Category Archives: Kings

2010-11 NBA Playoffs Recap: Day 11, Black Socks And Beatdowns.

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Last night was, in a way, disappointing. Maybe I’m a bit spoiled from the incredible action the playoffs has given us already? As Sebastian Pruiti pointed out to me on twitter, last night was the first time in 9 straight days that we didn’t experience wire-to-wire excitement, and that’s something we should all be willing to live with. He’s right, it could be August already and we’d have to suffer through 2 hours of MLB highlights.

I’ll leave our supposed national past time alone for now and get on with business; most of the games turned into blowouts late but there was some substance there. My favorite result of last night’s action was everyone tweeting vintage Kobe dunks. That dude used to merk everyone.

Atlanta Hawks 86 – Orlando Magic 101

I mentioned yesterday that Orlando’s shooters will eventually get hot and it happened in this game. Atlanta just had to hope it would come on a night where their own shooters also caught a flame. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and the result was a 15-point loss that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicates. The highlight of this game was J.J. Reddick’s hilarious post-game interview on the podium, which happened to be the first of his playoff career. Outside of that, this game was insufferable.

Atlanta still leads the series 3-2 and Game 6 is a home game at Phillip’s. For their sake, I hope this game was just them packing it in and trying to close out at home because if it wasn’t, things could get interesting.

Indiana Pacers 89 – Chicago Bulls 116

Real quick on the Pacers; this game was ugly but it wasn’t indicative of how your season went. Interim head coach Frank Vogel went 20-18 during his tenure and absolutely needs to be hired as the head coach for next year. He showed us a lot of value whether it was in guiding this team with leadership or drawing up situational plays.  This team still needs one more key piece but their cogs are all legit. Granger can be a great #2, Collison is a good point and Paul George might be an All-Star in the making. Keep your heads up, Pacer fans, and make sure you keep your team in town, too!

This was a close out game and that’s exactly what Chicago did. I’ll save you the Rose rhetoric and point you at my key players: Noah, Deng & Gibson. Those three men are as important to this team as is MVP favorite, Derrick Rose. The way they lock down the wing and the middle of the court allows Chicago to get crucial stops which lead to those magnificent Derrick Rose finishes at the other end of the court. Most of these Bulls have elevated their games in the post season and that’s scary for opponents considering this team lead the NBA in wins. What’s scary for the Bulls is that Carlos Boozer has disappeared. If anyone has seen him, please notify the proper authorities.

Overall, these Bulls are lovable. They play hard and they play the right way, every single night. It’s displayed in Deng’s demeanor, it’s voiced in Rose’s humble interviews and it’s strung up in Noah’s smile. When Joakim went into the stands after the game to hug his grandfather it made you realize that these guys are the real deal. They love what they do and they are proud of the work they have accomplished. And they aren’t done yet.

New Orleans Hornets 90 – Los Angeles Lakers 106

I just want to point out that the Lakers wore black socks and black shoes at home today. If you aren’t entirely familiar with NBA on-court fashion, home teams typically wear white shoes and socks to coordinate with their lighter colored home uniforms. But the Lakers wanted to send a message to themselves as well as the Hornets and it worked. The NBA should make everyone wear black on black attire, it just looks meaner.

Chris Paul started out the game with 8 assists in the first quarter but finished the game with 12 and the Hornets got blown out by the end of it. A few things contributed to this. First of all, the Lakers played their first complete game of the series. And when I say complete, I mean that even Derek Fisher scored 13 points. The Lakers five starters and Lamar Odom all scored in double digits. And when the better roster is playing better basketball, you just have to sit there and take their punches, not much New Orleans can do to counter that. One thing that I can fault the Hornets with is sitting Chris Paul for two extended stretches that probably cost them a chance to win this game. First one came in the second quarter as N.O. let a 9-point lead slip as Paul rested. The second came in the 4th where L.A. blew the game wide open as CP3 got his usual rest. Chris ended up playing 41 minutes in the game but it’s how and when those 41 minutes came that hurt the team.

One thing that should be worry some for LA should be Kobe’s ankle. I know he had two throwback throw downs, including decapitating Emeka Okafor (twice!), but he wasn’t he usual self. I’m guessing he had a healthy Cortisone shot before the game and that relieved enough pain for him to actually participate, but his defense and play-making wasn’t there.  He finished the game with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 turnovers and got outscored by Trevor Ariza (22 points) on the other end. Hopefully, this is nothing serious as Lakers haven’t put away this series just yet, leading 3-2 and headed back to the Big Easy.

