Live, Learn, Let Go

Immature, young, loose-cannon, inexperienced, wild, unpredictable, disrespectful, childish, a problem with authority; these are all words or phrases that have been used to describe the Sacramento Kings rookie center/forward DeMarcus Cousins. When I think of DeMarcus I think of a few words: potential, talent, and passion.

I am in no way condoning the behavior of Cousins that is being reported about the post-game locker room altercation with his teammate Donte Greene, following the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. There have been numerous corrections made to the story about what went on in the locker room. I cannot speak to what actually happened between Cousins and Greene, but if what is being reported is factual, I cannot say it was the best way to go about things. I don't disagree with voicing his frustrations, I voice mine on a regular basis, but the way he went about doing it probably was not the best. It cannot be easy to question the veteran, or at least more veteran players, on a team that is young and seriously lacking that one overall leader. DeMarcus is already at a disadvantage in voicing his opinions being the low man on the totem pole, but his concerns are valid.

Lets face it, no one likes to lose. Not in professional sports, pick-up games in the park, or board games. It cannot be easy for DeMarcus, or any other athlete, to go from a top ranked team and winning program to the pros and be on a team that is currently struggling to add wins to the win column. Speaking from experience, losing those games that you have been in the whole game, or have a chance to win in the last seconds is far worse than the ones you never really had a chance to win to begin with. Frustrations are building for the players, the coaches, and the fans. We are all tired of ALMOST winning. We want to win!

No one is questioning the fact that DeMarcus has heart. If they are, they clearly have not watched the young man play a single game at any point in his basketball career. He had heart and passion in high school, while at Kentucky, and he continues to have it in the NBA. There is no doubt that he will continue to have it either. However, I am not sure I really want him to be the player that takes the last shot to win the game. In the past he has not proven himself to be the clutch play maker. He has thrown an errant pass a few rows into the stands, missed wide open corner threes, and has lost the ball going up at the rim in traffic. He is learning to have patience under the rim and taking his time going up for the easy dunk, but in game winning situations, time is not on an offensive player's side. While Tyreke Evans may have missed the three-point shot that would have won the game for the Kings, he is not to blame. It was a good look and it just didn't fall. No one was under the basket to rebound and put the ball up for a chance to tie the game. At least in that situation, with a struggling Beno Udrih on the floor, in my opinion, Tyreke was the best option for that shot, at least he has a few game winning shots on his NBA resume to back up Coach Westphal's decision to go to him late for the win.

DeMarcus did not travel to Phoenix with the team last night. It is being reported that DeMarcus will rejoin the team in Oklahoma City for tomorrow's game against the Thunder and that he has been fined for the incident. I'm not giving up on DeMarcus, and hopefully the incident is the last of its kind and all players, coaches, critics, and fans can move on.

Vegas Summer League Wrap up

Well, today is a sad day Kings Fans! Today marked the end of basketball until preseason starts! But rest assured that there is plenty to be excited about. Our future is looking bright and if you missed any of the action of Vegas Summer League check out what current and possible future Kings did while in Sin City.

Casspi: 24.6 MPG .489 FG% .438 3p% .633 FT% 4.4 RPG .6 APG .6 SPG .2 BPG 14 PPG

***22pt game vs Chicago hit buzzer beater at 3rd Q***

Greene: 21.6 MPG .462 FG% .429 3p% .800FT% 2.6 RPG 1.6 APG .6 SPG .6 BPG 13.2 PPG

***20pt game vs Toronto in loss 4/5 games in double figures***

Christmas: 14.4 MPG .524 FG% .333 3p% .727 FT% 1.2 RPG .8 APG .4 SPG .2 BPG 6.6 PPG

***13pt game vs Chicago***

Cousins: 29.7 MPG .333 FG% .000 3p% .735 FT% 9.8 RPG 1.8 APG 1.5 SPG 1.2 BPG 14.5 PPG

***T-Mobile Rookie of the Month 2010 tallied double double in 4/6 games almost 1 for week***

Whiteside: 25.8 MPG .439 FG% .000 3p% .417 FT% 5.0 RPG 0 APG .7 SPG 2.3 BPG 6.8 PPG

***4 blocks vs Detroit and Chicago***

Landesberg: 16.7 MPG .500 FG% .000 3p% .500 FT% 2.3 RPG 1 APG .7 SPG 0 BPG 8.3 PPG

