SB Nation - Desmond Mason

Why Tyreke Evans and the Kings Have Been More Successful

Ziller — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:55:58 -0000

by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

Already the hyenas invade. I have noticed a sincere uptick in "Tyreke Evans is not a point guard!" talk since Kevin Martin got injured, Beno Udrih got inserted into the starting line-up, and the Kings have gone on a 3-0 string. I actually received a thoughtful email from a reader a few days ago stating that the Kings should trade Martin because "Evans clearly is not a point guard."

The assertion is that Evans's success has come with the switch to off-guard, which hasn't actually happened: Evans is handling the ball as much as he did with Martin on the court, if not more. Paul Westphal has instituted a duty-sharing system which had even Ime Udoka bringing the ball up as a shooting guard -- this is Ime Udoka, whose greatest successes have come as a Battier-like small forward and undersized power forward.

The Kings have been more successful for the last 10 days or so, definitely. But it has less to do with the Evans/Udrih backcourt than it does the addition of Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes to the starting line-up.

The starting line-up featuring Sean May and Desmond Mason was bad. According to 82games.com, over 31 minutes the Evans-Martin-Mason-May-Thompson line-up was a -19. Awful. Conversely, over 31 minutes the Evans-Martin-Nocioni-Thompson-Hawes line-up was a +1, which is pretty damn good (considering the age of that unit). Evans is the point guard in both line-ups (which happen to be the two most frequently used line-ups so far this season -- a Martin-less line-up will soon overtake them). The contrast is in the small forward and center, and when you look at the total individual production of Mason and May when compared to Nocioni and Hawes, it's easy to see why the Kings are better off now.

Of course, if success is more attributable to the additions of Nocioni and Hawes than the addition of Udrih, then the Udrih-Evans-Nocioni-Thompson-Hawes line-up will have performed worse than the best Martin line-up, right? Right: the current starting five is a -3 over 30 minutes of play. Evans-Martin has been better than Udrih-Evans, which tells me that a) Kevin Martin is better than Beno Udrih, which is obviously noncontroversial, and b) if Evans is so much more comfortable as a two-guard, the difference is not enough to make up for the fact that Martin is so superior to any non-Evans Kings point guard.

So that's where we are, or rather where we will be come January, when Martin returns. The best Kings backcourt features Evans as a point guard. If you don't believe he can do it, you will likely have January, February, March and April to convince everyone else. In the meantime, I suggest you pay attention to just how much Evans continues to run the offense, and how good he can be in that role.

Crazy Thoughts About Coaches

Exhibit G — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:14:27 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

"Wait, Exhibit G said that? He's crazy. Don't listen to bananas." (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Browse more photos »

The recent meteoric rise of the Kings to a record of 4-4 got me thinking. In lietothegirls' entertaining post, pookeyguru made a comment about how there is no reason to believe that Paul Westphal has gotten through to the team this quickly. My first thought was that pookey's statement was probably accurate. Luckily for you, the reader, I have never allowed a reasonable idea prevent me from exploring a tangent in the complete opposite direction.

What follows is an unscientific exploration of ideas that cannot be proven true or false, only argued endlessly about. I figure a few of us might be nostalgic for these types of arguments now that the offseason is over.

Pookey's comment is that there is no reason to believe that Westphal has already gotten through to this team. On the surface, this makes sense. Westphal was hired June 10th, just over 5 months ago. He was able to work with some of the younger members of the roster over the summer, and has only been working with the full roster for a month or two. Hell, he's still trying to figure out what the starting line-up looks like, and has already given up on the Desmond Mason expiriment.

Pookey is right, there is no reason to believe that the team has had a chance to fully adapt to Westphal and his system. Not yet. No way.

And yet the team just won three straight games. Without Francisco Garcia. Without Kevin Martin.

Obviously the players have made strides since last season, and the additions of Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi have helped the team considerably.

Nonetheless, it defies explanation. Until now. I present to you my random coaching theory, which includes giving credit to Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, and Kenny Natt. Before you throw your computer out a window, hear me out. I promise I'm not giving them credit in the traditional sense of the word.

This roster has been devastated by inconsistency. Rick Adelman was the last reputable coach of this team, and that roster bears little resemblance to the current team. Martin spent two seasons under Adelman, Garcia one, and Kenny Thomas was here too but he doesn't really count.

Aside from that, this roster has been "coached" by Muss, Theus, and Kenny Natting Natt. During the last three seasons, we often lamented that there was talent on this roster, and yet the wins could not be found.

My theory is simple. My theory is that this team finally has a bonafide NBA coach, and we're seeing the difference. This team had more talent than a 17-win team. The team may not have had time to fully adjust to the system, but even something as basic as a knowledgeable coach can make this kind of a difference.

So how do Muss, Theus and Natt get any credit from this? Well, I think the coaching carousel broke down existing habits. If a coach takes over for another experienced coach, he needs to get the players to buy into his system, and to move away from the habits of the previous system. This takes time. But as anyone who watched the Kings over the past three seasons knows, the Kings haven't had a system! They're a blank canvas. They're a block of unsculpted clay. They were ready for a system. So even if the new system isn't completely in place, there's something.

We'll see over the course of the rest of the season if I'm right. I hope I am, but I don't know for sure. This is just an idea.

Even if I'm wrong, I'll still enjoy the fact that right now we're .500, and that the team has played well enough for me to even consider such a theory.

A Young Team With an Aversion to Youth

Ziller — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:16:15 -0000

The signing of Ime Udoka, like the signing of Desmond Mason before it, portends little for the Sacramento Kings. Udoka, like Mason, is an aging defensive roleplayer whose a bit of a drain on offense at a position where the Kings have plenty of talent. Udoka turned 32 years old last August, having only three seasons of real NBA experience. He served as Portland's starting small forward in the halycon Death to Z-Bo 2006-07, 32-win season. Udoka spent the last two seasons as a Bowen Memorial player off the bench in San Antonio. Portland brought him to camp this fall but cut him, and no one had been rumored to give him a serious nibble in the two weeks since.

Except Sacramento.

Before Udoka, the Kings could be considered deep at two positions: point guard (Tyreke Evans, Beno Udrih, Sergio Rodriguez) and small forward (Andres Nocioni, Omri Casspi, Desmond Mason, Donte Greene). The Kings have the youngest frontline (21-year-old Spencer Hawes and 23-year-old Jason Thompson) in the league, and one of those dudes led the entire NBA in fouls last season. Behind them, Sean May has proven to still be 15-20 pounds too heavy to be consistently effective, Kenny Thomas has proven to be too stonehanded to play more than spot duty, and Jon Brockman has rebounded his tail off but can't get consistent minutes. And all three of those dudes are undersized. At the two-guard, the Kings have literally no one but Kevin Martin (until Francisco Garcia returns sometime after the All-Star break, which is about 50 games away). Udrih, Evans and Casspi have all played at two-guard; it hasn't really worked out.

If the team is to sign a free agent right now, the player should do one of two things: fill a positional need (Udoka played the two forward positions exclusively last season, so he ain't a big or a two-guard) or add a real asset to the team's cupboard. A 32-year-old minimum-salary player no one else wanted is not an asset.

As I said back when I argued against the Mason signing, this team -- this young, building team -- needs to spend these roster spots, these minimum salary contracts on players with potential. The best-case scenario with Udoka is that he replaces Mason as the starter at small forward, allowing Nocioni to get back to his mixed-results PF/SF bench role, pushing Casspi back in the rotation and guaranteeing Greene's ticket to Reno. And at the end of the season, what has happened? You've put a used Band-Aid on a gushing wound, and the used Band-Aid a little closer to ruination.

That's the best-case scenario. What's the worst-case scenario if you sign a young big man or two-guard? Honestly? I mean, the team signed Bobby Brown (a young point guard prospect when the team was hurting at the position) last year, and the worst-case scenario came to fruition: the team had to trade him for expiring contracts. Brown had been absolutely awful ... and he was able to be traded despite a second year of guaranteed money. You don't have to guarantee a second season for these young cats. And they also happen to be a bit cheaper than your average Ime Udoka.

