Petrie Discusses Kings Trade Deadline Moves

Sacramento Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie
Feb. 18, 2010

Opening Statement:

“We acquired four players today – Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, Dominic McGuire and Larry Hughes and part of that trade involved Kevin Martin, Sergio and Hilton. I think a couple of things we accomplished today are number one, I think we really augmented and filled some holes in our frontline with the acquisition of Landry. He’s a very productive scorer. He’s comfortable playing inside and out, out away from the basket, probably one of the leading candidates for Sixth Man of the Year, currently in the League, even though Jamal Crawford is having a great, great year in Atlanta, as well. We’re really looking forward to watching him come in and add to what Spencer and Jason are able to do. The second thing is we continued to lower our salary cap for this summer by a very significant amount, or at least potentially lower it, and going forward into the future as well. With Joey Dorsey, he hasn’t had a lot of chance to play yet, but he is a legitimate defender, rebounder and shot blocker, and definitely has a physical presence who hasn’t played a lot yet, but (this is) a good opportunity to get a look at him as well.

Dominic McGuire is a good defender and can defend a couple positions and had some interesting moments at Washington (Wizards). So we’ll hopefully get all the different forms filed and notifications done, and the trade will get completely consummated here in the next couple of days.”

On if he was originally looking to trade Kevin:

“I really had a real bias, probably, or preference not to trade him, overall, but when this opportunity started to present itself, it just seemed like it was, as things went along, with the things that we were able to accomplish in a couple different areas, it made some sense for us.”

On if there was a desire to have Tracy McGrady play in Sacramento:

“The way these things tend to work, is they start out, and each team has some different motivations as to what they’re trying to accomplish, and who the key pieces are, and this would not have been a final destination probably for Tracy McGrady. So it then becomes players, numbers, how it can work with the salary cap, and then where the various talents that the teams really want end up residing.”

On if the New York Knicks were always a part of the trade:

“The (Houston) Rockets had been having some ongoing negotiations with the Knicks as far as I know and we’re not in control of that and obviously I don’t get all the detail on it, but we got pretty close by late last night with the Rockets, in terms of a deal that would work for us. So we felt, coming into the morning anyway, that we were in pretty good shape, regardless of what happened between the Knicks and Houston.”

On what factors the notion of Kevin Martin playing with Tyreke Evans played in the trade:

“Not too much really. I just think that we have a lot of wing players on our team. I think that we can fill a lot of the void there. It was more of the opportunity to get a player as productive and consistent as Landry, where we really need to fill some holes up front. Again, the potential salary cap enhancement for us was a big factor as well. The team’s played better this year, we’re going to win more games than last year, but we still need to continue to try and add to what we have, obviously, and that’s now going to come in the form of the Draft again, and on into free agency, where we will have a significant amount of real room but so will a lot of other teams.”

On how much the last month with Kevin in the lineup was a factor in the trade:

“It didn’t come into play at all, unless something came up that you thought made sense. In the last 36 hours, something came along that made sense, regardless of the last month. We could’ve gone into the rest of the season, and into the summer and not done a whole lot, maybe other than some cosmetic things here, but this was an opportunity to add a really high quality frontcourt player and create some more flexibility in other areas and when you put that all together, we thought it was worth it.”

On the expectations surrounding the backcourt pairing of Kevin and Tyreke:

“In all fairness to Kevin, I think it’s really hard to live up to those kind of expectations when you’ve been out that long, and I really did think the last three out of the last four games or so he was starting to look more like his normal self, but again, this is something we feel we wanted to do.”

On if today’s moves makes the Kings a major player in the upcoming free agency period:

“Look, there are probably eight teams now that are going to have an excess of $20 million of real room, and some more than that. We’ll be out there, and we’ll see what happens.”

On if the trade was decided upon in the past 24-36 hours:

“I think it would be very unwise to make decisions on 24-36 hours. You’re making decisions based on the history of performance, what you’re trying to do with your team, what one player can do versus another, what it means for your salary cap, what it means for how you want to see the team play going forward. It’s working with your head coach to try and build a roster that he feels would be better and has a chance to get better. It’s all those things, it’s not something that happens in 24 hours.”

On waiving Kenny Thomas:

“Well we wanted to make this trade with Washington in order to acquire Dominic. We had to create a roster spot. And really, the only way at the 11th hour to do that, was to waive Kenny.”

Geoff’s message to fans whose favorite player was Kevin Martin and to assure them this move is good for the Kings:

“Some of these players will become their favorite player.”

On what Kings fans can take away from the trade:

“I think that we made a good move for the team. We added a very high quality frontcourt player, we have more financial flexibility going forward, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it looks through these last 28 games.”

On the potential of including Knicks forward David Lee in the trade:

“To my knowledge, David Lee has never been available.”

On if he’s spoken with Kevin today:

“I called Kevin a minute after the trade call was done and I didn’t get him, I did leave him a message. He did send a very nice email to the organization about his time here, and I also texted him after I left a message and really thanked him, said I hope we have a chance to visit here at some point and that he’s been a real pro, and that I always wish him the best.”

On if Carl will become a starter:

“I really think you need to ask Paul that. I think, you know, he’s averaging over 16 points per game, playing 27 minutes a game for a good team. I’m sure he’s going to play a lot of minutes. What form that takes, Paul will work that out.”

On if the newly acquired Kings players will play in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers:

“I don’t know. You’ve got nine players involved here with three teams, and there’s a lot of forms and a lot of certifications that need to get done and then to the League office, and even if we get ours done, they all have to be done and you need to get an email from the League saying that the trade’s completed before they can practice or play. We will have ours done before the game on Saturday, now you’ve got deadlines on Sunday and Monday for other things, so I don’t know. I hope so, I hope so.”

On if he’s spoken with the newly acquired Kings players yet:

“I have not, not yet, no. We have waived a physical on some of the players, and Carl will take a physical.

On when Carl’s physical will be completed:

“Hopefully we’ll get it done tomorrow.”

On what could have happened had Kevin not gotten injured this season:

“I don’t know. I think of Kevin Martin as somebody we drafted, who developed into a terrific player, can be a prolific scorer at times and how things work out sometimes, there’s a lot of circumstance in life, and I’m sure Kevin’s going to go on and do just fine. He’s always been a real professional as far as I’m concerned and I wish him well.”

On if the upcoming expiration of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement is a factor in every move Geoff is making right now:

“It’s hard to say. I’m really not at liberty to talk a whole lot about collective bargaining, but we’re like a lot of teams, we’re trying to plan our future and have flexibility, because we need to continue, obviously, to improve the team and add more pieces and we’re keeping an eye on everything. It might affect how we can do that.”

On whether additional cuts will be made:

“I don’t think so. Not in the immediate (future).”

On what Carl Landry brings to the Kings:

“He can play on the block, off the block, at the elbow. You can throw him the ball and he’s a 57% shooter, an 80%-plus free throw shooter, and he’s a physically aggressive player. Like I said, he’s definitely going to augment our frontcourt.”

On changing the image of the Kings:

“Again, I think we wanted to change the perception of the way our team played and I think we’ve done that, although it didn’t happen last night, but you saw it against Boston I think, and in a lot of other games. Again, it’s working with Paul to build a roster that we both feel will be different and be more successful. Certainly Landry is a more physical presence, and Dorsey, I don’t know how much he would play or what he will do, but he’s certainly that as well, so, let’s all find out together I guess.”

On if he received similar opportunities to add the same factors that Carl brings to the Kings and obtain financial flexibility in exchange for Kevin:

“Not that I’m aware of.”

On his thoughts of other teams’ actions during the trading deadline:

“Again, the trading deadline has become more and more a function of different motivations for teams trying to accomplish different things. They have been one of the busier ones, but that’s for each individual team to decide when you get right down to it.”

On the Kings core:

“I think we’ve improved it. He’s (Landry) 27 years old, but we’ll have to wait now and see what shows up on the floor and how we utilize it and see how everybody works together.”

On Larry Hughes:

“The situation with Larry is actually he has a fracture on his left hand and he’s being treated and he’s in a splint currently back on the East Coast. We’ve agreed that he can stay back there and continue to work with those people. So, it’s not anticipated that he’s going to be here with the team while he’s undergoing his rehab and treatment back there. We did wait to put a reporting on the physical on him.”

