SACKINGSBLOG.com

Moving Sale

2005-10-21T06:27:00.000-07:00

Everything must go! Half off!

It's sad to say that only months after christening this here website with the first blurb of idiocy, I'm leaving it behind to wither in the tempestuous Sacramento fall weather. SACKINGSBLOG.com, your home for crackpot opinions on the Kings and the NBA, is sadly no more.

But fear not, masochists - SACTOWN ROYALTY is here to bludgeon you with misguided prose.

Having understood the complaints from Celtics fans that my site was "hideous" even before they pointed it out to me, I looked for ways I could run a Kings blog while doing even less work. That took me to the wholly wonderful SportsBlogs Nation, a network run by the guys that brought you Daily Kos and Athletics Nation, as well as my personal favorite Giants blog, McCovey Chronicles.

SBN offers me a lot of things (the actual potential for some ad revenue, a clean site look, a close network of sportsbloggers, easy-to-use technology), and hopefully it will offer my current and future readers some great features, too. Over at SR, you can post a diary, which is like a mini-blog where you can spout off on anything, even if I haven't posted on it.

You do have to register to comment or post a diary, but it's extremely easy to do so. Also, feel free to use a throwaway freebie email account to register - although we promise not to spam you, I understand some people's hatred for logins.

I thank you all for reading my crap, posting your own crap, emailing me to tell me you actually like my crap and clicking on my ads. All very much appreciated.

And I hope y'all will join me over at SACTOWN ROYALTY.

Major SKB News Coming

2005-10-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

Tune in first thing tomorrow morning, as we have big news for all three of our readers. It may involve some work on your part, and probably none on ours. Other than that, it should make you happy. If it doesn't, we're sending our large Sicilian uncle over to "visit." Capiche?

Survivor: Sacramento Update

2005-10-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't been paying much attention, two more players have been kicked off the island. Rickey Paulding, as expected, was dropped, as was Erik Daniels, who actually had a roster spot most of last season as a backup and seldom-used forward.

Sam Amick wrote up the ED cut a few days ago. With Dan Langhi and Anwar Ferguson already gone, this brings the magic cut number to three.

Eric Sandrin has to be next to go, along with either Luis Flores or Ronnie Price and Luke Schenscher or Jamal Sampson. My money is on Sandrin getting cut within days and Flores and Luke Dynamite getting cut on Halloween.

Suns Still Better?

2005-10-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

SI thinks so. Their league preview has the Kings as the sixth-best team in the West, behind the Spurs, the Nuggets (yes, the #2 Denver fricking Nuggets), the Suns sans Amare, the Mavericks and the Rockets. The Sonics rank at number 7, much to the displeasure of the hilarious SuperSonicSoul.

Our own division preview will be laid out starting Monday.

Nasty

2005-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Reading this story on Big Nasty makes me really hope the guy gets significant minutes this season.

Of course, seeing him on offense and remembering 1997 (when he was the number one option) makes me wish he wouldn't get any minutes.

Blogosphere Power Rankings

2005-10-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

It's a few days late, but...

YAYsports has implemented a fantastic feature - a weekly compendium of basketblogger power rankings. The first edition came out Monday and can be found below.

The top five looks very similar to my own, though Cleveland over the Kings should never happen. I also think that because EVERYONE seems to believe the Suns are going to plummet to the fiery depths of Golden-State-Warriordom, that they're probably going to hang around the top this season. Fricking conventional wisom.

Gone Fishing

2005-10-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the late notice, but SKB is on a short vacation until Wednesday. We'll catch up on the win over L.A. and whatever happens versus the Warriors Sunday then. But for now, our mind is a clean slate, worrying not about cat-vomit uniforms, rebound margins or Adelmania.

Feel free to comment on any of the weekend games in the comments of this post.

Fandemonium, A Few Days Late

2005-10-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, so almost a week late. But we finally got some pictures from a reader!

Keith sent along the following photos from Saturday's Fandemonium event, which didn't include a scrimmage (?) but did have other fun things, including Bonzi Wells and Brad Miller peddling snacks and beer.

Here's Bonzi (either signing autographs or squeezing ketchup on a hot dog - we can't tell):

...and B-52 posing with 6-year-old Kings fan Jason:

...and something we are totally NOT ready to discuss yet, the cat-vomit jerseys:

Thanks Keith!

Boston's Ebert and Roeper

2005-10-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

So I check my traffic this morning and see a veritable avalanche of unnormal hits. Where are they from? Celtics Blog, where one of the top 5 hoopsbloggers on the planet complimented me.

So I check the comments of the too-kind post, and I see this C's fan's response:

"SacKingsBlog is OK.. the writing is entertaining but man oh man is that a hideous layout."

You win some, you lose some. But is that one hell of a t-shirt in the making?

We now have two slogans here at SKB. Vote for your favorite:

SACKINGSBLOG.com: We use all sorts of math and shit to prove a point.

Or

SACKINGSBLOG.com: "The writing is entertaining, but man OH MAN is that a hideous layout."

The choice is yours, America.

Shocker: Tsakopoulos Wants to Build Homes

2005-10-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Bee has the story on Angelo K. Tsakopoulos's new plan to get the Maloofs their arena. It involves developing land in eastern Sac County - property that is earmarked as open space.

This sped-up development would raise funds to build a new arena for the Kings in North Natomas. A similar plan got killed last spring when Angelo's fellow landowners balked at contributing 20 percent of their home-selling profits.

Tsakopoulos is a magnificently hungry power broker, for those unfamiliar with him. He has the money, land and connections to essentially do want he wants, and though sources in the Bee story say such a plan is far-fetched (a recently approved growth plan doesn't call for homes on AKT's land in eastern county).

That the tribes are involved in this plan is interesting, too. They are a big source of funds, though it's unclear how they will contribute to any arena plan. And the Maloofs certainly don't seem to be counting their eggs yet. So, you know, grain of salt.

Will Sacramento get an ultimatum this year? I'd guess yes, and I'd venture that the ultimatum will be 2008.

Rip Hamilton's Secret Exposed!

2005-10-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Along with pondering the idea of painting his clear face mask like a superhero, Andrei Kirilenko talks about how refs probably call tougher games on guys guarding players with broken noses. Rip Hamilton is sooo going to hurt AK47 for giving away his secret.

Kings Lose Meaningless Game, Blogger Jumps to Conclusions

2005-10-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Kings dropped their first preseason game to the Mavs last night, going down 96-83.

The Good
- Kevin Martin and Jason Hart both looked good on defense. B-52 had his moments on D, too.
- KT started and got into a nice flow in the second half. He ended up 5 for 8, hitting some nice-looking midrangers.
- Shareef, coming off the bench, was excellent.
- 82 percent from the line as a team.
- We feel confident in saying Skinner is healthy.

The Bad
- Peja went 1 for 7. Somewhere, Chris Webber chuckled.
- The starting 5 looked horrible together, which is to be expected since, you know, this is like their first game together (though 4 of the 5 were together part of last season).
- Bibby looked real slow. Again, to be expected. It was the first preseason game.
- The team shot 20 percent from behind the arc and 43.7 percent overall. Bibby and Peja were each 0 for 3 for long-range.

The Vaguely Irritating
- Ronnie Price and Jamal Sampson got a combined 4 minutes of playing time, and E.D., Flores, Paulding, Sandrin and Luke Dynamite did not play.

All in all, it's very good to be seeing NBA basketball on a TV near me. I like the basketball.

Open Game Thread, 10/11, Preseason Game 1

2005-10-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

Consider this a thread to talk about tonight's preseason opener vs. the Mavs - before, during or afterwards.

I don't care if we win or lose any preseason games. Let's just hope everyone stays healthy, that the youngsters show us something (hi Kevin Martin!) and that Kenny Thomas doesn't pout.

Let's (cautiously) go Kings!!!

Joint Surface Defects, How I Love Thee

2005-10-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Now I never wish harm on anyone, especially a guy practically my own age.

But Amare Stoudemire being out the next four months is probably the best thing to happen to the Kings title chances since Kobe went down with food poisoning in 2002. My glee-o-meter is off the freaking charts right now.

How prescient was this email exchange I had with a famous Suns fan yesterday?

SKB: I hope Amare's knee is as chewed up as a
$2.99 sirloin from the Sundowner.
Famous Suns Fan: Yeah, you'd better. Because otherwise, he will eat Kenny Thomas for brunch.

KT - you've been spared The Amare Stoudemire Eggs Benedict Experience. I'll toast to that.

Inside Stuff, Shorter

2005-10-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Welcome, readers of the Carnival of the NBA. Please note that this site is now defunct, but you can find Tom Z.'s crackpot analysis of the Kings and the NBA on SACTOWNROYALTY.com. Thanks.

My basketball jones is really acting up today. Part of it is, you know, the start of freaking preseason tonight!. Another part could have to do with seeing my first 05-06 episode of Inside Stuff this morning.

Here are the, um, highlights:

- Balki Ginobili is well-loved in native Argentina. Surprise.
- Sugar Ray Allen absolutely needs to grow back his fade. Conversely, Baron Davis absolutely needs to shave his facial tribute to Just for Men spokesman Clyde Frazier. NBA Week on Wheel of Fortune should be entertaining, to say the least.
- Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacques Wamutombo is the funniest man alive. Can we just keep a camera on this guy? The Sports Illustrated story last season that followed Deke, Yao and Patrick Ewing out for dinner single-handedly forced me to resubscribe. Comedy gold, that Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacques Wamutombo.

Also, ESPN tried to peddle Bill Simmons' book on the 2004 Red Sox during Inside Stuff. Too bad Boston got knocked out so Padre-like - that was a golden marketing opportunity.

We haven't picked up a copy yet (we're struggling through Phil's ode to himself right now, and the book on Sebastian Telfair is next). But knowing Simmons, we're sure it's good.

Survivor: Sacramento

2005-10-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

The first cuts of training camp are expected to come either today or tomorrow (after the first preason game - the tension is palpable).

Thus, we're inspired to a game of Survivor: Sacramento. There's 20 in camp, and recent accounts have said the team will keep 13. That's the assumption, at least, going in.

Here's our projected order of the camp cuts:

Eric Sandrin, Dan Langhi, Ricky Paulding, Anwar Ferguson, Erik Daniels, Luis Flores, Luke Schenscher.

We see two roster spots up for grabs - the top 10 are pretty much unquestioned. Jamal Sampson (repeatedly listed as a forward by the Bee, but would be only the second 7-footer on the roster) seems to be a slam dunk - there's a dearth of height on this squad. Ronnie Price, by virtue of signing a guaranteed contract months ago, should be there too, despite Flores' best efforts.

Bringing Schenscher to camp could be taken two ways - they needed an extra big man when Lonnie Jones didn't show up, or they pounched on a cast-off with potential. We're thinking the latter.

Daniels is an interesting case - he was on the team last season, even playing a few times. But to say this team has a glut of talented forwards is an understatement. There's simply little to no room for Daniels.

We wouldn't be shocked to see Luke Dynamite, Flores or ED on the roster come the end of October. But we would be shocked to see Price or Sampson cut.

Fandemonium, Tonight

2005-10-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

Fandemonium is at 7 tonight, and SKB won't be in attendance. Please feel free to send along your accounts and photos from the event - we'll post them here.

Someone has to get a good photo of Schenscher for us - Photoshop is calling.

