[Game] 78/82: Kings vs. Pelicans 03 APR 2026, 7pm PT/10pm ET

[Joshyjosh31]

This is what it’s about for kings fans:

Do you want better odds or worse odds?

Everyone knows the draft is a crapshoot. Everyone knows you need a lot of luck. But do you want the best odds to pull that high pick or worse odds to pull that high pick? Every other team has figured out “we want the best odds, except the kings.

This team knew at the halfway point that they were really bad, again. They had a really bad team and coach who shouldn’t even be a coach in the nba. A competent franchise would have told Doug not to play the vets at all, or there’s the door. Put Woodson in as interm and go exclusively with the young guys for an entire half of the season. No Westbrook and DDR would have the kings exclusively there at 1. Does that guarantee anything? A top 3 pick. But you gave yourself the best odds to pull that 1 pick. I don’t understand why people have such a hard time grasping this concept.

Are you new here? Some want the 10th best odds instead of the best odds cayse it moved up before. Some want to pick at 13 instead of one cause SGA and Giannis went in that range

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Are you new here? Some want the 10th best odds instead of the best odds cayse it moved up before. Some want to pick at 13 instead of one cause SGA and Giannis went in that range

Nice strawman

 

[hrdboild]

Are you new here? Some want the 10th best odds instead of the best odds cayse it moved up before. Some want to pick at 13 instead of one cause SGA and Giannis went in that range

Counter-point, do we lose our minds over something we have no control over for what feels like the 15th year in a row (give or take a couple in the middle there) or do we shrug and hope for the best?

 

[Tetsujin]

Counter-point, do we lose our minds over something we have no control over for what feels like the 15th year in a row (give or take a couple in the middle there) or do we shrug and hope for the best?

Hey that 5th overall pick we would get when we inevitably fell despite having the worst overall record could have been anything! It could have even been an impactful rookie like Max Raynaud!

 

[Warhawk]

No Westbrook and DDR would have the kings exclusively there at 1. Does that guarantee anything? A top 3 pick. But you gave yourself the best odds to pull that 1 pick. I don’t understand why people have such a hard time grasping this concept.

Nope. Even if we had the worst record we’re still expected to be picking at #4 post lottery, based on statistical odds.

I still don’t understand why people have such a hard time grasping this concept.

 

[Warhawk]

That context doesn’t generally overturn my attitude towards late season wins in losing seasons. Winning with younger players is slightly better, because growth; but if all parties aren’t going 100%, even wins are lame.

I get it. I also would like a high pick. I don’t always think it is the panacea others do, but it would definitely be the best case for this team.

But I am also going to copy/paste a Facebook post from an acquaintance here for a counterpoint. Personal information has been removed for privacy:

Last night I had another opportunity to take one of my friends' kids to their first Sacramento Kings game, this time (name deleted). We had such a good time, he was so into it and we were treated to an exciting game.

This season hasn't been ideal, but there is still good moments to be found, and fun to be had, and thats exactly what we got last night. Postgame Beam and fireworks were awesome! He loved it and definitely wants to come to more games. And I look forward to it! #SacramentoProud #LightTheBeam

The kid this person took looked to be around 10 years old or so. Not everyone is an adult and planning their social media rants around lottery odds. The kid was smiling ear to ear in the photos and seemed to be having a great time.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I get it. I also would like a high pick. I don’t always think it is the panacea others do, but it would definitely be the best case for this team.

I was reliably informed that you and those dirty untouchables like you truly believe that having a lower position in the lottery will give us a better opportunity to get a good pick/a good player. Please do not try to deceive us by pretending that you arrive at your position by a process of balancing priorities. This makes it more difficult for me to accuse you of being stupid.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Nope. Even if we had the worst record we’re still expected to be picking at #4 post lottery, based on statistical odds.

I still don’t understand why people have such a hard time grasping this concept.

You We never will.

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Does that guarantee anything? A top 3 pick.

It does???

Can you then explain why, according to Tankathon, the Washington Wizards (who currently have the best odds at landing the number 1 pick, have a 47.9% chance at the 5th pick? And a 12% chance at the 4th pick?

