The Sacramento Kings guard discusses his return as well as the collision with Gerald Wallace in the second half of tonight’s 95-92 win over the Portland Trailblazers.
In two meetings this season, the Portland Trailblazers put the pressure on the Sacramento Kings. And the Kings wilted, losing by 22 points in December and 12 points just last week. Maybe third time’s the charm as the Kings play host to the Blazers this time around at Power Balance Pavilion.
Ah, council meetings at Sacramento City Hall. Like Forrest Gump, you just never know what you’re gonna get during public comment. From Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee:
Perhaps the most colorful meeting of what has been a lively few months played out Tuesday. An enraged man named Leo Benavidez, asserting that his identity had been stolen, threw his wallet at Mayor Kevin Johnson during the public comment period.
Benavidez had gone over his allotted two minutes of speaking time. When Johnson pounded his gavel, the man responded, “If you want my identity, then take my (expletive) wallet.” He then reached into his back pocket and flung his wallet at the council dais.
Johnson, who is said to despise sitting through long-winded council sessions, did not flinch. Benavidez was escorted out of the council chamber by three police officers. On the way out, one of the officers told him he was welcome to return next week.
Didn’t flinch? Impressive. Much better reaction than former teammate Charles Barkley, who too has had things thrown his way. Those years enduring the heckles of loud-mouthed NBA fans were good for something, I guess.
He hasn’t played in almost two weeks. But Marcus Thornton is eager to return as soon as possible.
Sacramento Kings Head Coach Keith Smart started the fourth quarter tonight with most of his starting unit on the bench. And that was all the Golden State Warriors needed.
The home team jumped all over their in-state rivals with a 9-0 run in the first five minutes of the fourth, getting enough separation for a 93-90 win in Oakland.
Brandon Rush lit up the Kings, scoring a team-high 20 points on 4-for-5 shooting off the bench for Golden State. David Lee and Dorell Wright added 15 a piece, stepping up for Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, who struggled mightily.
The Kings had three players finish with double-doubles, led by Tyreke Evans and his near triple-double performance. Evans finished the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 44 minutes. DeMarcus Cousins dominated, especially in the first half, finishing the game with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Rookie Isaiah Thomas hit three long-balls in the fourth to bring the Kings within one, but the Warriors did their job at the line to pick up the home win.
Home, sweet home…kind of. With 11 out of 16 games on the road, the month of January hasn’t been very kindto the Sacramento Kings. So it must be nice (instead of hopping on a plane) to make the short-bus ride to Oakland, where the Kings play the Golden State Warriors tonight.
Just one month remains until the NBA’s March 1st relocation deadline. Cowbell Kingdom’s James Ham joins Henry Abbott on TrueHoop TV to discuss the effort to build a new Sacramento arena and Small Market, Big Heart.
This begins a three-part series on the entertainment and sports complex effort in Sacramento. Disclaimer: These are my observations on how the arena project is progressing based on recent and past events, as well as my discussions with various figures in Sacramento business, sports and politics.
I am asked at least once a day, “What’s new with the arena?”
It is a complicated answer.
With so many moving parts, all working on parallel timelines, there appears to be something “new” each day.
All that really matters is how the financing plan comes together. And so far, it appears the money is starting to fall in line.
Everybody’s favorite former Sacramento King, Vlade Divac, was in Australia last week, apparently on some charitable/humantarian business. And with the first grand slam of the tennis season underway, he dropped by Melbourne to root on fellow Serb and eventual 2012 Australian Open champion Novak Djokvic.
“Well I lost my voice,” said Divac on Morning Glory yesterday, an Australian sports talk radio program based out of Melbourne. “It’s amazing. (I) played basketball for a long time. I never saw an athlete do such a thing, both of them, (Rafael) Nadal and Djokovic, for almost six hours, playing at a high level.”
Divac spoke to hosts Andrew Gaze and Andy Maher about a wide variety of topics, including his relationship with the Serbian tennis star as well as his storied-basketball career. After the jump, a few excerpts.
by James Ham and Jonathan Santiago
Photo: Kings.com/Scott Monaco
Jimmer Fredette made his return to the beehive state when the Sacramento Kings played the Utah Jazz Saturday. The result was a loss, but the homecoming atmosphere was special for the Kings rookie, who spent four years in Provo playing for BYU. Cowbell Kingdom’s James Ham spoke to Jimmer one-on-one about the experience and his new documentary film about his life following practice yesterday. We bring that conversation to you in this week’s Cowbell Kingdom Podcast.
Highlights
You can purchase Jimmer’s documentary “The Making of Jimmer” over at the Deseret Book.
Listen after the jump…
