NBC Sports California announced their 2021-22 studio team on Thursday. Following Kayte Hunter-Christensen’s promotion to the game analyst role alongside Mark Jones, NBC has revamped the studio team around Kyle Draper. Kings Pregame Live and Postgame Live will be hosted by Draper and Morgan Ragan.
Morgan co-hosts the Deuce & Mo Podcast, and has been a game analyst for the Stockton Kings for the last three seasons. She was previously also a radio host for KHTK. Morgan is a friend of the Kings Herald, and we are thrilled for her.
The studio team will also be joined by Matt Barnes and Kenny Thomas. It’s unclear how often they’ll be on the broadcasts, but both obviously have ties to the Kings organization. Barnes is a Sacramento native and had multiple short stints as a player with the Kings throughout his NBA career. Kenny Thomas played for the Kings from 2004 to 2010, and has remained active in Sacramento since the end of his playing career.
The new lineups will debut for the Kings season opener on October 20th.
Congrats to Mo! She rocks!
Would have been way more fun to have Carmichael Dave and some actually lively humans for the pre-game instead of boring drones
I’m starting to believe you are the real Napear.
Why, are looking forward to the startling insights of Morgan Ragan?Or the yucks delivered by dour, dull Kenny Thomas?. I’ll take my answer off the air
Cause Grant was dismissive of female Kings broadcasters.
The Napear parody accounts lost the parody part some time back.
It appears both just use the name now as license to say some crappy things on here.
Somebody turn on the sprinkler system…
So, Greg, no mention that the Kings are adding Matt Barnes as an employee to the already infamous line-up of Luke Walton and Terence Davis?
I mean, I expect the traditional local media to completely ignore the organization’s shit record with domestic violence folks but TKH?
It’s not the Kings hiring him. It’s NBC Sports.
And while I’m obviously not trying to ignore those issues in Barnes’ past, which have been covered extensively in the past, I’m also not going to put that blame on the Kings organization because as far as I’m aware the team doesn’t have any involvement in picking the tv studio crew.
I thought the NBC Sports TV folks were employed/paid by the org.
So, I am mistaken?
Grant/Doug/Kayte were all Kings employees when doing those games.
Greg ruined MeToo
I didn’t know he was married.
(Also, I named you to make a point. My frustration is really with putting Matt Barnes on my TV!)
Believe me, I’m not excited about him joining the broadcast either. I’m fortunate that league pass doesn’t show the pre/post/halftime shows so I won’t have to actually watch him
I came here today to complain about Barnes on the broadcast team, and to declare I wasn’t watching anymore games, but now I know I can avoid the choker on TV, so I’m reconsidering being so militant.
Thanks Greg!
I think it’s pretty obvious why Vivek would like Matt Barnes to work for him again. Now that Shaq is gone, he has to fill those purple and gold shoes.
GREAT NEWS! LUKE WALTON HAS BEEN FIRE…. oh wait … DAMN!!!
I’m okay with hiring Barnes only if Morgan Ragan has the green light to kick him in the ‘nads at the start of every broadcast.
Kenny Thomas didn’t exactly cover himself with glory at his ill-fated restaurant. Accused of berating staff and jabbing finger in chest of female employee.
Yeah, there is some shady stuff that came out from that business failure …
Also, stiffing his staff on pay.
well that’s shitty.
Ah, I didn’t remember those details. That’s not good.
Good for everyone, glad to have TopHat back as well.
Ugh for Barnes though, nothing even remotely positive to say about that POS.
TopHat was Carl Landry, no?
Kenny Thomas is K9 (woof!)
Or wait, is Carl Landry included?
We absolutely need to get Carl Landry back. He’s an outstanding human being, and my recollection is that he gave great interviews.
Can we trade Matt Barnes for Carl Landry?
I’ll mow someone’s lawn! Anyone’s lawn!
Now you’re speaking my language.
If NBC really cared, they’d hire Brockness and Comedy Ninja for the show.
Your right…when I read the article and saw Kenny Thomas’ name, I mistakenly thought of Carl Landry and was excited.
I really like Koz. I don’t get why he keeps getting kicked to the curb. Especially for the likes of Kyle Draper, Kenny Woof Thomas and Matt Barnes.
