SB Nation User Blog: Exhibit G

At Kings summer league practice in Vegas - Casspi here but cant play cuz of FIBA paperwork holdup....

Exhibit G — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:28:31 -0000

At Kings summer league practice in Vegas - Casspi here but cant play cuz of FIBA paperwork holdup. No Hawes for couple days.

Casspi could play by tomorrow though. First game is Friday.

Sam Amick, back from vacation and updating us on Twitter

On vacation, but thought I'd share cliff notes on what to expect from Kings in free agency: not...

Exhibit G — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:08:32 -0000

On vacation, but thought I'd share cliff notes on what to expect from Kings in free agency: not much. A big -maybe Diogu- and no big splash.

Sam Amick, via Twitter.

Can we stop talking about Hedo now? Thanks.

The Four Best Words in Sacramento

Exhibit G — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:59:14 -0000

Right now I think the 4 best words out there are "Kenny Thomas' Expiring Contract". Congrats Kenny! You've moved into the lexicon with legends such as P.J. Brown, Penny Hardaway and Raef LaFrentz!

Kenny Thomas is slated to make a little over $8.7 million this season. A staggering number considering his production. But he might be the best asset on the team this season. He either provides us cap relief towards next summer's storied free agent class of 2010, or he could be traded to a team looking for cap relief. Either way, we'll be in a better situation.

I've always wondered what it would feel like to be known only for the fact that I represented upcoming cap space. The idea that you are so worthless and overpaid that someone would trade for you simply because they wouldn't have you around the following season. It astounds me. As a professional athlete, one would think that you'd have a certain level of pride. Players are derailed for a variety of reasons, obviously. Hardaway and LaFrentz were betrayed by their bodies, P.J. was just getting old. Hell, Brown was still a valuable asset beyond just his expiring contract.

That brings me back to the case of Kenny Thomas. His downfall in Sacramento has been due to not meshing with the coaching staff(s), not trying, or both. Since he's been in Sacramento through several coaches, it probably is not a reach to assume that his downfall is due more to a lack of effort than a coaching style clash.

But imagine if he cared again. There was a time when Thomas was a serviceable player, and a pretty good rebounder. How tempting might he be to a team seeking cap relief next summer, and also seeing Thomas as a guy who needs a change of scenery? I don't know that anyone is out there who might think that. There's little evidence to support such an idea. But how about this, what if someone wants to capitalize on a player who once showed some ability, represents cap space in the summer of 2010, and is in a contract year and has shown motivation only when working towards a new contract? Suddenly, Kenny Thomas could be very appealing.

And even if the Kings don't get any quality players in a trade, they can hold Thomas for another season and have cap space next summer. After all we've been through, what's one more season with Kenny Thomas on the bench?

For once, having Thomas on the roster is a win-win situation.

Q: Is there a particular position you prefer to play, shooting guard, point guard? A: Not...

Exhibit G — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:25:57 -0000

Q: Is there a particular position you prefer to play, shooting guard, point guard?

A: Not really. A lot of coaches ask me that question a lot, and I tell them I’m a basketball player. I can play both positions.

The Baseline does a Q&A with Tyreke Evans

To My Unborn Child

Exhibit G — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 03:23:48 -0000

To be a fan of the Sacramento Kings is to endure anguish, confusion, and disappointment.

On April 13th, 2009, my girlfriend had purchased lower-level tickets for me to see the Sacramento Kings visiting the Denver Nuggets. It was an amazing early birthday present. A couple hours before we left for the game, we found out she was pregnant.

Finding out you're going to be a father is a lot like being a fan of the Kings during the NBA Draft. At first there is a sense of not understanding what has just happened. Then comes fear. At a certain point you accept what has happened. And then you get excited at the idea of it all.

I'm ecstatic to become a father. But I've struggled with one very important question: Do I want my child to be a Kings fan?

We're fans due to a variety of reasons. Some of us were born in or near Sacramento. Some of us got hooked by a specific player. Some of us fell in love with the golden days of 1999-2002. Some of us might have been inducted by family ties. Regardless of why we became fans, we stay fans because we hope that someday we'll be rewarded. Kings fans in particular have struggled a lot. I'd rather not recap the struggles, because after the disappointment some fans felt during this draft I fear that I would push a few folks over the edge and cause a major incident.

But we hope for the payoff. We look forward to the Kings winning an NBA Championship, and being able to say that we were there through it all. A fairweather fan of the [redacted] cannot appreciate how much a Championship would mean to a Kings fan. But this joy would be produced from pain, struggles, and disappointment.

I've wondered to myself if I want to put my child through that pain. Do I want him (I'm going to say him, although my girlfriend insists that it is a 'her') to expect to be disappointed? I live in Colorado, so it isn't easy to be a Kings fan. My friends laugh at my team. The Kings are never on television. If it wasn't for this site, I'd be terribly out of touch with the day-to-day events of the team. What kind of fan experience is that?

The Kings had the 4th pick last night. Griffin, Thabeet and Harden had all been taken, according to our plan. My cousin in Sacramento texted me, saying that things had gone according to plan. Rubio had fallen to us. My response? I told him I wasn't going to celebrate until I heard Rubio's name called. What kind of reaction is that? Everything went to plan, and I was expecting to be let down. Do I want my child to know that pain?

