SB Nation User Blog: 27freethrows

Joe Maloof on AM 570 KLAC

27freethrows — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:43:23 -0000

Joe Maloof on AM 570 KLAC

Hey everyone, Joe Maloof is about to come on my local AM radio station. I will try to dictate his more important comments.

He will be spending draft night in the "war room" in Sacramento (not important).

He has been present for all "important" PG work outs.

Feels like the draft is actually very deep and that they have good plans for the next day or so. (Hhhmmm)

He said that the Kings will be drafting a PG first, not as a slap to Beno, but due to a lack of depth at the position.

It was "vital" to hire a coach before the draft. Very happy with Paul.

The economy will be affecting how the team works with personnel and potential personnel in the future. Belives their current financial situation (under the cap) gives them a major advantage over other teams.

Confident that a new stadium will be worked out at Cal Expo. more worried about putting a quality team on the floor then getting a new stadium (good to hear, even if its just PR)

Talking about some local skateboarding event he is sponsoring....

....

The basketball suite in Vegas is popular...

....

Ok, that was pointless. You might not get your 2 minutes back from reading this, but I wont get the 10 minutes back I spent listening and typing.

Dammit.

Scottie Reynolds declares for the draft

27freethrows — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:27:21 -0000

Scottie Reynolds declares for the draft

Add another point guard to the pool. I dont know much about him, but the more point guards to chose from, the better. No offense Beno (well, maybe a little offense)

NBA to borrow money

27freethrows — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:30:44 -0000

NBA to borrow money

Pretty interesting. At least the NBA acknowledges that smallmarket teams may need financial help. Doesnt say great things about the current state of the league though.

The View from my couch: Games 1-20

27freethrows — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:50:48 -0000

As some of my disruntled, poorly-worded and typo-filled posts this season may have hinted, I have'nt been operating at 100%. Long story short, I do not recommend severing nerves in your hand. Its not cool. Do you realize EVERYTHING you do all day requires two hands? Try buttoning your pants or putting on a belt with one hand, let alone type. As a standard touch-typist, one handed hunt-and-peck is beyond frustrating. Following games online, listening (er, reading?) to you all (and the too oft trollers) debate, talk trash and prophetise on the future of our beloved franchise is both frustrating and entertaining. Luckily, my primary paw is back, and I am ready to vent.

Since I've missed out on so many topics, and have so much on my mind, I fear this post will be all over the place. I'll try to break my various thoughts up by subject so its easy to follow. If that doesn't work, pop a pain pill, pound a beer and give it one more try...YES WE CAN!

Sactown Royatly:

First and foremost, this site continues to grow and impress. Ziller and Section continue to do a great job providing insight while keeping us followers in line. Most of the usual suspects are still here, spreading wisdom and sarcasm in daily doses. There has also been an explosion of new members on the site. While there are, and will always be, a few fools in the mix, it is promising to see that most new members continue the refreshingly intelligent discussion and proud fandom that makes this place what it is.

The Where you from? post was great. It was fun to read where everyone is lives, and how they became a fan of the Kings. The global following is awesome! I will add my story to my profile if anyone is interested. This post is long enough without me rambling on about myself.

Beno Udrih:

My second biggest disappointment this year. He just looks tight. I think he got a healthy contract and now feels nervous about living up to it. There have been stretches where he's shown that he can be great, but the bad turnovers NEED to stop. All PG's turn the ball over, but he needs to cut it down, significantly. The unnecessary turnovers are the really frustrating part. He needs to drive to the hoop and pop the ball out more than he is right now. This is one of his biggest strengths and for one reason or another, he seems hesitant. Maybe passing the ball to a giant crustacean has something to do with that. I am still confident that he can get it to the level I expect (and do not YET regret his contract), but he needs to step it up.

Kevin Martin:

It's hard to tell because he's been hurt so much. I thought Kevin was relying on his jumped WAY too much at the beginning of the season. Then he started attacking the rim and playing like normal before he got hurt. Now that he's back I look forward to him taking the lead on this team. How he learns to interact and play with the young bigs will play a large roll in the success of this team. I still argue that he can be the primary scoring option on a championship team. He just needs an all-star caliber big (PF or Center), an above average PG (Beno needs to get better. He doesn't need to be Chris Paul, but at least a Billups quality starter) and the right role players.

John Salmons:

He is having a great year. GREAT. Sure, he pounds the ball and really likes to dribble, but you cannot say he hasn't exceeded expectations. If I told you that Salmons was going to average 19.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1assists and shoot over 50% from the field you wouldn't of believe me. Sure, he needs to step up his rebounding, but his offensive efficiency and strong defense have made him a pleasant surprise. It says good things about our team when I think his success is only the third most impressive thing about this season.

Jason Thompson:

Speaking of impressive parts of our team, JT looks fantastic. He looks SO much better than I expected. He is still a little rough around the edges, but his rebounding, defense and knack for the ball around the rim are promising. Several of us has complained about his lack of minutes, but I find how he is being utilized far more frustrating. Reggie runs absolutely ZERO plays for him. At the beginning of the year we were also so impressed with his ability to play with his back to the basket, and operate with the ball. It's almost as if Reggie see's his ability to rebound (especially on the offensive end) and thinks that will get him the ball often enough. Whether he comes off the bench before or after MM, he needs to get the opportunity to use his skills. That being said, why the eff are we putting MM in the game before JT? Come on! Mikki is the model "energy off the bench guy" so let's use him like that. Free JT.

Spencer Hawes:

Proof that I should never be a professional NBA GM. I was pissed when we drafted Spencer. Pissed. Now I he has shown himself to be a future all-star and important part of bringing this team back to contention. It's unbelievable. My SoCal Laker fans all admit he is going to be great, but I'll get back to that in my overall King's thoughts. Spencer has great hands and the type of court vision that cannot be taught. Pair that with his quickly improving hook shots, ability to pull the defense out with a respectable 3-point shot, fundamental footwork and passing ability and we have one good player. Oh yah, and he's only in his second NBA season. My only frustration with him comes when he falls in love with the mid-range jumper (an important PART of his game, not the majority of his game) and shows the Brad Miller pouty face. It hasn't made appearances as often this year, but it is the one trait of Brad's I do not want him to inherit.

Donte (how the eff do I get that dash over the E) Green:

Raw talent. I love it. I think I differ from many of you in how high I think his ceiling will be. He reminds me of Gerald Wallace, only Donte is coming in to a system that will allow him to play and develop his game. I really think he can be the future SF for the team. Not yet, but give him a few years.

Francisco Garcia:

Get healthy. You are a bad ass. This team needs a bad ass. Get healthy, hit some shots and being out the snarl.

Brad Miller:

Please see ForThree's brilliant post for the basis of my feelings. I like Brad, always have and always will. However, I do not want to see him traded this year (unless we get something REALLY good of course). His passing and ability to run the offense offer a great learning experience for our young big guys. Miller benefited from playing with Vlade, and I belive JT and Hawes will benefit from playing with Miller. I am ok with starting Brad or brining him off the bench, but I think he is ready to play 20-25 minutes a game along side a wide range of line-ups. Let's not forget how bad our offense looked during the first few games while he was suspended.

Mikki Moore:

In his defense he really does do all the little things. He sets good screens, he takes the charge, he hussles. He also can't catch in traffic, barely rebounds the ball and scores at an impressively low rate for an NBA starter.

But there in lies the problem, he should not be a starter. I actually think that this is the worst possible situation for him. He needs to be coming off the bench for a good team. He brings tons of energy, and like I said above, does all the small things. He should be a pretty enticing piece in a trade. He is a solid back up, and would do whatever the coach asks of him. I hope he ends the season on a contender where he belongs.

Bobby Brown:

Bobby Brown? This team has Bobby fucking Brown?!? How cool is that!

Bobby B came out of no where but with every little step he earned his minutes. I have always found that no-name shooters tend to be ball hogs when given minutes on the big stage, but BB really is seems the exception, proving that he doesn't always have to be the king of stage. Not only does he have no problem sharing the rock wit cha, he really looks to be pretty good at it. Sure, he can knock down some deadly jumpers, but he never seems to make it his prerogative. Where he falls in the future of our team is yet to be seen, but he is a great new edition.

Bobby Jackson:

I love you Bobby, I really do. However it is so clear that your time has come and gone. You no longer elevate on your jumper, which forces you to shoot a fade-away in order to get the ball over your defender. Your still have ice water in your veins, but you just can't pull it off like you could before. It makes me smile to see you in a Kings uniform, but it is time to take on more of a coaching role, and give the back-up PG minutes to Bobby B. When our shooters are cold or we need some late game guts, we'll be sure to call on you.

Quincy Douby:

I'll just come out and say it; Quincy Douby has become a Martyr on this team. Yes he has let us down, repeatedly, this year, but he does not deserve the level of blame he has recieved. He will probably be remembered as Petrie's biggest bust, but nobody bats a thousand. It has been said before but confidence really seems to be his biggest problem. He has shown un moments of brilliance (recall last years game against the Lakers) but it they are just too few and far between. I sadly believe that after his game against the Jazz he is destined to ride pine beside the unbeloved K9. Douby does not deserve that, he is better than that. I hope that we can include him on a trade where he will have another chance at success. Hopefully he can make the most of it, because it will probably be his last chance at the NBA.

Reggie Theus:

I stuggle with how to feel about Reggie more than any of part of this team. Sure, Reggie's substitution patterns, poor play-calling, horrible inability to close games/quarters and an undefendable love for Mikki Moore drive me nuts, but we cant say this year hasn't been entertaining. The team of two years ago was my least favorite because they never looked like they cared, and didn't try as hard as their salaries warranted. These 08-09 guys care. I think part of that comes from youth getting minutes and wanting to prove themselves, but we have to give Reggie his credit. The effort has been great (except for that first game against Portland) and you can tell the guys really want it. The Kings are not going to contend for the playoffs this year, but if Reggie can get them to play as hard as they can for the entire season, he deserves respect for that.

That being said, Reggie clearly has no future with the Kings. At this point, I do not see the benefit of firing him mid season. Especially when he hasn't been coaching a healthy team all year. Lets give Speedy another week or so to get to full speed, plus a healthy Salmons, and things could look a lot different. If things don't get better, than we can begin to explore brining in another coach.

The Sacramento Dance Team:

They're still hot. It looks like some of the "trouble makers" didn't make it back on the team this year. But really this is just my pathetic excuse to show a picture.

your Sacramento Kings:

I am actually pretty happy about our team. Sure, the 5-15 record sucks, and so does watching us lose 6 games by one possession or less in a two week stretch. However, this team is full of potential. If you actually read my entire post above, you can see how positive I feel about so many players. We are actually in a really lucky situation. We have one proven all-star caliber player and several young players with the potential to be all-stars. Obviously not all of them will pan out, but some of them will. Pair that with our upcoming cap room in the summer of 2010 (and potentially 2009) abd we have a lot to look forward to.

I went to a bar with some of my Laker friends last week to watch some basketball. I received a back-handed compliment from one of my friends, that I think really sums up how I (and obviously he) feels about our future. "Watching your team, it's clear they aren't very good. But they got some pieces., they're just too young. We probably won't even make a big deal about the Lakers-Kings games this year. But at least your team is rebuilding. It'll be cool in a year or two when the rivalry heats up again."

First, I obviously I didn't tape recorded the conversation, so that quote isn't word-for-word accurate. But secondly, while my friend was take a little jab at me he complimented our young guys (he also thinks Hawes will be great) and admitted our future was bright. There is a light at the end of the tunnel; we just have to wait to get there. I see us contending for the playoffs next year, and potentially contending for it all 1-3 years after that.

But hey, this is all just my opinion after 20 games. :)

Stein's pre-season Power Rankings

27freethrows — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:13:06 -0000

Stein's pre-season Power Rankings

Mark Stein is one of the only national writers that has any merit in my eyes. I think he's pretty close with his pre-season (pre-training camp really) rankings. He puts the Kings at 23, when I would rank them at 19. Just an FYI to the Sactown faithful.

It's been a while...

27freethrows — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:31:36 -0000

...I know its been a while since I've posted. Pretty much since the season ended. While I still read the site every day, I wasn't going to post until after the Finals. I needed to detox. And then this story broke, so much for that idea.

(I have TONS of thoughts on so many posts, which I will respond to over the next bottle of wine...I mean few hours. First, I want to get to some of my thoughts).