Garcia v. Corliss (and Manhattan v. Utah)

2005-10-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the backup 3 spot is up for grabs, with Francisco Garcia (who we all thought was a 2) battling the oldest King, Corliss Williamson to be Peja's sub.

Sam Amick writes that Garcia is taking too many bad shots, but is defending Peja well in practice and passing great. Good signs. He's also putting some weight on.

I'd like to see the kid get some early season action - we know what Nasty can do and what he can't. Let's develop a player in the regular season, for a change.

Also, apparently all three backup point guards not named Ricky Paulding are battling for the Bibby backup spot. Jason Hart has to be a shoe-in - the guy is one of the top 5 backup points in the league. He's not getting beat out by a rook from Utah Valley State or a sophomore recently cut by the Nuggets.

But it'll be interesting to see if Petrie decides to carry four point guards on the roster, sending one to the inactive list and Albuquerque. That player might end up better off - playing three times a week as one of your teams' stars is better than practicing against the top players in the world and watching games from the bench, I think.

Divac Waived By Lakers

2005-10-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

The AP is reporting that the Lakers have waived the Marlboro Man, and will owe him $2 million if he clears waivers.

Do you want him on the Kings bench, as an assistant coach or a back-up?

Barnes: New York, New York

2005-10-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

Matt Barnes, the patron saint of Sacramento basketball players, has signed a one-year deal with the Knicks for $745,000.

I would've loved to have this guy back - his defense is fantastic and he's a hussle guy. Good luck to Matty in NYC.

I'm Going Down Highway 80 in My Big Ole Motorhome

2005-10-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

Kings.com's training camp blog reports on Brad Miller, who drove his motorhome to the practice facility on Tuesday, so he'd have somewhere to go between practices.

Does this line...

"Now that had to be a sight to see...Brad Miller trucking down I-80 in his big old motor home on the way to practice!"

remind anyone else of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast's Brak?

Shareef v. KT: Round 1

2005-10-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

I honestly didn't think this would be an issue. But apparently, Kenny Thomas seriously thinks he has a claim to the starting power forward throne this season.

His reasons? He's started most of the games in his six-year NBA career and he was a starter in Sacramento last season. (KT, of course, came to the team in February, and SAR is a nine-year starter.)

KT doesn't seem like he's going to problem if he doesn't get the starting spot, but the fact it's an issue at all is mindboggling. Apparently, Kings Nation agrees.

This poll on Sacbee.com shows that 81 percent of respondents feel Shareef Abdur-Rahim should be the starter. In fact, almost as many people so far have voted that the Kings should find a new PF as have voted to insert KT into the top of the rotation.

This "battle" will continue to be fought through preseason. Let's just give Round 1 to Shareef, though.

Carnival, Resumed

2005-10-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

Excuse us for the late afternoon postvalanche, but Carnival of the NBA #16 is up at 120 Proof Ball. Enjoy.

Sports Guy, In His Own Words

2005-10-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Boston Sports Media Watch has a thrillingly depressing interview with Bill Simmons. (Scroll about halfway down - the passage referenced is titled "The Guy.")

We won't lie - The Sports Guy is one of our major writing influences. His wit is sometimes mind-blowing. But his smugness is showing in this interview. And his prickness.

I mean, this guy is essentially the father of sportsblogging, even if he was never really a sportsblogger on his own. Every sportswriter buddy I had in college, including two successive editors-in-chief of the school paper, were huge Sports Guy fans. He's carrying the writing torch for every 18-34 sports fan right now.

And this is how he treats it:

“I hate the word ‘blogger’ only because I actually wrote 2-3 full-length columns a week back then, unlike just about everyone now.”

I understand that this guy has a lot of stuff going. He churns out a couple columns and some limited bloggy stuff every week, and he just published a book (of parenthetically-noted old columns, mind you). Plus, he's apparently writing scripts and wrote for a TV show for a while. Few sportswriters I know work harder.

But that's all he does for a living. He doesn't have to toil at a daily newspaper coverning planning commission meetings and environmental lawsuits and new businesses. He doesn't have to sell real estate. He doesn't have to bartend anymore. He doesn't have to dig trenches or pour cement or put in eight hours in a cubicle. Sadly, most bloggers do.

Where his hatred comes from is beyond me. Is he pissed that we can all get our thoughts published without having to toil for years to build an audience in a pre-Internet-savvy America? Is he pissed that it's so easy to get a blog going and get readers, that any chump can do it, even without a master's degree? Is he pissed that bloggers don't have to write three columns a week?

It seems like that. And it seems like that's what he hates about the mainstream media, as well. He hates that eternally-employed columnists clog the paths of the up and coming talent. He hates that you essentially have to sell your allegiances to get into the big-time sportswriting game. He hates the actual grind of the ascent required for a meaningful sportswriting career.

It's incredibly hypocritical. And it's annoying. This is a guy whose career path would indicate he'd love the breaking down of the walls for guys getting into sportswriting. Yet he's pissed that one of the walls he had to overcome - establishing your online presence - is getting knocked down by schmoes without obligations, word counts or deadlines.

He wants his to flip off The System and be the top dog in The System, all at the same time. It's disappointing. He's still the best in the game, and there's no way I'm not reading every column he writes.

But I'm really disappointed in his disowning of the sportsblogosphere. It's his kid, whether he wanted it or not. The least he could do is acknowledge it, even if he doesn't pay child support.

Ahh, Synergy

2005-10-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

My first column is up at The Sac Rag. In case you've never clicked the link over there on the right, The Sac Rag is a rather new foray into judging the people of Sacramento with an indiscriminant eye and sharp tongue.

In fewer words, it's a bunch of Sacramentans talking shit about other Sacramentans. Loads of fun, really.

I'm going to be writing a weekly column for Don and Ron at The Rag (and not because they asked me to). It's called "Pick and Droll." I'll always link it here, but you can expect a new piece every Monday afternoon.

While you're there, check out all the other cool stuff going on. There's a restaurant reviewer, a couple of concert reviewers and more commenters than you can shake a stick at.

Bibby's Team

2005-10-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

We were skeptical when we saw the words "Vanna White" in the lede, but Sam Amick's epic on Mike Bibby's changed perspective is absolutely wonderful.

We plan on writing more on what we think Bibby needs to do to be an All-Star later this month. Suffice it to say we're cautiously optimistic after reading Amick's account.

Adelmania Begins

2005-10-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

It sure didn't take long for the hot seat to get warmed up.

This Rick Adelman Q&A with the Bee's Mark Kreidler mainly revolves around two questions: does Rick Adelman think he has a future in Sacramento, and does Rick Adelman think his team can win with all the new parts?

The long-form interview (emphasis on LONG) is a must-read, and a good primer of where our coach's head is at. Despite what he says about the Maloofs not owing him anything, he clearly thinks differently and will almost certainly take off next summer if he's not fired first.

This is the third time that we've seen Adelman lash out against his bosses since Philgate happen - hell, he's even lashed out against old buddy Geoff Petrie on the radio.

How much lip will the Maloofs take before throwing down with The Stubborn One? Is Terry Porter getting his luggage ready and buying plane tickets to Sacramento International? Will we, as fans, rue the day we lost one of the top 5 coaches in the league?

Let's hope we find out later rather than soon.

Umm... Joe?

2005-10-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Joe Davidson of the Bee calls Mike Bibby the 11th best player in the league. Discuss.

Bing: It's a Good Thing

2005-09-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Alternatively infuriating and heart-warming. Suffice it to say that former NBA star Dave Bing is at the center of a crapstorm over a (get this) $200 million donation to Detroit public schools.

People are so maddening sometimes. Thankfully, Bing isn't.

SI's Dwyer on the Pacific

2005-09-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

Kelly Dwyer - noted blog commenter and Sports Illustrated funnyman - has published his Pacific Division preview. It's good.

He doesn't seem wholly impressed with Sacramento's squad, saying it's certainly not a contender. He does say it's a 50-win team and a possible second-round loser, though.

He thinks Phoenix will still win 60 and contend for the Spurs' title. He thinks the Lake Show will compete for 7th-seed (and bring back the real triangle offense) and the Warriors could make the playoffs. I'm not sure what he's predicting about the Clips - they could be good or they could be bad.

I'm going to flesh my thoughts about the division out in the next few weeks, with some help from fellow bloggers. But suffice it to say that I think Phoenix will suffer by not having a shooter like the Q. All it would take for the Suns to fall below 60 wins would be for their 30-year-old point guard with a bad back to come back to Earth.

Don't get me wrong - Nash was at the top of his game last season. But can he sustain it another year? We're not so sure.

Throwing Elbows at FEMA

2005-09-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

I doubt there was a player I despised more in the 1990s than Karl Malone. He was dirty, he was arrogant and he beat the hell out of the Kings every time he came to ARCO.

But I'm not sure there's a better guy out there. The USA Today reports on the Mailman's relief work in Mississippi in today's issue.

The story is vivid enough that you can almost picture Malone down there, intimidating the hell out of the bureaucrats and private contractors trying to keep his crew from helping out. I know I wouldn't say a word to him if he drove a bulldoze down my block.

I never thought I'd say it, but the world needs more Karl Malones.

The Sports Guy vs. Sportsbloggers?

2005-09-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

I read the Bill Simmons/Chuck Klosterman column that's getting some heat from sportsbloggers who think the writers took some cheap shots. I didn't feel anything when I read it (I actually was pissed that they were taking themselves seriously instead of referencing 24 or talking about Kill Reality, more than anything).

I'm not sure they were even referring to sportsbloggers in particular. Klosterman's offending passage was, "They just write, 'Oh, look at this terribly archaic New York Times story. Isn't it pathetic?' But that sentiment is being expressed by someone who's never done an interview and has no tangible relationship to journalism." Simmons follows up with, "What's the point of writing about people who write about sports/movies/politics/music if you're not backing up your words with your own columns or features? How do you have credibility then? I could write for a living, I just choose to rip everyone else. What? How does that make sense?"

Again, I just kind of breezed through this part of the column, looking forward to the promised Gheorge Muresan dialogue. That's what I go to the Sports Guy for, not state-of-new-media addresses. But some sportsbloggers, especially the Mighty MJD, took offense.

MJD says, "I think Klosterman misunderstands the intent of sports bloggers. I don't want to do interviews. I have no interest in engaging in journalism. I have my opinions, they're new, they're mine, they're individual, and I present them." I get that and respect that.

But MJD doesn't speak for all of us. Blez at Athletics Nation has secured interviews with Billy Beane and a number of players. Dave at The City said he's gotten clearance to attend Warriors practices. Henry at TrueHoop has a journalism background and writes features for his blog pretty consistently.

It's easy to generalize blogs and bloggers as talk-radio-in-print. Lord knows I've bashed Mark Kreidler and Grant Napear and the Bee and KHTK. But why shouldn't I be able to, along with posting sentient thoughts, reaction to others thoughts and new ideas about the game? Remember, we don't get paid for this.

The Sacramento Sports Shuffle

2005-09-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Carl at Arranging Matches says he thinks a Kings move in 2007 could lead to an A's move to Sacramento a few years later.

It's an interesting thought - stranger things have happen. But I doubt the Kings leave Sacramento (there will no doubt be more on this subject soon) and I actually think the new A's management will get a stadium somewhere in the Bay Area.

A Trip to the Hood

2005-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Warning: politics ahead.

True Hoop links to a Etan Thomas speech (yes, that Etan Thomas) on the hypocrisy of modern conservatism. I never knew this guy was so well-spoken (probably because I never really paid attention).

I don't necessarily agree with Etan's statements or endorse them by linking to his speech. But I think it's definitely worth a read.

Peja Will Get Paid

2005-09-29T08:09:00.000-07:00

The only question is: by whom?

Chad Ford has laid out the top 2006 free agents. Peja is #2, right behind Ben Wallace (who may be locked up by Detroit any day now). Ford says his production this season will decide whether the Maloofs pay him or someone else does.

The rest of the free agent class is pretty unamazing. Bonzi Wells will be out there, of course. Eddy Curry and Joel Przybilla will be the only top-flight centers, and Nene will be the top power foward available. Not overwhelming, like the 2004 offseason.

Pardon Us

2005-09-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Excuse us for the apparent laziness this week - our rooting interest is in San Diego this week.

Baseball's on our mind, so visit Kurt's handsome new shell around Forum Blue and Gold. Be warned: it's a Lakers site. That means Lakers fans comment on the site. Be careful what you step in.

Don't worry, though - once our Giants finally decide to break down and just give up (they will at some point, we've been trained to understand), our full attention will be back on ARCO Arena, where it rightfully belongs.

Until then, um, go Giants!

Charley Rosen: Dead Since 1997?

2005-09-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Charley Rosen - beating his list fetish to death - compiling the best 23 (?) teams that didn't win a title.

I'd put the 2002 Kings somewhere on this list - probably top five. (The 2000 Blazers and the 2003 Lakers would also be on my list.) The Kings had the best record in the league, the best offense and a top 10 defense, not to mention the best home-court advantage at the time. They lost the Western Conference Finals (and the de facto NBA Championship) by a shot - twice. They took a team led by the greatest tandem since Magic and Kareem to the brink and held them over the cliff for three games. And they didn't win the title.

Do the Kings make Rosen's list? Of course not. Apparently, Charley died somewhere around 1997, because the most recent team on his list in the 1997 Jazz (that team should be very high on the list as well). No mention of the up-by-20-in-the-second-half-of-Game-7 Blazers. No mention of the would-be-four-peater Lakers (coached by Rosen's man-crush, no less). No Kings.

Instead, the list is mostly made up of old 76er teams and a number of squads who lost in the playoffs a year after winning the title. Per usual, not much to read here.

So when does FoxSports come out and admit they found a shoebox full of Rosen's old musings and are churning those out instead of hiring a sentient hoops columnist?

Barnes: MIA

2005-09-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Since we saw and posted the training camp roster yesterday, we've been wondering why Matt Barnes doesn't make an appearance on it. The Bee's Joe Davidson is apparently curious, as well.

Barnes had tryout with San Antonio, but their signing of Michael Finley killed that idea. Barnes hasn't been invited to a camp yet, but is confident he'll latch on somewhere. I can't imagine him not getting an NBA contract - did something happen to him while I was asleep? Barnes is a good bench player.

Training Day

2005-09-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Training camp starts Monday, Oct. 3. Here's an updated training camp roster, courtesy of The Bee (asterisk denotes player has multiyear contract from team).

Guards:
Mike Bibby*
Bonzi Wells*
Jason Hart*
Kevin Martin*
Francisco Garcia*
Ronnie Price
Luis Flores
Ricky Paulding

Forwards:
Shareef Abdur-Rahim*
Peja Stojakovic*
Kenny Thomas*
Corliss Williamson*
Jamal Sampson
Erik Daniels
Dan Langhi
Eric Sandrin

Centers:
Brad Miller*
Brian Skinner*
Anwar Ferguson
Lonnie Jones

This week, we'll pound out some research on the players we've never heard of. It's doubtful any of them will make the squad, but there could be a surprise roster addition in the frontcourt.

When You Diss Sacramento, You Diss Yourself

2005-09-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

One interesting side note to the whole winning a WNBA championship thing is that jealous small-town sportswriters now get their big chance to slam Sacramento.

Exhibit A: Mike Dimauro, assistant sports editor of New London, Connecticut's The Day newspaper.

Dimauro cleverly rips into Sacramento in a recent column, saying he never knew the town existed before covering the WNBA Finals, that the city rivals a horse's stable in its omnipresence of flies, and that ARCO Arena is a barn. He also calls five days in Sacramento (where, of all the difficult and unrewarding jobs in the world, he got paid to watch basketball) "punishment." Poor guy.

Other than dissing Sacramento, he also launches into a tirade about the how the success of rich white people infuriates him, calling our beloved (beloved?) Maloofs "bratty, spoiled, out-of-touch corporate stiffs."

That leads me to this candid thought: Nothing makes me more angry than full-of-shit, whiny, holier-than-thou moron sportswriters who actually think they have a difficult job. There are thousands (millions?) of people in America who would love to attend professional sporting events for free, let alone get paid to do it. There are thousands of sports fans who would absolutely love to see their name in print attached to their thoughts on the game.

And Mike Dimauro, he has that opportunity. Instead of actually publishing reasoned ideas or coherent thoughts, he tries to trash a city whose WNBA team just beat his city's WNBA team. Classy.

If the Sacramento trip was so tough, Mike, why don't you just find a new job? I'm sure people would line up to make your paycheck for the chance to watch sports, lay out a few pages and bloviate at will.

And I bet they wouldn't bitch about road trips and successful businessmen too much, either.

UPDATE: We e-mailed Dimauro to ask if there's anything else he wanted to say to the people of Sacramento. His reply: "I don't think I need to add anything else. I feel bad enough you people have to live there. Why rub it in?"

Clever, witty and bitter. Whatta guy!

The NO/OKC Hornets

2005-09-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

It's not Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim bad, but the Hornets, displaced by Hurricane Katrina and broken levees, will play most of their home games in Oklahoma City this season. Thus, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.

The Kings' schedule was modified slightly, according to Sam Amick in the Bee. Instead of opening the season in Houston on Nov. 2 and then playing in New Orleans on the 4th, the Kings will now open the season in OKC against the Hornets on Nov. 1. They'll still play at Houston on Nov. 2.

Bad news first: We're not complaining, because getting one game switched is absolutely positively incredibly minor compared to moving your franchise 1,000 miles for a season, but that's a tough back-to-back to open the season. Houston is a top four team in the West this season, so we could definitely see SAC opening the campaign 1-1. (Could be 0-2: who knows how motivated the Hornets will be - remember the Saints in Week 1? Plus, Plains states fans haven't seen NBA hoops in their backyard since the Kings left Kansas City in 1985. Might be a small grudge to factor in, a la Cleveland Browns v. Baltimore Ravens in 1999, though John Thomas was no Art Modell.)

Now the good news: the season starts one day earlier! Woohoo! Mark your calendars and set your watches!

Nice Guys Finish... First?

2005-09-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, Geoff Petrie. Intelligent, shrewd, calculating and um... a sweetheart?

Sam Amick reports that Petrie has rescinded the qualifying offer made to Darius Songaila, allowing the Scrapmaster to sign a one-year deal with Chicago.

Typically, restricted free agents can't sign a one-year. But when Petrie rescinded the qualifying offer, which allowed the Kings to match any offer sheets signed by Darius, the Lithuanian became an unrestricted free agent.

Amick writes that Songaila will try to free agent market again next year. We're not sure how many minutes he'll get in the CHI, but just by being on the open market as a UFA next July will get him more money than he could've otherwise this fall. So it's a win-win for Darius.

We can assume two major reasons Petrie didn't try to re-sign Darius: minutes and money. Shareef Abdur-Rahim is the starter, and will play 30-38 minutes per night. Kenny Thomas is the back-up, will probably the sixth- or seventh-man, and will get 20-25 minutes between the 3 and 4. That leaves little for a guy like Darius. Plus, with the back-up 4 making $7 million +, even a paltry $2.2 million for Songaila is overpaying the position.

But what about next season? If Petrie can move KT during the season or early next off-season, isn't there then room for a young guy like Songaila? Darius might get to mid-level status next offseason - he could've demanded $3.5-4 million early this offseason. If there's an open slot at the back-up 4, Darius and his agent Mark Bartelstein could very well remember Petrie's good faith dealings and pick Sacramento over other teams waving the $5.1 million mid-level around. That's worth some thought.

Darius, it's sad to say goodbye. But we wish you well in the CHI (except when you're playing us). Hope to see you back in royal purple soon.

God Hates Sacramento?

2005-09-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

Funniest. WNBA-related. Screenshot. Ever.

Also, the fact that YAYbasketball (which might not have even launched yet - very funny site, though) files that post under both "WNBA" and "Things Nobody Likes" is hilarious in several ways.

Yes, we're bitter.

SHOCKING: Unrest in Serbia-Montenegro

2005-09-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

The AP has the story on Serbia-Montenegro's shockingly bad performance at the Euros and what's happened since the typically dominant squad was vanquished.

S-M's coach, Zeljko Obradovic, said players including Minnesota's Marko Jaric and Seattle's Vladimir Radmanovic were involved in separate fistfights with teammates during the tournament. Obradovic and players Dejan Tomasevic, Zeljko Rebraca (of the Clips) and "greatest Euro not playing in the NBA" Dejan Bodiroga have all resigned from the team.

What's this mean? Well, Peja sat the year out, saying he needed to focus on resting and tightening up his game. I'm even more glad now that he sat it out, because being involved in this sort of catastrophe is nothing but negative.

Also, Serbia-Montenegro finished outside the top six in Europe, which means they don't get an automatic invite to the Worlds in 2006. They could still get a wild-card berth, though. But with the team's undisputed leader in Bodiroga gone, Vlade Divac getting creakier than grandma's attic door and Peja seemingly distancing himself from the national team, you wonder if this isn't it for the nation's 2006 hopes.

Peja will probably have a pretty busy offseason next year, anyways. You know, winning a NBA title, negotiating a discounted salary to stay in Sacramento and solving world hunger. Lots of stuff on his plate.

Your 2005 WNBA Champion Sacramento Monarchs

2005-09-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Burn the city down! Yo and the Narchs beat the Connecticut Sun Tuesday to win Sacramento's first major sports title in history (if the WNBA counts as a major sport - questionable, says I).

They did it with defense (gasp!) and toughness (double gasp!). Maybe the vibe will linger in ARCO through at least, say, Oct. 20. Not likely, though.

Good job, ladies. But, um, we got next.

Hot Shot

2005-09-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Todd from 120 Proof Ball commented on this post on assist numbers that Sonic Ray Allen has a better shot than Peja.

Ladies and gentlemen: the math.

Using the very popular effective field goal percentage to compare the stars, we see that Peja is a notably better shooter than Sugar Ray. (For those that don't want to follow the above link, eFG% counts made three-pointers as 1.5 field goals - it makes sense because three-pointers are worth the same as 1.5 two-point field goals.)

Peja's eFG% last year was .530, while Ray's was .498. In 2004, Peja had a .566 eFG%, while Ray's was .512. In 2003? Peja, .556. Ray, .512. The career averages are .538 for Peja and .516 for Ray. Peja's high-point was that .566 eFG% in 2004; Ray's was .561 in 2002 (and the last time Ray beat Peja in this category).

Thanks to 82games, we can look at last year closer. On just jump shots, Peja has a .493 eFG%. On jump shots, Ray had a .476 eFG%. And if these new-fangled stats don't buy your lunch, Peja beat Ray in overall FG%, as well (.444 to .428).

From the free throw stripe, you ask? Peja shot 92% there last season, and Ray shot 88% from the line. For their careers, Peja has a 89% FT% and Ray has an 88% FT%.

So, how is Ray Allen a better shooter than Peja? And since he isn't, can anyone else think of someone who might be?

If not, this guy's getting a championship belt.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Your Albuquerque Thunderbirds!

2005-09-19T13:47:00.000-07:00

The NBA just announced the NBA Development League affiliations. The Sacramento Kings get to use the Albuquerque Thunderbirds as their minor league of sorts.

The Kings share the TBirds with the Phoenix Suns, the Seattle Supersonics and the Utah Jazz (oh, and the noted basketball-lovers of the great state of New Mexico). Here are the rules on assignment, thanks to unusually informative NBA.com:

-- An NBA team may assign any player on its Active List or Inactive List to play in the D-League, provided that the player has zero or one Years of Service at the time of Assignment.
-- No players may be given more than three Assignments during any season. There is no minimum or maximum length of a D-League assignment.
-- During the 2005-06 season, no NBA team may have more than two players on assignment at the same time.
-- A player on Assignment will be carried on the Inactive List of his NBA Team.

So rookies and sophomores can be assigned to the DLeague team, which means current Kings/camp invitees Francisco Garcia, Kevin Martin, Ronnie Price, Luis Flores and Erik Daniels are eligible for Albuquerque (note: Daniels isn't an official camp invitee yet).

Noted ex-Laker Michael Cooper is the head coach of the TBirds, and Andre Agassi is among the owners. Each NBDLer that has a contract with an NBA team will wear that team's logo on his jersey, seemingly to remind fans that like the WNBA, the NBDL does have some relationship to big-time pro basketball.

The furthest west the TBirds are slotted to play is, well, Albuquerque, and the farthest north they'll play is Tulsa. Needless to say, it doesn't appear this fan will be loving it live this season.

The NBDL's move west is encouraging though. It seems the league revolved around SEC territory last season - franchises in Fort Worth, Tulsa and Albuquerque this year is good news. Maybe someday we'll get a Stockton, San Jose or Vallejo squad to enjoy. Let's hope.

(While we're here, let's set the over/under on "times SKB will misspell 'Albuquerque' this season" at 163. Want to pick up this future, BoDog?)

Caution: Bandwagon Overload

2005-09-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

Don't go near ARCO Arena Tuesday. Should the Sacramento Monarchs lose their bid to win the WNBA Championship, one hell of a bandwagon might burst.

We're all for our female counterparts playing ball and doing it well. We're not going to lie to you though: We watched all of 45 seconds of Sunday's game, found out the Monarchs won via the swaying bandwagon at the Bleacher Mob and know the possibly clinching game is Tuesday only because Mrs. SKB has a friend taking her kids to the contest.

We won't be parading through Old Sacramento when/if the Monarchs claim the title, we won't be watching the game Tuesday and we probably won't raise our eyelids when the next WNBA season starts.

This trend line from IceRocket shows the teeming bandwagon at work. The Kings have had steady blogospheric coverage throughout the summer (we'll take some of the blame), while the Monarchs got nothing until their playoff run.

So, enjoy yourself, Sacramentan bandwagoneers. True Monarchs fans - congratulations and have fun with it, by all means! And to the organization and team - awesome job and way to go.

To Kings fans that can't be bothered - the preseason is three weeks away.

ESPN: The new MTV

2005-09-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

A staple of my high school career (1994-98, for those who care) was bitching about how MTV never played music videos, thus negating its title as "Music Television."

Sentiently humorous blog Off Wing Opinion accuses ESPN of the same thing, and it'd be difficult to argue the issue. OWO questions a comment in a Monday morning ESPN.com Page 2 column saying that the writer flipped between the Raiders-Chiefs game and the Emmys.

The problem is, there's nothing wrong with switching between a game and another program (especially if you're a Raiders fan whose life is being made increasingly more painful by the sight of Kerry Collins). But the correct answer would not be the Emmys, it would be "The Family Guy."

Pop culture references, done correctly, are fantastic in sportswriting. Done poorly, well...they're poor.

Attention Sacramento Waitresses: Brian Skinner = Good!

2005-09-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Brian Skinner leaves a quality gratuity when dining out. So, servers working Morton's or the Esquire Grill: Skinner gets all the extra sour cream and chives he wants.

Sharing is Caring

2005-09-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Basketball IQ and Forum Blue and Gold got our brains pulsing (always a frightening endeavor): Is this Kings team still the passing maniacs of old?

BBIQ (why haven't I seen this site before?!) looks at league-wide assists per made field goal statistics for 04-05, and the Kings were th 7th highest squad in the L, behind notable offensive juggernauts like Utah, New Orleans and Minnesota. Needless to say, the statistic doesn't necessarily measure offensive fortitude.

But it does measure something seemingly valuable - which teams are score via the pass and which score via the great individual effort.

Sacramento at 6th seemed low, so we decided to look back over the last couple seasons to judge whether 04-05 was an aberration or a trend. The 04-05 number was 62.7 percent. 2003-04 was markedly higher, at 69.4 percent. The 2002-03 season has an assist per made field goal rating of 62.7 percent. The lovely season of 2001-02 (I hate L.A.) came with a 59.9 percent rating.

Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, at least on a season-wide basis. The Chris Webber Effect (the complete halting of the offensive cogs when one player gets the ball, for you non-Sacramentans) seems pretty defined by this, however.

This would be misleading, though. In the 2003-04 season, when assistedness was peaking, the Kings had a 68% assisted field goal rate when Webb was on the court (limited minutes, thanks to the knee). It was 69% when he was off the floor.

Brad Miller showed his value in this category - with him on the court, 71% of made field goals were assisted, versus 65% with him on the bench. Vlade? Same numbers - it makes sense because Vlade and Brad were typically on the floor together.

Peja's on-court/off-court split for assisted field goal rate was 70% to 64%. Bibby's was 72% to 60%. Christie's? 70% to 65%.

The second team dropped the statistic, with Anthony Peeler, Bobby Jackson and Darius Songaila having on-court assisted field goal rates near an above-average 60%. So it wasn't The Chris Webber Effect - it was The Bench Effect.

Miller remains essential to the passing game of the Kings. In 2004-05, the team's assisted field goal rate was 66% while Big Brad was on the court and 57% with him off. That's a very significant difference. Bibby also has a nice split, 64% to 54%. Peja had a 65% to 56% split. Mobley, a starter for much of the season, had a 61% to 63% on-off split (versus Doug Christie's 69-60 split) indicates he was as much of quick trigger/ball hogger as we believed. So, The Chris Webber Effect will now be dubbed The Cuttino Mobley Effect.

Bonzi Wells, our new SG, had a 61%-60% split last season with Memphis. SAR had a 60%-58% with an overall poor assisting Portland team, which is much better than Kenny Thomas-with-a-good-assisting-team's numbers.

Anyways, who knows what this really means. We try to use math and shit to prove things, but sometimes we just use math and shit for the hell of it.

Guards Galore

2005-09-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Sam Amick of the SacBee has Petrie confirming that Luis Flores will be in camp and mentions that the Detroit Free Press is reporting that smallish two-guard Ricky Paulding will also be invited.

That brings to training camp total to 15. Here's the depth chart:

Bibby/Hart/Price/Flores
Wells/Martin/Garcia/Paulding
Stojakovic/Williamson
Abdur-Rahim/Thomas
Miller/Skinner/Sampson

I expect Barnes will be an invitee, barring a guaranteed contract from somewhere (and San Antonio, who was allegedly Mattie's other suitor, seems to have filled its bench). Price would seem to be the only NBDL candidate right now - Flores and Paulding don't have contracts, and Flores at the least could expect to get a 10-day with some squad this season and latch on. Unless we swing a trade for a big, Sampson has a roster spot, especially given Brad's injury history and Skinner's feet.

Petrie can invite up to 20 to camp. Five spots left. Comment starter: Which available scrubs, err, free agents would you invite to training camp?

Shaking a Bad Rep

2005-09-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

Henry at TrueHoop is pretty angry over continued use of the JailBlazer moniker by sports reporters, fans and bloggers, despite the complete makeover the team has had over the past 1 1/2 years.

He's right - the JailBlazers of 2001 have been scattered around the league, with one of the "bad seeds" landing here in Sacramento. But it's tough to expect a nation of hoops fans to forget a pretty damning era of tomfoolery and criminal hijinks just like that.

The best way to shake it? Call people on it (like Henry and his readers have been doing for months), and hope that the TrailBlazers stay out of trouble. There's not much else a fan can do.

SACKINGSBLOG.com: Tomorrow's News Today

2005-09-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

We really do hate to pat ourselves on the back (no really, we do!), but the SacBee today reported that Luis Flores will be in camp and that Francisco Garcia did awesome when he represented the Dominican Republic at the FIBA Tournament.

Readers of SACKINGSBLOG.com knew about Flores Tuesday and Francisco at FIBA on Sept. 6.

The Bee does inform us that Bibby is taping an episode of "Wheel of Fortune" today, and it'll run around the start of the season. Now THAT's news you can use. Sorry that we missed the memo.

So, who's getting paid to do this? We forget.

(Yes, our head is so large that it's on the verge of exploding.)

Bill Laimbeer Without The Fangs

2005-09-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

FOXSports.com's Mike Kahnranks Brad Miller at the 5th best center in the league. He also refers to Big Brad as "sort of a latter day Bill Laimbeer without the fangs.'' Photoshop, here we come!

This is probably Kahn's best ranking overall so far - he's done the other positions previously. Shaq is undoubtedly number one on the list, Yao is #2, Amare is #3 and Ben Wallace comes in at #4. All very fair, and all are better than Big Brad.

The Z, Camby, Magloire, Dalembert and Chandler fill out the top 10. The Chrises of Los Angeles (Mihm and Kaman) make the honorable mention list - but then again, so does about 12 other centers.

In his previous positional lists, Kahn had Bibby as the 6th best PG, Peja as the 7th best small forward and Shareef as a honorable mention PF (Webber - yes, 2005 Webber - ranked 8th on that list).

Mini-Carnival, Every Day

2005-09-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

If you're not checking True Hoop a few times a day, you're way behind. Every weekday, Henry throws up an NBA roundup from around the web - like a mini-Carnival of the NBA.

Today's is monstrous - Laker rumors (hmm.. Christian Laettner or Michael Olowokandi? Which one would make us laugh harder?), the Sixers male dance team (guaranteed not to be as funny as the Warriors' guys) and Vitaly Potapenko's new shoes. Check it out!

World's Second Largest Ball of Twine

2005-09-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the intrepid posters at the Bleacher Mob Forum, a discussion on the long limbs of Kings youngsters Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia and former King Matt Barnes turns into a quip on Donald Sterling's frugality. Joke courtesy of TheBigO and Hallama.

Not in My House, Beyotch

2005-09-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

The guys at 120 Proof Ball, where the only drinking problem is when there's not enough sauce to go around, collected some amusing tidbits from the world of sports. Among them, they reveal that Earl "The Munchkin" Boykins had 16 blocks last season.

We doubt they were of the "Not in my house, beyotch" variety, and guess that at least 75 percent of them were from behind or were strips (get your mind out of the gutter, Torsten). Can you imagine getting Noxema'ed by The Munchkin? That's a possible career-ending injury to the ego.

Bonzi: Not the Guy He Plays on T.V.

2005-09-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

OK, so we've run out of clever puns involving the word "Bonzi." We've failed you - please find it in your heart to forgive us.

