REKEROY

Tyreke for Rookie of the Year (REKEROY)



Somewhere in this video, I make an appearance, popping a Kings jersey like a lunatic. 15 Seconds of fame. Except it aired on national TV during NBA All-Star Weekend's HORSE competition, the February King's highlight footage, and now this. So it's more like 45 seconds of fame.

Things I'm Excited About

Yeah, the Kings are who we thought they were. They suck. But there's going to be a bright future down the road. This team will get better and they will be competitive the entire season and they will not suck on the road.

With the All-Star game fast approaching, I thought I should make sure I represent my team to the fullest while in Dallas. Of course with the team being what it is who knows what happens with the personnel. But I am certain Tyreke is the brightest spot and will remain, so I got a #13, Tyreke Evans custom black jersey. I am beyond stoked.

Reke for Rookie of the Year (REKEROY!)

And With That, We Quietly Say Goodbye

It has been so hard to vigorously keep up with the Kings. Particularly because they are awful. In fact, using the word "awful" to describe the Kings actually does a disservice to the word.

Well, we all knew this was coming, and they actually pulled off a decent trade, all things considered. This team has been shaken up so much in the last 4 years, it's scary.

And with that, we say goodbye to Brad Miller (and John Salmons, who wasn't really part of the winning-era). Rebuilding is going full-time now. Sam Amick has the coverage:

According to numerous league sources, a trade sending Kings players Brad Miller and John Salmons to Chicago in exchange for Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons has been agreed upon and is pending league approval.

In a separate deal with Portland, fourth-year forward Ike Diogu comes to the Kings for Ruffin. The Kings are also expected to receive approximately $1 million in the trade with Portland.

The Kings are not only a bad team, but an expensive bad team that had a payroll of $69 million before this deal. At a time when they desperately need to improve their salary cap situation for the future, the Chicago trade saves them approximately $10.2 million in salary cap room for next season. It could potentially make them more relevant in the free agent market this summer or allow the payroll flexibility to be more active on the trade front after this season. Beyond next season, though, Nocioni's contract will add $6.9 million to payroll in 2010-11 and $6.7 million in 2011-12. Gooden, Ruffin and Simmons all have expiring contracts worth $7.1 million, $1.1 million, and $1.7 million respectively.

Diogu's contract is worth $2.9 million this season, and he will be a restricted free agent this summer. He was drafted ninth overall in 2005 and will follow in the footsteps of Shelden Williams as the latest frontline prospect the Kings hope experiences a revival while on their roster.

This stings. I mean, it needed to happen, but I don't know...I guess I wasn't really ready to say goodbye. Then again, I never am. And that is that. The end of the era. Miller was the last remnant of when we even had a semblance of being a competitive team. Gone are Webber, Divac, Christie, Bibby, etc., etc. And Miller is the last to go. So, with that, I bid you adieu. Thank you so much for the memories Brad. It was fun. Hopefully returning where your career started will do you some good (and you're closer to your home in Indiana).

Peace.

Source: Sac Bee

Finally a Win Worth Discussing

The Kings beat the Lakers last night. 113-101. WHAT?! I was shocked too. Even going into the fourth quarter, I worried that Darth-Kobe would be taking over and dropping buckets. But no such luck (if you're a FAKERS fan). Why did I post a picture of Jenn from the Royal Court dancers? Well mainly cause, 1) I sat next to her parents at a game a few years back (which was in the top level strangely enough), 2) she's been with the team forever, and 3) she's hot.

Back to the matter at hand. Why is the win worth noting? Because the Kings are terrible "turrible." I frequently text my friend Ant about the status of the Kings.

Lately I've been advocating for the destruction of the team. Trade Miller while he's got some value. Find a player who is worth being traded and throw Kenny (k-9) Thomas in there (he's of no use to us). Finally, surround the present young core (Donte Green, Jason Thompson, Kevin Martin, and Francisco) with some talent. Instruct John Salmons that although his stat line looks amazing, he needs to learn how to play team ball. I don't care if he fills up the stat sheet, I care if he gets the team involved. Beno needs to learn some D, but overall I'm glad we have a decent PG. Bobby Jackson, I love you man, but you just ain't the player you used to be. But it's good to have a fan-favorite, and a vet.

Anyway, you know it's a bad season when you get text messages from your friend saying, ''Mallofs [are] closing in on reality tv show. It's title 'rebuilding the king-dom'" and "we need Kobe."

