[afobisme]

haha i guess ron's rapping career didnt turn out so well huh? who saw his music video lol

[Yao Mania]

Artest has been awesome since joining Sactown, his nutty attitude has taken a spin to the positive and the fans have definitely encouraged this behaviour. It wouldn't surprised me if Artest becomes a MVP candidate this coming season.

[Dre™]

Originally Posted by Yao Mania

Artest has been awesome since joining Sactown, his nutty attitude has taken a spin to the positive and the fans have definitely encouraged this behaviour. It wouldn't surprised me if Artest becomes a MVP candidate this coming season.

Artest was always humorlessly nutty to me, save the past 2-3 years. The way he spends his summers are hilarious. Applying to Circuit City, rapping, playing ball in Germany (I think it was Germany), and now this.

Suffice to say if Ron was a poster here, I'd rep him every time I saw him.

[maKINGSofgreatness]

If anyone is interested, Draftexpress.com is updating there Vegas Sumer League page as the Kings/Minny game is going on.

It started at 5:00 (pacific time) and the only thing they have said about our game so far is that Artest is MIA.

[maKINGSofgreatness]

After an hour and a half, and me refreshing DX's page roughly 100 times, the results from the first half are in.

Artest is still not there, Martin was the best player on the floor, Justin Williams was impressive, Amundson was good, and Garcia apparently stank up the court.

EDIT: Updated for the end of the game- They didn't change their comment on Martin or Garcia, so I guess it was more of the same, Quincy and Amundson played better, Williams with 6-7 blocks and strong rebounding. Still no Artest. I am curious about Gray, Price, Nicholson, and Maraker, but they did not warrent comment.

These games really should be on CSN-Sac, I would have the time of my life watching these.

They don't have the boxscore up, and DX said they didn't keep stats well, but for what it's worth-

Vegas Summer League

[Peja Vu]

Here is the article:

<font size=6>Sacramento 90- Minnesota 83</font><br />
<br />
In case you were wondering, Ron Artest is nowhere to be found. <br />

<br />
<font size=4>Minnesota</font><br />
<br />
<i>Eric Weiss</i><br />
<br />
<b>Greg Brunner</b> <br />
<br />
Solid board work by Brunner may have been one of the lone highlights for Minnesota in the first half. Brunner didn’t have the explosive lift to get over the top of <a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=346>Justin Williams</a>, but considering the number of blocks Williams had there is no shame in it. <br />
<br />
Brunner had an extremely tough go of it trying to finish against the long and athletic frontcourt of Sacramento. Late in the game, Brunner hit a flawless 3-pointer off a nice feed from <a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=454>Randy Foye</a>. A display of his solid face-up game would be of great benefit for Brunner, who cannot finish in heavy traffic against longer, faster opponents. <br />

<br />
<br />
<b><a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=130>Bracey Wright</a></b> <br />
<br />
Wright played on ball during the time that Foye was off the court and didn’t do much to show he deserves to be the primary decision maker. Wright over handled the ball in the half-court set and didn’t create much other than shot opportunities for himself, which he missed frequently. <br />
<br />
Wright showed little shame in the 2nd half of play. While he finished a couple of high difficulty shots, the sheer volume of attempts in the face of low-percentage shooting was a baffling thing to see. Wright has the ability to get himself free for shots off the dribble, but doesn’t show much of an understanding of when to do what. Situational understanding and execution are critical elements not evident in Wright’s game today. <br />
<br />
<b><a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=454>Randy Foye</a></b> <br />
<br />
Foye had a quiet but effective first half of play. He handled the ball under heavy pressure on a number of occasions and had little trouble getting to where he wanted to go. Not many finishes for Foye in the half as he didn’t look to take over the game at all. Foye missed a few finishes in traffic and didn’t take enough jumpers to warrant comment. Foye’s highlight series came early in the half when he hit a right-side jumper from behind the arc and followed it up with a devastating hesitation cross that he finished deftly over the Sacramento help defense. <br />

<br />
Foye really came alive in the 4th quarter. After being more of a facilitator to start the game, Foye showed off his “figure-eight” crossover floater on a number of occasions and really started to assert himself off the dribble, looking to get points for himself. Foye showed a very nice handle, capable of controlling with the quality to pull off half-spins away from the defense off of penetration. Foye was able to stop his momentum at full speed going backside and easily elevated, corrected his form, and finished with soft touch and smooth delivery. <br />
<br />
<b><a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=558>Jeremy Kelly</a></b> <br />
<br />
An intense performance on both ends of the court is worthy of mention for the unheralded Kelley. Kelley showed much improved technique and confidence in his perimeter shooting early in the game and providing heavy ball pressure on the Sacramento point guards. Kelley communicated well with officials to gauge what he could and could not get away with in terms of body contact, a key veteran tactic for getting calls. <br />
<br />
<br />
<font size=4>Kings</font><br />
<br />
<i>Jonathan Givony</i><br />

