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Sactown Royalty

The Kings' First Steps: Home Wins

The Kings remain prone to long stretches of absolute madness, but under the team has taken a step forward in this young season: it's finally winning at home. This is what separates the truly awful from the bad: the ability to hold serve at home, no matter how ugly things look on the road.

After the win over the Blazers, the Kings are 5-4 in Sacramento this season and 2-11 on the road. This is new. Last year, the Kings finished with equally poor records at home and away: 11-30 in Sacramento, 13-28 on the road. The Kings are, to date, worse on the road this season, but much, much better at home.

That's something to build upon, to begin to expect as players and coaches. To count on wins. Unfortunately, there's not much left at home in February: Saturday's game against the Warriors, a pair next week against the Thunder (TNT Night) and Suns, then nothing until the Jazz aftr the All-Star break. The Kings will go 16 days without a home game, which makes the next three oh so important to continue to build confidence for the team.

The good news is that many of these road games are winnable. The first two games of next week are against the Hornets and Wolves (both potential wins). The six-game road trip that follows the Phoenix game features stops in Detroit and Washington (should be wins) as well as Cleveland and New York (potential wins). There's a chance for the Kings to eek out a couple more home wins and road wins this month, and build on a good start to the season in Sacramento.

Of course, the Kings exist in that dead zone between the very worst teams and true playoff contenders; Sacramento simply isn't getting into the playoffs this season, so the utility of these extra wins remains a legit question. But if the team is winning, that likely means some of our young players are doing well. I'll take that over some ping pong balls, especially considering that the ping pong balls have never been particularly kind.

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When was the last time the Kings even sniffed .500 at home

Theus’ first year?

I was looking at the standings last night & I was like

Omg the Wolves are 2 games back from .500! So did the Wolves have an easier schedule thus far or are they actually better than us?

Without pouring through the stats,

I would guess that the biggest difference is that their best player (Love) is much, much. much more consistent than either of our best players (Evans or Cousins). It’s a lot easier to get better when your best players deliver night after night after night.

Oh, and that Adelman guy is probably making a difference, too.

Has Love been awesome or what?

Don’t remember him being much of a 3 point shooter, but he’s really nailing ’em this year.

He was a very good outside shooter in college

He’s slowly been extending his NBA range. Hit some last year, but Adelman has really designed an offense that let’s him take advantage of that shooting more and he’s been $$$$$.

Everything Section said

And yes, they have had an easier schedule too. More home games and road games against the Wizards, Raptors & Hornets.

Don't forget

That Minnesota also has two Luke Ridnours. There’s the real one, who’s not that good, and the young Spanish one, who has gone on runs where he either scores or assists like 20 points in a row. He’s also fourth in the NBA in assists per game, fourth in steals per game and in the top 10 in guard rebounds per game. Oh and he has 22 games of NBA experience. Yep. It’s good to have two Luke Ridnours.

Word!
ESPN's RPI Rankings for reference

Looks like they actually have a slightly tougher schedule than we do.

Think they just look at overall record and not home/road

For example, we both played the Spurs. We played them in San Antonio where they are 13-1. They played them in MN and the Spurs are 3-8 on the road.

That’s what I looked at when I discussed SOS. So far, we’ve had a harder home and road schedule than MN (or we did, need to update my excel sheet soon if we look at this again).

Having a decent record at home

Is at least what the home fans deserve. We’re not a good team. Ok but give me something to cheer for when I pay my hard earned money a few times a year when I could afford it. That’s all I ask, for now.

Unkind Ping Pong balls

I don’t agree that the ping-pong balls haven’t been kind. Evans and Cousins are two young beasts, we’re getting there. I get the main point. I just think the drafts the past few years have been really good.

I don’t agree that the ping-pong balls haven’t been kind.

The drafts have turned out well, but we have consistently wound up drafting 2-3 sports behind where would have drafted if there was not lottery.

Ping Pong balls have been crap

We’ve lucked out in having some high quality talent drop to us however, and Petrie has taken advantage of that.

Fire Petrie!
Fire the ping pong balls!!!

And the machine that spins them!!

Get rid of Stern and his spin machine.
Fire the Maloofs!!!!
Kick Stern's (pingpong) balls!
Shave 'em with a rusty razor!!
That's the way the ball bounces aka A lottery

I agree that the luck for the ping pong balls has been unkind, but statistically, they have followed suit. Remember, even in the awful season that was 2008-09 and the 17 win season, marking the Kings as the team with the worst record, the odds of getting the fourth pick was the highest, around 36%. The cummulative odds of picking lower (1,2 or 3) were higher but each individual pick was lower.

