Sactown Royalty

Preview: Kings at Knicks

2010-02-09T20:00:39Z

More photos » Rich Pedroncelli - AP

A lurking Geoff Petrie wonders why he doesn't just make Jason Thompson a point guard during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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Early tip for we Westerners, so an early preview. Also, apologies for the lack of a Sunday preview -- I am bad at communicating with people. (Aykis' Note: Aykis Fail! Fifty lashes and a healthy ration of Sportsline 1140 for me.)

THE SCOUTING REPORT

The word from HighTops, as always:

An Opponent we can beat, in the Knick of time.

On March 20th of the 08/09 season, Sacramento ran out to a 15-0 lead at the Garden and handed the Knicks a 121-94 loss, for the Kings only Eastern Conference victory.   On November 25th this season, Sacramento opened up a 19-6 lead to begin the game in a 111-97 win at Arco Arena, for their 2nd wire to wire victory in a row against the Knicks.   And while no road victory is easy, Tuesday is the "2nd Annual Jewish Heritage Night" at the Garden, so what better time for Omri Casspi to lead the Kings to their third wire to wire victory over the Knicks.

Currently New York is 3 games ahead of the Kings in the standings at 19-31. But, they’ve really had an easy schedule since the 1st of January going 7-11, while going 5-5 at home.   Of those 7 victories only 1 was against a team above .500, and they’ve lost to MIL, MIN, & WAS.

Coach D’Antoni replaced Chris Duhon in the starting line up with Nate Robinson, after Robinson lead a 2nd half comeback against Washington on Feb. 3rd.   D’Antoni said. "I’ll play eight or nine guys. These are veterans and they will not play five or six minutes. They need a block of minutes – 20 minutes sometimes. And if you aren’t in that group, then you fall out of the rotation. That happens and your job is to be ready."   So, Duhon should still see considerable PT.

Besides Robinson, New York’s starting five are Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Jared Jeffries and David Lee.   The bench consists of Duhon, Al Harrington, rookie Jordan Hill, and with Larry Hughes listed as Day to Day with a toe injury, we could see Toney Douglas.   Duhon is the Knicks best assist man 6.3 apg, but his 8 ppg on 34.8% shooting probably cost him the starting job.   Harrington is 2nd in the NBA in Scoring off the Bench, averaging 17.6 pts & 5.8 rpg playing 28.5 mpg.   As a lottery pick, Hill has been a disappointment, scoring only 4.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg.

From the Starters, Chandler is putting up decent numbers, 15.2 pts/5.4 rpg on 47.4% field but only 26.3% from 3pt range.    Jeffries is only contributing 5.2 pts/4.2 rpg on 44.3% field and 28.3% on 3’s.   And, Robinson averages 12.9 pts, 3.5 asts, and 2.4 rebs on 46.7% field.   Danilo Gallinari is proving to be a three-point specialist with an NBA leading 127 three pointers (.401%).   This season 55% of his points come from three-point shots. He hit at least six 3’s four times, three 3’s 26 times, and he’s attempted at least ten 3 pointers 8 times in 47 games this season.   But, the main guy is David Lee.   David Lee, the reigning double double king (65 last season), recorded his 30th double double this week, which is 5th most in the NBA.   Lee is 2nd among centers in scoring with 19.9 ppg, he’s 4th in the NBA in rebounds with 11.5 rpg, and he’s 1st among Centers in assists with 3.5 apg, while shooting .555% from the field.

The Knicks are a true inside/outside team, with everyone attacking the rim or putting up 3’s.   Against MIL & WAS this week, they attempted an average of 38 shots at the rim connecting on 62%, and they averaged 37 long 2 pointers and 3’s and connected on 42% for a TS% of 54%.   While 1/3rd of their shots at the rim are assisted, their ball movement leads to 88% of their 3’s being assisted.    They will run, but poor rebounding (10th worst in rpg and 4th worst in rebound differential), and being only average in steals per game, limits their opportunities to get out on the break.   What they won’t do is turnover the ball or foul, which helps offset the lack of rebounding to keep possessions even.

I think the Kings can dominate the scoring in the paint if they share the ball.   Tyreke and Martin must lead the way by attacking the rim, and dishing off to the bigs when NY doubles.   But, that means that the frontcourt needs to cut to the basket when their man leaves to double. Shoot blocking isn’t a strength for the Knicks, with Jefferies leading at 1.1 bpg and Lee averaging only .38 per game. If the Kings can get to the FT line as they did in Toronto and finish at a reasonable rate in the paint, they can be more selective in shooting 3’s.   As long as they keep a man on Gallinari and play him tight at the arc, I don’t think the Kings need to worry about NY’s 3pt shooters.

A good way to show HighTops how much you appreciate his excellent scouting reports is to rec the snot out of his Game Keys comment, which should be coming this afternoon.

THE KEY BATTLE

Kevin Martin vs. Wilson Chandler. The last thing Martin needs right now is a good defender lining up across him. Chandler is quick and handsy, two things that bother Martin more than does strength or length. But Martin has played beautifully against New York in the past, so it might be overstated concern on my part. I don't think we'll see 50 from Speed; I'd take 20 on efficient shooting.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

David Lee, triple digit rebounds. Impossible is nothing.

BOLD BROCKLAMATION

Jon Brockman will be inserted into the game solely to deal with David Lee.

DETAILS

4:30 PM tip-off. Game threads at 4:30 and 5:45. Post-game thread at 7:15.

Kevin Martin, Grant Napear, and My Definition of Mental Weakness

2010-02-09T18:12:18Z

More photos » Rich Pedroncelli - AP

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In case you've missed the reaction, on his radio show Monday evening Kings TV play-by-play announcer Grant "Peaches" Napear called Kevin Martin a mentally weak player who can't adjust to life with a star guard teammate, and a player who is woofing it on the court, and whose on-court actions have been reprehensible.

Apparently, in the eyes of the Peach, the fame and glory from a 17-win season as the team's best player has gotten to K-Martin's head. The cat who stumped for Tyreke Evans from Day 1, the kid who heaped copious amounts of praise on Evans all through training camp and preseason and the start of the season and even while Martin was injured ... all of a sudden, this guy, in Peaches World, can't stand to see Reke's success. And this is supposedly mental weakness on the part of Martin.

Martin, who came up unheralded by the outside world in Zanesville, Ohio, population 25,000. Martin, who followed his dream at tiny Western Carolina of the Southern Conference. Martin, who got himself a personal trainer and went from nothing -- nothing -- an early entry player experts all across the nation called a fool for leaving school ... he went from that to the No. 26 in the NBA Draft in two months flat. He went from a rookie who couldn't get out of his warm-ups to a part-time starter for a playoff team. A nothing, a scrub, a perceived mistake ... to:

And from there, he turned himself into a machine. From nothing, he became a top-10 NBA scorer. Mentally weak? One of the most efficient players in the history of the game. Mentally weak? He took less shots than Mike Bibby and Ron Artest in his first season as the full-time starter ... and outscored them both. Mentally weak? He dealt with Bibby telling him that the Kings were Mike's team, and that if anyone averaged 20, it'd be Bibby. He dealt with his coach repeatedly demeaning his game in order to make nice with Artest. He didn't complain once. He continued to spend his summers improving himself, coming into training camp in midseason form (unlike the rest of the team). He worked harder than anyone employed by the franchise. Worked to get better. Worked to make the team better.

