FINALLY. After Monday’s 23-point loss to the Miami Heat and realizing that they’re quickly running out of games, it seems as if the Kings have finally accepted that the play-in ain’t happenin’. Although most of us had accepted this about 15 games ago, the good news is that we all seem to be on the same page now. The bad news is that the Kings now have a double feature against a team that is really good at losing basketball games in the Houston Rockets. It’s time. The rookie showcase, the battle of the bottom dwellers, the ultimate tank-off. It all comes down to this – who wants to lose more? Let’s see how they did:
Quick Stats
Outcome: Kings win, 121-118
Sacramento Kings: 121 pts, 46.3% fg, 26.9% 3 pt, 72.2% ft, 21 ast, 44 reb, 9 to
Houston Rockets: 118 pts, 45.7% fg, 31.0% 3 pt, 76.0% ft, 23 ast, 51 reb, 18 to
Is it summer yet? That game felt like it took about three months. That was… technically a basketball game. It wasn’t pretty, but big nights from three of the Kings’ starters, including a career-high from Damian Jones, was just enough to defeat the Rockets.
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The good
- Rookie Showcase: Getting to see full displays of Davion Mitchell and Jalen Green was pretty fun. While Green (32) bested Mitchell (24) in points, Mitchell also contributed eight assists over Green’s two. Both were able to show the best parts of their games. Mitchell demonstrated his mid-range precision and change of speed to get to the rim. Green showcased his explosive athleticism with a few yell-inducing dunks in transition along with his 3-point threat by hitting six from deep. While the basketball as a whole wasn’t of the highest quality, it was certainly fun to see the different types of skillsets the next generation is bringing to the league.
- Young Trio: The Kings got the bulk of their points from a young trio tonight of Damian Jones, Trey Lyles, and Davion Mitchell, who each earned 24 points a piece. Not only was this a career-high for Jones, but he was also one rebound away from a double-double. Lyles was a steady force all night long for the Kings as he took advantage of mismatches, found his way to the line to shoot 10-12, and drained in four 3-pointers. Mitchell hit 11 field goals, all of them 2-pointers, split between precise mid-range jumpers and quick and explosive lay ins at the rim.
- Taking Care of the Rock: In such a frenetic and chaotic game, the Kings managed to only turn the ball over nine times. While four of these came from Davion Mitchell, who had the ball in his hands a majority of the time, it was encouraging to see how well he handled double teams that Houston began to throw at him in the second half. Mitchell showed composure, utilized his quickness, and made good decisions when faced with double coverage.
The Bad
- No Defense: By the end of the third quarter, the score was 104-103. Taking into account the teams that played in this game, that alone paints the picture of how little defense was played on either end of the floor. The Rockets came out hot, shooting 7-14 from the 3-point line to start and were able to lead by as much as 14 points. Then, they started letting up on defense and the Kings were able to turn the tables and gain their own 14-point lead. Things went back and forth like this until it came down to the wire and someone eventually had to win. But the majority of this game had big “why not” vibes, as dudes were tallying up Sportscenter dunks and turnaround fadeaways. This was the perfect game for Damian Jones to get a new career-high 24 points, and for Kevin Porter Jr. to log 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists for a triple-double.
The Ugly
- 4th Quarter Tank-Off: Things got UGLY in the fourth quarter. Like, hilariously ugly. To sum it up, the Kings won the quarter 17-15. There was almost an entire three minutes of NBA basketball played where a single point was not scored by either team. I am not sure if I have ever seen so many consecutive missed shots in a row by two NBA teams before. It was actually kind of entertaining because it felt so ridiculous. In final possessions, it really felt like a tank off. In the final minute, both teams committed a total of FIVE turnovers in a row. It wasn’t until the Kings were forced to take and make free throws that they finally won the game.
The King of Kings
Okay, let’s all keep this between us, because if this gets out, this man may be arrested for murder. Davion Mitchell gets the crown for his first official absolutely disgusting, down right mean, automatically thizz-face inducing HAMMER he put on Usman Garuba tonight:
DAVION MITCHELL POSTER pic.twitter.com/EOx5ULBK4i
— Kings Film Room (@SacFilmRoom) March 31, 2022
I will remember this dunk for the rest of my life. Cheers, Davion.
Up Next
Friday, April 1st @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 P.M. (PT)
Fox needs to adjust to Davion and his intensity and leadership! Team might actually improve if he can adjust his ego . Too bad we got the non stop talk again .
I think it’s organizational malpractice that this team continues to do this every year. At some point they need to make a choice to get a top-3 or 4 pick. They don’t have enough talent unless they get lucky in the draft. It’s very simple. Sabonis is good not great. Fox is ok but at this point it’s clear that if he’s a top-2 option on your team, you’re going to be bad because he can’t shoot and plays no defense. They need a number one and they have no way to get that without a ton of luck so it’s probably not gonna happen.
I said in 2016 back on the old site that they wouldn’t make the playoffs until the 2021-22 season and was called a pessimist by a ton of people. Well, here we are. Right now I have no idea when this team will make the playoffs again. Making the playoffs is the absolute lowest bar possible and they aren’t even CLOSE to that. No matter what they do next year I actually don’t believe that they have any chance of making the playoffs. Theoretically there are avenues to make it happen but I just have no confidence that they can make it happen.
I’ve finally reached the point where I don’t care anymore. It’s pretty sad. I haven’t watched a game since the first two after the Sabonis trade and I really don’t miss it at all. I think I’ve just completely given up on hoping that this team will ever make sound organizational decisions.
TLDR, I don’t even hate this organization anymore, I just don’t care.
Cool arena though.
Other teams are doing it (tanking). Get on board, Kings.
Pistons got the 1st pick last year and in position to get number 1 again ! Takes to long thru the draft . Last 3 Champs were built thru trades and FA . Bucks only draft choice that played was Giannis and he was a 16th pick !
Obviously it takes lots of things including draft picks and trades. I actually feel pretty confident that the Pistons will make the playoffs before the Kings. Cunningham will be better than any player on the Kings very soon and that’s really all that matters. The Kings need a number 1 and you’ve got to give yourself as many chances to get that player as possible. Even if you want to trade, the number one pick is worth a lot more than the 7th pick in a trade.
I’d argue that small markets are built through the draft, see San Antonio, Portland, Memphis. Big markets are built through free agency, see Lakers, Miami, Chicago. Good GMs can build through trades regardless of market.
Currently the Kings are only a small market team with no proven GM since Petrie. The draft is their number one option to relevancy.
Agreed, although I’d say that Miami is the one team that scores both via FA and the draft.
And Toronto is there too, on the basis of their trading along with their ability to draft.
Explain the Bucks and Champs built on 16th pick and trades, FA .
They are a fluke that drafted an MVP and future first ballot hall of famer and traded for the 2nd best player in Middleton in just his 2nd year. They’d be nowhere without Giannis or Khris. They fall into that small market team who had a good GM. The only free agent “star” that has signed with them was Brook Lopez.
In 2018, here were the bottom five teams in the draft:
(1) Suns
(2) Kings
(3) Atlanta
(4) Memphis
(5) Dallas
Here is how those teams have done since:
(1) Suns – Went to the NBA finals last year and have the best record in the NBA now.
(2) Kings – 12th in the West, missed playoffs every year.
(3) Atlanta – Went to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
(4) Memphis – Went to the playoffs last year and current hold the second best record in the league.
(5) Dallas – Went to the playoffs the last two years and currently 3rd in the West.
Key players drafted/draft acquisition/acquired before played in an NBA game):
(1) Suns – Ayton, Booker, Bridges, Cam.
(2) Kings (let’s skip this one)
(3) Atlanta – Trae, Collins, Huerter.
(4) Memphis – Drafted Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, JJJ, Bane.
(5) Dallas – Drafted their superstar player Luka.
It doesn’t take too long to build through the draft. The Kings just (a) suck at it and (b) have never really committed to maximizing draft assets.
This is an excellent post and paints a very clear picture of just how fucked up the Kings are at building a winning team.
It’s not that they haven’t committed to maxing draft assets. It’s that they’ve missed on a few picks, and also haven’t done things like those other teams have. For instance, let’s see where they were taken in the draft:
Suns – Ayton (1st overall), Booker (13th), Bridges (10th), Cam (11th)
Atlanta – Trae (5th), Collins (20th), Huerter (19th)
Memphis – Ja Morant (2nd), Dillon Brooks (45th), JJJ (4th), Bane (30th)
Dallas – Luka (3rd). I would also add Brunson (33rd)
Next, they also did other major things:
Suns – hired Monty WIlliams, traded for Chris Paul
Atlanta – traded for Capela
Memphis – Hired Taylor Jenkins
Dallas – already had Carlile in house, hired Kidd after.
I would argue that Monte has nailed his first 2 picks since he’s taking over:
Haliburton, THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER – 12th, Mitchell – 9th.
You don’t need a high pick to get a good player. Is it better to have one? Sure. Does it mean you’re screwed? No. He’s got that part down, so far. He NEEDS to nail the HC hiring this offseason. If he could also swing another trade for another vet like a Collins (not sure if he could fit with Sabonis, just a name to throw out there), they could turn it around in a hurry. Key word: could.
Let’s make a friendly wager.
You get the Kings and I get OKC and Houston.
Who makes the playoffs (not the stupid playin) 1st, Kings or one of those 2 teams?
I have another friendly wager: You get Fox and Sabonis, I get one or more is gone.
Are Fox and Sabonis on the Kings roster two (2) years from now for the 2024-25 season?
I would guess maybe No to Fox? If Mitchell keeps going like he is, maybe? Sabonis, yes. He’ll stay.
You think Sabonis is re-upping if the Kings keep missing the playoffs? Yeah, me no think so.
I guess that means you are really confident in the Kings ability to very quickly improve relative to the other teams in the West!
That’s a big jump, better get some springs on the Kings shoes …
I’ll gladly bet you on this, as well. You’re welcome to tar and feather me. If I live through another 2 years like this one, I might consider it an improvement to be tarred and feathered publicly.
Kings. Better top of the roster than the other 2 teams. Just needs a good HC (easy, right?)
OKC has a TON of picks, but none are guaranteed to be anything.
Houston? Nah.
Lol.
We shall see.
I’m not entirely convinced of that first sentence.
OKC and Houston both have a ton of picks AND cap space. It wouldn’t surprise me if they swung a deal for stars like Beal or Lillard this summer, or maybe more, not to mention one of them is likely to land Smith Jr. in the draft.
Yup. OKC particularly is tracking the Suns path and can pop at any moment.
Totally. SGA is their Booker and they’ve surrounded him with nice young pieces in Giddey and Dort. Give them a star like Paul and, a top pick this year (their Ayton) and they are in the playoffs.
I’d also add that the Spurs aren’t far behind either. Murray is already an all-star with solid pieces around him, and they also have 3 picks in this year’s first round!
I agree with you. If Monte nails the head coach position, and he somehow swings a key trade for a proven scorer, the Kings could turn this ship around pretty quickly.
What I mean by turning this around quickly is playing something that approaches .500 basketball next season. A lot to ask for from the Kings, I know.
Of course, there’s a lot of ‘ifs’ though. The roster is a mess, and Monte has his work cut out for him.
Let’s see what happens, we have the draft coming up, the off season. Who knows?
I wonder what could help make that happen more, having a top 5 pick or having a 8-10 pick?
A top 5 would be better, of course, but if we fall lower in the draft, I wouldn’t mind Monte packaging the pick in a trade for a legitimate young talent, if possible.
I’m with most people here, I don’t like seeing the Kings fall out of the top 5, but we keep winning despite our 2 best players out, and Barnes basically disappearing.
I was just thinking about this the other day: What has more value, the Kings #6-#9 pick this year (once lottery happens) or a 2023, or beyond, unprotected pick?
I ask this because I wonder if other GMs look at the Kings with total disregard and figure the Kings are just going to continue to suck so future picks hold more value because they might get lottery lucky.
What made me think this is because when the Suns traded for CP3 they were in the midst of a 10 year playoff drought with an crappy owner and an unproven GM. They traded away a future unprotected 1st (2022), Rubio, Oubre, and filler for CP3. Did Sam Presti think at the time that the pick would be a lottery ticket or could he have imagined it is what it is today, the #30 pick?
When all is said and done, I think the Kings could get more value in trading a future unprotected first to land a potential 3rd banana to Fox and Sabonis.
For me the equivalent would be the Kings trading away their unprotected 2024 pick, Barnes, Mitchell and filler for someone like Beal.
Hmm. Seems like having top 5 pics helps the process along … interesting.
True and also true no top lottery pick that was picked by the team played on any of last three NBA Chanps .
So incredibly pathetic we’re still forced to debate on how the Kings should finally rebuild.
I thought about breaking all this down but didn’t have time to do it so I am glad someone did! EVERYONE READ 1951’S POST.
As if on cue…
https://twitter.com/o_a_khan/status/1509590018779598849
Stability is key!
That’s incredible.
You might be on to something.
Surely they can go full KANGZ and catch the Spurs.
The fact that they do the exact same thing year after year is really insane. And I’m fairly certain it’s a Vivek thing.
The Kings have gone from the 5th spot in the Lottery to the 7th spot in one week by winning 3 of 4. Kangz.
Portland, on the other hand, knows exactly what they are doing. Then have gone from the play-in spot to 6th in the lottery in less than 2 weeks.
I mean to be fair Fox and Sabs aren’t even playing. The only beef I have is that Barnes is playing lots of minutes. His minutes should be cut in half at least
It’s definitely time to shut Barnes down for the season
Barnes is taking care of that by cutting his production almost in half over about the last ten games.
And Portland, as of now, still has significantly higher odds of being the 8th pick than they do drawing the winning combination of a top 4 pick.
Which are still better odds at a higher pick than from the 10th spot, or not?
The Kings greatest odds are at finishing 7 or 8. At least as long as they remain in the 7th slot in the lottery.
And 1: I don’t give a flying fuck about the Portland Trail Blazers and their pathetic G League tankathon affair. All moving a few slots up has accompanied is adding a few ping ping balls. Whoopty fucking doo. They should throw a Rose Parade down Burnside for that remarkable achievement.
Accomplished.
Oh, okay I guess?
I will never hold a tanking franchise in high regard. EVER. You don’t have to agree, I don’t care if you think I’m ignoring whatever benefit you (and others for that matter) seem to think it gives franchises.
I don’t respect tanking. It’s bad for the game and it’s ugly to watch. Period.
Well, I am happy you can still keep the Kings in high regard, then!
Agreed Guru. Thousands of people are showing up at the arena to what, watch a GM try and get ping pong balls? People take time out of their day to watch and listen to the game at home, being played by players who have no future? I think it is disrespectful to fans to treat games this way.
No offense, and to each their own, but I don’t get this at all.
I think being the laughing stock of the NBA for over a decade and not having a clear and viable plan to drag yourself out of the cesspit you dug is disrespectful to fans.
Trying to keep deluding us with dreams of play-offs and now play-ins and not getting close, and people swallow that tripe and say: Tanking is a disgrace!
I think a big group – if not the majority – of our fans would have accepted Monte shipping off nearly all the players with the exception of Davion and Tyrese for picks and young players and would have liked to watch that group of young players work hard and develop, knowing that there is a plan in place.
Yup, I’m in that group.
Hey Rik-
My comments about tanking were addressed to the issue of tanking on the whole, and less specifically about the Kings in general. I think any situation where a team is incentivized to put a poor product on the floor to try and lose in front of paying fans, whilst crossing your fingers you get a lucky bounce is ludicrous and diminishes the product on the whole. The NBA is entertainment.
I would much rather have the fourteen teams that do not make the play-in/play-offs have equal odds in the lottery, and go from there. I think it would put pressure on teams to scout better, draft better, and develop better, rather than throwing in the towel, selling off players, and use the excuse that they are hoping for luck in the lottery.
Yeah, this notion that watching fun young players develop and try hard would be worse that what we are watching year after year and right now is a bonkers pill that people keep shoving down fans’ throats.
“OMG, no one would watch such a team!” Um, what? As opposed to this? lol.
I wouldn’t mind them trying to make the playoffs if they actually tried to make the playoffs. The problem is there is never any plan. I wouldn’t even mind if they just decided they wanted to top out as a 6th seed and then actually took the steps to accomplish that. The problem is they are taking steps to try and get the 10th seed which unfortunately isn’t actually a thing.
If you do this and aren’t relevant in 3 years, you could lose your TV contract. The Kings with their horrible mismanagement are already on the verge of losing money on their next TV deal.
This is why Sam Hinkie lost his job in Philly. It wasn’t the losing, it was that Comcast’s ratings plummeted because a lot of fans in Phily didn;t want to watch Tankathon for a few more ping pong balls. Some Sixer fans wanted it, sure, but the majority did not. I know there were other things in there, but none are anywhere close to as important as that. Without your RSN’s, your salary cap does not go up. Which, incidentally, it’s now going up (yet again) according to new estimates.
The Kings lost their opportunity, IMO, as Rob always says to rebuild when they refused to do so in 2013. And well, that ship has long sailed.
5 bucks says the Kings still move up. I feel it in my bones like I did in 2018.
Which 5 Bucks? If Giannis is one of them, I like our chances.
And a major constant is the lack of stability at head coach. In the last 2 years alone, we have had 2 head coaches at the end of the season fighting for their jobs, doing everything to win meaningless games. These idiots need to hire somebody they trust, give them the keys to car, and let them go. If the team continues to be out of the race by February again next season, that coach needs to know they are safe for next season and tank the right way.
If Gentry isn’t coming back, and I’m assuming he’s not, Monte needs to nail the head coaching hire. It’s a must.
You must mean King Bonehead, he the absolute disgrace of managing partners, Vivek Ranadive.
As bad as Ranadive really is, and as horrible as he is, if Monte McNair is allowed to actually pick his coach I think this will go better. I’m not sure how having Doug Christie on staff will help matters (probably wouldn’t help matters) in picking the next coach, but the Kings process in this regard has been terrible. It’s not just picking the coaches, it’s also the dumb hoops and allowances they have to make/jump in doing so. The process that Ranadive has undertaken over the years is simply horrible. He wasn’t called the ‘forever chaos agent’ for nothing.
If McNair is allowed to choose his coach AND that coach gets to pick his staff AND it’s a coach that Sabonis and Fox are willing to play for, then I’l worry about ping pong balls.
Until then, this franchise is too stupid to worry about what kinda luck they get. They have to start making good decisions (and no not tanking) first before I think clutching my pearls over ping pong balls matters a jot or a tittle.
Agreed on the coaching staff part. The new coach should have full autonomy in picking his entire staff. If they decide to bring one or two guys back, that should be entirely their decision. Frankly, I haven’t seen anything that makes me think any of the staff should be retained (or even interviewed for the chance of it).
I fully expect them to pass the Spurs. Which will convince Vivek that the team is really starting to gel with Gentry’s schemes, prompting a McNair presser where he says Alvin is his guy. We then make a few minor roster tweaks in the offseason and run this same crew out there next year. All while the media hypes it up as “now they have the tools to break the streak”.
Meanwhile, we will hover around the 5th lottery spot for the bulk of the year, only to turn it on again at the end of the yea, rattle off a 7 game winning streak, and finish in the 10th lottery spot.
It’s almost like it’s a pattern, eh?
At this point, it feels like the worst thing to happen to this franchise was the NBA forcing the sale to Vivek rather than Hansen.
I’m sorry but this is absurd BTB. The Spurs play the
BlazersPDX G League squad the next 2 games. The Kings are at 28 wins, Spurs 31 wins.San Antonio has @Denver, @Minnesota, home against GSW and @Dallas to finish the season.
THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH the Kings are catching the Spurs at this point. What’s funny to me is that the Spurs will catch the Lakers and probably overtake them by Sunday for the 10th seed after they play the Portland G Leaguers for the 2nd time in 3 days.
Kings arent catching the Spurs. They are all but locked in to the 7th slot in the lottery unless they go 5-0 in the next 5 games. Which I highly doubt, too. They could barely beat Indiana, Orlando or Houston. They aren’t likely to beat Golden State or New Orleans at home, and if the Clippers and/or Suns (the last 2 on the road) have anything to play for those will likely be losses. The Kings can’t even catch Washington or New York for better records because both of those teams are at 33/34 wins.
The only semi plausible likelihood of anything remotely happening is the Kings catching the Lakers because they are at 31 wins and the Kings could possibly win 3 of the next 5. That would put the Kings in…..the 8th slot. I don’t think that will happen though.
