The tank train was steadily chugging along and then the Kings decided to win three games in a row, the trade deadline happened, and the Kings’ bench got a bit of a makeover. These things all put the play-in train in motion on a fast track charging right past the tank train. So what did you do? Did you remain angrily seated on the tank train? Or did you make the leap onto the play-in train heading back towards the playoffs? Let’s see what the Kings chose tonight:
Quick Stats:
Outcome: Kings win, 100-98
Sacramento Kings: 100 PTS, 51.3% FG, 23.3% 3 PT, 78.6% FT, 16 AST, 18 TO
Cleveland Cavaliers: 98 PTS, 44.0% FG, 34.6% 3 PT, 65.2% FT, 20 AST, 7 TO
PLAY-IN HERE WE COME. Despite the Cavaliers’ and replay technology’s best efforts, the Kings refused to lose this game. After the usual 4th quarter heroics from De’Aaron Fox, followed by a heartbreaking goaltending call against Richaun Holmes to give the Cavs a 1-point lead with 1.6 seconds left, it felt like this was going to be a new ending to put on the list of ‘most Kangz ways to lose a basketball game’. But a full-court football pass by De’Aaron Fox and a fadeaway elbow 3-point dagger with two Cavs in his face from Harrison Barnes means the Kings extend their winning streak to four games.
One of the best game winners you’ll ever see!
Fox with an awesome full-court baseball pass and Harrison going full Black Falcon to secure the win.
— The Kings Herald (@thekingsherald) March 28, 2021
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly:
The Good:
- New Bench: Monte McNair’s newest acquisitions had their first showing tonight as we got our first looks at Delon Wright, Maurice Harkless, and Terence Davis. Things were expectedly chaotic at times, as the entire team is trying to establish chemistry with the new guys. But if we can look beyond the miscues from tonight, we see a bench unit that is longer, bigger, and more athletic. Cleveland played small for a lot of the game and so the Kings were able to hold them to just seven offensive boards, but I think part of this can also be attributed to the added size from the new bench. With their new and more productive starting five, paired with this bigger and more athletic bench, the Kings just might find themselves sliding into that 10th seed.
- De’Aaron Fox: Where would any of us be without this man? I, personally, would likely be in a dark corner of my house sobbing as the Kings lose every single time they step on the court. De’Aaron Fox continued his exceptional play tonight with 36 points and six assists. And of course, 20 of his points came in the fourth quarter when the Kings needed them the most. Not only that, he put on his quarterback helmet and completed the perfect full-court pass to Harrison Barnes for the game winner. This is De’Aaron’s fourth game in a row scoring 30+ points and it only seems to be getting easier for him to do so. I can’t wait until he gets to 50 points in a game, and neither can my dog, since I promised him a 50-piece from McDonald’s once De’Aaron reaches this inevitable milestone.
The Bad:
- Dying by the 3: The Kings had a rough shooting night, going 7-30 from behind the arc, with Buddy Hield hitting just 2 of his 7 attempts. This was especially highlighted when they failed to connect on any of their six attempts in the second quarter. But more disappointing than their unusually poor shooting was their insistence on continuing it. It became clear early on that the long ball was not connecting, but instead of adjusting by looking to attack the paint, the Kings continued to force up 3-point looks. As a team that relies on significant point production near the rim, the Kings have to realize when to get back to their bread and butter. If they can get back to punishing in the paint, this will open up better 3-point looks and then they can try to make a more complete meal.
The Ugly:
- Individual Defense: Cleveland’s ‘Sexland’ duo of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland made it look like there were three De’Aaron Foxes on the floor tonight. Just as easily as Fox does, Sexton and Garland were able to get inside the paint at will, both in transition and in the half court setting. Part of this was due to sloppy turnovers by the Kings (18 in total, yikes) that gave the Cavs the downhill push they needed to get easy transition points. But the ugly part came in the half court setting as we saw Sexton and Garland get multiple uncontested layups at the rim by simply blowing by their defenders, both with and without the ball. Hard attacks and back door cuts were enough to break down the Kings’ defense. Team defense is always important, but it becomes increasingly difficult to execute without a strong foundation of individual defense. The Kings have to start taking more individual pride and responsibility in their personal coverage. Tonight, this lack of individual coverage also had consequences for Richaun Holmes as he found himself in early foul trouble when trying to provide help defense on the quicker Cavs’ guards. The Kings can’t expect Richaun to be able to stay on the floor if he is constantly trying to defend downhill guards without fouling.
The King of Kings
Following in the trend of it being a historic night, tonight’s King of Kings title will, for the first time, be equally shared by six different individuals tonight. Crowns go out to Kayte Christensen-Hunter, Krista Blunk, Laura Britt, Layshia Clarendon, and Morgan Ragan for absolutely CRUSHING it as the first ever all-female, non-binary Kings’ broadcast crew. Their coverage could not have been more thorough, professional, or knowledgable. It was inspiring to see such wonderful representation by such smart, eloquent, and entertaining people. I hope every little girl in Sacramento was watching them tonight and felt the acceptance and normalcy of women in sports.
But, Mirann, you said six individuals and you only listed five, you idiot. Cool it, I can count, and I’m not done yet. The final crown goes to Sophia Jones, who made her debut appearance during the pregame coverage. She demonstrated her natural proclivity for broadcasting, which makes sense, since her dad has some experience in it. You may have heard of him – his name is Mark Jones. As a freshmen point guard at San Jose State, Sophia hopes to find a career in sports broadcasting after finishing her basketball career.
Up Next
Monday, March 29th @ San Antonio Spurs – 5:30 P.M. (PT)
I don’t know or like much about football, but I’m really, really glad that De’Aaron Fox grew up with one in his hands.
Imagine if Fox lands that punch after the and 1.
That was a close one. I wonder if a technical foul would’ve been called if he actually hit that ref?
KANGZ
The Kangziest win ever. That last play was a beauty, though. Everything had to be exactly right to manage it within that timeframe and they managed to do that. Fantastic!
Agree and amazing the Cavs had no defender on Fox to deny the long pass ! Guess they did not remember the Grant Hill to Laettner game winner against Kentucky ? ð
Actually, someone on Twitter commented that Fox stepped on the line when throwing the inbound pass and that is indeed the case. Got away with that one.
Fox replied to someone on Twitter and noted that the line is fair game. Apparently you may step on, but not over the line.
Of course they don’t remember. These kids were not born…ð ð
BARNES!!!
The Black Falcon has landed!
NBA on Twitter: “Tyrese Haliburton with the water bottle sneak attack on Harrison Barnes after his game-winner! https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/13.0.1/svg/1f602.svg @SacramentoKings #SacramentoProud https://t.co/gbl7AOqoXB” / Twitter
Still confused as to who Dean Wade is and how we allow him to score triple his season average. Why was Jeffries not in the game?! Sure that last play was brilliant but a team with the play-in tournament aspiration shouldn’t go down to the wire against a G-league squad.
Ahahaha
Good on Harrison.
What I like a lot about his winning shot is the way he acted the next few seconds. It speaks volumes about him as a person and a teammate. He takes a nearly full court pass with ease, doesn’t fumble the ball, hits his great turnaround J and then just turns toward the Kings bench and starts walking toward his teammates. Who all mob him.
Watch the tape. The first second or two after the shot he acts like it was no big deal, been here before. Game over.
Ice water in his veins.
Perfect.
He also slapped Sexton’s butt which is very unBarnes-like, but funny.
I saw that too and it was really funny.
I mean, it was good that Sexton was too shocked to react but hey, I laughed.
I saw that. Sexton was on the sideline with Love really pumped thinking he had won the game. What a shot.
that was great
This was good!
Now we know why the 49ers decided to move up to 3rd in the 2021 NFL Draft…
To select De’Aaron Fox as their QB. That’s why!
Mirann,
You’re killing it. The layout of your writeups are easy on the eyes, highly-informative, and you’ve got a great balance of wit and nerdy facts. I’m glad to see you on board.
Thank you! It’s been so fun to be here with you all – the best fans in the world!
Really enjoyed the broadcast tonight. Can we get them for more games?
Wish fans could’ve been at G1 center to go crazy tonight.
Right? Kayte had a bit of homerism, but there was a natural flow to the conversation that we haven’t seen in quite some time. There weren’t any forced reactions and nobody threw out ill-fitting nicknames, and it just felt like a couple of people chatting basketball. I’d love to see more from them.
There would literally be no drop off in quality if they stepped in when Mark Jones can’t be available. Draper is such a cringe to listen to as play-by-play. Please make this happen Kings!
Great broadcast! Sacramento Queens finally made sense. It was lovely to see Sophia interacting with Mark off court
Aside from the game winner, I loved how Fox took over the 4th, he really put the team on his shoulders.
I also enjoyed the broadcast. Hope they do this again for some games.
Long time lurker for about 8 years now.
Kings win!
Great to see Elk Grove represented on here!
Thanks!
Sheldon alumni here.
Surprised there isn’t more representation.
We’re making more noise here in EG as far as basketball talent.
Most notably Marquese Chriss, Cody Demps out of Pleasant Grove and Marcus Bagley out of Sheldon.
Fun fact, we made an appearance in Top Class featuring Bronny’s Sierra Canyon and their COVID shortened state championship run.
Other than that we’ve got quite a few quick quack car washes and dutch bros coffee locations.
Are they any good, or do they ruin the reputation of the Dutch even more than I do?
The Dutch have a reputation? That’s not the impressionism I got.
I think you’re being unfair to the Israeli’s in this, also, Rik. You give them an equally awful reputation. 🙂
I went to Laguna Creek. But that was a year of college, 9 years of military service and a few jobs ago lol. I have been in LA since. I only had one teammate that had some success in the NFL. And Ruthy Bolton from the Monarchs is a very close friend of my family but that’s about the only basketball connection I have.
Welcome!
Went to Elk Grove High. Shout out Bill Cartwright
Going to Cartwright’s basketball camp at Sonoma State University was some of the most fun I had as a kid.
I was sooooooo ready to be mad at this loss because Cleveland stinks and the defense on Sexton’s almost game winner was absolutely pathetic. In that situation you HAVE to make Sexton change direction instead of giving him a free straight line run. They have no timeouts and have to go the length of the court so giving up a layup there is just terrible. Props to Holmes for the attempt but he shouldn’t have even been in that position.
And then… basically the most perfect executed play possible with that much time. The pass by Fox was absolutely perfect and Barnes hit that shot like it was nothing with two dudes in his face. Crazy. If this is actually
going to make the playoffs they’ll need to get lucky so I’ll take it.