The Bonztacular One (whew) was on the Rise Guys this morning, chatting about second chances, defense and crappy golf scores. Less than informative and certainly not hard-hitting, but the interview gave some nice insight to who Bonzi will try to be in his Sacramento career. If KHTK archives it on the site, it's definitely worth a listen.

Bonzi's best quote was on his defense, where he told fans not to expect him to lock down the opposing two-guard every night. There's no doubt the trade for Bonzi immediately made him the best defender in the starting five - but really, a 65-year-old Bill Russell could be the best defender on this squad. But it appears Bonzi grasps that this team won't be holding many teams below 90 points this season, and also that the West still has some pretty decent SGs (hi, Kobe and Manu and Sugar Ray).

Bonzi came off of as incredibly personable and even funny (we laughed twice). Of course, he's not going to come out and be a jerk in one of his first media appearances in town, and the Men of Rise were obviously (and correctly) soft in their few questions about Bonzi's checkered past. He responded to one of those questions by saying he's "not the guy he plays on T.V." - that because he's a tough, physical, mouthy player, his rep as a meanie is blown up.

We were all for Bonzi when it was rumored, when it happened and when it appeared he would be the only big move. Shareef Abdur-Rahim was a fantastic signing, but who's to say the Bonzi move won't be bigger for this team if the one-year stint turns into a several-year tour. Perimeter toughness, a low post presence and some positional versality - that's a pretty good package for an oaf and damaged goods.

Bull-lieve It Or Not

2005-09-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ha ha, puns are like the nectar of God or something. Matt of the oft-linked-to Bulls Blog has penetrated mega-blog-corporation SportsBlog Nation with hoops goodness, introducing to all Blog-A-Bull - his new stomping ground.

Pay attention to Blog-A-Bull especially in the next few weeks, because if something breaks on Darius-to-CHI, Matt will definitely have it first (we'll be second - I blame time zone differences).

Also, congrats to a hoopsblogger making it big! Ad revenue ahead!

Santo Domingo North

2005-09-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Former Manhattan U. standout and Dominican national Luis Flores is reportedly about to be a King.

He's a 6'1 point guard, and would be the fourth one-guard on the roster. He's likely training camp or NBDL fodder, and will surely compete with rookie Ronnie Price for the last roster spot.

He played alongside Francisco Garcia in the recently completed Tournment of the Americas. Flores was the third-best player on the Dominican team (behind Garcia and center Jack Martinez), racking up 21.7 points per 40 minutes, 4.9 boards per 40 and a 1.77 assist-to-turnover ratio over eight games against questionable opponents (Charlie Bell was the "star" of the US team, and Tyus Edney was also prominently involved). He also put up a nice 59.5 true shooting percentage and shot a little better than 91 percent from the line.

I can't imagine four point guards make the squad this fall, and I can't imagine Bibby or Hart an all-expenses-paid season off. So all you, Utah Valley State and Manhattan U. fans - get ready for Ronnie v. Luis - coming this October.

Far Too Kind

2005-09-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Mega-super gambling blog Oddjack categorizes us pretty well:

We love obsessives. We love the type of people who use all sorts of math and shit to prove a point. And then there is Tom Ziller, whose Sacramento Kings worshipping is quite legendary, thanks to his SacKingsBlog.

Emphasis ours. We're so printing a t-shirt: SACKINGSBLOG: We use all sorts of math and shit to prove a point. Helluva motto. Thanks, AJ!

UPDATE (3:47 p.m.): Oddjack's sister site Deadspin (sorry, Will - not questioning your sexual identity) calls me "the Alan Greenspan of Sacramento Kings wagering." If they think I'm a nerd for throwing together a 30-minute spreadsheet on the team's performance against the spread, what'll they say when they see Dan Rosenbaum's adjusted defensive plus-minus rating system?

Vlade and Sactown, Sitting in a Tree

2005-09-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Everyone's favorite chain-smoking Serbian flop artist Vlade Divac has been raising money and collecting goods for the victims of Hurricance Katrina.

Being that he's still under contract with the Lakers, and his first American home was in L.A., you'd think he'd be doing all this down south. You'd be wrong. Vlade has been taking up the collection here in Sacramento, and we heard yesterday on KHTK that he was looking for a second truck because the good samaritans of the River City had donated too much for one truck.

It's clear Vlade will be officially retiring very soon - it's likely a matter of weeks. Some fans have suggested signing him to a one-year deal to back up Brad and help convince Peja to stay.

Rather, I'd like to see him on our bench as a coach. We don't really have young bigs we need help molding like the Lake Show does. But Vlade brings a sense of spirit this team seemed to be sorely lacking towards the end of last season.

We could use Vlade's spark, if even he never takes another dive for us.

Comments, Sadly Obliterated

2005-09-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

Sick of the spam, SACKINGSBLOG.com has moved over to Haloscan for commenting purposes.

Unfortunately, along with the spam, we lost all our previous comments, including a couple from epicly quick commenter PookeyGuru and our first friendly regular reader ever, Carl from Arranging Matches.

Sorry, but let's fill these ones up!

Kings to Vegas, Explained!

2005-09-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Now we know why those Wild and Crazy Maloofs want to move the team to Las Vegas: it's all about the book, baby!

The Kings were .481 against the spread last season, according to SACKINGSBLOG.com's crack research team, making bookies everywhere a little richer. Here's the graphical breakdown by game location and size of spread:

Playoffs included. As an example, "Home Fav 10+" means that the Kings, playing at home, were favored to win by more than 10 points. "Pick" means Vegas threw up their hands and didn't give a line. "Dog," of course, is the opposite of "Fave." You get the idea.

You can also deduce that the Kings were favored in 54 games, expected to lose 29, and had 4 toss-up games. They ended up winning 51 total, which means bettors like the Kings a little too much (the sub .500 versus the spread figure also reveals that).

You can have at it with the data, too, if you're so Excel-inclined.

Here's the short and the long of this: based on last season, don't ever wager on the Kings when they're on the road, no matter the line. They suck at winning on the road, and they suck at covering the spread on the road.

If you are going to wager on the Kings, do it when they're at home and they're favored between six and nine points - they beat the spread almost 70 percent of the time last season. But in games Vegas thinks will be close, the Kings won't cover. It's probably because they lose a lot of close games. So there you go.

(And before anyone starts calling us stupid, we know the Kings -- and possibly the NBA -- would be off the books if the team moved to the Thomas & Mack Center. Any gains the sportsbook at The Palms would make from people thinking the Kings are better than they are and wagering on it would be thusly be negated. We know.)

Nick Denton, One Step Closer to World Domination

2005-09-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

Damn that Nick Denton. With one fell swoop, he's arrived in sports blogdom, launching Deadspin earlier this week.

Denton is behind the Gawker Media empire, of course, which has such luminous blogs as Gawker, Wonkette and our favorite Oddjack in its stable.

Before you click, here's a sample of what you'll get from Deadspin: a post on the paternity suit recently served on Warrior Jason Richardson gets the headline of "Richardson Nailed For A Costly Dunk."

No Sacramento Kings posts yet, despite mentions of sporting luminaries Jerry Crasnick, Zach Duke and the University of Nevada freaking Wolfpack. We're sure, and the editors assure us, it's because of the slow NBA news month.

Bananas in Boston

2005-09-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

It's nice to know there's some hoops news in one NBA city. Check out the new-look Celtics Blog - there's tons to read. Red Auberach in the hospital (godspeed to the greatest coach ever), Pierce-to-Denver rumors (look kinda silly), Tony Allen allegedly involved in a shooting.

Any one of those things would dominate coverage in slow slow Sacramento, but we've got nothing. How many days until camp starts, exactly?

Royal Relief Effort

2005-09-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Kings and radio home KHTK 1140 AM have put together a neat auction to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Among the items up for auction:

-A one-hour practice session for your kid with the Coach Pete Carril. (Coachie may or may not make your little one cry during that time.)

-Dinner with Geoff Petrie and his wife Ann Marie.

-A round of golf with Rick Adelman. (We bet he uses the same five clubs throughout the entire afternoon.)

-A video game challenge with a Kings player. (We choose Kevin Martin and F1 2004.)

-Guest host spots on The Rise Guys, Sportsline 1140 and SportsTalk with Jim Kozimor.

-And our personal favorite ... courtside tickets to watch Kings v. Timberwolves on Dec. 4 with the Maloofs following dinner in the Maloof Suite prepared by the Maloofs' personal chef. Mmm.

All auctions start at $1,000. As of noon Tuesday, there's one bid total... on a 2006 Monarchs road game package. (Yolanda Griffith's stalker lit up when he saw this auction item.) We assume bids will come in soon for all the auctions, however.

(Also, check out KNBR 680 AM's relief auction if you're a fan of the surging Giants, A's, Raiders, Niners, Sharks, Warriors (ha ha), Earthquakes or Sabercats. Great auction items there, too. The one for the W's -- starting at $2,500 -- includes a luxury suite for 16, four parking passes, food and drink and a Baron Davis signed jersey.)

If you would like to donate but you can't drop a couple large on these fabulous prizes, you can always visit the American Red Cross. Their minimum donation is $1. Also, several Sacramento radio stations will be broadcasting live from Arden Fair Mall today and tomorrow to collect funds.

Francisco, Dominican Scorer

2005-09-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

Our rookie Francisco Garcia recently finished up playing the Tournament of the Americas, which serves as a qualifying tournament for the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Francisco was representing his home nation of the Dominican Republic, who also happen to host the tourney.

Francisco did awesome, scoring 23.4 per 40 minutes, 5.1 rebounds per 40 and 2.1 steals per 40. He got to the line a lot (9.4 attempts per 40) and shot a Peja-like 45% from three. His effective field goal %, which factors in the added values of threes, ended up being a very nice 63.3%. He was on the tournament's all-first team, even though the DR finished sixth and didn't qualify for the 2006 Worlds.

The bad? Well, he shot a smudge less than 70 percent from the line, and he had 27 turnovers with only 14 assists. Of course, he was the primary scorer on the squad -- but that's still almost 4 TOs a game.

Leandro Barbosa of the Suns, who repped Brazil, was probably the biggest NBA name in the tourney besides Francisco. Tyus Edney, Kris Lang and Charlie Bell were among the US representatives (the US did place fourth, just out of the medals but clinching a 2006 Worlds spot).

A couple of other players have gotten interest from the L based on their performances, including Brazilian guard and tourney MVP Marcelinho Machado, who seems to close to a deal with Cleveland, and Uruguayan Esteban Batista, who reportedly has a deal in place with Atlanta.

What's all this mean? Probably not much more than the summer league. At least we know that Francisco has found his shot. We'll see how that translates this preseason, which is, ladies and gentleman, only five weeks away.

Hornets, Staying Close

2005-09-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

I know it's not basketball, but um, the actual Sacramento State Hornets are only down 10-3 to the #19 Cal Bears at the halftime. And their QB is injured. And their back-up SUCKS. Like SUCKS.

Sac State could actually be leading this game. Absolutely insane. I mean, Vegas wouldn't even post a line for this game.

Our favorite red-headed sports broadcaster has been saying since the game was scheduled last spring that the Hornets would lose by more than 30. The line probably would've been around 40 or 45. This is insane.

UPDATE: Well, it looks like I spoke too soon. Whoops.

Peja: 7th Best At His Position?

2005-09-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

Mike Kahn at FOXSports has Peja as the #7 small forward in the league.

There's little to argue with - King James tops the list, followed by Matrix (still riding that wave of fame - I doubt he'd have been top ten on this list a year ago), AK47, Richard Jefferson (kind of iffy), Artest, The Truth and Peja. Rashard, Melo and Lamar Odom round out the top ten.

Peja could certainly be better than Jefferson all-around, and could surpass Pierce this season if he grabs a couple more boards. That's the thing with Peja - you know what you're getting: Great shooting, offensive flow and decent defense (at least in the past two seasons). Those other guys are more unknown entities on a game-by-game basis.

Carnival of the NBA #15

2005-09-02T09:16:00.000-07:00

It's with a heavy heart that this 15th edition of the Carnival of the NBA comes to you. All our minds are on not the hoops world, but the Gulf Coast. It's the most horrible tragedy of my life by far, and I have to admit my eyes have been glued to CNN, not ESPN or NBA TV.

If you can, please donate. Help is needed in New Orleans, Slidell, Gulfport and Biloxi, and they will need it for a long time to come. Blood is needed, as well. And homes for the refugees, too. Here's a comprehensive list of charities - there's something out there for everyone.

Ron at Hornets247 puts everything in perspective. Basketball hardly seems important right now. The fact that no one has heard from PJ Brown is very distressing - we all hope and pray he and his family are well, as we do about the hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coasters, even if the images on CNN tell us otherwise.

With our hearts and minds on the victims of the disaster, here are the hoops links for this edition of the Carnival:

Henry at True Hoop has been blogging up a storm, per usual. He tackles the issue of publishing athlete-smoking-dope rumors on the internet, continues to discuss the Sebastian Telfair bio and grins at a Mighty Mouse quote about Pau Gasol (it's a must-read if you haven't seen).

Kurt at Lakers-blog Forum Blue and Gold thinks Jerry Colangelo is moving Team USA in the right direction by looking towards Kobe to join the squad. Kurt also attacks the notion that last year's team lacked fundamentals, pointing instead at the lack of proper scouting, the lack of understanding for the international game and the lack of a pure shooter.

The hilarious NBA Source looks at the funnier things in the NBA, including redhead players, Sir Charles's philosophy and Bob Marley's tattoos. There's also a second edition, which tackles Rasheed's bald spot, the Brian Cardinal Phenomenon and some laugh-out-loud quotes from Shaq.

Dave at The City - a Warriors blog - completes his end-of-season review by looking closely at Baron Davis and Derek Fisher. It's determined that if Todd Fuller were a point guard, he'd be about 20 percent of Baron.

The SportsBiz Blog looks at the cultural hurdles Adidas and Reebok will have to overcome to make their recent merger, citing their substantially different corporate cultures.

Todd, who runs Orlando-blog BELIEVING IN MAGIC, posts on why the Magic may very well be the least improved team in the league. Hard to argue with that, though I think the Warriors and Supersonics could compete for that title.

Nels at Give Me the Rock looks at the effect of Michael Finley on the Spurs and on fantasy basketball teams.

The readers of the imitable Celtics Blog compare and contrast two of Boston's funnier characters: Manny and Ricky.

Matt at Bulls Blog - the guy who started this whole Carnival thing - says next summer is the moment of truth for the franchise.

SuperSonicSoul - king of the brief post titles - has already granted new Sonic Mikki Moore a nickname and questions a "technological breakthrough" by the franchise that resembles Lil' Penny.

RaptorBlog contemplates the play-by-play guy's dark side.

Ryan at the aptly-named Ryan's Ramblings shakes his head at Earl Watson's decision to go to Denver.

When Dan Rosenbaum posts, everyone notices. His recent post on how high the bar is in terms of really grasping the statistics of basketball.

Celtics 17 addresses recent bad press surrounding Danny Ainge, both locally and nationally.

Runnin' With The Bulls likes the solid financial ground the Chicago franchise is building itself on.

Cavalier Attitude says Luke Jackson has a role on Cleveland's squad this year, despite getting the Darko treatment last season.

Motoring Pistons manages to wish Finley and the Spurs turmoil and conclude the Clippers have a superior line-up to the Lakers, all in one post.

Pacer Nation looks at possible trade scenarios to get under the cap.

A couple weeks ago, Crazy from the Heat compared recent Miami addition Gerald Fitch to recent tradee Andre Emmett.

Father Knickerbocker trolls around the NY Web and finds some entertaining musings from fans of variable knowledge bases.

Solid Gold questions the notion that George Karl's 2005 Nuggets are ready to compete with the elite of the 2006 Western Conference.

If it's a look of the best tantrum throwers in all of sports you want, 120 Proof Ball has you covered.

easyMarksman, a fantasy blog, discusses the player's that upped their fantasy value the most as the season ended. Vince Carter is prominently involved.

Despite Yao's Houston extension, Lakers blog Show Time is still looking forward to 2007, when Dirk, Rashard and The Truth and Vinsanity are all on the market.

Rising Suns is disappointed about Finley-to-the-Spurs, to say the least. Spur of the Moment, on the other hand, wonders about Fin's defense.

Visit these blogs, bookmark them and feel free to leave comments and read other posts! There's a ton of great hoops writers out there not getting paid by ESPN or SI or CBSSportsline. Support 'em!

And please give what you can to help preserve and rebuild lives.

No Cash? You Can Still Help

2005-09-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

As a recent college grad, I know how it is to not have any spare cash.

But there are ways you can help those devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing floods - give blood. Sacramento has a number of blood centers - the link can help you find one wherever you are.

The sick and injured need help down there, and they will need it for some time to come. If you can't afford to slice a little green off the top of your paycheck, then please try to help another way.

Citizen-Journalist-Fans and Scrutinized Players

2005-08-31T18:26:00.000-07:00

True Hoop blogs about rumors surrounding Zach Randolph and marijuana. The story is, in short, that a fan saw Z-Bo in the mall, seemingly toked up on weed and allegedly cursing and making a fool of himself around some children. The fan posts about it on the internet, and it's picked up by the Blazers Blog, which is hosted on OregonLive.com, which is owned by The Oregonian - the biggest paper in the state.

True Hoop's Henry Abbott wonders if this is the basketblogosphere at its best or worst. I'm conflicted as well - I'm all for personal privacy. People in all walks of life should be able to keep to themselves if they so choose.

But if an athlete is doing unsavory things in public - ruffing up people, sexually harassing people, raping people, going puff-puff-pass, driving drunk or just being a damn fool - should fans care?

Obviously, yes. The fans are the ones paying a whole lot to root for a team - buying a team's apparel, going to games, devoting significant portions of their life to watching and reading about a set of athletes. Anything an athlete does off the court - whether it impairs his training or performance, lands him in the clink, or makes him a less than satisfactory role model - should be fair game for fans. Seriously, do you want to buy your kid a Randolph jersey after reading the above rumor? Probably not.

But beat writers aren't going to cover that stuff. It's impossible - beat writers no doubt know who smokes, who drinks too much and who is a jackass out on the town. But no beat writer is willing to alienate the people he sees daily for eight months out of the year just to get the gossip train going. No beat writer is that stupid.

Enter the internet. Sports bloggers right now, save maybe Blez at Athletics Nation and a few basketbloggers who've worked in the business in some other fashion, have virtually zero access to players and team officials. Bloggers, as a sort of independent media (which may be overstating it in most cases), have no one to answer to.

The Maloofs aren't running ads on this site, so I don't have to worry about revenue disappearing if I post an item on a player allegedly walking around Arden Fair high on dope. Peja Stojakovic isn't granting me interviews (not that I've asked for one, though), so I wouldn't worry about future access if I post a rumor spreading around the city about him.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to post those things, either. It's a choice each blogger, who all have their own biases and standards for discourse on their own site, will have to make. Blazers Blog and True Hoop chose to address the rumor, and in much different ways. I don't know whether I would have or not had it been a Kings player. It'll probably be situational.

Now that my soapbox is collapsing under the weight of my own head, I'll quickly leave a couple of links that are good resources on the citizen-journalist movement: the Wikipedia article on it, CyberJournalist.net's best practices and the home for the Institute for Interactive Journalism.

Carnival of the NBA #15: Contributions Wanted

2005-08-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

Have an NBA blog? Read a good NBA-related post lately? Have a blog period and have a good recent NBA-related post? Well... in any of those cases, submit them to me so they can show up in the occasional showcase of the basketblogosphere!

E-mail me with a permalink to the contributed post and a brief one-liner about it by 12:01 a.m. Friday, Pacific time. The Carnival should then be posted Friday morning.

Next Summer's Blockbusters Today

2005-08-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

So who's going to hit the open market next summer? NBA Source breaks it down.

The big names include Amare, Yao, Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and, of course, Peja.

Everyone says this is Bonzi's make-or-break season. Even more, I think it's Peja's. This is the season he could make himself a superstar. He's the number one option on a solid team. He's in a contract year. Every team in the league would love to have him. It's definitely the defining season in his career.

Ric Bucher: Not a Believer

2005-08-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to reader Roger, who sent in this Q&A from a recent Ric Bucher chat on ESPN.com:

derence,(jersey city,nj): You guys rarely or never take a kings question.How good are they this year as compared to last year adding Rahim and Bonzi with the trio still there(Skinner,KT and Corliss) that they got out of the C-Webb deal? You think they have the right pieces now to possibly win it all?

Ric Bucher: Win it all? Or win *at* all? The Kings are in cost-cutting mode. Teams in that mode don't win it all. My question is, how much longer will the Kings be in Sacramento? Stay tuned.

I <3 national writers trying to stir up shit here at home. We've heard nothing (read: NOTHING) on any arena crap in several months. Nothing good, nothing bad. The only news has been the 2007 All-Star Game going to Vegas. Unless a Maloof source or a Vegas source is talking to Bucher and not the Bee, we're not buying it.

Also, there are probably a half-dozen teams not in cost-cutting mode right now - Atlanta, Cleveland, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami and Houston comes to mind. The league in general is in a cost-cutting mode - Cuban is cutting back, the Maloofs are cutting back, the Spurs are looking to lose the Nesterovic albatross to cut costs.

It's a fact of business. When your team is aging and you've been spending a lot, at some point, the smart thing to do is to cut what you can from around your neck. PLEASE, Bucher, tell us which one of those "cost-cutting" deals was a bad one for Sacramento? Webber for KT, Corliss and Skinner? Christie for Cuttino?

Also, Bucher, where do you get off trying to look like two Sacramento personalities combined?
+ = ?

Katrina Gone Wild: Bourbon Street Edition

2005-08-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

The proprietor of Texas Rangers blog Lone Star Ball has a nice post on things more important than sports.

Prayers are going out to those in the Dirty Dirty seeing their lives change drastically today. And Godspeed to those going home later this week hoping to find a shred of their home in tact.

Preemptive donations are encouraged.

Booze and Hoops (And Not Vin Baker)

2005-08-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Actually, it's hard not to believe the guys over at 120 Proof Ball aren't on more than just drink. They've taken the luxury to breakdown each team's offseason, and the dead brain cells are evident! (Note: their motto is "When it comes to baseless conjecture, we're experts." So at least you know what you're getting into.)

In fairness, the blurb on the Kings was obviously written pre-Shareef. Nonetheless, here's a fisking of what is actually there:

120PB says: "The thing is they still have a couple of decent players like Mike Bibby and Peja. Brad Miller doesn't suck too badly but none of the aforementioned three guys are franchise type players."

