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When Geoff Petrie took over as President of Basketball Operations for the Sacramento Kings in the 1995-96 season, he came in with gun’s blazing, taking over a sub .500 squad which just a few seasons later he molded into a playoff roster, soon there after challenging for an NBA title. He initially made minor (although still significant) moves to get his roster set to his liking, but one trend in Petrie’s moves was the risk factor. Drafting an unknown out of Serbia and Montenegro in Peja Stojakovic, fully knowing he wouldn’t play in the NBA for two plus seasons (not to mention the semi-complicated buyout process to a less than desired NBA destination). Gutsy. Trading away your franchise icon in Mitch Richmond for a disgruntled, although talented Chris Webber? I can’t begin to explain the amount of gourds that took. It’s difficult enough to trade away any franchise player, but to do so in Sacramento? Where fans universally bleed the team’s blood? For a perceived mal-content? Even Chuck Norris is envious of those balls. The bold moves continued – drafting a talented but highly questioned Jason Williams – signing Vlade Divac to a (at the time) hefty contract – trading away your second year player in Tariq Abdul-Wahad – trading away Corliss Williamson, etc, etc.

I bring this up because with the shortened season, the NBA trade deadline is less than seven weeks away and the Kings currently look, well, as awful as they ever have – and Geoff Petrie? Un-risky as ever.

Sure, Petrie has made sideways trades, moving players like Kevin Martin and Carl Landry, but nothing franchise altering like moves of years past and it’s showing in the Kings results. One thing we continue to hear is time – it takes time to build a team – it takes time for a team and players to develop. I certainly don’t disagree with that thought process, however, as a Kings fan you do have to question how long you’re going to have to be subjected to the annual “just a bit more time” excuse. There comes a period when you have to realize the puzzle pieces you put together simply don’t fit together – now am I saying that’s currently the case? No, not exactly – I’m simply bringing up the argument of it.

Value wise, the Kings lack big trade pieces outside of DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans. Sure, they have some very nice complimentary pieces in Marcus Thornton and to lesser extents, J.J. Hickson and Jason Thompson type players, but if you’re trying to alter the course of your franchise – lateral moves aren’t going to get the job done. Of course, the other nice piece the Kings have is cap space – but we’ve seen that hasn’t been as profitable in the trade market as many generally assume, especially again when you lack any significant trade pieces to pair with that cap space in a potential trade scenario. Not to say the Kings couldn’t walk into a perfect storm of a team needing to shed big money with high quality talent returning the Kings way, but, that almost seems too good to be true – mostly because it is.

Expecting a franchise savior to show up in free agency isn’t something you’re going to hold your breath for in Sacramento, so the Kings have to look at the trade market and the draft to improve their team – and despite their struggles, the Kings barring a lotto miracle, aren’t going to be in a position to draft a franchise stud (and even then you’re assuming there is one in this upcoming draft which, as of now, looks mildly weak for Tim Duncan‘s or Kevin Garnett‘s).

That leaves the trade market for Geoff Petrie. I’m certainly not advocating a trade for one of the Kings building blocks, but, I am questioning when you begin to look at it not working. For Petrie, he’d be selling low on any of his “larger” trade chips, which obviously isn’t ideal – but he has one more year of a “cheap” Tyreke Evans (two with the qualifying offer) and the last thing you want to do is get caught in a 4 or 5 year, expensive deal in a scenario that’s not working. Again, that’s not to say it can’t work – that’s essentially my question. Do you continue to ride this storm out and hope that calm seas and playoff visions are on the other end? Or do you pull another risky, Mitch Richmond type deal, changing the identity and course of the franchise? You can only wait to make this move so long before your time runs out.

For curiosity sake – how say you, King fans?

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Some games need little explanation and breaking them down only prolongs the agony.

The Story: Denver scored 92 (!!!) points in the paint, an NBA season high.

What Killed the Kings: Well, among other things, Danilo Gallinari vs. John Salmons. The Nuggets swingman with a new contract owned Salmons, who turned in his typical snoozer of a game.

Low Point: That moment in the second quarter when Kings fans realized it was one of those games that would get away from the team real quick. And it did.

Anything Good?: Jimmer hit five triples. DeMarcus had 17 and 15. And nobody got hurt.

The Game in Five Tweets:

“Looked like Andre Miller, who is 35 years old, just outhustled Tyreke Evans for the ball on that fastbreak try to end the quarter.” – @itsJonSantiago

“Kings on a 2-0 run” – @CarmichaelDave

“Spoiler: This isn’t a slump for Salmons – dude just can’t play off the ball. He’s turned into Noch’s long lost brother.” – @ARoyalPain

“It is ABSOLUTELY ok for the fans to boo. This is ridiculous. This community has stepped up big time for this team, and they are EMBARASSING.” – @CarmichaelDave

“I can’t believe I willingly put myself through this. I even pay for it…I pay A LOT for it. :\” – @KFippin

Next Up: Saturday, 6 p.m. PST, @ Utah Jazz

Per Jason Jones:

Kings announce Marcus Thornton has a significant hematoma in his left thigh and is expected to miss two weeks.

Jones quickly tweeted a correction saying that Thornton is expected to miss one to two weeks.

Utah Jazz play-by-play man and local radio host David Locke was recently talking to an un-named NBA scout who makes appearances on Locke’s local radio show. Locke made mention that the scout “saw 155 games last year, 175 nights in hotels” – I’m still trying to figure out exactly what that means (155 games in person, 175 nights watching games on the road? Or 155 games in person?), either way, Locke’s assumed point was that the “scout” watches plenty of games and supposedly knows his stuff. So, it came as a bit of a shock when the NBA talent evaluator hit Utah airwaves to say this:

Scout on Jimmer “I like Jimmer, but I am not sure his spot, he is not a top level 1, he has talent, I don’t know if he is ever a star”

Initially, as a King (or Jimmer fan), you’re on the defensive – but I’m not sure his comment is as bad as it sounds – except for the scout’s slap-chop answering style.

Scouts, solid as they are, holy grail of all-knowing they’re not. Much like fans, their opinions vary from person to person – so for every slightly negative comment towards Jimmer you come across, you can find an equally positive one praising Jimmer’s skills. And just like fans, although with less frequency, scouts strike out on their opinions as well – so assuming their speak is gospel, isn’t something you want to do.

As to his comment about Fredette, I’m not sure it’s saying anything many of us don’t feel – it’s just that the word “star” throws us into a tizzy.

Less than twenty games into his professional career (without any mini-camp and limited practice), it’s difficult to get much of a read on Jimmer. Like most other NBA rookies, his season has been filled with up’s and down’s – his on-court game similar to that of what many expected, sans a lower field goal percentage. The scout clearly sees Jimmer has talent which is obvious – but like many of us, he questions his spot on the floor in terms of his position. The scout also makes mention that he “doesn’t know if he’s ever a star” – again, nothing too shocking there. We obviously hope Jimmer will be, but, not becoming a star doesn’t mean you can’t have a lengthy, high quality NBA career (say like a Mike Bibby – and no, I’m not comparing ability/on floor games). Personally, despite the negative assumptions in the scout’s comment – I don’t think it was meant in that light. I think he, like most of us, hope that Jimmer can be something special – his talent level gives you that wishful feeling.

It’ll be a while before we figure out if the scout had this one pegged or not, but for now, Jimmer’s star continues to shine brightly.

A few weeks back when Paul Westphal was still head coach of the Sacramento Kings, tuning into that evenings game – you weren’t sure if you were watching an NBA broadcast or an episode of Animal Planet’s ‘Beyond The Wild’ with the two butting their heads.

Westphal’s tough love wasn’t all bad – and maybe it actually did some positives for DeMarcus Cousins who’ll come to realize it down the road, but whatever the case, the new bromance between Smart and DMC has the Kings big man playing at a career best clip.

In Smart’s 11 games at the helm, Cousins has put up an impressive 16.2 points and 12.3 rebounds on 51% shooting (I took out his sick game where he played just 17 minutes) – and has had nothing but positive comments about the Kings new head coach:

“Everything has been positive right now. Coach isn’t scared to speak his mind. He’s going to tell the truth. He’s going to tell you how it should be and how it’s not going to be. He sets his guidelines and we all go by them. That’s something that we needed from the beginning. Coach is going to be real. If you mess up he’s going to tell you, ‘You messed up.’ That’s all we needed from the beginning.”

So you didn’t have that structure under Westphal?

“We didn’t, honestly. And it showed.”

Cousins hasn’t been the only one glowing about the pairing, as last night the Bee’s Jason Jones caught up with Keith Smart and asked him about Cousins’ recent play:

“I’m pleased with the way he’s playing, because he’s making big, big times steps. The steps, we as a franchise, want him to be making at this stage in his second year. So, he’s on a great pace right now. Doing the things I want – doing the things the team needs. Uh, good energy, passing the ball – being a decision maker – rebounding – getting in better shape. Just across the board he’s doing everything necessary right now. He’s showing he can play a little longer in the game at a nice high level. So he’s on track – he’s doing the things we want him to do and expect him to do. “

Cousins is a rare talent – harnessing that ability is solely up to him, but he continues to progress and unlike other young talent on this roster, regression doesn’t seem to be in his game. There’s no doubt he still has some serious on-court flaws that need polishing, but find me a 21 year old big man that hasn’t needed some buffing around the edges. The kid can play and in a season filled with such disappointment, Cousins really doesn’t deserve to be on that list.

Keith Smart, Paul Westphal, Garry St. Jean, Red Auerbach, God with a clipboard…It doesn’t matter who the coach is. When you can’t shoot, you can’t win. Factor in the Blazers domination on the boards (53-36) and their ability to actually make shots, and it gets ugly pretty quickly. The Kings made it to the second quarter before crumbling in Portland. A 15-point halftime deficit was never made up and the Blazers coasted to a 101-89 win.

BACKCOURT SLUMBER – Hearing that Donte Greene was starting tonight sounded fine, until we learned that it just meant John Salmons was moving down to the two-guard with Marcus Thornton sitting out. As a result, the Kings got next to nothing in terms of production from their guards. Tyreke Evans (5 AST, 5 REB) and Salmons (18 MIN, 1 REB) combined to shoot 2-for-14 for nine points (all Evans). This marks two straight poor games from Tyreke after he seemed to turn the corner in San Antonio. He’s moving so much better than last year, but he’s just not finishing his drives. We’ve been over Salmons…still a detriment to the team.

CRAWFORD THE BLAZER – It’s well known that Jamal Crawford, a free agent last month, was choosing between Portland and the Kings. And many fans were dead set against bringing him to Sacramento. Well, Crawford, while struggling mightily this year, is still a potent shot maker. While it’s nice to develop our young players with court time, it would be lovely to have a guy who, you know, makes shots. Crawford roasted the Kings, who had nobody who could stay in front of him. When he got loose on the wing, his shot was pure. A true difference maker on Monday who seemed to ignite the Blazers offense, Crawford finished with 26 points and five dimes in 32 minutes.

DG THE STARTER – As mentioned, Greene got the start for Sac at small forward, but unfortunately, he didn’t exactly seize the opportunity. Defensively, Donte has always been solid and played a strong game against Portland, even matching up with LaMarcus Aldridge on occasion and causing problems. But the trouble with Donte (12 PTS, 4-13 FG, 3 AST) has always been his inconsistencies on offense. Donte took the second most shots among Kings players, firing up 13 in 23 minutes. But he connected on just four. He also grabbed just one rebound, unacceptable for a 6’10″ guy when the team is getting blasted on the glass.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS – Up-and-down game for DeMarcus Cousins (18 PTS, 13 REB). He tied a season high with 39 minutes, but defensively, he struggled to the point where he required help from a teammate to guard Craig Smith … Jimmer (20 MIN, 13 PTS, 5-7 FG, 3-4 3FG) shot it well again. Sometimes you’d just like to see him shoot the rock ’til he tires out … Steady game from Francisco Garcia (24 MIN, 4-5 FG, 12 PTS, 2 AST). Helped give the Kings a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter.

With ten games now under Keith Smart’s belt, we’ve seen at least a small enough sample size to give an opinion as to what (if anything) has changed with the Sacramento Kings since Paul Westphal’s departure.

The other day, I made my feelings known about Smart and how I feel he’s improved the Kings – but I’m not going to fill this posting up with stats to make an argument (well, ‘cept that one where the Kings have dropped opponents FG% down three percent – okay, I lied, sue me).

