SB Nation User Blog: SactownheartOChouse

A Closer look at the Kings Franchise--Part 1

SactownheartOChouse — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:48:17 -0000

Larry David's piece on the Maloof's financial woes and dealings was a great read and begs the question how an infusion of cash from the sale of their distributorship will impact the Kings' destiny over the next few years--assuming at least some of those proceeds will be used operationally for the Kings franchise going forward.

Recent success aside, do we think the Kings can compete for a title with merely a few more years of Geoff Petrie's wizardry and that is assuming Petrie is offered and accepts a new contract? Current trajectory shows this roster can make the playoffs either this year or next year assuming a healthy team. Getting to the Finals is quite another mountain yet to climb.

Unequivocally it will take more than our current roster to win a championship. Additionally there are a number of other issues that need to be addressed including a new Arena in order to keep the team in Sacramento and bring this franchise back to being an upper echelon team in the league. All of it involves money and its anyone's guess how much money will be needed.

Over the Summer, ESPN came out with its 7th annual ranking of all 122 professional franchises in the United States.

In the ESPN Ultimate Rankings teams are evaluated across the following 8 categories:

Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.

Fan Relations (FRL): Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.

Ownership (OWN): Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.

Affordability (AFF): Price of tickets, parking and concessions.

Stadium Experience (STX): Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.

Players (PLA): Effort on the field and likability off it.

Coaching (CCH): Strength of on-field leadership.

Title Track (TTR): Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.

Here are the Kings' results in 2003:

TEAM		RNK	BNG	FRL	OWN	AFF	STX	PLA	CCH	TTR
1.	Sacramento Kings	4	15	4	3	17	14	7	21	29

And again in 2009:

TEAM		RNK	BNG	FRL	OWN	AFF	STX	PLA	CCH	TTR
1.	Sacramento Kings	117	108	87	115	110	112	117	121	101

In 2003, the Kings had the 4th best ranking in professional sports. The ownership was ranked 3rd. This year the Kings ranked 117th! Surprisingly Arco went from 14th down to 112th. Now I know there have been a number of new arenas that have opened up in the last 7 years but not 98 of them! The affordability ranking plummeted as well.

What can the Kings Franchise due to improve the overall product? I think the new players and coaches will improve those respective scores which will result in a higher Title Track ranking, but what area needs the biggest improvement in your minds?

In the next segment, I will compare what two other franchises are doing in hopes it may offer some clues on what the Kings can do to best improve the overall Product.

Poll

Which area of the rankings is the biggest issue with the Kings Franchise?

The conundrum between the NBA, its players, its officials and the fans

SactownheartOChouse — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:34:45 -0000

Given the recent post by High Tops entitled, "Refs & the Integrity of the Game" --a solid swag btw--at this highly topical issue, I felt compelled to delve beyond the "Refs Suck!" and "Sacramento and its players always get screwed" diatribes which do little to further the validity behind those impassioned albeit sophomoric sentiments.

This matter cannot be analyzed and remedied in one setting so let me preface by saying this post has no ambition to comprehensively cover all its myriad complexities or nuances, nor bring this matter to any logical conclusion. However, there is a fair amount of misunderstanding and maligned angst that needs to be addressed so that the real issues that persist can be discussed and perhaps a valid and tangible outcome is feasible. I endeavor without being facetious nor didactic to add credence to the conundrum that plagues this great game we are so vested in, while dispelling dispersions that unfairly classify our men and woman who officiate the game.

Background: I am no expert. I was never in the NBA's employ, nor played basketball beyond the high school level. Although I garnered national acclaim collegiately in a different sport, I cannot claim any inside relevance beyond my few meager friendships and acquaintances that either played in the NBA, work in the NBA or officiate in the NBA.

Qualifications: I lived in Sacramento over 24 years, have loved the Sacramento Kings since 10,333 fans filled Arco, and officiated multiple sports including basketball for over 17 years. I have officiated the game of basketball at the elementary school level, all the way up to Pro Summer League and have attended dozens of camps led by NBA Officials, College Assignors, Pro/College Scouts and Observers. With all due respect to those that have lived in Sacramento longer or know which side of the river the Kansas City Kings used to play or played the game professionally, there is much to learn.

Thesis: The NBA is an entertainment juggernaut predicated on showcasing its stars and pandering to its corporate and copious clientele and should not be construed to be bound to a democratic oath that lauds fairness and in deference to the minority to maintain equality and balance. It is greater than the sum of its parts, whose ends justify its means and therefore cannot be held accountable for any apparent deviation from its own rules, policies or standards.

The NBA Rights and Privileges: The NBA reserves the right to modify, alter, ignore, exploit, deviate, subjugate, embellish, trivialize, create, etc., anything or anyone, so long as it is in the best financial interest of its brand: The NBA. Therefore they are indemnified and above reproach from any person, player, place or thing that suggests or claims any rights or privileges that have not already been or continue to be bestowed by the NBA, its affiliates and its assigns.

NBA Definitions:

1. Prospects - Individuals that aspire to be employed by the NBA.

2. Players - Individuals that are currently employed by the NBA.

3. Retired Players - Individuals that were formerly employed by the NBA.

4. Stars - Players that are considered part of the NBA Brand. They are entitled to the Rights and Privileges held by the NBA and therefore not subject to the confines and rigidity of the rules and regulations otherwise required of other employees of the NBA.

5. Employees - Any person that works for the NBA with varying levels of Rights and Privileges.

6. Officials/Game Management - A sub-class of workers contracted by the NBA. They include: score keepers, clock operators, timers, referees, etc. They are not empowered, entitled or eligible for any of the Rights and Privileges held by the NBA and are duly subject to the confines and rigidity of the rules and regulations otherwise required of and evaluated by the NBA to ensure the longevity of the NBA Brand.

7. Fans - Sponsors, Corporations, Networks, Team Owners and Season Ticket Holders or better known as The Money. If you are not a visible consumer of their product you are not classified as a fan and therefore your opinion does not count.

The Brand, followed by The Money, followed by its Stars, followed by everyone else completes the hierarchy. You must acknowledge this premise in order to move forward and further dissect our quandary. Although a substantial amount of people on StR didn't need the primer, I had to digress and define what many already know to be obvious because a few continue to rant about officiating in the NBA without realizing that their cries for vigilance are akin to the neighborhood demanding the beat cop incarcerate the street pusher when the supplier devilishly continues unabated.

The NBA establishes the rules of the game, they control the product--not the Officials. The Officials merely administrate the game in a manner that is consistent with the spirit of the rules while protecting the integrity of the NBA Brand. It is a conflict of interest unseen in high school and college basketball. Your angst that officials screw you is mostly unfounded. Ask any player who played in the NBA when Jordan played and they will tell you that yes they played in the JBA (Jordan Basketball Association). The NBA protects its Stars. They want their Stars on the floor at the end of the game.

That will is imposed on the Officials. When Michael Jordan made an athletic move to the basket in the form of a turn-around jump stop, while dragging his pivot, he was seldom called for the travel. When John Stockton released a potential three-pointer and his defender made contact with his shooting arm even after the shot was released, he usually went to the line. We have all seen Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, Iverson (insert Star here) blatantly benefit from discretion bestowed on them by the Brand. All this time you have been blaming the Officials when the League is mandating this. A league filled without their Stars, cannot sustain their Brand.

They fear their Fans will not drive the value of their product if officials called the game without obeisance to Stars which represent the Brand. Shaq would have spent half his career on the bench in foul trouble if the Officials were allowed to call the game correctly. I think we should all exclaim bull crap on this and protest. I promise you, if the NBA wanted the game called correctly, the Officials would call it correctly. You cannot claim to be an NBA follower and expect anything different in the same way you cannot claim to be Catholic without accepting the Divinity of Christ.

Now that the white elephant has been properly acknowledged, there is some level of recourse. Since the Owners of NBA franchises are regarded by the league, they can submit video for the NBA to review highlighting where their players are being held to a different standard. There is no need to involve Congress, and the league will manage that. Promoting their own stars will help the cause. If you watched Tim Donaghy's interview with 60 minutes, he references how the Laker organization pushed for Kobe to get more calls.

In another post I may divulge more fully the day in the life of a Basketball Offical in the NBA, but suffice it to say that there is an email message on their blackberry after their game that supplements the post game review they have with their fellow officials that night, the game evaluation and grade that is filed by the Observer, and the league's video review of their game, calls, mechanics and positioning.

They morning after, they must login and review video clips of the night's previous games where a controversal play happened and submit what they believe the ruling should be and pass daily pop quizzes on the Rules and Mechanics of the NBA. They must also acknowledge and follow NBA communications and memos that come down instructing them on how to handle certain situations that arise throughout the season that the NBA deems important. In a nutshell, they are micro-managed by The NBA to conform. When the don't know a rule in a game they are suspended. If they flunk a test, they are suspended. If they lose their cool and respond back to a coach or player in a less than professional manner--even when they were disrespected or shown up--then they are suspended. Suspensions cost them money. Those that finish graded in the bottom of their group do not have their contract renewed. They are gagged to protect the NBA Brand. Trust me, if they could speak, you would lose a whole lot of respect for the Stars in the league and/or the league itself.

For many, the game of basketball as we know it is such a departure from the NBA game that it may as well be a foreign language. Yet everyone waxes expertise. News flash: Just because you played organized basketball, coached basketball or blog about basketball doesn't mean your homework assignment is over. If you have the pleasure to meet and talk to an NBA Player, they will confess to you that they were shocked when they came into the league and knew so little about the rules of the game and how the NBA operates its Brand. Coaches confess that they struggle with that as well.

If you haven't ever done so, I highly recommend reading the NBA Rules as it will surprise you on how complex the game actually is. You would never give an editorial about a book you haven't read and the same should apply to the NBA game. If you don't know the rules of the game, there is a good chance your assessment on what was called, not called or when it is called is wrong.

Mechanics of Officiating: Anyone who has been volunteered for their kid's AYSO game can attest is not easy to translate what you think you saw into a whistle, a command and a signal all while running with a jerky gate for a couple of hours at a time. On top of that, where you position yourself is as much art as science and requires years of experience to know based on the players, the play and the possible outcomes where to be on the field or court.

I cringe when I hear people say "these are the worst officials I have ever seen" when at a professional game. It is insulting to everyone who has ever blown a whistle to hear that from someone who couldn't do it themselves. Officials must learn and master how to communicate the game through their presence, voice, whistle and their signals. NBA officials carry an additional burden of balancing the Rules versus perpetuating the Brand.

Officiating Philosophy: Fouls occur on every play. They cannot call them all. They must use discretion to determine which ones to call and which ones to pass on. Every play has a beginning, a middle and an end. For example: An official who calls a foul too quickly when they see an infraction at the top of the key, may miss the the fact that a player in the post is wide open. If they wait, a quick pass may result in an easy lay-in. A coach might prefer their post player score than have to run an out-of-bounds play.

Every possession has multiple competitive match-ups (both on ball and off ball) and a window that give you a visual angle on the player with the ball and the player(s) defending the play. Every play or sequence involves advantage and disadvantage. A good official reconciles all of this before choosing to pass or make a call on a given play, timing is critical and in basketball, you don't have the luxury to throw a flag and come together and talk about what you thought you saw.

Without getting into specific games recently, I doubt any of you take all those factors into consideration when concluding your team's player didn't get the call. Furthermore, most people watch the ball. Few focus off ball. Based on some of the deft observations by our own StR crew I know that some of you do evaluate the post play off ball and observe which guys move well without the ball, but most followers of the game typically watch the guy with the ball even when their team is on defense.

The big mistake with this is you cannot fairly judge a play if you don't see both the offensive player and the defensive player simultaneously. You might see the offensive player push off, but you may have missed the defensive player not in a legal guarding position. Camera angels are not usually good windows into a play. Hence several camera angles are needed in instant replay in order to help determine the right call. How many times have you thought something was missed only to be beguiled by a different camera angle?

Official Control: This could be a whole separate post given all the nuances that go on during a game. Coaches and Players have certain expectations out of their fellow Officials. They want all the calls to go their way. Players and Coaches are always trying to gain an advantage and expect that is is up to the officials to catch them and police this. They don't care how many they got away with but bemoan when the other team does so. Officials do have some latitude here as they cannot call every infraction. Coaches and Players try to exploit this. As a result sometimes a call preempts a shenanigan and sometimes it is delayed until a later play.

For example: During the pre-game meeting the Officials discuss a game situation where a particular player routinely trips or holds a cutter and the team they are playing has an alley-oop play designed for a back-side cutter. When they go on the court they meet with the captains and tell them that they are watching for the trip and the hold off ball. At the same time the captain replies back that the other team's cutters are getting away with pushing off. They are both right.

So when the play occurs and the defender holds and the cutter pushes off, who do you penalize? In some cases you have to call it on one and look to call it on the other team when the chance permits regardless of how ticky tack it seems to the observer.

Another example of control can be explained when things occur on the court only the Player/Coach and the Official are privy to. Lots of times an Official's integrity is questioned, or the banter crosses a line. It may not be in the best interest of the game to stop, administer the technical and show up the player/coach, but understand the next questionable call that could go either way is not going that player/team's way.

In the end, the officials that leverage that control but don't abuse it and can be deemed to be approachable like in the scenarios above are respected by the Coaches and the Players. Tim Donaghy alluded to it in reference to Allen Iverson. Jason Thompson would save himself at least one foul per game by owning most of the fouls he commits or ask what the Official saw versus yell that the Official missed it in disgust. While I agree with most on StR that Shock gets few calls that could go either way, he hurts his own cause.

While the NBA will post to the public the Rules, the public is not privy to the Official Manual for NBA Officials which encompasses, Mechanics, philosophy or control. Just trust that there is not a lot that the Officials can affect and there is valid reasons why Vegas, Coaches and Players are not notified of who their officials are well in advance of the games.

In conclusion: While NBA Officials have egos and sometimes screw up a play the rarely screw up a game and should not be considered the bane of our frustration with The Brand. Furthermore with a little broader perspective and a more objective analysis of the game as a whole there should be a general sense of calm and peace that the whole world is stacked against us--just merely the NBA.

Evaluating the Point Guards of the 2009 NBA Draft Part 1

SactownheartOChouse — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:45:43 -0000

In reading articles and watching games around the country there has been a lot of discussion about how talented this class is and given Tyreke and Brandon have both been awarded Rookie of the Month for their respective conferences I thought it would be interesting to see how the class is comparing so far.

I have compiled some stats on all the guards that play the 1 or share time at the 1 that were drafted this year in all games played through Dec 6th, 2009. Brandon, Tyreke, Jonny, Stephen are all everyday starters so far and their numbers all are fairly solid across the board. Brandon and Tyreke are way ahead on scoring with Brandon, Tyreke and Stephen well ahead of expectations for assists. Tyreke and Stephen are also leading the pack in steals, while only Tyreke is well ahead of everyone in rebounding.

Based on the above it is easy why people are thinking that Tyreke may win rookie of the year honors based on his progress thus far.

As you read how each compares statistically below, I am curious how you think they all compare. I expect there will be some spirited debate on who ranks tops across the following areas:

Best value based on draft position: Which guard has most exceeded expectations given where they were drafted?

My answer is Darren Collison. If you said future value I might lean Maynor, but Collison is doing a great job backing up CP3 and against his rookie class is 4th in minutes, ppg, assists, free throws. He leads our rookie class in FT% and is 3rd in 3Pt%.

Most valuable player to their team: Given all factors who is most effecting the success of their respective team?

My answer is Brandon Jennings. He leads his team in minutes played, shots made, 3 Pts made, free throws, assists, steals and is utilized in almost 30% of the offensive plays when he is on the floor even when Luke Ridnour takes over as the PG. He is the only player on the Bucks that has started every game.

Biggest star potential: Based on what they have accomplished so far who will make the biggest impact in the league?

My answer is Tyreke Evans. Brandon will end up being like Allen Iverson; scoring on anyone, with maybe even better passing skills. He will be too quick for other PGs in the league but his size will make it tough for him when they put a big versatile 2 on him or when he has to guard a big athletic 1 or even a speedy pg. Tyreke, will be more like a Dwayne Wade where he can score at will as well but be able to play and defend multiple positions and have the most triple double opportunities in his class. So, given the option, I love me some Tyreke.

Player	Draft#	G	GS	Min	PPG	FG%	3Pt%	FTs	FT%	A	Rbs	Stls	TOs	USG%	PFs
Brandon Jennings	10	19	19	35.3	21.3	41.4%	44.8%	62	78.5%	5.8	3.9	1.1	3	29.9	2.1
Tyreke Evans	4	18	18	35.8	19.9	45.7%	28.2%	90	79.6%	4.9	5	1.4	3	26.1	3.1
Jonny Flynn	6	20	20	29.3	14.0	43.6%	32.1%	56	82.4%	3.9	2.5	1.1	3.2	24.9	1.4
Darren Collison	21	15	8	22.5	10.9	43.3%	41.2%	40	90.9%	4.2	2.3	0.9	1.8	24.1	1.1
Stephen Curry	7	19	16	31.6	10.4	43.4%	37.0%	25	80.6%	5.1	3.2	1.7	2.9	16.5	3.6
Ty Lawson	18	20	0	21.3	8.9	52.4%	50.0%	35	79.5%	3.4	2.1	0.8	1.4	17.5	1.3
Toney Douglas	29	18	2	14	7.6	50.9%	34.9%	6	75.0%	0.7	1.1	0.4	0.8	23.3	1.6
Eric Maynor	20	17	2	15.7	6.4	40.4%	21.1%	20	83.3%	3.5	1.4	0.6	1.1	22.8	1.5
Jru Holiday	17	13	5	15.4	5.3	38.4%	33.3%	4	57.1%	2	1.7	0.8	1.4	21.4	1.6
Ricky Rubio	5	inc.
Jack McClinton	51	inc.
AJ Price	52	inc.
Patrick Beverley	42	inc.
Jeff Teague	19	inc.

A Formal Apology to Kenny Thomas - An Open Letter on behalf of many King's fans.

SactownheartOChouse — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:40:59 -0000

Dear Mr. Thomas,

StR has taken more bites out of you than all the dogs in Michael Vick's Dog Fighting League and I wanted to take a moment to come correct and apologize on behalf of many that unfairly attacked and/or took shots at you.

While I know I am not in your fav 5 and am not professing to know you personally, I do know that you haven't been given a fair shake and I hope to change that.

It seems like only yesterday during the Summers of 1996-7 that you were working the clock in the axillary gym at the UNM Summer Basketball Camp while I was reffing when we met and kibitzed between timeouts and quarter breaks. You and I were both volunteering our time and I saw first hand, you signing autographs for little kids, being approachable and very humble despite being the big man on campus.

We joked about how tough but fair Coach Bliss was, how you learned to roll with the punches, and how you enjoyed helping out with his camp--giving back to the kids--despite it being a hundred degrees outside and having a hundred other places you could have been during those hot, and boring New Mexico Summers.

Having been to dozens of high school/AAU/JC/Pro-AM camps and seen dozens of prima donnas who come in with their ghetto fabulous threads, their junior entourage, with their Mr. T Starter sets, you were unassuming, mature, well spoken, gracious, professional and just a great guy. I have always admired you for that. You also hooked me up with some UNM warm ups--I still have them.

Most people here don't know that you are either first of second all time in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, dunks at UNM and kept the team in the Top 25 AP Poll or NCAA tourney all four years you were there.

I doubt people realize that you are only one of two rookie NBA Players to lead your team in rebounding and you did so on a Rockets team that featured Hall of Famers Hakeem and Sir Charles (injured for most of that year) Kelvin Cato and Carlos Rogers.

During the '03-04 campaign in Philadelphia you averaged a double double-only 10 others in the league did the same--all taller than you. Afterwards you graciously accepted a reserve role fighting for time with Skinner, Williamson, Ingoudala and Rogers and really never had a chance once you landed with the Kings. Sorry our coaching carousel didn't see that you could help the team.

Petrie was pretty smart to take your $39M remaining with Skinner's expiring and Williamson's contract and shed the horrible $62M contract owed Webber and his wilting frame. But because he was a beloved all-star and you were not, you were odd man out from the beginning. Yet you didn't bitch, you didn't tweet, you didn't pout, you didn't get any DUIs, or give anyone a reason to dislike you. No, you just showed up and did what was expected of you and took the abuse from too many who saw you merely as a salary cap nightmare.

I appreciate that you have given back to the community in many ways as well. You started a foundation giving out scholarships to high school students in Albuquerque who want to go to college and have the Kenny Thomas Youth Basektball Fundamentals camp.

This year you finally have a chance to play and you have contributed unselfishly: pounding the boards, demonstrated your leadership in the lockeroom and to the media, representing the team with dignity and grace and professionalism.

