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Kevin Johnson, Maloofs Lacking Communication Over Kings Relocation

February 25, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – With so many signs continuing to point toward a Kings exodus to Anaheim, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson on Thursday admonished the owners of his city’s only professional sports team for the way in which they’ve handled the ongoing process.

Johnson, the former NBA player who is so uniquely positioned in this attempt to retain the Capital City’s basketball team, was reacting to an announcement from the NBA that Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof had requested an extension on the March 1 deadline to file for relocation. Johnson, who said he learned of the news through a Google alert in his e-mail account, wasted no time in responding.

“Today’s news is very disappointing in my opinion for the city of Sacramento,” Johnson said early in his news conference that lasted nearly 20 minutes and much of which can be seen here. “As you know, the Kings have asked the NBA for an extension of March 1 in terms of relocation, that deadline. I don’t think you can mince words. It means one thing: they’re looking for a deal elsewhere, and they’re going to take the next few weeks or so to see if they can pull off something in another city, and I just think, in my opinion, Sacramento deserves better than this.”

 

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Sources: Kings Forward Carl Landry to Be Traded to Hornets for Marcus Thornton

February 22, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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Carl LandryThe Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Hornets have agreed to a trade that will send Kings forward Carl Landry to the Hornets in exchange for guard Marcus Thornton and cash considerations, two sources told FanHouse.

The trade is expected to be finalized on Wednesday morning.

After coming to the Kings from Houston in the trade that sent shooting guard Kevin Martin to the Rockets a year ago, Landry was eager to be placed with a more competitive team after seeing his role minimized this season. He will get that chance with the Hornets, where he’ll most likely back up forward David West.

Landry averaged nearly 12 points and five rebounds per game so far this season in Sacramento. Thornton is putting up just under eight points and three rebounds per game.

Landry is in the final year of a contract that pays him $3 million this season. He sat out his first game of the season Tuesday night in a 117-97 loss to the Miami Heat. Hornets forward David Andersen was originally in the discussions, according to sources, but New Orleans is expected to use a trade exception to make the salaries match instead.

E-mail Sam at amick.sam@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @sam_amick or Facebook. His web site, NBAConfidential.com, is tentatively scheduled to launch on March 1.

 

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Another Sign Points to Kings’ Desire to Leave Sacramento

February 21, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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With a March 1 deadline to file for relocation looming large in Sacramento and the owners of the Kings continuing discussions with Anaheim Ducks officials regarding a possible move to Southern California, a source close to the situation said Monday that they have yet to deliver documents that were promised to the arena development team in California’s Capital City.

It is, without question, yet another sign that the Maloofs (Gavin and Joe above) are strongly considering the possibility of playing elsewhere next season.

 

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LeBron James Posts All-Star Game’s First Triple-Double Since Jordan

February 20, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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LeBron James

LOS ANGELES — As LeBron James fielded questions from the press corps at Staples Center on Sunday night, he was asked about his favorite moments from All-Star weekend.

The Miami star answered by talking about charity, describing how richly he was rewarded for taking part in a number of good-will efforts in the days leading up to the game itself. Yet after the West had won 148-143, it was the MVP voters who had been in the giving spirit. At James’ expense.

Despite his triple-double (29 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists), James lost out to the Lakers‘ hometown hero, Kobe Bryant (37 points on 14-of-26 shooting, 14 rebounds and three assists) for the game’s top award. The voting is done with media members accounting for nine votes and the fan votes accounting for three more. The triple-double was only the second in All-Star game history — and the first since Michael Jordan turned the trick in 1997.

“I just tried to showcase my talent on both ends of the floor — defending, rebounding, scoring,” James said. “We came up short. And you know for me, I’m all about winning, so (I’m) just a little disappointed in our game. Disappointed that we didn’t win.”

 

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Kings May File for Relocation to Anaheim Before March Deadline

February 19, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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LOS ANGELES — One day after the NBA labor negotiations had finally taken a more positive tone, league commissioner David Stern wasn’t looking to restart the rhetoric.

So when he was asked on Saturday to discuss the Players Association’s contentions that the owners weren’t willing to truly engage them in discussions, he resisted the urge to negate this incremental progress.

“Actually, I’m counting to ten,” Stern said of his self-temperance effort. “Because what I really want to say is that I really liked yesterday’s meeting because the union agreed to talk about some things that they said (previously) were nonnegotiable. So it’s exactly the opposite (of the assertion).”

 

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NBA Players, Owners Set Tone for Negotiations in All-Star Weekend Meeting

February 18, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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David SternLOS ANGELES — The Friday meeting between NBA owners and players to discuss the dire labor situation will never be remembered as a memorable turning point that led to a new collective bargaining agreement.

It was as basic as gatherings go, with both sides speaking in generalities and basic philosophies about how and why their sides and their stances should be understood. There were, by numerous first-hand accounts, very few details discussed and no issues resolved as the clock continues to tick toward the June 30 expiration and the extended lockout that is expected to follow.

But the very reasons that the meeting was considered a step forward by all involved said everything about the sad state of affairs going in. There was no rhetoric, no contentious tones, no hyper focus on the respective agendas.

With the 15 All-Stars on hand (25 players in all) joined by most of the league’s owners in the Beverly Hills meeting that lasted approximately two hours, there was finally the acknowledgment that both sides must be willing to discuss their disagreements no matter how vehement they might be. And that, believe it or not, marked a significant step forward in setting the tone for these crucial discussions.

 

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Sources: DeMarcus Cousins Fined One Game’s Pay by Kings

February 14, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings fined DeMarcus Cousins one game’s pay for his actions following a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

As first reported by FanHouse, the rookie forward exchanged swings with teammate Donte’ Greene in the locker room afterward before the two were separated. Cousins, according to sources, was angry at the last play in which Greene passed to Tyreke Evans for an eventual missed 3-pointer that would have won the game rather than pass to Cousins in the post. It was the byproduct of a bigger issue as well, as sources close to Cousins say his patience with the way in which Evans is handled by the team’s players and coaches has been tested for weeks.

Cousins will not be suspended, however, as the team announced on Monday that he is rejoining his teammates in Oklahoma City and will be available to play in Tuesday’s rematch against the Thunder. The fine — which amounts to a de facto one-game suspension — will cost Cousins approximately $41,000. The fifth pick of the June draft out of Kentucky was slated to earn approximately $3.3 million this season.

 

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Kings Remove DeMarcus Cousins From Team Plane Following Altercation

February 12, 2011   Sam Amick   1 Comment

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kings rookie forward DeMarcus Cousins was removed from team plane bound for Phoenix after an altercation with teammate Donte Greene on Saturday night, according to two sources close to the organization.

The incident, which was first reported by FanHouse, immediately followed a loss to Oklahoma City. Cousins, who had overcome early-season struggles of the performance and personality variety recently, is expected to be suspended for at least one game. Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie did not immediately return a call for comment.

 

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The Coach-Star Player Relationship: Players Still Run the Show

February 12, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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Good for Jerry Sloan.

A Hall of Fame coach says he’s had enough, bringing his 23-year run in Utah to an abrupt end in large part because of his clash with the team’s superstar. It’s a success story because it’s Sloan, the Jazz coach whose legacy has long since been set and who at 68 years old could stand to live a less-stressful existence.

Yet Jazz point guard Deron Williams is merely the latest of his kind to pull a power play in the NBA, his battles with Sloan clearly playing a significant part in the coach’s decision to step down. It’s yet another reminder that the players are in charge around here, a trend that the Miami Three took to new heights last summer, Carmelo Anthony is continuing now with his ongoing Melo-drama and Williams appears to have become part of as well.

There are countless examples of similar situations around the league, unhappy players exerting pressure on a coach they have decided no longer belongs. And it’s hardly a habit reserved solely for the stars.

Which brings us to Sacramento.

 

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Struggling Jazz Search for Confidence

February 08, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Deron Williams corralled the question as if it was a loose ball late Monday night, then waited a second or two before passing it back to the reporter from whence it came.

“It’s been giving me trouble (and) it’s going to keep giving me trouble,” the Utah point guard said with a smirk, responding even though the ice and bandage that was wrapped around his shooting hand had said enough already. “I had the same injury last year … and it took a month and a half. It’s my shooting hand. I do everything with it. It’s going to bother me. I just have to learn to deal with it.”

It’s been that kind of season for the Jazz, whose past and present will collide Wednesday night when Carlos Boozer returns to EnergySolutions Arena with his new Chicago team for the first time.

 

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