Grades v. Celtics 12/28

Kings Unplayer of the Night?

  • Cisco

    Votes: 5 8.2%

  • Mikki

    Votes: 6 9.8%

  • Brad

    Votes: 9 14.8%

  • Salmons

    Votes: 2 3.3%

  • Beno

    Votes: 1 1.6%

  • Natt

    Votes: 38 62.3%
  • Total voters
    61
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Bricklayer

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
There are no words really. Maybe numbers will do: 106-58!!!

Holy crap.

I anticipated a blowout, was going to do 10 Best Kings PFs of all time as a theme. Did not anticipate an utter humiliation. Best PFs may not quite be sufficient as aspirin for this type of thing. So I ahve decided to change things up, and it was either more pretty girls, which will be coming here soon with another blowout or two, or something even more appropriate to the occasion: Things That Have Really Sucked In Kings History

Cisco ( F ) -- off to a terrible start, brick, brick, bricking his way to a 1-7 first quarter. Nothing at all in the second quarter, and was struggling mightily to stay in front of Allen, who finsihed with a cool 7-8 shooting night. Shut it down after half with the calf, or maybe jsut a bruised ego. In any case was of absolutely no help out there on either end of the court. 2pts 0rebs 0ast and lit up = F time.
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1) Webb Blows Out His Knee -- it was the 2003 playoffs, and that team, not the 01-02 team of legend, was the most talented team ever to put on a Sacramento uniform. Favored to win the title, finally healthy after a season long battle with injuries, 10 deep (actually 12 deep -- 12th man = Gerald Wallace!) and with one of the best offenses AND best defenses in the league, it was right there. And then disaster struck. The one thing that you could not have happen, happened. There will be a lot of sucky things in this theme, but most of them were bad times during bad years. Blips on an already sucky radar. But I've tagged this one before as the game changer -- the one that turned everything for our franchise. This was the Lancelot and Guinevere moment in our Camelot, and we've never recovered.

Moore ( C- ) -- yes you saw that right, Mikki back as a starter. Natt, you're useless. May your Christmas tree light on fire and scorch the NBA Coaching For Dummes book Reggie gave you for the holiday. Yet ironically, or not, may have been the best King on the floor in the first half, which is saying nothing. But got a couple of points and actually mopped up on the glass. Once agin did nothing at all after half, and got burned on back to back alley oops to Garnett towards the end of the third as the Celtcis pumped the lead up to FORTY. Oh yes, and Natt's likely excuse that he needed and experienced vet to defend Garnett? KG goes for 21 and 11, on 10-11 shooting, in 23 minutes. You have to be kidding me.
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2) Robert Horry's Three -- Do I even need to describe one of the most famous shots in NBA history? Look at us now, and realize that in two pictures I may have just summed up how we went from two-time defending NBA champs to a team that's been spiraling for half a decade.

Miller ( F ) -- was squeezed and smothered and had absolutely no answers before half, getting badly outperformed by undersized Kendrick Perkins. Started to get chippy after half, which I suppose in this one would have to be about as close as anybody on our side came to a competitive response. Per usual, it was big tough Brad deciding to pick on a little guard in response with a hard screen. This time noted tough guy Ray Allen. Nothing huge, but may (or may not) have resulted in retaliation from KG a few plays later when he got his arm up around Brad's neck in the post (might have jsut been fighting for position, but knowing the C's and KG doubt they let the Allen thing go unanswered). The ridiculous thing was, KG gets called for the foul, which was the right call, and then for some unknown reason BRAD goes off and gets himself a technical in response. Uh, Brad, the call went your way. You can quit whining anytime now.
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3) Drafting Joe Kleine -- A little bit (ok large bit) of suck before the Kings had even played their first game in Sacramento. Already we were in the lottery -- actually the very first lottery -- and we kicked off our terible draft decisions in grand style, taking this lumbering 7 foot farmboy over some little twerp by the name of Karl Malone. Actually not just Malone -- drafted after we took Big Joe at #7 were Chris Mullin, Detlef Shrempf, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green, and Terry Porter.

Salmons ( D- ) -- got his points with no discernible impact in the first half. Most of them at the line, and just getting a pair here, a pair there. No runs and not mattering in the least as the Celtics put us to bed by half. Pierce had a poor shooting night but it wasn't because of anything John was doing back the other way, and Pierce actually overpowered John whenever he needed to to still get his points at the line. After half just pretty much quit. No other way to put it. No effort as we went from embarrassing blowut to complete extermination. No numbers of any kind. And with all of the ick, still managed to be our leading scorer, and only player in double figures (yes, you read that right) with 11 points. On 2-9 shooting. 1reb 0ast 2TOs...that was our star tonight. So in honor of the star power, I'm going to bump him up a half grade from the one he so richly deserves.
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4) Drafting Pervis Ellison #1 -- And see, this same picture reemerges again for the second time this month. One of the reasoins the bad ole days remained bad for so long (just one, there were many) was because our homecourt advantage actually messed us up -- we were a terrible team, but we won games at Arco just because of the incredible fan support, no matter our terribleness. Never enough to matter of course, but always just enough to have us drafting #6 or #7 every year. The pattern was finally broken when we got lucky and nabbed the #1 pick in the '89 draft...and it turned out to be a draft much like the one that seems to be coming up now. Hakeem was a #1, Shaq, Webber, Duncan, Robinson...and the best we could come up with was Pervis Ellison, who lasted all of one season for us. Actually we could have done a little better -- both Glen Rice and Sean Elliot were picked in the top 6 as well, but there were no HOFers there (the other three top 6 guys were Danny Ferry, J.R. Reid and Stacy King (who I am embarrassed to say would have been my pick at the time). But it was still a terrible draft, and our timing turned out to be awful. And its the gift that keeps on giving too, as that disaster has been revived in recent years as an excuse by a whole new generation of neophytes for not even taking a shot at a high pick.
 
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Udrih ( D ) -- would not have even known he was out there, and while that certainly is a possible outcome of going against Rondo and the Celtics defense, I again think you have to wonder whether Natt is taking the ball out of his hands because he does not trust him. In any case, we had little ball movement and even less offense. Which will happen against the Celtics, especially if you try to walk it up against them. Whoever had the bright idea that we could slog it out against the champs in the halfcourt and emerge victorious...well there are a lot of unempolyed people out there right now, and I'm sure that a number of them could do your job better. Anyway, back to Beno. No impact at all. Stayed around Rondo, but not really in front of him. Did notch 60% of our starters' assists...but that was only 3. Succeeds here only in being less noticeably awful than most of his teammates. Chose invisibility instead of incompetence.
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5) Ricky Berry Commits Suicide -- the year was 1989, and the Kings had just completed another lousy season under color commentator Jerry Reynolds. But there was a bright point -- we had gotten lucky in the draft the year before and drafting at #18 (via trade) had come up with a good young OG. Ricky Berry was kind of Kevin Martin before there was Kevin Martin (almost literally given it was '89 -- Kevin was about 5). He was skinny, a great shooter, did not defend or pass, and seemed like a nice guy that the fanbase responded to. He averaged 11pts in only 22min per game, shto 45%, and 41% from three. It was a promising beginning, although in the wake of tragedy perhaps an overstated one -- he was 8th on the team in scoring that year, already 24 years old, and while clearly a good player, maybe or maybe not a star. But in any case he was a positive at a time when we had few and should have been looking forward to the future with hope. And then one day over the summer it was just over as all of a sudden real life broke upon the professional playing of a children's game. Ricky had a fight with his girlfriend (forgot whether they broke up or not), and a guy with everything to look forward to suddenly decided to take his own life. And the Kings maybe looking forward to a Kenny Smith/Berry backcourt, with the #1 overall pick alongside them as a young core, instead ended up attending Berry's funeral, traded Smith for Antoine Carr, and suffered the disastrous #1 pick of Pervis Ellison.

BJax ( D+ ) -- and of course Natt's first man off the bench was 35 too. Helped initially in the first quarter, setting up Salmons for a three and hitting a jumper himself. But stayed on long enough to see the impact dissipate, and then wiped away the last of whatever positive impact on the game he mgiht have had with a disastrous appearance as our starting OG to start the second half (Cisco was out with the calf). It was all turnvoers and ineffective "D" until even the Natt had had his fill of old dudes not getting it done (we were down by 40 by the time we finally found Natt's breaking point). Maybe earns back a half tick for this postgame quote: “This is frustrating going through things like this,” Kings guard Bobby Jackson said. “We can’t keep making excuses. That’s just it. I’m embarrassed. I hope everybody else is embarrassed, too. That was just ridiculous the way we came out and competed tonight. I wouldn’t even say competed. We didn’t even show up.” Preach it Bobby.
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6) Bobby Hurley in Near Fatal Accident -- The dark cloud continued to hang over the franchise when yet another of our #1 picks, this time 1993 lottery pick Bobby Hurley, was involved in a near fatal car accident just outside of Arco Arena just 19 games into his rookie season. He was hit leaving Arco after a game (or practice? forgot) by aguy driving without his lights on, and like many 21/22yr olds was still suffering from the delusion that he was immortal and not wearing a seatbelt. He was thrown from his truck into a ditch, suffered five broken ribs, two collapsed lungs, a compression fracture of his spine, a broken shoulder blade, a torn ligament in his knee, a broken leg and a sprained wrist (as if he cared about the last one). Ouch. He was damn lucky that friend and teammate Mike Peplowski happened by to save him (Pep wasn't much of a player, but if you were ever in a major car accident and needed help, Pep was built to be the guy you would want ot show up to lift you out of a ditch, lift that car off you, maybe tear off the door with his bare hands, and if needed, go over and punch the guy in the teeth who just hit you). Hurley was probably never going to be much in the NBA -- too small, too weak, could not finish, shoot or defend. Classic good college player not built for the pros. But after that accident there was no hope at all and he was happy just to make it back at all before just playing out the string and retiring.

Hawes ( C- ) -- off the bench and into quick foul trouble in the first half, and right back to the bench without even getting a chance to pick up third. Or much of one to even touch the ball as the Natt has wisely decided our center of the future is best used setting half assed weak screens up top and then standing aournd wiht his thumb up his behind. So the quick hook must have been because Natt had big plans for him after half right and wanted to save him? Sure. And I've got a bridge. At least Spencer did get into the game relatively early in the second half with our complete collapse into parody, but he did little with it. there was a brief burst of actual basketball played after we cleared the vets from the court and the kids actually ran some semblance of an offense, but Spencer played little part in it, chucked up a couple of hopeless threes, turned the ball over repea
tedly, and generally responded to being benched by playing like a bencher.
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7) Webber Traded for Flexible Pieces -- and now we move into more controversial territory, and ask me if I care. This move had me inventing new ways to call people idiots from the moment it happened -- the apparent glee in some circles proving P.T. Barnum's contention that you can fool some of the people all of the time painfuly correct, and only looking worse as time goes on. Its the move you just do not make, and we made it. But here it stands in for not only itself, but just as the pinnacle of a whole series of bad moves that reduced us to our current level. And more than bad moves, the pinnacle of an ick that has infested the franchise and seriously eroded the trust between fans and front office, coaches and owners, just about anybody and anybody. I tag petulance and disappointment as the root causes -- people were promised a title and they didn't get it, and the knives came out.

