Sacramento Kings podcast: Kings set to take on one of the NBA’s best the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night

by Jeff Hall

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings are going to face one of the best teams in the NBA the Memphis Grizzlies and their a team that’s loaded with talent. There will be no hand outs from the three teams that are coming in for the Kings next three home games. The Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trailblazers. It’s going to be a tough home series but the Kings have a new head coach coaching his third game with the team George Karl.

The Kings have used him for a couple of games so far one at home when they beat the Boston Celtics and the next night which they lost in Los Angeles against the Clippers. Their in a transition state right now and the team is trying to learn how to play basketball for Karl. It’s a different style of basketball.

That first win was very exciting for Karl and the crowd at Sleep Train Arena just went nuts when they announced Karl to the fans and it was fascinating the way the crowd reacted to him. So he’s welcomed to Sacramento, there not too many expectations because nobody knows what’s going on with this team.

There’s hopes that Karl will be able to turn this team around, is he going to turn the team around quickly? Probably not it’s going to take him a season in a half and that’s the reason why the Kings wanted to bring him aboard. Before the transition of Karl the Kings were getting offers from other NBA teams about DeMarcus Cousins but the Kings didn’t panic and held onto him.’

The Kings can’t be losing Cousins he’s the best player they have on the team and you hate to lose a guy like that. The Kings have seen the importance of having him on the team. When Cousins have the viral meningitis it’s not the same. It’s obvious when he was out he was not the same Cousins is an important part of this team. Cousins has a lot of respect for Karl which is good and that’s what you have to see how the players are going to react to the new coach.

The Kings lost a tough game under Karl in L.A. against the Clippers and you have to remember that the Kings are trying to plan their new strategy now. Cousins after that game felt the team was fatigued because their running a fast break that they’ve never run before. It’s starting to wear the team down and he thinks that had an impact on them against the Clippers.

Jeff Hall is a beat writer covering Kings basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen to the rest of Jeff’s podcast below

Nowitzki’s Historic Night Leads Comeback From Dallas Mavericks.

By Shawn Whelchel

It was a tale of two halves for the Kings as Sacramento jumped out to a commanding first half lead, but couldn’t keep their foot on the gas as the offense sputtered late, leaving the door open for the Dallas Mavericks to mount an impressive comeback to steal a 106-98 victory at home.

The Kings offense came out firing on all cylinders to start the game, jumping out to a 24-point lead in the second quarter while picking apart the Dallas defense. But half time cooled the hot shooting Kings, as Dallas began finding a rhythm of their own, outscoring Sacramento 58-41 through the final two frames to secure a come-from-behind victory.

Rudy Gay led the charge for Sacramento, scoring 26 points on the night while nearly notching a triple-double with 8 rebounds and 8 assists to boot. Ramon Sessions followed Gay with 18 points and 3 rebounds.

Dirk Nowitzki led all Dallas scorers with 23 points of his own on a historic night where the German born star passed Hakeem Olajuwon for most points by an international player in NBA history while also moving into 9th place on the all-time scoring list.

Nowitzki came into the game needing just 17 points to secure his place in history, but after a scoreless first quarter it looked as if the feat would be questionable. However, Nowitzki would not be denied his claim as the second quarter saw a turnaround from both he and the rest of the team as their 34-point outburst brought them right back into the game.

The Kings competitive first half was nowhere to be found as they came out of the locker room, posting just 15 points on 26 percent shooting to allow Dallas to take their first lead of the game in the third quarter, which Dallas would not relinquish the rest of the game, bumping the Kings to a 5-3 record in the pacific division.

The Kings continue their tough road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday where Sacramento will look to snap their two-game skid before returning home to take on the champion San Antonio Spurs.

Game Notes:

PG Darren Collison was absent from Tuesday night’s contest with left shoulder stiffness. It remains to be seen if the guard will play Thursday night against the Grizzlies.

 

Curry Surprises Jackson With Buzzer-Beater Over Mavs In OT On Coach’s Birthday

By Matthew Harrington
Warriors coach Mark Jackson received quite the birthday gift from his All-star guard Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Stephen Curry hit the game-winning shot with .1 seconds remaining in overtime to cap a Golden State 122-120 upheaval of the Dallas Mavericks (44-31). As coach Jackson blew out the 49 candles on his cake, the Dubs created a little bit of breathing room in the Western Conference playoff picture. Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs entered play Tuesday with 44 wins, just one less than their foes from California. The Warriors (46-28) have two games in hand over Dallas.

Curry’s game-winner in the extra session, his third career buzzer-beating basket, was a culmination of a 43-minute, 23-point effort. Fellow guard Klay Thompson topped Golden State on 27 points, going 11-for-24 from the field including 4-of9 from downtown. Jermaine O’Neal, starting at center with Andrew Bogut not making the trip nursing a sore groin and David Lee in street clothes for the third-straight game, picked up 20 points and 8 rebounds. Marreese Speights’ 9 rebounds paced the Warriors.

Ex-Warrior Monta Ellis did his best to sink his former franchise, shooting 11-for-23 with 27 points. Mavs perennial All-Star Nowitzki contributed a game-high 33 points over 39 minutes of play and converted the double-double on a game-high 11 boards.

The Warriors connected on a blistering 57.1 shooting percentage, making 52 shots on 91 attempts including nearly half (15) of their 31 shots from beyond the arc. Mark Cuban’s club held the advantage in turnovers, forfeiting possession 8 times to the visitors’ 12. The Mavericks somehow managed to keep Golden State from going to the free throw line for the entirety of the second half.

The Warriors overpowered their hosts in the first, racing out to a 30-21 lead after twelve minutes of play. Dallas bombarded Golden State with 41 second-quarter points, the most the Warriors have yielded in a single frame this season, while limiting the visitors to 23 points for a 62-53 halftime edge.

It took the Warriors nearly ten minutes of play in the third to catch up to Dallas when Speights rolled in a layup to make it 78-all before Vince Carter hit one of two free throws to restore the slim Mavs one-point edge. The Warriors would score seven of the last nine points for an 85-81 lead after three frames.

Dallas capped a 10-5 run to open the fourth with a Carter basket to pull ahead 91-90 nearly four minutes in to the final stanza of regulation. The Warriors briefly wrestled the lead back from their foes but found themselves trailing 106-102 with 1:43 until the final horn. Andre Iguodala and Thompson sandwiched three-pointers around an Ellis jumper to knot things up a 108 a piece with a minute left but that would be the last basket of regulation as the teams would require an five-minute overtime to decide the victor.

Dallas opened the final five minutes on a Dirk jumper before Jermaine O’Neal hit only one of two free throws to pull the Warriors within one at 110-109. O’Neal represented the first Warrior to head to the charity stripe since Thompson completed the and-1 play with 2:55 left in the second quarter. From there the two teams would go shot-for-shot over the next five baskets before a Thompson trey preceded a Curry 16-foot jumper to put the Dubs up 118-117 over halfway through OT.

The Mavs’ Jose Calderon responded with a three of his own before O’Neal took a Draymon Green feed to the rim to knot things up at 120-all. The Warriors were looking for a quick basket to force a last-possession chance, a goal achieved when Green connected with O’Neal with 28 seconds left.

On the penultimate Dallas possession of the game, Ellis tried to take the winning shot but he was rejected on the layup by O’Neal. On the next Warrior possession Curry connected on the off-balance jumper with a tenth of a second remaining. The Mavs couldn’t connect on the in-bound deflection play, and after a brief review, the Warriors win was official.

Golden State looks to give Jackson a second belated gift Wednesday evening. They continue on to a showdown in San Antonio with the Spurs at the AT&T Center where they haven’t won since Valentine’s Day of 1997, just six days before then 31-year-old point guard Jackson was dealt from the Denver Nuggets back to the Indiana Pacers. After the second leg of the Texas road trip the Warriors return to the West Coast for a showdown with in-state rivals, the Sacramento Kings, Friday night at Oracle Arena.

