[Izulde]

These are exciting times to live in if you're an NBA fan. We're in a Golden Age, thanks to a thrilling group of youngsters, such as the Nine Knights and unlike the Raptors/Nuggets era of the last decade, there's a nucleus of really great teams that are extremely enjoyable to watch play.

Attendance is up around the league, interest is skyrocketing and for the first time since the 1980s, the NBA can truly assert itself as a legitimate major league sport, rather than the niche category it was threatening to fall into during the 1990s and early 2000s. It's helped not only by terrific players, both veteran and young and the oligarchy of elite teams, but by an explosion in international players as the league's stars. For perhaps the first time in its lengthy history, the NBA is truly home to the world's best and brightest basketball players, from all nations.

That my Kings are one of the premiere teams, fashioned out of some of the best players of the Raptors/Nuggets decade and terrific youngsters, makes it all the sweeter. Now if we can only bring home that long dreamt-of championship to this city.

Oh, a minor note. It's actually Filip Svorada, not Svorda. His name gets misspelled all the time, so he wasn't too upset about it, though he did stop by my office to correct me on it.

It's with some nervousness that I anticipate Opening Night in Dallas on Halloween. The Mavericks and the Spurs the next night are arguably one of the best litmus tests we could start the year with.

Much to my shock and horror, we lose both games. Dallas beats us 107-100 as Marcelino Augusto tears us apart for 31 points and 12 rebounds. Shane Holliway has an awful 5 for 17 Kings debut and the shine's taken off of Terrence Howard's 20 points and 13 rebounds, William Tackett's 13 points and 10 assists and Ferdinand Kallenberger's sterling 6 of 7 from the floor, 14 point debut. Damian Thomas dismantles us the next night for 35 points in the 115-100 loss to the Spurs. Terrence Howard comes through with 23 points and 12 rebounds, Shane Holliway sets things right with 24 points, William Tackett picks up 17 points and 12 assists and Brandon Edmond scores 10 off the bench, but David Anyan has shot 27% his first two game and Jim Johnson looks uncomfortable with taking a shot.

It doesn't get any better after a wild 125-120 loss in Houston. David Anyan recovers to score 24, Terrence Howard is steady with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Filip Svorada amazes in his starting debut with 26 points and 15 assists, Shane Holliway scores 25 and Brandon Edmond chips in another 10 bench points, but we can't play defense against -anybody-.

We finally get a win on the front end of a doubleheader, beating Toronto 98-93 in our first home game, but it's not a comfortable victory. David Anyan scores 22, Terrence Howard plugs in 17 points and 12 rebounds, Filip Svorada doubles for 20 points and 10 assists, with Nigel Abel adding 10 bench points. Unfortunately, we lose the next night in Seattle, 108-95. Jim "Twizzler" Johnson has been held to 0 points the last two games. Hard to win under those conditions, even when Filip Svorada has 18 points and 14 assists, Brandon Edmond hauls in 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Ferdinand Kallenberger comes up with 12 bench points.

Still, I'm not going to pull the trigger just yet. I'm going to wait a few more games to see if we can't get this sorted out.

But we lose 103-93 to Phoenix, discarding David Anyan's 25 points, Terrence Howard's 11 points and 14 rebounds and Brandon Edmond's 10 points and 11 rebounds to lead the second team. Filip Svorada rescues us the next night with 22 points and 11 assists, teaming with David Anyan's 19 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Edmond's 13 bench rebounds to lift us 101-84 over the Nuggets. We really needed that morale booster.

Then we're hit with a 117-101 loss to the Bulls, ruining Jim Johnson's 14 points and 11 rebounds, Terrence Howard's 15 points and 11 rebounds and William Tackett's 22 points as starting SG in relief of the injured Shane Holliway.

I've seen quite enough.

Sacramento Kings receive
PF Ronnie Fry
Memphis Grizzlies 2029 2nd round pick
Memphis Grizzlies 2030 2nd round pick

Memphis Grizzlies receive
SF Shane Holliway

What this means for the Kings
Holliway's addition was somewhat curious in that GM Jestor has always preferred Fry to Holliway. Now, with the Kings in disarray and deperately in need of a turnaround, they pick up 25 year old Fry, a legitimate 20+ point per game scorer who can also rebound and play solid, denying defense. For now, he'll slide in at PF, with Jim Johnson as the starting C while Terrence Howard nurses a back injury.

What this means for the Grizzlies
Memphis is off to a stunning 6-1 start, but Fry doesn't get along with the coaching staff at all and demanded out from the Grizzlies. Holliway, who had similiar problems, comes back after a failed, short stint with the Kings, his inability to be the go-to man largely blamed for Sacramento's surprising struggles. Perhaps now that he's back to his native SF spot, he can revert to his old, winning form.

Winner: Sacramento
Jestor needed to do -something- to shake things up and picking up Fry and a pair of second rounders for the biggest scapegoat should do much to alleviate the problem. The Kings are far too talented to be 2-6, so perhaps this can be the tonic they need for what ails them. Memphis, on the other hand, risks disrupting their fast start and chemistry.

Ironically enough, our next game is against the Grizzlies and we crush them 115-94 in the night's most highly anticipated matchup. David Anyan not only roars for 30 points, but holds Shane Holliway to 3 points on 1 for 9 shooting. Jim Johnson gets 16 points and 11 rebounds after getting the start at C, William Tackett scores 22 and Filip Svorada serves up 11 points and 14 assists.

It feels like a whole new team out there as we rout Milwaukee 121-101 on David Anyan's second straight 30 point game. Jim Johnson explodes for 24 points and 10 rebounds, Ronnie Fry contributes a modest 11 points and 12 rebounds while playing ferocious D with Anyan, William Tackett scores 23, Filip Svorada nabs 11 points and 17 assists and Terrence Howard puts up 12 bench points.

Revenge is sweet as Ronnie Fry blisters the Rockets for 28 points and 10 rebounds in our 114-105 triumph. Filip Svorada continues to make the most of his starting opportunity with 15 points and 15 assists and Terrence Howard rampages from the bench for 22 points.

We march back to .500 on the wings of David Anyan and Ronnie Fry's 25 and 23 points in our 121-93 beatdown of the Lakers. Filip Svorada accrues 19 points and 15 assists and Nigel Abel and Terrence Howard lead the reserves with 12 points a piece.

For the first time this young season, we see the light of a winning record after we demolish the Timberwolves 110-81. Ronnie Fry rumbles for 20 points and 10 rebunds, William Tackett scores 22, David Anyan nets 21 points and Filip Svorada picks up 13 points and 11 assists.

The Grizzlies pay us back, beating us 115-96 in Memphis to halt our winning streak. Filip Svorada scores 23, Jim Johnson has 13 points and 15 rebounds, William Tackett scores 20 and Terrence Howard has 10 bench rebounds, but they were out for blood. No problem though, as we recover the next night to win 110-101 in New Orleans. Ronnie Fry almost singlehandedly does it with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but he gets a literal assist from Filip Svorada (18 points, 13 assists) and Terrence Howard (16 points, 11 rebounds off the bench).

After all that, we're 8-7, fortunate to be just a game behind Phoenix in the Pacific. The West is absolutely brutal in the early going this season, though. Dallas is 14-2, San Antonio's 11-5, Portland's 10-4 and Memphis, despite cooling off, is still 10-6.

In the East, the Nets and Raptors are deadlocked atop the Atlantic, New Jersey's 9-6 giving them the nominal edge. The Central hosts a shocking 11-3 Detroit and 11-4 Indiana and only 6-9 Cleveland is below .500 in that just filthy division. 9-4 has Washington 2.5 half up on the Hawks after the first month.

Nasty roller coaster to start the year, but Memphis's eagerness to dump Ronnie Fry has, I think, saved our season from reaching a point that it'd be difficult to come back from. I'm not saying we'll surge all the way back to a #1 or even a #2 seed, but we're playing a hell of a lot better basketball now since that thievery I pulled off.