That is the beauty and the beast of the lottery. The reward for futility is diminished and thus, so is the incentive. This means that a poorly run (cough, cough) franchise, like say, the Clippers of recent years, can’t hold the top draft picks as hostages year after year. It means that when Lew Alcindor for instance is entering the draft, the teams can’t tank to assuredly pick him up. I like the lottery, IMHO, it is a very good system. It is the responsiblity of the bad teams to get better and their chances to do so are enhanced but not guaranteed.

As for the Kings this year – sorry, given my spiel above you would think I am favor of winning games at all costs. I am not. Though the lottery does not insure a top 1 or 2 pick (coin flip odds from days of yore) getting the best odds of getting a top pick are still the fastest, most logical means to accumulate talent. If you are the Sacramento Kings, with The Malindas in charge, it is the only way (other than waiting and hoping that time and role player acquisitions will meld together into a solid playoff team).

This is the draft to congregate ping pong balls so that they can point the way to brighter future. With 7 top flight players (all in positions of need, the frontcourt) expected to enter the draft, the Kings don’t have to be the worst just so they can’t get lower than the 4th pick. Again, I am not cheering losses, but I am applauding a favorable win-loss outcome. To me, getting the 9th pick after another disappointing season is sadistic.

I apologize for writing my view on this subject, yet again, but I feel strongly about this opinion.

I still think the odds should weighted a little more heavily

but hell, I JUST WANT THE !ST DAMN PICK! I’d settle for 2 or 3 in a year where I think we end up falling at about 8-10.

If you increase the odds you increase the incentive to tank

The almost playoff teams at 11-14 have terrible odds of getting the 1-3 slot (though certainly it has happened – remember Orlando going 41-41 in 1993 and snagging C-Webb the year after they got Shaq with the 1992 1st pick? – but the 5-10 spots have pretty rotten odds as well. If you weight the 1-4 more than you make the 5-10 even less (11-14 are already just a handful of ping pong balls between them).

I just don't get you guys sometimes

Let’s just say: If the Kings win 26 games and end up with the 8th worse record in the League you all think that those five wins are better than having 21 wins and the 4th worse record (and no worse than the 7th pick)? You will feel that way on draft day?
How about the start of next season?

Depends on how we get them
and with the 1st pick in the 1989 NBA Draft....

The Sacramento Kings pick
Pervis Ellison!
Thanks Mr. Russell!

yeah they missed out a whole lotta future HOF-ers

Danny Ferry at #2, Sean Elliott #3 Glen Rice #4, JR Reid #5, Stacey King #5, George McCloud #7, Randy White #8, #9 Tom Hammonds, Pooh Richardson #10 and #26 one of my favorite players ever – the one, the only, Vlade Divac

I’ll give you Glen Rice – the dude was Carmelo before Melo, or Harrison Barnes IMHO, but it shows the power of a good draft and a weak one. This year, 2012, will be a top level draft as some of the top 7 names held out last year due to the CBA/Lock- out. When you grade draft talent, the last big talent draft was the LeBron draft of 2003 (James, Darko, Melo, Wade, Bosh round out the top 5)

Ellison was underrated. Good plater. Bad knees before good surgery.
It's not that the balls have been kind, it been the kindness of the other GM's that got us those 2
Idk about this...

Tyrekes rookie season we were 18-23 at home and then last season we were 11-30. So I am not too confident to say a 5-4 home record is an indicator that we are moving in the right direction. What happened last year then?

you should check the first half and second half splits on that 09-10 team

that is where you should be asking what happened

I still remember thinking that maybe we had something awesome

When we were like 7-7 and Tyreke was just being amazing.

Then we won like 1 game in the next 20 or something.
3-20 I think
My recollection is that we went from 7-7 to 10 - 27
still remember the Basketball Jones getting all excited about the upstart improving Kings

the Rise Guys were getting consistent calls with people excited as heck about the Kings too. There was a glimmer there.

I was thinking the same thing last night

Good points TZ. They need to start by winning 75% of their home games. They also need to win those “winnable” road games like the Warriors game on Tuesday. They have to start winning those type of road game vs. mediocre teams (ie. GSW, Detroit, Washington, NO etc.) and go from there.

8 of the next 11 are 'winnable' in my view

vs GS
at NewOrl
at Minn
vs OKL
vs Phx
at Chi
at NY
at Detr
at Cleve
at Mia (rest everyone)
at Wash

I would be thrilled with 2-1 home, 3-5 road, 5-6 overall
Which would bring our record to 12-21 halfway through the year with a very tough schedule to start

I’d take that, all things considered.

Before last night's game I said to myself

that I’d be hapy with a 5-7 record in the next 12. A 6-6 would be great!

6-5 should be very doable with those road teams, we'll see

We lose to OKL, CHI and Mia., it’s hard for me to see why we shouldn’t beat just about everyone else, but those are road games so I’ll give in on a few.

