Breaking down 2024 NBA trade deadline, Kings watch from afar

Breaking down 2024 NBA trade deadline, Kings watch from afar

Welcome into the Kings beat podcast we’re going live I am James hamy Kings and sat for ESPN 1320 and the Kings beat we are brought to you by Price picks and we of course bluewire podcast uh oh oh look at that the live is going Live on another channel on my

Laptop uh welcome in Fox 40 Sean Cunningham Sean how are you I’m great James great Brendan thanks for waiting for me I was running t I apologize I do blame calr and all the crazy crazy road work that’s going on in this state that just seems never ending

But closing down ramps and streets and all the above it’s a it’s almost it bothers me almost as bad as bad weather but not quite not quite uh of course we also have Brandon Nunes from the Kings pulse podcast what’s going on Brandon not much I’m

Doing well I’m waking up from well it feels like the nap of my life had a very good post deadline nap you know I’m yeah just trying to match the age group of my my fellow co-hosts here and getting a little daily nap hey first off that’s [ __ ] can I say something like

Uh I don’t know about you guys but I’ve been napping since I was a toddler so it’s not an age thing I did it in preschool I found time in high school all that stuff okay so it continued through high school and well you everybody did like prek kindergarten

Naps Sean also eats graham crackers still and sometimes partakes in apple juice I love apple juice don’t you I love apple juice and apple cider that we get King games those are great actually late because your tricycle only go so fast there it is look at that too big

For a tricycle it’s a big whe it’s a big wheel thank you very much uh he’s got the green machine he’s driving down the freeway uh what’s going on everybody uh SAC Kings just uh like did what Brandon did they ripped van winkled their way right through a

NBA trade deadline just slept right through it didn’t even worry about what happened uh Sacramento Kings basically stood Pat during a uh riveting I don’t know if it was riveting um NBA trade deadline the one thing they did do was acquire Robin Lopez for a

Player that no one in the World knew was uh was property of the Sacramento Kings at all um and if I could even find his name I I don’t even know like no one knows who he is uh he was drafted back in 2015 they acquired his draft rights

As part of the uh the U Iman Shumpert George Hill deal uh which again there’s somewhere there on the internet there is a list of of like players that the Kings have rights to just like every other team uh but either way the the Kings have already waved Mr Lopez uh this is

Strangely enough the second time that they have traded for Robin Lopez and and waved him before he ever got a jersey printed uh what’s your initial takeaway from the uh just the inactivity of the Kings we’ll start with Brendan tonight Brendan this is not your first trade

Deadline but it’s one of your early trade deadlines and this one just came and went and what in the world happened yeah it was definitely interesting from my perspective you know a lot of initial smoke around what the Kings may or may not do and obviously

Seem like they were involved in a lot of different conversations we know that this front office has a willingness to at least be aggressive in having those conversations and looking around seeing what the potential IAL options are out there and I feel like I’d kind of been

Saying for a while that I didn’t feel like they needed to force anything right now they have pretty much everybody under contract after this season the only guy not in their like top seven eight maybe even nine coming back is really Malik monk who’s a unrestricted free agent and there’s still a chance

They could bring him back I don’t think there was really anything that was going to happen this deadline that was going to impact their offseason status with Malik monk so I I think that it would have been worse to make the wrong move than to sit and really make

No move at all pretty much as they did but you know there are a handful of moves that were made throughout the deadline that were a handful of second round picks you look at like um Simone fonio going to the Pistons I I thought somebody that would have made a lot of

Sense for the Kings Royce O’Neal goes to Phoenix and those sort of moves or or Minnesota finding a way to get Monty Morris for example I think there’s a couple moves you could look out where it’s like maybe I would have wish the Kings would would have spent a couple

Second rounders and tried to get a better eighth guy just another rotational piece that maybe Mike can rely on dayto day but I don’t think that not doing anything is necessarily shocking to me from just a long-term roster building perspective because I didn’t feel like there was a

Need to really rush anything here h Sean um I mean I think your question was what I just make of the day overall I I I thought honestly um removing the Kings a little bit I kind of thought by and large this was a it was an active day but I wasn’t

Really Blown Away by any particular move I thought by and large a lot of the products that were going to different teams were rather meh like I didn’t think there was um like some super move that that that like blew me away I thought a lot of the movement was just very

Trying to think of like just average like just okay all right there’s a move like nothing that that blows your hair back or anything like that I I felt like um if you’re the Kings and I think if you’re listening to this podcast for the first time go back and listen to our

Last one um go back and listen to really a couple of them but really the last one where yeah things might have been deemed quiet um but we played a game I did some brilliant acting on my part I think I deserved an an an award um where I

Played the role of Monty McNair and I was showing a a Viewpoint that this team bets on the continuity of this team they may know what they have but I don’t think that there was necessarily you know takes two to tango when you’re looking for a move you might like

Something and might be willing to part with something but ultimately what you want to get and what you’re willing to part with may not totally make a huge difference or even put you that big of a foot forward or even be worth the risk of potentially being slightly better I

Think this team if they found the right move that they were willing to to go after that that didn’t jeopardize the future too terribly much and they would have done it but I think they’re not going to do anything unless they’re convinced that they they’re gonna you

Know really make a a bold move here and it’s going to benefit them so we played the part last week where I posed the question of you look at their playoff teams how many of them can you feel like you can beat and I think James and I

Were pretty conservative in finding four teams out of the seven uh that you could potentially beat if the playoffs were to start today uh I think one through six this team feels oh we may very good about the pieces that they have that one through

Six for the right people did I did I glitch there you glitch but you’re back go for it okay I think I think one through six in that rotation um they would have been willing to make the right move uh for the right piece I just

Don’t think that they were able to find the piece ultimately they wanted and there wasn’t necessarily a tertiary move that they were looking to ultimately bring in so I don’t think I’m surprised uh I I don’t think anybody should be surprised um but this isn’t the only

Time you get to Tinker with your schedule you know yeah okay so Tinker with your roster I should say your roster not the schedule yeah yeah yeah so here’s how I kind of look at it um I wrote on on Wednesday like look the Kings realistically their stockpile gets a whole lot more

Attractive on July 1 right so that’s the day where the NBA resets if if I’m just gonna say if the kings make the playoffs I felt a lot better about that that statement like yesterday like before they lost to the Piston but if the kings make the playoffs then their 2024 draft

Pick goes to the the Atlanta Hawks and what happens on July 1st is you now have all of your draft picks starting in two 2025 all of your first run draft picks all the way through 2031 you’ve got seven years worth of draft picks and the steppan rule is

Complicated but once you get past a draft it no longer counts against what what’s moving forward right so the stepping rule basically says you can’t trade back-to-back draft pitch that means that if I’m working a deal today or or let’s say I’m working a deal

On July 1st and I’ve got 20 25 26 27 28 29 30 and 31 I can’t trade 25 and 26 and I can’t TW trade 26 and 27 I have to trade every other year but once a draft pick goes now you can you’re reset and you can trade your picks like for

Instance the Kings traded their 2023 first round draft pick last year right after the draft and then they took that money with long with ran Holmes right they they traded that pick so in a sense they’ve already traded back-to-back first round picks um so when we get to

July 1 now the Kings have as Brendan said all of their players still under contract except for Malik monk they’re their core they have a huge it might even be more than their core the only guys that aren’t under contract I think are Kessler Edwards uh veale McGee and

Alex Lynn outside of that everybody else is under contract so now when they go into July 1st and that’s the first day of free agency and that’s when a lot of Trades happen they have all of these draft picks and they have like a$6 million Chris DTE a six6 and a half

Million dollar Davon Mitchell a six and a half or seven million do Sasha venkov an 8 million Trey lyes like they have all of these contracts they can now go out and trade and so realis Bally waiting until July 1st is the more prudent move but to not do anything like

To like break into the war chest and go do something just to do something that’s not what you need to do here what you need to do is make a move that makes you better because your team isn’t good enough and that’s just me being blunt this team isn’t good enough they just

Got beat by the Detroit Pistons and I don’t care there are no excuses in the book for you losing to a six- win Detroit Pistons team and when that move when that happened on Wednesday night at 9:30 at night for me that that put Monty

McNair on a clock where he had like 14 and a half hours to do something just to mix up the the the group a little bit and to add something that might have made them a little bit better like Brandon you brought up Royce O’Neal U I

Don’t know that I want to give up three second round draft picks for Royce O’Neal but at the same time you got like nine of them so why not um you need needed to get better and you didn’t get better and other teams around you the Dallas Mavericks got better the Phoenix

Suns got better and you didn’t and those are the teams that you’re going to be competing for not for the the three the one two three four five one two three four in the playoffs but the five six seven eight and now you’re in danger of being in a playing situation where maybe

If you make a move that makes sense you’re not in the playoff and play in situation so I it’s kind of it’s kind of weird because I feel like you could like construe that as me talking out of both sides of my mouth you need

To make a trade but you don’t need to make a trade but realistically there are all kinds of different types of Trades there are giant trades there are small trades the kings in my opinion they needed to do something because what we saw on Wednesday night is something that

We’ve seen 10 other times this season and it’s just not good enough and so that’s where I’m at and and maybe that’s like too harsh but you know like I get it I yeah I mean I think it’s look I I get what you’re saying because I think

You and I are in the same boat of we feel like we know this team we feel like we know what they’re capable of and when they’re at their best what they might be capable of still isn’t as good as maybe you’d like it to be um I would say yes I

Mean losing to the Detroit Pistons while unfortunate doesn’t take away from the fact that you were still just nine games over 500 just the other day but I will say and this is now me speaking out of both sides of my mouth things that I tried to pull out of there

It’s like they have moments where they’re playing great basketball but even when they’re going five- two on that road trip you have moments where you’re like what the hell is this now one of the things that they were able to do is win ugly and it’s been a

Characteristic kind of of this team it’s like all right that was a real shitty game but somehow you were able to really pull that out and it’s a win in the win call and at the end of the day it’s all that matters you know they’re they’re able to

Compile games like that but make no mistake this team tricks off a lot of games and they have and Trey lyes was talking a lot about it today and using the word respect for your opposition um using the phrase respect for your opposition they treat lower Echelon

Opponents as if it’s a it’s a it’s a sure thing that they can just Sleepwalk through a game and and chalk it up as a win column it probably didn’t help that they beat Detroit in Detroit doing that very same recipe that same formula they baked the cake doing that 47o quarter

You come back close out of deficit and then you step on the throat of that team and you put them away that team the Pistons being without a couple key players even key players on a six win team coming into that game uh felt like they probably could have done that and I

Know you know Malik monk didn’t like to hear the booze after the end of the game U those booze were 100% warranted you know they they should have heard those booze those Mike Brown was booing you when you went in the locker room that night and telling you how awful you were

Uh defensively James you you were harping on it coming back out of the five- two trip that what they’re doing defensively on the perimeter is wholeheartedly unacceptable so while you’re able to win games you have some flaws and and I completely understand that but making a move to make a move

And you know thinking of the broad picture this is bigger than that and and I do disagree there I don’t think you go out and and we talked about it last year you have to make the right move you have to make the move that you’re most

Comfortable with and look we always talk about there’s no analytic for chemistry making a move as small is something that you think could be tertiary and maybe help you in a playoff series whatever even take a smallest step could be detrimental to what you do to your

Locker room so you have to factor those things in and I think they’re still betting on the continuity here of this team and much like I talked about last uh podcast whether I agree with it or not I think the thought process here is BET on this continuity everything you’re doing is

Leading up to a point for this playoff run and you want to see what this team can still as put together can still do and like I said whether I agree with that or not I think that’s what the thought process is and I think it’s somewhat understandable like I I think