On if he expects to see Larry this season:

“Don’t know.”

Postgame Recap: Kings vs. Timberwolves

MINNESOTA 112, SACRAMENTO 96

December 18, 2009 – At the Target Center, it was just too much Love for the Kings. Kevin Love recorded a double-double with a season-high 20 points and 16 rebounds and Corey Brewer added 20 points as the Timberwolves handed the Kings their eighth straight road loss, 112-96. Minnesota never trailed at any point in the game, and built a 13-point advantage on a 12-2 run in the third quarter. Sacramento trailed by seven, 87-80, with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter, but the Timberwolves used a 8-1 spurt for a 95-81 lead with 8:50 remaining. Minnesota cruised the rest of the way, earning their fifth win of the season. Omri Casspi, making his second straight start, led the Kings with 21 points. Beno Udrih and Jason Thompson each added 18 points. Thompson also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. All five Minnesota starters scored in double-figures. Al Jefferson and Damien Wilkins each contributed 16 points. The Timberwolves shot 54.7 percent from the field and outrebounded the Kings, 47-37.

NOTES: Kenny Thomas started his second game of the season. Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni came off the bench. Omri Casspi has totaled 43 points in the last two games, both starts. Casspi was just a point shy of matching his career high, set in the previous game against Washington. Tyreke Evans finished with 10 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Minnesota entered the game averaging 93.3 points per game and scored a season-high-tying 112 points.

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. T-Wolves

Head Coach Paul Westphal

“I think we might have caught them on a good night tonight after (they played) in Los Angeles last night and us having a couple of days rest. I thought that we wore them out with our bench and really did a good job with keeping the pressure on. Whoever we put in there really seemed to bring us energy. Once we got the lead we were able to just extend it and pull away. So it was a good win for us. I thought that the bench really, really gave us a big lift. That’s not to take away from a lot of the contributions our starters gave us. I thought that Tyreke (Evans) gave us a great start and we were really going in to him in the first quarter and established that. Then Jason Thompson was terrific the whole game on both ends, on the boards and scoring. Then, when Sergio (Rodriguez) and Beno (Udrih) came in, it seemed like it gave us extra quickness out there. (Jon) Brockman and Kenny Thomas were all over the boards. It was really good to see our team just go out there and everybody did what they had to do.”

When asked why he decided against calling a time out and changing the lineup when the Timberwolves got within two points during the third quarter:
“I was thinking hard; I got up and I was bringing my hands together and I just said well, I think it’s time for us to just figure it out. You can’t really do that all the time with a young team but it seemed like we’d been having good success and I had confidence that they would make something good happen. I can’t really say that it was brilliant, it was just like I thought about it and I said ‘naw’, and it happened to work out.”

When asked if the first step for a young team is getting wins at home:
“We want to win anytime we play, but the realistic analysis of this NBA is it’s tougher on the road and it’s tougher against the teams that have the good records. So, like I said, it was a good night for us. The Timberwolves had been playing better – I think they may have been a little fatigued after the Lakers last night. We were rested and we got them on a good night so we want to take any win we can get.”

Jason Thompson

“I just play in the rhythm of the game. Coach Truck and Coach Carril keep saying just to attack them and try to get them in foul trouble. They said to use my quickness instead of bodying guys. For the most part I tried to use my energy more and try to get my hand on balls when we weren’t making shots. You just have to let the game go.”

On adjusting to the Timberwolves
“From the scouting report we knew that Jonny Flynn is smaller and a shorter guy then Tyreke. We tried to post it early and see if they would adjust.”

On their bench being deep
“Spencer (Hawes) got in early foul trouble and Kenny (Thomas) came in, then Jon (Brockman) came in with his energy and was getting rebounds and getting his hands on balls. It may not always show up on the stats sheet, but it really helps us out.”

Tyreke Evans

On succeeding his own expectations
“I try to go out there and play hard every night. We are a young team and we are still learning, but we have to go out there and play with a lot of energy.”

On what they need to work on
“We have a lot to work on. We need to learn to be able to close out the fourth quarter. We have had game on the road where we couldn’t finish the game and had some turnovers. I think if we can close out games we can win more games.”

On the Timberwolves not being able to answer back
“Our plan was to just go at Jonny (Flynn). He is strong, but he is also a very small guard. Coach (Westphal) said that we were going to attack the post early and we did it and got a couple easy baskets.”

On if he gets excited seeing smaller guards
“Definitely. It is a big advantage for me. When I get in the box all I need is one or two dribbles. It is an advantage for me, a big advantage. I try to take advantage of it.”

On the ball movement being good
“We had (a season-high) 33 assists tonight. We moved the ball well and I think that is how we got the win.”

Timberwolves Head Coach Kurt Rambis

On falling behind badly in the third quarter

“On the second night of a back-to-back playing on the road, a young team has to understand how to play the proper way. They are a team that likes to get up and down the floor and has had a few days off. We got caught in trying to play too fast. Anytime we organized our offense and moved the ball, we got quality looks. That is the way we are supposed to play. So it was difficult to try and calm everyone down and play the right way. Once we started falling behind, then it became very difficult. Now they want to pick up the pace of the game and it just gets sloppier and sloppier. Turnovers hurt us. More than anything else, we wanted to shut down the lane on them and we were very poor at that tonight. We lost our focus on that and our attention to detail.”

Are there lessons to take out of this game

“When you have a young team, they just have to understand that there is a proper way to play the game. You don’t play every game the same way. You have to understand how to play on the road. You have to take away from the team you are playing their style of ball that makes them successful and try to take them out of that element. You can’t play the same pace of game on the road that you do at home.”

On looking spent on the bench

“I think fatigue played a huge part of it. So much of what happens when players get tired, late nights, flights… It’s all part of the NBA, so I am not using it as an excuse, but they have to find a way to take what the league gives you and still compete at a high level.”

On Kings guard Tyreke Evans’ potential

“I think he is a terrific ball player. He has a chance to be very good in this league. He has great size and length. He is going to be able to make outside shots, take guards off the dribble, post them up like we saw tonight on smaller guards and penetrate and find people. He plays with a lot of poise and does a pretty good job of changing gears and changing speeds which keeps his defender off-balance.”

Timberwolves Forward Kevin Love

On why they fell behind

“We were playing way too fast, turned the ball over and didn’t set anything up. That’s why the score was what it was … We came out and thought we could outscore them, didn’t really play well on defense. And they put up 120 points on us.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Suns

Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal

Well, that was a tough one for us. I thought we played really well in a lot of ways. We missed too many layups, missed free throws at big times and we w ere the victim of one of the two greatest closers in basketball. Nash was phenomenal in the fourth quarter and we would have had to play perfect basketball at that point, to get the win and we had a few too many mistakes along the way. They’re obviously a really good team and on one hand, I’m really happy our young team played them so tough and on the other hand, I’m anxious for the day when we can learn the lessons we learned tonight and maybe get a game like this.

Kings Guard Tyreke Evans

They weren’t making shots the whole game until the end. Nash did a good job and Channing Frye did a good job of closing the game out. I thought at the end of the game, we should have just tried to get over the picks instead of switching once they started hitting their shots. Defensive adjustments you’ve got to make and we’ll learn from it.

Kings Forward Kenny Thomas

It’s one of those things where you’re in a flow. I try to go out there and get every rebound anyway. That’s one of those things that I’ve always done and that’s the role I have to fill right now. I was just trying to contain him (Stoudemire), I know he likes to go right and Steve Nash and him have great communication. Steve can dribble down and set a pick on me and then he comes off and he’s wide open and that’s real hard to defend. We have to learn how to finish games.

Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry

I guess you can just say it was a grind-it-out win. That’s really the only way you can describe it. We could never really get any good separation. They are so good and versatile offensively that they put you in tough situations. They will start with a big lineup then play three guards. Paul (Westphal) has done a great job, I think, having those guys feel comfortable in going to their strengths. We couldn’t quite get our hands on the ball. We had a couple of rebounds that bounced kind of funny, but we could never come up with those two or three big rebounds that could get us a little bit of separation. They always seemed to bounce the wrong way. They played well. We didn’t shoot the ball well but we found a way to grind it out.

Suns Guard Steve Nash

We missed a lot of shots we normally make – we’re getting our confidence back up from the end of that road trip. We talked about at halftime and in the second half that sometimes you just kind of grind out wins and it’s going to be ugly – and tonight was one of those nights. I’m just proud we stuck with it and scrapped and got the loose balls and rebounds when it really counted.

Suns Forward Amare Stoudemire

Tonight was a big getaway game for us. We came out with the intensity, we scrapped out there on the rebound tip, Steve shot particularly well – down the stretch they tried to make him play one-on-one out there and wanted him to be the scorer instead of the facilitator and he scored well. We got the win and we’ve got to look forward to tomorrow night.

Postgame Recap: Kings @ Suns

PHOENIX 115, SACRAMENTO 107

December 5, 2009 – At US Airways Center, Steve Nash scored 20 of his game-high 32 points in the second half and Amar’e Stoudemire recorded 18 points and 21 rebounds to keep the Suns perfect at home (7-0) with a 115-107 win over the visiting Kings. Phoenix scored first in the second quarter for their largest lead of the game, an 11-point advantage, 37-26. The Kings outscored the Suns, 25-13, to take a 51-50 lead with 2:53 left before the half. Phoenix ended the second quarter scoring five unanswered points for a 60-55 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Kings tied the score at 93-93 on Andres Nocioni’s three-pointer, but the Suns used an 8-0 run capped off by Channing Frye’s trey for a 102-94 lead with 4:10 remaining. The Kings cut the lead down to five, but Nash buried his third three-pointer of the game with 1:10 left. After a Tyreke Evans’ basket, Frye delivered his fourth three-pointer to finish with 15 points and give the Suns a 113-104 lead with 44.8 seconds left. Evans led the Kings with 21 points. Nocioni finished with 20 points. Kenny Thomas grabbed a team-high 18 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive end, in 28 minutes off the bench. The Kings outrebounded the Suns, 48-43, but struggled from the free line, missing nine attempts (20-29 FT).

NOTES: The Kings have scored 100 or more points in 14 of the last 15 games, including the last eight. Tyreke Evans has scored 20 or more points in 11 games this season, tops among rookies. The Suns have defeated the Kings in Phoenix the last seven times. Before halftime, three Kings starters had three fouls – Evans, Donte Greene, and Jason Thompson and the Suns had gone to the line seven more times than the Kings, 22 to 15. Sacramento committed only three turnovers in the second half, all three coming in the third quarter, and finished with 10 for the game. The game featured 17 lead changes and 16 ties.

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs Hornets

Head Coach Paul Westphal

“I was glad to see us come out and beat a hot team who has been playing really well. I think that we did it with our defense and rebounding, as well as cutting down on the turnovers. Really, everybody that played gave us a big contribution. It was interesting that they set their whole defense to stop Tyreke (Evans) – your 16th game into your career, that’s quite a tip of the hat to what he’s been doing for us. We had a lot of open players because of that and we found them and knocked the shots down. So it was another good team win and I really like the way we’re playing defense, rebounding and moving the ball.”

“We’ve been finding different ways pretty much every game. Our team is getting to know each other and I think they have confidence in each other. Some nights it’s one guy; another night it’s someone else. It’s really something good happening.”

“Sergio (Rodriguez) has just been playing better and better all the time. For awhile there, we were trying to figure out a way to get him into the game. Lately we’ve been playing two small guards together because Beno (Udrih) has been playing great, and obviously Tyreke has been playing great. So playing two point guards and sometimes three, we’ve done that the last couple of games. As long as we can get the rebound, that’s a great way to play. The way Jason (Thompson), Kenny (Thomas) and (Jon) Brockman were rebounding the ball it let us have that kind of lineup and kind of unleash Sergio. So he’s got that in him. He’s very, very quick and creative; guys love playing with him.”

Tyreke Evans
“I look for the open guys, and if I see the double team then I would kick it out to guys like (Andres) Nocioni, Sergio (Rodriquez) and Donte (Greene) and look for the open pass. It was just going well for us tonight. I said that if we got a “W”, I would be happy.”