 

[QWERTYLICIOUS]

Does that guarantee anything? A top 3 pick. But you gave yourself the best odds to pull that 1 pick. I don’t understand why people have such a hard time grasping this concept.

Also, just as a friendly reminder...Not a single team with the top 3 odds heading into last year's draft lottery ended up with a pick in the top 3...And the top 2 both fell all the way down to their respective lowest possible picks.

Nothing's guaranteed. I don't understand why people have such a hard time grasping this concept.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Are you new here? Some want the 10th best odds instead of the best odds cayse it moved up before. Some want to pick at 13 instead of one cause SGA and Giannis went in that range

That is a very cynical, disingenuous and inaccurate interpretation of people's stated opinions on here.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

I get it. I also would like a high pick. I don’t always think it is the panacea others do, but it would definitely be the best case for this team.

But I am also going to copy/paste a Facebook post from an acquaintance here for a counterpoint. Personal information has been removed for privacy:

Last night I had another opportunity to take one of my friends' kids to their first Sacramento Kings game, this time (name deleted). We had such a good time, he was so into it and we were treated to an exciting game.

This season hasn't been ideal, but there is still good moments to be found, and fun to be had, and thats exactly what we got last night. Postgame Beam and fireworks were awesome! He loved it and definitely wants to come to more games. And I look forward to it! #SacramentoProud #LightTheBeam

The kid this person took looked to be around 10 years old or so. Not everyone is an adult and planning their social media rants around lottery odds. The kid was smiling ear to ear in the photos and seemed to be having a great time.

One of the things I like about this forum, is that I can pretty much assume everybody here's an adult. At least here, we don't have to talk as if we think that Santa might maybe be real.

The people who buy tickets for games are also adults. It's great that their kid had a great time. But your relationship with your kid is hopefully going to be a long one. A perennially non-competitive team is something that kids will eventually lose interest in; and you'll get more out of a shared interest that lasts into adulthood than you will from a treasured memory.

 

[fansinceday1]

Nope. Even if we had the worst record we’re still expected to be picking at #4 post lottery, based on statistical odds.

I still don’t understand why people have such a hard time grasping this concept.

Whoops. Ok, i totally misunderstood what i read. My bad.

Still doesn’t change what I’ve seen the last couple of weeks. I would have still benched the vets. Don’t care if they are pissed. Don’t care if Doug wants to win. He’s not in the kings future. Bench the vets or you can leave. I would want my team with the best odds to get the highest pick. If it still didn’t’ happen, well, that’s the way the NBA has set up the lottery. Im just trying to give my team the best odds of getting the highest pick.

 

[Caccia]

I get it. I also would like a high pick. I don’t always think it is the panacea others do, but it would definitely be the best case for this team.

But I am also going to copy/paste a Facebook post from an acquaintance here for a counterpoint. Personal information has been removed for privacy:

Last night I had another opportunity to take one of my friends' kids to their first Sacramento Kings game, this time (name deleted). We had such a good time, he was so into it and we were treated to an exciting game.

This season hasn't been ideal, but there is still good moments to be found, and fun to be had, and thats exactly what we got last night. Postgame Beam and fireworks were awesome! He loved it and definitely wants to come to more games. And I look forward to it! #SacramentoProud #LightTheBeam

The kid this person took looked to be around 10 years old or so. Not everyone is an adult and planning their social media rants around lottery odds. The kid was smiling ear to ear in the photos and seemed to be having a great time.

Nice! We sometimes forget the kids in our old men's grumbling.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Are you new here? Some want the 10th best odds instead of the best odds cayse it moved up before. Some want to pick at 13 instead of one cause SGA and Giannis went in that range

That is a very cynical, disingenuous and inaccurate interpretation of people's stated opinions on here.

On the other side of the discourse, there have been some wild takes, from caricaturing the owner, to asserting the lottery is rigged, to denying the existence of probability.

