Sactown Royalty: FanPosts

Draft Day Dream Scenario

2013-06-19T18:28:25Z

This is my first fanpost and I’m still trying to learn how to work this so please bear with me!

Per Chad Ford

Chad Ford @chadfordinsider Kings could really shake-up the draft at 7. Heard they like both Tony Snell & Tim Hardaway Jr. a lot. Both in Sacramento today working out

Let’s say we're really interested in both, my Draft Day Dream Scenario would be:

Trade #7 pick to Atlanta for picks #17 & #18

Draft Tony Snell w/ Pick 17 and Hardaway Jr w/ 18

New Starting line up

PG: Tyreke/IT/Douglas

SG: Hardaway JR/Jimmer/Salmons>

SF: Snell/Salmons/Outlaw

PF: Thompson/PPat/Hayes

C: Cousins/JT/Aldrich

I’d be ok with trading Thornton for whatever we can and letting Jimmer be our primary back up SG.

The shortest player in our starting 5 would be 6’6, possibly causing offensive & defensive nightmares with Reke’s driving and lights out spot up shooters in Hardway Jr and Snell.

Snell becomes our SF of the future with a floor of Dorrel Wright and Ceiling of Kawhi Leonard.

The offense can be ran through either Reke or DMC, both would be great options considering they kick the ball out to Snell or Hardaway Jr when double teamed.

Please feel free to agree, disagree, or bash this scenario!

This is my first fanpost and I’m still trying to learn how to work this so please bear with me!

Per Chad Ford

Chad Ford @chadfordinsider Kings could really shake-up the draft at 7. Heard they like both Tony Snell & Tim Hardaway Jr. a lot. Both in Sacramento today working out

Let’s say we're really interested in both, my Draft Day Dream Scenario would be:

Trade #7 pick to Atlanta for picks #17 & #18

Draft Tony Snell w/ Pick 17 and Hardaway Jr w/ 18

New Starting line up

PG: Tyreke/IT/Douglas

Petrie's Final (?) Remarks on Kings Tenure

2013-06-19T10:43:25Z

Interview Link: Petrie Interview on CBS 10

Some interesting stuff here, although it is important to note that Geoff has always been a wordsmith and understands perception management. A few comments:

Geoff was significantly let down by Maloofs during and after the Adelman firing, and it appeared he is still somewhat miffed about their lack of confidence in him to transition the team under Adelman's watch when the team was still semi-competitive after the CWebb and Peja trades.
He looked like a new person in this interview, the most animated I have seen him in perhaps 6 or 7 years. Whether that speaks to his own personal fatigue or the wear-and-tear of dealing with the Maloofs and their garbage logic can be your own personal call, but it does appear he was at ease with this.
In the interview close out, Large reports that Petrie actually attempted to put in his resignation at least once in the aftermath of the reported sale to Seattle. It appears, at least from my interpretation, that he was going to check out no matter what happened or who was brought in as owners.
Petrie shares glowing remarks on the effort to keep the Kings, and calls what KJ and company did "...the best fourth quarter comeback he has ever seen". Nice words from a man just let go after 19 years or so with the company.
It appears he and his wife were preparing to go to a rodeo, if the attire he is sporting is any hint.

In the final evaluation, I respect what Petrie did here in what had been an otherwise aimless front office environment for a franchise that had not sniffed at sustained success any time before his arrival. With all truth, the transformation he presided over between 1997-98 until 2003 or so has to be one of the most unbelievable and rapid improvements and facelifts any team (and, for that matter, market) has ever undergone. It was what happened after, really, Musselman or during that time that made me lose some confidence and belief in him. The whole flirtation with Whisenant can now be interpreted as the Maloofs' threat to Petrie following what must have been his own anger and insubordination after they let his closest peer and friend go following stratospheric heights. I appreciate the guy's commitment, and I really do believe he stuck it out the past 3 years running on nothing but pure guile and, perhaps, fear of what those idiots would do without him. For all his failings, Petrie was a quintessential basketball guy that helped add stability in a time we crucially needed it. But the league changed, both in the evolution of analytics and the thought calculus behind small market competitive models (in truth, somewhat initiated by Petrie himself), and we need to evolve with it or risk being trampled underfoot.

Thanks Geoff, best of luck, and now onwards and upwards under the new regime and roll on Petey D...

Interview Link: Petrie Interview on CBS 10

Some interesting stuff here, although it is important to note that Geoff has always been a wordsmith and understands perception management. A few comments:

Geoff was significantly let down by Maloofs during and after the Adelman firing, and it appeared he is still somewhat miffed about their lack of confidence in him to transition the team under Adelman's watch when the team was still semi-competitive after the CWebb and Peja trades.
He looked like a new person in this interview, the most animated I have seen him in perhaps 6 or 7 years. Whether that speaks to his own personal fatigue or the wear-and-tear of dealing with the Maloofs and their garbage logic can be your own personal call, but it does appear he was at ease with this.
In the interview close out, Large reports that Petrie actually attempted to put in his resignation at least once in the aftermath of the reported sale to Seattle. It appears, at least from my interpretation, that he was going to check out no matter what happened or who was brought in as owners.
Petrie shares glowing remarks on the effort to keep the Kings, and calls what KJ and company did "...the best fourth quarter comeback he has ever seen". Nice words from a man just let go after 19 years or so with the company.
It appears he and his wife were preparing to go to a rodeo, if the attire he is sporting is any hint.

Thanks Geoff, best of luck, and now onwards and upwards under the new regime and roll on Petey D...

Crown Downtown section at Kings games

2013-06-19T07:52:16Z

We have made phone calls to anyone who gave us their number about the Crown Downtown section for Kings games.

If you are interested in sitting in the Crown Downtown section please email us your full name and phone number to call you. This is for full season ticket holders. This is also for serious inquiries and you must have made a deposit to participate.

Phone calls will be made on Wednesday evening to ensure you get to be a part of the group.

socialmedia@crowndowntown.org

Look Back In Humor, Part Five

2013-06-18T03:16:17Z

As we get past the first week and thence into the middle weeks of April, things definitely start moving. We've got the runup to the initial committee vote, but unfortunately there were also some changes in the local Pod - particularly when we lost Burkle, only to replace him with the Jacobs familiy. Vivek (via fffindeed) stepped in to remind us of something...

...while prowse showed us the Place We Must Never Go...

And then...delay. Where we thought we might know the fate before the season closes, word came down the initial vote would be April 18th or 19th. A flowchart was developed of the NBA decision process, but prowse had decided it was not complete, and could not recommend it.

So the flowchart was completed...

...our Northern brethren had to watch their attempt at destroying Sacramento come to failure...

Later that day, it was announced that we had a REAL developer join the team, Mark Friedman. And as we all know, because he's a developer, we can trust him...

Also - A68 told us he's nervous when he sees the infamous Red Banner. Both Aykis and prowse had ideas of what to do with the Red Banner...

...and LaBradford had a dream...

So we move into the week before the rescheduled vote, and word comes down that the Maloofs gave Team Vivek a Friday deadline to submit a "binding" offer, otherwise they would not negotiate with the Sacramento-based group. After the initial laughter died down, the commentariat got to work:

LaBradford...

yaborafa...

Dub_TC...

10KingsFan10...

Dak...

ExG...

HoustonJP...

On the 11th of April, we get word from Mr. Dependable Chris Daniels that the Sacramento bid has caused a "rift" in the NBA ownership, that the owners would rather move the Kings to Seattle and have done with it. Part of the reason may have been CD5's assertion that Seattle could get Plan Flan done by 2015...

ZenBaller had a much better read on the situation...

Kromeace continued on that theme...

Okay, then. We next get to the thread in which somebody at Sports Business Daily reported that Team Vivek would be asked to cover the $30M Hansen deposit to the Maloofs. SPTSJUNKIE - you're up...

Since this report was, umm, loosely based, there was one tweet that (while not to the 20+ rec level), still deserves some mention for the sheer brilliance of it, courtesy of pookey...

Onward and upward on the roller coaster we go, as we learn from Amick that the Kings would be expected to fully match Seattle's then offer at $525M total valuation, and that the "rift" mentioned by CD5 earlier did not exist. This led to a award-show based GIF of the comparing approaches to things, as told by Yogi214...

So Ailene gets into the mix, and uncorks a whopper - that the Maloofs would accept the Sacramento bid, and they have also met with the NHL Commish and are looking at buying a team with Vegas as a possible destination, or possibly even a MLB team. Ziller and adamsite: GO!

Of course, the Maloofs would claim they've done nothing wrong and have been kind and thoughtful to everyone around here. Sims calls BS on that one, and does so in standard Sims style...

Prowse gives everybody a warning...

LaBradford is strong in this thread...

On the 12th of April, word came down that Facebook principal Chris Kelly was joining the Pod. Obviously, such a development would be news both in CA and in Washington, yes? Cue Dub and Angry Tree and kromeace...

Of course, a couple of people had to change their Facebook status...

Swoosh...

Juan Primo...

April 13th...still waiting for the committees to meet, and Seattle's crew ups the ante by another $25M (just remember, folks - #binding). Ziller asks the community whether or not the NBA will quit moving the goalposts, having just gotten the Maloof Friday deadline and Hansen increasing his offer in its wake. So in this, adamsite says...

After a while and some reflection, Ziller feels that the increased Hansen bid means panic on the part of the Seattle crew. Boogie-reke treats us to the entrance the Commish would use at the NBA meetings...

Ultimately, we just had no idea what was going to happen in the next few days. While things were percolating, some tasty open warfare was breaking out in the commentary strings. A SeaTroll came by to ask, "why the hate?", and Greg had an answer...

...while Otis hit the Bee's Archives and took us back to a column by Ailene from a year ago...

So ElRon made a phone call...

And then there appeared a little video in Times Square. Ichristmas channeled his inner SeaTroll...

...with Wonderchild asking the obvious follow-up...

mtmoore caught the video in all its big-ass 'tron glory...

So everything's ready. We're finally gonna have us a vote, we'll get to find out what's gonna happen, right? Uhhh...no. Reaction was predictably severe...

Much more GIFfy rage can be seen at the thread, and would completely crater this post. It was later speculated that the reason for the delay was "procedural." It was further speculated that we would quickly learn the outcome via leaks. Widowwolf decided to take his own leak...

...while artlee decided we needed to send the Commish a mixtape.

Of course, all this news coming so quickly requires a red banner both on StR and at (that other site), yes? Well, BTE broke into their coding and found out what the Sonics Rising news banner would look like...

So we find out the NBA is "not even close" on a determination. So Garza helps us to remember what we've been through before, thinking that another 2-3 weeks ain't so much...

Still just a few days past Tax Day, and word came down that Paul Allen may be considering voting with the Good Guys, and tossing his Microshaft buddies under the bus. One of our more notorious SeaTrolls came in to accuse us of a certain lack of critical thinking skills. Let's let Otis take it from here...

A Jazz fan testifies...

So the BOG meetings end, without much clarity. Naturally, the Commish gives a presser, and in his own enigmatic way we find out the relocation vote will come BEFORE the sale vote. And of course, Daniels gets absolutely served by Stern...

Ahh, the Maloofs. They couldn't keep feet out of mouths for too long, now could they? They ended up sending a letter to the league urging acceptance of the Seattle deal, and the commentariat had a nice, long dump on the entire family...

So we're given 50-50 odds at keeping the Kings, or at least so says one NBA owner who talked to Ken Berger of CBS. We've not had a pookey rant in a while, but there's no time like the present...

Unbelievably, all of the above material encompassed just a span of two weeks on this here website. Here I was thinking this might be the last in the series, but there was so much concentrated excellence in the threads (and I know how much is coming up) that it looks like we're going to OT on this series.

For what it's worth, the next installment may not be for another week or two, in that I've got some jerb and vacation duties that are calling on me, hard. The next edition (I promise) will carry us to victory.

Until next time...

...while prowse showed us the Place We Must Never Go...

So the flowchart was completed...

...our Northern brethren had to watch their attempt at destroying Sacramento come to failure...

Later that day, it was announced that we had a REAL developer join the team, Mark Friedman. And as we all know, because he's a developer, we can trust him...

Also - A68 told us he's nervous when he sees the infamous Red Banner. Both Aykis and prowse had ideas of what to do with the Red Banner...

...and LaBradford had a dream...

LaBradford...

yaborafa...

Dub_TC...

10KingsFan10...

Dak...

ExG...

HoustonJP...

ZenBaller had a much better read on the situation...

Kromeace continued on that theme...

Okay, then. We next get to the thread in which somebody at Sports Business Daily reported that Team Vivek would be asked to cover the $30M Hansen deposit to the Maloofs. SPTSJUNKIE - you're up...

Since this report was, umm, loosely based, there was one tweet that (while not to the 20+ rec level), still deserves some mention for the sheer brilliance of it, courtesy of pookey...

Of course, the Maloofs would claim they've done nothing wrong and have been kind and thoughtful to everyone around here. Sims calls BS on that one, and does so in standard Sims style...

Prowse gives everybody a warning...

LaBradford is strong in this thread...

Of course, a couple of people had to change their Facebook status...

Swoosh...

Juan Primo...

...while Otis hit the Bee's Archives and took us back to a column by Ailene from a year ago...

So ElRon made a phone call...

And then there appeared a little video in Times Square. Ichristmas channeled his inner SeaTroll...

...with Wonderchild asking the obvious follow-up...

mtmoore caught the video in all its big-ass 'tron glory...

So everything's ready. We're finally gonna have us a vote, we'll get to find out what's gonna happen, right? Uhhh...no. Reaction was predictably severe...

...while artlee decided we needed to send the Commish a mixtape.

So we find out the NBA is "not even close" on a determination. So Garza helps us to remember what we've been through before, thinking that another 2-3 weeks ain't so much...

A Jazz fan testifies...

So we're given 50-50 odds at keeping the Kings, or at least so says one NBA owner who talked to Ken Berger of CBS. We've not had a pookey rant in a while, but there's no time like the present...

Until next time...

Ranadive, Kings Formally Introduce D'Alessandro As GM

2013-06-18T00:07:48Z

Ranadive and company laugh at Salmon's FG percentage

via l2.yimg.com Photo Source: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive met with various applicants in an exhausting search for the General Manager position and many thought Grizzlies executive Chris Wallace was at the top of it. Larry Bird was up for the post but balked at the offer. The Kings search just about rivaled The Hunger Games until a name and candidate emerged from the depth pool.