It's like Justin Williams getting caught in a threesome made Geoff Petrie and the front office scared of every D-League prospect in the country. It was a bad idea to sign an aging, without-promise Desmond Mason, and it's a bad idea to replace him with an aging, without-promise Ime Udoka. End the cycle!

***

When Mason is released -- and he will be -- it's going to be pretty sad to hear the send-off. I mean, what can the front office possibly say? "We didn't realize he was this bad, even though all data suggested he was really this bad." How do you justify signing a player for his leadership and defense ... and then signing his replacement five games into the season? It's absurd. Talent is the name of the game, and if Udoka has more talent than no less than two dozen D-League or European league players, call me Mary. Add in the age factor, and it's inconceivable as to why these decisions continue to be made. What's the plan here?

Game 1 Pre-Game: Sacramento At Oklahoma City

Zorgon — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:48:09 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

A lot of this went on last week.

Browse more photos »

(This also counts as an Open Thread, so post your thoughts on the game here.)

Back story: The Thunder and Kings are kicking off their seasons on the not-so-glamorous second day. The Kings are infamous for cutting expenses and being universally predicted to finish in the dungeon of the West. Aside from Kevin Martin, this team is a collection of forgotten role players, featuring everybody from Sean May to Andres Nocioni to Desmond Mason to Beno Udrih. But, there's one thing one shouldn't put past the Kings: They know how to score. Don't be surprised if this game goes into the 110s or higher.

Thunder fans should be worried about this game, because the Kings absolutely destroyed our starting lineup in the Pre-Season. It could have been due to lack of effort on our part or just a one-in-a-million game for them, but this team might have our kryptonite. They have a bunch of quick and athletic forwards and guards who can sink jumpers from all over the floor, and if we find ourselves in a offensive drought, they'll be the team to capitalize on that fact.

This game will serve as the benchmark of our season. Do we want to start off with a losing record to a team with no hope of the playoffs, or do we want to start off on top? I'll tell you one thing: Playoff teams don't have many losses to the Kings.

Below: Player Match-ups, Game Prediction

Match-ups:

Center- Nenad Krstic vs. Spencer Hawes

I'd give this match-up to Spencer Hawes. He's younger, more athletic, and will easily slip by Krstic for eay points in the post. He won't shut down Krstic defensively, but his offensive game will be so good that I'd call this matchup a win for him.

Power Forward- Jeff Green vs. Jason Thompson

Jeff Green has the clear upper hand here. Thompson had decent stats last year, but he'll be no match defensively for Jeff Green, and barring a total collapse, Jeff Green will beat him in every area of the stat sheet.

Small Forward- Kevin Durant vs. Andres Nocioni

Nocioni is solid, but he's no match for future All-Star Kevin Durant. They'll both put up big numbers, but Kevin Durant's will be bigger.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Kevin Martin

Considering who the starting Shooting Guard is facing, I'd say Thabo gets the start here. Nevertheless, the best defender in the world couldn't shot down Kevin Martin. This guy will be driving to the hole all day, getting to the line all day, and popping in three pointers all-day. He might have 4 or 5 turnovers due to Thabo's hard-nosed defense, but he'll still have a huge day. And if we break in Harden against this guy, I'd expect a field day. So I'd recommend playing Weaver in spurts here, just for the defense, and breaking in Harden against the Pistons or Blazers. their shooting guards are still good, but they're on the main focus of the teams offense. Regardless, this matchup is going to be a big win for Kevin Martin.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Tyreke Evans

The Kings have a couple of over-hyped PGs in Evans an Udrih. In reality, both of them are pretty bad when compared to Russell Westbrook. I'd expect Westbrook to have a Triple-Double tonight (thanks to all of the offense) and have less turnovers than usual against a rookie point guard in his first real NBA game.

Battle of the Benches

On the Thunder's side of things, I'd expect the younger forwards like Ibaka and White to have a big night against the Kings, and the more immobile big men to have pretty dreadful nights. The Kings have Desmond Mason who will provide hustle off the bench, a decent backup PG in Udrih, and some big men who can rebound in Kenny Thomas and Sean May. Still, the team is pretty short-handed as a whole, so the Thunder can take advantage when the Kings starters are on the bench.

Coaching and Intangibles

It's Opening Night; need I say more? We'll have a huge crowd advantage. Some of the crowd might defect to Desmond Mason at times, but overall, the intangibles are in our favour, especially since the Kings are starting a rookie point guard.

Bottom Line

The Thunder would do best by trying to control the pace of the game, taking care of the ball, and avoiding bad shots. If they can just play ball control all-night long, we can wrap up a victory here. Just stay cool and don't get sloppy. The pre-season is over, this is where the real teams can win.

Prediction

Thunder 112, Kings 108

A close game, but a win is a win.

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the team on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

61 votes

The Sacramento Kings

28 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

Kings Links, Oct. 20: Preparing for Phoenix

Ziller — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:03:25 -0000

Sacramento Bee: Suns offer Kings tough test of Carril's lessons
Some notes on tonight's Suns game, along with some tidbits on how Pete Carril operates under Paul Westphal.

Kings Blog and Q&A: Mason impresses Westphal without impressive stats
NBA FanHouse: Mason Looking Like Kings' Starting SF
A pair of pieces in which Westphal says nice things about Desmond Mason.

Kings.com: JT, Tyreke Ready to Run with Suns
Jason Thompson and Tyreke Evans talk about the Suns. Evans discusses how he thinks he can get to Steve Nash.

Sacramento Bee: Kings' Casspi mourns friend
Omri Casspi comments on the passing of Moni Fanan, the longtime face of Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Sac Rag: Sacramento Brewing Company RIP
One of the town's best spots has closed. :-(

Basketball-Reference.com Blog: Quality of Teammates Revisited
Neil Paine has a killer look at teammate quality. Shareef Abdur-Rahim got screwed by the NBA Gods.

Add your own links in the comments.

Preview: Kings vs Lakers, Preseason Game 3

Ziller — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Using only telepathy, Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin, left, attempts to convince Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum, from France, that a Great Horned owl is preparing to attack during the first quarter of a NBA preseason basketball game in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Browse more photos »

"The time has come."

-- Ricky Ricardo, I Love Lucy

THE OPPONENT

The Lakers lost 24 times last year. The NBA season for a Finals team is roughly 7-1/2 months long. I cannot count past 27, so let us estimate the length of the Lakers' season as 225 days. This means that the Lakers were undoubtedly losers on 10 percent of the days in their 2008-09 season. This means that every ninth day in L.A., Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom walked around knowing that they absolutely, unquestionably had loserdom within them. There is no questioning that many times in the course of last year, Kobe Bryant was a loser. A big ol' weak stomached L.O.S.E.R.

This exercise cannot be replicated for the Sacramento Kings, because of an enchantment performed last Winter Solstice by Mikki Moore.

THE KEY BATTLE

The <Your Company Here!> Key Battle will be Spencer Hawes vs. Andrew Bynum. Hawes will be starting for the first time this preseason, coming off a minor ankle injury. Bynum has been beasting up the early preseason schedule, having scored more points (43) than any other Laker. Hawes defended Pau Gasol passably last season, but Bynum is a different type of center -- more Oden than Pau. Hawes's season won't be decided in any one game -- let alone preseason -- but every stop against bigger opponents does well to assuage fear.

While you'd never expect Kobe Bryant or Kevin Martin to relax for a minute, and while Bynum and Hawes have each heard questions about their fire, there's more at stake in the paint.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

"Los Angeles, I'm Yours" by The Decemberists.

