SB Nation - Francisco Garcia

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.

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.

Official Sactown Royalty Kings 2009-10 Preview

Ziller — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

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Team Name: Sacramento Kings

Last Year’s Record: No comment.

Key Losses: Rashad McCant's bubbly personality, Ike Diogu's bubbly personality, Calvin Booth's rubber band ball, Francisco Garcia's right forearm.

Key Additions: Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Jon Brockman, Kevin Martin's health, Paul Westphal, Sergio!.

Big Additions: Sean May.

1. What significant moves were made during the off-season? The Kings went cheap and young, building through the draft with Tyreke Evans (No. 4), Omri Casspi (No. 23) and Jon Brockman (No. 38). The Kings also added Sean May on a one-year deal, and Sergio Rodriguez (by trading down from No. 31 to No. 38). The Kings should see a big upgrade on the sidelines, having hired Paul Westphal to replace Reggy Nattheus.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths? This will be an offensive-minded team, with Kevin Martin and Evans leading the way. Drawing fouls should be a major part of the Sacramento offense, given that the team was 5th in free throw rate last season and that Evans is a much better slasher than Beno Udrih. The team also looks to be solid on the offensive glass, and there's a chance the team is a top-10 shooting squad. No defensive category but perhaps opponent turnover rate is expected to be very good.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses? The team's most reliable post scorer is probably the rookie point guard. Post defense, defensive rebounding, perimeter defense, turnovers, opponent free throw rate and team shooting are all moderate to major concerns. This team needs massive frontcourt improvement, or a new frontcourt starter. We're hoping for the former. Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes are each pretty good and promising, but betting on two dudes to become stud starters is a risky proposition.

4. What are the goals for this team? Goal No. 1: do not lose 65 games again. Goal No. 2: No one get seriously hurt, OK? Goal No. 3: Don't lose any home games by 48 points. Goal No. 4: Beat L.A. Goal No. 5: Get Evans the R.O.Y. Goal No. 6: Get Martin to the All-Star Game. Goal No. 7: Playoffs!

5. Omri Casspi vs. Donte Greene, who ya got? Omri blistered through preseason, and could very well have started the regular season opener. (I have no idea, as I'm writing this preview from 1867.) Greene, meanwhile, struggled to earn Westphal's trust. Greene is bigger and more athletic, whereas Casspi has an incredible motor and better basketball IQ. There's no telling where these two will end up in five years, but it's going to be exciting to watch the race.

Projected Finish: 25-57.

Kings Ban Exercise Balls at Practice Facility

Ziller — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:25:19 -0000

You knew this had to happen: Sam Amick of The Bee reports that the Kings have banned the use of exercise balls in the Natomas practice facility. In fact. Joe Maloof directed staff to hang signs in the weight room reminding Kings players of the prohibition.

Amick also reports the team is drafting a memo to send out to all 29 other NBA teams warning of the secret dangers of exercise balls. I would like to save the Kings PR staff some time, so here's my version:

"Kings guard Francisco Garcia broke his arm when the exercise ball he was lifting weights on exploded."

I think that gets the point across, and I'd be shocked if any NBA player jumped right on an exercise ball Saturday morning.

Francisco Garcia Out Four Months

Ziller — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:13:33 -0000

A forthcoming Kings press release states Francisco Garcia will miss four months after surgery to repair the fractured right wrist injured in a freak exercise ball explosion Friday. That estimate puts El Flaco back on the court around the All-Star Break in the middle of February.

UPDATE: Here's the Kings release. Two months in a cast before at least two months of rehab. The release does say Garcia will be out "a minimum of four months."