"I wanted him to hurry up… because we have a lot of important things coming up but I feel confident in Pete" Coach Michael Malone said of Ranadive’s pace. Well the search is over. Pete D’Alessandro was introduced as the Kings General Manager today in a press conference at Sleep Train Arena.

"I want to thank Vivek for giving me this opportunity to be part of guiding the Kings back to greatness. I'm anxious to begin working towards building this exciting new era for the franchise."- Pete D'Alessandro

Pete D’Alessandro inherits a team currently helmed by the outgoing Geoff Petrie who has served as Kings General Manager since 1994. With a loyal fan-base and city that have been tested both emotionally and financially over the last few seasons it’s a breath of fresh air. Although the uncertainty of relocating has been resolved there are still problems to correct. The cowbells have been long dormant and there is much trouble in the kingdom.

The Kings flourished in the second half but skidded to a 28-54 mark this season, their seventh straight season with a sub .500 record. Also the Kings and D'Alessandro must figure out what to do with free-agent to be Tyreke Evans and mercurial star DeMarcus Cousins. These questions need to be answered on a short timeline, a tough task for any adept GM.

Of note was an interesting question posed by the guys over at Cowbell Kingdom on the role of analytics and how that would figure into the new ownership. D’Alessandro scoffed but elaborated "almost every team has an analytics department". Pete came across as well aware of the role the stats and advanced metrics play into decisions, especially for a small market like Sacramento and a ownership with a technological background.

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive hinted at analytics translating to the off-court side of things adding "You could tweet about the pizza being cold and using our analytics before you were even upset, we could do something nice for you" Vivek said the new ownership is ‘fan-first’ and it’s showing. With Chris Mullin reportedly being offered a consultant role Vivek Ranadive is surrounding himself with great basketball talent.

Over at A Royal Pain a different take on things,

"The Mullin-D’alessandro front office gave out a number of large contracts to undeserving players, including Mike Dunleavy Jr., Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle, Jason Richardson and Andris Biedrins. This is worrisome to me for several reasons. In a small market like Sacramento, it is very important to be conservative about which players you shell out the big bucks for, as a bad contract or two can hamstring a franchise for years. It can also be hard to attract free agents to a place like Sacramento without overpaying, and when teams do overpay, they end up much like the Warriors were from 2004-2008, playing for the 8th seed and often falling short"

This new chapter in Kings history seems to have Pete D’Alessandro enthused and excited about the opportunity. Pete, celebrating his 45th birthday Monday blew out a butter cream frosted Kings cake "You know my wishes, there's a trophy in this one".

How sweet would that be?

Ranadive and company laugh at Salmon's FG percentage

via l2.yimg.com Photo Source: AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

"I want to thank Vivek for giving me this opportunity to be part of guiding the Kings back to greatness. I'm anxious to begin working towards building this exciting new era for the franchise."- Pete D'Alessandro

Over at A Royal Pain a different take on things,

"The Mullin-D’alessandro front office gave out a number of large contracts to undeserving players, including Mike Dunleavy Jr., Troy Murphy, Adonal Foyle, Jason Richardson and Andris Biedrins. This is worrisome to me for several reasons. In a small market like Sacramento, it is very important to be conservative about which players you shell out the big bucks for, as a bad contract or two can hamstring a franchise for years. It can also be hard to attract free agents to a place like Sacramento without overpaying, and when teams do overpay, they end up much like the Warriors were from 2004-2008, playing for the 8th seed and often falling short"

How sweet would that be?

Chris Hansen P.S.

2013-06-16T21:31:28Z

Nice try, SEA.

No chance, SR.

LLTK.

Viva Vivek.

Pound 'em Petey.

The dude miscalculated and blundered, but is not so evil after all.

Per interview with KJR radio a few weeks ago, we learned the following about Chris Hansen and Seattle's failed bid to steal our team.

He's still out his $30 million deposit but hopes to get it back.

Good luck.

He holds no animosity or anger towards David Stern and says the fans of Seattle need to "get over it".

Love this.

Assumed, stupidly, that the Kings were destined to leave Sacramento before making bid. And that resistance to a move from SAC would be slight to non-existent.

With foresight like this, I will not be opening a brokerage account with his hedge fund. With even the slightest amount of due diligence, he would have been able to forecast serious resistance.

Claims if he had known SAC was willing to put up a fight as we did, he never would have entered in the agreement in the first place (paraphrasing). Does not want reputation as a poacher.

Well, you earned it, Chris. But he claims he learned lesson to make future pursuit of NBA team contingent on clear signs of availability.

Has no intention to file legal action. Never sued anyone. Finds it waste of time and energy.

Kudos for this, though I argued all along there was no recourse for lawsuit against NBA.

The NBA never guided him to increase their bid.

I think we sort of knew this too, but its interesting that he expected this maverick approach to be effective. More miscalculation, i.e. stupidity, when he could have called Stern and sought out guidance as to status, chances and viable strategy.

The post script to all of this is that there was a point in this saga where Chris Hansen could have chosen to go all in or bow out gracefully. This was around the time SAC matched the offer. It was easy to say at the time he should withdraw his offer, instead he chose to up it...by $75 million.

When Hansen was between a rock and a hard place, having spent time and effort and millions and facing mounting odds against success, courtesy KJ, he acted in complete contradiction to his purported values.

He willfully attempted to steal a team from a viable market with a viable arena plan with viable ownership group.

Tsk tsk, Chris.

Kenny Rogers once said "You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, know when to run...."

Hansen apparently is not a fan of country music.

Still, after all is said and done, and 7-0, and 22-8, I don't think Hansen is quite as bad as we made him out to be.

He was a guy trying to do right by a city, looked to seize an opportunity, misread the pertinent indicators, and got caught up in a frenzy.

Hansen took up the mantle of potential hero for a collection of angry and scorned Seattle hoop fans. He wanted to deliver on the role he ambitiously assumed.

His imminent failure was easily forecast once KJ set the wheels of LLTK in motion. Hansen didn't see it. Or didn't want to see it.

Still, his disdain for legal recourse, his admission of personal lesson learned, and his effective message to Seattle fans to get over your petty, bitter grudge towards the NBA and Stern is a respectable stance.

Is Hansen a douche?

Maybe, but not the super douche we made him out to be.

Interview Link

Nice try, SEA.

No chance, SR.

LLTK.

Viva Vivek.

Pound 'em Petey.

The dude miscalculated and blundered, but is not so evil after all.

Per interview with KJR radio a few weeks ago, we learned the following about Chris Hansen and Seattle's failed bid to steal our team.

He's still out his $30 million deposit but hopes to get it back.

Good luck.

He holds no animosity or anger towards David Stern and says the fans of Seattle need to "get over it".

Love this.

Assumed, stupidly, that the Kings were destined to leave Sacramento before making bid. And that resistance to a move from SAC would be slight to non-existent.

With foresight like this, I will not be opening a brokerage account with his hedge fund. With even the slightest amount of due diligence, he would have been able to forecast serious resistance.

Claims if he had known SAC was willing to put up a fight as we did, he never would have entered in the agreement in the first place (paraphrasing). Does not want reputation as a poacher.

Well, you earned it, Chris. But he claims he learned lesson to make future pursuit of NBA team contingent on clear signs of availability.

Has no intention to file legal action. Never sued anyone. Finds it waste of time and energy.

