The Doug Christie era is off to a good start.
The Sacramento Kings put together one of their best offensive performances of the season as they took down the Memphis Grizzlies 138-133 for their third straight win. Malik Monk led the way with a game-high 31 points but he had plenty of help as six Kings players finished in double digits. Sacramento native and Folsom High School alum (Go Bulldogs!) Jaylen Wells led the way for Memphis with 30 points.
This game was fast and frenetic from the start. The Kings came out and played with a pace and energy that I hadn’t seen from this team since that first Beam Team year. The Kings were without Keegan Murray once again and so opted for a smaller but quicker lineup with Keon Ellis starting once again against a bigger, more physical Grizzlies team. Both teams came out firing from distance and making them too. By the 6 minute mark of the 1st quarter it was already 23-23 with five made threes for the Kings and six for the Grizzlies. The hot shooting for the Kings just kept coming for the Kings as well, as Trey Lyles came in and hit three triples of his own in the first quarter. Rookie Devin Carter also made his debut in the first quarter, and showcased his defensive intensity, a knack for rebounding the ball, and a nice ability to push the fastbreak himself. By the end of the first quarter, the Kings were up 46-32 and the Kings had already made 10 threes (out of 18 attempts). This Kings team has already had 14 games this year with 10 or fewer made threes for an entire game, so this was quite the surprise, but whether it was just opportunity or a new emphasis by Coach Christie, the Kings were letting it fly.
On the flip side it wasn’t only the offense that was looking like that first Beam Team year as the defense was also looking similar with Memphis getting basically whatever looks they wanted both inside and outside. The second quarter saw the Grizzlies outscore the Kings 40-32 while shooting 55.6% from the floor. Notably, Memphis was getting to the line a whole lot more than the Kings, a trend that continued throughout the night. Memphis’s size also gave the Kings trouble on the boards as they outrebounded the Kings 15 to 7 in that second quarter. Still, the Kings maintained a 78-72 lead heading into halftime and had a nice offensive flow.
That flow would come to a screeching halt in the third quarter for both teams however as the physical intensity ramped up on both sides. Keon Ellis picked up three quick fouls in the first two minutes, but responded with three excellent possessions in a row leading to easy Kings points and pushing the lead up to 87-72, the largest of the game. From there though, Sacramento’s offense stalled. The pace we had been used to in the first half slowed way down and the outside shots that had been falling started drying up. Meanwhile the Grizzlies kept on coming, in particular the rookie Jaylen Wells who would not miss from three tonight. Wells scored 11 in the quarter, and was a perfect 3-3 from distance in the third (He would finish 8-9 from three). He’d score 11 points in the third while no Sacramento Kings player scored more than 5. The Kings also shot just 1-11 from three in the third, and even though they made one more field goal than Memphis in that quarter, were outscored 28-24 thanks to more threes, free throws and second chances. Thanks to a Trey Lyles cherry pick dunk at the end of the quarter, the Kings maintained a slim 102-100 lead heading into the final frame, but the momentum and style of play was decidedly favoring Memphis at this point.
The game had turned into a slugfest, and the Kings were getting a bit frustrated at the lack of calls on their end while Memphis would get to the line on the other end. After De’Aaron Fox got stripped on one end of the floor with the Kings up 109-108, he made an aggressive attempt to stop Scottie Pippen Jr. from scoring at the rim but missed the ball and hit Pippen’s head instead, resulting in a Flagrant 1. Pippen made both free throws and the Grizzlies took their first lead since the game had been 17-16. On the ensuing possession, Desmond Bane got Keon Ellis to bite on a pump fake but Ellis recovered enough to block the shot. The Kings came down on the other end and after Malik Monk was denied at the rim, got a second attempt thanks to some hustle from Trey Lyles and this time made a three to give the Kings the lead back at 112-110. It was Monk’s first points of the quarter but it would be far from his last.
A few possessions later with the Kings up one after a Scottie Pippen Jr. three, DeMar DeRozan hit a three off a nice dish from Keon Ellis to put the Kings back up 4. It was DeRozan’s 4th three of the night on 7 attempts, both season-highs. In fact, you have to go all the way back to March 9th, 2018 to find a game in which DeRozan has attempted that many threes. They were open looks and good shots, but oftentimes this season you’d see DeMar get that look and instead opt to drive it and settle for his patented midrange. Today though, he was looking to fire and it seemed to be by design. After the game, Coach Christie mentioned that he wanted the Kings to shoot at least 40 threes a game. They’ve only done that 8 times this season, including tonight. Domantas Sabonis was another player who seemed to make an emphasis on shooting from distance, shooting a season-high 6 attempts and making three of them as the Grizzlies opted to give him more space and crowd the paint.
After DeMar’s final three, Malik Monk decided to take over. After Zach Edey hit a vintage 90’s era half hook over Sabonis to put the Grizzlies back within two, Malik came down and hit a three. Desmond Bane tried responding with a deep three of his own but it was off, and Malik came right back down and took it right to the rim to put the Kings up 123-116. Memphis called a timeout and ended up getting a good look for Bane from three, which he hit, but unfortunately for him and fortunately for the Kings, his heel was out of bounds and the shot didn’t count. Monk got a switch on Zach Edey on the other end, sized him up and then hit a step back three over him to give the Kings a 10 point lead with 4:21 left.