I've always trusted Geoff Petrie. It's the greatest thing about being a Kings fan. Last year I wrote a piece defending the pick of Jason Thompson with the 12th pick. I wrote about how I trust that Petrie knows more about basketball than I do. I wrote about how if Thompson proved the naysayers wrong, we'd love him forever. This season I detested any notion of trading Thompson for the chance to draft Rubio. Thompson validated Petrie, as he's been validated so many times before. And yet again this year I felt like I couldn't believe what Petrie had just done.

My initial reaction was that this was the time when Petrie was wrong. At this moment, I still feel this way. But just like Hawes and Thompson, like Williams and Stojakovic, like Turkoglu and Wallace, I'm ready to be proved wrong. I want to be proved wrong.

I loved the trade for Sergio Rodriguez. I like the Omri Casspi pick. I hadn't heard of Jon Brockman. Overall, this draft could have been a lot worse.

I was horribly disappointed, but I still hold out hope. How many fans can say that after this draft? Do Minnesota fans have any faith that Kahn knows what he's doing? Do Memphis fans trust that Thabeet was the best choice? Do they feel that confidence, year after year?

As a majority, we're disappointed. Some were never sold on Rubio, but many viewed him as the guy for us. But we still believe. This may be Petrie's tipping point. It was a high profile pick where he went against the common logic. Not unusual for Petrie, but it is on a bigger stage.

So back to the question at hand, would I want my child to be a Kings fan? Yes. It is painful now, but if my child can enjoy that redemption with me when the Kings win a Championship it will all be worth it. If it happens when the child is 5 years old, it may not mean as much to the kid, but it will mean a lot of great things to me. If it happens when he's 20, it will mean a lot to the kid, and a ton to me. I'd be 46 at that point. That would be a long time to have waited, but it would suddenly all be worthwhile. I'd love to be able to share that moment with my child, and have my kid understand the importance, well, it's one of the greatest things I can imagine.

Being a fan of a small market team is painful, but it comes with great potential for reward. No pain, no gain, and all those other lessons our fathers taught us. I'd love to share those lessons.

Yes, I want my child to be a Kings fan, for better or for worse.

Blazers leapfrog us...again

Exhibit G — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:17:05 -0000

Blazers leapfrog us...again

The Blazers traded 3 picks to Dallas in order to move from the 24th pick to the 22nd.

Original Script for Moneyball

Exhibit G — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:50:59 -0000

Original Script for Moneyball

The link is to a PDF file.

Apparently this is the script before the re-write.

Rubio may be about to come off the board. Don't be shocked if Minn. packages 5 and 6 for No. 2 from...

Exhibit G — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:05:23 -0000

Rubio may be about to come off the board. Don't be shocked if Minn. packages 5 and 6 for No. 2 from Memphis.

New T-Wolves GM David Kahn promised to make a splash - http://bit.ly/18WlRj - and I'm told it's Rubio if Griz comply and give up # 2.

Sam Amick, via Twitter

Wiz traded the number 5 to Minnesota. Minnesota has the 5th and 6th pick, which they could package to move up to 2.

Intrigue and Scandal and Such

Exhibit G — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:33:29 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Browse more photos »

My brain is mush. A horrible season has caused us to be evaluating prospects and talking about the draft since January. Frankly, I'm tired. This draft has more smokescreens than a John Woo movie. But still I'm going to try to make sense of it.

The Grizzlies are trying to puff their chest out and be a big player, saying they'll draft Ricky Rubio, but nobody is buying it. Chris Wallace is already a bit of a laughingstock, and he can't afford to end up with egg on his face again. Deep down, he knows he cannot go toe-to-toe with Fegan. And he knows he would have zero leverage if he drafted Rubio and tried to trade him. Wallace has made some dumb moves, but I have faith that he is smart enough to realize this (can't be that dumb, right? Right?). So the Grizzlies will not draft him.

The bigger question then becomes whether or not they trade the pick. Based on everything Amick has reported, it doesn't sound like the Kings are going to blink. They'll stay at 4 and get what they get. This is actually a much bigger deal than we've realized up until this point.

It is being widely reported that Memphis actually likes Tyreke Evans, and would like to draft him. But Wallace thinks he can trade down and still get him. There is no incentive for OKC to trade up, so you're looking at any team after Washington. It is possible that this could happen. But the catch is that if Rubio is off the board, it is very likely the Kings will draft Evans. This is why the Kings refusal to trade up is so key. Memphis can draft Evans, or they can trade their pick. They, in all likelyhood, cannot do both.

But there is yet another wrinkle. Do the Kings actually like Evans that much? Personally, I think they actually do. But it could just be the single greatest smokescreen misdirection ever pulled.

Have I clarified the situation? Yeah, I didn't think so. Is it Thursday yet?

Jonny Flynn added to Sunday's Kings workout

Exhibit G — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:27:00 -0000

Jonny Flynn added to Sunday's Kings workout

Sam Amick's Twitter

UPDATE: Patty Mills, too.