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Sactown Royalty

Mavericks 99, Kings 60: Yes, It Was As Bad As You Think

The Sacramento Kings had basically the worst game ever on Saturday, losing 99-60 to the Dallas Mavericks. The Kings set the franchise record for fewest points in a half (23 in the first) and came within one point of the record low for a game (59 in 1991 against the Hornets). The Kings broke their record for lowest field goal percentage in a game (25.6 percent, beating the 27.9 percent from that epic 45-point home loss to the Celtics in 2008). This game finishes No. 2 in fewest field goals made (22) and ties for the fifth-worst all-time in assists (10) and registered as the sixteen worst loss by point differential in Sacramento history.

Other than that, it was great.

The best shooter in the starting lineup was John Salmons at 3-7. DeMarcus Cousins was No. 2 at 4-12. Four of 12. Marcus Thornton, back from injury, went 4-14 for 14 points. J.J. Hickson was 1-8. Tyreke Evans and Jimmer Fredette, two of the three guards who, with Thornton, played at least 20 minutes, combined for two made field goals in 16 shots over 54 minutes.

The offense looked truly awful from the start, with everyone freelancing and taking shots off of the dribble instead of from crisp passes in scoring position. The team seemed to play hard throughout, but almost never played smart. The Kings were suffocated all night, as Dallas seemed to know exactly what Sacramento wanted to do and stopped it. Every Cousins post-up or Evans drive was swarmed. Jimmer was hounded constantly, unable to spring free with the ball or not. Salmons was Salmons -- he worked hard and had some good defensive plays, but missed the few open shots he got and was overpowered frequently. Hickson is still energetic and appears to have good intentions on the court, but he's just a mess of fast-twitch muscle with no clear plan on any given possession. (He is in his fourth season.)

That was just ugly.

0 recs  |  177 comments

Comments

Fuck this shit.
Thank god I didn't watch the game
Angry Zoidberg is Angry.

Petrie's free pass has expired

But first the Maloofs needs to sell the team!

......

………. (smh)

The truth is starting to emerge

The Maloofs and Petrie have co-conspired to sandbag the season for the exodus.

Breaking News: Alex English Just Resigned.
Ha!
we need to get Burkle'd

I hear he can knock down an open jumper or two also

Breaking News: Burkle has expressed he is no longer interested in the acquiring the Kings.
"NBA? I thought they were a football team... nevermind..."
Fun Fact

There are more words in the title of this article than the Kings first quarter points.

I think I

just threw up in my mouth- just a little :/

Just seeing the score

made me do that.

I would like to see...

a well executed side pick and roll/pop more often as a point of emphasis.

@mr_jasonjones
Jason Jones
Cousins is still feeling sick but will play tonight. As coach said best way to get rid of a cold is to run.
3 hours ago
Doesn't explain

How the rest of the team stunk ass.

bad news. cousins got crazy after the game
Hope you are joking.
Wish I was...

@DwainPrice

Kings C DeMarcus Cousins had to be restrained from going after a Dallas media cameraman in the Kings’ locker room after the game.

https://twitter.com/#!/DwainPrice/status/158415008374587392

:(

He's improving

He now is actually upset after a horrendous loss.

Jason Jones Via Twitter
“It didn’t actually happen like that”
He's not

Went after a Dallas cameraman/media or something

at least it wasnt a teammate this time

he’s trying

Oh God, hope everyone is okay.

Might explain why Smart didn’t give a post game interview.

@Dwain Price:
Kings C DeMarcus Cousins had to be restrained from going after a Dallas media cameraman in the Kings’ locker room after the game.
about 12 minutes ago
Ah, Kings basketball.


Neil is awesome
I don't know what to say about this team anymore.
I really feel that Petrie makes some kind of public statement after this loss.

I don’t know what, but something.

meant to say - Petrie needs to make

This was a new low. If he doesn’t address it, it will appear that he is dodging the issues. At least that is how I feel. Don’t know what the rest of you think about this.

Yeah Petrie needs to own up

This is his mess. This isn’t Smarts fault. I don’t think PW was a good coach but I don’t think it was fully his fault either. This is the Maloofs & Petrie’s baby. The need to change tje shitty diaper.

*sigh*

Well… yippee. Go Kings…

loyalty

And I still watch this team…

Keep an eye out for Jason Jones Blog -

He says it didn’t really happen like portrayed. He’ll post what happened on his blog.

Link?
Couldn't just look on Twitter?

Here ya go though!

https://twitter.com/mr_jasonjones

Cousins was getting dressed and there was a cameraman standing in front of him and Cousins asked could he not point the camera at him…

I think to recall

Jimmer only making more than two shots in a row once this season? Yikes.

