The Basketball Jones commissioned Leigh Ellis to ask NBA players what food they bring to Super Bowl parties. J.J. Hickson keeps it American with hot dogs and chips. Donte Greene goes a bit more ... California.

I'm trying to get an invite to Nicolas Batum's party, though ...

How about some Kings-themed Super Bowl party dishes? John Salmons Roulette, anyone?

Yep, we're still doing the annual NBA Blog Previews. F--k the lockout. Here's the wrapped Southwest Division:

• Mavericks - Mavs Moneyball
• Spurs - Project Spurs
• Rockets - The Dream Shake
• Hornets - At The Hive
• Grizzlies - Straight Outta Vancouver

The Kings are up Sept. 29.

Jerry Reynolds on The Rise Guys
Our friend J.R. talked to the Men of Rise this morning. There was Jimmer talk.

Chad Ford: Mock Draft 4.0
Ford has Kemba Walker locked at No. 7. Mentions the Fredette possibility. Also did so in his Wednesday chat.

GSoM: Mark Jackson in the Context of Other Broadcasters Turned Coaches
Nate Parnham has an excellent breakdown of the precedents for the Mark Jackson hire for Golden State. Lesson: who knows what makes a good coach? I fully expect to endorse Marv Albert in coming years.

KHTK.com: More details on arena plan
Our friend Carmichael Dave has a few more details on the arena plan being unveiled today, including that there's no parking structure involved. (This was discussed in the Wednesday night thread.) Why? There are 8,000 spots within a half-mile already. Awesome.

NBA Confidential: Copy of the plan
Sam Amick got an actual copy of the presentation. Go check it out. (Also in the FanShots.)

Bullets Forever: 2011 NBA Draft Combine Athletic Testing Results for Wizards Hopefuls
This is Wizards-focused, but the Kings are rumored to be in the mix for many of the same players (including Kawhi Leonard). Interesting results for Leonard and Chris Singleton, especially.

Sacramento Bee: Analysis finds Sacramento arena, entertainment facility would cost $387 million
The Bee's write-up. Includes a few comments from George Maloof.

Portland Tribune: Catching up with Geoff Petrie
Kerry Eggers talks to Petrie, who talks about what a big job he has in Sacramento. This leads Eggers to claim he thinks Portland offers an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

There will be lots of NBA Draft links in More Cowbell for the next month.

Behind-The-Scenes at the NBA Draft Lottery : Full Court Press
Our friend Alex Kramers covered the lotto for Kings.com. Included is the nugget that Kevin Johnson brought a Here We Stay t-shirt for good luck.

2011 NBA Mock Draft 1.0, led by Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams - Sam Amick - SI.com
Our friend Sam Amick explains why he thinks Donatas Motiejunas would be a good fit with DeMarcus Cousins. (This was already on the front page, but I wanted to be sure everyone saw it.)

Ailene Voisin: A sense of urgency marks this offseason - Sacramento Bee
Our friend Ailene Voisin offers up a few early clues as to what the Kings could possibly be thinking maybe.

NBA’s Omri Casspi gets cereal deal - Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey
Casspi got a cereal endorsement deal before Tyreke Evans did. Omri 1, 'Reke 0.

NBA Draft Lottery Study: Part Three - The Last Decade - Brew Hoop
Brew Hoop does a fantastic job with these draft studies. Well worth checking out.

DraftExpress: Post-NBA Draft Lottery Analysis: The Implications
DX goes into a bit more depth on its first post-lottery mock, including some more on its Biyombo pick for Sacramento.

Inside-Out Game: Defending Jimmer Fredette and Stephen Curry
Our friend Exhibit G's March breakdown of Stephen Curry and Jimmer Fredette. I'll have something on the Jimmer too this afternoon.

Sac Bee - Kings hope to land top-three pick
Some quotes from Paul Westphal on why winning No. 1 makes it easier; says they could work out 25 guys if they stay put or fall a little.

Sac Bee - Kudos to sending mayor to NBA draft lottery
Ailene Voisin agrees that sending Kevin Johnson to Secaucus is smart; Joe Maloof claims the idea was his.

Cowbell Kingdom Presents An Interview With Larry Coon
Really good stuff in here explaining the reasons this did is allegedly so bad for owners.

ESPN L.A. - Sacramento Kings' future still uncertain
George Maloof is being honest when he says "if you buy tickets it's for this year and there are no promises beyond that," but it's still a pretty dumb stance to take in an interview with the biggest sports media publication on the planet. Not helping, bro. (Thanks to Andy for the FanShot.)

Sac Bee - Fan support for Kings turned tide
Everyone's seen David Stern's open letter to Kings fans, right? I might link this every day for the next month.

Yahoo! Sports - GMs pessimistic about 2011 draft

Memphis Commercial-Appeal - Grizzlies adamant they won't trade Gay

Sac Bee: NBA starts image makeover for Sacramento Kings
Via a Juan Primo FanShot. A few great nuggets in Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis' piece on the NBA team in town. Gavin Maloof is in town and will meet with Mayor Kevin Johnson and business leaders at a lunch today. Also, here's a line about ticket sales:

Season ticket renewals, which began late Monday, have "exceeded even our most hopeful expectations," Granger said. "It's impressive for any market."

Sac Bee: Chris Webber will play a role in arena fight
Lillis reports that Webber remains in contact with KJ going forward.

Sac Midtown: Railyard cleanup unlikely to be a hurdle
Word that cleanup at the railyards site -- the target for a new arena -- won't be an issue. Thanks to drew7 for the FanShot.

News10: Joe Maloof expresses gratitude to MS&E staff, fans
Nice piece by Sean Cunningham (print) and Ryan Yamamoto (video).

Jim Les to coach UC Davis men's team
A Kings' fan favorite will lead UC Davis to more losses against Sac State.

REMINDER: Here We Stayed Celebration -- Friday evening at Thunder Valley!

Did I miss anything? Drop it in the comments.

I'm not going to lie: who knows if we'll be able to keep up with links!

Cowbell Kingdom: More Than a Pitstop
Friend-of-StR Jon Santiago digs into the perception of Sacramento and how, for him, it's changed over the last few weeks.

Sac Bee: Kings' Arena Drama Not Lost on Westphal
Ailene Voisin talks to Paul Westphal about the whole relocation thing. (Thanks to Juan for the FanShot.) Money quote:

"The team hit rock bottom and is trying to climb back up. The city is trying to climb back up. There is something to catch a romantic bone in everyone's body. So let's go!"

Sac Bee: Sacramento begins real work to keep Kings
A good summary of what's happening now that the Kings are confirmed for next year. (Thanks to Juan for the FanShot.) Season tickets are outpacing team expectations and the NBA's nine-person team is already in town.

Rise Guys: Jason Thompson
The RGS spent most of Tuesday morning talking about the euphoria of the Kings staying, but my favorite segment was J.T. talking about the fans in the last game.

Sac Bee: Catching up with Tyreke Evans
'Reke lost a Call of Duty match against Deron Williams, likes Derrick Williams and Kemba Walker and used to play CoD against Spencer Hawes all of the time.