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When Kings Are Deposed: The Maloofs’ Small Pockets

May 15, 2012 in by Clint Peterson with 3 Comments

By now you should have seen the new Sacramento Kings documentary Small Market, Big Heart on the strife and struggles of the franchise, the city, the fans, and owners in an opposition of wills with different goals. Despite vague assertions of support for #HereWeStay it’s pretty clear the Maloofs have been packing for some time now.

Only one other NBA franchise has moved or changed identities more times than the Kings, the Washington Wizards. Should the Maloofs manage to sway the relocation committee their way the Kings franchise will equal the Wiz as the least stable with six incarnations.

The Kings split home games in Omaha for two seasons

The Smoking Gun

There are those who would tell you the Maloofs have intended to move the Kings for a decade, to a bigger market, a major market. You have to be savvy and spendthrift to keep a small market team afloat, something the Sacto owners have never mastered or maybe never have been interested in achieving at all.

In the case of the Seattle Supersonics-Oklahoma City Thunder bail out, owner Clay Bennett, like the Maloofs, insisted he intended to keep the team in the northwest. The smoking gun came to light when email chains emerged which indicated a public smoke screen all along on this front.

Financial crisis is the crux of it in the case of the Kings. Simply put, the Maloofs are nearly broke — well, by the standards of the wealthy, anyhow. They lack the necessary funds to keep an NBA team competitive or profitable in Sacramento after several poor investments into ventures such as odd reality shows, a skate park in South Africa, and a sinking casino.

While the Maloofs’ finances have likely stabilized somewhat now, what they do hold — the Kings and quite a bit of Wells Fargo stock — isn’t conducive to getting ahead, back to the previous cushier lifestyle afforded them, as currently constituted. They are poor by NBA owner standards, not able to keep pace with the upward trend the league as a whole has experienced over the last decades.

A move to a large market inherently raises profit margins, generally and relatively speaking, or at least the potential is there in an Anaheim market that even already sporting two NBA teams has more untapped opportunities than Sacramento to get ahead once again, they hope. It’s projected that an Anaheim Royals team would pull about 10% of the LA Lakers’ market away from them, equaling about $500 million a year in lost television revenue from the lucrative Lakers deal.

Approval to Pack?

It takes a majority of NBA owner votes to approve any move, so how likely is it that enough would approve one?

Any team that recently moved, would like to one day, or, like the Orlando Magic threatened to, netting a new arena for their efforts, would likely side with the Maloofs. Wild cards are teams up for sale, ones considering it, or recent new owners. It doesn’t appear likely at this time that the Maloofs would have enough support to pull it off, but landscapes can change quickly, as we saw during the lockout, when NBA owners are involved.

Understandably, even those that may support a move have expressed concerns about the precedent it would set by putting three major sports teams of the same variety in a single market.

The relocation committee in the NBA consists of (irony alert) the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Clay Bennett, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Glen Taylor, the Miami Heat’s Mickey Arison, the San Antonio Spurs’ Peter Holt, the Indiana Pacers’ Herb Simon, and the Utah Jazz’s Greg Miller (and a replacement for Ed Snider that I couldn’t find). Contact information can be found here.

So, Where is this Headed?

The city and the fans of Sacramento have a legitimate beef in trying to keep the team, showing overwhelming support and doing their part when all was on the line, and coming through only to have the door slammed shut at the last minute, excuses made in a bizarre press conference that left only questions in what was supposed to be a time of answers.

The Maloofs will relinquish the franchise, the only question is when and where — they know a large market team appreciates faster than a small one most times, hence the push for the Los Angeles market. Should they manage to land in LA they could get enough of a financial bump in a sale so as to begin rebuilding the family’s financial legacy. They know if they stay in Sacto they will only tread water, slowly sinking.

The best case scenario for the fans here is a hero comes riding out of the sunset to save the day, making the Maloofs an offer they can’t refuse, keeping the team in town. Who knows, it could happen. Things appeared bleak for the New Orleans Hornets and they landed on all six feet.

But for now, all remains in limbo. Sooner or later, something has to give.

Remembering the 1962 Season: Oscar Robertson Averages A Triple Double

March 4, 2012 in by Curtis Harris with 0 Comments

Photo by UJ Nero (Flickr)

Â â€œLooking back, I never fully realized what he was doing,â€ [Jack] Twyman said. â€œIt was not called a triple-double. We just went out every night trying to win. I donâ€™t think Oscar or anyone really worried about statistics.â€

- Via “Unnoticed Then, Oscar Robertson’s Triple-Double Unparalleled”

The triple-double is a most intoxicating basketball feat. It announces and confirms a player’s all-around, comprehensive ability to control a game. It’s mastering the art of scoring, the grueling task of rebounding and the finesse duty of passing.

And no one did the did the triple-double quite like Oscar Robertson. Or did it quite as much. His career total of 181 triple-doubles is 43 ahead of 2nd-place Magic Johnson.

Robertson accomplished the bulk of his triple-double mania in the first 6 years of his career (1961 – 1966). In fact, if you average out his total points, rebounds and assists from these seasons you get the following: 30.4 ppg, 10.7 apg, and 10.0 rpg.

But only during the 1961-62 campaign did Oscar accomplish the triple -double average within a single season.