That 17-win season crushed him. He didn't ask out. He didn't make a show of demanding changes. He worked his ass off in the gym, he lobbied for Evans behind the scenes, he worked his ass off in the gym, he spread the good word of hoops in Indonesia, he worked with Omri Casspi at IMG in Florida, he worked his ass off in the gym, he came into November screeching. And that's the first time he groused publicly. About what, you ask? About the aforementioned play-by-play man, Napear, who before the fifth game of the season said that if Martin sat due to a wrist injury suffered in the previous game, then fans would be justified in calling Martin soft. Martin played. A post-game MRI showed a broken wrist bone. Martin missed two months. Martin and others (including Bobby Jackson) took Napear to task in a Sam Amick piece on Napear's ridiculous "tough guy" posture in which anyone who sits with less than a life-threatening injury is considered "soft." Napear defended himself, as stupid as it looked. A man who, in the face of overwhelming evidence that he is a complete tool, backs down is soft. So he sticks it out, and he waits for an opportunity for retribution.

You think Napear's assault on Martin right now has nothing to do with that Amick story? If so, I've got a Quincy Douby to sell you, and believe me, it is incredible. Peaches never lets go of a grudge, and he's trying to stick it to Martin right now on the airwaves. Martin's in a vulnerable position, with some parts of the Kings fanbase -- Fickleville and Shortsighted Sh*t Stirrer City, I'd call them -- turning. Martin's been in a slump relative to his standard, and the team can't win. This is Napear's opening, and he's taking full advantage with his 50,000-watt bullhorn. This is his Game 7.

...

And some of these fans are actually buying it.

***

You know what I consider mentally weak? Using your audience to settle a grudge with someone who had the audacity to publicly call you on your sh*t. The only thing more offensive is that Napear thinks we're all too stupid to see it for what it is.

Tyreke Evans - NaPG

2010-02-09T18:02:13Z

Tyreke Evans - NaPG

Despite what the title says, this article by Noam Schiller of Jerusalem Sports does a great job destroying the NaPG talk. Great article, and a must read for Kings/Evans Fans. H/T to Cowbell Kingdom for the original link.

Kevin Martin: A Matter of Perspective

2010-02-09T14:44:10Z

(section214 and others have made comments to this effect repeatedly, but a delightful subsection of this town -- Grant "Peaches" Napear included -- still doesn't get it.)

Another active buyer in trade talks, the Mavericks, haven’t pushed hard for Kevin Martin in their c...

2010-02-09T14:20:47Z

Another active buyer in trade talks, the Mavericks, haven’t pushed hard for Kevin Martin in their conversations with Sacramento, sources say. That’s an indication that the Mavs are focused on another wing who’d fit their needs – Washington’s Caron Butler.

CBS Sports' Ken Berger, who begs the question: "Then why on Earth are the Mavs talking to Sacramento?"

Omri Casspi to Compete in NBA's All-Star H.O.R.S.E. Contest

2010-02-08T21:23:22Z

Omri Casspi will be in TNT's three-man field for the NBA H.O.R.S.E. content on All-Star Saturday. He'll face reigning champ Kevin Durant and Celtics beast Rajon Rondo. Casspi's also in the Rookie-Sophomore game Friday. Tyreke Evans has a spot on Sacramento's Shooting Stars contest on Saturday night.

Patience, or Why Everyone Else Wants Kevin Martin

2010-02-08T13:29:56Z

Kevin Martin is quickly becoming the hottest name on the mouths of rumor-mongers. The "why?" isn't hard to understand -- the Kings have continued to lose, Martin and Tyreke Evans have alternately had off nights together, shooting guard is a surprisingly star-bereft position outside the top level, and Martin has a long history of scoring prolifically and efficiently. Essentially, other teams really want Kevin Martin. Why shouldn't we?

The losses are hard to take, trust me. (Hey, I'm the guy who posted the vacant Iguodala poll the morning after a brutal loss.) But -- while Martin had been off-par since returning -- it's a conglomerate of causes settling this denouement, if this in fact a denouement and not just the mountain pass on the way to glory.

David Stern is going for blood in 2011, and that must play into any team's 2010 decisions. Stern and the owners, in their first proposal to the union before an All-Star Weekend bargaining session, have reportedly pushed for a 30 percent plus reduction of player salary plus a hard cap. Who knows what will actually be approved. But the tone is such that players will suffer, which means in 2011-12 and beyond, player salaries will be lower, and the cap will be lower. There'd likely be a transition period, but teams with cap space in 2011 will be in the best position to capitalize on the New World Order.

That's why I have trouble endorsing the committment of salary beyond 2011 for all but the most electric players. Chris Bosh? You pay him whatever it takes. Amare Stoudemire? Maybe not -- not if it means you can't add anyone, or that you can't pay Jason Thompson or Donte Greene when the time comes. Andre Iguodala? A fine player -- a great defensive player. But expensive, for a long time, possibly outside the range of a transition period. That could murder.

Martin is signed to what for now is a fair deal; under a worst-case scenario -- a low, hard cap in 2011-12 with no transition period -- Martin would be considered "expensive" for two seasons. But under no circumstances would his contract be considered crippling (insomuch as some 67 players have higher salaries as of today -- that should balloon this summer). Barring a Redd (God forbid), Martin isn't going to be an anchor. Players in play in the Trade Martin game? You can't say that with assurance.

This is part of the reason Samuel Dalembert (an expensive defender, signed through 2011) is more attractive to me than Josh Howard (an expiring contract) -- I don't really want the Kings to have cap space this summer, because the temptation to use it could be too great if a good player gets shut out among the max-offering teams. Yes, I'd like a few more good players. We need them. But good players will be available in 2011, and they will almost certainly be cheaper. An artificial price cap is coming in '11. Can't we be patient?

And so it is with Martin. This team won't be making the playoffs. It's still about the future. Let's be a bit patient. The trade deadline is an artificial deadline for making a decision on Martin. The Kings can, and should, ignore it.

***

Wassily Kandinsky, Composition VII

Unbelievable graphs from HoopData

2010-02-08T12:55:48Z

Unbelievable graphs from HoopData

It's just unreal what you can do with this.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Week 15

2010-02-08T09:44:50Z

Spence, you've been playing well ever since my Article asking if you've regressed. Perhaps I should do this for JT and Kevin as well.

Another 0-3 week, but this time there is reason for encouragement. The Kings played 3 good to great teams and had the chances to beat 2 of them. That's better than being embarrassed in all of them, which had sadly started to become a trend.

The Good:

1. Effort seems to be back

The Kings seem to be once again playing with the determination that they were with at the beginning of the year. This was especially evident to me during the Denver and San Antonio games, both games the Kings could have won, and the eventual loss could definitely not be blamed on effort. I'm just glad we're seeing it come back again, and against some very good teams too. I think the team is tired and the All-Star break will be a good chance for them to get some rest. I also can't wait until the deadline is over so the team can put its full focus on the games at hand.

2. Spencer Hawes

See Player of the Week

3. Donté Greene

Donté scored a career high 31 points against the Suns. Is this reason to be excited? Not for the reason you'd think. The reason I get a little excited is because he scored 31 points, and if you watched the game, he really didn't have all that great of a game. Donté could become something special. He's got amazing natural gifts, athleticism, and range on his shot, and his defense has become great for a 2nd year player who was anything but special on that end last year.

4. Sergio Rodriguez

Sergio was quite capable as the primary backup point guard this week, and he showed remarkable skill at getting to the rim and finishing, mainly because of his quickness. He's a magician with the ball, and if we trade Beno at the deadline, I'll be glad that Sergio is here to take his place. But if we keep Beno, I think Sergio could be a pretty good trade chip. Guy has skill, there is no question of that.

5. Tyreke Evans Distribution

Tyreke has been distributing the ball extremely well as of late, and thats what I want to focus on this week. He's making an art form out of the drive and kick, and while it doesn't always lead to points, most of his passes are to wide open shooters. There's no doubt in my mind that Tyreke will have the Points and Assists requirements for the 20/5/5 crew. Now if only he could pick up his rebounding a little bit. But that's just nit picking. Kid's special. I'm glad he's in a Sacramento uniform.

