Although the 2012-13 NBA season is currently on its way to the mid-point, the 2012 calendar year is coming to a close and we here at A Royal Pain (along with the rest of the FanSided network) wanted to reflect on the best moments of the 2012 year.
For the purple and black loyalists, it’s been a trying time. Between poor on-court play, a disastrous ownership and the emotional roller coaster of the arena saga, keeping a smile through 2012 for King fans wasn’t easy – but thankfully these moments below helped keep King fans hopes alive (note – this is not a top plays list, rather moments – we’ll reflect on plays in the upcoming weeks):
#10 – Chris Webber‘s (and fan) relocation effort – Although I pretty much vowed to keep any talk of the arena or relocation out of the “top” moments of 2012, one must be mentioned and that’s the effort put forth by the fans and to a lesser extent, Chris Webber, who tried to bring the situation to the bright lights of the national media. Much of the hard work fans put in, thanks to the grassroots efforts was started well before 2012 but if we’re mentioning Webber, the fans deserve just as much praise (honestly more) than CWebb. Still, his effort didn’t fall on dear ears locally – we very much appreciated it:
#9 – Isaiah Thomas‘ Block Heard Round The World – As mentioned above, this isn’t a place for the top plays of 2012 but I’m not exactly the best at following rules either and this was more than just a play – it was the block heard ’round the NBA, at least for a few nights. Down two with less than six minutes to play against the Portland Trailblazers, Isaiah Thomas turned on his afterburners and went stride for stride down court with the streaking Wes Matthews who had just stole the ball from Marcus Thornton. Having none of it, the pint sized point went straight up and stuffed the ball back in Matthews’ 6’5 grill, leaving the Blazers’ guard shell shocked at what had just transpired:
#8 – Keith Smart Lends DeMarcus Cousins His Coaching Jacket – After a hurricane of drama surrounded then head coach Paul Westphal and DeMarcus Cousins, the newly found bond between Cousins and the recently promoted Keith Smart was a welcome sight. Smart, who went out of his way to connect with the sometimes volatile big man seemingly appeared to cap the situation as he placed his jacket around Cousins’ shoulders as the Kings closed out a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies:
#7 – Return Of Jason Thompson – Although the Kings dabbled for big men in the free agent pool this past offseason, the return of Jason Thompson was met with open arms. The former Rider product was finally entering his own and his return gave the Kings a solid frontcourt rotation which should only get better as they grow:
#6 – Sacramento Kings Draft Thomas Robinson – Although the former Jayhawk has struggled at times through his first 20 or so NBA games, fans who weren’t thrilled with the drafting of T-Rob were few and far between. Thanks to the Wizards drafting Bradley Beal and and the Cleveland Cavaliers passing on Robinson, the Kings had a player who many viewed as the second best in the Draft fall to them, a situation similar to that of 2010 when the Kings were able to snag DeMarcus Cousins with the fifth overall pick. The transition hasn’t been as smooth for Robinson as it has been for other draft picks, like Portland’s Damian Lillard but given Thomas’ motor and energy, it’s hard not to think that the Kansas product wont be making big impacts for Sacramento down the road: