James Ham over at Purple Panjandrum with quotes from Samuel Dalembert, DeMarcus Cousins and Coach Westphal on Dalembert being named the starter over Cousins.

I particularly liked what Cousins had to say about it.

“I thought it was a great idea and I think it will really help the team.  I won’t have to start the game off and I’m still learning.  Coming in off the bench, I can see how aggressive the game is so I can know how aggressive to be and not be.  I’ll get the feel of the game a lot better.”

This is a sign of maturity and understanding within the team concept. Despite what some people may want DeMarcus to act like, his ability to put team first and actually think about wins over individual accolades is really astounding. He’s not a problem with this team and he definitely gets that it’s about what Westphal wants.

This is a good move for the Kings simply because of they’re going to insist that Carl Landry is a starter then they need a better defensive presence out there to start games. The two offensive weapons in Cousins and Landry are nice to have to start games but both are struggling to defend good post players right now. This will hopefully help Cousins stay on the court longer by beating up second units and give him the chance to finish games without worrying about foul trouble.

This from Jason Jones after the victory over the Warriors Tuesday night:

*The small forward race might begin taking shape. For the second time lately, Westphal had nice things to say about Donte’ Greene’s play and the role of Omri Casspi.

Casspi had 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Greene started and had 10 points, four rebounds and three steals.

“I like Casspi off the bench,” Westphal said. “I think he gives us a really nice niche…And I like Donte. I thought he really showed the kind of impact he can have on a game. Donte’ really played well I thought.”

I’ve been pretty back-and-forth on whether or not I thought Omri should start at small forward over Donté or Donté should start over Omri. I really like the fire and attitude Omri brings to this team. He seems to be one of the most competitive players in the league (not just the team) and young teams like the Kings can use more guys like that playing significant/starter’s minutes. At the same time, Donté Greene may be the best overall defensive player the team has and this team certainly proved last year they need as much defensive work as they can get.

Looking at their numbers from last year, they couldn’t have been more similar:

(Click to enlarge)

Their Per 36-Minute numbers are nearly identical. Donté gives you almost the same everything across the board except he’s a shot-blocking threat. Omri gives the same production as Donté except he’s a much better rebounder. When you look at how efficiently they are on offense in different situations, they’re also really similar (according to Synergy Sports):

(Click to Enlarge)

Donté Greene’s Synergy numbers have the white background and Omri’s have the gray background.

Surprisingly, Donté seems to be the better offensive weapon, which I didn’t expect at all. Omri is regarded as the better shooter and the more efficient play-maker in many ways but Donté’s proficiency in the pick-and-roll seems to put him over the top.

When we turn to the defensive numbers that Synergy provides us, we sort of get flipped on our heads again:

(Click to Enlarge)

The numbers here (remember Donté in white, Omri in gray) show Casspi to be the better defender by far. In fact he was the 10th best defender in isolation last season in the entire league. 10th! Part of this could be due to the fact that Donté’s numbers are a little out of whack considering he was often guarding the best offensive opponent on the floor. But overall, Omri’s defensive numbers are simply stunning.

However, that doesn’t change my feeling on what each player brings to the table. Omri has shown a much better flair for creating scoring chances for himself and his teammates. Some scouts I talked to during Summer League often glowed about his ability to make the “Gretzky assist” (the pass that lead to the pass that got the assist). And with Omri’s ability to shoot the ball from all over the court, I think it’s safe to say he IS in fact the better offensive option. With Donté you’re going to get a guy who is capable of guarding the best scorer on the opposing team. It doesn’t mean he’s always going to stop that guy but even with his added muscle and bulk (I don’t care if the Kings want him to get rid of the extra weight. I think it should stay to help his versatility), he can still stay and bother most perimeter scorers while being able to guard bigger guys in the post.

Ultimately, I’d like the play-maker to come off the bench to provide a spark and the defensive-minded guy to roll out with the starters. If Coach Westphal is indeed content with starting Donté and bringing Omri in as a 6th or 7th man force, it’s a decision I think all Kings fans can feel confident in.

What the old adage? Mess with the bull and you get the horns?

I like a little attitude in my big men. And I don’t mean that psychotic-fake attitude Kevin Garnett exudes (I love KG and I don’t mind him being a jerk but even I can admit how he runs after taking a swing) or the fake tough guy attitude Chris Webber tried to convince everybody was his real persona. I like a good mean streak in my big man.

When Shaq was trying to break guys like Shawn Bradley in half, I enjoyed it thoroughly. When Rick Mahorn and Charles Oakley were taking shots at people and begging them to do something about it, I grinned because that’s what a big tough guy is supposed to do. He’s supposed to utilize the fact that he’s the biggest, strongest guy on the floor and make other people – even his contemporaries – scared of him.

It was a reason I could never get behind guys like Spencer Hawes. Sure, you love their insane skill set for a guy so big and you daydream about the versatility they can give your offense if the potential gets harnessed but at some point you want a guy who will check opponents cutting across the lane, immediately slam his oversized physique into a guy in order to box him out as a shot goes up and violently (yet, legally) implant an elbow into his defender’s shoulder to create space to the basket on a drop-step.

And this is what I love about DeMarcus Cousins. I admit I was really skeptical of his attitude issues and demeanor in his year at Kentucky. I thought he was potentially way too volatile to risk a top 3 pick on because you didn’t know if he was going to dig his own grave all the time. But then I saw this pre-draft interview with Cousins and realized something:

DeMarcus isn’t going to pull punches or sugarcoat anything. He has an opinion of how things are and he doesn’t fill the need to filter much. He’s too intelligent to just come out and say what’s on his mind when he can sense it will be twisted or used against him at a later date. If anything, he’s constantly reminding himself of his own Miranda Rights. He’s going to try to not say anything that will be used against him in a court of public opinion later on.

I don’t know that any of this is a problem either. But I also can’t say it won’t be a problem. With DeMarcus Cousins you’ll get a demonstrative entity capable of ruling the NBA paint. It’s not so much a question of how good is he? It’s more of a question of how good will he allow himself to be?

DeMarcus isn’t a bad guy or a potential cancer. He’s just not interested in playing the media game and trying to portray a PR-friendly image. If you like what he says then that’s great. If you don’t then it’s probably on you. He’s very Charles Barkley in that way and I think it’s a good thing.

So when reading this piece from Marc Spears about the pressure possibly headed DMC’s way, I loved this little snippet about his views on being picked behind fellow big man Derrick Favors:

”I believe everything happens for a reason,” Cousins said. ”But I can’t wait to play them because I’m going at their necks, especially the big that got picked before me.”

That ”big” is Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors, who was selected by the Nets third overall. Favors was the only post player selected among the top four picks. Considering the Nets’ most heralded player is center Brook Lopez, drafting another true center like Cousins didn’t make sense for the team’s needs.

After Cousins scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his preseason debut against Phoenix, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself when he learned Favors had four points and one rebound in 13 minutes against Philadelphia earlier that night.

”I’m trying to see what’s so special,” Cousins said of Favors. ”…I guess that’s what they really needed on their team. I really don’t know. ‘

”I feel I was the best big to come out of college. For another big to get picked before me, I have a problem with that.”

But here’s the thing. This isn’t the first shot he’s taken at a big man this year. Remember when the Lakers won their second title in a row and he had this to say about Andrew Bynum?

And this is why I love the attitude in DeMarcus Cousins. He has a bravado you can’t teach at all. It’s inherent. He doesn’t know how to be another way and I doubt he would care to change it in anyway.

This is what you should want in your big, mean giants on the court. I don’t want guys going out there to just earn their paycheck and grab stats. I want punishers in the paint. I want guys that leave bruises on their opponents. I want bloody noses, sore bones and weary muscles from fighting with a tough post player all night long. This is why I love the Kings new direction of being bigger and tougher than everybody else on the court.

They have a size advantage that will benefit them most nights. Maybe they can’t keep up with Orlando, Phoenix and even Golden State when everything is clicking but I doubt those teams will walk away without feeling that game physically. Landry is tough as nails, Jason Thompson is more and more active/physical as he learns the game better and Dalembert isn’t afraid to get into the thick of it to sway away some shot attempts.

And they’ll all be molded around a tough SOB who doesn’t care if you like what he has to say or not. DeMarcus should think he’s better than Derrick Favors because he is. He should want to take shots at brittle big men like Bynum because he thinks he tougher. You want guys like Cousins to have this attitude because there is no reason to duck anybody in this league. You don’t want a team that will sneak into the later round of the NBA playoffs. You want a team full of guys who want to take on the toughest road to the NBA title.

DeMarcus is that type of guy. He’s going to smack you in the mouth, tell you about it and then beat you. Maybe he won’t always say the right thing but pro sports has enough of those guys who say too much without saying anything at all.

Mess with DeMarcus Cousins and you get the horns. And those horns are made out of a bravado that not many other big men can honestly match.

Head on over to The Score to see our Basketball Jonesing friends talk about the Sacramento Kings and all the NBA teams.

While they seem optimistic about the team, the projected record will probably frustrate you.

Andrew Macaluso over at Dime Magazine posted the 5 toughest places to play in the NBA and the Kings made the list despite having a couple of down seasons the last few years:

5. ARCO Arena (Sacramento Kings)
Despite managing to conjure up only 17 wins at home last season, the Kings still have one of the loudest, most rambunctious groups of fans in the League. ARCO is the smallest arena in the NBA, but its capacity of 17,317 sounds like twice that amount when the fans get going.

He writes more about the arena (and even has a probably inadvertent name drop of this site) so be sure to click the link. Also, see what venues Arco has to surpass to get back on top.

Remember that complicated land swap that would have put the State Fair in the old Arco Arena, some other stuff at Cal Expo and the brand spanking new arena into a redeveloped rail yard that rivaled some serious Monopoly wheeling and dealing?

Well, the Kings apparently couldn’t pass Go and the city of Sacramento didn’t land on Free Parking so the deal is dead. Instead, the Kings are stuck without a brand new arena deal and will start exploring their options if they’re smart. That doesn’t mean the city of Sacramento is losing its team by any means. People in Anaheim, Seattle and Kansas City will assuredly tell you the Kings are moving to their respective city and that the Kings have no chance of remaining in Sacramento.

Well, those people are idiots.

It doesn’t mean they won’t be correct about those sentiments. It just means their blind luck guessing is going to possibly come to fruition through no intuition of their own.

It doesn’t look good, especially with the NBA pulling out its support for the new arena project after four years of probably checking in on the people doing the hard work:

“On the heels of the disappointing – but not surprising – action (or inaction) of the state and Cal Expo board, it is fair to say that the NBA has ceased its activities on the Sacramento arena front,” league representative John Moag said in an e-mail to The Bee. “However, we will continue to monitor and respond to the activities and options of others that might reasonably ensure the competitiveness and viability of the Kings’ franchise.”

Before you start packing up your season ticket money for the big move, keep a few things in mind. Until the Kings file relocation papers (and there really isn’t any reason to believe they will as of right now), this city still has a chance to put together some type of arena plan. Even with other cities chomping at the bit, there is no perfect situation to move to out there. Sacramento Bee sports editor, Bill Bradley, gave some illumination to the other cities and their issues in moving the Kings there:

• San Jose is out of the question because new Warriors owners Joseph Lacob and Peter Guber paid too many millions to let another team move into their TV territory.

• Anaheim is San Jose squared. Why would the Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Clippers agree to crowd the market?

• Seattle is dragging its feet on getting a new arena, and that’s the reason the Sonics left.

• Las Vegas is still talking about an arena. It hurt its chances when it flubbed the 2007 All-Star Game. Besides, third-shift workers are not good season-ticket holders.

• Kansas City? The Kings have been there, done that. And K.C. is the 31st-ranked media market, 11 spots behind Sacramento, so it would be a stretch to think it could sustain three pro teams.

So what now if you’re a Kings fan?

Renovating the building about to be formerly known as Arco Arena is out of the question. The building has been sapped out of its energy and usefulness in the same way I get when I’m forced to enter a Sephora shop. There is no life left in the building. It’s intimate and it’s unique in the fact that NOBODY in the league would want it as their home. That’s not to say you can’t have a good time at a Kings game there. When it’s packed and the crowd has energy, it’s still one of the better experiences you can have on any given night. But the arena is so outdated that the Kings won’t be able to thrive as a franchise without a new place.

You can build around the area Arco currently resides but that still can provide limitations in getting fans out and into the action on game nights when the transportation options to games are so impacted and unreliable.

The solution is still to try to get a place into downtown Sacramento. That has to mean redeveloping the rail yards and that’s going to cost a lot of money the city and economy can’t afford to give. The Maloofs were willing to contribute a boatload of money when the land swap proposal was being bandied about because they were getting out of a big debt owed to the area AND getting a lot of future profit from parking around the new building. Will they get afforded the same financial opportunity with the new proposals? That could be the key to getting them to support a new arena deal as much as they did with the prior idea.

The good thing with this arena situation is that even though the NBA has pulled out its efforts, the proposals are still going to come in and it will be relatively soon. The local developers involved are bringing in something called VisionMaker Worldwide to bring more money and equity to get funding for the next proposal possible.

“We don’t have it all figured out, but we have enough critical elements that it’s very promising,” Taylor said.

The city and Convergence have an exclusive negotiating agreement through the end of October on the original proposal. Mayor Johnson sought to end that exclusive arrangement early, saying he felt it was no longer valid because the initially proposed plan has failed.

The council, however, voted to wait until its Oct. 26 meeting to hear what Kamilos has to report and decide then whether and how to move forward on any arena plans.

So if these developers with the exclusive deal can’t get anything of substance in the next month (even though they have “ideas”), we’re all back to the drawing board. And when we’re all back to the drawing board, some new developer can come in with their big ideas and try to get something done. While NBA-less cities will try to taunt you with our lack of an arena deal in place, opening up the floor to new developers might be the way to go to get this thing back in motion.

And who knows? Maybe a great new company like Prestige WorldWide will come in and sweep the city off its feet…

(NSFW – language)

I haven’t given any coverage to the Omri Casspi mural defacing because I don’t want to indirectly give it attention. It’s a heinous act that is disgusting in every way.

But just because I don’t want to cover it on this space doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read great pieces about it elsewhere. Tzvi Twersky of SLAM posted this fantastic piece on the mural and incident.

Tomorrow, on one of the most introspective holidays, I’ll spend the day at synagogue studying my faults, flaws and sins. Thousand of miles away, Omri Casspi will, too.

At some point in their lives, whether they’re apprehended or not, hopefully the swastika-painting Sacramento criminals reassess themselves as well.

Read the entire piece here.

Chad Ford has been grading the off-seasons for both conferences (ESPN Insider) and the Kings finished second amongst Western Conference teams with an A- (they were behind the Thunder):

The team also made a clever deal before the draft, swapping Nocioni and Hawes for Dalembert. Dalembert not only gives the Kings a legitimate shot-blocker in the middle, but he also comes off the books at the end of the season, saving significant money for the Kings next season when they could have as much as $30 million in cap room. The team won’t win much this season, but the future looks bright in Sacramento.

It’s good to see the Kings are being recognized for smart deals, good drafting and responsible spending in a time of Amir Johnson paydays. This team still has a long way to go to get back to the glory days but at least it’s clear they have a solid foundation and a bright future to build.

Check out this little video of Reke and McGee working out with trainer Rob McClanaghan (via Dime Mag):

I don’t know if it’s just the extra medium workout shirt Tyreke has on but he looks HUGE. He’s definitely added some muscle to his frame this off-season. I’ll have more on that this week but I feel bad for the point guards in the NBA for now.

The Boost Mobile Elite 24 is a nice little get together for all of the best high school talent in the country. This year, some pros showed up to take on the youngsters and Tyreke Evans was one of those pro players. His team was comprised of himself, Brandon Jennings, DeMar DeRozan, Bobby Brown and John Wall.

Check out this video of some of the highlights. Tyreke has a few moves (including a much better looking jumper) at the 23-second, 1:06, 1:39 marks:

(H/T: Southern Distinguished Gentleman Kyle Weidie)