Expecting a drastic change in results so soon isn’t realistic, but, I’ve continually ran into King fans who are less than happy with Smart or the Kings play in general, despite their 4-6 record in Smart’s tenure.

So how say you, purple and black fans? Are you happy with the direction? Or is Keith Smart just playing figure head to a team with the same problems?

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And just like that, the high from the Kings two-game win streak wears off. Sacramento was demolished by Memphis twice on Saturday. After falling behind by 13 after one quarter, the Kings fought to back to cut the deficit to single digits by halftime. But then the roof caved in. In an instant, the Grizzlies started treating the Kings like a high school squad, scoring at will, inside and outside. The final tally was a 128-95 walloping.

THE REAL JIMMER STANDS UP – Kings fans saw glimpses of the Jimmer Fredette (33 MIN, 20 PTS, 5-13 FG, 3-6 3FG, 6 AST) they hoped to see when he was drafted. Jimmer, thrust into a prominent role with Marcus Thornton’s early exit, hit a couple early shots and it seemed to settle him down a little. The shots were the same as games past, but the difference in Jimmer’s game was the court vision. Fredette earned the defense’s respect, then got into the lane and found teammates. He showed point guard like skills to go with his outside shot. His defense, while certainly improved, was still less than adequate, but all in all, a strong effort from Jimmer.

GRIZZLIES LIGHTS OUT – Sacramento’s defense was not good, no denying that. But Memphis was absolutely on fire Saturday. Mike Conley butchered the Kings, and Sacramento did nothing to adjust. Leaving Jimmer on Conley for long stretches hurt, but other defenders didn’t fare much better. OJ Mayo and Marc Gasol, who even stroked a three-pointer, were hitting everything in sight. Throw in Rudy Gay and it was curtains. The Grizz shot 54.3 percent from the field

PASSIVE TYREKE – Maybe Tyreke Evans (30 MIN, 13 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB, 3 TO) was just gassed from Friday’s studly performance, but against Memphis, Reke was a non-factor. The aggressive takes to the basket, the command of the offense, the assertiveness on the defensive end…all gone against the Grizzlies. Tyreke drove the Kings to victory on Friday and his ineffectiveness in Memphis stung big time.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS – Donte Greene (33 MIN, 19 PTS, 8-11 FG, 7 REB) with a terrific shooting night off the bench. You’ve gotta figure the small forward position is wide open and anyone who gets hot for a few games can earn serious playing time. Greene certainly earned more looks … Isaiah Thomas (20 MIN, 2 PTS, 1-7 FG, 5 AST, 5 REB) was once again absent from the floor in the first half. By the time he was inserted, the game had gotten away from the team, and he played relatively poorly. With Thornton and Salmons out, it’s hard to figure out what Isaiah has to do to see early playing time … Referees didn’t cost Sacramento the win, but what a terrible game for the three zebras … Next up, a tough roadie in Portland on Monday. The Blazers are 6-1 at home.

Through nine games, Keith Smart’s record now sits at 4-5 – recently capped off by back to back victories over the 10-4 Indiana Pacers and the 10-6 Spurs in San Antonio, who were 9-0 at home this season before the Kings marched in.

Granted, nine games isn’t a huge sample size to work with, but we’re going to do it because Smart does deserve recognition for what he’s done with this squad in such a short amount of time. Keep in mind, practice time is very limited – as Smart has said himself, he’s being forced to use game situations to “practice” in this condensed schedule. With only seven days off in Smart’s three weeks on the job, not to mention the needed days off physically, Smart’s only been able to have a handful of practices, yet, the results (while not mind altering) have been a solid improvement in just the short time he’s been heading this ship.

In the seven games prior to Paul Westphal’s firing, the Kings struggled mightily on both ends of the floor, their opponents averaging a 48.7% field goal percentage while the Kings could only muster 39.3% for themselves. With Smart’s fingerprints on the gameplan, the Kings have improved their defense significantly, dropping their opponents FG% nearly three points to 45.6% in their past nine games under Smart – even more impressive given the fact that the teams Smart has faced so far hold a combined record of 70-61. The offense hasn’t seen a huge change in FG%, going from 39.3% under Westphal to 39.6% under Smart, but if you take away the abnormality of a game in Dallas where the Kings mustered a historic 25% shooting for the game, the Kings FG% moves up to 41.3% – nothing to brag about, but again – given the circumstances, any improvement should be viewed impressive given the current situation.

Outside of statistics, it’s clear that the Kings play more as a unit under Smart (it’s certainly sporadic, but better then never as was the case before) as he’s continually preaching “family” as noted by Scott in last night’s game recap. You continually see Smart coaching on the floor, doing his best to put his players in the most successful position even if they struggle to capitalize. The effort and hustle? Night and day.

Expectations obviously have to be tempered and expecting the Kings to go from a bottom dweller under Westphal to a playoff team under Smart simply isn’t realistic, but to see the significant changes Smart has made to this franchise in such a small amount of time – it’s impressive to me. It’s going to take time – there are going to be bumps in the road (this is still the youngest team in basketball), but Smart’s ability to connect – to energize this roster, it’s clear To do what he’s done in such a limited amount of time against a very tough schedule, with such a broken puzzle pieced roster in a shortened season with more time spent on airport tarmacs than on the teams practice floor? A well deserved round of applause for you, sir.

Now that’s basketball! Who was that and what have they done with the Sacramento Kings? The Kings played with a fluidity we haven’t seen this year. The first 18 minutes were arguably the team’s best of the season, as crisp ball movement conjured up memories of past unselfish Kings teams and helped Sacramento race to a 15 point lead. The Spurs fought back, but the Kings didn’t buckle under pressure. After falling behind by six with 3:51, several Kings ignored the roaring crowd to make huge plays, and Sacramento escaped with an 88-86 road victory.

UNSTOPPABLE TYREKE – Tyreke (43 MIN, 23 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST, 2 TO) was the floor general we yearn for, displaying a sick arsenal of dribble drives, pull up J’s and slick passes. He ran the offense, and the Spurs had no answer. When they pressured Evans on the perimeter, he blew by them and finished strong at the rim. When they sloughed off, Evans made them pay by knocking down jumpers. His biggest shot, the game winner, came with 47 seconds left when Evans dribbled right, noticed his openness and fired away with confidence. Splash down. Throw in Tyreke’s solid defense on Tony Parker and incredible rebounding ability from the guard spot, and it was the most complete game we’ve seen from Evans in some time.

SALMONS GROWS A PAIR – Just like we all said, John Salmons (30 MIN, 7 PTS, 3-7 FG) needs to be on the floor in crunch time. Yeahhhh, not so much. But Salmons stepped up HUGE against the Spurs on Friday. Keith Smart curiously inserted Jimmer for Isaiah Thomas with six minutes left, but Fredette was quiet. So with 3:37 to go, here came John Salmons, who couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn to that point. John stepped up and hit back-to-back jumpers with the team down four, tying the score with 1:23 left. You can only hope this sparks the guy in some way. While he’ll never be the player we want him to be, if he could make a few shots to contribute, it would be a huge boost for this squad.

KEITH SMART’S FAMILY – Keith Smart has been preaching family since taking over the job, and it is really translating to the floor. On the court, guys are sharing the ball. Tyreke passes up an open three to set up Marcus Thornton (17 PTS, 7-17 FG) for an open three. Jason Thompson gives up a short jumper to find a wide open Isaiah Thomas in the corner. And on the bench, guys are into the game. Donte Greene (10 MIN, 3 PTS) and Travis Outlaw (DNP-CD) could sit on their hands, but they cheer on the guys on the floor. Smart revealed after the game that Francisco Garcia (10 MIN, 2 PTS) told him to keep Salmons on the floor, rather than re-enter himself. It’s a selfless attitude that is quickly spreading and makes watching the games so much more enjoyable. And when it results in a win, that’s as good as it gets.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS – So Isaiah (13 MIN, 0-4 FG) couldn’t find his shot tonight, but how ’bout his other contributions? Took a key charge and stripped Parker on a fast break, two crucial turnovers created … What’s not to like about the Kings power forward position? Jason Thompson + J.J. Hickson = 16 points and 16 rebounds … It’s suddenly becoming old hat to praise DeMarcus (17 PTS, 13 REB, 4 STL) but the big guy is starting to put it together. Relentless effort on the boards, and he has cut down considerably on his boneheaded plays. Integral part of these past two wins by owning the paint.