I have no problem with Draper.
KT and Barnes are strange and problematic choices though!
Yeah, Draper seems fine, and I don’t have any issues with K9 (Woof!) There was some weirdness with how his restaurant was run and went under, but I don’t remember the details and I don’t remember it being egregious.
Seriously?
Vivek clearly doesn’t go by the ‘ole “character matters” mantra…
He hires people on his level. It’s pretty obvious Vivek is at least a minor P.O.S., because he keeps hiring P.O.S.’s.
It’s a solid crew. I still don’t love Jones on the call, he leans too heavily on catchphrases, and trotting out his alliteration dictionary, but maybe Kayte can settle him down.
I’m pleased that Kenny Thomas is back on the scene. He played some pretty good ball while he was here (I said “some.“), and it’ll be interesting to see what he brings. I don’t really know much about him off the court.
And I know how people feel about Barnes, which is valid, but as far as the job goes, he’s actually pretty good on the broadcast side of things. I’ll not deign to try and defend him, or Davis for that matter, but if you haven’t already seen fit to vote no with your wallet and viewing habits, it would seem that none of it is a dealbreaker for you.
No judgment.
I’ll at least put my hand up over the part of the TV screen where Barnes is seated.
I do that with red turn arrows when the other lights are green.
I guess if he’s seated on the left, I could just shut my left eye.
I have to agree, Barnes has been good on the broadcast side of things, but I’ll leave it at that.
Not one cent, and will not watch one second of Barnes.
I also think that it is OK for paying customers and dissatisfied viewers to share their thoughts & opinions while still supporting the team in their chosen manner.
Truly no judgment, no receipts required.
I’m not really finding where I told everyone to pipe down about it, I even checked between the lines. My point is that it’s perfectly sensible to feel salty about Barnes, a position with which I agree, for what it’s worth. But changing the channel, or muting Barnes when he’s on? They’re empty gestures, to make ourselves feel better, as if we’ve drawn a line in the sand about domestic violence. We haven’t.
One might cancel their cable or subscription that gets them Kings games, and it may not amount to much in the real world, but that would be an actual stance. All I’m seeing here are attempts at rationalization, and I know that’s what they are because I create them as well as anyone.
I haven’t attended a game since Walton was hired. The first time I see Barnes on TV will be the last kings game I watch for a long time. Not a huge give up on my part, I’m basically a GSW fan these days anyways, something about functional team cultures that is appealing or whatever. Oh, and not having abusers on their coaching staff or broadcast teams either.
If I don’t speak up about that here or on twitter, nobody knows that i find it not OK to hire people like that, not that my opinion matters, but combined with many others it does, so its worth sharing.
gtfo with the virtue signaling argument.
What is an “empty gesture” to you may not be for others. I can turn off the pre, halftime and postgame show, and I’m pretty sure that it will have the exact same impact on NBC and the Kings that cancelling my Hulu+ would.
Let fans fan how they want to fan.
This is such a crutch that people lean on, and it’s nearly as tired as I usually am. Once again, at no point do I tell people how they ought to be doing something. One may do as they want, but intimating that these gestures are principled stands against domestic violence?
Sound, fury, etcetera.
I’m just going to stop reading you, Andy, as I think that will make both of us happier. I come here to discuss the Kings, while you seem to come here to discuss Kings fans. Not my cup of tea, and easily cured by paying you no mind moving forward.
I draw the line at shitty basketball and so it frees up my calendar organically.
K9? Obligatory… woof!
K9? ????♂️ Woof! ????
Guess he has to pay back that el ray flop somehow. Smh.
This organization is clueless when it comes to the fan base and the perception a lot of us have towards some of the players they’ve had around the franchise (I.e. Shaq, Bill Walton, K9 etc.)
I actually like the Matt Barnes hire since I enjoyed his time here (specifically his first stint) and I’m a fan of the all the smoke podcast.
I’d prefer Kara Lawson any day over Katie. But I’m juiced for Mo! Wish they’d bring Koz back though ????♂️
Francisco Garcia would probably be entertaining.
