Sacramento Kings

Dec 23, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; General view of the Space Needle and the downtown Seattle skyline before the NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports If  you’ve yet to see it, one half of the Hansen-Ballmer group who attempted to purchase and relocate the Sacramento Kings to Seattle spoke today, congratulating Sacramento on their effort to keep the Kings. From Chris Hansen on his SonicsArena.com website: I’d like to start out by congratulating Mayor Johnson and the fans in Sacramento for the tremendous effort they put together to keep their team. Given what our community went through in 2008, if there is any silver lining in this for Seattle it is seeing Sacramento’s dedicated fan base successfully rally to keep the Kings. This was never about Seattle fans versus Sacramento fans, and it goes unsaid that there is a mutual respect given the circumstances we have both been through. This process was instead about our group and our city putting our best foot forward in an honest and transparent way to return basketball to Seattle, and in that regard our efforts remain undeterred. You can read the full piece here I’ve been very open about my feelings toward Chris Hansen during this process, continually saying he would (and will) be a wonderful NBA owner at some point and if Sacramento was void of an NBA team, I’d hope to have somebody like him in my corner. That said, you can keep your congratulations. I certainly don’t want them and I’m pretty sure the vast majority of the purple and black faithful don’t want them either. You caused this. You, directly, along with the rest of your ownership group, so don’t pretend like you have some sympathy for Sacramento with the “what we’ve both gone through” garbage. We went through that because of you. Did you conveniently overlook that? Now, do I blame you? Not hardly. You saw a weak and injured animal in the open field, just waiting to be attacked. They were prime pickings. If you didn’t do it, somebody else would have. You just didn’t expect for that animal to fight back like it did. I applaud your efforts for Seattle and I do really hope that the NBA will return there and do so soon because the Seattle fan base deserves a team – a team they never should have lost. But as far as congratulating us on what you attempted to take? Really? That’s the equivalent of receiving a wedding congratulations from the guy who was boinking your fiancé behind your back.

With the relocation saga behind us, there is actual basketball to return to in Sacramento and it begins Tuesday with the NBA Draft Lottery.  A source within the Kings orgaization has confirmed to Cowbell Kingdom that  Keith Smart will represent the team in New York tomorrow night. Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee was first to report the news.  Cowbell Kingdom was told the decision to send the Kings head coach was made a few weeks ago by the Maloofs.  The current Kings owners are still awaiting formal approval by the NBA to sell controlling interest of the team to TIBCO founder Vivek Ranadivé and company. While Smart will represent the club on Tuesday night, there are no assurances that he will be back with the team for the 2013-14 season.  The ownership group is expected to make dramatic changes to the front office and coaching staff once the stake is transferred.  Smart has one year remaining on the deal he signed when he took over as Kings coach eight games into the 2011-12 season. The Kings currently sit with the sixth best odds in the draft lottery, meaning they have just a 6.3 percent chance of moving into the top spot. The Kings will potentially select at either No. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 or 9 in the 2013 Draft, which takes place on Thursday, June 27.  Several mock drafts are projecting Kentucky Wildcats’ big man Nerlens Noel is to be chosen with the first overall pick.

Three years ago, Jimmer Fredette took BYU and the national stage by storm. He was a sensation that so many kids looked up to. He was the face of college basketball. Three years later, he is a bench player averaging 7 points a game.This probably makes you think, what happened. Some people might blame it because of his defense or his lack of knowledge on the court sometimes. The real reason, however, is Keith Smart. Even if you don't like Jimmer, you still have to say that Smart gave Jimmer a crappy time on the bench this year. This makes no sense. His plus/ minus was around +6. He averaged around 17 points per 36 minutes and everytime he went in, all the crowd wanted him to do was shoot. He enlightened the teams energy along with Isaiah Thomas. Its ridiculous. I remember watching numerous times when Jimmer got 10+ points in the second quarter and he didnt play for the rest of the game. Before everyone starts hating on Jimmer, just think about the oppurtunity he had with Keith Smart. He deserves a new beginning with a new coach. Three years ago, Jimmer Fredette took BYU and the national stage by storm. He was a sensation that so many kids looked up to. He was the face of college basketball. Three years later, he is a bench player averaging 7 points a game.This probably makes you think, what happened. Some people might blame it because of his defense or his lack of knowledge on the court sometimes. The real reason, however, is Keith Smart. Even if you don't like Jimmer, you still have to say that Smart gave Jimmer a crappy time on the bench this year. This makes no sense. His plus/ minus was around +6. He averaged around 17 points per 36 minutes and everytime he went in, all the crowd wanted him to do was shoot. He enlightened the teams energy along with Isaiah Thomas. Its ridiculous. I remember watching numerous times when Jimmer got 10+ points in the second quarter and he didnt play for the rest of the game. Before everyone starts hating on Jimmer, just think about the oppurtunity he had with Keith Smart. He deserves a new beginning with a new coach. Poll Should Jimmer be a sixth man next year? Yes No, same role as last year He should be given the oppurtunity to start 1 votes | Results

