SB Nation - Kevin Martin

Kings Lose Game of the Century, If the Century is the 1300s

Ziller — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:27:28 -0000

More photos » by Ann Heisenfelt - AP

You see, because in the 1300s, things basically sucked, what with the Black Death and all, so I figure there wasn't much time for basketball, so the games were bottled disaster, much like Friday's loss in Minnesota. At least with most Kings losses this season there has been entertainment value -- like the final Lord of the Rings film, you can be aggravated at the ending (a Hobbit tickle fight?! what the Frodo!) but still have enjoyed those three hours of your life. Not this game. This game was like paying $6 to see Phantom Menace in the theater: it blew, you're never getting that time back, and it actually helped ruin that which came before it (the Washington win, in our example; the New Hope trilogy in the malformed analogy). I'll never look at you the same way, George Lucas!

Just a brutal, brutal affair. In some losses, the Kings have had multiple runs at the lead -- like a half dozen, in the case of the second Spurs defeat. The Kings had negative two runs Friday night. I don't know how that happened, but it did. Tyreke Evans had his worst game in ages (despite eight assists, would have been more if the team had shot better than 43 percent from the field), Donte Greene didn't score a point in 18 minutes, Kenny Thomas didn't score a point in 20 minutes, Spencer Hawes had zero defensive rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, the team shot 4-27 from three against a dreadful defensive club, and the team gave up 112 points in 106 possessions to the league's third worst offensive oufit. BRUTAL.

You want a bright side, beyond Omri Casspi (another brilliant scoring effort)? As this Sam Amick video attests to, Kevin Martin is shooting again ... and he's even dribbling with his left hand.

Holy talent infusion, Batman!

Sacramento's Sucking Defensive Void: What's the Problem?

Ziller — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

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With eyes coated glassy from gimlets of joy here in points west, there remains one striking, sucking void in the burgeoning success of the Sacramento Kings: the defense remains absolutely awful. The world's worst a year ago, the Kings defense again ranks among the dregs of the league. The real problem for armchair analysts like me is that there is no easy answer.

The team's shooting defense sucks. The team doesn't create many turnovers. The team can't rebound regularly on the defensive end. The team fouls too much.

In every aspect of defense, the Kings are worse than par. Sacramento has stayed afloat (or exceeded expectations, more like it) based on a booming offense which has rung bells from McKinley to Kilimanjaro. (Well, it's currently 7th in the league. Without all but five games of Kevin Martin. I heard at least some decorative plates rattle.) The defense has attempted to again sink this team, like a malformed anchor of youthful blindness or community distraction. (Optimists, still here, will grasp for the former.)

Rebounding is easy to diagnose: our defensive rebounders suck. Jason Thompson has improved on that end, and in total is a fine, fine rebounder. He could do well to boost his defensive rebounding more, but he's not so much a problem as a concern. Spencer Hawes is a concern, absolutely. His defensive rebounding (21 percent last year, less than 18 percent now) is abysmal -- Mikki Moore level, in fact. This isn't blame so much as observation: Hawes has devolved as a rebounder, and he was subpar for his position and size already. Now he's atrocious. Moving on out of reach of the cyanide, Andres Nocioni has been a sink, of sorts -- his 9 percent overall rebounding rate is Salmonsesque (not good) and below the sinewy, frantic Omri Casspi (nearly 10 percent). Donte Greene has not been rebounding well, either. Kenny Thomas and Jon Brockman are champions, thank you.

Turnovers fit into the team defense conceit we'll discuss more later, and fouls split time between there (later) and this easy-to-grasp statement: Jason Thompson has really got to calm down on the fouls. Brockman and Thomas actually foul more frequently than J.T., and The Show actually isn't far behind, but as Thompson plays so many minutes (necessarily, because he is awesome) his matter most. It's not fair, but the cover of Good Housekeeping ain't free, Holmes.

Shooting defense. A riddle wrapped in prosciutto. Rancid prosciutto bartered from the Slovenian black market, in our example. (Apologies, underground meat salesmen of Celje. I mean no offense. I simply take the simplest path to WTF I can find, and today that route crossed your unfortunately, smelly bridge.) Shooting defense is really tricky to unfurl, even at the team level. On an individual basis, yes, guh, muy difficulto. But at the team level, it's still tricky.

Shooting defense, to me, can be broken off into two branches: shot distribution and actual shot defense. In other words, what locations do your opponents shoot from, and how well do they hit them?

Hoopdata.com has made serious strides in public availability of this sort of data this season. Truly fantastic, in my book, which is the one you're reading. I can give you the last page right now, if you're the type who reads that. But first,

SPOILER ALERT

The Kings' opponent shot distribution ranks 15th; that is, if opponents shot league average against the Kings in every shot zone, the Kings would have the 15th ranked shooting defense. But the Kings have the 22nd ranked shooting defense, because the Kings defense actually underperforms from average; that is, the Kings let opponents shot better than they ought to.

END SPOILER ALERT

First, shot distribution. Do opponents get lots of so-called easy shots -- near the rim, threes -- against the Kings?

Sacramento is middle-of-the-pack in the frequency of opponent attempts at the rim ... a bit surprising really. (We'll come back to interior defense in a moment.) No team gives up more non-layup/dunk shots inside the paint than the Kings, though. The Kings allow the sixth lowest rate of "midrange" 10-15 foot shots, and the 10th lowest rate of long twos. (Long twos are the worst shot in basketball, by category. More specifically, long twos by Chris Duhon are the worst shot in basketball.) The Kings give up the 7th lowest rate of threes, which is a positive.

So, essentially, Kings opponents end up taking a lot of short jumpers, compared to the league at large.

But when those opponent do get to the rim, well. Damn.

The Kings have the second-worst shot defense at the rim. There's that bad interior defense peeking out. (Out of where, well, this is a family blog, let's just move on.) This can potentially be attributed to having the league's fourth-worst block rate, and also, anecdotally, not being terribly good in transition.

Moving out, the Kings actually defend short jumpers (5-10 feet) really well, like, "third best in the league" well. From 10-15 feet, Kings opponents don't hit too much, with Sacramento having the league's eighth best shot defense from there. The Kings rank 27th in shot defense from 16-23 feet (ick), but know that 16-23 foot jump shot shooting percentages tend to vacillate wildly. (Proof: Tyreke Evans is shooting 48 percent from there this year. If that lasts, I'll eat Truck Robinson's sweatband.)

The Kings don't give up a ton of three-point attempts, but they do give up a ton of makes, with the 9th-worst shot defense from beyond the arc. Opponents shot 36.5 percent from three against Sacramento, which is the equivalent of shooting 54.7 percent from two. It's not nearly as bad as last year (where opponents actually shot better than 40 percent from downtown, if you can believe it). But it's still not good.

So there you have it. The Kings have an average opponent shot distribution, but let them make way too many attempts near the rim and from behind the arc.

Now, the big question ... whoooooooo? I can't pretend to know that answer, though I will put on the record that 82games.com reports that opponent guards and centers haven't shot too terribly well against the Kings this season, but forwards have. Small forward has been the most sour defensive spot, by this source. Andres Nocioni and Omri Casspi account for 67 percent of the team's minutes at the position. It's hard to figure this with any certainty (without more data, like game-by-game, possession-by-possession data), especially considering that Paul Westphal uses such varied line-ups and Jim Eyen has installed a couple of zone schemes the team turns to often enough. It's really impossible to lay any blame on the shooting defense on any one, two or three players given the info I have. I think we can recuse the center (Hawes, who has played 56 percent of the team's center minutes, and against whom centers are shooting far worse than they have against other Kings with minutes at the position, namely Thompson), but no one else at this point. (Guard penetration affects shooting percentages across the board -- we can't blame Nocioni if a guard gets past Evans or Udrih and forces rotations which leave Nocioni's man with airspace.)

I have thrice begun a paragraph in which I blame a player thoughtfully given the information I have, but ... nope. Wouldn't do it. I can't say for sure, and I'd rather be silent than wrong.

Spurs vs Kings: Stats of the Game

BlaseE — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:52:55 -0000

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Ever since they lost Kevin Martin, they've really been a team. I was impressed with the Kings' effort last night. They are a scrappy bunch. We could learn a thing or two from them. Oh yeah, Casspi was meant to be a Spur. I'm praying it still happens someday. Come inside for a couple stats....

Here is your song. It's the Beatles' Good Night off the White Album for anyone stuck behind a firewall who is curious what the song was.

1. Manu had an outstanding game.

Exhibit A: 20 points...in 26 minutes!!! Most of them were pretty timely too.

Exhibit B: 8 FTA's on 11 FGA's and he made all 8 of them

Exhibit C: 3 assists and 2 steals to 1 turnover

Exhibit D: Tell me you saw that fake out and then the dunk he had in fourth. If that didn't get you up out of your seat (computer chair, couch, or AT&T center fold out), then you are crazy and/or stupid and/or lame.

I think that is like 8 fingers around the rim. Pretty nice.

2. We got our turnovers down to 13 this game from those disgusting atrocities we'd been forced to witness. At the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th, there a particularly terrible stretch though. To go all ATS on you, Bonner turned it over to Evans on a bad pass with 1:38 left in the 4th. That lead to Tony fouling Evans. We missed our next two shots, Bonner and Manu. Tony Parker has the ball stolen with 4 seconds left in the 3rd and Evans gets another layup. Manu misses to start us off in the 4th.

RJ comes through with some points finally and makes his 3. Manu misses another shot. Dejuan Blair gets loose ball foul. Richard Jefferson gets called for an illegal defense. Bonner misses another shot with 9:53 left in the 4th. The lead was still 8 at this point because the Kings failed to capitalize on our poor shooting and execution over this period.

Finally after all of that Hill and Mason come in and score 7 points over the next minute to get our lead up to 13. We then let them back into it again with a missed Mason 3, George Hill turnover, and then a Blair defensive 3 seconds. Just like that, we are up by only 6 with 6:33 to play. The Spurs failed twice to end this game early and send the Kings packing.

3. The Kings had 62 points in the paint to our 48. They left 7 points on the charity stripe (7 of 15 FT's). They played an aggressive game and if they had made a few of their free throws and had one or two less turnovers themselves, then they could have really made this game interesting. I mean they were within 3 with 4:00 minutes to play. Yes, Manu and Parker took it over and Duncan had an EPIC BLOCK, but the Kings really showed something to me.

I like their chemistry with this group. I think they should trade Kevin Martin and try to get another big man to move Hawes to the bench. Kevin Martin had 1 assist, 29 points and a +/- of -28 the first time we played them. Hawes was the only other player to score over 7 points. He had 22 off the bench. I'm not saying they are a playoff team yet, but they sure are way better than last year's travesty.

Orlando Magic News for December 9th: Vince Carter, Fun Facts, Stan Van Gundy's Three-Point Marksmanship, and More

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:00:17 -0000

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First-Quarter Report: Teams' Identities Have Developed, for Better or Worse
The Sporting News' Sean Deveney, perhaps best known to Orlando Magic fans as the guy who picked them to finish behind the Washington Wizards in the Southeast Division this season, writes that the Orlando Magic's addition of Vince Carter has proven to be the best move of the offseason so far.

Offseason payoff: Vince Carter, Orlando. The Magic are still working Carter into the offense, trying to find the right balance between getting him to be aggressive and dominate, and getting him to be one of the cogs on a very talented team. But so far, things have gone well, as Orlando sits tied for the best record in the East.

"Vince is going to be fine," [Dwight] Howard said. "He's been great for us, and the more he gets used to what we do, he is only going to get better."

From Basketball-Reference: Carter leads the Magic in scoring at 19.3 points per game, has a Player Efficiency Rating of 18.2, and has connected on 35.1% of his three-pointers. And despite leading the Magic in Usage Rate at 29.2%, he turns the ball over on only 8.2% of his possessions, second on the team only to Brandon Bass. The only other players to exceed Carter's usage with fewer turnovers this year are Chris Bosh, Josh Howard, Kevin Martin, and Dirk Nowitzki.
Earlier this afternoon, the Magic distributed a list of notes to the media. Here's the first fact:

At 17-4, Orlando has equalled its best start in franchise history (1994-95, 1995-96). The Magic have never been 18-4.

To save space, I've posted the rest of the fact sheet after the jump.
Stan Van Gundy to get shot at 3-point contest trophy
J.E. Skeets makes an important announcement:

The Orlando Magic's Stan Van Gundy will seek to become the first NBA head coach to capture the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout crown, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13, at American Airlines Center, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

No word on if Magic forward Rashard Lewis, last year's runner-up, will also take part.
The Biggest Aberration?
In a post concerning Gerald Wallace's incredible spike in rebounding this year, Kevin Pelton tries to figure out what the biggest statistical aberration in NBA History is. Former Magic guard Nick Anderson appears in his findings.

A better candidate of a very different kind is Nick Anderson's free throw shooting. Free throw percentage tends to be very stable, especially after a player's first couple of years, which makes what happened to Anderson so bizarre. He was never much of a free throw shooter for a guard, but settled in around 70 percent before inexplicably sinking to 40.4 percent during the 1996-97 season. The odds of a player of Anderson's true ability (about 70 percent) shooting so poorly are nearly 1 in 50,000.
Steve Nash Internet Day!
Visit our friends at Bright Side of the Sun as they honor Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash with Steve Nash Internet Day.
Twitter / tribjazz
UPDATE: Former Magic training-camp invitee Morris Almond is headed to the D-League, reports Ross Siler, who covered Almond when he played for the Utah Jazz:

Former Jazz first-round draft pick Morris Almond will be joining the NBA D-League's Springfield (Mass.) Armor tomorrow.
Kendrick Perkins is core of Celtics' defense, low-post scoring
UPDATE 2 (from Eddy): Want to know why Kendrick Perkins has success defending Dwight Howard? Britt Robson of Sports Illustrated explains.

Perkins' mettle in the low block was validated by his yeoman effort in rooting Dwight Howard out of his favorite spots in last year's Celtics-Magic series in the second round of the playoffs. Unlike most players, Perkins doesn't use a forearm when guarding opponents who operate with their backs to the basket. "If you use the forearm, you don't have enough balance when they spin or fade away," he said. Instead, he uses hands for sensory information; the outside hand placed on an opponents' tailbone to determine where he's going (and, if possible, to guide him), while the inside hand stabs for steals.
NBA ticket revenue slides 7.4 percent (UPDATE)
UPDATE 3 (from Eddy): Ken Berger of CBSSports.com provides an update on the NBA ticket revenue for teams in the NBA.

The Atlanta Hawks (15-6), long challenged in the attendance department but off to their best start in a decade, have seen a league-high 26.8 percent increase in net gate receipts – to $468,036 per game, up from $369,157 at this point last season. Atlanta is selling an average of 10,573 tickets per game, up from 7,900 at this point last season. The other top gainers in net gate receipts are the Denver Nuggets (up 20.3 percent), Orlando Magic (up 17.7 percent), Portland Trail Blazers (up 12.3 percent), and Cleveland Cavaliers (up 11.8 percent).

Again, make the jump to read the rest of the fact sheet the Magic sent this afternoon.

Orlando has won eight straight on the road, the longest road winning streak for a single season. Overall, the record is nine (last two in April '07 and first sevent in November '07). Under Stan Van Gundy (two-plus years), the Magic are 64-30 on the road. At 10-2 on the road this year, the Magic will look to eclipse its seasonal franchise record for road wins (27 each of the last two years).

Orlando has won 23 straight games in which it has scored 100 points. The streak dates back to Feb. 24, 2009.

Orlando has had five or more players score in double-figures in 12 games this year (11-1 record when it happens).

Orlando has made 10 or more three-pointers 13 times this year and is 11-2 when it does so.

Orlando has had 20-plus assists nine times this year and is 9-0 when it does so.

When Orlando outrebounds its opponent the Magic are 13-0.

Over Stan Van Gundy's two-plus seasons Orlando is 91-20 (10-2 this year) when holding opponents under 100 points.

Over Stan Van Gundy's two-plus seasons Orlando is 114-34 (12-3 this year) when holding opponents to less than 50 percent shooting.

Dwight Howard now has 25 career 20+ point/20+ rebound games (two already this year). The Magic are 6-2 when Vince Carter scored 20-plus points this year. Rashard Lewis is averaging 18.3 ppg. over the last six games, while shooting over 50 percent from the field overall and three-point range, compared to 12.6 ppg. and a 33 percent field goal mark the first five games he played this season.

Preview: Kings at Hornets

Ziller — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:00:16 -0000

by Steve Yeater - AP

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THE OPPONENT

The Kings know no opponent better than the Hornets, because the teams have already faced off twice. This will be the Kings' second foray into New Orleans Arena. In the first match, the Hornets pulled out a narrow victory with both Chris Paul and Kevin Martin. The Kings knocked out the Hornets minus Paul in Sacramento during the last homestand. Paul has since returned.

New Orleans has played only once in the past week: Friday's home win over Minnesota in Paul's re-entry. Paul played lovely, with 16 points, 15 assists and eight steals. (Yes, eight steals. New Orleans gained nine steals, and Paul had eight of them. Good grief.) Each of Devin Brown, David West and Emeka Okafor scored at least 17 points in that win, too. Al Jefferson was the only Wolf who got off (20 points).