That we don’t know that the Kings could have won that with a little better execution could have got out of the first round last year and you could argue they’re going into this year with that postseason an experience under their belt this group has played together for an extended period of time

As Sean said um they’re doing a lot of things this regular season that are specifically geared towards bettering their postseason odds and you know this group is capable of getting out of the first round and I think if that happened at the end of the year that the fan base

Would feel great and that there was this positive continued uh trajectory upwards and it’s not always going to be that black and white and linear and I think that a smaller move could have helped with that postseason push even if it was a couple second rounders for a

Guy that was expiring you know I think getting if that somehow helped you get to the second round which is a big if for a guy we’re talking about acquiring for seconds you never know um then that would be beneficial even if he walked because it’s more postseason experience

For this current group so I do think some I I agree with what you’re saying Sean about waiting on a move um but I I think it’s kind of the bigger ones I think some smaller one I definitely think could have benefited this group but I don’t really hold it against them

That it didn’t happen because I don’t think it was for a lack of of trying you know I’d imagine that if they were out that they were active in these conversations and all these players that we can sit and talk about that was I I’d imagine considered for the most part you

Know it’s not like the plan was to to sit and wait in my mind I I think that um there’s still very much benefit official ways that this season can continue their positive trajectory upwards and they’re just proving that they are very willing to be patient yeah

Also James I asked you this earlier even off record I said there there’s a challenge that comes with being a buyer in a seller’s market you know like sure you can identify some of the players that were traded today and go oh okay I could I could see him in a king’s

Uniform or what was given up you you might be able to go okay why why would why maybe they could have been in the mix for that but there’s also teams that like it’s just like fantasy sports in a way you look at a team and you go all

Right well I’m gonna try and better my team I don’t want to do business with this guy over here you know I don’t want to send this product to a team that I might see four or five times in a in a given season that that certainly plays

Factors there’s a whole bunch of things that go into how a trade gets done and ultimately I just feel like there was nothing today that that really blew me away and I think there’s a lot of mediocre pieces getting getting moved about uh to where everything kind of

Felt like you know reshuffling at the deck or whatever analogy you want to use I didn’t think there was a super impactful player that was that was dealt today that that the Kings for what they were willing to get rid of uh to acquire those pieces would have landed you a

Really big fish no I agree the the big fish weren’t out there like the king should not have been in the boyon bonovich sweep Stakes they should I mean you could probably say that they should have at least checked checked in on the PJ Washington situation which they may

Have and we just don’t know um but I still think that there are are other moves along the margins that that you probably needed to look at you need to look at heavily and I would go back to last season too this is exactly what happened last trade deadline I mean

Almost identical you know they they got cash to take on Kessler Edwards into their 15th roster spot this year they got cash to take on on uh an aging Robin Lopez and then wave him but to they did that into the 15th roster spot and they

Have waved Robin Lopez as of as of tonight so uh but my point would be that that last season they didn’t make the moves that like were sitting there that actually did happen the the moves like Mason Plum Le moves like matis styel and then you get to the first round of the

Playoffs and you get killed on the offensive Glass by by uh Kavon Looney and you get beat in game seven by Steph Curry and both of those pieces would have been valuable whether you would have won that series or not I don’t know but the fact that you would have had

Another rebounding Center instead of Chim metu or another perimeter Defender as opposed to anyone else that you were throwing out there Terence Davis anyone else you want to bring up um it just feels like that that there was an opportunity and though both of those players go for second round picks a

Couple of second round picks I think both of them but it’s also it just plays into a larger theme that you’re not getting something done at the moment and I I think that again this team is not right just because they went five- two

On a road trip they were 0 and four the four games before that and you could tell that this team is odd that there’s something like not right all the way and I I’ll keep going back to what mon MC says like his own words maintain and improve I see maintain without any

Question I do not see improve and in fact what I’ve seen over the last month and a half from this team is regression and very very distinct regression on the defensive side of the ball they are giving up they are like teams are shooting 39.7% from three against his team on the season

39.7 I mean that is the most most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard for a team that wants to have wants to be a defensive-minded team like that’s just ridiculous that and over the last like 20 games it’s more like 43% or higher they just gave up like a a

Boatload of Threes to the worst team in the NBA they just don’t defend at all without their two best players without their two best players and then with how many players got weighed on that three players that beat the Sacramento Kings last night got waved today by that team Killian Hayes Joe

Harris Danilo ginari all gone so I don’t like I you can’t make excuses for what we’re seeing the fact that they dropped to the seven seed is probably where they they are as of right now so unless they figure out like how to maintain is one thing but how to

Maintain and improve show me where your path forward is I’m not sure that I see that I think I think it’s it’s a a little bit too literal of a of a um deciphering the maintain and improve because I think maintain and improve is over the span over this life that

They’re that they’re looking at they’re not looking at it maintain and improve for the 23 24 season and I’ll say this like I I don’t I don’t want to come off as like I’m defending the front office I I understand maybe the approach here I mean this is a team that since Monty

McNair has been there what is it like 17 trades I mean they’ve been very aggressive when it comes to how many are meaningful well no but I’m just saying that they they and that’s in four years yeah but they Tinker I mean that that’s trades is where the bread and butter is

Is is the bread is buttered with this team because again Sacramento as a free agent Market is difficult to to to get I get that just like they’re not part of the buyout Market yeah yeah yeah yeah now I mean they might be you know there’s there’s still there’s people

That are available and whatever that they’ve never been before not once it hasn’t really uh but but there there were a lot of names that became available and again I there’s nothing there that makes me go oh wow go get him um but again I think the maintain and improve is beyond just

The season and they want to keep the optionality and they want to keep flexibility and they don’t want to be making a move for the sake of making a move and I I know that can be tough and I know that that look that Detroit

Pistons loss is the worst of the year I said that before the game by the way I said if they lose by one or 30 tonight it would be the worst of the year and I think it it it held that I think it was

The worst of the year I also think that if they win that game we’re not talking about not NE obviously we’re not talking about loss of the Pistons but we’re not talking about how bad this team is doing you’re going oh wow they you know they

Just came off a five seven game Road Trip they went five and two but the reality is they ALS haven’t been playing well they have moments where they play great and they have like a minute ago like I was talking about they have moments where you look like

Absolute Dre and you’re winning because you’re able to close out the game somehow but by and large the game is still really like the effort is you’re beating them on the offensive end the defense is really terrible so you have a lot of I get all that but my point is if

You win the if you beat the P the Pistons it doesn’t erase how those moments of of abject like failure on the defensive end keep happening so I don’t think that they had a um I think they tried to address some things but ultimately at the PRI at the cost of

What it would have come down to I just don’t think that it was there and I just like to remind people that like you still have an identical record to what you did last year and the whole mindset of can you become a team that is able to

Improve defensively does it go further I would argue that Mike Brown is essentially already coaching for the playoffs and and I think they could benefit from this and I still think that where they are despite being a loss to the these awful teams like the Hornets and the and the Memphis Grizzlies and

Now you had the Pistons on top of that along with a slew of other ones throughout the season they’re still experiencing the same success they are exactly what they were last year only now they’re losing to bad teams and and they don’t have the G those moments early in the season like

Last year where they able to capitalize on a lot of teams that took them for granted yeah I mean there’s a handful of like really bad losses is kind of the issue right is that there’s that Detroit game you could go to a very similar game where they lost to Charlotte um there’s

A different category of well you could also do two Houston ones earlier and then there’s a different category of bad losses like the blown loss the blown lead in Phoenix or the missed free throws at the end of the Milwaukee game so there’s a lot of like really I feel

Like tough to swallow sort of losses here um but when it comes to like the the maintain and build I I think that it’s kind of where this is one of the maintain moments I guess and it being disciplined and willing to remain P remain patient and um just disciplined

Again in those moments I think is what helps you be able to save your assets so you can build down the line when you see um the right sort of piece and and what I would say that the big developments that I think have taken place this year

For the long-term trajectory of this team are dearen Fox becoming a really good three-point shooter and I know that’s regressed a little bit over the last 20 games he’s like 33% from three you go to the last 10 he’s about 30% um so there’s some regression there but I

Think that there’s been enough positive progress that I feel comfortable saying he’s a much improved three-point shooter which is really important and I think you’re seeing it more consistently defensively from him and I think that you’ve seen a lot of progress from Keegan Murray even if offensively again

There’s been a little bit of a step back um and I think that somewhat has to do there’s definitely a direct correlation with Harrison Barnes getting more shot attempts and getting more involved but you’ve seen so much defensive progress from Keegan Murray so I think that those

Two big things are just really important for the long-term projection of this team as two key members of this core continue to get better and if you can get this group and specifically the core members more postseason experience then this I think you could chalk up this

Year is okay was part of the process and a step down the line H okay uh before we get too far into this uh number one if you’re watching here on YouTube we’d love it if you hit the Thumbs Up Button um give us a rating review wherever you

Listen to podcasts uh jump on board with the Kings beat go to the Kings beat.com uh become a premium subscriber to the Kings be.com also we are brought to you by prize picks uh I play prize picks uh every single game I’ll probably even play some this weekend with the Super

Bowl um I’m having a good time I I did go through the Brutal bad beat that I had um which Brandon knows about and Sean knows about uh where I lost by what 0 five of a point from dearon Fox for like a huge payout that would have been

Fun but I’m having a good time time doing priz picks we’re doing it uh every game um you know Keegan Murray’s dunk has has all of a sudden failed us uh especially when he goes for zero points um but uh but I’m having a good time

Doing it uh if you guys want to get into prize picks there is a link Down Below in the description uh the keyword is uh Kings beat all one word and uh jump on board with prize picks it again I’m having a great time doing it it’s a lot

Of fun uh a lot of my Randomness is is like it does not pay off but uh and I like to go big every single every single game with uh more of everything and usually like a six pick which is crazy I don’t know why do that every time I if I

Were more conservative I’d have uh probably more uh more money in my priz pick account but either way uh jump on board with prize picks if you’re interested it’s a good time um let’s get to you know like Brendan you brought him up um dearon Fox right I you did talk

About Keegan Murray and dearn Fox’s three um but I also will say like first of all the other big development is that deonis sabonis has become one of the best players in the in the league and there’s not even question about it like his consistency each night dropping a

Triple double or a double double every single night is by far like one of the most impressive things I’ve ever watched a basketball player do I mean it’s just like easy money for him to walk out there and get a triple double or a double double it’s just wild um but the

Fox situation to me is worth like looking at because dearon Fox was so good in October and November and December and and then we get to January and he just wasn’t and I I don’t know how else to like break it down whether he got tired whether he couldn’t

Maintain that level but we saw it in the in the Detroit game and like you can’t really let him off the hook like that that was not a performance that that you know anyone was looking forward uh looking at and applauding to me that was

Like whether it was a lack of energy um like pulling up from three when you hadn’t hit anything for a while um just like the overall feel was off and so I was looking at his stats and you know again he averages 31 points a game in October 30.4 in November 29.3 in

December and then he drops down to 22.5 in 15 games in the month of January shoots 43.4% from the field 32.6% from three and we’re seeing that player again in February he’s averaging 24 43 uh his twoo percentage is up a little bit 46.8 his three-point percentage is at

36.7 but it just feels like he’s not the player that we saw early in the season right now and I you know again his usage has dipped and like just something feels like it’s not right with him where are you guys at with with Fox and like is

There a point here I mean clearly he needs the All-Star break like I a lot of players do but he looks like he needs like a hard reset yeah that’s kind of where I was going to go with that as I’m curious to see how he looks after that

Break you know obviously he’s had kind of lingering ankle stuff ever since that grade three a handful of years ago that he had uh we saw a shoulder get a little banged up earlier this year so it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s small Nicks and bruises but I feel like most

