Here We Stayed: A Sacramento Kings Dynasty 2k14

[Noestar]

Kings, T-Wolves closing in on trade?

The Minnesota Timberwolves are closing in on a deal that would swap forward Derrick Williams for Sacramento's Luc Mbah a Moute, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

Sources told ESPN.com that the teams were progressing toward finalizing the trade Tuesday to give Williams the fresh start he's been seeking.

Williams and Mbah a Moute, sources said, have emerged as the principals in the latest talks between the teams, with offensively challenged Sacramento known to be pushing hard to be the club that lands Williams, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2011 draft.

Drafted so high by former Wolves executive David Kahn despite the presence of Kevin Love in Minnesota, Williams has struggled to carve out an impact role in his two-plus seasons there, where minutes have been hard to come by behind face-of-the-franchise Love.

The Kings, though, are already badly in need of added scoring punch in the early season to ease the load shouldered by franchise big man DeMarcus Cousins.

Chuck Hayes is another Kings forward who has been mentioned in connection with a Williams trade, but sources say that the Wolves are more interested in Mbah a Moute, even though Wolves coach Rick Adelman is well acquainted with Hayes from their time together in Houston.

If the final trade details come to fruition, Mbah a Moute would serve as a defensive-minded addition to Minnesota's frontcourt rotation and reunite with his pal Love, with whom he teamed at UCLA.

Timberwolves, I'm told, are in advanced discussions with Sacramento on a deal that would swap Derrick Williams for Luc Mbah A Moute

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) November 26, 2013

[Noestar]

Thomas, Kings coast to easy win over Nuggets

Denver Nuggets (2-0) at Sacramento Kings (3-1)
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 Final Denver 17 17 18 20 72 Sacramento 20 24 31 14 89 Top Performers Denver Nuggets Nate Robinson: 17 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl Ty Lawson: 16 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast Sacramento Kings Isaiah Thomas: 24 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast Ben Mclemore: 18 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk	Team Stats Comparison DEN SAC FG Made-Att 28-70 30-74 3PT Made-Att 6-19 11-27 FT Made-Att 10-13 18-19 Rebounds 33 49 Assists 10 13 Turnovers 10 10 Steals 4 6 Blocks 6 5
Denver Nuggets STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Greivis Vasquez 31 4-15 2-6 6-6 3 4 0 1 1 16 Marcus Thornton 16 3-6 2-5 4-4 2 1 1 0 1 12 John Salmons 7 0-4 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Patrick Patterson 32 0-3 0-1 4-4 6 0 1 1 2 4 Demarcus Cousins 30 6-8 0-0 0-0 11 0 1 1 1 12 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Isaiah Thomas 25 9-17 3-7 3-3 5 3 0 0 1 24 Ben McLemore 36 7-12 4-5 0-0 4 2 2 1 1 18 Mbah a Moute 35 0-3 0-0 0-0 8 3 0 0 0 0 Carl Landry 18 0-3 0-1 0-0 5 0 0 0 1 0 Jason Thompson 15 1-3 0-0 1-2 5 0 1 1 1 3

The Kings have moved to a surprising 3-1 on the season, and with 25 games left it's looking like they might be a playoff contender? Mike Malone has really turned the team around defensively, as they have been able to shut down both the Nuggets and the Raptors. Though some analysts have been crying foul, as they say that the Kings have yet to find a real test yet. The Kings next game is against the Bulls, who have been revitalized since Derek Rose's comeback. Depending on how the Kings do will tell if they're contenders or pretenders.

The stars of the game today were back up point guards Isaiah Thomas and Ben McLemore. Isaiah Thomas was a beast off the bench, as he led the game in scoring and received player of the game honors. Thomas shot 9-17, and so far has been more efficient than Vasquez, but remains the super sixth man. Today marked the first game in which McLemore received starting minutes, and he delivered with his best game of the season. He showed his all around talent and game by scoring 18 points on 7-12 shooting, grabbing 4 boards, recording a block and 1 steal. It's been a while since the Kings have had someone to be this excited about.

