From Kings.com, here’s video of the recent Kings Voluntary Workout program:

Couple of things that I noticed here and really liked:

1) Sean May looks like he’s in fantastic shape. I’m always skeptical of reports that guys have cut their weight down significantly because you never know how accurate the measurements are. But he looks like he’s shed about 20 pounds.

2) Bobby Jackson running point in these scrimmages.

I’m going to assume you’ve already read Tom Ziller’s questioning of the Desmond Mason signing. If you haven’t, here it is.

I’m going to steal a line from My Cousin Vinny to address Tom’s assertion of this Desmond Mason signing:

“That is a lucid, intelligent, well thought-out objection. Overruled!”

Okay, maybe I don’t have the authority to overrule Tom Ziller on this issue. Hell, I don’t even really know what that would mean. But I’m going to take a different route with this transaction. I think it’s a good signing overall. Could there have been better signings? Absolutely. The Kings were supposedly set with their roster at 13 guys, needed a backup big man in the worst way, and then a couple days later signed the 32-year old swingman to a team that is now gluttonous with 2’s and 3’s. But I don’t think it makes it a completely nonsensical signing by any means.

This signing wasn’t the same type of transaction as the Celtics signing Marquis Daniels or the Cavaliers signing Anthony Parker. Both of those were to add depth at weak positions and both cost a lot more than the veteran’s minimum. The Kings signing Desmond Mason was the equivalent of the Mavericks acquiring Quinton Ross. They were acquiring a role player to fill a specific need – defense.

So let’s break this signing down into four factors of why this deal makes sense:

1. Players Respect His Defense

When you look at the advanced statistics, Desmond Mason’s defensive ratings over the last five years are startling bad for someone that is supposed to come in and bring a defensive mindset. His last five seasons worth of defensive ratings starting with the most recent are 111, 114, 109, 109, and 113. That’s not good at all. As Tom pointed out, “This is roughly comparable with Kevin Martin (though Martin’s 2008-09 117 DRtg is a bit extreme). Kevin Martin is not known as an incredible defender.”

(Warning: this explanation should be taken with a grain or two of salt due to the fact that I probably understand advanced statistics at an 80% capacity, where as guys like Tom can recite this stuff backwards and forwards. So perhaps, I’m talking out of my ass here)

Advanced statistics are great tools for figuring out quite a few things but defensive rating is a tricky stat to play with in my opinion. To my knowledge, this category factors in the amount of points teams give up while that player is on the court over the course of 100 possessions. Well, the biggest hand up I have with it is we’re deciphering how good a defensive player someone is by factoring what their team does (essentially).

Well, if you look at Mason’s teams over the course of those five years, he’s played on some atrocious defensive teams. In fact, the only above average defensive team he played with during that time was the 2006-2007 Hornets. They were 14^th in the league in team defensive rating. Granted, they were almost three points worse per 100 possessions with Mason on the court. The other teams, starting with the most recent, were 20^th, 30^th, 19^th, and 28^th in the league in team defensive rating. Granted, in all of those seasons Mason’s team was usually about two points better with him not on the court (according to defensive rating) than with him but I have a hard time ascertaining that this makes him a bad or subpar defender.

When you’re on inherently bad defensive teams and you’re playing extended minutes, more often than not, it seems to me that you would have a bad defensive rating. This doesn’t make him Kevin Martin bad just as much as it doesn’t make him Shane Battier good with defense. I think it’s tough to judge him based on defensive rating. What I think we should judge him on is what people see on the court on a daily basis. I included a quote from Royce of Daily Thunder yesterday and he stated that Mason’s defensive effort seemed to change how his teammates played. I think that’s an important thing to consider from someone who watched Mason last year more than any of us did.

I also was struck by the tweet from Kevin Durant in response to one of your fellow Kings’ fans, @rc360. He stated, “[Desmond Mason] plays harder than anyone I ever seen!! Great defender.” Now, Durant could be completely biased on this subject but I think you can take a lot out of one of the best natural scorers of the past decade stating that about a 32-year old guy with bad wheels. Should we read that statement as irrefutable fact? Not a chance. But it’s something to consider just as much as the defensive rating. And I’m guessing that Durant isn’t the only guy that is impressed by Mason’s defense and work ethic.

2. He Isn’t Going To Be The Sixth Man
There seems to be a worry from a few Kings fans that Mason is going to take valuable time away from some of the young players with such a logjam at the wing positions. I find that hard to believe.

It seems that Mason is more rounding out the roster than he is applying for starter’s minutes with this signing. I think he’s a bit of an insurance policy to add depth to the shooting guard position if Kevin Martin finds the injury bug once again. If he plays more than 20 minutes per game this season, it’s probably because he earned it, there was an injury, or Paul Westphal has lost his mind. I think the third option here is the least likely of these situations to happen.

Mason isn’t going to take minutes from Francisco Garcia as much as he’ll be there in case of health issues and/or player development issues. He isn’t being asked to come in here and be Bruce Bowen for the title contending Spurs. He will be a role player from the bench that will earn his way onto the court or be a Mateen Cleaves on the sidelines.

3. He Has a McFarlane Figure

Check that out!

They don’t just make those of anybody! He earned that!

4. We’ll Find Out What The Young Guys Have
This is the most important part of this signing in my opinion. He’s going to challenge the young guys every day in practice with his alleged hard-nosed defense and “legendary” work ethic. There’s nothing worse than waiting on young guys to develop and eventually realizing that they just don’t have it to compete for your beloved team. As a Wolves fan, I know this better than just about any other fan base. So when you have the chance to get a guy like Mason who can theoretically weed out the young guys who don’t have it, I think you should bring that player aboard.

Omri Casspi is a complete enigma in the sense that we don’t have a lot of information or evidence of what this guy can do. I watched him for five games in the Summer League and think that I know what he brings to the table. He seems like a guy that has a player-maker’s instinct somewhere inside him and is fearless and poised no matter how he is playing. But that was Summer League and who knows if he’s a legit young guy or someone that can look like he has promise against guys who may or may not make the D-League.

Donte Greene is an even greater enigma. He’s an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, surrounded by a David Blaine trick (one of the few that works). We don’t know if he’s real or a figment of our imagination. We don’t know if he’s the next Tim Thomas or what Tim Thomas was supposed to be. We just don’t know anything with him. The only time he’s impressed me in the last year-plus was when he dropped 40 in a Summer League game. Other than that, he’s been hugely disappointing as a rookie with limited opportunities, he didn’t dominate a local pro-am, and he never really had a great game during this summer’s Vegas vacation.

I’m not a guy that likes it when young people or players are given something without earning it. I regaled against the media when it seemed like they were trying to get LeBron James an MVP award three years ago, despite the fact that there were clearly more deserving players and it seemed like we were just trying to justify the hype early. I don’t think that all kids playing little league sports deserve a trophy just for trying. And I don’t think young, pro athletes should get playing time just because they could be the future. I think young people have to learn how to earn things in life. And that’s what this Desmond Mason signing means to me.

Casspi and Greene shouldn’t just be given time on the court to see what they can do if they can’t beat out Desmond Mason in practice. Giving them an inflated sense of self worth is probably the worst thing you can do for this struggling franchise (other than giving Beno Udrih the full mid-level exception). They need to earn their time on the floor by proving they can out play, out hustle, and out work a 32-year old veteran with a horrific jump shot and bad knees. This business isn’t about being nice and giving everybody a chance. It’s about proving you’re more worthy of a job than the guy next you on the bench. It’s how you weed out the deserving players from the busts.

That’s the environment that the Kings need right now. They need work ethic, toughness, and pride. They didn’t seem to have much of that last season. That’s why I’m all for the Desmond Mason signing. You don’t have to prove yourself with some young roster filler that should probably be assigned to the Reno Big Horns. You usually win your minutes based on your salary and draft position. With Mason, there’s only one way to prove yourself. Beat out the old guy.

If the Kings young swing men can’t do that, you’ve answered the question of whether or not you can build a foundation with these guys.

Were there more pressing needs for this team? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean this signing can’t be invaluable on the practice court and in the development of this franchise’s young assets.

Although there is one point Tom brought up that is undeniable, “Try cupcakes! Little children such Greene and Casspi loves cupcakes!”

Cupcakes are great motivational tools.

You may now commence skewering me for thinking Mason’s signing is legit.

The Korean Basketball League is participating in the 2009 NBA Asia Challenge in which various Asian teams play against the NBA Generations team.

The Generations team is comprised of guys like NBDL prospects, Tim Hardaway, Dominique Wilkins, Robert something or other, and Vlade Divac. The real star of this video is Dominique Wilkins who is still able to dunk in games at the age of almost 50. Wow.

(Thanks, Skeets)

Skeets informs us that ‘Nique finished with 31 points and eight rebounds. That’s not terrible.

And how about that full court pass from Vlade? It looked awkward but it was perfect. He even credited Wilkins with a nice pass on a terrible airball.

He doesn’t look like he’s in the best of shape but it’s nice to see him out there.

There may be a slew of these over the next couple of weeks. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to contain myself. I love Dez’s in-air theatrics.

This was a dunk from 2005, at the end of a Bucks-Bobcats game. It was completely unnecessary but for some reason he just unleashed a windmill of Dutch proportions. I’m hoping for one of these this season.

News out of the Associated Press from ESPN.com is that Desmond Mason is going to be the 14th man on the Kings roster:

Free-agent swingman Desmond Mason met with the Sacramento Kings this week and could sign as soon as Thursday.

Mason took a physical after meeting with Kings officials in Sacramento on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal had not been signed.

I’m all for this signing because I’ve always been a fan of Desmond Mason. He’s never been a very skilled basketball player. He doesn’t take many outside jumpers and has only made 66 three-pointers in his career at a 26% clip.

But his defense has often been solid and his athleticism is still something to be marveled at.

The Kings won’t get the dunk champion version of Mason by any means but he can still occasionally spring up out of nowhere and put the ball down on a player’s head.

Update:

We have some conflicting reports. Not about the signing but about the prospective usefullness of Mason on this team.

First, I asked Royce from Daily Thunder for his thoughts on what Mason can bring to a team at this stage in his career. Here’s what he said:

Dez is a bulldog. Defense isn’t just his calling card, but tough defense. He wants to play physical, in-your-face defense and make going against him hell. Last year with OKC he changed the whole team’s defensive mentality when he instituted a “no fly zone” rule. Basically, if you came near the rim your shot was getting blocked or you were getting fouled. He’s a great leader and a great teammate. But his offense, oh his offense. He’s got a herky-jerky jumpshot that’s basically just a prayer every time it goes up. The only offensive move he has that’s worth a darn is his little back-to-the-basket baby hook, but he’s got to have a mismatch to pull that off. Oh and dunks. He can definitely dunk. But he’s got value because of his hard-nosed defense and leadership. Just don’t expect much more than that.

Sounds good, right? Well, I was reminded of this piece from Basketball-Reference on StR’s comments section by lifestyleforthesellout, which basically states that Mason has been one of the worst players in the league.

In other words, if there’s a statistical category out there (at least in terms of the box score), odds are that it showed Desmond Mason to be a really bad player last season. Not just mediocre, not just below-average, but legitimately terrible. Now, you might be making excuses for Desmond, saying that he was hurt a lot last year, and had to be shut down in January because of a knee injury, so maybe it’s not a fair 39-game sample upon which to judge Mason.

OK, I’ll grant that. So how about the 243 games he’s played since 2005-06 (which theoretically should have included some prime seasons)? Would that be a large enough sample? How was he over that span?

Still gawd-awful.

In the history of basketball, there have been some statistical anamolies that we simply can’t account for how effective they are on the court. Shane Battier is one of them. Unfortunately, the Kings aren’t signing Shane Battier to a one-year, minimum deal.

Overall, he adds the tough, physical play that the Kings brass was clamoring for when the draft happened. I think his defense can be invaluable if Donte Greene or Omri Casspi can’t step in and stop their man from blowing by them (more of  a problem with DG than Casspi).

Let’s just hope he doesn’t cross over to the offensive side of the court when he’s on the floor.

Video found from Sam Amick’s post on the SacBee blog:

By now, you’ve probably heard that one time Sacramento King Greg Ostertag is inspired to make a comeback attempt after watching last season’s playoffs and being coerced by his wife to get out of the house.

I was always confused by the career of Greg Ostertag. He always seemed like an oaf and completely overmatched. Yet, when I reviewed Game Six of the 1997 Western Conference Finals against the Rockets, he matched Hakeem Olajuwon point for point (16 to 16), outrebounded him (14 to 11) and shut him down in the fourth quarter. It was an alarming performance that I never really remembered until a couple of weeks ago.

But then you look at his career numbers and there’s nothing exciting in terms of his numbers – 4.6 points per, 5.5 rebounds per, 1.7 blocks per. He has lovely Per 36 numbers of 8.6 points and 10.1 rebounds but there must have been a reason that he didn’t often play over 20 minutes per game in a season (just five times in his 11 years).

So when I read that ‘Tag was thinking about a reunion with the NBA, I wanted to get the biggest fan I know to weigh and give me his summation on the Greg Ostertag era with the Kings. This is what I got as a response:

“My summary of feelings regarding Greg Ostertag’s tenure with the Kings: Ha ha ha. Ha ha. Ha.” – Tom Ziller.

That pretty much sums it up, I guess. Nobody really wants to see him return, outside of his family. But it got me thinking of which former Kings would I like to see on the court for one more season, preferably in a Kings’ uniform so I could experience it locally. Here’s the list that I came up with.

Honorable Mention: Frank Brickowski, 1994-1995
Although, Frank technically spent a year with the Kings, he was injured his shoulder before the season started and never logged a single step onto the floor. We never got to experience the greatness of the Brick. I think the Kings and their fans missed out. After all, he did have career averages of 10 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 51.9% from the field in over 700 games, although that might have meant less Alaa Abdelnaby (sorry, he didn’t make the list).

10. Ryan Robertson, 1999-2000
The pride of Lawton, Oklahoma only played one game with the Kings back in AFTER the lockout-shortened season and scored five points in 25 minutes. He had a decent career at Kansas and may have only been drafted because of a big game in the NCAA tournament his senior year. He’s still just 33 years old today but I’d venture to say that he still looks like he was 12.

9. Dwayne Schintzius, 1991-1992
This picture should explain it all.

8. Vitaly Potapenko, 2005-2007
I don’t know if you’ve had the pleasure of seeing Mrs. Potapenko but having her back in town wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

7. Mike Peplowski, 1993-1994
Pepper! I’d love to see a buddy cop show called Pepper and Peaches. Can you imagine Peaches and Peplowski running around Sacramento, solving crimes, cleaning up Oak Park, fighting with Davis cops because they’re investigating matters outside of their jurisdiction… the possibilities are endless! Peaches would be just like David Caruso on CSI: Duluth and constantly be giving one-liners while Peplowski flies off the handle and gets physical with the people they’re interrogating.

Pepper will end up flying off the handle and smacking a guy while Peaches puts on his glasses and says something like, “Ouch…talk about King me.” I’m all for Peplowski’s return.

6. Michael “Yogi” Stewart, 1997-1998
Yogi was the original, local boy makes good story before Matt Barnes and Carmichael Dave. The former Kings ball boy came out of nowhere after an underwhelming career at Cal. He recorded 195 blocks in his rookie season, which was good for sixth in the league and only 12 fewer than his entire four years at Berkeley. He turned that into a nice contract with the Raptors and then was turned into an afterthought in Toronto as he was rarely utilized. He’s still only 34 years old and could probably provide the Kings with some much-needed shot blocking inside.

5. Jim Les, 1990-1994
If anybody could teach Tyreke Evans how to be a prolific shooter, it’s Jim Les. Despite career numbers that are actually not very good, he led the league in three-point shooting in 1991 and was fifth two seasons later. He would have to give up a nice college coaching career to make one last run with the Kings at the age of 46 but I’m sure that Bradley would hold his spot as he breaks out the short shorts, feathery Blagojevich-like hair, and the long range jumper for the Arco faithful one more time.

Maybe he can even bring back his basketball camp for all of the little Kings fans out there.

4. Michael Smith, 1994-1998
The Animal was probably one of the most impressive rebounders that I have ever seen in Sacramento. He wasn’t all that physically imposing. He wasn’t the most athletic guy on the team. But he could rebound like…well… an animal.

Although, they don’t appear to be the same type of player, I see a lot of similarities between Smith and Jon Brockman’s games. Smith would be a perfect backup for the Kings right about now. They need that energy guy off the bench and I’m not sure they have it in form of a big man (Cisco and Sergio should be energetic enough on the perimeter). So let’s see what 37-yr old Michael Smith is up to and have Geoff throw a contract his way.

3. Sarunas Marciulionis, 1995-1996
If you’ve seen the movie Terminator: Salvations, then you’re familiar with the model of terminator model before the Arnold Schwarzenegger’s version. It was a very similar version but it wasn’t ready to wreak havoc on the world yet, like the Arnold version. Well, that’s pretty much the exact same evolution as Sarunas Marciulionis and Manu Ginobili.

If you can find old clips of Rooney, the most striking thing about his game is how many moves look like stuff Manu pulls off on a nightly basis. The hard step to the side when going for a lay-up is there. The various, acrobatic up-and-unders are there. The silky, smooth jump shot is there. Everything is there. So I wouldn’t mind watching Rooney lace ‘em up one more time and throw down for a season with the Kings. He can even Christian Bale scream at Mario Elie if he has to.

2. Walt Williams, 1992-1996
My two favorite Kings of all time (until Tyreke Evans figures out how to out-man everybody) both share the last name of Williams. My favorite King is the one at the number one spot on this list but number two is definitely Walt Williams. Maybe it was the goatee. Maybe it was the giant elbow pad. It probably was the high socks. But whatever it was about Walt Williams, I bought into it – big time. As a rookie, he seemed too good to be true with the way he scored the ball. He had an all-around game with rebounding, passing, and shooting. He could make plays for other guys. And he had high socks!

Walt Williams is someone I followed throughout his whole career. I loved him on the Kings. I loved him on the Rockets. I loved him on the Mavs. I loved him on Portland. Hell, I even enjoyed his short stay with Miami when he teamed up with Sasha Danilovic. Walt will always be the Wizard to me and will always hold a place in my basketball heart. I’d love for him to be a three-point specialist with the 2009-2010 Kings.

1. Jason Williams, 1998-2001
I enjoyed the way he set the basketball world on fire. I loved the way that he injected adrenaline and fun into Sacramento Kings basketball. And I loved the fact that he entertained his fans to the fullest while he was in Sacramento. Plus, any excuse to post this puts him number one on this comeback list.

Forget the comeback in Orlando, Jason. Come back home.

With the semi-announcement that it looks like the Kings will go into the season with only 13 players under contract, I’ve decided to unveil a weekly piece that will run every Monday morning (I know, it’s currently Tuesday).

It’s the 2009-2010 season’s Kings Power Rankings!

Has your excitement finally subsided? Good. The Kings Power Rankings will rank the performance of every player on the roster and give you an idea of who is rising, falling, hot, or not with everybody on the team (yes, even YOU, Kenny Thomas). The rankings will be based on statistical analysis, intangibles, and my own opinion of how players are looking. This should give you plenty of chances to disagree with me and tell me what an idiot I am.

Heck, you can even play at home and check every Monday to see if our rankings match up. The possibilities are endless!

So without further ado, here is the first edition of the Kings Power Rankings:

* – Stats are taken from last season with the Kings or their respective teams

1. Kevin Martin | 24.6 ppg | 42.0% FG | 41.5% 3p | 10.3 FTA | 60.1% TS
Reason: With Michael Jordan semi-dubbing Martin as a future Hall of Famer, it seems only right that the team’s best scorer would start at the top of the ranks. If he’s healthy, he’s a threat to score over 2,000 points this year.

2. Spencer Hawes | 11.4 ppg | 7.1 rpg | 1.5 bpg | 46.6% FG | 34.8% 3p
Reason: Spencer gets the nod because he won’t have to adjust to the NBA like Evans will but Spencer will have to adjust to being the most important big man on the team for an entire season. Rebounding and blocking shots will keep him up here.

3. Tyreke Evans | No Stats From Last Season
Reason: I seem to be the only one convinced that Tyreke will be the Rookie of the Year. After watching him closely in Summer League, I think he has the instincts and the motor to dominate all of the small point guards. But will he be able to knock down shots?

4. Jason Thompson | 11.1 ppg | 7.4 rpg | 49.7% FG | 69.2% FT | 82 games
Reason: Jason Thompson could very easily be in the second slot here but I was a little worried with the effort he put forth in Summer League. He has all of the tools to be a bigger version of David West but the defense has to be consistent.

5. Andres Nocioni | 13.7 ppg | 6.0 rpg | 44.8% FG | 44.1% 3p | 76.3% FT
Reason: Probably the default starter at small forward because someone has to play defense and someone has to set the tone for toughness. Nocioni will frustrate teams with his physical play and perhaps start a ruckus with whomever he’s guarding.

6. Francisco Garcia | 12.7 ppg | 44.4% FG | 34.8% 3p | 1.2 spg | 1.0 bpg
Reason: The broken finger keeps him a little bit lower than I’d like him to be. It’s time for Cisco to make a leap to the next level and become a consistent difference maker every night. He has the skills to be a top sixth man in the league but can he put it together every night?

7. Donte Greene | 3.8 ppg | 1.6 rpg | 13.2 mpg | 32.6% FG | 85.3% FT
Reason: I have no idea how good Donte is going to end up being. He could be on the cusp of All-Star play for a dozen years or he could be out of the league in five years. He has to figure out how to make shots and defend well enough to put him alongside Hawes and JT.

8. Sergio Rodriguez | 4.5 ppg | 3.6 apg | 15.3 mpg | 39.2% FG | 32.5% 3p
Reason: A much needed pure point guard on this roster who should be able to amaze the crowd with his passing and turn them off with some unnecessary turnovers. Hey, it’s like Jason Williams Lite!

9. Sean May | 3.9 ppg | 2.9 rpg | 39.8% FG | 12.5 mpg | 24 games
Reason: Health and weight are his two biggest concerns. If his health is there and his weight is down, he’ll easily be a 20-minute per game guy. But if the Kings can’t rely on him at all, where do they go for a backup? Small ball?

10. Omri Casspi | No Stats From Last Season
Reason: It’s hard to see where Omri will get his minutes this season but he will have every opportunity to either earn the minutes or work on his game (D-League?). Omri could be a future Hedo Turkoglu or bust like Skeeta. But he doesn’t seem to be over pressured by the Israeli national spotlight on him.

11. Jon Brockman | No Stats From Last Season
Reason: Brockman is a good enough rebounder to be in the rotation. But with his small stature for a power forward, will he be able to defend well enough to receive consistent minutes? He’s the Kings version of what Jamie Feick was for the Nets.

12. Kenny Thomas | 0.8 ppg | 1.9 rpg | 7.8 mpg | 37.5% FG | 8 games
Reason: Poor Kenny Thomas. He’s actually capable of being productive. But he’ll probably not get a chance to prove it unless Sean May gets hurt and Brockman shows he’s too small to play. How ‘bout that expiring contract!?!

13. Beno Udrih | 11.0 ppg | 4.7 apg | 46.1% FG | 31.0% 3pg | 2.2 topg
Reason: Beno might start the season. He might be the backup. He might never be seen from except for shots of him in street clothes. But whatever the case is, he needs to win back the hearts of Kings fans by earning the contract.

There are the first rankings for the season. Feel free to leave your comments below or send them to me via email (zharper@cowbellkingdom.com).

According to the Kings Press Release:

SACRAMENTO, CA, September 14, 2009 —- Sacramento Kings swingman Francisco Garcia was re-evaluated today by team physician Dr. Richard Marder. It was determined that he suffered a minor fracture in his right ring finger. Garcia has been cleared to resume full basketball activities next week. He is entering his fifth NBA season (all with the Kings).

So after injuring the finger during the FIBA Americas tournament, Francisco has been reevaluated by team doctors and should be back to action sometime next week. That’s good news. Considering camp starts in two weeks-ish, Cisco should be healthy in plenty of time.

With Beno Udrih still about 10 days away from being healthy (according to initial injury estimates from September 3rd), the Kings are almost completely healthy going into camp.

Yes, it’s all news we pretty much already knew but it’s the deadest time of year for basketball information when your team isn’t foolishly signing Allen Iverson or when you don’t have a former player heading into the Hall of Fame.

This has nothing to do with the Kings and everything to do with Michael Jordan and his legacy.

So why am I posting a link to this article?

Because you rarely get to see an example of perfect writing. Kelly Dwyer just pulled it off.

I’m not going to quote it or anything here. It deserves your click-through. If you don’t recognize how great this article is then I suggest you read it as many times as it takes for you to understand it.

Well done, KD. Well done.

Congratulations to the Hall of Fame class of 2009: Michael Jordan, Jerry Sloan, John Stockton, David Robinson, and Vivian Stringer (who is being entirely overlooked this week).

From the Full Court Press:

He’ll be available at 1:30 pm on Kings.com, Friday the 11th. He’ll be answering the questions of you, the fans, while simultaneously dribbling a basketball. Or at least that’s what I imagine he’ll be doing. So stop on in and say, “hi” to Sergio.