Jason Jones: Sacramento Kings need to create another story for this season

Jason Jones: Sacramento Kings need to create another story for this season

Currently riding for the athletic last time I talked to him he was living in Leo I’m not sure whether he still is let’s find out Jason Jones with us how are you Jason I’m good and yes I’m still in valo have not left that’s awesome I’m

From valo as you know by the way before we get into the Kings I couldn’t be more sincere here when I say I really appreciate the piece on Black Aces that you’re writing for the athletic Black History Month it’s tremendous about the African-American pitchers Americans and Canadian who’ve won 20 games it’s a

Great series and I’m wondering Jason could I real quickly tell you a Bob Gibson story would that be okay oh please I’ve heard so many I mean the more the better okay this is uh Mark abanes told me this and Orlando sepa told him this is a quick story and we’ll

Get back to the Kings Bob Gibson real tough guy that I know you wrote about uh Bob Gibson Orlando sepa were teammates on the Cardinals at 6768 sepa gets traded the next year to the Braves so the first time the Braves come in to St Louis in 69 Gibson’s like come to my

House for lunch they were teammates they’d been to the world series two years in a row toa’s like great so the game starts and sepa comes up in the first inning and first pitch Gibson nearly kills him it’s right at his head buzzes the tower sepa goes down in a

Heap and gets up says hey I was just at your house for lunch Bob GBS says well we’re not at lunch now are we mother bleeper so that’s that was the kind of competitor uh Bob Gibson was but uh Jason how about these Kings how competitive can they be

The rest of the way when they’re having so many problems guarding people that’s what it is for me how much are you going to commit to defense I mean there’s a reason why teams like Detroit can come in and beat you and the Charlotte can beat you at home it’s because you give

Teams too many good looks you let teams get comfortable and you know even on a bad NBA team they’ve got guys who can score I mean that’s the way the league is now everyone has guys who can score and you let someone walk in your building and get comfortable

You can’t rely I think last year was kind of lightning in a bottle they had so many games where in the fourth quarter they turn it on and they’d go on these runs and they’d beat teams late but you can’t you can’t live like that and I mean sometimes you know the

Basketball guyss will even things out and I think a lot of times we’ve seen cases this year where like a Detroit game where the basketball guys don’t let you get back in the game and you lose to a team that has six seven wins at home

So it for me with the Kings it all comes down to the commment at that end you’re not going to be able to go out and make a trade obviously now the deadlines passed you’re not bringing in some great defensive players you know off the street at this point thr those guys in

The locker room to commit to that end of the of the floor Jason Jones of the athletic joining us Jason it’s your boy drapes hey man you know when you look at this season for the Kings the numbers are similar record-wise everything but obviously the feeling is different what

Would your message be to Kings fans about the growth of this team it seems like we want it microwaved and we want to be a contender right now whereas Monty McNair West Willcox they seem to be taking the patient long-term approach what do you think about that I think you

You can’t every season is its own story I think last season you can’t hold on to last season and say well last season we were the third seed you know this is not last season anymore and each season has its own individual story and you go with 16 years not making the

Playoffs you weren’t going to go from that to the NBA finals more than likely in a year or two and last year the kings were a great story I mean the way they kind of came caught people by surprise in some cases but you know what they

Have they had 82 plus games of film on you now teams are ready for you so that’s part of the team’s learning curve as well what do you do now that no one’s no one’s looking at you as the Same Old Kings or oh that’s a cute little story

Over there you’re getting getting team’s best shot now so that takes another level of intensity preparation and like I said in defense you got to be ready for that because what you don’t want to be is that team where team say you know what you know what they’re a good team

But they’re gonna let us stay in the game because you know what hey they’re not g to try to stop us so I’m you know they’ve got to take that next step collectively to say we’re going to commit to stopping people not just in the fourth quarter not for a spot here

And there but over a 48 minute game can you get stream together stops consistently but don’t I would if I’m a Kings fan you can’t hold on to what last season was last season was was was last season you had a lot of other teams that

Had a lot of injuries a lot of things broke well for the Kings that’s not the case this year so you’re gonna have to go out there and you know create another story this season Jason as you said the Kings cut a lot of teams by surprise

Last year How likely is it do you think that maybe for the king’s front office maybe they were caught by surprise this year by how much better so many other teams in the west have gotten I think if that was the case that’s shame on them because you couldn’t go into a season

Expecting Paul geordan Kawhi Leonard to miss Tony games you couldn’t go into a season expecting I don’t you know you know know Denver to have in you can’t you can’t rely on that I think what you didn’t Bank on was Minnesota and Oklahoma City taking that jump

That’s that that’s the one that catch think everyone off guard I don’t think anyone saw that coming but even still it happened I mean La last season people looked at the king like they looked at OKC like oh where they come from yeah but you know but you know even last year

Minnesota had a ton of talent so you I don’t think you go into this year thinking Minnesota was going to be a bad team I didn’t have them being top two but you thought they’d be you know had a chance to be a top eight team so I just

Think you know when you look at all all those those factors I don’t think I would guess it would be malpractice with the front off office went in thinking oh we got this because you didn’t go in the off season and do anything to where you

Could say you know we added this and this piece to where we’re Mark we so much better than we were a year ago it’s pretty much the same team from a year ago so you can’t I it would have been you know I haven’t talked to Monty in a

While but I know Monty’s a very practical guy you know he thinks big picture and so I think I don’t I think they you you probably figured you know what our Improvement comes internally it comes from Keegan getting better it comes from dear and sabonis being another full season together that’s

Where you looked for your improvement I think I don’t think but yeah if they went in thinking that you know we were number three last year we’ll just go to number two that have have been crazy Jason Jones of the athletic joining us uh talking everything Sacramento Kings were you shocked Jason

Uh that our boys didn’t make the All-Star Game No dearen Fox and more most surprising to me no damont sabonis I thought dearon was going to make it I thought sabonis would have problems because of I figured I figured ad would get in and I figured more than likely

They would vote in one of Minnesota’s bigs so I knew sabonis and might get dicey I thought I thought Devin Booker had missed so much time that that was gonna be Daren spot that was kind of my thinking going in to get neither one of them was shock

I I was surprised by that I thought they’d get at least one but the way that game looked on Sunday I don’t think I there’s any shame you w of that yeah I think the real shame is that the way the CBA is set up that could that

Could affect dear’s money yeah yeah to me that’s that’s the crime of it that his contract should not be based on essentially an opinion poll which is what a lot of times getting an Allstar nod or all NBA spot it’s an opinion poll it’s it’s it’s it’s like the the NBA all

NBA it’s the writers and media members saying I think this guy is better than these other five or six guys and I don’t think that’s that’s crazy that someone’s votal could cost Darren Fox what7 million it’s nonsense uh Jason a moment ago you mentioned Keegan what do you

Made of Keegan’s progress this year the ups and downs the Improvement defensively he’s had some big offensive games what do you have made of that whole Saga this year I mean second year guy you know it’s he’s made some he made strides that oh do I see a superstar yet

No but it’s second year you know and I just and that’s the reason why around the trade deadline I was think my thought was if you can get a star and if you got a part with Keegan for a star you do it the same way they did

Ty way you did with Tyre if you get a star I didn’t think SE yakum was a star like that but I think if you know if you’re you got two All Stars already you got a chance to get a Bonafide third guy and and put a star with a dear in his

Prime and a bonus in his prime you got to at least look at it you know I don’t think I don’t think you make anybody Untouchable but said Keegan’s young and I think he’ll continue to get better he’ll continue to develop and you know what you got two more years where you

Got to worry about extending him yeah so I think you know unless you got blown away you know you just continue to take that development and you know on see where you go and I think for the you know defensively it’ll probably come to the off season can you find a couple

More of those rangy three and D guys to go with them you know because when I see too many games when the Kings struggle where it’s the bonus you know 258 and then the two forward spots is kind of a you know where where were you guys at

