Jason Thompson will return to the Sacramento Kings (Photo courtesy of Kings.com)

SACRAMENTO, CA

Jason Thompson and the Kings organization had a press conference last Friday to talk about his re-signing with the team for 5 years. During this press conference, JT talked about how Sacramento was where he wanted to be and has mentioned many times in interviews how he would like to fulfill his dream of getting to the playoffs and winning a championship right here in Sacramento. Hearing things like this may seem like just simple things that every player would say but JT truly seems to be genuine in wanting to close out his career in Sacramento.

The guy has been through his share of adversity. From the possibility of not even being drafted to moving into the lottery in the summer of 2008 to having big man after big man (Sam Dalembert, Carl Landry, Darnell Jackson, and now Thomas Robinson) come in and try to take his spot in the rotation. JT has been through it all and has taken his punches but never stopped working.

And that’s what we can definitely expect. Non-stop work, energy and hustle on the hardwood. How many points does that give you on any given night? Who knows? But the Kings need players like Jason Thompson to continue to set the model of what it means to be a professional. Make no mistake about it, he’s a veteran leader now and will more than likely take over Francisco Garcia’s role as mainstay veteran leader once Cisco’s contract expires next summer.

What would I like to see JT improve? I would like to see him start taking the open 15 footer a little bit more (seemed like he barely took any last year, see his team high field goal percentage) and improve on his range slightly out to 18 feet. He needs to get his free throw percentage back up to his rookie year of low 70′s (he has shot 60% the last two seasons) and he needs to find a way to help make up for some of the holes (ie: increase his offensive rebounds) in DeMarcus’s game such as inefficiency around the rim on short shots (while we expect DMC to improve, I don’t see it as a dramatic shift since becoming more efficient around the rim will require him to be more better at his footwork and balance on the block). Defensively, he can help protect the rim by blocking shots in the case of DeMarcus Cousins gambling for steals or trying to draw a charge. The Kings desperately need some better shot blocking down low and it will have to come internally since our future hope for that is no more (Hassan Whiteside).

All in all, we know JT wants to average a double-double and while I think it’s possible, minutes-wise, I’m not sure it can be done. Being reasonable, a great season for Jason Thompson would be somewhere around 11 ppg, 8 rpg, 1 assists and 1 block in about 28 minutes of action.

Welcome back JT, a true professional!

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

As I write this preview, I don’t think I have been more apathetic/pessimistic about the Sacramento Kings future both on the court and off the court. The arena/potential relocation drama has worn me out over the last two years and the uncertainty of the team’s recent extensive rebuilding effort ever blossoming has only made all this shit more annoying to deal with. I have completely lost faith in this franchise. While I won’t stop supporting this team as long as it exists in Sacramento, the idea that brighter days are ahead for this organization seems to be a “pie in the sky” type of facade. I don’t want to stop believing but the Maloofs have continuously killed my resolve and it seems as if outside of supporting this team and its employees , there is nothing we can truly do to stop the Maloofs from owning this franchise and David Sterm won’t step in for fear of further consequences. It seems as if we are in year 40 of rebuilding, the close losses keep piling up and you start to wonder if the keepers on this team really want to be a part of the solution when contracts will come up for renewal. I mean, why would a hard worker like Jason Thompson stay with a franchise that can’t seem to find the right pieces that will fit nor spend the money required to bring in a proven head coach that will demand nothing but full committment on both ends of the floor (this is not a knock on Keith Smart, I think he’s done a decent job with what he has had to work with in a short period of time). Tyreke Evans probably will want out if things don’t work out in the first half of next season and knowing the Kings luck, he will go out and figure it out somewhere else. DeMarcus Cousins has the keys to the truck, but how long before he becomes sick of ownership and management’s inability to do anything well. Conclusion, this franchise sucks in every which way possible except for fan support.

With such inept ownership and management and the threat of relocation hanging above our heads, what a great night to talk about this Kings Thunder match-up… not really.

The next two games present meaningless opportunities to build “momentum” for next season. I find it funny, when organizations try to frame a couple of meaningless season ending wins as a clear sign of the potential of this team. Nevertheless, the Kings need wins and wins do help build confidence within players. Don’t take it for anymore than that folks.

