There was a time when Tyreke Evans was the team's best player without question. Having won Rookie of the Year, 20-5-5, and every other bit of praise we heaped upon him, Tyreke was the future of the Kings. This offseason, amidst speculation that he might be traded, I found myself struggling to define his place in the current roster. I'm not talking about position or where he fits in the rotation. Where does Tyreke rank amongst Kings guards?

Clearly, Tyreke ranks somewhere with Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas. Tyreke is the youngest of the group, but has lost some of his luster. Isaiah is probably the fan favorite, but do we think he's better (however you define "better") than Reke? I'm not sure where they fall out anymore.

So with that, I leave it to the community to decide.

Continue reading this post »

DeMarcus Cousins led the league in offensive rebounds this season, his second year in the league. Cousins pulled down 265 offensive rebounds this season according to the official stats (more on this in a moment), 14 more than Joakim Noah (second highest), and 26 more than Greg Monroe, to which Cousins is often compared.

However, Cousins is a man with a reputation. Actually, Cousins is man with several reputations, but one specific reputation regarding his rebounding. Cousins is known as a player who rebounds his own misses. It's easy to understand this reputation. Cousins has a low shooting percentage, particularly for a big man. And anecdotal observations seems to support this idea. It's not an uncommon sight to see Cousins tip the ball around the rim several times before scoring. But is the reputation true?

I recently subscribed to Synergy sports for the offseason. I want to clarify that this post is in no way a sponsored post, nor have I been given any compensation such as a free subscription (but hey, Synergy guys, if you're reading this I certainly wouldn't mind!).

I set out to determine if the reputation is deserved or a myth. Using Synergy, I watched every offensive rebound Cousins had this season. I then tracked whether it was an offensive rebound of his own missed shot, or the shot of a teammate. Then, for the sake of comparison (because science!), I did the same with Greg Monroe. I chose to use Monroe rather than Noah for several reasons. Monroe and Cousins have remarkably similar stats, are both in their second seasons, and are both on teams that are, uh, not good. I felt this would give a more accurate barometer of how Cousins rated. Additionally, I have it on good authority that the Kings would trade Cousins for Monroe "in a cocaine heartbeat".

Continue reading this post »

The NBA announced today that Kyrie Irving won this year's NBA Rookie of the Year award. The Kings Isaiah Thomas placed seventh in the voting. Thomas received no first place votes, 6 second place votes, and 10 third place votes.

Although Irving was the expected winner of the award, it is surprising that Thomas finished so low. IT had regularly been debated to place somewhere between second and fourth in voting, in contention with runner-up Ricky Rubio and third place finisher Kenneth Faried. Instead, Thomas was also surpassed by Kawhi Leonard, Iman Shumpert, an Klay Thompson.

Although disappointing, seventh amongst all rookies caps an incredible season for the 60th pick in the draft. "Mr. Irrelevant" earned a role in the Kings starting line-up, finished the season with an average of 11.5 points and 4.1 assist per game, averaging 25.5 minutes per contest. Thomas also won Rookie of the Month honors in February and March. Irving was the only other rookie to win the honor more than once this season.

There is some discussion of the award and voting in Dub_TC's fanshot. A full breakdown of the votes can be found after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

As a public service, we at Sactown Royalty would like to address an important issue we've observed in the Kings community. Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling, is a very serious issue. It can ruin the lives of not only those afflicted, but the lives of those who know and depend on the addict.

We're going to detail a few signs that might indicate if you have a problem.

Do you find yourself sacrificing things that were once important to you in order to finance your addiction?

For example, do you find yourself selling family assets, like a beer distributorship, because you know your luck will turn around if you can keep playing just a little longer?

Do you keep gambling even when you can't afford to lose?

For example, do you try to roll the dice even when you have extensive debts? When a new debt requires going even further into the whole, do you find yourself drawn to rolling the dice yet again?

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

David Stern's press conference did not go as Kings fans would have hoped. Stern began his comments this afternoon by stating that, regardless of whether you call it a term sheet or an agreement or anything else, it was always considered non-binding.

Stern said, ""I think it's fair for Maloofs to say they didn't want to do it." Stern added, "If they did it a little earlier, a little simpler and a little more directly, it could have saved some angst."

