Conference Finals

Ok, this was promised to be an "All Things Kings" blog, but I cannot help myself as a sports fan. This conference finals round on both coasts has been nothing as expected it would be.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

First off, the Suns are in them! The team expected to be knocked out by the Spurs. The Spurs this year were not a true 7th seed team. Granted no one really expected them to move past the Mavs, but they did, and with a vengeance. When it came to the Suns, the Spurs, as history of NBA Playoffs has shown as of late, have dominated the Suns ousting them in 4 straight playoff meetings.

When it comes to the Lakers, everyone predicted the sweep of the Thunder. It wasn't until game 5 and 6 that the Lakers really dominated the Thunder. In fact, it looked to be headed to a game 7 in LA until a last second tip in by Pau Gasol ended the dream for the young Thunder squad. The predicted sweep didn't come until the Lakers played the Jazz where 3 of 4 series of the second round ended with sweeps.

The Jazz were another surprise. With a roster that was more than short handed with the likes of Kirilenko and Okur being out and with no experienced big to step in and defend and score against the likes of Carmelo, Billups, and Martin. Yet they defeated the Nuggets and made it to the second round!

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

The Bucks/Hawks series was pretty interesting. The Bucks continued their season long push and almost made it past the Hawks, but veteran play and perhaps a little luck pushed the Hawks into round 2. It was there where they played worse than any team played in the playoffs this year. After the first two horrible games against Orlando, they held their own through the first half in then it was like they flipped a switch to OFF! I would prefer to see the Bucks play, at least they would have appeared to want it.

Charlotte made their playoff debut looking to be contenders against the Magic. Whatever that was all about the Magic swept them in an uneventful series. The Magic went on to sweep the Hawks as mentioned above! Now they are playing the surprise Celtics as they are playing with the poise and skill that they did when they won the championship in 2008.

The biggest surprise of the whole playoffs...the Celtics ousting the favored Cavilers! There is a team that played with no urgency in most of the games. The series was just weird. The first time in NBA history that BOTH teams in a playoff series lost HOME games by 35+ points. WHO DOES THAT! King James...MVP...where was your skill in the games? You were more off than Craig Sager's suits! And all this talk about LeBrons elbow!!! It's a body part that clearly after tests nothing was technically wrong with! Just a weird bruise that creeps up and attacks at random moments.

So now it's down to 4 teams...I for one and pulling for the Suns to stun the Lakers in LA tomorrow's game 5 to take it back to Phoenix to win and advance to the finals...FINALLY! Anything to see the Lakers out of it really. Where logic, and history say, a team cannot go down 0-3 in the playoffs to come back and win...it's bound to happen sooner or later in the NBA and perhaps the Magic have it in them to be "that team" as they are playing well these past 2 games. Even with a game 6, I'm pretty sure Boston takes a game 6 at home, but it would be nice to see a game 7 there. Logically I suppose the finals looks like Lakers/Celtics 2008 rematch. In any case, I'm hoping for the same result...CELTICS!!!

Why the 5th pick isn't the end of the world...technically

Yesterday I was in Midtown with hundreds of other Kings fans awaiting the results of the lottery. I was among the rest of the world of Kings Fans that hung their heads in disappointment at the 5th pick in the draft. Thanks a lot balls...we didn't want that pick! But what can you do? I am putting my disgruntled attitude aside and looking at it as positively as I can. Here is what the "experts" are saying.

Depending on which mock draft you look at you will see a couple of different options for the Kings at the 5th spot. But before I go there, the top 4 is a hot mess! The top three is pretty much sealed, Wall, Turner, Favors. But it's that 4 spot that is messing everything else up for our 5th pick. According to Bleacher Report Demarcus Cousins is going in the 4 spot and the Kings are taking another Syracuse Orangeman in Wesley Johnson, I'm sure Donte will be happy! Shaun Ahmad, a senior analyst with Bleacher Report has a significantly different mock draft than any other reporter out there. His top three match up with the rest of the field Wall, Turner, Favors, but his 4 sport goes to Wesley Johnson. So one would think, "Okay, Cousins is still available, the Kings will take him in this mock up." But no, Ahmad has the Kings taking Greg Monroe from Georgetown. Sorry, but I've never heard this guys name mentioned for the Kings of any other high picking team!

Here's a running tally of a handful of sports reports of who the Kings will take at 5:

Cousins: 4

Johnson: 1

Monroe: 1

Aminu: 1

Basically the "experts" say Cousins, but who knows. These are the same guys where half were reporting that the Kings would take Rubio last year...thank goodness they were wrong about that! But hey, if they can be right about Cousins, I wouldn't complain. He's been my pick from the beginning!

Draft Lottery Tomorrow

On the eve of the 2010-2011 NBA Draft Lottery, being held in Seacaucus, NJ at 8pm EST, many fans, both Kings and other lottery eligible teams, are reeling. Just where will your team fall? Who will your team pick? Aside from the #1 spot, it's a bit of a mystery...at least in terms of WHO is being taken since there's no telling which team is going to get lucky enough to grab that coveted top spot! One can only assume that John Wall is going number one. Great pick for sure, but compared to last year's draft class, this class leaves me worried.

Where the Kings got the prize in the cracker jack box last year with the 4 pick, this year even the 4 pick is shaky at best. The top names associated with the draft this year are Wall, Cousins, Favors, and Turner...after this point, even this educated writer, can't tell you much about the remaining players. Hopefully, that won't matter when it comes to who the Kings are getting as my fingers are crossed for another top 4 pick, although I'm really holding out hope for the 1/2 spot!!!

Looking at things the day after the draft lottery last year, I as well as every other Kings fan felt the slight of the ping pong balls as we held the worst record in the league and got 4th pick...FOURTH! Not even second or third, but fourth pick. This was horrible news for all of us hoping to land the size we so desperately still need in Blake Griffin! Sure, he got hurt, so maybe in hindsight seeing what kind of a talent we got in Tyreke, the 4 spot isn't all that bad. But who knows, maybe if we picked one we would have taken Tyreke anyway! Geoff Petrie never seems to do anything according to anyone else's plan, but his own! He's a draft day god!!! Striking it rich with virtually every pick!

So who does Geoff take this year?? Wall, Cousins, Favors, Turner??? Someone else? As I've said before, I'm pulling for Cousins no matter where we pick! I hope he's still on the board if we don't get the top 2 picks. The so called "experts" have the Kings predicted at the 3 spot, but taking Favors. Not a bad pick up I suppose, but I still want Cousins. He's a big man with a great stat line. He's listed as 6'11" 270 lbs Power Forward/Center. His game is special for a "big man". He can score in traffic and has the ability to pull the ball in a crowd. He's a defensive problem for offenses because he's just there...it's difficult to score over him and well you can't go through a wall! He's got a perimeter game as well! The best part about Cousins is his passing ability, which many are unaware of. He was selected as SECs Freshman of the Year 2009-2010 as well as being part of the 2009 McDonalds All-American team. He's a talent, that like any young player, is not fully developed!

Who do you want to see in a Kings uniform next year?

***NBA's GREATEST LOTTERY DRAFT PARTY IS TOMORROW!!!! 4pm 18th St Midtown between L and Capitol! Be there to watch the balls fall, mingle with Kings fans, SKDT, Kings Breakers, Slamson, Coach Westphal, Bobby Jackson, and live entertainment!***

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!

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!