Or heck, if Isaiah Thomas won’t get called up for playing duties…
You’d never be able to hear Garcia because he’d keep stepping on the cords when it was his turn to talk.
And he’ll be subject to a freak injury to his mouth when his bubblegum pops and he’s out of action for an extended period of time.
Just uh. Morgan says little of worth. Kenny Thomas was in town so I guess that made him qualified. Barnes is scoundrel. Beyond that, awesome choices.
Looking forward to the new crew. I will miss Koz though.
Happy for Morgan. I like Kyle.
I’ll stop there.
Is there any way to tune in if you don’t live locally? I’m guessing league pass won’t get any of the coverage.
Oakland A’s lose one of the best analysts, Ray Fosse. Sacramento Kings add Matt Barnes. Fuck my life. Good thing I don’t watch the pre and post Kings analysis, and the all games on mute.
Thank God for G-Man and Jason Ross !
Morgan Ragan, cool! She was great on KHTK. Station did her dirty when they switched management. I remember the show when she received a reward for her broadcast work there. The management’s new format did not permit her to speak so everyone else had to talk about the award for her in the most misogynic broadcast in station’s history.
KT restaurant wasn’t exactly a flop. He simply decide to not pay anyone buy himself. Ate there at least a dozen times, enjoyed the place but time was up at the end.
I will do my best give Matt Barnes another chance in life. HS, competing against him, he was dick. Watched him the NBA, he was a dick. Met other classmates of his in his life, they all hated him because he was a dick. In his 40’s now, another great opportunity, can he not be a complete dick?
Was Matt Barnes a dick off the court or just on it? I just know of the Derek Fisher incident, but hard to blame him when a teammate is screwing your wife
It’s ok to be a dick on the court, I’m fine with that.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to someone and they say I went to Del Campo High School and before I can even start a reply they start ripping into Matt Barnes, tell a story about interacting with him … and they were expecting Matt Barnes to be the first question after they brought up their high school.
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/kings/report-kings-forward-matt-barnes-accused-choking-woman
Barnes was doing something so weird with a woman he knew prior to seeing at the club, that DMC stepped in and stopped them.
And that’s not the only instance where he was caught. He drove 95 miles to go mess with his ex-wife, who he broke up with.
https://people.com/sports/matt-barnes-gloria-govan-derek-fisher-love-triangle/
People who get caught being abusive more than once have been abusive very often and only caught a few of the times.
And that’s who is representing our local team now! YAAAAY!!!!
You missed perhaps the worst nugget:
https://theboxhouston.com/1576351/nbas-matt-barnes-arrested-for-domestic-violence/
At first I didn’t like Kyle calling the game as he was too enthusiastic for the other team’s good moments. “LEBRON with the MONSTER JAM!!” C’mon my guy, you’re not play by play for a national broadcast. Other Kings broadcasters note the good play of the other team but don’t go crazy over it.
But now, now I like listening to him and watching him because he keeps it real. He seems to have not gotten the memo or perhaps is just too honest to sugarcoat the Kings rotten performances. I wish there was more to commend in the Kings, but I appreciate his honesty.
F’ Matt Barnes, glad I’m not watching that show.
Very happy for Mo. I’m sure she’ll kill in the new role.
Barnes and Thomas, two of the fan’s least favorite Kings of all-time lol, Kangz gon Kangz.
Matt Barnes?
Why?
There has to be 10,000 other people just as good or better than him in that role.
He is a shit human.
According to NBC Sports BA/CA website, this is the feedback contact info for programing:
BayFeedback@nbcuni.com
I sent an email expressing my opinions about the hire.
I just created an account to say…..Matt Barnes!!!!???!!!! Are you freaking kidding me??? You literally couldn’t find anyone else??? I am so tired of this crap being pushed on fans of old players coming in to work for the organization as if that’s supposed to mean something…especially when you bring in Matt Barnes…what a joke
Good for Mo, she seems knowledgeable. However, that’s just not going to be enough of a reason to watch the pre/post shows though with Kenny and Barnes blathering about. Between one preseason televised game, adding Kayte as color, and now this, it’s like they’re just taunting me to watch a tv feed of the game synced to radio, and just go do something else pre/post.
Badge Legend