Our young guys need your help and you are giving it to them. I thank you for that. If we can sneak into the playoffs or at least get over 30 wins know you helped get us there even if you only get 20+ minutes every blue moon.

We owed you more that we have given you and if you can pepper the rest of the league like you did the Suns with an occasional 18 rebounds then I feel confident StR will show you the respect you deserve.

Sincerely,

Sactownheartochouse!

(From here on let the latest commandement on STR be: A moratorium on all K-9 & (Whoof!) references in honor of our new found appreciation and respect for our elder statesman, Sir Kenny Thomas. PS - I am all ears if you have any recommendations for a new name.)

All I want for Christmas...an open letter to Santa from a King's fan.

SactownheartOChouse — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:53:27 -0000

It has been 5 months since I last contributed to Sactown Royalty and must apologize in advance for my unavoidable absence and weak post to follow as I was too encumbered with a job change, an unsuccessful attempt (so far) to open a sports grill, resolution of a lawsuit that sucked the life out of me, Angel's playoffs, Charger's tailgating responsibilities and some international travel. As a result, my interaction with the StR was limited to reading delayed posts via my Kindle.

So like a nervous little league batter stepping into the batter's box I close my eyes and swing in hopes of not embarrassing myself given the recent terrific work posted by the usual suspects such as LTTG, MLS, Aykis and Pookey to name a few.

Dear Santa,

I know you are very busy this holiday season with requests from more important people in the world from the likes of President Obama who wants 235,000 troops for Afghanistan to Tiger who just wants his two front teeth (again), it may be difficult for you to deliver on my wish list this year. Regardless, I send my list to you in hopes the magic of Christmas may find its way to my humble home--Arco Arena.

1. No Trades - Please keep all of our players together until closer to the trade deadline. We are really grateful for the gifts bestowed on us this season and are still figuring out how they all fit together and need more time to develop and evaluate.

2. No More Injuries - We know every team gets stronger when a key contributor goes down and forces the rest of the group to step up. The development of our young players is accelerating as a result of our own injuries and when Kevin and Cisco come back we will be so much better for it. With that said, we really would appreciate a break from the injury bug for the rest of the season so we can really see how good this team can be.

3.An All-Star and/or Rookie of the Year Award - Kevin really deserves a chance to play in February with the rest of the elite players and Tyreke should be rewarded for his excellent play on both ends of the floor so early in the year especially since he is playing multiple positions.

4. A Bonus for Paul Westphal - He and his crew are coaching their socks off! They are motivating the seldom used reserves, maintaining a positive attitude even when the team makes mistakes and looks like he is delivering on his promises he set out as goals for this team to achieve. Our team is winning, and he deserves a ton of credit for that.

5. A new contract for Geoff Petrie - Everyone needs to jump back on the bandwagon once their broken ankles heal. Geoff clearly knows what he is doing even though he doesn't have the pocket book to make all the moves that other GMs in the league have. Now that we have a Commandment to support GP hopefully the days of hearing people question his basketball acumen are over.

6. A viable plan for a new Arena - Heck we would even be happy with a refurbished Arco, just help us get something going so our city and fans have something to look forward to.

7. Fewer turnovers - We are playing .500 ball dispite being quite careless with the rock but that won't fly against the top teams in the league we will be playing over the next few weeks. While some of this problem can be attributed to our being the second youngest team in the league and being new to playing together, I expect we could still use some help in this department given the guards we have seem to be a little too prone to turnovers.

8. Shock's Shocked - JT is fourth in the league in fouls committed and always seems shocked that a foul is called on him. He complains too frequently about calls made instead of showing some discretion about when to complain. He does have so much promise but will be picked a part when teams try to exploit this by attacking him early and getting him into foul trouble and off the floor. Spencer seems to play a lot better when JT is on the floor so if there is anyway you can fix this part of his game we would really appreciate it.

9. Assists/FTs/Steals - While we are excelling at rebounding and shooting percentage, we are very average on these three categories. We need to continue improving our passing, attacking the rim to get more FT opportunities and converting them at a higher percentage. I would like us to be a little more aggressive on defesne and create more easy scoring opportunities off of turnovers. Santa any improvement here would bode well for us in terms of Wins and Losses.

10. A Playoff Spot - I know a lot of people on this site expected to be 3 years away from the playoffs given our roster, but you have no idea how helpful it would be to sneak into the playoffs a season or two sooner to help bolster the fans excitement and it we are threatening later this season with a chance at the playoffs, it will improve attendance and hopefully make it easier for the community to get back behind this team. We got a lump of coal in our stocking in 02 and 03 and would be so grateful if you could help us out with enough wins to get into the second season.

PS - Your cookies and milk will be waiting for you as usual.

Signed,

A hopeful King's fan.

Time You Realize Excellence at Kahn's Expense

SactownheartOChouse — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:40:49 -0000

Tyreke! Tyreke! Tyreke!

Forced to record the NBA Draft and work I was in the middle of a dinner program surrounded by 50 somethings politely nibbling on their strawberry spinach leaf salads, I slyly pulled out my iPhone to check the draft results: I couldn't believe my eyes. I yelped and pumped my fist, then sheepishly looked around as the other guests expressed their disdain through winkled smirks as if I was at the Arden library circa 1979 looking for the latest issue of Sports Illustrated still on the shelf.

Petrie picked Tyreke with Rubio still on the board, Oh My God! it really happened. Petrie picked my guy! It took another day before I could pull an all nighter and read through the abyss of part timers weighing in, venting, feigning disgust and bewilderment, while others stepped up and respectfully believed TEVO (try it on...if you no likey you may like Te-Rex, still no? I come back later, ok?) was the BPA, while still others conceded in GP we trust. Now I am all caught up and have a lot to say.

Before I delve into Tyreke and some other draft/trade observations, let me digress a little to put to bed (yeah right, I wish) GP's decision not to draft Rubio.

I was confident that Rubio, the obvious pick to most, would not be Petrie's selection. I did post several pieces alluding to this but I am no Nostradamus and was as clueless as most as to whom I thought would end up a King. I would never have guessed Tyreke was it. I wished it but I didn't post why because I am very superstitious when it comes to my Kings (as some of you have read before) and subsequently didn't vote the other day because I was afraid if I voted for Tyreke, Petrie would not pick him--as he had yet to pick anyone that I was enamored with until now.

While Tyreke was a surprise, upon closure inspection we should have foreseen that Rubio was not it. Huckleberry Hound Reynolds hinted on the type of player we might draft not too many picked up on that. Other STR brethren commented Geoff has a tendency to take a lot of stock in the pre-draft workouts and the Rubio camp not being proactive in Petries' PG Palhoopsa might have backfired. The return trip and last ditch shooting drills by Rubio probably just sealed his fate something Amick's cell phone interview seemed to subtly capture.

In Amick's interview, Rubio admitted that he hadn't picked up a ball in a month. Really? On the eve of the biggest event of your life you weren't hiding out like a gym rat working on your 18 footer to mask your few but noticable flaws? His interview at the airport reminded me of the video ride in the limo after a contestant is knocked off of the Apprentice (insert your reality show plug here). He definitely was tired, but his somber looked like The Kings didn't give him the thumbs up.