6. Omri Casspi

Omri had a fairly solid week after some slumping, and he finds ways to contribute even if he doesn't score. He rebounds extremely well for a G/F, but he does need to work on his decision making, which is probably his biggest weakness. Omri is definitely NaPG. I have faith he'll get better in this area. He is a rookie after all. Its nice to see him shooting the ball decently again.

7. Andres Nocioni

I probably delayed a week Noc's return to the Good, but he definitely earned it this week. While his numbers for the week aren't glamorous, they aren't bad, and they definitely aren't ugly. And you have to give Noc this, he always plays hard, and plays scrappy defense. He was an especially big boon in the Denver game.

8. End of Bench guys

Give May credit. Guy plays his ass off and his jumper looks silky smooth. In fact, I wish Kevin Martin had his jumper right about now. Ime and Brockman also go in this category, for coming off the bench and playing hard. And Hilton Armstrong gets in because of his sneaky Ninja move at the end of the Phoenix game, where he went to shake a hand but then went for the ball instead. You're not part of the Kings future Hilton, but I'll always remember you for that.

The Bad:

1. JT missing three games.

One of those games (Denver) he continued his horrid slump. The other two were a funeral. Condolences to JT, and he looked pretty good against Toronto, so perhaps all he needed was a slight rest. We'll see what happens after the All-Star break. If his slump continues, then I think we start to get a little worried.

2. Kevin Martin

Dear Kevin,

Please spend the All-Star Break with Coachie and/or David Thorpe and get your shot back.

Miss you,

Kings Fans

3. Kevin Martin Trade Rumors/ Trade Rumors in general

I can't wait until the deadline is over. What happens, happens. Until then, the team needs to tune out the voices and just keep playing.

4. Beno Udrih

I'm going to chalk up Beno's recent poor play to his Plantar Fasciitis. I have known people who have had it, and from what I've heard, it is very painful. Get better soon Beno!

The Ugly:

1. Interior Defense

Dejuan Blair. Tim Duncan. Chris Andersen. Kenyon Martin. Robin Lopez. Amar'e Stoudemire. All of them had great offensive performances against the Kings this week. I love Spencer, JT, and Donté, but none of them are good post defenders. This needs to be rectified before next year (doesn't necessarily mean at the trade deadline).

2. Losing

Losing sucks. There's no getting around it. You can look at the silver linings all you want, but at the end of the day, you want to see your team with more points than the other team. But don't lose hope Kings fans. Things could be so much worse. Imagine if you were a Nets fan. You thought last year was bad?

3. Grant Napear

Sam Amick Rules. Napear drools. That's all I have to say about that.

4. Me.

I was entrusted to write the Game Preview for the Raptors game. In fact I volunteered for the job. Where is the preview you might ask? Yeah...

Player of the Week:

Spencer Hawes

15 PPG, 5.3 RPG, .526 FG%, 2 APG, 1.3 BPG

Spencer had one bad game against Phoenix this week (who he never plays well against), so that's whats dragging his per game stats for the week down, but even with that bad performance, Spencer had a good week. He was arguably our best player in our loss to Denver, and was very solid going against one of the All-Time greats and his idol, Tim Duncan. Spencer is consistently being very solid lately, and he has come up big in crunch time a lot this year. His pass to Beno took us into overtime and the eventual win v. Memphis earlier this year, he hit several clutch shots against the Lakers to start the year in a game the Kings should have won, and he had a huge tip in during the Denver game to send us to Overtime and hit a big 3 during overtime, where we unfortunately ended up losing. Spencer to me is the more valuable of our two young big men and the one with the most potential. It's nice to see that he's finally begun to show some consistency. Keep it up for the rest of the year big guy.

Comment of the Week:

If you're going to be in the lottery, you may as well be near the top.

It just can’t be said enough: We are rebuilding. Rome was neither built, nor rebuilt in a day.

