Last year I could pick my top Tyreke Evans plays for my own personal favorite highlight reel. They included the second best comeback in NBA history with the 35-point come from behind win in Chicago, the first game against Brandon Jennings and practical buzzer beater win, the buzzer beater against the Nuggets, and the steal on Gilbert Arenas only to get fouled and ice the two free throws to win the game, and the infamous free throw that sealed his place in history with 20-5-5 and eventual NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Tyreke by all accounts is a quiet, reserved young man. He rarely shows emotion on the court good or bad. Sure he explodes to the rim and there is energy, but there were not many occasions where you could read what the then 20-year old was thinking last season. There were bursts of emotions after a few of the games mentioned above, but nothing like we saw from the now 21-year old last night.
Tyreke said many times last year his top moment on the court was the first official buzzer beater against the Nuggets to win the game. He said he always wanted to hit the game winning shot with a buzzer beater. As great as that first one was, one would have to think that after last night's miracle shot that that shot catapulted to the top of the list. I cannot tell you how far he made the shot from. No one else seems to really know either, as I have heard 45, 50, 55, and 60 feet claims. All I know for sure is that it was well beyond the traditional half court shot...and it was nothing but the bottom of the net! After such an amazing shot Tyreke exhibited energy that encompassed what all Kings fans felt at that moment. With teammate Donte Greene already on the court before the ball was even close to the net ready to celebrate as if he knew it was in, Tyreke dodged what would have been a pile at the free throw line and in a running leap, jumped onto the scorers table and took what looked like a bow. In reality the bow was his momentum carrying him forward and that of Greene joining him along with Jeter atop the table, but a bow would have been well deserved. At this moment I cannot think of a better way to have ended the 2010 portion of the season. Here's hoping that that shot gives Tyreke and the rest of the Kings players the confidence that seems to have been lacking lately and sends the team on a winning streak that allows them to climb out of the NBA basement!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
No Bandwagon Here
Recently someone made the statement that, "All Kings fans are bandwagon fans!" I about jumped out of my skin to argue against this statement.
While it is true that some Kings fans are bandwagon fans, there are far more that are not than those that are. I cannot think of a single professional or collegiate team that does not have bandwagon fans. People will always ride on the coattails of a successful team no matter what the circumstance.
The Kings currently are the not so proud owners of the worst record in the NBA--Again! Sitting at just 5-23, the hopes of a 30 plus win season is looking more unreachable by the game. However, Kings fans continue to flock to ARCO to watch their team play as attendance is up this season. This obviously cannot be attributed to the play of the Kings, but more than likely the new flexible, market demand price structure that the Kings are offering.
In a season that has very few positives thus far, there are some positive things coming out of these losses. Take last night's game against the Clippers; we finally saw the Tyreke Evans of old as he tallied a season-high 32 points. However, in what seems to be a give and take with the news Kings fans receive, Evans stated after the game that he is considering a season ending surgery to take care of the plantar fasciitis he has been suffering in his left foot all season long. After last night's performance fans are hoping that the surgery can wait until after the season. Evans is a key piece of the puzzle that needs to be put together in order to turn this struggling season around. If and when Evans would have the surgery is speculation at this moment, but the main thing is that he gets healthy and he makes the choice that is best for him.
Although there have been moments this season when the Kings young rookie, DeMarcus Cousins, have proven those that passed him up right in doing so, his play is still more positive than not. He has made some juvenile choices from getting kicked out of practice to the most recent choke sign made during the Warriors game. However, he is learning. You cannot expect a 20-year old to automatically understand how to behave in a situation that very few are ever in. It is clear that he has passion. Sometimes that passion comes out in childish ways. He picks up quick fouls and the frustrations that come with that show and his game suffers. But even in all the commotion, DeMarcus has landed himself smack dab in the middle of the Rookie of the Year talks. While it is my opinion that Blake Griffin will probably take the ROY honors this year, it is nice to see the Kings getting recognition for the play of their young players for the second year in a row.
Another bright spot is the play of the Kings other rookie Pooh Jeter. Where DeMarcus lacks the professional experience, Pooh has it from his time spent overseas. While he stands at just 5'11" his heart makes him 10 feet tall on the court. I have seen him stand in the paint and take charges from the biggest, strongest players in the league. He is playing his heart out every night and has become the spark off the bench when he enters the game. He has fans chanting, "We Love Pooh!"
So while these late 4th quarter collapses and even miscues in the second half in general are beyond frustrating, as a fan I choose to look at the glass as half full. I see this team as one that is battling to earn the respect from their teammates, coaches, fellow NBA teams, and their fans. When the fans stop coming, stop cheering, and stop caring, that is when you know there are only bandwagon fans in Sacramento. I don't know any bandwagon fans and I for one am not one. Real fans stick with their team no matter how good or how bad the team is performing, and Sacramento is full of REAL fans who are behind their team 100 percent even if we are frustrated beyond belief right now!
While it is true that some Kings fans are bandwagon fans, there are far more that are not than those that are. I cannot think of a single professional or collegiate team that does not have bandwagon fans. People will always ride on the coattails of a successful team no matter what the circumstance.
The Kings currently are the not so proud owners of the worst record in the NBA--Again! Sitting at just 5-23, the hopes of a 30 plus win season is looking more unreachable by the game. However, Kings fans continue to flock to ARCO to watch their team play as attendance is up this season. This obviously cannot be attributed to the play of the Kings, but more than likely the new flexible, market demand price structure that the Kings are offering.
In a season that has very few positives thus far, there are some positive things coming out of these losses. Take last night's game against the Clippers; we finally saw the Tyreke Evans of old as he tallied a season-high 32 points. However, in what seems to be a give and take with the news Kings fans receive, Evans stated after the game that he is considering a season ending surgery to take care of the plantar fasciitis he has been suffering in his left foot all season long. After last night's performance fans are hoping that the surgery can wait until after the season. Evans is a key piece of the puzzle that needs to be put together in order to turn this struggling season around. If and when Evans would have the surgery is speculation at this moment, but the main thing is that he gets healthy and he makes the choice that is best for him.
Although there have been moments this season when the Kings young rookie, DeMarcus Cousins, have proven those that passed him up right in doing so, his play is still more positive than not. He has made some juvenile choices from getting kicked out of practice to the most recent choke sign made during the Warriors game. However, he is learning. You cannot expect a 20-year old to automatically understand how to behave in a situation that very few are ever in. It is clear that he has passion. Sometimes that passion comes out in childish ways. He picks up quick fouls and the frustrations that come with that show and his game suffers. But even in all the commotion, DeMarcus has landed himself smack dab in the middle of the Rookie of the Year talks. While it is my opinion that Blake Griffin will probably take the ROY honors this year, it is nice to see the Kings getting recognition for the play of their young players for the second year in a row.
Another bright spot is the play of the Kings other rookie Pooh Jeter. Where DeMarcus lacks the professional experience, Pooh has it from his time spent overseas. While he stands at just 5'11" his heart makes him 10 feet tall on the court. I have seen him stand in the paint and take charges from the biggest, strongest players in the league. He is playing his heart out every night and has become the spark off the bench when he enters the game. He has fans chanting, "We Love Pooh!"
So while these late 4th quarter collapses and even miscues in the second half in general are beyond frustrating, as a fan I choose to look at the glass as half full. I see this team as one that is battling to earn the respect from their teammates, coaches, fellow NBA teams, and their fans. When the fans stop coming, stop cheering, and stop caring, that is when you know there are only bandwagon fans in Sacramento. I don't know any bandwagon fans and I for one am not one. Real fans stick with their team no matter how good or how bad the team is performing, and Sacramento is full of REAL fans who are behind their team 100 percent even if we are frustrated beyond belief right now!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Kings Continue to Struggle
Last night was the first night I have attended a game since the beginning of the season and I must say, the team I saw last night was not the same team I saw battling at the beginning of the season.
Fans are crying foul when it comes to head coach, Paul Westphal; rumors are spreading like wild fire, as they always do about near and imminent firings. Just to clarify, this blog is not spreading those rumors or supporting them. According to numerous sources close to Kings owners, Joe has vehemently denied such reports that one or both of the Westphal Petrie pair will be gone in the coming days or weeks and has been reported as saying they are in place for the rest of this season.
Last night the Kings needed a win, the fans needed a win. The Bucks were short handed last night and it makes no sense as to what is causing these late game collapses. While this time we never saw a 23 or 14 point lead disappear, it still stings. These second half "slumps" as some are calling them, I say full on collapses make no sense. I am thinking that the Kings need to just sit on the bench for half time...Put up a screen, wall, a sheet whatever else around them and let them have their half time on the court! After last night's behind the scenes tour of ARCO it is easy to believe that the team that goes in after half gets lost in all the hallways, stairwells, and elevators that lurk beyond the tunnels! The team that comes out after half changes, and not for the better. Last season the third quarter was the teams Achilles heal. This year it seems that each quarter gets its very own heal. I can't figure out if it's the third quarter or the fourth that plagues the Kings more. It may be a combination of both, half of one quarter half of the other! Either way it's becoming disheartening. Last night it took Tyreke until the final 2:00 of the game to score his first point. Yes, that is right. Tyreke Evans didn't score a single point, take a single free throw, nothing until 2:00 left in the 4th quarter. That cannot happen. Once again, Beno Udrih was the team's offense, but just like Tyreke, Beno cannot do it all. He needed help last night and wasn't getting it consistently. The effort seemed to come too little too late last night for the Kings.