Oscar Robertson entered the NBA in 1960-61 and was the long-awaited savior for the Cincinnati Royals. The franchise had suffered moribund back-t0-back 19-win seasons in 1959 and 1960. These atrocious campaigns were mostly the result of the paralysis suffered by Royals big man Maurice Stokes at the end of the 1958 season. Without the big forward, Jack Twyman valiantly tried to keep the team afloat. Â In 1960 he became the 1st player (along with Wilt Chamberlain that season) to average over 30 points a game.

But Twyman as great as he was, a hall of famer in fact, was no Oscar.

Robertson immediately turned the Royals around his rookie year pushing them to a much-improved 33-46 record behind his 30.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 9.7 apg. Almost a triple-double average, but not quite. The Big O would have to settle for the Rookie of the Year Award, 1st-Team All-NBA honors and being named the All-Star Game MVP.

Although the Royals missed out on the postseason, they were obviously on the way up with such a devastating, unique player in tow.

Robertson stood 6’5″ and weighed a good 210 lbs. That’s a big load for a point guard playing in today’s NBA, let alone in 1961. A decade earlier, Robertson could have easily slid into the PF spot for most teams. But actually, Robertson did play with a tremendous amount of power. He would use that bulk to pummel opponents into submission just wearing and bearing down on them. Getting to a favored spot on the court, he could easily rise up to shoot over the shorter defender or just make a spin and be at the rim for a layup.

The Royals opened the 1961-62 season in St. Louis taking on the Hawks. Robertson led the Royals to victory with 35 points and 15 rebounds and helped set up Twyman for 39 points. A little over a week later in the home opener at Cincinnati, the Big O again led the attack:

After sparking the Cincinnati Royals to a 44-point first quarter in their home opener, Oscar Robertson scored six points in the final two minutes to squelch a Syracuse Nats rally and produce a 139-132 Royals victory…

Robertson also set a Cincinnati Garden record with 8 assists in the first quarter.

A little over a month later in early December, Robertson orchestrated an absolute drubbing of the last-place Chicago Packers. The only bright spot for the Packers that season was the phenomenal rookie Walt Bellamy. But there was nothing Bells and company could do this night to thwart Oscar:

Â With Oscar Robertson scoring 32 points and also leading his team in rebounds and assists, the Cincinnati Royals defeated the Chicago Packers 133-117…

Robertson finished with 20 assists, feeding off 15 in the first half when he made only seven points. He also led his team with 15 of their 70 rebounds, while the Packers got 60.

Robertson was one of the more demanding teammates in league history and had surly, difficult personality. However, the demanding tone was because the Big O expected perfection and execution. As the season progressed it was clear the Royals were still on the ascent with Bob Boozer, Wayne Embry and Bucky Bockhorn filling out the starting 5 with Robertson and Twyman. Oscar was quite pleased with the formation:

Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati’s great scorer, rebounder and defensive stalwart in the National Basketball Association, said today the Royals have improved over last year because the team is “working together more, playing together.”

The former Cincinnati University All-America voiced the opinion that the Royals are better balanced in scoring than the Philadelphia Warriors in the NBA.

As it happened, the Royals played the Warriors soon after Oscar gave that quote and the Royals won 151-133. 4 players scored between 19 and 28 for the Royals in the victory. Philadelphia was led by the 54 points of Wilt Chamberlain.

The Royals were 27-21 after that victory and would finish the season 43-37, the best record since the 1954 season when the franchise, then in Rochester, went 44-28. The record was good enough for 2nd place in the Western Division.

Robertson’s regular season was quite remarkable, even leaving aside the triple-double average. He shot .478 from the field and .822 from the free throw line. Extraordinarily efficient shooting for a primary ball-handler in the 1960s. He and Larry Costello were the only point guards to shot like that from the field and the line at the time.

And the amount of free throws Oscar took were plentiful. That load of his proved so unbearable for so many opponents he Â wound up taking 11 free throws a night. Good enough for 10th all-time among single seasons for a guard.

The 12.5 rebounds per game and 985 total rebounds remain the records for a guard in a single season. He and Tom Gola of the Philadelphia Warriors remain the only guards to average over 10 rebounds per game for a season.

Finally, the assists he handed out pretty much shattered the previous single-season record. In 1960, Bob Cousy became the 1st player to eclipse the 9.0 apg mark with 9.5. Then the next year along came Oscar who edged out that average with 9.7. Then this season, 1962, Oscar blew the mark to shreds averaging 11.4 making him the 1st player to surpass the 10.0 apg barrier.

In the postseason, the Royals would be bounced 3-games-to-1 by the Detroit Pistons, led by Bailey Howell, in the opening round. Robertson for his part did continue his triple-double ways in the series with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists per game while shooting .519 from the field and .795 from the line. A few others have close (Wilt, Rajon Rondo, Magic Johnson), but only Jason Kidd has joined Oscar in the highly exclusive triple-double club for the postseason.

The Royals, now moved to the Eastern Division, reached their peak in 1963 and 1964. Both seasons they lost to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Finals, including an unforgettable Game 7 in 1963 where Oscar went off for 43 points and Sam Jones of the Celtics scored 47. Steadily thereafter, the Royals descended into mediocrity and ultimately Oscar was traded to Milwaukee. With the Bucks, he would finally capture that elusive title alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge in 1971.

But that 1962 Oscar Robertson… thatÂ was the Big O of NBA lore.

He’s not the 1964 MVP. He’s not a 1971 NBA champion. And 1960 Olympic gold medalist? Forget about it. Those aren’t the triplets that get the imagination wondering and the mind spinning.

30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game.

Those are the triplets that bewitch, bother and bewilder the boggled mind. Several other players have reached an apex as high as Oscar’s 1962 season… but the triple-double?

That’s the M.O. of the Big O.

Paroxysm at Gametime: Kings at Wizards Pre-All Star Break Bonanza Notebook

February 27, 2012 in by Amin Vafa with 0 Comments

Image via orangejack on Flickr

Just a couple of items that didn’t make the feature, but that I felt were worth noting:

Wall came later to shootaround (but before warmups) and pretty much nailed every single jumper from everywhere in the halfcourt with Sam Cassell’s hand in his face. Wall’s jumpers were falling during the game, too (some were ugly, but they still fell). But even though they were falling, he didn’t settle for them. He still moved the ball around a lot. Like 11 assists moved around.
Blatche working up a sweat pregame, but misses a few easy dunks. He’s wearing different clothes than everyone else, and he’s got a sleeve on his calf. I later saw Blatche hanging out watching the game under the bleachers. He seemed in good spirits. Here’s Blatche looking terribly blurry.
Vesely seemed fine during shootaround, but apparently he wasn’t sitting on the bench in the first half because he had a stomach virus. He played a few minutes at the end of the 3rd, but didn’t really play at all after that.
When Vesely checked in during free throws, the crowd cheered loudly. But they were clearly confused, as they thought the awkward white guy entering the game was Jimmer.
Speaking of Jimmer, in all my time at the Verizon Center, I have never EVER heard a crowd cheer as loud as when Jimmer nailed an unnecessarily long 3 in the 2nd quarter. I’ve been at the arena for close home games, for playoff games (weird, right?), and for every bandwagon/expatriate fan game you could imagine. And I’d be lying if I said any of those crowds cheered harder for their players than these BYUers cheered for Jimmer.
Ronny Turiaf and Kevin Seraphin were chatting in French the entire time people were in the locker room. I bet they do that a lot, and I bet no one has any idea what they’re talking about. And I bet people don’t talk to them too often. Too bad, they seemed to be talking about interesting stuff, though none of it was basketball-related. 8 years of French have not gone to waste!
I’m pretty sure Chuck Hayes balked a free throw in the 4th quarter. Is it possible to balk a free throw? That should be some sort of penalty, right? Like, especially if it causes a lane violation? Anyway, it was weird.
Bizarre Wizards turnover highlight: Wiz throw the ball out of bounds, and it lands right in Keith Smart’s hands. Right as timeout is being called on the floor, Keith Smart spots up, bends his knees, and nearly nails a shot from out of bounds. Well, at least one team was having fun.

Paroxysm at Gametime: You Can’t Always Get What You Want

February 23, 2012 in by Amin Vafa with 0 Comments

(Paroxysm at Gametime features our writers with original reporting by attending live games. It’s just like the stuff we did when we started, only completely the opposite in every way. In this edition, Amin Vafa covers his first game and balances the nervosa of being out of your comfort zone with being out of your comfort zone by playing as a Washington Wizard. Enjoy. – Ed.)

“Remember: You are not going to feel like you belong there. You belong there.”

The usual protocol when a bear standing at a podium gives you advice is to take it. Easier said than done.

I covered my first game tonight. My first professional sports game. I’d been in the locker room before. I’d been to meet and greets with players. I’d seen players shopping at Target or walking their dogs. I’d seen coaches walking down the street. Hell, I even saw Oliver Platt at the train station this week. But it’s different when you’re there for a game. You’re part of a machine. You need to go through the motions just like everyone else. You’re told beforehand where to be, where to go, who to see, who to cover, who’s who, who’ll be there to help out. But beforehand is different than during. Practice it all you want. During a game, all of that changes. Things are happening. You’re moving on the fly. You can’t just do it all by yourself. You have to communicate with other people. “Excuse me person who works here, where am I supposed to be? It’s my first game.”

Chris Singleton’s is back near halfcourt during shootaround. He’s with an assistant coach and the other rookies Jan Vesely and Shelvin Mack. They’re practicing basic ball movement skills: dribbling low to the ground, moving the ball fluidly around their torsos, bouncing the ball against their fingertips above their heads. Once they work together for a few minutes, they join the layup/post-move line. The same assistant coach tosses them the ball under the basket. They do a quick pivot under the basket, and lay it in. Andray Blatche is around for this part of shootaround, but after a few missed dunks it looks like his calf is still bothering him. But to his credit, he’s working up a sweat and looks like he wants to be out there and is having fun.

The line breaks up. Half of the players start going back inside to the locker room. A couple of them stay on the court. Vesely’s practicing his foul shots. Probably a good call. Jordan Crawford is practicing long jumpers at the top of the arc. Singleton’s on the right side of the arc, shooting threes. Singleton put up a respectable 3P% in college (about 33%). He’s shooting about the same percent this season, but he has taken far fewer shots.

