Clock is ticking on Sacramento Kings’ season posted by Sac Kings Fan

It seems like just yesterday that the Sacramento Kings were 9-6.  They were the talk of the league and for very good reasons but now they’re making headlines for the wrong reasons.

The wheels have fallen off the Kings’ bus.  Michael Malone was relieved of his duties.  The locker room has clearly taken a turn and persistent rumors of coaching changes, roster remakes and quirky additions have this team running on fumes.

Josh Smith signed with the Houston Rockets on Christmas Eve, George Karl is in limbo and the potential trade with the Brooklyn Nets for former All-Star point guard Deron Williams now on life support.  

At 12-16, Sacramento is just one really good stretch away from being back in the conversation. But where does the team go from here?  Do they reignite talks with the Nets for Williams?  Should they hire George Karl and pray he has another fix hiding in his bag?  Should they try for another blockbuster deal or should they just stand pat and let interim head coach Tyrone Corbin try to rescue the team from the spiraling drain?

Tyrone Corbin is a very solid coach that can at least get this team to the end of the season.  The same can be said about Collison as a point guard and Thompson in the paint. But solid isn’t what the Sacramento Kings are looking for.  Solid isn’t what sells tickets or gets this team out of the lottery.

Clearly there’s no plan in place.  And now the ownership and front office have put themselves in a pickle.  They have potentially thrown away a season, the fans are upset and a Hail Mary or two is in order.

Blueprint for Brooklyn Nets to Rebuild Via NBA Trade Market posted by Nets Fan

A 10-21 start, a disappointing 44-win finish and a second-round playoff loss bookended a discouraging season by management's standards. Now it seems as if general manager Billy King is looking to reconstruct his roster.

So, what does a team that pays a bigger luxury tax than any other do when its season starts to implode? It begins to prioritize the money just a little bit more. And there's nothing wrong with that.

You can't blame an owner who wants to spend when he wins but doesn't when he loses. Actually, there are advantages to keeping salary lower on unsuccessful teams, considering that getting below the luxury tax for a season helps you avoid paying a repeater tax in future years.

The Nets are in a unique situation: Most of the time, if an older team is underperforming and wants to deal away some of its bigger contracts, it'll look for young talent around which it can build.

The NBA's current climate promotes a sort of break-it-down-and-start-over environment for expensive teams that can't seem to find success. Except there is one problem which is specific to the Nets: The team doesn't have any valuable draft picks at any point in the near future.

We're talking nothing. Zilch.

Brooklyn could go five straight years—after sending its first-rounder to the Celtics this past summer—without selecting with its own first-round pick. 

Brooklyn may be four under .500 right now, but the schedule is in one of its lighter periods, starting with Sunday's home game against the Detroit Pistons, which the Nets won 110-105. Tuesday, the Nets host the

Warriors dominate Kings in all facets as Klay Thompson leads way posted by Warriors Fan

The Golden State Warriors too often let lesser competition keep games close and allowed a few of them to slip away on their home court last season.

That doesn't appear to be a problem anymore.

The Warriors eased past the struggling Kings 128-108 on Monday night, the kind of all-around performance that has defined their strong start under new coach Steve Kerr.

All 13 active players scored, including six in double digits. The reserves had a season-high 62 points. And the team totaled 36 assists, the franchise's most in four years.

"These are the fun games when everybody gets in there and scores and feels good afterward," Kerr said.

There have been a lot of those for Golden State already.

The Warriors got off to a fast start and controlled the game by doing what they have most of the season: clog the paint on defense, push the pace and move the ball.

They led 36-20 at the end of the first quarter, 76-53 early in the third and -- except for a few short-lived surges by Sacramento -- kept a comfortable cushion throughout.

Perhaps just as important for the Warriors was the return of David lee, who played for only the second time this season and first since Nov. 5. He had six points on 3-for-9 shooting and seven rebounds in 16 minutes, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd when he entered as a reserve late in the first quarter.

Lee admitted he felt some nerves returning to a team that has done so well without him.

"I was definitely the most excited guy in the NBA to play basketball tonight," Lee said. "I haven't been nervous for a game in five years."

2014 Sacramento Kings Preseason Report posted by Sac Kings Fan

The Sacramento Kings performed the same in 2013-14, as they have been performing in the past ten years, which is not great. The season started with a positive note, as Mike Malone was very fit as the coach, and Vivek Ranadive the owner, along with Chris Mullen and Pete D'Allessandro, the brain trust, displayed an aggressive attitude by picking up players with good potential, such as Derrick Williams and Rudy Gay. However, as usual, the team made many mistakes, missed the playoffs, and ended up with a dismal record of 28-54.