The Grizzlies wouldn’t go away however, and Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. kept attacking the Kings inside and forcing their way to the line. At one point, Desmond Bane had a wide open path to the rim, and instead of rising up to dunk it as he easily could have, sprayed it out to Jackson for three, which he hit to bring the Grizzlies back within 6. DeMar DeRozan got Jackson to bite on a three point attempt on the other end though and got to the line for three. The normally accurate DeRozan however only made 1 of his 3 attempts, but managed to make up for it by scoring again on the next possession.
In a game where Sacramento’s offense was doing so well, one guy was actually having a very rough night overall and that was De’Aaron Fox. Fox finished the night with 23 points on 7-23 from the field (including just 1-8 from three) and was particularly frustrated with the officials in the second half after drawing contact multiple times on drives and not getting to the line. This led to a scary moment where Fox had an open lane to the rim at the end of the game and looked to unleash some of the frustration with a thunderous dunk, but as he leaped and pulled back, Jackson undercut him resulting in a scary fall. Thankfully, Fox didn’t suffer a serious injury and Jackson was assessed a flagrant foul, resulting in an ejection as it also counted as his 6th personal foul. Fox made both free throws, and then on the ensuing possession, DeMar DeRozan essentially closed the book on the game with a driving reverse dunk on Jake LaRavia.
It was a fun basketball game from start to finish, and exactly the kind of performance the Sacramento faithful at Golden 1 Center have been hoping to see all year. This was a team that played with joy and leaned into their strengths from start to finish. It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but it might have been the most fun one and that’s something that’s been missing for a while now. Hopefully the Kings can carry this momentum forward and resurrect what had seemed to be a dead season.
The Kings will look to extend their winning streak on Sunday as they’ll face the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco for the first time this season.
Random Observations:
- 0 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 fouls in 10:48 for Devin Carter’s debut. I thought it was a fine effort for a rookie who hadn’t played much in 6 months. His knack for rebounding was evident, grabbing multiple boards over bigger defenders, and he had a particularly nice possession where he snatched the rebound and pushed the pace and found Alex Len for an easy dunk at the rim. Offensively I think he tried to force things a little, taking a heavily contested three and an off balance floater off a drive, but I think you can chalk that up to first game jitters. Overall, it was nice to see him on the floor and you can definitely tell he brings some qualities this team was lacking.
- Mike Brown might still have a job if he didn’t have a weird fixation for not playing Keon Ellis. Ellis isn’t a superstar by any means, but he is a guy who makes plays that help this team win. He’s incredibly dynamic defensively, disrupting passing lanes, drives and shots with those long arms. Offensively, he’s one of the more reliable shooters this team has. I’d like to see him continue to stick with a larger role on this team even when Keegan comes back. If that means Kevin Huerter gets only 10-15 minutes a night, so be it. Huerter isn’t providing nearly what Ellis does at the moment.
- Trey Lyles continues to play very well off the bench. Lyles was perfect from the floor tonight: 16 points on 6-6 from the field and 4-4 from three with 6 rebounds. I know that Lyles would be one of the more intriguing trade options we might have for other teams but I would hesitate to give him up unless you’re bringing back something similar since we’re already so lacking in size and shooting.
- Jaylen Wells is a stud. Memphis continues to find gems in the second round and Wells is no different. Career-high for him in front of his friends and family, and he plays solid defense as well.
- Memphis has so many guys I would love as depth pieces for the Kings. For example, Brandon Clarke would be the perfect bench big for this team.
- I was skeptical about Zach Edey’s fit in the NBA and while I still don’t think he’s ever going to be a star, he’ll probably be a solid big man for years to come. He’s an absolute mountain of a man, and he’s got a good touch in the post. He could be a better version of Steven Adams, and that’s pretty damn good.
Good win. Fuck the refs.
Gritty W. Still a lot of work to do. Light The Beam.
Watching this team is a chaotic experience. Constantly on the verge of a loss due to their own bad basketball. At the same time perfectly capable of scoring an insane amount.
Please simply eliminate more of the stupid.
Great to see them beat a real basketball team.
Fun Fun Fun
BTW fuck JJJ
The look on his face when they announced the flagrant 1. Give me a break…..
Fun to me was in the final minutes when Sabonis fought off two guys to knock a critical rebound off JJJ out of bounds for Kings possession. He pumped his chest and screamed it was hype as hell. The team was taking a lot of pride in competing for the first time in a long time.
Epic post. JJJ can only be loved if he is on your team.
Dancing Bear! Kings Win!
I liked what I saw from Devin Carter in his handful of minutes. Hope to see more from him as he gets more playing time.
Was at the game for my annual “one game per season” that the wife gets me. Got to see my 3rd beam in 3 years. Pretty good.
Crowd was electric, fans were happy and hi-fiving! Devin Carter got a very warm welcome. Jaylen Wells had a fan contingent there and you could hear them! Pretty cool for the hometown kid to have a career night. I had a slight smile for all of his good plays. Proud of the kid.
Something new that irked me was to end the 3rd quarter I got up for my timely bathroom run before the 4th and went to get a water, but all the vendors were closed. I couldn’t even buy a water! WTF is up with that?
Terribly officiated game – I thought Sacramento was playing the Memphis Lakers.
The poor, uneven officiating made this game much closer than it should have been Memphis 36 FTA to Sacramento’s 21 FTA. This led to frustration on both sides which led to 2 Flagrant 1 calls. That’s on the officials, IMO.