On his confidence:
“Chris Paul had a talk with me tonight about my game. A lot of teams are starting to watch a lot of film on me now, so I just need to keep playing the way that I am playing. I need to look for the open guys and just let the rest come to me. I thought about that before the game started.”

Sergio Rodriguez

“Tonight was successful for me and the team. I am really happy and enjoyed playing here tonight. I am very comfortable on the court.”

On how gratifying it is being in Sacramento:
“The most important thing, and what makes me so happy, is when I get to play. That is all that I ask. When I didn’t play a few games ago, it was tough. I knew that when I got in (Coach Westphal) would let me play and that is the whole thing. I am enjoying playing here and I am enjoying playing for him.”

On if he was frustrated not playing:
“Practicing kept me in shape, my mind right and I knew when my opportunity would come I was going to take advantage of it.”

Jon Brockman
“We always have to get our hand on the ball. When everyone crashes like that it forces them to box out more people. When it is one-on-one sometimes things get mixed up, it is a lot easier to get our hands on the ball, get offensive rebounds and as soon as you get a offensive rebound that is when the defense is scattered. I couldn’t find the shooters as you saw, but we had some guys spot up and make some shots.”

On Spencer being out:
“Whenever you have someone out like that, it’s terrible. You can sit and be sad about it, but really the fact of the matter is, people have to step up and we have to find a way to fill his shoes. You can’t exactly fill his shoes the way he does, but you can do it in other ways. Tonight, I think Sergio stepped up huge. You never know whose night it is going to be.”

Hornets Head Coach Jeff Bower

On the defense not getting it done

“We had stretches where we had a really hard time getting their pick and roll under control. A lot of it is due to the speed and quickness of the Kings’ players. (Sergio) Rodriguez was really effective and (Beno) Udrih with his shooting. It was a hard cover for us. They did a real good job keeping the pressure on us.”

On turning the ball over

“There were stretches where our turnovers were the variety that was hard to understand like the ball being thrown away. We would rather they be turnovers of aggression. Tonight we had a couple of them that got away from us. We would like to have those back.”

On playing a confident team

“We watched them score 61 and 59 points in the first half in their last two games. We know they have a lot of confidence playing at home. In order for us to come out of here with a win, we were going to have to keep their pick-and-roll game under control. And we weren’t able to do that.”

Hornet Forward David West

On the Kings’ pick-and-roll offense

“We just couldn’t contain them. We didn’t figure out a way to deal with it. They were turning the corner too fluidly. To their credit, they just stuck with it.”

On the Kings pushing ahead in the second quarter

“I just don’t think we got into a good rhythm. We didn’t play together. We didn’t work the game as a unit. Guys tried to do too much individually.”

On getting back in the third quarter

“We were sharing the ball. Again, we stopped doing it. I thought we worked the ball well. We really attacked them and defensively we were attacking them. We have to change our attitude as far as having more of a team approach to this thing. We can’t start thinking about I, I, I. A team like Sacramento is sharing the ball and everyone is touching the ball and moving it around. Conversely, we are not doing the same. It is something we haven’t been doing the past few games.”

Postgame Recap: Kings vs Nets

SACRAMENTO 109, NEW JERSEY 96

November 27, 2009 – At ARCO Arena, Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih each scored a team-high 21 points as the Kings kept the Nets winless this season in 16 tries. The Nets are one loss away from tying the NBA mark for losses to begin a season. Sacramento led from start to finish, leading by as many as 22 points in the second quarter. The Kings held a 15-point lead, 84-69, to begin the fourth quarter, but the Nets trimmed the lead down to six, 86-80, with 8:10 remaining. A Kenny Thomas lay-up and an Evans’ three-pointer pushed the lead back to 11 and the Kings kept at least a seven-point cushion the rest of the way. Spencer Hawes recorded a double-double with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds before leaving with a bruised right knee in the third quarter. Udrih scored 17 second half points, making all six of his field goal attempts (including one from three-point range) and all four of his free throw attempts. Omri Casspi finished with a career-high 18 points. Devin Harris, who led all scorers with 25 points, tallied 21 in the second half. Brook Lopez recorded a double-double with 24 points and a game-high 11 boards. Chris Douglas-Roberts tallied 21 points.

