NBA FanHouse

WNBA Folds in Sacramento, Seeks Bay Area Owner for 2010

Michelle Smith — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:06:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, WNBA

The Sacramento Monarchs, one of the WNBA's original eight franchises folded Friday, leaving the league to scramble to find a new ownership group, possibly in the San Francisco Bay Area, in time for the 2010 season.

The league announced Friday that it is in talks to find a Bay Area ownership group prepared to take the team over.

WNBA president Donna Orender confirmed Friday evening that negotiations with an investor group are underway.

"The Bay Area is a market we wanted to be in within two years, so this accelerates that process that was already in place," Orender said. "We are hoping to have it worked out very soon."

Joe and Gavin Maloof have owned and operated the Monarchs, but financial losses from their ownership of the NBA's Sacramento Kings forced them to give up the WNBA franchise.

"We love the Monarchs, but it's time to re-focus," Joe Maloof told the Sacramento Bee. "Everyone in this business environment ... you have to do what has to be done. Our focus is to turn the Kings around."

Orender confirmed that she is talking to an investor group, not an individual, but she declined to identify them and said the league would like to speak to anyone interested in ownership of the team. She said she feels strongly a Bay Area team could ultimately be "one of our most successful franchises.''

"It's a market with strong support for women's sports and this is a ready-made team with players that have local ties," Orender said. "The ramp-up for this team would not be as long as it could be in another situation."

The Golden State Warriors are not among the potential new owners.

Oakland city council member Rebecca Kaplan has been pursuing an ownership group for a WNBA team for months. She said she has been in active talks with potential owners in Oakland and has met with Orender. Kaplan is pushing hard to locate the team in Oakland. Orender said she could not say where the team would be located at this point.

"The ideal scenario for this team would be to move to a place that could take advantage of a new fan base, but be near enough for the (Sacramento) fan base to come and watch games and Oakland is as near as you can get," Kaplan said. "There are a lot of reasons that Oakland is an ideal spot."

Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who is the chairman of the Oakland Coliseum Authority that oversees Oracle Arena in Oakland, said a WNBA team would be welcome in the area, but it is important to "approach things cautiously" because of the arena's existing relationship with the Warriors, its main tenant.

"We would want to create a deal that's a win-win for everybody, including the WNBA," Haggerty said.

A move to the Bay Area -- whether it be Oakland, San Francisco or San Jose -- would make great sense here, allowing the league to maintain the team roster, which has two key players with Bay Area ties. Leading scorer Nicole Powell was an All-American at Stanford and the team's top draft pick a year ago was Courtney Paris, who grew up in nearby Piedmont.

The team also currently holds the No. 2 pick in the spring draft, and that pick could well be Stanford center Jayne Appel, giving the team three strong ties to the area. The players on the current roster will not be dispersed while the future of the team is being determined.

But placing a team in the Bay Area in the next six months is a tall task. If a deal cannot be reached in the very near future (within a couple of weeks), the league could be forced to disband the team and put the players in a dispersal draft if a solid investor group doesn't come together quickly. The league then could revisit putting an expansion team in the Bay Area without such a rush.

But the news of the Monarchs' demise sent shockwaves through the organization. The players were informed of the decision before the news was released publicly on Friday afternoon.

The team's general manager and head coach, John Whisenant, told a local television station in Sacramento that he was "shocked" by the announcement.

"Joe and Gavin (Maloof) called me (Thursday) night and told me," Whisenant said. "I was kept in the dark like everyone else."

Ticha Penicheiro, one of the team's original players who had been on the roster since 1997, posted on her Twitter Friday that she was "distraught". "This is one of the saddest days of my life," read her Twitter post.

The WNBA has long had an interest in placing a team in the Bay Area, the fifth-largest media market in the country. Other attempts to find an ownership to run the team in previous years have not been successful.

"The Bay Area has been a desirable market for the WNBA and the availability of the Monarchs provides an opportunity to move a well-known franchise and broaden its fan base within Northern California," Orender said in the statement issued by the league.

The biggest issue may be securing a venue. Oracle Arena in Oakland is the home court for the Golden State Warriors. There have been talks with arena management about moving a WNBA team into the venue over the summer months but no agreement has been reached, sources say. There is also the potential that the team could be located at San Jose's HP Pavilion, which shares its facility with the NHL's San Jose Sharks. San Francisco is the longest shot because the city does not currently have an indoor pro sports facility.

The league has already experienced two ownership changes since the season ended a month ago. The WNBA moved one franchise in the last month, relocating the Detroit Shock to Tulsa and shepherded a change of ownership for the Atlanta Dream.

The Monarchs have been among the league's most consistently successful teams, winning the league title in 2005 and the Western Conference crown in 2006. They have made nine trips to the playoffs in 13 seasons.

The team is coming off a 12-22 season, the worst record in the league this past season. Only New York, Los Angeles and Phoenix remain among the league's original franchises in their original cities.

WNBA Folds in Sacramento, Seeks Bay Area Owner for 2010 originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hornets Offering Emeka Okafor For Expiring Contract

Tom Ziller — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:09:00 EST

Filed under: Hornets, Kings, NBA Rumors

Yeoman beat man Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee reports the Kings are mulling a trade offer from the Hornets that would send high-priced center Emeka Okafor to Sacramento in exchange for roleplaying, aging forward Kenny Thomas. K-9 has looked spry in early action for the Kings, but his best attribute is his $8.7 million expiring contract. Okafor is on the books through the 2013-14 season.

New Orleans acquired Okafor this summer, committing a grip of cash long-term in the process. The Hornets sent Tyson Chandler -- an expensive center himself, but on a much shorter contract -- to Charlotte in the deal, which came several months after the Hornets tried to unload Chandler for a package of expiring contracts amid the throes of a playoff chase. Chandler, however, failed his physical with the Thunder, reversing the trade.

In other words, this trade would effectively finish the job of losing Chandler's contract, and would set the tone for continued salary cuts from New Orleans. Boo to all that.

When the team announced the dismissal of coach Byron Scott this week, executives insisted the team would not slip into rebuilding mode. But moving Okafor -- the team's only legit starting center -- for a player so limited in a move so obviously inspired by finances is concession. The franchise would be conceding that the team will not contend this year. I'm sure Chris Paul and David West will be thrilled with that.

The initial Chandler-Thunder move was fairly depressing on this front. However, that move had Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith heading to New Orleans for the stretch run. It was what one could call a "quasi-salary dump," because Smith and Wilcox could definitely have helped the Hornets heading into the playoffs, and because Chandler wasn't himself last year. But Okafor is now healthy, and Thomas is not an inspiring acquisition. He rebounds and defends, but he shouldn't play more than spot duty, and he's a huge minus on offense. I have no qualms in suggesting he would blow a full 50 percent of the potential assists Paul would toss his way.

Trading Okafor after firing Scott after trying to trade Chandler for expiring contracts is a real nice way to tick off Paul, the team's top asset by a wide, wide, wide, wide margin. As such, it's a pretty bad move.

Report: Hornets Offering Emeka Okafor For Expiring Contract originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Westphal Having Fun, Nellie Looks Done

Matt Steinmetz — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, Warriors, NBA Coaches

SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal and Warriors coach Don Nelson might not know it, but they find themselves in similar situations. Both are experienced coaches trying to guide young teams, each with a few veterans sprinkled in.

The expectations for both teams are low, with few believing either team will sniff the NBA's postseason. Both teams have intriguing rookie point guards (Tyreke Evans/Stephen Curry), talented but flawed shooting guards (Kevin Martin/Monta Ellis) and promising second-year power forwards (Jason Thompson/Anthony Randolph).

But stop right there. That's where the comparison ends.

Hopefulness and positivity surround Westphal and the Kings these days, while despair and pessimism cloak Nelson and the Warriors. The two franchises are separated by just 75 miles, but there seems to be a world of difference between the two.

"I really like these young players," Westphal said before the Kings won their fourth straight by beating the Rockets 109-100 on Friday night at ARCO Arena. "They're hungry young kids for the most part or veterans who have been kicked around a little bit and have something to prove. They're giving everything they have. They're playing hard and playing together and it's really fun when it's like that."

The Warriors were 3,000 miles away at the time, taking care of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. But fun is not something they're having. Stephen Jackson wants out and is making a nuisance of himself. Ellis and Nelson have under-the-surface issues that are becoming less and less under-the-surface.

The fan base is clamoring for Randolph to play more, but Nelson is reluctant and unwilling to play the kid more. But perhaps most striking is the joylessness that seems to envelope Nelson, who sits just 21 wins shy of earning the all-time mark for NBA coaching victories.

If and when Nelson does pass Lenny Wilkens' all-time record later this season, it figures to be a sad honoring. Think about it: When it happens, the Warriors are likely to be 24-40 or 24-48 or 24-55. Or, perhaps even worse, the thing could linger into next season.

On Friday in New York, Nelson admitted: "This is a difficult team to coach so far."

Yet throughout training camp and into the first week of the season, Nelson maintained he was excited about the Warriors. Few, if any, believe that. Now, there's talk that Nelson might even step down, although that seems unlikely considering he's still owed approximately $10 million of the remaining $12 million on his deal.

Nelson's critics would argue that he doesn't seem to be coaching much these days. His practices are short, and he delegates an inordinate amount of responsibility to his assistants. Assistant coach Keith Smart handles the entire defense, a responsibility given to him last season.

Nelson, 69, looks dispirited on the sidelines, the days of leaping off the bench to argue a call or shout out instruction gone. The polite way to put it is that he doesn't look engaged.

But it's not just Nelson's demeanor, it's what he's conveying with his words. He seemed to go out of his way recently to suggest that the only reason he's still coaching is because the organization begged him to stay there.

"Actually the organization wanted me to do two more years," Nelson said on Friday. "I was ready to retire after last season and so I signed on for two more years and I'm going to oblige my contract."

That's much of the issue. To Nelson, coaching right now seems like an obligation. For Westphal, it's the opposite.

"All I can say is so far, so good," Westphal said. "Everybody has embraced what we're trying to do and they're giving their best. You never know what tomorrow is going to bring in this league, but right now I don't have anything to complain about with regard to their attitudes or effort.

"It's we all want to be a part of bringing this franchise back to life in this city. The chance to be part of that and take steps in that direction and what it will look like when we finish doing that is what excites me the most."

It's hard to imagine the Warriors are excited about their future, particularly in the immediate. They're 3-5, which isn't all that bad, but consider this: The combined record of the teams they've beaten is 3-26 (Memphis, Minnesota, New York).

And now they're looking at the following stretch: at Milwaukee, at Boston, at Cleveland, Portland, at Dallas, at San Antonio, L.A. Lakers.

Meanwhile, the Kings are 5-4 and playing hard. But Westphal knows there's a thin line between success and failure, optimism and pessimism, and, yes, even he and Nelson.

"Look ... come back 40 games from now before you start talking about magic," Westphal said. "All I can say is we're having some good things happen and we hope to keep it up."

Down the road a piece, it's an entirely different story.

More Steinmetz on Twitter: @matt_steinmetz

Westphal Having Fun, Nellie Looks Done originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stinkface Chronicles: Iggy Popped

Rob Peterson — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: 76ers, Grizzlies, Kings, Nets, Trail Blazers, Warriors, NBA Videos

Rookies. What do they know?

Not much except that, with the per diem paid over the table in NBA instead of under it in college, they need to get the donuts before practice, carry their teammates' bags and stay out of the way of the veterans.

Oh, about that last part? The Nets' Terrence Williams, rookie out of Louisville, may need to work on it a bit.

Video after the jump.

You see, poor Mr. Williams (and to be fair, two teammates) had the misfortune of trying to check the Sixers' Andre Iguodala on a fast break last Friday. And unlike the indignities of fetching fried pastry weathered by rookies off the court, Williams' suffered his inaugural association humiliation on it.

Iguodala, the man who delivered the blow to Williams' self-esteem, unleashed a dunk so furious that Iggy's teammates were moved to hold each other.

Let's look at the dunk itself. Like many of today's bruising, well-built forwards in the NBA, Iguodala tucked the ball in the crook of his elbow as if he were going to plunge into a Lincoln Financial Field end zone instead of emasculating T-Will by sweeping the leg on Williams' Y-chromosome.

But Iggy's tuck served two purposes: one, going one-on-three as he did, Iguodala had to protect the rock, and two, it allowed him to cup it so, as the late, great Chick Hearn once said -- and Sixers announcers Marc Zumoff alluded to -- "rock the baby to sleep." Then again, if anyone rocks their baby like this, I'm calling Child Protective Services, because it's clearly abusive.

Veterans Bobby Simmons, who has never played much defense in his career, and Courtney Lee, who probably had Dwight Howard come down hard on him in practice last season in Orlando more than a couple of times, backed away once they saw Iguodala tuck it. They know you don't pass from that position. But Williams challenged, and the rookie paid the price. Moments after Iguodala sent the Wachovia Center crowd into a frenzy, he nearly sent Williams into the courtside patrons.

Williams will learn. In the meantime, he can always tell his grandkids about the day he gave a piggy back ride to Iggy.

As for the Sixers bench, the dunk was cause for celebration. Because it was early in the game, most of the Philly subs had their warmups on and you can't really tell who's who from the camera angle. But you can see one Sixer get up, run down the length of the bench and embrace a teammate. Very touching.

Yet, the most interesting reaction may be from an assistant coach, who may or may not be Mike O'Koren. Check the video at the four-second mark. Just as Iguodala takes off, the coach two seats to the right of the first Sixer in his warmups, pops up as if his chair were wired for an electric shock. Decorum dictates, however, and he catches himself before he stands up.

Whether the coach was anticipating something great or whether he was just caught in Iguodala's backdraft can be debated. But when a seen-it-all coach does this and gets caught up in a slam, you got stinkface.

Speaking of which, Rudy Gay, who has perpetrated a few nasty slams in his time, got his on Tuesday night as he fought the Outlaw, but the Outlaw won.

Travis Outlaw, my goodness, you're a bad man. First off, the rebound was one of those man-among-boys reach-back-and-snatch-it-right-out-of-your-grille boards. But to follow up with a windmill off of both feet and in Gay's mug, well, sir, I must stand an applaud as the fans wearing jerseys with your number did at the end of the clip. Well done, and yes, as the announcer noticed, "And look at Rudy Gay. He's stunned!"

As were we all.

And finally, our FanHouse man in Northern California, Tom Ziller, threw this one our way, a sweet, sweet inbounds pass from Donte Greene to Jason Thompson. We'll let him explain.

"Nothing great from either bench (GSW was looking morose at that point). But watch Donte when JT actually throws it down. He mimics it, like he was actually executing the dunk off his pass. It's like a talent-show dad doing the choreography from the audience."

Agreed, Greene's reaction was priceless. But there was a slight bench reaction, not, however, from the Warriors players but Golden State coach Don Nelson. He looks perturbed, miffed and altogether bothered. He smacks his hands, shakes his head and thinks, "Paul Mokeski would have never let that happen. I need to go home to Hawai'i."

Nellie only has himself to blame. The Warriors are a mess of his own making and his stinkface may become permanent.

Stinkface Chronicles: Iggy Popped originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Doing Lines: Tyreke Evans Busts Out

Brett Pollakoff — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:25:00 EST

Filed under: Bulls, Hawks, Jazz, Kings, Mavericks, Nuggets, Raptors, NBA Last Night

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

If you're not a close follower of the NBA, then just six games or so into the season, we can't necessarily hold it against you if the name Tyreke Evans doesn't ring a bell. Besides being a rookie, Evans plays for the Sacramento Kings, a team that won just 17 games a season ago, and figured to be about as bad this year with stud scorer Kevin Martin sidelined indefinitely with an injury.

But after what Evans did to Deron Williams in leading his undermanned team to a road win in Utah on Saturday, he won't remain anonymous to basketball fans for much longer.

Evans was the game's high scorer, finishing with a career high (obviously) 32 points, on 7-for-15 shooting, with seven assists and three rebounds. He fearlessly attacked the basket all night long, which is the reason for his 19 free throw attempts -- 16 of which the kid made.

This performance from Evans is a bit of a surprise, considering the fact that when the Kings dropped 127 points on Memphis earlier in the week, the rookie scored just three. But that was with Martin in the lineup, who has the ball in his hands quite a bit -- and with a scoring average of over 30 points per game, shoots it a lot, too. With Martin out, Evans had no problem taking over the leadership role, which is pretty impressive for a rookie playing in just his sixth game as a pro.

Deron Williams had a pretty great game himself in the losing effort, pouring in 29 points and dishing out 15 assists. But since Evans was the one who ended up on the winning end of things, you'd think the least that ESPN could do for him would be to actually get his photo into their game recap.

Down in Atlanta, the Hawks rose up and handed the Nuggets their second straight loss. Denver was playing without the injured Kenyon Martin, and Josh Smith made the most of his absence.

Smith was dominant on both ends of the floor, putting up a ridiculous line of 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists ... and six blocked shots! When you add in the continued strong play of Jamal Crawford off the bench (25, four, and four), and Carmelo Anthony's struggle to get 30 points on 21 shots, it's easy to see how the Hawks ran away with this one.

Other notable numbers from Saturday's action:

Joakim Noah put up 21 points, on 10-of-12 shooting, and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Bulls' win over Charlotte. He's quietly becoming one of the most reliable centers in the game.

Josh Howard made his season debut for an already solid Mavericks team, and he looked good doing it. Howard was in the starting lineup, and in just 24 minutes, he had 16 points, four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Chris Bosh continued his early-season reminder that he too is one of 2010 free agency's top prizes, by putting up another super-solid line of 26 and 12, on 50 percent shooting from the field.

Doing Lines: Tyreke Evans Busts Out originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kevin Martin Sidelined Indefinitely

Tom Ziller — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:13:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, NBA Injuries

What a night for Kevin Martin. The dynamic guard for the Kings -- and currently the league's No. 3 scorer -- learned Thursday morning his sore wrist was actually a fractured navicular bone, a pretty brutal injury in terms of risk and recovery. Sources tell FanHouse Martin was strongly recommended by at least two doctors (including Sacramento's team doctor and a separate hand specialist) to undergo reparative surgery or to put the in a cast for 6-8 weeks. The franchise, however, left the decision to Martin, who kept a third option -- play through it wearing a soft cast -- open temporarily.

Martin told reporters he'd sleep on it and make a decision Friday. Sanity has prevailed over machismo, and Martin told the Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick today that playing with a soft cast has been ruled out. Martin will either put a hard cast on the arm, or undergo surgery.

A league insider with specific knowledge of Martin's injury tells FanHouse that doctors told Martin a navicular bone fracture which doesn't heal properly can lead to early onset arthritis, which tends to be problematic to a professional basketball player. Martin is signed with Sacramento through 2012. The Kings, currently 1-4, aren't expected to challenge for anything more notable than the No. 1 pick in the draft this season.

Martin suffered the fracture in Monday's home opener against Memphis. He finished that game with 48 points, and followed it up Wednesday with a 28-point, 11-rebound performance in a losing effort to Atlanta. That Martin played so well before knowing the severity of the injury likely contributed to the guard's consideration of putting off rehab and/or surgery.

Coach Paul Westphal has not announced who will start in place of Martin. The Kings signed Ime Udoka Wednesday, before Martin's MRI. Udoka, 32, has primarily played the two forward positions through his brief NBA career, but is sized like a two-guard. Westphal has attempted to feature rookie starting point guard Tyreke Evans in line-ups with Evans's predecessor Beno Udrih early this season, and that remains a possibility as well. The other option is rookie small forward Omri Casspi, who started in place of Martin for two preseason games.

Martin's actual backup -- fifth-year pro Francisco Garcia -- broke his shooting wrist in a freak exercise ball catastrophe during the preseason. Garcia isn't expected back on the court until February.

Kevin Martin Sidelined Indefinitely originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:13:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kings Swap Out Mason for Ime Udoka

Tom Ziller — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, NBA Injuries, NBA Police Blotter, NBA Transactions

The Kings, seeking a defensive veteran for the small forward position, took on Desmond Mason in advance of training camp. That didn't turn out so well: Mason has been beyond awful on offense (surprising no one who has watched Mason play at any point over the past four years) and didn't make much of a difference for the league's 29th ranked defense.

Five games was enough for the Sacramento front office, as the team waived Mason a day after signing former Blazer and Spur Ime Udoka to a non-guaranteed minimum salary contract. Like Mason, Udoka is known for his defensive skill, having been signed as a sort of Bruce Bowen replacement two summers ago. That didn't really work out, and Udoka was left teamless for opening day after Portland waived the swingman at the end of the preseason.

Mason started Sacramento's first four games before Paul Westphal elevated Andres Nocioni to the spot Wednesday. Nocioni has created another problem: the Argentine veteran was arrested on suspicion of DUI in downtown Sacramento early Thursday morning. He has a court date Monday, and can expect a compulsory two-game suspension by the NBA at some point in the future (though potentially not until the start of next season).

Udoka is a year younger than Mason, which is to say Udoka is still a bit too old for the tastes of this Kings fan. The Kings boast a young roster, with three starters and five rotation players under the age of 23. Team star Kevin Martin is only 26, and Nocioni is the elder statesman of the starting five at 29.

Udoka does have a solid defensive reputation, and in his best pro season (2006-07 with Portland) he shot well from the corners. Martin (who was found to have a hairline fracture in his non-shooting wrist today, and as such could miss a few weeks) has really stepped up his defense this season, but the Kings continue to allow easy shots in the paint and too many open threes. Hopefully Udoka can help there.

Kings Swap Out Mason for Ime Udoka originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stinkface Chronicles: A Brilliant Disguise

Rob Peterson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Jazz, Kings, Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Spurs, NBA Videos

Looking back at the first week of the 2009-10 NBA season, someone missed a golden opportunity for a Halloween costume.

Wouldn't it have been great if two Lakers fans had gone as Shannon Brown and Josh Powell with the fan who was Brown holding onto a rim (a Nerf rim would have been fine) and sitting on Powell's shoulders?

"Whatever do you mean, Professor Stinkface?"

You know what I mean. Video after the jump.

Could you imagine the looks on people's faces if two guys walked into a party like that? Their faces would probably mirror the collective look on everyone's faces at the Staples Center on Oct. 30 when Brown yanked down a dunk so ferocious, so nasty we had wished Doug Collins had been announcing just so he could go all 2000 on us.

Just look at what Brown does in this video. He's at the top of the square when he lands on top of Powell's noggin. While Brown's ups are impressive, what's even more so is his timing. Remember, he's doing this off a long, missed 3-pointer. To measure the shot, the carom and then his steps? Incredible.

The four-letter network also was kind enough to do everything we would have done had we had the DVR running -- pause, slow mo, pause. The only thing they didn't do was rewind, and with the Mavericks up 12 at the time, they should have. No one would have complained. Except maybe Phil Mushnick.

Melo on Millsap

Poor Paul Millsap, he of the large contract and one more year of apprenticeship under Carlos Boozer. If riding the pine behind Boozer wasn't bad enough, Millsap suffered greviously when Carmelo Anthony unleashed all the fury of West Baltimore on his head.

Thanks to his own ill-advised and errant pass, Millsap was in the wrong place at the wrong time on Wednesday, Oct. 28 as Melo monster mashed in his mug.

'House's Brett Pollakoff covered this one quite well the night it happened and judging by the tweets, even Melo's peers couldn't help but ooh and ahh. I'll let it lay. You click the link and get your stink on.

Manu v. Bat

We've posted mulitple times on the Spurs' Manu Ginobili taking down the bat on Halloween night. And what the heck, we'll do it again because for the first time in NBA history we have "bat stinkface."

Don't believe me? As FanHouse NBA poobah Matt Watson pointed out, check out Kevin Martin's reaction at about 35 seconds. That's an epic flinch right there. It's tough to blame Martin, though. The bat was headed right for him and Manu saved him from multiple rabies shots. I think a thank you note or at least an iTunes gift card should be in the offing, don't you?

And finally...

A quick shout out to Alexe (or as he's known on YouTube as spankissimo) for not only responding to the first Stinkface post, but for being inspired enough by it to create this video, which went viral big time last week when multiple basketball blogs linked to it.

Congrats, Alexe. We look forward to more.

Stinkface Chronicles: A Brilliant Disguise originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Manu Ginobili Getting Up More Shots ... All Over His Body

Rob Peterson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, Spurs, NBA Injuries

When it comes to protecting yourself from rabies, it seems as if hand sanitizer won't cut it.

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili -- three-time NBA champ, Olympic gold medalist, NBA All-Star, exterminator extraordinaire and scourge of PETA -- has been required to get shots for rabies, the San Antonio Express-News reports, because of his quick reflexes and a chance encounter with a bat on Saturday night:

Ginobili took four shots Monday in the hip and arm, and he is scheduled for four more such sessions over the next month. "It was pretty funny at the time," Ginobili told the San Antonio Express-News. "Now it's not. I got like a million shots for rabies."

If you haevn't been living in a (bat) cave, you know by now a bat flew into the AT&T Center during the Spurs-Kings contest, causing a slight delay and more than a couple of freak-outs. Ginobili, in one of his best on-court moments since finding Robert Horry all alone at the 3-point line in overtime of Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals, swatted the bat to the court, scooped up his prey and handed it to a clearly skittish security guard.

What happened next was a matter of debate.

PETA thought it was dead, and they let the world know that Ginobili should have taken pity on the poor creature. But Ginobili didn't kill the bat. Turns out, he stunned it (and the crowd, who gave him a standing O for his Manu-a-mano defense), which is the reason he was getting precautionary rabies vaccinations.

Because someone released the bat into the wilds of central Texas, no one could do a test on the bat to see if it was carrying the disease. Hence, Ginobili will be subjected to series of shots for the next month. On Monday, he sported bandages covering the vaccinations.

"It wasn't so much fun," Ginobili told the Express-News. "But the bat survived. I'm fine. I'm not going to have rabies."

Phew! Though the thought of a rabid off guard caught the Spurs, well, off guard.

"Everybody was worried about H1N1," said Richard Jefferson to the Express-News. "Now you've got rabies to worry about."

Don't worry about swine flu, Richard. You have plenty of hand sanitizer for that.

Manu Ginobili Getting Up More Shots ... All Over His Body originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iranian and Israeli Players Could Face Off For First Time

Chris Tomasson — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:52:00 EST

Filed under: Grizzlies, Kings, FanHouse Exclusive

DENVER -- Forget about a Tar Heel against a Dukie or a Kentucky Wildcat against a Louisville Cardinal. This is a lot different.

On Monday night in Sacramento, an Israeli player could face a player from a rival Middle East Muslim nation for the first time ever in the NBA.

Kings forward Omri Casspi is the first man from Israel ever to play in the NBA, and has three games under his belt. His team at Arco Arena next plays Memphis, which features center Hamed Haddadi, a second-year man from Iran.

Before his Grizzlies met Denver on Sunday night, Haddadi told FanHouse he never has faced an Israeli player on the court because teams from his Iran, which does not recognize the Jewish nation, are not allowed to play Israel. In 2005, Haddadi said his Iranian team was not allowed to go to Argentina for the 2005 FIBA World Championship for Young Men because of the possibility of Israel being an opponent.

But Haddadi has no problems with facing Casspi.

"It is just a sport,'' he said. "I don't know what happened with the two countries. I don't care. I just do my job. I don't think about politics ... I do not think what the two positions of Iran and Israel is.''

But Haddadi realizes the high-profile position he is in as an NBA player. In order to make a statement that this is indeed just sport, he was asked if he would shake Casspi's hand before the game.

"Why not? Which is his number? Haddadi said of Casspi, who wears No. 18. "I think it could be good (to make a positive statement).''

Casspi could not be reached Sunday. However, he was asked last July at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas about the possibility of facing Haddadi this season.

"It's not a problem for me,'' said Casspi, whose Kings and Haddadi's Grizzlies both were in the summer league but did not meet. "I don't know about him.''

There are players in the NBA from Turkey and Senegal, but both those nations have diplomatic relations with Israel. Iran is the world's only predominately Muslim country that has an NBA player and does not recognize Israel.

"As one of the biggest cliches regarding the Israel-Arab conflict would say, 'It's not the people of Israel and Iran who hate each other, it's the leaders,''' said Eran Soroka, basketball writer for the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv. "A lot of people emigrated from Iran to Israel during the last decades, and you can find Israeli and Iranian citizens dancing to the same music in clubs in, for example, Turkey. The NBA is also a frame which is completely different from the Middle East tension: Haddadi, for that matter, is an Americanized Iranian... He already accepted the challenge of playing for his country's nemesis (the United States).''

Tensions between Iran and Israel have risen in recent years due to Iran attempting to develop nuclear technology. Iran refers to Israel's government as the "Zionist regime'' and the land is referred to as "occupied territories.''

In 2006, Iranian president Mahmoud Admadinejad said he wanted to "wipe Israel off the map'' and was said to have called the Holocaust, Nazi German's extermination of 6 million Jews during World War II, a "myth.'' He later denied he made comments that the Holocaust did not happen.

Haddadi has tried to steer clear of all this.

"I don't want politics into sports,'' said Haddadi, 24. "I think it should be separated.''

In 2005, Haddadi learned the hard way that it isn't in Iran. He was ready to go to Argentina for international competition until the trip was abruptly canceled.

"We don't go to Argentina because (Israel was playing),'' Haddadi said. "I was young. I was (20). I didn't know about politics or anything. I can't say, 'I want to go to Argentina.''

But Haddadi opted to push politics aside at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Even though Iran insisted its representatives have no contact with Israelis, Haddadi was among Iranian players who shook hands with David Blatt, the Israeli coach of Russia's Olympic team. It happened after Russia easily beat Iran 71-49 in a first-round game.

"After the interview, I shake his hand,'' Haddadi said of the post-game media session. "I don't care. It is just sport.''

After the game, Blatt told Israel's Sports Channel, "That's the beauty of Olympic Games. They go beyond the issue of nationality. Only here can an Israeli coach shake hands with the players and coach of the Iranian team.''

But there hardly has always been harmony at the Olympics between Iranians and Israelis.

"The most famous cases happen in the Olympic games and big international tourneys,'' Soroka said. "In 2004, an Iranian, Arash Miresmaeili, was one of the surest bets for a gold medal (in judo), but then, the draw confronted him with Israeli Ehud Vaks. Arash withdrew (he officially was disqualified due to being overweight but it's generally believed that was intentional), and became a hero in the eyes of the Iranian leaders. Vaks won by forfeit.

"In Beijing 2008, swimmer Mohammad Alirezaei pulled out of a heat with Israeli Tom Be'eri because of (what Alirezaei claimed was) illness... This is the Iranian formal policy of athletes who represent that country. Haddadi is representing mainly the Memphis Grizzlies in (Monday's) game, I believe.''

There is plenty of international harmony in the NBA. The league announced last week that opening-day rosters feature a record-tying 83 international players from 36 countries.

It is no certainty Casspi and Haddadi, both reserves, will take the court at the same time Monday. Casspi is averaging 18.0 minutes in his three games while Haddadi is averaging 3.7 in Memphis' first three.

But the teams will meet again Nov. 23 in Memphis and March 22 in Sacramento.

"I don't know,'' Haddadi said when asked whether people in Iran will care if he plays against Casspi. "The government, they don't like to play (Israel in sports competitions).''

One thing is for sure. Like the Kings' previous three games, Monday's game will be watched closely on television in Israel even though it starts at 5 a.m. local time.

Hopefully, Casspi and Haddadi will shake hands before it begins. After all, it is just sport.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com.

Iranian and Israeli Players Could Face Off For First Time originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bats Everywhere Quiver in Fear of Manu

Tom Herrera — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:35:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, Spurs, NBA Videos

Manu Ginobili is many things: versatile guard, lover of alfajores, and now you can add "bat swatter" to his growing list of roles. As the Spurs and Kings played on Halloween night, someone had the bright idea to release a live bat at the AT&T Center. The bat tried to dive into Kevin Martin on a breakaway layup, and later delayed the game by flying low around the court before fluttering by Ginobili.

Bad move, bat. (Update: PETA Responds, Comparing Manu to Michael Vick. Seriously.)

An alert Ginobili tracked it and smacked the bat out of mid-air, then handed it off to arena staff as the crowd roared in applause. After getting a spray of hand sanitizer, the game proceeded as normal. Earlier in the game, the Spurs Coyote tried to corral the bat with a net, but all they really needed was Manu.

After the Spurs' victory, Ginobili had this to say: "I didn't think it was a big deal. Then the whole arena started chanting my name."

Added Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich: "He's never ceased to amaze me the years he's been here. ... He just did it again."

As Ball Don't Lie noted, this isn't the first time a flying creature stopped an NBA game. "Spirit," the Atlanta Hawks' real-life mascot, delayed a Hawks-Heat playoff game when it swooped down and perched on top of the backboard. One can only assume a hawk-bat hybrid straight out of Star Wars lore will be next to interrupt.

Curiously enough, Brett Pollakoff tried to snag some video of the Manu vs. bat showdown from the League Pass broadband DVR feature only to be denied by censorship. Hopefully no fines will be levied in the aftermath.

Update: On his Twitter page, Sam Amick of The Sacramento Bee provided this one-of-a-kind official Spurs injury report for the fallen bat.

Bats Everywhere Quiver in Fear of Manu originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ready or Not, Here 'Reke Comes

Tom Ziller — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:32:00 EST

Filed under: Hornets, Kings

Freaky Friday in NOLA. The greatest point guard in the world -- Chris Paul. A festive atmosphere, the home opener for the Hornets. Tyreke Evans, rookie point guard for the Sacramento Kings, had a big challenge ahead. Never mind he was coming off an underwhelming debut Wednesday in Oklahoma City. For the 20-year-old wolf in wolf's clothes, this was the proverbial uphill battle.

And though it didn't end with glass slippers or even confetti, Evans proved he belongs in the NBA.

Through 3-1/2 quarters, Evans matched Paul's play, which is saying something, because Paul was electric. Missing his ol' oop partner Tyson Chandler and relying on fewer snipers on the perimeter, Paul took matters into his own hands much of the game. He finished with 31 points. But 13 of those came in the final six minutes of the game, where Paul shredded Evans around picks and pressed the ball in transition to help the Hornets come from behind to secure the team's first win.

Until that six-minute mark, it was Evans leaving Paul in the dust. Until the final three minutes, Evans had racked up 22 points with Paul guarding him almost exclusively -- or trying, at least. At times 'Reke relied on high screens from Jason Thompson and Sean May. But more frequently, Evans toyed with Paul in an isolated high dribble, waiting for the perfect moment to blow by the All-Star for a layup or a dump pass. (These dump passes added up to little, as frequent receiver Thompson blew ungodly numbers of layups, shooting 4-of-16 for the night while taking only four shots outside of eight feet. This will not typically happen.)

Evans also avoided mistakes through most of the game ... until the final moments struck. In fairness to Evans, the rest of the Kings blew it as well: Kevin Martin, who shared J.T.'s paint misery all night, had a few poor plays in the last five Sacramento possessions, including a blocked three-pointer to seal the loss. The final result relegated Evans to footnote status, but have no doubt that during the game Evans vs. Paul was the story ... because 'Reke made it so.

You can tell Paul understood that. After the final buzzer, CP3 sought out Evans, hugged it out, and spoke in the youngster's ear for several moments. I have no idea what Paul told 'Reke, but I can only imagine it was a bit more than your standard welcome to the NBA. Anyone who watched Evans scorch the world's greatest point guard for 36 minutes of basketball has to believe Evans will be competing with Paul for attention in years to come.

Ready or Not, Here 'Reke Comes originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here's What's Jumping Out of (NBA) Box

Matt Steinmetz — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:20:00 EST

Filed under: Bobcats, Bulls, Kings, Raptors, Wizards, NBA Last Night, Thunder

Couldn't help but notice some interesting box score lines from a busy Friday night of NBA games. Among them ...

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte: 4-for-20 from the field, 0 assists in 53 minutes. You almost have to try not to get an assist in that many minutes. And for what it's worth, five of Wallace's misses were actually blocked. To be fair, we'll mention Wallace's 15 rebounds, but even they come with a caveat. New York, the Bobcats' opponent, shot 38 percent from the field and the game went into double OT. In other words, there were plenty of misses.

Gilbert Arenas, Washington: 23 points on 9-for-22 from the field, 7 turnovers and 4 assists. Arenas made it look easy the other night when he had 29 points and nine assists in a win over Dallas. So ... maybe there are going to be some ups and downs for him.

Nick Young, Washington: 0-for-8 from the field in 12-plus minutes. It's not the eight misses we're focusing on, it's that he got up eight shots in little more than a quarter's worth of work.

John Salmons, Chicago: 2-for-14 from the field. To say Salmons is off to a terrible start shooting the ball is an understatement. He's now 5-for-29 from the floor through two games.

James Harden, Oklahoma City: 8 assists in 16-plus minutes. That's not bad for a two guard, especially when you're talking about a rookie.