Last thing, Fox is absolutely BALLING (on offense) right now. The last couple weeks it seems like he’s actually moving slower and just finishing absolutely every shot at the rim. It’s pretty impressive. His three point shot is only a tiny bit better but the volume is up and that’s actually the most important thing for him I think. Anything that pulls the defense up gives him such a big advantage he can get to the rim at will. Other than the Philly game he’s been really impressive I’m March. Averaging over 30 a game for an entire month while shooting over 50% is pretty impressive.
I feel bad for the cutout fans who started exiting to their cardboard cars immediately after the Sexton 94-foot layup, and thus missed an incredible pass/shot by Fox/Barnes.
You rule.
The best!
Good win
Would be curious to hear takes from the various writers that would prefer the Kings lost tonight
Not a writer for this site obviously, but I’m abandoning the tank train because the team can’t focus long enough to execute a long-term strategy. I’ve decided to embrace the race for 10th!
Losers tank anyway, so who cares.
DANCE!
Finally, the dance thread!
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Just look at the reaction of N. Lance Jr.
and the reaction from Vivek…
“If I had not held the phone off the hook, Monte might’ve given away Harrison Barnes at the trade deadline.
And if that had happened, no one would have been there to catch Fox’s terrific pass and make the buzzerbeater.”
This reminds me so much of that draft night he kept calling the name stauskas next to Pete D’s ear even though he wanted to pick someone else
And meant Luka when he said Bagley
Vlade couldn’t tell the difference either.
LOL our owner has an odd way of clapping
Correction; There never really was a tank train, we just made it up.
You’re right! It was more of a tank vessel, which got stuck in the Sacramento River
There was. We just changed direction!
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who care
Saw that dnp for Kyle guy coming…
It not only hurt the on court performance but I think it sends a shitty message to the team. Someone that has been with the team, working hard, AND producing when seeing the court gets dnp’d for new guys that haven’t earned anything (side from wright)
“Earned anything?”…this is professional basketball. The best players play. Prolly a reason in same # of years, Davis has 1700 career minutes (and playoff minutes) and Guy has 150.
I get the sentiment, but it also sends a shitty message to play a guy that is objectively worse when trying to win. Tonight would have been fine I suppose to play Guy since they are new, but these guys need to get integrated quickly.
Kyle Guy would be a cool story and fan favorite prolly cuz he’s small and plays hard and I get he hasn’t had consistent playing time, but I do think there is generally good reason for that.
Davis hasn’t shown enough to bump guy who has looked more than competent when he has seen the floor so objectively worse isn’t actually very accurate of a statement
You want accuracy and objectiveness?
-Davis made 2nd team all Rookie last year on a playoff team…Guy played in (looks at notes), Stockton
-Guy’s best attribute is he is a “shooter” (maybe he is), but Guy’s career 29% 3 pt shooter…Davis is 37%
-Per 100 poss : Davis 22/8/4, 55% eFG. Guy 19/7/6, 45% eFG
-Davis has played more than 10 minutes in a game, 84 times in his career…Guy has done that 4 times.
-Davis brings more size and is better defender by about any metric.
I don’t know how much more objective it gets than that. He has shown more. Could Guy be good? Sure! But your argument that Davis hasn’t “earned it” but Guy has “isn’t actually very accurate a statement”.
But you can assert what you want I suppose if it’s just a sense you have about Guy.
All the pers aren’t great because neither has played a ton but by 36 this year guy is a better rebounder, passer and way better on the turnovers. With more minutes guys shooting numbers would increase, that would all be but guaranteed as he is a great shooter at every level he’s played decent minutes.
The game immediately following guy balling out is not the game to dnp him for an unproven young guy from another team, just isn’t.
To your “this is the nba, the best players play” comment, you and everyone else knows that is horseshit, ask belly and every other player displaced by a shitty high pick trying to be proven right by coaches and GM’s.
I didn’t say guy “earned it” I said he had been with the team, likely worked hard on practices, performed when given minutes… Then had a great game, that’s not the time to dnp a guy for another teams unproven caataway in general but specifically with this team
Except Davis has played 1700 mins in career. Guy hasn’t. That’s why I didn’t use per game numbers either and used per 100 numbers.
You then are going to cite Per 36 numbers when half of Guys minutes this year are total garbage time when Kings are down 20. That seems a smart way to evaluate talent.
So you aren’t saying Guy has earned it then. Then what are we talking about really? Because if no one has earned it Luke and Monte should prolly play whoever the hell they want and think has more talent…which is exactly what they are doing.
Think you are in minority on this one but time will tell I suppose.
To your Belly point about playing time…if you can’t understand the difference/significance between trying to develop and assess a former number 2 pick with talent and athleticism during a gap year as it’s been referred, versus trying to develop Kyle Guy, I can’t really help you.
Way to shift the goal posts on the best players play argument, total trash move instead of saying, yeah I was wrong on that one.
I’m arguing that if both players haven’t earned pt based off on court performance, then for team building/chem it’s better to give the initial shot to the in house guy that you and everyone else knows has been busting his ass for THIS team instead of the new shiny toy that also hasn’t proved much on the court.