NOTES: Sacramento outrebounded (45-39) and outshot (54.9-38.3) New Jersey. After the first quarter, the Kings held a 14-4 rebounding edge. Tyreke Evans has scored 20 or more points in eight of the last nine games he has played in. The Kings recorded a season-high 11 blocked shots.

Competitiveness Shines in Voluntary Workout

Since early this month, Sacramento Kings players have worked with team strength and conditioning coach Daniel Shapiro in the weight room and on the practice court to enhance their strength, agility and endurance for the tip-off of the 2009-10 season. On Tuesday, they put their hard work on display in a competitive voluntary scrimmage.
Read more

Wednesday Workout and More

The Kings will host another workout this Wednesday at the team’s practice facility. The six-player session will include Lester Hudson, Ahmad Nivins, Goran Suton, Jermaine Taylor, Jerome Tillman and Ben Woodside. Read more

What’s Next?

The 2008-09 season proved to be a trying one for the Kings. The team experienced just about everything a team could go through — coaching change, new systems, key injuries, roster turnover, heartbreaking defeats, quality wins, player improvement, jersey retirements –all within six months.

Now the question is — what happens in the next six months?

This off-season will be a critical time for the Kings and their future. At seasons end, full evaluations have to begin. In my opinion, from top to bottom, everything has to be looked at thoroughly. You look at the coaching position and evaluate where the team wants to go from there. The players have to be analyzed to see which guys to keep and which need to move on.

I believe, with eight current players under contract and five free agents, the Kings will only keep the guys under contract. Those under contract include — Francisco Garcia, Beno Udrih, Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes, Donté Greene, Kevin Martin, Kenny Thomas and Andres Nocioni. The Kings may look to move one or more of those players in a deal to help improve the team, but at this point, I wouldn’t know where to begin to speculate.

A key date coming up is May 19 — the day of the NBA Draft Lottery. The Kings will find out if they pick first, second, third or fourth. Although it’s seemingly a small range, many pundits believe the top two prospects will have the most impact. Meanwhile, the Kings have already secured the 23rd (via the Houston Rockets) and 31st overall picks. With three selections in the top 31, the Kings have flexibility. They can hold onto the three picks. They can package one or all of the picks. Or, they can package some of the current roster in a trade for veterans or varying choices in the Draft.

The entire goal this off-season is to get better.

To do so, first off, this team could use a little good fortune. We already mentioned injuries this season, and rookie Jason Thompson was the only player on the roster to play in all 82 games. If Martin and Garcia didn’t miss a combined 48 games, I’m confident the record would have been at least a little better. Good fortune could come in winning the lottery, which would get Kings fans feeling good again. It would also give the team the option to select Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin, who is widely regarded as the top prospect in the Draft.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Griffin added to the promising frontcourt of Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes.

The returning Kings group also needs to re-focus. The aforementioned young bigs, Hawes and Thompson, need to get bigger, stronger and continue to develop. They’ve shown great work ethic and had a tremendous second half of the season. If their growth pattern continues, the Kings really have something in those two young players.

Suddenly, Martin, Garcia and Udrih have become the veterans of this team. All three are still early enough in their careers to feel like young players, but they have to make the transition to veteran leaders of the team. They have tenure with this franchise. Now they need to set the example for their teammates. Martin and Garcia learned from past Kings leaders, and Beno played with great San Antonio leaders, so they are all capable of taking their leadership ability to the next level.

If the Kings return with their young core and sprinkle in some impact rookies from the Draft, the next step is free agency. But, the free agency process is a little trickier than years past because of the state of the salary cap.

Sometimes just one key move can make a world of difference. I’m not even sure which name or names would make an impact on this team, but I think that player could be out there. Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie’s job is not an easy one, but he has a great track record of putting the franchise in position to be successful.

I think the next six months will prove to be very interesting for the franchise, and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds. Six months from now, we’ll get to see what the final product looks like when the team hits the court again in October.

Next Page »