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.

Kings Topple Champs

Going into tonight's game at Staples Center the records stood as Kings (10-33) Lakers (33-13), nearly mirror images of each other. To make matters worse, the Kings had lost their last eight meetings with the Lakers. Things did not look positive, but as any true Kings fan will tell you, "We still believe!"

After a 21-point first quarter show from Kobe Bryant, it had many Kings fans wondering if they were about to see another record breaking night from Bryant, who is on a journey up the NBA's All Time Scorers ladder. Despite the strong start for Bryant, he slowed down, but still finished with 38 points to lead all scorers. But the real story here is the play of the Kings and their young rookie.

DeMarcus Cousins took control early. Less than two minutes into the game Cousins picked up his first foul. This was a bad sign to fans as Cousins has tacked on five and six fouls in the last two games for the Kings. A bad omen this was not. Cousins made shot after shot, play after play. He finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocked shots, all while with only 1 foul for the whole game. Cousins was helped out by his teammates tonight with Casspi finishing with 20, Dalembert 18, Evans 13, and Landry 12.

Tonight the Kings played a full 48 minutes of basketball. There were no late fourth quarter collapses, no implosions, no selfish play. The Kings were a unit tonight in a statement win over the defending champions. While the Kings only have 11 wins starting the second half of the season, Kings fans are still standing strong behind them. As the story title for Sports Center read, "Lakers Crowned", and they weren't talking about their championship win either!

Final score- Kings 100 Lakers 95. Biggest win of the season! Go Kings!

Does It Get Any Better?

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!

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!

My One and Done of "The Incident"

Okay Kings fans, we all know that over 2 months ago Kings guard Tyreke Evans made a horrible decision. He was drive on California State Highway 80 going at speeds reported as high as 130 mph. I will be the first of Evans' fans to say, "What the $%*! were you [Tyreke] thinking?" Anyone who lives in the Sacramento area and drives on I-80 knows how dangerous it is at the posted 65 mph speed limit, and going as fast as he was in any circumstance was not smart. Those speeds are reserved for NASCAR races, and Tyreke is no NASCAR driver. Thankfully, not he or anyone else was hurt or killed in the incident. This is the only time I plan to fully offer my opinion for all to read about because the story needs to die.

Last night I was Tweeting with Doc Evans, Tyreke's older brother and legal guardian, this conversation on Twitter sparked numerous others that I began having last night. The majority of this story has been brought back up because Evans' NASCAR audition reel was released by the California Highway Patrol (bad move by the way). To add more fuel to the fire, Sacramento Bee "writer" Alien Voisin has written and article I refuse to support by linking you to. Check out anything she's written in the Sac Bee and you will see why. Voisin appears to have something against 20-year old Evans. She put him on blast in her recent article. What I don't understand, and there's a lot in this case, is this: 1: How can the Bee allow her to publish the articles she is posting that are clearly clouded by her personal dislike of Evans? 2: What is her problem with him? 3: How does his speeding incident affect his ability to lead, even play the game? I have a speculation on 2 of these questions. It is no surprise that in the 2009-2010 NBA Draft that Kings fans and area sports writers, including Voisin, wanted to draft Rubio. Well, I for one was not one of these people, but upon disregarding fans and reporters wants alike, the Kings took the best player in the draft, evident by his Rookie of the Year honors. It has been speculated that Voisin is taking her anger for snubbing Rubio out on Evans, and for what? I can honestly not see Rubio in a Kings uniform even if we had taken him. A better team drafted him, did he really want to play for the worst team in the league? He won't come in from overseas and has yet to play an NBA game. This season looks to be no different. So what, if the Kings had stuck with Voisin's choice and the fan favorite, we'd be lacking a guard for 2 seasons...and still sitting in dead last. As I told Doc Evans and other friends last night, "Tyreke revived Kings Fans, he saved this team and I will gladly take +8 in the win column and Rookie of the Year over a player who has yet to prove himself on any NBA team." So my advice to Voisin, who has to be the only one in Sacramento still upset about the pick of Evans, "GET OVER IT! WE STRUCK GOLD!" Now, her opinion that his lack of maturity in this incident somehow means he is no longer the 20-5-5 player he was just 4 months ago, cannot lead the team, and should be suspended. Well, I assure you that his incident has nothing to do with his basketball talent. Tyreke has demonstrated his will to improve his game, making the questions about his lack of a work ethic absurd. I know he made a mistake, he knows he made a mistake, everyone knows he made a mistake. He has apologized for his lack of judgement and as far as I know Kings fans have forgiven him. He has received his punishment legally and personally. But it's time to move on.

And that is my one and done on this incident. LET IT DIE!!!!!!