Projected Starters

Kings:

PG- Isaiah Thomas

SG- Tyreke Evans

SF- Travis Outlaw

PF- Jason Thompson

C- DeMarcus Cousins

Rockets:

PG- Russell Westbrook

SG- Thabo Sefolosha

SF-  Kevin Durant

PF- Serge Ibaka

C-  Kendrick Perkins

Key Match-up:

Evans vs Westbrook/Sefalosha. Tyreke needs to have a good game.

What I will be watching:

Travis Outlaw, please showcase yourself and please show us that we have something positive coming from you for the next 3 years. DeMarcus Cousins has been shut down by Serge Ibaka (25 blocks in 3 games vs. Kings). Will Tyreke Evans please catch and shoot the ball with some damn confidence and not fade? Let it all hang out fellas. Jimmer shoot the first open shot and shoot it with complete reckless abandon.

News of the Day:

Per Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, DeMarcus Cousins will play tonight as his technical foul was rescinded. Per Ryan Lillis of The Bee, Mayor Kevin Johnson will meet with George Maloof to see if the arena deal can be salvaged. I won’t be holding my breath.

Prediction: Loss

The Kings will find a way to choke this one away even if Durant and Westbrook don’t play.

HOUSTON, TX

The Sacramento Kings (17-31) will battle the playoff contending and injury depleted Houston Rockets (26-23) today in what will hopefully be known as the Terrence Williams stick it to his old squad game… (ok probably not). The Kings are coming off two excruciating painful losses against the Jazz at home and the Warriors on the road. Key mental errors such as 4th quarter free throw shooting and turnovers cost the teams in both games. They also played horrible defense (but that’s not going to change anytime soon this year). The Kings have won only 4 games on the road (4-21) this season which is just completely disgraceful even for a young team. The early word is that JT will play tonight and based on comments from Keith Smart, we might see Terrence Williams again in spot minutes to audition for being the “glue guy”.

Projected Starters

Kings:

PG- Isaiah Thomas

SG- Marcus Thornton

SF- Tyreke Evans

PF- Jason Thompson

C- DeMarcus Cousins

Rockets:

PG- Goran Dragic

SG- Courtney Lee

SF-  Chandler Parsons

PF- Luis Scola

C-  Samuel Dalembert

Key Match-up:

Isaiah Thomas vs Goran Dragic. Samuel Dalembert loves to come over and weak side shot block so therefore the Hustling Husky must penetrate and get Dalembert out of position for quick drop-offs to both Cuz, JT and even Hayes for easy baskets. Goran Dragic is a starting point guard on a lot of NBA teams and will not hesitate to drop dimes or wet jumpers off the pick and roll game. He also has one of the best spin moves in the lane in the league as Derek Fisher and the Lakers defense would remember very well. This should be an entertaining match-up of young up and coming point guards.

What I will be watching:

The 3-point shooting and productivity of  Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans.

The Kings shot the long ball horribly on Saturday night against Golden State and the needed  up-to-par performance of Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans was only there from Evans. As hard as it is for this team to win consistently, when one of those two guys has an off night AND the team is on the road, they have no shot to win.

News of the Day:

Read this excellent take from Sactown Royalty contributor Greg Wissinger on being a Kings fan and why its worth it.

Prediction: Win

The Kings will break their depressing road woes by coming up with a scrappy win tonight. The End.

SACRAMENTO, CA

The red-hot (relatively speaking) Sacramento Kings (17-29) take on the improving Utah Jazz (24-22) in the final game of the franchise record 9 game homestand at ARCO Arena. This promises to be an entertaining matchup of contrasting styles. The Jazz have won 7 of their last 10 games including victories over Oklahoma City and Los Angeles and are in the middle of a major battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Kings, meanwhile, have won 3 in a row with 20+ assists in each game and scoring over 115 points as well in the wins. With the season begininning to wind down, the Kings are starting to show the ability to consistently play team basketball for prolonged stretches. The question remains, how long can they continue to play in the same mindset, if they stop shooting well or begin to turn the ball over or their opponents go on a major run or they start losing games. Will this team remain committed to team basketball, movement, getting better shots for teammates, etc? Tonight presents a very winnable game for the Kings and an opportunity to finish the homestand a very outstanding 6-3.