Daily Links 10/10

FLCeltsFan — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:13:54 -0000

Herald Doc says Garnett to get more first half minutes tonight
Celtics-Knicks halftime notes (41-33 C’s lead)
Celtics-Knicks postgame notes (96-82 C’s win)
Wizards C Brendan Haywood leaves with sprained right ankle
Zydrunas Ilgauskas hints retirement could come soon
Kings’ Francisco Garcia injured lifting, to have surgery
Big men impress home folks
Rajon Rondo gets the point
Globe KG thoughts on Celtics win over Knicks
Mercury rise over Fever for title
Wallace’s presence opens some avenues -

Celtics Blog   Why Don't Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace Play in the Paint More Often?
Yep, this is definitely the pre-season
Yep, this is definitely the pre-season
Celtics take care of business against Knicks
Loy's Place    Comments from the Other Side - Knicks
Celtics.com   Game time Live
ESPN    New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics - Recap - October 09, 2009
Celtics 17   Quick Rundown: Celtics-Knicks, First Half -- The Good and the Bad
Breaking: Glen Davis Can Still Use His Body
Red's Army    Headed to the game
Bombs Away Bombs Away
Celtics Circuit    Recapping Celtics-Knicks
Marquis Daniels and the "Tweener" Shot
Celtics Hub    The Greatest Defensive Teams of the Modern Era
Hey! A Preseason Game!
NESN    Boston Crowd Welcomes Kevin Garnett as Celtics Drop Knicks
With Kobe Bryant, Lakers Don't Need Starting Point Guard
North Station Sports   Ray Allen: Countering Age with Conditioning
CT News    Rasheed: Doc Rivers ‘Mad Scientist’
Celtics Rebound to Defeat Knicks: 96-82
Celtics Town    Boston Celtics-New York Knicks running diary
NBA Season Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves
Should Doc Rivers get more credit for the Celtics' recent success?
Lex Nihil Novi    Giddens and T-E-A-M Play
The Squisy Era Ends in Dallas (2006)
Squisy Impresses in Indiana (2008)
The Sheed and Squisy Show
Not Pretty
Celtics Life    Sweetney Still has a Shot to Make the Roster
Celtics/Knicks Highlights and Box Score
Today's Video: The Forgotten Man, Tony Allen
Gino's Jungle    Take the Good With the Bad
Ray Allen Shows Off - Perk Confident
NBA.com    The NBA looks to expand awareness deep in Texas
ProJo    Celtics beat Knicks, 96-82
Celtics 96, Knicks 82: Celts starting to come together
Celtics-Knicks in-game update: Celtics pulling away after three quarters of action
Welcome to the TD Banknorth Garden
Newsday    Developing young talent is critical for Knicks
Where's the fire?
Ohio.com    Ilgauskas looking for championship
Telegram    Celtics, finely aged, pop cork at home
Celtics Stuff Live    Two Tickets To Paradise (times two giveaway)
That was basketball, right?
Dimemag     Run-TMC knocks off Showtime, or something like that; Bosh is back
Sports Then and Now    Ray Allen Looks To Get Better With Age
Patriot Ledger    Marquis Daniels will provide help at the point for Celtics
Green Street   Doc: "KG has zero knee pain"
Tony Allen makes unexpected return
Garden Debut has New Vets Feeling Young Again
Bleacher Report    Why Kevin Garnett is the Second Best Player of the Decade
News Herald    Analysis: Cavs must be careful with West
Howard the Dunk    11 Reasons Why The Magic Won’t Win the NBA Championship
Waiting for Next Year    Shaq: Cavaliers = Best Team I’ve Ever Been On
Street Level    10 Pro Athletes Not To Mess With

How Francisco Garcia Broke His Arm: The Exercise Ball Popped

Ziller — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:56:11 -0000

No, seriously. Francisco Garcia broke his arm when the exercise ball he was laying on while lifting hand weights popped. From the Kings' twitter:

Cisco was performing routine workout w/ spotter when physioball malfunctioned.

This is a physioball:

(Photo removed.)

This is how it malfunctions:

What would Francisco Garcia be doing lifting weights on an exercise ball? It's a core part of the official Kings work-out, as you can see in this 2006 video.

Before I knew the circumstances of the accident, I contacted noted injury expert Will Carroll (most notably of Baseball Prospectus) to find out how common weightlifting-related injuries are among athletes.

Really uncommon. There are the occasional accidents, like Stefon Johnson (ow!) but very uncommon.

