Here We Stayed: A Sacramento Kings Dynasty Season 2

[kc2135]

Ready to see how the season goes. Following.

[Noestar]

Quote: Originally Posted by kc2135

Ready to see how the season goes. Following.

Thanks man, I'm just about to finish the first game it was crazy. Glad to have you!

[Noestar]

Harrison sets records in debut, Kings inch by Warriors 106-102

Sacramento Kings (1-0) at Golden State Warriors (0-1)
Nov 6, 2014 1 2 3 4 Final Sacramento 32 22 28 24 106 Golden State 25 21 25 31 102 Top Performers Sacramento Kings Aaron Harrison: 39 points, 9 rebounds, 1 stl Demarcus Cousins: 21 pts, 14 reb, 1 stl, 4 blks Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry: 31 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk Andre Iguodala: 19 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast	Team Stats Comparison SAC GSW FG Made-Att 38-86 36-81 3PT Made-Att 36-81 11-26 FT Made-Att 25-30 19-23 Rebounds 50 44 Assists 17 23 Turnovers 9 12 Steals 8 5 Blocks 7 7
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Aaron Harrison 39 15-35 4-4 5-6 9 0 1 0 3 39 Ben McLemore 36 3-6 0-3 1-1 4 6 1 0 1 7 Derrick Williams 34 2-8 0-4 3-4 2 4 3 0 0 7 Julius Randle 35 6-11 0-0 6-7 11 1 0 1 1 18 Demarcus Cousins 37 7-14 0-0 7-8 14 0 1 4 2 21 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Ray McCallum 9 0 0-2 0-2 0 1 0 0 0 0 Carrick Felix 10 1-1 1-1 0-0 2 1 0 0 1 3 Evan Turner 21 2-4 0-0 3-4 3 3 1 1 1 7 Carl Landry 10 0-2 0-0 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 0 Jason Thompson 10 2-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 0 0 4
Golden State Warriors STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS

Andrew Harrison, the Kings rookie point guard out of Kentucky set two records today, one good and one bad in a win over the Golden State Warriors. Harrison looked explosive in his duel with Steph Curry, scoring 39 points, a record for a guard in his debut, but the bad part was he took took 35 shots to get there. You read that right, 35 shots, another record for a guard in his debut. For reference, Curry took 22 shots and scored 31 points.

Coach Malone was mic'ed up and he was livid with the rookies performance after the game, "You ever take that many shots again and I'll bench your ***! I don't care if you're a rookie, that's not acceptable, how does a point guard get no assists? I suggest you start passing more unless you want to get on your teammates bad sides!"

It wasn't all bad, as the the Kings other rookie formed a great inside tandem with Cousins, Julius Randle took David Lee to school, scoring 18 points on 6-11 field goals, getting to the line four times and bringing down 11 rebounds to boot. Randle, who was expected to come in and do big things get's more of a leash then Harrison who Coach Malone has promised to make into a great point guard.

Two players that caught our eyes on the defensive ends were Demarcus Cousins and Derrick Williams. Cousins balled out on offense scoring 21 points, but grabbed 14 rebounds along the way and an amazing four blocks. Everybody knows Bogut isn't the greatest offensive force, but it was nice to see Cousins patrolling and protecting the rim, he made it clear that he wasn't going to just give away free baskets. Williams was tasked with guarding the defensive master, Andre Iguodala and recorded three steals on just him, it was nice to see Williams contribute on defense even though he was struggling on the offensive end. The Kings travel to Detroit next week to take on former King Rudy Gay.

[Noestar]

Cousins dominates, Kings win 104-93 at home

Detroit Pistons (0-1) at Sacramento Kings (2-0)
Nov 8, 2014 1 2 3 4 Final Detroit 30 20 23 20 93 Sacramento 20 27 28 29 104 Top Performers Detroit Pistons Rudy Gay: 22 pts, 1 reb, 1 blk Brandon Jennings: 20 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast Sacramento Kings Demarcus Cousins: 34 pts, 12 reb, 1 stl Andrew Harrison: 17 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 4 blk	Team Stats Comparison DET SAC FG Made-Att 36-75 37-75 3PT Made-Att 7-14 5-14 FT Made-Att 14-19 25-29 Rebounds 32 46 Assists 22 15 Turnovers 10 8 Steals 4 3 Blocks 8 9
Detroit Pistons STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Andrew Harrison 40 6-18 1-7 4-5 2 5 1 4 2 17 Ben McLemore 35 2-3 0-0 2-2 4 3 0 1 2 6 Derrick Williams 33 5-6 0-0 1-2 5 1 1 1 0 1 Julius Randle 34 6-10 0-0 1-2 11 1 0 3 1 13 Demarcus Cousins 35 12-19 1-1 9-9 12 0 1 0 1 34 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Ray McCallum 9 0-2 0-1 2-2 0 2 0 1 0 2 Carrick Felix 11 1-2 1-1 2-2 1 0 0 0 0 5 Evan Turner 21 0-5 0-1 2-2 3 3 0 0 1 2 Carl Landry 11 3-3 0-0 0-0 5 0 0 0 0 6 Jason Thompson 11 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Marcus Thornton 6 2-4 2-3 2-2 1 0 0 0 0 8
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS

Demarcus Cousins would not be denied as he bullied his way through Detroit on a 34 point scoring effort. Cousins, whose old foe Greg Monroe left to Los Angeles, was left to go against last years Defensive Player of the Year Andre Drummond, and the result was not pretty. Drummond looked helpless against the 4th year center, who has been perfecting his post moves this offseason working with Shaquille O'Neal. Working with O'Neal has done him wonders, and his game is obviously modeled after him. Cousins also had 12 rebounds on the day while limiting Drummound to 8 points and five boards on the night. He even hit a three pointer!

Rudy Gay, the former King continues to impress since leaving Sacramento, against Derrick Williams he scored 22 points, but showed a bit of a reluctancy to pass. It looked like he couldn't miss as he scored 16 points in the first quarter on 8-8 shooting, but Williams played lock down defense on him for the rest of the game after getting chewed out by the coach, he finished the game with 22 points on 9-14 shooting, making 1-6 down the stretch.

Andrew Harrison had a much better game, though his shot selection continues to be bad. Harrison recorded 17 points on 6-18 shooting, but he looks like he is beginning to know his role. A lot of that is the term Coach Malone coined, "Feed the Monsters in the Post!" Though he only recorded five assists his passing has improved since his first game, and he was huge on defense today recording 4 blocks at the expense of Brandon Jennings as well as a steal. Julius Randle quietly recorded another double-double his second of the season, with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and was also active in the paint getting 3 blocks. I'm loving these rookies.

The Kings take on the League's leading scorer in Carmelo Anthony, who is averaging 33 points a game, in a battle of unbeatens... (2-0) vs (1-0) haha.

[Noestar]

Kings can't stop Melo, lose 101-98

Sacramento Kings (2-1) at New York Knicks (2-0)
Nov 12, 2014 1 2 3 4 Final Sacramento 25 25 21 27 98 New York 26 22 18 35 101 Top Performers Sacramento Kings Demarcus Cousins: 22 pts, 13 reb, 2 stl Andrew Harrison: 17 pts, 8 ast, 3 reb. 1 stl New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony: 24 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 1 stl J. R. Smith: 20 pts, 2 ast, 1 blk	Team Stats Comparison SAC NYK FG Made-Att 36-73 38-73 3PT Made-Att 7-18 8-23 FT Made-Att 19-23 17-23 Rebounds 39 30 Assists 20 20 Turnovers 16 14 Steals 6 4 Blocks 5 2
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Andrew Harrison 36 5-12 3-7 3 3 8 1 0 4 17 Ben McLemore 40 6-9 0-1 2-2 4 3 0 0 2 14 Derrick Williams 32 5-12 3-5 1-2 5 3 0 0 2 14 Julius Randle 35 5-12 0-2 2-4 6 0 1 1 2 12 Demarcus Cousins 36 8-15 0-0 6-7 13 0 2 0 1 22 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Ray McCallum 8 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 3 2 Marcus Thornton 7 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 3 0 3 Evan Turner 21 3-5 0-0 0-0 3 4 1 0 2 8 Carl Landry 9 2-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 0 0 0 4 Jason Thompson 11 1-1 0-0 0-0 3 0 1 1 3 2 Carrick Felix 11 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0 0
New York Knicks STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS

Media: Coach Malone, how do you feel about your team's performance in a game like this?

Malone: Well I'm not happy because we didn't win, but we went toe to toe with a playoff team at full strength, I think it shows that we're a up and coming team in this league, and that we're done scraping the bottom of the barrel. If Carmelo hadn't played such an excellent game we would have had them easy.

Media: What do you think has had the most to do with that this season? What's the biggest difference between this team and the last?

Malone: Well, we do have the youngest starting five in the league, with the oldest being Demarcus, but I think the fact that Cousins, Williams and McLemore have had time in this system, and have been able to help me out with the rookies.

Media: About that, why are you playing the rookie so much? Were you pleased with their performances?

Malone: Yeah of course, Harrison get's a lot of the attention because he's flashy and as you can see he likes to shoot a lot, but he's really improved these last couple games, he's gone from 0 assists, to 5, to 8 just in the last couple games. I think it has to do with the fact that I've been a little hard on him, but he's a talent what can I say, I'm just trying to help him achieve his potential.

Media: You were pretty rough on him judging by that mic'ed up we saw on ESPN. What about Randle, has he lived up to his billing?

Malone: Absolutely, he's averaged a double double in almost every game he's played so far, yeah it's only been three but so what? He's shown me that he's not afraid to get dirty, and that Kentucky connection is starting to show.

Media: What do you mean?

Malone: Him and Cousins have been bonding, they call themselves "The Kings of the Glass", yeah I know it's kinda corny but I like it, and I bet it'll catch on.

Media: Has a nice ring to it, Kings of the Glass, well good luck in your next game against the Bucks!

Malone: Much appreciated, see you later!

[Noestar]

Kings lose 98-96 heart breaker to Bucks on last shot

Milwakee Bucks (6-0) at Sacramento Kings (2-2)
Jan 1, 2014 1 2 3 4 Final Milwakee 27 19 23 29 98 Sacramento 20 21 31 24 96 Top Performers Milwakee Bucks O.J. Mayo: 32 pts, 2 ren, 5 ast Larry Sanders: 20 pts, 7 reb, 1 stl, 3 blks Sacramento Kings Andrew Harrison: 26 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl Demarcus Cousins: 20 pts,11 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl	Team Stats Comparison MIL SAC FG Made-Att 35-71 34-71 3PT Made-Att 9-26 7-17 FT Made-Att 19-22 21-26 Rebounds 32 38 Assists 22 14 Turnovers 8 12 Steals 3 6 Blocks 5 5
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 Andrew Harrison 38 9-16 4-8 4-4 2 5 3 0 1 26 Ben McLemore 38 3-7 0-2 2-2 4 4 1 0 5 8 Derrick Williams 33 3-7 2-3 1-1 3 1 0 0 1 9 Julius Randle 36 6-15 0-2 5-7 10 1 1 3 0 17 Demarcus Cousins 39 7-11 0-0 6-8 11 0 1 1 1 20 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Ray McCallum 8 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Carrick Felix 12 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Evan Turner 14 3-5 1-2 2-2 1 2 0 0 0 9 Carl Landry 12 1-1 0-0 0-0 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jason Thompson 10 2-3 0-0 1-2 4 0 0 0 1 5 Marcus Thornton 6 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0

The Kings lost a heart breaker to the Milwaukee Bucks with 2 seconds on the clock on a shot in which many announcers were calling a miracle. The Harrison made the lay up to bring the game to a tie and the Bucks immediately called for a time out. Mayo had been lighting the Kings up, so Coach Malone drew up a play to make sure Mayo did not get the ball. Illysova was inbounding, saw that Mayo was covered, threw a desperate pass to Larry Sanders who was standing just inside the arc of the three pointer. Larry Sanders, is not known for his shooting, heck he barely ever even shoots outside the paint, and with Demarcus Cousins in his face most fans were sure that the game was going into overtime, but Larry drained it, much to the dismay of Malone and the Kings. It would have been different if it was wide open, but for a defensive center to shoot from 20+ feet out with multiple players in his face, ice cold.

[Noestar]

Marcus Thornton on way out of Sacramento?



Media: Mr. Estrella, word is that Marcus Thornton is unhappy in Sacramento and has requested a trade, is there any truth to this?

Estrella: Unfortunately yes, Marcus has requested a trade because he has been falling down the depth chart as of late, he has been passed by Carrick Felix our developmental guard and has voiced his displeasure.

Media: Well are you thinking about trading him? If so, what kind of services does he offer to another team?

Estrella: Thornton is a scorer, plain and simple. On a contender he can be a great sixth man, and on a lower end team he could be a starter. He can light it up from anywhere on the floor and he is great 3 point shooter, so simply he can score with the best of them. Plus the fact that he's an 8 million dollar expiring deal.

Media: Well a team could always use more scoring off the bench, so if he's such a good scorer, why doesn't he get more minutes off the bench?

Estrella: Haha good question. The thing is, we have a lot of high usage players coming off the bench like Evan Turner and Carl Landry, he just gets frustrated because he's not getting enough touches.

Media: Well before I ask you the possible destinations for Marcus, what are you hoping to get in return for him?

Estrella: We're hoping to get either a young point guard prospect, or a young power forward prospect.

Media: Wait wait, what's wrong Ray McCallum and Carl Landry?

Estrella: Well Ray just hasn't been coming along as we hoped, so we might send him back to the Reno Bighorns in order for him to get a little more time developing. Landry has been a little vocal after being replaced in the starting line up by Julius Randle, who has been more efficient and offers way more upside.

Media: Well back to Thornton, who are you looking at to get for him?

[B]Estrella:[/b] Well I'm going to ask for the moon so pardon me if my potential gets are a bit dull. But I'd like to get either Perry Jones or Reggie Jackson from the Thunder, Perry is a prospect I really like from OKC who has been buried in the rotation, I think that he can contribute a lot especially on defense with his length and height. As for Reggie, the Thunder drafted Semaj Christon in the lottery, and not soon after Reggie tore his hamstring, Semaj has been playing so well that they've begun to shop Jackson

Another prospect we've been looking at is Peyton Silva, the former rookie out of Louisville. I think he'll bring the maturity and leadership he did on that he showed when he won an NCAA championship. He's a bit on the small side, but we've had a lot of success running an offense with a small point guard, so I don't think that should be a problem.

Media: Interesting, is that all of the prospect you've been looking at?

Estrella: Unfortunately, that's all I can divulge for now.

Media: Sorry, one more question, when will this Thornton trade be done by?

Estrella: Uhh, before the trade deadline! See ya!

[Noestar]

Derrick Williams big game lifts Kings over Bobcats, Kings win 101-85

Charlotte Bobcats (4-5) at Sacramento Kings (3-2)
Dec 6, 2014 1 2 3 4 Final Charlotte 17 26 17 25 85 Sacramento 27 26 24 24 101 Top Performers Charlotte Bobcats Kemba Walker: 25 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl Al Jefferson: 20 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk Sacramento Kings Derrick Williams: 25 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk Andrew Harrison: 19 pts, 2 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl	Team Stats Comparison CHA SAC FG Made-Att 28-60 37-69 3PT Made-Att 7-12 8-18 FT Made-Att 22-30 19-25 Rebounds 40 33 Assists 10 23 Turnovers 18 9 Steals 7 11 Blocks 1 5
Charlotte Bobcats STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS
Sacramento Kings STARTERS MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Andrew Harrison 34 8-14 2-5 1-2 2 9 2 0 1 19 Ben McLemore 37 4-12 2-7 3-3 4 5 1 1 4 13 Derrick Williams 33 9-16 4-6 3-4 4 1 1 1 1 25 Julius Randle 35 2-7 0-0 8-11 6 2 3 2 2 12 Demarcus Cousins 37 3-6 0-0 2-2 14 1 1 0 0 8 BENCH MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST STL BLK TO PTS Ray McCallum 11 2-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Carrick Felix 10 3-3 0-0 0-1 0 2 0 0 0 6 Evan Turner 21 4-6 0-0 2-2 2 3 1 0 1 10 Carl Landry 12 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Jason Thompson 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 1 0 0 Marcus Thornton 6 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 0 0 6

Derrick Williams pulled out his biggest game since the trade that sent him from Minnesota to Sacramento as he scored 25 points to lead the Kings to victory. Williams has been long though of us a bust since he was drafted number two overall and traded for Mbah a Moute. The fans in Sacramento love him though, as his highlight dunks and effort have allowed him to carve out a niche as the Kings starting small forward. When asked why he doesn't score like this every night he responded with, "It's great her in Sacramento, they have guys like Cousins, Harrison and Randle to bail you out if you're having a bad night, this team it just has so much potential, we're going places."

Demarcus Cousins had easily the worst game of this young season as he was held to just 8 points while allowing Al Jefferson to score 20 points. He didn't let him discourage him from doing the dirty work and grabbing a season high 14 rebounds. He won't have it any easier as he is facing former defensive player of the Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.