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!

Here We Rise

There is little else that is more exciting for a sports team than the feeling that your city and your fans back you 100% no matter what. In the midst of a disaster with the new Arena proposal, the namesake being gone in a few short months, and just uncertainly surrounding Sacramento's only remaining professional sports team, fans are rallying BIG time!

By big I mean the huge banners hanging over ARCO Arena. On the main entrance just to the side of the box office is the reigning Rookie of the Year's banner. The words "TYREKE EVANS" and a huge picture of him can be seen while driving on I-5 just past Arena Blvd exit. On the other side that faces Truxel is our new hopeful to win Rookie of the Year honors and number 5 draft pick, DeMarcus Cousins. These were the biggest banners in Kings history, but that didn't last long.

If you have driven on I-5 at all since September 16, 2010, and you look over to the CalSTRS building (It's that really tall, shiny, glass looking building) just beyond the Tower Bridge (that gold bridge you pass on I-5) you will see the enormous 177-foot "Here We Rise" banner that took over the record of largest banner in not only Kings history, but as the largest building wrapped banner in Sacramento's history.

The crew over at ARCO has worked tirelessly on the "Here We Rise" campaign. With #HereWeRise tags on Twitter popping up in the tweets of Kings fans all over the nation, the site that was built for it has received as much attention as the site developed for Tyreke Evans' Rookie of the Year campaign. If you haven't already, head over to the "Here We Rise" site and see what the campaign is all about. You have the unique opportunity to upload photos of yourself to show your support for your team and become part of digital billboards. In addition to the digital billboards, Kings fans have the opportunity to upload other fan related photos, download a placard of the "Here We Rise" slogan, and send e-cards to fellow fans. All of these actions earn you points that give you the opportunity not only to show off your fan status, but to win cool Kings gear and other prizes. Once signed up for "Here We Rise", fans are automatically entered to win a trip to this year's All-Star game in Los Angeles. Hopefully this year the Kings will have someone in the actual All-Star game and not just in the Rookie Sophomore Challenge!

Join the movement today!

Why the Kings Have the Best Fans

After having a random Tweet session with a fellow Kings fan...the concept of fandom came up...mainly about the Lakers. I basically wouldn't wish that on anyone and I often use it to replace "when pigs fly" and "when hell freezes over" because let's face it...I will NEVER be a Lakers fan. Pigs have a better chance of flying and hell may actually freeze over before it happens...so to drive my point across in those "I swear on _____" situations I often tell people..."If I am lying I will be a lifelong Lakers fan" That gets the point across and people believe me. But to my point...

The Kings have the best fans around! Sure, attendance has dropped in recent years...but it's in part because of what I like to refer to as the ignorant band wagoners. By this I mean that people who are band wagoners are fans because it's convenient..someone they know is a fan and they are exposed as a byproduct, the ride the high that the city or region they live in feels with that championship caliber team. This is why I feel that the Lakers have so many "fans". If you polled 100 people who admittedly weren't true NBA fans, I am willing to bet that at least 75% would say choose the Lakers if made to pick a team. The others are likely to pick Cleveland or a regional team. But of those 75% I am willing to be outside of Kobe Bryant, they probably couldn't name 3 other players, and would probably still say that Shaq plays for them! It's a matter of knowledge. Kings fans are still there in the thousands and have been even through the disastrous season that we had last year. With the excitement that comes with having the newly crowned Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, more of those band wagoners are starting to fill in the seats at ARCO once again. Unlike the masses that follow the Lakers across the county, the so called "band wagoners" at ARCO aren't really so...I think they are more like thrill seekers! In a bad economy, do you really want to spend the money to drive to the arena, park, get the tickets, pay for food and drinks just to watch your team lose just about every game they play? No, I didn't think so! It doesn't mean that the fans we lost at ARCO left the Kings completely. With the new deal that the Kings and Comcast have inked they now bring every Kings game to those who have the right channel package on multiple cable providers. So perhaps those no longer in attendance at ARCO are still watching from home. But ask any true Kings fan they bleed purple. We love our team...I realize that every NBA team claims they have the best fans in the world, but who holds the record for loudest Arena??? Kings fans! Who up until a few years ago held on to the reputation of worst Arena to play in as a road team because of ARCO THUNDER....Kings fans! We are slowly regaining that noise that is ARCO Thunder...we are as excited as ever and most didn't jump ship when the seas got a little rocky!

Basically, Kings fans are tried and true fans...we've been through the worst and have yet to experience the true best, but we have hope. We understand we are still stuck in that rebuilding process. Things are looking bright with our young stars. So I put it to anyone reading this to think about things this way...Eventually the Lakers and the Cavs and Celtics and all other top teams will fall...and the youngins will rise! It's like a very slow rotating wheel...those veteran teams are on the top right now, but it is slowly rotating. Soon they will start to lose their vets and find themselves in their very own "rebuilding" process and the Kings and other young teams will find themselves at the top of the wheel again. It's a never ending process as no team will ever stay on top for good. Look at the Bulls...The years of Jordan are gone and they have struggled to rebuild to the glory that once was, but they are getting there. We will get there too!