No, Brad Miller doesn't suck too badly. In fact, he's the third best center in the West, and that's counting Amare Stoudemire as a C. He's incredibly efficient, the best passing big in the game not named Shaq or Vlade, a decent on-the-ball defender and probably the most valuable King. And Bibby and Peja are decent players? Um, if decent means top 5 PG and best shooter in the game respectively, then yeah, they're decent.

120PB says: "The Kings learned that the hard way with Peja. The brass gave him the proverbial captain's armband when they sent Chris Webber packing and instead of becoming a leader, he became a douche bag and bitched nonstop about how he wanted out."

Facts always get in the way of a good opinion, no? The truth is that Peja was never looked at as the "leader" - Bibby inherited it when Webber left. Peja may have gotten top-dog status, but that just means the offense focuses more on him. When you have someone that can shoot like Peja, that's hardly a bad thing. And Peja didn't "bitch nonstop" - he made two public statements about a trade, if I remember correctly (once in Europe and once here). And that was BEFORE Webber was traded. (It all stemmed when Webb seemingly called out Peja after Game 7 of the '03 T-Wolves series - hilarious seeing as how Webber ruined the season for the team by coming back and taking the team's offense completely over). Peja said nothing about wanting to be traded once training camp begun last season. And since then, he's said his goal is to re-sign with the Kings. Whether that happens remains to be seen.

120PB says: "Wildcard: The cowbells. Seriously, few teams benefit from home court advantage more than the Kings. Those rednecks can ring a mean cowbell. Still, I don't think they'll have much to cheer about. Cow tipping anyone?"

Not much to cheer about but the second-best winning percentage in the league since 2000. And the fact that post-SAR-acquisition, our team is poised to be a top-three seed in the West.

Nice try, 120 Proof Ball. Here's our prediction: you'll be having crow for dinner this spring. (And if you think the Clips or Lakers will finish higher than Les Rois, you can't be saved.)

Lean On Me: A Primitive Study of Sacramento's Players' Impacts on Teammates' Shooting

2005-08-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

More analysis on the player pair stats made available by 82games.com was promised, so here we go.

We looked at True Shooting percentage (abbreviated as TS%) plus-minus figures for players on the Kings. True shooting is a measure of shooting efficiency that accounts for free throws, as well as field goals. You can learn more about why it's used at Sonics.com writer Kevin Pelton's stats primer. He makes a much better agrument than I can. But in short, the formula is:

TS% = Points/(2 x (Field Goals Attempted + (Field Throws Attempted x .44)))

So, we ripped the stats from 82games (thanks, Roland!) and calculated TS% for each player when a certain player is also in the game. True shooting wasn't one of things Roland included in the release, necessitating that calculation.

Then, we compared each player's TS% with a certain teammate with that player's overall TS%.

For instance, for Mike Bibby, we calculated his TS% with Brad Miller, Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie, Cuttino Mobley, Darius Songaila, Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner, Erik Daniels, Eddie House, Bobby Jackson -- every player he played a minute with last season.

Then we subtracted Bibby's overall TS% (which happens to be 54.3%) from those pair TS% figures (for example, Bibby's TS% when Miller was also in the game was 57.4%).

In our example, Bibby has a TS% 3.1% better with Miller in the game. But Mobley, for instance, had a negative effect on Bibby's TS% -- dropping it to 53.9%, or a net -0.4% effect.

This tells us a lot on an individual basis -- Doug Christie may not score as much or as well as Mobley, but his being on the court makes Bibby's TS% much better than does Mobley being on the floor.

But it can tell us something about players overall, too -- not just tandems. Looking at the data, some players seem to have a positive effect on their teammates TS% more than others. Can we put a number on this effect?

Yes! We resorted our data by the 'player2' -- the teammate that correlates with specific rises and falls of TS%. Instead of simply averaging the net +/- impact the teammates had on TS%, we weighted the values by multiplying the net +/- by the minutes the tandem played together.

For example, when Christie was in the game, Maurice Evans's TS% an astronomical 27.1%. Sadly, the pair played only 64 minutes together, negating the seemingly huge impact. Christie did play a significant number of minutes along Peja, though -- 864 minutes. Peja's TS% went up 2.2% in that time.

Multiplying the minutes and the net +/- magnifies the actual impact to the player's TS% with a certain teammate on the floor. We added all those up for each 'teammate' and divided by the total minutes as a 'teammate' (or four times the teammate's actual floor minutes -- each player is four players' teammate every minute on the court).

This gave us a weighted TS% impact for each player. Or put another way, this is the net impact a player had on his teammates' TS%. Here's the list, sorted from postive to negative (including the three new additions based on their own team's stats):

Surprising in places, isn't it? I expected Miller at the top -- he's a big guy that opens up the floor for everyone. I have to admit Webber was a minor shock -- the assumption is that he clogged up and choked the offense, making everyone else stand around and not look for good shots. But if not for Miller, CWebb would've been the best in this category.

Cuttino having a positive impact on his teammates' TS% was also surprising. Evans was lower than I would've guessed, as was Skinner. But injuries and the trades really provided a lot of turbulence in the rotation, and roles were pretty jumbled all season.

It's not encouraging that none of SAR, Bonzi and The Hitman (new nickname alert! new nickname alert!) positively affected their teammates' TS%. Shareef's stats showed a positive impact on other bigs (like Zach Randolph and Theo Ratliff) and a negative on guards (especially Mighty Mouse, for some reason). He did have a positive effect on Sebastian Telfair's TS%, though.

Bonzi's stats looked awful. Gasol, Watson and Miller saw their TS% increased a decent amount with Bonzi on the floor, but the TS% for every other major rotation player (including White Chocolate, Battier, Lorenzen Wright, Stro Swift and James Posey) saw significant decreases with Bonzi alongside them.

The Hitman helped Primoz Brezec and a host of role players. He hurt Gerald Wallace, Brevin Knight, Steve Smith and Jason Kapono substantially and Emeka Okafor and Keith Bogans a bit.

And remember, this only measures shifts in a player's teammates' TS% when said player is in the game. It does not account for the other three players on the floor (which is the biggest challenge to effectively measuring teammate impacts), the defenders on the other side of the ball and garbage time.

But I think it starts to tell us a little bit about what players have a positive impact on their teammates, at least on the offensive end. I haven't touched the rebound, assist, points or steals data, though, because I'm nervous about the whole "three other players on the court" thing.

Anyone have ideas how to further dig into this data? Comment or email me.

Hornets in China

2005-08-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

From True Hoop: Former Sac State star Joel Jones is headed to China.

Jones got drafted with the fourth pick in the second round of the Chinese Basketball Association's annual draft. According to Henry Abbott, something like 70 sub-NBA players are invited to a camp in Oregon, where Chinese hoops officials are scouting. Then the draft is held, and players negotiate and sign contracts that day.

Joel (pronounced Joe-El -- two syllables), who played in Puerto Rico last year after some great seaons in the green and gold, got picked up by the Shandong Jinsidun Lions.

Wikipedia says that the Lions are based in Taian, Shandong. Shandong is an eastern province, with a Pacific Ocean coastline. So just right over the pond, really.

Have fun in Shandong, Joel!

The Essence of Matt

2005-08-25T08:23:00.000-07:00

Sam Amick has a predictably terrific story on resume-peddling Matt Barnes in the Bee today.

Barnes, in case you've forgotten, is a local product, having played at Del Campo High before going to UCLA. The Kings signed him in 2004, which excited everyone. He backed up Peja and added some front-line rebounding and a touch of defense to the team in about 16 minutes per game.

Then, he got shipped to Philly with Chris Webber. For whatever reason, Jim O'Brien threw Matty on the injured list with a phantom boo-boo. That was his season. Now, Sacramento and San Antonio are considered the major suitors for his services.

Amick mentions something in the article I'm not sure I've seen before: Petrie wants only 13 on the roster.

Let's count it out: You've got five starters - Bibby, Peja, Brad, SAR and Bonzi. Two back-up points - Jason Hart and Ronnie Price - and two back-up 2s - Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia. That's nine.

Your back-up frontcourt is KT, Brian Skinner and Corliss. There's 12. Jamal Sampson, unless he's training camp fodder, is number 13.

This could mean several things - Ronnie or Francisco or both are NBDL-bound, Ronnie or Jamal could be training camp casualties, or Geoff is blowing smoke up Matt's ass because the roster is set.

Or it could mean the Petrie Lord has another trade in the works. Of course, we haven't heard anything yet - not even so much as a rumor. But with Petrie, you never know.

Mo-Town

2005-08-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

The Detroit News reports that Detroit is offering Mo Evans $1.5 million per in a multi-year deal.

They apparently want him to back up Tayshaun Prince. He played almost all of his minutes last season at shooting guard, and spent more time at the point than backing up Peja.

It was pretty obvious once Francisco Garcia was drafted and Bonzi Wells was brought over that Mo wasn't in Sacramento's plans for next year. We're surprised, though, it took a team so long to make a play for him. The Spurs were reportedly interested, as were the Timberwolves. But we haven't heard anything in weeks.

I still wonder if a sign-and-trade involving Darius and Mo can't be worked out in the next seven days (the time Petrie has to match the offer before Detroit gets Mo).

Preferential Teammates

2005-08-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

82games.com -- the best use of bandwidth EVER -- has just published its 2004-05 box score statistics for player pairs. Sacramento's is here.

This data looks incredibly valuable, and the fact that Roland Beech & Co. have more data on player pairs that they haven't released should ensure that the guy gets hired by a franchise as a consultant in the near future.

The website explains much better than we can, but let's try to sum it in a couple sentences: you can see how a teammate being on the floor affected a player - data available includes +/-, offensive and defensive efficiency, FG%, field goal attempts and points and rebounds and assists and turnovers and blocks and steals and free throw attempts per 40 -- and more.

So, with this data, we can see that last season, Mike Bibby's FG% was 9.1% better when Matt Barnes was on the floor than when Peja Stojakovic was (though there was 122 minutes when Peja and Matt were both on the floor -- we assume Mike was playing at least some of those minutes, as well). Brian Skinner's FG% fell 12.9% when Maurice Evans was playing with him. Playing alongside Kevin Martin raised Peja's FG% 5.6%, while playing with Evans dropped Peja's FG% 6.5%.

I've ripped a majority of the Sacramento data and slapped it into a spreadsheet, and in the next few days will try to find fun stuff within it.

Chicaaago, Chicaaaago...

2005-08-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the Bulls are looking at our Darius Songaila long and hard. The fantastic and aptly named Bulls Blog looks at The Scrapmaster's statistics and approves.

I have little doubt Geoff Petrie wouldn't match a short-term $2M/year offer for Darius. We have a load of PFs, yes. But that's a value The Petrie Lord just can't walk away from, methinks.

Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson are firmly on the trading block and will be until a) their contracts run out or b) Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Brian Skinner get run off the road by Kevin Martin and lose their legs. Darius at $2M per versus KT at $7M? Easy choice, if it comes down to it.

It's tough to gauge what the breaking point is for paying Darius -- so we won't try. Let's just say it's probably more than $2M and less than $5M.

We could make it work for Da Bulls, though: How about Darius and Maurice Evans (a defensive-minded SG they could use in the Chi) for Eddy Curry at a reasonable price of like $5M per for five years?

We'd go over the luxury tax threshold, but the deadline to get under that level isn't until the last day of the regular season. Plenty of time to swing even a minor trade (Skinner could be valuable to an Eastern defender sometime this year, as could KT or Scoreless).