Tonight’s Games:

Philadelphia 76ers @ Miami Heat – 7:00 PM EST on TNT: If the Heat, who lead the series 3-1, can’t close this out tonight, I’m going to have to seriously discount them as a contender going forward.

Memphis Grizzlies @ San Antonio Spurs – 8:30 PM EST NBAtv: This game is going to be too good to be stashed away on NBAtv. Memphis might shock the world tonight and close this series out. On the road. Against the Spurs. A 61-win Spurs. Can you fathom all of that? Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol could actually beat the 4-time NBA Champion Spurs in 5 games in the opening round of the playoffs. It could happen tonight!

Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 10:30 PM EST on TNT: I honestly don’t think this game will be close. The Thunder messed around last game and still nearly pulled off the win. Game 5, at home with a chance to clinch the series and advance, you have to bet on Durant.

Links of the Day:

NBAPlaybook.com – This play sums up the Spurs’ woes this series.
HoopSpeak.com – Let’s take a look at the New Orleans Pick’n'Roll sets.
SB Nation’s Bay Area Blog – The latest news on the Anaheim/Sacramento/Rochester Kings/Royals
DailyThunder.com - Royce explains Russ.

That’s it for today and as always, don’t forget to join the party on twitter tonight!

Shane is a contributor to Stacheketball.com, LarryBrownSports.com & NBAoffseason.com. You can find him babbling about basketball all over the net or tune in as he tweets nonsense on twitter @Suga_Shane.

 

 

Double Dribble Podcast Ep.001 – Relocation, Relocation, Relocation; Farewell to the Kings?

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Welcome to the very first episode of the Double Dribble NBA Podcast with your host Erroll Abrahamian and permanent guest Shane Baker. Today we are joined by fellow Stacheketball contributor and avid Charlotte Bobcats fan, Ben Swanson, as we talk about the emotional season ending game for the Sacramento Kings.

No one knows for certain if this was the Kings’ last game played in Arco Arena or in the city of  Sacramento, but it sure looked and felt like it. Join us as we dig into the details of why the Maloofs are looking to move, what the people can do to stop them and how this situations, eerily similar to one Seattle went through a few years back, generally sucks.

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News: DeMarcus Cousins Suspended For 1 Game Could Be More

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Photo credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE

If there is one thing we know about DeMarcus Cousins is that he got issues.  He got fined by the team for arguing with the staff, getting tossed out of practice by Paul Westphal, and now Sam Amick of AOL Fanhouse has reported that DeMarcus Cousins is suspended 1 game and possibly their whole 3 game road trip.

Report says that DeMarcus Cousins and Donte Greene got into an argument in the locker room and had to be pulled away from each other. Apparently Donte Greene and DeMarcus Cousins were arguing about Tyreke Evans late game decision that could of won the game for the Kings.

Source also say that DeMarcus Cousins was yelling at Tyreke Evans from the tunnel all the way to the locker room.

Okay, we all knew this was going to happen. From the day the Kings drafted DeMarcus Cousins, they knew what they were getting into. My question is, how can you control such a person? If anything, this is the coach’s problem to control Cousins’ temper. Yes given that he is only 19, that is more of a reason to guide the young fella to maturity. And to be honest, I don’t think a suspension is necessary. If anything, it will probably make Cousins act more rebellious  than he already is.

Al is a contributor to Stacheketball. If you have any tips on ways to cook Bacon, and tips on how to get Jessica Alba and Keira Knightley to go on a date with him, then you should tweet him at @ahmong. Oh, and he now just realized Britney Spears is pretty.

Should Tyreke Be Playing?

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AP Photo/Steve Yeater

Tyreke Evans has been dealing with plantar fasciitis all season long, and his numbers are taking a hit. Evans admitted to having the ailment during preseason, but claimed it was only a minor case. Regardless of serious a case of plantar fasciitis is, the only real cure for it is rest. If the condition gets worse it can cause players to miss a serious amount of time. Evans was contemplating surgery in December that at the very least would sideline him for a month, but most likely longer, yet he opted against it to continue playing. Should he have?