I’d also like to humbly suggest that, no matter how well we draft this year, we are going to be in the lottery again next year, although I would expect to be at the lower end of it. Getting a rental like Stoudamire who could conceivably get us to 30 wins this season just isn’t worth the cost of derailing the long-term rebuilding plan.

2011-2012? That’s going to be an exciting season, and barring something completely bizarre, it will be a fun climb from there. And maybe in the interim, we even manage to shed some of the bad deals (Nocioni/Garcia/Beno), and make a decent splash in the FA market.

Until Halloween 2011, the only thing that truly matters is making sure the entertainment complex proposal keeps moving forward. The personnel of the team itself is in good hands.

by andy sims on Feb 5, 2010 8:22 AM PST reply actions 15 recs

Highlight of the Week:

Caption Contest:

Remember to Rec Captions you like. That's how the winners are decided. If you don't know how to rec, simply click actions on the post you want to rec, and then click rec.

Last week's winner: debrixtha1

Ime: Reke, check them out. What the heck are they doing?
Tyreke: Shakes head. "White people".

Last week's runner-up: section214

Beno Udrih gets snagged in the invisible tether that Paul Westphal has attached to Spencer Hawes.

This week's picture (FROM THE FUTURE!):

Bold Prediction: A Crotch Thrust Caption wins again.

Lottery Projection and Profile of the week:

Since we've entered the 2nd half of the season and are clearly headed for the lottery, I thought it'd be about time to add some draft analysis. I'll be profiling a different college player each week, as well as showing the possible range for where the Kings might end up, pre-ping pong balls of course.

Current Projected Lottery Position: 4th

Current Lottery Range: 3rd-9th

Draft Profile: Patrick Patterson, 6'8, 223 lbs, PF, Junior, Kentucky

Patterson has made noticeable improvements in his game since his Freshman year. This year with new Freshman Demarcus Cousins and John Wall coming to Kentucky, Patterson hasn't had to be the focal point of the offense, but is still a decent offensive weapon. He's got great athleticism, and is a VERY efficient scorer, hitting almost 60% of his shots over his college career. His basketball IQ is great and you can trust him to make good decisions with the basketball and to know his role. He's also, by all accounts, got great character.

As much as I think Patterson could be a great player, his deficiencies are exactly in the areas the Kings lack: Rebounding and Defense. Despite his great wingspan, he's not a good shotblocker, and he's also not a very good defender. Draft Express labels his best case as Carl Landry, and his worst case as Kris Humphries. Not a bad comparison. Wherever Patterson goes, I'll be rooting for him.

Next Week's Profile: DeMarcus Cousins

And Nostradumbass Prediction for next week:

@ Toronto 2/7 L (Kings start off poorly, play some great stretches of basketball during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but just can't stop the Raptors in the 4th or score for that matter. Raptors win by, oh lets just say 11)

@ New York 2/9 W (Game can go either way. We can win by a lot, or lose by a lot. I don't see a middle ground here. But screw it, we need a win and I'm feeling optimistic this week)

@ Detroit 2/10 W (OPTIMISM!)

Nostradumbass Record for the Year: 27-22

Additionally, sources say Minnesota has considered adding [Kevin] Martin to its backcourt. It's not...

2010-02-08T06:28:32Z

Additionally, sources say Minnesota has considered adding [Kevin] Martin to its backcourt. It's not known, however, whether Timberwolves general manager David Kahn would trade either member of his formidable frontcourt – Al Jefferson or Kevin Love.

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee

Hilton Armstrong's heel turn

2010-02-08T04:43:27Z

Hilton Armstrong's heel turn

Post-Game Thread: Kings at Raptors

2010-02-07T19:30:11Z

This game was like an Oreo. The good stuff was in the middle.

Open Game Thread: Kings at Raptors

2010-02-07T17:00:26Z

Do it, Kings.

As stated previously in this cyberspace, [Kevin] Martin tops the Mavs' list in their search for a...

