SB Nation User Blog: section214

Sactown Royalty At ARCO Arena - The Progress Report

section214 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:38:40 -0000

"Which one of you nuts has got any guts?" section8 leads his minions out of the bar and to their seats just prior to the start of the Kings-Nuggets game on 12/28.

32 seats have been sold as of this afternoon. The good news is that I get my seat deposit back. The bad news is that I crowed that we could fill at least 50 seats based on the polls that you lying bastards participated in.

Come on, people. Don't you remember how J.R. Smith dissed us last year when he was hotter than a $2 pistol and raining 3's all over us? Don't you loathe Kenyon Martin? Wouldn't you like to be there in person to watch Andres Nocioni annoy the hell out of Carmelo Anthony, to watch Sergio Rodriguez outplay Ty Lawson off the bench? to watch Tyreke Evans and Chauncey Billups trade paint?

You only have a few more days to book your tickets. The linkage and the instructions can be found in the original post, which you can link to here. Vote early and vote often.

So are you coming? Or are you yellow? (Note - threat of being called yellow applies only to local residents.)

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE - Payday must have struck, as we are now approaching 50 tickets sold.

Heat Check

section214 — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:09:30 -0000

Hey, how you doin'?

As recently as a couple of months ago, our confidence in Beno Udrih was less than overwhelming. He was inducted into the MLE hall of shame. He was untradeable, a waste of someone else’s minutes, an albatross.

Today? Amongst point guards logging 30 minutes per game or more, Beno Udrih ranks 11^th in PER, in between Brandon Jennings and Gilbert Arenas (Tyreke Evans currently sits at #7). Udrih sports a true shooting percentage of better than 58% (that is Kevin Martin territory), and his assist to turnover ratio is 2.3 to 1. And Udrih has done this coming off the bench, where he had rarely been productive prior to now.

The question is, how far has Udrih come in two months? Has he graduated from untradeable (as in, no one will take him) to untradeable (as in, we don’t want to part with this guy)?

To help answer this, I have developed this simple test – a proposed trade. It is important to note that this is probably not a viable trade, but I threw this together quickly, and the purpose of this trade is more to set a baseline in our minds as to how we feel about Beno these days.

The Blazers are struggling, and the popular thought these days is that they need a "Mo Williams" type of guard to play in the backcourt with Brandon Roy. In a way, that is Beno. Now I’m not directly comparing Udrih’s talents to that of the Cleveland all-star, but Udrih has proven that he can be productive in the backcourt with or without the ball, and he can produce as a 1 or a 2. He and Roy would be similar to an Evans/Udrih backcourt. So…

Udrih to Portland for Blake, Dante Cunningham, Patty Mills. I would have done Udrih for Blake straight up, but it doesn’t work from a salary standpoint. The Kings would have to turn around and waive Sean May to be at 15 players.

Note to all Portland fans – this trade was not completely conceptualized with you in mind. This is put together as a semi-plausible scenario so that I can get a reading on how much Udrih’s value has moved in the minds of Kings fans. This does not solve your Andre Miller problem, but Pritchard is a genius and can deal him to someone else. Also, if you have not seen Udrih play this year, you will rightfully believe that this is one of the stupidest trades ever proposed. Last year, Blake > Udrih. But aliens have come down and inhabited Beno Udrih, and it does not appear that they are going to be vacating the vessel anytime soon.

Under this semi-plausible(?) setup, the Blazers get their running mate for Roy at a reasonable (albeit lengthy) price. The Kings get expiring for the most part (I think that Cunningham might be guaranteed $800k next year). Should the Kings then manage to deal Nocioni for expiring, they would go into next year’s free agency period with a payroll of $29 million (not including whatever it might take to re-sign Sergio Rodriguez).

