could right the ship and hope to get back into the game. At this point in the game, the Warrior bench had produced 24 points as compared to just 8 from the Kings’ bench. Again, it was good defense, hot shooting, great passing and strong contributions from the bench. The half ended with Golden State leading 63-42. The Warriors had 22 assists and just 4 turnovers in the first 24 minutes of play..
The Warriors increased the lead to 25 early in the 3rd period. Andrew Bogut had contained DeMarcus Cousins all night but Bogut had to sit down as he committed his fourth foul early in the 3rd period.
Cousins went to work on Mo Speights and the Kings clawed their way back and cut the deficit to just 11 near the end of the period. The Warriors led by 14 as the start of the fourth period and the second unit took control of the game. Speights, Iguodala, Lee and Barbosa continued their strong play and the Warriors won by 22 as the final score was 121-99.
The Warriors’ Steph Curry played 29 minutes and had 23 points and 9 assists. Klay Thompson scored just 14 but the bench was led by Mo Speights who had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Andre Iguodala pitched in with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist while Leandro Barbosa’s numbers were 12 points,3 rebounds and 5 assists. Andrew Bogut had 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots as the Warriors swept the season series from the Kings and have beat them 8 straight times.
After the game coach Steve Kerr said " that was a great win and the guys on the bench came in and just took over."
The Warriors return to Oakland Wednesday night to face the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30PT and then go on a four game road trip before the All-Star break with stops in Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia and Minnesota. Don’t forget to stay warm guys and good luck on the trip. Thw Warriors are now 38-8 for the season.
The Sacramento Kings eight game losing streak came an end in Indiana on Saturday night as they beat the Pacers 99-94. Rudy Gay (31), DeMarcus Cousins (20) and Darren Collison (23) combined for 74 of the Kings 99 point total.
“What really helped set the tone was the main three primary guys … and guys kind of took our lead. Once we did it – everybody got into the flow,” said DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins had a tough night shooting going six for 24 from the field, but the Kings’ big man had a perfect night from the free throw line going eight for eight. Cousins grabbed 19 rebounds to record his 28th double-double of the season. He also had three assists and three steals.
When asked how he felt about ending the losing streak Cousins said, “It’s not a good feeling being on a losing streak like that. Come out and get a win – get some relief. Now hopefully we can build off the win.”
Rudy Gay led the Kings in scoring with 31 points including going 11 for 11 from the free throw stripe.
“Especially at time like this, you have to get the ball in the hoop someway, somehow, and I figured (out) a way to do it today,” Rudy Gay said after the game.
Darren Collison put up 23 points shooting nine for 15 from the field including going three for six from 3-Point range. The Kings point guard pulled down five rebounds, dished out five assists and one steal. Collison turned the ball over just once in the game.
Collison said, “We were able to move the ball, get better shots. I thought we got off to a good start.” He scored 12 of his 23 points in the first quarter.
The Kings big three played big minutes on Saturday night. Gay played 43:57, Collison 39:43 and Cousins logged 38:46. Carl Landry was the only player to come off the bench and play double digit minutes (25:32).
The bench was not a factor for the Kings against the Pacers. The Kings bench scored just 11 points compared to the Indiana bench that scored 56 points.
Sacramento shot 42.5-percent (34 for 80) for the game. They were five for 15 (33.3-percent) from beyond the 3-Point line. The Kings shot 88.7-percent (26 for 29) from the free throw line.
The Kings took better care of the basket versus the Pacers. They turned the ball over just 12 times and had 16 assists. They needed to record more assists but the turnover total was in the acceptable range.
Sacramento out-rebounded Indiana 46 to 40.
The Kings defense also showed up on Saturday night. They held the Pacers to just 41.3-percent (33 for 80) shooting. Indiana shot just 20.0-percent (5 for 25) from beyond the 3-Point arc. The Pacers average 32.6-percent for 3-Point shooting this season.
After the game Kings Head Coach Tyrone Corbin said, “It feels good. We needed to get a win – a tough road win. We had to stick it out there at the end to get it. Through it all we hung together and persevered – was able to get a win that we needed. We stopped the slide.”
David West and CJ Miles led the Pacers in scoring with 17 points each.
The Kings flew home to Sacramento after the game.
Coming Up
The Kings come home and will have three of their next four games at Sleep Train Arena.
Tuesday the Kings host the Golden State Warriors. This will be the final meeting of the teams for the season.
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