Sactown Royalty

Sacramento City Council Votes Unanimously To Enter Negotiations With Parking Bidders

2012-02-15T12:14:00Z

The Sacramento City Council has voted unanimously to allow the city to enter negotiations with 11 firms seeking to win the contract to operate Sacramento's downtown parking facilities in exchange for an upfront payment that would contribute half or more of the funding needed to build a new entertainment and sports complex at the arena.

A week ago, the council narrowly defeated a bid to have the entire parking plan put on the June ballot, which would have halted progress and likely sent the Kings to a new city, given that the NBA's deadline for an arena funding plan is March 1. The council will next take up the issue on February 28, when a term sheet between the city, the league and operator AEG could be up for approval. That vote is expected to be more narrow, depending on how high the parking revenue comes in.

Stay tuned. February 28 is going to be a huge night for the future of the Sacramento Kings.

Some discussion in Exhibit G's FanShot.

Bulls 121, Kings 115: Defense Crumbles, Comeback Fails

2012-02-15T05:08:26Z

The Sacramento Kings' offense sure broke out alright against the Chicago Bulls and their No. 1 defense on Tuesday, but unfortunately the Bulls scored a few more against Sactown's porous resistance to pick up a 121-116. Even without Derrick Rose, Chicago scored at will, shooting 52.4 percent from the floor, hitting 9-19 threes and 24 free throws. Luol Deng was the high scorer with 23, but the real killers were in the frontcourt: Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer combined for 38 points on 14-25 shooting. Noah, in particular, was deadly (22 and 11 with four blocks).

Of course, his counterpart DeMarcus Cousins had a big night, too. Boogie finished with 28 points on 10-20 shooting (7-9 line) and 17 rebounds (seven offensive). That's a mammoth game for the young monster, but having given almost all of it back to Noah isn't great. Noah's a fine player, though.

Tyreke Evans had a strong game, too, with 27 points on 9-18 shooting, eight assists and eight rebounds. He thoroughly whipped up C.J. Watson, Rose's replacement, and was especially powerful in the second half, where he tallied 20 on 7-11 shooting with six of his assists. He sat for a total of about 45 seconds in the second half, so keep an eye on his energy as the road trip wears on.

Deng won his matchup with John Salmons so thoroughly as to be almost comical. While Deng had 23, a ridiculous 11 assists and seven rebounds, Salmons managed three points on 1-8 shooting, two assists and one rebound. Salmons played most of the third, shooting 0-5 in the period. He didn't get off the bench in the fourth as Keith Smart went almost exclusively with Evans at small forward and Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Thornton in the backcourt. (Jimmer Fredette was a late scratch due to a stomach bug.) That three-guard lineup was a +16 in the fourth quarter.

Donte Greene scored 10 on 4-4 shooting and held Deng scoreless in the second quarter. Woo! Then he missed a couple of buckets in the late third/early fourth and sat for the triple-guard attack. C'est la vie.

The Kings play the Knicks on Wednesday.

Kings vs. Bulls: Open Game Thread II

2012-02-15T02:30:01Z

Next Game

Sacramento Kings
@ Chicago Bulls

Tuesday, Feb 14, 2012, 5:00 PM PST
United Center

Complete Coverage >

Kings vs. Bulls: Open Game Thread I

2012-02-15T01:00:01Z

Councilman Kevin McCarty told me he is in favor of moving forward on talks with the parking firms...

2012-02-14T21:26:33Z

Councilman Kevin McCarty told me he is in favor of moving forward on talks with the parking firms and sees tonight's vote as "procedural." He said the vote "could pass unanimously."

Still, McCarty - as well as others on the council - is "withholding judgment (on the arena plan) until I see all the facts."

Ryan Lillis, Sacramento Bee

Kings vs. Bulls: UP OUTTA THERE

2012-02-14T20:00:24Z

Sacramento Kings at Chicago Bulls
5 p.m. Pacific on Comcast SportsNet California

Another road trip begins.

When the Kings are done with this one, it'll be the end of February, and the team will have just 12 road games remaining all season, and 21 home games. That's a huge spread that can help -- if the team complies -- the Kings finish the season on a really strong note.

If the Kings have some success on this trip, all bets are off. I'm not talking about the playoffs: I'm talking about a confidence launching push toward .500 on the season. The playoffs are a brutal stretch in the West; you might need 36 or 37 wins to get there, which would require playing .667 ball from here on out. Simply not practical.

But this first match, assuming Derrick Rose sits again, is a potential win, despite how brilliant Chicago has been with or without Rose. With the MVP, this team is darn near unbeatable at home unless you're the Heat. Without Rose, there's a chance, however small. But the Kings need to play brilliantly -- attack the strong defense relentlessly, shoot well, prevent Chicago's weapons from coming alive. It's unlikely the Kings will be able to overcome all that Chicago has, but there's a chance.

Tyreke Evans was so bad on Saturday that you'd hope for a strong bounce-back, especially if C.J. Watson lines up across from him. The major matchup (assuming Rose sits) will be Joakim Noah vs. DeMarcus Cousins. Two pests, one a bull and the other a serpent. Should be fun to watch.

Game's at 5. Game threads at 5 and 6:30. Remember: the City Council meets at 6 and will be voting on taking another step in the parking plan process. Your attendance is needed!

Let's go Kings. Let's go Sacramento.

Sacramento City Council has votes for arena if reachable criteria is met

2012-02-14T16:14:03Z

Sacramento City Council has votes for arena if reachable criteria is met

Aaron Bruski shares a positive outlook on tonight's vote and the future of the Kings.

As he says, "Kings fans will probably wait until the shovels hit the dirt before they celebrate." I'm not celebrating, but there's a lot of positive information in the article.

Setting Expectations for Kings' Latest Road Trip

2012-02-14T16:00:52Z

The Sacramento Kings are road trippin' again, off on a six-game sojourn leading up to All-Star Weekend. Tonight, the Kings meet the Bulls in Chicago before a Wednesday match against the Knicks. The Kings will have a day off before visiting the Pistons on Friday, another day off before facing the Cavaliers on Sunday, and one last day off before a back-to-back in Miami and Washington.

Given Derrick Rose's injury status, the only sure-bet, can't-win game would seem to be at Miami. The Heat are damned good and healthy. Tonight's game in Chicago is a highly probable loss -- the Bulls have been pretty good without Rose -- but there's a chance. The Knicks are a mystery, especially with Amare Stoudemire definitely back in the fold by Wednesday. (Carmelo Anthony is likely sitting until Friday.) The Cavaliers are decent, and the Pistons and Wizards are totally beatable.

The Kings should get two wins out of this. Three is a real possibility. Four is a stretch, given the way Lin is playing. Five is unthinkable. Six is not possible.

That's my view anyway. Let's hear yours.

Poll

How many games will the Kings win on this six-game road trip?

0

14 votes

1

56 votes

2

196 votes

3

221 votes

4

61 votes

5

12 votes

6

39 votes

599 votes | Poll has closed