Players are dealing with things to a certain extents at this point in the season and I kind of just view it as I I think that it’s hard to I mean each game has its own unique circumstances and maybe some scenarios of how teams are defending him and things like that um

And I also think that Malik monk when he has tough nights and isn’t there as a secondary playmaker to be alongside Fox that that can kind of put a little bit not too much responsibility on Fox because I think he can definitely handle it but it doesn’t make anything easier I

Guess is what I’ll say there um so I think it’s hard to maintain this level of play that we saw where he’s averaging 30 at the start of the year and you wish that the maybe slump wouldn’t be as low as it has been recently but I think that

More often than not I don’t feel like they’re losing games because of a lack of production from Fox I still think they’re finding ways to win he um is finding a way to make an impact defensively I think he’s been all over the deflections and and steals recently

When it comes to that um and he still hits the pain and sort of make plays you know I I think that on nights like last night against the Pistons it’s like I I think that he goes into the fourth quarter with I believe it’s about eight

Points I could have that slightly wrong um and I’m thinking that he’s just okay just take over this quarter and the first three won’t even matter because everybody else had good quarters here and there and decent stin um and that just didn’t happen so I think that when

It’s down to a close game you’re the reigning clutch player of the year I think everybody on your team trusts you from what we can tell and I I think that everybody in Golden One Center is going to trust you to take over at the end of

The game so I think there’s moments where I still would wish that was happening but for now honestly a lot of it I chalk up to I think that it’s difficult to maintain maintain that high level of play and that’s part of the adjustment for dearen this year is not

Only reaching that level like he has but figuring out what it takes to be able to maintain that so I’m curious to see if he looks a little bit more back in shape and top form I guess after the break yeah Sean where are you at with

Him because like there is no fourth quarter Fox at this moment like it’s not there and you can see the the moments of Brilliance but he I and I say I’ll say it again that when he walks out and he misses his first free throws like

Whatever it is it shows you exactly how the game is going to go it’s almost without fault anytime he’s missing the from the free throw line it’s usually going to be a long night for the Sacramento Kings he missed like four in a row like in that lost to Detroit right

Yeah token the game he missed fourth I’ll say this too like you know again I agree with you Brendan it’s a point that I kind of brought up a few weeks back where I said I don’t know that having Daran Fox at 30 points a night is the

Best recipe for sustained success for the season and and but it’s certainly fun to watch and I think uh seeing him being capable of that is the biggest you know positive piece to come from that that being said like I’m not really all that worried about him it seems

Like through his time in Sacramento he has a little stretch like this sometimes it lasts about a month where things look a little wonky and it I remember that year where things were really cruising right in the early part of January and then he went into the All-Star break at

Little bit of a funk and um whatever it Whatever It Is yeah hopefully he can he can self-correct um I think seeing this team win helps a lot for sure and to show that they can win without him being that guy it it I think goes a long way

For the team’s success um but I’ll say this I think last night against the Pistons was actually a really good game to to kind of show this team and even fans because he’s in a funk they take the Pistons for granted Detroit goes up 15 D Manas sabonis gets pissed he and

Malik monk essentially and put Davon Mitchell in that group as well on the bench yeah Trey L but I’m talking about that third quarter specifically and they bring them back erase a 15-point deficit domas hits that three in front of uh you know daren’s wife and baby and has that

Moment where they’re okay crisis averted we’re going into the the kings are going in the fourth quarter with this one or two-point lead they’ve they’ve erased a 15-point deficit rather quickly and they did it with Fox on the bench for more more most of that quarter and then

In the fourth you want to see him kind of become that guy again that fourth quarter Fox all right as brandan was talking about you haven’t had a great game but maybe this gets you going and he had a moment I’m sitting next to our

Buddy Sam AMC and he had a moment it was kind of late in the game deficits pretty big it’s already kind of a all right what the hell’s going on here with this team the Pistons just came in and just raining threes on you and all of a sudden he got just the

Most easy bucket on the other end you know ISO come through step through lay in I mean it was so easy that you’re like where where was that tonight everything’s been a Chuck up three uh he you know I think everyone sees that really there was like a six-foot jumper

That he had right in front of the rim uh that he that he missed on that front of the rim on that one and uh that one sticks out but it’s like he’s so capable of getting a bucket he’s such an automatic bucket free throw extended

That jumper and and we haven’t seen a lot of that and and part of that’s because he’s gets into the paint so much and part of that’s because he’s been able to extend his range beyond the three-point Arc and and he’s had some success there but I think he’s kind of

Got to get a little recalibrated refreshed and and and hopefully you know kind of get in the right mindset because 82 games is a long long season yeah I think it’s tough to watch like when he’s off he’s off and especially you know I think everybody is

Uh throughout this season I think D sabonis got off to a little bit of a slow start in the first couple of games of the season right but outside of that he’s been one of the most consistent players in the league um we’ve seen Kevin herder go through the down the

Downturn even Malik monk had like five games where he just was not impactful at all and then all of a sudden the last four or five games he’s been excellent uh we’ve seen it from Keegan Murray we’ve seen it from Harrison barns like this team does have sort of an issue

With taking turns like guys take turns being in prolonged slumps and then other guys have take turns being really really good um right now again Trey lyes is on a crazy hot streak shooting um Kevin herner’s been better and and Harrison Barnes uh I think it brings me to like a

The next topic which is sort of like a more complex thing with the the emergence of Harrison Barnes the you know Resurgence whatever you want to call it um where he went from a player who was completely non- impactful and look like he was you know almost

Like an Innings eater right a guy who’s just out there playing 30 minutes a game but you’re not really getting a whole lot from him um and then all of a sudden he becomes like this crazy player who’s averaging over 20 points a game for like

A long stretch but as he goes up Keegan Murray has gone down big time and the erratic play of Keegan Murray again I I think over let’s just say his last five games he went like five points Five Points 33 33 or 32 Five Points and then 10

