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The Sacramento Kings have assigned rookie forward Duje Dukan to the team’s NBA D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, it was announced today by Vice President and General Manager Vlade Divac.
Dukan has played and started in four games for the Bighorns and is averaging 13 points (.426 FG%, .625 FT%, .318 3PT%) and 3.8 rebounds in 27 minutes per game.
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Sacramento Kings rookie center Willie Cauley-Stein sustained an open dislocation of his right index finger late in the fourth quarter tonight against the Boston Celtics in Mexico City.
After evaluation by Kaiser Permanente doctors on site, it was determined that Cauley-Stein will miss approximately 4-6 weeks of action.
The Kings are 7-13 this season. Cauley-Stein is averaging 4.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game.
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An MRI performed today at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento confirmed that Kings guard Darren Collison sustained a left hamstring strain in the second quarter of last night’s contest against the Houston Rockets.
He will miss Monday’s game versus the San Antonio Spurs and be listed as day to day going forward.
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Sacramento Kings center-forward DeMarcus Cousins did not return after halftime due to a sore right Achilles sustained in the second quarter of tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the STAPLES Center. Cousins recorded 13 points (6-14 FG, 0-3 3pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, one assist and one steal in 15 minutes in the first half. He is listed as day-to-day.
The Sacramento Kings announced today they have waived guard David Stockton, according to Kings Vice President and General Manager Vlade Divac. The Kings roster stands at 15. Stockton totaled four points (1-7 FG, 0-1 3pt, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes off the bench in three preseason contests with the Kings.
Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the Kings and the lineup decisions George Karl must make:
There are things Karl still has to sort out as he implements his style of play. Though he said the full starting lineup is yet to be determined, he said some players will have to be happy as “insurance plans,” because there won’t be enough playing time for everyone.
Point guard Rajon Rondo, forward Rudy Gay and center DeMarcus Cousins are locked in as starters. Karl could go with Koufos or rookie Willie Cauley-Stein alongside Cousins and Gay in the frontcourt.
In the backcourt, James Anderson’s defense has earned him a chance at starting at shooting guard. Ben McLemore started every game for the Kings last season, but there is more competition for playing time this season than in the past two seasons. Karl is comfortable with Darren Collison and Marco Belinelli coming off the bench.
The Sacramento Kings announced today they have waived guard Marshall Henderson and forward Vince Hunter, according to Kings Vice President and General Manager Vlade Divac. The Kings roster stands at 16. Both players logged two minutes off the bench in the October 13th game against the Lakers in Las Vegas.
When a player is on fire like Rudy Gay is lately, there’s reason for optimism, even if it is just the warm-up period that is NBA preseason. Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting:
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Rudy Gay looks comfortable in George Karl’s system.
For the second consecutive preseason game, Gay shot 10 of 13, this time tallying 26 points as the Kings defeated the San Antonio Spurs 95-92 Thursday night at Sleep Train Arena.
Gay has hit 8 of 10 three-point attempts in the past two games. He made 2 of 3 beyond the arc on Thursday.
“He wasn’t shooting the ball very well for most of training camp,” said Karl, the Kings’ coach. “He didn’t play very well in Portland (on Monday). I think it was just pride that he said he wanted to come out and start playing better.”
Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the Kings, who like the league’s other 29 teams are just getting their feet wet in preseason:
Darren Collison missed a three-pointer that would have given the Kings the lead with 3.8 seconds to play, and Sacramento fell to 1-1 in the preseason with a 102-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
The Kings committed 21 turnovers. Kings coach George Karl said many of them were unforced errors.
“I think we’ve had 40 turnovers in two nights and bet 60 percent, 70 percent are unforced,” Karl said. “Some of that’s not knowing each other; some of that’s trying to do a little bit too much in a crowd, putting yourself in difficult decision-making places. I think we’ll get better at it.”
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Rudy Gay led the Kings with 30 points. He made 10 of 13 shots, including 7 of 8 on three-pointers. DeMarcus Cousins added 15 points on 3-for-12 shooting and eight rebounds. T.J. Warren and Jon Leuer led Phoenix (1-0) with 17 points apiece.
Marco Belinelli scores 32 in preseason win for Kings
Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the Kings in NBA preseason, which is a mere tuneup for the regular season but still useful as a gage to see which players are in shape, or may have added something to their game, etc:
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The plan was not to play anyone in the rotation anywhere near 30 minutes, but Marco Belinelli and Darren Collison forced Kings coach George Karl to re-evaluate.
Belinelli scored a game-high 32 points and Collison had 21 points and 10 assists to lead the Kings to a 109-105 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at Moda Center. It was the preseason opener for both teams.
After a slow start by the Kings, the bench, led by Collison and Belinelli, outscored the Blazers’ reserves 29-15 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.