John Salmons sprained his ankle early in the game, but he wasn't making that much of an impact on the game anyways as he was 0-4 and recorded no other stats. This gave the Kings to showcase Mbah a Moute's defensive abilities, and he delivered as he was tasked with guarding Kenneth Faried and limited him to 2 points on the day. Mbah a Moute has been rumored to be a key piece in a trade to Minnesota for Derrick Williams, that could be done as soon as after the Bulls game. More on that later.

[Noestar]

Kings fail first real test, lose 90-83 to Bulls

Chicago Bulls (3-0) at Sacramento Kings (3-2)
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 Final Chicago 24 19 21 26 90 Sacramento 22 19 25 17 Top Performers Chicago Bulls Derek Rose: 35 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk Shannon Brown: 13 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast Sacramento Kings Demarcus Cousins: 17 pts, 7 reb Greivis Vasquez: 17 pts, 1 reb, 4 ast	Team Stats Comparison CHI SAC FG Made-Att 32-69 31-70 3PT Made-Att 5-16 9-26 FT Made-Att 21-25 12-16 Rebounds 44 34 Assists 6 14 Turnovers 7 6 Steals 5 7 Blocks 1 2
Chicago Bulls STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Greivis Vasquez 26 5-12 3-4 3-5 1 4 0 0 1 17 Ben McLemore 36 2-8 0-3 0-0 1 3 1 1 2 4 Mbah a Moute 28 4-6 0-0 2-2 3 3 2 0 0 8 Patrick Patterson 32 0-6 0-1 0-2 6 1 3 1 0 0 Demarcus Cousins 32 7-11 0-0 3-5 7 0 0 0 0 17 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Isaiah Thomas 24 6-11 1-5 3-3 2 2 0 0 1 16 Marcus Thornton 15 2-7 2-7 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 6 Travis Outlaw 18 4-7 3-6 2-2 2 1 0 0 0 13 Carl Landry 17 0-1 0-0 0-0 4 0 4 0 2 0 Jason Thompson 16 1-1 0-0 0-0 4 0 0 0 0 2

The Kings are 3-2 on the season, their three wins have come against bad to fringe playoff teams and their two losses on the season have come to legit NBA Champion ship contenders. They need to make a decision quick as they don't want to be stuck in a scenario in which they are stuck in limbo between the playoffs and a good lottery pick, are changes in the Kings future?

The Kings played a superstar in Derrick Rose today and were left with a foul taste in their mouths after he dropped 35 points on them, including ten in the fourth quarter which propelled them to a win. The Kings tried to put Mbah a Moute on him, but Rose proved to quick for the Fresh Prince of Defense. This was in no way a blow out but it was obvious from the get go that the Bulls were in control of the game. They out rebounded the Kings by ten rebounds, and everyone knows the game is won or lost on the boards.

The Kings lost this game due to the fact that their starters could not generate offense efficiently. Ben McLemore the Kings star Rookie was held to 4 points on 2-8 shooting due to Jimmy Butler's tenacious defense, as well as Patrick Patterson who laid a goose egg on 6 shots, but chipped in with 6 rebounds and 3 steals. The front office is beginning to think that Patterson will be more effective as a solid role player, but that remains to be seen.

[Noestar]

NBA Media Day

Kings strike deal, Trade Mbah a Moute for Derrick Williams

There was a time not long ago when Derrick Williams was widely seen by NBA executives as a promising young talent. But after the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted the University of Arizona forward second overall in 2011, he has fallen well short of those early expectations.

The Sacramento Kings are hoping he can still fulfill all that early promise, as they finalized a trade for him Tuesday in which they sent veteran forward Luc Mbah a Moute to the Timberwolves. The cost was relatively cheap, as first-year general manager Pete D'Alessandro had landed Mbah a Moute from the Milwaukee Bucks in July in exchange for two future second-round picks. The high-scoring Timberwolves were on the lookout for defensive help, which made Mbah a Moute attractive and paved the way for the deal.

Kings GM Noe Estrella had this to say about it, "We feel like we had the chance to add an immense talent to our young squad and we went for it. This team right now isn't built for a championship. Derrick adds another versatile Power Forward/Small Forward to our squad and he has a lot of untapped potential. Hopefully we can help him jump start his career in Sactown/ We're not done with trades yet!