Midway in Vegas

So tonight's exciting finish marked what Kings fans hope to be the first of many. With 2.8 seconds left on the clock Demarcus Cousins called for the ball which Donte Greene happily fed him down low. He, for the first time all game, took it up the middle and sank the short hook shot against Minnesota. His reaction to it was similar to that of Tyreke's, "This is my house!" in Chicago in the 35-point comeback win...only I will choose to leave his exact words out of this blog! Cousins has tallied a double-double in all three contests thus far in Vegas. His early performance has Lebron James calling for Wall or Cousins to win ROY.

From the first minute of the first game Hassan Whiteside came out swinging...or is it swatting? Either way, Whiteside has been making his presence around the net known from game one. At one point in the first game against the Pistons, where normal shot blockers block with their hands, Whiteside blocked a shot with his wrist. Yes, I said his wrist, meaning he jumped too high and got above the ball. Upon review of replays of his many blocked shots, he is shown blocking balls that are above the square on the backboard...and he looks so effortless in his ability to jump. 10...9....8.....3...2...1....LIFT OFF! Hassan 33 is headed to outer space!

Other bright spots for this young competitive squad has been the play of Ryan Thompson. Although tonight his play was cut short after taking a hard hit to the head after a collision at the basket, Ryan said via his Twitter account, "Just won our summer league game..it was crazy..hit my head pretty hard but I will be okay for friday." Which is a good sign for Kings fans who are pulling for the kid brother of Jason Thompson to join his brother in Sac-Town this coming season. Ryan has shown to be an aggressive scorer from the early seconds of each game he's started. According to Sacramento area sports reporters, rumor is that the coaching staff is very impressed with the way he is playing. The Kings did workout Ryan in the weeks leading up to this year's draft so some of what he is showing comes as no surprise to them. Newly signed rookie guard, Sloan has been playing well and showing Kings fans just what he intends to bring to the court this season. He has some fancy ball handling skills that have been impressive thus far. His court vision is also developing.

All I know for sure as that I will be lost for the next two months once Summer League play ends. I will be anxiously awaiting October to roll around for preseason contests and then finally....TIP OFF! Kings fans have something to be excited about...and if you have walked around the streets of Sacramento lately you can tell. This city's love affair with the Kings has resumed! Consider that flame rekindled Sac-Town!

Tyreke's Offseason

With the pressure of the Rookie of the Year announcement finally off of Tyreke's mind what is next for the young superstar in training? Just that training! After a few weeks off Tyreke will be hitting the gym hard and as he recently said in his ROY press conference, "I will be working harder than ever before." He's heading off to Las Vegas on Monday to sign up for Team USA, which will start play in July. There is no doubt in Sacramento Fans' minds that Tyreke is the future and that this kid has tremendous potential and Tyreke wants to do right by the Kings Organization, his teammates, coaches, and fans. This offseason he will be spending most of his time in LA with his trainer and friend, LaMont Peterson, working on all aspects of his game that need improvement. His midrange jumper is at the top of that list. But he's working on more than that. He wants to shed the stigma that analysts tagged him with being one of the worst passers...in other words...he doesn't want to be known as the ball hog! He significantly improved his assists as the season progressed, so there is hope for a bright future. Nothing is better than to see a young kid who doesn't rest on his current skills. He could easily say I'm the rookie of the year, what do I need to work on! Thankfully he's been raised by amazing people and have made him a humbled person and athlete who knows he's no where close to the top of his potential in this game and he's willing and eager to put the work in to achieve the best possible skill set he can. The future is bright Kings fans! NBA Teams beware...you think you can prepare for this kid now? Just wait until he brings out a whole new arsenal of skills next season you won't know what to do with him!

Lottery

With exactly 3 weeks to go before the NBA Draft Lottery takes place, where the Kings have yet another chance at the coveted #1 pick, who do we want? Granted there is no way to tell where we are picking, but one would be inclined to believe it is a top 3 pick, but who knows.

There are a ton of players entering the draft this year, mainly half Kentucky Wildcat team, but this draft class is relatively weak in terms of "star" players. We all know Geoff Petrie is a draft god grabbing our favorite in the #4 spot last year, getting the gems of Omri Casspi and the up and coming John Brockman. In past years we have gotten some amazing players late in the first round, you know back in the golden years of .500 seasons!!! Who do we want? Wall, Cousins, Favors? Someone else???!!! Who?

It has been reported and quoted, by what source I do not recall, but it is being reported that face of the Kings, Tyreke Evans is lobbying hard for Demarcus Cousins, saying something along the lines of "you have no idea what I could do with a guy like him [Cousins]." So, is Tyreke already able to put his word in and influence the pick of Petrie? Ehhh probably not, I for one would love to get Cousins. I think if we were to get the #1 or even #2 pick it's highly probable. At #3 I think the Kings become a bit more unpredictable. The so called "experts" are saying the Kings will pick at #3 and take Favors, but I'm hoping for a higher pick! I think we got robbed of the #1 pick last year, even though I am more than happy with our #4 super star, and ROY, in Evans, but it would make me feel better to not get shafted this year with the fall of those pesky white ping pong balls! I don't know who would be the best fit for the Kings, it's why I'm a fan blogger and not in the front office, but I would be more inclined to lean towards Cousins if we were to pick at #1. I think Wall is too much like Tyreke and even though he's an amazing player and likely to have an amazing year and career, I'm still in favor of Cousins and his style of play and how well it can match up with Tyreke and Company!