Regardless, the Kings handed the infamous Kobe and the seemingly-unstoppable Lakers the 'L' last night behind 21 from both Salmons and Garcia. Awesome. The ball movement was good and we even got some Sportscenter coverage. Dope.

Also, something of note worth posting. Via Sactownroyalty, which is hands down the best Kings blog out there, rules for Fakers fans attending King's games at Arco.

1. Do not scream "Brad Miller sucks!" during the National Anthem.

2. Chanting "defense" as a visiting fan in the minority isn't terribly useful.

3. If the game starts at 7PM, try to show up before 7:45. I don't want to have to help you understand that you're in the wrong row while Francisco Garcia is dribbling into the paint. It's not like you can blame the traffic.

4. No chanting "M.V.P." when your team is losing by 13 points with a minute left.

5. If your team loses, please do not begin hollering about championships or the standings. Your team lost. This is what we have just witnessed. We did not all show up to ARCO to discuss Lakers history. We're all aware of it, but we really really don't care after a Kings win.

Sactownroyalty, thanks for holding down all things Kings even when though it's been hard to watch. TZ and the gang are true fans and dope bloggers.

What a Downer....

Zero.

That's the number of nationally televised games the Kings get this year.

Article

I cannot say how disappointed I am. Although, I guess it makes sense. They're not exactly the hottest team on the block.

I think we only play the Rocket's 4 times this year......hooray.

Guess it's time to get an NBA package. Oh wait, I forgot, I don't have that one thing.....what's it called? Money?

The Future Looks Bright

Sactownroyalty posted this excellent Kevin Martin mix video. In the 3 months without having Kings basketball it's easy to forget what a treasure Kevin Martin has turned out to be. He's developed into a guy who can give the opponent BUCKETS. and that's never a bad thing. The video also shows that Brad Miller is an amazing passer with excellent court vision for a big man.

There are a few Kevin Martin passes which shows that he can pass well. And he can also get to the hoop with the quickness.

With the youth movement beginning, let's hope everyone can take a tip from Martin's work ethic.

Here's to the Kings!

Hasta Luego Ron, Hola Ron

As a Kings fan, I now have to say goodbye to Ron Artest. Good trade, so long as we get Donte Greene in the deal (can't say for sure until mid-August when he can actually be traded according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement). Greene was a madman in Summer League, going off in one game for 40 points (2 shy of the summer league record). He was good in Syracuse and will be a great addition to the rebuilding of the Kings. We also got Bobby Jackson back, albeit as a shadow of his former self who had won the sixth man of the year. He'll give consistent minutes as a backup and allows Bobby Brown and Sean Singletary to learn the ropes a bit slower. We also get a first round pick next year (which could serve as a trade piece, considering it will be a low pick if Houston plays anywhere near its new potential).

And Ron has a good home in Houston for the time being. As a transplant, I'm proud to welcome Ron to Houston. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see him play down here. In his season and a half in Sacramento he brought a lot of joy and a few headaches, but he's a great player.

Also, this is now Kevin Martin's time to shine. DO IT! No question now, this is his team to lead. And I'm pumped. It's time to be an All Star and it's time to KILL IT! The future is starting to look very bright in my opinion.

And lets not forget Jason Thompson. The kids a soon to be stud and I'm excited about the moves the Kings have made.

So goodbye Ron, from a Kings fan....you'll be missed in a way. And hello Ron, as a Houston transplant. It's humid as hell down here.

Sactownroyalty has a good post on a goodbye to Ron. Enjoy kids. I'm pumped for the new season.

Vegas Summer League Basketball

Although most people think that basketball is dead during the summer, it most certainly is not. First off, there's the draft, which, for an avid fan, presents an abundance of opportunity to cross your fingers, peruse through countless statistics and footage, and pay your team makes the right call.

For the Kings, we had a decent draft. Jason Thompson's profile reads like he might be a poor-man's Chris Webber (the good one, not the hobbled shell of his former self). A former PG who had a growth spurt in high school and ended up playing power forward in college. So he has some definite ball handling abilities, which he showed in summer league. He also averaged better than 20-10 in college, albeit at Rider. Still he's good. Also, we got Sean Singletary, PG out of Virginia. Singletary was an offensive nightmare for a while, and is definitely a good aquisition in the second round. He also can provide depth at the PG position.