Around the League Injuries:

Al Horford- Broken Foot OUT 6-8 Weeks

Kris Humphries- Torn Hamstring OUT 4-6 Weeks

Andrei Kirilenko- Broken Arm OUT 4-6 Weeks

Pau Gasol- Torn Meniscus OUT 2-4 Weeks

Greg Monroe- Starined Oblique OUT 2-4 Weeks

Jared Sullinger- Bruised Ribs HURT 1-2 Weeks

Gorgui Dieng- Broken Nose HURT 1-2 Weeks

Tony Parker: Stress Fracture OUT 1-2 Weeks

Around the League Signings

Danny Granger: 4yr/28.92 Million, IND

Ben Gordon: 5 yr/22.76 Million, CHA

Trevor Ariza: 4 yr/19.66 Million, WAS

Lamar Odom: 1 yr/1.36 Million, LAL

[Noestar]

Kings squeak by Bucks, Win 93-91

Milwakee Bucks (2-2) at Sacramento Kings (4-2)
Nov 23, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Milwakee 20 19 31 21 91 Sacramento 25 27 21 20 93 Top Performers Milwakee Bucks OJ Mayo: 30 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb, 1 stl Caron Butler: 15 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast Sacramento Kings Isaiah Thomas: 15 points, 5 ast, 3 reb, 1 stl Travis Outlaw: 14 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk	Team Stats Comparison MIL SAC FG Made-Att 33-78 35-80 3PT Made-Att 12-26 12-27 FT Made-Att 13-17 11-13 Rebounds 45 44 Assists 18 25 Turnovers 7 6 Steals 2 2 Blocks 4 2
Milwakee Bucks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Greivis Vasquez 24 3-8 2-5 0-0 2 9 1 0 0 8 Ben McLemore 37 3-5 0-0 1-2 6 6 0 0 0 7 Travis Outlaw 34 5-7 4-5 0-0 4 1 0 1 1 14 Patrick Patterson 28 5-9 1-1 0-0 8 1 0 1 2 11 Demarcus Cousins 33 6-19 0-0 1-1 4 0 0 0 0 13 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Isaiah Thomas 25 4-12 3-7 4-4 3 5 1 0 2 15 Marcus Thornton 13 3-7 0-3 0-0 3 2 0 0 0 6 Derrick Williams 19 3-9 2-6 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 8 Carl Landry 14 3-3 0-0 3-4 6 0 0 0 0 9 Jason Thompson 13 0-0 0-0 2-2 5 1 0 0 0 2

This game came down to the last possession, and it was an unlikely player that helped the Kings to a win today. It looked like the pressure might have gotten to Ben Mclemore as he missed a free throw that would have put the Kings up by three with 22 seconds left. Travis Outlaw altered Caron Butler's shot in what would have been the game winning three, and secured the Kings a win. Outlaw was lights out from the three point line going 4-5, and went 5-7 on the day. He was feeling in for John Salmons who is still feeling that sprained ankle.

Demarcus Cousins had a rough day both both shooting and with the officials. He started to become frustrated as Larry Sanders played excellent defense on him, blocking him three times on the day. Cousins felt like he was being fouled multiple times and when he complained to the refs they awarded him with a Technical. He went 6-19 but the real difference in Cousins' was the fact that he was able to settle down for the rest of the game and made a couple of clutch baskets down the line. After the game he was quoted as saying, "I knew that I wasn't getting some of the calls I was supposed to, so I talked to the ref and he he took it as me being disrespectful. Of course I was pissed but I knew my team needed me so I swallowed my pride and just let it go.

Patrick Patterson landed on his wrist and had to leave the game for a little bit which pushed Landry and newly acquired Derrick Williams into more time. Williams pulled double duty as a SF/PF as John Salmons was out, leaving Williams with the only player with small forward experience. Next week the Kings will be playing their rivals in the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe has said to be good to go meaning McLemore will face one of the best shooting guards in the league and the best player he's ever played, yikes.

