Sactown Royalty: Front Page Posts

Should the Maloofs fire Peaches?

coolcatreportdotcom — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:29:42 -0000

(From the FanPosts. - TZ)

All in all, a pretty funny call to get rid of our favorite Kings announcer.

I like how the guy blames Napear for everything from missed free throws to bad karma in general.

A sampling: "He may have a strong play-by-play voice and be able to rattle stats off a sheet with the best in the industry, but he is a blight when it comes to the sports karma of my favorite basketball team.

Knowing the high regard in which Mr. Napear is held here, I humbly offer this up for comment. The Maloofs are on the clock. Let the Peaches Harvest begin.

Meet Bobby Brown

Ziller — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:29:38 -0000

Bobby Brown, former Cal State Fullerton Titan. Douby II? Ronnie Price The Sequel? I don't know. But I know this is a highlight reel of the time Bobby Brown dropped 47 points in college.

My man Nate Jones interviewed Brown last summer. An excerpt:

NJ: Is there a team you'd prefer to play for right now?

BB: Phoenix or Golden State.

NJ: So you like that up-tempo style that a lot of the teams in the league are currently playing?

BB: Oh yeah.

ESPN's Marc Stein, a Fullerton alum, has been a big Bobby Brown booster through the last few years. He reports on the signing with much more vigor than most $450,000 contracts deserve.

Israel's Maccabi Tel-Aviv -- perenially one of the strongest teams in Europe -- has been pursuing Brown aggressively this month, but sources said Brown was on the verge of accepting a multiyear deal "in the millions" from Spanish giant Barcelona this week when Sacramento increased its bid.

Kings > Europe > Hawks.

Is Brown a replacement for Sean Singletary, who didn't close summer league very well? The roster is clearly not yet set, with trades anticipated. But ...

Guaranteed Contracts
Kevin Martin, Francisco Garcia, Beno Udrih, Ron Artest, Quincy Douby, John Salmons, Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes, Mikki Moore, Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kenny Thomas, Shelden Williams, Bobby Brown.

That's 14, which leaves room for potentially one more player. The Kings in the past have preferred to leave one spot open. However, with the new D-League team in Reno, and Geoff Petrie's reportedly close relationship with the general manager, Sacramento could carry 15 and keep one or two in Reno.

Singletary or Brown would be prime candidates for that duty.

Ron Artest: Crazy or Just Misunderstood?

Kfan in Korea — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:03:01 -0000

Ron Artest: Crazy or Just Misunderstood?

From Hoopsworld. Nothing really new, but some interesting quotes, I hadn't seen before.

"That makes a lot of sense. Bayless is a tough one ... if he can play point guard he will be a su...

pookeyguru — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:29:27 -0000

"That makes a lot of sense. Bayless is a tough one ... if he can play point guard he will be a success, if he can't he will be a bust." Ma also adds that the player he was really pressuring the Blazers to draft was Jason Thompson. "Thompson went higher than I thought he would go but he had some of the best statistical numbers of anyone in this class," Ma explains. "Obviously his level of competition was something that concerned people but purely by statistics we had him rated fifth in this draft."

Jeffrey Ma on draft day about Jason Thompson.

Kings come to terms with Bobby Brown

otis29 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:46:00 -0000

Kings come to terms with Bobby Brown

Interesting, I guess Petrie, et al weren't overwhelmed with Singletary's work in Vegas.

I had heard Brown was one of the more surprising players in Vegas. So this could be very good news for our very shaky PG situation.

Geoff Petrie goes on vacation while Rome/Artest burns

Carl — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:23:00 -0000

Geoff Petrie goes on vacation while Rome/Artest burns

"Kings source tells me (Detroit) have not called Sacramento, and I wouldn't be shocked if no one else had recently either. I'm told it's quiet enough that Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie is heading out for a vacation..."

Scouts rave about his speed. I love his hands. He mixes it up well around the rim and looks like ...

Ziller — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:11:38 -0000

Scouts rave about his speed. I love his hands. He mixes it up well around the rim and looks like he'll be an effective player out on the floor. The best rookie power forward of the summer.

ESPN's David Thorpe on Jason Thompson

A Blowtorch original

Ziller — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:02:33 -0000

A Blowtorch original

Believing in Martin

Ziller — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:17:38 -0000

We've heard quiet stars claim they are ready to be leaders before. Peja said he'd lead the team once Vlade and Webber left. Then Mike Bibby said it. Brad Miller said it. None came close to becoming an actual on-court (or lockerroom) leader -- that was left to Ron Artest and Corliss Williamson.

But when Kevin Martin says he wants to take control, as he does in this Ailene Voisin column, I tend to believe him.

"I'm coming to training camp this year ready to do whatever it takes, being vocal in the locker room, asking to defend the toughest player. I know I'm ready to be the leader, to be that guy."

For those who haven't watched Martin's ascension these four years, it's easy to dismiss that as offseason yammering. But tell me -- when has Martin not followed through?

Read the whole column. Apparently, our little Zapper is wowing the coaches at Olympic practice in Las Vegas.

Artest to Detroit?

SavageBeast — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:50:32 -0000

From Sam Amick's Blog 7/21

Detroit: Could this be why Artest was so interested in interviewing brawl instigator John Green a while back? It would be a brilliant PR move if the Pistons were looking to put a package together for Artest.

And from what I was told from one source close to the Pistons, they are. I've yet to get this info from more than one person, so stay tuned. But much like the Mavs' situation, this could be one of those where the player the Kings want (perhaps Tayshaun Prince) would be different than the one offered (Jason Maxiell, anyone?). Pure speculation on my part in terms of the potential pieces.

Tell me that wouldn't be the ultimate irony. Back where it all started. It's just crazy enough to work!

True Hoop loves Jason Thompson

jacquetbg — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:12:59 -0000

True Hoop loves Jason Thompson

They call him their "Favorite Clutch Player" from the summer leagues. Nice.

I'm Worried About Minutes aka Trade Someone Please

Kfan in Korea — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:07:59 -0000

(From the FanPosts. - TZ)

I was thinking about playing time for some of our younger players, and came to a frightening realization. We're now too deep. As our roster currently stands our 5 starters are Beno, Martin, Artest, Moore and Miller. The first 4 off the bench would be Garcia, Salmons, Hawes and Williams. The last 3 on the active roster(end of the bench guys) are Douby, Thompson and Singletary.

Based partly on last season's minutes, and knowing that Theus will be trying to win every game(rightfully so), I would predict a breakdown something like this:

Martin - 35, Artest - 35(closer to 40 last year), Miller - 33, Beno - 32 and Moore - 30 = 165 minutes

Garcia - 25, Salmons - 20, Hawes - 15, Williams - 10, and Douby -5 = 75 minutes

= 240.

That would assume Garcia backing up at the point and SG to get him his minutes and a few minutes for Artest at the 4(same as last year).

The problem here is we really need to be getting Douby 10+ minutes a game, because we need to find out this year what he can do, and I'd like to see Thompson get similar minutes to what Hawes got last year(10-15), without taking minutes from Williams(who is in a similar situation to Douby).

We're getting to the point where we need to start seeing what we've got with some of these guys. Our team isn't contending, so we don't have the luxury of letting a Gerald Wallace waste away on the bench and then blossom elsewhere. If there are players on this team we know for sure are not a part of the future, it is time to look at moving them now(Mikki, Brad, Ron).

The trade/trades kind of need to be for young talent, picks and expiring crap, similar to the Bibby deal(but hopefully with better picks). If we did the Odom or Marion trade, it would free up some minutes at the 1-3, but take even more time away from the young bigs. Odom or Marion getting 35 minutes at the 4 and Mikki taking 15-20 off the bench doesn't leave much playing time for Spencer, Sheldon and JT.

I'd hate to see Douby, Williams and Thompson sitting on the end of the bench, not getting a chance to develop as fast as they might, just so we can win an extra 5 games.

And we're back.

Ziller — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:06:44 -0000

And we're back.

Ziller, just now

The Now Official Kings vs Rockets summer league open thread

CloudyEyes — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:14:55 -0000

Kings vs Rockets in Summer League action! Game starts at 5:30PM PT You can go to NBA.com to watch the game, or simply click here to open the link. All you need to do is scroll down below the Sacramento vs Houston scoreboard and click on "watch" when the game is live.

It's the Kings' last game of the Summer League, folks! Get your last glimpses of NBA Summer League Basketball, before the full off-season comes into effect.

Clutch City

Ziller — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:11:15 -0000

Dear Sactown Royalty,

Jason Thompson has two game-winners in four games. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

We're relocating Team Ziller headquarters this weekend, so don't be alarmed if the content comes slowly. Work those FanPosts/FanShots!

In Douby We Trust,
Ziller

Summer League Game 4, vs Golden State -- Open Thread

Ziller — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:07:36 -0000

Apologies for slacking on previous open game threads. Didn't realize there'd be such a demand for biting summer league commentary.

May Jason Thompson "ice-grill" Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright repeatedly.

On the Luxury Tax Implications of Odom for Artest and K-9

Carl — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:40:28 -0000

Scott Howard-Cooper (can I just call him Scoop for short?) wrote a well-researched article about how much it will cost the Lakers to take on Kenny Thomas with Ron Artest. The jist of the article is that the Lakers would take an enormous luxury tax hit by including Kenny Thomas Thomas in the deal for Lamar Odom. Scoop notes that substituting Qunicy Douby and Shelden Williams for K9 would save the Lakers $25 million over the next two seasons.

Donnie Nelson Please Read!!!

rbiegler — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:38:59 -0000

Donnie Nelson Please Read!!!

Kings Like Josh Howard, But So Do the Mavs

Ziller — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:23:44 -0000

The Kings apparently countered that awful Jerry Stackhouse/Brandon Bass offer from Dallas with the obvious: Give us Josh Howard. The Dallas Morning News says the Mavericks are unwilling to consider that.

Apparently, this isn't the first time the Kings have tried to pry Howard away. He'd be an upgrade on John Salmons, for sure -- he's a tenacious defender, a decently efficient scorer, a great rebounder. But I'd find it difficult to offer up more assets beyond Ron Artest to get him after that woeful second-half.

The deadline on the Lakers' opportunity to match Ronny Turiaf's GSW offer sheet is today, so be prepared for a potential onslaught of Odom rumoring tomorrow.

After the Kings and Mavs combined for 78 free throws on Wednesday, Spencer Hawes was in no mood t...

Ziller — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:45:43 -0000

After the Kings and Mavs combined for 78 free throws on Wednesday, Spencer Hawes was in no mood to talk about the officials, simply saying, "I don't know. I don't really want to comment on that. I don't know if I can get fined in Summer League, but I'd rather not risk it."

Matt Watson of FanHouse