Here We Come.

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"Here We Come." - The Sacramento Kings.

[2014-15 Recap] -- They played well early, slumped, fired a coach, hired an interim coach, fired him, then hired George Karl. Criticism was heavy for how team management handled the whole thing, and in the end, even with Karl at the helm, the team lost way more than it won. To add salt to their already gashing wound, former Sacramento King point guard Isaiah Thomas led the Boston Celtics to an eight-seed in the Eastern Conference and a playoff birth while Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins spent May at home.


Now, with a more stable leadership group and an all-star in Cousins and legit head coach in Karl, the Kings head into the off-season with a clear path and hopeful that like the New Orleans Pelicans, they'll be able to go from a lottery team to a potential eight seed.

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NBA Draft:
2015
8th // F Trey Lyles, Kentucky
26th // F Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
56th // G Cameron Payne, Murray State


Trades:
Spurs trade 2015 1st round pick, 2017 1st round pick and 2015 2nd round pick to Kings for Carl Landry and Jason Thompson.


Signings:
2015
F Ed Davis, 4 YRS | $32.03M
G Danny Green, 2 YRS | $11.19M
C Epke Udoh, 1 YR |$2.71M


Franchise Records:


Most points in one game: Jack Twyman // 59 // January 15th, 1960
Most rebounds in one game: Chris Webber // 24 // January 5th, 2001
Most assists in one game: Oscar Robertson // 22 // March 5th, 1966
Most steals in one game: Chris Webber // 8 // March 11th, 2001
Most blocks in one game: Manute Bol // 10 // February 14th, 1991


2015-2016 Season:


Record:
Div. Place:
Conference Place:
Playoff Seed:

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2015-16 Sacramento Kings Roster

Starting Lineup
G Darren Collison, UCLA
G Ben McLemore, Kansas
F Rudy Gay, Connecticut
F Ed Davis, North Carolina
C DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky


Bench Players
G Danny Green, North Carolina // G Ray McCallum, Detroit Mercy // F Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin // F Trey Lyles, Kentucky // G Nik Stauskas, Michigan // C Ekpe Udoh, Baylor // G Cameron Payne, Murray State // F Eric Moreland, Oregon State

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2014-2015 NBA Player Awards:


Most Valuable Player: Stephen Curry, Golden State
Rookie Of The Year: Elfrid Payton, Orlando Magic
Most Improved Player Of The Year: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Defensive Player Of The Year: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Sixth Man Of The Year: Reggie Jackson, Detroit Pistons
Coach Of The Year: David Blatt, Cleveland Cavaliers


2014-2015 NBA Playoff Results:


Western Conference Finals Result: Los Angeles Clippers 4 // Portland Trail Blazers 3
Eastern Conference Finals Result: Cleveland Cavaliers 4 // Chicago Bulls 3
NBA Finals Result: Cleveland Cavaliers 4 // Los Angeles Clippers 1
Finals MVP Award: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers // 27.0 PPG // 4.4 RPG // 8.0 APG // 2.2 SPG // 46 FG%

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Player Retirements
Name|Team|Years Pro|Age
Tim Duncan|San Antonio Spurs|18|39
Vince Carter|Memphis Grizzlies|17|38
Shawn Marion|Cleveland Cavaliers|16|37
Andre Miller|Sacramento Kings|16|39
Hedo Turkoglu|Los Angeles Clippers|15|36
Brendan Haywood|Cleveland Cavaliers|14|35
Reggie Evans|Sacramento Kings|13|35
Rasual Butler|Washington Wizards|12|36

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Reggie Evans, Andre Miller Retirement Kickoff Sacramento Kings' Busy Offseason

Picture: Andre Miller #22 of the Sacramento Kings drives against Jeff Teague #0 of the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on March 9, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reggie Evans, Andre Miller Retirement Kickoff Sacramento Kings' Busy Offseason
Kenneth Carter // ss.com


Sacramento, CA -- In an off-season that is being sold to the fans as a restocking of young talent, it seems rather fitting that the first move of the Sacramento Kings 2015 off-season is the retirement announcement of both Andre Miller, 38, and Reggie Evans, 34. Evans played thirteen seasons in the association at the power forward position despite being only 6-foot-8, averaging double-digit rebounds per game twice in his career. Evans' final season in his career was a quiet one, playing just over sixteen minutes a game while scoring four points and six rebounds per game. Andre Miller, who survived sixteen years in the league despite not having a reliable jump shot or being athletic, averaged similar numbers last season; 16 minutes per game, four points and four assists.