Very easy concept to understand and being in the minority on this blog isn’t always a bad thing lol
Woah…ummm, OK. You brought up Belly with the strong implication about why Marvin was playing over him. You brought that up…so how am I shifting the goal posts when discussing the reason I felt he needed to play? Neither of us know who is wrong or right about that because it’s an opinion, so that’s kind of how that works.
I understand your concept about Guy should get PT because he plays hard and has been with the team all year…your right, it’s a very easy concept to understand. It just doesn’t provide much nuance to a more complicated situation. Under this reasoning, no new trade additions should play until the Kings have exhausted all the old in house options and given them ample time to show their worth. But if that was the case, why trade for new additions in the first place?
Monte, coaching staff, see these guys everyday. We don’t. They obviously felt the new additions were better than their current options. It’s pretty hard for me to disprove that based on what limited actions we have seen of Guy. You could be totally right on his upside and Guy is a diamond in the rough and be a part of a regular 8-9 man rotation on a good NBA team. But the people who actually see him everyday (not you and me) don’t think that’s the case right now or in the immediate future. If they did, they wouldn’t give up assets, even marginal ones to get Davis and Wright.
I don’t get why you insist on saying Davis hasn’t done anything. He is a second year player and made 2nd team all rookie last year on a playoff team and played well in one playoff series. He has played well enough to earn, 1700 minutes. He has shown something. More than Guy which is the main point. Does that mean he’s a better player? Not necessarily…but it certainly shows that two NBA organizations deem him worthy of minutes and Kyle Guy not at this point. Why didn’t Toronto ask for Guy back in the trade? Can’t imagine it would have been a sticking point considering how little the Kings have played Guy this year.
You seem really worried about chemistry with this. I would be shocked if this was a topic of conversation amongst the top 8-9 players on the team. But who knows, maybe De’Aaron has called a team meeting this morning to address this inequity that needs to be righted!
Being in the minority isn’t a bad thing…it just speaks to what is the consensus. Which the consensus opinion usually is a decent way to evaluate things. That’s why the world conducts surveys. Not always right, but it’s a data point. Maybe all the Kyle Guy fans/backers come out of the woodwork now and prove Davis is not the consensus.
I like Kyle Guy and hope I am proved wrong thinking Davis is a better basketball player, because that would be good for the Kings. Just wouldn’t be my guess based on NBA management player evaluations and my own observations. Have a good one Mike.
You stated “This is professional basketball, the best players play.” I gave you one obvious example of that not being true, and could obviously provide a ton more of failed high picks being given chances over vets that are clearly better. You then shift the goal posts to well with bagley they are trying to develop blah blah blah, either the best player plays or they don’t and there are circumstances, the latter being the obvious truth.
I think Guy’s case is one of those circumstances, at least in the short term until Davis proves better in practice or Guy fails on the court.
My reasoning never said no new trade acquisitions shouldn’t play (you strawman’d that hard), only that unproven ones shouldn’t play over a teams other unproven assets until they demonstrate to be better in practice or minutes on the floor as that shows the players in house that you reward hard work for THIS team.
I know this isn’t hard to understand, it’s the frustrating part of this conversation tbh. Good day Wiz
Davis has shown in 1700 NBA minutes that he is better. Why does he have to show again in a few practices before he gets to play? If you wanna make a “he doesn’t know plays argument” etc, fine. But he doesn’t need to prove himself against the likes of Kyle Guy to this point as an NBA talent.
Monte: “Hey Luke we traded for a guy we think is obviously better than Kyle Guy? Can we start working him into the rotation?”
Luke: Well I have chosen to sit Kyle Guy all season Monte. But now that we have someone probably better, we should definitely suit Kyle up for the 2 week’s worth of games and see if the trade was worth it. 5 games will let me know if Kyle is good enough vs the past 1.5 seasons he has been with us.”
As a great coach once said, “I know this isn’t hard to understand, it’s the frustrating part of this conversation”
His 1700 minutes are rather unimpressive and I wouldn’t those minutes as evidence he should walk onto this team and be gifted minutes. Those “minutes” are why I’m not having the same argument about Wright, he is a proven commodity, Davis, not so much. You believe in gifting minutes, you’ve made that clear, I get it, likely a participation trophy type of guy, they are all over this board.
In competitive environments EVERYONE should have to prove things against their competition and gifted nothing, it’s how the cream rises.
Lost in this is that you are trusting Luke in evaluating talent and playing the correct talent…he has proven incapable of doing that so it feels like you are lying in bed with an interesting partner my man, get that thing checked out.
Hahahaha….yes this is Luke’s burner account. You must be one tough coach with that talk! I’m the participation trophy guy apparently, but you want to give PT to Guy because he has worked hard and been on the team all year (your main points), vs a man with more talent MOST talent evaluators would say. This also assumes Davis comes with the knock of not being a head worker unless he proves it to you in some practices, which the Kings have very few of now. This is curious overall.
Does it get anymore participation trophy than that?
Im also not really so much in trusting Luke, but Monte and 29 other NBA teams who did not draft or trade for Kyle Guy even after he played decently in Stockton.
But your a coach and master of team dynamics, so what the hell do they know?
There is room for both Davis and Guy in the rotation.
Running a 6 guard rotation now? Even playing 3 guards at once that would have to cut into Hali, Fox or Buddy’s mins, for sure DNP Jeffries for…again I gotta check…Kyle Guy?