Then he all of a sudden meets with Kahn down in LA? Fegan must have been like, "Mr. Kahn, yeah, sorry I am just now getting back to you. Turns out Rubio is available for a quick chat if you are still interested...REALLY? er really, ok. We will see you at 8, it's gonna be great."

If you watched the workouts, Tyreke looked solid--aside from his release--the shots were falling. He obviously was able to dispel the concern to the staff about him playing or defending the one. Compared to Harden, Flynn and Holliday he looked like a stud. Tyreke stated one of his goals was to keep hitting the gym hard this summer. Tyreke, I'm not using my 24HR fitness membership, it is all yours. Here is the catch, ya gotta show some leadership and get KMart and Cisco to spot you in hopes it inspires them to add some muscle to their slight albeit wiry frames.

Other clues included a closer peek at Petrie's Draft History which I posted last week--thanks to both of you that read it--I am still trying to get off the Trolls Most Wanted list. It detailed that we can expect him to do two things: Pick a contributor and pick someone we didn't expect.

J-Will, Peja, Hedo, Hawes, Thompson, Douby, the list goes on and on on guys that we first went huh?. Everyone can argue that a different pick might have had an equal or greater result but Quincy and OMSJ aka Tariq (note to GP - No more draft choices with a Q in the name) aside, Petrie has consistently made our team better through the draft.

So knowing Petrie likes to pull the rabbit out of the hat and given all the national attention and the dare I say consensus belief that Rubio was the next best thing to Griffen and who the Kings should select, you had to know Petrie would pick elsewhere. In fact the more the King's scouts, ownership and media gravitated towards him the more Petire seemed to distance himself. I suspect he saw enough of him to formulate an opinion. I bet he was not even keen on him coming to Sac for a workout adding fuel to a fire he wasn't flaming.

I was blasted in my post a month ago that compared him in part to Jason Williams. As an aside, I spoke to Eddie Jordan the day after J-Will came in for his rather hush hush workout and learned he lit the net up from 25 feet all over the floor and showed some sweet alley oops and good court vision. He was a risk reward type of guy and the King's staff was in love with his upside.

Maybe there was enough of a resemblance to scare Petrie away. In reality they are completely different players. Rubio is taller, better IQ, longer and stronger, has more defensive potential, better finisher, more mature, less turnover prone, nicer, better looking, more marketable, yada yada. Got it. Here is how they are similar.

Here are J-Will's career NBA avgs. .396 FG%, .325 3FG%, 2.4 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.3 SPG., 11.4 PPG.

Here are Rubio's stats in the Olympic Games: .35 FG%, .167 3FG%, 4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.1 SPG, 4.8 PPG.

And Rubio's stats for Spanish League '08: .391 FG%, 41.7 3FG%, 2.7 RPG, 5.8 APG, 2.4 SPG, 9.8 PPG.

I think we all know Rubio has more upside than J-Will, but that is partly because we know how J-Will ended up. If you rewind to his auspicious start most of us were loving the ESPN highlights featuring White Chocolate and figured he was going to be great.

Finally, some have argued point guards that lack a consistent outside shot and cannot defend their position don't become all-stars. Our experiment with flash and sexy did bring excitement but it didn't bring us championships either it did provide us trade value for a PG that almost got us to an NBA Championship, but as many have pointed out a capable PG to facilitate the offense and is not a defensive liability is really the baseline.

Rubio won't be great next year. He will have to adjust to life in the US, the NBA, the NBA game, and not least of which the language. I spoke with Peja outside of Harlow's one night between after his third season and he said he was just finally feeling settled and the transition of having parents very involved in all of his basketball decisions to being really isolated from home and family was a long process.

He will likely be very good but in a few years, Peja and Hedo really shined in years 3 and 4. But I don't think the Maloofs, Petrie or even Westphal with his anemic two year $1.5M a season contract can be patient enough for Spanish Chocolate to let it rain at newly appointed Arco III, Cal Expo Redux or the Raley Center in West Sac if one of those palaces ever get built.

No, unfortunately we need to get to the playoffs in two seasons and versatile players that can help us rebound and defend will likely take precedent.

I am sure most of you agree that Petrie deserves our respect since his picks beats our picks right? Heck I won't bore you with my draft choices over the last several years because only Rajon Rondo (I still like the dude, he will steal you blind) fared better than Petrie's Doubyious selection in 2006. So he picked Tyreke Evans. Take your picture and let's move on, nothing more to see here folks.

The folk who blasted Petrie should hold their judgement since the Draft is really only the start of the whole off season shuffle. In other words, Petrie and other GMs in the leagure including Minnesota's ' David Kahn have not played their final hand. "This is only the first period of activity...no matter what occurs (in the draft Thursday), training camp doesn't start Friday. We have all summer to continue to explore some opportunities and to address the roster, and three months is a long time."

By Petrie not selecting Rubio, he has a chance to have his cake and eat it too. He had to know the odds of Rubio opting to stay in Europe if drafted elsewhere and the likelihood most GMs are going to draft the BPA. If you look at Minnesota's situation they had the same purview hence the multiple PG picks. Kahn is going to wheel and deal and one of his point guards will likely end up elsewhere given they currently have Bobby Brown, Kevin Ollie (hmm where have I heard of these guys before), Wayne Ellington, Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio and Sebastian telfair. Other than Love and Jefferson they have more holes in their roster than the swiss cheese at Tony's Deli.

Now that Rubio is following suit by vocalizing a desire to stay in Spain expect the horse trading to begin. We have a glut at the 3 spot. Garcia/Nocioni/Greene/Casspi. I know Garcia can play the two, Nocioni can play some 4, Greene can play some four and Cassp allegedly is a four but I seem him being more like a slasher spread the floor 3 than a back to the basket 4.

Since we are in a rebuild/save money mode, I prefer Greene>Casspi>Nocioni>Garcia. I would like us to package Beno and say Garcia a future 2nd rounder for Rubio a big like Etan Thomas with his expiring contract. Minnesota might also be interested in Sergio/Nocioni for Rubio, Ryan Gomes and Brian Gomes' expiring contracts.

We could also package Sergio and Garcia to Orlando for Hedo who is opting out of his contract. My point isn't to take control over the trade discussions in this thread but merely mention that Rubio landing in Sacramento is still possible via a trade given Minnesota has way too many 1/2s and 4/5s. Surprisingly when you consider Sheldon Williams and Darius Songalia, the T-Wolves look like Sacramento's JV team.

Anyway, so we now have Tyreke in a Kings Uniform and I am excited. I think he provides us an immediate lift, will be be able to step in and compete for a starting spot right away. I don't think Rubio could have done that and I don't think Curry or Flynn could do that immediately (although certainly mid year or by next year Flynn and Curry could).

