When you lose what Sacramento Kings head coach Alvin Gentry called the most disappointing basketball performance of his 34-year NBA career, the current Oklahoma City Thunder are an ideal next opponent.
The Thunder walked into Sacramento tonight with a 12-20 record, barely a game behind the Kings in the Western Conference play-in race despite a roster not nearly as talented, and no playoff expectations. OKC is 12-20 thanks to the efforts of promising young players that bring it every night coupled with salary cap flexibility and a stockpile of draft picks. The Kings are 13-21 while desperately trying to win now.
And yet, the Thunder make a great opponent for a team that really needs a win at home. OKC is missing several key players, along with head coach Mark Daigneault, due to health & safety protocols on top of their general talent deficiency. The Kings are more talented, the Kings are more expensive, the Kings are at home, the Kings are healthier, the Kings just had their competitiveness questioned by the head coach, and the Kings have more to lose.
If Sacramento can’t beat this Thunder team at home coming off the heels of Gentry’s public call-out, well, I won’t be surprised, but it would be a new low. Let’s get into it.
Alvin Gentry deployed another new starting lineup tonight – De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Marvin Bagley, and Richaun Holmes, and this crew found some success even though the team wasn’t able to create any long-term separation.
The Thunder hung in there, like a young team that plays hard does, thanks to some seriously accurate 3-point shooting in the first half. Sacramento did a decent job contesting shots at the rim, and scoring efficiently offensively, but OKC drained 11-22 first-half threes, some contested, and the Kings took a small, uninspiring 61-57 lead into the dreaded 3rd quarter.
There was a moment in that 3rd quarter where the Oklahoma City Thunder actually took the lead back. You’ve seen this story before. Turnovers, poor shot selection, and uninspiring defense placed the Kings on the verge of another embarrassing collapse, but for one night, against this opponent, the Kings answered with a run of their own thanks to a combination of Tyrese Haliburton’s brilliance, and Buddy Hield’s shot falling.
Following an Alvin Gentry frustration timeout, Sacramento closed the 3rd quarter on a 15-5 run to give the Kings an 87-81 lead heading into the 4th quarter. Very few of those 12 3rd quarter minutes felt good, but it was enough.
And the Kings never really looked back from there. OKC would eventually cut the Sacramento lead down to 6 with about 22 seconds remaining, disappointing, I suppose, and it was definitely ugly, but it didn’t feel like a game the Kings were going to lose. Sacramento hit enough 4th quarter free throws, and that was that.
The Kings made it more difficult than it needed to be, more difficult than it should have been, but they did get the 117-111 win.
I didn’t find this win particularly inspiring, but if you’re looking for something to actually get excited about, Tyrese Haliburton’s recent stretch should do it.
Haliburton played his best game with De’Aaron Fox in the lineup this season, dropping 24 points and 10 assists on 9-14 shooting from the field, and 5-8 shooting from three, including some big shots in mildly desperate moments. Haliburton has scored at least 18 points in each of his last 6 games. It’s the most prolific scoring stretch of Hali’s career thus far, and if nothing else, the Kings might really have a player they can build around here.
What would sell Fox Medium look like? I don’t think Monte can sell High.
Its sell low now, that’s the issue
We are nearing expirings
And do you deal him then?
Maybe the reason Fox looks so lethargic out there is because he’s dinged up? Walking off the court he looked like he was grunting in pain half the time. He’s obviously not the same player this season. It’s time to cut the cord, clear the deck, and go full house cleaning with this roster, minus Hali.
Davion/Holmes/Hali i wouldn’t trade. Heart, fight and good BBIQ.
Everyone else should be. It’s time to change.
I definitely was going to include Mitchell as untouchable. As for Holmes, we can keep him if we can, but lately I’m starting to have my doubts. I get that he’s been hurt, so the jury is still out. I’m sensing something is still off about him though, no offense lately, just disappears.
We’ll see, but if I had to pick 3 keepers, those would be the 3.
Would be great to clear out Fox, Buddy, Barnes. Those 3 itself combine for $70M salary
I’m all for it.
Hali/Mitchell can replace Fox. Davis can replace Buddy, and any one of a number of players can replace Barnes.
I don’t see any reason Mitchell should be untouchable. I probably wouldn’t actively look to trade him because I don’t think his market value would be high enough to justify it and IF they did trade Fox, Mitchell is a nice piece to have as a fill-in and culture builder. But he certainly wouldn’t be the reason I walked away from a deal for an impact player.
Neither would Holmes. Honestly, the closest thing to an “off-the-table” player for me is Haliburton. Because he’s good, young, cheap, efficient, and displays high level leadership qualities. But also because he’s versatile and smart enough to fit with pretty much any guard archetype, thus making team building easier.
Untouchable in a way I would like to keep him, but yes, if Mitchell was required to be included in a potential impact deal, I definitely wouldn’t walk away. I’m agreeing with you there, Mitchell is more of a nice to have.
Exactly. It is obvious, has been since Hali drafted, that Fox should be dealt. Along with others.
Kings are fucking idiots because they don’t see their opportunity to rebuild. Happen to have 2 very good young combo guards. Get a high pick this year, trade Fox and others. It’s there, ready.
Tired of The Kings (Vivek) ignoring the obvious and refusing to do the right thing. It’s a joke how simple the answer is.
happy Hali-days
Oh, and fuck you Vivek.
Fox to the Pels for Hart, Murphy III, Sato and a protected first. Remember the Kings got just about that kind of value for trading a prime, healthy, better, and All-Star in DMC. Fox just isn’t worth as much as many of us here think. He might not even fetch that protected first to be included.
I like it purely for the cap clearing that it provides over the next 5 years, although Hart can’t be traded until March.
I’d go bigger with Ingram as the target. He gives you a lot of what Simmons does on defense, and is far more competent on the offensive end. Depending on who/what would go back to New Orleans, I’d be open to any number of scenarios.
Ingram is not coming here. Either is Reddish, Simmons, Wood, Sabonis, etc. You won’t get those quality players for any of Hield/Barnes/Bagley/Holmes. It won’t happen.
Pels will want either assets(Picks or youth) Barnes or Hield don’t fit their time line, at all. I would love Christian Wood. But, the Rockets start with Hali/Fox/ and picks.
If Kings are committed to a rebuild then trading Barnes/Hield/Holmes make sense. Those players could net the Kings some prospects and or mid-late round picks. But, they are deluded if they think a 3 and D wing and stretch 4 is coming here on those aforementioned players.
Ingram is an interesting target, and I can certainly see preferring him to Simmons, but he absolutely does not “give you a lot of what Simmons does on defense.” The Ingram vs Simmons debate really comes down to whether you think Ingram’s edge in volume scoring and floor spacing is more impactful than Simmons’ advantages in defense, passing, and rebounding.
I would say that Ingram’s main advantage over Simmons is similar to the one that your hardworking parents have over Santa Claus.
The connection to reality and logic is impeccable.
You can just say that you don’t understand, it’s fine.
Just good enough to barely beat the worst. My guys.
Love the tone of the recap. Some real straightforward gems in there, which are certainly well-deserved.
I would say, “Fox for Simmons please”. But alas, that dream is dead.
I hope you were with us in the summer too
Check the comment history, kid.
Was all about this over the summer. Average Simmons > Rich Man’s Fox. Should have been a no brainer, but McNair wanted to see what a 3 point guard lineup would look like. Just another management blunder to add to the long list of blunders.
Maybe the Sixers didn’t want Fox.
Yeah, I don’t think Kings fans in general have a realistic idea of what “fair value” is for Fox.
His stock isn’t low right now, it’s just that we (the collective generalized Kings fans) overvalued it before.
Weren’t there reports that they specifically said they wanted Fox in any deal with the Kings for Simmons?
The upside of the team being this bad, near courtside tickets are very cheap.
The view from row AA was great for a G League game.
Or buy a $10 ticket and sit where you want.
The only reason to be encouraged about this team is Tyrese ! Rest are deck chairs at varying expenses and value ( All expendable and replaceable )!
We, every last one of us, are deck chairs at varying expenses and value, all expendable and replaceable.
Act accordingly.
Based on what was shown on the post-game, so few people are showing up that they’re now letting you bring dogs.
Yeah, but you have to perform at halftime with your dog.
Come on everyone. It’s not that bad.
v
Does the V stand for Vlade?
It stands for Valhalla, where half of Kings fans will go as we perish in dubious battle for a championship parade in Sacramento.
The other half will be sent to the green pastures of Stockton.
Great/depressing/hilarious movie.
If things are going to change, these are the types of games we need them to lose. Here’s to the Luka-less Mavs taking 2 in a row from these guys.
The play that Fox made after a Haliburton block, where he jumped into the air to grab the ball, but saw Haliburton streaking downcourt, and one-handed the ball in mid-air to Haliburton in stride? That was magical.
I agree. I observe that the bigs in the league are outleting faster also.
Just further evidence that Fox is too lazy and disengaged to come down with the ball in both hands and make a proper pass!
Fox will never be all-star. He still can’t get around screens or make clutch free-throws. Being the best player on the kings doesn’t mean anything.
He isn’t the Kings best player just most highly paid ! He is very good but not close to being a true Max Player ! Tyrese is a better player to actually win games !
If you think anyone other than Fox is currently the Kings best player, then you are fooling yourself.
Hali has a bright future, but you really need to take stock of reality. Fox IS the Kings best player at this point in time, like it or not. Hali still has much to prove (and I love the kid and the joy he plays with). I don’t see why people think they need to knock Fox to make a point about Hali.
And to state that Fox will never be all-star is just plain ignorant. He’s already borderline and he’s got another 10 years in the league at the least. Mike Conley didn’t make an all-star team until his 14th season despite being good enough to receive those honors well before it was ever made official.
I personally don’t want to see Fox traded as I believe that he and Hali are a good combo of talents, they just need to find a way to split the offensive load and create their own unique identity.
I don’t think either of them are good fits for this type of offense that Gentry likes to run and the defensive schemes are non-existent, switching everything until the opposing team can get the exact mismatch they want. I long for the days of man-on-man defense.
I agree w Rockbottom. Have since last year. Haliburton is a better passer, shooter, defender. Runs the O waaaay better. Plays better with others. Can play off ball. 24-11 average when starting.
Hali is clearly a better team player. He seems to actually impact winning.
Fox is like Westbrook-Wall but without the D. He is very fast and can get to rim but so fucking what. Individual stats.
Advanced stats from this year lend support to your opinion.
Right. And unless Fox develops a shot-he hasn’t yet and it’s year 5- he takes away from Hali and the team. It becomes Fox 1-1 mostly.
And I believe Hali has as high or higher ceiling than Fox. He can shoot-really well. Can pass and run an O.
Fox is a good player but he doesn’t mesh well with a team because he can’t play off ball and he’s not a great defender. Plus, he has some value in a trade to other NBA teams.
Have a rec. Fox may not be the best value to contract at the moment, but he is the best player.
My concern with Fox is that the organization’s continued failure burns him out.
I think becoming a 50 win team is what organizations should aspire to. Not the 10th seed, and not championship or bust, but 50 wins. That is a clean .600 record and easily places you in the top third of the league annually. And I think that when it comes to the best players in the league, almost all of them are looking for at least that level of success. And if their current organization cannot build it, they will want to go somewhere else. And to be clear, no one player is a .600 team. LeBron isn’t, Curry isn’t, Dame isn’t, and so on. The organization has to come to the party. And I don’t know how the Kings pull that off in the next year or two. Meanwhile, Fox is in his fifth year here. Tick-tick-tick.
With that said, the Kings could be better off parting ways with Fox if they could land (for example) a viable young wing player. Something along the lines of Ingram / Brown / Siakam / Simmons. Maybe the Kings would have to send a pick in some cases, I don’t know. But a Hali/Davi backcourt with one of those guys manning the wing would be awfully exciting. Would the team be better? Maybe? But the path to success would be at least a little more clear by balancing the roster a little better. Of course, you probably only buy a little extra time before your talented wing wants out of this mess, so improvement would have to come sooner than later. No easy answers for this shitshow of an organization, that’s for sure.
Eh, Fox certainly hasn’t been the Kings best player so far this season. But if you had to choose, by the incredibly low standards of the Kings, he probably gets the nod for being at or towards the top for multiple seasons.
As for being an All-Star? Sure, he can and probably will be an All-Star at some point. He’s among the top 50ish players in the league and puts up the right numbers/highlights for All-Star voters. Any number of non-elite players have been All-Stars over the years. Mike Conley DID take a long time to get the nod after being good enough for it for a long time. Mike Conley has also never been the best player on a decent team. Being the best player on a shitty team doesn’t mean much.
Personally, I don’t really give a shit about All-Star teams. I’m more interested in their impact on winning and team-building. To me, the question isn’t who the best current King is. It’s how are the Kings going to acquire the elite level talent and the pieces that fit them to build a sustainable winner? It’s reasonable to think Fox could be part of that. It’s also reasonable to think that, as likely the Kings most valuable asset, he may have more valuable in a trade than on the roster.
Hali has Fox beat in virtually every statistical measurement of performance.
The only two statistical categories where Fox rates higher than Hali are the number of FGA per game and the corresponding total number of points per game, both are products of quantity, not quality.
You don’t have to convince me. I think it’s reasonable to say Fox is the best player due to the larger sample size, but I personally prefer Hali is I were forced to choose.
Based on their ages and contracts, if I had to choose right now, I would also choose to keep Hali over Fox. I just don’t see that as being our only options.
I agree that Hali’s ascendance could have him surpass Fox in impact, maybe even by the end of this year, but to take 3 game sample size and base an organizational shift (in terms of trading Fox) on that small sample seems foolish to me. At a minimum, I would run the rest of year out to see if the two can figure it out.
Can Hali continue to produce at the same efficiency with the likes of Dort guarding him? What does Hali’s defense look like when he’s guarding SGA?
The Thunder obviously believed that Fox is the bigger threat because they put their best defender (Dort) on him not Hali. The Kings had Fox guarding SGA while Hali was guarding the 2nd or 3rd offensive option. Fox has shown he’s better able to stay in front of quick guards, something Hali currently has problems with. What happens when Hali has to be the guy? I don’t know…no one does because he hasn’t done it for more than a handful of games.
As I said earlier, I love Hali and I hope he continues to grow and improve. I also love Fox, even with his faults and weaknesses, so I hope they grow together. Fox’s obvious flaws mean that he shouldn’t be our best player, but I don’t think Hali is that guy either. Hali’s game reminds me of Pippen-lite, the glue that can bind a team together. We need to find our version Jordan-lite, a true top dawg.
Badge Legend