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Rack 'em! Prognosticating Wins & Losses For Your 2009-10 Sacramento Kings - A Futility Exercise In Seven Parts

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Pete Carill (pictured above) has no comment when asked about his thoughts on the Sacramento Kings won-loss record for 2009-10.


My dad used to say, "If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly." He used to also say "I just hid 75 cents in the fast lane on Madison Avenue – find it and it’s yours," but that’s another story for another time.

So while it would be easy to spit out a win number for your 2009-10 Sacramento Kings, I find it much more fulfilling (and blog filling) to break down the schedule by month and present you with a bona fide crock of crapola. So, without further adieu –

Star-divide

October – The Kings open with three on the road, providing home opener fodder for Oklahoma City and New Orleans. This is a great improvement over the past couple of years, when they were home opening meat for as many as four teams in the same year. I’m going all in on opening night – the Kings will beat OKC 117-112, thus posting their first winning record since November 8, 2006. This will cause small rioting in the streets of Sacramento – Smart Cars will be tipped over and Arden Fair mall cops will be called in to squelch crazies. The Kings will follow this up with back-to-back losses to the Hornets and Spurs, and they will end October 1-2, on a pace to go 24-58.

November – With 9 of their 13 games at home, the Kings win a few games and open a few eyes. They drop 3 of the 4 road games (to Utah, Dallas and Houston, but they beat Memphis), but the full house helps them win their first two home games versus the Grizzlies and the Hawks. The Kings add another 5 wins against your choice of these seven visiting clubs: Dubs, Thunder, Rockets, Bulls, Knicks, Nets and Hornets. Amazingly, the Kings end November with a record of 9-7. The Kings are officially anointed the "surprise of the season" by the same experts that had them locked in the cellar. Paul Westphal is hailed as a genius (Grant Napear has already declared him coach of the year).

December – 8 home games (Pacers, Heat, T-Wolves, Wiz, Cavs, L*kers, Nugs & Sixers) provide 4 wins, but the road proves unkind, as they drop 6 of 7 (the lone win coming in Milwaukee on the back end of a back-to-back). 5-10 for the month, 14-17 at year-end.

January – This turns out to be another rough month, as a couple of the rookies begin to hit the wall. The schedule has 5 Friday/Saturday back-to backs in January, including three that entail playing on the road Friday (LA, Oakland, Utah) before returning home for Saturday’s game.  The Kings manage a 2-7 road record for the month, beating Charlotte and upending the Dubs on a night where Stephen Jackson sits out suspended and Anthony Randolph and Nellie both get tossed out of the game (this is also win #17, matching last season’s total). The Kings do manage home wins against the Mavs, Bobcats and Suns, but they give a win away to the Warriors, they have no answer for Dwight Howard, and Chauncey Billups buries a circus shot at the buzzer with Tyreke Evans draped all over him to deliver a loss at the hands of the Nuggets. Another 5-10 month, 19-27 for the season.

February – The tired young team limps into the all-star break by losing 5 of the first 6 games of the month (at Denver, home vs. the Spurs & Suns,  at Toronto and at Detroit – they do steal a win at the Knicks). After the break, they give it everything they’ve got but lose a heartbreaker at home to Boston (on a pair of Rasheed Wallace free throws, no less), then fall flat the following night in Oakland. They do manage home wins against the Clippers and Pistons, and they beat Utah at home thanks to a gift call by Dick Bavetta. 4-9 for the month, 23-36 for the season.

March – 10 on the road and 7 at home in a busy month. They manage 5 wins at home, including a thriller against Portland. Managing to go 2-7 on the road, the Kings finish the month 7-10, and they are at 30 wins (and 46 losses) going into April.

April – 5 of 6 at home, but most of the teams are jockeying for important playoff positions. The Kings play hard (as they have all season), but lose close games at home to the Blazers and Spurs. They have a terrible shooting night in dropping a home game to the Clips, but they do beat the Rockets on fan appreciation night after dropping a game to Dallas. They finish at the L*kers, where Phil Jackson rests his starters but the Kings still lose. A disappointing 1-5 run to end the season, but a somewhat surprising 31-51 record for the season, a 14 game improvement. The Kings finish tied for the 7th worst record in the league with the Thunder (we go on lose the coin flip for lottery positioning, by the way).