We all know Tyreke notched a 20-5-5 season last year, because the Kings publicized it as if Evans scored 100 points in a game while adding 50 rebounds and 35 assists, but this year Evans productivity has slipped. His point, rebound, and assist averages may all still be very similar to his averages from last year, but his play has certainly not been equal to the prior season. Let’s take a look at some numbers that have suffered a notable drop…

  • Field Goal %: 2009-10= .458   2010-11= .409
  • PER: 2009-10= 18.2   2010-11= 15.0
  • Offensive Win Shares: 2009-10= 3.3   2010-11= -.1
  • Total Win Shares: 2009-10= 5.4   2010-11= 1.6

Stats via Basketball-Reference

So while you may notice that his points per game has only dropped by 2 points, and other stats have not seemed to take a significant hit, if you dig a little deeper you can see that Tyreke has been far less effective this season. Tyreke is tied for fifth on the Kings in the win shares statistic this season when he was second last year barely behind Beno Udrich (who is first again this year). His field goal percentage is fourth worst on the team, yet he is still taking more shots than he did last year. He is not getting to charity stripe this year as much also, which is supposed to be his biggest strength (other than driving fast).

Also the Kings are going nowhere fast this season, as they sport a 12-37 record, but that’s not to say that their future is dim. They have some exciting pieces on their team to go along with Evans like DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi. Then if they get another top-5 pick this year they could really be on the right track. Throw in someone like Enes Kanter, Harrison Barnes or Terrance Jones (all likely top-8 picks) and the Kings will be on the right track. So is it worth it for Evans to continue playing at this point in the season? He is certainly not helping the team win games and his foot ailment is not going to get magically better as he keeps playing.

It seems like letting Cousins or Casspi become the two focal points for the rest of the season may in the long run help this team more-so than if they continue relying on a struggling, hobbled, player. The fact that Tyreke wants to play and has yet to opt for surgery shows a lot towards his heart and character, but at some point somebody might want to tell him it is just not worth it for him to be out there right now. Getting fully healthy and working in the gym on shooting might be the best thing for Tyreke at this point. Personally I am just hoping his foot does not get any worse, because he is one of the more exciting young players to watch in the league.

In addition to writing  for Stacheketball Matt runs Momentum Three. Follow him on Twitter if you are as excited for the Cavs-Wizards matchup as he is @Matthouston91

This Day in NBA History, January 6

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Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant

Ah, January 6. Quite the active day in 1947. Six teams were in action: the Cleveland Rebels, Boston Celtics, Washington Capitols, Pittsburgh Ironmen (named after the Steelers?), Detroit Falcons, and Toronto Huskies. (Who votes the Raptors change names to the Huskies?) Out of these six teams, only one remains in action today. If you picked the Boston Celtics (who didn’t? No, really, who didn’t?), you win!

Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Toronto all lasted a single season in the Basketball Association of America. Some may assume that I must be wrong, that surely the Washington Capitols became the Wizards, yeah? Nope. They made it five seasons, through 1951. How about those Celts, eh? Been tickin’ since ’47.

Speaking of 1951: the longest game in NBA history, ladies and gentlemen! The Indianapolis Olympians squeaked by the Rochester Royals, 75-73, in six overtimes. Six. SIX. And they could only score a combined 148? Really?

In 1989, it was stats galore in a matchup between the Sacramento Kings (7-20) and Blazers (17-12) in Portland. It went two overtimes. They combined for 289 points. The Kings turned the ball over 36 times. THIRTY-SIX. LaSalle Thompson led the Kings with 31 and 16 rebounds. Oh, and seven turnovers. Jim Petersen had seven TOs, too. Rodney McCray, Ricky Berry, and Vinny Del Negro (YES CLIPPER FANS, VDN) picked up the slack with five turnovers each. Kenny Smith had 19 and eight assists, though. Think positively, Sac! Joe Kleine quickly finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and five fouls in 15 minutes, clearly setting the early standard for DeMarcus Cousins. For the Blazers, they only turned it over 13 times, and got to the line for 54 free throws. They made 34. Horrible. Clyde Drexler was at the top of things with an even 50. Kevin Duckworth worked for 30 and 11 boards, and frontcourt mate Jerome Kersey put up 18 and 11. Terry Porter rounded things out with 22 points, 17 assists, and seven steals, in a 147-142 Blazers victory.