After I got past the above initial reaction, I felt something that I did not expect; vindication. I always felt that we got cheated in that game. It wasn't just bad calls, it was something bigger. As my seemingly infinite rants have shown, I hate Laker fans. I often hate Laker fans more than the Lakers themselves. Moving to SoCal will do that to a person. Today was a little different though. The Game 6 argument is over. Several Laker fans actually approached me today with an apologetic tone. They always knew it too, but now they cant avoid it.

People down here had previously admitted that Game 6 consisted of possibly the worst officiating the NBA had ever seen. Now there is a reason. Greed. I dont think the NBA cared who eventually won the series, they just wanted the extra $ a game 7 would bring. No matter how either team played, the Kings were not going to win that game. The fix was in.

I actually thought this to myself hundreds of times, but wouldnt admit it could actually be true. Now I have zero doubt. None. Bill Simmons touched on the situation a little in his article today, and I think it deserves some attention:

I have decided to ignore Tim Donaghy's "accusations" about chicanery with NBA officiating for the same reason I argued we should have ignored Matt Walsh during SpyGate -- if someone's a complete scumbag, then anything he says should be taken with the caveat that a complete scumbag is saying it. Besides, we didn't need Donaghy to tell us something horribly unsettling happened with the officiating for Game 6 of the 2002 Kings-Lakers series. We all watched it and I have written about it at least 10 different times -- along with Game 7 of the Sonics-Suns series in '93, LJ's Four-Point Play in '99 and the Hubert Davis Game, it was one of the four fishiest NBA games since I graduated college. Actually, "fishiest" isn't a strong enough word. The credibility of the sport was briefly compromised.

I will differ with Bill, and many of you here (including the great section214) on one point. Donaghy is a perfect source for this. information Who better to talk about a fixed game, than a referee from the same sport that has admitted to gambling on, and fixing several games. He is the Jose Canseco of the subject. Dirtbag, hell yes. But also the person that I would listen to in this situation. The man really has nothing to gain from these allegations. The situation reminds me of McNamee. When the Clemens story broke, he held many details back, and actually lied to make Clemens seem less guilty. Then Clemens went after him, and McNamee let the truth come out. Why would Donaghy bring this up during his gambling allegations? Now that the NBA is going after him for $1 million, the gloves are off. I for one, am listening.

Another interesting note I dug up online today.

NBA referee Bob Delaney, one of three referees to work Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals, told Bob Ley in an interview for ESPN's "Outside The Lines First Report" that he has never been contacted by NBA or federal investigators concerning allegations by former referee Tim Donaghy that two referees in that game intended to assure that series went seven games.

Wouldn't at least talking to the referees from Game 6 be an important part of investigating the situation? David Stern and the NBA want nothing more than for this story to go away. They dont want to get to the bottom of anything, they just want it to go away. Hell, can you imagine in they could prove that the game was fixed? What then? The past cannot be changed, so they just want to pretend it never happened.

This really is a situation that cannot be fixed. There are only losers here; the Kings were robbed of a championship, and Kings fans had their hearts ripped out. Hell, I would argue even the Lakers have been hurt by this. Sure, they got to 3-peat, but a dishonest win just doesnt feel as good. Plus, if this has happened once, I am sure it has happened other times. The Suns getting screwed last year also comes to mind. This really hurts every NBA fan, the honesty of the game is at stake.

All of that said, will I still watch the games? You better believe it. Sports are a part of my life, and the Kings (and yes, fellow Kings fans) are part of "sport family". Things may not be perfect, and bad things happen, but we stick together. Like I have told seemingly hundreds of people before, "I would rather be a Kings fan and lose, then a Laker fan and win."

Oh yah, the entire 4th quarter of the game can be seen on YouTube, it is broken down over several segments. Some of you sadists out there might want to give it a try. It's not easy.

Lastly, I've missed talking with all you guys (girls too). Hell, I even missed coolcat. Something is wrong with me.

Will Beno re-sign?

27freethrows — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:52:03 -0000

This is from the Yahoo Fantasy Sports news page, but is references the Bee. I for one really hope he re-signs.

Mar 26 Udrih, questionable with back spasms Wednesday versus Memphis, recently said he isn't sure whether he will sign with Sacramento beyond this season, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Recommendation: "We'll see," said Udrih, who signed a one-year contract with the Kings in 2007-08. "It's too early to say ... I have seriously no clue. The season is still going, so we'll talk about it later." The fourth-year point guard will be a hot commodity on the free agent market this summer. He wants to know his future before July 7, so he can play for the Slovenian national squad. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents July 1.