â€œI knew I could shoot. Itâ€™s just if they knew I could shoot. Thatâ€™s what I was working on, this whole lockout.â€

Singleton nailed his warmup and shootaround 3s. I didn’t think he was going to hit them, though, because his footing was really odd. He sets up his shots pigeon-footed. Then I realized another player has that same, ugly footing for this 3s: Antawn Jamison. Weird that the two haven’t played with each other, yet both played for the Wizards and share this awkward habit.

The Wizards were Â up 68-60 at the half. A halftime score, we remind ourselves, higher than the final output of their game against Chicago at the United Center last month. After playing a surprisingly strong half of offensive basketball (they still gave up 60 points at the half), they lay a dud offensively and defensively against Sacramento (largely without Tyreke and Demarcus).

“Until they are commited to playing winning basketballâ€¦ weâ€™re going to be like this team was tonight.Â There wasnâ€™t anything in that secondÂ half that was done to win the game…Â Guards fromÂ SacramentoÂ crashed boards and put it in 6 times in fourthÂ quarter.”

-Randy Wittman, not trying to hide his frustration and disappointment after a complacent second half.

Coach Wittman alternated between the usage of “they” and “we” when referring to the team, his professionalism battling his dismay atÂ Â his team that won’t listen. He called out three specific plays (thus singling out the perpetrators) where “winning basketball” mentality and plays weren’t implemented. The first was Nick Young’s botched 360 layup in the first quarter. The second was blaming a guard for standing out by the three point line while his man got his own putback (this happened a few times, it seemed, so it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly to whom he was referring). The third was JaVale McGee’s monster goaltend during the 3rd quarter, but to be fair, someone brought that up. However, Wittman was more infuriated by McGee’s lack of playing the Pick and Roll correctly than his goaltend.

Around the same time Isaiah Thomas officially rid himself of the “Mr. Irrelevant” moniker, the two teams headed into the locker rooms.

“We have some bad habits, and we’re trying to break them. When you have bad habits, sometimes you go back to them.Â When we played like a team and shared the ball and played team defense, we played well. When we didnâ€™t, we struggled.”

-Roger Mason Junior, on the team’s regression to a non-fluid offense in the second half.

“We didn’t play defense, didn’t box out… We gotta get better mentally and physically… We gotta regroup. Enjoy these couple days off and get back to business.”

-Jordan Crawford, on the team’s lapses and looking forward.

“I thought this was a game we could win, and we thought we were gonna win… [We played] lots of one-on-one ball…[Sacramento] beat us up on the glass… [This game is] something we gotta learn from…we gotta play for 48 minutes.”

-Rashard Lewis, on expectations and consistency

“Singleton will be easy to talk to, Amin. He probably won’t have big crowds in front of him like the stars of the team, but he’ll have some good stuff to say. Ask him a few questions. Start with some softballs, and then ask him a few other questions.”

-Matt’s sound pregame advice to me.

Singleton. Singleton. Singleton? What on Earth could I ask this kid? Well, there’s all the regular stuff about him being drafted because his defensive prowess. “You were ACC Defensive Player of the year two years in a row. You led the ACC in steals and steals per game your sophomore year. You defend multiple positions. You’ve defended Deron Williams, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant this season. Who’s your toughest cover?” Well, his Defensive Win Share isonly 0.5, andÂ he gives upÂ an above average PER at both forward spots when he’s defending. So maybe everyone is a tough cover. Because he’s a rookie. And he’s being thrown at lions. VETERAN lions.

I could ask him about the college-to-pro transition, and how the team atmospheres differ. Yeah, maybe I’ll ask him that. OK, I’ll start with some easy questions about his personal life, then I’ll ask him about his transition after the game. He’s got half a season under his belt. It’ll be perfect.

Chris Singleton: 13 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3P, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 PF, -1 +/-

OK, so a rough half for Singl… oh, that was for the whole game? And he wasn’t around for questions after the game? Ruh-roh.

OK, it’s fine. Think.Â Think, McFly, think.Â Wait, what’s Rashard Lewis doing out there when there are 3 guards and a center on the floor? He’s playing power forward, like he used to in Orlando, but more in the post than out by the 3-point line. And he’s doing a halfway decent job. Good on him. A +5 on the night.

â€œYouâ€™ve got to moveÂ without the ball, because itâ€™s not very many plays called for the three-man in this offense. A lot of stuff is with the point guard and the big, as well as the two guard.”

Well, Rashard, you look like you’re playing well as a big. You’re still moving without the ball a lot, but your aggressiveness is noted. Maybe you should stay at the 4.

This team is very young. There’s a veteran presence on the team (Blatche, Evans, Mason, Turiaf, and Lewis). There are even some championship-tested players on the team (Mason, Lewis, and Turiaf). But by and large, this team is young. It’s full of rookies and sophomores, guys who played for successful teams in high school and college, but who don’t have a “winning mentality” in the NBA yet, to use Coach Wittman’s phrase. Of the five veterans on the team, they’ve either all been injured at some point, or have had their minutes limited by ineffective play.