The key question in Paul's return was how the minutes of surprising rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton would be affected. Collison played 18 minutes off the bench, occasionally playing in the same unit as Paul. Thornton tallied only 12 minutes. Upon taking over the team, Jeff Bower made it a point to insist Collison and Thornton would get playing time. We'll see if that increases tonight, especially considering the Hornets play tomorrow on the road, and again at home Friday.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Chris Paul	11	34.4	8.3	14.2	58.3	1.8	2.9	62.5	4.7	5.5	85.2	0.3	3.4	3.6	9.7	2.2	2.3	0.1	2.8	23.1
David West	19	35.0	6.3	14.1	44.6	0.1	0.2	25.0	2.8	3.4	84.4	2.6	4.2	6.8	2.6	1.7	0.8	0.8	2.5	15.4
Peja Stojakovic	17	27.8	3.9	10.5	36.9	2.5	6.5	37.8	1.2	1.3	90.9	0.9	3.1	3.9	1.2	0.6	0.5	0.1	1.5	11.4
Marcus Thornton	14	19.4	4.2	9.8	43.1	1.4	4.0	33.9	1.4	1.9	74.1	0.6	0.9	1.6	0.9	0.9	0.7	0.0	1.7	11.2
Darren Collison	15	22.5	3.9	8.9	43.3	0.5	1.1	41.2	2.7	2.9	90.9	0.5	1.7	2.3	4.2	1.8	0.9	0.0	1.1	10.9
Emeka Okafor	19	30.1	4.5	8.2	55.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	3.4	52.3	3.2	6.9	10.2	0.5	1.5	0.6	1.9	2.9	10.8
Devin Brown	15	22.3	3.1	8.1	37.7	1.2	3.3	36.7	2.3	2.9	79.5	0.9	2.4	3.3	2.3	2.0	0.7	0.1	1.8	9.7
Bobby Brown	17	16.4	3.2	7.9	40.3	0.9	3.4	25.9	0.4	0.4	100.0	0.0	0.9	0.9	2.6	1.4	0.5	0.1	1.4	7.6
Morris Peterson	7	16.4	2.1	6.7	31.9	1.0	4.0	25.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.3	1.3	1.6	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.0	1.4	5.6
James Posey	19	22.4	1.7	4.4	39.8	1.1	2.7	39.2	1.0	1.2	86.4	0.4	2.9	3.3	1.5	0.9	0.7	0.3	2.3	5.5
Darius Songaila	19	15.4	2.4	4.5	52.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.6	0.6	100.0	0.7	1.9	2.6	0.9	1.1	0.8	0.3	2.1	5.4
Julian Wright	15	13.9	1.4	3.4	41.2	0.1	0.3	25.0	0.5	0.6	77.8	0.7	2.1	2.8	0.7	1.0	0.2	0.2	0.7	3.3
Hilton Armstrong	15	14.4	1.1	3.0	35.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9	1.6	54.2	1.1	2.7	3.7	1.0	0.8	0.5	0.4	2.7	3.0
Sean Marks	5	7.4	0.4	1.0	40.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4	50.0	2.4	1.6	4.0	0.4	0.4	0.0	0.4	1.6	1.0

THE KEY BATTLE

Paul vs. Tyreke Evans. This was a dandy of a knife fight the first time around, and I expect nothing less. Paul's quickness versus Reke's strength versus Paul's passing ability versus Reke's penetration ... a bevy of weapons.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

Given how out-of-control and manic Sergio Rodriguez was during his 12 minutes Sunday, I'll be interested to see whether a) he plays much better, like Sergio! and not Sergio?!?, and b) how short of a leash Paul Westphal puts on him otherwise. I mean, the Kings have a great starting point guard, and a back-up point guard who has played phenomenally this year. If Sergio were, say, a player like Bobby Brown, there'd be no reason to play him ever, except in cases of foul trouble and injury. Third-string point guards get little play around the league. The reason you play Sergio is because he's awesome. If he's not, you can hide him.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Donte Greene will outscore Devin Brown.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 1. And New Orleans will never forget the name Bron Jockman.

DETAILS

5 PM Pacific tip-off. Game thread at 5 PM. Game thread No. 2 at 6 PM. Post-game thread at 7:45 PM. Recap at beer-thirty.

On Kevin Martin, and Why It's Foolish To Buy Him a Train Ticket

Ziller — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:45:59 -0000

More photos » by Darren Abate - AP

There's Kevin Martin, playing keep-away again! (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

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It has been discussed in the Asinine Trade thread already, but I think Marc Stein's ESPN.com Weekend Dime piece on "what the scouts say" deserves further discourse. Mostly because it's stupid to a nearly ridiculous level. Stein, of course, is fantastic, one of my favorites and the best national NBA reporter (competing with Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski). This is not an attack on Stein, or on ESPN. This is one Western Conference scout, and what he thinks about the Kings' backcourt situation, and how (so, so, so very) wrong he is.

Point 1: "Martin takes the ball out of Tyreke Evans' hands and Beno Udrih's hands."

Martin played with Evans and Udrih for five games this season. These also happened to be the first five games of Evans's NBA career, which you would know and take into account, if you knew Evans is a rookie, which one can assume this scout knows, but about which we can't be certain, given the points which follow.

Of these five games that Martin played with Evans and Udrih, Evans was injured for 1-1/2 games, Martin had a broken wrist for 1-1/2 games, Udrih didn't play in one game due to coach's decision, and three of the games were on the road. Just so we're clear on the observable data here.

Point 2: "Now they have Tyreke and Beno attacking the other team's worst defenders ..."

Tyreke and Beno are guards. Kevin Martin is a guard. If you replace, say, Beno/Tyreke with Tyreke/Kevin, logic would dictate that Tyreke and Beno would now be attacking the other team's worst defenders. I mean, how on Earth does this make sense? Are opponents all stashing a Secret Defender Weapon X on their bench, keeping it out of use because Kevin Martin is injured? If Tyreke and Beno are currently attacking bad defenders, I assume Kevin will be afforded those same defenders.