A theme song for the Los Angeles Lakers, if I've ever heard one.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

There is not an ounce more clarity in the Great Small Forward Derby of 2009 today than there was prior to either of last week's games against Portland. Paul Westphal has discussed a three-guard lineup which would involve Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans sharing shooting guard and small forwards duties. Paul Westphal has dubbed Desmond Mason the starter for tonight. Paul Westphal has given dap to Omri Casspi. Francisco Garcia has suffered greatly for our sins.

And nothing has been made more clear. Other than that we now know El Flaco won't be the starting small forward on opening night.

Ron Artest is reportedly bringing his A-game in preseason, and Lamar Odom could very well want to take some post-wedding pre-nup negotiation frustration out on the opponents. So the deck is a tiny bit stacked against Mason. ENTER THE OMRI.

WILD GUESS OF THE EVENING

Biggest Las Vegas cheer of the night: Lanny Smith.

REAL TALK

Knowing that Martin will match up with Bryant in a completely meaningless game is really weird. And it's a complete lose-lose for Martin. If he scores 30, it means nothing because it's preseason. If he stinks, he got shut down by Kobe IN THE PRESEASON. Therefore, rule No. 1 of "weird Martin-Kobe preseason match-up": I will not discuss Martin or Kobe in the post-game recap at all tomorrow. No matter what. Martin could ride into warmups on a talking pygmy goat who says terrible things about Kobe's mother and I, Th. Ziller, Esq, will not write a word about it.

DETAILS

It's a 7PM game. It will be televised in Southern California. FB&G reports Gasol and Luke Walton are out; only Garcia will miss the game for Sacramento. The expected starting five for the Kings is Evans/Martin/Mason/Jason Thomspon/Hawes. I would expect Fisher/Bryant/Artest/Odom/Bynum for the Lakers. The game thread will be opened at 7 PM sharp.

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.

Preview: Blazers at Kings, Preseason Game 2

Ziller — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:15:11 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, left, faces league discipline after devouring Sacramento forward Sean May's head during the second half of their NBA pre-season basketball game in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Browse more photos »

Same song, second verse. Much less louder, hopefully not worse. Full preview after the jump.

THE OPPONENT

The Blazers are undefeated in the preseason with a 1-0 record, tied for first place in the Western Conference and well on their way to home court advantage in the NBA Preseason Finals Championship Series, which will be the first NBA championship game not broadcast on live television since 1981.

Portland is led by LaMarcus Aldridge, who in this preseason is averaging a robust 20 points and five rebounds a game.

You will already know to visit Blazersedge for exquisite, piercing analysis of the Blazers and the league. And the shoes and cars that NBA players wear and drive.

THE KEY BATTLE

(Note: Sactown Royalty is currently looking for an area locksmith or piano tuner to serve as the lead sponsor for "The Key Battle" segment.)

Tonight's Key Battle will be Travis Outlaw vs. Omri Casspi. Outlaw scored 10 points in 20 minutes in Portland's preseason debut, drawing oohs and aahs from the extended Outlaw family. Casspi is leading the NBA with a field goal percentage of 100%. Casspi is also leading the NBA in effective field goal percentage (112.5%), True Shooting percentage (112.5%), two-point shooting percentage (100%) and three-point shooting percentage (100%). He is, however, tied for last in the NBA in free throw shooting (0%).

In this key battle, look for Outlaw to attempt to score points on Casspi while doing what he can to help his team win (as long as that doesn't conflict with the primary goal of scoring points). Also look for Casspi to attempt to score points and try to help his team win. That will be the focus of these young stars-in-the-making.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

The Socialist Pinko Commies otherwise known as Comrade Nate "Black Lenin" McMillan and Gregor Odynskiviya may have won the first round, but Truth will prevail for haught-blooded REAL AMERICANS Paul Westphal and Spencer Hawes. Where is Greg Oden's REAL birth certificate, anyways? I have sources in Indiana who have acquired his real birth certificate -- he was NOT a naturalized New Yorker as claimed! He is only 16 years of age, and thus will not be eligible for the NBA until the 2013-14 season. TELL THE TRUTH, GREG ODEN!

