Sacramento Kings Thread

[CKR132]

NY 114 SAC 92

Everything went wrong in the game as the Kings bow to the Knicks who were without star Amare Stoudemire. First, the Kings' defense could not contain the Knicks in the first quarter where they scored 35 points. As the Knicks were scoring high, the Kings struggled to reach 20 points alone as the offense was terrible.

Things picked up in the second quarter for the Kings but the defense did not made significant stops to cut the Knicks lead.

In the fourth quarter, the Knicks coasted but still managed to outscore the Kings bench mob 36-27. Evans and Thornton combined for 11-27 fg shooting and the team was horrible at the free throw line as they were 26-41 in which is good for 63.4%.

Fredette also struggled by going 2-10 from the floor and was 1-7 from beyond the arc.

Kings shot 34.9% as a team and was 27.3% from the three distance. In the defensive end, Cousins and Thompson could not hold off Tyson Chandler while Chuck Hayes found himself out sized from Josh Harrellson. While John Salmons proved ineffective against Carmelo Anthony.

 

[CKR132]

Up next, the Kings host the New Orleans Hornets. Marcus Thornton will be squaring off against his old team while Carl Landry of the Hornets is back in town.

We need a win so badly.

 

[CKR132]

Demarcus Cousins has demanded a trade and will not play tonight against the New Orleans Hornets.

 

[CKR132]

Statement from head coach Paul Westphal on the situation of Cousins.

STATEMENT FROM KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

SACRAMENTO, CALIF., Jan. 1, 2012 -- “Whenever a new season begins, in any sport, there is great hope that everything will progress in only a steady, upward direction. As we all know, it seldom happens like that in this life!

As coaches, we can only ask that our players do everything they can to improve themselves as individuals and teammates. If they do this with all their hearts, we live with the results.

Everything that happens on a team does not become known to the public. This is how it should be. However, when a player continually, aggressively, lets it be known that he is unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely.

DeMarcus Cousins has demanded to be traded. In the best interest of our team as we go forward, he has been directed by me, with the support of management, to stay home from the New Orleans game tonight.”

-NBA

 

[CKR132]

SAC 96 NOH 80

Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton combined for 52 points with Evans scoring a team high 27 points and Thornton with 25. The Kings were without Demarcus Cousins who was suspended for demanding a trade. The Kings won despite being out-rebounded 38-29.

In the third quarter the Kings outscored the Hornets 30-18.

 

[DonPugfâché2]

SAC 96 NOH 80

Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton combined for 52 points with Evans scoring a team high 27 points and Thornton with 25. The Kings were without Demarcus Cousins who was suspended for demanding a trade. The Kings won despite being out-rebounded 38-29.

In the third quarter the Kings outscored the Hornets 30-18.

I don't know how I feel about this DMC situation. I feel like when DMC plays like a ballhog, the Kings would usually be better off without him 3 out of 4 times (except that 1 time when he's actually hitting).

I had high hopes for him, and maybe things calm down and things DO still work out of he gets his head straight and learns to play team ball and better utilize his strengths ... but those people who were knocking his maturity on draft night are looking smarter and smarter now.

The question is, assuming the Kings do entertain trade proposals ... what kind of market is there for a guy like DMC, and what could we possibly get in return?

 

[DonPugfâché2]

SAC 96 NOH 80

Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton combined for 52 points with Evans scoring a team high 27 points and Thornton with 25. The Kings were without Demarcus Cousins who was suspended for demanding a trade. The Kings won despite being out-rebounded 38-29.

In the third quarter the Kings outscored the Hornets 30-18.

Also, not to be mr negativity here, because I'll take a win any way it comes. But if the kings keep playing this 1 on 1 style, we're still gonna rack up a lot more losses than wins. Their team assist totals have been really low (even in wins). Not gonna cut it over the long haul. But like I said, I'm happy with a W!

 

[CKR132]

I don't know how I feel about this DMC situation. I feel like when DMC plays like a ballhog, the Kings would usually be better off without him 3 out of 4 times (except that 1 time when he's actually hitting).

I had high hopes for him, and maybe things calm down and things DO still work out of he gets his head straight and learns to play team ball and better utilize his strengths ... but those people who were knocking his maturity on draft night are looking smarter and smarter now.

The question is, assuming the Kings do entertain trade proposals ... what kind of market is there for a guy like DMC, and what could we possibly get in return?

Cousins, despite his inefficiencies and head case packaged with him is still an asset for the Kings. Without Cousins, our rebounding suffers and he is a post presence that the Kings immediately had upon drafting him. Though there are times when he will shoot a higher percentage and turn the ball over, but still that is an approachable risk for his contributions.

Come to think of it, Cousins slid from the top three due to his maturity issues and that would mean costing a GM his job if they drafted Cousins. Still, the Kings took a chance in him and his antics and immaturity did take its toll last season.

I think this is one of those outbursts that Cousins will continue on. On his market value, I do not see a genuine interest from NBA teams due to Cousins' antics. We will not get any pound for pound talent if we do end up trading Cousins.

Also, not to be mr negativity here, because I'll take a win any way it comes. But if the kings keep playing this 1 on 1 style, we're still gonna rack up a lot more losses than wins. Their team assist totals have been really low (even in wins). Not gonna cut it over the long haul. But like I said, I'm happy with a W!

Yes, our offense is not intricate nor sophisticated like other teams and a part of it is based on our back-court consisting of Evans and Thornton. At point guard, Evans is not a point guard and a ball possession player where he needs the ball to be productive. Same goes for Thornton, a shoot first guard that is high volume.

This team is a far cry from the days of Webber and co where we ran Adelman's princeton style corner offense. Let's face it, our roster does not have the basketball IQ that other NBA teams have.

The best scenario would be Cousins to calm down and comes back to his senses. It doesn't help either that Paul Westphal have reached his tipping point with Cousins.

 

[CKR132]

Evans erases the shot of Greivis Vasques.

​

 

[CKR132]

The Sacramento Kings have assigned rookie Tyler Honeycutt and sophomore Hassan Whiteside to the D-League affiliate, the Reno BigHorns.

 

[CKR132]

Up next are the Memphis Grizzlies. The most pressing concern is the availability of Demarcus Cousins for the game. The Kings need Cousins' rebounding and inside scoring to even survive the front line consisting of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.

 

[DonPugfâché2]

The best scenario would be Cousins to calm down and comes back to his senses. It doesn't help either that Paul Westphal have reached his tipping point with Cousins.

I agree 100%. Cousins, despite his immaturity (both with his mouth/attitude and on-court decision making) is still one of the most talented bigs in the league. I'm just not sure it's realistic.

That said, they said the same thing about Z Bo back in the day, and look at him now ... so there's still hope!

 

[uhfotis2]

That said, they said the same thing about Z Bo back in the day, and look at him now ... so there's still hope!

There's still hope..... but not with the kings.. This exact kind of thing plays out every couple of years (randolph, beasley) and as the players get older they do calm down, mature and get their head set... but never with the original team. If/when the kings trade him they're not getting anything worthwhile back. They have zero leverage because of what's happened, and because of the risks anyone taking him on has to take on.

 

[DonPugfâché2]

Kings say they WON'T trade Cousins. I actually like the hard stance from the Maloofs. Also some interesting quotes from players/people close to the team:

“He’s selfish,” one source close to the team said of Cousins. “He’s always angry or clowning. He needs to change. The Kings have been great about covering things up for him, and his agent has been protecting him.

“He’s always miserable. He acts like he’s entitled.”

Some players are disillusioned with the constant drain of Cousins’ tantrums, sulking and absence of professionalism. “He’s a bully, and they let him get away with it,” one source said. “No one wants to deal with the guy.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-demarcus_cousins_kings_010112

 

[DonPugfâché2]

There's still hope..... but not with the kings.. This exact kind of thing plays out every couple of years (randolph, beasley) and as the players get older they do calm down, mature and get their head set... but never with the original team. If/when the kings trade him they're not getting anything worthwhile back. They have zero leverage because of what's happened, and because of the risks anyone taking him on has to take on.

Good point ... unfortunately, the team that took the chance with the guy is rarely the team that reaps the rewards.

 

[CKR132]

Tyreke Evans said on his twitter that Cousins will be traveling with the team to Memphis tonight.

 

[Bosnian 232]

I think the fault isn't completely on DCuz; Evans also complained to Paul Westphal before. I think Westphal has messed up the team, the defense in transtition is terrible this year. It's good that Cousins will be back tomorrow night. Tyreke Evans played great against Hornets (obviously) with 27 points, 4 assits, and 3 rebounds. His jumpshot was GREAT in this game (especially his three-point shooting). Our defense was definitely improved from games past and it gave us easy fastbreak points. As for the Cousins drrama, I think it's all on Paul Westphal. He is the reason to blame for our three blow-out losses in this season and for our bad transition defense. Tyreke is doing everything he can (plus DCuz/Thornton) to lead the team to victory, but you can tell; the offense doesn't look fluid. Yesterday, we made the extra pass that led to easy points and this is what we were lacking in the first four games. By the way, we are dead last in assists per game (at least before yesterday anyways) but we improved on that against New Orleans for sure. Assuming we play like we did yesterday, we'll be a play-off contender for sure.

By the way, I'm really glad the Maloofs don't want to trade Cousins. As stated previously, we'd get nothing equal in return, in terms of his talents and potential. The best we could get would be a role player and maybe a first round pick but I doubt we'd even get the pick. Maybe a couple garbage players, but that's it. Trading him riht now wouldn't be a good idea at all. Oh, and one more thing. I knw it's early, but I just wanted tgo mention that we're 1/2 game out of the sixth spot and one game back for the fifth spot. Not bad.

 

[CKR132]

I think the fault isn't completely on DCuz; Evans also complained to Paul Westphal before. I think Westphal has messed up the team, the defense in transtition is terrible this year. It's good that Cousins will be back tomorrow night. Tyreke Evans played great against Hornets (obviously) with 27 points, 4 assits, and 3 rebounds. His jumpshot was GREAT in this game (especially his three-point shooting). Our defense was definitely improved from games past and it gave us easy fastbreak points. As for the Cousins drrama, I think it's all on Paul Westphal. He is the reason to blame for our three blow-out losses in this season and for our bad transition defense. Tyreke is doing everything he can (plus DCuz/Thornton) to lead the team to victory, but you can tell; the offense doesn't look fluid. Yesterday, we made the extra pass that led to easy points and this is what we were lacking in the first four games. By the way, we are dead last in assists per game (at least before yesterday anyways) but we improved on that against New Orleans for sure. Assuming we play like we did yesterday, we'll be a play-off contender for sure.

By the way, I'm really glad the Maloofs don't want to trade Cousins. As stated previously, we'd get nothing equal in return, in terms of his talents and potential. The best we could get would be a role player and maybe a first round pick but I doubt we'd even get the pick. Maybe a couple garbage players, but that's it. Trading him riht now wouldn't be a good idea at all. Oh, and one more thing. I knw it's early, but I just wanted tgo mention that we're 1/2 game out of the sixth spot and one game back for the fifth spot. Not bad.

Paul Westphal is quite old and the perceived generation gap is there. "Older" coaches have trouble in deferring to younger players. A lot of NBA teams did fire old coaches and replaced them with younger coaches to whom can relate with the culture and upbringing of the young players.

Still, Westphal is a good coach on record. Yes, our offense is rather primitive with lots of ball possession plays on the part of Evans, Thornton and Cousins. But they are making progress and if enough improvement is made with these extra passes, Westphal in turn can add more dynamics into the offense like added flex screens and more ball movement on either strong or weakside.

At best, Cousins should stay as his trade value is not a good commodity in the trade market due to his attitude and antics. I just hope that this thing blows over and Cousins gets his act up. When he is motivated and focused, the guy can certainly produce good results.

 

[CKR132]

Kings say they WON'T trade Cousins. I actually like the hard stance from the Maloofs. Also some interesting quotes from players/people close to the team:

“He’s selfish,” one source close to the team said of Cousins. “He’s always angry or clowning. He needs to change. The Kings have been great about covering things up for him, and his agent has been protecting him.

“He’s always miserable. He acts like he’s entitled.”

Some players are disillusioned with the constant drain of Cousins’ tantrums, sulking and absence of professionalism. “He’s a bully, and they let him get away with it,” one source said. “No one wants to deal with the guy.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ys-demarcus_cousins_kings_010112

This is welcome news and a wise re-consideration of the situation. Cousins just had his moment as all these losses and in-game foul troubles got to him. I hope next time, he handles the situation well. A part of his path to maturity. Even if he is traded, he might not get what he wants. The motivation for asking to be traded is rather dubious as well. What did Cousins exactly want in being traded to another team? He has the starting role and minutes with Sacramento. Perhaps Cousins wanted to play for a winning team.

But I would take note that winning teams would be hesitant to acquire Cousins as well where his track record of tantrums and antics could prove to be a distraction on and off the court.

On the article, several teammates have expressed their frustration on Cousins. His antics have been disrupting team chemistry off the court. Veterans like Garcia, Salmons and Hayes are not to keen and understanding with Cousins.

 

[durden_tyler2]

Until when will the Kings rebuild? They have to trade ALL cancers from that team (starting with Cousins then Evans) there's just lots of negative vibes with these group of players.