If the assertion is that Tyreke and Beno attack whereas Kevin does not, well then I'd like to point out that while Beno has now drawn enough fouls to get himself 24 FTAs in 17 games this season, Martin has had two games in each he attempted at least that many, and on this season has attempted more than twice as many (49) as Beno despite playing in only five games.

Point 3: " ... they've loaded up the floor with shooters ..."

Andres Nocioni became a starter in the final game before Martin's absence began. In fact, Desmond Mason was replaced on the roster by Ime Udoka (who I guess you could call a shooter, I suppose, maybe) before Martin's MRI. Beno can be considered a shooter, yes, but was added (temporarily) to the starting line-up because he was playing out of his mind and because he was clearly (at that point) the team's third best guard. Donte Greene shot 32 percent from the field last season, and has been put in the starting five first due to an Udrih injury and now for defensive reasons, primarily. Omri Casspi is a shooter, yes, but it hardly seems like the Kings used the No. 23 pick on him for a spot in that coveted "Tyreke-Beno Strategic Plan for Sacramento's Renewal." If you think Spencer Hawes is in the starting line-up over Sean May because of shooting, well, then we're done here. Move along.

Point 4: " ... and they've taken one of their weakest defenders off the floor."

I don't want to fault this particular scout for obviously not having paid attention to Martin's defense through five games this year -- Martin has a reputation for poor defense that has been backed up by numbers and observation for about two years now. We know he improved this year (markedly) but you can't very well expect every scout to know that. It's fine. The problem is in failing to realize that the player which replaced Martin in this scout's apple-y eyes is among the worst defenders in the league, or at least was last year. That line-up also led Evans being used to guard shooting guards (because Beno can't), which hurts the team's defense. That's a big reason Beno is back out of the starting five.

Point 5: "Sometimes in the past they worked so hard to find [Martin] that three other guys ended up sitting and watching."

This is just too laughable for words, really, and I feel a bit silly for even responding to it, so I'll keep it short: do you remember the Artest-Bibby-Martin era? In which Martin was the only 20-point scorer ... even though he was third on the team in FGAs per game? Or how about every other season Martin has been a starter, in which the only player to score 20+ points a game on as few FGAs as Martin uses has been Amar'e Stoudemire? Have you ever noticed how Martin usually creates most of his own attempts, which would by definition diminish the lead to find him on offense, since he can just get the ball out on the perimeter and attack from there? Also, there's the matter that his supporting cast completely sucked on offense last season. In case you forgot.

Point 6: "If they put him on the floor with Tyreke and Beno, other teams are going to take advantage of them when they do it. Maybe they try to trade him."

Other words of wisdom from this Western Conference scout:

"If Brad Pitt flies a wax hang glider to Jupiter, his head is going to explode due to atmospheric pressure. Maybe he sells his beach house in Fiji."

"If Darvin Ham eats turkey for dinner, he'll be a walking contradicition. Maybe he picks up his dry-cleaning tomorrow."

"If Tiger Woods teams up with Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, stars of Twilight: New Moon, to sell Balloon Boy merchandise in between Girls Gone Wild and ExTenz infomercials, other celebrities will raid Larry King's refrigerator. Maybe they build snowmen in El Dorado Hills."

I, for one, would prefer:

a) Brad Pitt to either not try to fly a wax hang glider to Jupiter, or if he does to take precautions against atmospheric pressure.

b) Darvin Ham eat whatever he like for dinner, and to PICK UP HIS CODDAMN DRY-CLEANING TODAY OR ELSE.

c) Tiger Woods play golf, Bella Swan and Edward Cullen to stay off my early A.M. must-see TV schedule, Balloon Boy to practice hard because he too can become a world class badminton star and celebrities to shut the ufck out of Larry King's damned refrigerator, it smells terrible I said TERRIBLE anyway you dreadful vultures.

and d) for the Kings to not make a decision on the future of the Sacramento backcourt until they can get more than, you know, 0.5 completely healthy games in as a unit. I am positive this is what will happen, though I can't speak for Brad, Darvin, Tiger, Bella, Edward, Balloon Boy or the celebrity vultures.

***

In conclusion, Western Conference Scout should stop talking for a while. Maybe sit a few plays out.

(And booyah! Ended with a timely movie quote! TZ. IS. ON. FIRE.)

Game #19: Miami Heat (10-9) vs. Sacramento Kings (9-9)

DolPhanDave — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:42:06 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

It's ok Jermaine, we'll see you back in the 305.

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Tonight the Heat will wrap up their 4-game western road trip (which has felt more like a 2-week marathon) in Sacramento. The Heat are in danger of moving to .500 for the first time this season, and this coming after a 6-1 start. Granted, it isn't unheard of for a good team to drop 5-games over the course of a couple weeks, but still it kinda sucks.

The Kings are fresh off a road loss last night in Phoenix, in which they we're outscored by 9 in the 4^th quarter and ended up losing by 8. Sound familiar? Maybe with the road game last night the Kings will be a bit more tired then the Heat. I know that some of the Heat players were ‘relaxing' last night because around 1-2am our time I was watching Michael Beasley, Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers on ustream.com. They were just chillin', watching Hannah Montana and answering some of the ridiculous questions being asked by the 115-or so viewers. It was funny for a while but when Beasley started singing I had to go...

Starting at center tonight for the Miami Heat...Joel Anthony! Nope, not a type-o. Jermaine O'Neal had to fly to South Carolina to deal with his ongoing family emergency, which I was under the impression was a very sick relative. Either way, it will be Anthony with a side of Magloire tonight in Sac Town.

Maybe a return to local T.V. is just what the Dr. ordered for the Heat. They have been on National broadcasts the past couple games, but tonight its just Sun Sports for us. Yes...I realize that this is pretty absurd to be suggesting, but apparently there have been several ridiculous comments on this page the past few days.

GAME NOTES

Sacramento is a very tough home team, winning 4 straight at Arco Arena and holding an 8-2 home record on the season.

However, the Kings are 1-2 on the second night of back-to-backs.

More record stats! The Heat have won 10 of 12 against Sacramento, and 4 of 5 at Arco.

The Kings will be without Kevin Martin, who is still about 6 weeks away from returning from a wrist injury, and forward Francisco Garcia, also dealing with wrist problems.

Remember Andres Nocioni? He drilled four 3-pointers last night for the Kings.

Kings Things I'm Thankful For

Exhibit G — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:34:25 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Nate Robinson is thankful he got out of the way and won't be prominently featured on Donté Greene's next poster. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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As I sit here watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, I can't help but wish that it was dangerously windy in New York. It always make the parade more interesting.

But I also can't help but reflect on how enjoyable the beginning of this season has been. As I read the recap from last night's game, I couldn't help but to think of a few Kings things I'm thankful for.

The Kings are 6-8. A lot of teams wouldn't celebrate a losing record, but after a 17-win season it's nice to have experienced 6 wins already this season.
Tyreke Evans. As someone who was among the most vocal advocates for some kid named Rubio, I have become completely enamored with Tyreke and his game. I really like what he brings to this team, I think he can become a star, and I he's a fun player to follow.
Sam Amick and Jason Jones. It's truly something to be thankful for that there are two quality reporters giving us Kings news.
Donté Greene's rebirth. As a guy who many had written off, it's really nice to see Donté making a positive impact in games.
Kevin Martin. Even though he's injured, I feel thankful to be a Kings fan so I can understand just how good Martin is, even if casual fans of other teams don't fully understand.
Jason Thompson. It's a lot of fun watching JT come into his own and becoming a true force down low.
Beno Udrih. Yes, that's right. I'm thankful for Beno Udrih, specifically how he's back to playing well and working on earning that contract. We should all be thankful that his play has improved from last season.
Coach Westphal. The guy deserves a lot of credit for some of the early changes we've seen. Just how much credit is still unknown, but I'm thankful that we've got a coach who seems to have a clue what he's doing, and it getting the players to buy in and play hard.
Sactown Royalty. I've said it before, but I am so very happy that this site and this community exist. I'm thankful for guys like TZ and Section who keep things running, and I'm thankful for all of the folks that read and contribute. The level of discussion here is so far above and beyond anything else out there, and it make me proud to be a part of it. Much thanks to everyone who discusses, argues, debates, and jokes about our favorite team, the Sacramento Kings. You're what makes a 17-win season tolerable, and what makes a 6-8 start feel so rewarding.

If I've forgotten anyone or anything, or there are other things about the Kings that you'd like to share you thanks for, let's open it up in the comments.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Loud Links: 11.25.09

daddydai — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:06:23 -0000

More photos » by George Frey - AP

28 days ago: Oklahoma City Thunder's Thabo Sefolosha, right, fights for a ball with Utah Jazz's Carlos Boozer during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2009. The Thunder beat the Jazz 104-94. (AP Photo/George Frey)

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ESPN NBA Awards Watch
[Just in case you didn't notice, Thabo has been mentioned by ESPN as a possible Defensive Player of the Year.] Thabo Sefolosha, Thunder: He is building a reputation as one of the top one-on-one defenders in the NBA. Go check the tapes to see how he slowed down Brandon Roy, Kevin Martin, Kobe and D-Wade. [Add D-Will to that list.]

ESPN - Elias Says: Sports Statistics - Stats from the Elias Sports Bureau - ESPN
[Another reason to keep an eye on KD.] Kevin Durant scored 28 points on Tuesday, giving him 407 in 15 games this season. Only three other players in league history had as many as 400 points over the first 15 games of a season at age 21 or younger: LeBron James (twice), Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan.

Thunder suffocate Jazz to end three-game win streak | StandardNET
Defensively, the Thunder held the Jazz to just 39 percent from the field and forced six turnovers. "They really made it tough for us to run our offense," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We just started taking shots (in the third quarter) and got into casual mode. I thought they did a terrific job defensively, they got up and really made it tough on us in almost everything we did." Credit Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha for causing the most trouble. Assigned to Williams much of the night, the fourth-year player from Switzerland used a four-inch height advantage to frustrate Utah's star point guard. "He's just a bigger guard, he took a lot of things away from me," Williams said. "That's my role, playing defense and trying to be that spark on the defensive end," Sefolosha said. The Jazz fell to 4-3 on their home floor this season. They still have four more home games between now and December 4.

NBA.com - The Game Happens Here
A brilliant adjustment made at halftime by Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks was one of the differences in the game. He put defensive-stopper Sefolosha on Deron Williams in the third quarter, and it took Utah's point guard out of his rhythm. Williams, after an effective first half, shot 1-for-5 and committed six turnovers in the second half. "Deron Williams is a phenomenal player and Thabo is one of the best defensive players in the league," said Thunder forward Kevin Durant. "It was fun watching him play defense like that and helping our team out. He's grown as a player, and he always helps on the defensive end." Sefolosha's defense was one factor in Oklahoma City blowing the game open in the third quarter. The Thunder, who led by one at halftime, outscored the Jazz by 15 points in the third period, limiting them to just four points in the final six minutes of the third. "We didn't do a very good job trying to contend them," Sloan said. "You've got to knock them off the boards every time you can and help each other on the defensive end. We got confused on defense and when we have those kinds of problems it's tough to pull yourself out of a slump."

How Good is Kevin Durant and the Thunder? " The Wages of Wins Journal
After 15 games this year it is beginning to look like "noise" was the culprit. According to BasketballValue.com, Durant’s adjusted plus-minus score is 16.09. This is the second highest mark on the team. So it looks like everyone is now in agreement. Durant is officially a "good" player (ain’t that a relief?). Fortunately for the Thunder, he is also not alone. Here are the top producers of wins in Oklahoma City [WP48 = Wins Produced per 48 minutes].