Tonight you know six points here eight points there so you’re G to need you know probably Keegan to be more consistent offensively I mean if he was getting say 20 at night you know if you rely on that that changes everything I mean I think you look at a team like a

Uh Denver I think Keegan can be like a Michael Porter Jr if not better I think know can be more durable I think he can be more consistent with his shot so you get Keegan you know playing at a very high level to me that changes the game

For Sacramento especially with the with the defensive end if you got a guy that height that size who can defend multiple spots on the wing now you’re helping the bonus out because if you can keep guys from getting to the paint you’re not he’s not picking up cheap fouls because

Guys are getting in the paint right you know and a lot of times I think you know a lot of times bigs will get labeled as foul prone and it’s not really their fault it’s be you know you keep letting guys drive at your Center he’s gonna get two or three just

Because he’s standing there so I think continue to shore up things around you know I think a Keegan will be a big part of that dearon obviously be a big part of that and you know in getting another no two go who can be a lock down

Defender at for stretches I think that also helps change the dynamic of what you get with the Kings Jason you you know you mentioned the allstar game all-star weekend we all grew up watching Allstar games we we got our favorites we remember how competitive it it used to

Be how do we fix it who who’s who who’s responsible for the travesty that we’re seeing during Allstar Weekend the players they’re the only ones who can fix it they’re the only I think someone’s got to get mad during an All-Star Game someone’s got to say you

Know you’re not just going to get a layup you’re gonna at least have to I’m GNA challenge you they’re the only ones who can fix this I mean and when I was reading what what Edwards was saying basically it’s a break we don’t come out here to be competitive it’s like oh it’s

Almost like peer pressure like now when the new guys get in they don’t want to be that guy who looks crazy who who’s actually trying so right it’s gonna take you know going to take someone who wants to Stir It Up and say you know what this isn’t

Cool you know I want to go out there and compete I you know it’s I want to send a message going into the last 30 games of the Season that hey I got this guy on the other side you know uh maybe if you’re in the west and you’re saying I’m

Want to get to the finals there’s Jason Tatum I’m giving it to Jason Tatum today I’m gonna let him know where you know allstar game or not it’s not going to be an easy you know an easy Road when you see me you got to get guys with that

Mentality and I mean after about two minutes of watching that thing on Sunday I said I’m GL got this Black Aces stuff to work on because I can’t I can’t watch this I mean it was I mean at least give me some fake hustle yeah they didn’t

Even bother to fake the hustle because even in years pass you got the you know hey we’re gonna start trying the last third half of the third and the fourth quarter we didn’t get that yeah they we didn’t even get that we got we got we got Carl Anthony towns trying to get

50 but didn’t even matter I mean it was just it was I said it yeah if you’re gonna get if you’re gonna get some kids and show them about the NBA just don’t show them that All-Star Game don’t show them Sabrina and Steph and say this is

How you shoot but don’t show allar game Jason Jones from the athletic uh if you get a chance if you haven’t already catch his uh series on the Black Aces in the athletic thank you very much Jason great to catch up with you we appreciate it we’ll talk to you again soon no

Problem thanks got my a hat on today for St see didn’t even give no love to the a hat fellas oh my bad Jay my bad out smoke just celebrated her birthday too right not I’m not sure about that but yeah he was fun to talk to I guess I’m

I’m having a ball with this story the guys i’ like I’ve been talking to like I spent an hour with Dusty Baker talking so I mean this has been a joy that’s the best awesome yeah yeah thank you we appreciate it Jason you next time right

Bro look forward to it when we come back King’s bold predictions for the second half Drive guys sack Down Sports

The Athletic’s Jason Jones joined “The Drive Guys” to talk about the Sacramento Kings and their remaining 28 games.

When the Kings entered the All-Star break last season, they were 32-25 and sitting in the three-seed of the Western Conference. This year, they have nearly an identical record, 31-23, but are eighth in the Western Conference.

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