***13pt game vs Lakers***

Sloan: 15.5 MPG .231 FG% .000 3p% .700 FT% 1 RPG 1.3 APG 0 SPG 0 BPG 3.3 PPG

***6pt game vs Detroit***

Chism: 16.5 MPG .688 FG% .000 3p% .750 FT% 5.8 RPG .5 APG .8 SPG 0 BPG 6.3 PPG

***13pt game vs Lakers***

Rice: 21.3 MPG .429 FG% .200 3p% .857 FT% 2 RPG 3.3 APG 1.2 SPG .2 BPG 8 PPG

***15pt game vs Detroit (did better than while with Utah SL team)***

Thompson: 14.3 MPG .545 FG% .000 3p% .857 FT% .3 RPG .3 APG .3 SPG 0 BPG 6 PPG

***12pt game vs Detroit (did better with Boston SL squad)***

Cummard: 5 MPG .000 FG% .000 3p% 1.00 FT% 1 RPG .5 APG 0 SPG 0 BPG .5 PPG

***1 pt game vs Toronto***

Atchley: 9 MPG .385 FG% .500 3p% 1.00 FT% 0 RPG 0 APG 0 SPG 0 BPG 3.3 PPG

***7pt game vs Chicago***

Downey: 12.3 MPG .364 FG% .000 3p% .500 FT 2.7 RPG 3 APG 1 SPG 0 BPG 3.7 PPG

***11pt game vs Lakers (only game he scored in of the 3)***

First asses the rookies we drafted. Cousins landed the T-Mobile Rookie of the Month award over former teammate, John Wall. I for one was surprised that this happened. In my belief, Cousins had a better week in Las Vegas, but I figured because of the media craze that came with Wall that he'd be favored to win it since he had a few great games. I was pleased when Cousins received the award. Then there is Whiteside. This was my first glimpse of Hassan and I was impressed. This kid can jump! From the first game on he was in the paint coming out of nowhere swatting shots away. I think it is safe to say that "SWAT" signs will be all around ARCO this season. He was beyond impressive in his aggressiveness at the basket.

Guards! What to do with them? We obviously need one or two...or three! My top two picks are Thompson and Rice. Rice had the better week in Las Vegas, but Thompson had a better summer league over all with his stint with the Celtics SL squad. Rice also played with the Jazz this summer but the stats were pretty equal. Both had impressive moments. Thompson had one fewer game with the Kings as he got hit pretty hard in the first half of the Minnesota game and did not play in Friday's contest with the Raptors. Christmas is also an impressive player and showed a well rounded game this week.

All in all, the Kings went 4-2 in Las Vegas this week, but in the end, the fans are the real winners! This young squad shows extreme potential and I for one cannot wait until the regular season.

First look

With a rather torrent media frenzy in the past week over where King James was going to land, I am happy to announce that the circus is finally over! Now we can all get back to what is really important--the actual game of basketball!

Tomorrow marks the first opportunity for Kings fans to witness the newest and possible future members of the Kings. Already signed to a 1-year league minimum deal is former Texas A&M guard, Donald Sloan. Apparently, the Kings coaching staff was impressed with what they saw during the mini-camp practices held before Vegas Summer League officially kicked off for Sacramento.

It is clear that excitement is building in Sacramento over the bright future ahead of our young squad. Last night, hundreds of eager Kings fans gathered at the new Kings on L location to meet newest Kings DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside along with last year's rookie Omri Casspi, an instant star in the Sacramento community, and fan favorite Donte Greene. Fans were also given the opportunity to purchase the newly launched "Kings Quarter Season Pass" which offers an 11 game package, including the first home game, and a series of packs that either showcase Lebron and the Heat, two showcase Kobe and the Lakers, or one offer for all weekend games. The package offers the busy Kings fan an opportunity to feel like a real part of the season ticket holder family without the big financial hit! To get your tickets now go to Kings.com

Kings fans on Twitter, Facebook, or connected to the Sacramento Bee or its reporters have heard the more than positive reports from the Kings summer league practices. In my opinion, the news coming in about Cousins will leave 3 teams kicking themselves for not taking the risk on his reported immature attitude! I still stand by my first opinion on DMC...he's 19! We were all a little authority challenged, wild, and just wanted to have fun. But DMC haters, please keep in mind that this kid lacks any involvement in serious offseason or off court problems.

The future is looking bright in Sacramento, not just on talent, but on long term life of the Kings in Sacramento. All reports are that the plans for a new arena are coming along and that plans for the land-swap agreement are moving forward with great progress. There is still no official go ahead on the new Arena, but it's certainly a more positive view than it was this time last year!

Good luck to all 13 players (yes the original roster is 3 men short) tomorrow and throughout the Vegas Summer League. I am one Kings fan parking myself in front a of TV tomorrow to get my first glimpse at what could be one of the most amazing seasons of basketball we've seen in awhile!

Summer League

2010 Las Vegas Kings Summer League team roster has been finalized.

1. Omri Casspi SF 6'9 225 lbs. Israel
2. Donte Greene SF 6'11 226 lbs. Syracuse
3. DeMarcus Cousins C 6'11 270 lbs. Kentucky
4. Hassan Whiteside C 7'0 235 lbs. Marshall
5. Connor Archley F-C 6'10 225 lbs. Texas
6. Dionte Christmas G 6'5 205 lbs. Temple
7. Wayne Chism F 6'9 246 lbs. Tennessee
8. Devan Downey G-F 5'9 170 lbs. South Carolina
9. Lee Cummard G-F 6'7 190 lbs. BYU
10. Jason Ellis F 6'7 200 lbs. Boise State
11. Steven Hill C 7'0 245 lbs. Arkansas
12. Tyren Johnson F 6'8 204 lbs. Louisiana-Lafayette
13. Sylven Landesberg G 6'6 207 lbs. Virginia
14. Tyrese Rice G 6'1 190 lbs. Boston College
15. Donald Sloan G 6'3 205 lbs. Texas A&M
16. Ryan Thompson G 6'6 220 lbs. Rider

Before the actual analysis begins...am I the only one who thinks names will become an issue during practice and games? A Dionte and a Donte? A Tyrese and Tyren not to mention coaches in the habit of calling out to Tyreke? I'm confused just writing this! Thank goodness I'm not coaching!

I'm not going to sell you on current Kings players. If you haven't heard of the two returning players or read my opinions on the two newest members of the Kings...well read my previous posts and get with it! Kidding, but read up on who they are and what they bring to the team on mine and other sites!

Thompson:

A sentimental favorite of mine would be Ryan Thompson. I was hoping he'd get drafted on draft day, but it wasn't in the cards. I thought he would go to San Antonio personally, but I am happy he's playing on our summer league team. I figure we have brothers running things off the court why not have brothers on the court right? We did it once, well sort of, with Mike Bibby and Eddie House (yes they are brother-in-laws). Ryan has a good game, but it's not what I would consider well rounded. He has a good outside shot. Reviewing his sophomore and junior seasons he shot over 42% in both. He didn't have his best shooting year during his senior season. He has an established jumper and can take the ball inside and attack the basket. His biggest improvement needs to come in his defensive game. He has a realistic chance to make the Kings training camp roster, or any teams roster as he is confirmed for Boston's summer league team as well, by proving he can be that long range 3-point shooter in an NBA environment.

Landesberg:

When watching highlight videos, one could only notice the similarities between he and Tyreke. Not saying he's as good as Tyreke is, but he drives to the basket and scores a lot in the paint. He's a good rebounder and FT shooter. He lacks an outside shot shooting 38% 3 pt in his sophomore season.

Christmas:

High scoring ability. Like Kevin Martin, his shot is a little unorthodox, but he finds the bottom of the net more often than not so who cares what it looks like right? He's a good defender, but he lacks athleticism for a guard.

Chism:

He's QUICK!!! He lacks an outside shot with a 32% 3 pt in college and lacks the height and athleticism. The Kings have a pretty stacked front court already and he doesn't add enough to be a likely candidate for a Kings jersey.

Atchley:

Former D-League player for Iowa and Dakota teams. Decent numbers 16.1 ppg 9.5 boards, nearly a double-double. He lacks strength though.

Cummard:

Great shooter! While at BYU never shot under 51.7%, 85+% FT 2 of 3 years, 40+% 3-point shot. However, he's a spot-up shooter and it is unknown if he will be able to create his own shots in the NBA.

Downey:

Decent scorer, perhaps best known for his game against Kentucky in the SEC game. He's more of a SG than a PG and he's lacking size at 5'9"! Come on I'm that tall and I shouldn't be as tall as NBA players if you ask me! Unless your name is Nate Robinson or Muggsy Bogues!

Rice:

Moves well and is a good scorer. Again, he's not that athletic of a PF

Hill:

A former D-League player, did a short stint with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009. He's a solid defender, but again, Kings are loaded in the front court.

Ellis:

He rebounds well. Aside from that, there's virtually nothing out there on this guy.

Sloan:

Athletic enough, lacks defensive skill set and outside shooting ability.

Johnson:

Sort of athletic, decent off the boards for his senior season, but he has a problem with TURN OVERS! We need to value the ball more as we had an issue with that last season, we don't need another butterfingers on the court!

Some have asked me the following questions, where is Brockman, JT, and Reke? Well, I have the answer to some of those.

I am not sure why Brockman is not listed on the roster as most anticipated he would be. Maybe the Kings feel he doesn't need to prove himself for his spot since they locked him up at least as a restricted free agent going into this all important Summer of Lebron (AKA 2010 Free Agency). JT isn't joining his little brother on the courts in Vegas because he's considered a proven player. This isn't to say that his buddy Donte Greene isn't, but JT isn't leaving Sac in the foreseeable future, so he doesn't have to head to Vegas, but I'm sure he will be there to cheer little bro Ryan on. Tyreke....really? Do you have to ask? One, he's ROY is there any doubt of his skills? Two, he's working out with Team USA and the Kings decided not to take the risk of injuring their star player (see Clippers and Blake Griffin). Tyreke expressed interest in playing for the Summer League team, but the organization decided to protect their assets!