Projected Starters

Kings:

PG- Isaiah Thomas

SG- Marcus Thornton

SF- Tyreke Evans

PF- Jason Thompson

C- DeMarcus Cousins

Jazz:

PG- Devin Harris

SG- Gordon Hayward

SF-  C.J. Miles

PF- Paul Millsap  

C-  Al Jefferson

Key Match-up

DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson vs. Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Big Cuz outplayed Big Al in the last meeting, 106-96 win. Cousins and JT both need to have massive rebounding and scoring games to counter the attack of both Jefferson and Millsap. They have been averaging nearly 40 and 20 per game in recent times.

What I will be watching:

The assists and turnover totals for the Kings. Utah has been succeeding recently with defense by holding their opponents during this recent stretch to around 90 points a game. The Kings have been scoring lights out and shooting well due to excellent ball movement and the unselfish mindset that was most manifested in Tyreke Evans’ recent decision to come off the bench when he returned from injury in Tuesday’s night win over Memphis. Still no word from the Kings on whether Tyreke will continue the same pattern as Keith Smart has said it is up to Tyreke if he wants his starting position back.

News of the Day:

The Kings signed troubled G/F Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract. More on this later. Per Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, Williams is not expected to play tonight.

Prediction: WIN

The Kings will have to work harder to get good shots but Isaiah Thomas has been a leader and will recognize this and not allow the team to slack in their offensive sets. Kings win a close one by about 5 or 6 points. They definitely won’t score 115 points tonight.

Game starts at 7:00pm and can be seen on Comcast SportsNet California or listened to at 1140 The Fan.

SACRAMENTO, CA

A Nor-Cal rivalry is renewed tonight as the Warriors travel along I-80 to Sacramento to face the Kings in game 4 of the Sacramento’s 9 game homestand. The Kings are coming off a dissapointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks which saw them throw some of the laziest entry passes mankind has ever witnessed. It was downright infuriating and almost resulted in a broken television set in my living room. Once again, I ask, When the fuck  is this team going to stop with the inconsistent crap that can only be summarized in one tweet from Kings fan and blogger Nate Hughart aka @Kingsguru21 :

“I swear the Kings are like heroin and right now I’m not getting any hits cuz the Kings are so fucking terrible on offense. Fuck you guys”

The good news for tonight is that, this is a winnable game for the Kings and not only is it winnable but it promises to be entertaining offensively as many times in the past we have seen neither of these teams caring when facing each other to move their feet defensively.

Meanwhile, in the Bay, the Warriors seem desperate to make a major splash free agency wise by trying to land Dwight Howard as a “rental”. Um good luck with that…oh looks like they decided to pass up on getting Andrew Bogut because they did not want Orlando to “please” Dwight Howard by giving them Monta Ellis. Yeah, as if the Warriors are really going to get Dwight Howard without giving up any of their main assets even for a rental which they have explicitly stated that they would be willing to do and then convince hime to stay. Great, no leverage at all and you passed up a chance to get a more sure reality with Andrew Bogut.

Projected Starters

Kings:

PG- Isaiah Thomas

SG- Marcus Thornton

SF- Tyreke Evans

PF- Jason Thompson

C- DeMarcus Cousins

Warriors:

PG- Stephen Curry

SG- Monta Ellis

SF-  Dorrell Wright

PF-  David Lee

C-  Ekpe Udoh

Key Match-up

Tyreke Evans against Dorrell Wright. As speculation continues about Evans’ future in Sacramento, I continue to ignore it and claim that trading Tyreke Evans will not bring back an impact player that will expedite the rebuilding process. In other news, Dorrell Wright has killed the Kings in the past with his long ball game. Tyreke Evans meanwhile has shown the ability to be an excellent individual one on one defender while also showing the inability to play good team defense and having mental implosions when it comes to closing out on perimeter shooters. It is irritating and if Tyreke continues this pattern again tonight, Dorrell Wright will drop 25-30 points on the Kings which will be the difference in the game. Close out and contest the shot Tyreke!

What I will be watching:

The basketball IQ of this Kings team, which to put it plainly sucks. So lazy entry passes, senseless turnovers, stupid isolation play/hero ball, and no purpose in any off the ball movement. If I see that tonight, I’ll probably pop a blood vessel.

News of the day:

Check out this post from Tom Ziller of Sac-Town Royalty on why the Kings should NOT trade Tyreke Evans. I completely agree.

Prediction: WIN

The Kings will bounce back tonight and beat the Warriors by 15 to 20 points and get us excited again about the “potential” of this team before the next mental implosion.

Game starts at 7:00pm and can be seen on Comcast SportsNet California or listened to at 1140 The Fan.

SACRAMENTO, CA

The defending world champion Dallas Mavericks (23-18) will battle the Sacramento Kings (13-26) tonight as the Kings look to continue its franchise record 9 game homestand with a second straight win. DeMarcus Cousins is expected to play after missing Wednesday’s win over New Orleans with food poisoning. With recent news of all signs pointing towards a new Entertainment and Sports Complex opening in 2015, it would be very nice if the Kings could get on a good winning streak to capitalize on the momentum and perhaps salvage what has been another underwhelming and painful rebuilding season. The Kings have pieces (some good and some bad), and not all of them fit, although Isaiah Thomas is really doing a nice job at fooling us into making us think it can work at times. Wins have been hard to come by but here’s to the notion that this team can at least compete with most if not all NBA teams on any night.

Projected Starters

Kings:

PG- Isaiah Thomas

SG- Marcus Thornton

SF- Tyreke Evans

PF- Jason Thompson

C- DeMarcus Cousins

Mavs:

PG- Jason Kidd

SG- Vince Carter

SF-  Shawn Marion

PF-  Dirk Nowitzki

C-  Ian Mahinmi

Key Match-up

DeMarcus Cousins versus Mahinmi. DeMarcus must own this to balance the obvious destruction Dirk is going to put on Jason Thompson tonight from all areas of the floor. DeMarcus has had been some bad games the last handful. Hopefully a stupid picture scandal can get him mad and in the mood to eat Mahinmi alive.

What I will be watching:

Tyreke Evans on every offensive and defensive possession. Hassan Whiteside excites me because of his shot blocking ability.

News of the day:

Per a bunch of Kings employees via Twitter: Drake will be in the house tonight. Per myself, I will be at the game which marks the first Kings home game I have attended this season. I’ll be in the cheap seats (relatively) so come find me and say whats up.

Prediction: WIN

The Kings have lost every single regular season game I have attended (home and away) since I attended the Nets vs. Kings home game in November of 2009 when the Nets started like 0-16. That includes losses on the road to Clippers, Lakers. Home: Cavs, Bulls, Sixers, Spurs. In fact, I think the team’s record in games I’ve attended is like 4-16. I lived in Redding during the glory years so yeah went to like one game during that time. I think the trend ends tonight based on everything I just said.  

Game starts at 7:00pm and can be seen on Comcast SportsNet California or listened to at 1140 The Fan.

LOS ANGELES, CA

The Sacramento Kings (12-23) will try to shake off a tough home loss to the Clippers last night as they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers (21-14). The Lakers are not the same traditional powerhouse team they have been in the past but still will pose a threat when it all said and done in Western Conference. The Sacramento Kings have shown a major improvement  in overall play since the insertion of Isaiah Thomas into the starting line up and will need to play nearly a perfect game to have a chance to pull of the upset at Staples.

Projected Starters

Kings:

PG- Isaiah Thomas

SG- Marcus Thornton

SF- Tyreke Evans

PF- Jason Thompson

C- DeMarcus Cousins

Lakers:

PG- Derek Fisher

SG- Kobe Bryant

SF- Matt Barnes

PF- Pau Gasol

C- Andrew Bynum

Key Match-Up

I’m going to go away from Cousins versus Bynum and look at Gasol vs Thompson. I really have been a fan of JT’s improvement this season in all areas and really liked the resistance he showed against Blake Griffin last night in the post and on the elbow. If JT can physically bother Gasol and move him off his comfort spots on the floor, that will make a world of difference as Kobe will likely get his and Andrew Bynum by pure size and talent will hold his own against DeMarcus. Don’t get me wrong, Pau Gasol will score his points but making him disappear for stretches benefits the Kings when Kobe is forced to jack up shots at an inefficient rate.

What I will be watching:

How Tyreke Evans will guard Kobe Bryant. Tyreke looks lost this year offensively (more on this later) and has not made anything close to the Durant/Rose leap that many of the Kings fans were praying for, however, defensively I see better commitment with occasional lapses in close outs and lazy reach-ins. If Evans can stay in front of Kobe and make him a jump shooter and get Kobe under that classic Doug Collins statistic of 1 point per shot, the Kings have a greater chance of staying in this game.

Video Clip:

DeMarcus Cousins vs. Lakers 1_28_2011

News of the Day:

Per Sam Amick of SI.com, Keith Smart’s option for 2012-2013 was picked up by the Sacramento Kings. Amick cites the improvement and trust level of DeMarcus Cousins in Keith Smart as well as the development of the younger players that rated high amongst the Maloofs.

Prediction: LOSS

Kings will compete as they have for the most part under Smart but will come up short as a couple of bad decisions on 4th quarter possessions will be the difference. (Reverse jinx in effect here)

Game starts at 7:30pm and can be seen on Comcast SportsNet California or listened to at 1140 The Fan.

Sunday April 10, 2011

Sacramento Kings (23-56) vs. Golden State Warriors (44-34)

Oracle Arena

Time: 6:00 pt

TV: Comcast Sportsnet California

Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry in a battle of Nor-Cal rivals

Projected Starting Lineups

Kings

Tyreke Evans

Marcus Thornton

Francisco Garcia

DeMarcus Cousins

Samuel Dalembert

Warriors

Stephen Curry

Monta Ellis

Dorrell Wright

David Lee

Ekpe Udoh

In what could be the final battle of Nor-Cal rivals, the Sacramento Kings come into Oracle Arena to take on a much improved Warriors team that has won 10 more games this season with Keith Smart at the helm. Every game between these two opponents is always entertaining no matter what records each squad has and you can beth the game is going to be another thriller with the offensive firepower on both sides. The key for the Kings tonight is to exploit the Warriors lack of size with their own by feeding the ball into DeMarcus Cousins and crashing the glass. Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton will have to do buckle down and stay with both Curry (who is lights out from 3 at 44% this season) and Monta Ellis who is unstoppable off the dribble (24 ppg this season). DeMarcus Cousins (who was not mentioned in the recap from the Memphis game) who is coming off maybe his worst game since the begginning of 2011, will need to punish “the little midgets” ,as Charles Barkley once referred to the Warriors, inside. The Kings cannot turn the ball over a lot tonight or else the Warriors  will run them out of the gym and Marcus Thornton must shoot better than he has in recent games especially before the 4th quarter starts.

Should be an entertaining game in the 100s with probably little to no defense. Let’s Go Kings!

Friday April 8, 2011

Sacramento Kings (23-55) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (44-34)

FedEx Forum

Time: 5:00 pt

TV: Comcast Sportsnet California

Tyreke Evans and Kings look to slow down Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzlies

Projected Starting Lineups

Kings

Tyreke Evans

Marcus Thornton

Francisco Garcia

DeMarcus Cousins

Samuel Dalembert

Grizzlies

Mike Conley

Tony Allen

Sam Young

Zach Randolph

Marc Gasol

The Kings will battle the Grizzlies tonight in Memphis. It’s another chance for the Kings to be a spoiler for another team’s playoff positioning hopes. Slowing down Zach Randolph will be key as he has had monster games against the Kings this season (26 ppg, 13.3 rpg). The Grizzlies are a team going for the playoffs and coming off a bad loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at home, so they will be extra focused not to let another one slip by against the Kings. The Kings must continue their recent stretch of good play (7 wins in their last 11 games) by continuing to move the ball, avoid isolation plays, run the offense through Cousins, and not turn the ball over. Perhaps doubling Zach Randolph with Tony Allen’s man may help because TA is one of the worst long distance shooters from the field in the league (18% ON 3PT FGS). Mike Conley likes to use the pick and roll to create his open shots and O.J. Mayo is a good scorer off the bench capable of going off for 20 points at any time. The Kings must counter with their size dominance at every position by rebounding and running like the recent home game against the Jazz in which they scored 31 fast break pts (only 11 against San Antonio). Look for Tony Allen to spend time defending on both Tyreke and Marcus throughout the game. This is a winnable game for the Kings based on their most recent stretch. If the Kings move the ball, stay solid on their defensive rotations, rebound and not turn it over…they should be able to pull out this win.