For 2014-15 season, Ranadive and the brain trust have high expectations, which could make some difference. The draft will provide the team with SG Nik Staukas, who is a good shooter, but this inclusion could be redundant, since the team already acquired SG Ben McLmore last season. Darren Collison was signed in a three-year deal, but the Kings had to give up Issiah Thomas, who was incumbent PG. However, the team has managed to acquire Thomas, who could be a valuable asset.

DeMarcus Cousins at C is Sacramento centerpiece, and the whole team is practically built around him. Cousins has made a big statistical jump, but this has not necessarily converted to wins. However, since he is Team USA player, the experience will provide the required maturity. Eric Moreland, Reggie Evans, Derrick Williams, Rudy Gay, Carl Landry, and Jason Thompson, will be playing along Cousins, which means the team's forward is well stocked with length and size. The team has also acquired Sid Bullar for C, who is a 7'5" Indian. However, he may not be as skillful as Yao Ming.

McGrady to NY helping the way for LeBron posted by john howard

New York unloaded a lot more money on Thursday in hopes of landing LeBron.

Here is what transpired: 

New York gained:  Tracy McGrady and PG Sergio Rodriguez

New York lossed:  Jordan Hill, Jarred Jeffries and draft consideratoins in 2011 and 2012

Houston gained:  Kevin Martin and C Hilton Armstrong and draft considerations from NY in 2011 and 2012 Jarred Jeffries and Jordan Hill

Houston lossed:  Tracy McGrady Cal Landry and Joey Dorsey

Sacremento gained:  Cal Landry, Joey Dorsey, Larry Hughes

Sacramento lossed:  Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong

New York is taking a gamble, but a good one.  What they got isn't working.  They have a lot of contracts that are going to expire and unloaded more salary.  So, they will have enough money to sign 2 free agents the maximum.  LeBron James is the first choice.  The other could be McGrady as he gets to audition for the big money for the next 30 games.  That is smart for all parties involved.  New York gets to see if McGrady is a fit.  McGrady gets to prove how good he is. And, Houston is rid of his contract and got something out of it.

Sacramento puzzled me a little here.  They unloaded Martin's salary of 10 mil per year.  But, for how good he is, that is a bargain.  Larry Hughes is up and down.  They did get some youthful talent in Landry and Dorsey, but that wasn't worth Martin.

The big winner was Houston.  They are in the playoff hunt and just got better now and for the future.  They got Kevin Martin, a guy who is immediately there go to guy.  That was SMART.  They gave up proven inside talent Landry for potential inside talent in Hill.  Hill could be better in time.  That get weaker for now, but Martin makes up for it.  Hilton Armstrong provides some size which they currently have none.  Houston did very very good today.

The Sacramento Kings are the latest team rumored to be in the hunt for the Phoenix Suns Amare Stoudemire posted by Ryan Greyslak

The latest rumor according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports has the Sacramento Kings discussing a trade with the Phoenix Suns for their All-Star Forward Amare Stoudemire centered on a returning piece of Kevin Martin. The Sacramento Kings would be an interesting trade partner with the Suns and have the ability to offer young talent, draft picks, and ending contracts, all of which the Suns reportedly want back for Stoudemire.

The main piece in this trade involves Stoudemire and The Kings Kevin Martin. There are no other issues discussed regarding this trade but it would probably look something like this…

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=yf48xo5

Phoenix Suns trade:

Amare Stoudemire

Sacramento Kings trade:

Kevin Martin 4 years 9.7 million

Jason Thompson 2 years 2 million

Hilton Armstrong 1 year 2.8 million

Unprotected first round draft pick

Kevin Martin has all-star potential but is consistently injured and because of this has missed many games over the past few seasons. He is a great shooter and could thrive in a situation where a good point guard created open shots for him. However he is not a great defender or rebounder and is still owed a considerable amount of money over the next 4 years. (Kind of like an Amare at the Sg position, can put up points but don't expect much else on a consistent basis) The Suns would really be biting the bullet taking on Martin and would not help their lack of defensive toughness. His contract and injury history is enough to scare most away.

Allen Iverson Is Unhappy (again) posted by Scott Shepherd

From the who-didn’t-see-this-coming-department, Allen Iverson is not happy with his role after his first game in with the Memphis Grizzlies.