WILD GUESS OF THE EVENING

(Note: Sactown Royalty is currently looking an area distributor of Wild Turkey or zoo enthusiast to serve as the lead sponsor for the "Wild Guess of Evening" segment.)

Maloof Sports and Entertainment will sell 217 Polish dogs. Fourteen of them will be sold to Jon Brockman. One of those will be swiped by Spencer Hawes with the (tenuous, in my opinion) explanation that rookies must pay their veterans a Polish dog tax equivalent to 7.1%. Economics wonk Truck Robinson will note aloud that as Polish dogs from live sporting events could be considered luxury items, Hawes's Polish dog tax is basically a progressive tax. Hawes will eventually quietly pay Brockman for the meal and apologize for introducing "bourgeois bullsh*t" into their friendship.

REAL TALK

There's no word as to whether Desmond Mason will be available for Westphal. Despite my general attitude toward Mason's presence on the roster, I actually hope he is available and does play, given that Westphal seems enthusiastic about his ability to help the starters on defense and on the boards. (Certainly, though, the great board work of the bigs, Evans and Garcia made Mason's slightly above average rebounding discardable.) Now is the time to figure out if Mason is the right fit for the small forward position.

On the topic of the small forward position, I do hope Andres Nocioni gets the night off so that Casspi can get big minutes early. Westphal said through camp that Casspi would be a project; Casspi promptly aced his first game experience. It's up to Casspi to prove he can't do it before Westphal can bury him going into the regular season. (Yes, it's just been one exhibition game, but it's bizarro Douby at this point. Douby lit up practice but sucked during gameplay; Casspi has reportedly been uneven in practice -- though that's been a bit debated, he has a beautiful stroke, and is smart and energetic -- but brilliant in nine NBA preseason minutes.)

DETAILS

No television anywhere, thus no illicit internet fjords anywhere. It will be on the radio: KHTK 1140 AM in the Sacramento area. Also, it will be live at ARCO Arena. Tickets are still available. Lots of tickets. Very available. The tip-off is slated for 7PM Pacific.

Loud Links: Oklahoma City Thunder News for October 6, 2009

Mr Pappagiorgio — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:00:34 -0000

I still maintain that I suck at gathering articles for Loud Links, but its Tuesday, and I've found another group of articles that might peak your interest. Some of them are old, some of them are new, but either way, we're just two days away from seeing this team in live game action, well, we won't be seeing it so much as hearing it on the Radio since it won't be broadcast on TV for reasons unbeknown to me. Well, anyway, on with the links.

Head Coach Scott Brooks is preparing for the first Thunder pre-season game by putting the team through game-like scrimmages. Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are apparently "Ol' Guys" now despite Durant just recently being of age to legally buy beer. Hoopsworld picks James Harden amongst its contenders for Rookie of the year, as if it wasn't already obvious enough. Our Good Friends over at Golden State of Mind have labeled this Thunder teams as "The X Factors." The NBA is expanding the use of Instant Replay, just another headache to deal with should we get stuck with replacement referees all season long. With the Thunder tipping off on Wednesday against the Grizzlies, what better time than now to contemplate which team will be better this season than now? Dimemag Discusses. Sactown Royalty takes a look at the defensive prowess of former Thunder player Desmond Mason, I think we all know what he brought to this team. Kyle Weaver gives NewsOk a quick little Q&A, and the Thunder's D-League Affiliate Tulsa 66ers wind up with the 16th and 17th draft picks in the upcoming draft as well as give their fans a sneak peak at the renovated convention center downtown where they will be playing this coming season, much to this bloggers dismay.

Scott Brooks puts team through game-like scrimmages Saturday night
Veteran center Etan Thomas said he’s impressed with how hard the Thunder’s young players work, not just this past week but throughout the summer. "Guys came in (two or three weeks) early to get in extra shots, lift weights, run and work on extra drills with the coaches, work on different ways they need to improve," Thomas said. "You don’t see that many teams where they’re all back together that early."

