Awful Kings sticking with front office for now

Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports:

Oct 19, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans (13) dribbles the ball during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Clippers 96-94. Photo via Newscom

There’s no dancing around the Kings’ rough start this season.

They have the NBA’s worst record, 5-22. They’ve lost 21 of their last 23 games.

Each loss draws more scrutiny, but Kings ownership and management remain resolute in keeping with their plan to rebuild the team back to prominence.

Co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof, basketball president Geoff Petrie and coach Paul Westphal are echoing the same message as the team takes two days off before returning to practice Sunday in preparation for Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite the rough start, the ownership said it has no plans to make sweeping changes on the sideline or in the front office.

“Paul is going to be our coach through the end of the season, and Geoff will remain with us, no doubt about it,” Gavin Maloof said. “We’re going to stick together and know the future is bright. We have a lot of cap space, and we’re going to use it and know that brighter days are ahead.”

Reggie Williams living his dream playing in NBA

Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group reports:

Reggie Williams living his dream playing in NBA

Last year, forward Reggie Williams spent Christmas in his apartment in Sioux Falls, S.D.

In the morning, he walked through a foot of snow to buy groceries from a Wal-Mart across the street. He and roommate Leemire Goldwire, his teammate in the NBA Development League, cooked and ate Christmas dinner together. By that evening, they were glued to the couch waiting for the tipoff of the Denver-Portland game on ESPN, dreaming about the day they would get their shots in the NBA.

“It seems like just yesterday,” Williams, 24, said. “Now, I’m spending Christmas in California, in beautiful weather and about to play on national TV. My family can watch me play.”

Tonight Williams again will be waiting for the tipoff of a game involving Portland on ESPN (and CSNBA). But this time, he is playing in it. The Warriors host the Trail Blazers in the nightcap of the NBA’s five-game Christmas Day schedule.

This time last year, Williams was an overlooked star in the D-League, watching other D-Leaguers get called up to the big show ahead of him.

“My dream was to play in the NBA,” Williams said. “So for me to play on Christmas Day and on national TV, that’s a pretty big achievement.”

Warriors hire Lloyd Pierce as an assistant coach

gs warriors

The Golden State Warriors have hired Lloyd Pierce as an assistant coach, the team announced today. Pierce joins the Warriors after spending the previous three seasons as the player development coordinator for the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he worked closely with the team’s players on individual skill development.

A Bay Area native from San Jose, Pierce attended Santa Clara University from 1994-1998, where he was a four-year letterman and helped lead the Broncos to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.  Following his college career, Pierce played professionally in Mexico, Australia and Germany before returning to Santa Clara to join the team’s coaching staff under Dick Davey.

Pierce, 34, fills the vacancy on the Warriors coaching staff that was created when assistant coach Stephen Silas left the team to join his father Paul’s staff with the Charlotte Bobcats.  Paul Silas was named interim head coach of the Bobcats on Wednesday.

Will Kings fire coach Paul Westphal?

Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports:

Oct 19, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The Kings defeated the Clippers 96-94. Photo via Newscom

Sacramento Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof are strongly considering firing GM Geoff Petrie and coach Paul Westphal in a sweeping indictment of the direction of the team, two people familiar with the situation told CBSSports.com.

Petrie is on extremely shaky ground with the Kings foundering at 5-22 and Westphal openly feuding with combustible first-round pick DeMarcus Cousins, who has proved to be a disastrous mistake whose selection will doom Petrie. There are concerns within the organization about whether Westphal is the right coach to calm Cousins and groom him into a dependable star.

But while Petrie has gone to bat for Westphal, urging the Maloofs to give him time with Cousins before making an assessment, it may be a moot point. The Maloofs have developed far more serious concerns about whether Petrie himself should be let go. It was Petrie, according to sources, who supported the decision to guarantee the 2011-12 season on Westphal’s contract months ahead of schedule – a decision that, with Westphal apparently losing the team, has become a very expensive one.

Renardo Sidney fights teammate after game

CORAL GABLES, FL - APRIL 01: Renardo Sidney Jr. #1 of the West Team looks to shoot over Ryan Kelly #4 of the East Team in the 2009 McDonald's All American Men's High School Basketball Game at BankUnited Center on April 1, 2009 in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Can you say “behavior problems?” If not, just say “Renardo Sidney.”

The AP reports:

Two players from Mississippi State’s basketball team fought in the stands Thursday night between games at the Diamond Head Classic

Sophomore forward Renardo Sidney and junior forward Elgin Bailey got into the altercation about 10 minutes before the tipoff of the game between tournament host Hawaii and Utah at the Stan Sheriff Center. Punches were thrown in the fight that lasted several minutes and was broken up by teammates…

Sidney, a highly touted McDonald’s All-American out of Fairfax (Los Angeles) High, sat out all last season while awaiting clearance from the NCAA. He has appeared in just two games this season and scored 31 points with nine rebounds. Just this week, he was suspended by Stansbury for “conduct detrimental to the team” and was benched for the first-round game loss to Washington State on Wednesday.

RENARDO SIDNEY FIGHT VIDEO

LeBron James OK with idea of NBA contraction

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Lebron James attends an after party following the 'Home & Home' concert at the 40 / 40 Club on September 13, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

By Jeff Lenchiner

It’s simple logic. Fewer teams in a sports league would mean more stars getting to play together, which presumably would make those teams better, and make for better basketball.

I know plenty of NBA fans who would love to see the NBA reverse directions and knock some teams out of the league, but even with David Stern suggesting that the idea is not to be totally ruled out, no one expects it will ever happen.

And, of course, no fan wants to see their favorite team cease to exist. So, the very idea of contraction is bound to frighten those whose local squad tends to not produce much in the wins, attendance or jersey sale departments.

But, count Miami Heat superstar LeBron James as a player who would support NBA contraction (eliminating some teams from the league) if it was to occur.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports:

“Hopefully the league can figure out one way where it can go back to the ’80s where you had three or four All-Stars, three or four superstars, three or four Hall of Famers on the same team,” James said. “The league was great. It wasn’t as watered down as it is [now].”

In fact, James seemed to have a couple of ideas of which teams could go and some players that would make other teams better right now.

“[Contraction] is not my job; I’m a player but that is why it the league was so great,” James said.

“Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesota and add him to another team and you shrink the [league]. Looking at some of the teams that aren’t that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren’t that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let’s take New Jersey and let’s take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid, I’m not stupid, it would be great for the league.”

Personally, I’d be quite happy if there were 20 teams instead of 30. Unless one of the teams that would cease to exist happened to be based near me, of course. Because then the idea is crazy and evil.

What’s your opinion? Share it with other fans in this forum topic.

Carmelo Anthony back after Christmas; out due to death of sister

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony is expected to return to the team after Christmas following the death of his sister.

Michelle Anthony died of a pre-existing medical condition Tuesday in Baltimore; she is survived by her four children. Carmelo Anthony left the Nuggets on Wednesday to be with his family as they make funeral arrangements.

Anthony and his family ask that their privacy be respected as they grieve.

The Nuggets played at San Antonio on Wednesday.

Kings coach mad at DeMarcus Cousins again

The Sacramento Bee blog reports:

DeMarcus Cousins has his anger issues, but apparently, so does his coach. After Wednesday’s practice – which I missed while monitoring a live chat for the Bee – Paul Westphal announced that his rookie center had been fined and removed from the starting lineup for making a right-handed choke sign during Wednesday’s loss to Golden State. At the time, the Kings led 98-93, were 19.3 from a victory, with Warriors swingman Reggie Williams at the free throw line. Cousins, who was fined Nov. 12 after clashing with an assistant and team trainer, flashed a grin and placed his right hand around his throat. Williams missed two of his three attempts.

The punishment is reminiscent of Westphal’s benching last year of Spencer Hawes. The former Kings center had publicly complained about the player rotations, and when he arrived for the next game, discovered he had been de-activated and his uniform removed from the locker room.

Bobcats name Paul Silas interim head coach

Bobcats name Paul Silas interim head coach

Charlotte Bobcats Chairman and CEO Michael Jordan today named Paul Silas interim head coach of the team, effective immediately.

In 10 seasons as an NBA head coach, Silas has a career record of 355-400 with the Clippers (1980-83), Hornets (1999-2003) and Cavaliers (2003-05) He has also spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach for the Hornets, Knicks, Nets and Suns.

During his four-plus seasons as head coach of the Hornets, Silas compiled a 208-155 (.573) record and led the team to the playoffs in each of his four full seasons. He remains the team’s all-time leader in coaching wins and ranks second in winning percentage. Silas was named interim head coach of the Hornets on March 7, 1999, and led the team to a 22-13 record over the final 35 games of the 1998-99 season after replacing Dave Cowens.

A 16-year NBA veteran, Silas averaged 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in 1,254 career games for the Hawks, Suns, Celtics, Nuggets and SuperSonics. He was a two-time All-Star (1972 and 1975) and won three NBA Championships (1974 and 1976 with Boston and 1979 with Seattle). Silas currently ranks 19th on the NBA’s career lists for rebounds (12,357) and games played (1,254).

Have an opinion? Share it on the InsideHoops NBA forum.

Opinion: Landry Fields is steal of 2010 Draft

By Jerald L. Hoover

New York Knicks Landry Fields drives to the basket in the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 8, 2010. UPI/John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

The power of advance scouting took a turn for the worse as 29 teams didn’t get the memo on Knicks rookie Landry Fields. Mysteriously picked in the second round with the 39th pick, he wasn’t even on the radar as a potential draft candidate.  And this despite averaging 22 points and 9 rebounds his senior year at Stanford University.  True, the Pac-Ten Conference was rather weak this past year, but Fields has had some monster games against serious competition.

Case in point: Against the John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins-led Kentucky Wildcats, Fields notched 25 points and 12 rebounds. Albeit it was in a losing effort but as Cousins admitted, “we couldn’t do anything with him.”

A lot of NBA teams are drafting on alleged potential, and they seem to think if a person stayed for four years in college, something must be wrong.  It’s that type of imprudent thinking that sets some franchises back or even gets coaches fired. Many ‘one and done’ players aren’t mentally or physically strong enough for the riggers or strategies of the NBA.

Fields, on the other hand, after spending four years in college was more NBA ready.  In fact of the 38 players selected before him, only the aforementioned Wall and Cousins were in the opening Night starting lineup for their respective teams.  And Cousins only started because of an injury to veteran center Samuel Dalembart.  And only second-year Rookie of the Year candidate LA Clippers Blake Griffin has more double-doubles than Fields.  But, Fields was able to win Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.  That feat hadn’t been done in New York since former Knick Channing Frye won it in November of 2005.

Talk about being a steal of the draft: at present Fields is the NBA’s leading rebounding guard. That’s right; all guards — not just rookies — at a rate of almost eight per game.  And once he gets his jumpshot more sound (he will however chuck up a few threes per game) he’s going to be even more dangerous.

If there’s a player that Fields may be compared to, it would be Houston Rocket and former Duke Blue Devil Shane Battier.  Battier also stayed in college for four years, but he played on the highly ranked Duke team and was much more of a high profile player in college.  But, his impact as a rookie wasn’t as high as Fields’ is at this point.

Fields should keep improving, and barring health issues he should be playing in this season’s NBA Rookies vs. Sophomores game during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.  That’s not bad for a guy not even thought of by 29 teams on Draft night.

Have an opinion on the team? Share it on the New York Knicks forum.

You can follow Jerald Hoover on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jerryhoover65