4 and 9 sucks.......

but it comes out to 25 wins in an 82 game season. Thinks aren’t worse, they are just stagnant. (sigh)

If I were Smart

I’d start JT over JJ and try Donte over Salmons, as long as he promises to keep rebounding.

Maybe Smart isn't as Smart as you
Story's Up. Had to deal with a media man keeping his camera on Cousins while he was changing.

Via Jones’ twitter. Take a look.

Dude the cameraman baited him!
I'm beyond getting upset at this point

I’m so numb to losing that it no longer phases me.

Hope that story doesnt get blown out of proportion
At no point did Cousins go after him

Even when he called him “Crazy DMC”.

He got up, gathered his stuff and left the room.
Until now, I was trying to decide whether to buy League Pass to be able to watch games.

I think this game answers it. I’ll watch occasional youtube highlights from unexpected comebacks, and I’ll masochistically check this blog to see what’s going on.

Does not wanting to pay to watch this team make me a bad fan? Probably. Just after this game, it seems like there are more important things in life.

You're not alone

As an out-of-market fan, Im not paying to watch The Kings on League Pass either. I decided that a few games ago, but tonights dismal performance certainly solidifies my decision.

Yup.

The year prior to the Kings drafting Tyreke, I was living in Portland. The Kings (& the economy) were too horrible to make League Pass worth its $. I sympathize w/you guys.

It's a game

One game, next…

It's a pattern.
Of course it's a pattern and it's endemic

It has been a pattern since Adelman left. However, it’s still one game. The existing problems are not going to just go away. Nothing new here…

Please.

Much more than just one game.

Cousins Needs to learn from this guy about playing when sick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2os-hfXSUlA

Can the Kings get this guy on contract?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBFKdjaHiQ&feature=related
Hah, sorry. Posting fail.

Still not sure how to title something and link it.

You can't link in the title

You just highlight whatever word you want linked, and then press the chain icon. This brings up a box where you enter the URL.

Panic, surrender, blame

chillllllll… World Champs vs evolving Kings,,, I seem to remember Dallas doing this to the Lakers last year. We are a very young project. It’s very, very difficult to learn on the run at any level, much less the NBA. Every circumstance informs against this group: lockout, new roster, 2 GAME PRESEASON, coaching change after 7 games. We expect to overcome these obstacles in 6 weeks, and have offensive flow while learning two offenses from two coaches?
Blame…there must be blame! Fire Westphal! Fire Smart! Fire Petrie! Sue the Maloofs!
Howxabout we do what fans are spozed to do: root, hope, and continue these passionate discussions:)
Go Kings!

But to lose the way the Kings lost?
We shouldn't be losing like this.

Not with those poor performances. It’s not the losing to the Mavs (although that’s debatable, they aren’t looking near as powerful as they were last year), but how they lost.

We’ve been rooting and hoping for improvements for about a decade now, maybe even for a championship coming up after 2002 (laughable now) and watched this team spiral down into oblivion.

Even Peaches said, we as fans deserve so much better.

not to blow the momentum of my one successful post in years---

but I would second HarveySpecter’s notion and expand: the Mavs announcers tonight talked about the classic Mavs/Kings playoff series (most games of which I was present for in Arco, a personal highlight for me was seeing B. Jax’s career scoring night). But they noted the Mavs have been good every year since then, namely because of a consistent centerpiece in Dirk the Daring—and strong building around him.

Kings fans, as great as they are, should not have to continually suffer rebuilding woes like this. All you say is true in terms of our hurdles. But this is like a broken record at this point. With the picks we have gotten, we should be further along at this point, with a few solid trades. Petrie can only ride but so long on his early magic. It’s not so much picks, but building team chemistry that he seems to not get.

that said, I’m willing to admit that even this team could pull things together and win a few games by the end of the season, just like last year. Weirder things have happened. But the specter of relocation to Anaheim or Seattle makes putting a well-rounded team on the floor yesterday a priority. We can’t keep saying, “be patient.” We can’t become irrelevant to fans. And first quarter blowouts and setting heinous records tend to do that.

One difference

between the Mavs & Kings is that Cuban’s a spender & the Maloofs are cheapskates. Still, the Kings should be doing better than this.

Yeah it's hard to compare the two because of money. But Im stuck on Petrie tonight.

Something about his inability to see the glaring flaws in this team playing as a unit. Just seems odd. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

I can't help wondering how this team would play if we had kept Casspi and Beno.

I know our defense would still suck, but I don’t think our offense would be nearly as bad.

I don't think Omri

would have made a difference, but Beno might’ve helped the Kings play better.

Probably right. But Omri really showed flashes at times. Remember the way he used to finish the break?

Seeing Isiah and him run it would’ve been fun. And if he does develop into a steady 3-point threat, I could see him one day being like a minor Toni Kukoc.

But clearly, I’m just babbling now. Beno and Casspi wouldn’t solve our woes by a long shot. I think the mind reels after watching a first half like that.

Omri has/had potential

but given the way he’s been playing this year, he probably wouldn’t have been helpful to this team (though I’m starting to think playing 4 on 5 would be better than playing Salmons, so he might’ve been helpful).

Yeah. It's like Salmons/Garcia are just there to give us 5 players on the court.

you can almost see the tumbleweeds blowing through their nightly stats.

Yup.

Donte needs more minutes (& that’s something I never though I’d say prior to this year).

We need a team identity
I think they should come out of the run way

snapping their fingers and doing the dance at the start of West Side Story.

Kings

Dallas does that to Kobe and all…but not us?
Let’s expect a rotation and improvement with TIME

I mean, we can keep giving the time excuse,

But how much time will you need to be satisfied? Just curious.

We’ve seen teams like OKC move from developing team to powerhouse, while we’re just still sucking. It’s not like every one of these guys on this team just popped in from college. How much time will you give them to do basic things like move the ball around for the open shot, set pick and rolls?

Well in defense of time...

We’re still younger than OKC and their record when they were similar in age were just as horrible.

Identity

It would be nice if they at least decided to hard foul before allowing any lay ups

So.....who's a good fit from the upcoming draft?

Barnes or Gilchrist? Or do we go big with Davis if we get #1?

Either Barnes or Gilchrist would be good.

Gilchrist is probably a slightly better fit though.

Kendall Marshall
He'd help,

but I don’t think he’s better than Gilchrist or Barnes. However, if those 2 are gone when the Kings pick, he’d be a good pick.

You know it's bad when coach doesn't even want to face the media
In fairness

Having watched the entire game, as painful as that was, I never had the sense the team had a lack of effort. They just sucked. It’s just rare to see a team sucked all at once. But really no one played well tonight and the score shows that.

It's all on Smart

Bad shooting (on this scale) comes from bad shots. Bad shots come from being defended well. Defense is SUPPOSED to be broken down with the playbook. Smart’s playbook is nearly nonexistant. This is all on Smart.

Seriously,

How can you put this on Smart? He just got handed this team. He has hardly had a chance to work with the guys except on the fly. Several have been injured and he got them after all the drama of Westphal. He had no say on player selection and Westphal has been the one to work with them the majority of the time.

This.

This isn’t all on Smart. He has barely had any time to work with them. He did well with the Warriors, so I’m putting this blame on the players. They are the consistent variable here.

I would say that we need players who are roleplayers. Or willing to be. And not always looking to initiate their own shots, not caring who runs up the highlight reel or whatever.

Example: Rubio tonight – 18 points, 12 assists. 12. How many did we have tonight? He looks first. Looking back now, I wish we’d got him rather than the 20-5-5 ‘Reke, having the FO put his face up everywhere and give him the keys to the city and make him think he’s already an all-star and didn’t need to improve his game.

They missed a lot of wide open shots this game, too.

They still would’ve gotten blown out, and the Mavs would have started defending the 3 point line if the Kings started making any, but especially in the second half, the Mavs just let the Kings shoot whatever they wanted from the perimeter and waited to grab the rebound. This game was just a perfect storm of offensive shittiness.

This pillow plays some good defense.... 10 day contract?? Hes got the length of a SF

Fluffy Pillow Fail  GIF - Fluffy Pillow Fail

Awwwwww

So cute =)

Uhhhh

Donte Greene anyone?

What about me Coach?!?

#fallintomychasm…..

Interesting comments, but would someone please remind me WHY WE LET DALEMBERT GO?

Was it to avoid overpaying exactly the kind of player who would help us now? Was it Petrie’s peevishness and hubris in light of the “leak” that he possibly felt jeopardized his bargaining position with other more notable centers (Howard, Nene?). Or do I just not get it? Is it really just the cruel randomness of life and ultimate proof that there is no God or – if there is – he is a fat greasy bastard with one hand down his pants, the other holding a vile, half-eaten chicken wing, madly laughing at our pain?

Hayes seemed better.

Also, other than his game against us, he hasn’t done too well.

Delambert's been awful.

And we tried to sign him and got shafted by a lower offer.

Glad I missed this nonsense.
Me too.

Now if only i could stick my fingers in my ears and shout “lalalalalalala” until we win our next game….good thing i’m not holding my breathe

I think win or lose, all of us just want to see higher quality basketball.
Yep

Right now it’s the same old crap it’s been for 3 years.

More like (at least) 4 years.
That

would be nice.

Why can't we play Cousins as the facilitator role just like last year (post-allstar break)?

Why are we NOT utilizing a big man with passing skills? Bring in Hayes into the mix, we should be able to bump our team assist totals by a lot.

The fact is, we have no PGs to run the offense. The next best thing is having both Cousins & Hayes facilitate most of the time.

It might help.

But I doubt it’d help much.

If you look at the APG where we had Cousins as the "Webber/Divac" role last year,

the team assist totals bumped up to 23 assist per game.

The Kings are not utilizing Cousins’ passing abilities. Period. Cousins isn’t even averaging a single assist per game for crying out loud!

Really?

They need to go back to that then. However, I doubt they can get to 23 APG’s w/the current team, no matter what the offensive system is.

Yep.

It’s better than hoping to get over the 10-assist mark every game haha.

It will not matter.

People are watching the ball on offense instead of moving around, no matter who has the ball. Without any off the ball movement or screens it makes it hard to run sets on offense. I have seen this team play extremely well offensively (first half in Houston) but they havent been together long enough to play a fluid offense for 48 minutes straight.

I think we have had our ideal starting five for 3 games? Give it time people.

I think that was Westphal's plan heading into this season, and Smart has mentioned using DMC this way, as well.

The problem is, this has been resulting in a turnover or a missed jumper by Cousins far too often. I personally think DeMarcus is best used right now when he can get down low and shoot or pass from there, where he’s at least in position to do his thing on the glass and draw fouls. I remember more assists from DMC coming from passing to cutters close to the basket than from dishing it to guys from the high post.

Fun Fact of the night.

Every Dallas player had a positive +/-. While every Kings player (other then Outlaw who had a 0) had a Negative +/-

Oh and Jason Terry Alone scored more points

then our whole bench COMBINED….

God.

What an awful game.

Wow good thing I was gone and didn’t see this game :O Yikes this scares me :(

Dear Mssrs Stojakovich, Bibby, Christie, Webber, Divac:

I would very much like to see you all on the floor again, if you could come out of retirement. This team and fans desperately need something good to root for. Or at the very least, coach this young people what it means to be a team, to move the ball, and to shoot. Peja, go teach Jimmer how to create space and nail the three ball Serbian layup style.

Bibby, let’s be real. You’re not getting many minutes over there, so come back and finish were you’re loved, you could start as PG, and still show up anyone who’s trying to be a PG right now.

Webber, you must be watching this from broadcasting and saying to your self “What. The. Fuck.” Come out here and show them the ropes…pretty please? I bet you can still move here or there.

And Vlade. Big guy. Just park yourself at center and do some awesome passes and rebound. Show Cousins some humility, how to flop right, and do work.

And last but probably should come first:

And Christie, teach them defense.

And would all of you

teach this team how to pass & use off-ball movement to get good shots.

I just daydreamed I was in 2002

Thanks for the memories

Now,

I just daydreamed it was the 2002 WCF. Ugh.

Better

than what’s happening now though.

Oh idk about that

I distinctly remembered crying during that.

Granted I was 10, but still, as someone else has sad, I am numb to the losing now. Honestly, when I saw we had 23 at half, I kinda laughed because it didn’t even surprise me

I'm numb to losing,

but not this kind of loss. Also, in 2002, it felt like the championship could be won the year after that. It feels hopeless that the Kings will be good this season or next.

Oh don't worry I completely agree.

This makes me utterly hopeless

Also, apologies for typos

I was falling asleep in misery as I was writing this.

The Patience Preacher reminds everyone that nothing makes a fan feel worse than a blowout loss and advises everyone to step back and take a powder

The blowout loss dims the hopeful light of a better future. It’s still one game in the loss column even though it seems like a season’s worth. Like the blowout win the next game’s outcome will either erase or enhance your feelings.

It is always darkest before the dawn. Unfortunately, this looks like another season of pre-dawn. Be patient and the sunshine will start to filter in but only a little at a time. You have to be tough to be a Kings fan -do you have what it takes?

Sorry,

it looks like the Kings will be bad this season (& probably next season too).

Bigger problems lie hear(perhaps), and the blowout loss is emblematic.

Organizational dysfunction. The Kings entire organization stinks right now. Bad Owners. Underperforming, seemingly directionless GM. Players that may or may not have ability, and certainly do not fit together.

....i moved to la this march....

i love the kings. always have. always will. fuck lakers til i die. but this broke my heart to read. this year was supposed to be so much more.

clippers look nice.

…but srsly kings til i die……lolz

At least it wasn't a home game
Worst Kings game I've ever seen.

Ever worse than the 45 point loss to Boston.

Absolutely abysmal in every way. Nothing else to say.

It's not unreasonable to expect more.

But this team will look much better in a month from now. The team has talent, and now that they have a coach, the team will improve. The sky is not falling, only cloudy. The clouds will thin this year, and next year after the Maloofs sell for a huge profit (because of the new arena and collective bargaining agreement) the sun will shine. Though now is the time to whine, chill. And next time, just get drunk like I did.

trade jimmer for andre miller

sorry guy but it was to hard for me to watch the second half especially when our players were disgracing the black jerseys of 2002 , i just kept thinking of the webber , divac days with the black jerseys and watching the first half made me disgusted and angry. this team is not good enough to wear that black jerseys. I know i am not making sense but i am pist at our team efforts.

i thought fewest points in a game was the 99 bulls, with 49

that stat has just always seemed to stick with me,

maybe cuz i knew one day my shitty kings would flirt with it

I think this is talking about the franchise record, not the league record,
I feel much better now:)
One step forward, three steps back
What an insane game.

The way the first quarter was going, I was feeling like maybe I had underestimated this team as much as everyone else has. Then, of course, things quickly started to get out of hand and I felt foolish for allowing myself to be lost in a dream. Most of the second half was then a tense blur and a constant battle against doubt. The second half of the 4th quarter was a surreal ride on a cruel rollercoaster where expectations were rapidly fulfilled and exploded in pulsing flashes. In the end, it was one of the most moving sports experiences that I can remember.

And then, I watched the Kings game and fucked it all up, went to bed depressed. Thanks a lot, jerks.

Levity > misery

Thanks ASSN. rec’d.

Here is what our roster consists of in its current state:

1 Point Guard – Isaiah
3 Shooting Guards – Reke (who can’t shoot), MT23, Jimmer
4 Small Forwards – Salmons, Cisco, Greene, Outlaw
4 Power Forwards – Cousins, Hayes, JT, JJ
0 Centers

In the NBA, No PG + No Center = Serious Problem

Cousins is a Center, and not the worst of the league either.
I went back and forth of where to place him

But IMO he plays better at PF with a defensive minded big alongside him. See: Games he started last year with Sammy.

Perhaps.

Either way it would help him a lot if our perimeter defense didn´t suck so hard, putting him in a very bads spot defensively over and over again. These guards and wing(s) can´t stop anyone from penetrating.

Both Salmons and Cisco are naturaly Shooting Guards

They are just being forced to play Small Forward

I´m just glad not to wake up to any reports on fistfights, drawn guns or trade demands in the locker room.
You set the silver lining bar low

Rec’d for realistic expectations but red flagged to appease the h8ers.

Listened to last night's game on the way back from L.A. last night. To say it was a long night

is the mother of all understatements. I think I agree with the idea of blowing the team up to improve. It’s becoming clear that this is the “gang that can’t shoot straight”. However, that begs the question, who do we give up in order to improve. We’re not going to get back better talent by offering an Outlaw, Greene, Garcia or Hickson by themselves. In order for us to improve we need to give up an impact player in tandem with other player(s) and/or future draft picks. I know who I would offer up (that’s called a tease). Who would you offer up?

The Kings most valuable pieces right now and untouchable IMO are Evans, Cousins and a lottery pick.

Wait for lttg’s weekly Assisine trade thread and conjecture and project until your keyboard fails.

Anybody but DMC and Evans,

I´m totally OK with JT, IT, MT and Jimmer staying. But, as you pointed out, who would want Salmons and company, let alone send someone usefull in return? The only chance I see is pulling a Kahn: Kevin Love for Salmons and Garcia. The Wolves needs wing depth, right?

I don't think even Kahn is that dumb...
So we'd be

Getting Love for free? No GM is that stupid, not even Kahn. At this point everyone has seen the plight of the Kings.

You know I wasn´t all that serious...
I figured

But thought I’d put that out as such anyway. My mood has me in serious biznezz mode. :P

Thank you to the Niners and the Clippers

For making my sports day tolerable yesterday

word..

Clippers are way fun to watch.

No doubt, with Blake and Chris Paul

Wait a minute, Clippers got a PG, why weren’t the Kings in on that?

Oh, that’s right – nobody wants to come to Sac and the owners are tightwads.

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