Last spring, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 3 million exercise balls manufactured by EB Brands based on 47 reports of unexpected explosions. I have no idea what brand the Kings use.

The Kings Twitter feed also paraphrased Geoff Petrie as saying Garcia will be out for a significant period of time.

UPDATE: Sam Amick has video comments from Petrie.

What the Kings Need From a Small Forward

Ziller — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:10:23 -0000

The Sacramento Bee has two pieces dealing with the small forward position today -- one from Jason Jones that looks at the contenders for the still undecided starting spot, and a column from Ailene Voisin on the early returns for Omri Casspi. Jones susses out what exactly each option (other than Andres Nocioni, who will be the team's first wing off the bench) can bring. For Francisco Garcia, it's ball-handling. For Desmond Mason, it's slashing and defense. For Donte Greene, it's potentiall defense. For Casspi, it's hustle and energy.

But there's an unspoken skill that is absolutely vital for the success of the starting unit, of which two of the four contenders stand out: shooting.

Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans are going to drive to the hoop. A lot. The Kings have little post game. Ergo, you need shooters on the floor to open things up. You need shooters to hit those buckets off Martin/Evans kick-outs. You need shooters to keep the defense from sagging in. You think putting Mason in the corner is going to keep his defender from helping on the dribble penetration? Garcia can nail those shots, and Casspi shot 45% from three in Euroleague last year. Having spot-up shooters on the wings will help Evans so, so much.

Defense should also be a primary consideration, and I understand the attempts of Westphal to plug Mason in. I may not agree with them. But I understand them. No disrespect to Mason or any player over the age of 30, but if it's going to turn into a season of fits and starts for him -- if Mason is going to miss a few games a month with spasms or soreness or swelling -- Westphal should go a different direction from Day 1. Injuries happen, and you can't do much about that. But when your oldest player misses the first two preseason games after being named the initial starter at the one true question mark position ... you need to rethink things.

And it isn't as if the others won't play defense. Casspi, particularly, has been all over the place -- and effort is a big part of defense, especially on the wings. (Skill and size matter more in the frontcourt, and speed matters most in defending the point.) Casspi has nothing if not effort. I'm not calling for Casspi to get a shot at the starting slot, but he belongs in the conversation every bit as much as the others do, given that the others have not been overly impressive while Casspi has been quite impressive. And he certainly deserves consideration for substantial minutes, in my opinion.

I doubt that's a consideration, which is unfortunate. Why do I doubt it? Because of this Westphal quote in Voisin's column.

"[Omri] just needs some experience."

He hasn't needed NBA experience to be one of the team's three best players in the first two games. And as a kid who played four seasons of professional basketball in Israel, he's not exactly green. Look at Nicolas Batum last season. Young rookie from France -- starting small forward on a 50+ win team. Experience might be one important consideration, but it's not more important than talent and production. If it were, Kenny Thomas would be starting over Jason Thompson.

There's a lot of preseason left, though, so I'll just be over here in the corner hoping Casspi makes this an urgent matter by continuing to blow everyone away.

Greg Oden, Blazers Squash Kings 98-86

Ziller — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:25:44 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

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One of these years, you're going to wake up in a strange bed in a strange room in a strange house next to a strange woman with strange eyes, and you're going to ask yourself, "How did I get here?" And then the strange woman is going to open her mouth to speak, but Greg Oden's voice is going to come out, and Greg Oden's voice is going to tell you to "shut up" and "go back to sleep."

And then you'll wake up. It was all a dream. Except the Greg Oden part, because he'll be in your nightmares, telling you to "shut up" and whatnot. And your name will be Spencer Hawes.

We joked last year about Oden's health and how he may never stay on the court long enough to dominate the Kings, but sheesh. He destroyed Hawes, so long as we trust the box score and every report out of Portland. Oden: 25 minutes, 18 points, nine rebounds, a +15 in the ledger. Hawes: 23 minutes, 5 points, 3 rebounds, -14. The time has come, I fear.