Kudos for this, though I argued all along there was no recourse for lawsuit against NBA.

The NBA never guided him to increase their bid.

Interview Link

Celtics, Kings trade.

2013-06-14T20:55:36Z

There have been a lot of rumors in Boston surrounding trades for both Evans and DMC (probably not well-founded I should add.)

I'm curious if there is any interest on Sacramento's side of things, and if so what would be your asking price for either player? Rumor was Danny Ainge pursued Tyreke pretty hard at the deadline, but Sactown didn't want to make a move with new leadership coming in.

What do you guys think? Any validity to this?

There have been a lot of rumors in Boston surrounding trades for both Evans and DMC (probably not well-founded I should add.)

What do you guys think? Any validity to this?

So, I am interning at the state capital...

2013-06-13T17:03:09Z

Hail, from California Political Center! For those that care, I'm interning in the staff office for the Chair of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, which happens to be Ted Leiu right now.

Anyway, I was making a delivery yesterday (because that's pretty much all I do), and I walked past President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg's office -- who, I'm sure you remember, was a major advocate of the Kings staying, even playing a part in presenting for the league's Board of Governors. So I decided that sometime, if he happens to be in his office when I'm not that busy, I might stop in and shake his hand to thank him for his efforts. Is there anything you guys would like me to specifically say to him?

Five Different Directions the Kings may go in the 2013 NBA Draft

2013-06-13T04:48:37Z

Well first off this is my first "Fanpost" on STR and I'm really just gonna talk about my opinion on the draft but this might not be the most well written FanPost,so I'm just warning you now.

Personally, I think the Kings should pick from these five players in this coming draft:Michael Carter-Williams,Trey Burke,CJ McCollum,Gorgui Dieng,and Shabazz Muhammad.I'm assuming the Kings will stay put at #7 which is why I didn't list many(if any) big names.

Michael Carter-Williams is a guy I think can come in and play immediately and contribute to the Kings in a way the Kings haven't had since Jason Williams.Carter-Williams would come and distribute,and run the ball up like Jason Williams did..Carter-Williams will also fit Coach Malone's system because he works hard and plays defense.I think Carter-Williams can eventually develop into a lockdown defender,a distributor,and a scorer when asked to do so.I do think MCW can also turn out to be one of the biggest busts of this draft because of his inability to create his own shot,his jump shot is pretty bad,and he's going to need to get a whole lot stronger too.

Trey Burke has a nice ceiling and a great floor,and is one of the safest picks in this draft.I have a few concerns about Burke though,because he's small,not lighting quick,and if he wants to be a scorer that is NOT a good combination.Burke won't be able to defend some of the better point guards either because they'll either go right by him or shoot over him.Burke's floor is Jerryd Bayless,and his ceiling is Ty Lawson/Mike Bibby.

CJ McCollum is a lot similar to Damian Lillard,he is coming from a small school with a chip on his shoulder,he is a scoring point guard but he is willing to pass the ball,and he highly intelligent and he's a leader.McCollum I think is Damian Lillard 2.0.You can never be sure about a guy coming from a small school but I think McCollum has what it takes to be a star in this league.

Gorgui Dieng may just be the most interesting man in this draft, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zbtJzhZLbM)not just because of his on-court play and being relatively new to basketball but because of his attitude of the court.This kid would bring a good attitude to this team and would pair great next to Cousins because of his play style.Dieng would compliment Cousins much like Samuel Dalembert did when he was here.Dieng I think can be a Serge Ibaka type player that blocks shots,hits open mid-range jumpers,and he's a very good passer.He might turnout to be similar to Ekpe Udoh as well.Dieng might be a risk,especially at #7.No matter what I think Dieng will always be at least a rotational player because of his shot blocking and rebounding.

Now finally I'm onto Shabazz Muhammad.Muhammad I think could be a very special player if he gets drafted to the right team,that is able to get his attitude towards a team game rather than a "Me" game.Shabazz reminds much of Paul Pierce on the offensive end because he isn't the quickest guy you'll ever see but he finds ways to get his shot off.If he is going to get on a Pierce type level he'll need to improve his all-around game and I'm not totally sure he can fulfill his potential and if doesn't get his attitude right he might turn out to be a borderline starter/rotational player.

Well first off this is my first "Fanpost" on STR and I'm really just gonna talk about my opinion on the draft but this might not be the most well written FanPost,so I'm just warning you now.

Poll

Who will have the best NBA career?

The Decision: My Version

2013-06-12T17:44:38Z

So I am a Celtic's fan, always have been, always will be. But lately I've been thinking about taking on a West Coast team to root for. The Celtic's are a great team to watch but I think it's time to expand my horizons and look to the West for a second team.

There were a lot of choices to be had for teams Oklahoma and San Antonio are the two most obvious choices for me, but I've declined taking up both. Their easy choices and I want a team that's more of a challenge. Phoenix and Sacramento both fit my plethora of requirements for a new team. And now I've decided on one. The Kings are my Westren Conference team. I like being able to come onto a team at ground zero and watching them grow.

I write all of this to ask a question. What does a new King fan need to know? I know the current roster and ownership changes but beyond that what's there to know? With the Celtic's you gotta know about Bird and Russel and all the others, what about the KIngs? I appreciate any advice in advance. Thanks!

Can Tyreke Evans Still Be a Point Guard?

2013-06-12T15:58:08Z

Is Tyreke a SG? Or should he be back at the point? I see a lot of mixed comments about this. The rest of the Kings' roster is an obvious factor here, including who they draft. I, for one, would like to see him run the point once again. Hopefully this time it'd be run in an offense that calls actual plays and has a system and doesn't just stand around waiting for him to do something. There are a lot of different factors into making this decision, including his UFA status, but let's assume that he is resigning here and take a look at a few other things that may factor into this decision.

1: Isaiah Thomas

Do you think Isaiah is the best point guard on the team and should be starting? Or is he better suited to come off the bench? I think he should be coming off of the bench much like Bobby Jackson used to. He could still get crunch time minutes in this role, depending on the situation.

2: The Draft

While whoever the Kings draft may not be a starter on this team right away, I still think they will have an idea of how they want their back court to look before making their pick. If Trey Burke is available at 7 and the Kings think he will be the best NBA player that they can pick, then they should pick him and make it work. Put Tyreke back SG, if he's at point then there would be a log jam. Other potential picks like Len, Adams, Bennett, or Muhammed wouldn't play a factor. The other potential guards available like McCollum, Schroeder, MCW and Caldwell-Pope could factor in though. With Tyreke, Thornton, Jimmer (and should be Salmons since he's not a SF) already at SG, would it make sense to move Tyreke back to the point if another SG is drafted? Do you trade Thornton? (Good luck finding a suitor.) Side note: I'm not opposed to trading down and trying to land a mid to late first round and a SF or a couple of mid to late first round picks. I don't really see any realistic trades for a SF happening though. Maybe if Atlanta is in love with someone available at 7 they'd swap their 17th and 18th to move up. Not sure if they would do that though.

3. The Offense

Most importantly, what type of offense does Coach Malone envision here? If he wants an offense we've seen the last few years that mainly stands around or plays one on one, then I don't want Tyreke at PG. He'll try to do too much, as we've seen before. (Yes, I know. Who in their right mind actually wants that type of offense? That part was a joke.) In all seriousness though, in an offense that teaches off the ball movement, setting screens, pick and rolls, back door cuts, and pretty much anything besides one on one plays, I still think Tyreke can succeed and can be the best option at point guard for this team, with Isaiah being a spark plug off of the bench.