While Evans and Miller are gone from Sacramento by their own decisions, others may be joining them on the expressway. The Kings have already started shopping power forwards Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, who are set to make $6.75M and $6.43M respectively. If the Kings were to trade both Landry and Thompson for perhaps a pick in the draft, which is full of talented big men, the Kings could head into free agency with upwards of $24M in cap space available, making them viable to make a run at a free agent such as LaMarcus Aldridge or Kevin Love.


But before trades could be discussed or free agency, the faith and guideline of the Sacramento Kings off season begins with a couple of ping pong balls. The Kings draft pick is top-ten protected, meaning that if the King were to fall to the number eleven overall pick, their pick would go to Chicago. With the mission statement of the 2015 off-season being to acquire young talent, it would be very difficult to do so without a draft pick, especially in such a talented draft class.

After spending their last couple of draft picks on guards, even if the Kings decide to hang on to Landry and Thompson, they are likely to look to snag one of the draft's talented big men. One power forward that the Kings have showed a high level of interest in is Frank Kaminsky -- the 7-foot stretch four out of Wisconsin. In an era of college basketball where few players, yet alone bigs, can get their own shots, Kaminsky is a rare breed. Blessed with underrated athleticism and impressive range, Kaminsky would be the perfect type of player to spread the floor and allows players such as Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins space to go to work on the offensive side. Kaminsky isn't the only big that the Kings have shown interest in as they've also been reported to be interested in Kentucky's Trey Lyles and Willie Cauley-Stein as well as Texas' Myles Turner.


It's going to be an interesting off season for the Sacramento Kings, especially if they get to hang on to their pick. DeMarcus Cousins is widely viewed as being one of the, if not the best, centers of the league while Rudy Gay, in the right system, can be one of the best offensive wing players in the league. The Kings also have Darren Collison, who at just $5.01M against the cap is a certified steal and mix in young guards Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas and you have a team oozing with potential.


"I definitely think that we can compete next year," Cousins said during the team's exit interviews, "I feel like we have a lot of guys that are talented and we have guys that I know can ball and we just need to collectively put it together as a group and we'll be alright, we'll be competing."


Cousins' take on the Kings' future while optimistic, the team did lose far more games than it won, it's not outer-worldly. This past season's eight seed was the New Orleans Pelicans, led by fellow Kentucky big man Anthony Davis, who won 45 games. The Kings won 16 fewer games. While barring a miracle free agent signing, no draft pick or single acquisition is going to add sixteen wins but a combination of moves, as well as a now stable management group and coaching staff, could chip away at the gap between the Kings and the eight seed; the team's most likely goal this season.

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Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets Swap Head Coaches; McHale to Chicago, Thibodeau to Houston

Picture: Kevin McHale [L] coaches the Houston Rockets during the playoffs. Tom Thibodeau coaches the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets Swap Head Coaches; McHale to Chicago, Thibodeau to Houston
Kenneth Carter // ss.com


Chicago, IL -- The Chicago Bulls were just one game away from reaching the Finals for the first time since 1998. Apparently, even that wasn't enough to keep head coach Tom Thibodeau in Chicago. Thibodeau's contract wasn't renewed at the end of the season.


"We all kind of saw it coming," Chicago Bulls beat writer Joshua Le said, "Thibs and the front office, there was some friction. We all kind of knew that he was leaving at the end of the season, maybe even if they won it all. So this comes to no surprise."