Reserves pull through for Quakes

Photo credit: (Godofredo Vasquez/SFBay)

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Earthquakes finally broke through in the end, persisting for a 2-0 win over the Republic FC in Tucson Wednesday, ending their preseason with their best match score.

It was Sacramento’s first loss in four practice matches, who were almost able to hold on until the end. Fans supported all the way from pre-game warmups to after the 2-0 score.

The Republic were playing with two members from a Portland Timbers loan, which included goalie Jake Gleeson.

The Quakes had a number of chances, about five excluding the ones that the referee counted. Adam Jahn was involved in two of them.

San Jose made all their substitutions except goalie in the 71st minute.

Jon Busch did leave though, after Sacramento had a chance that hit the crossbar in the 79th minute. Busch departed due to a cut above his eye, while defending the net.

The Earthquakes broke through in the 86th minute. Alan Gordon played for the first time in the preseason and after receiving a cross from Walter Martinez, headed the ball to rookie JJ Koval, who headed the ball into an empty net.

Both Billy Schuler and Sam Garza experienced redemption with San Jose’s doubling goal. Schuler scored a minute into stoppage on an assist from Garza. Earlier, Schuler had a goal taken away due to a foul and Garza just moments before his post-regulation assist, had almost scored.

Game notes: Koval and Schuler were both credited with their first goal of the preseason. The former signed with the team February 19, after being selected in the year’s SuperDraft. Schuler joined the team Jan 14 via lottery.  Earlier in the day, the Quakes added German Andreas Gorlitz to their roster, pending administrative receipts. There were over 1,100 attendees of the Republic’s first match in front of a home crowd. March 11 at 7p, San Jose will face an even stiffer challenge as 8th seed in the quarterfinal of the CONCACAF Champions League, as they host first-seed Deportivo Toluca FC.

Conley checkmates Kings

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Memphis Grizzlies, who were on a four game winning streak heading into their last matchup versus Sacramento are on another one now, as Mike Conley led again in a 99-89 win over the Kings.

With their victory, the Grizzlies matched the sizzling Thunder for best record in the NBA the last 10 games, at 9-1.

Since the Kings and Memphis last met January 17, Sacramento has only won one game in the now seven games since and the Grizzlies have only lost once in the now six games since.

Conley led with 27 points and 10 assists. The last time Conley scored 20+ points was in the teams’ last meeting, where he scored 25 and led the game as well .

Two of Sacramento’s three missing starters returned and were the leading scorers with 20+ points, but they were the only ones who achieved double digits.

Rudy Gay returned to the lineup from an Achilles strain and produced 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Isaiah Thomas looked recovered as well, as he was the top scorer with 24 points on 10 of 21 shooting and four three-pointers.

In the first quarter, Conley had five of his assists while Thomas scored 10 of his team’s first 14 points, along with one assist.

The Kings’ last lead came with 5:58 left to go in the third. There were about eight ties and nine lead changes until then. Sacramento missed eight baskets and had four turnovers while the Grizzlies ended the quarter on a 10-2 run.

During a 30 point fourth for Memphis, Sacramento pulled to within three with a 9-2 run to make it 84-81 with 4:33 to go, but the Grizzlies “stole” the game for good with a 15-8 finishing run while four different players took the ball away from the Kings. Conley scored seven during that stretch and Tayshaun Prince scored six.

Game notes: The Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph had four steals and seven rebounds to go along with 18 points. Conley was 9 for 9 from the free throw line. Sacramento ends January Friday at 5:30 pm, facing the Dallas Mavericks.

Kings downtown arena: Consensus Macy’s building will stand empty without eminent domain

by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–With the city of Sacramento holding a check of $4.35 million in escrow which was wired to the city from the Sacramento Kings the Kings owners Sacramento Basketball Holdings, the Kings and the city now wait for the owners of the Macy’s building located at the Westfield Downtown Plaza located at the western end of the mall to make a decision to sell the building.

The money would only come into play if the city council approves eminent domain in the case of the Macy’s building property owners CalPERS and U.S. Bank who did reach terms to sell the building last March but the deal fell apart. While the reasons were not clear why CalPERS and U.S. Bank changed their minds money was rumored to be the top reason and that the Macy’s building owners can hold out for more since the city and the Kings are desperate to purchase the building.

The building is crucial for the Kings as part of that land would be used for the new downtown arena, CalPERS said through a statement released to the media that CalPERS “recongnizes the signifcance of the city’s downtown redevelopment efforts and we are confident that we will reach a solution that is in the best interests of everyone involved our members, the tenant and the city of Sacramento.”

Time is of the essence as the NBA has set an October 2017 deadline to get the arena done and ready or the Kings will have to move out of Sacramento, so for the city of Sacramento and the Kings it’s win big or move elsewhere. That win would have to come in two hurdles the first, the Kings and the city face an anti arena movement to try and place a disclaimer on the ballot in June that all future sports and entertainment facilities that are paid for with city funds be approved by the voters first and the second is the eminent domain issue with the Macy’s building owners.

U.S. Bank did not issue any statements regarding the sale of the building but sources say their holding out for more than the $4.35 million escrow that the Kings have the city holding onto. Kings president Chris Granger said the Kings are behind the city council’s effort to use eminent domain to buy and move the CalPERS and U.S.Bank owners via a buyout.

The tone of the CalPERS statement sounds like they’re ready to play ball and that they want to sit down with the city and see what they have to offer and Granger added that the Kings are prepared to use eminent domain, “fully committed to our partnership in every facet.”: City officials have said that in talking with eminent domain attorneys the city would have a strong case seeing that the building would be used for a sporting arena, used for high school and college sporting events, graduations, concerts, the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau and at the very minimum hold up to nine events each year and the tenants would not have to pay.

Taking these community events into account eminent domain attorneys say most judges would rule in favor of eminent domain and that CalPERS and U.S.Bank under such scrutiny would have to sell and move. The city tried using eminent domain years ago once but landowner Moe Mohanna who had control of several K Street properties settled the case before facing eminent domain from the city.

In California the Los Angeles Dodgers used eminent domain to obtain Dodgers Stadium in 1959-60 and the Lakers used eminent domain to gain property ownership where Staples Center sits in downtown Los Angeles. One eminent domain laywer said it’s a matter of time for the Macy’s owners and that under case law “Courts have found that (a sports stadium) is a public use, it’s certainly not new” said Brent Hawkins, a partner of Best, Best, and Krieger law firm in Sacramento in an interview with the Sacramento Bee.

Ken Gimblin covers the NBA for Sportstalk radio

Kings downtown arena: STOP withdrawal signatures signals momentum for Kings arena

by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–The campaign by the anti arena group STOP or Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed To Pork which looked like they were picking up some momentum this past summer as it looked as they would have enough signatures to put a disclaimer on the ballot before any new sports or entertainment facilities could be built, that would ask the voter if they apporove public monies to pay for such new buildings.

The campaign was required to present 22,000 signatures to be turned into the Sacramento registrar of voters, so far 14,012 withdrawal cards of the 15,277 forms that had been turned in by the downtownarena.org/Crown Downtown have not been counted. What hurts STOP’s campaign even worse is that there are a good number of reported unregistered voters who will be dropped out of the petition drive if that can be verified by the county registrar.

As of Monday 9,576 were counted as valid voters well short of the 22,000 needed to make the disclaimer a requirement on June ballot. It was also reported that some of the voters that signed the petition were not in the boundaries of Sacramento when the signatures were checked by the register’s office. Also it was said that some of the 34,000 signatures that were turned of those signatures the names might have been of voters names of who didn’t even sign the petition in the first place.

According to Jill LaVine Sacramento county registrar not only were there people who might not have signed the petition or did not live in Sacramento but they also may not have signatures that match against their registered signature in previous balloting or their registration cards on file with the county, “We will verify the voter was an eligible voter in the city limits, at the address listed, on the dates the petition was circulated, and the signature matches. If there is a withdrawal on file, it will link up and that signature will be noted as ‘withdrawn,’ said LaVine.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson also said that STOP will be resposible for the bill for the time and labor from the office of registrar. At one time STOP looked like they would have enough signatures to get the disclaimer on any future ballots but with all these factors now involved the Mayor and the city are planning one final crushing blow to STOP’s efforts by deferring the costs of the registrar’s office to the non-profit group, “(STOP) are not folks who have Sacramento’s best interests in mind. For me this isn’t what it appears to be, this initiative is like a trojan horse, it’s like a bait and switch.” said Johnson in a recent interview with the Sacramento Bee.