<br />
<b>Kevin Martin</b><br />
<br />
One of the fastest rising stars at this summer league, Martin did everything you’d expect him to do in a setting like this and then some. His ridiculous athleticism was always on full display, whether it was in the way he ran the floor and finished in transition, creating his own shot to rocket off the ground from mid-range, sticking right in his man’s grill with his excellent lateral quickness, or getting into the paint with a terrific first step and then a lightning quick spin-move to find himself right at the rim where he can just elevate with ease and finish with a smooth layup. Martin also knocked down the jumpers he had from outside and did a nice job feeding his teammates with creative passes, which they rarely finished. He did it all without forcing the issue one bit. <br />
<br />
<b><a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=346>Justin Williams</a></b><br />
<br />
After Martin, the second best player on the floor for the Kings was almost undoubtedly <a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=346>Justin Williams</a>. On a team that is absolutely stacked with undrafted free agent big men (<a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=338>Taj Gray</a>, <a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=550>Louis Amundson</a>, <a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=1008>Christian Maraker</a>, etc), Williams separated himself from the pack right off the bat with the energy he brought to the floor. What’s interesting from scouting Williams is that his shot-blocking skills have translated over to every setting we’ve seen him in, whether it was college, Portsmouth, the Orlando pre-draft camp, and now summer league. The way he does it leaves a lot of room for optimism regarding his ability to continue to intimidate to a certain extent in the NBA as well. Besides his shot-blocking skills, Williams also did a great job hitting the glass on both ends of the floor. His combination of anticipation skills and terrific athleticism made him quicker to every ball then any of the opposing big men, and Williams took advantage to blitz the paint and then go right back up strong for the putback. The way he goes after rebounds makes you think that this is another skill that could potentially translate to the league very well. <br />

<br />
Williams was extremely solid again in the 2nd half. Pay no attention to whoever is “recording” stats….Williams had at least 6-7 blocks today, but was credited with much less. With every minute that passed by and every rebound he pulled down out of his area, we wondered more and more how in the world he did not get drafted. <br />
<br />
<b><a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=123>Francisco Garcia</a></b> <br />
<br />
A major disappointment considering the fact that he was a first round draft pick last year, is already 24 years old and is playing in his second summer league. Garcia really didn’t do a whole lot except miss a wide open dunk (after foolishly and pointlessly double pumping), turn the ball over, hand-check his opponent and complain a fair amount. <br />
<br />
<b><a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=550>Louis Amundson</a></b><br />
<br />
Amundson brought his typical energy and terrific athleticism, which translated into quite a few rebounds and opportunities around the basket. Playing in the town that he spent five years of college in, the crowd is going nuts cheering him on after every good move he makes. <br />
<br />

Amundson came out in the 2nd half and was much more productive in the scoring department. He put on a clinic for offensive rebounds and finished strong amongst the trees on a number of occasions. On one occasion he put the ball on the floor and went to the basket, missing his layup attempt but being so much quicker than anyone else that he was able to go back up and tip it home before anyone else was even able to react. On top of that he won some points by knocking down a baseline jumper off the glass, as well as by coming up with some great blocks in transition. The crowd was loving every second of it. Amundson played a lot like he did in Orlando at the pre-draft camp, which was surprisingly not good enough to even earn a spot in the late 2nd round. Today most definitely helped his stock. <br />
<br />
<b><a target="_blank" href=http://www.draftexpress.com/viewprofile.php?p=452>Quincy Douby</a></b><br />
<br />
Douby started off pretty slow in the first half, looking tentative and forcing the issue a bit with his penetrations. In the 2nd half he settled down and let the game come to him, moving off the ball quite well and knocking down threes from NBA range. This opened up things for his slashing game, which he is able to utilize despite his average athleticism due to his wide array of hesitation moves. <br />
<br />
<hr><br />
<br />

http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1395

[Peja Vu]

Kings release Curtis Green, Rod Benson, and Odartey Blankson from summer league team.

http://www.nba.com/kings/

[Peja Vu]

TVSL (July 6): Kings 90 - Timberwolves 83

The Sacramento Kings held off a late rally to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 90-83. Trailing 55-70 at the end of the third quarter, the T-Wolves cut the lead to just four at 76-80 with two minutes remaining, but a Quincy Douby three-pointer pushed the lead to seven and the Kings never looked back.

Kevin Martin led the Kings with 20 points (5-11 FG) and seven rebounds. Louis Amundson chipped in 16 points (6-9 FG) and seven rebounds, while Ronnie Price added 13 points (4-7 FG). Justin Williams came off the bench and had seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Rookie guard Randy Foye displayed the quickness and scoring ability the Timberwolves had hoped for by scoring a game-high 23 points (9-17 FG) in 35 minutes of action. Tyrone Ellis pitched in 15 points (4-10 FG) and seven rebounds, while Bracey Wright added 11 points.