Kevin Durant, Jeff Green ol’ guys now
One by one, Presti has parted with veteran players to clear up more minutes for his youngsters, all designed to get to this day. He started by trading Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis before Durant and Green could pull a game jersey over their heads for the first time. And he went down the line from there: Wally Szczerbiak, Kurt Thomas, Delonte West, Luke Ridnour, Chris Wilcox, Joe Smith, Earl Watson and finally Desmond Mason.

Nominations: Rookie of the Year
James Harden, Oklahoma City: Harden comes to the Thunder after a standout career at Arizona State and should slide right in as the starting shooting guard in Oklahoma City. On a team with several proven scorers at the NBA level (Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and Nenad Krstic to name a few), Harden won't be anything more than the fourth option on most nights but his feel for the game and ability to catch and shoot should translate into immediate dividends for the Thunder. While he likely won't wow anyone with eye-popping numbers, Harden should have a solid rookie campaign.

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Oklahoma Thunder: The X Factors
Honestly, I have no idea what to tell you about where this team can go. Lord knows how much work went into forming a better cohesiveness among the core talent that will hopefully propel them above their inaugural record of 23-59. This is a team that is simply in the start of rebuilding since they peaked as the Supersonics in 1996 by losing against Jordan's Bulls. Don't feel too bad for them. They've still been to the Playoffs more often that us during that time. (That's a hard feat to overcome, isn't it?)

N.B.A. Expands Use of Instant Replay
Referees will be able to use replay at any point in a game to determine whether the shot clock expired before a shot was released or before a foul was committed. Replay may also be used in the final two minutes of regulation (and the final two minutes of an overtime period) to determine which player last touched a ball that goes out of bounds.

Memphis or OKC: Who’s Better?
Two teams that are going to force a lot of people to buy league passes this season are the Thunder and the Grizzlies. I can’t say for sure whether either will be playoff teams (most likely neither), but I can promise that they will both be exciting to watch. Even though Memphis and OKC stole franchises from the beautiful northwest (my former stomping grounds), you better believe I’ll be strapped to the tube watching those teams all season long.

On Desmond Mason's Defense
Last season with OKC, Mason had an unadjusted defensive plus-minus of -3.27, which means the Thunder's defense was 3.27 points per 100 possessions better when Mason was on the floor than when he was not. Unadjusted plus-minus is a bit tough to take, which is why we have adjusted plus-minus, computed by various folks but made exceedindly digestable by BasketballValue.com. Mason's total (offensive and defensive combined) adjusted plus-minus with OKC was +5.11, which is pretty damn good (second best to Kyle Weaver on the Thunder).

Q&A with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Kyle Weaver
"It was real fluke. I don’t even remember what actually did it. I just remember it was a dead ball after somebody got fouled (in the Orlando Summer League), but I don’t know if I hit somebody’s arm trying to turn or stop. I just remember jamming it and thinking it was a regular jam."

Tulsa 66ers Will Have 16th Pick In NBDL Draft
Despite the fact the 66ers will pick last in the first round, because the league uses a "serpentine" format, they will have the first pick in the second round, giving them the 16th and 17th overall picks.

66ers Free Public Event Gives Fans First Peek At Renovated Tulsa Convention Center
"We are excited to be in downtown Tulsa, and to give our fans a glimpse at the arena," 66ers President Jim Brylewski said. "This is a great opportunity to secure the best seats for every home game, join the 66ers and Thunder family, and enjoy the action on the court up close with some of the best athletes in world."

Kings Starting Line-up for Preseason Opener Announced

Ziller — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:58:47 -0000

The Bee's Sam Amick reports that Paul Westphal announced the starting five for Tuesday's exhibition opener against Portland: Tyreke Evans, Kevin Martin, Desmond Mason, Jason Thompson and Sean May. Apparently, the sore ankle of Spencer Hawes isn't game ready, and apparently the Mason-as-starter experiment has begun.

There have been no reports of a Beno Udrih injury. So, um, Tyreke Evans is starting from Day 1. At least in the preseason.