The young guys on the team, no matter how many times they practice their fundamentals during shootaround, need a veteran to hold their hand for a while. Not a long while, just long enough to point them in the right direction. And not literal hand-holding, just a good and consistent example. But there comes a time in every young player’s career when having no stable veteran presence is no longer an excuse.Â Self-motivation is a big key for this team. They don’t have many vets on whom they can rely to show them the ropes. But it’s clear from the energy in the locker room and the energy on the bench that these players care about each other, even if they beat themselves up after a loss. A wise man once said, “If we can’t live together, we’re going to die alone.” And based on the consensus post-game comments (“We played selfish. We didn’t pass the ball. We fell on bad habits. We didn’t play team defense.”), these guys know that they need to play together to finish out games.

Thirty-three games down. Thirty-three games to go. You can choose to be wandering the corridors of the arena by yourself, or you can motivate yourself to ask some questions to make sure you’re headed in the right direction and do your job. You belong there.

The Lowdown: Maurice Stokes

February 5, 2012 in by Curtis Harris with 0 Comments

Stokes tallied 32 points and nabbed 20 rebounds in Rochester’s 100-98 loss to New York Saturday. On Sunday, he dropped to 17 points but again collared 20 rebounds as the Royals handed the champion Syracuse Nationals a 83-80 defeat.

Via Stokes Off To Fast Start in Pro Loop

Years Active: 1956 – 1958

Career Stats: 16.4 ppg, 17.3 rpg, 5.3 apg, 35.1% FG, 69.8% FT

Accolades: 3x All-Star (1956-’58), 3x All-NBA 2nd Team (1956-’58), 1956 Rookie of the Year

Maurice Stokes was not the 1st black player in the NBA. That honor belongs to Earl Lloyd in 1950 (and Wat Misaka was the 1st non-white person in the league in 1947). Nor was Stokes the first selected at a lofty draft position. Ray Felix was taken #1 overall in 1953. Nor was he the first all-star. That would be Don Barksdale in the 1952-53 season.

Maurice Stokes was simply the 1st black superstar in the NBA. Not just a really good or all-star caliber player, but one who truly shifted the fortunes of a franchise by himself and could alter the way the game as a whole was played. He wasn’t merely a player who did an established role particularly well, he expanded, fused and created new roles for his position (power forward) in ways that still have been mastered by only a few players.

On Davids And Challenging Preconceived Notions

January 25, 2012 in by Danny Chau with 1 Comment

Photo from blasaure via Flickr

There are people around the world who are incredibly gifted at playing the game of basketball. A majority of them never reach public consciousness because of their height deficiency. Basketball is a game open to anyone willing to take the time to learn it. But playing the game at the highest level often takes more than dedication. Mastery of the gameâ€™s tenets becomes secondary to the physical advantages that a select few have over the majority. Most basketball super-soldiers are built from tall, strong, long-limbed human missiles. Thatâ€™s how elite-level professional basketball works and will continue to work.

There arenâ€™t many players in the NBA with a listed height under 6â€™0â€. While there surely have been a multitude of short players with enough talent to be successful in the league, the rigors of the NBA requires of its vertically challenged denizens a maniacal sense of pride and conviction. Short players wonâ€™t make it out alive if they arenâ€™t absolutely convinced that they are capable of toppling giants.

We have evidence of such feats happening. Muggsy Boguesâ€™ blindside block on Patrick Ewing and Nate Robinsonâ€™s freakish denial of Yao Ming are indelible images of Davidâ€™s victory over Goliath. This season, 5â€™9â€ Sacramento Kings point guard Isaiah Thomas had an opportunity of his own.

From Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times:

In a game earlier this month, Kings rookie Isaiah Thomas got caught in a switch and was forced to guard Orlando’s all-star big man Dwight Howard in the low post.

Howard is 6 feet 11. Thomas is 14 inches shorter. This wasn’t just David and Goliath. This wasn’t a mismatch. It was a can’t-miss match for Howard.

“Here Howard was with the ball, one of the best post-up players in the league, and Isaiah stayed right with him, defending Howard the same way he’d defend somebody his own size,” Smart said Monday night in the tunnel underneath Portland’s Rose Garden. “Isaiah held his ground until help came and we were able to get the ball out of Howard’s hands.”

via Former Husky Isaiah Thomas proving he belongs in the NBA | Steve Kelley, Seattle Times (1/24/12)

The compulsion to exceed expectations and prove people wrong is a built-in mechanism for the shorter man, and it’s undoubtedly a key to Thomas’ surprising start.

Despite a proficient three-year career at Washington (and a particularly eye-opening junior season that saw his assist numbers double compared to previous years), the concerns surrounding Thomas on and around draft night were similar to past players of his ilk: too much of a shoot-first combo guard to succeed with such a glaring height disadvantage.

And yet, 17 games into the season, Thomasâ€™ most promising skill seems to be his ability to find the open man, not his offensive firepower. Thomas had a career-high 8 assists in 28 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers last night. Thomas probed the paint and found players camping on the wings. He was murderous in transition, bulleting passes to open teammates with ease. In an offense that doesnâ€™t often share the ball well, Thomas has, for stretches, looked like the Kingsâ€™ most able and competent point guard.

Now, if he could only start making some shots.

Thomas is shooting an awful 30.1 percent from the field. An unjustifiable number, no matter how itâ€™s dissected. As expected, Thomasâ€™ lack of height affects him around the rim, where he converts at a meager 44-percent clip. Unfortunately, his percentages at the rim are by far his best anywhere on the court. More than half of Thomasâ€™ attempts are 3-pointers, which thus far has been a tragic idea to pursue. Heâ€™s shooting 23.2 percent from behind the arc, and as seen in his 1-of-5 performance against the Blazers, heâ€™s missing almost all of his threes on lazy closeouts and/or defenders not within five feet of him. Itâ€™s clearly not a consistent part of his game, and heâ€™d surely be doing the Kings a favor by limiting the amount of 3-pointers heâ€™s taking because it isnâ€™t working at all.

Still, as the last pick of last summerâ€™s draft, Thomas has been a pleasant surprise. Sacramentoâ€™s lack of a real point guard has given Thomas ample opportunity to show off his underrated court vision and passing skills. Last year, J.J. Barea made the severely-undersized combo guard in vogue, somehow. If Thomasâ€™ scoring ability ever decides to come out from hiding, there could be longevity in his giant-slaying business.

The Lowdown: Phil Ford

January 15, 2012 in by Curtis Harris with 0 Comments

“How can you expect to win the game when three of our starters wanted Ford’s autograph?”

- University of Rochester coach Mike Neer

Years Active: 1979 – 1985

Career Stats: 11.6 ppg, 6.4 apg, 1.8 rpg, 1.2 spg, 46.7 FG%, 82.0 FT%

Accolades: 1979 Rookie of the Year, All-NBA 2nd Team (1979), All-Rookie 1st Team (1979)

Sports is filled with a bevvy of surprising twists and turns. Little known players plucked deep in the draft or who languish in minor and overseas leagues sometimes make it big like Nick Van Exel. Other times, players fulfill the hype surrounding their #1 pick status and routinely exhibit the stuff of legend like Magic Johnson.

Then there are the handful of cases… the handful of sobering, disquieting and painful cases… of players gifted beyond belief. Who possess talent able to change the course of games, if not the course of The Game, but who never get the chance to totally work their magic, to ply their skill to the utmost.

That’s the maddening case of point guard Phil Ford. Greatness, sheer basketball beauty, cut down as it was blossoming into something spectacular. Something positively wonderful.

HP 2011-12 Season Preview: Jimmer. OK, OK, The Sacramento Kings. But Really, Jimmer.

December 23, 2011 in by Noam Schiller with 0 Comments

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. The lockout has lifted, we have a season, can I get an Amen? (Amen.) And in the spirit of renewal, our shiny new cadre of writers is putting together previews for all 30 teams in true HP style. From where teams are going to what their disgrace is to explorations of pop culture, we are about to rock, salute us, can I get an Amen? (Amen.) So sit back, relax, and ponder the awesomeness of this fully operational Hardwood Paroxysm 3.0. -Ed.Â

Photo from Davers via Flickr

Quo Vadimus (Where Are We Going?)

By Noam Schiller

Call me old-fashioned, but I just don’t get reality television.

Â It’s not that I’m an angry spinster that derives pleasure from raining in on joyous parades. There are plenty of things that I find entertaining in this world. But filmed, unscripted dysfunction theatrically brought to life through the vessel of self-entitlement that is a Snoochy or a Dauly P or a Ronkie-poodle or whatever current never-ending abyss calls itself? On my list, that ranks slightly below watching paint dry.

It’s not that I’m opposed to people doing incredibly stupid things, either. The innermost depths of failure can be a fascinating thing if presented correctly. The problem with reality television is how it insists on focusing on a group of people with absolutely nothing to offer. Which defeats the entire point. Failure can be fascinating, but only if it involves actual underachieving talent. It’s why the mid-2000s Knicks were fascinating while the 09-10 Nets or the 10-11 Cavs were just sad.

The Sacramento Kings may or may not fail this season. They most certainly will involve quite a bit of dysfunction. But one thing if for sure â€“ you won’t be lamenting a lack of talent.

DeMarcus Cousins has a legitimate claim for most talented player in the league, and anybody claiming otherwise just hasn’t bothered watching him. A 6’11″, 270 frame, a rare combination of soft hands and rugged strength, a monstrous rebounder, a deft passer, and just 21 years old? Ignore the situation going on inside that noggin and tell me where you’ve seen a more complete hypothetical package.

ALL DEMARCUS WANTS TO DO IS LEARN

And DeMarcus isn’t even the best player on the team at this point. Tyreke Evans had him some plantar fasciitis fun last season, sending even the most loyal fans tumbling into a heap of frustration and pessimism. But how easy it is to forget just how good a healthy Evans was just 20 months ago â€“ and he couldn’t even shoot! Sure, you always run the risk of him never actually learning how to shoot, but why would you even think of that? Why are you such a heartless bastard? WHY DO YOU HATE TYREKE EVANS?!

Unless you’re Byron Scott or Monty Williams, you can’t hate Marcus Thornton. 2 years and a new contract in, we should all realize what Marcus Thornton is â€“ a fantastic, dare I say elite scorer, who is probably best suited coming off the bench but should play 30 minutes a night regardless how the game starts. Buckets gets Buckets, and he gets ‘em good.

