Sacramento Kings Blog – Page 24 – NBA Blog

Skal Labissiere will host basketball camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Sacramento Kings rookie Skal Labissière announced today that his first Camp S.K.A.L. basketball clinic will tip off this summer in his native Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Representing skills, knowledge and life, Labissière’s Camp S.K.A.L. will host 50 of the top high school basketball players and coaches in Port-au-Prince July 19-21.

“This will be my first time back home in seven years,” Labissière said. “I’m blessed to be in a place now where I can give back to my Port-au-Prince community and this is just the start of more free Camp S.K.A.L. events there in the future. I look forward to sharing some of the basketball and life knowledge I’ve gained over the years.”

Labissière partnered with Reach Your Dream, a non-profit organization promoting spiritual awareness, self confidence, and innovative thinking for future generations in communities throughout the world. Reach Your Dream helped Labissière relocate to the United States before high school to pursue his educational and basketball goals.

“Without the good people of Reach Your Dream, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” added Labissière. “It’s only fitting, that we work together on Camp S.K.A.L. to provide similar opportunities to the future basketball stars of Haiti.”

Kings hire Scott Perry as Executive VP of Basketball Operations

The Sacramento Kings today hired Scott Perry as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, according to General Manager Vlade Divac.

Perry will report directly to Divac and assist in all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the Kings front office, including roster management and development, player personnel matters, scouting strategy and free agency negotiations.

“I’m thrilled that Scott will be joining our front office team,” said Divac. “His extensive experience in the league and management talents will help build on our progress as we work to develop a winning franchise.”

Perry joins Sacramento’s front office after serving the last five seasons in a similar capacity with the Orlando Magic. Prior to his time in central Florida, Perry spent parts of 12 seasons with the Pistons as a collegiate scout (2000-02), director of player personnel (2002-2007) and later as Vice President of Basketball Operations (2008-12). Detroit reached the Eastern Conference Finals on six occasions (2003-08), made consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals (2004 and 2005) and won the NBA Title in 2004 during Perry’s tenure. He also served as the Seattle Supersonics assistant general manager in the 2007-08 season, during which the franchise drafted Kevin Durant No. 2 overall.

Before entering the NBA executive ranks, Perry spent three seasons as head basketball coach at Eastern Kentucky University (1997-2000) and nine years as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan, UC Berkeley and Detroit Mercy.

The former Wayne State University Warrior was a captain and all-conference player his senior season (1986). He also suited up for the University of Oregon as a freshman after being recruited by NBA coach Jim O’Brien and former NBA executive Stu Jackson.

Kings hire Luke Bornn as VP of Strategy and Analytics

The Sacramento Kings today announced the hiring of Luke Bornn as Vice President of Strategy and Analytics.

Bornn joins the Kings organization after most recently serving as Head of Analytics for A.S. Roma of the Italian Serie A Football League, where he worked closely with managers, coaches and sports scientists to measure and evaluate athletes and performance. Concurrent with his tenure at Roma, the British Columbia native has served as a visiting scholar and professor at Harvard University in the Department of Statistics.

In his new role with Sacramento, Bornn will report directly to Vice President and General Manager Vlade Divac and employ expertise in data engineering and collection to empower basketball operations personnel with relevant information valuable in decision making processes regarding roster compilation, player evaluation and overall strategy. The material gleaned from Bornn’s data infrastructure will also assist the team’s training staff in analyzing information received via wearable technology.

Over the coming weeks, Bornn will work with Divac and the front office to add some of the sharpest minds in the field of statistical sciences to augment the analytics department and continue building a database accessible to players, coaches and basketball operations personnel.

In addition to his academic acumen and professorships at Harvard and Simon Fraser University, Bornn is a frequent contributor to the field of sports analytics, authoring articles for the Journal for Quantitative Analysis, the Annals of Applied Statistics and the Journal of the American Statistical Association—providing insights on basketball related topics such as NCAA Tournament forecasting, predicting possession outcomes in NBA contests and the spatial anatomy of defensive success.

Kings trade DeMarcus Cousins to Pelicans, Matt Barnes waived

The New Orleans Pelicans have completed a trade with the Sacramento Kings, acquiring center DeMarcus Cousins and forward Omri Casspi in exchange for guards Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, and two future draft picks.

Additionally, the Kings have waived forward Matt Barnes. A 14-year NBA veteran, the UCLA alum is averaging 7.6 points (.384 FG%, .327 3pt%, .758 FT%), 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25.3 minutes per contest in 54 games (started 13) for Sacramento after joining the team prior to the start of this season.

“We’re thrilled to welcome DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi to the New Orleans Pelicans family,” stated Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps. “This is an exciting time for Pelicans fans as we continue our quest for long-term success. I know our fans are equally excited to welcome DeMarcus and Omri to our great city.
“I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Benson, Dennis Lauscha and Mickey Loomis for their continued support and providing the resources for us to be successful. I’d also like to thank Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and Buddy Hield for their professionalism and hard work on the court and in the community during their tenure in New Orleans.”

“It was time for a change and I decided this was the best direction for the organization, said Kings Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Vlade Divac. “Winning begins with culture and character matters. With the upcoming draft class set to be one of the strongest in a decade, this trade will allow us to build the depth needed for a talented and developing roster moving forward. We thank DeMarcus for his contributions and wish him all the best in New Orleans. The fans in Sacramento are the best in the world and we are all committed to building a team that will continue to make Sacramento proud.”

Cousins, 6-11, 270, has appeared in 55 games this season, averaging 27.8 points (ranked fourth in the NBA), 10.7 rebounds (ranked 11th in the NBA), 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks. Drafted fifth overall by Sacramento in 2010 out of the University of Kentucky, Cousins has appeared in 470 career games, averaging 21.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks. Cousins is a three-time NBA All-Star (2015, 2016, 2017), named to the All-NBA Second Team twice (2015, 2016), was a member of the All-Rookie First Team in 2011, and has won gold medals with Team USA at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

Casspi, 6-9, 225, has appeared in 22 games this season with the Kings, averaging 5.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Drafted by Sacramento with 23rd overall pick in 2011, Casspi has appeared in 485 regular season games with Sacramento, Cleveland and Houston.

A 6-5 guard and 2015-16 recipient of the John R. Wooden Award bestowed on the nation’s best collegiate basketball player, Hield joins the Kings in his rookie campaign after New Orleans tabbed him with the sixth overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma. In 57 contests with the Pelicans this season, he accrued averages of 8.6 points (.392 FG%, .369 3pt%, .879 FT%), 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.2 minutes per game in 57 contests (stated 37).

Evans returns to Sacramento where he earned 2009 Rookie of the Year honors after being selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. An eight-year league veteran, he has amassed 16.3 points (.444 FG%, .289 3pt%, .757 FT%), 4.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 32.5 minutes per game in 459 NBA games (started 370). The Memphis Tiger enjoyed his most prolific seasons in a Kings jersey, registering 17.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 35 minutes per contest in 257 games (started 247).

In his third NBA campaign, Galloway averaged 8.6 points (.374 FG%, .377 3pt%, .769 FT%), 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.4 minutes per contest in 55 games for New Orleans this season. The St. Joseph’s alum previously spent parts of two seasons with the New York Knicks, where he saw action in all 82 games in 2015-16.

Report: Kings trading DeMarcus Cousins to Pelicans

Mere minutes after DeMarcus Cousins deflected questions about a possible trade to New Orleans, the Pelicans and Sacramento Kings agreed to a deal that will pair the All-Star power forward with superstar Anthony Davis, a league source confirmed late Sunday night.

The Pelicans agreed to send rookie first-round pick Buddy Hield, veteran swingman Tyreke Evans and guard Langston Galloway along with their first- and second-round picks in June’s draft to Sacramento, the source said…

Pelicans general manager Dell Demps had been actively trying to land a complement to Davis before Thursday’s trade deadline. Demps also engaged the Philadelphia 76ers about acquiring forward Jahlil Okafor and the Brooklyn Nets about center Brook Lopez. ESPN reported Demps also had talks with the Indiana Pacers about All-Star small forward Paul George.

— New Orleans Times-Picayune

Kings rookie Malachi Richardson injured

An MRI performed today on Kings guard Malachi Richardson revealed a partial thickness tear of the right hamstring.

He will miss approximately four to six weeks of action.

The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of last night’s game at Golden State.

The rookie guard is averaging 3.6 points and 1.0 rebounds on 10.6 minutes in 22 games for the Kings this season.

DeMarcus Cousins suspended and fined for separate incidents

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins has been suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of the 2016-17 season, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.

Under NBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game once he receives his 16th technical foul during a regular season. For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game.

Cousins received his most recent technical foul with :01.1 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Kings’ 112-107 loss to the Chicago Bulls at Golden 1 Center on Feb. 6. Cousins will serve his suspension on Feb. 8 when the Kings host the Boston Celtics at Golden 1 Center.

In addition, Cousins has been fined $25,000 for making an inappropriate statement and gesture after leaving the playing court following the Kings’ 109-106 overtime win against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 4 at Golden 1 Center.

Omri Casspi out with calf injury

An MRI taken last night at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento revealed that forward Omri Casspi suffered a strain of the right plantaris tendon during practice on Monday.

He is expected to miss up to two weeks of action.

The eight-year NBA veteran is averaging 5.9 points (.453 FG%, .379 3pt%, .571 FT%), 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18 minutes per contest this season.

According to the Sacramento Bee, “it has been a trying season for Casspi, whose role has diminished under Dave Joerger. Casspi had appeared in just six of the Kings’ last 15 games and is averaging 5.9 points and 4.1 rebounds.”

DeMarcus Cousins scores 55 points, gets un-ejected in wild game

Following a tumultuous day for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, he scores a season-high 55 points to help his team defeat Portland 126-121. The game was not without drama, however, and a late technical foul call on Cousins that was overturned.

Ty Lawson, Aaron Afflalo and Anthony Tolliver combine for 38 points off the bench in the Kings’ win over the Trail Blazers.

The Kings fined DeMarcus Cousins $50,000 on Tuesday, but overall, they’re almost shameless apologists for their All-Star center’s poor behavior.

— Sacramento Bee

Quick Take: I think Cousins has always felt that some people were out to get him. He’s had that chip on his shoulder throughout his NBA career. What that stems from might require a psychologist (not saying that as an insult). In some cases, like bad techs, it’s understandable. But in other cases it’s mostly on him.

Kings at Sixers game postponed

The Sixers’ game against the Kings at the Wells Fargo Center has been postponed because of moisture on the court. There was no immediate word on a rescheduled date for the game.

Arena staff members tried using wet mops to fix the issue to no avail.

“The Philadelphia 76ers announced that tonight’s game against the Sacramento Kings has been postponed due to an issue with the surface of the court and with player safety in mind,” the team said in a statement. “Arena officials worked diligently to address the issue, but NBA officials determined that the court was not suitable for play.”

— CSN Philly

Quick Take: The InsideHoops Twitter account decided to get silly as the game started to be in doubt and tweeted “Trust the mopcess.” Unfortunately, the mops were unable to do the job. The best reaction after the non-game was from Sixers center Joel Embiid, who tweeted the following: Well The court was tanking tonight…. #TrustTheProcess