Let the dissecting begin. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with Madison Avenue.

Poll
Wins - How many?
Fewer than 20 (Those selecting this answer should fill their half-empty glass).
42 votes
21-25
273 votes
26-30
358 votes
31-35
142 votes
36+ (Those selecting this answer should not operate heavy machinery).
68 votes

883 votes | Poll has closed

2 recs  |  Comment 97 comments  |  Add comment |

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Comments

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Awesome.

October 28th couldn't come soon enough.

by JETisKing on Oct 24, 2009 11:10 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm not a math major

but I believe that falls in the 36+

by ElRonToro on Oct 24, 2009 2:17 PM PDT reply actions   1 recs

Or a reply major.....

No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.

-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)

by jjham15 on Oct 24, 2009 6:36 PM PDT up reply actions   3 recs

Looked at the schedule,

took notes and came up with, surprise, a record of 31-51 as well. After looking at that number though, a 14-win improvement is quite a bit for a young team with a new coach so I had to go back to my original prediction.

For a while, I had the range of 27-33 in mind so trusting my first instincts (and aiming low) I’m gonna go on record saying the Kings win 27 games this season.

The future begins now...

by eduardo_m7 on Oct 24, 2009 2:21 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I would have to agree with Ed,,, I'm leaning towards 27-30

I’m going to go on record as saying 28 wins. If I am right I will push it in all of your faces, then I will take a step back and think about what I’ve done, and weep

... Now let me show you why they call me the Velour Fog...

by tomroadrunner on Oct 24, 2009 2:28 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah -

I was at 27, but I can’t go against my own highly technical analysis.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Oct 24, 2009 2:39 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Wow

Coachie still looks spunky.

by what_the_crap on Oct 24, 2009 2:31 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Put a quarter down

You might find that finding a dollar bill is easier.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 24, 2009 2:35 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

A little too positive in Nov & Dec

I haven’t even seen PW’s rotation, so it’s hard to really decide. Because of our lack of height , were really only going to be competitive with team similarly disadvantaged. PW tried JT & Spencer together with Spencer sitting early so that he would spell JT later. The last two games Hawes came off the bench so that either Spencer or JT were always on the floor. May has only been moderiately successful, with most of his scoring coming from long range. But, were most successful with JT and Spencer together, like the end of last year.

We have no scorers when Martin sits. And, Noc & Omri have shown a lot of hussle, but lack the consistancy of Cisco’s outside game. And, as good as Tyreke has looked, teams are going to pack the paint to keep him from finishing. Unless our guards are able to penetrate or get the ball inside to are bigs, we’re going to end up the same jumpshooting teams that we were last year.

PW’s schemes are too new. They just don’t have any real handle on them yet. Maybe later in the season. So, IMO end Dec 10-21, but unless we make a deal for more help inside, we end the season 27-55.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 24, 2009 2:53 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Martin will not sit this season

Last night was his last rest until late April. 82 × 48.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Oct 24, 2009 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

24 wins or less

BTW, Brockman will shatter the wall.

What's the past tense for "scam"? Is it "scrumped"?

by swoosh91 on Oct 24, 2009 2:53 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Loved the post Section

and your guess is as good as anyone’s, actually better than most. As as read it I absolutely believed it ,but when I went to vote and my natural optimism deserted me and I ended up voting 21-25. My initial guesstimate was 27 wins but though I believe we will see a far better and different team this season, I think our team is too young and the hole at center concerns me. I am going to wuss out and predict 23 wins. I am also predicting that by the end of January, beginning of February we will be beginning to lose faith and there will an active debate as to whether the rebuild is on track or be looking like a bust.

I would be happy for you to be right.

"We are in the business of kicking butt and business is very, very good." - Charles Barkley

by Bluejohn on Oct 24, 2009 3:04 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

You should have included in October...

You should have included in your October predictions:

Tyreke Evans scores 30 in the opening game and Ailene Voisin begins her first tirade of the season against the Kings…insisting the team should have drafted Ricky Rubio and Phil Jackson should be their coach.