It was a bit tongue in cheek, but I certainly wouldn’t be shocked to see them Kangz it into reality.
You? Tongue in cheek? I’m shocked, BTB, shocked I tell you.
Seriously, I get that. My point is mathematically it’s damn near impossible and if you are betting on any outcome where the Kings would finish, I’d be very comfortable telling anyone to bet a 1000$ that the Kings finish in the 7th slot. They are all but locked in there at this point.
What player is great in this draft ? I have not seen a difference maker at least for several years . If Houston gets Holmgren they may win 25 next year .
What’s the alternative for a franchise that can’t attract elite FAs? The only way this franchise can obtain superstar level talent is through the draft. No superstar has ever signed with this franchise and that’s not going to change.
You can get a guy through trade but it’s a lot easier if the pick you’re trading is higher.
The Suns tried that and didn’t turn it around until they traded for CP3. 3 major areas need to come together to be a winning franchise:
Drafting well
Hire a great/good HC
Trade well
Kings haven’t done those 3 things at once since Adelman left. Let’s see if Monte can do it.
I hear you. I haven’t watched all season and honestly I don’t even miss it anymore.
Seems like that is the sentiment around here more and more, fans are just bowing out and throwing in the towel for good.
A crap ton of horrible decisions since vivek took over the team, all of which could have been erased with one pick on that fateful night they chose to take bagley. That was actually the night my fandom officialy died.
I check in here from time to time and that’s as far as my King’s interest goes.
Username doesn’t check out anymore.
Sad to hear this, FKaC, but not surprised. I’m getting there.
Am I allowed to make a ‘so you lost the faith?’-remark, as an attempt at levity?
Haha of course Rik! It just really stinks because I love basketball but after 16 years of this I just can’t keep watching this team do the same thing every year. It’s the hamster wheel of horribleness and the only way for the fans to win is to get off the wheel for a bit. If they ever figure it out I will definitely be back but it’s just rough right now.
Then go root for the Lakers!
Now this is just mean
The saving grave of this season is that the Lakers are an unmitigated disaster.
Good points. The organization has no plan to move forward. At the trade deadline they should have moved the veterans especially Barnes for draft capital and cap space. At this stage of the season they should be playing their young players yet we continue to see Barnes and Holiday. The front office and the coach appear to be pursuing different objectives. The primary goal of the coach is to win games when the front office should be telling him to take a deep look at the younger guys. The only reason we are getting a good look at Mitchell is because of the hand injury to Fox which really has been a blessing in disguise. It took an injury to get Mitchell the playing he’s needed all along. Why is Barnes still with this team? Why have they played Holiday so much over DD (finally changing now)? Why is Queta playing? Why did it take so long to give Michell 30 minutes a game?
I agree with you that the Kings need to play their young players instead of Barnes and Holiday, but the problem is who are those guys? Who is going to play the 3 besides Barnes? Harkless? Lamb?
Who is going to take Holiday’s minutes when there are only 3 guards in the current rotation. DDV is already getting 30 minutes per game with Fox out, which is more than Holiday has been getting. In terms of Mitchell’s minutes, he’s currently 4th in MPG, behind Fox, Sabonis, and Barnes. There really aren’t more minutes for him.
The truth is, this team is not very young with prospects who have been buried on the bench. The only one who fits that narrative is Queta, and he’s not about to replace Barnes and Holiday in minutes played. It would have been nice to see Louis Kings get some minutes right about now, but the Kings waived him.
This roster is a mess, not young, not very deep, and Monte has his work cut out for him this summer.
All true what you said but the preponderance of the minutes should go to Mitchell, DD, Metu, Queta, Jones, Lyles, and Jackson. Barnes should have been moved at the trade deadline and now should be shut down. I wouldn’t worry about who’s going to play the 3. I’d start Mitchell, DD, Jackson, Metu, and Queta. First off the bench Jones and Lyles and I wouldn’t go much deeper than that maybe a little Lamb.
Meh, Jackson is just an expiring contract and he may not even be in the league next year. He’s not worthy of any minutes. The rest of those guys: Mitchell, DDV, Metu, Jones, and Lyles are all getting career minutes right now.
Again, the only odd one out is Queta, and I too would like to see him get more minutes. I’d argue he should be getting Jones’ minutes since Jones is unlikely to be with Sac next year anyway.
I think it is a bit unfortunate that the Kings let go of all of their youthful prospects in Ramsey, Woodard and King. This would have been a great opportunity for them right now, instead we get to watch Holiday, Lamb, Lyles, etc.
I was just wondering about those King’s prospects myself, Ramsey, Woodard, and King. It seems to be a pattern with the Kings, burying their prospects in favor of bringing in a new group of aging vets every year.
I would be playing Ramsey, Woodard and King if we had them but I wouldn’t consider them prospects. They would be wild ass long shots at best just like Jackson.
For tankability, Jackson should be getting 30+ a night. Jones & Queta should be evenly splitting all the C minutes. That’s more to boost Queta’s game-time, than to develop a 6 year veteran who’s ceiling seems to be 3rd big (but more suited to be a 4th one).
Picking up Sabonis with the 12 pick and Davion with the 9 pick was not bad.