Kevin Durant: 579 minutes played, 0.204 WP48,13.5 projected Wins Produced
Thabo Sefolosha: 491 minutes played, 0.182 WP48, 10.2 projected Wins Produced
Russell Westbrook: 512 minutes played, 0.138 WP48, 8.0 projected Wins Produced
James Harden: 296 minutes played, 0.219 WP48, 7.4 projected Wins Produced

This quartet are on pace to produce 39.0 wins. As a team, Oklahoma City has an efficiency differential (offensive efficiency minus defensive efficiency) of 2.4, a mark that projects to about 47 wins across an 82 game season. So the four players listed above are responsible for about 83% of the team’s wins.

NBA Insider -- OrlandoSentinel.com
[Orlando respects KD realistic outlook.] Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant entered Monday ranked fifth in the league in points per game with a 27.1 scoring average. So, can the 21-year-old prodigy win a scoring title this season? "I doubt it," Durant said. "There's too many great scorers in the league." Durant would make history if he overtakes Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Bob McAdoo holds the NBA record as the youngest player ever to win a scoring title; he was 22 when he averaged a league-best 30.6 points per game in 1973-74 for the Buffalo Braves.

Thunder notebook: Kevin Ollie scheduled to have MRI on knee | NewsOK.com
Kevin Ollie, who missed Tuesday’s game at Utah with a sore right knee, will undergo an MRI exam today. Ollie said his knee has been troublesome for about three weeks, but the pain became unbearable in the first quarter of Sunday’s road loss against the Los Angeles Lakers when he attempted to challenge a shot by guard Jordan Farmar. "When I explode it hurts, but when I’m running it’s fine," Ollie said. "That’s the frustrating thing. In basketball you have to jump. You can’t go out there and play cautious and whatnot. So I think I’m hurting myself and most importantly I think I’m hurting my team.

Thunder 104, Jazz 94 | Thunder Rumblings
[Nice lengthy article by Mayberry, check it out.] Weaver, who was relegated to the D-League on Saturday and recalled from the Tulsa 66ers hours before tip-off only to provide emergency duty behind starting point guard Russell Westbrook, had played only 15 garbage-time minutes in the Thunder’s first 14 games. Fourteen of those minutes came in one contest. But on Tuesday night, Weaver matched his season total in minutes. And he provided more than just a steady hand. Weaver made plays, pestering Jazz point guards Deron Williams and Eric Maynor with his defense and seamlessly setting up the offense and swishing key shots. He finished with seven points on 2-for-3 shooting. He turned the ball over twice but had a career-high-tying three blocked shots to go with one assist.

Ibaka, meanwhile, continued to be a game-changer around the basket.One game after a career night — an 11-point, 13-rebound, five-block performance against the Lakers — Ibaka pulled down five rebounds and had one steal and one block in 21 minutes. He coolly filled in for Jeff Green when the Thunder’s starting power forward picked up two early fouls. He gobbled up a rebound following a Paul Millsap miss. He netted an 18-footer following a feed from Kevin Durant. He pulled down another board after Mehmet Okur’s missed jumper, giving him two points and two rebounds in just four minutes. Ibaka later spelled a foul-plagued Nenad Krstic and did much of the same. But most impressive was the 20-year-old’s confidence. When the Jazz came alive in the fourth quarter and used a 4-0 spurt to cut the Thunder’s 19-point lead to a tenuous 15 with eight minutes remaining, Ibaka smoothly sank an 18-footer. Thabo Sefolosha then nailed two free throws to push the lead back to 19.

And all James Harden did was bounce back from a woeful performance he turned in two nights earlier that could have rocked the rookie’s confidence. After a 2-for-15 shooting night (0-for-10 from 3) against the Lakers, Harden netted four of five shots and one of two 3-pointers for his 10 points during his 19 minutes. His second-quarter production showed his moxie. He poured in all of his points during a 3 minute, 14 second span that started with the Jazz leading by a point and ended with his 3-pointer that gave OKC a 39-36 lead with 6:54 remaining in the half. The Thunder trailed only twice the rest of the way, both times by just a point.

Thabo Sefolosha stymies Deron Williams; OKC wins | NewsOK.com
Williams was 1-for-5 from the field in the third quarter. His lone basket after halftime came on a breakaway. While Sefolosha was glued to him, Williams had just one assist and committed two turnovers in the third quarter. The Thunder outscored the Jazz 31-16 in the period. "He was unbelievable," Durant said of Sefolosha. "Deron Williams is a tough cover at the point guard position. He did a great job on him. That’s what we need from him every night and that’s what he’s been doing."

THUNDER: A Look Back on the Thunder's 104-94 win at Utah
Speaking of Weaver, the second-year guard/forward had a huge night. Weaver was recalled from Tulsa and joined his teammates in Utah. With both Kevin Ollie and Shaun Livingston out with injuries, Weaver became the backup point guard. Weaver finished with seven points, three blocks and an assist in 15 minutes off the bench. Although he hasn’t been in the regular season rotation, Weaver stayed ready for an opportunity like Tuesday.