Thompson ( C+ ) -- effective early aggression inside vs. the stubby Big Baby, but then the Celtcis defense locked in, Jason started to turn it over against the pressure, and Natt yanked him after only 6 first half minutes. Was back again once it could no longer possibly matter, and played pretty well in the garbagetime, although was frequently outbanged/outhustled by Leon Powe, and continues to get just a ridiculous percentage of his shots blocked down inside. Desperately needs experience at being nifty in there. And Natt thinks he's going to get it playing garbagetime minutes against Brian Scalabrine.
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8) Lakers Outscore Kings 40-4 in the First Quarter -- and see? I threw this one in just to make everybody feel better about last night. The year was 1987, we sucked and yet more humilation was about to be inflicted. It took us two and a half quarters to get as far down against the Celtics as it did to fall 36 behind the Lakers in just one quarter. The Lakers outscored us 29-0 to open the game. 29-0 before we scored a point! Makes merely being down to the Celtics by 25 at half seem like a great performance in comparison.
 
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Brown ( D ) -- looked like maybe he would be able to use his quickness to escape the defensive pressure, but unable to get anything to fall until he hit an open side pop three. And a game after I complimented him on looking like a real point guard out there and running the team, just obviously had no idea at all how to attack a defense of the Celtics caliber.

Greene ( C ) -- got blessed with all of of 1 minute 21 seconds in the first half, but of course accomplished many critical developmental goals during that time. In garbagetime about the only King who looked like he was getting his shots in rhythm, but missed multiple baseline looks. Also threw in a gaggle of turnovers, a dumb foul or too, and was just generally schooled along with everybody else. Did however become the only King, the only one, to hit more than 2 FGs when he got a dunk to finish 3-8 on the night. Woot.

Douby ( C ) -- the garbagetime hero in off the bench with the quick three, then disappeared.

Williams ( INC ) -- grabbed some boards in the late garbage minutes in what has to be a somewhat humiliating experience -- being deemed too sucky to play rotation minutes on a team as bad as we are.

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Natt ( F ) -- Started Mikki Moore. Almost a topic ender right there in itself. Finally consented to play the kids with us down 40 in the third. Yay. And now for tonight's lovely Natt Stats (TM):

1) worst home loss in Sacramento Kings history

2) biggest margin of victory for Boston since 1970

3) fewest points scored by any NBA team this season

4) worst defeat for Kings since 1991

5) fewest FGs for Kings in the shot clock era (since the 1950s)

How ya like them apples?
 
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Theme : Top 10 Worst Sacramento Performances?

Top 10 Kings Fans you always see at the arena?

Top 10 Kings Quotes?

Top 10 Kings Fight?

All Time Kings Disaster Team?

Top 10 Kings Players lawns you wouldn't mow even if they were your neighbor?
 
my favorite stat of the game - and you could pick between a million of them.

our high scorer had 11 points, and no one else was in double figures .. how does that happen.
 
OOPS... Meant to vote for Natt. Can someone change my vote? :) I voted Mikki.

Done. - VF21
 
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Top 10 things in better shape than the Sacramento Kings

10. California Highways - Hey at least their rebuilding is going smoother.
9. Detroit Lions - They won't lose another game for the rest of the year!
8. US Auto Industry - Deliver weak product to your consumers and ignore the need for progress? Here's a bailout from the big man! I bet the Maloofs dig that idea.
7. Local weather - It's freezing without the beauty of snow. But at least I look good in sweaters.
6. The Playstation 3 - Third place is better than 28th place, even if its last place!
5. Dallas Cowboys - Hey, at least they kept it to within 40 points.
4. President Bush - He's got vacation time coming!
3. The US Economy - Hey, my bank money still exists! Thanks JP Morgan!
2. Seattle Supersonics - Seattle got out just before it got ugly. Real ugly.
1. Dead people - They didn't have to watch that Celtics-Kings game.
 
kupman said:
Somebody please tell me that this is as bad as it is going to get.
Click to expand...