Coverage Hub | Boxscore

It's not so much the destruction of Hawes I fear as the general idea that the Kings, when we become good, will have a potentially game-changing foil. While I'll certainly be rooting for the Blazers to knock off the Lakers this spring, I don't want the Blazers to become too good, lest they become a sort of Less Evil Lakers From the North. I'd prefer every young Western Conference team to be "above average" at best, thankyouverymuch. No dynasties!

But Oden -- not Andre Miller, not LaMarcus Aldridge; Oden -- is the one kid who can make the Blazers special. That was a glimpse of it. And that worries me.

Onto the thumbs!

* THUMBS UP to Omri Casspi, who had a sweet little game by the looks of it: nine points in nine minutes on perfect 4-4 shooting (1-1 from three), with two rebounds (one offensive) and no mistakes in the box score. Overmatched rookies ain't supposed to give stable performances, right? Omri was the best small forward in Kings purple last night, according to the box score. In fact, let's rank them thusly:

Omri Casspi
Francisco Garcia (33 min, 7 points on six shooting possessions, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, one turnover, one foul)
Donte Greene (eight min, 0 points on two shots, one of which was a three, one rebounds, two steals, one turnover)
Andres Nocioni (17 min, two points on eight shots, four rebounds, two assists, one block, four fouls)

* TYREKE EVANS got some shine in Sam Amick's gamer -- I (obviously) encourage a read. Here's a passage:

[Evans's] play continued to be predictable in all the right kinds of ways, with no one mistaking him for a pure point guard but nearly everyone recognizing the sheer impact he can have on a game.

"He looked like a veteran out there," Kings coach Paul Westphal said of the player taken fourth overall in the June draft out of Memphis. "He fit right in. For a first game on the road in a place like this against a team like this, there were a lot of good things to take away from it."

Evans did 12 points in 24 minutes, hitting 5-of-11 on two-pointers, 0-of-2 from three, and 2-of-4 from the line. That's not terribly efficient (it is in fact quite inefficient -- Kevin Martin shot 2-for-10 from the floor and thanks to FTs and a made three ended up with a more efficient line) but he showed (by the numbers) he can get in the lane and mix it up. Two assists with only one turnover is coolbeans, too. Five rebounds, a steal and a block is huge. Five boards in 24 minutes -- that's 7.5 boards in 36 minutes. My heart palpitates.

We'll have to wait for November to really assess this team's rebounding. But holding the Blazers (who basically lapped the league in offensive rebounding last year -- they were so good) to six offensive rebounds in 34 opportunities (17.6%) is bigtime. None for LMA, only two for Oden and Joel Przybilla. Well done, sirs.

* IF WE'RE KEEPING SCORE on the point guard race,

Tyreke Evans will never come off the bench this season.
Beno Udrih (9 points on 7 shots) is ahead of Sergio Rodriguez (7 points on 8 shooting possessions, three turnovers to one assist).

* SEAN MAY fouled out in 13 minutes, 44 seconds. Last season's quickest foul-out was executed by Josh McRoberts, who earned six whistles in just ... 5 min, 24 seconds. (Wow. Just wow.) May has some hacking to do if he wants that record this season.

* JASON THOMPSON has gone without mention, but how about a cheer for him? He didn't foul out in 25 minutes (which, given the leaguewide whistle-happy nature of the replacement refs is impressive), he scored 12 points on 12 shooting possessions, 7 rebounds, only 1 turnover, 2 assists, a block ... hurray for JT. Nice work, I think. (You see, I couldn't see the game, so I have no idea how good his work actually was.)

* MORE COVERAGE:

Again, check out Amick's gamer.
Here's the Associated Press recap by Anne Peterson.
Jason Quick's gamer in The Oregonian -- heavy on the Blazers, obvs -- is a neat look into Portland's rotation questions.
Brian T. Smith of The Columbian has a good but weird quote from Sergio.
UPDATE: Zach Harper charted the line-ups at Cowbell Kingdom. The opening Evans/Martin/Garcia/May/Thompson line-up was a good +3, but the line-ups with Evans/Udrih/Martin didn't fare so well.

30Q: Will the Kings Be a Good Three-Point Shooting Team?

Ziller — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:48:03 -0000

30Q asks the important questions about the Kings all through September.

Last season, there were few categories in which the Kings did not rate as "god awful." Three-pointing shooting was one of those. The Kings finished 14th in three-point shooting percentage at .368. The league average was .367.

But the flavor of the team has changed, and whether the Kings can improve or at least remain as good as last season from behind the arc is a question. A question I will henceforth attempt to answer.

Part of the equation is unanswerable until we see exactly how the Kings offense will work (or attempt to work). Should Tyreke Evans take the reins early, the team could very well be focused on slashing and finishing rather than swinging the ball. There's also the matter of where on the court Paul Westphal will primarily station Spencer Hawes (who vacillated between the post and the perimeter under Reggie Theus and Kenny Natt). Finally, the small forward rotation matters quite a bit: Francisco Garcia and Andres Nocioni shoot from deep regularly, but Desmond Mason does not.

But we can at least sort out who is and is not a good three-point shooter on this team, and who will and who will not take three-point shots. Threes are an increasingly important facet of offense in the NBA; for a team not expected to blow the doors off on defense, it's a vital part of the game for Sacramento.

THE GREAT

Kevin Martin. Martin nearly shot as well from three-point land (.415) as he did on two-pointers (.423) last season. Along with that marvelous efficiency from the perimeter, Martin also utilizes the deep shot often, with a third of his FGAs coming from behind the arc (5.4/game last year). Martin is clearly the team's best shooting weapon from deep.

Francisco Garcia. Like Martin, Garcia's deep jumper has improved with experience. He shot .391 in 2007-08 and .398 in 2008-09. Last season, Garcia took a third of his FGAs from behind the arc, some 3.4 per game (in 30 mpg). Garcia is a particularly good set shooter; hopefully the Beno-to-Tyreke transition will help Flaco get more of these opportunities, and not fewer.

Andres Nocioni. Nocioni shot the deep ball beautifully in 2008-09 for the Kings, at a .441 clip while taking 40% of his FGAs (4.4/game) from behind the arc. Nocioni has always taken many shots from deep -- 33% of his career FGAs are threes -- and has a lovely .373 career clip. As discussed recently, he's a valuable stretch power forward ... on offense.

THE GOOD

Spencer Hawes. Hawes hit .348 on three attempts last season, below league average but solid for a 7-footer. The key was that he took so many -- 118 on the season, up from 21 attempts his rookie season. Reggie Theus, for all his faults, did unleash Shooter Hawes to a degree, and it was nice to see those go down the nylon glory hole. I think Hawes could nudge up the frequency a bit, provided he maintains or improves the efficiency. Hawes hasn't been a particularly good midrange shooter, so turning a portion of those long twos into threes (especially short corner threes) would be a boost for the team.

Beno Udrih. I'm iffy about placing Udrih in this category, but since I've been accused of pessimistic curmudgeonhood lately, what the hey/hay/HAI. Beno shot only .310 from deep last season, and took a remarkably low share of his total FGAs from behind the arc (16%). But he's been better in the past. His career clip is .356, and his career 3PA/FGA is 24%. He shot .387 in his Kings debut season. If Beno returns to at least .350, his deep shooting will be a plus.

THE BAD

Desmond Mason. Career .260 deep shooter. Has taken 6,523 field goals over his career. Only 254 of those have been three-point attempts. Only 66 of those have been makes.

Tyreke Evans. We're all stoked for 'Reke, but I have no illusions about his perimeter shooting right now. It's going to be ugly, in all likelihood. Derrick Rose shot .337 at Memphis and .222 with Chicago his rookie season. Kevin Durant shot .404 his freshman year at Texas and .288 his rookie season in Seattle. Evans only shot .274 in college. It ain't gon' be pretty, y'all.

Donte Greene. Similarly, D.G. is going to have to prove he can hit the three regularly before we count him as dependable. As a reminder, Greene shot .260 from deep last season.

Sergio Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a career .304 three-point shooter. Last season was his best from the perimeter (.325), and he's not shy on the trigger. But at this point, the team needs better performance out there, given the other options.

THE INCONCLUSIVE

Omri Casspi. No idea how Casspi will shoot at the NBA level ... nor how often. He has a nice stroke and good mechanics, though.

THE IRRELEVANT

Jason Thompson, Jon Brockman and Sean May will not be shooting threes this season. I hope.

30Q: Should Andres Nocioni Be Traded?

Ziller — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:45:45 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

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30Q asks the important questions about the Kings all through September.

Andres Nocioni was the only player acquired by the Kings in 2008-09 with a long-term contract. In the deal which sent Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago, Sacramento basically received cap space ... and Nocioni. Because of his contract, the Kings actually take on additional salary in comparison with the Salmons/Miller package in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. The move cut costs in 2009-10, primarily, and freed up the center position for Spencer Hawes full-time. That's it.

Unless, of course, the team also saw something valuable in Nocioni, which they apparently did. Reportedly, the Kings rejected a deadline deal which would have sent Nocioni to Boston for expiring contracts. Assuming the rumor was true (it was never debunked by anyone), that implies the Kings wanted Nocioni despite his contract (which is nearly universally seen as a bit cumbersome). Clearly, Nocioni is talented and has a place in the league. But on a young, developing team? At age 29 (he turns 30 at the end of November)?

I think what the franchise was after was some heart, some spirit. In my opinion, no team should be paying $21 million over three years for heart and spirit, but I digress. That's what the Kings desperately felt they desperately needed, so they acquired and kept Nocioni. The question that exists now is whether heart and spirit (and the aforementioned talent) is still a need to the degree it was, and if not whether Nocioni's $21 million heart and spirit (and talent) makes enough of a difference to hold onto him beyond the trade deadline, assuming there are suitors?

Three weeks ago, I would have said the readiness of Donte Greene and Omri Casspi matter in any Nocioni's proceedings, but I'm just not convinced of that any longer. This is for these reasons:

I'm more convinced every day that Francisco Garcia will start at small forward, just due to the roster balance (or imbalance, actually). In order to play Tyreke Evans, Beno Udrih and Sergio Rodriguez while giving Garcia plenty of minutes, someone needs to play small forward. Garcia's the best option for that right now.
I wouldn't doubt Kevin Martin being plugged into the SF slot at times. That possibility degrades the importance of Casspi and Greene.
I have a feeling Paul Westphal will give the kids a bit of trial by fire. And I honestly think at least one of them will produce.

The question I'm more concerned with is when Nocioni becomes expendable from a team chemistry standpoint. Is that today? I mean, Nocioni was brought over as the designated hombre ... and the team drafted Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi and Jon Brockman -- three hombres. Further, outside of Nocioni, Martin is the veteran leader. At age 26. Nocioni was meant to fix the problem created jointly by Miller (quiet, standoffish), Salmons (quiet, standoffish), Kenny Natt (standoffish, at least) and Martin (quiet, at least). But in his very acquisition, and the subsequent obvious firing of Natt, the problem was basically fixed. The team leaders will be Martin (by example), Garcia (by example/Celine Dion crooning) and ... whoever else steps up. Miller (old) and Salmons (everyday starter/veteran) were automatic "team leaders." No more. Thompson can step in. Hawes. Evans.

This is not meant to be twee, though I understand it probably reads that way. The gist, if I can edit myself in real-time here, is that the 2008-09 Kings severely lacked spirit and toughness. The 2009-10 Kings, even if Nocioni were traded for Debbie Downer, would not likely suffer from such afflictions. The team got tougher through the draft. Problem solved.

Now, is an expiring contract enough incentive to trade Nocioni? Moving him for $0 in 2010-11 salary would give the Kings $18-22 million in cap space next summer. (Enough to sign LeBron!) But given the likelihood of the Kings actually spending $18-22 million next summer, perhaps trading for talent or draft picks with salary relief as a minor concern could be in order. That's a story for another post (sometime in January).