River City Kings

[Vinsane]

River City Kings ​

The Maloof family likes to brag about the unparalleled success that the Sacramento Kings and ARCO Arena have had under their stewardship.

To be fair, it's a solid argument. Under the family's leadership, the Kings have recorded 50-plus regular season victories five times, won back-to-back Pacific Division titles in 2001-02 and 2002-03, and advanced to the 2002 Western Conference Finals.

Of course all of that was in the distant past when players like Chris Webber, Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic called ARCO Arena home, and to borrow a phrase from the late great Gorilla Monsoon, people were literally hanging off the rafters in one of the NBA's toughest places to play.

Fast forward to the present and ARCO Arena is considered an antiquated building and the reason that the Kings may be on the way out of California's capital. Gone are the automatic sellouts replaced by pair of seasons where less than 14,000 fans showed up per night.

Every attempt to build a new arena in the city has been derailed, not a surprise considering the current economic downturn and the fact that California is awash in a sea of debt.

That said, sports is supposed to be an escape from the harrows of every day life, a place where you can forget about your problems for a few hours a night.

Make no mistake, the declining attendance figures in Sacramento have nothing to do with an aging building or the fact that the local fans have less disposable income -- the Kings just haven't been all that competitive.

The worm began to turn last year with the addition of the NBA's Rookie of the Year -- combo guard Tyreke Evans. This season, the Kings hope they added a rather significant piece to a promising foundation with former Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins.

Sacramento feels Cousins was the second most talented player in the 2010 draft behind Washington's John Wall, a prospect with amazing strength and passing skills that defy his age.

Some other NBA teams labeled Cousins lazy and out of shape, an immature player that loses focus easily and will never possess the intestinal fortitude to excel at this level.

Which side is right?

The very future of Sacramento basketball could hinge on the answer.

 

[Vinsane]

Kings Rout Wolves In Season Opener

(0-0)

(0-0)
Sacramento Kings @ Minnesota Timberwolves

Injuries:

N/A

Starting Lineups:

Tyreke Evans PG Johnny Flynn
Francisco Garcia SG Wesley Johnson
Omri Casspi SF Michael Beasley
Jason Thompson PF Kevin Love
DeMarcus Cousins C Darko Milicic

Tyreke Evans turns in his first poster of the year.​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Team|1|2|3|4|Final
Sacramento|36|36|30|27|129
Minnesota|25|27|22|32|106[/table]​

Box Score:​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
T. Evans|19|2|11|0|0|6-9|1-3|6-6
F. Garcia|14|3|2|2|0|5-8|0-1|4-4
O. Casspi|9|5|3|2|0|3-7|1-2|2-2
J. Thompson|13|11|1|0|0|5-6|0-0|3-3
D. Cousins|19|5|1|0|3|6-8|0-0|7-7
Sixth Man|
C. Landry|21|6|2|0|1|9-12|0-0|3-3
[/table]

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
J. Flynn|21|2|10|2|0|7-10|2-2|5-5
W. Johnson|21|3|3|5|0|9-23|2-6|1-2
M. Beasley|17|10|0|2|0|7-24|3-7|0-0
K. Love|6|8|0|0|0|3-7|0-0|0-0
D. Milicic|10|11|2|1|4|3-9|0-0|4-5
Sixth Man|
M. Webster|15|2|0|0|0|6-12|3-6|0-0
[/table]

Carl Landry

Next Game:

(1-0)​

 

[Vinsane]

Nets Outlast Kings In OT.

(1-0)

(1-0)
Sacramento Kings @ New Jersey Nets

Injuries:

N/A

Starting Lineups:

Tyreke Evans PG Devin Harris
Francisco Garcia SG Sasha Vujacic
Omri Casspi SF Damion James
Jason Thompson PF Derrick Favors
DeMarcus Cousins C Brook Lopez

Devin Harris made huge plays in OT to propel the Nets to victory.​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Team|1|2|3|4|OT|Final
Sacramento|27|27|37|32|10|133
New Jersey|32|31|27|33|20|143[/table]​