Also – Taylor Jenkins is a sore loser. No class. The 3 at the buzzer was sour. He left without congratulating Sac.
Great to see 21 made threes. Devin Carter played hard and with confidence. He got a nice welcome from the home crowd, which was nice.
Jenkins was the coach when Valanciunas caused Metu’s broken wrist. His teams push the line with their physicality, daring the refs to call everything.
Taylor Jenkins: no class, no balls
No class. That’s the real definition of this teams ownership.’
Brown probably needed to move on regardless. The way it was handled though. The reverberations will be worse than you think.
Free agents will have zero desire to come to Sac,
more than ever. Those that are on the trade block will be telling their respective agents and teams. Send me anywhere but Sac.
If Christie works out great.
If not, expect another retread here next year.
High in demand assistant coaches won’t touch this org with a 10ft pole.
You will see the long term ramifications. Watch.
Yes, everything you mentioned has been covered over and over in several previous threads by several previous commenters. You can fan however you like but for me, I am going to just enjoy a quality win from a team I support.
Keon’s a player. keep the starting lineup. make Keegan disappear
Disappear is way too much, just give him all those Huerter minutes
disappear into cam Johnson
Arcothunder left a comment in a thread the other day, regarding the Brown firing and Christie promotion;
“Will he turn the season around? Obviously we all hope that. I’ll say this, it’s nice to have hope again.”
Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. I have hope tonight. Perhaps Doug and the Kings are lucky that it’s Friday and I’ve had a couple whiskeys. Or perhaps it’s real hope- tomorrow will tell. But as of tonight, I feel much better about this team than I did a week ago. And that’s nice
RISE THE HOT HAND! THE KINGS ARE GOING STREAKING!
Appreciate you getting a recap up tonight Akis, especially one as detailed and well written as this one.
Obviously the vibes are much better, kudos to Doug for getting everyone refocused. He seems to be working at putting players in good position to succeed, rather than trying to smash squares pieces into a round hole.
I like how DeMar is getting his shots more in the flow of the offense, I would still like to see him do more DHO’s with Domas, and the times the team went to him in isolation it seemed intentional rather than him having to create because the offense stalled. His dunk at the end of the game was spectacular.
A cowboyron reference? Rec’d.
Light that beam!
Very glad to see the team not fall behind by double digits in the first half. Being up 14 at the end of the first quarter was actually an unexpected surprise. I’m starting to warm to the idea that DC has this team playing better than Mike Brown did. Memphis has been playing really well, even without Moront so this was a quality win. The Kings actually looked like the better team for most of the night. Had Fox shot a little better this game is probably not as close as it was. Still gonna be an uphill battle to make the playoffs, and the lack of length was again problematic tonight, but the team stayed focused and finished the game strong. I’m still waiting for a larger sample size from the new coach before becoming optimistic but things are going OK so far.
And 1 – the Grizz shot well (46%) from three tonight, far above their season average of 37%, but at this point it’s practically a given that any and every team will shoot better from three when playing the Kings than they usually do. The Kings didn’t allow the familiar massive 3-pointer deficit against the opponent tonight, though, because they hit a very high percentage (44.7%) themselves, despite Fox’s 1/8, and took 12 more 3pt attempts than the Grizz.
Nice win, based on some uncharacteristic 3 point volume (and accuracy) from DDR and a lesser extent Domas.
I can see glimpses of the excitement for Devin Carter, although I also think he’ll have more trouble creating offense in the NBA than in college and will not get a favorable whistle on D, like most youngsters in the league.
Those who think that Carter can alleviate the lack of depth at the forward positions due to his wingspan are likely to be disappointed. Luckily Lyles seems to be coming into his own.
I was surprised that they didn’t look for Lyles more in the second half, after he was lights out in the first half.
DDR getting up for that late dunk was an “oh wow” moment. That was fun.
I think Len was good in limited minutes, altered some shots, saved a ball by throwing it of a Memphis player, showing some resistance in the paint.
I hope this string of games gives them confidence and momentum against stronger, healthier opponents. That this injury-riddled Memphis team managed to score 130+ points is not a great sign, IMO.
Yeah, that’s big. Brown being stubborn and playing his favorites was a known issue. After the end to last season, and the acquisition of DDR, keeping Keon in the starting lineup was such a logical choice. And Huerter’s injury even gave Brown the reason/excuse to do it. And yet he didn’t and here we are…
I think Keegan sitting a few games may be a blessing in disguise for Keon, but also for Lyles and Doug and maybe even Keegan himself (TBD). Despite his D, he was a net negative on the court lately, IMO.
The bench did a solid job in this game: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 4 blocks. Huerter had a decent game, even with just 5 points.
As for Keegan, maybe missing a couple games will help him mentally. Christie has simplified things, which I think will help Keegan tremendously. If he figures out how to make shots again, this team would improve greatly.
Keon not playing consistently 20+ mpg was a huge error by Brown. Preach defense, don’t play your best, or 2nd best defender. Makes no sense.
Strong takes.
Seems Christie appreciates what Keon can do vs fixating on what he can’t do ala MB. Isn’t that coaching 101?
I’m hoping a little time and the new atmosphere can get Keegan back on track too.
Carter looks like a player. Not sure how good but just seeing him snag a few big boy rebounds, his defense and energy makes me want to see more.
I get that the lineup of Fox, Monk, Keon, DDR, Sabonis has been a refreshing spark, but the Kings cannot continue to go that small against bigger, longer, and healthier teams. The Kings got killed on the boards last night, because as fun as that four guard lineup is, none of them are good rebounders.