'beat just about everyone else' from a talent standpoint

but a lot of our talent hasn’t been showing up regularly, and then there’s execution
(sigh)

If John Salmons shows up, we have a damn good chance of winning.

Otherwise, good luck.

Don’t know why but I have a gut feeling we will have a good game at Miami. Possibly a win in overtime.

I'm more worried about the next three especially

very, VERY winnable. I say we rest in Miami and try to take out the Knicks the next night.

Ooops, Wash I meant

rest in CHI and go for the NY win all out.

I think we'll be down by 25 at halftime against Miami.

Remember, we suck at defending the rim. They have LeBron and Wade.
We make lazy passes. They force turnovers like crazy.

Oh, and we’re likely gonna have John Salmons guarding the best player in the league. Sigh.

It's ok....

Side note: Holy crap, look how much skinnier he is then
The Kings were 6-9 on the road against the East last year.

And, so far, they are 1-1 on the road against the East this season. And, 3-4 overall.

Unfortunately, after this 6 game road trip back East that’s coming up before the All-Star Break we only have one more road game against the East, in Charlotte.

If we were to win the Detroit, Cleveland, Washington and Charlotte games it would give us a 5-4 road record against the East this season.

I’d settle for a positive home record and a positive road record against the East this season.

I know this is off topic, but does anyone have an update on the SEC? Are we on target to come up with funding?
there are a ton of fanshots and front page articles on this
Aw, man - that means i have to actually search for it!!!! ha-ha! Thanks for the heads up
Not really

There are plenty of posts on the front page. Additionally, the left sidebar has an area called “Sections”. Despite what you might think, this is not section214’s flourishing nightclub. It is links to tags for articles. The very first one is Arena. Clicking on it will take you to a feed of nothing but articles about the arena situation.

the names of the firms looking to lease out the parking are now known

seeing the Carlyle Group kind of made me chuckle a little

For what it's worth

Yes, it looks like we’re on our way to a new ESC. There are still plenty of hurdles left, but with a parking plan set to be voted on by the city council soon, we’ll know rather quickly. If the parking sell goes well, that’s a very good sign. If it falls apart, the whole arena deal falls apart, and the Kings will leave.

I've honestly done a piss poor job of keeping up much lately

but what are they actually voting to approve on February 14th?

Could be wrong but...

I believe on the 14 they will narrow down the number of companies interested in leasing the parking and will vote to move forward in the proces to take official $$ bids (an RFP?).

Right after (possibly end of the month) they will vote on the bid and lock the number on the term sheet (?). I’m not very clear on this step so I could be way off here.

This is my understanding as well
I won't be happy with anything but 6 game winning streak (1 down, 5 to go)

We are healthy for the first time in the season. Coach Smart has had practice time. The next 5 games are highly winnable, with one upset required versus Thunder.

Quit f*cking around, Kings, go win some games.

I agree, we gotta stop settling for mediocrity. We can win, we are talented and we WILL win these next winnable games.

You said earlier last month that we should just embrace losing,...which is it?

Lol that was a different situation.

Why would I be joking?

Kings got rid of horrible coach, and the new one has had time to implement his schemes.Our so-called “glue” player in Hayes is back to provide the glue. Our best scorer in MT is back and healthy.

Kings fans around here are suffering from post-traumatic stress based on all the blow-out losses. I am fully recovered and not suffering from exaggeratedly lowered expectations.

Again, Kings need to quit f*cking around, come together as a team, and play like they can. If they do, a 6 wins consecutively can be achieved.

Well

Last night snapped a 5 game losing streak. Sure, the next 5 games have some opportunities to win, but there isn’t a single game that can be considered a lock. The Kings simply haven’t shown themselves to be that good. I’d be very excited if the Kings could win the next 5, but I could also be happy if they won a few of those games, played well even in the losses, and showed overall improvement.

I wasn’t sure if you were serious because it seems to be an unnecessarily high bar for happiness considering the current team.

blob is a passionate man.
At least we finally saw some signs of life from Salmons

If he can remember to put a little arc on his shots he should be a bit better for the rest of the season. That along with MT23 and a healthy Hayes gives us a much better chance for each game.

Any prediction as to what year you anticipate this 6 game win streak will occur?
Plus, JT is playing some quality defense AND making layups.
I'm happy John

played well but I’d like to see his role change slightly. I’ve been fine with him still starting but i’d like to see him more as a Christie or Bowen. He should take 6-7 quality shots. I don’t like the flying across the lane fade away jumber or the triple head fake long jumper. He’s a terrific wing defender and should look to take higher quality shots and less iso shots. Reke, Cousins, and Thorton should carry the bulk of the scoring.

Reason for optimism

Last nights game was a hard fought win. The Trailblazers are a good team that was making shots. The defensive intensity in the second half was phenomenal. They keep playing with that fire, along with having two starters back from injury, there is no reason the Kings can’t roll off a nice little winning streak. Our most productive player DMC wasn’t a factor and they handled their business. Yes, lots of reason for optimism.