2010-02-06T18:46:01Z

As stated previously in this cyberspace, [Kevin] Martin tops the Mavs' list in their search for a dependable second scorer to flank Dirk Nowitzki. Sources say, however, that Dallas would likely have to recruit a third team to present the quality big man presumably needed to prompt the Kings to alter their thinking.

Marc Stein, ESPN

Poll of the Indeterminate Time Period

2010-02-06T16:25:24Z

Just answer the queston, OK? Contract details here and here.

Poll

Would you trade Kevin Martin, Kenny Thomas and Sergio Rodriguez to Philadelphia for Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert?

Yes

702 votes

No

330 votes

1032 votes | Poll has closed

Suns Pound Kings (Where Else?) Inside, Win 114-102

2010-02-06T15:07:46Z

On Wednesday, the Spurs went 24-27 from within five feet of the rim. Of course, the Spurs have Manu Ginobili (a brilliant slasher and finisher), Tim Duncan (a brilliant post player) and DeJuan Blair (a brilliant offensive rebounder). The Suns have ... Amar'e Stoudemire. And yet, the Suns also dominated the paint, going 16-19 en route to a 114-102 win that wasn't really that close. Phoenix had an effective field goal percentage of .843 near the rim. They shot .432 everywhere else. PROBLEM!

The Kings, near the rim, against that porous, thin, weak Phoenix defense? 17-26, for an eFG of .654, which isn't too bad (like the Kings offense in total) but sure as hell ain't making up for the devastating weakness at the other end.

With the Kings defense playing so, so poorly, everyone basically needs to shoot the moon out of the sky. But the team went 3-13 from long-range (0-4 combined from Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin). The team went 5-21 on the worst shot in basketball, the long two-point jumper. (Donte Greene, who set a career high with 31 points, was brilliant going to the rim. Back here, from about 20 feet? Three of eight. He took one fewer long two-point jumper -- worst shot in basketball -- than the number of shots Martin took from anywhere.)

But really, again, it's the defense. This was a Chuck Person's Defense level of open threes for Phoenix. The Suns only shot 7-22 from deep, but they very well could have hit half of them. Ten of Phoenix's 16 at-the-rim buckets were assisted, six of those assists coming from Steve Nash (of course!). Nash shot well, as always, but you always make him create (for himself or a friend) out on the perimeter. It's amazing to me that teams can gameplan effectively against a rookie like Evans (pack the lane) but this team, the Kings, cannot adjust to limit the penetration of a guy who has been around some 13 seasons, a two-time MVP and eternal All-Star. It's amazing to me. Really, it's as if the Kings had never seen the Nash-Amar'e pick-and-roll before. I'm not even talking about defensive execution, which was piss-poor (aka Jon Brockman can't guard no pick-and-roll). I'm talking about basic strategy. There appeared to be none. If there was and I missed it ... well, there you go. That's how good it was, I guess. So good it was completely invisible to observers.

***

I enjoyed Donte, as always. But this was not his best game. Statistically, yes. 31 points, seven rebounds, one truly outrageous block on a shot that was going out-of-bounds anyway (and another fun block didn't feature a ball flying across the court). The shot selection, though ... eeeek. Even Antoine Walker thought a few of those were out of line.

But going to the rim? Kid's incredible. If Tyreke Evans is looong (he is), The Show is loooooong. Grant Napear appropriately pointed out that outrageous Greene baseline lay-up in which Donte's body was literally on the far side of the rim before he reached back on layed it in off the glass. Plays like that aren't physically possible for most dudes. And The Show is figuring out how to implement those physical gifts into a sensible game. He's not quite there (really, he's often an off-balance jumper waiting to happen) but it's building.

***

I don't know what on Earth to do about the defense. I assume no one in Natomas does either. It's getting worse by the second.

Post-Game Thread: Suns at Kings

2010-02-06T05:45:09Z

Open Game Thread II: Suns at Kings

2010-02-06T04:15:09Z

Open Game Thread: Suns at Kings

2010-02-06T03:00:27Z

Go Kings go.