And it continues down the roster. Jason Thompson may have been the exact same player for 3 years, but that player is a good NBA big man. J.J. Hickson can’t make a defensive rotation to save his life, but his hippity-hoppity brand of ineptitude is, at the very least, entertaining. Isaiah Thomas is not only named Isaiah Thomas, he also just happens to be an explosive 5’8″ shooting guard that isn’t named Nate Robinson. The league can never have enough of those. And The Jimmer. Good lord, The Jimmer. Call it divine intervention, call it freaky coincidence, but never have you seen a 32 footer so smooth. Heck, never have you seen anything so smooth.

The Kings still need the talent they have to work out. But at least they got it, loaded up the good ole Chuckwagon (finally), and are taking it for a ride. It’s just the first, second and third steps in a multiple-step journey towards respectability, but they’ve made multiple steps, and it’s hard to find fault in that.

PopularÂ TheoriesÂ in EmergingÂ Basketball-Cultural Cross-References

by Curtis Harris

I’ve got Boogie Fever. You should, too. Why?

Because Demarcus “Boogie” Cousins is on the roster. The Boogie Man in the middle is a handful for opponents, especially when he hasn’t scuttled his own play with dumb fouls. However, there are other reasons to get the Boogie Fever with the Kings.

There are seven, count ‘em, 7 players on this roster between 6’6″ and 6’9″. Such equity in height hasn’t been achieved since… wouldn’t you know it… 1975 when the Sylvers were singing and dancing their butts off to… wait for it… Boogie Fever.* I hereby petition the Sacramento Kings to make a team video of Tyreke Evans, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt and other dapper Kings regally getting down.

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHKCHvpYq_8 w=600 h=400]

*Other boogie songs you should consider playing while watching the Kings: “Boogie Oogie Oogie“, “Blame it on the Boogie“, “Boogie Down“, “Jungle Boogie“, “Boogie on Reggae Woman“, “Boogie Ain’t Nuttin’ (But Gettin’ Down)“, “Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)“, “I’m Your Boogie Man“, “Boogie Shoes“, “Boogie Wonderland” and “Move Your Boogie Body“.

Boogie NightsÂ the film was considered for discussion, but this is a family blog.

The Disgrace

By Noam Schiller

If you’re trying to develop talent, you need many things. And that environment needs to be monitored by a capable headmaster.

And then you have Paul Westphal.

Let me get this out of the way right off the bat: if the Kings’ youngsters fail to reach their considerable potential, it won’t be because of Westphal. The talent runs too deep for a single man to destroy, and the obstacles that stand in the way are easily apparent regardless of who’s it is running the show from behind the sidelines. It certainly isn’t hard to imagine a guy like DeMarcus Cousins flaming out even with the steadiest hand available showing him the way, and he could just as easily become a perennial MVP candidate even if the only coaching he ever gets is a bunch of Teletubbies standing behind him yelling “again! Again!” after he rips the arms off an unsuspecting defender.

But Paul Westphal is a horrible, horrible start.

His offense is “uhm, guys, we should probably score, K?”. His defense is “remember that thing I told you about scoring when we were on offense? Well, that’s a no-no”. His rotations change nightly, his substitutions random. There is no rhythm, rhyme, or reason â€“ just a big ole “what?” dabbled with “why?”.

If your response to that last paragraph was “isn’t that the exact opposite of an ideal talent-developing system?”, the answer is yes. Consistency, stability, a clearly established and logically plausible grid of Dos and Don’ts â€“ all absent, in the name of Westphal’s Whims. Itâ€™s a shame, because he strikes us as a genuinely nice person, but it makes watching what should be a fascinating team a frustrating chore.

You can do it, Paul. Just put the Tyler Honeycutt peg into the Small Forward hole.

Let’s ~~Start A Cult About~~ Really Really Enjoy: Jimmer Fredette

by Connor Huchton

Beyond all of the pointless hype and overwrought criticism, Jimmer Fredette possesses the tools to become a very good NBA player. Most evaluations of what Jimmer can contribute as an NBA player begin and end with his weaknesses (thatâ€™s the case with many players), but fail to understand one of Jimmerâ€™s great capabilities: Capitalizing on his own strengths.

What makes Jimmer interesting beyond the boring narrative is what he can do so well: Shoot from anywhere on the floor. But his skills are far from encapsulated by the simple idea of the three-pointer. He can drive and pull up, heâ€™s quick, and he has the depth of experience to know exactly what works for him and what doesnâ€™t. Some of what he relied on may not translate to the NBA directly, but some of it absolutely will. The flashes of skill have been presented in spades during Jimmerâ€™s first two preseason games (16.5 PPG on great shooting numbers), as have his weaknesses.

Jimmer will struggle to finish at the basket in the NBA, and his first step wonâ€™t prove as lethal against the league’s incredible athletes. Heâ€™ll try and fail to score against numerous matchups, especially in his rookie season. Heâ€™ll likely never be a star, though Iâ€™m certain jersey sales and endorsement deals may indicate otherwise. While those weaknesses will hinder Jimmerâ€™s ability to become a solid NBA starter, his undervalued passing ability will expedite that process. Heâ€™s no longer on a BYU team that demands his every shot, and heâ€™s shown the willingness to alter his game accordinly in two preseason games. The issue isnâ€™t whether JimmerÂ canÂ pass competently. He has that ability. The question is whether heâ€™llÂ chooseÂ to pass, and early signs indicate he will.

I donâ€™t want to start â€œa cultâ€ about Jimmer Fredette. That line of thinking has become far too prevalent already. But I do want to be excited about a young, exciting player with quantifiable NBA skills. And thatâ€™s what Jimmer is now, once you navigate past the craze and hype. Just an NBA player, and an incredibly fun one to watch play.

[flash http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqX_b_Bu4hI]

The Lowdown: Kevin Porter

October 9, 2011 in by Curtis Harris with 4 Comments

Porter dishing it off to teammate Bob Dandridge (#10) / Photo via arhenetwork.com

Kevin Porter tossed in 30 points and dished off 17 assists yesterday to pace the New Jersey Nets to a surprisingly easy, 106-95 victory over the Washington Bulles in National basketball Association action.

Via “Porter Paces Nets’ Victory” by the Associated Press

Years Active: 1973 – 1983

Career Stats: 11.6 ppg, 8.1 apg, 1.8 rpg, 1.4 spg, 48.3%FG, 73.7% FT

Accolades: 4x APG Leader (1975, 1978-79, 1981)

Kevin Porter was one of the purest passers the NBA has ever seen. The purity of his assists were equally matched by the chaotic turns his career took due to injury and bewildering trades. The winding path his career took conspired to obscure some of the truly masterful accomplishments of Porter. Normally, I like to narrate from start to finish a player’s career, but with Porter that’s simply not possible. Each theme must be teased and explained on its own. A simple, progressive Point A to Point B story just won’t do.

The No-Name Bullets: Disruptive to any sort of continuity is the lack of a stable name. Kevin Porter didn’t go about changing his name every day of the week, but it sure seemed the Bullets franchise was. Kevin spent five full seasons with them and they had 3 different locations: Baltimore, Capital and Washington. So, understandably, Washington Wizards fans of today may have a hard time identifying with Kevin Porter of the Capital Bullets even if he is the best pure point guard the franchise has ever had.

(Arguments for Rod Strickland can be entertained; there’s nothing pure about Gilbert Arenas)

On the move: Further obfuscating the Porter legacy is that he never stayed in one place too long. 8 full seasons and he never played for a singular location for more than 2 years. In his first three seasons, the Bullets did their Baltimore to Capital to Washington dance. Then for two seasons he was with Detroit. Then was traded to New Jersey for a year. New Jersey then traded him back to Detroit for a season. Finally Porter enjoyed free agency and returned to the Bullets. Even vagabonds don’t move around that often.

Hurt: You may have noticed that I mentioned Porter playing in 8 full seasons. Two devastating injuries obliterated an entire season and cut two others much too short. A cartilage tear in his knee derailed his debut season with Detroit in 1975-76 after only 19 games. The following year, the Motor City used Porter for a spare 26 minutes a game instead of the 36 he received before the injury. DebilitatingÂ injury struck again during Bullets training camp in October 1981. Porter snapped his Achilles tendon and missed all of the 1981-82 season and appeared in just 11 games in 1982-83, effectively ending his career.

Dime Machine: Despite the tempest, Kevin Porter remained a top notch passer. Four times he led the league in assists per game. Furthermore, Porter was a stud in assist percentage, which is the estimated number of FGs a player assisted while on the court. 6 different seasons (1975, 1977 – 1981) Porter led the league and his career average of 37.5% is 14th all-time.Â Porter is the only PG near the top of the board who played during the 70s. In 1978, his moonlight season with New Jersey, Porter decided to make the experience memorable by breaking the record for assists in a single game:

Porter dished out 29 assists… and most of those handouts went to John Williamson and Bernard King, who scored 39 and 35 points respectively to help New Jersey down the Houston Rockets 126 – 122.

“He was just magnificent,” said New Jersey coach Kevin Loughery. “I’ve never seen anyone do quite as well as he did tonight.”

Scott Skiles has since tallied 30 assists establishing a new high, but I doubt we’re sneezing at Porter’s display. Kevin’s offensive contributions were not merely relegated to dishing the ball, either. He maintained a remarkably high shooting percentage for a point guard (48%) and was known to explode in a timely fashion despite his career average of just 11.6ppg:

Little Kevin Porter went on a scoring binge in the final quarter Sunday to lead the Washington Bullets to a 98-92 victory over the Boston Celtics, clinching the Eastern Conference championship.

…

Porter, a 5-foot-11 playmaker, scored 13 of his 21 points in the final quarter… Porter also had 11 assists, nine of them in the first half when Washington went ahead, 55-40. “They were gambling quite a bit,” Porter said. “And when they do, you have to take it to the hoop. Hopefully, you draw a foul or they come after you and you can dish it off.”

Knowing when to dish it out, knowing when to take it to the rack to salvage victory for the team. These are the hallmarks of a great point guard. Kevin Porter is assuredly one of those being the first player to record 1000 assists in a single season and is also (as far as my research shows) the only player to record a 25 point-25 assist game. Sadly, sometimes such talent doesn’t get the appropriate stage or setting to illustrate its greatness for all to see and remember.

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