I’m not sure there’s room for both of these folks to go back and forth!
Agreed, pretty lame to have the 12th man argument on a non-playoff team
Whoooooooo caaaaaaaares
And who cares, either way.
He does not punch women that we are aware of and some do not approve of people that do !
Actually,that Davis was on the floor when there was an all-ladies broadcast was so tone-deaf, that it actually surprised me. It shouldn’t have.
I don’t disagree, but like you pointed out, shouldn’t be surprising
Kyle Guy is actually not that small, he has good size for a PG and has putting in his time in the weight room. You obviously have not noticed that rarely does Guy look like he is overpowered or outmached physically.
Well considering the Kings have 2 main hall handlers and now have Delon wright, another PG doesn’t seem like a priority to play. You don’t seem to notice that Guy frequently plays off the ball when in the game thus making him more of a shooting guard.
Guy is 6′ 1 and 175. Personally I will take Davis who is 3 inches taller , 30lbs heavier, more athletic and most importantly has shown he is better at basketball this far in their careers.
I will take the guy that has shown this team he has worked his ass of all year over the new guy, until either the new guy establishes himself as clearly better in practice or the initial guy demonstrates he can’t perform on the court
But I’m a coach and understand team chemistry and concepts besides raw stats *shrugs
Hahahaha…this is just silly now. But what the hell.
Sorry coach! Didn’t know I was talking with John Wooden here. Nerds better step aside (You have no idea my background, but’s let’s just roll with the assumptions)
Are you in the practices with the Kings? Because you seem to know a lot about Kyle Guy’s work ethic and performance in practices. Please do share more insider info with the members here. I’m sure we would all love the inside scoop.
As a Kings insider, hopefully you can break down the team meeting that was held today about the the chemistry falling apart on this team because they can’t stand to see Kyle Guy lose his “earned” PT.
I stated that as an assumption we will take it as Guy is a hard worker.
Yes, a photo immediately after a crazy ass shot for the win is likely a solid predictor of how a team feels about a complex issue like pt being gifted or earned.
Of course it isn’t indicative! Kinda the point. Just like an assumption that playing Davis this first game could ruin team chemistry because he hasn’t proved it, is quite a stretch.
I didn’t say it would ruin team chemistry but it obviously can affect things as it did earlier in the year with Belly vs Bagley.
Players to coaches, employees to managment, all things work the same in a competitive world and not having accountability to earning things destroys the respect level for the coach/manager even if a little at a time.
I will take Guy plus the $6 million on next years payroll plus 2 second round picks. I don’t understand the trade.
We have been talking more Davis, but if you wanna talk the Wright trade and the increased salary I guess there is an argument for that. I don’t agree, but at least get the perspective and take.
Davis has no guaranteed salary next year. Not sure which you were referring to.
Yeah I’m strictly talking Davis, I think Wright actually has earned his immediate PT through NBA minutes.
These are your words.
-Guy is 6′ 1 and 175. Personally I will take Davis who is 3 inches taller , 30lbs heavier, more athletic and most importantly has shown he is better at basketball this far in their careers.-
The broader point however is you make either the Delon trade or the Davis trade, not both. As for Davis, giving up a second round pick probably #43 for his expiring doesn’t make sense. If he plays well, we’d have to pay up for him and if he doesn’t contribute no effort is made to keep him. That’s probably why the trade graded poorly. I also prefer Guy playing over Davis at this stage of the season for the stretch run.
For the trades in general, the Bjelica trade is the only one that makes sense primarily because Bjelica didn’t want to be here any longer also Harkless does bring some versatility and Silva is a decent flyer for the future. I’d rather see a fully committed Bjelica for the stretch but that didn’t seem likely anymore.
Yeah you made the relevant point in that whole discussion. As a collection, the trades really don’t make sense. After they make the Wright deal, why would they make the Davis deal especially given Davis is on an expiring contract. It would have been different if he had another year on a rookie contract. Also, it’s takes some time to integrate players into the schemes and I’d rather keep the second rounder and use Guy which would probably be very limited given the acquisition of Wright. It’s hard to explain.
I don’t like taking on that additional $6 million on next years payroll either but it probably helps some down the stretch this year. It’s a good move for Detroit, they clear some payroll and pick up a couple of second rounders. I actually like the last few moves Detroit has made. They’ve now got a few young players to build around and a potential trade chip in Grant and they’ll be getting a nice draft pick.
The Kings control Davis’s rights as a restricted free agent. They won’t have to outbid another team, just pay the market rate if they like him and decide to keep. That’s important for a team like the Kings. If that ends up being a couple year deal for 2-3 per, then they might pounce on that and move on from someone like Justin James.
Monte felt it was worth a second round pick to find out in the last 30 games and gain his rights.
Yeah he is a combo guard, which makes it easier to find time for him, just like it is for Wright, Ty and Fox. All can swing to the SG (combo guard), just as Buddy and Davis can swing to the SF in some instances.
Our 3-guard lineup opens up the opportunity for Guy. He could have played last night , for example, instead of the 12 minute awful minutes granted to Moe Harkless.
The point is there should be minutes for Guy bc he’s shown he can be impact player and spark when our bench has been trash all year due to (1) lack of talent and (2) negligence by the coach not to nurture the talent we do have.