Box Score:​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
T. Evans|15|9|14|0|1|5-19|0-0|5-9
F. Garcia|22|4|3|1|1|9-16|1-4|3-4
O. Casspi|14|9|1|0|0|6-14|1-6|1-2
J. Thompson|21|8|1|2|3|8-15|0-0|5-6
D. Cousins|19|7|0|1|3|6-9|0-0|7-7
Sixth Man|
C. Landry|15|2|0|1|0|5-7|0-1|5-5
[/table]

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
D. Harris|27|5|17|0|1|11-18|0-1|5-6
S. Vujacic|16|2|2|3|0|6-12|4-7|0-0
D. James|14|5|5|2|0|5-11|1-3|3-6
D. Favors|10|6|2|1|1|4-5|0-0|2-2
B. Lopez|28|10|2|3|2|11-19|0-0|6-7
Sixth Man|
A. Morrow|12|0|0|1|0|5-8|2-3|0-0
[/table]

Devin Harris

Next Game:

(1-1)​

 

[Vinsane]

Sacramento Takes Throne In Kingless Cleveland.

(1-1)

(1-1)
Sacramento Kings @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Injuries:

N/A

Starting Lineups:

Tyreke Evans PG Mo Williams
Francisco Garcia SG Anthony Parker
Omri Casspi SF Joey Graham
Jason Thompson PF Antawn Jamison
DeMarcus Cousins C Anderson Varejao

Evans beats the defense for the easy jam.​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Team|1|2|3|4|Final
Sacramento|35|35|31|32|133
Cleveland|27|34|30|27|118[/table]​

Box Score:​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
T. Evans|29|4|12|2|1|11-20|0-2|7-9
F. Garcia|28|6|2|1|0|10-17|4-4|4-6
O. Casspi|8|4|4|1|1|3-4|1-2|1-2
J. Thompson|8|6|0|0|0|3-5|0-0|2-2
D. Cousins|30|10|3|1|1|10-17|0-0|0-1
Sixth Man|
C. Landry|10|6|0|1|0|4-6|0-0|2-2
[/table]

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
M. Williams|27|0|16|4|0|10-21|4-8|3-3
R. Sessions|3|0|3|1|0|0-4|0-1|3-4
A. Parker|18|6|4|3|2|6-14|0-0|3-4
A. Jamison|10|5|2|1|0|4-7|0-1|2-2
A. Varejao|14|7|4|3|2|6-14|0-0|2-4
Sixth Man|
A. Gee|10|2|1|1|0|4-9|0-3|2-4
[/table]

Tyreke Evans

Next Game:

(1-1)​

 

[Vinsane]

Monthly Round-Up:

Injury Report Presented By:

Jason Williams - Torn Hand Ligament - Out - 5-8 Weeks.
Landry Fields - Sprained Foot - Out - 2-4 Weeks.
Chris Paul - Strained Groin - Out - 2-4 Weeks.
Joey Graham - Strained Abdomen - Out - 1-2 Weeks.
Antawn Jamison - Strained Abdomen - Out - 1-2 Weeks.

Trade Block Presented By:

Kenyon Martin

• Martin may be bound for Houston.

D.J. Augustin

• Report: Bucks offering Keyon Dooling for Augustin?

J.J. Hickson

• 76ers GM: They want too much for Hickson.
• Hickson may be bound for Detroit.

Transaction Report Presented By:

No Transactions

Standings

Miami Heat (4-0)
Chicago Bulls (2-0)
Boston Celtics (2-1)
New Jersey Nets (2-1)
Indiana Pacers (2-1)
Orlando Magic (1-1)
Toronto Raptors (1-1)
Washington Wizards (1-1)
---------------------------------
Philadelphia 76ers (1-2)
Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2)
Charlotte Bobcats (1-2)
Detroit Pistons (1-2)
Atlanta Hawks (1-2)
Milwaukee Bucks (1-2)
New York Knicks (0-3)

Dallas Mavericks (3-0)
Houston Rockets (3-0)
Phoenix Suns (3-0)
Sacramento Kings (2-1)
New Orleans Hornets (2-1)
Portland Trail Blazers (2-1)
San Antonio Spurs (1-1)
L.A. Lakers (1-2)
---------------------------------
Utah Jazz (1-2)
Oklahoma City Thunder (1-2)
Minnesota Timberwolves (1-2)
Memphis Grizzlies (1-2)
Golden State Warriors (1-2)
Denver Nuggets (0-3)
L.A. Clippers (0-3)​

 

[Vinsane]

Kings Earn First Win Streak After Beating Raptors. Scored 133 For Third Straight Game.

