Injuries and the Doomsday Scenario (don't read if you have a queasy stomach)

The injury bug is not just bothersome...

It could spell doom for the franchise in Sacramento.

Follow this disaster scenario...

Without Samuel Dalembert to add depth and provide quality minutes, DeMarcus Cousins struggles mightily.

Nagging injuries to Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih linger until December.
 
They get out of the gate by losing eight of their first 10 games.

The early losing dampens the hope of the Kings fans. 

Arco Arena is soon half full and there is no buzz in town.

A deal for a new arena is virtually dead.

Geoff Petrie's hands are tied and he can't make a trade to turn the team's fortunes.

The Maloofs begin to ponder their options.

The midseason deadline for relocation approaches fast...

What happens then?

Cousins needs a crash course in defense - fast

Look, we all know that DeMarcus fella has offensive skills.  He can post, dish, even hit the three.

But the Kings better hope he learns to play position defense very quickly or he is going to be a very annoyed young man come the middle of November.

Cousins has looked hopelessly lost on defense in his short NBA career, picking up foul after foul after foul.   The referees don't figure to get much kinder once the regular season comes around.

Now this wouldn't be too big a deal except for one very important fact:

On Tuesday night, the Kings announced that they had lost their biggest offseason acquisition -- center Samuel Dalembert -- for 4-6 weeks with a left abductor strain.  I'd tell you what a left abductor strain is, but I'm too lazy to Google it.

So where does this leave the Kings and their high hopes for rejuvenation?

In a bit of a pickle.  A sour pickle.

Cousins is not ready to play 35 minutes a night in the NBA, no matter how good he has looked in spurts.   And even if he was ready, he can't possibly stay of the floor for that long.  Not with the refs blowing their whistles in his ear every two minutes.

Frustration may set in a little too soon.  And that's not good for a player who needs to get his emotions under control.

The Kings are going to have to tap-dance, ad-lib, and pray if they hope to get through the first couple of months of the season and make that big leap back to respectability.

For now, it's time for DeMarcus to work on three things.

Defense.  Defense.  Defense.

Excuse me, it's time for me to go Google.

Donte Greene named top sideline cheerleader

The accolades have begun to role in for the Kings.  And this one is a biggie.

Forward Donte Greene has been named Top Sideline Cheerleader in the NBA.  This is huge.  An award like this come around once in a century.   And for the Kings, it's a game changer.

This past Thursday, Greene's sideline cheering antics were on full display before the team's preseason game with the Clippers.  He danced and hugged every teammate.  He fist-bumped every person on press row.  It was impressive.

Greene's added weight gave him even more of a presence.  He moved fluidly from teammate to teammate.  He never fumbled a gregarious slap.  He smiled and laughed with the skill of a veteran twice his age.

Yes, the offseason has been kind to Greene.  His cheerleading skills have exploded.  Remember Mark Madsen on the Lakers' bench?  Stinkin' piker compared to Donte.

Of course, most players would be frustrated, angry and downright surly about seemingly being shuffled to the back of he pack in the race for a starting role.   And maybe he is.   But Donte ain't showing it.  In fact, he's acting like it's not bothering him a bit.

So now Greene is being rightly rewarded.  The AWP doesn't bestow this award on just anyone. You have to earn it.  And when I got the call from the Association for Wasted Potential, I knew it was a once-in-lifetime scoop.

Congrats, Donte.

We expect to see lots more of you on the bench this season.

Preseason Game Live Report: The Kings don't like to share

I witnessed the Kings live for the first time this year on Thursday night.

I think I have retinal damage.  My eyes are still burning.  It was that ugly to watch.

You see, the Kings have a problem.  It was evident last year and it's starting to become evident again.

The do not like to share the ball.  They do not play well with others -- others notably being their teammates.

This was in clear evidence in Thursday night's preseason car wreck against the Clippers.

Take the second quarter...

For an 11-minute stretch, I kept track of every possession, the number of passes made by Kings players,  and the result.

Here's how it broke down:

Zero passes.  Four possessions.  Result: One basket, One drawn foul, One turnover, One missed basket.

One pass.  Eight possessions. Result: Five Turnovers, Two misses, One drawn foul.

Two passes. Eight possessions. Result: Three misses, Two turnovers, Two drawn fouls, One basket.

Three passes.  One possession.  Result: One miss.

Four passes.  Four possessions.  Two misses, Two drawn fouls.

That was it in 11 minutes.  Of a grand total of 25 possessions, the team passed twice or less 20 times.

Now, part of the blame has to rest with coach Paul Westphal.  The offense is stagnant.  There is almost no player movement and almost no reversing of the ball.  There seems to be virtually no improvement from last year's lethargic offensive sets.  There are very few sharp cuts to the hoop, almost nothing in the way of smooth, crisp passing.

But perhaps the players must take the brunt of the blame.  Almost all of them would rather fire up a shot than dish for an assist.

Let's go down the list:

Tyreke Evans: Okay, this guy probably doesn't need to look for anyone else because he can simply take it to the hoop most every time he desires.  Still, he only looks for teammates as a last resort.  And that's not good for keeping his teammates happy and hearty.

Jason Thomspon:  Not sure he actually knows how to pass.

Omri Casspi:  Once passed the ball during a pickup game in East Jerusalem, but he hasn't since.  Just refuses to pass.   Plays with an odd chip on his shoulder.

DeMarcus Cousins:  He can pass, but he likes to score more.  And his impatience is not a virtue.  You can see the frustration in his body language when things don't go his way -- and that means more forces to the basket and fewer passes.

Carl Landry:  He has averaged 0.7 assists for his career.  Nuff said.

Donte Greene:  He occasionally passes, but I'm just not sure he knows where it's going.

Francisco Garcia:  A savvy veteran but never a guy who was much of a set-up man for teammates.

Beno Udrih:  Ding, ding, ding -- a guy who can actually pass.  He missed Thursday night's game with an injury, but the Kings may not realize how much they need this guy on the court.

So there you have it.   Yes, it's only preseason and, yes, this team should get more cohesive.  But there doesn't seem to be a well-rooted philosophy of sharing the ball.

And that could be a big problem if this team really wants to take the next step.

Video: Beno Udrih guarantees a playoff spot for Kings (with plenty of prodding)

Let's face it.   Nobody is gonna compare Beno Udrih to Joe Namath, but when I badgered the Kings guard about whether he was willing to guarantee a playoff spot for Sacramento this year, he came through.

So have a look as Beno plays "Stud or Cop-Out"

Sure thing: Kings win NBA title

Okay, let's get all carried away after one trivial, meaningless, preseason game.

This team is unstoppable.

A force underneath.

Great talent at every position.

We are the champions of the world.

Then again... maybe not.  

I'm gonna wait until the second preseason game before I take a flying leap onto the bandwagon.

I'm gonna wait to see if anyone can hit a deep three beyond Marcus Landry.  Marcus Landry?

I'm gonna wait and see if Donte Greene has regressed again or if he's mature enough to step up and finally produce consistently.

I'm gonna wait and see if Omri Casspi can take a deep breath and become a team player.

I'm gonna wait and see if Samuel Dalembert has anything left in his tank.

I'm gonna wait and see if Jason Thompson can make it through a game without the histrionics.

But let me tell you.  If they all produce Thursday, I'm buying playoff tickets.

Video: Donte Greene talks his future, guarding Kobe, and bad teammate dancers

Donte Greene figures to play a big role for the Kings this season.  We put him to an early test by quizzing him in a game of "Stud or Cop-Out."

He talks about where he expects to be in three years in the NBA, playing defense against Kobe, and bad dancing teammates.

Watch:

Video: DeMarcus Cousins vows revenge (in a fun kinda way)

Kings rookie center DeMarcus Cousins may actually end up being a futue media darling. 

Yes, he usually sports a surly look and he's tough to crack, but he's got something.  Call it charisma.  Call it an odd type of charm.  There's something there if you can get him to open up a bit.

Mr. Cousins played a little "Stud or Cop-Out" with Kings Talking Points.  Watch for the very end of the video.  You get a real glimpse of his playful side and what he may become off the court.

Will he become like the jovial and sometimes controversial Charles Barkley?  You never know.

It's time for the Maloofs to unleash "The Threat"

Grant Napear and his cohort on KHTK, Mike Lamb, have have been spending a lot of time recently on the arena issue (or should we say the dead arena issue).

Both of these broadcasters have blasted the city for its ineptitude. No argument there.

But here's where they both go horribly wrong.

Both think Joe and Gavin Maloof should come out and say that they are here to stay for the forseeable future. Grant and Mike seem to believe this would comfort the loyal Sacramento fans and make it an easier atmosphere to reach a deal.

Wrong. Very wrong.

Here's what the Maloofs should say:

"Ladies and gentlemen of Sacramento, we have been patient and loyal to Sacramento for more than a decade. We have watched you fumble various attempts to build a world-class entertainment complex. We are losing money. Our arena is half full. We have no name for our arena.


We want to stay in Sacramento. We'd love to stay in Sacramento. But under these conditions, we can't.


That's why today we are giving the city of Sacramento a deadline of Jan. 15 to come up with a viable plan to build an arena or we will announce our intention to move the franchise."

Yes, Kings fans would likely collapse in a pool of their own vomit upon hearing this, but it's the only course of action.

You have to make the threat public. You have to establish real ramifications for failure. If not, there's no impetus to make a deal.

That's why tough labor deals only get made with the threat of strike.

I don't want the Kings to leave, but it's time for Shock and Awe.

It's time to break out The Threat.

Make the move, Maloof brothers.

And let's see what happens.

Video: Can Jason Thompson solve the Middle East problem?

Jason Thompon plays a game of  "Stud or Cop-Out" with Kings Talking Points and answers some very tough questions, including whether he will convert to Judaism after his trip to Israel and predicting the number of technical fouls he'll receive next year.

And as a bonus:  Jason gives us his best dirty look after a referee's bad call.