From Darnell Mayberry's Twitter:

The #OKCTHUNDER has waived forward Ryan Bowen. A backup point guard could soon be added.
It's not all bad, folks. S. Livingston had stitches removed from his knee 2day & says the timetable for his return is up to him.
More bad news Thunder fans. Kyle Weaver left today's practice with a shoulder injury. Went to the Doc. Questionable for Friday. #OKCTHUNDER

From KD's Twitter:

RT @uclabruin4lyf8 @KevinDurant35 who was your role model growing up?(my mommy, she showed me how to work hard)
RT @kayso5 If u kud play anybody one on one old or new players who would it be? @KevinDurant35(magic Johnson)
RT @SLEINWANT @KevinDurant35 What was your all time favorite moment as a pro basketball player(getting drafted in 2007)
RT @3O5_ @kevindurant35 are you the team captain?(yesss)
RT @Stence3 @KevinDurant35 r u playin in the in 2012 olympics(that's the goal, gotta continue to work)
RT @gowherehiphop @KevinDurant35 what song has been pumpin' you up before games lately?(I'm good-clipse)
RT @Harry_Stevens @KevinDurant35 No MJ in your all-time 5?(I forgot about mj lol)
RT @aj_is_now @KevinDurant35 if u weren't a pro b'baller in the @NBA ,what profession would u pursue?(meteorologist)
RT @uclabruin4lyf8 @KevinDurant35 what did you do with your first NBA paycheck?(bought my family cars)
RT @jharriswhite @KevinDurant35 Who's in your all-time starting 5?(magic, Oscar Robertson, wilt chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, lebron)

Thinking about Thanksgiving
What’s up everybody? Thanksgiving is only a few hours away and I’m ready to eat, spend time with friends and family and just chill. Tomorrow will be about friends, family, food and even some basketball. I’m just going to be here in Oklahoma City enjoying the off day with some of my teammates and brothers. That’s about it. Same thing as last year. I’ll enjoy a good meal with my teammates and get ready for my game on Friday. I’ll probably go to the gym tomorrow, lift some weights, get some shots in and then enjoy the rest of my day off. Russell said he’ll come through and I’ll go over James’ house. I’ll just move over from James, Jeff and Russell’s house throughout the day. It’ll be fun. Growing up, Thanksgiving for me was having all my family be at my Aunt’s house. All the kids, there was about 20 of us, We’d play football in the front yard and wait for the food to be cooked. Either the Cowboys or Redskins would play and we’d watch that. Thanksgiving was always big in our family. As far as favorite Thanksgiving Day foods go, my Aunt used to cook this macaroni and cheese. It was unbelievable. Different than anything I’ve ever had before. I don’t know how to describe It except that it was extra cheesy. Oh yeah, and about those Redskins. I know they’ve had a tough season, but they’re still my team. They had a hard loss against the Cowboys on Sunday but we had a good win against Denver the week before so hopefully we can still build off of that. And even though the ‘Skins won’t be playing tomorrow, it’s always fun watching football on Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Talk to you soon.

2010 NBA Rookie Card Page - ESPN
[Harden is now #4 on ESPN's Rookie Watch] Nov. 25: Thunder GM Sam Presti had the opportunity to draft Ricky Rubio or Tyreke Evans with the No. 3 pick. But Rubio had the buyout hanging over his head and wasn't a sure thing to come play in OKC. And Evans, who needs the ball in his hands a lot to be effective, would be a tough fit with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who have similar needs. Harden, meanwhile, was the rare scorer who had terrific passing skills and could impact games without taking lots of shots or dribbles. And so far in his rookie season, he has been true to that evaluation. He has an assist rate that puts him in the top 10 of the class, making him the only non-point guard in that group. He's been a solid defender on a top-10 defensive team. And although his shooting numbers are down, he has the mechanics to get that back up soon.

When Reality Knocks Down Spirit, and Spirit Gets Back Up

Ziller — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:25:05 -0000

by Pat Sullivan - AP

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As readers of this site know, I'm (often too) focused on results, numbers, production when it comes to basketball and the Kings. I'd rather have a Rashad McCants than a Mikki Moore, a D-League question mark than a Desmond Mason, a successful play rather than a smart but failed play. David Eckstein is a curse word in my household (for multiple reasons), and while basketball certainly has a (huge) spot for hustle, give me the player who can score 20 standing up over the frenetic scrapper who needs to dive around the floor to break 10.

Basically, I'm rather wary of assessing the non-concrete when it comes to analyzing the sport and this team.

But there's no possible way to discount how spirited, how utterly driven this team has been. It hasn't been just in the face of adversity -- in the New Orleans, Memphis and Atlanta games, before Kevin Martin's surgical departure, the team showed remarkable backbone. It's an institutional attribute at this point, made ever more apparent with each game. Every single player on the roster has shown it, even the punching bags of the past. The Kings just went 0-2 on a road back-to-back, but took their pound of flesh from each opponent. This team hasn't quit, and it won't quit.

It's almost gotten to the point where we should seriously stop comparing this team to the one we watched a year ago.

I have been as quick as anyone to toss out observations like, "Last year's team would have lost by 30" and "Last year's team would have had Chili's take-out sent to the locker room during halftime." But this team has nothing in common with last year's team. Sure, four-fifths of the normal starting line-up spent last year in Sacramento. Sure, half the roster has been in place for at least two seasons. But that's just marbles talking, and marbles can't tell you what it means to exist. This team is not last year's team + 1. It's a brand new invention.

That, of course, makes watching the Kings play infinitely more enjoyable, but is also works against our better judgment in terms of judging the team. Like, the team is now 5-7. No one expected this team to run out to a 5-4, then 5-5, 5-6 and 5-7 record. So it feels like gravy. But it shouldn't! This is no longer a team consigned to 20-25 win expectations decreed by the 17-win result of a season ago. It's own expectations are being formed as we watch, and I believe it's safe to say that while 5-7 is a fair expectation right now, that will change soon.

So we're left enjoying something new, just as we did in 1999. We have no idea what's in store for Omri Casspi (whose Flacoesque "mean face" should be put on a wanted poster), for Donte Greene (a walking exclamation mark), for Jason Thompson (the most frantic brand of smooth I've seen), for Spencer Hawes, for Tyreke Evans, for Kevin Martin, for Beno Udrih. We have no clue what the eventual peak will be, what piece(s) will need to be moved for the team to break the wall (if there is a wall, and wherever it stands), what elation and heartbreak lay ahead. This is the good part, the not-knowing but being excited part. We died for Kenny Natt's sins! And this is some flavor of basketball heaven.

That's why I feel good about a three-game losing streak.