(1-1)

(2-1)
Toronto Raptors @ Sacramento Kings

Injuries:

N/A

Starting Lineups:

Jose Calderon PG Tyreke Evans
Leandro Barbosa SG Francisco Garcia
DeMar Derozan SF Omri Casspi
Ed Davis PF Jason Thompson
Andrea Bargnani C DeMarcus Cousins

:ugh2:
This dummy forgot to grab a screen shot.​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Team|1|2|3|4|Final
Toronto|27|30|31|27|115
Sacramento|33|33|35|32|133[/table]​

Box Score:​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
J. Calderon|12|6|13|0|0|5-10|1-4|1-1
L. Barbosa|36|1|0|2|0|13-21|3-9|7-8
D. DeRozan|6|2|2|0|0|3-6|0-0|0-0
E. Davis|9|4|4|0|1|2-11|0-0|5-6
A. Bargnani|12|4|0|0|0|4-13|0-1|4-4
Sixth Man|
J. Bayless|15|4|3|0|0|7-13|0-2|1-4
[/table]

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
T. Evans|21|2|9|0|0|6-13|1-2|8-8
F. Garcia|4|2|5|0|1|1-7|0-1|2-2
O. Casspi|30|5|3|2|0|12-17|4-6|2-3
J. Thompson|8|3|2|0|0|3-3|0-0|2-2
D. Cousins|29|8|2|0|2|9-11|0-0|11-14
Sixth Man|
C. Landry|20|7|2|0|0|7-8|0-0|6-8
[/table]

Omri Casspi

Next Game:

(2-2)​

 

[Vinsane]

High Scoring Fourth Quarter Caps Thriller Between Lakers And Kings

(2-2)

(3-1)
Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings

Injuries:

N/A

Starting Lineups:

Derek Fisher PG Tyreke Evans
Kobe Bryant SG Francisco Garcia
Ron Artest SF Omri Casspi
Pau Gasol PF Jason Thompson
Andrew Bynum C DeMarcus Cousins

Evans' floater gives Kings the lead.​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Team|1|2|3|4|Final
Los Angeles|22|27|25|33|107
Sacramento|23|25|25|40|113[/table]​

Box Score:​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
D. Fisher|0|1|0|0|0|0-1|0-1|0-0
K. Bryant|30|4|4|3|0|12-28|0-1|6-9
R. Artest|7|2|1|2|0|3-7|1-3|0-0
P. Gasol|10|9|3|2|5|5-12|0-0|0-0
A. Bynum|14|5|3|3|0|6-15|0-0|2-2
Sixth Man|
L. Odom|19|6|4|1|1|7-12|3-5|2-5
[/table]

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
T. Evans|24|3|7|1|1|9-15|0-1|6-8
F. Garcia|18|1|0|2|2|5-13|1-4|7-8
O. Casspi|15|5|1|0|2|6-13|2-6|1-3
J. Thompson|18|11|0|0|4|4-8|0-0|10-10
D. Cousins|23|7|3|0|3|7-12|0-0|9-9
Sixth Man|
D. Greene|8|1|0|0|0|4-4|0-0|0-0
[/table]

Tyreke Evans

Next Game:

(1-5)​

 

[Vinsane]

Kings Sign Daniel Green

AP - Sacramento, CA.

The Sacramento Kings announced Thursday that they have signed Small Forward Daniel Green to a multi-year contract. Green who attended North Carolina in college was the 46th pick in the 2009 draft. He played in 20 games for the Cavaliers in the 2009-2010 season in which he averaged 2.0 points per game.

Sacramento's General Manager Geoff Petrie commented on the signing of Daniel Green. "While Daniel is not a household name we needed depth at the Small Forward position. We met briefly with Daniel before a shoot around and I liked what I seen from him both on and off the court."

