One of the NBA’s greatest scorers is joining the Sacramento Kings coaching staff.

Hall of Famer Alex English, who spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach and director of player development with the Toronto Raptors, has been added to head coach Keith Smart’s staff.

From the official press release:

“Adding Alex to our basketball program is good for all and especially good for our players,” explained Smart. “He was an elite player in this league for a long time and is a very good coach. When he talks, they’ll listen. His game prep and film study aspects are some of his many strong points, and that’s only going to help our staff. We’re trying to surround ourselves with the right people that fit our basketball team who have the ability to teach our guys and also have a firm hand to get them walking in the right direction as young men.”

Prior to joining the Raptors, English enjoyed coaching stints with the Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04) and Atlanta Hawks (2002-03). The former NBA superstar began his coaching career with the D-League’s North Charleston Lowgaters, earning a birth in the finals of the first NBDL title game.

English played 14 seasons in the NBA, appearing in eight All-Star games, all as a member of the Denver Nuggets.  With 25,613 career points, he is the league’s 13th all-time leading scorer.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports breaking the news on Twitter:

Update (4:50 pm):  The Sacramento Kings have confirmed the decision via press release.

Statement from Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie:

“Keith will bring a new perspective to the team as we try to move forward with the season,” said Petrie. “He’s very well prepared and will assume the job with some new ideas and new approaches of his own. We’re all excited and looking forward to working with him.”

Statement from new head coach Keith Smart:

“I had a chance to work for Paul Westphal in the brief time that I’ve been here and really enjoyed it,” explained Smart. “He was very supportive every step of the way. I want to thank Geoff Petrie and the Maloof family for giving me this opportunity. I’m looking forward to implementing a few new things with what we want to try to do with our basketball team. Hopefully, they’ll respond to what I want them to do, and I believe they will. I think our players will be excited with some of the ideas that I have for our team moving forward.”

More to follow later tonight. Follow Cowbell Kingdom for continued coverage of the Westphal firing.

Amidst the drama surrounding DeMarcus Cousins and Sacramento Kings head coach Paul Westphal, the assignments of rookie Tyler Honeycutt and Hassan Whiteside became footnotes in the news.  However, the demotions are part of a league-wide trend over the last week.

1. December 29th: The Milwaukee Bucks assign second-year guard Darrington Hobson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
2. January 1st: The Washington Wizards assign second-year big man Hamady NDiaye to the Iowa Energy.
3. January 2nd: The Houston Rockets assign rookie Marcus Morris to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
4. January 3rd: The Denver Nuggets assign rookies Julyan Stone and Jordan Hamilton to the Idaho Stampede.
5. January 4th: The San Antonio Spurs assign rookie Cory Joseph to the Austin Toros.
6. January 4th: The Portland Trailblazers assign second year players Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson to the Idaho Stampede.

Why?

Read more…

After being dismissed before the Kings 96-80 win over the New Orleans Hornets, DeMarcus Cousins made the trip out to Memphis, where the Kings begin a three-games-in-three-nights set, starting with the Grizzlies.  Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie met yesterday with Cousins along with his Seattle-based agent, John Greig, who flew down from Washington to address the issue first-hand.  Petrie details some of the meeting to the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Jones:

“We talked about the important role he play in what we’re trying to do offensively an the gamut of what he needs to do going forward,” Petrie said. “…We did not agree on everything but that’s OK.”

Head Coach Paul Westphal tells Jones that Cousins will dress for tonight’s game and will not start.  J.J. Hickson is expected to once again fill the void.

Read more…

Before and after tonight’s 96-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets, the Sacramento Kings faced a bevy of questions regarding the apparent trade demand by second-year big man DeMarcus Cousins.

“I don’t know what’s going on about that,” said Kings guard Tyreke Evans when asked if he believes the demand to be true. “I haven’t heard from him.  He might have told coach that, but hopefully you know he was just frustrated and mad at the time because we’d definitely like him on this team.”

Read more…

The Sacramento Kings have made it official:

KINGS REACH AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE WITH CHUCK HAYES

SACRAMENTO, CA —- The Sacramento Kings tonight have reached an agreement in principle with free agent center/forward Chuck Hayes to a multi-year contract, according to Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rumors have persisted throughout the evening that the Kings would bring Hayes back after voiding his contract due to an apparent heart condition.  Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick has tweeted the preliminary figures and plenty of other information that should set Kings fans at ease following one of the most bizarre weeks any NBA player has ever had.

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The Kings just sent out a press release announcing they’ve withdrawn their offer to center Samuel Dalembert.  And according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the free agent big man has reportedly chosen Houston over Sacramento.

Via Twitter, Yahoo! Sports Adrian Wojnarowski reports the details of Dalembert’s contract with the Rockets:

Fox Sports’ Chris Tomasson reported last night Dalembert was anticipating a return to Sacramento for a second season.

“If things work out, everything structurally (with the contact), it will be Sacramento,” Dalembert said in a phone interview with FOX Sports Florida from his Boca Raton, Fla., home. “It’s close.”

But Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick says the Kings were caught off guard by Tomasson’s story.

The report was met with confusion from Kings officials, with everyone from owners Joe and Gavin Maloof on down saying there was no mutual understanding that he would return.

Updated: 328 pm

The Sacramento Kings have voided the contract of veteran forward Chuck Hayes.   Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie released  the following statement:

“This morning, in one of the most heartbreaking moments of my professional or personal life, Chuck Hayes was notified that he failed his physical exam with the Sacramento Kings. Subsequent to that, the contract signed on December 9th has been voided. At Chuck’s request, we will have no further comment at this time.”

It is believed the Kings forward is suffering from some sort of unknown heart condition.  The Kings performed further tests last week on the Modesto native, revealing an abnormality.

The news comes on the heels of the Boston Celtics nullifying the contract of forward Jeff Green, who too was discovered to have a some sort of serious heart condition.  Green will miss the entire 2011-12 NBA season.

The Sacramento Kings were awarded forward Travis Outlaw off the amnesty waiver wire last night.  Following yesterday’s preseason contest against the Golden State Warriors, Head Coach Paul Westphal commented on the signing.

“I’m excited about that,” said Westphal.  ”I think that certainly things didn’t work out for him in New Jersey for whatever reason.  He’s had some injury problems, but he’s chronologically just entering his prime.”

The Kings head coach also hinted to how he might utilize the 27-year-old veteran.

“When you look at the years in Portland coming off the bench at either the three or the four spot, he was very productive for them,” Westphal continued.  ”And he was a guy that they would go to in the fourth quarter a lot of times, and he delivered.  So that’s what got him the five-years, $35-million contract.  We think that if he can be healthy and revert to that form, we’ve got somebody that can really help us at two positions.”

According to multiple reports, Outlaw broke his right wrist in a boxing workout during the NBA’s five-month lockout.  His agent, Bill Duffy, tells the Sacramento Bee that the new Kings forward was medically cleared to practice on Thursday.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Sacramento Kings have won the amnesty bid process on former New Jersey Net Travis Outlaw.  Adrian  Wojnarowski of Yahoo! was the first to report the addition via twitter.

The 27 year-old Outlaw spent the majority of his career with the Portland Trailblazers before a mid-season trade to the Clippers in 2010.  Following the move to LA, Outlaw signed a 5yr/$35 million deal with the New Jersey Nets last season, but struggled mightily, shooting just 37.5% from the field.  Outlaw had his best seasons as a pro for Portland during the 2007-08 season, averaging 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27-minutes a game off the bench.

There is no word on what the Kings bid on Outlaw, but he comes to the team with a four year contract intact, much of which New Jersey will be paying.  As for what this means for the Kings other wing players, only time will tell, but the things just got a little crowded.

The Sacramento Kings have just sent out an official press release confirming the amnesty waiver claim of Travis Outlaw.

 KINGS AWARDED TRAVIS OUTLAW ON WAIVER CLAIM

 

SACRAMENTO, CA —- The Sacramento Kings today were awarded forward Travis Outlaw on a waiver claim under the NBA’s new amnesty waiver procedure, according to Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 6-9, 207-pound forward was waived by New Jersey on December 15, 2011, and designated as the team’s amnesty player. Signed by the Nets as a free agent on July 14, 2010, Outlaw averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game in 82 games, starting 55 of those contests last season.

Outlaw is entering his ninth NBA season, having played in 482 career games with Portland, LA Clippers and New Jersey. His career averages are 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 22.9 minutes per game.