A divisive subject at StR

27freethrows — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:46:12 -0000

Anyone that reads Sactown Royatly on a semi-often basis has surely noticed a recent split among the commons; basically the "pro" and "anti" Artest camps.

I will begin my diary with the following discalimer. I truly believe we all want nothing but whats best for the Kings; whether it be short term or long term, we all want to see our team succeed.

That being said, there is a clear line in the sand. Those that like Ron and all the talents he brings to the table, and those that belive his minuses outwy his plusses. Anyone that belive he has no talent or no flaws are simply going to be ignored here. Welcome to the real world of blogging (wow, next I'll defend Wikipediea's accuracy).

Ron Artest can f*cking play. Period. And he plays both ways. And he plays hard. If you dont like that, you dont like Kings basketball. However, Ron loves Ron. In his own mind he should go for 40 and 15 every night. Here's the thing, I think he could too. However, for him to get that kind of production, he has to look for himself first, second and third. The rest of the team would truly become a second thought.

On the flip side, this team is weak defensively without him. You cant argue with that fact, you just cant. Look at his +/- numbers. While his help defense isnt stellar, his one-on-one defense is. His intensity and tenacity bring a lot to the floor every night.

Since the "we should/shouldnt have traded him at the deadline" argument has been beaten to death, I wont go there. Also, no matter what the most recent quote or interview says, we have no way of knowing if Artest will be with the team next year.

All of this being said, lets get past the personal bickering around him. It's sad that on a site built to bring Kings fans together, we have resorted to attacking eachother personally based on our opinion of one individual player. I am not saying we should not debate his, or any other players, place in our future. Butlets not make our opinions on him a subject of hatred. Its sad to see the sixth post of an open game thread attack the opinions of others (that hadnt said a thing) instead of discusing the game in any way.

We are all Kings fan first, right? Plus, our next game is against the Lakers, so lets start to band together.

Sonic fans bring me clarity

27freethrows — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:22:09 -0000

I have purposely avoided all things Kings since the loss to the Heat. The lack of effort killed me. Learning that much of it was due to partying too much the night before made it even worse. I didnt watch the Kings-Hawks game by choice. That is the first game I have missed all year that I was available to watch. I did not follow online either. I just read the game thread this morning, snd I am glad I did not watch.

I hated last years team more than any team in the last 15 years, becuase they never looked like they cared. I loved the team early this year mostly becuase of its balls-to-the-wall effort. And thats the thing, I care. I dont get paid to play, I pay $179 to watch on league pass.

Bill Simmons currently has a mailbag dedicated to Sonic fans, allowing them to vent their frustration with the new owners. While the idea of their team abandoming them is depressing, the passion in their words ended up being very uplifting. I read the entire article, which took me well over an hour, because it is over 15,000 words long. I highly recommend the read, but dont print it (paper comes from trees!).

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080228&sportCat=nba

Any way, I am not sure if this diary even has a point, but I had some feelings I wanted to get out, and I already feel bad for my wife having to listen to my never ending Kings rants.

This off season, I look forward to not even trying to re-sign Artest, and building for the future. I sure wish we had gotten an extra draft pick or something for him at the deadline, because some young, excited kids playing their hearts out will be refreshing. I dont think Ron doesnt play hard, quite the contrary actually. I do however think that his blackhole-idness (my diary, my words) brings everyone else down. Even coolcat now wants to start this kids instead of Artest. Good thing he didnt get traded.

Sorry to be such a downer, I just love this team, and think if we as fans deserve anything, its effort.

Some how, a drunken Nash-Dirk combo makes me feel better.

Artest's thought on being a King

27freethrows — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 03:33:44 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3259681

Hhhmmmm... which way do I want to take this? Part of me thinks he is just giving a non-answer because he doesnt want to talk about it. ANother part of me thinks he KNOWS he wont be a Kings next year. And probably the smartest part of me just thinks Ron is crazy.

Poll

Will Ron Artest be a King next year?

Yes - The Kings will re-sign him

16 votes

Yes - Artest isnt going to opt out

15 votes

No

17 votes

48 votes | Poll has closed