King(s) of the Hardwood: [3-1] 2nd in Pacific

[almightyx]

Hey guys! I've been trolling the forums for quite sometime now but I'm not much of a poster, which is why you haven't seen me at all recently. I had actually created a Grizzlies dynasty all the way back in 2008 with Live 08 on here. I really enjoyed doing that and I got a lot of good feedback, so I figured I'd have another shot at it with 2K12 since I'm enjoying it and I don't have much else to do gaming-wise since I'm almost done with Skyrim.

I decided to pick the Kings because I'm a fan of their young roster, I love the jerseys (yes, even though they're purple!), and I enjoy trying to take downtrodden teams and turn them into winners. If you read my dynasty you need to know 2 things. First, I'm not very good at writing stories. I can't wax poetic. Because of that, I'm going with a passionate fan/semi-journalist blog look for my dynasty that's similar to an actual college sports blog I read everyday. Second, I'm not good with photoshop. I'll probably mess around with it little bit to try and come up with some semi-fancy header or something, but for now you'll just get plain, ol'fashioned stats and simple analysis. With a few pretty pictures thrown in for good measure. Anyways, let's kick it off with the basics!


Game Settings
Game: NBA 2K12-PC Version
Team: Sacramento Kings
Rosters: NBA 2K12 Official Roster (12.17.11)
Draft Prospects: Auto-Generated
Sliders: The Truth's NBA 2K12 Simulations Sliders
Difficulty: Pro (unless it's too easy, then I'll go up)
Quarter Length: 12 minutes
Sim Length: 12 minutes

Association Settings
Season Length: 58 Games
Playoff Length: 5-7-7-7
D-League Games: Off
Team Chemistry: On
Player Roles: On
Progressive Fatigue: On
Trade Deadline: On
Trade Override: On
Allow CPU Trades: Off/On (will be turned on when only a few weeks from deadline to avoid too much trading)
Preseason Games: Off
Injuries: On

The rosters I matched up with the real NBA rosters as best I could without going too crazy creating players and doing all sorts of editing. Only a couple of bigger name rookies are missing (Singler, Biyombo) and every team has their major players so I'm not too worried about it. I'm happy with what I've got. I also went with 58 games to match up better with the real 66 game schedule. I also like to play the majority of the games and I didn't feel like playing 60+ games. Also knocked the First Round down to 5 games to match the schedule. First update should be coming very soon.

[almightyx]

First Post of the New NBA Year



Well folks, it's finally here. The lockout is over and we can get back to basketball. Yours truly at King(s) of the Hardwood is here to help you get back into the swing of things. If you're reading this passionate fan/half-ass journalist's blog then you probably already know the majority of the details of the new CBA, so I won't bore you with that but I will jump straight in to discussing the 2011-2012 Sacramento Kings.

First off though, I'll start with this. In case you missed it in yesterday's Bee, new Sacramento GM Mike Douglas took out a full page (color!) ad with an open letter to all Kings fans. That letter follows below with some analysis. I'll do a follow up post later today and get into talking about our roster, including the new Kings, Eric Bledsoe and Ryan Gomes.

To all Kings fans and enthusiasts,

I wanted to write a letter to all of you to introduce myself, explain how I operate, and provide some much needed knowledge. I am Mike Douglas, your Kings' new General Manager, and a Sacramento native. I have been an NBA scout for quite some time, but most recently got into the managing side of things with work in the NBA Head Office. This is my first GM position, and what I lack in experience, I make up for in hard work, determination, and work ethic. I will fully expect this team and front office to follow those same principles. If they choose not to, well, they have no business being a King.

I sat down with the President of Basketball Operations, Geoff Petrie and the Maloof family to discuss several things, including movement of the team and how I view this team. First, I must say this: our Kings are STAYING in Sacramento. Our Kings BELONG in Sacramento. All we need are wins. Putting a quality product out on the court on a nightly basis will entice all of you to come out and watch, thus allieviating much of the pressure on this franchise. That's where I come in.

I plan on sticking with Coach Westphal until at least the end of his contract. That gives him 2 more years to show he's got what it takes to lead this team. If our Kings do not show decent improvement over the next 2 years, we will be finding a new coach. With that said, I do have tempered expectations. It is hard to win in the NBA, but with the youth and talent we have on the roster I fully expect us to get there. Do I believe we're going to win an NBA Championship in the next 2 years? No, I don't. Can we be above .500 and make the playoffs? Absolutely.

1951 is the last time this franchise won an NBA title (ed. as the Rochester Royals), and 2003 since our Kings even won a division title. It's time this city experienced a winning basketball team. My ultimate goal is to bring an NBA title to Sacramento, but it starts with winning and playing better than 24-58. It's going to take everyone's best effort to fulfill these goals. I plan on holding up my end of the bargain, I hope all of you hold up your end as well. Come out and support your Kings. Show up in full force in your purple and black to show your team you're behind them every step of the way. Now let's go get this done!

Sincerely,
Mike Douglas
VP & GM, Basketball Operations

Interesting stuff from Douglas there. I think it even fired me up a bit! Not too long winded, but clearly stating what he expects. I'm glad to see he has a plan set in place with the backing of the Maloofs. I really hope he can get the job done. It's been rough here for a while now, especially with all the movement talk. I'm happy to see it's ended, at least for the time being. He is right though, winning fixes a lot of things. It sounds like he knows what he's doing, as long as he backs up all the talk.

I'm not sure if Westphal is the right guy for the job, but I guess we're going to find out. This team has the talent to do good things, if they can just put everything together. It should be a wild ride the next 2-3 years. Let's just hope we can go get this done. In the meantime, come back later today to check out my analysis of our Opening Day roster and a discussion on the trade that went down yesterday afternoon.

[almightyx]

5 Thoughts on the 2011-2012 Sacramento Kings


Welcome folks, it's time for our look at our Kings' Opening Day roster. Following the Roster view, you'll get my typical 5 Thoughts analysis on it, complete with a couple thoughts about the trade that went down last night. Let's take a look, presented in fancy table format...

[tr]

#	Name	Pos	Age	HT	WT
24	Eric Bledsoe	PG	21	6'1"	190
15	Demarcus Cousins	C	21	6'11"	270
13	Tyreke Evans	SG	22	6'6"	220
7	Jimmer Fredette	PG	22	6'1"	195
32	Fransisco Garcia	SF	30	6'7"	195
16	Ryan Gomes	SF	29	6'7"	245
20	Donte Greene	SF	23	6'11"	226
31	J.J. Hickson	PF	23	6'9"	242
21	Travis Outlaw	SF	27	6'9"	207
5	John Salmons	SG	31	6'6"	207
24	Jason Thompson	PF	25	6'11"	250
33	Hassan Whiteside	C	22	7'0"	235

1. This is a good young roster with plenty of talent and potential that has a couple veterans sprinkled in to help curb the learning process and keep every one level headed. If the young talent can mesh well (or at least better than they did last year), we should be in for a decent year. If not...expect another 24-58 year. It won't look quite that bad due to the 58 game schedule, or at least we can hope.

2. I love the trade for Eric Bledsoe. He's a great young PG with a load of potential. He's a defensive talent that should also be able to distribute the ball. He's not a scorer, but he's not being asked to score. We have plenty of people able to score. Bringing in Bledsoe allows Reke to focus on being a 2 guard, which should benefit him greatly. This team has been missing a PG that's able to run an offense and set everyone up. Hopefully, Bledsoe can do that. I'd expect him to get the start over Jimmer for the reasons I just mentioned. Don't think that Jimmer won't get his chance though.

3. With Cousins, Hickson, Thompson, and to a lesser extent, Whiteside, the Kings have a LOADED frontcourt...in about 3 years. Go back to Thought #1. Plenty of talent and potential with not much production. If they can continue to improve and grow together as a team, they have the potential to be something special.

4. Instead of having a glut of 2 guards like we did last year, new GM Mike Douglas shipped off Marcus Thorton to the Clippers to get Eric Bledsoe and...Ryan Gomes? Gomes brings nothing to the table that Garcia doesn't already. In fact, him and Outlaw both play worse defense than Garcia. The positives? Gomes and Outlaw both provide some depth without too much of a dropoff from Garcia's old ass, and....they're younger? 12 players on the roster and we're stuck with 4 Small Forwards? Doesn't make much sense.

5. I'm going to use this last Thought to make a few predictions for the upcoming season. First, the Kings miss the playoffs, but barely. The shortened schedule will prevent them from making it after they come together over the second half. Second, Evans makes an All-NBA team and Jimmer makes an All-Rookie team. Third, Douglas drafts a good, young SF out of this year's draft that will start for the next several years and help lead the Kings back to the playoffs in 2012-2013.

That's all for today folks. Got a thought about your Kings? Got a prediction for this year? Can you come up with a solid catch phrase for me to use at the end of a post? Leave your comments and check back tomorrow night for a rewind of Sac's game against Dirk and the Mavs.

Next Game: Nov. 2nd @ Dallas Mavericks

[almightyx]

5 Thoughts on Dallas



Box Score

1. This game really surprised me. For the first 3 quarters, Dallas looked like the team coming off a 24-58 season and Sacramento looked like the team that won the Finals. That 4th quarter though....it's a bitch. The Kings took it to the rack with regularity throughout the first 3 quarters but seemed to back off in the 4th and settle for jumpshots. Mid-range shooting isn't exactly this team's strength either. Driving to the hoop is though. On the final play with 10 seconds left, Reke went back to what had worked all game. He drove the lane. I'm still not sure if that was the right move. Didn't I just get done bitching about them getting away from that? That leads me to my next thought...

2. Evans drove the lane into the teeth of the defense, got swarmed by 3 guys, and eventually got his shot blocked by Vinsanity. The OLD Vinsanity. Now, it wasn't a good idea because of this: Bledsoe was standing at the top of the key and hadn't missed a shot inside the arc all night. No reason not to pass back to him for the game tying jumper. However, I do agree with having the ball in your best player's hands with the game on the line. Everyone knew what was coming though, including the Mavs Defense.

3. Getting back to Bledsoe, I'm still a little confused by his line. 0-4 from the 3 point line? Why is he taking 3's? Granted, 3 of them were wide open shots. He could have and probably should have knocked down 1 or 2 of those, but still. It's not like he's getting invited to the 3 point contest during the All-Star Break any time soon. It wasn't just Bledsoe though. Garcia, Sac's best 3 shooter, went 0-4 also. Hickson even tried to get in on the act and I have no earthly idea why. This team isn't a 3 point shooting team, and they sure showed it tonight.

4. Dallas definitely didn't get "Jimmered" tonight. The 2011 NCAA unanimous National Player of the Year, Mountain West Conference all-time leading scorer, BYU all-time leading scorer, the best scorer in the...(you get my point), didn't score a single point from the field tonight. 0-7. Nothing. Nada. He missed 3 wide open 20 footers. Now, if this were games 40-58, I would say there's no excuse for that. In this case, however, I'll give him a free pass. It was his first career NBA game. He was probably nervous. Don't worry about him though. He's not going to forget how to shoot, I'll guarantee that.

5. Rebounding was this team's strength last year. They were in the top 5 in the NBA. This year looks to be no different. It's one of the few things you should be able to count on this year. A +12 rebounding margin, unless you're having a pitiful shooting night (*cough* Sac's 4th quarter *cough*), is going to give you a significant advantage and chance to win the game. The offensive rebounding was huge too. A 16-3 Sacramento edge was a big reason they had such a big lead going into the 4th. J.J. had 7 offensive boards on his own, including several beautiful putbacks.It'll be a good year if they can continue to do that.

Bonus thought: Dallas looks like it might miss Tyson Chandler more than they originally thought. Brendan Haywood isn't exactly a defensive force down low. The Kings were able to drive the lane repeatedly with little to no resistance, until the fourth quarter. Yes, Haywood had 3 blocks. 2 of those came in the 4th, when the Mavs put the clamps on. If Chandler had been down on the block, this game probably would have got out of hand early and it wouldn't have been good for the Kings.

Next Game: Nov. 3 @ San Antonio

[Radioman]

Hi, looks really good. I like the young Kings Team, i also thought about an Association with the Kings but i also sympathize with the Jazz.

[almightyx]

5 Thoughts on San Antonio



BOX SCORE

1. Certainly a surprising win for the Kings tonight, especially considering in was in San Antonio. The Spurs were red hot up until midway through last season, but they certainly didn't look that way tonight. Sac shot very well in the first half and Tim Duncan & Co. just couldn't keep up. They looked very old tonight.

2. Ok, now I just feel bad for Jimmer. At least he made a couple baskets tonight. Going 2-11 from the field isn't the Jimmer Fredette we watched in college though. I really hope he picks it up. We really need his scoring off the bench to make the second team that much better. At least his passing hasn't suffered. Him and Bledsoe were handing out dimes all night.

3. Fransisco Garcia needs to watch out. If Travis Outlaw has more games like this one he might find himself replacing Garcia in the starting lineup. He was extremely efficient on the offensive end and even contributed on the defensive side, coming up with a block and a steal. I wouldn't expect Outlaw to be the starter quite yet though, as Garcia is still playing effectively. He also had a block and pulled down 7 boards. He is this team's best 3 point shooter too, but going 0-2 from behind the arc, especially when the Spurs were letting Sac shoot at will, isn't going to cut it.

4. Speaking of Travis Outlaw, did you think he could do this? That's a nice alley oop by Evans but an even better dunk by Outlaw.

5. I thought the Kings played much better defensively tonight. They've improved a good amount over last year. They still struggled in the 4th quarter again but they had such a large lead this time that it didn't matter. I'm not sure what it is with the late woes but hopefully they can get it fixed. Maybe it's the youth. Whatever it is, it might keep this team from becoming good. I sure hope not though.

[almightyx]

5 Thoughts on Houston



BOX SCORE

1. Great win by Sacramento to bring the Texas 3-step to a close. Now they had back home for a 5-game homestand at 2-1. Not too shabby, considering I was expecting to be only 1-2 or even 0-3 coming out of Houston. Seems as though the Kings have overachieved so far this season. This team was better on the road than at home last year, so we'll see if they can keep it up.

