Sacramento Kings Summer League

[KingInExile]

The only good benefit of today being a furlough day for me is that I will be able to watch the game.

[Wolfay]

I just realized that AT&T U-verse doesn't have NBATV. I can still watch it on ESPN3, but still...I want watch it on my TV.

[tru6playa]

Kings play @ 3pm Pacific Time!

The games will be shown on ESPN3.com if you don't have NBA TV.

For the lazy people.

http://espn.go.com/espn3/player

[ICMTM]

I just realized that AT&T U-verse doesn't have NBATV. I can still watch it on ESPN3, but still...I want watch it on my TV.

You mean you don't have a dedicated computer just for your TV??? How do you live?

[Wolfay]

I just realized that AT&T U-verse doesn't have NBATV. I can still watch it on ESPN3, but still...I want watch it on my TV.

You mean you don't have a dedicated computer just for your TV??? How do you live?

Well, I have my PS3, but for some reason javascript won't run on it.

[AnDrOiDKing4]

Cousins going to work.

[tru6playa]

Which guards actually have a shot at making our roster?

After Game 1 of the VSL vs the Pistons, Rice and Thompson impressed me the most. However, it was clear that they were not really creating opportunities for other teammates - same goes for Sloan.

I know Chism has all but no chance of making our team, I was impressed with his rebounding. He only had 5 - but a few of them were in a large crowd of Pistons and he showed his tenacity/strength to grab the board.

[SacKingZZZ]

Well Sloan's already a guarantee. Depends I guess. I think Christmas obviously fills the biggest need but there is no question that Thompson looked the most impressive out of all the guys with possibilities for that slot.

[pillwenney]

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been around. I was actually in Vegas for the summer league (among other things) over the weekend, and I'll be going back tomorrow night.

I had a really good conversation with the guy that runs the psych tests for teams before the draft.

He talked about Hassan's profile. He said that Hassan is definitely confident in his abilities in a couple ways. He said that Hassan really thinks he's right about things, but he can also take instruction and will. He said that Hassan's main problem is just the things he says publicly. He's just too honest right now, and he needs somebody he respects to keep him straight--to slap him upside the head every now and then and say "Hey. Don't say that dummy." My thinking was that Cisco could perhaps be that guy. But supposedly he took what Hakeem said seriously because, well, it was Hakeem. But anyway, he said he fits a similar profile to Donte and JT, and that he should fit in with them. He says that Donte was misunderstood in much the same way Hassan is.

He said that Cousins kinda fits into the same category, in that they will all have something to say (Hassan, Boogie, JT and Donte) at all times and will gab back and forth about whatever is going on. He said that Tyreke, meanwhile, will often be the one that kind of sits back, not saying anything while the others go back and forth for 15 minutes, and he'll be thinking about what they're talking about. And after that 15 minutes, he'll just step in and say something short and sweet, and what he says will actually be correct, since he was there thinking about it. So they'll all be like "oh yeah", but then they'll go on jabbering back and forth about it.

He had some other more specific things to say about Cousins. He talked about how Demarcus values friendships less than the others and is kind of more cold in that way, but also said that that's not the worst thing in the world. He said that (as you can guess), Demarcus is very much driven by emotion (whereas he pointed out that Tyreke is very logical, as you can guess), so it seems they may be able to complement each other well in that way.

A big thing he said about Demarcus is that he seems to be very much about his pride. He said that, if paired with a coach like a Scott Skiles, it could spell disaster. The thing about him is that he needs his voice to be heard. You can disagree with him and go another way, but if you absolutely don't listen to him and consider what he's going to say, he's going to not be happy, and you're going to have a problem.

The other thing with him, and this one is a bit of a concern for me, is that you can NOT embarrass him. That is a surefire way to draw a tantrum out of Demarcus. You can not show him up in front of his teammates, and (WESTPHAL) you can't call him out publicly. Get him blushing, and things inside your locker room will get broken.

The last part isn't any kind of direct quoting. I added my own flair. The point is, you just can't embarrass him, because that's how you can ignite his temper. And that means no little public displays by Westphal.

Anyway, I'll still see if I can find the game from today, since I was working while it was happening, but I'll be going back to Vegas tomorrow night, where I'll meet Hassan and maybe others (if anybody else, probably Casspi, since mnWI has worked with him too), and maybe more. I'll be sure to report back for you guys. I'll also let you know if I remember anything else before then.

[Brendonlv15]

My notes on the game, i watched it with my summer league pass.

1. Impressed by Ryan Thompson straight up. Unobtrusive type of player but was the one that destroyed Austin Daye. Shot well, drove well and finished at the stripe. More of a 2 guard and I would be fine with him replacing Ciso if we decide to move him for a different piece.

2. DMC was very good. Throughout the game Monroe could not push past Cousins and was forced to shot floaters and use his soft touch.

3. You could see that Cassipi had a drive first mentality, very good for his development and if he can start finishing at the rim a little he will be a force. Good defensively with great on-ball pressure.

4. Donte took a shot early from Monroe and from that point on you could see he was used in a lesser role just to manage him. We'll see how he goes against the Lakers.

5. Whiteside was good. Didnt get anything run through him on offense (Cousins was the focus first up) but hopefully they will run some plays through him in the next few games because I think Hassan's jumper is under-rated. Defensively he looks very nice, no doubt.

[PetrieUnderstudy]

I think the guys with the best chance of making the Kings team from our Summer League roster (other than obvious Casspi/Greene/Cousins/Whiteside) are:

Ryan Thompson - Connection with Jason and appears to have intangibles and has shown improvement.
Tyrese Rice - I remember him tearing it up at Boston College. Could be a nice offensive spark off bench and back-up PG.

I can't see more than 2 guys even with a chance. Sylven Landesbrug is youngest and intriguing but possible attitude issue and lack of defense scares me. Devan Downey can score but being so small I'd prefer Rice. Wayne Chism is an intangible guy but we have too many bigs.

Remember I'm making these predictions before Summer League games have even began. Let's see how my predictions are. What 2 players would be your guess?

This was my prediction back on July 1 and so far I'd have to say I'm just about right on. We signed Sloan but I like Rice's scoring ability more. Thompson is well rounded. Landesburg and Downey have shown some flashes. Only guy I'd add since this post is Christmas. If Brockman is holding out for too much money I'd just sign Chism.