Change

We had a big statement win against the longtime rival Lakers last Tuesday. I feel like once we change the team around and get more wins, the Lakers will be a real rival, especially with the history the two teams have had in the past. That game drew a big crowd at ARCO — the best crowd I’ve seen. And we didn’t disappoint with our 12-point win that gave them their third loss of the season. It was a real good win for us. Everybody played with a lot of energy right from the jump and that’s the most important thing. Guys were playing defense like their lives depended on it and it showed.

After that we had a couple practice days and then we went to L.A. and played the Lakers in another tough game with a high-intensity atmosphere like at ARCO. It pretty much went down to the wire. In the last minute-and-a-half they had a couple more things go their way and they came out with the victory. But it wasn’t one of those losses where you’re like, ‘Man, what happened?’ We felt real confident and knew we should have won the game.

We came back to ARCO to face the Knicks with a lot of confidence but we didn’t start the game like we wanted to, like we started against L.A. I feel like we played to the level of the competition, which I was afraid of. But we did, and now we know what we got to do in the future.

Today Coach Theus got let go and Coach Natt has replaced him. I guess the big word is change. I don’t think our record speaks for the team that we have but that’s what happens when you’re a head coach in this league. That’s business. When you have success and when you have downfall the credit goes to you, first, and then it goes to the star players and then it goes to the guys like me who are learning.

Now, tonight we play the Timberwolves — a team we beat at ARCO and lost a close one to at their place in the first game of the year. Then we have a long road trip. We’ll be on the road for about a week and we’ll really see how we are. It’s going to be a real big test for us.

On my off day, yesterday, I got to help out my boy Donté Greene once again as a special guest on his show. We went to Raley’s. We rode around in some motorized shopping carts singing some songs and making the show a success, just like the last episode was. The question was, ‘Should JT come back?’ And I guess you guys — Kings fans — chimed in and said, ‘Bring him back!’

So, Happy Holidays everybody! Keep supporting us. Keep trying to pack ARCO. The most important thing is once we have you guys supporting us in ARCO it’s hard for us not to play well. Once you guys have it packed and start making it lively, we thrive off that energy. So just keep doing what you’re doing, bring your friends and family to our games, be safe and once again, Happy Holidays!

Oh, and we’ll see if JT has some type of show in the future!

Struggles Come Before Success

We have a big one tonight against the Lakers. They’re the best team in the League and have the best record in the West. With a win tonight, it would end our losing streak at home. And overall, it would be a good stepping stone, or starting stone, for this team to get on the right track.

On Saturday, we didn’t have a good game against the Nuggets, but we still had a good crowd. The rest of the young guys and I tried to spark the team as much as we could. I definitely didn’t have one of my better shooting games, but I came out with a career-high 15 rebounds in limited minutes. My goal is to average a double-double — at least 10 points and 10 boards. If I keep having the mentality of trying to get every rebound, there’s no reason I shouldn’t get 10 rebounds a game.

During this time you can’t lose all hope because it’s a long season. For us to play better we really need support from our fans at ARCO and everywhere. I always feel like the true fans are always going to be there. We definitely feed off of the fans’ energy and I just want you all to know that we hear you. And even if I don’t react to all your support and encouragement, it definitely helps. The only way I know how to play is with energy and heart. So keep on cheering at ARCO and know that it helps us!

Since last time I blogged, I’ve had a few days off the court, game-wise. When I have time off I try to rest my body and also get some good meals in. Usually when you don’t have much time, you have to get food at a quick place or something. It’s not bad, just not as good as a sit-down type of place. I went to an Asian restaurant downtown and enjoyed some good food and went to a couple similar restaurants that were great as well. Other than going out to eat when I’m free, I spend time with some of my teammates — just chill and hang with them. Recently, it was nice to just relax and get our minds off of the month of November.

We hadn’t really had full practices for awhile, but we’ve had two practices since we played the Nuggets. We just tried to get prepared and rest our bodies a little bit. We’re trying to get our minds focused on certain teams because we haven’t been playing the best basketball we’ve wanted to. But we’ve still learned a lot and I’ve gotten a lot of reps in. We started scrimmaging a little bit more and playing against each other, which we haven’t done in a while.

I also did a real nice community event this past Friday. Every opportunity I get, I always try to do one. I went to Shriners Children’s Hospital, which really meant a lot. We met kids that have burns, illnesses and diseases and come from all over the world to this hospital for treatment. They can’t spend time with their families during the holidays and that’s one of the saddest things that can happen. It made their day to have guys like us that are their heroes come in and play a little hoops with them at the hospital. It really meant a lot to me that we were able to take their minds off of treatment and get them out of their rooms and have fun for a little while. Other than playing on the court, it is one of the best things to do when you have this occupation.

I also want to thank everyone who has been calling and texting or commenting on my blog. I really appreciate the support. With this being my first year in the League and all the ups and downs that come with it, I just want to say ‘thank you’ to everybody for their support. They always say you have to go through struggles before you can have success and that’s how I look at it.

Take care and be safe everyone.

Here’s a Kings.com video of me and Donté at the Shriners event: