Fresh Look for Final Stretch

Big trade deadline last week. We made a lot of moves and had a lot of vets go. Brad Miller and John Salmons were traded to the Bulls. It’s cool for John since he’s from Philly and he gets to be closer to home. And for Brad, besides being a starter, he gave me a lot of good looks and advice on how to be a player in this League. Read more

Kings Acquire Four in Three-Team Trade - Updated

The Kings acquired Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Cedric Simmons and Ike Diogu in a three-team trade that sent Brad Miller and John Salmons to the Chicago Bulls and Michael Ruffin to the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie — press release.

Sacramento also waived Quincy Douby and Sam Cassell.

Updated with Quotes & Video:

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JT’s Rookie Lesson

Kings Rookie Jason Thompson committed a somewhat-flagrant foul against his teammates, and Kings.com has the exclusive video footage of their retaliation…

 

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Kayte’s Caption, January 3, 2009

Congratulations, Ken! Today’s winning caption is:
“Me and Koz are playing today, He brought his Mickey Mouse Driver, I brought my Bullwinkle Driver.”

Here’s how to submit your caption suggestions:

1. Leave a comment.

2. Text ‘Kayte’ to 69866

Time to Check the Mailbag!

1 - Hey Shapiro,
I’ve been trying to work out as much as I can over the summer for next season, but I feel like my core strength is not as good as it can be. I have tried a few new exercises but nothing seems to get the job done. Can you share any secrets on strengthening your core? Thanks, Sam.

Thanks for the question Sam.
This is a very in-depth topic and one that can have many answers depending on who you ask. Strengthening your core can be answered in many ways. Many people think core strength means just the abdominal and oblique muscles. This is a very one-dimensional approach to training. The more detailed ‘core’ involves the entire musculature surrounding the lumbar spine, pelvic bone and hip. This is also known as the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex (LPHC). The key is to remember what the ‘core’ is. Think of the core as the area where a person’s center of gravity is located and where all movement begins. Without going into too much detail of exercise physiology and describing different exercises, the core exercises you choose should involve elements of stability, strength and movements in all three planes of motion and different movement patterns. Keeping this in mind, it would be a good idea to get assistance from a personal trainer and let that person know you’re interested in training the ‘core’ as I explained to you (LPHC). It’ll be much more beneficial for you in the long run!

2 - Hey there D-Shap, I competed in track and field for four years (two years in high school and two years in college) and that was about all I could do. I was diagnosed with a very common ailment — patellar tendonitis or ‘jumper’s knee.’ I pretty much noticed it around my second year of track but it got worse each year. Lots of basketball players get this and with me doing triple-jump and long-jump this problem kept coming back. I still like to stay active and play basketball but if I don’t play for a week or two and play a hard game of basketball my knees flare up again and hurt for a few days — going down stairs is the worst! Other than rest and ice, I am wondering what sort of exercises can help strengthen the areas that may put less pressure on my knees. Thanks for any information! Tristan, Redding, Ca.

Hello Tristan.
Patellar tendonitis or ‘jumper’s knee’ is very common in basketball. Fortunately, science has progressed to where trainers, strength coaches, therapists and others are more educated on how to try and prevent or decrease the severity of tendonitis through correcting posture, muscular imbalances and movement patterns an athlete performs repeatedly. Many things can cause tendonitis – jumping and landing technique, quadriceps-to-hamstring-strength ratio, foot mechanics, q-angle formed by the hip and knee, the list goes on and on. If you’re willing to take the time to strengthen the lower body and do corrective exercises to help with your biomechanics (if needed), I recommend going to a certified and qualified trainer. However, once the competitive years pass us by and we become somewhat periodic basketball players or ‘weekend warriors,’ we often don’t take the time to correct or strengthen as much as we should and we often prefer a quick treatment of the pain. Rest and ice is a good start. Some people take ibuprofen to decrease the pain but you should consult a physician before taking any medicine. Good luck!

3 - Hi my name is Amna and I am a high school student. How do players decide what to eat each day and for each meal considering they have to travel a lot and keep up with their diets? And what do they normally eat to stay fit?

Good question Amna.
Players’ diets are a very important ingredient for them to stay strong, energized and conditioned for such a long season. Many of them have been traveling for many years throughout their college and professional careers so they become accustomed to the travel and plan their diets accordingly. The players understand the importance of eating healthy and the effects it has on their performance and ability to replenish and recover, especially when we play on back-to-back nights. To answer your question, what do they normally eat to stay fit — the answer varies from person to person. On the plane we usually provide between two and four healthy entrée options. However, what they eat when they’re on their own is up to them. The training staff and I do provide guidance and healthy options for those that don’t necessarily know the nutritional information about certain foods. As for the players that have specific needs or concerns, we address them on an individual basis.

4 - I’m a 6-foot-6 18-year-old. What position do you think I would play in college and how can I train, gain weight and lift weights to be better at that position? Thanks, Dean.

Thanks for the question Dean.
By the sounds of your age and height, you probably have been playing basketball up to this point and should feel more comfortable and more skilled at a certain position. If you haven’t been playing up to this point, you should consult your basketball coach or another basketball coach. When it comes to strength and conditioning for basketball and your position, your starting point will be based on your previous training experiences, injury history, weight and body fat and other specific factors that will help your personal trainer put together the appropriate training program for you. At 6-foot-6, you could be anywhere from an extremely skilled and athletic point guard to a very strong and large power forward with minimal jumping or conditioning. I strongly recommend you receive guidance from a coach or mentor because I’d hate for that height and desire to go unnoticed or untrained. Good luck Dean, and let me know what college you end up playing for!

5 - Who is the strongest Kings player? If it’s based on bench press, how much can they press? Thanks, Tom.

Hello Tom.
I like your question and your interest in finding out who is the “Strongest Kings Player.” I’ll start by telling you that the lifting programs change throughout the season and differ from player to player depending on playing time, time of season, personal injuries and other factors. I don’t just measure their strength in pounds bench pressed or squatted, but also the muscular endurance, balance and how fast and efficient they move. However, to answer your question regarding our strongest players and bench pressers, some of our strongest bench pressers are Shelden Williams, Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes and Brad Miller. Amongst these four, the weight on the bench press can be over 300 pounds on any given day! I hope that answers your questions. Take care.

6 - Hello Mr. Shapiro, My name is Jimmy and I am 18 years old and going to Folsom Lake College. How do I get started in a career as a strength and conditioning coach for a major sports team? What do you recommend for classes and any other additional things that would help me pursue my career? Thanks, Jimmy.

Hello Jimmy.
I’m glad to hear you’re interested in a career as a strength and conditioning coach for a major sports team. I was 19 when I started in this field, both professionally and educationally, and feel the two go hand in hand. In other words, I believe it’s important to start in this field with both the desire and determination to gain some field experience, WHILE receiving an education in the exercise sciences that will give you the tools to further understand what you’re learning in your field experience. The type of classes I recommend you take are classes in the field of exercise science, biomechanics, kinesiology, physical therapy, human movement or similar fields. It appears your first priority is to get your AA degree from a two-year college and then transfer to a four-year university where you can receive the education to earn a B.A., B.S. or even a Master’s degree. A couple ways you can gain experience in the field while going to school are — look for volunteer, internship or even graduate assistant positions in the athletics department at the school you’re attending or possibly getting a certification that would allow you to personal train at your college’s recreational gym or another gym. There are certainly other ways of getting to your ultimate goal of being a strength and conditioning coach for a major sports team. The next best thing to do is ask the same questions you asked me to other coaches and professionals in this field. Best of luck in your efforts!

Season Analysis: Moore, Thomas and Miller