Jose Calderon, Toronto: 3 assists and 3 turnovers in 34 minutes. Hey, it's just one game, but we're talking about a player here who had a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season and a 5-to-1 turnover-to-assist ratio two seasons ago. Is the fact the ball isn't going to be in Calderon's hands as much -- with Hedo Turkoglu on board -- going to be a factor?

Kevin Martin, Sacramento: 9-for-29 from the field. No excuse for taking that many shots ... unless you're knocking down more than half of them.

Jason Thompson, Sacramento: 4-for-16 from the field in 39 minutes. That kind of shooting really mitigates those six offensive rebounds.

Here's What's Jumping Out of (NBA) Box originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Omri Casspi Enters the History Books

Elie Seckbach — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, Euroleague, NBA Videos

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

When the Sacramento Kings opened the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this week, rookie Omri Casspi officially entered the NBA history books as the first Israeli player to play in the NBA. In his first game, Casspi looked good, dropping 15 points (7-9 from the field) in just 19 minutes of action. In this FanHouse video we talk to Caspi and several of his former teammates from Israel's champion Maccabi Tel Aviv. We also hear from Tony Gaffney, who now plays in Israel and worked out with Casspi all summer, about Casspi's competitive nature.

Check out the video after the jump.

Omri Casspi Enters the History Books originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mason Looking Like Kings' Starting SF

Matt Steinmetz — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, NBA Preseason

SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal continues to maintain he hasn't yet settled on a starting small forward. He talks of possibly using either Kevin Martin there or perhaps rookie Tyreke Evans.

But that's only if he decides to roll out a smaller lineup that would include Beno Udrih as the starting point guard. Westphal has even suggested that rookie Omri Casspi is in the mix, saying he likes Casspi's hustle and competitiveness.

And Westphal also claims he hasn't ruled out Andres Nocioni -- despite acknowledging that he likes Nocioni off the bench. But if you've been watching the Kings in the preseason, it's starting to seem apparent who's going to get the nod for the regular-season opener against Oklahoma City: Desmond Mason.

When asked if Mason was his starting small forward after the Kings defeated the Warriors 101-94 in a preseason game on Saturday, Westphal responded: "He was the last two games. Let's see where it goes."

The small forward free-for-all was brought on by the fluke forearm injury to Francisco Garcia, who is expected to be out approximately four months. After missing the first two preseason games because of a bad back, Mason has begun to assume the starter's mantle.

"I don't really like to change (starting lineups) too much depending on opponents," Westphal said. "Doesn't mean that we might not be forced to do that in some respects. But every first quarter we've played with Desmond starting has been an excellent first quarter."

What Westphal likes most about Mason is that he's found a way to contribute despite shooting poorly from the field in his two games. Mason is just 2-for-13 in the preseason, but it's all the other stuff that seems to be winning him the job.

After Saturday's win, Westphal was quick to point out that he liked the job Mason did on Warriors' forward Corey Maggette in the fourth quarter.

"He's a proven pro and he gives us a defensive presence at several positions," Westphal said. "I like what I've seen a lot."

Which is what Westphal also says about Casspi, the raw and excitable rookie who wasn't afraid to take on the Stephen Jackson challenge. Casspi played a role in Jackson's 6-for-19 shooting performance and didn't seem out of place with some back-and-forth chippiness.

"He came in and was instrumental in getting this win," Westphal said. "He was tentative a few times, got a few sloppy traveling calls, but I like the way he keeps coming back. He's getting better all the time. What the future holds with the development of that spot, who knows? But I kind of liked the rotation tonight."

More Steinmetz on Twitter: @matt_steinmetz

Mason Looking Like Kings' Starting SF originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Francisco Garcia's Ball Pops, Causes Broken Arm and a 4-Month Absence

Tom Ziller — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:50:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, NBA Injuries

The Kings, as the myths go, are cursed. There's a tale locally that ARCO Arena was built on an Indian burial ground, but the same could probably be said for any number of Costcos or housing developments in the area and you don't see stuff like this happened to anyone outside the Purple and White jerseys.

By "stuff like this," of course, I mean "wrist fractures when the exercise ball you're lifting weights on explodes." That's what will cause Kings wing Francisco Garcia to miss the next four months of action.

The first word Friday had Garcia with a fractured arm after a weightlifting mishap. Then the Kings reported that there was an equipment failure. And then it went public that the equipment which malfunctioned was an exercise ball. Garcia had been lifting hand weights (with a spotter, the Kings insist) while laying on the exercise ball. You see this commonly at civilian gyms -- balancing on the ball helps keep the core muscles of the midsection tense during the lifts.

But there's a secret danger, as Garcia has learned. Eddy Curry had a similar experience last fall, though the Knick's situation could be termed "user error" as Curry's ball popped as soon as he sat on it. Curry suffered only a scrape. Garcia was not so lucky.

There's no word on whether Garcia's ball was properly inflated, how old it was, or whether the Kings will investigate legal action against the (heretofore unknown) manufacturer. Garcia's $30-million, five-year contract goes into effect this season. Garcia missed a portion of last season with a torn wrist ligament. He also broke his finger late in the season, but played through the injury. He then re-aggravated the finger injury during the FIBA Americas Championship in August, causing Garcia to miss two vital games for his Dominican Republic team. The D.R. just missed out on qualifying for the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

Garcia has started at small forward in both of Sacramento's preseason games, and was expected to compete with Desmond Mason for the job in the regular season. With this injury, it seems likely that Mason will be the starter, with Andres Nocioni backing up both forward positions and either Omri Casspi and Donte Greene rounding out the small forward rotation. Garcia had also been considered the primary back-up for shooting guard Kevin Martin. You can expect some double point guard line-ups with Beno Udrih and rookie starter Tyreke Evans in Garcia's stead.

Garcia is the team's best deep threat other than Martin, and a valuable ball-handler. Garcia's point guard skills (which he displayed in a Final Four run for Louisville in 2005) would have been particularly helpful for Evans, who has a lot on his plate this season.

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NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 10: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks in front of Marcus Thornton #5 New Orleans Hornets during a pre-season game on October 10, 2009 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Russell Westbrook;Marcus Thornton

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Phoenix Suns' Louis Amundson, right, shoots as Golden State Warriors' Andris Biedrins defends during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Indian Wells, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) and teammate Shaun Pruitt (55) grab the rebound away from Phoenix Suns' Goran Dragic during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Indian Wells, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Golden State Warriors' Anthony Morrow, left, pushes off Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Indian Wells, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash, right, drives to the basket past Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Indian Wells, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. The game is being played outdoors at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Spectators watch the Golden State Warriors play the Phoenix Suns during the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game in Indian Wells, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. The game is being played outdoors at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Milwaukee Bucks guard Charlie Bell and center Andrew Bogut joke around in the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. Milwaukee won 98-86. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Milwaukee Bucks forward Hakim Warrick, top, gets caught up with Chicago Bulls defends while going after a rebound in the first half of an NBA preseason basketball game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. Milwaukee won 98-86. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson, right, shoot over Milwaukee Bucks forward Hakim Warrick in the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. Milwaukee won 98-86. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) shoot over the defense of Milwaukee Bucks center Kurt Thomas (40) and guard Luke Ridnour (13) in the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. Milwaukee won 98-86. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Milwaukee Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) tries to defend Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Byars (7) in the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. Milwaukee won 98-86. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Francisco Garcia's Ball Pops, Causes Broken Arm and a 4-Month Absence originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Player to Watch: Spencer Hawes

Tom Ziller — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kings

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Spencer Hawes is many things to many people. Well, perhaps I should say the name "Spencer Hawes" is many things to many people. Folks who won't watch a losing team remember the skinny, pale kid (pre-Sunset Tan!) of the 2007 draft, and imagine another Chris Mihm-Todd Fuller-Raef LaFrentz-Paul Davis Great White Stiff. But Hawes isn't that.

Others remember the news that Hawes was a big (huge!) George W. Bush fan at the time it was least popular to be one, driving a car emblazoned with a W sticker around Seattle, a town where W stickers were not particularly popular. And so Hawes becomes a caricature, the prototypical big, white, conservative lug who can't get along with teammates.

Still others look at Big Spencer and see a future NBA Talisman, and evolutionary pivot whose name will demarcate avenues all over the world when his career ends. If you think this subset of the population is filled with lunatics, this post may not be for you.

The skinny, pale kid is a smooth, lean Man now. I mentioned Sunset Tan, but it bears repeating: Spencer Hawes made a guest appearance on Sunset Tan! Also, he has been photographed chilling with rapper Juelz Santana. This is not your typical lily white hard-ass, a la old mentor Brad Miller. This is the new White NBA Star, in the mold of Luke Walton rather than Chris Kaman.

That's all just personal style: his game is different, too. And I'm about to get a little superlative, a little out on Planet Neptune. You should know, if you already do not, that I am a Kings fan. I live on Hope and Nostalgia. If you take my Hope, dammit, I'm going to starve. So be kind. Please.

Hawes is young -- he turned 21 after last season ended. As such, it's hard to grade him out: so few comparable players were playing substantial NBA minutes at age 20. (This is further compounded by the fact that to be a 20-year-old 7-footer playing major minutes, you must have S.T.A.R. written all over your scouting report. I can't exactly toss a Patrick O'Bryant into an analysis, you know?)

So I took the three closest matches my brain could conjure. The rules: slim 7-footers who can shoot and also do center/power forward duties, and who played major minutes at age 20 or 21. I came up with Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki and Andrea Bargnani. (I would have included the aforementioned LaFrentz, but he got no burn until age 23.)

Gasol is a bit of a concession, as he doesn't shoot threes often, unlike the others. But Pau's age 21 statistics are fairly close to Hawes's age 20 statistics, so I felt he merited inclusion. It's not like we're writing canon here. (Or are we?)

First, let's measure Hawes against the others with good ol' box score entries. I adjusted everything to a "per 36 minutes" number to get apples and apples. It should also be noted here that Hawes was in his second season, while the others were in their rookie year at these ages (age 20 for Dirk, age 21 for Gasol and Bargnani). The three international players did have overseas professional experience, though.

As we can we see, Hawes lags the others in per-minute scoring, but is the best rebounder of the bunch, and trails only Gasol slightly in per-minute assists and blocks. Like Pau, the combination of rebounding and passing skill is impressive.

But a knock on Hawes has been his shooting touch: he gets points, but not efficiently. How does his shape up there?

Again, Hawes lags only Gasol in two-point shooting at this stage. Hawes's interior shooting improved as the season went on last year: after the All-Star break, Hawes shot 53.8% on two-point attempts. His post work, while pretty, is still inefficient -- he thinks he has a hook, but it rarely goes down. His best bet is usually to face up and fire an unblockable 15+ foot "jumper." (He doesn't jump on 15-footers.) Or, he can hang out around the perimeter, where he hits threes at a far greater clip than Dirk did at this age (though Bargnani, who is now one of the league's most accurate deep shooters, was better).

But the face-up jumper and the perimeter play have drawbacks. You can see a glimpse in the True Shooting percentage comparison. True Shooting is a composite shooting score that is basically the equivalent of "points per shooting possession," taking into account twos, threes and trips to the free throw line. Hawes is second among this group in two-point shooting and three-point shooting, yet his TS% registered a good deal lower than Gasol and Bargnani. Which can only mean ...

The free throw line is not Hawes's friend, for two reasons. First of all, he never gets there! Hawes has drawn a shockingly low number of free throws as a pro. When he gets to the line, he inexplicably misses them, shooting just 66.2% from the stripe last season. We're used to centers -- Shaq, Duncan, Dwight -- suffering at the line. But those centers don't have legit three-point range! Seven-foot gunners should be able to nail free throws. It wouldn't have made a huge difference here if Hawes had made a higher percentage of freebies. The bigger problem is how few fouls he draws. But if Hawes somehow improves his foul-drawing, it will be problematic if he does not also improve his FT shooting percentage.

That lack of made free throws really affects Hawes's scoring and True Shooting percentage. And, obviously, it could affect the Kings ... if they didn't have one of the top foul-drawing shooting guards in the galaxy (Kevin Martin), a rookie who figures to live at the line (Tyreke Evans) and a frontcourt mate who draws an exceptional number of fouls for a non-notorious, mostly anonymous youngster (Jason Thompson). The Kings might not actually need Hawes to draw fouls too much in order for the offense to be solid in that category. It wouldn't hurt, of course, but if increased foul-drawing hurts any other part of his game, it might not be worth it.

Even if it means ceding "Myth of the Next Pau" or "Myth of the Next Dirk" ground to that Italian magician up in Toronto. Hawes has his own name to make anyway.

Player to Watch: Spencer Hawes originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Preview: Kings

Tom Ziller — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Kings, NBA Preseason, NBA Previews

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Every season, the NBA is filled with a few abjectly awful teams. These squads trudge through their affairs, offering spirit in infrequent spurts while otherwise counting down the days until summer vacation. You take bad players and strip their motivation, their energy ... and it's ugly quickly.

And somehow, the Kings were even worse than that.

Sacramento sold off two of its five best players at midseason, shedding the better (John Salmons) to lose the onerous 2009-10 contract of the lesser (Brad Miller). The Kings were the worst team in the league with Salmons and Miller; the pair was replaced in the starting line-up by Francisco Garcia (a poor man's Salmons, awkwardly) and Spencer Hawes (a poor man's Miller, doubly awkwardly).

The Hawes ascension wasn't bemoaned -- in fact, the opportunity to free Hawes (and free up some to-be-unused cap space) came with the cost of Salmons, who performed well as an Alpha character while team star Kevin Martin nursed a bashed ankle through the winter. Hawes did well once Miller moved, but promoting Hawes left a hole in the corps of frontcourt reserves. Kenny Natt, who mercifully replaced an overmatched Reggie Theus yet somehow became the definitive definition of overmatched himself, ignored midseason acquisition Ike Diogu until the final week of the season. Diogu certainly could have filled the gaping gap behind Hawes and Jason Thompson, and perhaps that result would have gotten Sacramento to 19 or 20 wins. A boy can dream, yes?

Obviously, wholescale change is in order after such a disaster. However, the Kings had already traded or cut everyone they could: Salmons and Miller went to Chicago in February, while Bobby Brown and Shelden Williams were sent to Minnesota for Rashad McCants (who has since become a free agent) and Calvin Booth (who has since joined a cult devoted to the art of the German Expressionists). Sacramento cut Quincy Douby and bought out Mikki Moore before the season ended, and let Diogu scat off to New Orleans. Change basically came in three forms: hiring a new coach (apparently scarlet-lettered Paul Westphal), drafting some excitement (Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Jon Brockman), and ... well, let's say there was a serious antibiotic scrub at the start of training camp for all returning Kings. Can't be bringing the Desperately Awful virus back to the gym.

How will all the change shake out? Westphal can obviously coach -- he's been to the NBA Finals, and even took Jordan's Bulls to six games. It wasn't apparent that Theus could be an effective NBA head coach, and I'd argue it was rather apparent Natt cannot be an effective NBA head coach. Evans will start at point guard for the Kings in the team's preseason opener. While analysts and fans are split on whether Evans can play the position long-term, the Kings need more energy, more power and more talent than Beno Udrih offered last season. Evans should offer all three. As you'll read in our Player to Watch piece, the Kings desperately need big things from Big Hawes to get back on course. Hawes is a bit of an enigma, while Thompson is expected to produce solid results every night. The Kings will take that while praying Hawes, he of many rare skills, can occasionally offer superlative performances.

And of course, there's Martin, he of the stunning and shocking offense, racking up points and points on so few shots. Any analyst or fan chiding Martin for a lack of health last season might need to be reminded how hard the task Martin faces every night is -- before accounting for the fact one leg was borderline unusuable for basketball purposes for 90 percent of last season. Martin's injury is not chronic and he has lit up the gym during camp. He'll be ready, and Praygod he'll avoid misfortune. If he does, the Kings at least have a chance at not being completely and utterly disgusting. And a chance is all I can ask for.

Last Season By the Numbers

Record: 17-65 (6-18 under Reggie Theus, 11-47 under Kenny Natt). Finished 5th in the Pacific Division, 15th in the Western Conference.

Offense: 105.5 points per 100 possessions, 25th in the NBA. 22nd in shooting, 25th in turnover rate, 26th in offensive rebounding, 5th in free throw rate.

Defense: 114.7 points per 100 possessions, 30th in the NBA. 28th in shooting defense, 16th in opponent turnover rate, 29th in defensive rebounding, 27th in opponent free throw rate.

Top Performers: Kevin Martin scored 24.6 points per game. No other player who finished the season with the Kings scored more than 14 points a game with Sacramento. Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes each averaged just more than 7 rebounds per game. Beno Udrih averaged 4.7 assists per game; no other player who finished the season with Kings averaged as many as three assists per game. Martin (19.2) was the only guy in Kings purple at season's end with a PER better than average, though Rashad McCants finished at 17.2 in fairly limited minutes.

All statistics via Basketball-Reference.com.

Player to Watch

FanHouse's Matt Moore and Tom Ziller preview one player to watch from each team. Here's a snippet of Ziller's post on Kings center Spencer Hawes.

Still others look at Big Spencer and see a future NBA Talisman, and evolutionary pivot whose name will demarcate avenues all over the world when his career ends. If you think this subset of the population is filled with lunatics, this post may not be for you.

The skinny, pale kid is a smooth, lean Man now. I mentioned Sunset Tan, but it bears repeating: Spencer Hawes made a guest appearance on Sunset Tan! Also, he has been photographed chilling with rapper Juelz Santana. This is not your typical lily white hard-ass, a la old mentor Brad Miller. This is the new White NBA Star, in the mold of Luke Walton rather than Chris Kaman.

See Ziller's full post on Hawes.

Offseason Tracker

IN: Tyreke Evans (draft), Omri Casspi (draft), Jon Brockman (draft), Sergio Rodriguez (trade), Sean May (free agency), Desmond Mason (free agency).

OUT: Rashad McCants (free agency), Ike Diogu (free agency).

FanHouse Preview: Kings originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kings Won't Be Next Team to Relocate

Tom Ziller — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Kings

You can sum up the nearly decade-long Sacramento arena crisis much like you can sum up the existence of the Sacramento Kings these days: long stretches of boredom spliced intermittently with bits of deep panic. ARCO Arena is busted, as the Maloofs have been saying since 2001, and the city is no closer to a new gym than it was then.

Every now and then, progress looks so far off that someone -- an agent of the Maloofs, a mayor, a bunch of fans -- cranks up the wailing and the Evil Advent Calendar begins its countdown to a relocation. The Maloofs, at this point, actually have good reason to yell "Fire!" as the latest plan (hatched by the NBA itself) isn't making progress.

But to the shock of nearly all, the Maloofs have done the completely opposite: they have assured Sacramento the Kings will remain in town for the long haul.

Last spring, the NBA unveiled a plan to build a new arena at the site called Cal Expo, also known as the annual host of the California State Fair (and the more-than-occasional RV/gun/doll/garden/Phish show). The economy didn't exactly cooperate with the NBA's timing, and developers, while impressed with the plan, have told the league that it can't happen until the region is back on track.

Given that NBA representative John Moag said he'd be looking for progress within a year, and that the region's economy is expected to be in the tank until 2011 at the earliest, and that a year from the unveiling is early 2010, and that the deadline to apply for relocation in the NBA is in the spring ... you can see why the panic spread. And why it became imperative for reporters to hover around Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof Wednesday.

Maloof's answer to whether a relocation app would be filed is ... refreshing. The Sacramento Bee:

"No, no, no. There's no way," Maloof told The Bee Wednesday, waving his arms emphatically. "We love the market. We love our fans. This is the only place we want to be."

The Maloof reputation isn't impeccable, but the family has been seen as trustworthy. I feel confident in believing that quote, and -- given time -- the league should be able to get something done. (This is the NBA, after all.) We just need to wait.

Considering how the product on the court has gone over the past three seasons, a return on this issue to boredom rather than panic ... that sounds good to me.

Kings Won't Be Next Team to Relocate originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kings' Beno Udrih Blames Coaching For 17-Win Season

Tom Ziller — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:42:00 EST

Filed under: Kings

A lot of Kings fans, myself included, spent the 2008-09 season bemoaning the inability of Sacramento starting point guard Beno Udrih to cleanly pass the ball. But let me assure you: Beno has no problem passing the blame.

A candid, borderline cheerful Beno discussed the abominable 17-win season with Sacramento media Monday. And his opinion on what went wrong was impossible to misinterpret: blame coaches Reggie Theus and Kenny Natt.

"Sometimes last season, I didn't know if I was a small forward or a point guard," the 6'3 Udrih said. "We were definitely confused. We didn't have roles."

The Kings signed Udrih to a five-year, $30 million extension before the 2008-09 season kicked off. Udrih had joined Sacramento as a minimum salary free agent the season prior when Mike Bibby went down with a sprained thumb and the back-up plan at the point guard position -- current New Zealand league stud Orien Greene and swingman Francisco Garcia -- didn't work out. The fan and media perception was that after inking his big contract, Udrih lost the fire that drove his solid 2007-08 Kings debut.

But Udrih insisted Monday that coaches never really put the team -- or the ball -- in his hands.

"As a point guard, am I just supposed to dribble past half-court and pass the ball? That's how it happened, because everyone wanted the ball, and the coach didn't set roles," Udrih said. "Coaches have to set roles."

The point guard made a point to note how differently the team under Theus -- who was fired in December -- and rookie coach Natt had been run in comparison with the Spurs teams coached by Gregg Popovich Udrih played with to open his NBA career. Udrih never seemed sentimental about his time in San Antonio, where he clashed with Popovich over minutes, until experiencing the dread of a cellar-dwelling team.

Udrih missed out on Eurobasket due to an injury suffered during tournament preparations. His Slovenian team qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Udrih said Kings medical staff checked out his knee Monday morning, and everything came up roses.

He hardly seems ready to relinquish the starting point guard role believed to be the birthright of rookie Tyreke Evans. In fact, he hardly seemed ready to admit Evans is even a full-time point guard.

"I just see Sergio [Rodriguez] and I as being the real point guards, the pure point guards," Udrih said. "I see Tyreke as playing the one and the two, as a combination." Kings coach Paul Westphal wouldn't commit to a starter at the position, though Evans starting at point guard during Vegas Summer League and Kevin Martin is the incumbent at two-guard.

Kings' Beno Udrih Blames Coaching For 17-Win Season originally appeared on NBA FanHouse on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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