Okay, I'll tell you that this is as bad as it is going to get ... this weekend. It could get worse before the end of the year and I'm not making any kind of promises about the first few months of 2009.
 
swisshh said:
Top 10 things in better shape than the Sacramento Kings

10. California Highways - Hey at least their rebuilding is going smoother.

5. Dallas Cowboys - Hey, at least they kept it to within 40 points.
Click to expand...

10. - I commute I-80 at least 4 times a week from San Fran to Sac and let me say ---- I highly disagree...;)

5. Unfortunately, I am also a Cowboys fan. It has not been a good sports day for me...:eek::(
 
I'm furious.

I've been looking forward to being in Sacramento in January ever since being in Vegas for the summer league so that I could swing it to watch the Kings play twice at home. (Against Miami and Dallas) I finished purchasing tickets to the Miami game yesterday. I had planned on picking up tickets to the Dallas game in the next few days, but now I can't justify it. I wish I could get my money back for the Miami game as I didn't pay to watch Mikki Moore start the game and steal our future's minutes.
I expected for Boston to just kill us tonight because they just lost 2 in a row and we are not a good team.
In fact, if it meant Spencer and JT starting and getting 30+ minutes a night, and Donte & Bobby Brown getting 20+ minutes a night, I would accept going the rest of the season getting blown out by 20+ points a night.
I do not care about our record.
All I care about is that our young guys develop by playing with each other during meaningful minutes in the game.

For those of you who say, "Well, it's the Boston Celtics, and I don't want to see us have our Kids go out against the Champions and get crushed", I say that I disagree completely with that mindset.

Let me ask those who think like the above, "What does it say to the young guys when they know their coach doesn't have enough faith in them to produce by giving them meaningful minutes until after the team is down by 40 POINTS!?"

On League Pass it was Grant and Jerry who I was able to see tonight and one of them said something to the likes of, "Well, all the players have to look at this score and then look in the mirror realize that each one of them contributed to the poor outing."

To that I say, "Ridiculous."
If you are Spencer you simply say, "It's not my fault. See what happens when you start Mikki Moore? We were down by 4 when I came in the 1st, and were only down 6 when I was taken out. The next time I got into the game we were down by 30."
If you are JT you say, "I played a total of 6 minutes in the 1st half and it wasn't until we were down by 40 at the end of the 3rd when you finally let me play significant minutes."
If you are Donte you say, "I got put into the game for a single minute, and then didn't get back in until we were down by 40."

How can we expect the Kids to grow and develop if they are not put into a situation to compete and struggle night in and night out? Watching the players on this team who have no future with the Kings get the majority of the minutes while getting embarrassed is just not acceptable.

I'm just plain disgusted with how Natt is handling this.
 
bajaden said:
It happens almost every time you only score 58 points.
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Well, to be fair we eventually scored 63. ;)

I was just flabbergasted a minute or two earlier when we were one basket away from going down 50. We were the Washington Generals.
 
Bricklayer said:
Well, to be fair we eventually scored 63. ;)

I was just flabbergasted a minute or two earlier when we were one basket away from going down 50. We were the Washington Generals.
Click to expand...

The last time I saw the Globetrotters, the Generals put up a better fight.
 
OptimusRhyme said:
Spike, Bio Dome was a great movie! no need to bring that up buddddddddy.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! bio dome was effing awesome! free mahi mahi! free mahi mahi

is there any way we can vote for them all? i really dont want to watch any of these guys try and play basketball anymore. they look like theyve all been indulging in purple sticky punch or drank too much of olivias scope
 
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kingsfan101 said:
Brick: For rubbing in the misery, instead of using the much needed pretty girls theme.
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Don't blame Brick. For him to have overcome the badness of this last game, Kingsfans would have to start asking us for credit card numbers to verify that we were old enough to look at the thread.
 
kingsfan101 said:
Can we add one more option to the poll?

Brick: For rubbing in the misery, instead of using the much needed pretty girls theme.
Click to expand...

Hey, I thought Bricky was pretty upbeat, all things considered. I almost expected a broken bat resulting from frustration relief.:)
 
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