Time to expand the search to include more players. BHE has Sharpe at #3 on his list, and has been hyping Jovic as well. Take a peek at those players.
The dunk contest trophy should be taken away from Obi Toppin and re-awarded to Davion.
Wish this guy could’ve won the Slam Dunk Contest.
I wish I was a little bit taller…
Mirann, the only thing I will miss at the end of this inauspicious season is your recaps. Well done through out. You have developed an insightful, entertaining and cuttingly accurate style that really grooves and flows. Excellent work. I hope you’re back next season. I hope I am too.
With no due respect can I ask a question…what in the F*CK is Mark Jones fascination with Seattle basketball all about? Does this guy understand that the Kings basketball fans just don’t get a warm feeling about the city of Seattle. Seriously he is too smart a basketball person to not understand how this constant flower tossing to the Emerald City is kinda insulting.
Woooooo!
Mark likes to “get deep in his bag” for “all the smoke” when it comes to Seattle, that’s for sure. Sounds like you’d like to “take his cornbread” for it but maybe you’re just “playing with your food” before you “put him in the friend zone.” Either way, your take was “hotter than fish grease,” sir…
Having league pass convinces me on a nightly basis that our Broadcast team is as cringy as the team .
Mark Jones is just as much an idiot in real life as he is on the microphone
Just an observation from watching the 4th quarter (horrible basketball): DDV’s toughness (knock him down, he bounces up) reminds me of the wonderfully tough Allen Iverson.
Spot on that the 4th quarter was sloppy. But Davion made a couple good defensive plays in the final minute again. One, taking a charge on a fast break. Two, smothering Kevin Porter on the last possession. Although, earlier he got beat again on a back door cut, this time by Jalen Green. Divincenzo drilled another end-game three. Also had a nasty block on someone, after appearing irritated for people saying he flopped by running into the screener. End-game was fun to watch.
So last night Barnes was playing with and against some rookies and a bunch of tier 2 NBA bench players. You think he would have stood out as the best player on the court but unfortunately he looked like he belonged with those players.
Agree that Barnes play has been a low spot of late and seems a trade may make the most value now .
He looks checked out and/or gassed. He’s first in minutes played on the team this year, by nearly 400 minutes. He’s also 10th in the entire league for minutes played this season. I’d imagine it’s hard to keep going when you are tired, likely a bit banged up, and your team stinks.
You think Jordan, Jabber, Oscar, Jerry West used that excuse. He has one year left on his contract and we should have traded him at the deadline for whatever we could have gotten. An expiring and a late first would have been ok with me. That would have provided some cap space in the off-season and maybe a pick,to get Koloko.
Anyone know why Harkless didn’t enter the game to help guard Porter and Green?
I can’t figure out what Gentry is doing with him. He’s starts for a while, gets minutes, then gets DNP-CD, then comes back into the rotation, and now is out of it again. He brings defense and he’s the only other legit wing on the team behind Barnes, but the Kings can’t find minutes for him. He’s also on guaranteed deal for next year, so barring a trade, he’s likely back.
He’s not on any injury reports, so maybe he’s in Gentry’s dog house? It’s all I’ve got.
And “guys like Kevin Porter” is exactly what comes to mind when I think of situations when Harkless becomes incredibly useful.
What’s even weirder, is that he is a guy that Monte went out and re-singed last summer. Very few UFA ever re-sign in Sac, but Harkless did and Monte must have wanted him back, but now he’s dead last in the rotation.
Something I can’t get out of my mind is that Monte signed 4 players last summer in free agency: Holmes, Len, Harkless, and Davis, all to multi-year deals. Two of them are basically out of the rotation in Harkless and Len. Holmes was replaced by Sabonis and TD is out with injury, but is now likely going to be competing for minutes with Holiday and DDV (if re-signed) next year.
It’s almost like Monte doesn’t have a plan.
Monte’s plan is simple: Keep daddy happy.
3 of those contracts are expiring next year.
That’s not my point. Monte’s only signings (Len) and re-signings (Holmes, Harkless, and Davis) don’t really appear to be part of the long term plans. Maybe Holmes was, but that plan has obviously changed.
Keep in mind his significant signings/re-signings from his first summer at GM were Whiteside, Robinson III, Metu (2-way), and Jeffries.
I’m just not seeing Monte’s plan outside of striking gold in the draft. He’s got Sabonis for just 2 more years….tick, tick, tick.
I think that tank talk is vastly overrated and overstated. As it pertains to the Kings specifically, the entire issue is really the 5 vs. the 6. vs. the 7 slot for ping pong balls – even had the Kings dealt Fox, Hield and Barnes at the deadline, there is no way that they were going to catch the bottom 4 teams in such a short period of time. Hell, the Kings had 20 wins when they traded Hali. The bottom three teams have 20 wins RIGHT NOW.
It really boils down to the actions of Indy, Portland and Sac.
Indy has “kinda” been playing their talent, but they have been sitting Brogdon and did not bring back Turner.
Portland has moved heaven and earth to move from a projected 7th-8th worst finish to 6th. Hoping the phrase “karma’s a bitch” winds up applicable here.
The Kings have pretty much shut down Fox and Sabonis, but it came at a time where they have played some major league tankers and/or bad teams (Ind, Orl, Hou). Barnes still playing is a bit puzzling, but if he wants to play, I suppose he plays?
The best players on the floor for the Kings these past couple of weeks have been guys like Mitchell, Jones, Lyles and Metu. I don’t know how you don’t play those guys. Your rook needs burn, you need to kick the tires on DDV and Lyles, and to a lesser extent Jones and Metu. In that regard, our regular bench fodder > than other team’s bench fodder. Not sure what to do about that.
The 5 slot has roughly a 21% chance at a top 2 pick and roughly a 42% chance at top 4.
The 6 slot has roughly a 18% chance at a top 2 pick and roughly a 37% chance at top 4.
The 7 slot has roughly a 15% chance at a top 2 pick and roughly a 32% chance at top 4.
Is a 1 in 5 chance better than a 1 in 7 chance? Absolutely. Does it merit the level of concern that we give it? I don’t know that it does – at the end of the day, the ping pong balls will determine who got it right. Blind ass luck will be the determining factor.
The Kings wound up with the #4 pick in their truest tank year. Their two significant upward moves (to #3 in ’17 and #2 in ’18) came in non-tank years. And now the odds have been flattened a little more, taking away some of the previous advantage that the worst records used to have.
Gun to my head, yeah, I would prefer the most ping pong balls that I could get my hands on. But not if the cost is playing what little youth and potential that this roster has. Let’s remember that since the trade, this team was playing at a .278 clip when Fox and/or Sabonis were in the lineup, so it is not as though playing them really cost the Kings draft position.
And 1 – A lame duck head coach and the players that he puts on the floor will never try to lose games. That does not change unless you have a coach with a multi-year deal that is financially comfortable with the notion of putting a rec. team out on the floor (see Billups, Chauncey).
TL/DR: We have a team being coached by Alvin Gentry, with a current rotation of Damian Jones, Trey Lyles, Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell, Donte Divincenzo, and Chimezie Metu, and augmented by such luminaries as Justin Holiday, Jeremy Lamb, Alex Len and Josh Jackson, and we are upset that we are not trying hard enough to lose games. /Shrugs
The Kangz are winning now because the teams they are playing are the few teams in the league with objectively less talent than the Kangz, even when the Kangz sit the only two players on their roster who could reliably start on a contender. I suppose they could find some tiny bruise somewhere on Barnes’ body and use it as an excuse to shut him down, but other than that, yep, not much else to do. A lineup with Jones, Metu, Lyle, Len, and Holiday playing significant minutes is, by definition, a tanking lineup.
I’m sure they could DNP-rest him for the rest of the season and he’d be fine with that, at this point.
Do you think the Kings win in Indy (won by 1), Orlando (won by 4), or last night in Houston (won by 3) if Barnes wasn’t playing? If the answer is no, then the Kings would be sitting at the #5 spot instead of being virtually locked in at #7. That means they’ve decreased their chances of moving up to the top 4 by 10% while also increasing their chances of picking lower in the draft.
Admittedly, this is a lousy yardstick, but Barnes was a had a negative +/- in Indy. He had a net positive +/- in the other two wins.
On the surface, it is without a doubt that Barnes > (say) Josh Jackson or Metu. On the other hand, there is no way of knowing how these other tanking teams would counter in what would still be close games down the stretch, or if other guys like Mitchell would pick up the slack for Barnes not being on the floor. The question is kind of as subjective as the bounce of a ping pong ball.
Most importantly, if Barnes is not taking himself out of the rotation, Gentry has zero reason to give him the hook. Even if the front office ordered him to, he has no reason. He’s got no contract or promise for next year, so he has no reason to focus on anything other than winning that night’s game.
I agree on all points, I just wanted to point out that those little decisions, like sitting a guy for “rest” (Brogdon in Indy) can make a difference in ping pong balls. Resting Barnes in Miami would have meant little, but in selective games like Indy, it could potentially mean a lot.
All this could be moot if Sac jumps from #7 to #2, but it could also get loud around here if Indy jumps from #5 to #2. I just like it when math is more on our side.
Yep. And Carlisle has an incentive to rest Brogdon, as does Billups when it comes to guys like (say) Josh Hart. Gentry has no such incentive.
And I lay that at the feet of Monte.
100%. To me, the tank convo is less about a ping pong ball or two and more about decades of mismanagement, leading to a justifiable lack of trust from the fanbase when it comes to the decisions of this organization. My guess is that fewer fans in SA are fretting about the Spurs playin run (not zero but less than around here) based on past performance and history.
My gut tells me that there is enough hubris in this front office that they don’t really care where they wind up picking, and that is a spicy meatball for an organization that has been this bad for this long.
If you gonna get good after being this bad for this long, you ain’t askin’ nobody for permission. You doing it your way, and you are going down swinging if that’s what it comes down to.
I don’t know if I agree with you about the hubris, but providing I do Rob, it’s only because I think it takes a great amount of gumption to turn this thing around with a managing partner liike Vivek Ranadive and a franchise with a long terrible history in many regards.
If that is the case which I doubt it just displays a management team not pursuing the same objectives which is a disaster. If Gentry was not on page with the rest of the organization he should be fired immediately but again that’s very unlikely. There’s a lack of leadership from the top and management team wandering aimlessly with no clear direction.
The Kings currently have a coin flip’s chance (48.3%) of drafting 8th or later in the draft.
One week ago the Kings had 64% chance of drafting 6th or better. One week ago, they had 9.3% chance of drafting 8th or later (as stated, that is now at 50%).
Don’t get me wrong, I am not losing any sleep over their recent wins. It’s more amusing than anything.
To be precise, they have a 47% chance of picking 8th or 9th. A 1% chance of picking 10th. They cannot pick lower than 10th.
As the 6th team, they would have over a 50% chance of picking 7th or 8th, with a 4% chance of picking 9th and less than a 1% chance of picking 10th.
It’s not nothing. It’s also not nearly as much as it is being made out to be, at least not until the ping pong balls actually drop. That’s when the “I told you so” portion of our program can commence.
Yeah, I’m not really into “I told you so” either way. If you see a post like that from me when the Kings inevitably drop to 8 or 9 (that’s a joke people) then please slap me like I am Chris Rock.
I agree that the emphasis on adding ping pong balls to increase the odds of moving up based on small changes in lotto position are overstated by pro tankers.
I also think the de-emphasis on adding ping pong balls to decrease the odds of moving down based on small changes in lotto positions are understated by anti-tankers.
Going from a less than 10% chance of drafting 8 or worse to a 50% chance of drafting 8 or worse in one week because you win 3/4 meaningless games is pretty significant to me. It is what it is, I’m not pulling any hair out, but still, as I said it’s amusing.
We shall see, as you astutely point out, the balls will be what they will be.
You’re correct. Some people hit 16 when the dealer has a 6 showing and it works out on occasion but they ultimately become bankrupt pretty quickly. You’ve explained the odds clearly as have others but some want to throw up smokescreens by cherry picking things.
When the league added a 4th team to the lottery, flattened the odds a lot, and then added the play-in, they are doing everything they can to eliminate tanking.
Just like a number of fans, the league’s partners from TV to sponsorships don’t like tanking either. The league has to appear, if nothing else, to disincentivize tanking as much as possible.
I mean this with all due respect ’51, but do you know how the lottery works? Because every time you state odds the way you do it makes me think you’re not quite getting how it actually goes down on lottery day.
This comment is hilarious.
I am just stating the actual changes in odds that are a result of changing from the 5th lotto spot to the 7th, but okay.
Yeah but do these numbers account for karma?
And you are stating them in a very misleading way that suggests you don’t understand how the lottery works.
At the 6th slot there’s a 8.6% chance at staying at 6. This means that all 5 teams ahead of you stayed ahead of you in the lottery, for those that don’t know.
At the 6th slot there’s a 29.8% chance you end up at 7.
At the 6th slot there’s a 20.6% chance you end up at 8.
Which means there’s almost a 50% shot at finishing top 8. And those are the two highest likely outcomes (that 1 or 2 teams from 7 or below jump into the top 4).
At the 7th slot, there’s a 19.7% chance at staying at 7. That means all 6 teams finished ahead of you.
At the 7th slot, there’s a 34% chance of dropping to the 8th pick.
At the 7th slot, there’s a 12.9 chance of dropping to the 9th pick.
Since the 4 team lottery has started, this happened once In 2019 where the wonkyness of the lottery actually happened. New Orleans (7th slot) jumped to #1, Memphis (8th slot) jumped to #2, New York actually dropped 2 spots to 3rd overall and the Lakers jumped from 11th in the lottery to 4th in the draft.
Consequently, Cleveland (2nd slot) dropped to the 5th pick (Darius Garland), Phoenix (3rd slot) dropped to the 6th pick (Jarrett Culver), Chicago (4th) dropped to the 7th pick (Coby White), Atlanta (5th) dropped to 8th (where Jaxson Hayes was taken for New Orleans in a later trade),
You’re welcome.
Let’s try this:
Nobody has explained the draft odds more clearly than you and the previous comment is hilarious to put it mildly.
For those who pay attention to this stuff and relative to TS%, what would be considered average? And that can be broken down along whatever lines are appropriate- bigs vs. guards, perimeter players vs. interior players, etc.
I have a hypothetical trade package. I need comments if this seems possible. #1- Trade Fox, Metu and Jones(sign and trade) this years first and next years second for OG Anunoby and Trent Jr. Money works. #2 Trade Barnes Holiday and 2023 first for John Collins. #3 Pick up Tyrus Jones in FA. Starters- Mitchell, Trent Jr. Anunoby, Collins and Sabonis. Backups- Jones, Donte, Davis Lyles and Holmes. What do you think? Be constructive
For starters, you cannot trade 1st round picks in consecutive years.
If the Kings were to trade their pick on draft day, they could still trade away their 2023 future 1st. Once you make a pick, that no longer is part of the calculation of future picks according to the Stepien Rule. Because the Stepien Rule only applies to the future, and once you make a pick it’s no longer in the future it’s in the past.
(Savage Beast and I had this very conversation about 10 years ago about what future meant and when exactly the pick stopped being a future pick. And the answer is when the pick is made.)
FWIW.
I give you credit for imagination but you’re in violation of league policy. I do however think trading Fox for the right deal should be entertained. I’d rather have Mitchell on his contract than Fox on his.
Badge Legend