From Kings.com:  Long Live the Kings Rally Announced for Thursday at Cesar Chavez Park – Join Vivek Ranadivé, Mayor Johnson and more to celebrate team’s rich history and exciting future in Sacramento; 1985-Forever- SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento Kings today announced LONG LIVE THE KINGS RALLY will take place Thursday, May 23 from 5-9 p.m. at Cesar Chavez Park in Downtown Sacramento. Kings fans across the region are invited to join Vivek Ranadivé in his first public appearance as the team’s majority owner, along with Mayor Kevin Johnson, Slamson, Kings Dancers and special guests to celebrate the Sacramento community for its unwavering commitment to the team. This rally is an opportunity for Kings fans, the city and region to come together and celebrate the beginning of a lifetime of Kings basketball in Sacramento. Featuring a live musical performance, this FREE event will pay tribute to the many generations of Kings fans – from those who sported tuxedos and gowns on Opening Night in 1985 to those who attended their first game in 2013. Fans interested in attending are encouraged to rock their favorite Kings threads and to share their rally experience on social media platforms using #LLTKRally for a chance to be featured by the Kings on-screen at the event and online. Complete details of rally programming will be revealed on Kings.com in the days leading up to the festivities. Due to high demand for new season tickets, fans interested in locking-in their seats for the 2013-14 campaign are advised to place their $200, non-refundable deposit on Kings.com at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21, as it’s the fastest way to ensure a high priority number for the Kings Select-A-Seat event in June. Seat selection priority will be determined by timestamp of deposit. Fans may also place a deposit beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21 by calling 888-91-KINGS. Kings.com is currently receiving, on average, one new season ticket inquiry every 3 minutes.

June 28, 2012; Newark, NJ, USA; A general view of the first round draft board at the conclusion of the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports In somewhat of a weird move, the Sacramento Bee’s Ryan Lillis is reporting that Kings head coach Keith Smart will be representing the franchise at tomorrow’s NBA Draft Lottery. Per Lillis: #NBAKings team representative tells me Coach Keith Smart will represent team at tomorrow’s #NBA draft lottery Making the move even more weird is that the agreement for Smart to represent the Kings actually came from the Maloof family, before the sale of the franchise: Maloofs had made arrangement for Smart to rep team at draft lottery. Vivek does not formally own team yet, so team moving 4ward with that Being the sale of the Kings hasn’t officially gone through (as in documents haven’t been processed), Vivek technically doesn’t own the team at the current moment so they apparently opted to run with the prior agreement. It certainly has to be a strange feeling for all involved, especially since Smart isn’t expected back with the Kings for the upcoming season. Still, it’s nice of Smart to go, even if he’s in a bit of a lame duck scenario. The NBA Draft Lottery will be held tomorrow evening at 5:30 P.M. Sacramento time at the ABC’ Times Square Studio in New York City.

There is a lot of talk about the impact of PTSD these days. People are realizing just how serious and pervasive this is and how it affects those that suffer from it. I think that we as Kings fans may suffer from a very similar condition, a condition specific to the Maloofs and their past Maloofing up the Kings. Some signs that you may have PTMD: First: Do you find yourself logging onto blogs and newspaper web sites to find out what went wrong with the sale of the team? Waiting to hear that it was Maloofed up? Expecting something to go wrong? Second: Is it hard to get excited about having Vivek as an owner and a Maloof-free franchise? Do you find yourself, for some ill-defined reason, feeling unexpectedly down about the Kings when you think you should feel more positive? Third: Do you focus on negatives aspects of the team rebuild, new ownership, and worry about all that can go wrong, rather than being positive about the new future of this franchise? Fourth: Do you create rationalizations to stay negative about the team? Is it easy to create lists of problems about why the Kings could still be bad in the coming season and convince yourself to not get your hopes up? Fifth: Is it hard to think of the team in the context of a functional and successful team? Is it hard to think of the team as one that will be in the playoffs soon? Some of this is just, I think, natural… It is kind of like leaving a bad job or a bad relationship and only being able to realize how bad it was after you are out of it. Also, we don’t have the new ownership and rebuilt franchise in place yet. We won’t know what that will be like for some time. This leaves us in limbo… But there is a quality to this situation that I didn’t expect. I didn’t expect to read the daily blog and news and still feel concern about the future of this team. I expected to feel jubilant about the Maloofs being gone, but it just doesn’t feel real to me yet. I didn’t expect to still feel negative about this team for no apparent reason, but I do. I think that dealing with the Maloofs for so long has left deep scars in my fandom. I don’t really know what to do about it. I think attending the upcoming Cesar Chavez Park rally will help. I desperately need to feel that the team has changed and not just know it analytically. I need to feel it. It has taken a lot of lost games, bad trades, mismanaged seasons, and direct ownership sabotage to get me where I am now. The road back is not going to be easy. Just announcing new ownership doesn’t provide much to combat the mess of negative emotions that has built up over the past years, but at least it has exposed it. It has made me aware that I suffer from what I term, "Post Traumatic Maloof Disorder." I can now consciously combat this glut of left over negativity. My realization of this unexplainable and irrational sense of negativity saddens me because I now know that my Kings experience has been a far darker place than I realized. It doesn’t help to say that winning will make it all the brighter. I now understand why some stopped being involved with the Kings. There is enough pain the world without adding more to it. And this has hurt. Pain leaves scars and I think all of us Kings fans are scarred by what has gone on. I know that echoes of the Maloofs are going to haunt me for some time to come, but I will not let them destroy all that is good in my enjoyment of the Kings. It is just going to be harder than I expected to recover from what has gone on and get over my PTMD. There is a lot of talk about the impact of PTSD these days. People are realizing just how serious and pervasive this is and how it affects those that suffer from it. I think that we as Kings fans may suffer from a very similar condition, a condition specific to the Maloofs and their past Maloofing up the Kings. Some si