Shameless plug: No nonsense sports news – www.sacsports.net

by sacnewsnet on Oct 24, 2009 3:05 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Prediction is 29

I just can’t get a grip on all the factors… If we can get a decent Center backup I would say 31, but without that we will be lucky to win 29.

If Martin misses games I would say we will be lucky to hit the low 20s and be in the doghouse again.

by MustangMBS on Oct 24, 2009 3:43 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Good note on Kevin

I just don’t even want to think about him missing a good number (20+) of games. My prediction of 27 already accounts for Speed missing ‘some’ games.

The future begins now...

by eduardo_m7 on Oct 24, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I was thinking of last season.

The game against Utah showed that we really need him. If he misses as many as last season we are in trouble.

by MustangMBS on Oct 24, 2009 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

OK, given some thought 27 is more like it.

But, they get a decent Center and I still say 31.

by MustangMBS on Oct 24, 2009 9:01 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Stang,

I agree that the lack of depth on the frontcourt is going to cost us games—I figure that it will be more than two, however. I think it’s a huge weakness—especially with our starting bigs’ propensity for foul trouble, May’s injury history, and the likelihood that Bron will go feral.

I think that when we see the frontcourt situation play out in the regular season, the lack of depth and the hurting other frontcourts put on us is going to be a glaring call for action—and I hope we don’t make any desperate moves that we regret down the road.

To me, the upside is that we didn’t hamper the rebuilding effort to alleviate the situation, we are going to get some answers to our personel questions, and we are going to take our lumps and grow.

by DustyG on Oct 26, 2009 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yes,

On reflection I think the frontcourt cost us at least 4 games. That is with everybody staying reasonably healthy…

by MustangMBS on Oct 27, 2009 12:08 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

People keep mentioning that its hard to improve with a new coach,

however, PW is the only real nba coach the Kings have had since Adelman. That alone will net this team a 5 win improvement.

There now I've met the 75 word count. -pookeyguru

by moproblemz on Oct 24, 2009 3:55 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Werd.

October 28th couldn't come soon enough.

by JETisKing on Oct 24, 2009 11:11 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I don't think the Kings will improve that much..maybe 3 or so added wins

The reason being is some of the teams that were previously in the bottom 5 do have a lot of potential. For example, the Clippers just added Griffin to their roster consisting of Camby and Kaman, along with Baron Davis and an improving Eric Gordon. If Washington can keep healthy, they’ll be a pretty good team, too. OKC has Kevin Durant..which is all I need to really say.

All the while, the Kings have a very inexperienced team, with a new coach. The addition of Evans and a healthy Martin should translate to maybe 5 or so added wins, max, but I’m very skeptical of 10.

Maybe my reasoning is being tainted, thinking the grass is greener on the other side. I’d love to be proven wrong, though.

by CloudyEyes on Oct 24, 2009 4:15 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Added a $5 spot inside Bubba's Car Wash...

Hard work beats talent when talent is hardly working...

by kromeace on Oct 24, 2009 5:35 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I wanna say 30+

But I’m inclined to pick about 22-27. With 24 as my guess.

I think this team wins about 16-18 games at home and about 6-7 on the road. Last year the team only won 11 games at home so winning 5-7 more is probably pretty reasonable. I think the Achilles heel of the team is picking up road wins, which goes the same for all young teams.

Mark me down at 24 wins.

BOOK IT!

by kingme18 on Oct 24, 2009 6:03 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Put me in for 31 wins.

I’m feeling very optimistic.

No law when it comes to me.
I let you type critics write and I just keep it hood.
That will never change.
I am not kissing no ones ass because I'm in LA. Suck a cock.

-Ron Artest (e-mail exchange with Kyle Slavin)

by jjham15 on Oct 24, 2009 6:38 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm thinking 24

I think the difference this year will be that better effort will have us in more games with less than 2 minutes remaining. We’ll win some that we’d have been well out of last season.

25 or more? I would consider the season a huge success.

Rocks are free, and slingshots easily stolen.

by andy sims on Oct 24, 2009 7:00 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Im in for 20-25 wins

And that’s me feeling optimistic that everything works right.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 24, 2009 7:16 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

In my Nostradumbass Prediction post

I went with 28 wins. I’m gonna stick with that.

Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.

by Aykis16 on Oct 24, 2009 7:32 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Stuff I need to say:

Desmond Mason starting: Dumb.
Sean May starting: Dumb.
Beno playing over Sergio: Dumb.

I’ll admit that I’m wrong if indeed I am.

by Carl on Oct 24, 2009 7:48 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I agree with point A and point B.

I bought Westphal’s explanation of Hawes coming off the bench. And I think he will get plenty of mpg anyways.

by cbsf on Oct 24, 2009 8:10 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Carl, how will you know if you are wrong?

This team is going to be bad regardless of those decisions. Its sort of like starting Mikki Moore over JT early in the season last year, was that a mistake? Maybe.

The goal should be to have JT grow as much as possible, we didn’t care about wins and losses last year. JT didn’t start, was given minutes when he was ready, and I think most are pretty happy with his development now. Would he have developed as fast or faster if he’d started earlier? Maybe, but its tough to argue the outcome of JT sitting and learning early in the season wasn’t a good decision.

I think the same applies to Mason over Casspi. Mason isn’t going to make us win appreciably more games, but if he sets the stage intil Casspi gets some real game experience, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

I agree with you starting regarding May over Hawes. If Hawes is not being punished, I think its a bad decision.

As for Beno vs. Sergio, until Garcia comes back, Beno should mostly backup Kevin and Sergio should backup Evans.

Professional Hyperbole Slayer

by ForThree on Oct 26, 2009 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Why punish Hawes?

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 26, 2009 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I don't know

but if he’s not being punished, he should be starting. He needs to play with JT, Evans and Kevin.

Either he’s part of the core and he starts, or he’s part of the core and being punished, or he’s not in the core.

Professional Hyperbole Slayer

by ForThree on Oct 26, 2009 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Guess we'll know in a couple days what PW decides

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 26, 2009 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Another rotation experiment

After Hawes came back from his injuried ankle, PW had him start, but he came out early so he could relieve JT when he sat. The experiment had limited success. We didn’t jump out to an early lead. So, then in the PHO game he started May. May didn’t win the job over Hawes. In fact, May played limited minutes up until then.

PW said in more than one occasion, that we needed height. Hawes is comin off the bench so that either he of JT is on the floor for the entire game. There aren’t any teams in the league where a front line with May and Brockman or May and Noc are an advantage for us.

In my gut, I think that Mason is on the team because PW wanted more defense. So, GP got him what he wanted. I believe that PW wants and needs another 7 footer in the post. Look for GP to try and give PW what he wants expecially if JT doesn’t resolve his foul trouble issue.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 26, 2009 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

That's not something that is simply resolved HT

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 26, 2009 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

The lack of a 7 footer I mean

You can argue that any way you like, but that won’t be resolved no matter what PW wants.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 26, 2009 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Crush my dreams like a bug.

I’ll beat you take ice cream away from babies, too.

Will it be a major trade for a vet role player. Probably not, I’m thinking it will be some 3rd stringer or a euro player. I’ve felt all along that we won’t be able to make it through the season with only JT & Spencer at the 5. And, even May has said that there aren’t many big 5’s he can play against.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 26, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hell no

If Babies want to be diabetics, I suppose that’s their choice. Free Country and all……

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 26, 2009 5:48 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

and diabetic babies are big babies, and Big Baby

is out for at least 6 weeks and possible the season with a “non basketball” related injury.

hey, this playing free associaton blog telephone is fun….

by betweentheeyes on Oct 27, 2009 12:14 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hadn't heard the story on Big Baby what gives.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 27, 2009 12:26 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Put me down for 38. I’m drinking the koolaide.

by JOlives on Oct 24, 2009 7:49 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm going with 24 wins.

Zero depth at SG and C and 8 players 25 and under. I hope it all comes together and we get closer to 30, but I’m going with 24.

Ball movement ... is like jogging for most people: They do it occasionally, and it makes them happy. Then they go back to not doing it. - Henry Abbott

by Kfan in Korea on Oct 24, 2009 8:04 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

30+

I think Evans will have a big impact, especially as the season goes on and the team gets more comfortable playing with each other and Evans gets a little experience under his belt. He’s a player that draws double teams. Before, teams could double team Martin and pretty much shut down the entire offense. Now, with two great scorers, it’s a pick your poison scenario for opposing teams. Plus, his defense fills a huge gap.