The last few seasons with injuries we have at best been inconsistent offensively and even when we scored we let the other team score more, sometimes a lot more. If Martin plays 82 games regains some lateral quickness maybe we don't need to worry about the 2 position except of course when we have to defend the 2.

When Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Tracy McGrady, Andre Igoudala, Joe Johnson, Corey Maggette, Jason Richardson (just to name a few) come to town, our defensive counter of Martin and Garcia is just not working. Tyreke gives us a better match up switching up coverage on defense while still being able to facilitate distribution of the ball on offense. We suffered with Garcia and Martin trying to do that and if we have BJax, he is much better as a spark off the bench.

While Tyreke may not be a pass first point guard, he is comfortable bringing up the ball, can effectively work the pick n roll around the high post, take his defender down to the low post, drive and kick to the open man or take the ball strongly to the hoop.

Probably more importantly we can expect better rebounding on both ends of the floor (IMO he will out rebound Kevin, Francisco and be close to Nocioni) while effectively contesting shots and stealing at an above average clip with those 7' arms of his.

He will be able to present match up problems for the opposing speedy PGs who won't be able to defend him, in the same way Baron Davis, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd among others took advantage of our PGs in the past and depending on the match ups Tyreke can defend the 1,2,3. position--especially any teams that utilize a point forward half court game.

A combination of Tony Parker scoring instincts in a Latrell Sprewell body, expect Tyreke to be awhile to develop a solid assist/turnover ratio like Parker or an outside shooting touch like Sprewell, but possess their gift at scoring.

I expect the following productivity from him next year:

25 min., 12 ppg., 4.5 apg., 4.8 rpg., and 1.6 spg., 1.5/assist to turnover ratio.

Long story short, I love this pick, I appreciate Petrie's decision making and expect that with Sergio Rodriguez as a true PG option we have the best of both worlds. And just wait; when Petrie is done with another trade or two everyone will be able to put their worries on the shelf until our first loss.

Petrie's Draft History

SactownheartOChouse — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 23:52:02 -0000

via www.princetonbasketball.com

Here are some stats on Petrie's Draft History . This link tracks all the picks but note that Petrie's handiwork started with the Kings in 1994.

Totals 15 Years (1994-2008)

1st Round Picks: 13
Avg. Draft Position: 16

5 Players have had or having very successful NBA Careers outperforming expectations:
Peja Stojakovic, Kevin Martin, Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Williams*, Gerald Wallace

5 Players had or are having decent careers meeting expectations:
Brian Grant, Corliss Williamson, Jason Thompson**, Spencer Hawes**, Francisco Garcia

3 Didn't Pan Out:
Tariq Abdul Wahad, Dan Dickau, Quincy Douby

Drafted By Position Rd 1:
PG   2   15%
SG   3   23%
SF   5    38%
PF   2    15%
C    1      8%

Where Drafted:
Elite College     6   45%
Mid Major          1    8%
Small                  4   31%
International     2   16%

2nd Round Picks: 14
Avg. Draft Position: 49

6 were career role players:
Michael Smith, Lawrence Funderburke, Tyus Edney, Anthony Johnson, Jerome James, Dejan Bodiroga***

8 Players drafted had No NBA Career:
Jason Sasser, Ryan Robertson, Jabari Smith, Maurice Jeffers, Corsley Edwards, Ricky Minard, Sean Singletary, Patrick Ewing, Jr.

Draft By Position Rd 2:
PG   4    29%
SG   2    14%
SF    2    14%
PF   4    29%
C      2    14%

Where Drafted:
Elite College    5   35%
Mid Major         3   21%
Small                 5   35%
International     1    7%

* = J-Will traded for Bibby
**= Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes could still Outperform
***= Dejan Bodiroga was a stud power forward that decided not to come to the NBA; Top 35 Players all time in Europe. Possible a better player than Peja

Interesting Facts:

- Petrie has picked an NBA Career Player 77% of the time out of the first round.
- Petrie has found a solid NBA back up player 43% of the time in the second round.
- Petrie has only drafted a big 3 times in the first round--2 in the last 2 years.
- Petrie has drafted SFs more than any other position.
- Petrie has drafted a player from either a small college or internationally 46% of the time in the first round.

I am sure this will not tell anyone whom he will select in the draft later today, but we should all expect he will most likely not select who we expect him to pick. With that said, whomever he does select has a greater likelihood of being a solid NBA player aka no bust versus the player we might have selected.

Man oh man is this going to be fun tomorrow night!

Rubio Esta Aqui, But Will He Stay?

SactownheartOChouse — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:07:43 -0000

Ok, so I cannot sleep. I am surfing the STR posts for a fix, I have watched Rubio's video like 4 times, ok maybe more than that, but if I tell you I might get reported for video stalking. I have gone on several rants over the last two months: First trying to defend the notion that Blake was better than Rubio. Check. Then I went through my own period of Man Crush, followed by denial which was covered up via Jennings bandwagoning. I broke my ankle jumping off that bandwagon after his interview and not because of his comments on the hype surrounding Rubio--but that is another story.

Impressed although frustrated that Rubio's camp was marvelously protecting its prized jewel, I felt like Gollum being denied even the chance to see 'The Precious' with Dan Fegan in his role as Sam worthy of an ESPY.

via www.callofbeauty.com

I began to sour on the notion that our team's future was going to be shaped in part by incomplete player data on several fronts with each PG promising and risky in their own right.

1) A Spanish kid who turned pro at 14 and 4 years later we squint watching pixilated video highlights on Youtube, where he looks like he might merely be in California to audition for the re-make of Taxi with his boyish charms and girl ga-gaing smile factory.

via redriverautographs.files.wordpress.com

2) Jennings body of work shows similar upside but honestly even fewer highlights with that same video camera that even a JV coach at Encina High School wouldn't use to tape practice.

3) Jrue Holiday, who went along with his older brother Justin (did you know he had a brother?) to the N. Hollywood private school Campbell Hall (grades K-12, enrollment 1000) and led his team to the Division IV State Championship.

He looked like he was going to be it with an average of 25.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 6.9 apg, and 4.8 spg. his senior year and followed up with an impressive showing at the McDonald All Star game with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 assists. VH1 "Where are they now?" Producers would have a field day with this game as it features the likes of Evans for the East and Jennings, Mullens, Holiday and Derozen for the West. Here is a quick video recap...

In should be noted that Tyreke was the MVP of this game with 21 pts, 10 rbs, and 4 asts, besting Jennings and Holiday in a game that could be an indicator of what to expect by these guys in years to come:

Boxscore for 2008 McDonald All Star Game

Holiday' grade at UCLA is really an Incomplete--despite respectable numbers--as Howland had him playing the two to share the floor with Collison.

4) Tyreke, the only freshman finalist for the US Basketball Writers of America National Players Award, started at PG 11 games into the season and they never lost until the tournament to Missouri. He had better numbers than Jrue overall but also toggled between roles and only has 1 year of college to show his stuff.

5) Jonny Flynn has at least two seasons for us to look at to support his impressive Kings workout the other day and I don't want to restate sroufe's nice write up on Jonny Flynn but concur that I cannot concede he is a better choice than Rubio.

So getting back to Rubio, his interview really drew me back in. I am fighting the man crush cuz I don't want to jinks or be disappointed once again this draft year--my heart cannot take it. I was impressed with how approachable, affable, genuine and confident without coming across cocky.

Most of all I was intrigued by his desire to be on a team that has young guys that he can befriend. NOTE TO PETRIE--Since the Maloof's Gulf Stream is now mothballed can we get a video conference and some Tweets going ASAP to connect Rubio with our Generation Y Club?

Who all is in Sac-town right now? If a part of his criteria is liking our peeps then let's get those Facebook and My Space invites emailed pronto so Rubio can 'confirm' his friendship status. In fact let's tell Stern that Rubio is going to go to the team who has the most Friend Requests between now and Draft day.

Anyway, Ricky sorry I doubted you, and on behalf of the STR contingency, welcome to our cow town. We hope you stay.

In Catalan: Ho sento jo dubtava que vostè i en nom de la STR de contingència, la benvinguda a la nostra ciutat vaca. Esperem que l'estada.

In Spanish: Lo siento yo dudaba de que usted y en nombre de la STR de contingencia, la bienvenida a nuestra ciudad vaca. Esperamos que la estancia.

In Hip Hop: Yo Euro Hoops Gansta R to the U to the B, sorry fo frontin'. Props from my homies and welcome to the heifer hizzouse. Feel fre to kick it my Catalan brutha, aheyet?

Poll

Is Rubio really better than the other PGs in this year's Draft?

Yes, He is the real deal!

84 votes

No, at least not based on what we have seen so far.

11 votes

95 votes | Poll has closed

Rubio, Where For Art Thou Rubio?

SactownheartOChouse — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:07:22 -0000

Ricky Rubio with his snippets of video highlights, game appearances and press releases has successfully managed to garner international interest, a probably NBA Lottery contract, and a line of endorsements that would make even Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag whine, "Why is he getting all the publicity?"

So where is he and why isn't he here?

Although the Spanish sensation is young, I doubt for a second that his career and future 'corporation' are nothing less than a calculated if not schemed maneuvering to maximize his fortune and fame without the expense or risk of having to prove himself on the court--at least not in a traditional sense. In other words his camp is a marketing genius leaving us awe struck and thirsty for more while we ponder if it is justifiable hoopla or a hoodwink in the making. His body of work is as streaky as his game, one minute he is filling the stat sheet with productive razzle dazzle and another he is biding his time on the pine.

From his camp's perspective what is the upside in coming out of hiding right now other than for PR interivews? There is no need to prove the detractors correct by showing up and looking average against the other PGs that will comprise the middle to later portion of the first round. Most of the workouts are individual drills and 3 on 3s where his outside shot that comes free with a quirky release (picture Kevin Martin watching with glee in his eyes as he thinks to himself, mine looks better than that) and lack of physicality will be accentuated over his creative passes, steals, alley oops and ability to execute the pick-n-roll.

Five on five camps that feature full court looks for scouts also make sense to pass up as most of those venues help showcase athletic abilities and one on one skills as their isn't sufficient time to develop offensive schemes and cohesion between players. Rubio's prowess is going to be better served where he knows his teams' abilities and has a feel for where and when to pass the rock. The motley crue he would play with in these pick up games are ill prepared for his passing antics. Specifically his assists would likely be less and turnovers higher--no need for that to be highlighted.

Given his camps preference for the big markets any additional proof that he is the next Bond will only further incite Memphis and OK to remain geeked on him as their next star. Selfishly, he will make more cake if he drops in the draft and gets to play in a bigger market despite a down scaled starting salary. BTW - Don't buy into the philosophy that he won't be able to pay the piper back in Spain as his first real endorsement will more than cover that tab if he ultimately loses his pending arbitration.

Finally, given the polls of public opinion, there is no real upside that the Clippers are going to take a chance on Rubio over Blake, who has spent more time in Hollywood this last month than Britney Spears. So why showcase anything there so that the other teams can steal looks or hear rumors that either erode his enigma or complicate his destiny to another more attractive market.

Let's be frank: He belongs in New York or LA where his marquee potential can rival his basketball gifts. Anywhere else will only be a 3 year hiatus before his free agent stock would illicit a bloated overpaid contract in a big market anyway. Sacramento could get a lot better with Rubio, but I doubt he would stay in Sacramento unless we are threatening to win an NBA championship and we have already voted that we are at least 2 seasons away from making the playoffs.

Furthermore, I honestly don't recall a time when there was this much attention given pre-draft for a bunch of semi-talented high risk/high reward players, especially at the guard position. With Rubio leading the pack, it is safe to say that very few of us are fully committed to any PG in this draft and yet we all feel at least 3 PG and 3 Combo guards would make our team better in a hurry.

What gives most of anxiety is using the 4th pick on someone that doesn't become an All Star for the Kings. To make matters worse none of us are convinced anyone will absolutely become a top 10 player in the NBA from this draft. If I am wrong on that please speak up or or ever hold your peace.

SO, after reading about several other team's needs and blogs and there definitely seems to be some interest in the trade machine around Rubio. If we play our hand right we can leverage Rubio's lust for the limelight while satiating our desire for a player that wants to and can start for our Kings while improving the team elsewhere.

In my next post, I will detail why I think this makes sense and possibly what our options are.

My Two Cents in Making Sense Of It All...

SactownheartOChouse — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:11:18 -0000

WOW! Anyone who wanted a Kings fix had plenty to take in over the last 18 hours or so. After reading everyone's take on the hiring of Paul Westphal I cannot help but jump into the fray albeit a day late and a dollar short on a myriad topics.

On the Maloofs - Thanks for allowing the process (as painful for us fans as it was) to run its course. Of course I have seen old ladies run faster at JJ North's for their 'early bird buffet', but that's a boring story only my dead grandma would love.

Petrie had a strong friendship and great synergy with Adelman that he was never able to leverage during the last few coaching stints. By allowing Petrie to make this call, the success or failings of this decision can now be attributed to Petrie and given his lame duck status, it would be unfair to not renew his contract after this season because your short list of coaching hires were less equipped for performance than a Yugo at Daytona.

On Geoff Petrie - Geoff, has one last hurrah to make this franchise good again. I trust that he will maximize the opportunity to prove himself yet again (remember he was voted Executive of the year twice). I believe he will overcome the challenges associated with the Kings presently. But consider what Petrie is up against:

- A deficient roster that would not win in the Euro League.

- A Business hemorrhaging money that even Obama's stimulus package won't remedy.

- A facility that without a successor may reduce basketball in Sacramento to just the Monarchs (ugh) and the every other year NCAA Regional or Prep State Final (Sorry Sac State, Hornet Basketball is somewhere between AAU and the Fulton-El Camino Rec League at this point.

- A draft so weak that the team who selects the last PG in the first round has an equal chance to make the All Rookie Team next year. We are so lucky that we get three picks in this draft versus any other year when this could be the difference in the Kings being in the lottery again versus the 8th seed.

