SACRAMENTO KINGS
by Fantasy Junkie of Golden State of Mind
Recap Rewind: Ehhh not a good week. Last week I sad the Kings would need to take 2 of the next 3 games. Well they got 0 of those 3 and their playoff hopes are all but eliminated. Let’s look at how that happened. First, they had a winnable game at home against another team fighting for its playoff life, the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is a team that in their previous 15 games went 4-11. I guess a visit to Sacramento was what the doctor ordered because the Twolves got back in the win column with a 95-89 win thanks to a 4th quarter Kings’ collapse. The Kings were up 7 going into the 4th and wound up giving up 32 after holding the Twolves to just 22, 21, and 20 in each of the previous 3 quarters. Bibby had some nice numbers with 23 points and 7 assists, but going 3-11 (27%) from 3 point territory is sickening. The Kings really needed the Twolves win with a home and home battle with the Suns looming. The day after the collapse against the Twolves, the Kings headed to Phoenix. The first half was competitive as the Suns had just a 5 point advantage. But the wheels fell off in the 3rd quarter as the Kings pushed their lead to 16 by the end of the quarter and eventually lost 100-118. Amare (33 points, 21 rebounds) and Nash (17 points, 16 assists) were just too much. It didn’t help that Ron Artest missed the game due to flight complications. John Salmons tried to fill in but wound up fouling out in 37 minutes with just 4 points. The second game of the home and home with Phoenix turned out a little differently. Bibby went OFF. He knocked in 9 three’s to total 37 points in a 107-100 victory. Artest came back and helped out in a big way with 24 and 9. The win helps but they have a lot of work to do. They’re still 4 games out with 12 to go.
Notable news: Ron Artest always seems to make his way into this section. This time his flight complications were due to him having to go to court. He took a separate flight from the team but because of thunderstorms he couldn’t make it to Phoenix in time…But that’s not all the Artest news you get for this week. There are rumors that he’s considering retiring. According to ESPN, he supposedly told 4 teammates that he might retire but in an email said that he wouldn’t talk about it until after the playoffs… Oh but then a few days later, Ron Artest says he not retiring. It’s a never ending circus with him isn’t it?… Lastly, rumors are swirling that coach Eric Musselman is on the hot seat. The team is playing worse than it did last year under Rick Adelman and Muss’s DUI charges in the offseason certainly don’t help...
Fast Forward: This is just a 2 game week for the Kings as they get a long 4 day rest. They start playing again on Friday at home against the Clippers. If they want any chance of making the playoffs, that’s a great place to start as the Clippers are in the 8th spot. Following that game, they head down to LA to face the Lakers on Sunday.
DIVISION REPORTS
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference