Finally, the Rock Has Come Back...

I gotta give full credit to Skeets and Balls Don't Lie for posting this but it is pure bliss. Especially after losing by over 20 to the Bulls at home.

Watch the 1st video while listening to the 2nd one, Dark Side of Oz stylezzzz.

Kings vs. Bulls: Where 10th is Better Than 9th

When I was 9 years old, I knew dick squat about College Basketball. All I knew was that Arkansas had won the National Title the year before and had gone to the Finals that year, meaning that their best player must be the player in the nation. So when the Kings, with the 13th pick (no, I didn't look it up. I remember this stuff) took Corliss "Big Nasty" Williamson, I was a very happy boy.

Then again, I must have understood the concept of a bust too. I remember learning the harsh reality when I looked at the back of a Pervis Ellison card only to find out that he was the Kings #1 overall draft pick in 1989.

This brings me back to two summers ago. The Kings had the 10th pick in the draft and we needed a big man. I was hoping Joakim Noah would drop to us. After all, he had just led Florida to back-to-back National Championships.

Of course, the Bulls picked Noah with the 9th overall pick and the Kings ended up drafting Spencer Hawes. At the time, I was pissed. Hawes looked a bit too much like Greg Ostertag for my comfort. Even worse, all the experts were saying he didn't know how to play defense.

Well, I guess my two childhood theories clashed with each other. Noah somehow convinced everyone that he was a class act by staying at Florida for another year. Now we realize he probably just wanted to get laid by hot Florida girls.

Not only is Noah a big douche but his numbers are terrible. 5 points and 6 rebounds per game? And this guy was touted to be a possible #1 pick 3 years ago?

The Kings dodged a bullet with this one. Not only did we get our center of the future, but also didn't have a headcase like Noah on the team. Can you even imagine what it would have been like to have him and Ron-Ron in the same locker room?

Even if the Kings lose tonight, you can count your blessings that this gap toothed moron isn't wasting space on the bench. That space is reserved for Sheldon Williams.

Did JT and Hawes Get Snubbed?

Let's be honest for a minute. The Kings don't have much going for them these days. But Kings fans have convinced themselves that the one bright spot we have is the new "Youth Movement." But it is pretty pathetic when your so called Youth Movement isn't invited to the youth showcase.

I don't think anyone expected a King to make the All-Star roster. K-Mart is putting up All-Star type numbers. Technically he is 7th in the league in scoring with 23.8 points a game. But he also missed a ton of time and doesn't even qualify for league leadership.

But while there was no hope for the real game, we were hoping that Spencer and Thompson would get an invite to the Rookie-Sophmore Challenge. Of course, that didn't happen.

But did they get snubbed? Well, let's look at each case. First, Hawes.

I'm actually surprised by the play of Hawes this year. I saw him play once last year and he look utterly lost on the court. This year is a different story. He looks much more confident and his numbers are pretty decent at 10/6 in 26 minutes of action.

But who is his competition? You have Al Horford, who has comparable, but slightly better stats at 10.8/8.7 in 33 minutes a game. But then again, he doesn't have Brad "Permapout" Miller taking time from him. But more importantly, he is getting great playing time while on an above average Hawks team. So I think Horford gets the nod over Hawes.

But here is the problem. The other guy who beat Hawes out is Luis Scola. Yeah, Scola has better stats. But isn't this game supposed to highlight up and coming stars? The only reason Scola should be here is if All-Star weekend has that stupid 3 man competition with a "legend," a current player and a WNBA player, with Scola being the Rockets legend. It's crap that Scola gets to be in this game while Hawes sits at home.

On to Mr. Thompson. He has very comparable stats to Hawes this season (10 and 7, in 25 minutes per game), including that amazing 21/11 performance this week against the Celtics. There are two people who Thompson could have replaced and both are members of the Portland Trailblazers.

First, you got Rudy Fernandez. The Rookie roster is guard heavy with Fernandez coming in as a G/F, with the team already sporting 4 guards. It's not like they needed Fernandez on this team. He is averaging 11/3/2. Nothing to write home about. But I'll let it slide. My bigger beef is with Greg Oden on the roster.

The Rookie team is already sporting two centers, with Brook Lopez and Marc Gasol. Why a need for a 3rd center averaging 9/7? Name brand. That's why.

Don't get me wrong. Oden is a beast. He changes the offense of any opposing team just by standing down low. But we're talking about the Rookie game here. Defense is not the name of the game.

But Oden is so hyped that you can't NOT put him in the game. He is supposed to be the face of the new stars. So far he hasn't done that and this is an opportunity for the NBA to show him off. Sadly, it means that Jason Thompson has to sit at home.

Or maybe Oden is in the game for the same reasons Scola is there. An old vet imparting his wisdom on the younger generation. If that is the case, Clyde Drexler should be offended. Twice.

Kings Are a Box Score

I don't have NBA League Pass. It just isn't something I can afford right now. So, in order to keep up with the Kings, I do what I've done for the past 14 years. I read the box score.

That's where the title of the blog comes from. While I can read as much analysis of games as I want, the box score does the most for me. These days, I assume that the Kings will lose. That's why its all about stats .

There are two things that make me happy these days when reading a box score.

1) Seeing JT gets double figures in either rebounds or points.
2) Seeing a big DNP next to Sheldon Williams.

There are limitations to the box score though. There are no categories in the box score for "looked totally oblivious while getting dunked on" and "gave his hotel room number to the pretty girl in the front row while K-Mart took a ridiculous shot while being triple teamed."

When I went to the Kings-Nets game a couple weeks back (a game which I will blog about more in detail later), this became very apparent. There is no way to show how young the Kings are in a box score.

Let's say that the Kings were to lose by 3 points. Sounds like a good effort. But then I find out later that Quincy Douby was playing during the 4th quarter and it all makes more sense.

So that is where my analysis comes from. Is it not as strong as Sactown Royalty? Who's to say? My perspective is just different.

In later posts, I'll talk in more specifics about things, but I just wanted to lay out who I am and where I'm coming from before I do anything.

Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself..

Moving away from Sacramento when I was 9 years old was tough. I was at the height of my popularity. My teachers loved me. My school's hallways were outside. Who could ask for more?

Not only did I have to move away, but I had to move to Canada. Not just Canada. French Canada. A hotbed for blizzards and separatists.

The worst part of it all though, seriously, was not being able to watch the Kings on a regular basis.

Following a small market team from a distance is really freakin' tough. You need to really be a die hard in order to remain a long distance fan as a 10 year old. Want proof? Just ask me how much I care about the Oakland A's.

So here I am, currently living in New York, watching the Kings whenever I can and reading any article/blog/box score about the Kings that I can find.

My hope for this blog is to not only give analysis of the current state of the Kings but also talk about some memories of greater Kings days (both when I lived in Sacramento and not), as well as the frustrations I and other Kings fans have by not living in Sactown.