If this were to happen with the roster the way it is, then who starts at SG if Tyreke is moved? Thornton? No thanks. He's another scorer off the bench type. Plus the rumor is that Coach Malone likes defense. Jimmer? Same thing. Salmons? Maybe. At least he's a better defender, but him and Tyreke in the same back court equals no shooting. This roster is a mess. I'm just dreaming of Tyreke playing point with a good 2 way player (that we don't yet have) at SG next to him in the back court. I want that. What do you think?

1: Isaiah Thomas

2: The Draft

3. The Offense

Poll

Assuming the right pieces were around him at whatever position he played, where would you want to see Tyreke?

My earliest memories of Kevin Johnson and my Journey to becoming a Kings fan

2013-06-11T21:00:02Z

I had no idea until a few years back that kevin johnson was from sacramento. I didn't really remember his playing career well as I was a kid who lived in the midwest(born in norcal near sacramento though, always proud of being from cali) who really only watched michael jordan and the bulls. Occassionally Patrick Ewing and Shaq(when he was on orlando). I definitely was not a sacramento kings fan, I barely knew they existed, i loved the bulls they were my favorite team(as i assumed they were everyones favorite team). then Jordan broke Byron Russels ankles hit the game winner in game 6 to propel the bulls to their second 3 peat Jordan retired soon after, and i was moving back to california. I realized quickly that i was basically a michael jordan fan and he was my tie to the bulls. i had no favorite team and my basketball video game playing reflected this as i made my fictional doggerking self(who was 7 ft 6 and obviously the best player in the nba) and kept trying myself on different teams eventually settling on the suns. i liked their name and the colors looked good on my screen i think. anyways this is when i was introduced to kevin johnson, obviously not knowing this was the man who would go on to save the Kings who years later would be far and away my favorite team in any sport. doggerking was clearly the greatest ever in my fake video game world but dogger quickly realized this johnson guy could ball as well with his smooth scoring slick passing to doggerking the suns obviously went on to win multiple championships. meanwhile in real life i was living in norcal hearing more about the local team the Sacramento Kings, they weren't good when i moved out but i watched and realized this local team actually played in the same league that once held my beloved michael jordan, so i took them seriously and developed a bond that really has to do with being in the same area more than anything. this was right when they were moving up getting guys like webber, divac, peja, j-will and got way exciting. i was hooked even the bulls didnt play ball like this, they were great yes, but i hadnt seen anyone play like j-will just crazy freelance to webber, divac hitting the cutting guard, i had found my favorite team again and i loved it. j-will was traded for bibby and this propelled us to new heights playoff wins 60 win seasons life was good. then robert horry hits a three kobe elbows bibby in the face yet ref calls foul on bibby the fix is in we get screwed of our title. webber blows his knee out the legends slowly fade away one after the other. the economy collapses the maloofs start disentigrating anything familiar about our favorite team. and the attempted move everyone said would come eventually seemed to be on the horizon. the maloofs blew up arena deal after arena deal, and suddenly say they are moving to anaheim and sacramento isn't viable for them. But not so fast. see it turns out my old teammate kevin johnson is now the mayor of his hometown of sacramento and he's saying they can get an arena built here. the nba listens to kj and give him and sacramento one year to make it happen, the maloofs begrudgingly agree. Kj backs up the talk the nba, sacramento, AEG, and even the maloofs agree on an arena deal. that is until the maloofs back out within weeks citing sacramento financial interests heavily in they're talking points. but of course they claim they won't move or sell and are committed to sacramento. only for there to be rumors of virginia beach, mexico city, and pluto as the possible next stop for the maloofs. less than a year later from when they backed out of the arena deal we learn through the randomest of sources(a cooking blogger? R u serious?) that the maloofs sold the kings to hansen and seattle and the deal is 'binding'. its over my favorite team is gone, then my ol buddy kj tells me it aint over yet and we're gonna fight. he rallies sacramento and california business men to the impossible a new arena deal, and matching a record franchise valuation, and convincing the BOG to vote in our favor. And of course the rest is history kj the guy i only really remember from an old video game as my sidekick went on to save my favorite team the Sacramento Kings. I thought i was a bigger kings fan during the glory years but after seeing what everyone in this community did to save this team I've never been a bigger kings fan or fan of this community than i am right now. Thank you

Evaluating The Kings Roster: Part 3 - Small Forward.

2013-06-10T11:24:06Z

In the first two installments I built a case for IT and Tyreke to remain our starting guards while keeping Jimmer as a backup to ~~continue~~start his development this year. This makes expendable the other guards including trading Marcus Thornton with 2 years and $16.63M left and possibly John Salmons who might be a candidate for amnesty with his $15.53M remaining through 2015.
I was remiss in discussing Toney Douglas and will briefly say that he has the physical tools to be a decent back up on this team as his per 36 min stats with the Kings last season support. Small sample size alert but the results below are consistent with the numbers he has accrued previously in his brief stint in Houston and New York.

22 GM, 43% FG, 38.9% 3P, 4.6 RB, 5.6 AST, 3.0 STL, 0.1 BLK, 2.4 TOV, 4.0 PF, 12.9 PTS

His percentages offensively are respectable and his comfort rolling off screens to catch and shoot coupled with his pull up jumper are assets in short supply on this team. His assists per possession and per minute are solid but his real value on this team is on the other side of the court. Although his height is an average 6’2", his length 6'6" is better than all other guards not named Tyreke. He has great lateral quickness and strength, plays aggressive defense albeit is a bit foul prone. Coming over late in the season, Toney had little opportunity to showcase his talents given the current log jam at guard along with Smart’s lack of focus on defense. All said, he is probably the second best individual defender next to Tyreke and can back-up both guard positions.

With IT and Tyreke starting and Jimmer and Toney coming off the bench lets shift focus to the primary objective of this post: Assessing the small forward position. Between Donte Green, Omri Casspi, JJ Hickson, Francisco Garcia, John Salmons and Tyreke Evans there have been too many hybrid and/or inexperienced players on this team. Missing a legit small forward arguably has been an equal factor in the losing record the last few seasons. After the break we will take a look at the talent pool on this team, the top small forwards across the NBA and then talk about the options for the Kings to make this team stronger.

There is little need to delve as deeply into the Kings roster at the small forward position because there is nobody on STR that believes we have a starter on the current roster. Although some would argue Tyreke could, I believe he is a much better 2 -- his natural position -—or a 1--his adapted position--than platooning at the 3 by default because he is the best all-around defender on the team. I will briefly summarize the current small forwards on the Kings to set up the conclusion that we only need 1 of these three on the roster to serve as a back-up. This will segue way into some analysis as to the player the Kings should look to pick up this off season.

Travis Outlaw - 6’9" H, 210 lbs, 6’11" WS

Per 36: 38 GP 41.8 FG% 28.0 3P% 1.4 OR 3.6 DR 4.9 TR 1.7 A 0.9 S 0.6 B 1.5 TO 2.8 F 16.2 PTS

Very athletic and sometimes a head scratcher, Travis performed well straight out of high school before being hampered with a foot injury in Portland. Bounced around with the Clippers, then New Jersey before being amnestied to the Kings and has toggled between PF and SF. A victim of playing in bad systems where he had little help in shot selection and was forced to find his own shot which he doesn’t do very well. Has all the physical tools to be a solid defender but needs coaching to develop those skills. Too old to be a project and not good enough to help right away.