Preview: Suns at Kings

2010-02-05T22:00:21Z

More photos » Steve Yeater - AP

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THE SCOUTING REPORT

Brought to you by HighTops:

Phoenix is in 6th place in the West, and like the SAS had a very bad January ending the month with a 7-9 record.   For the season they’re 30-21, and 12-15 on the road, but they’ve already beaten us here in Sac and in Phoenix, and have won 14 of the last 16 meetings.   Their losing ways seem to be changing having won four straight with a winning margin of 8 pts and a scoring average of 110 points per game.   And, they expect to sweep their current road trip starting with the lowly Kings. (Not my words, it’s from the Suns website.)

The Kings played well against the Suns in the two losses, and actually outscored them from the field but lost the games by being outscored by 11 pts and 8 pts from the FT line.   The Kings also out rebounded the Suns. In the Dec 15th game in Phoenix, Kenny Thomas had 18 rebounds and Amare had 21.   In the Jan. 5th game in Sac, Tyreke pulling down 11 and JT 10, while JRich lead the Suns with 9 and Amare pulled down 8.

The honors keep coming for the Suns; Amare and Nash were both named to the Western Conference All-Star starting lineup.   And, Channing Frye became the league leader in made 3pt shots (92), on Jan. 6th against Houston, after posting his 5th game of the season with 6 made 3’s.

The one change since our last meeting is that Robin Lopez has started the last 10 games at Center, and Frye has moved to the bench.   As a starter, Lopez is averaging 13 ppg, 6 rpg, and 1.2 blks in 25.6 mpg while shooting .654 FG% and .784 FT%. The other starters remain the same. Nash is averaging 16.8 ppg and 11.3 apg on .453 FG% and .468 3P%.   JRich is scoring 12.2 ppg & 6.5 rpg on 42% shooting from the field but only 21% (8-37) from 3pt range.   Grant Hill is still putting up good number, .494 FG%, .462 3P% and .893 from the FT line, but only averages 11 pts/4 rebs per game.   And finally, Amare who is making sounds like he may not opt out of his contract at the end of the season, but is playing like a man looking for a big payday.   He is averaging 23 pts, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blks on 53% shooting.

With JT out for personal reasons, the Kings are woefully undersized and can’t match up with Phoenix’s big man rotation of Lopez, Stoudemire, Frye, and Amundson.   I have to believe that PW told Thomas to start warming up right after the SAS game, so the only question is who will be in a suit, Hilton or May.   Beno is listed, as day to day, so hopefully he’ll be available.   The Kings could use him if Martin starts to lose his stroke as he did in the end of the Spurs game.   Our one ray of hope lies with Tyreke who has averaged 24.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in two games against the Suns.

After the horrible way the Kings defended the pick & roll in the Spurs game, the site of Nash entering Arco doesn’t bode well for the Kings in spite of the fact that Nash has been hampered by an abdominal strain.   Add to that an offense that has dropped to 21st in the league, and a defense that’s rated 24th and giving up 107 ppg; and it paints a pretty bleak picture.   For the Kings just to compete is going to take some of the best performances of the season from our young core, and probably the career game from someone like Armstrong or May. Let’s hope Westphal can come up with some of his rotational magic, and find a couple of line ups that can compete with another opponent that’s likely to go far into the post season.

Thanks to HighTops, as always. His Key Points should be in the comments shortly.

THE KEY BATTLE

Evans vs. Nash. The Kings figure to lose the battle between Amare and J.T.'s replacement (likely Greene), so it's vital the difference is made up in the backcourt. And there, you have to pray Evans can get to the line frequently. Phoenix fouls infrequently relative to the league, despite rather poor guard defense. But Reke has shown a real skill in drawing fouls, and knocking Amare out of the game early would be divine.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Channing Frye will miss more three-pointers than Sean May.

BOLD BROCKLAMATION

That tank of lobsters never stood a chance.

DETAILS

7 PM tip. Game Threads at 7 and 8:15, a post-gamer at 9:45.