I don’t think Delon should automatically play over Guy if he continues to show out like he did last night. Guy is a much better player than what Delon gave us last night, but Wright is excused because of the circumstances, first game and no practice time.
Guy looks closer to 180-190 to me, he’s close in size to Fox if not a bit heavier. And you do not make a good case against him by citing his stats. You cannot expect his stats to be good when he has only gotten sporadic and garbage time.
NO player can find their rhythm and timing when the coach throws him into the game randomly, as an afterthought, and does not reward strong play.
Guy shows that he is talented to be able to have games like he’s had 3-4 times this year, including the preason game, coming in ice cold and getting hot.
One interesting thing: despite Guy having a poor shooting %, he’s actually a net positive in 538’s RAPTOR (+1.5), including a +3.3 on offense (his defense is -1.7, which seems about right — he tries but is a bit undersized). Granted, that is in a tiny sample size, but he’s looked like a smooth and capable offensive player in his limited minutes. I’d definitely like to see him given a chance — I think he could end up being a Seth Curry like player. But it’s clear he doesn’t fit the Kings preferred mold of long and athletic, plus he was drafted under the old regime. So I’m not sure if he’ll end up getting a shot — but keeping my fingers crossed!
Seth Curry like player. Bingo.
Alright the Kyle Guy fan club is here!!!! I wish we could fast forward 3 years to when Guy is playing in Europe or playing for the playoff kings as a 3rd guard off the bench so we know who was right.
Unfortunately none of us will remember this conversation to prove our points. But I had fun. I’ll root for Kyle Guy this year.
I knew I only had to hold down the solo fort for so long haha.
BTW, I’m not a HUGE Guy fan, just don’t like Davis rolling in here getting minutes over him IMMEDIATELY after Guy had a ridiculous game off the bench.
Here’s to hoping it happens again next time he plays!
I’ll raise a beer to that 😉
PIT (play in tourney) here we come!
LOL, WTF?
She’s like that witch from suicide squad
Broadcast team was lovely. Thanks to the powers who be, for having an all womxn and non binary call for the game.
Mirann, I love the flow and format of your game write ups! Well done ðð½ð
Thank you! And I couldn’t agree with you more on the broadcast performance – I loved all the unique perspectives each person brought to the game. It only makes the game better to have more voices!
Agree. Much better than Doug trying to be Jerry.
And who the hell is downvoting this? Lame. Close minded. Boarding on gross.
I’ve noticed random downvotes on good, hard to argue against, takes. I guess people will down vote anything they disagree with rather than downvote bad posts like it’s meant for.
I grew up in Dixon, a small farm town near Sac….I’m used to a lot of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. I’m not surprised because it shows up everywhere.
But I’m sure the downvoters would argue they don’t agree that the broadcast team was lovely’.
Fox is evolving right in front of our eyes. Dropping 20 in the 4th is absolutely big time. That clutch layup and free throw was absolutely amazing to see from him. And Barnes is just a pro. He has been in a shooting slump so for him to knock down that three then handle himself like it was business as usual was ice cold.
A last gasp win vs. another bad team just to try to make the “play in” and end up in no man’s land for the millionth year..yay I guess?
its the kings. Maybe what we’re seeing is just baby steps.
Maybe. But we’ve been looking at baby steps for over a decade and been fooled by similar runs for a play-off spot.
It would be nice if they would stop crapping over themselves and we can finally take off the diapers. Is this the year? I hope so, but seeing is believing.
Definitely agree on the last part. I’ll believe it when I see them playing playoff series. That said, the organization just isn’t going to do what I want them to do so I’ve taken the whatevs attitude and I’ll just hope for the best. I like Fox and I love Haliburton and watching them win games is fun. And neither of them is Demarcus Cousins so it’s more enjoyable to me.
Definitely agree on the last sentence.
While I feel your pain, I feel like Fox has something and with Haliburton he’s gonna big things in time. These two, I see, have a higher floor than any combo we’ve had in that time. Fox-Hali-Barnes>Thomas-Cousins-Gay, at least at their floor.
Fun exercise for you and other still need to tank fan perspectives left out there.
from the trade deadline, what would the projected W-L record need to be to secure a top 5 lottery placement?
I’ll give you a hint – Kings would need to lose around 46 games total with less than 30 to go from that point (21 more losses).
I have been in the tank bandwagon ever since Joerger got fired and I saw what was coming from Luke. After the trade deadline, regardless if they tank or try to make the play in isn’t going to change much about their draft position with where the obvious talents in the draft will be taken.
if the core can take them to the play-in (even if they disappoint and not take the 8th by winning 2 games in a row), then that says something about the core and what direction to take come this off season.
Great broadcast tonight. There was no hip-hop, just some solid play by play and commentary.
I thought the gal with Kayte did a great job.
De’Aaron said the coach asked “who can throw a baseball pass” before the last play. So the coach does not know his personnel well enough to know who to put in that situation?
Credit due for drawing up that last play, Metu cleared out, Ty was a decoy or second opption opposite side and Fox had that open lane to deliver the bullet pass, but the coach mismanaged his subs and only another beautiful game by Fox and unbelievable shot by HB saved the day.
Fox is up to 24.8 PPG on 57.2% TS%….woo!
HB is cool as they come!
How long will it take for the coach to realize Moe Harkless can’t play?
Harkless is one of these skinnny vets like Ariza who tries to get by a guile after his injuries. Harkless is done as a a player in my estimation but this coach may not figure it out until 2022.
Terrence Davis looks good! I like the way he plays. He is aggressive and strong and bouncy and looks to score. He needs to play that tough defense without fouling. McGenius could have found a gem!
Delon Wright played terrible but I think he’s going to be good for us. He has the same body type as Haliburton, and some of the same mannerisms. But Ty has that third gear when he needs it. I did not see any burst from Delon Wright, does he have a third gear?
Incorporating new guys without a practice , tossing new three players into the mix is one too many. Jefferies should get the nod over Moe (Moe should be waived , frankly) and there needs to be room for Kyle Guy.
Guy DNP-CD after his mavelous game….what a shocker. /s
I am still in evaluation mode like everyone else but I think our best bench unit could be:
Wright
Guy
Davis
Marvin
Metu
If Marvin is going to have any chance to succeed he needs shooters and another big with him to defend the paint. This lineup gives him two shooters, two playmakers and Metu to help him on the interior. Obviously this is only a unit that could play spot minutes against other backups.
Guys I do not see are:
James
Harkless
Woodward
I agree about Guy. I hope the Kings don’t give up on him. He has not looked confident (I wonder why) until recently. Dude can shoot and his playmaking seems to have improved. I think he deserves more chances.
Agreed on Harkless. Maybe 2-3 yrs ago. He looks super washed right now.
Maybe we can pick up Drummond before the Lakers do? ð¤ð¤ð¤
McGenius?
How about … Vlonte McDivac more like it.
I’ve loved watching Fox learn to take over games and make big plays down the stretch for some wins. Better yet, I’ve noticed he’s stepped up his intensity on defense when he feels his team needs a boost. He was flat out harassing his opposing guard on a couple of possessions in the 4th. Wish he’d do that a little more often but then again, it might be tough when he’s putting so much energy into his offensive game. Fun win!!
That game was like the 1990 Seahawks. The 1988 squad would probably be my favorite football team all time.
These next couple against the Spurs should tell us a lot about the Kings chances in the play-in tourney
Eh… Kings haven’t beat too many quality healthy teams. Atlanta and the Knicks in Jan. Those are the only ones that come to mind.
Spurs will be a test to see how good this team is. They are well coached and don’t make many mistakes.
All year the team has benefited from opposing teams misfortunes.
Players out due to injury or COVID.
Kings have literally lucked out in facing numerous top tier teams without key starters and role players.
Fox looks great. But, so does Bradley Beal. It doesn’t mean the team is good.
Beat healthy good teams consistently and I’ll start to believe this is a little more
than Fools Gold again.
Not trying argue but, I think Sac is clearly better than Wash. Consistency is definitely key, and the Kings are not it. The Spurs are a perfect litmus for the reasons you named. I’m still looking for a good read on how much fans are expecting. What threshold of success qualifies as no longer “Fool’s Gold?” Their definitely not winning it all so, just tank? Or is a trip to the playoffs worth a few less ping-pong balls? The play-in tournament? I say abandoning the tank was worth it for an actual playoff series. Getting played out of the play in is Fool’s Gold again.
Yea the hyper-positive future-tripping hot takes on twitter last night for beating the sixth worst team in the NBA were really something. Kings fans are special.
Fans were happy not because of who we beat but the way we won, but I guess if you want to rain on the parade thats you prerogative. Discounting the win is fine but the overriding development that should not be discounted is how dominant Fox has become.
Something clicked with him and he not only proved how potent he is to the league, he proved it more importantly to himself.
The downers and doomers can bemoan all they want, but they are overlooking the fundamental point that you win in the NBA with mega-stars on your team, not your fringe All-Star, but All-NBA caliber players.
I am not telling you something you don’t know, I am certain, but there is a huge difference between Fox as our 22 PPG 6 AST guy vs 30 PPG 8-9 AST guy who owns 4th quarters.
The negative fans disappointed by the trade deadline do not want to factor this into their paradigm because it wrecks it. New incoming real time data is incovenient to them.
When your franchise players makes this leap, the one Boogie could not make, you are in business, and it is easier to construct a team around this level of player and find guys who can fill a role in this context.
The Doomers didnt see this coming, convinced the only way to respectability and contender status was to tear it down, but if Fox elevates his game like has shown, then you dont need a Cade Cunningham, who if he works hard on his game in 3-4 years can be as good as Fox is today.
This is a discussion the “blow it up” crowd don’t want to have because if they are sincere they have to admit they have a weak argument.
The Doomers talk about acquiring players to fit the timeline and Barnes is “too old”. What about Cade Cunningham being too young, what about that math?
Fox is 23 years 4 months. Barnes is 28 years 10 months (5 yrs 5 month apart)
Fox is 23 years 4 months. Cade is 19 year 5 months (4 yrs 1 month apart)
If Barnes is too old to play with Fox doesn’t that make Cade too young?
Fox prime is the next 5-7 years. Barnes prime is for the next 3-5 years approx. Cade prime is 4 years away.
So simple chronological data dictates that Barnes fits Fox “superstar timeline” more than the guy the Tank Crowd thinks is the “proper way” to rebuild.
And it is based on a false presumption we need a Top 5 or #1 pick to get that superstar. Well you need to change your tune, because we already have one.
And of course there is no guarantees Cade is a future dominant player in the NBA. His athleticism looks a little suspect to me.
What’s this, a breath of fresh air? With actual data and thought? Well done, sir.
No kidding, right? Well done indeed.
Superstars drag flawed rosters to the playoffs all the time. Fox hasn’t done that yet. He may be able to soon though, so I appreciate the optimism. Cade looks like a can’t miss prospect to me. Then there are about 6 players who could be good but may not pan out.
The age argument is flawed. Does Davis not fit Lebron’s timeline?
Exactly. Thank you. They’re what, seven, eight years apart?
So maybe we should just try to keep Barnes and Holmes because they’re good players and not worry if they fit some horseshit timeline … ?
Sometimes I find your stuff annoying, but this is well done.
Honestly the timeline thing is horseshit and just something some dumbass said a while back that every wanna be sportswriter and blog commenter started parroting.
Go look at literally every NBA championship team ever and every single one has a hodge podge of rookies, young players, veterans and old guys.
Every. Single. One.
There is literally no NBA championship team where every player on the roster was born within two or three years of each other.
Not one.
Fools gold would imply the illusion of a championship contender. I don’t think anyone sees that. What I do see possibly is a competitive team that’s going to bring it every night. I don’t know what’s wrong with that.
What a great look because of that elevation on the jump shot.
LOL, total townies cryin’ in their beeyahs and chowda.
Monday night now becomes a must win.
And I believe we do win it in an impressive fashion.
KIIIIIIIIIIIINGS!!!!
I think we can split with the Spurs on monday and wednesday and still be in the race. Then we have to beat Lakers, Detroit and WSH. In the middle of this we will probably lose to the Bucks
From what you’ve provided, I dont see a loss until Milwaukee. Not so much false bravado. More like current injuries and styles of play.
I don’t think they should shoot for the play-ins either. They should shoot for the playoffs. Specifically, the 7th seed, especially if the Suns stay at their current position…the 2 seed. I think we match we against the Suns and we can pull off an upset.
I looked at the remaining schedule and I saw about 5 games we most likely lose. The bucks, Jazz, and Suns. The Suns are the most beatable for us though. There are about 12 toss ups against teams like the spurs, Warriors (once Curry and Green are back), Mavs, Grizzlies, Pelicans, and the Thunder.
I’d be totally satisfied with a spit with the Spurs. But I don’t think anyone of us can pencil W’s against anybody. The season has been a weird one, indeed. We win 7 of 8 then lose 9 straight and are in the cusp of probably winning 7 of 8 again. I mean WTF, man. When was the last time the Kings won 7 of 8 on two different occasions in the same season? 2005?
I’ve been pro-tank since the 9 game losing streak. Then Bagley goes out indefinitely and the Kings begin winning again. Now it looks like the team is going for the playoffs.
I wanted us to keep the tank rolling but like Doug Christie likes to say, if you’re going to foul him, FOUL him! With this new sense of direction, if the Kings are going to try for the playoffs, they better play to win and secure the playoffs.
No turning back now.
No turning back DAMMIT!
Free Metu
Free Guy
#7 Seed
https://twitter.com/Super70sSports/status/1376227548934369284?s=20
Hearts and kidneys are tinker toys! I’m talking about the central nervous system!
The preservation of life!
What I’m liking most about this team, aside from Fox’s ascension to stardom and Hali’s development, is the excitement from the bench. Watching these guys root so hard for their teammates in the game is a great indication of a positive culture. I am excited to root for this team again. What a roller coaster season.
What a great first game for the team–euphoric game-winner…dousing Barnes in the locker room. Morale is probably pretty good right now.
Fox has realized that he is good. Sometimes this takes awhile. Not yet at the status of Lillard, stephie-pooh, Harden or LeBron but he can take over a game and against anybody not named Thybulle.
Fluke played the new guys too much. Should have beat the Cavs by more but a starting to get good team overcomes a poor game to pull it out.
Delon here for another year- is bigger than CoJo and does not just pound it. Davis is a restricted FA- so Kings are not obligated but can match. I think Silva has a team option. Moe be gone.
Last night was a good win to get- a team has to win games like that.
Important to buckle down and play well over next 5 games or so.
10th or higher is possible
We should trade to get Thybulle
Fun end to what was otherwise a pretty meh game, and with an interesting twist. De’Aaron Fox put the Kings in position on the offensive end with his And1. And then gave up what would 99 times out of 100 be the game winning bucket on the other end because he didn’t get himself in good enough position to defend Sexton.
This is De’Aaron’s next step in his ever evolving path towards franchise player-dom. Being able to recognize game situations in scramble modes like that one and keep the Collin Sexton’s of the world from getting up a quality look as he did.
And of course, even though I say that, he still managed to throw the perfect pass to Harrison Barnes for the game winner.
That is the essence of De’Aaron Fox atm IMO. The question is whether or not he makes them because the offensive leap of being able to hit 3’s (i know he went 2 of 8 last night) and FT’s is clearly already happening. Unless you think the last 10 games or so is a fluke.
We’re going to find out where this team is really at the next 10 days or so. They could be a real factor in the playoff hunt….or not. But it seems like with the newer bench they are capable of competing for quality minutes over the longer term. We shall see. Should be fun and interesting if nothing else! Quality basketball potentially in Sac? Who knew?
The Kings are undefeated since the trade deadline!
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