Coach Paul Westphal also offered thoughts on the Green signing. "We're off to a hot start this season. We've had some impressive wins already and while we don't need to be actively searching for personal we though Daniel could bring something to our ball club and give us some much needed depth."

Daniel Green will join the team for their game against Memphis on Saturday. He is expected to dress for the Sacramento Kings who recently sent Hassan Whiteside to the Reno Bighorns.

"Hassan has a lot to work on and right now we simply can't use him." commented Coach Westphal. "We're taking a look at our roster and making some early moves to get the ball rolling this season. While the goal is to move forward we want to make sure that our young players are ready. Green has some experience in the NBA even though small it's more than Whiteside. He can offer something to our team now where Hassan can't."

The Kings (4-1) will host the Grizzlies (1-5) looking for their fourth straight win and third straight at home. Earlier in the week the Kings were able to hold off the Toronto Raptors before earning their biggest win this season against their arch rival the Los Angeles Lakers.

 

[Vinsane]

Reke Answers Call In Overtime

(1-5)

(4-1)
Memphis Grizzlies @ Sacramento Kings

Injuries:

N/A

Starting Lineups:

Mike Conley PG Tyreke Evans
O.J. Mayo SG Francisco Garcia
Rudy Gay SF Omri Casspi
Zach Randolph PF Jason Thompson
Marc Gasol C DeMarcus Cousins

Evans' amazing December continues with this game winning three in overtime.​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Team|1|2|3|4|OT|Final
Memphis|26|19|26|30|13|114
Sacramento|19|30|29|23|16|117[/table]​

Box Score:​

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
M. Conley|12|2|6|2|0|5-6|0-0|2-2
O.J. Mayor|17|5|7|3|0|7-18|1-4|2-4
R. Gay|34|4|6|0|1|15-23|2-2|2-4
Z. Randolph|12|7|0|1|0|5-11|0-0|2-2
M. Gasol|9|8|3|4|1|4-7|0-0|1-3
Sixth Man|
X. Henry|14|4|1|0|0|5-11|4-7|0-0
[/table]

[table="head;autonumtitle=rank;width=30em"]Player|Pts|Reb|Ast|Stl|Blk|FG-A|3PT-A|FT-A
T. Evans|31|8|14|0|0|9-20|3-8|10-14
F. Garcia|15|3|4|2|2|6-13|1-2|2-4
O. Casspi|20|6|3|3|1|8-19|3-8|1-3
J. Thompson|4|12|2|0|0|1-7|0-0|2-2
D. Cousins|17|9|0|2|2|5-10|0-0|7-8
Sixth Man|
C. Landry|13|2|0|1|0|3-4|0-0|7-7
[/table]

Tyreke Evans

Next Game:

(2-6)​

 

[Vinsane]

Breaking News: Karl Out In Denver

AP - Denver, CO.

The Denver Nuggets announced George Karl is out as their head coach following a 126-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The news broke early Wednesday morning.

Karl, who has coached the Nuggets since 2005. Was fired after the Nuggets (0-8) struggles continued. He was informed of the decision before the team made their way to the airport to travel back home to Denver where they will host the Lakers on Thursday.

Karl did not travel with the team. A spokesman for Karl could not be reached but, the Nuggets front office released a statement only moments ago.

"It is with a heavy heart that we make this announcement. George Karl was always a professional both on and off the court. The organization owes a lot to this hall of fame coach who has served us over the past five seasons. We feel that it is time to seperate ourselves and we wish Coach Karl and his family the best. The Nuggets family will move forward and usher in a new era. We are currently active in the search for Coach Karl's replacement."

Assistant Coach Adrian Dantley will take up the interim title as the Nuggets begin the search for Karl's replacement.

This could be the final puzzle piece for the departure of All-Star Forward Carmelo Anthony who was unable to be reached for comment. There have been a number of trade rumors involving Anthony since the preseason and the firing of Karl could be the final straw for the distraught star.

 

[SHOGUN]

Damn, Karl fired already?

 

[Vinsane]

poor Karl

Yes, I feel bad for the ole coach.

Damn, Karl fired already?

Surprised me as well when I went to advance to my Minnesota game and check the headlines to see Karl's face with a big "FIRED!" underneath it.

 

[Cody]

Not Cleveland, but I'll follow.