[Noestar]

Kobe drags Lakers through Double Overtime in 119-116 win over Kings

Sacramento Kings (4-3) at Los Angeles Lakers ()
Dec 6, 2013 1 2 3 4 OT Final Sacramento 19 20 27 26 24 116 Los Angeles 25 20 28 19 27 119 Top Performers Sacramento Kings Travis Outlaw: 25 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk Demarcus Cousins: 22 pts, 8 reb, 1 stl Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant: 35 pts, 4 reb Stephen Jackson: 2 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk	Team Stats Comparison SAC LAL FG Made-Att 44-93 42-91 3PT Made-Att 13-33 12-34 FT Made-Att 15-24 23-27 Rebounds 48 50 Assists 27 24 Turnovers 11 12 Steals 6 7 Blocks 4 4
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Greivis Vasquez 37 6-14 1-6 1-1 5 13 1 0 3 14 Ben Mclemore 45 4-112 2-7 0-0 3 3 1 1 0 10 Travis Outlaw 44 10-19 4-6 1-3 7 4 1 1 0 25 Patrick Patterson 41 6-10 3-6 0-0 10 1 0 2 2 15 Demarcus Cousins 33 7-9 0-0 8-14 8 0 1 0 1 22 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Isaiah Thomas 24 6-13 3-5 2-2 2 5 1 0 3 17 Marcus Thornton 15 2-3 0-1 0-0 10 0 0 0 1 4 Derrick Williams 19 0-3 0-2 0-0 6 0 0 0 0 0 Carl Landry 16 1-4 0-1 0-1 4 0 1 0 0 2 Jason Thompson 18 2-5 0-0 3-3 5 0 0 0 0 7
Los Angeles Lakers STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS

Kobe would not be denied as he dragged the Lakers to a 119-116 win in double overtime to get the win against the Kings. Ben McLemore had a rough night defensively allowing Kobe to score 35 points, but it was his clutch plays that kept the Kings in the game. With 3 seconds left in the game it was tied 92-92 and Kobe blew past McLemore and got ready to throw down the game winning dunk, when all of a sudden he was swatted from behind by a recovering McLemore, who used his athleticism to help save the game. It wasn't the last time a King stepped up as Isaiah Thomas hit a three in overtime over Steve Nash that sent the game into double overtime.

Travis Outlaw was a pleasant surprise in this game as he led the team in scoring, and benefited from a lot of open looks. He has filled in very well for the injured John Salmons and provides better size at the three.
Outlaw needed to step up because of Cousins foul trouble. Cousins was a monster in the post bullying his way to the rim and scoring on 7 of 9 of his shots. Jordan Hill was supposed to be guarding him, but he fouled out by the third quarter. Cousins was quoted after the game saying, "If I hadn't have fouled out we woulda won it. I felt unstoppable that game, and it just sucks to let my team, down like that. I'm gonna go work at my my free throws...

[Noestar]

Kings bench scores season high 52 points in 97-84 win over Grizzles

Sacramento Kings (5-3) at Memphis Grizzlies (5-3)
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 Final Sacramento 17 28 29 23 97 Memphis 21 23 29 21 84 Top Performers Sacramento Kings Isaiah Thomas: 16pts, 6 ast, 3 reb Ben Mclemore: 12 pts, 5 ast, 2 reb, 2 stl Memphis Grizzlies Marc Gasol: 23 pts, 7 reb, 1 stl Mike Conley: 16 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb	Team Stats Comparison SAC MEM FG Made-Att 32-70 32-73 3PT Made-Att 9-24 3-12 FT Made-Att 24-28 17-24 Rebounds 40 38 Assists 20 12 Turnovers 9 10 Steals 6 5 Blocks 5 1
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Greivis Vasquez 20 1-3 0-1 4-6 3 5 0 1 1 6 Ben Mclemore 33 5-11 2-4 0-0 2 5 2 0 1 12 Derrick Williams 35 3-11 0-5 3-3 9 2 1 1 2 9 Patrick Patterson 30 3-8 1-2 2-2 4 1 0 0 0 9 Demarcus Cousins 28 3-5 0-0 3-4 11 0 1 1 1 9 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Isaiah Thomas 29 5-12 2-4 4-4 3 6 0 0 1 16 Marcus Thornton 17 3-8 1-2 0-0 1 0 1 2 3 11 Travis Outlaw 16 4-6 3-5 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 11 Carl Landry 15 2-2 0-0 3-4 3 0 0 0 0 7 Jason Thompson 18 2-2 0-0 1-1 1 1 0 0 0 5
Memphis Grizzlies STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS

Isaiah Thomas led all Kings in scoring with 16 points in one of the teams most well rounded games of the season. 16 might seem pretty low on 5-12 shooting, but the Kings didn't need anyone to take over the game with the whole team playing so well. Isaiah has surprisingly been the Kings highest scorer this season averaging 17 points a game and when asked about his status as a bench player he responded with, "I don't have any issues with Greivis or the way coach has been playing me, if he thinks Vasquez works better on the first team then I respect that. Besides it doesn't matter who gets to start and who doesn't, what matters is how you use the minutes, and the way I'm playing I'll probably win 6th Man of the Year, actually, book it.