That’s one thing I think that’s been over looked on Keegan. Sure, we talk about his 3 point shooting (or current lack thereof) and defense, but his rebounding (7.4 boards per game has been a revelation this year, especially on the offensive end (2.2 boards per game). I just did some quick number crunching and Keegan is 11th in the league in rebounding of non centers. The kid is rebounding at the same rate as LeBron James and Pascal Siakam.
Excellent point Adam.
I have wondered if some of Keegan’s shooting woes have come from tired legs. Being asked to guard the most dangerous perimeter player, even smaller quicker ones as well as bigger and stronger ones, and to crash the offensive and defensive boards, and be a very active help defender (he actively challenges a lot of shots), and also shoot at volume from deep, is a lot to ask. Starting Keon gives Keegan a more natural assignment, and might help him find his shot again.
I am not sure. He’s been shooting just as bad early in games as late in games, IMO.
I also feel that the perception that his 3’s are often short is more projection than fact. To me, his shot looks all over the place (short, long, to the sides, whatever).
Yeah, Keegan should be starting. I would also start a defensive specialist like Keon (or Carter depending on how he plays) There should be enough firepower with Fox, Sabonis and Monk or DeRozan.
Tough answer is it should be derozan going to the bench when murray is back but i don’t have confidence in them willing to do that
Len looks better when he’s given some consistent playing time. Like pretty much any basketball player. One of my chief criticisms of MB.
I don’t agree that Keegan was a net negative, but his offense was certainly struggling. I don’t know that the 4 is where he should be, particularly. But what do you do when the GM collects guards like Jake Paul collects STDs…
I would contend that Devin Carter does help with our forward depth. Seeing him next to Fox and Keon he looked much larger. He also might be the only true point guard in our rotation. Forward depth might remain our biggest weakness though. I hope we have at least one more move coming that addresses this issue.
I’ll chime in on the Keon Ellis thing as well – this for me was certainly one of the more frustrating things with Brown. And also baffling as, from day one starting Okpala, he was constantly searching for good defenders. Keon’s impact is so plainly obvious, supported by both eye-test and metrics. I think this was a big factor in him losing the locker room.
This game definiely felt like beam team year one and it was nice to see DeRozan get in on the fun mostly within the flow of the offense. More, please.
Enjoyable game against a good (albeit a bit depleted) Memphis team.
Really liked what I saw from Devin Carter; good rebounder, defends, looked like a capable playmaker and showed flashes of understanding the game.
In the play below, he uses his wingspan to grab a rebound, and immediately pushes it up the court. While doing so, he sees Jackson jr is near him, so he speeds up to get him to defend him, creating a mismatch.
Now, whilst attacking, he slips and loses control of the ball, but manages to stay hold of it and pass it to a wide-open Lyles – who’s gotten open as his defender gambled. He hits the three.
Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but the attacking of Jackson jr in transition shows basketball IQ, something this team desperately needs more of. Combine that with the defense, rebounding and his shooting numbers in college, he looks like a very intriguing prospect. Looking forward to seeing more of him!
Cartee looked like he belonged on an NBA court in his limited minutes.
Being able to have a guard rebound and push the ball immediately up the court fits what this team wants to do.
I’d like to see Devin take a big chunk of Huerter’s minutes, and smaller bits from Fox, Monk, DeRozan, and Keegan to cut down on overusing them. Now if can find a consistent backup for Domas, we can be in a much better position to survive the regular season grind.
The smaller minutes from fox, monk, derozan will be nice. They have been going hard and playing heavy minutes.
The team still needs another wing/SF, as I don’t think Ellis and Carter can consistently be relied upon to play against bigger teams.
at some point, the logical move would be to trade out of a position of depth. (i.e., trade one of Fox, Monk, Ellis or Carter)
I was thinking the same. As Carter gets more integrated I would like to see some more 3/4 and full court pressure. I think with the rotation of Fox, Monk, Keon and Carter they could wreak some havoc. Plus it could hide some of the teams defensive deficiencies.
Two notes:
Coach Doug, from his radio days, said many times that the ball travels faster than a player can run. Explaining that pace is less about how fast or frequently the team moves in transition (although that is a part of it), and more about how quickly the ball moves about the court. In short, more passing and quicker decisions. I think this message is landing with the team, They have many willing passers to make that happen (as it did last night), and it is just fun basketball.
I’m still a huge fan of Keegan, and I don’t believe his sure-shooting rookie season was a fluke. That being said, I like the continuity and versatility that starting Keon brings. The bench unit of Carter/Huerter/Keegan/Lyles/Len looks decent to me on paper; with nobody out of position. This also gives the option to keep one or more of them on the bench to ride a hot hand.
Eager to see how Keegan looks under DC. Keon is back. Maybe DC can reboot Keegs.
Reboot LOL. I’m still not convinced Keegan isn’t a robot.
Perhaps DC can offload little bit of defensive assignments, making Keegan’s 3pt shooting look less tired? It seems to clank off the front rim most times
I’m still of the mindset that I prefer Monk off the bench to bring that offensive spark. He’s still gonna get his minutes. Go back to starting Keon next to Fox. If the Kings need help offensively early, bring in Monk. If the Kings need more defense, sit DeRozan and bring in Carter. Huerter is the odd man out at this point.
I was on board with starting Monk, but I feel like having three creators (Fox, Monk, DeMar), and a hub in Domas, is too muddled. DeMar’s stats went down once Monk was inserted. I think to get closer to max production and efficiency, it works better to have to catch & shoot options in that starting lineup in Keegan and Keon. DC seems to have a handle on substitution patterns, I am sure he can figure out how to max Monk’s efficacy as sixth man just fine.
It might be a little too late to talk Monk into coming off the bench. Monk is in full starter mode right now and I feel (I could be wrong), but I feel he now believes he the starting 2 fmguard going forward and should have been a long time ago. Remember what Domas said, “it’s about time.”
I think Carter know turns into that energy player we need off the bench. The rest of the rotations are definitely up to DC. Now if he get a starting caliber PF and DC has to re-evaluate the rotations, I consider that a good problem to have.
I think you nailed it. I think it will be tough, even if DC did it as diplomatically as possible, and Monk was super professional, to put that genie back in the bottle.
Pretty much all the Kings players have said that Doug has “simplified things” offensively and defensively. Not sure what that means based on the scheme, but the team looks more loose and confident. I thought they played tight, afraid to make a mistake under coach Brown.
They also seem to have more trust in one another, and move on quickly after a turnover or error of some kind. As De’Aaron mentioned a while back, I think the team has found their joy in the game again.
Really fun game. I am glad to see the positivity around the team with this recent streak.
Carter has a strong motor. Hopefully his offensive game translates.
The ball seems to be moving around more. Demar’s ISOs, while still awkward in the context of the offense, were more timely.
Knowing that Keegan has been playing on a bum ankle all season, he should feel welcome to take a few more games off and get right.
Imagine if Monte could draft guys like Wells in the second round?
Keon should obviously get all of Huerter’s minutes; that goose is cooked (.520 eFG, 107 oRTG, .304 3PT%, flammable defense, enough already).
Doesn’t even give himself the chance. Gives away 2nd rd. picks like party favors.
Probably won’t happen. The team still have to showcase Hierter for a trade. You sit him. Guess what. He’s still a King next year. No one wants that contract and what he does on the floor is negative. He has little to no value right now.
I disagree a bit. His value is not zero. It may be depressed, but it’s not zero. His contract isn’t bad either. Other GMs know he is a shooter and will find value in that. His lack of production this year can have everything to do with role and Kangz. I bet there are teams out there that feel they can buy low on Huerter right now.
I always think “showcase” is a funny concept. Perhaps if a players health has been a concern, such as recovery from an injury, but it isn’t like the Detroit FO is going to say “Monte called and wants to do a deal centered around Huerter for Stewart, get on ESPN and see what he has done the last few games”. These are billion dollar corporations.
Exactly. I have to think that NBA front offices have film and files on most regular rotation players in the league, especially ones who have been in the league for years. It’s not like college basketball where there are thousands of players you’ve never heard of. We are talking about a league that has roughly just 500 guys who dress out every year.
I mean, outside of Vlade and his 3×5 whiteboard, I think it is safe that teams have fairly extensive profiles of established players, in addition to all of the institutional knowledge of coaches, trainers, agents, and management that have seen these guys in practices, the locker room, etc, to talk to prior to trades.
I am legitimately confused by the idea that Huerter would be worth more than, say, $8M a year? He’s had one starter-quality season in the NBA. Example salaries:
Buddy Hield $8.7M
Caleb/Cody Martin $8.1M
Kelly Oubre $8M
Gary Harris $7.5M
Why is Huerter ($16.8M this year) worth more than those guys? How underwater would you have him Adamsite?
I see your prices and I raise you:
Duncan Robinson $19M
Max Strus: $15.2M
Tim Hardaway Jr. $16.1M
Bogi $17.2M
Jordan Clarkson $14M
I’m not trying to be argumentative, just pointing out that Huerter’s deal is on par with middling talent in the league and his deal is by no means a burden. He’s currently a buy low contract that I’d imagine some teams would be willing to pursue.
I want to have hope but the stink of this ownership is still very strong.
Did you see Mr. NO CLASS, NO BALLS push his way into lighting the beam with Keon?
After a fun, nice win that made me throw up in my mouth a bit. He is just a gross little wannabe turd.
Definition of a bad leader: wants all the credit and none of the blame.
Both of you guys above are absolutely right on. He should not even been close to that beam when Keon lighted it. He didn’t play in the game so has no right to be there. Go sit down or even better stay out of the way on all things completely. No class.
his team, his beam apparently…
Unfortunately the stench of ownership will probably never go away as long as Vivek and Matina are around.
Vivek seriously drags the whole org down, and caps the team’s potential. He (and perhaps Matina to some extent that I don’t fully understand, but maybe others here do) is clearly the root cause of the team’s biggest problems.
Great win, fun win! I am so happy for this turn of events and the energy and enthusiasm we are seeing. For whatever reason the team is responding to Christie, maybe they just need to hear it from a warrior.
My main gripe:
Fox! Please stop taking so many 3s! Please! You are not a good 3pt shooter!
Attack. Relentlessly. Non stop. All game. Not just the 4th qtr.
Keep your 3pt attempts to 5 or less and pass those attempts to Domas, Keon, Lyles, even DDR.
Fox is at his best when getting to the paint. Open 3s in the flow, sure, those are acceptable. But when they aren’t falling, get to the rim or find your teammates.