This year was also not short on potential star tallent. Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, the list goes on. The NBA's future looks bright. However, what does annoy me is OJ Mayo getting so much love. He was crowned a future star when he was in sixth grade and has remained on the national radar ever since. Went to USC, and if you ask me was a complete bust. He was supposed to be, hands-down, the number one overall pick. Didn't quite work out that way, as he was drafted third, then traded around. Now, the kid can score, I will definitely give him that. But he's not a PG. He's actually quite turnover prone. Today, I ran across this lovely tidbit on Truehoop:

O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies (No. 3 pick): He had two signature plays -- the dunk and the buzzer-beater -- but he also showed he has the ability to play both guard positions; the game appears to come easy to him. He is a star in the making.

Can play both guard positions? The kid averaged 1-2 in assist to turnover ratios. That's right, for every one assist he dishes out, he turns the ball over twice. Ridiculously bad stat line to throw up there. Never, ever, ever should this kid be considered a guy who can play both guard positions. Unless you have a team running two shooting guards and no point guard. Maybe then, you can say he could play both guard positions. Now, it's just summer league, I know. But how did he do in his one season at USC? 3.3 assists per game, 3.5 turnovers per game. Ummm....yeah, so even in college, he still averaged more turnovers than assists. If nothing else, he did as much harm to his team as he did good, in theory of course (not all turnovers equal conversions by the other team).

I always lobby heavily against the hype train. And this is, of course, another one of those instances. So while Mayo might be a legit scorer in this league in the very near future, please, never, ever, ever say that he can legitimately play the PG role.

19 Wins....and Counting

It's strange that the first time I really step out to write about basketball it's not about the Kings, but rather about the Rockets. But 19 wins is nothing to sneeze at. Only two teams in NBA history have won 20 games in a row, and Houston aims to do that Wednesday at Atlanta. Seems like it could be a win, but then again you never know.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm a die-hard Kings fan. Hey, I even copped tickets to the game when Sactown came to H-Town. At the time I didn't know we were going to be just another name in the victims that the Rockets have taken out, but it ended up being a great game. Guess everything is bigger down here (winning column is a lot bigger than Sacto's).

It's hard to love the Rockets, but not hard to like the Rockets.

It's hard to love the Rockets because:
- Yao is sooooooooooo buttery, soft. And that's not a good thing. He plays like a 7'6" Chinese guy, meaning he's Charmin soft. If he only knew how to bang down in the post....But now he's wrapped it up for the season and the Rockets are scorching hot.

-McGrady. I used to defend him to my friend Mani. I mean come on, it was what, 3 years ago he went off for like 13 points in less than a minute to upset the Spurs. And let's not forget how purely talented he is. But I hate seeing the Rockets do the iso thing, and let McGrady stagnate the offense. Thankfully, he's been a full on team player.

- Luther Head. His name is Luther Head. It just sucks as a name (not his fault, I know). Call me prejudicial, but I've watched his game....and it's decent I guess. But his name is, and always will be, Luther Head. And he ain't no Deron Williams


But there are reasons for me to like the Rockets:

- Rick Adelman - come on, the dude gave Sacto some really great seasons, the brink of a few championships, and he got the short-end of the stick when they canned him for Eric Musselman. (Excuse me while I go vomit in the corner.....)

- Bobby Jackson - B JAX!! another left over from the golden era of the Kings. Bobby was all heart, copped 6th man award, and despite perpetual injuries (friggin abdomen!), was, as Shaikh would say, "Sooooo sick wit it."

- Justin Williams - Kings never knew how to use this guy. He had monster games (rebounding and defensively) and then would find himself back on the bench. And we're talking about a team without good rebounding or good defense. Guy gets waived in Sac, and he signs with the Rockets. I can dig it.

- Rafer Alston - Skip to My Lou?! One of the few (actually the only, I think) And-1 guys to make it legitimately in the NBA. and He's actually become a top-tier (or 2nd tier at the least) point guard. Skips been on FIRE.

- Carl Landry, Luis Scola, and Chuck Hayes - underrated bangers! scrappy guys getting it done, banging in the blocks.


So there you have it. Rockets go for 20 on Wednesday. Get em.
And since not much is going on with the Kings (although that win in LA WAS OFF THE CHAIN MANG), so for now, I'll watch the Rockets. Well that and every game is televised locally, so that makes it easier for a basketball fan to catch a basketball game.


GET EM'