An interesting development in this game was that Derrick Williams was inserted in the starting line up as the starting small forward. He had a rough game shooting going 3-11, but made up for it by grabbing nine rebounds and playing some good defense. After the game we caught up with GM Noe Estrella who had this to say, "I've talked with Pete and I agree with him, we don't want to be bound to certain positions, we believe that Derrick is athletically gifted and we want him on the floor. So he's going to learn the small forward position, and play it the way we want it to be played."

Inside Sources say that another King may be on his way out of Sacramento, as well as a possible demotion from the starting line up.

[Noestar]

Pacers pull away in the fourth, beat Kings 100-96

Indiana Pacers (6-3) at Sacramento Kings (5-4)
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 Final Indiana 26 21 25 28 100 Sacramento 28 22 23 23 96 Top Performers Indiana Pacers Danny Granger: 22 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb Paul George: 16 pts, 4 ast, 6 reb, 1 blk Sacramento Kings Derrick WIlliams: 18 pts,3 ast, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk Demarcus Cousins:16 pts, 13 reb, 1 stl	Team Stats Comparison IND SAC FG Made-Att 32-72 34-70 3PT Made-Att 8-18 12-29 FT Made-Att 18-27 16-19 Rebounds 37 37 Assists 19 26 Turnovers 11 14 Steals 5 6 Blocks 2 3
Indiana Pacers STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Greivis Vasquez 26 4-8 2-6 4-4 2 4 0 0 5 14 Ben Mclemore 36 4-11 1-4 0-0 4 4 4 0 0 9 Derrick WIlliams 35 7-10 4-5 0-1 1 3 1 1 1 18 Patrick Patterson 34 2-6 1-3 3-4 5 3 0 0 2 8 Demarcus Cousins 32 7-13 0-0 2-2 13 0 1 0 0 16 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Isaiah Thomas 25 4-10 2-6 4-5 4 6 0 0 3 14 Marcus Thornton 10 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 2 0 0 1 3 Travis Outlaw 14 2-5 1-2 3-3 1 2 0 1 1 8 Carl Landry 15 1-1 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 2 Jason Thompson 15 2-3 0-0 0-0 5 1 0 1 0 4

The Kings just couldn't keep up the pace with Pacers (haha...) as the Pacers outscored the Kings 28-23 in the fourth quarter for the comeback win. GM Noe Estrella was there at the game and he had this to say, ""Well it sucks to lose like that it really does, we had them beat statistically but we couldn't pull it out in the end. We've been waiting for Cousins to take the next step and become a superstar, but we just haven't seen it yet. The good thing is that he's finally gotten control of his attitude, and right now that's what I'll settle for.
Cousins had a great day on the boards, regularly out muscling the bigger Roy Hibbert, but Hibbert's size gave him the advantage defensively and made Cousins day in the paint rough.

McLemore had a rough day against the former Most Improved player in the NBA in Paul George who is on his way to becoming a top player in the NBA this season. McLemore was 4-11 on the day but found other ways to contribute chipping in 4 rebounds, assists and an astounding 4 steals. McLemore has been excellent on the defensive end this season as he is 2nd in rookie steals behind Michael Carter-Williams and he leads all rookie guards in blocks per game with .7.

Derrick Williams looks to be finally getting into a groove as he had his best game of a King going 7-10 from the field as well as 4-5 from downtown. He was in foul trouble for most of the game which put a damper on his performance. But so far he's contributed well enough on offense for the fans to forget about Mbah a Moute for now, but if the Kings defense starts to flail the trade for Williams will be criticized. the Kings have a media day next week so stay tuned!