So, would you now trade Beno Udrih for expiring contract? Do you think that it is possible to trade Udrih for expiring contract? Or is a backcourt rotation of Evans/Martin/Udrih too tasty to mess with? You could also entertain the notion of dealing Martin, but I don’t think that you can get fair value for him today.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You have to make the deal now. You can’t wait for the trade deadline or for Martin and/or Garcia to come back. The trade will hurt the Kings in the short term, as a prime time contributor is dealt for Steve Blake, who would likely settle in behind Evans, Greene, and Rodriguez in the guard rotation in the short term, eventually winding up near the end of the bench (or in street clothes) once Martin and Garcia return. Just for comparison, Blake does have a nice 2.5 to 1 assist to turnover ratio, but his true shooting percentage is a woeful 49%.

What say ye regarding Beno Udrih?

Poll

Trade Beno Udrih?

Diogu out for the rest of the season

section214 — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:37:31 -0000

Diogu out for the rest of the season

At least Sean May is still dressing...mmm, dressing.

"...injury to Kevin Martin that forced first-year coach Paul Westphal to move the one-and-done Memphis Tiger from the point (were they really serious?) to shooting guard..."

section214 — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:07:25 -0000

"...injury to Kevin Martin that forced first-year coach Paul Westphal to move the one-and-done Memphis Tiger from the point (were they really serious?) to shooting guard..."

Yet another national writer misses the mark (even while bestowing a little love) on your Sacramento Kings. More Tyreke = naPG nonsense.

Sactown Royalty At ARCO Arena - The Event!

section214 — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:51:16 -0000

(Use of Simpsons characters for post - check)

You asked for it, and we listened. Actually, Tom ignored you, G used the "I live out of state" excuse, and rbiegler has not been heard from since his date with Matt Snell's daughter (use of old and random non-reference - check). But I listened. Kind of. If you forget about the fact that I was no help as it pertained to the Wizards game. And I pretty much ignored everyone's input. And I commandeered seats in section 214 so that I can park in my usual and familiar area. So we kind of listened. A little. But not really.

Sactown Royalty will represent when its members attend the Sacramento Kings - Denver Nuggets game on Monday, December 28, 2009 at ARCO Arena, tip-off shortly after 7 PM. Here are the details of this seminal moment in our blog's history (use of the word seminal - check):

We have 87 85 (I just booked mine, suckers!) seats blocked out in sections 214 and 215. If this grows beyond that we should be able to expand into 213 and 216, which is still sideline view.

These seats are regularly priced at $40.50, marked down to $25.50 for the group, a savings of $15 per seat! There will also be an opportunity for a group photo on the court immediately after the game (we meet on the concourse right after the game at section 114/115). There are limited perks for each game, and due to our late booking this was the best (read: only) remaining perk. Should this evening prove to be a success we can target the 3/19 Bucks game as the next event, and our forward booking may net us enhanced graft. That being said, I am a little jazzed over the idea of hanging a photo of you clowns right below my favorite photo of all time (use of greatest photo of all time - check).

How do you get your grubby little mitts on these prime ducats? It's as easy as 'Reke. First, you will click on the Sactown Royalty Group Outing Link, which I will provide in a moment. The special group code is "str." From there, you will need to create an account (takes less than a minute), then you select your seats, then you pay, then you print your confirmation. Your tickets will be emailed to the email address that you provide. You'll be done before you can say, "How is Omri's 3 point percentage higher than his free throw percentage?"

The opportunity to purchase will be open for one week, but the faster you buy, the (a) better seats you get, and (b) the faster we know if we need to expand into section 213 and 216. OK, here's the link -

SactownRoyalty.com Group Outing - CLICK HERE!

Should you experience any difficulty or if you have any questions, feel free to contract my ticket representative. Desirée Paxton (that's right and I swear to God - Desirée is the original "extra é") at 928-3642.

Last but not least, I had to put down a $200 deposit on these seats, so if you douche nuggets turn tail and run out on me I will hunt you down and kill you (use of hollow and needless threat - check). Remember, if we don't turn out in large masses, Peaches wins (use of always effective motivational tool - check).

Sactown Royalty at ARCO Arena. It's about the Kings. It's about us. It's about time.

Let's do this.