One year later, business as usual for the Utah Jazz (20-11). They played in Denver, taking on the Nuggets (20-11). Karl Malone finished with 48 (on 34 shots, and Kobe is a ballhog?) and 14 rebounds, while John Stockton did Stockton things: 16 points, 15 assists, and eight turnovers. Oops. For the Nuggets, nothing special from the starters. Blair Rasmussen had a double-double (12 and 11 boards) and Fat Lever was close to a triple-double with 19, seven, and seven. Jerome Lane only played nine minutes, opening the door for Walter Davis to come off the bench to score 36. Those points weren’t enough, as the Jazz held on in overtime for the 123-120 win.

The year was 1995, a boring night hosted by the Atlanta Hawks. The Washington Bullets fell, 112-90. The Hawks came into the night 12-19, and the Bullets were even worse: 7-21! Horrible, except for one little statistic. With this win, Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens passed Red Auerbach with 939 victories. This made him the all-time winningest coach in NBA history, an accomplishment that stood until last season, when Don Nelson won his 1333rd game (Wilkens finished with 1332 wins).

2001 brought more big numbers for the Philadelphia 76ers (23-8) and Cleveland Cavaliers (16-14). Andre Miller and former Sixer Clarence Weatherspoon were at the forefront for the Cavs. Miller scored 22 to go along with 14 assists, and Spoon put up 19 and 16. But if you’ve forgotten already, this was 2001. With the 76ers. Yes, an Allen Iverson sighting. He was sighted for 54 points. Theo Ratliff nearly had a tri-dub with 12, nine, and eight blocks. Aaron McKie nearly had a dub-dub: 20 points, nine assists. It was enough to hold on, 107-103.

In 2006, Iverson was at it again for the Sixers (16-16). In a matchup against the Lakers (15-16) in La La Land, Iverson scored 31 and handed out seven assists. On this night, though, it wasn’t enough. The Lakers prevailed 119-93 in a game that was never close (37-22 after one). Kobe Bryant had missed two straight games after being suspended for elbowing Mike Miller in the throat, and had his seventh-highest scoring game of the season, finishing with 48. Yes, this was only seventh. He grabbed 10 boards just for fun. Smush Parker (!!) teamed up in the backcourt to provide 24 points. Lamar Odom went for eight, seven, and 12 assists.

In an even more recent game (try last season), the Boston Celtics (24-8) took their talents to South Beach and upended the Heat (17-15) by six, 112-106. Three Celtics went for 20 or more, but Dwyane Wade lit things up with 44. Udonis Haslem added 19 and nine boards off the bench. Michael Beasley was the starter way back then, and if he’d done better than 2-8 in 25 minutes, maybe they win?

Photo: NBA.com

Erroll is a contributor to Stacheketball. Follow him on Twitter: @EAbra.

Amazing Must Be That Word

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Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images


Amazing:

–adjective
causing great surprise or sudden wonder.

Amazing is what I would describe this hair-raising game winning buzzer beater by the reigning Rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans

This is not to take away the ridiculously long fade away contested jumper by O.J. Mayo (that it self is pretty crazy) but, Tyreke Evans just 1-up’d O.J. Mayo in that crazy end game sequence.

Video credit to: @blazersedge

Al is the new contributor for Stacheketball. Follow him on Twitter: @ahmong

Tyreke Evans puts Drew Gooden through the spin cycle

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As the NBA season draws to a close, particularly for the likes of the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers, I think we can confirm that Tyreke is a bit of a ‘Freke’. The Kings’ rookie do-it-all guard, Tyreke Evans, has shown that he is NBA-ready well beyond his years.

Last night against the Clips, ‘Reke took Drew Gooden to the basket and cleaned him right out on a spin cycle, going baseline.

Watching this play, it struck me as incredibly familiar. Really, haven’t teams worked out yet to never give up baseline to Tyreke Evans?

Israel meets Iran

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In the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was negotiating with the US again yesterday. But the big international news in basketball circles was that Hamed Haddadi, Memphis Grizzlies (and Iranian) center played on the same court with Omri Casspi, Sacramento Kings (and Israeli) forward. Now the photo above (November 24, 2009) shows that the teams played earlier (twice), but Haddadi is a seldom-used big man for the Memphis Grizzlies, and to my knowledge his check-in late in the first quarter was the first time he was actually on the court against Casspi in the three games between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings. Continue reading →