What do you say, Chicago? You get rid of your ticking timebomb of a ticker, we get a big with potential for nothing, you get two contributors who can D up. Fair?

How Good Were the Spurs?

2005-08-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis good.

No, seriously, that's a good team. I can't believe Detroit took them to a seventh game. Possibly the miracle of the young century.

We've crunched the numbers here at el Bloggo del Sacramento Kings and it's not pretty. Using proportional scoring margins (we'll explain why below), we calculated the rankings for the Western Conference for the last regular season. Phoenix may have had the most wins, but you'll see here that San Antonio was a much, much better team.

Here's the meat:

Team Scoring Margin
SAS 8.83
PHX 6.89
DAL 5.94
HOU 4.43
MEM 2.52
SEA 2.37
SAC 2.13
DEN 2.08
MIN 1.52
LAC -0.80
GSW -2.14
LAL -2.91
POR -4.13
UTA -4.39
NOH -7.41

The number is the proportional scoring margin for each team. The scoring margin for a team is easy - it's a team's points scored for minus the point's scored against. The proportional scoring margin is, then, the margin divided by the points against.

For instance, the above stats show us that San Antonio, over the course of 82 games, scored 8.83% more points than it allowed. New Orleans scored 7.41% less points than its opponents.

Why scoring margin and not wins? Well, there's a reason Sportscenter shows you that the Kings lost 122-118, not just that the Kings lost. A small margin tells you that the teams that played were pretty evenly matched that night. A wide margin tells you one team played much better than the other.

But the Suns won more games than the Spurs! Yeah, but some of those were close "toss-up" games and some of the losses were baaaad. The Spurs were more consistent - they typically won games solidly and didn't lose big when they did lose. (And because of SA's horrible foul-shooting, they probably lost some close ones they should've won - thus skewing the won-loss column.)

It's been proven that over the course of a season, a margin will tell you how many games a team should win with very reasonable accuracy - it makes sense because scoring and not allowing your opponent to score decides who wins and loses. (See this Dean Oliver article for more in-depth analysis on the scoring margin-winning percentage correlation.)

So why proportional scoring margin, then? Because raw scoring margin tells you a lot, but not everything.

For example, if Phoenix beats Houston 113-100, its scoring margin for that game is +13. San Antonio then beats Seattle 80-70, for a scoring margin of +10. Phoenix was better than SA, right?

Wrong. Phoenix scored 13% more points than its opponent. But SA scored 14.2% more than its foe - which is more impressive. This deflates the heightened pace the Suns play at and normalizes the scoring margins. It makes visceral sense, too - 10 points in a low scoring contest (where every point counts) is more valuable than 13 points in a higher scoring affair (where opportunities are plentiful thanks to pace).

Questions in the comments. Suggestion for further analysis likewise. Tylenol and decaf appreciated.

The Hawks: Newly En Vogue

2005-08-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here's a pretty amazing thread (thanks to Lang Whitaker at SLAM).

In short, Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson posted on RealGM that he's glad fans have been so passionate about the Joe Johnson situation. He also offers a special deal for the fans -- $10 lower level tickets for a game against the Clips in early November.

Five pages of well-deserved high praise ensue. The web breaks down all sorts of barriers -- ones that are far outside this blog's sphere of influence.

But the walls between the team and the fans are being broken down because of the internet, too. Curt Schilling and John Henry posting on a Red Sox forum, Bruce Levenson visited the RealGM forum. It's encouraging.

Also, it's scary. Have you seen some of the crackpot trade ideas on RealGM?!?! Someone take Geoff Petrie's computer away RIGHT NOW!

L.A. Wins McKie 'Sweepstakes'

2005-08-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

It looks like the Lakers have signed Aaron McKie to man the point for the next two seasons.

Excellent Laker blog Forum Blue & Gold had a nice summary of McKie last week - take a look to see how the rival will improve. I expect Aaron's numbers to improve - starter minutes, a superstar partner in the backcourt and the absolute lack of quality point guard defenders in the WC will impact it. But McKie at this stage in his career is nothing more than a stop-gap placeholder.

Makes you wonder why L.A. didn't make a play to move up in the PG-heavy draft this year to get Chris Paul or Deron Williams. Next year ain't looking as deep at that position.

Hurry, Darius! Camp is Almost Here

2005-08-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

The Nuggets, not satisfied with getting our hopes up about Nene, want Darius.

Unless we move KT, Skinner and/or Corliss, we have no room for players or salary. None. So either making a play to keep Darius and going over the oppressive luxury tax level or sign-and-trading him for another player has little value. Denver has no trade exception, and draft picks don't count for salary-matching purposes.

The Nets seemed to have moved past Songaila, turning their sights instead on Robert Traylor. Have fun with that.

I think Darius will end up walking without the Kings getting compensation. Hopefully, it's to an Eastern Conference team, because I can see the guy being a Kings-killer in the future.

Worst. NBA Nickname. Ever.

2005-08-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

Can we get Milwaukee back in the Western Conference? Because I'd absolutely LOVE to rag on "The Bogey Man" twice a year.

I had read the other day that Shareef Abdur-Rahim's old moniker was "The Future." Not sure it fits any more. One thing Sacramento needs is some good nicknames, so let's work on that. Here's our first nomination:

Kevin Martin: Speed Racer.

Post your suggestions in the comments! (Please.)

Carnival is Back in Town

2005-08-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

The fourteenth Carnival of the NBA is up at True Hoop. Lots of good insight from around the basketblogosphere.

News seems slow in Sacto. I smell Darius news in the very near future, though.

Shareef's Favorite Position

2005-08-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Kings fans are questioning whether Shareef Abdur-Rahim is the answer at power forward. Some say he's better and more comfortable at small forward, where we currently start an All-Star named Peja.

But according to the uber-fantastic-amazing 82games, SAR was a stud at the four last year.

In summary, Shareef played 30 percent of the Blazers' PF minutes and only 11 percent of the team's SF minutes (plus 5 percent of the center minutes). So the notion that SAR was at the three all last season is a misconception many Kings fans are making right off the bat. (Zach Randolph got 31 percent of the team's power forward minutes, by contrast.)

Using John Hollinger's PER statistic (learn more about this here), Small Forward Shareef rated at 1.5 PER less than his counterpart, seemingly because of a worse shooting clip than his opponent.

But Power Forward Shareef outperformed his opponents, getting 2.5 PER more in his minutes at the four. And yes, this is in the Western Conference.

His offense predictably picked up a bunch at the four, but surprisingly, so did his defense.

At small forward, Shareef gave up 21.1 points and a .528 eFG percentage (eFG, or effective field goal percentage, counts a made three-pointer as 1.5 made field goals, thus rewarding deep shooters in the statsheet as they are rewarded on the scoreboard). At power forward, Shareef gave up 20.1 points and a .521 eFG.

We must also remember a couple things: SAR had an off-year. The Western Conference has much better PFs than SFs, overall. Zach Randolph still had a better PER differential at PF than SAR last season.

This is all no great shakes, but it flies in the face of what many are saying about Shareef's natural position.

Spree in Motor City?

2005-08-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Ryan at Basketball Ramblings talks about a rumor that the Pistons are interested in Latrell Sprewell.

Yeah, I really don't see that guy's antics going over too well in a town like Detroit. The Pistons could probably use a shooter, but this isn't the right direction for that team.

Charley's At It Again

2005-08-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Charley Rosen has got yet another hate-filled column up at FOXSports.

Two Kings targets this time: Shareef and Jamal Sampson.

On SAR, Rosen politely suggests:

"This guy is a highly overrated player whose pluses are ostensibly a good fit with the Kings but whose flaws are noticeable and easily exploited. Abdur-Rahim makes the Kings the same kind of overly finesse team that they used to be."

The same kind of team that has the second-most regular season wins in the league since 2000, right?

Rosen also says that this could be Jamal's last chance in the league, but that he won't get off the injured list with a phantom injury. Also, he says Doug Christie is three years past his prime and calls Marc Jackson a loser. All in a days work, right?

Contender Again

2005-08-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

I was almost kind of looking forward to being a dark horse in the Western Conference this year.

But it's very apparent that we're going into the season with high expectations - consider Ailene Voisin's Sunday column as evidence.

I've said I think the SAR move puts us at 55-60 wins. Petrie may not be done moving (I think he is), so we'll save more exacting predictions for October. But things ARE looking pretty right now. The buzz is building.

Rosen Drinks the Haterade

2005-08-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

In response to another horrible column from Charley Rosen, the famed and analytical Knickerblogger delivers a solid if calm debunking.

Should you not wish to waste brain cells processing Rosen's column on the most overrated greats of all-time, here's a brief synopsis:

Barkley: Fat.
Walt Bellamy: A fairy.
Ewing: A loser.
The Iceman: Unstoppable, but still sucky.
Connie Hawkins: All show.
Elvin Hayes: Selfish.
The Mailman: Choke artist.
Bob McAdoo: Wussy.
Pistol Pete: The Original White Chocolate.
The Glove: Got owned by Jordan, therefore sucks.
The Admiral: "This guy was a cream puff." (That's a direct quote.)

As a commenter on KB suggested, Rosen has clearly gone insane. Either Mrs. Rosen ain't serving dessert no more, or FOXSports is paying Rosen by the snark, as we mentioned after Rosen's last column.

This guy is well on his way to being the Joe Morgan of hoops.

Petrie is Our Lord

2005-08-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

$29M over 5 years. For Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Yes, that Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Marcos Breton has a surprisingly good column today about team doctors and SAR and the genius of Petrie. In short, if SAR sucks, NJ wins. If SAR is healthy, the Kings win. If SAR is great and helps the team do something special, Petrie is God.

Yet, there are STILL fans whining that KT will likely be on the squad instead of Darius, that our defense lacks, that our bench sucks compared to the glory days.

KT is now even more overpriced as a sixth man, we all agree on that. But damn, that's a helluva sixth man. He'll get somewhere near 20 minutes a game if you figure he'll get some time at both PF and SF as minutes permit. He could give you 10-12 points in those minutes given he's the second or third option on the floor.

Bench play is a major factor in the postseason, and ours just got a lot better.

O-fficial

2005-08-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

King Abdur-Rahim is inked, according to The Bee.

No details yet. The Kings are now looking at being one of the best offensive teams in the West. The defense...well, you know.

Ink that Thing!

2005-08-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Bee reports that the deal is all but done to bring Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Sacramento. Knowing how Geoff Petrie works, expect something to break this afternoon.

It looks like it'll be a five-year deal starting off at the mid-level and totalling up to around $31 million. Helluva deal for a potential All-Star.

Sam Amick's comments about SAR's rebounding ability were interesting. I never thought of the guy as a key rebounder. But on this team? He could average 12 per.

Little KMart, Don't Phunk With My Heart

2005-08-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

We really don't think Shareef Abdur-Rahim will come to Sacramento by way of sign-and-trade - an outright signing seems more likely.

But that didn't stop Henry at True Hoop from trying! He suggests Darius Songaila and Kevin Martin for SAR and Sergei Monia.

This led to personal confliction regarding Little KMart. The guy, despite his faults, has really grown on me! He could end up being a super sub - a scorer who provides a bolt of energy a la Gerald Wallace.

A few months ago, I wouldn't have flinched at sending Martin off for a future second-rounder. Now, I'd think twice before making him a toss-in in a trade for Shareef Ab-freakin-dur-Rahim!

You've taken our heart, Mr. Martin! Please be gentle with it.