Kings’ rookies tyreke evans and omri casspi named to 2010 t-mobile rookie challenge

[Revrag]

Breaking news...

SACRAMENTO, CA ---- Sacramento Kings rookies Tyreke Evans and Omri Casspi were selected to the 2010 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held on Friday, February 12 in Dallas during NBA All-Star 2010. The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA's assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot.

The last time a Kings player participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend was in 2004 when Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic were members of the Western Conference All-Star team. Stojakovic also was a 3-Point Shootout participant that year, finishing second. Evans and Casspi become the seventh and eighth Kings players to play in the Rookie Challenge, joining Brian Grant and Michael Smith (1995), Tyus Edney (1996), Michael Stewart (1998), Jason Williams (2000), and Hedo Turkoglu (2002).

Evans is averaging a team-leading 20.8 points (45.8 FG%, 79.1 FT%), 4.8 rebounds, a team-high 4.9 assists, 1.50 steals, and 37.1 minutes per game in starting 40 contests this season. A two-time Western Conference Rookie of Month award-winner, Evans leads all rookies in scoring and minutes played, and is second in assists and steals.

Casspi, the first Israeli-born player in the NBA, is averaging 12.2 points (47.5 FG%, 39.6 3pt%, 63.3 FT%), 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 27.6 minutes per game in 42 appearances, including 16 starts. Among rookies, Casspi is ranked third in three-point field goal percentage, fourth in field goal percentage, fifth in scoring and tied for fifth in rebounding.

 

[NoBonus]

The All-Star drought is over! Rock on Omri and Tyreke!

 

[91sickness]

Looks like JT's recent slide affected his chances of getting in the rookie sophmore game....

ROOKIE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
DeJuan Blair San Antonio F-C 6-7 265 Pittsburgh
Omri Casspi Sacramento F 6-9 225 Yavne, Israel
Stephen Curry Golden State G 6-3 185 Davidson
Tyreke Evans Sacramento G 6-6 220 Memphis
Jonny Flynn Minnesota G 6-0 185 Syracuse
Taj Gibson Chicago F 6-9 225 USC
James Harden Oklahoma City G 6-5 220 Arizona State
Brandon Jennings Milwaukee G 6-1 169 Lottomatica Virtus Roma (Italy)
Jonas Jerebko Detroit F 6-10 231 Kinna, Sweden

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – TBD

SOPHOMORE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Michael Beasley Miami F 6-9 245 Kansas St.
Marc Gasol Memphis C 7-1 265 Barcelona, Spain
Danilo Gallinari New York G-F 6-10 225 Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy
Eric Gordon L.A. Clippers G 6-3 222 Indiana
Brook Lopez New Jersey C 7-0 260 Stanford
Kevin Love Minnesota F-C 6-10 260 UCLA
O.J. Mayo Memphis G 6-4 210 USC
Derrick Rose Chicago G 6-3 190 Memphis
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City G 6-3 187 UCLA

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – TBD

 

[Jespher]

Great news. Congratulations Tyreke and Omri!

 

[guy370]

guy370

Congratulations Go Kings!

=))

what a wonderful news!

 

[AriesMar27]

so, thompson sucked his way off the sophmore team... wow...

 

[kennadog]

Congrats Tyreke and Omri! Go young Kings!

 

[VF21]

Finally...someone to cheer for over that weekend.

Congratulations to Tyreke and Omri!!!

 

[sactownfan]

Anthony (Cali)

Jason Thompson .... you think his issues are mental, or is he just not a good PF?



David Thorpe (12:38 PM)

Check and check. Kings have to be disappointed with both him and Hawes.


I KNOW I SURE AM... anyway congrats to Casspi and Evans

 

[DocHolliday]

Anthony (Cali)

Jason Thompson .... you think his issues are mental, or is he just not a good PF?



David Thorpe (12:38 PM)

Check and check. Kings have to be disappointed with both him and Hawes.


I KNOW I SURE AM... anyway congrats to Casspi and Evans

Okthxbye!

 

[Tetsujin]

Anthony (Cali)

Jason Thompson .... you think his issues are mental, or is he just not a good PF?



David Thorpe (12:38 PM)

Check and check. Kings have to be disappointed with both him and Hawes.


I KNOW I SURE AM... anyway congrats to Casspi and Evans

Can we keep this thread JT and Hawes bashing free please? This should be a thread to congratulate our rooks not bash our front court. Thanks

 

[Showtime]

Looks like JT's recent slide affected his chances of getting in the rookie sophmore game....

I don't think his recent play has anything to do with it. Even at his "normal" self, I wouldn't say he's better than any big on that list.

Beasley, Gallo, Love, Lopez, Gasol > JT any day of the week IMO.

 

[itzcoatl]

Congrats to our rookies! Way to go!

On JT not making it: Does Gallinari really deserve a spot over JT? JT is significantly better on the boards, and has a higher FG%. Gallinari is shooting .404 for 3.

 

[kennadog]

Congrats to our rookies! Way to go!

On JT not making it: Does Gallinari really deserve a spot over JT? JT is significantly better on the boards, and has a higher FG%. Gallinari is shooting .404 for 3.

Well you'd also have to look at who else might not have made the list, too.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

On JT not making it: Does Gallinari really deserve a spot over JT? JT is significantly better on the boards, and has a higher FG%. Gallinari is shooting .404 for 3.

Thompson has four things going against him:

1. His recent slump.
2. Cannot play the swing positions (Galinari can).
3. It's only a nine-man roster, and
4. There are already three other F/Cs on the team whom, even if he still were playing like he was earlier in the season, are still better than Thompson.

Apropos of nothing, barring a Phoenix-esque three-point barrage, the rookies are going to get creamed.

 

[gunks]

Good for our rooks!


And yes, I am smelling a blowout as well (smelling a blowout...thats kind of gross wording).

The backcourts are ALMOST equal matches, but lord...Love, Gasol, and Lopez vs. Jerebko, 6'6 Blair, and Gibson? Ouch. I think the only frontcourt those rooks could get the better of is....Well, ours.

 

[Jespher]

Looking at the rosters, it seems that the sophmores will roll if they can just push the ball inside. Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, Marc Gasol vs. DuJuan Blair and Jonas Jerebko...Ouch. The guard match-ups will be fun to watch though Tyreke, Curry and Jennings vs. Rose, Mayo, Gordon and Westbrook.

 

[Andriod_KiNg]

Lets go take out those Sophs

 

[OptimusRhyme]

Looking at the rosters, it seems that the sophmores will roll if they can just push the ball inside. Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, Marc Gasol vs. DuJuan Blair and Jonas Jerebko...Ouch. The guard match-ups will be fun to watch though Tyreke, Curry and Jennings vs. Rose, Mayo, Gordon and Westbrook.

yah the sophs bigs are gonna kill the rooks bigs. they might have to play reke at pf

 

[hrdboild]

On Thompson missing the game, it was a long shot to begin with. It's just a collection of bad circumstances. The team is already loaded with big men -- Love, Lopez, and Gasol all deserve to be there. Beasley is the second overall pick. Thompson has outplayed him thus far in their NBA careers, but Beasley still gets the pass because of name recognition (remember he got more All-Star votes than Gerald Wallace for some bizarre reason -- I guess it must have been his one buzzer beater on National TV). Gallinari has been incredibly inconsistent and he didn't even play his rookie season because of back issues so he's there mostly because he's a Knick. Thompson could have played his way on to the team by being too awesome to ignore (see: Casspi, Omri) but he hasn't been very good lately so that didn't happen. Plus with two other Kings there on the Rookie team, he probably would have had to be the best big man amongst the sophmores to make it.

And it does look like the rookies are going to get killed in this game. Omri Casspi may have to play some center on that roster. Evans will be a point forward with two other PGs in the backcourt. Should be entertaining though.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Now its Jason Thompson's turn to get a tattoo of "Bruised but not broken".

 

[Capt. Factorial]

yah the sophs bigs are gonna kill the rooks bigs. they might have to play reke at pf

I don't suppose there's any chance Don Nelson will be the coach...

 

[Arco Thunder]

My two favorite players. I'm proud of those guys!!

 

[netseee]

This was the great harvest of rookies last year

 

[bloom]

Lets go take out those Sophs

Oh yeah...lol

Congrats to our rookies. I’m happy that they’re getting recognized for their play this year.

 

[JerN820]

I just saw that. That's awesome. Congrats to Tyreke and Omri!

 

[venom_7]

Do you think Rose plays in both games? If not, I wonder if they would consider throwing JT in there as a replacement. I'm sure he is top 3 on an alternate list anyway.