NBA 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year

"The NBA selection for the 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year is..."

TYREKE EVANS!!!!!

As if there were any other considerations for the award other than Tyreke! The unofficial word is that Tyreke will be announced as ROY either Thursday or Friday. This breaking Wednesday tradition of the past two years for those receiving the honors.

I don't know what the best part of Tyreke winning this award is. There's the fact that he just deserves it! No one took it away from him...he played hard, tough basketball for the whole season only missing games when he had no choice with injury or a concussion. Then there is what the ROY award means for the Kings organization, the team, the coaches, and more importantly the City of Sacramento and the FANS!!! Tyreke brings home the first major award since Bobby Jackson's Sixth Man award in 2003. This is the first time a Sacramento Era rookie has won the distinguished honor of Rookie of the Year. Tyreke's victory is one that makes even the smallest of Kings fan happy! After a steep decline in wins and in popularity, the Kings and their fans have something and someone to be excited about! Tyreke is the face of our franchise! He is the future, he is the hope! It also goes to show that the playoffs don't mean anything in terms of winning the award, and that cheaters (aka Camp Curry) never prosper! The Kings did their campaigning for Tyreke in the best way possible. They didn't have to resort to calling up every voter across the country and asking them to switch their vote had they already voted for Tyreke or Brandon on the ballot. That's just shameful! If I were Steph Curry, I'd be embarrassed! I wouldn't want to win the award based on that! Not to mention his daddy was behind the majority of the "Smear Tyreke Campaign". No, there wasn't an actual titled campaign, but it's obvious that the Warriors camp was doing everything in their power to strip the young rookie of an honor that he so clearly deserved. Their argument for Curry was laughable...it was simply this...

Sure, Tyreke easily takes the rookie scoring title for the 2009-2010 season, but if you take Steph's numbers from January forward he beats Evans year by a full point. Well guess what, it's called the 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year...not the 2010 Rookie of the Year. Besides all that! I want a player that can show up for the WHOLE season not one who kicks it into high gear for 4 months of the season!

So I end this blog with two things to say....

1) To the Haters: I TOLD YOU SO!!! Don't try and justify it don't diminish it, just accept it for what it is and what true fans always knew it would be! Tyreke is not only our pick for ROY, but the league's and nation's as well!

2)

CONGRATULATIONS TYREKE EVANS FOR WINNING ROOKIE OF THE YEAR!

First of many

First off, Welcome! If you are reading this I hope you find my future posts to be interesting enough to continue to read. The point of this blog is to share my opinions on all things Sacramento Kings related, and perhaps a little more with the NBA in general.

As I sit here waiting for the end of the just begun off-season, I am currently waiting for the announcement every Sacramento fan is dying to here. "The NBA announces its pick for 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans!" For much of the season this was no contest. As Tyreke continued to put up numbers that baffled the best in the league, his rise to the top has never stopped. Sitting atop rookie rankings from week 3 forward, he was the only option. After we watch Brandon Jennings post 55-points in week 2 of the season, he dropped off in statement games. Granted, he's the only top rookie to be in the playoffs, but he had help with the addition of Salmons and the great play of Bogut, who is out due to the injury to his arm. Then there is Stephen Curry...He's talented beyond belief with comparisons already being made to the best point guard in the NBA, Steve Nash. He has great court viewing skills. He sees plays and he makes them. He has a great 3-point shot finishing the 2009-10 season with 43.7% from beyond the arc, but where was this person in the early goings of the season? On the bench, that's where! He was able to even the race and make the discussion a little more interesting as the last 6 weeks of the season Curry and Evans have played leap frog with the top spot on the Rookie Rankings lists. The clear standout based on numbers and consistency this season has always been Tyreke Evans...and ladies and gentlemen he is only 20 years old! That's right, the virtually no name player who was taken in the 4 spot of the draft by the worst team in the NBA last year, who took his team on his back, led the charge in the 35 point comeback in Chicago, hit the game winning shot in Milwaukee, isn't even old enough to drink! Not to mention there is this small thing referred to by the masses as HISTORY! That's right, Tyreke made history on April 12, 2010, at the 6:46 mark of the 4th quarter sinking his 2 free throws to secure his season average of 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists. These numbers may not seem like much, but he's only the 4th rookie to ever do so in their debut NBA season. The others you ask??? Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and Lebron James. That's pretty elite company. This season only 2 other players put up those averages in the whole league! Who you ask? Lebron James and Kobe Bryant...again elite company. To give this award to any other rookie would be like reliving the Lakers/Kings 2001-02 series....a dagger to the heart!