After taking a 28-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves were outscored 10-29 by the Kings in the second quarter and trailed 38-44 at halftime.

The Kings ended the game shooting 49 percent (30-61 FG), while the Timberwolves shot just 40 percent (29-73 FG). Sacramento held a 49-37 rebounding advantage, but were outscored 39-17 in points off of turnovers.

Ron Artest was not at the game, but is expected to play tomorrow night against the Hornets (8 p.m. tip-off).

[Peja Vu]

The Summer Scoop- July 6, 2006

<b>In the Trenches…</b><br>
If there is one thing you have to hand to Coach Musselman after a few
weeks on the job, it’s that he’s not afraid to get in the trenches and
do some dirty work.<br><br>
Musselman has been one of the first ones to arrive to the Kings
Practice Facility each morning and one of the last to leave. He has
been in the workout room, getting his own routine in at the same time
as some of the players, setting an example that the weight room will be
as important as the practice floor.
<br><br>He has even been on the floor, lining up with and going
through dribbling drills with some of the young players, including
Ronnie Price and Quincy Douby, showing them proper techniques. A former
guard in college, Muss still has some handles.
<br><br>


<b>Fugetaboutit!...</b><br>Sacramento has seen an invasion of New
Yorkers over the past year, and the epicenter resides at One Sports
Parkway. Seemingly every borough is represented at the Kings Practice
Facility, from the Bronx to Manhattan to Queens. Normally this time of
year you would hear chatter regarding local baseball teams like the
Giants or A’s—now talk about the Yankees and Mets dominates.<br><br>
Some people have even been asked by these East Coasters what time the
number six train stops at the practice facility en route to downtown
Sac…okay, that’s just a bad attempt at humor, but it sure does feel
like the invasion of the Empire State sometimes.<br><br>
The Kings have always had a few New Yorkers around—Grant Napear
broadcasts the games, Marty McNeal used to be the beat writer and still
is a regular at ARCO.<br><br>

But the real influx came a year ago with the addition of Francisco
Garcia, a native of the Bronx—a move that seemed to trigger an East
Coast relocation. Garcia was followed shortly by Queensboro’s finest,
Ron Artest and Hakeem Sylver, the team’s assistant security guru, who
is from Long Island.<br><br>
Quincy Douby became the fourth a week ago when he was picked #19 in the
draft out of Rutgers and Brooklyn, respectively. Add in new assistant
coach Brendan O’Connor, who coached for the Knicks last season, and all
of the friends and family who make up each player’s support body, and
calling the team the New York Kings of Sacramento doesn’t seem like
such a stretch.<br><br>

At least they didn’t bring the NY summer humidity with them.<br><br>


<b>Lights Out…</b><br>
Speaking of Douby, the youngster reportedly put on a shooting clinic
for Geoff Petrie before the draft, leaving some of the Kings front
office to report that it was one of the best shooting performances they
had seen in a while.<br><br>
Douby came to Sacramento last week for his first press conference and
immediately began hitting the weight room to get ready for the rigors
of an 82-game season, a good sign.<br><br>

Francisco Garcia also appears to be a bit more cut, similar to the progression Kevin Martin made last offseason. <br><br>

<b>Young Bigs…<br>
</b>One of the most intriguing aspects of summer league will be the
play of the young big men that were invited to camp as undrafted
free-agents.<br><br>
Justin Williams of Wyoming, Taj Gray of Oklahoma, Yemi Nickolson of
Denver, and Louis Amundson of UNLV all have a shot of making this
squad, not only to training amp, but on into the regular season.<br><br>
The Kings were especially high on Amundson during the NBA draft, and
were quick to pounce on him after the selection process ended. He is a
hard working power forward with some athleticism. Think of a smaller
Scot Pollard type with more hops.<br><br>
Justin Williams comes into camp with an intriguing resume. He is a Ben
Wallace-type—under-sized at 6’ 10 and 220 pounds and raw on offense,
but extremely athletic on the glass. He also averaged more than five
blocks a game in college—no small feat in any division.<br><br>
Taj Gray is another under-sized but athletic big man, while Nicholson
was a dominant seven footer in a mid-sized conference. Look for at
least a couple of the four to be invited back to training camp in
October, similar to Ronnie Price last season.

[Peja Vu]

Undrafted forward Louis Amundson, from Nevada-Las Vegas and Monarch High School in Louisville, scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in Sacramento's 90-83 win against Minnesota. "I'm here to prove I can play in this league," he said. "A lot of teams passed on me. It's just motivation." Amundson got some guaranteed money he said assures he will attend the Kings' training camp . . .

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...827846,00.html

[Legend_33]

I hope we sign Taj Gray or Justin Williams. They should be solid backups instead of that bum Kenny Thomas.