Sactown Royalty Night At ARCO Arena - The (very brief) Update

section214 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:16:15 -0000

It will be the Denver Nuggets game on Monday, December 28th, and we are shooting for the half court view seats, $25.50. More details to follow on the evening, how to get your tickets, perks, etc. We hope to have the 411 out in the next day or two. Stay tuned -

UPDATE - I should have the next chapter up later this evening or tomorrow morning. It should include a link to purchase and print tickets (or set them up at will call), along with all of the other details. Let's rock the casbah!

Greg Monroe Arrives

section214 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:58:34 -0000

Greg Monroe Arrives

For all of you college cats, keep an eye on Monroe. He could elevate himself into the top three before the season is over.

Sactown Royalty at ARCO Arena - The Next Chapter

section214 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:53:50 -0000

First things first. We are not going to be able to put this together in time for the 12/16 Wizards game. This does not preclude you from independently moving forward with that game per SKingsFan's suggestion in the FanPosts (and information in the FanShots). However, after speaking with my ticket representative and reading the thread comments, we have come up with the following alternatives:

Monday, December 28, v. the Nuggets.

Wednesday, December 30, v. the Sixers.

Should this go well, we would plan an additional evening for the Milawukee Bucks game in March.

We also have our choice of locations - the 2nd deck, upper half, half court (yes, it could be the world's largest "view from section 214" that man has ever known). These seats are $25.50 each.

The is the upper deck, upper half, corner, $19.50. And there is the upper deck, lower half, corner, $40.50.

I can only attach one poll here, so the exercise goes as follows - we will go with the game that receives the most votes, regardless of the price point that you choose. We will then go with the majority price point, based on what was the most popular price point for both games combined. Confused? That makes all of us. Rules are subject to change based on my mood.

Once we determine the game and the price point, I will contact my ticket representative and we'll get it set up. At that time we will review the process for reserving seats and making payment (I believe that I will be able to reserve the block and then you will be able to contact the Kings and purchase your tickets via an StR reference). We will also discuss any potential perks (I believe that the larger the group, the more attention we might get, but we'll see). Based on the poll, we would have 132 potential attendees. 20 is the minimum. 80 would knock my socks off.

I'll also noodle with a donation idea - something like everyone can voluntarily donate to the SPCA (for example) based on their own criteria (I might donate $1 for every StR ticket that is purchased). Geoff Petrie is a big SPCA guy, so maybe he or the Kings would like to get in on it and/or match our donation. Like I said, I'm noodling with this - maybe our donation is somehow involved with one of the KIngs players groups (they each have their own community projects via the Kings), and it earns us a photo op with said player (not to mention doing something good in the community during the holiday season). It is important to note that I am on the ground floor with this idea, and it would be completely voluntary.

My thought is to let the poll run Tuesday and Wednesday, and then follow up with the next chapter on Thursday. Make your vote count (not like the hundreds of you that wasted past votes on "Ricky Rubio", "less than 17 wins", and "extend Kenny Natt."). So...

Poll

What game, then what price? (All locations noted are upper deck)

12/28 Nuggets, $40.50 (lower half, corner)

41 votes

12/28 Nuggets, $25.50 (upper half, half court)

52 votes

12/28 Nuggets, $19.50 (upper half, corner)

16 votes

12/30 Sixers, $40.50 (lower half, corner)

17 votes

12/30 Sixers, $25.50 (upper half, half court)

28 votes

12/30 Sixers, $19.50 (upper half, corner)

13 votes

167 votes | Poll has closed

Well, if Larry Brown was unhappy over losing to the Celtics...

section214 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:03:04 -0000

Well, if Larry Brown was unhappy over losing to the Celtics...

New Jersey is 1 and.

The Rookie-Sophomore All Star Game And Your Sacramento Kings

section214 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:23:25 -0000

(via media.sacbee.com) Omri Casspi (right) muscles a rebound away from Jason Thompson (left) during section214's imagined rookie-sophomore basketball game. Not pictured - Tyreke Evans, who is off somewhere not being a true point guard.

I know that there are a lot of folks out there that could give a flying fig about all star weekend. And while a part of me agrees, there is another part that remembers the civic pride that Sacramento felt when Mitch Richmond made his first all star team, when he brought home the all star MVP award, and when Peja dominated the 3-point shootout. Jason Williams' rookie game elbow pass, Gerald Wallace getting jobbed out of the slam dunk trophy – all star weekend had our attention back when the Kings were fun and exciting and relevant.

Well, relevant days are here again. While no Kings are likely to suit up for the main event on Valentine’s day at Arlington Stadium*, there are several candidates that could play in the rookie-sophomore game. In fact, if the game were held today, we would probably have three Kings playing, with a fourth just missing.

(*Regarding Arlington Stadium, the NBA should invite World B. Free and Purvis Short to come out for a jump shooting competition to see if either one of them can hit the scoreboard with their high, arcing jumpers.).

First, let’s introduce the 11/29/09 version of the sophomore team (and remember, these teams are selected with little or no regard to position):

NAME	POINTS	AND
Russell Westbrook (OKC)	16	7 ast., 5 reb.
Brook Lopez (NJ)	18	8 reb., 3 blk.
Marc Gasol (Mem)	15	11 reb., 2 blk.
Jason Thompson (Sac)	14	9 reb.
Chris Douglas-Roberts (NJ)	17	5 reb.
Michael Beasley (Mia)	14	7 reb.
Derrick Rose (Chi)	15	5 ast.
Eric Gordon (LAC)	17	2 stl.
O.J. Mayo (Mem)	17
Roy Hibbert (Ind)	11	7 reb., 2 blk.
Anthony Randolph (GS)	12	7 reb.
Marreese Speights (Phl)	13	6 reb.

Danilo Gallinari (NY)	14
Ryan Anderson (Orl)	13
Donté Greene (Sac)	10

Westbrook, Lopez and Gasol are easily the cream of this crop. JT makes this team with relative ease. Speights could lose his spot to the New York and international influence for Gallinari. Donté Greene would probably need Beno Udrih to miss significant time to have a legitimate shot at making this team. Notable absence – Kevin Love may return to the T-Wolves (fractured left hand…SOFT!!!) by mid-December. Two months of solid play could land Love on the soph squad. It should also be noted that Greg Oden (12 pts., 9 reb. 2 blk.) played for the rookie team last year after missing his actual rookie season due to micro fracture surgery (SOFT!!!). If Oden is considered for the soph team, place him with Westbrook/Lopez/Gasol and bump everyone else down a notch.

OK, on to the rooks –

NAME	POINTS	AND
Brandon Jennings (Mil)	23	6 ast., 5 reb.
Tyreke Evans (Sac)	19	5 ast., 5 reb.
Terrence Williams (NJ)	11	6 reb.
Stephen Curry (GS)	10	5 ast.
Johnny Flynn (Min)	14
Marcus Thornton (NO)	12
Darren Collison (NO)	11
Omri Casspi (Sac)	10
James Harden (OKC)	9
Tyler Hansbrough (Ind)	8	5 reb.
Taj Gibson (Chi)	7	6 reb.
Blake Griffin (LAC)

Ty Lawson (Den)	9
DeJuan Blair (SA)	5	5 reb.
Chase Budinger (Hou)	8

It sure looks like a two-horse race for rookie of the year at the moment, as Jennings and Evans have really separated themselves from the pack. Collison’s numbers could drop once CP3 returns. Blake Griffin is supposed to be suiting up by December, which should be plenty of time for him to play his way onto this team (the fact that he’s the #1 pick won’t hurt his case, either). Casspi will benefit from being the first Israeli born player when it comes to the selection process for this squad.

The Kings and Nets should get some national love from this game, as they both will have three participating players. OKC should also receive some props for their backcourt of tomorrow.

This would be an exciting game for Kings fans. How many times will JT foul Tyreke Evans (I choose 6!)? How many times will Evans be called "not a prototypical point guard" when compared to Jennings and Flynn? Rose v. Evans? Could we get some practice footage of Casspi v. Williams?

I know – all of this is a bit premature. But for the first time since 2004 (Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic), the Kings would be represented at all star weekend. And that has me excited and giddy and enthusiastic and unapologetic.

Bring on the game.