.::Sacramento Kings:.:Sac-town era::.

[A-Sot]

20.09.2006, ARCO Arena, Sacramento
We realize that the new season is going to be long and difficult, but we decided that our organization must treat every agent, coach or player with the same attitude as they treat us. That's the answer to your questions why Bonzi Wells is not on the roster. We also wanted to express our appreciation to Rick Adelman, for all what he did in his years as a head-coach of the Sacramento Kings, so after long, but in the end successful talks we are happy to declare that Rick Adelman is back, this time as the team's assistant-coach.
And last but not least, there is a new scout on the team, who will look for talents in Europe, and mainly the Balkan Peninsula (Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey) - we are happy to present to you Mr. Vlade Divac.

To be continued...

[Marquis]

Looking forward to this, my fellow

[Fresh8]

Good luck man

[A-Sot]

All Things Basketball
Kings New Coach Eric Musselman Is Committed to His Passion: Basketball



Although the Sacramento Monarchs were battling it out with San Antonio right in front of him at a boisterous ARCO Arena, seated in his courtside seat, Eric Musselman was primarily focused on a sheet of paper in his hand. Nearly five months before his debut as the Sacramento Kings head coach, Musselman already is displaying his familiar game face, intently mapping out preparation for the upcoming summer league.

Welcome to a portrait of your new Kings coach, who judging from his past, leaves nothing to chance when it involves his profession. Musselman has the reputation for being all things basketball, which is one of the reasons he stood out in a strong field of candidates to replace Rick Adelman.

“He wowed us in the interview process,” admitted Kings owner Gavin Maloof. “It’s amazing to see his commitment and passion for the game. He doesn’t play golf, he doesn’t play tennis, and he doesn’t fish. All he cares about is basketball and winning.”

In a city enamored with its team, Musselman appears to be a good fit. An hour after concluding his inaugural press conference, Musselman was mingling easily with a large crowd of Kings fans at Arden Mall. He was posing for pictures, joking about his new team and telling anyone who would listen how happy he was to receive his first up-close glimpse of Kings mania.

“The passion of the fans here is second to none,” Musselman said. “It’s an amazing environment to be a part of as an opposing team. I certainly look forward to being a part of it on the other side of the sideline.”

So do the Kings. Along with his trademark intensity, the son of famed college and NBA head coach Bill Musselman brings along a solid resume, as well. Eric became the youngest head coach in the NBA at age 37 when he took over the Golden State Warriors in July 2002.

In his first season, the Warriors improved by an NBA-best 17 wins, posting a 38-44 record, which had Musselman finishing second in the Coach of the Year honors. Despite losing Warrior cornerstones Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison to free agency, the next year Musselman guided Golden State to a nearly identical record (37-45). Yet a change in management led to Musselman’s departure as head coach.

Recognized for his bright mind and energetic demeanor, Musselman resurfaced the last year and a half as an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies, a team run by Mike Fratello, who is acknowledged as one of the NBA’s most cerebral coaches. In typical fashion, Musselman was in Memphis soaking up more knowledge from Fratello and general manager Jerry West.

“There’s no question I’m a better coach today than I was in the first go around with Golden State,” said Musselman, who played in two NCAA tournaments with the University of San Diego and was drafted 58th in the 1987 CBA draft.

Before becoming a regular in NBA arenas, Musselman paid his dues in the CBA, setting a record for being the league’s youngest head coach ever at age 23. His 270-122 record (.688 winning percentage) during seven years with the Florida Beach Dogs is the second highest in league history behind George Karl. During those seven years, he had 24 of his players called up to NBA rosters, the highest total of any team during that period.

President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie has no doubt Musselman will have plenty to offer to a Kings team that peaked late in the season after the Ron Artest trade and made a good showing in the opening round of the playoffs before eventually losing to defending champion San Antonio.

“When you think about younger coaches in the NBA he’s certainly among the best and brightest,” Petrie said. “He has impressed all of us with his organization, knowledge, preparation and commitment to the game.”

It’s a game Musselman has been around since birth. A career coach, Bill Musselman spent more than 30 years guiding teams in college and four pro leagues (NBA, CBA, WBA, ABA). Known as a fierce competitor who made a name for himself as a defensive-minded coach, he despised losing. He was quoted as saying, “Defeat is worse than death because you have to live with defeat.”

The younger Musselman quickly became enamored with the game. Just like his dad, Eric’s life revolved around basketball.

“When I woke up and was getting ready for school in fifth and sixth grade I wasn’t turning on the TV and watching cartoons, I was watching game tape,” he recalled. “When I came home from school I dropped my back pack and said, ‘Mom, take me to practice.’ I would sit and watch (my Dad’s team) practice. Any time you grow up in a household of a coach it’s in your blood, that’s what I knew.”

The two Musselmans, the only father-son combination to ever become head coaches in the NBA, spent the 1990-91 season together in the infancy of the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was Eric’s first NBA coaching experience, working for his father, who passed away in 2001. “My father was one of the best defensive coaches ever, so obviously I take a lot of his philosophies that way,” Eric said.

That’s good news for the Kings, who with the acquisition of Artest in January began adopting a more strict defensive philosophy. Musselman feels he learned a great deal from his father and also Fratello. But that doesn’t mean the Kings will drift totally away from being an up-tempo team.

“Eric comes with a defensive mindset, but he’s not afraid to juice his offense, either,” Petrie said. “When we look at going forward and trying to improve our team, both are important.” With a summer of preparation and a preseason to get the team steeped in his philosophy, the new-look Kings under Musselman might be cranking up the noise level at ARCO Arena even higher this season.

“I think we got one of the brilliant young minds in basketball with Eric Musselman,” Kings owner Joe Maloof said. “His preparation and attention to detail is something this organization needs. He brings a great attitude with the type of intensity and passion towards the game that we like. We’re extremely lucky to have him. I think the city will embrace him.”

[Its_asdf]

Holy shit, did you write that yourself?

[Jugs]

Yeah I'm wondering the same thing.. if so, fucken awesome . If you didn't write that then not cool!

[A-Sot]

Reserved

[Mark.]

That was one huge article, I too would like to know if you wrote that yourself...

[A-Sot]

No, i really don't think i can wrtie something that big..

[Mark.]

Ah ok, get it off a site or something?

[Fresh8]

A-Sot, make Ron Ron an All-star!!!

[Its_asdf]

Ya know, its kind of plagarism if you don't at least put up the link.

[A-Sot]

2006 NBA Mock Draft

[A-Sot]

Press Announcement from the Sacramento Kings PR Department:

We are proud to announce, that with the 19th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings have selected Jordan Farmar, from the University of UCLA.

[Andreas Dahl]

Very nice job so far. Keep it up

By the way, I'm thinking of doing a Kings dynasty myself in some time, hope you don't mind

[A-Sot]

I don't mind, the Kings are my fav team, I'll be happy to see them in more dynasties

[Marquis]

I thought you will start with Douby on the Kings rosters, but starting from Draft is your choice. Good job so far.

[A-Sot]

Tough loss, poor FG percentage, I was totally overcamed in the paint and in the rebounding stats, hopefuly I will get a better chance against Chicago in the United Center in my second game, anyway here are the boxscores, i'm too tired for a recap...

[Its_asdf]

Wow Lamarcus and Garnett really kicked your behind on the boards. I'm guessing you're still not used to the game.

[A-Sot]

Yeah, I still am in a period of knowing the game, but i'll try as hard as i can to beat those Bulls.

[Fresh8]

Good work... and good to see Aldridge and Garnett team up!

[Mark.]

Nice stuff, Minny getting Aldridge will help them a lot

[A-Sot]

Sacramento, CA



We are happy to announce, that we have succesfully signed Mario Kasun.
The 216-cm tall center was drafted back in 2002 by the Los Angeles Clippers. He was later traded to the Orlando Magic, as for two seasons there, Mario played a total of 74 games, in the 2004-2005 and the 2005-2006 season. He had an agreement with Winterthur Barcelona, but decided that since our club is giving him once again a chance in the League, he shouldn't miss the opportunity.
There's a rumour that he was approved by Sacramento's european scout Vlade Divac. Kasun will take the #14 jersey.

Here's a short interview with Kasun, for InsideHoops.Com

InsideHoops.com: Back in Croatia, when did you first start playing basketball?

Mario Kasun: When I was 14.

InsideHoops.com: That's pretty late.

Mario Kasun: Yeah. I was a soccer fan before that. But I kind of figured out I sucked at soccer, so.

InsideHoops.com: Hah, so you figured that soccer wasn't in your future.

Mario Kasun: Yeah, this is not working, basically, yeah.

InsideHoops.com: You were probably tall by 14, already.

Mario Kasun: Oh yeah. I was taller than everybody. But then I started playing basketball, and I just stuck with it, basically.

InsideHoops.com: Once you started playing basketball, did you keep going to regular school, or leave for a sports school, or what?

Mario Kasun: You go to regular school, but the thing is, you have practices twice a day; you play for a team, you don't play for high school, and it's really hard to keep up with school-work and basketball. But you have teachers that support you, so that's kind of good.

InsideHoops.com: So you're going to normal high school, while being committed full-time to a local team. Was it a professional team?

Mario Kasun: No, not really. You become professional when you're 18. But before that, you're just playing for a team. Like Juniors; younger ages.

InsideHoops.com: Who were some known names that you played with, on Juniors and other teams?

Mario Kasun: I played with Zoran Planinic, on the national team together, Bruno Sundov from New York Knicks, played with Gordan Giricek on the national team - I mean he's older three or four years than me, but basically with all guys. It's really small country, so you can't miss each other and stuff.

InsideHoops.com: You played in Germany. What was that like? How did it go?

Mario Kasun: Playing in Germany, I loved it, man. My last season, the last year (on the Opel Skyliners in Frankfurt), we won the championship. That's probably the best thing that happened to me. The German championship. That's the first time that our team won in history. After like 15 years, that's the first time that somebody won before Alba. So it's great experience, man. Can't complain about it.

InsideHoops.com: How many different teams were you on there?

Mario Kasun: I played on two different teams in Germany. One for a while, then I switched to Frankfurt (Opel Skyliners). It was a really, really good experience.

InsideHoops.com: Any famous names on your teams?

Mario Kasun: Me (laughs).

InsideHoops.com: Besides yourself, of course.

Mario Kasun: Tyrone Ellis played with Dallas, summer league. Really talented player. A bunch of college guys, a lot of German players. A lot of good players.

InsideHoops.com: Are there any young players in Croatia right now that you know of who have a shot at the NBA? Have you been able to pay attention?

Mario Kasun: To be honest, I don't know. I don't have a chance to go home that often. When I go, I don't even focus about basketball, I just go see my parents and stuff.

InsideHoops.com: Your parents are still living in Croatia.

Mario Kasun: Yeah, still living in Croatia. They're moving to the mountains, where we have a second house. They love it. But it's freezing there. I just talked to them the other day, it was like minus 28 celculis, which is like, below zero, so it's crazy.

InsideHoops.com: That makes winter here in the Northeast seem like nothing.

Mario Kasun: Yeah, nothing, basically. But it's alright, they love it.

InsideHoops.com: And who were your favorite players when you were younger? NBA guys or local guys in Croatia and Europe, anyone.

Mario Kasun: Drazen Petrovic, my idol, basically. Still idol. I like Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber. Basically all power forwards.

InsideHoops.com: But Drazen was number one.

Mario Kasun: Drazen was always number one. Still number one.

InsideHoops.com: Still number one.

Mario Kasun: Still number one.


And a photo of me and Mario Kasun from one month ago :

[Marquis]

Haha nice photo

[Rommas]

ahahah i thought quincy douby was from rutgers? i thought high school players were not eligable ahahahha