James Johnson - 6’9" H, 245 lbs, 7’1" WS

Per 36: 54 GP 41.3 FG% .095 3P% 2.0 OR 3.9 DR 5.9 TR 2.4 A 1.7 S 2.1 B 2.8 TO 4.1 F 11.3 PTS

Above average length and size for position and a solid back up player with a decent mid-range game and willing passer. Has above average defensive skills that can slow more athletic SFs down in spurts. Really still raw and not overly athletic but has potential on D. Can backfill at the four when team plays a three guard rotation. JJ is the only one worth keeping as a back up as the Kings look elsewhere to find a starter at small forward.

It would be a complete fantasy to land an MVP like Lebron James or Kevin Durant though either would certainly solve most of what ails the Kings’ on court problems—leadership, MVP numbers, winning, playoffs, etc. Even securing a proven small forward currently under contract with another team would require assets to trade and the Kings possess only a few players with potential and mostly unproven talent. What remains in their quest for competitive relevance is either drafting a small forward or acquiring an unrestricted free agent. Let us first consider the draft as a plausible solution.

Many on STR like Otto Porter the sophomore from Georgetown. The 20 year old stands 6’9" with a 7’1.5" wingspan who appears to be a solid player ready to contribute right away in the NBA. He averaged 16.2 points, including an impressive 48% field goal percentage and 42.2% from three, with 7.5 boards and 1.8 steals. An efficient scorer and above average defender, Porter looks like he could grow into being a solid contributor in the NBA akin to Tayshaun Price, assuming he can add some weight. Given his production in the NCAA and overall potential, if he were to be available when the Kings pick seventh, I would be rather surprised if the Kings do not select him. More than likely he will be the Wizards’ third pick leaving the Kings to ponder should they make a play to move up perhaps using Travis Outlaw and the 7th pick would be a possible scenario that would allow a team to deal him to the Kings.

There are very few true small forwards in the first round and none seem worth too much analysis nor trying to make a moves for. Shabazz Mohammed an undersized 6'5" albeit sturdy player from UCLA is a solid scorer, but cannot pass and doesn’t seem to play defense. Sergev Karasev is a great passer with a high basketball IQ and polished shot, but doesn’t have the size nor the strength to defend his position at an NBA level yet. Finally Giannis Adetokunbo lacks experience playing basketball at an elite level and has not grown into his skinnier Kevin Durant body. Dario Saric whom I think has the highest ceiling and would love to pic up with the 2nd round pick has withdrawn from the draft.

While the draft is unlikely to provide the Kings a starting caliber small forward for the upcoming season there are quite a few options via free agency. Surprisingly there are a couple dozen players on the market and another half dozen hybrid players that play some 4 or some 2. Given the sample size, I filtered most of those types out as the Kings have proven a player that is 75% of what you need at two positions is 100% not the answer. I also eliminated any player that didn’t average 20 minutes a game, thinking, if you are not a starter on a better team we do not need you. This crossed off the journeyman since James Johnson checks that box, as well as developing players on a rookie contract since Tyler Honeycutt fits the bill there.

Those that did not make the cut include:

While a case could be made that a handful of the players listed above deserve consideration, there was too many other small forwards whom delivered greater and/or more efficient contributions last season. In alphabetical order here is the list:

Player Age| Team| Last Salary| Status

Al-Farouq Aminu, 22 NOP $8.3 UFA

Andrei Kirilenko 31 MIN $10.2 Player Option

Corey Brewer 26 DEN $3.2 UFA

Dorell Wright 27 PHI $4.1 UFA

Josh Smith 27 ATL $13.2 UFA

Kyle Korver 31 ATL $5.0 UFA

Martell Webster 26 WAS $1.8 UFA

Matt Barnes 32 LAC $1.2 UFA

Metta World Peace 33 LAL $7.7 Early Termination Option or Amnesty

Mike Dunleavy 32 MIL $3.8 UFA

Paul Pierce 35 BOS $15.3 PO

Shawn Marion 34 DAL $9.1 Early Termination Option

Stephen Jackson 34 SAS $10.1 UFA

When you look at the list above of some solid forwards currently available across their basic and advanced stats here was what they averaged last season:

Basic Stats:

Age | Sal | GP | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | ORB |DRB | TRB | AST | STL |BLK |TOV | PF | PTS

30.0 | $6.7 | 73.5| 28.4 | 44.6| 34.1| 75.5| 1.1| 4.1| 5.1 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.6| 1.5| 2.0| 11.6

Advanced Stats:

MP | PER |TS% | eFG%|ORB% |DRB% |TRB% |USG% |ORtg |DRtg |OWS |DWS | WS | WS/48

2093 |14.9 |55.0|51.6 | 4.2 |16.1 |10.2 |19.2 |107.1|104.3| 2.3| 2.6| 4.8| 0.11

Since there are so many ways to compare players statistically I wanted a balanced and fair way to further filter this list down and compare the top half of this sample group. what good is it if a player shoots lights out but turns the ball over too much and can't rebound? Likewise, it is not enough that you can steal if your defensive win shares are non-existent. Being an elite player in one area but woeful in another is less preferred than a player who is above average in most categories.

In order to reconcile this I decided to come up with my own rating system. I wanted players that were more complete in their offensive and defensive productivity than the average in their respective sample group to rate highest so I decided to segregate a pared down set of advanced stats into both offensive and defensive categories and then aggregated them into an Offensive Elite Score (OES) and Defensive Elite Score (DES) in order to see how well each player performed against the averages as shown above. I omitted TRB and WS as these were already combined stats and left off WS/48 as it wasn’t unique to either side of the ball and finally Usage % because I didn’t want to penalize those who have a larger responsibility for initiating the offense in their respective offensive schemes. While ball hogs are a problem, being a facilitator for the offense is not and therefore Usage % is better leveraged when comparing players in the same system playing the same position. That said a lower usage would translate well for the Kings team whom already have a few ball dominant high usage players.

How I calculated the aggregate was to give a point for each statistical category the player was above the average and took away a point for each statistical category the player was below the average. The sum of all the offensive points were scored under OES and the same was done for the defensive points under DES. The higher the score, the better the player’s production and overall value on that side of the ball.

Finally I took the Sum from both of these aggregate totals to create a Combined Elite Score (CES). The net of this highlights whom the best or most multifaceted offensive, defensive and all around small forwards were statistically last season.

Amongst the 12 players within this filtered list the average OES was .3 with Stephen Jackson, AL-Farouq Aminu and Corey Brewer all -6 or worse with 16 points separating the top from the bottom. The players with positive OES scores are listed below:

PLAYER | PER| TS%| eFG%| AST%| TOV%| OWS| ORtg| ORB% OES

Shawn Marion 18.0 55.3 53.1 13.1 12.3 2.9 109 8.2 +8

Andrei Kirilenk 17.6 59.0 53.8 14.4 15.1 3.4 113 5.6 +6

Matt Barnes 15.5 56.6 54.4 9.2 11.0 3.5 113 6.5 +6

Dorell Wright 16.0 55.1 50.8 13.1 8.8 2.8 112 2.6 +4

Kyle Korver 13.9 63.7 61.8 9.9 9.9 4.0 119 1.2 +2

Martell Webster 13.9 60.1 55.1 10.7 11.1 3.9 115 2.7 +2

Mike Dunleavy 13.6 57.7 54.5 11.5 11.7 2.7 111 1.7 +2

Surprisingly Dorell Wright and Matt Barnes rank very well. Andrei was very strong too but Shawn Marion was the clear winner at +8--ranking above average in almost every key offensive statistical category.