The Bee's Jason Jones hosts: Sacramento Kings' chances in NBA Lottery

Mar 19, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard Jimmer Fredette (7) reacts after scoring a three pointer during the second quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Power Balance Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports Few players felt the crunch of Keith Smart’s rotations more than that of Jimmer Fredette. From a handful of consecutive DNP’s to starting to more DNP’s, Fredette’s 2012-13 season could only be described as a yo-yo. Because of that, it was difficult to get much of a read on the former Cougar but we here at A Royal Pain did our best, which you’ll find below in our season review: Scott: There were small improvements in Jimmer Fredette‘s game from his rookie to second year, but still, Jimmer’s sophomore campaign would have to be categorized as a disappointment. On the plus side, Fredette was a much more effective shooter, and that’s the one thing he has to provide to be of any use. Jimmer exhibited more confidence in his game and this translated into better results. Unfortunately, there were significant portions of the season in which you questioned whether Fredette belonged in the NBA. With the ball in his hands, Fredette was unable to get separation from defenders and frequently got caught in the air or in a crowd of defenders with nowhere to go. Defensively, Fredette was again a liability that opponents looked to take advantage of. For that reason, it was really hard to justify playing Fredette unless he was absolutely scorching with his shot. Now, there is a caveat. The argument could easily be made that Jimmer was never properly used. Fredette is a shooter, yet the Kings rarely set hard screens for him or made any attempt to free him up for open looks. Instead, Fredette was left to fend for himself, and he simply can’t create his own shot consistently at this stage in his career. A new coaching staff might do wonders for Fredette. Giving him easier defensive matchups and making him a priority on some offensive plays would be a great start. Nonetheless, it will be a crucial offseason for Fredette, who really needs to make strides in his overall game to earn a role with the Kings or any other team. Marilyn: Despite being with the team for two seasons, Jimmer Fredette’s worth as a guard is still somewhat of a mystery. He appeared far more confident on the court this past season than he did in his rookie year. He is known primarily for his shooting skills from his college years where he was a scoring machine. That promise has yet to translate over into the NBA on any consistent basis. Last season he averaged .416 for his 3-point shooting percentage, but his defensive skills have lagged, keeping him from seeing more minutes. He continues to have a strong fan following, waiting to erupt when he drains a long ball. It is a lot of fun when that happens, as it can get the crowd going. Perhaps his best game last season was December 17, 2012 against Phoenix, where he played 23 minutes, scoring 22 points, including 3 out of 5 treys. A new head coach may view Fredette with fresh eyes and find ways to support his presence on the court. It remains to be seen whether he will have a long-term future in Sacramento. Bryan: Giving Jimmer Fredette much of a review for the 2012-13 season is difficult given what he dealt with from a playing time perspective. The floor time he did receive, I thought he played well, given my expectations of him. Maybe that says more of my expectations than it does of Fredette’s game, but I see a young player who is willing to learn and improve. Thankfully for Fredette, 2013-2014 should be a more productive year as head coach Keith Smart is not expected to be retained and his musical chair rotation wont continue to eat into Fredette’s floor time, assuming Fredette remains in Sacramento. That said, I could see the former BYU product as a piece in an offseason trade as the new ownership

Hey everyone, In celebration of Lottery Tuesday, and Ziller finally removing the embargo on actual basketball talk, I thought I would dive into teams' performances in the lotto. We all like to say that Sacramento gets the sharp end of the stick when it comes to the lottery, but how true is that? Also, compared to the other perpetual lottery players, do we stand out in how poor we rank? I also thought this would be a good exercise to see if there is any meat behind the "RIGGED!!!" theories as well. To get an idea of how teams did since the weighted lottery started in 1990, I thought I would look online and check out performance and stats for that entire time frame. Turns out....I could not find ANY site that actually showed lottery movement and any trends pertaining to that. So I took it upon myself to compile that information, and here is what I did. Starting with 2012 and moving back each year to 1990, I looked at each teams projected spot (based on record), then compared it to the actual spot that they received based on the ball drop. A positive point was assigned to each spot moving up in the lotto, a negative point for each spot moving down, and a zero for staying at their projected location. For example, if the Bulls moved from a projected 8th pick, and they are awarded the 5th pick, then for that year they get a +3. I also tracked number of appearances, number of times the team moved up or down regardless of how many spots they moved. Then from these I calculated net movement, and average movement for each team. If teams had traded their picks, the points were awarded to the ORIGINAL holder of the pick. This was the only reasonable way I could combine this data. To get an idea of what MY preconceived notions were about the lotto, my hypothesis was that while, yes, the Kings do get screwed in the lottery, my belief was that MOST teams get screwed in the lottery. The current system seems to favor moving down, since, when you look at the percentages, you have a higher chance of moving down than up or staying put. It was very interesting for me to put my beliefs against the results, and not everything I saw was expected. Here is the table that I made: (Full Size) And the results: (Full Size) So first thoughts while making this? The Kings DID get screwed! However... They are far from alone in that respect. You'll notice that they Kings have not once moved up in the lottery, and have actually moved down more times than even staying put. Not good! You'll also notice that the net movement for the Kings is a league worst -14 spots. So far it looks like our preconceived notions are correct. Then you look at the rest of the graph....a LOT of the teams do pretty poorly in the lotto, with 11 total never moving up in lottery history, and several others only moving up once or twice in twenty-three years! Another thing I wanted to check, was to see if people's assumptions that larger markets were favored. This one fails miserably. New York, Dallas, Boston, Indiana, and Miami have never moved up. The only large market team that has done exceptionally favorably is the LA Clippers, and we know how the league feels about the Clippers! Surprisingly the team that has fared the best in the lotto is NOT Cleveland, who most say lucks out the most, but is the original Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. That franchise has a net movement of 20 places! And an average movement of 1.82 spots up, topping the league in both of those categories. So the large market myth gets shot down rather harshly. I'd like to hear anyone else's opinion of these numbers, and if anything stands out and is surprising to them. Notes: - Minimum lotto appearances had to be 5 in order to qualify top/bottom of results - The Spurs have only made a lottery appearance 1 time since the weighted system, drafting Tim Duncan. Talk about dodging a bullet from the Maloofs! - Data became pretty scarce and somewhat convoluted p

Season tickets for the 2013-14 season of the Sacramento Kings (woo!) go on sale Tuesday at 9 a.m. That's when deposits will begin to be accepted on Kings.com. You sign in with your existing account or create a new one, indicate you want season tickets and pony up $200. That deposit is non-refundable. You don't pick your full-season cost on Tuesday: pricing plans will be released in mid-June. The lowest level is expected to be (per Kings staff) $15 per ticket. You pay for 43 games (41 regular season, two preseason). So for two tickets at the lowest price point you're looking at $1,300. You'll pay $200 on Tuesday, then a 20 percent down payment by late June (your $200 deposit counts toward that). Then you can pay the rest according to a payment plan that extends up to six months. You'll pick your seat in late June, too -- that's when your total price will be determined. Here's the Kings' official FAQs on season tickets. Staff is also on hand at Sleep Train Arena to answer questions: Kings.com has a prominent "chat now" link. For many folks, season tickets isn't something they can commit to due to their busy schedule or cost. Since the dawn of man, folks have split season tickets. It can be more manageable to buy half of a season ticket package than a full one: 21 or so dates at the arena vs. 43. Some folks split it further (three or four ways) depending on their needs. We know a lot of folks at StR fall into this category, so while this often happens in real world relationships (work, neighbors, friends, family) we figured we may be able to find some matches here. So if you are interested in splitting season tickets for the 2013-14 season, post in this thread and try to find a match. The actual details of making the split should be handled via email or phone. section214 has split season tickets for decades; he can provide some tips and best practices. So a sample comment below might be .. *** Looking to split season tickets two waysUpper level, $30 ticket range, two tickets. I'm also interested in a half-season package at that price range!My email address is username at gmail dot com. *** In the recent past the Kings have offered half- and quarter-season packages themselves, but that's been a product of lots of available seats. There's no guarantee those will be available this season. In fact, based on the level of renewals the team is reporting and the huge interest in the club's new era, I'd guess those won't be available. Also, for those who live far away from Sacramento but want to help StRians get to the gym: we'll be announcing a donation program later in the week. Stay tuned.