I don't assume all of this is in good faith, but I don't think we've defined what's in-bounds consistently

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

This one isn't the problem. It's the wins like the one against Toronto and the Clippers that make no sense

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

The people who buy tickets for games are also adults. It's great that their kid had a great time. But your relationship with your kid is hopefully going to be a long one. A perennially non-competitive team is something that kids will eventually lose interest in...

Why didn't the kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s lose interest?

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

On the other side of the discourse, there have been some wild takes, from caricaturing the owner, to asserting the lottery is rigged, to denying the existence of probability.

Wait, which side are you classifying as "the other side" in reference to this particular claim?

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

This one isn't the problem. It's the wins like the one against Toronto and the Clippers that make no sense

That's cool, but then why are you discussing it in this particular [Game] thread? There's a whole dedicated thread for the macro discussion. And, just in case you've never bothered to notice, there's at least one fewer person arguing against you over there.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Wait, which side are you classifying as "the other side" in reference to this particular claim?

It's kinda irrelevant to my point, I'm saying it's shaky to single out one poster for having bad faith takes.

I guess if you nailed me down, the other side would be everybody collectively who you're accusing Joshy of misrepresenting.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I don't know how it's "singling him out," when he's the one and only person who has made that claim. Should I have made a general claim about a group of people when he's been the only offender of the thing I'm accusing him of?

I guess if you nailed me down, the other side would be everybody collectively who you're accusing Joshy of misrepresenting.

Could I trouble you for some receipts?

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

I don't know how it's "singling him out," when he's the one and only person who has made that claim. Should I have made a general claim about a group of people when he's been the only offender of the thing I'm accusing him of?


Could I trouble you for some receipts?

Man, I don't keep a list of bad takes that I read. Do you really think the existence of the arguments I listed were implausible?

 

[Telemachus]

One of the things I like about this forum, is that I can pretty much assume everybody here's an adult. At least here, we don't have to talk as if we think that Santa might maybe be real.

The people who buy tickets for games are also adults. It's great that their kid had a great time. But your relationship with your kid is hopefully going to be a long one. A perennially non-competitive team is something that kids will eventually lose interest in; and you'll get more out of a shared interest that lasts into adulthood than you will from a treasured memory.

I disagree completely. I became a fan of the Kings when they moved here in 1985. I was 15 when they played their first game. I watched a lot of years of futility before they had a good stretch and never stopped rooting for them. I know many others, both older and younger, who fall into this category. Create a fan when they are young and they tend to maintain some form of allegiance for life.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Do you really think the existence of the arguments I listed were implausible?

Let me put it this way: if I thought that @Joshyjosh31's criticism of the people he's talking about was either fair or accurate, I wouldn't have accused him of being disingenuous.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I disagree completely. I became a fan of the Kings when they moved here in 1985. I was 15 when they played their first game. I watched a lot of years of futility before they had a good stretch and never stopped rooting for them. I know many others, both older and younger, who fall into this category. Create a fan when they are young and they tend to maintain some form of allegiance for life.

If I could "yes-and" this comment, let me just add that most kids create core memories from the experience they had, and don't necessarily base their value of those experiences on wins and losses.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Let me put it this way: if I thought that @Joshyjosh31's criticism of the people he's talking about was either fair or accurate, I wouldn't have accused him of being disingenuous.

Ok. I objected because I think it's a reasonable hyperbole given the standard of discourse on the topic.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Ok. I objected because I think it's a reasonable hyperbole given the standard of discourse on the topic.

I'll consider us at an impasse, then: you and I are not working from the same definition of "reasonable" hyperbole.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

I'll consider us at an impasse, then: you and I are not working from the same definition of "reasonable" hyperbole.

Fair 'nuff

 

[Warhawk]

I was reliably informed that you and those dirty untouchables like you truly believe that having a lower position in the lottery will give us a better opportunity to get a good pick/a good player. Please do not try to deceive us by pretending that you arrive at your position by a process of balancing priorities. This makes it more difficult for me to accuse you of being stupid.

Some people have a hard time with nuance.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Why didn't the kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s lose interest?

I think a lot did, they don't post on Kingsfans.com.
How many regular posters do we have here relative to the site's peak?