I have been a Kings fan for more than 10 years. I carry more than just your basic knowledge of the team and I am much more than the casual fan. However, even I am finding it difficult at times to defend my fan status, but no matter what I am a Kings fan! All I really wanted for Christmas was a Kings victory last night. I know I am not alone in that either. I am hoping that Santa sees past the arguing, the unsportsmanlike conduct, the attitudes, the struggles and says that the Kings have been good boys this year and brings them something tomorrow that gives them back that unity, that chemistry, the heart, the competitiveness, whatever it is that it takes to give this team the win that they so desperately need; that the fans need!
Fans are crying foul when it comes to head coach, Paul Westphal; rumors are spreading like wild fire, as they always do about near and imminent firings. Just to clarify, this blog is not spreading those rumors or supporting them. According to numerous sources close to Kings owners, Joe has vehemently denied such reports that one or both of the Westphal Petrie pair will be gone in the coming days or weeks and has been reported as saying they are in place for the rest of this season.
Last night the Kings needed a win, the fans needed a win. The Bucks were short handed last night and it makes no sense as to what is causing these late game collapses. While this time we never saw a 23 or 14 point lead disappear, it still stings. These second half "slumps" as some are calling them, I say full on collapses make no sense. I am thinking that the Kings need to just sit on the bench for half time...Put up a screen, wall, a sheet whatever else around them and let them have their half time on the court! After last night's behind the scenes tour of ARCO it is easy to believe that the team that goes in after half gets lost in all the hallways, stairwells, and elevators that lurk beyond the tunnels! The team that comes out after half changes, and not for the better. Last season the third quarter was the teams Achilles heal. This year it seems that each quarter gets its very own heal. I can't figure out if it's the third quarter or the fourth that plagues the Kings more. It may be a combination of both, half of one quarter half of the other! Either way it's becoming disheartening. Last night it took Tyreke until the final 2:00 of the game to score his first point. Yes, that is right. Tyreke Evans didn't score a single point, take a single free throw, nothing until 2:00 left in the 4th quarter. That cannot happen. Once again, Beno Udrih was the team's offense, but just like Tyreke, Beno cannot do it all. He needed help last night and wasn't getting it consistently. The effort seemed to come too little too late last night for the Kings.
I have been a Kings fan for more than 10 years. I carry more than just your basic knowledge of the team and I am much more than the casual fan. However, even I am finding it difficult at times to defend my fan status, but no matter what I am a Kings fan! All I really wanted for Christmas was a Kings victory last night. I know I am not alone in that either. I am hoping that Santa sees past the arguing, the unsportsmanlike conduct, the attitudes, the struggles and says that the Kings have been good boys this year and brings them something tomorrow that gives them back that unity, that chemistry, the heart, the competitiveness, whatever it is that it takes to give this team the win that they so desperately need; that the fans need!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
A Rough Start
It is obvious by looking at the Kings' 4-13 record, that this year has started off much worse than fans had hoped for. There are few bright spots to pick out through 17 games. There is more finger pointing going around when it should be individuals taking responsibility for their mistakes.
Here is a look at player stats through the first 17:
After last night's abysmal performance in Los Angeles and having to listen to Bill Walton ramble for nearly an hour, something he said is bothering me more than anything else. He is placing the blame squarely on Tyreke and DeMarcus for the lack of leadership and improvement. How in the world are you going to blame the two youngest players when you have veteran players not taking the lead? I believe it is every players role to be a leader of a team, to say, "Hey guys, come on we're better than this. Let's get it together." It is not DeMarcus' fault either. Need I remind Kings fans and critics that this 20-year old is producing and changing aspects of his game. His foul problems continue, but he has worked on them. Not all the calls against him I agree with, but I am not going to blame the officials. When DeMarcus was in the starting lineup the Kings went 3-1. Since Dalembert has taken his place in the starting lineup, the Kings have gone 1-12. I'm not big on math, but something just isn't adding up with Dalembert starting. I know he is supposed to be defense and that's all good and well, but we need offense too. Their numbers are not that different from each other.
Cousins: 0.7 spg, 0.5 bpg, 39.9% FG
Dalembert: 0.2 spg, 1.9 bpg, 38.8% FG
Sure, Dalembert has almost 2 blocks per game to DeMarcus' .5 a game. To me, the blocked shots are not that much better to justify the 6 point deficit that Dalembert has to DeMarcus on offense. People are still concerned about DeMarcus and his attitude. His getting kicked out of practice earlier this week did not help his standing to his doubters, but I think it is just pure frustration on his part. All the players are frustrated with the way the season is going, it just boiled over that day. How did DeMarcus respond? Well, in the first game since the practice incident, DeMarcus tallied a career high 20 points to go with 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
Now everyone is calling foul and wanting Paul Westphal fired. The players are not producing despite the changes Westphal has made. Everyone is always quick to find someone to blame when things get rough and the first is usually the coach. I don't want to see him fired personally.
As the Kings take on the Dallas Mavericks tonight, fans can expect a new lineup to start the game. It is rumored to be Evans, Udrih, Greene, Thompson, Cousins. We shall see what happens, but I am tired of the finger pointing. Each player needs to take responsibility for the problems and work together to fix them. The biggest problem appears to be team chemistry. Just get it together guys!
Here is a look at player stats through the first 17:
- Evans: 17.2 ppg 5.0 rpg 5.4 apg
- Landry: 12.8 ppg 5.3 rpg 0.8 apg
- Udrih: 11.9 ppg 2.9 rpg 4.2 apg
- Cousins: 10.8 ppg 6.7 rpg 1.1 apg
- Garcia: 9.2 ppg 2.1 rpg 1.3 apg
- Casspi: 8.7 ppg 3.5 rpg 0.9 apg
- Greene: 7.0 ppg 3.8 rpg 0.9 apg
- Head: 6.9 ppg 1.9 rpg 2.6 apg
- Thompson: 6.6 ppg 5.1 rpg 0.9 apg
- Dalembert: 4.6 ppg 7.8 rpg 0.9 apg
- Jeter: 3.8 ppg 0.6 rpg 1.4 apg
- Jackson: 3.4 ppg 1.9 rpg 0.1 apg
- Wright: Waived
- Whiteside: Assigned to Reno Big Horns D-League
After last night's abysmal performance in Los Angeles and having to listen to Bill Walton ramble for nearly an hour, something he said is bothering me more than anything else. He is placing the blame squarely on Tyreke and DeMarcus for the lack of leadership and improvement. How in the world are you going to blame the two youngest players when you have veteran players not taking the lead? I believe it is every players role to be a leader of a team, to say, "Hey guys, come on we're better than this. Let's get it together." It is not DeMarcus' fault either. Need I remind Kings fans and critics that this 20-year old is producing and changing aspects of his game. His foul problems continue, but he has worked on them. Not all the calls against him I agree with, but I am not going to blame the officials. When DeMarcus was in the starting lineup the Kings went 3-1. Since Dalembert has taken his place in the starting lineup, the Kings have gone 1-12. I'm not big on math, but something just isn't adding up with Dalembert starting. I know he is supposed to be defense and that's all good and well, but we need offense too. Their numbers are not that different from each other.
Cousins: 0.7 spg, 0.5 bpg, 39.9% FG
Dalembert: 0.2 spg, 1.9 bpg, 38.8% FG
Sure, Dalembert has almost 2 blocks per game to DeMarcus' .5 a game. To me, the blocked shots are not that much better to justify the 6 point deficit that Dalembert has to DeMarcus on offense. People are still concerned about DeMarcus and his attitude. His getting kicked out of practice earlier this week did not help his standing to his doubters, but I think it is just pure frustration on his part. All the players are frustrated with the way the season is going, it just boiled over that day. How did DeMarcus respond? Well, in the first game since the practice incident, DeMarcus tallied a career high 20 points to go with 8 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
Now everyone is calling foul and wanting Paul Westphal fired. The players are not producing despite the changes Westphal has made. Everyone is always quick to find someone to blame when things get rough and the first is usually the coach. I don't want to see him fired personally.
As the Kings take on the Dallas Mavericks tonight, fans can expect a new lineup to start the game. It is rumored to be Evans, Udrih, Greene, Thompson, Cousins. We shall see what happens, but I am tired of the finger pointing. Each player needs to take responsibility for the problems and work together to fix them. The biggest problem appears to be team chemistry. Just get it together guys!
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