- A fan base that will no longer spend their last disposable dollar to witness bad basketball.

- A new coach who must dust the cobwebs off his '93 playbook on how to take an awesome team to the finals and write a new chapter on how to make an awful team awesome.

All this in 10 months just to be considered for a contract extension.

On Westphal - In agreement with a lot of your posts, Westphal makes sense. It would not have been my choice, but I already ranted and raved about that. In Westphal, Petrie has a guy that he can trust:

- Handling the Media (no idiotic statements, rants to the press after tough losses, no DUIs, etc.)

- Handling the pressures of the NBA Carousel (he is not going to pine to the Maloofs behind Petrie's back, or become overly stressed about the lack of security in the coaching ranks. Won't worry about his rapport with the players.)

- Head Coaching Responsibilities (He will be very comfortable with managing the day to day stuff, knows what needs to be done, how to do so confidently. Will round out his staff with senior guys that will be delegated with responsibilities without fear that they will take his job.)

- Evaluating Players (Petrie has an opinion and Westphal will likely feel the same so little rub here. They will be able to discuss trade scenarios, draft options with similar perspectives.)

- Win Games (We were 2-15 in games decided by 3 points or less last year. Being able to design a play that will win the game is an art and requires a feel for the game situation, but most importantly experience. As a former player and long time coach, Westphal has a lot more to pull from than anyone else we could have hired.)

- Developing Players (He like Adelman knows how to deal with players and most players like the guy. While the verdict is still out on how well he can cultivate young talent, he will benefit from a hungry young team that wants to get better. While I don't think Westphal helps our defense, insert defensive assistant here, he does have the Johnson and Payton eras to draw from so assuming we improve at point guard execution this year is a safe bet.)

On Westphal's future staff - A few names have been assumed so far. It is funny that some of the positive feedback on Petrie hiring Westphal stem from an assumption that Ellie and Porter come too. Absent that, I wonder if some pessimism quickly leaks into our psyches knowing how painfully bad we are defensively. Regardless here is some info on this alleged short list:

Terry Porter - I loved this guy back in the late '80s and early '90s when he played for Adelman (under Petrie) with Portland. Porter averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.24 steals, an All-Star in 1991,1993 and he is 11th on the NBA’s all-time assist list (7,160). Most interesting is Porter played for five of the top 36 coaches (games won) in NBA history: Pat Riley (1,110), Jack Ramsay (864), Rick Adelman (603), Gregg Popovich (339) and Flip Saunders (328).

As a Head Coach, despite that windfall of coaching mentorship, Terry has not faired well. His over all record in 194 games is 87 W - 107 L. He spent one season with the Kings in '03. 2 with the Bucks, and half a season with Phoenix. During the '05-'06, '07-'08 and 1/2 '09 seasons he was out of the league. In other words he has only worked full time about 50% over the last 5 NBA seasons. Those are big gaps. His defensive rating as the head coach at Milwakee was 23rd and 28th for those seasons.

As an assistant coach with Detroit, their defensive rating was 7th with a very talented core that included Chancey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace but a hobbled Chris Webber. As an assistance coach with Sac back in '03 the defensive rating was 2nd in the league--although it was Terry's first gig as a coach so not sure how much can be deduced there.

I get that the guy can help teach defense in an up-tempo offense that Westphal will likely run, I just think as as coach he may be over-rated.

Mario Elie - Super Mario was a late bloomer having more success playing ball on the streets of New York and in Europe before finally becoming an NBA player 5 seasons after being drafted. He has 3 RIngs, two with Houston and one with the Spurs before retiring after the '00 season.

He started his NBA coaching career 6 season ago with the Spurs and also spent two season at Golden State before landing in Dallas two years ago.. He has a good knowledge base of the European game and also speaks Spanish, French and Portuguese.

In the '04 season the Spurs were the best defensive rated team. The Warriors were 16th and 17th during Elie's stay there. The Mavericks defensive ratings over the last two seasons were 9th and 17th. I am not sure why Elie would leave Dallas with an owner that has money and a team that is in the playoffs where his visibility for a head coaching job will continue to improve.

I like Elie more than Porter but don't see why Kings pay for a contract buy-out and why Elie takes a step down from a winning franchise to the Kings.

Brian James - 4 years with the Bucks and stints with the Wizards, Raptors and Pistons. 5 seasons in the playoffs over 10 years. Was a scout with Seattle prior to that and former high school basketball coach. He worked under Porter while with the Bucks.

Bryan Gates - Head Coach of the Stampede in the NBA Development League. Despite never playing college basketball has been a very successful coach including 9 seasons with the Stampede where they won the D-League championship last year. He is known for teamwork, rebounding and defense.

Overall I don't have an issue with any of these coaches joining Paul Westphal. I just still feel we are light on candidates with proven defensive success in the NBA over the last several years.

On Rambis - A lot of us down here in So Cal are not surprised that Rambis was not going to happen. Phil will be done soon if not after this season, and Rambis is myopic enough to wait longer if need be to take over the most prestigious franchise in Basketball (sit down, chowder heads I know you have more rings) with all the money, acclaim, celebrities and success it will expectedly bring.

Not lost on Rambis is that the Staples Center is the crown jewel of the NBA right now. LA Live with the Nokia Theatre across the street is sick so he won't have to work part time selling the Kings to developers or worried about moving to some other hell hole mid-season.

As much as we love Joe and Gavin kickin' it with an occasional celeb, Jerry Buss is second only to Heffner in pulling in the ass. Rambis will make double what we are paying Westphal if he takes over for the Lakers so there was little upside in leaving LaLaland for the Kings. Petrie did the right thing by pulling the trigger on a guy who wants to be in Sac versus a guy that would only consider Sac as a consolation prize.

On Mayor Kevin Johnson - So this triangulation between The Kings, Coach Westphal (the sound is growing on me) and Petrie is intriguing. I hope I speak for all of us that we hoped that there would be some Kings benefit with Kevin in charge. Perhaps Westphal helps bridge that gap. I am sure Mayor Johnson wants the Kings to be successful, but you gotta believe that there will be even more love coming the Kings way now that his buddy has the job. Let's keep our fingers crossed that somehow, either downtown, West Sac, Natomas or Cal Expo translates into the Kings remaining in Sacramento.

On the Draft - We have all dissected this draft in hopes of feeling comfortable on who the 3-4 choices will be based on the what happens with picks 1-3. Even a few months into this I still don't think there is a consensus on the logical trade scenario(s) , trade(s) up/down, or needs by teams above us in the draft. Simply put Blake will be drafted first, but will the Clippers keep him and what happens next is still completely unpredictable.

There is no argument that we will draft a point guard. Given Westphal's history with Johnson and Payton, I suspect his influence will be valuable in assisting Petire on who to draft. I am keenly interested in any potential feedback on the guard evaluations this week and expect we will be debating the point guard position intensely up until draft day.

In Summary - I love all the responses regarding our beloved Kings. I am optimistic about the draft and next season and the future of the Kings remaining in Sacramento. I mean, I have to be, I don't have a cat to kick...