After coming off the bench and playing just 18 minutes in the Grizzlies 127-116 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings last night, Iverson dropped this gem to reporters after the game:

 “Go look at my resume and that will show you that I’m not a sixth man,” Iverson said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with me being selfish. It’s just who I am. I don’t want to change what gave me all the success that I’ve had since I’ve been in this league.” 

First of all, what did Iverson expect? He barely played in the preseason and then missed the first three regular season games with a partially torn hamstring. Even superstars would be eased back into the rotation after something like that. Iverson is far from a superstar these days. 

Secondly, if A.I. could guard anyone anymore maybe there would be more minutes for him. Kevin Martin scored 48 points on the Grizzlies last night. I doubt Lionel Hollins was thinking, “This guy is scoring at will on us right now. Maybe I should put my old, injured, six-foot, one-dimensional malcontent out there to slow him down.” 

The Grizzlies are a terrible fit for Iverson, and everyone can see it. They already have three ball-stopping scorers on the floor at all times in Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Zach Randolph. There is no need to play a fourth. 

Iverson isn’t dumb, he realized this all summer and held off on signing with Memphis as long as he could hoping that some other team would make him an offer. But that’s what happens when you burn bridges everywhere you go. Eventually, no one wants you anymore. 

Iverson to play tonight posted by Brad Hurt

Allen Iverson will make his Grizzlies regular season debut tonight in Sacramento, according to a post on Twitter.  His long-awaited appearance in a Grizzlies uniform should provide a spark to the team as it tries to bounce back from last night's loss at Denver.  The Grizzlies need a veteran presence on the floor to settle them down when things start to unravel, as evidenced last night.  I don't expect huge numbers from him since he hasn't seen much action, but once he gets into a rhythm, he could be very beneficial to the team over the course of this road trip.Continue reading "Iverson to play tonight"

It's official, Lakers' Ron Artest is a Celine Dion fan!!!!!!!!!!! posted by Devin

Celine Dion and Ron Artest go together like cereal and mayonnaise yet somehow the self proclaimed "thug", Artest, makes it work.  The guy is known for his wild antics such as going into the crowd and beating up a fan, but it seems that Artest is beginning to display a softer side.  As a Laker fan I love that we are bringing a little crazy on our team because a team can always use a little crazy, right? Although he can't carry a tune and the video is clearly irritating you get a sense that he means what he is singing which makes is somewhat enjoyable to watch.  I am going to stop talking about it and just let you watch it:

This is going to be an entertaining 5 years for us Laker fans.  Artest is bringin' the crazy.

Devin

Top 10 Reasons Kobe and Artest will work out posted by Chris Strickland

10) They were spotted in Kobe's escalade at an 'N and Out drive-through. And yes, they both got "animal style."

9) When on road trips in Denver, Kobe's got Artest covered for booty calls.

8) Kobe's beer preference is bottles - meaning, he'll never pour anything in a plastic cup.

7) Kobe & LeBron's Nike "puppet campaign" is being replaced by "Kobe and Ron," a new puppet ad-series. However, Nike's yielding to "Crank Yankers" for the directing of this one.

6) Like Kobe, Artest is practically another Dobermamba on defense. Only difference is, Artest may bite.

5) As a peace offering, Artest bought fellow teammate and candy-lover, Lamar Odom, a year's supply of Cookies 'n Cream.

4) Finally, Kobe has a legit MC to battle Shaq with.

3) Ron Artest also prefers Aston-Martin jumping...jump-starting them, that is.

2) Forget a "safe word," Kobe's got a "safe sentence." All he has to say is "I helped bury Michael Jackson," and Artest will back off.

1) When it comes to crazy people, Bryant's got experience. Kobe's dealt with Jack Nicholson for years.

Kings announce deals with Afflalo, Temple, Barnes, Tolliver

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) The Sacramento Kings have announced the signings of free agent guards Arron Afflalo and Garrett Temple and forwards Matt Barnes and Anthony Tolliver. [read full article]

From FOX Sports Digital

AP source: Rajon Rondo goes to Chicago for 2 years, $30M (Yahoo Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

AP source: Garrett Temple getting deal with Sacramento

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that guard Garrett Temple has accepted a $24 million, three-year contract offer from the Sacramento Kings. [read full article]

From FOX Sports Digital

AP sources: Rockets land shooters Anderson, Gordon (Yahoo Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

AP source: Rockets agree to 4-year deal with Anderson (Yahoo Sports)

[read full article]

From Yahoo Sports