Also, I predict Casspi adding a lot more this year than expected. He will improve the Kings defense and toughness from last year, if nothing more.

A new coach in Paul Westphal, many seem to think that holds the team back in the win column. I think he is doing a great job so far. The players often mention that they have assigned roles this year, which they were lacking the last couple of years, and they all seem to feel very comfortable playing for him. Regardless, he is definitely an improvement over Natt, and his hire will add a few wins to the column.

These things, among others (healthy KM, improved JT) will, I think, nearly double the win total from last year.

by cbsf on Oct 24, 2009 8:16 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Why? Why? Why?

Do we have to lose that coin flip? I generally agree statistically with the rest of your story of Courage and Woe, but what if that coin flip you mentioned is OURS. And that coin flip turns out to be HUGE! It turns out to be the difference between a quality big man and another BPA. The Kings win that coin toss, signaling a change from their often abysmal luck. It changes from the 2002 post playoff horseshoe upside down luck to that lottery coin toss win. A break finally falling the Kings way, and a draft pick that brings us a talent that will help the Kings even more in there ever increasing quality of play, and a revival of good fortunes here in Sactown. The economy starts to pick up, and a plan for a new arena is in the works reviving the downtown plan that should have been the plan all along.

  I prefer an optimistic view of the future. Sadly the way things usually turn out, the pessimistic viewpoint is the one most people tend to gravitate to because of their own life experiences. People seem to dwell on the negative and gloss over the positives when they try to remember back in time. I just think the Kings need to get on a Good luck streak and start having the lucky breaks start to fall their way for a change. It needs to start with a positive mental attitude. The realities are that the Kings are young and probably wont be a .500 team. But I would be thrilled to watch my Kings play scrappy tenacious defense and really hustle on the court even if they are down by too many points. The GM has shuffled the deck and gotten rid of some bad Karma guys like “The B52 Bummer” and has added some young talented players full of energy and not yet jaded by the meat grinder that is the NBA. I, for one hope this young team will come out every night with energy and the desire to win. At some point the Kings luck is going to change, Change is good right now right? I just want to hear Gary Gerrold call a meaningful playoff game before he retires! GO KINGS !!

Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!

by FaStRmAn on Oct 24, 2009 8:30 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

We always lose the coin flip

Always.

               Always.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Oct 24, 2009 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

ALWAYS

Is my banana fluffy enough?

by 27freethrows on Oct 24, 2009 11:11 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions   0 recs

Ouch, you guys are really pessimistic...

Well, it wont hurt to hope for improvement.

Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!

by FaStRmAn on Oct 25, 2009 8:48 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

There are so many factors here.

Does Arco rock this season?

Can Westphal keep the team from a complete meltdown on the road?

Do we experience a string of devastating injuries?

Does Evans hit a wall midway through the season?

Will Hawes figure out how to score before the All-Star Break?

Can Donté score 18 a night solely on oops from Rodriguez?

If we put a line-up of Evans, Casspi, Mason, JT and Brockman on the court for extended stretches, will we injure enough opposing players so that the other team has to forfeit?

I’m going to be extremely optimistic and go with 31, because I’m craving Baskin-Robbins’ World Class Chocolate ice cream right now. And because I’m big bucks paying for League Pass and I really want it to be worth it.

The draft lottery has reinforced my belief that there are not enough bad words in the English language.

by LeaguePassAddict on Oct 24, 2009 10:55 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm in the same boat. My DirecTV bill will be huge the next few months.

 I want my money back from last year.

- Arco will rock this season.
- Evans will hit a wall but will adjust and improve like Rose, E-Gordon and Love did last season.
- Hawes will develop a go to move in the paint and will encourage himself to only shoot 2 threes a game.
- Donte will score 4 points a night thanks to Spanish Chocolate.

October 28th couldn't come soon enough.

by JETisKing on Oct 24, 2009 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I say 33 wins.

Some random and not-so random reasons:

We get all of those close losses from last year back.

Devin Harris doesn’t hit a game-wiinner at the end of the buzzer because Tyreke will be guarding him this year.

We will beat the Hornets and win our season series against them…with or without CP3.

Our coach is the best coach we’ve had since Adelman. Yay, a Captain Obvious statement right there.

Since we’re the underdogs in every game – we won’t take any team lightly, but will surprise many teams who feel like they can take a game off.

Our fans will be rocking at Arco with a 2001 vibe. Home really will be sweet for our Kings.

Go Kings! Are you ready?

October 28th couldn't come soon enough.

by JETisKing on Oct 24, 2009 11:20 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Doom, Destruction, Horrors and stale popcorn with flat beer and melted ice cream

       October 0 – 3
Novemeber 4 – 9
  December 4 – 11
       January 5 – 10
     February 2 – 1 0
          March 6 – 11
             April 2 – 4
-—————————————-\\
        Total – 23- 59 Home 16 – 25 Away: 8 – 33

A very successful 6 game improvement in a season burdened with injuries, ownership schizophrenia, financial mayhem, disappointing foul calls, December questions about potential lottery picks, curious directions at the February trading deadline, continued hazing by writers from other ciites, misguided “call outs” by local writers, low “mid-season grades”, with persistent head shaking and burst bubbles all around.

There will also be a promising new direction by a group of dedicated young athletes learning to cope with the hardship of losing, comraderie with those who fight hard even for a losing cause, pride in defense, only a few blow outs, a Coach who continues to preach the positive while admitting that growth takes patience, the emergence of a potential All-Star rookie, the joy in sharing the pride of a rookie who makes good on his promise to be a solid rotation player with an eye towards being a solid starter, and the backhanded compliments and the whispered words of the many who hate to admit that a six game improvement is progress for a team that is starting to show promise.

Also: Kenny Thomas stays, Noce is traded (possibly with another player – Cisco, JT, Spencer, somebody). Beno stays. The Kings somehow get the 7th pick but have the 3rd worst record. Worst records: Minnesota, Milwaukee.Miami (tied with Sac). And no, that is not a crack in my crystal balls, you are just staring too closely.

by betweentheeyes on Oct 25, 2009 12:46 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Your numbers don't add up.

Your total does, but either your home wins is up one, or your road wins is up one, because 16+8+24.

And I hope you’re wrong, because when you break it down month by month, it looks so….

bleak.

The draft lottery has reinforced my belief that there are not enough bad words in the English language.

by LeaguePassAddict on Oct 25, 2009 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

LPA - there you go messing things up with brains and everything

I originally came up with 24 and felt it was too optimistic as I really expect this young team, like all young teams, to struggle mightily on the road. 8 wins seems about right as 7 is a distressing number (so are 8 and 9, but 8 is in the middle and two games better than last year). I would revise the home win total to 15 -25 an improvement of 4 wins from last season.

Last year’s annual optimism has burned a sour taste in my mouth that has yet to heal. This team is still talent poor, injury prone, young, still finding themselves and with a lopsided roster,

Despite these factors I am still very excited to cheer them on, so yes, I hope I am wrong too

by betweentheeyes on Oct 25, 2009 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Malt does more than Milton can to justify God's way to man LPA....

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 25, 2009 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Your breaking my heart

I can see how we end up with the third worst record, lose the toss and end up fourth. It makes sense that with our luck, three teams with a worst record than us, get picked in the lottery, and we end up 7th.

But, but, but, Beno STAYS. How could you be so mean?

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 25, 2009 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well

Life’s a bitch until you marry one.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 25, 2009 5:32 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

It's even more so after you marry one.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 25, 2009 6:55 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I would advise against that.

Marry a nice girl, not a high-maintenance, selfish & self-centered, prima donna who’s going to make your life miserable and whose only really good point is that she looks good.

The draft lottery has reinforced my belief that there are not enough bad words in the English language.

by LeaguePassAddict on Oct 25, 2009 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm not a suburban style person

So that’s out the window.

No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

by pookeyguru on Oct 26, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

The great part of this post it

No married guy can comment on it if there is any chance their wife will read the comment. Regardless of how you responded, you’ll be on the couch for a week.