The biggest growth I saw last night came in the second quarter

The Blazers opened up a 13 point lead and looked like they might pull away. This is exactly where the team has devolved into 1 on 1 play and chaos in the past. However, they kept running the offense and played as a team and came back.

Being at home probably helped. On the road this may have turned into a blowout. But avoiding the panic that has plagued the team this season when the other team opens up a double digit lead was a major step in my opinion. Hopefully they can keep this up.

Yes

the ’ I’ve got to make a play’ attitude on every other possession must stop forever.

I think it has greatly diminished

But it has a tendency to rear its ugly head whenever the game gets tight and either:

1 – One of many players, not just Evans or Cousins, decided to be a hero.

2 – The team freezes up and stops running plays, leaving Evans or Cousins to force something against a set defense.

This is mostly seen either when the other team goes on a big run and panic sets in or at the end of games. It’s not uncommon for young players to have to learn this lesson. I am hoping last night was a positive sign.

Don't forget that the offense Sloooooows down

invitig a forced shot at the end of the clock.

The Westphalian Offensive Philosophy
Get it McDiddy!!!!!!!!!

HOW DO YOU POST VIDEOS ????
I hear YouTube is pretty good.
Don't think you can. But can do gifs

Right click the gif. Get the gif direct URL. Then hit the tree icon under the header line on your post and paste in. Preview your post before posting to make sure it worked.

At this point

I will take wins over a draft pick – being in the bottom three hasn’t exactly landed us a top 3 pick yet anyway.

The most important thing is that these young players learn how to win and this team creates a winning mentality.

Culture is what I was getting at.

We need a winning culture to develop here.

If Cousins, Tyreke and Marcuslook like a winning core developing

A good player will want to come ala Z-Bo to Memphis.

Though I never saw his maturity coming.

Memphis traded for Z-Bo, he didn't sign with them

He’s been great for them though, no doubt. I think they’d be 2nd or 3rd in the West if they had him healthy.

I think they'd be #1 in the West

And I also believe that team would go to the NBA Finals.

That is why I advocate winning over tanking

These guys need to learn how to win games. They need to see that what they’re working on is conducive to winning basketball so they keep doing it.

Totally agree with you.

17 win game needed to lose (not tank, but not scrap for wins either). This year’s team needs to grow.

they need the talent to compete as well as maturity and direction

Do you all really believe that in 3-5 years with a couple of 9-14 draft picks that the Kings will be a solid playoff team? Maybe contend for a spot in the playoffs but little else. And once that happens, your draft picks are for more role players and you are not fanciful enough to attract the big time free agents – not in stature (wins), location (unglamorous Sacramento) or finances (The Malindas).

Boom! Your favorite team is smack dab in the mediocre quagmire. The time to get talent is now when the team is bad enough to get a top flight draft pick. Strike now when the iron is hot (and the losses are expected if not ever accepted)

I think Evans and Cousins have the potential

And finances cannot be seen as an issue. If they are, we are in trouble anyways.

I also think we will get a good pick this year. I just don’t think we tank for a few extra percentage points. We teach our potential stars how to play good, team basketball and live with the wins and losses.

But think of it this way...

…if the Kings keep tanking seasons to get high draft picks, how does that give Tyreke and DeMarcus incentive to want to stay?

I am not saying they should tank aka lose purposefully.

Just develop the youngsters excessively even if it means you lose a few more games.

Given that Evans and Cousins will see even more playing time as will Jimmer, IT and Honeycutt and that if they get that “just one more” player in this season’s more heavily talented draft – I think Evans and Cousins will love having more talent on the team.

Hell I'll take wins just to keep people in the seats.
Get IT

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In the post comment there's a picture of a tree. Click on that and paste the link address in there
Skins

is it a gif or picture or an actual video?

A 0.318 winning percentage is a 26 win season in an 82 game schedule.

This is already better than the last two years, with a really tough schedule. I think by the end of the season we’ll be able to say that this team some good improvement. We might even be able to say this team is on the right track.

I don't think we are good enough yet to say things...

like 25 of the next 30 games are winnable, or potential wins due to playing this team bla bla bla. I happens all the time, and what do you know, Kings lose to the teams that are suppose to be below us as well.

Not trying to be a drainer, as I always think we in for a chance, which is why wins against Spurs, or even last nights game against Portland we can come out with the W.

But to peg down this many games are winnable judging on lists and recent performance, for a team where we are, nothing is a ‘should win this game’. For every SAS or Portland W, there is a MN or GSW loss that is just as bad.

I do hope we win all these games, but we are not good enough YET for this type of hype in my opinion.

anybody have

spud webb come to mind.

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