According to realgm.com, Ricky (Youtube) Rubio is staying in Spain for a few more seasons afterall. I know I was in the minority in that I wanted NOTHING to do with this kid, but its still discouraging that were not going to be able to watch him in the L this year. I know Minnesota isnt exactly the picture-perfect location for a European seeking an American local, but come on bud! He wasnt the first player, nor will he be the last, to be drafted by a City that they dont perceive to have the ideal zip code for their interest...Hell...Say what you want about a guy like Stephon Marbury, but I clearly remember watching him cry tears of joy on Draft Night, and that was even after he knew he was Minnesota bound (post Mil trade). At least he played the game!!!! ...If this report holds true, has Rubio officially entered the class of guys like Stevie Franchise (can we even still call him that?) , John Elway  and Eli (Im a spoiled bitch) Manning?!?! ....And I really dont buy the argument that....." He's gotta contract to pay off..... He'd be pretty much playing for free... etc etc). If this kid was as good as advertized, he (and his agent) should have gotten off their lazy asses and actually worked out for teams, like every other player in the draft did....This story just reinforces my argument that Petrie made the right move by not drafting this spoiled brat....I hope this report is wrong and that he actually hoops this year, but the chances of that aernt looking so good right now..

True, this story hasnt been picked up by major news corporations like ESPN, etc....But I wouldnt at all be surprised if its picked up by the media in the next 48 hours or so....

Eventhough Ive always felt that Evans was the right pick, I was still looking forward to seeing this kid play this year-

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/60284/20090702/rubio_will_stay_in_spain_for_two_seasons/

Random Thought # 1 - Am I the only one who is convinced that K-9 ....oops, I mean Kenny Thomas (He doesnt deserve a nickname) wears Jeans underneath his Kings Warm-Ups so that he can leave Arco right after the game ends?

Random Thought # 2 - I fully support trading Kenny and The B-52 Bomber ....Oops, I mean Brad Miller (He doesnt deserve a nickname either) should be traded to Miami ASAP if in fact a deal is on the table.

Just thinking out loud fellas--

Below is a link to a pretty damn good article about Brandon Jennings from Espn.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3715746

There was some talk earlier on in the year initiated on STR regarding the 09 Draft and how it could affect the future of the PG position on the Kings. I said it then, and I'll say it again, I hope the Kings pick up a PG with their top pick in the 09 Draft, assuming of course that there isnt an oppotunity that Petrie and Co. cant refuse. I think Beno can become a decent NBA PG, especially as he continues to develop, but truth of the matter is that he should not be a starting PG in the NBA on any team that has aspirations to succeed. Lets not forget that our starting PG was let go by the Spurs and CUT by the horrible T-Wolves. I understand that being cut from a team isnt always an indicator of a guys worth, but it sure as hell does speak (even if in little part) to a guys game. For the record, I would like to see Beno come off the Kings bench as our 6th man in 09'-10' where I believe he belongs, and can be damn effective. Aside from the 1, I see the Kings having 2-5 (with what ive seen from Shock and Hawes & the potential that Greene brings to the table) in place for years to come. I'm intruiged with the possibility of that missing piece currently playing in a ski resort town in Italy.

The article posted above speaks for itself but for those of you choosing not to read it, I'll summarize my thoughts from it. Along with Rubio (who has a strong fanbase already,) Brandon Jennings is the most intruiging figure playing amateur ball right now. Although I still think he should have enrolled at Point Guard U (Zona, for all you lacking College Hoops lingo,) he seems to be truly benefitting from playing overseas. When this question of whether Rubio or Jennings would be a better prospect, an STR member (I think it was KingsfaninCentralEurope,) indicated that Jennings had been struggling overseas. The article briefly touches on this and continues to explain how his Croatian coach has "whooped" him into shape with some tough-love and dicipline. This dicipline approach rarely occurs in the States on college campuses when it comes to  prized recruits, hence why soo many studs in college come out after a year and are still undicipline. The article alludes to the fact that Jnnings has replaced some of his "flashier tendencies" with a more conventional approach to the game (Think Derrick Rose as opposed to Sebastian Telfair).If Jennings can use this year overseas as a maturing lesson, he can truely benefit from the experience and become a better NBA PG than he would have if he had chosen the "one and done" approach in college. He'll definently be a lottery pick and I hope the Kings can grab him up before some other lottery-stricken team does, its obvious we need an NBA starting PG.......That is, of course, Rubio decides to enter and hasnt already mezmorized GP & Co.

Chad Ford from ESPN just posted his Mock Draft 6!

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=MockDraft-080623

And its a bit of a surprise!

He has the Kings taking Mario Chalmers with the 12th pick. I think its safe to say Ford believes that Kings are drafting for "need" as opposed to best player "availiable." Ford must be convinced that Chalmers is working out REAL well during his leaguewide auditions.

I havn't had time to digest this scenario yet, therefore, I dont really have an opinion on the possibility of Chalmers coming to Sac with the 12th pick as of right now. However, its intruiging nonetheless, and will surely cause much debate her at STR.

(From the FanPosts. Worth noting that DraftExpress agrees with the Randolph pick, which is a no-brainer if he's there. -- TZ)

Chad Ford just posted his 5th in a series of mock-drafts.

He's got the Kings grabbing Anthony Randolph this time. Which is an interesting "take" considering he had us grabbing Arthur the first 3 mocks, and DJ in the 4th.

I likey though!! An athletic 4 is exactly what we need (among other things!).. Also note that Andy Katz (who knows his hoops) is going to have a live-chat at 11 on espn.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3428920

Those of you wishing to get Lawson in the draft may have received a blessing this morning. I can see this current off the court issue resulting in a slip for him in the draft. I'd love to gift-wrap those 2 second rounders for a chance to get him.

And for those of you who previously thought Denver would take him. After this, I highly doubt it. They wont go down this PR nightmare road again following the recent Melo' DUI incident!!!

I was just sent the following link by a fellow Kings fan in an email titled, "What happened?....a trip down memory lane!"

The link sent in the email came from an article by The Sports Guy, AKA Bill Simmons, (Yes, I'm convinced his legal name is The Sports Guy!) The article details among other things, the Kings 2002 playoff run. Looking back on it, The Sports Guy offers a very interesting take on the Kings and where we were in that given period of time.

The article was published just prior to the start of the 2002 Finals and contains a "fresh" take on the events that had just taken place, namely the Kings/Lakers series and how Simmons felt the series would be viewed in the years to come.

Check it out for a good, quick read!

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020606

Well, I finally have been able to see what I've been waiting the better part of the year for. I always thought/argued/believed that Bibby and Beno could effectively coexist on the Kings. Last night made it evidently clear the both of them could not only coexist, but that they can both play significant minutes.

In the win last night, Bibby played 30 minutes, while Beno got his 25...They combined to shoot 11-20, good for 28pts. With our traditional lack of scoring at the 4 during the PW days (Post-Webber), the Kings have had to rely on the 2 and 3 positions to make up for the PPG left on the table from the 4 position on a nightly basis. (Brad Millers ppg isnt consistantly high, and JWilliams shoots like a fat middle school aged girl, so our 5's dont help to fill the PPG void on a nightly basis left by the 4 spot). If we can get Bibby and Beno nightly minutes, the PG position will take some pressure off the wings to have to carry the scoring load every night. There is no doubt in my mind, that this scoring from the 1 spot will allow the Kings to play a much more consistant style of ball, and make a nice little run in the 2nd half of the season.

This reason is why I have been vocal arguing against the trade of Bibby for trash like Gooden, ect(Which everyone on this site seems to be so infatuated with!).The Kings (F-that, every team in the league w/o a Superstar) simply needs scoring at the PG position. People on here often complain about our need for a "true" PG (Whatever the hell that means???). As if to say that Bibby isnt a true PG, which is complete bullsh*t! A "True" PG does whatever his team needs to succeed, often orchestrating the action, whether that means getting points OR assist. Like I stated above, we have NOTHING offensively at the 4 (havnt for years), so Bibby and Beno NEED to be able to put up buckets. Both players' style of play I admire as "true" PG's, although their games do contrast in many ways! The Kings need to keep Bibby (salary aside) and hope that Beno doesnt demand too much $$$ at the seasons end. I'm looking forward to having the both of them playing significant minutes nightly, while adapting to whatever the team needs on a game to game basis!

So last night I got to sit a few rows off the floor for the first time all year due to a friends holiday absence and i noticed a few things...

-first things first, Im not really into beating the dead horse, but give me a break on our free-throw shooting. throughout the game it was a reason for concern, and thats exactly what seperates the good teams from the bad ones huh?

-The chemistry between Beno and Theus is horrible. Im not sure if anyone has noticed this but those 2 are seriously not on the same page. I must have seen Theus pull Beno aside at the beginning of a handlful of timeouts and lecture him, with Beno verbally shooting back during each discussion. Its not good when the coach and PG aern't on the same page fellas!

-Way to show the crowd that you have some balls Beno!!!! Leaders hit those buddy! (hell, at least 1 of them). However, he did have a pretty good offensive game aside from those FT's.But those were BIG!.I'll save my comments for the 7ft RAGDOLL until later

-Artest is playing GREAT ball right now. Im not sure if he'll stay here or opt out, but I sure hope we set aside some cash for him! He was a ball-stopper for a few minutes in the 3rd, but other than thet, he played a flawless game.

-Brad Miller sucks! I'll just get that out right now before i explain. One play in particular pissed me off maybe worse than any play thus far this year..(I believ it happened in the 3rd Q) Artest curt through the left side of the lane and while his man and Millers defender crashed on him, Artest jumped in the air and wisely dumped off a bounce passunder the hoop to where a crashing Brad Miller SHOULD have been. Instead the ball bounced to Miller and he subsequently missed a 7 foot jumper. Give me a damn Break!!!! That is basketball fundamentals 101 you 7 foot RAGDOLL!!! When your man doubles down on a driving player through the lane.....you CRASH the hoop!!! Artest was visably upset with Miller and he should have been. He drew an extra defender and dropped off a perfect pass to what should have been a streaking Miller for a dunk!! We must be the only team in the damn league where a play like that doesnt resolve in a flush! Frustrating to say the least!

-Mikki Moore actually played some pretty damn good defence last night. He had 3 good blocks that i remember. Even more impressive is that none of them were "cheap-blocks". He went straight up on all three and got legitimate blocks. Felt good to finally see a center who can block shots and not shoot the ball like a fat 7th grade girl (yes, thats referring to j. willimas offensive abilities)

-Douby gave a few solid minutes to the club. Had a few shots that he should have hit (needs to hit if he expects minutes) but I still think he gave us a few good minutes.

-Another frustration...And this one doesnt include the RAGDOLL...Someone needs to explain to Cisco' the importance of dribbling the ball with your head up. I noticed two or three plays when he had the ball in his hands and we should have easily converted baskets but didnt. when a rookie dribbles carelessly with his head down its considered a bad rookie habit....but a guy who has been in the league for a few years....thats reason for concern fellas!!!

-Carmelo's game is Smooth!! He didnt play exceptionally well but before I knew it I looked up and he already had 24! His drive to through the lane in the 4th was damn impressive! Talk about imposing your will on the game

-We SHOULD have won this game! This would have been a huge game for the Kings and their fans for motivational purposes!! Up next...Celts...Ouch!

A link posted this afternoon concerning C-Webb got me to thinking quite a bit about the great Sac-town memories of yesteryear. Assuming C-Webb is going to get his jersey retired in Sacramento, what are the chances that Divac will one day have his jersey hanging up in Arco (or whatever the name of the new gym will be) one day as well? I have spent a long time this afternoon debating on whether or not I believe Divac deserves such an honor. From the viewpoint of on-court production, I do not believe he deserves such an honor. However, He was the catalyst for the resurgence of the Kings with his signing to the team and the key factor in returning the Kings to respectability. Needless to say, Im still on the fence about this issue.. I thought it would be interesting to get some takes on the topic from some of STR's finest!