In perhaps the most surprising announcement, Stern stated that the league had committed to front the Maloofs $67 million up front towards the arena deal, and another $7 million after that. That's $74 million dollars, essentially covering the Maloof family's entire financial responsibility in the proposed arena deal.

As Stern was meeting with the press, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson was meeting with the Maloofs. Stern stated that he was "hopeful" that the two sides could reach an agreement, but added that he was "not optimistic."

As for the team's future in Sacramento, Stern would only say that the Kings would be in Sacramento next season. He declined to comment or speculate beyond next year.

The general tone of Stern's comments indicated that he believes the deal as we knew it is dead. There is one more important press conference today, as Kevin Johnson will address the media later this afternoon. His comments will provide some insight as to whether the current arena proposal has any life remaining.

Well, that happened.

The Maloofs held a press conference earlier today during which they presented what is assumed to be the same presentation they gave to the Board of Governers yesterday. The presentation detailed the Maloof family's perceived problems with the current arena deal that the family agreed to in Orlando.

The presentation began with the Maloof's economist presenting claims that the deal is unrealistic and not acceptable financially. The presentation then went on to claim that the deal was perilous to the city, and suggested the city of Sacramento could not afford the deal as currently constructed.

At the conclusion of the presentation, George Maloof answered questions from the Sacramento media. This is where things really went off the rails. After the jump, a breakdown of the topics covered.

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

Men shut their doors against a setting sun.

William Shakespeare

Continue reading this post »

There is an NBA player right now who will be available for trade this offseason. For the purpose of the exercise, please accept that I know for a fact he will be available this offseason. He is a young power forward, early 20s, and is putting up some fantastic numbers.

Last season he put up over 13 points and 8 board per game. Over 17 and 11 per 36 minutes. This season, he's putting up about 14 points and 6 rebounds per game, 18 and 8 per 36 minutes. He's boasting a .599 TS%, up from .503 last season. His PER has jumped from 15.6 last season to 20.8 this season.

What would you give up to get this player?

Continue reading this post »

I'm a fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Well, sorta.

[Note: I swear this is going to eventually relate to the Kings. But rather than waste space on the front page, the majority of this post is after the jump.]

Continue reading this post »

The NBA's trade deadline has come and gone. The Kings were not involved in any trades, and the only rumored discussion was the Kings rebuffing Denver's offer of Nene for DeMarcus Cousins about a month ago.

We do not know if the Kings were actually involved in discussions today or not, and to assume that a lack of actions is equal to a lack of effort is unfair and presumptuous. The Kings, like 29 other teams today, were likely working the phones right up to the deadline. And unless we know of a deal that the Kings missed out on, we can't criticize the decision not to make a trade.

This isn't to say we shouldn't be frustrated, simply that we need to be mindful of why we're frustrated.

Continue reading this post »

National TV audience. Win over a powerhouse playoff team.

Dance, you fools.

Last night's game was ugly. There is no doubt about it, no defending the effort, and you'd be hard pressed to find a silver lining. It is still only one game. We hope the team will rebound tonight against Toronto. We also hope the team will pass, score, and defend against Toronto tonight, but that's beside the point.

I think it is too early to jump to conclusions about the team or individual players based on last night's game. We can begin to come to some conclusions based on the season as a whole, but even that has to be considered in the context of what has happened this season. The Kings have a very young roster, with many new players, no preseason, a shortened training camp, and now a new coach with almost no practice time. It's going to be ugly.

Despite all that, there are certain things we can identify. We can conclude that our Small Forward rotation is playing terribly. We can conclude that this team could really use Chuck Hayes back as soon as possible. The masses seem to have concluded that we need a true point guard.

Personally, I think we need another gunner.

Continue reading this post »

When news broke yesterday that Paul Westphal had suspended DeMarcus Cousins, two camps became immediately vocal. There were some who jumped to "I told you so", "he's a locker room cancer", or Derrick Coleman jokes. Those who jump to this camp are in the national media, and right here at Sactown Royalty. Their position is understandable. DeMarcus is a volatile player who exhibits a great deal of emotion on the court. Last season, a lot of that emotion was negative. Getting the benefit of the doubt is something you earn, and Cousins hasn't earned it. I get that.

I'm not here to explain why those people are wrong. I'm here to explain why I immediately went to the other camp, the side that is defending DeMarcus as loud as I can.

Continue reading this post »

Kings open the season with a win. Let's dance!