2. This game was a tale of 2 halves. A 1 point Rocket lead going into the break evaporated into a 14 point loss. Sac put the boosters on in the 2nd half, most of which aligned with Tyreke picking up his game. Evans struggled significantly in the 1st half, going 0-8 with 0 points. After halftime? 5-8 with 13 points, including 3-4 from the charity stripe. Not too bad, my friend, not too bad.

3. Sticking with the tale of 2 halves, the Kings shot a scorching 57% from the field after the half, including 4-7 from behind the arc after going just 3-10 from there in the first. Garcia was on fire, knocking down 3 of his 4 3's in the second. Think he reads this blog? I called him out after a not so hot Spurs game. He responded with a hell of a game. Outlaw played a good game too, keep Sacramento afloat while Evans struggled. It's great to see this position battle going on.

4. The Kings absolutely pounded Houston in the paint, outscoring them 62-28. Cousins got whatever he wanted down low. Hickson and Thompson were almost the same. Sac repeated challenged Scola and Patterson down low and it worked. They both got into foul trouble early and were a big reason the Kings pulled away in the 3rd. Cousins and Co. looked mighty physical throughout the entire game on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. If they can continue to play this way, my prediction about missing the playoffs this year might be in doubt.

5. Kevin Martin was out for this game with an injury, and it showed how much Houston needs him. With the Kings manning up on the blocks, the Rockets had to settle for outside jumpers. Without KMart, it's not exactly their forte. Houston PG Kyle Lowry did his best to keep them in it, but going 7-19 isn't going to cut it. They needed Martin's scoring, especially since starters Patrick Patterson and Martin's replacement, Courtney Lee, did a disappearing act during the game. Going to be a long season if they continue to play games like this.

Next Game: First of 5 at home, Nov. 9th Raptors @ Kings

[almightyx]

5 Thoughts on Toronto



BOX SCORE

1. Uh, wow. I knew the Raptors were bad, but 37 points bad? Going into the season, these were probably the 2 worst teams in the NBA. After 2 great road wins over the Spurs and Rockets and a blowout tonight, it looks like the gap has widened considerably. The Kings now sit at 3-1, making most of the experts look like fools. There's still a long way to go in the season but they're doing all the right things you need to win. Points in the paint, rebounding, defense, and overall team play has all been quite good.

2. Want your defense to look like a Top 5 defense? Play Toronto when they're having an off night. 39% from the field, including 2-15 from 3 point land, +19 rebounding margin, 7 blocks, 7 steals, 11 turnovers. Sac took away everything the Raps tried down low, forcing them to take bad shots and long range jumpers all night long. With Calderon, Barbosa, and Bargnani, that's not necessarily a bad thing but they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Calderon was the only one that had a decent game, but even he was hounded by Bledsoe all night.

3. Sticking with the defensive theme, Tyreke continues his strong defensive performance this season. This time he completely shut down Leandro Barbosa, limiting him to 2-11 shooting and an amazing 1-7 from behind the arc. Evans also had 2 steals and 2 blocks. 1 of those blocks looked like a surefire DeRozan drive and dunk that, somehow, Evans turned into a great get-that-shit-out-of-here moment. Excellent play from Reke that should be making Sportscenter's Top 10 tonight.

4. Now, before you get all googly-eyed at DeMarcus Cousins' 20 point, 3 block performance, I want to point something out. D-Cos had 1 rebound. 1! Calderon outrebounded him by 7! The Kings had 47 boards, and if you subtracted Cousins, they'd have exactly 46. I'm honestly not sure how this happened. He was a huge presence in the paint tonight and completely stifled Italian bigman Andrea Bargnani. But 1 rebound? Not exactly Dwight Howard-esque numbers or a number you'd like to see from you're uber-talented young center. I am willing to forgive him though after watching him do his best honey badger impression and take what he wanted on the offensive side of the floor.

5. It seems as though Garcia might have found his groove. He was stroking it from downtown, going 3 for 4. With Outlaw going 1-7 and not hitting 2 open 3's, Garcia firmly entrenched himself as the starter. Blame the slow start on the lockout, or him being old, or whatever you want. Of course, this could all change next week. It is the NBA, after all. So, at least for the time being, I'll spare you the starting SF position battle drama.

Next Game: Nov. 11 vs. Denver Nuggets

[Radioman]

Good start into the season so far, seems the Raptors wont win anything this year.

[almightyx]

Thanks Radioman. I've been surprised at how well I've done this season. I'm still trying to find the right slider set to give me a quality game. Even on Superstar with my slider set, I pound the crap out of people.

For anyone else that may be following, I'll be updating soon. I've gotten caught up in my roster project and I haven't played these guys in a couple days. Don't worry though, there will be more! In the mean time, check out my roster project HERE!

[kc2135]

Nice, I'm following.