Category: Sacramento Kings Blog

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on the Kings, whose new point guard Rajon Rondo is reportedly trying to step up early as a leader and mentor. Rondo is coming off an extremely disappointing season, so it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back, especially in a new environment:

Even on a day at training camp when he sat out because of an injury, Rondo couldn’t be still or keep quiet. He walked around the court at UC San Diego’s Rimac Arena, pointing out spots on the floor where David Stockton might be able to better execute a play.

After Saturday’s practice, Rondo asked assistant coaches to help him show teammates how to run a set properly.

The Kings signed the four-time All-Star to a one-year deal to help them solidify the point guard spot and boost an offense short on players adept at passing.

Rondo already has taken the reins as a vocal leader, something the Kings have lacked for years.

“He’s a guy who just talks, talks, talks and tries to make the team better,” said forward Rudy Gay, who has known Rondo since high school. “That’s what you need out of your point guard.”

Here’s the Sacramento Bee providing insight on a key Kings big man:

One player whom coach George Karl has raved about during training camp says he can help the Kings’ offense without scoring or making an assist.

Kosta Koufos says a good screen can be just as important as finding an open shooter, which he learned by dedication to his craft.

“Patience, experience and just being efficient – those little things (translate) to big things.” Koufos said after Friday’s practice at UC San Diego. “If you’re rolling to the basket and you’re not getting the ball, you’re still getting other guys open on the wings. Little things like that carry over in the long run.”

Koufos wasn’t Sacramento’s flashiest free-agent signing during the offseason. The 7-foot, 265-pound center enters his eighth season averaging 5.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. But Koufos’ patience in refining his game could prove to be exactly what the Kings need. His presence on offense could allow DeMarcus Cousins more freedom to play away from the basket.

Minutes  may be tough to come by, however

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on new Kings guard Seth Curry, brother of Stephen, who now has his best opportunity so far to solidify himself as a true NBA’er:

Seth Curry can relax a little, right?

Since going undrafted out of Duke in 2013, the 6-foot-2 guard has played in the NBA Development League and had brief stints in Memphis, Cleveland and Phoenix.

He now has a two-year guaranteed contract for $1.96 million with the Kings, assuring he will be on the opening night roster against the Los Angeles Clippers. But that’s not how Curry, the younger brother of Golden State star Stephen Curry, is approaching the season.

“I wouldn’t say more relaxed,” Curry said after Thursday’s practice at UC San Diego. “I think it just gives me a sense of trying to fit in with the team and find my role instead of just trying to make the team. But I still have the same sense of urgency that I’ve had in the past.”

Curry caught the Kings’ attention with a spectacular showing during summer league in Las Vegas, where he averaged 24.3 points for New Orleans. Curry impressed with his savvy and perimeter shooting, two assets coveted by Kings general manager Vlade Divac while revamping the roster.

A prove-it year for Rajon Rondo

Here’s the Boston Herald discussing former Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who now finds himself on the the Sacramento Kings, and lower on the league-wide point guard hierarchy than in the past:

Rajon Rondo fully had expected to be the object of a free agent bidding war and come out of this offseason with a maximum contract from a marquee team of his choosing.

Instead, the former Celtics point guard has a one-year, $9.5 million deal — a paycut of nearly $3.5 million — from Sacramento and the burden of proof squarely on his slender shoulders.

And maybe that’s the best possible outcome for Rondo under the circumstances.

Things didn’t work out in a colossal crash-and-burn manner in Dallas after he was dealt there last December. And while we’ve reported that a number of league sources lay a portion of blame for that with coach Rick Carlisle, it is incumbent upon Rondo to find a way to make this work with the Kings. That there already have been issues between George Karl and DeMarcus Cousins may not make it easy, but those who decide how to spend their team’s money when the salary cap rises next summer will very much want to know how Rondo navigates these waters.

Here’s the Sacramento Bee with news on the Kings broadcast team:

Former Kings guard Doug Christie, who played 15 NBA seasons, has joined Comcast SportsNet California as an analyst for the team’s pregame and postgame shows.

Christie will team with returning anchor Guy Haberman and analyst Bobby Jackson, another former Kings guard.

Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who stepped up in Thursday’s Team USA exhibition game in Las Vegas. The squad isn’t involved in international competition this summer and is just focused on narrowing the roster down for the 2016 Olympics.

In a USA Basketball scrimmage that featured a couple of Kings, a number of players with little or no chance to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic team, and six “ringers” who filled in for their more high-profiled peers who sat out the voluntary event because of injury, fatigue or cautionary measures, DeMarcus Cousins produced the most prodigious stat line of the night.

Sacramento’s sixth-year center celebrated his 25th birthday Thursday with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and three assists, including a nifty shovel pass to Blake Griffin for a jam.

Cousins also missed all six of his three-point attempts – yes, he hoisted six shots from beyond the arc – but who was counting? His White squad also defeated the Blue team 134-128, but again, who was counting?

Rudy Gay, playing for the Blues, scored nine points and collected three rebounds, but, well … no one was counting.

Here’s the Sacramento Bee with commentary on the recent news that Nancy Lieberman is now an assistant coach in the NBA:

The NBA is a game of angles and connections, which is why the hiring of Nancy Lieberman as a Kings assistant is such a head-scratcher.

What took so long? Lieberman’s robust Rolodex is probably trumped only by her life experiences. She has competed in the Olympics, starred at Old Dominion, played and coached in several professional leagues, worked as a television commentator. Years before joining George Karl’s staff, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native coached the Dallas Mavericks’ NBA Development League team into the playoffs, then moved into the front office as assistant general manager.

And somewhere along the way – well before the WNBA was conceived and the notion of women coaching men ever found the womb – Lieberman, 57, transformed Martina Navratilova into a superbly conditioned athlete and revolutionized the way female tennis players approach training.

So, again, what took so long?

“I think sometimes you can get taken for granted,” Lieberman said. “I’m like the loyal dog. My only frustration was wondering if this was ever going to happen – if somebody was ever going to take a look at me and say, ‘She can do this.’”