Professional Hyperbole Slayer

by ForThree on Oct 26, 2009 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

It's why SB is staying way the Natt away hahaha

Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.

by Aykis16 on Oct 26, 2009 3:11 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

(I don't know what you're talking about)

hmm hummm hmm

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Oct 26, 2009 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

My first guess was 30

But when I saw that was the top end of one of your options, I decided to go with 31 (optimist FTW!)

I should lower that based on Cisco’s injury, but I think in general that a non-braindead coaching staff will get us a considerable amount of wins. Add a healthy (fingers crossed) Kevin and Tyreke gets me to the 30 win range.

What the hell is Brett Favre doing here?

by otis29 on Oct 25, 2009 6:00 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Great post

Never forget: I am a complete idiot

by Exhibit G on Oct 25, 2009 9:21 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

29

I don’t think the team was as bad as it played last year. Evans is going to be huge for the Kings, and with young players (JT, Shawes) they can make big development jumps from one season to the next.

by chri5 on Oct 25, 2009 10:36 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, me too. I go with 29.

There can only be one Noce!

by NoceOne on Oct 25, 2009 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Between 29-33 W's

It feels very optimistic however i’m gonna go with 30 as the magic number because i feel like it would be a huge success from where we were last season and were we can go in the future. Of course it may take a little luck to reach that goal and i wont be overly disappointed if they don’t reach it, but thats my fan goal for the year.

by SKanthony on Oct 25, 2009 2:37 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Assuming health (please!)

my over under is 30 wins. Over if we get a few balls bouncing our way, under if not.
between 26-33. 33 I believe is just the max we can eck out unless something remarkable trade-wise etc happens.
But the kids will be fun and we won’t be spoken of as an easy-out.

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Oct 25, 2009 7:43 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

my concern with injuries

Injuries are part of the game. Often, Durability is an underutilized statistic in the evaluation of both players and therefore teams.

The frontcourt of the current roster – in this case, I refer to the 4 and 5 positions solely:
Spencer Hawes has a significant injury history. Sean May has a dramatic injury history. JT has durability, but it is a liquid statistic relative to time and he has yet to sustain downtime to comment on (it is my hope that JT has an AC Green type career as his path).

To that end 2 of the 3 frontcourt players (Brockman is a rookie and a reserve at best, Kenny Thomas is …. is …. Kenny Thomas, Noce is a stopgap 4) have a large portion of risk which is clearly placed on this squad and their anticipated outcome.Iit is not “if” they will get injured but “when”. Every game that those 3 “survive” is a victory in of itself.
Utilization of these three players will be heavy. To employ a bad metaphor, many straws are placed on the back of this previously oft broken camel. Do you expect a smooth journey without need for rest, or a goodly deal of reparations as this long season moves on? It is my expectation that for this current Sacramento Kings roster to attain wins, an NBA power forward AND an NBA center need to be in place. To expect that 82 games, 144 minutes of time per game for those 3 is an illogical prognostication.

by betweentheeyes on Oct 26, 2009 1:35 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I agree

we need another (hopefully young) big man to eat up some minutes. A 10 minute a game project with some upside would be ideal. Donte’ is big of course and they could try to wrench him into that role but. . . .

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Oct 26, 2009 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

(Fill in your own Aykis16 comment here)

Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.

by Aykis16 on Oct 26, 2009 3:13 PM PDT up reply actions   1 recs

Put me down for 21 wins

Our 3rd or 4th best player is going to miss half the season already.

The good news is, we’re going to be in 65 games this year, as opposed to about 50 maybe? last year. We’re going to lose a pile of close games this year though, as Tyreke discovers Joey Crawford hates rookies and Kevin does his thing, but there’s no firepower around him and defenses focus on shutting him down in the 4th quarter.

The end of the year, if PW is doing his job, we’ll see material growth in some of our guys and it will pay off in some wins in March.

League Pass will be worth the $$$ but only if you have absurd amounts of patience and a willingness to see 3 things you hate for every one you like.

Remember what’s important, the key is what our core guys can do at the end of the year they can’t do now. What they can’t do isn’t relevant. What matters is what can they do at the end of the year; how did they grow.

Professional Hyperbole Slayer

by ForThree on Oct 26, 2009 2:35 PM PDT reply actions   1 recs

at the end of the year; how did they grow.

Certainly this is more important that the win lose record.

Can’t disagree with anything you said. Although, Cisco being or 4th best player might be an interesting topic for a separate thread. Your Crawford comment deserves a rec , on it’s own. I also believe how the regular refs precieve Tyreke & JT’s game, will have a hugh affect on our record.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 26, 2009 3:33 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

That IS interesting
Cisco being or 4th best player might be an interesting topic for a separate thread.

I guess a lot of the problems with that thread would be based on current skill or what folks perceive as ‘potential’ value and in thier role on the team.

Current skill puts him in 2nd in my book (barely).

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Oct 26, 2009 3:40 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

even now

before he’s played a game, from what I’ve seen I’m putting Evans ahead of him, maybe JT too. Or you can exchange JT/Evans…

Professional Hyperbole Slayer

by ForThree on Oct 26, 2009 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'd clarify to

Best skill in thier roles
Then I’d say Cisco is a better 6th man than JT is a PF. I’m guessing that even after a few months, as excited as we are about the future, Cisco would be a better 6th man than Evans a PG or starter. Not by much but….
It’s all about how good you are at your role in a team game. (unless you’re a Superstar)

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Oct 26, 2009 3:48 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sure, its all how you define the terms

I was thinking in terms of…you’re going to play a pick-up game, what order would you pick the guys in right now.

For me, in that criteria: Kevin, Tyreke, probably Cisco, JT

You could make a case for Nocioni too probably pretty soon on the list.

Professional Hyperbole Slayer

by ForThree on Oct 26, 2009 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Picking players for a pick up game

There is another interesting thread, who would be the last player picked?

For a pickup game, I go with scoring , rebounding, ball control.

So, Martin for sure, JT, Spencer, then Tyreke or Cisco, Noc, then Omri or Sergio

two ball handlers, a couple shooters, a couple bigs , and a couple of SF who play defense & have an outside shot.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 26, 2009 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think in a pick-up game

Martin, Cisco, Tyreke, Noce
Then you fill in the bigs
then Casspi

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Oct 26, 2009 6:30 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

You can't do a pick up game like that

Your one coach and I’m the other. You get one pick than I get one pick.

You pick Martin
I pick JT
You pick Cisco
I pick Hawes, and you have no bigs

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom

by HighTops on Oct 26, 2009 7:07 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hawes is not a big

He’s a 3

Rimshot?

The future begins now...

by eduardo_m7 on Oct 26, 2009 7:12 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I pick Evans

and then you’d never catch us, and we wouldn’t miss, so we wouldn’t need no stinkin’ rebounds!

:-)

Professional Hyperbole Slayer

by ForThree on Oct 26, 2009 7:19 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I cheat

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Oct 26, 2009 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Or the first 5 to make a free throw.

That would make things pretty lopsided…

by cbsf on Oct 26, 2009 9:41 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I predict...

We go 31-51
October: 0-3
November: 6-7
December: 5-10
January: 4-10
February: 6-7
March: 8-9
April: 2-5

I can hear it now... David Stern says, "And with the #1 pick in the 2009 Draft, the Sacramento Kings select Blake Griffin, Power Forward from Oklahoma."

by sac-townz finest on Oct 26, 2009 10:46 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Your sig needs some updating.

Father of the "Natt this!" movement and Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order.

by Aykis16 on Oct 26, 2009 11:41 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I am going with 28 wins

I think Tyreke will give them credibility they’ve been missing. I am hoping the young guys take some big steps forward. Make or break year for Hawes IMO.

"The basis for winning an NBA title is having a superstar in his prime. Not an all-star, or a bunch of all-stars, but a superstar."

by coolcatreportdotcom on Oct 28, 2009 1:17 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I picked "31-35"

because I read this post as a factual recounting of future events as told by a note-taking time-traveler. I thought the poll was a reading comprehension question.

"Sometimes the capriciousness of youth anesthetizes common sense." -Let Geoff's words guide our patience this season.

by AnotherStupidSN on Oct 28, 2009 2:27 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs


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