Johnson said that Sacramento was misled into thinking that STOP got these signatures legitimately, “we are ready to fight especially attacked from outside our community, we’re not going to be fooled. We’ve been here before.” Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen who tried to buy and move and build a new arena for the Kings in downtown Seattle. Later the NBA ruled that Sacramento should keep it’s team if they can get a new arena built by the 2016 season. Since Hansen lost his bid for the Kings and later he spent $100,000 of his own money for the petiton drive to get the facility subsidy disclaimer on the coming June ballot in Sacramento.

Hansen who would have had another shot at an NBA team in Seattle lost his credibility after it was found out that he was behind the campaign to undermind the Kings aspirations to build a new arena in downtown Sacramento.

Worse Hansen was fined by the registrar of voters for campaign violations to the tune of $50,000. STOP continued the campaign taking the signatures. STOP’s president Jullian Camacho says the mayor is misleading the public over his fight against the signatures, “he’s grasping at straws, if there are outside interests, they are centered at Region Builders (a pro arena group) not in STOP’s organization. Moreover the mayor’s statement is highly indicative of the misinformation that’s plauged this effort, an effort by local folks to be more involved in the long term direction of the city.” said Camacho. STOP turned in roughly 40,000 signatures on Tuesday at the city clerks office.

Ken Gimblin is covering the NBA for Sportstalk radio

Kings Stop the Magic 105-100

Image

Photo credit: Fernando Medina

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Sacramento Kings desperately needed a win on Saturday night in Orlando. The Kings had lost the first three games of the four game road trip and had been blown out in two of those games. The game against the Magic appeared to be the most winnable of the trip. The Kings stepped up, shook off the blowout in Miami and beat the Magic 105-100.

The game did not begin in a manner that would instill confidence that a win was in the cards. The Kings gave up 31 points to the Magic and trailed 31-25 after one quarter. The lack of defense made it appear that is was going to be déjà vu all over again for Sacramento.

The Kings offense stepped up and starting putting points up on the board in the second quarter. Head Coach Michael Malone felt that his team’s 12-4 run to close out the quarter was a key to their victory. The Kings went to the locker room trailing the Magic by just two points, 58-56.

Both teams came out in the third determined to play defense. The Kings and the Magic scored only 19 points each in the quarter. Malone called his team’s defensive efforts in the period, “Terrific!” After three quarters the Magic led the Kings by just two points.

The Kings offense came alive in the fourth quarter as they went on an 18-4 run to kick things off in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Kings outscored the Magic 30-23 in the fourth period and capped off their 105-100 win.

After the game, Michael Malone said, “We battled back tonight.” He also praised guard Marcus Thornton, “Marcus has been a true pro. He was ready tonight.”

Thornton has been the forgotten man on the Sacramento bench. He had gone from being a starter to being completely out of the rotation. Saturday night Thornton got the chance to play and he did the most with his opportunity. Thornton scored 15 points in his 22 minutes of playing time. After the game he said, “I’m happy to have the opportunity.”

Isaiah Thomas had another terrific game for Sacramento. His play in the first half really kept his team in the game. Thomas finished with 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds. He shot eight for 15 from the floor.

Rudy Gay also poured in 23 points for the Kings in his 38 minutes of playing time. Gay grabbed six rebounds and added two assists.

DeMarcus Cousins recorded another double-double. Cousins scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

The Kings had a strong night shooting the ball. They shot 49.4% (39-79) overall and 52.2% (12-23) from beyond the 3-point line.

The Kings now head back to Sacramento where they will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night at Sleep Train Arena.

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

by Ken Gimblin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 by Ken Gimblin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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