On the defensive side 19 points separated the top from the bottom players within this sample size with probably little surprise that a few of the better offensive players scored low on the defensive side and vice versa. Stephen Jackson and Corey Brewer were by far the worst and the average DES was -1.08. There were fewer players with positive DES rankings over all:

Player | DRB%| STL%| BLK%| DRtg| DWS| DES

Josh Smith 21.3 1.8 3.9 101 4.5 +3

Matt Barnes 14.5 2.1 2.6 103 2.8 +3

Andrei Kirilenko 15.1 2.4 2.4 104 2.6 +2

Shawn Marion 20.6 1.9 1.8 104 2.5 +2

Al-Farouq Aminu 26.2 2.4 2.1 105 2.4 +1

Paul Pierce 19.7 1.7 0.9 102 3.7 +1

While Al-Farouq Aminu, Josh Smith and Shawn Marion are known for being beasts on the boards, I was surprised at how tight this group was defensively and especially impressed with both Matt Barnes and Andrei Kirilenko who do not nab as many rebounds as the rest, but are solid defensively across all of these defensive categories.

When you total the players with a positive OES and DES they were: Shawn Marion +10

Matt Barnes +9

Andrei Kirilenko +8

Given what we have currently on the roster and what you now see is available via the draft and free agency (and assuming a trade is less than likely) what does the Kings next starting small forward need to have skills wise? I purposely did not pose the question early on in this post. While I do not recollect if this discussion has been made in the past, I know that some on STR are looking for a defensive stopper while others are looking for someone to knock down the long three at a high clip. Still others including me feel that to have a well rounded player that can be effective on both sides of the ball and play 30 plus minutes at small forward is key to the Kings’ future success. They have to contain and disrupt the best wings in the league while at the same time provide efficient production on the offensive side of the ball. While I miss the offensive abilities of Hedo Turkoglu and Peja Stojakovic, I really miss Doug Christie and Ron Artest who were consistently effective on both sides of the ball.

Picking a veteran small forward helps in another way as the Kings lack a veteran player who has won deep into the playoffs if not a NBA Championship and can still perform at a high level. While rebuilding you do not typically stock a team with players on their last contract for their career, never the less it would make a lot of sense to have at least one guy in his thirties who the younger players will likely respect, look to for leadership and benefit from playing with. To a certain extent you are going to overpay for their services but having one player that is overpaid who can still be productive while providing a strong presence in the locker room may be worth the extra money. In recent past the Kings have been resigned to calling veteran leadership as any player that have been in a losing culture longer and can remain professional. How many rings do you have was never a question asked when taking on bloated or expiring contracts. Now may be the right time to bring in a player who can bring the street cred to the team and play that leadership role.

When you look at the players who are capable offensively and defensively from this list it may be a surprise that the average age is 30. It begs the question why not fill the small forward role with a strong veteran who can fill the stats and provide leadership to the team very much the way Vlade did. The good news is landing someone to fill this void won’t require the same type of money that Kobe/LeBron/Dwight will command. While I have always liked Andrei, I would not have thought about Shawn nor Matt but these three seem to be the players we should go after first. Without researching what it would likely take to get one of these guys I will venture some guesses to initiate the dialogue but encourage feedback from the STR contingency.

First Choice:

Andrei Kirilenko – 4 Years / $49 M ($47 guaranteed, 2M in incentives; $12.5M X 2, $12M X 2)

Shawn Marion – 3 Years / $29M (last year is a team option; $10.5M, $9.5M, $9M)

Second Choice:

Paul Pierce – 3 Years / $39M ($14M, $13M $12M)

Al Farouq Aminu – 5 years / $30M ( $5M, $5.5M, $6M, $6.5M, $7M)

Kyle Korver – 4 years $26M ( $7M, $6.5M X 2, $6M)

Dorell Wright – 4 years / $22M ($5.5M x 2, $5M X 2)

Matt Barnes – 4 years / $15M ($4.0M X 2, $3.75M, $3.25M)

Martell Webster – 5 years $17.5M ($3M, $3.25M, $3.5M, $3.75M, $4M)

Third Choice:

Josh Smith – 5 years / $89M (last year is not guaranteed, $15M X 3, $14.5 M X 2, $15M)

There are a lot of options with some requiring more risk, but a solid small forward can be had and should have a big impact on the Kings turnaround next year.

Travis Outlaw - 6’9" H, 210 lbs, 6’11" WS

Per 36: 38 GP 41.8 FG% 28.0 3P% 1.4 OR 3.6 DR 4.9 TR 1.7 A 0.9 S 0.6 B 1.5 TO 2.8 F 16.2 PTS

James Johnson - 6’9" H, 245 lbs, 7’1" WS

Per 36: 54 GP 41.3 FG% .095 3P% 2.0 OR 3.9 DR 5.9 TR 2.4 A 1.7 S 2.1 B 2.8 TO 4.1 F 11.3 PTS

Those that did not make the cut include:

Player Age| Team| Last Salary| Status

Al-Farouq Aminu, 22 NOP $8.3 UFA

Andrei Kirilenko 31 MIN $10.2 Player Option

Corey Brewer 26 DEN $3.2 UFA

Dorell Wright 27 PHI $4.1 UFA

Josh Smith 27 ATL $13.2 UFA

Kyle Korver 31 ATL $5.0 UFA

Martell Webster 26 WAS $1.8 UFA

Matt Barnes 32 LAC $1.2 UFA

Metta World Peace 33 LAL $7.7 Early Termination Option or Amnesty

Mike Dunleavy 32 MIL $3.8 UFA

Paul Pierce 35 BOS $15.3 PO

Shawn Marion 34 DAL $9.1 Early Termination Option

Stephen Jackson 34 SAS $10.1 UFA

When you look at the list above of some solid forwards currently available across their basic and advanced stats here was what they averaged last season:

Basic Stats:

Age | Sal | GP | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | ORB |DRB | TRB | AST | STL |BLK |TOV | PF | PTS

30.0 | $6.7 | 73.5| 28.4 | 44.6| 34.1| 75.5| 1.1| 4.1| 5.1 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.6| 1.5| 2.0| 11.6

Advanced Stats:

MP | PER |TS% | eFG%|ORB% |DRB% |TRB% |USG% |ORtg |DRtg |OWS |DWS | WS | WS/48

2093 |14.9 |55.0|51.6 | 4.2 |16.1 |10.2 |19.2 |107.1|104.3| 2.3| 2.6| 4.8| 0.11

PLAYER | PER| TS%| eFG%| AST%| TOV%| OWS| ORtg| ORB% OES

Shawn Marion 18.0 55.3 53.1 13.1 12.3 2.9 109 8.2 +8

Andrei Kirilenk 17.6 59.0 53.8 14.4 15.1 3.4 113 5.6 +6

Matt Barnes 15.5 56.6 54.4 9.2 11.0 3.5 113 6.5 +6

Dorell Wright 16.0 55.1 50.8 13.1 8.8 2.8 112 2.6 +4

Kyle Korver 13.9 63.7 61.8 9.9 9.9 4.0 119 1.2 +2

Martell Webster 13.9 60.1 55.1 10.7 11.1 3.9 115 2.7 +2

Mike Dunleavy 13.6 57.7 54.5 11.5 11.7 2.7 111 1.7 +2

Player | DRB%| STL%| BLK%| DRtg| DWS| DES

Josh Smith 21.3 1.8 3.9 101 4.5 +3

Matt Barnes 14.5 2.1 2.6 103 2.8 +3

Andrei Kirilenko 15.1 2.4 2.4 104 2.6 +2

Shawn Marion 20.6 1.9 1.8 104 2.5 +2

Al-Farouq Aminu 26.2 2.4 2.1 105 2.4 +1

Paul Pierce 19.7 1.7 0.9 102 3.7 +1

When you total the players with a positive OES and DES they were: Shawn Marion +10

Matt Barnes +9

Andrei Kirilenko +8

First Choice:

Andrei Kirilenko – 4 Years / $49 M ($47 guaranteed, 2M in incentives; $12.5M X 2, $12M X 2)

Shawn Marion – 3 Years / $29M (last year is a team option; $10.5M, $9.5M, $9M)

Second Choice:

Paul Pierce – 3 Years / $39M ($14M, $13M $12M)

Al Farouq Aminu – 5 years / $30M ( $5M, $5.5M, $6M, $6.5M, $7M)

Kyle Korver – 4 years $26M ( $7M, $6.5M X 2, $6M)

Dorell Wright – 4 years / $22M ($5.5M x 2, $5M X 2)

Matt Barnes – 4 years / $15M ($4.0M X 2, $3.75M, $3.25M)

Martell Webster – 5 years $17.5M ($3M, $3.25M, $3.5M, $3.75M, $4M)

Third Choice:

Josh Smith – 5 years / $89M (last year is not guaranteed, $15M X 3, $14.5 M X 2, $15M)

There are a lot of options with some requiring more risk, but a solid small forward can be had and should have a big impact on the Kings turnaround next year.

Look Back In Humor, Part Four

2013-06-10T00:59:08Z

When we closed out the prior part of the series, we were exposed to the awesome Photoshop abilities of soysauce and "Saving Sacramento" which garnered 83 recs. Would anything top that?

Well, folks, buckle up for round four, where we start getting into the month of April, where we gain some whales, but we also face the prospect of losing a Main Whale. Thrills! Chills! Spills! A 10,000th comment! GIFs! Cross-Country RV Tours! What else could we wish for?

We start first in an epic thread (generating seven contestants in the LookBack) where it is announced by KJ that a term sheet has been agreed to by all interested parties to build the new ESC at Downtown Plaza, as can be seen from KJ's twitter feed...

214 brought us a 24th Century impression of the StR community's reaction...

Dak had another take on the above image of Da Mayor...

A Spurs fan dropped by with a small request...

Dak evidently had his meme generator working full-time...

Fireplug had a suggestion for an addition to the rafters at STA...

...while Rob336 provided us some props from some no-name guy from an obscure midwestern tacklysmash team...

214 decided some perspective was in order on the Seattle-versus-Sacramento issue that was building...

Ziller then did a post explaining in great detail on the reasons why the 2013 deal is better than the prior one that Maloofs torpedoed last year. The main reason why the 2013 deal is better was pretty clear for most people to see...

...meanwhile 10333 pretty much pegged the NBA thought process more than a month in advance...

We go now to the thread in which Paul Jacobs, CEO of Qualcomm, is introduced into the Ranadive group. Prowse took note of the rather, uh, "widespread" makeup of the ownership group...

A Seattle NBA Fan chimed in with his take on the situation...

Of course, 214 asked the question that's on everybody's mind...

...while wrobinson91 from Conquest Chronicles did some 'shop combining KJ and Shaq-fu. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that, but the StR community liked it just fine...

One of our guys went onto (that other site) to check their reaction, and prowse let Chuck provide the requisite response to the silliness displayed there...

Kromeace gave a quick weather check for both cities on the announcement...

We go forward into the thread in which KXTV-10 got the first local interview with Vivek since the announcement of his bid to take over the team. Resident 'shop genius soysauce let fly with another poster that's just chock-full of goodies...

As we get into the thread where the City Council approved the arena term sheet, Mechanical Shift got on the board by getting his 'shop skillz in good order...

In the article where Marc Stein of ESPN reported that Sacramento's bid to keep the Kings is gaining traction, kromeace wondered whether it was time to "retire" the FTM. Carpeteria agreed, but also disagreed...

We go forward a few days to the thread where Ziller explains the importance of the India connection to the future of the Kings, thanks to the presence of Vivek. ElRonToro took the occasion of his 10,000th post to thank all of us and to remind us for which we fight...

In the thread where we meet the 12 members of the combined finance and relocation committee, we find out that George Maloof would be going to New York and speaking on behalf of the Hansen-Ballmer group. Kromeace and bignerd combined for an epic one-two piling of dung upon George's head...

KingsFanNoMatterWhat had a bit of a different take on how George would get to New York...

A significant milestone is achieved...

We finally get to the early part of April, when we think we will finally get some closure one way or the other on the relocation issue. Aykis wrote an outstanding article on why the NBA's decision was now or never for Sacramento, but not for Seattle. Dub_TC explained what the long-term effect of the decision would be for him personally...

...while Gabraham made sure to offer a fellow poster some congrats on what really matters in life...

Later on, we find out who will make a local offer on the Bob Cook 7% stake of the team that's caught up in bankruptcy, and TheFault loves whomever that may be.

In the Relocation Committee Open Thread, we get another picture of the Crown Downtown crew there representing the living shit out of Sacramento...

Hypothetical Self had an update from that very occasion...

More St. Regis photographic evidence...

Looks like C-Dave and the PTW Tour bus made it in time for the party...

A Table Full of Excellence...

In a subsequent thread discussing the arena timelines, bvdzag gave his opinion on which way things should lean...
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A SeaTroll stopped by to provide his input, and IChristmas promptly dropped him with one shot...

Rubenho was evidently good and ready to pop his Fukitol pill...

Of course, even the biggest arrow in our quiver (AB900) had to get a little bend in this process, right? Well, we can always depend on prowse to give us the good news in any situation...

Much to digest there, friends. In the upcoming Part Five, we endure delays, angst, twitter wars between reporters, the inevitable darkness before the dawn, but at long last we achieve clarity and victory. Stay tuned for the upcoming (and final) Look Back In Humor.

Of course, even the biggest arrow in our quiver (AB900) had to get a little bend in this process, right? Well, we can always depend on prowse to give us the good news in any situation...

BET THREAD

2013-06-09T02:38:03Z

Kings are here to stay. Lets make bets! I'll bet someone that by 10 games into the new season, Cousins will be in the top 3 for technical fouls. BUT he has to play at least 7 games of the 10 for this bet to still be on. For example if for some reason he misses more than 3 games this bet is void. I wager one beer of your choosing whenever both of us will be at one of the games. I think this is a fair bet, yes? If you don't think so, lets agree on other terms. You guys should all make bets with each other down in the comments. Now, who wanna take this offer?