I think Brown had a heavy hand and weighed down the players. Doug seems to be the type ofnguy that builds them up and focuses on what they are doing well, encourages them to work on the detrimental aspects of their game. Just a different way than Brown.
Fox has to keep shooting 3s to keep defenders honest. Even shooting 33% you still score almost the same as shooting 50% on 2s. Normally he is getting fouls called on his drives, but last night he wasn’t.
I still want him to drive more because that is normally his strength. But he can’t stop taking 3s or defenders pack the paint on him like they did his first few years.
Not saying no 3s, I’m saying less 3s. Especially quick, lazy 3s that doesn’t make the defense work at all.
Is he keeping defenders honest, though?
It seems to me most teams are okay with letting him try to beat them from 3.
More honest than if he stopped shooting them.
Had to fix this, had me yelling at the TV and scaring the dog:
After De’Aaron Fox got stripped on one end of the floor with the Kings up 109-108, …he stopped to argue with the refs got behind the play and then… he made an aggressive attempt to stop Scottie Pippen Jr. from scoring at the rim but missed the ball and hit Pippen’s head instead, resulting in a Flagrant 1.
And 1, this is something I have drilled into my teams and players over the years, it’s the cardinal sin of team sports, IMO:
Never compound one mistake by making another mistake, then another.
And yet you remain a Kings fan?
LOL, loyal and a glutton for punishment (raiders fan too) but not the smartest
You too? Kings and Raiders. Crazy…
Carter looked great on D. Fast and Athletic.
Covering a lot of space quickly. Blazing rotation. And breaking screens.
Team played hard throughout. Difficult to gauge total quality though.
Grizz were without Ja, Smart, Aldema.
Game surely would have been different.
Dallas was without most of their starting lineup. Philly 2/5 of their starting lineup.
Kings also will probably get another break in the next 2 games. As Curry is out. Possibly Wiggens And Jimmy suspended by the Heat.
Kings have been very fortunate in the last 3 wins. They won’t be able to depend on teams without their core players all year though.
The wins are solid.
But Stars do make a difference.
Looks like the Dubs are resting Curry tonight so he can play tomorrow against the Kings:
Hmm, I wonder which of these two teams (Kings, Grizz) GSW thinks is the more-likely win. I’m used to teams thinking the Kings are the easier team to beat on any B2B.
Observations, SSA –
MB’s Kings seemed to play without urgency, quite a lot. Rebounds that would be one step away would get snatched up by a hungrier opponent. Often. Losses didn’t seem to affect the pride of the individual players nearly enough, IMO. Accountability was complicated; MB liked to “coach Fox hard” and “Fox appreciates a coach who’s willing to coach him that way” but the results were often an aloof De’Aaron (in regards to accountability when speaking to reporters) or MB pointing to Fox and the rest of the team needing to do better.
DC’s Kings show some fire. Those rebounds that seem to be a step away, are getting snatched up by purple jerseys far more often. The defensive rotations are a touch crisper. They look like they’re not waiting to find their next gear, they’re getting after it for the majority of 4 qtrs. for the last 3 games collectively and its netting positive results.
I still need to see how this team responds to real adversity, whether that’s bouncing back from a tough loss, figuring out a win in the midst of another team’s superstar (or their random bench guy) handing out a beatdown, or simply staying the course and winning more games than they’re losing through the all-star break.
I’d like to think they can generate some consistency or maybe find their identity this season and break through the top 8. How could you not like the idea, right? For now I’m grateful to see some inspired, inspiring basketball and couldn’t be happier with coach DC’s contributions to the way these guys playing right now.
Let’s go Kings!
Agree. Brown’s team looked like a group of players that expected the worst or expected to lose, and often just rolled over and accepted their fate.
Christie has them going out there and expecting to win, fighting their asses off, and fighting for wins.
Depleted opponents or not, the style and spirit has changed for the better. They are getting these wins and staying afloat while figuring out how to play together again and form their identity.
I enjoyed reading The Athletic today, the
RikSmitsJohn Hollinger article regarding Mike Brown, the Kings and the Coach of the Year curse (which he calls The Surprise Season)https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6024134/2024/12/29/mike-brown-sacramento-kings-surprise-season-curse/?source=user_shared_articleMike Brown is the latest coach to get bit by NBA’s Surprise Season Curse
Well thought out, even the comments were decent.
In short, he calls out the Kings for believing they are more than they are- a decent, middling team, underperforming this season but one that failed to improve their roster or adjust their expectations. I don’t agree with some of his assertions but the premise is sound. Hollinger mentions the 2021 Hawks, the Lillard/McCollum Blazers as other clubs with these similar faults.
The comments by Erik Spoelstra on having down years rings true as well (IMO). Stability and staying the course is a strategy too often dismissed. Teams have to sell tickets to fans, and Ownership (and fans and pundits) have to have confidence that the front office and coaching they have in place are capable amd competent. Winning confirms that – and the circular argument continues.
As a Kings fsn, I have NO confidence in anything that Vivek/Matina preside over- the bejewelling of CoY Brown/ExecoY McNair seems like Fool’s Gold. Granted, some of that is the nature of sports in general.
The firing of Mike Brown, the 3 game win streak of this 16-19 12th seeded Kings team can make a bit more sense to me as had the Kings continued their losing ways – say were 1-3 under Brown not 3-1 under Christie – the team would be 14-21 and a hole that deep to climb out of would seem hopeless. With coaching change hope still has glimmer todsy. A trade for front court help (not named Crowder or McDermot) would bolster that. The January 15 contract deadline looms.
Having talked to Rik outside of this forum I know for sure he’s not Hollinger. Also don’t be passive aggressive. If you got a bone to pick with someone say something.
I believe RikSmits to be one of the treasures of this community. Nothing passive, nor aggressive. My reference was to his very often mentioning the Coach of the Year curse.
If there is a “bone to pick” it is with your comment.
Next.
Thanks, UTQ.
Don’t make me blush. I go for quantity, not quality.
You deserve the kudos. And with your sports team allegiances (not just Kings), some pity (shared by all here) as well.
We get to know “the regulars” and that generates the smiles, laughter and admiration for some, ire or apathy towards others. In short, community.
And we are all here, willingly, and (too) often. It’s a fun place to share our thoughts and nonsense.
I’ll offer my humble apology for my misinterpretation of your comment. Completely on me.
All good!
You could make up for it with figuring out an upgrade trade for the Kings OR a Jimmy Butler trade anywhere, that works, with bonus points if the Kings get some prizes.
We got a little sidetracked. I am still recommending that article in The Athletic
Thanks for standing up for me, but I understood the joking reference from UTQ. I have been harping about the COY curse for a long time.
signed, Rik Hollinger
Appreciate the understanding Joh….err Rik
The contract guarantees for ORob, Crowder and McDermott kick in on January 10. I would have liked seeing a bit more game action for ORob, but as things stand right now I don’t see any reason for keeping any of the three. I’d prefer to spend more effort in developing I Jones and I Crawford to see if keeping either of them beyond this season can be justified. Open up at least a couple of roster spots to sign some 10-day contract players when that option becomes available.
McDermott can’t be traded until after his guarantee date, so the only real use for him is to keep him and fully guarantee his deal or cut him before the 10th to open up roster spot. The later option is my preference.
Crowder can’t even be traded as his restrictions end after the deadline. The only option there is to cut him by the 10th or keep him until the end of the season.
ORob, on the other hand, can be traded right now to a team that is potentially looking to cut salary. His vet minimum salary could be used in trade but then cut before the 10th by any team looking to drop salary. That could be usefull to an apron team.
I agree with you, the Kings may be best suited to cut them to open up roster spots for some 10 days or trade space.
Despite being a guard, Devin Carter could help with some of the problems we have with wing depth. He is large and long enough to be an effective defender against guards and wings. He also rebounds like a much large human being. I like the idea of playing Carter with Ellias, Fox, Murray and Len. I’m also excited to see what Mr. Carter can do as a point guard!
DeRozan, Huerter and Jordan McLaughlin works for Jimmy Butler. Butler is as likely to wreck this team as help it, but he certainly would light a fire under everyone’s ass. Keegan Murray might spontaneously combust.
I’m sure it wouldn’t be Miami’s first choice to take on a bunch of multi-year salary, but matching Butler’s salary for a half season rental is going to be tough for them no matter what. (And I have no idea if any of those three players actually fit in Miami.)
This would cut $40 million in salary for the Kings next season (assuming Butler opts out), rid them of Huerter, who is dead weight on this team and DeRozan, who doesn’t fit. In theory, this means the Kings need more shooting, but in practice, Huerter can’t shoot anyway, so the team isn’t losing anything over where they are today. Carter replaces McLaughlin, so no loss there.
Butler will opt out and sign somewhere else, so this is primarily about dumping salary and giving things a try with a real honest-to-goodness wing before Fox forces his way out.
(And for the dingbats who run the Kings front office, you don’t have to include a first round pick in this salary dump.)
I highly doubt the Heat take the offer, but I like your rationale to cut salary.
I still think the Warriors make a run at Butler for one last hurrah for Curry. Kings are likely best served as a third team to include a salary like DDR’s.
Interesting tidbit: Miami really does not want to miss the playoffs due to pick obligations, so moving Butler sooner rather than later for real talent likely suits their longterm goals. DDR could be part of that process.
If I’m the Heat, I certainly would like Andrew Wiggins more than DDR or someone like Zach LaVine. If I’m the Warriors, I’m not sure I move Wiggins and other players for a half season of Butler. I also don’t know if Butler and Draymond Green are friends. But with Butler on the team, Draymond is liable to get his ass beat, and I’m here for it.
I think the Heat could be happy if they landed both DDR and Wiggins for Butler. Numbers work out for Miami that way and it gets the Kings involved as a third team. How the Dubs cut an additional $23M is where the Kings, or even a 4th team could come in.
The teams that could absorb The Jimmy Buckets experience, just on personality, and my guess:
Lakers
Warriors
Knicks/Thibs
Clippers
Maybe:
OKC – that’s a very young, but very all about team, team
No Idea, but maybe? and at least interesting
Phoenix – one word, Beal
Magic?
TWolves – for Randle, return to Twin Cities- best story. Crazy, but might work
No No No No, Please No
Sacramento
Revenge by Miami:
Toronto
Wizards
Charlotte
Here is the latest one I’ve been kicking around:
Miami gets: DDR and Wiggins
Dubs get: Butler
Pistons get: Payton II and Moses Moody
Kings get: Isaiah Stewart and Kyle Anderson
Rationale:
Miami gets two solid producers for Butler and remain competitive,
Dubs get Butler without giving up Kuminga (whom I’m hearing they don’t want to part with in a Butler deal). They are guard rich with Schroder, Buddy, and Podz so giving up Moody and Payton doesn’t sting that much.
Pistons get an expiring Payton II and Moody to replace Ivey is out for the long term.
Kings get Stewart to slot in between Sabonis and Keegan at the 4 and Anderson as backup 3.
Per Fanspo, Moody can’t be traded this year since he signed an extension after September 28 (training camp).
Bummer.
It works if we swap out Buddy for Moody, but not sure if the Pistons would want that.
That’s pretty solid. The Kings cut ORob to meet the roster requirements.
I am a Slo-Mo fan. He slots well in the 3/4 space- and can help push Keegan to the 3 more often. He’s a band aid not a cure.
Beef Stew, replaces ORob and jumps in front of Alex Len as first big off the bench. And he’s young, 24, but in his 5th season. He is purely a small ball 5 at 6’8”. I like that he is a career 79% FT. Isaac Jones- welcome back to Stockton.
Sac still needs to address Huerter- Carter gets most all his minutes within weeks.
Just an aside:
As Miami is an over the apron team, they can only do under dollar for dollar trades-
The seemingly perfect exchange (IMO) is Kawhi Leonard for Jimmy Butler.
Their salaries are $470K apart, and so te trade fails. Same answer for the other seemingly perfect trade with Bradley Beal. Failed.
I get a certain joy that fans of all teams are trying to figure out how a Jimmy Butler trade can benefit their team, and that all the GMs and assistant GMs are doing the same thing.
A whole section of the time universe devoted to this speculation – how awesome!
Huerter C. Jones a first and second for Herb Jones and Yves Missi. Herb and Murray together would be one of the 2 best defensive wings in NBA and Missi backs up Sabonis.
Hands off Jimmy! Don’t touch Jimmy!
There is nothing in that deal that Riley wants.
Living in the fantasy of this deal I would love to have Butler here. Fox could use the push he would provide. This team needs a guy like Butler to show them how to compete.
The other fantasy is that Butler would stay here. He would be here for about a week before completely losing his mind and demanding a trade once again. Fox’s joy is the exact opposite of the joy that Butler desires.
Agreed on Butler not staying. I assumed Butler would opt out. I’d probably want him to opt out.
My bad actually. I understood what you wrote but did not clearly write my post. I would love to have Butler stay here, my fantasy not yours. Outside of my fantasy we both agree he will leave as soon as humanly possible.
Didn’t you say that Crowder was tue type of guy the team needed, too? Someone to show them how to be tough and not back down?
How is that working out?
Worked just fine for the week that he could play. I do think this team needs some toughness and grit. Christie feels the same.
Are you saying Crowder is a Tuesday (tue) type of guy?
Always changing up your take Broheim so I ask to make sure.
What does that even mean?
I spent time working through your sentence to understand it and asked for clarification. You seem to be confused by your sentence as well.
“Didn’t you say that Crowder was tue type of guy the team needed, too?”
So I don’t understand the “tue” part or the “too” part. Are you saying he only plays on “tue” (Tuesday)? When you say “too” do you mean you said the same thing as well?
Trying to understand Broheim but it is apparent you were not looking for an actual conversation. My bad.
“tue” was supposed to be “the”. Typos happen. Have a good day.
Typos are a legitimate source for confusion…except when they’re not
I did not get the point.
Was the point that Crowder can only play on Tuesday meaning he is not available? What is commonly spelled incorrectly as “tue”?
Is the “too” at the end of the sentence referring to you and I or plurality?
Tried to sort it out but found out the intention, as in your response as well, is not conversation. This is pointless so I will leave it at that.
I agree with you in so many ways, and I will leave it at that.
Got it now Broheim.
The “too” means you said it as well?
Probably best to leave it at that. It is clear you never had any intention of conversation.
Fox is doubtful for tomorrow. Keegan questionable.
Next man up, let’s go.
Time for the Devin Carter break-out game!
I hope Devin Carter will be ready to play the Dubs tomorrow.
So intrigued by the Adamsite 4-way trade I tried it without Moody. And broke my New Year’s resolution not to propose fantasy trades already. I blame Fanspo. Thanks TKH commenters for that tip. Much better than ESPN. Here it is:
Miami: DeMar, Wiggins
GS: Jimmy Attitude, Alec Burks
Detroit: Kuminga, GP 2
Kings: Beef Stew, Slo Mo
Damn it! I am not gonna be able to resist that Fanspo trade machine And it is a fantasy trade. But man, that Butler-Green fistfight would be awesome. They deserve each other.
Sorry about that.
Lots of chatter on Butler to GSW but I’d be shocked if they gave up both Kuminga and Wiggins to get him.
I also believe that Miami wants either a building block for the future or an expiring for Butler. DDR is neither. If Kuminga is in the deal I’d insist on getting him if I was Miami.
Biggest loser of this scenario though would be Detroit giving up Stewart. It’s gonna take a lot for a team to pry that dude away!
Detroit topping TWolves, despite 53 from AntMan has the Twin Cities in meltdown.
Talking Chris Finch firing level unhappiness. Micah Nori would likely get the promotion.
However, if we get the trade machine involved:
A double team roster reset would look like this:
Julius Randle
Donte DiVincenzo
For:
DeMar DeRozan
Kevin Huerter
Colby Jones
which is a Trade Machine success. Jordan McLaughlin or Orlando might fit.
Just my own Asinine Trade of the day.