A coaching change that was surprising was the Houston Rockets deciding to not renew coach Kevin McHale's contract. McHale, who joined the team in 2011, made the playoffs in each of his final three seasons in Houston but failed to get to the Western Conference Finals despite having James Harden, who finished second in MVP voting, and a healthy Dwight Howard.


Thibodeau and McHale, who both joined their respective team around the same time, will be swapping addresses this season. The Bulls hired McHale on Tuesday and on Thursday, the Rockets announced their hiring of Thibodeau.


"This could be a Finals match up," Le said, "That would be fun, that would be interesting. Two teams that swap coaches, both made the playoffs and could possibly make the Finals. I don't think that's ever happened before,"

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Sacramento Kings Pick Up Option On Combo Ray McCallum, Expected To Let Derrick Williams Walk

Picture: Ray McCallum #3 of the Sacramento Kings shoots past Deron Williams #8 of the Brooklyn Nets [L]. Kyle Korver #26 of the Atlanta Hawks defends against Derrick Williams #13 of the Sacramento Kings [R].

Sacramento Kings Pick Up Option On Combo Ray McCallum, Expected To Let Derrick Williams Walk
Kenneth Carter // ss.com


Sacramento, CA -- The Sacramento Kings have picked up the third-year team option of guard Ray McCallum. McCallum, a second round pick out of Detroit Mercy in 2013, scored 7.4 points per game last season and started thirty third games this past season.


The team option for this third season puts his salary at $947k and gives the Kings yet another inexpensive player in their back court as McCallum is an offensive-minded point capable of also playing the two-guard position in small lineups.


While McCallum's option was inexpensive, Derrick Williams' wasn't. The Kings have decided to not offer Williams his $8.72M qualifying offer, allowing Williams to enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent according to a team source. Williams, a former number two overall pick by Minnesota, averaged 8.3 points per game in his final season and only full season in Sacramento.


While it's not likely that Williams will be back, the Kings could perhaps make a run at Williams during free agency at a lower price.

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NBA Draft Lottery Results
1. Los Angles Lakers
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Denver Nuggets
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. New York Knicks
6. Charlotte Hornets
7. Orlando Magic
8. Sacramento Kings
9. Miami Heat
10. Phoenix Suns
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Milwaukee Bucks
14. Utah Jazz
15. Detroit Pistons

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Sacramento Kings To Let Ryan Hollins and Omar Casspi Test Free Agency

Picture: Omri Casspi #18 of the Sacramento Kings celebrates after the Kings defeated the Suns 114-112 in double overtime.

Sacramento Kings To Let Ryan Hollins and Omar Casspi Test Free Agency
Kenneth Carter // ss.com


Sacramento, CA -- The Sacramento Kings have decided to let their free agents, forward Omar Casspi and center Ryan Hollins, test free agency.


Casspi, who was drafted out of Israel by the Kings in the first round in the 2009 NBA Draft, left Sacramento for three years after spending his first two seasons there before turning last season. Casspi averaged 8.9 points per game and shot a career high forty nine percent from the floor. Casspi, a six-foot-9 forward capable of playing both position, might return to Sacramento if the price is right for the Kings front office.


Joining Casspi out of Sacramento will be Ryan Hollins, who was a fringe player off the bench this past season. Hollins played in just forty six games and averaged under ten minutes per game for the second straight season after spending last season on the Clippers bench.


"They really want to renew this roster," Simulation Sports NBA analyst Kyle Nott said, "They have their starting five and that starting five is good enough to fight for an eight seed so now they need to focus and try to remodel the bottom of their roster and iron out their rotation. Right now, it's just a matter of opening up the cap space in order to perhaps go after a free agent or possibly draft replacements."


The Kings have the eight pick in the NBA Draft.

[albidnis]

Nice looking chise.. Keep it coming

[Big C-Dub]

trade Thompson & Landry to the Spurs for two 1sts imo