2010 Kings Post-Draft Quotes

Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie

Opening Statement:
“This is really an exciting day for us overall, taking DeMarcus Cousins with the fifth pick and Hassan Whiteside with the 33rd pick. Sometimes it’s the long and short of it, today was the long and long of it. I think in DeMarcus, we got an exceptional talent at the center position. He’s going to get us great size and skill in that post. He’s an outstanding passer, and we’re just really excited to add him into the frontcourt we have now with Samuel, Carl and Jason. I think we’ve gotten significantly bigger and longer, more talented and more skilled. With Hassan, we had him in here twice for workouts. Great athlete, still needs to learn how to play some and mature a little bit, but he shoots the ball very well, he has an incredible knack for blocking shots off the ball and he’s somebody that we’re really looking forward to working with. So, all in all I think we really added some skill and length and depth to our frontcourt, which is something we’ve been trying to rebuild for the last several years.”

On Cousins’ multiple on-court capabilities:
“I think we had some sense that he could shoot the ball from the perimeter because he did that in high school, and we had seen him in some of the All-Star games, and then there’s tape from those years. We didn’t see him do that at Kentucky because he was primarily in the post all the time. In addition to that, he has quick feet, he has a great feel down on that block and he really is a terrific passer out of there. The workout here was just an individual workout so there was no real competitive playing against anybody, but you could see just even a little bit of having Shareef out there and trying to take different things away from him and how he reacted to that. It certainly didn’t hurt his impression on the workout out here, but we’ve done as much work on him overall as I think we’ve done on any player in a long, long time.”

On the perceptions regarding Cousins’ maturity level:
“I’m sure he’ll address them as he always has addressed them, but we’re comfortable with what we’ve learned from a lot of different credible sources, some of our own, some people that have been around since he’s been in junior high school and it certainly wasn’t something that was going to deter us from drafting him.”

On what the rookies add to the Kings low-post game:
“I actually think in time, that depending on how Whiteside develops, that he’s more of a forward than he is a center, but that’s not going to happen overnight. DeMarcus is a legit center. He’s going to draw double teams, he’s got an ability to create space down there and he’s a very special talent in a lot of ways.”

On selecting Hassan Whiteside in the second round:
“We looked at quite a few scenarios of moving that (33rd) pick, and once it started looking in the Draft that he may slip down in there, we just thought that was a great opportunity to get a young player with what we think is a pretty considerable talent level that needs to be developed.”

On if there was any possibility of moving the fifth pick:
“There was never anything that elevated my blood pressure as far as moving the fifth pick. By this morning, we were pretty confident about what was going to happen in the first three picks for sure, then it just becomes a little bit of a waiting game, and we feel it all worked out for us.”

On if any other Draft prospect matched the physical strength of Cousins:
“I think he (DeMarcus) was clearly the best center in this Draft.”

On when the Kings knew Cousins would be their selection:
“I think it’s been an ongoing process. I think I’ve said a number of times there were six or seven players that we really liked, and of course we knew we weren’t getting some of them, but as we continued to do our work and evaluation, he really became the guy that we really thought would be the first of the remaining players that might be available at five.”

On if the Kings were afraid of Minnesota either trading its fourth pick or selecting Cousins:
“A little bit of both, I guess. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of liar’s poker that goes on in this thing, but, like I say, all of us have I think pretty mature relationships with people around the League and people that we can trust that, at some point in time, if they tell you something, that you can count on it. So, we got more comfortable with it as the day progressed, I guess.”

On additional Kings needs:
“I think we still need to add shooting. I think that our two-guard position certainly, an additional point guard, there will probably be a couple of primary areas that we want to try and do something with. We have open roster spots, and we’ll just go from there.”

On the different frontcourt combinations the Kings have between their big men:
“I think that’s more of a question for Paul (Westphal) to address, but I think that we added an incredible level of talent. I mean, DeMarcus is going to be able to play. You’re going to be able to play him in a game, and he’s going to be productive. He could play some offensively away from the basket because he shoots the ball so well, and I’m sure that will be an ongoing focus on how to make that work the best way that he can.”

On Cousins’ passing abilities:
“Just go watch about 15 of their (Kentucky’s) games, and you’ll see that ball flying out of the low post one time after another on double teams. He’s got a great feel for passing the ball out of there. If you watch the tapes we watched and the breakdowns of all the post-ups, you’ll see a lot of terrific passes coming out of there.”

On if Cousins and Samuel Dalembert can share the center position together:
“Again, I think that’s a primary question for Paul. I think that those two will co-exist just fine at that position. Dalembert’s averaged about 26, 27 minutes a game in his career, and Cousins played 23 minutes a game this year at Kentucky, so that still doesn’t hardly get you to 48 (minutes).”

On if Cousins can play power forward:
“I think he can play offensively some four (power forward) because he shoots the ball well out there. He’s a talented guy.”

On if the Kings entered the Draft with the intention to select two big players:
“I think we felt with the fifth pick we needed to add another quality big, and the best way we were going to be able to do that was with the Draft, so I think we had a prejudice towards going big at five. The 33rd pick was just something again, just based on the youth and what we think is the developable talent level of Whiteside, that was well worth the risk of taking him.”

On if Whiteside being selected in the second round could allow him to develop without carrying the pressure of being a first-round pick:
“It could. Just because sometimes some players can get damaged by getting taken too high, and the expectations are too high, and it makes it more difficult sometimes for them to adjust to the NBA, but hopefully we’ll start to get a first blush of that at Summer League.”

On what the Kings scouting staff saw in Whiteside during his college career:
“Our staff saw him play. He’s a talented guy that’s just a little bit raw still, but he shoots the ball really well actually. He can shoot the ball; he’s got great length, runs and jumps easily.”

On why the Kings passed on Cal’s Jerome Randle with the 33rd pick:
“He’s a terrific player, we just like Whiteside better. That’s all you can say.”

Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal

Opening Statement:
“This is quite an exciting day for us. We got two players we placed a high value on, and we weren’t sure we would get either one of them. We were sweating it out to the end with Whiteside and were really surprised that he lasted that long. His potential is very high, and it will probably take him awhile because we think that he may need to learn some things. He does some things that you can’t teach. His timing, his anticipation and his ability to block shots, not just his man’s, but to go get somebody else’s shot from the weak side is really unusual. He can shoot the ball, he can run and he’s got a chance to be a real fine player someday. So to get a player like that in the second round is what the second round is all about. Certainly, getting DeMarcus Cousins we just couldn’t be happier. The more we watched him, the more we got to know him. It just became apparent that he is a first-class big man, and usually you can’t get a first-class big man with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft. Things just aligned in our favor where teams took some players for need, some very good players that fit their need, and the center flipped which, like I said, doesn’t happen very often. We feel great about adding both of those players to our team.”

On adding these two players to the roster:
“It changes our team quite a bit. We went from a team that really scrapped to hold our own on the boards, to a big team. I think that adding size has been very important when we look at the teams we have to compete against in the West. Portland and the Lakers in particular, and you can go down the list. We were giving up size every game, and we have got some answers to size now that we can try out with these guys. It’s really nice.”

On adding Cousins to the team:
“DeMarcus, I think, will certainly have a learning curve about the NBA. At the same time, when he steps on the floor, he brings enough savvy and enough footwork and size to be somebody that’s probably going to need to be double teamed most of the time. To have a big player that’s going to need to be double teamed opens up a lot of possibilities for the other players and makes it easier for them. It gives us another weapon, that’s for sure. “

On Cousins’ weight:
“He didn’t work out against any other players, but Shareef guarded him. Shareef said he is big and strong, but he also knows how to use it. Certainly, regarding the weight he was at when he worked out here, we’d like him a little lighter than that, but this is summer time. He was lighter than that, and we believe he will be. I think he is committed to working hard and being successful. Also, he has heard people question him too, and nobody likes that, but I think that will motivate him even more. “

On comparing him to anybody out there right now:
“I don’t want to do that to him right now. If you start pulling out names that have been successful names from the past, then that follows them around. I just think that he’s got a chance to have an outstanding career as a legitimate center in this League. Let’s just see where he goes.”

On Cousins being hard to deal with:
“I have not heard that (laugh). Well, of course we talked to him, and we talked to John Calipari, his high school coach and different people. You have to check on things you hear, but the thing that keeps coming back is what a nice, competitive person he is. I know when I played, I had a few people who probably didn’t like me too much. I think anybody who has played probably has that, but I don’t know why it follows him around that much. I think people are really going to enjoy his personality and competitiveness. The more we have investigated it, the less we think it’s a problem. “

On the chance of there being problems with Cousins:
“We are just thrilled to have him, and we know that he is young. That’s the way the NBA is now. You don’t draft players after four years in college anymore. He is going to be far away from home, and there will be some adjustments, but we will try to help him through everything. I really like him, and I think he is excited to be here. I just envision growth rather than problems. I just don’t see that.”

On helping the new players adjust to being so far away from home:
“We try to provide as much guidance as we can. I don’t think we are that different from other NBA teams. We try to help them get assimilated to the community. The community is really open and friendly. We are here to help all of our young players succeed and live up to their potential. So anything that needs to be done, we will try to be helpful with that and see that it gets done.”

On the team’s new look:
“We are going to have a pretty tall Summer League team. Our team is going to look good walking through the airport wherever we go, as far as size goes. It will be a whole new look for the Kings, that’s for sure.”

On Tyreke Evans and Cousins playing together:
“I think that they can complement each other very well. One thing that I’m not sure has been apparent about DeMarcus is that he is a very good passer. Also, he can shoot the ball in situations where he is facing the basket, but he wasn’t asked to do that in Kentucky. If Tyreke penetrates and he is open on the baseline for 15-foot jumpers, then that’s a real good shot for him. He can do more than simply post up. We can involve Tyreke in pick and rolls with him, and we can post Tyreke up and have DeMarcus spot up for shots as well as crash the board. I think it’s potentially an excellent combination.”

On how they will improve the team:
“We are going to rely on Truck a lot, and I think the reason that he was brought here is because he is a specialist in working with young bigs, and we are going to try and have him teach DeMarcus to get some rebounds (laugh). He is pretty good at that already, but Truck and all of our staff can help these young players with their footwork and knowing who it is they are playing against. Also, what you can and can’t get away with in the NBA. We are here to teach and help, and I think we have a good staff for these young guys.”

On the decision process behind these picks:
“I think that our group just works as a team. I don’t think anybody is walking around talking about who has the most say and who should get credit. We all have opinions, and certainly Geoff has the final basketball decision, and the Maloof family has to sign off on everything before it’s a decision. Geoff and I talk and spend a lot of time watching film and working out these young guys. I think there was a consensus more than anything else about these picks.”

On how to coach Cousins:
“I’m looking forward to working with him. By all accounts, he is very bright. What I try to do is let a player know that I care about seeing him get better, and that I will tell him the truth about what I see. I will give him things to work on that will get him where he wants to go and where the team wants to see him go. I expect that there will be times when we will have to help him see the importance of certain things. At the same time, I think that he is bright enough and talented enough to realize the value of being coached by people that have been in a league that is new to him.”

On when the interest was locked on Cousins:
“That’s a really good question. It was not one point, but it was certainly after we met him and saw him move around on the floor and after dinner with him. It knocked down a lot of negative stereotypes that built up around him for whatever reason. We sat back and said that some of the red flags that people have about this guy we don’t see. It was pretty much after the workout and after the dinner that we had our questions answered. After that, we were saying things like, ‘How could someone not take a center that is this talented?’ It was more disbelief that he might be there than us deciding that he was our guy. If he won’t be there, then who else are we going to take, is how we looked at it after awhile.”

On why other teams did not choose Cousins:
“It sure seemed like a logical move for teams in search of a center to try to pull off. For whatever reason, the teams that picked ahead of us had their needs filled to where they didn’t choose to do that. We feel really good about that from our standpoint, and I’m sure they do, too.”

DeMarcus Cousins

On his goals:
“To help my team win some games, be a Playoff contender, win an NBA title and my own personal goal is to win Rookie of the Year.”

Message to Kings fans:
“I’m coming in, I’m trying to bring this team back to the Chris Webber and Mike Bibby days, and hopefully we can win some games.”

On how he will fit in with the team:
“I think I’m going to fit in pretty well. I think I’m the perfect piece to the puzzle. I’ll be a physical presence down low, bring a toughness to the team and hopefully we’ll win games.”

On what he brings to the team:
“I’m going to bring a physical presence. I’m going to bring a lot of production. I’m going to come in and try to work my butt off and help my team win.”

On being drafted by the Kings:
“I’m very excited. I get to play with a great guard in Tyreke, and I believe we can do some damage.”

On teaming up with Tyreke Evans:
“I think we could be a great inside-outside combo, so hopefully we come in and get a good chemistry and it helps.”

On what being drafted means to him:
“It’s a great time in my life right now. This is the day I’ve dreamed about for a long time, and it finally came. It’s the greatest feeling ever.”

On his mom:
“My mom’s been my biggest influence throughout my whole life, not just basketball. She is the hardest working person I’ve ever seen in my life. She’s my biggest influence. That’s my hero. That’s who I look up to, so she’s played a big part in my life.”

On his family:
“Me and my whole family are close. That’s what helps me get through every day, knowing my family has my back.”

On players he looks up to:
“I really don’t look up to any players. I steal players’ moves and put them in my own game, but that’s about it.”

On why he believes he’ll be the best player out of the 2010 NBA Draft class:
“I have talent. That’s there, but I just have the mentality right now that I want to be the greatest, and I don’t think any other player has that right now.”

On Kings fans being excited about him coming to Sacramento:
“It feels great. If the fans have your back, you have to have the fans’ backs, and give them what they want, so it’s a good feeling.”

On Sacramento:
“It’s pretty far from home, but I visited there, and it was a beautiful place. I loved the weather, so I’m excited to be there.”

On his official Twitter:
“@boogiecousins.”

Hassan Whiteside

On how he feels about joining the Kings:
“I’m real excited. I really liked the visit coming down there. They called me back twice, so I knew they were interested in me. I’m real excited; it’s a very young team so hopefully we can win.”

On adding DeMarcus Cousins to the team:
“I’ve never played with him, but I know he’s a good guy. I already talked to him. I think it’s a good fit and a good add.”

On his disappointment level going in the second round:
“Me going to the second round, that’s going to motivate me to work even harder and take it out on the teams that didn’t choose me when I play against them. They’re going to remember this day.”

On want he wants to say to Kings fans celebrating him being chosen by the team:
“We’re going to get wins; we’re going to get wins. That’s all I plan on doing, just coming in and help win…win, win, win, just really winning.”

On what sense he got from the coaching staff and the area when he came to Sacramento for the second time:
“The second time I came out here, the guys were a little better. I went against Greg Monroe, and it was just a little more physical the second time around. But I enjoyed going out there anyway; I really liked it out there. It didn’t bother me going out there a second time.”

On what he thinks about moving to Sacramento:
“I really like it out there. There’s warm weather, the people are nice out there. The fans are really supportive of the basketball team, so I think it’s the best fit for me.”

On what’s going through his mind tonight:
“I’m just ready to go in and work and get ready for the season.”

On how he feels about being seen/playing as a power forward-type player down the road:
“The first time playing at Marshall was my first time playing the five, so I really had to learn how to play the five. I’ve been more of a forward, a face up guy, pick-and-pop, pick-and-roll, like an athletic forward that can block shots.”

On expanding his game and what he will bring to the Kings:
“I give a shot-blocking presence and just rebounding; help rebound and being able to score for our teammates.”

On his familiarity with Kings players:
“I’ve seen Tyreke play, but other than that, I haven’t seen too many Kings players play.”

Petrie and Dalembert’s Trade Reaction

Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie and center Samuel Dalembert discuss Thursday’s Kings-Sixers trade.

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2010 NBA Draft Order

Check out the complete order of the 2010 NBA Draft below.

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When Will ROY Be Announced?

Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie addresses the question on the mind of many Kings fans in his latest interview with The Rise Guys on Sports 1140 KHTK. Plus, Petrie discusses the 2009 Draft class, Kings Most Improved Player, team chemistry and more.

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Petrie Discusses Evans, Lottery and More

Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie joined Sports 1140 KHTK’s Jim Kozimor and Henry Turner Thursday morning to discuss pre-Draft workouts, Kings representation at the NBA Lottery on May 18, areas in which Tyreke Evans can improve and more.

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Petrie Sees Positives to Build On

Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie joined Sports 1140 KHTK’s Grant Napear and Mike Lamb on Sportsline Tuesday night.

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Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Lakers

Kings Coach Paul Westphal

on tonight’s game:
“Tonight was not that different from forty or fifty other games this year. We hung around, did a lot of good things and we had a couple of breakouts. We had a lot of good efforts tonight. We felt that Jason Thompson did a lot for us tonight on the boards and offensively, but he had to play the whole game so he didn’t get any vacation until the final horn.”

on the team’s performance this season:
“I am proud of our team and I told every one of them. They only won 25 games, but they really maximized their effort this year. They have heart and they respected the game. We will get better, we will absolutely get better. We will add some pieces, but the first thing we had to learn to do this year was compete and we did that. One of these days we will learn how to win.”

on rookie Tyreke Evans contribution this season:
“This season was one of the best rookie seasons any of us has had, but that is not the only measure of success. We had a great noteworthy season and the thing about Tyreke Evans is he really didn’t play for stats. He plays to win and is a very versatile ball player. He almost never had a bad game. He is a very mature professional and will only get better as he goes about this league. I think everyone will tell you what a good teammate he is and that says something about his future with the Kings.”

on recapping the season:
“Honestly I am sorry our season is over. We knew we had a climb, but this team is only just beginning. The team last year was the worst team in the league winning only 17 games, as well as the worst defensive team and the worst rebounding team. This year we are in the top half rebounders now, we are out of the bottom third in defense, we added eight more wins and some players that we can build around. By any measure there was improvement and we are optimistic that there will continue to be improvement. I am sorry it is over, I really like this team.”

Beno Udrih

on the assessment of this season:
“The whole year we’ve been playing, trying to compete at the end of the game and that’s a step forward from last year, definitely. We’ve just got to get better with closing the close games down and winning a couple ones. Hopefully we’ve learned something this year for next year and we think we can win a couple more games.”

on taking this game into the offseason:
“The Lakers, they’ve been together for awhile they know exactly how to finish games. It’s a long process for us but we want to be like… young teams that are rebuilding and trying to get to the playoffs and we’ve just got to learn.”

Carl Landry

on what the Kings have to do to improve:
“I think we just have to play together a little more. We’ve got the pieces here and we’ll add a couple of pieces with the free [agency] and the draft and we’ll be alright. We’re [one of the] youngest teams in the league… so if we just improve our basketball I.Q. I think we’ll be alright.”

on looking forward to the offseason:
“We never really got blown out. We just had a hard time finishing games, probably due to the inexperience of this team but I think this summer we’ll go back to the drawing board and correct those mistakes.”

Jason Thompson

on looking back on the positives of the season:
“We came out, especially early in the year, not a lot of people had high expectations for us and we had five-game win streaks two or three times. We started getting this city going and a lot of people started to notice us.”

on what the Kings have to look forward to this offseason:
“Just knowing that our future is bright. With the trades that we’ve had that are helping us out and… learning how to play with each other. So we’ll get some new additions in the draft, maybe some trades… and hopefully we’ll be on top.”

Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson

on tonight’s game:
“Got that game competitive after getting a little 13 point lead at the end of the third quarter. Had to kind of dig in a little bit at the end of the game to sustain that victory. Good game by Pau Gasol and Shannon. They led us in the scoring tonight and we had some help off the bench.”

on Sasha Vujacic:
“He’s an offensive rebounding machine. That’s what he is now.”

on Jordan Farmar’s injury:
“He’ll dress tomorrow. He’s played 81 games this year. I want him to dress and be on the active roster for tomorrow’s game.”

on the fallout of Jordan Farmar leaving tonight’s game early:
“I wanted to have short minutes for Derek. He ended up playing less than 20 but extended Shannon’s minutes and obviously Sasha’s minutes and had Lamar have to come out and play that guard role.”

on the impact of Luke Walton:
“He helps. I don’t know if he’s going to be able to sustain the effort in the playoffs and that’s why I have to look at him a little bit and get him some game activity. Offensively he does things that create a little offensive rhythm for us and offensive opportunities.”

on Sasha Vujacic’s solid performance tonight:
“It’s got to make him feel much better about his game. He knows he’s got an opportunity to play some minutes and have some opportunities.”

Shannon Brown

on jumpstarting the bench with the tone he set as a starter:
“It’s different starting. When you start, you get to set the tone. Then guys get to play off of what you start off with. We got the ball moving today and then everybody got good looks.”

on tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers:
“We definitely got to win this game tomorrow. We have to get better every day. We’re waiting for Andrew [Bynum] to get back and for Kobe [Bryant] to get back so we can get our first couple practices in together as a full unit again.”

Sasha Vujacic

on tonight’s game:
“We played great as a team. We played good defense. From my personal view, in the last few games, I’ve been getting more and more minutes and when that happens, you get a feel for the game which is good.”

on most important thing about playing Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs:
“It depends when we play them. They have one player that is individually good, on and off, and now they play great as a team. The coaching staff did a great job and they execute. So we have to take that away from them and we’ll see how they can handle the pressure of the situation.”

on his overall performance this season:
“You just have to stay consistent. This season was from my personal point of view, ups and downs. What is done, is done. It’s behind us. We’re looking to the present and to the future. My focus now is how can I help our team…and how can we win as a team.”

Lamar Odom

on tonight’s game:
“I look at it, honestly, like we’re practicing against the other team. You want to run all the sets and do everything the right way. We want to play almost how we play in practice. It’s just a practice in front of 20,000 people.”

Luke Walton

on playing in tonight’s game:
“It felt great. It was a lot of fun out there, playing again and being out there and not having pain. To be out there and move and stuff was a lot of fun.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Rockets

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well, even though we have one more game left, I think that it’s an appropriate time being that this is the last home game to talk a little about our team and where we’ve been and where we’re going. So I’m going to focus on that a little bit more than the game, at least initially, and then any questions you guys have I will be glad to answer them. I just think that to have a great turnout for this team on Fan Appreciation Night, we appreciate that, we appreciate our fans. We know how much they’ve been watching this team this year and how much hope that this city has for the development of this team, and I believe that we’ve taken a lot of great steps this year toward becoming the team that this city will continue to embrace. I think that when you take a team that won 17 games, had the worst record in the league, was the worst rebounding team and the worst defensive team and start with the youngest team, least experienced team in the league – it’s not realistic to expect playoffs. You can hope for playoffs, and that’s what we hoped for every game, we tried to win every game this year. But what we did expect was intensity, competitiveness and improvement. I don’t think by any measure that this team would be judged to have failed in any of those. I’m very pleased to be coaching this group of young men. When we talk about where we’re going to be going forward, there’s not a player on this roster that I’m down on and would say couldn’t be a part of our team as it becomes a successful playoff NBA team in the future. Obviously, it won’t happen where everybody’s still here – the deck gets shuffled and you try to add to your team every year and you make deals. These players gave what they had this year with one more game to go – I’m sure they’ll continue to give it less tomorrow night. The first step in us becoming a winning team is that we have to be a competing team. I think this team competed extremely hard this year every game. Some games the results weren’t as pretty but this team did compete. We have competitors; we will continue to keep adding competitors to this team. As the skill level raises, as young players improve, the win total will go up and as we add to this team the win total will go up and we took a great first step toward that. The goal is winning and we won’t be happy until we’ve achieved that and continue to achieve that over many years. So anyway, getting to this game tonight, this game was – I’ll have to admit, it was a little bit of a distraction I think for our players. There wasn’t much defense being played out there tonight, there’s no doubt about that. In fact, I do think that the accomplishment of Tyreke (Evans), even though it was a distraction to this individual, can’t be diminished when you look at the totality of this season. To be mentioned statistically in the same breath as Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and LeBron James is a phenomenal thing. Every player in our locker room is happy for Tyreke and proud of him because he’s such a great teammate and selfless player. That is the trademark we want for this team as we go forward. So we’re pleased he got the record, we’re sorry it came in a loss. I understand the distraction of the hoopla – it looked like Tyreke forgot to make layups tonight when he was on the cusp. He’s the best layup maker in the NBA and he was struggling – I think he was probably nervous even though I doubt if he would ever admit it. The reception of the fans was great. I thought it was pretty special for Kevin Martin too to come back in probably a non-characteristic NBA coaches way, I was actually happy for Kevin even though he’s on the other team. We enjoyed having him on the team and to see him have that kind of success when he comes home, every player dreams of that, so we’re happy for Kevin too. It was a nice night for basketball, we wish we would have won and we will continue everything we can to improve this team as we move forward.”

Tyreke Evans

“It was hard, that was the hardest bucket I have ever had to score in my life. Coming into the game I knew everyone wanted me to break the record at home in front of my family and my friends. It was kind of tough. Trying to get that last bucket, it seems like nothing would fall for me. I told coach to take me out then put me back in. Then I got fouled, the foul shots made me nervous, but then it went in. I thought I was going to air ball the first one. I shot it hard and then it went in, then the second one went in. It was a good season for me overall. We didn’t get the win at home, but we played hard. I just went out and tried, but it was so hard to get that bucket.”

On what it means to the city of Sacramento
“It means alot, they came out and showed support. They had all their signs up and were watching me make history. They have been good all year, whether we were losing or we were winning. Those are true fans right there.”

On what to expect going into tomorrow
“The next game in L.A. you can expect us to just go out there and play. This is off my back now. I am going to play the game I have been playing all year out there and hopefully we will get a win.”

Donte Greene

On Tyreke tonight getting 20-5-5
“There were a lot of distractions tonight. I am just happy for Tyreke. At the end of the day I just wish we could have gotten the win, but congrats to Tyreke.”

On tomorrow and looking toward next season
“Tomorrow we just need to finish strong, work hard and we need to try to get ready for next year. I would like to get that starting job (next year) and go from there.”

On Coach Westphal’s extension
“It is definitely nice. For me having three coaches in my two NBA years it was a little difficult. Now we have someone who is stable and a good guy. We are going to go far.”

Omri Casspi

On the pressure on Tyreke tonight
“I just tried to tell him, you just got to score two points, it’s only two points. You just can’t force it. I think it was too much pressure because it is an unbelievable thing and he was under pressure. It was nice though.”

On the fan support and going into next season
“It is a good feeling. We have a lot of support. We need to focus going into the off-season on our game and get better for next year.”

Houston Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman

Turnaround
“I think the whole game changed in the second half. We were so poor defensively in the first half. They pretty much did what they wanted. They just got the ball and went to the basket. We talked about it at halftime that we needed to be the aggressors and not react to everything that they did. We had to set the tone. We were much more aggressive in the second half and getting back and controlling it. Kevin (Martin) kept us in it the first half. We had 62 points and were still down. It was really our attitude the second half that turned the game. We got so much more aggressive defensively.”

First half
“It’s been our problem all year long. Sacramento was very aggressive in the start of the game. Wherever they had mismatches they went at it and took advantage of it. You are going to have mismatches, but as a team, five guys have to play together. I told them at halftime you have to respect your teammates. You have to help each other and take more responsibility of yourself. We’re young like Sacramento and we make mistakes but if you make them make them with aggression and not be passive.”

Playing against Tyreke Evans
“The first half he was coming down the court and he had the guy back pedal and would take it to the rim. Our guys acted like he couldn’t finish there. The adjustment we made was we were not going to allow him to get to the basket. We were going to be in his face all the time and if they start making three’s so be it. We just decided that we were tired of layups and tired of easy baskets. They could make shots over the top of us. It was our game plan from the start but the effort was there in the second half.”

Game distractions tonight
“We have to go out and play how we’ve played all year long. I didn’t even know what was going on until they put the 20-5-5 up there. I’m more than happy to let him have that and we’ll take the win and go home.”

Kevin Martin, Houston Rockets Guard

Returning to Sacramento
“There was a lot of emotion running through my body tonight. I saw a lot of people wearing my jersey out there tonight. It was like I was still playing a home game. That made me feel good and proud of what I did here. I just wanted to respect the game and respect the fans that came out and supported myself and my team.”

Tyreke Evans’ 20-5-5
“It was a tremendous accomplishment for him. He’s going to be a great player.”

Tonight’s game
“They know my game very well. I’m a scorer. The best defense against me is to come right at me. I just had a little extra effort tonight because I wanted to get back at them too. It was just going back and forth. It seems like the last man standing won.”

Video tribute and fan reaction
“I didn’t notice it but they did give it to me. I’ll watch it tonight. I appreciated it very much. The community and I had a great relationship while I was here and I will never forget those times. I’m happy Sacramento was my first opportunity in the NBA and they showed me a lot of loyalty. Thanks to Geoff Petrie, he put me in a great situation. Everything was positive.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Mavs

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well we had a nice crowd out there supporting us tonight and they got to watch Dirk Nowitzki show what he can do. He showed why he’s one of the greatest players ever to play this game. It looked like the basket was like three times the size of a normal basket whenever he shot the ball tonight. On top of that, they had their other players shooting the ball extremely well – 13 for 21 (three-point shots). You want teams to shoot more three-point shots as opposed to getting inside when you’re a smaller team like we are but when they shoot 62 percent on threes it’s hard to mount much of a comeback. It seemed like it was a great offensive performance by a veteran team who’s tuning up for the playoffs. If they shoot the ball like that, they can win any time they play. So it was a tough night for us trying to stop them – we couldn’t do it – and that was pretty much the name of the game tonight. We’re thrilled that our fans are still supporting us. We’re looking forward to our last home game – Fan Appreciation Night – we hope that that’s a sellout. We want to finish this season strong. I’m sorry it’s coming to an end, I really am. I love coaching these guys. I see better days ahead as we add to the mix that we have and we’re staying positive despite setbacks. Like I said, I give the Mavericks and Dirk all the credit in the world. That’s a team that’s playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year. They steamrolled us tonight after they got Portland last night. We did hold Dirk to 39 – he had 40 last night.”

“Well we turned it over too much in the first half – we can only blame ourselves for that. They played good defense and you can’t turn the ball over 11 times against a team like that. We were chasing them because they were so efficient offensively. We needed for them to hit a lull and whenever we thought they might hit a lull they just threw it to Dirk. So it was the first half that did us in with our ball handling. We did play pretty well – we played solid but we couldn’t stop them. When a team shoots 62 percent on threes, it’s gonna be a long night.”

On Carl Landry:
“I’ll tell you the truth, nothing surprises me about his scoring ability. Carl’s one of the top scoring forwards in the league. Per minute played he’s showed what he can do this year and he’s getting more minutes so he gets more points. He’s a high-percentage shooter, he’s versatile and the more we learn to throw him the ball and get him more shots, the more points he’ll score. He’s always going to be an efficient scorer.”

On Jason Kidd:
“It’s beautiful to watch him play. He fills up the stat sheet but he doesn’t play for stats. He just plays for making the right play every time and he gets them in the right situations. He knows who the shooters are and where they like the ball and he’s a genius at doing that. To have as much energy and conditioning as he has at this time of the year, at this stage of his career, is extremely remarkable. He’s in the perfect situation for him – he’s got enough big guys to protect the basket, he’s got shooters all around him and he’s got Dirk. It’s going to be an interesting playoff run. I think the Mavericks are poised to really do some damage.”

Carl Landry

On Dirk in the third quarter
“He did a good job of running, transitioning and getting to the open spot. They were already up about 15 points, they are a veteran team and they just want to stick a dagger in you. Every time he had a good look at the hoop he shot it. He kept sticking those daggers into us and nailing those shots.”

On Dirk’s overall performance
“We just let him have easy shots. We were not contesting any of the shots. In the third quarter there was a man by him, but just in transition. Anytime a team gets up and gets on a run and starts to gain momentum that is when you take those big shots. That is when you take quick shots and try to make big plays and that is what they did tonight. That is what we have to learn. Dirk just kept throwing daggers at us. Unfortunately we just lost tonight.”

On his performance
“The game isn’t over until the horn sounds. I continue to just play. I just wanted to continue to play hard, score, play a little offense, a little defense. I just wanted to do whatever I could to find my open teammates.”

On the Mavericks
“They are a veteran team. They have been together for a long time and the starting five has been together for a very long time. Erick Dampier, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki have been together for some years. They are veteran players who know how to play the game. We are still young and trying to find ways to understand the game. They are getting ready for the playoffs so they just came out here and played well. Unfortunately, we came up short.”

On the season coming to an end
“I love basketball. I never want the season to come to an end. I wish that we could go to the playoffs like I did the last two years in Houston, but at the same time I can look at it as a positive. I have more time to become a better player for next year and help this ballclub get to where we need to go.”

Omri Casspi

On Dirk in the third quarter
“You just can’t stop the guy. He is very impressive. We tried to make adjustments and tried to trap him, but when they kicked it out to him and he has such a high percentage shooting it is tough.”

On the Mavericks going into the playoffs
They are vey dangerous, when they shoot like that. They can beat anyone anywhere. It will be interesting to see them in the playoffs and I wish them all the best.”

On his play tonight
“I was just happy to be out there on the court. I had some good opportunities and I kept rolling and got into a groove. I am just happy and I had a good game. I am going to continue to learn and finish the season out strong.”

Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle

On how tonight differs from the win last night
“Different kind of game, different kind of team. It is the same kind of formula for success: tough, hardnosed defense and rebounding and being efficient on offense. It is a solid win for us. We need them all.”

On getting ready for the playoffs
“We are taking some steps. We are not there, yet. Over the next five or six days, we have to keep working toward that. Each game has critical meaning in terms of the seeding. Our guys are focused in on what we need to do. We did some good things tonight.”

On their improved play and Dirk Nowitzki in particular
“Our execution has been good. He (Nowitzki) has been recognizing situations when he should drive the ball and find open spaces. We had 27 assists tonight which means we were really moving the ball and he had a lot to do with that. If he’s open, there is a good chance he is going to make the shot. He is that kind of a scorer and that kind of big shooter. It was not just him.”

On the play of Jason Kidd
“(Jason) Kidd had a triple-double, which was phenomenal, in 31 minutes. He came out with such great urgency to begin the game. He came out and ‘bang, bang’ hit two jump shots to start the game and that set the tone for us.”

Dallas Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki

On the strong team game
“I think we set the tone early on. Kidd was pushing the ball for us. We were getting some stops and got an early lead. We carried it on through there. They made a couple runs and a few pushes at us, but we made some timely shots when we needed them and got some stops. It was definitely a good outing for us. Now we are going to try and get the second seed if we can.”

On how he is playing lately
“Just being aggressive if I’m open. Shoot the ball or put it on the floor and get to the foul line. That always helps. And just working with the guys. We have a lot of guys that can score. Caron (Butler) has been playing well. If our guys are shooting the ball the way we were tonight, it makes everything a lot easier. It was definitely a good game.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Clippers

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well, that was a nice picture of how we want to play. So I’m pleased that our guys have kept their focus and kept their intensity and came out and could play a game that efficiently. (We) did a great job on the boards, a great job with the turnovers, played decent defense, moved the ball around and got good performances from everybody that played. So we want to just take that game and keep building. I’m really pleased that we played with that kind of focus.”

“That’s what you shoot for every game – we just want to keep working so that we have more and more of those games. I think that if we can keep playing with the kind of efficiency we played with tonight, we will have more of them too.”

On Jason Thompson:
“I think JT is feeling pretty comfortable at playing the center. It looks like he and Carl (Landry) are a pair that are both very versatile – they can both go inside and step outside and hit the jumpers, they can kind of pick on whoever the smaller defender is and put them in pick and rolls and find a way to be effective. I think JT’s doing a better job of driving and using his quickness rather than try to bull over everybody. He’s really been working on his footwork and attacking the bigger players off the dribble. I think he’s showing that work is paying off.”

When asked what he told the team during the fourth quarter when the Clippers started chipping away the lead:
“When they did start chipping away and they cut it to eight, just to keep moving the ball. We seemed to be getting a little sloppy at both ends. Coach stuff – get down, move your feet, don’t get beat off the dribble, hold them to one shot, move the ball, just keep doing what you did to get the lead.”

On the mid-range shot of Tyreke Evans:
“When Tyreke masters that mid-range shot he’ll be pretty much un-guardable. He’s been working on it. He’s been working on shortening his stroke a little bit so it doesn’t have as much motion – more wrist, less arm. He’s definitely on the way to being deadly from that range.”

Carl Landry

On the win
“It feels good to finally get a win. We were on an eight-game losing streak, so it definitely feels good to win. Once we find our right pieces and once we find the pieces that go together then we will come around.”

On Jason Thompson tonight
“He played very well; he played like an All-Star tonight. He was a superstar with 22 (points) and 15 (rebounds). He just keeps going and going after the boards. When I was in Houston playing against him, he was a player that I just hated playing against. He continues to attack the boards and stays aggressive. He is a great shooter and has drive and size. He is a tough player that opponents don’t like to play against.”

On their energy tonight
“We come out and we play hard. We come out and act like we can play, and we are playing like we should. I think we can beat anyone in this league.

Jason Thompson

On the Clippers bigs
“I know that Chris Kaman is an All-Star and the Clippers have talented bigs, but they are not the quickest so I can use my quickness on them. I can see how they are guarding me, if they step back then I will make them respect it and let me shoot the jumper.”

On whom he works with
“I work with Coach Carril, Shareef (Abdur-Rahim) and Truck (Robinson). They all have three different perspectives on the game of basketball and I kind of put it all together. It is only my second year, so I am still taking in all the information they are giving me. I think that coming down (to the end of the season), I am trying to finish strong, play slower and play to the pace of the game.”

On learning this year
“I think that it was good for me to play all of the games last year. Now being injured and playing different roles, it is just another perspective of the game. I have been learning it and this has been a learning experience. All of the things that I learned (this year), I am going to take into next year.”

Tyreke Evans

“We were definitely struggling and we played some tough teams. In some we played well but couldn’t get it down the stretch.”

Los Angles Clippers Interim Head Coach Kim Hughes

Tonight’s game…
“The stats look good offensively. Other than rebounding (47-32 in favor of the Kings) we shot 48 percent. So we did not compete defensively.”

Tonight’s effort…
“It was dismal. It was unacceptable and cheating ourselves and our teammates by playing like that.”

Tyreke Evans’ performance…
“I thought he was terrific. I thought he bullied us. He dribbled in with his quick body. He was quicker and stronger. More adept to dribbling and got to any spot on the floor he wanted to.”

Final stretch…
“It was tough because we would substitute in and the guys coming off the bench weren’t defending either. We were searching trying to find guys that would guard. There just weren’t enough guys out there that were choosing to guard.”

Drew Gooden, Los Angeles Clippers Forward

Tonight’s game…
“We didn’t compete tonight. I don’t know as far as our future and how we are going to play the rest of the games but we didn’t compete tonight. We competed last game. We didn’t compete tonight. We competed for stretches.”

Tyreke Evans’ for Rookie of the Year…
“He has a lot of confidence going on for him right now. He’s trying to get Rookie of the Year. Their goal is to probably help him achieve that and break the record. He’s on a lot of momentum and confidence right now.”

Remainder of the season…
“To compete and be professional is all that we can ask for.”

Steve Blake, Los Angeles Clippers

Tyreke Evans’ game…
“He’s an outstanding player. He’s come into the league right away and it looks like he understands the game and knows when to take over.”

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