Points and then zero points so like what we’re seeing is I don’t in a way I don’t know that you can have Harrison Barnes be Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray be Keegan Murray and Harris and Kevin herder be Kevin herder all at the same time while Malik Monk and dearon fox and

Deont sabonis do what they do no you can’t you can’t that’s what we talk about like if if he’s going to score it’s going to come at the expense of somebody else and him getting to the free throw line is a good thing that’s why I’m not worried about

Him so much but the guy that picks up when you’d like to have Harrison Barn be the guy that picks up the slack if somebody else is off if somebody’s experiencing an off night H and I think that it’s helpful for HB to be the one kind of getting

A little bit more involved in the offense because I think there’s a lot more things Keegan can do outside of scoring than the current form of Harrison bares you know like last night Keegan didn’t score much if he doesn’t get in foul trouble though I still think

He could have had a decent defensive impact in that game Jaden iy playing really well late in that fourth quarter um or really the entire fourth quarter we had 19 points I thought that fox and Ivy just looked like each other for a large majority of that game you know it

Looked like this year’s dearon Fox was on the Pistons and this year’s Jaden Ivy was was on the Kings for most of that game Ivy was phenomenal um but I think that kegi kegi nice Keegan we’re gonna we’re gonna ignore that one um I I think that Keegan can do more outside of

Scoring and they can coexist not to say they can’t but there very clearly has been a very black and white example of there’s only so many shots that can go up you know you look at those those last games that James is talking about you go back six games he’s managed

Single digigit shot attempts in five of those and that’s something that has only happened uh single digits a a good amount throughout the actually the the course of this year um but I I think that it’s very clear that HB getting more involved has definitely led to less offensive opportunities for Keegan and

It was interesting asking Mike Brown today he was pretty much saying that he just thinks like Kevin need or Keegan needs to be more aggressive in finding ways to get his own shot whether that’s when you’re coming off the screen be more forceful with your downhill attack

And and little things like that so I think there’s definitely ways that he can figure out how to get more involved but I think more importantly like keep the defensive consistency there yeah I mean the way I I’ve looked at this like the first 41 games short it feel like

They were really pushing pushing pushing to develop Keegan Murray they get to game 42 the Midway point of the season it’s like okay we need to win games let’s we’re gonna go more we’re gonna get Harrison Barnes back involved we’re gonna try to like develop like who we

Are as a team again we’re go we’re going to go back to who we maybe a little bit were last year and in the meantime the whole the defense went to just [ __ ] I mean just went to hell in a ham basket whatever happening with the defense like

It is like making everything else like look very very off and weird um but I think it also shows you think that you think that comes at the like you think they’re going away from developing Keegan though no I like I don’t think it’s like

Fully I just don’t think it is the 100% Focus that it was early in the season and at at this point I think it’s hey we we’re developing we developing we’re going to keep developing him but at the same time let’s pull back a little bit on featuring him every single night

Let’s make sure that we get Harrison Barnes back up to speed let’s make sure that we get Kevin herder back up to speed we have to have this thing look more like it did last year on the offensive end we need to get back to who

We are and then you know I think we’ll we’ll see more of Keegan Murray sort of come back around and and be part of what they’re doing but I also think it kind of exposes the Kings to like what they need like what you need is you like realistically you don’t need

A Harrison Barnes type allaround player at the small forward spot or the power forward spot whatever you’re going to put him at you need a three and D guy who is okay taking eight shots a game but is an elite Defender the whole time and that’s still what you need at that

Position and that would allow Keegan to become more of who he is and you know and and some of the other guys as well I just don’t think that having your top seven guys all be offensive players I is really like the easiest way to win games and to give Mike Brown the

Support he needs to run a defense that looks anywhere near like NBA like they’re they at this point they they don’t look like they can defend anyone I mean they’re searching for lineups right like I feel like that Pistons game we saw a lineup we’ve probably seen a couple times but really

Even more so in that where you’re going with Fox and Davon and Malik Monk and you’re going with Trey ly and Sasha and uh yeah Sasha venkov out there even and you’re going small and I don’t know like postgame Mike talked very much Mike Brown about how disappointing that

Defensive performance was because it’s the same thing that they’ve done all year long and he echoed it today and part of why it’s so frustrating is because he’s seen them be good and I think that’s what’s Weir about this season is there’s more examples of them being capable and a solid defensive team

But there’s also more examples than there were last year of them being well maybe not more last year was pretty tough too but probably on par for how many examples there was of them being a really poor defensive team and it’s just things like keeping mental tabs on your

Personnel while in game you know I think they could use a more media friendly wording than hot guys so we’re not sitting here talking about hot guys but they label the hot guys and the not hot guys based on their shooting not their appearance for what it’s worth no I’m

Not um it depends you know I don’t know what Kelly ub’s label is okay we’ll find out um but I think that it’s just little things of Coach talks about when you close out on a shooter he used a example with deer and fox in that game against

The Pistons of it’s not just closing out with a hand in his face it’s if it’s a hot guy that get your sh uh chest pretty much into the side of his body you know and every time Mike says hot guy or somebody says hotkey postgame I like

Have to not Chu like you guys are doing it right now you you know what’s Wild I had and look my mind goes to places you never I know that hadn’t occurred to me and now I’m hear it a lot it was to me

All I always s of it as the guy you don’t want to leave open because he’s gonna hit a shot they they use the wording hot guy all year long I don’t know what to tell you hey I I’m gonna here I’m just gonna for this sake of exercise how many

Players played last night you guys how many players take it take don’t look Brendan don’t look Brendan um yeah nine okay and who were they the starting five so Off the Bench yeah so monk Sasha Trey lyes um Davon Davon okay and then and then the

Starters yep so is that not the exact same team ex that played last year except for Sasha vov played five minutes and 31 seconds it’s the same team and they got their ass whooped by the worst team in basketball yep I I’m just saying ass whooped by the worst team in

Basketball historically they did it was pretty bad they they did missing three of their best players who literally didn’t have a single hot guy on the team I like and if there was it’s Ellis I mean it’s uh Burks I mean Jade iy was pretty smoking but that’s because he’s

Playing the Kings I mean someone’s got to score you let that team score 55 points I ioot 55% from three yeah Alec Burks Alec Burks that’s the one guy you had to defend now on the Knicks now on the Knicks yeah so we got the best of the Detroit Pistons

Historically awful team like we as Sacramento we got to see the the Pistons end it right there like it all came to an end we got to witness it and then they want again tonight you fix the Pistons fix Pistons have him play the sa

Kings what a beast that guy was not only last night but incred tonight especially Jaylen Duran’s a Monster yeah he’s he is a really really good young player they they hit a home run there but you guys understand what I’m saying right like sometimes what are we doing what we like

Literally the same eight guys that played all of last season like your your core eight went out there and got molly whopped like they just got crushed like what are you doing yeah I mean look it sucks because you want people to react the way like James is doing

Because like it should be unacceptable and it carries weight but then you look at someone like Daren Fox who never gets too high or too low and I know that bothers some people but again like it is who you are you’re you’re you’re the team that can lose to the

Worst team in basketball history and you’re the team that can go out there and beat a defending Champion possibly on Friday night and it’s just it’s just what this team is and so um that’s why I was I mean I don’t think I was the only one last night looking around the media

Room going yeah you know they’re more than capable of losing this game even coming off a 5-2 seven game season long road trip because they hadn’t been playing they have moments where they play and they have moments they play like dog [ __ ] and it’s just is what they are so again

Like does does a six-game winning streak does it does it mask all of it it does because it the if you had if the Kings had taken care of business last night and beat Detroit we’re not talking about any of that you’re not you might still be talking about the three-point

Percentages you know defensive percentages and and what they’re doing defensively or lack of defens defensively on the perimeter sure but overall you’re saying ah but they continue to win they’re they’re now 10 games now over the or over 500 and it’s just it’s wild I feel like all of last

Year I was just saying they’re good enough offensively to win any night and they’re bad enough defensively to lose any night and you know maybe that’ll mix the reasonings a little bit this year but the same holds true I’m I’m definitely with you Sean yeah I mean I think that go ahead

Sean no no I I I knew we were going to get to some comments here in a minute but I I I want to I know trade deadline and everything people are still racking their heads over there’s two things I saw all day is how cheap the kings are

How cash considerations deserves uniform you know all these things but it’s like I I just want to like also I I I say this I think every year look at the people who get reported to be traded and then still wind up on the same team after the trade deadline like all the

Names all these names you’re hearing about I think you have to take a lot of those reports with grains of salt because a lot of times they don’t get moved and I think this trade deadline was another great example Le learn know your history you know what team’s Alex

Cruso on what team’s Jeremy Grant on what team is matis thel on what team is Kyle kusma Han all these guys didn’t get moved um and there’s several more you can you can rattle off that you would hear baned about that that not only don’t end up in Sacramento they don’t

They stay on the same team yeah I I get what your point is and like the trade deadline it it comes in it goes I I would say this like the Kings if they really really are dedicated to like turning this thing into a long-term winner they can’t be

Number 22 in the league in in payroll just flat out like at a certain point and I get like there are reasons sometimes why you’re you’re where you are I mean the Kings know that you know dearen Fox is under contract for two more years after this and then after

That his contract is going to go like plaid I mean it’s going to go like so ridiculous where he’s going to be making $50 million a year and that coincides with d sabonis eventually getting up to 50 million bucks and it also coincides with uh Keegan Murray becoming a player

That you’re going to have to extend and so you you can’t just live in the moment and say oh my gosh they’re so cheap this is so horrible you have to go out and spend the move that they did at the end of the deadline that’s a logical move

It’s also move they probably could have made like a week earlier and I bring this up because if you make that we that move a week earlier you you trade for somebody from but you could have just T traded for Robin Lopez a week ago and

Then waved him then you could have still had your 15th roster spot when you get to the trade deadline and you could have either done that again or you could have made whatever move that you wanted to make but you have the ability to do that because the Kings those are minimum

Scale contracts you can absorb minimum scale cont contracts give out future nothing contract for somebody who’s never going to come over to the to the US and play um and so you have to give up an asset or you can give up a a top 58 protected second round pick like

There are ways that you can actually make moves to get better and absorb cash and the King seem to like the last couple of years it feels like a money grab at the end and I it’s just like for me it’s a bad look more than it but it’s functional and I

Understand why they do it because if you’re not going to make another move you might as well do what they did today and then a couple of days from now they’ll probably sign Keon L’s for the rest of the season but Lopez has to clear waivers first and get off your

Books right but I still I understand like they are 2 I mean it look I again this team pays abundance of head coaches to not head coach you know this team is paying two max players right now that hasn’t been the case ever before um these contracts are astronomical and

Again 22nd in payroll I get it and we’ve talked about on this podcast if you think you’re going to be a contender you’re gonna have to pay you’re going to get into the apron you have to pay luxury tax so they haven’t yet but they’re also in my opinion don’t have a

Team um capable of doing that so when you’re looking at the likes of Malik monk coming up to free agency well to me it’s a no-brainer you you’re going to you’re going to do what you can to be as fiscally responsible as possible but there’s been really nothing in the way

Of what this front office has done to make me think that they’re Frugal by any stretch cash considerations and doing some does are necessary no I I agree it’s necessary but you yeah you keep cutting up a little bit but I agree they’re necessary but I do understand the other side where

People are say saying like look this this team’s payroll is it’s not high enough to be to compete with some of these other teams and we keep talking about like they’re really seven seven players deep at this point that of really really really high quality NBA

Players you probably need to pay for an eighth I mean and a ninth and a tenth you know that’s that’s kind of what some of these teams did today and what some of these teams do throughout their their team building process and you talk about Max money Players like everybody and the

League is paying somebody like you got to figure you that’s that’s part of doing business in the NBA you know there’s Jaylen Brown and a couple years is gonna make almost 70 million bucks a year and they still have Jason Tatum and they still have porzingis and I could

Keep going because they have more players and at a certain point if you want to play with the big boys you got a pony up and I think the timeline that you pointed out is kind of the one that I really look at and specifically when it comes to Keegan’s extension or still

Being on a rookie deal I think that during that time frame where you have not this offseason but the next before he’d be up for an extension and then you have through 2026 that he’s still going to be on his rookie deal even if it say a 30 plus million dollar extension it’s

Agreed upon it wouldn’t start until the 2026 27 season so I think in that time is really what I look at as where the clock is ticking down towards of go add who your third or you know 3A 3B is while Keegan is still on that rookie

Deal I think it’s so important like in football teams talk about taking advantage of uh winning with a rookie deal quarterback right I think that the same thing is true for basketball with a lot of these guys so I think taking advantage of Keegan still being on that

Rookie deal and finding a way to get that other big salary before he his extension really kicks in um whatever number that eventually is going to end up being I think is kind of the really the timeline that I’m counting down towards I guess for what is this next

Big move going to eventually be but you still got a decent amount of time until then you got like two off seasons and two more deadlines yeah but I mean that comes quickly right I mean and you don’t want to wait till the very end obviously no I

Mean shockingly but uh tomorrow’s game is game 51 yeah and you know we haven’t talked about the fact that the Kings the next four five six seven games just brutal like they played Denver three times they play OKC they play the Suns like they play The Temper wolves like

This thing could get ugly really quickly we talk about oh they’re eight games over they could be two games over three games over here in really really short amount of time so and they they only play they only play three more times at home this month which is a weird

Scheduling Quirk with the All-Star break in between that’s kind of been their February last couple of years and then March is something crazy how many home games in March it’s like 112 or something yeah it might even be as high as 13 like it’s it’s totally it’s totally wild

So all right um let’s get to the business of basketball that’s ESPN buddy that was not the one you used last time Sean you didn’t do anything what my thing I forget yeah that’s what he did last time no I just like make up a noise I’ll

Just yeah maybe that was what it was we could do that that’ll be my business basketball noise what is happening okay do it again James we got this Sean think of something I don’t know if I can do what you just did right now that’s a tough one to the business of

Basketball perfect perfect this is totally gone ridiculous um number one if you guys have questions throw them in the chat right now we’ll get to questions here in just a couple of minutes uh there’s been a lot of uh spicy chat this has been a this has been

A good uh good good audience really happy in here happy and optimistic chat today happy and optimistic chat um he’s being fous of course it’s been vile I like it though not you I’m saying okay so I think over the last couple of weeks we’ve seen you know specific players

Play that may or may not have been part of what’s going on or what what the long-term do you think that Mike Brown is going to settle on a lineup is he going not lineup uh a rotation is he is he going to keep tinkering using a guy

Here a guy there is he going to go back to someone like Keon Ellis who is probably the best defender of the three-point line on the team um with the team not playing any defense at the three-point line like what do you think we’re going to see going forward and do

You think that what we’ve seen in the last like month has anything to do with the trade deadline and once we get past the trade deadline it might look totally different and before I before you guys answer I will say Chris wte is going to

Be out for a while he he uh the injury the MRI they said he has a moderate sprain which I don’t know what a moderate sprain is they’re literally is a like a chart that says a grade one grade two grade three ankle sprain moderate is not on that um so I’m not

Sure what that means but um bygones uh anyway um he’s gonna be out for a while he was on crutches uh in the locker room last night U he walked in and his ankle was huge um it looked like like someone like replaced his ankle with a baseball

And I was like oh that’s not good what in the world happened and he did it while warming up for the game in The Practice Facility anyway I don’t think he’s going to be part of anything that’s happening in Sacramento for a couple of weeks uh that would just be my guess but

But do you guys understand what I’m asking the question is basically do you think that there were some players that maybe um not showcased but maybe showcased uh leading up to the deadline maybe they’re trying to show that some guys could play and could do some things and then we

Might see a different look after the deadline no I mean I I don’t think so I I think look there’s not a lot of trust outside of one through six in this rotation and we’ve kind of talked about that I think you know Tre has seven

Pretty much locked down uh for the most part but I think even there’s even moments where he tends to I think more times than not this year he’s shown the ability to be a very consistent player but um I I don’t know I think I think having Davon Mitchell in the lineup um

For what he puts defensively on paper uh is going to be a part of the rotation you mentioned DW’s injury I think that’ll play a role for sure um I I don’t know that there’s moments that Kessler Edward will be able to find moments or any

Minutes um because he doesn’t tend to be a guy that can maximiz is being play in two-minute stretches and that’s hard so if uh I I think you’re kind of looking at what what you have and I think it’s still going to be a night toight scenario I

Think it’s it’s you haven’t seen Alex Len in a while um weird he Keon’s another one I think they’re going to figure that out here in the next day or two and then um but I think I think ultimately what you saw last night is in

My mind going to be a pretty regular thing and they you might have examples when you’re playing every other night as opposed to having some days off in between where he goes deeper into his rotation but again I think that the trust level for Mike Brown one through

Six one through seven is about as far as it goes yeah I think you go back the last nine games there’s been eight guys that have played every single night you look at the starting five and then you got Davon Mitchell you got Malik Monk and Trey Lyles and the backup big

Throughout that whole road trip of choice has been javil McGee except the games where you look at the Warriors and their backup big is maybe a little bit smaller like a trace Jackson Davis or a Dario sarch or if they’re rolling out Draymond or you go to Indiana and it’s

Obi toppen or Jabari Walker or um recently there’s a another one that I’m forgetting here team that matched them and played it was just the Pistons last night where galinari is playing the five or muscala is playing the five and in those moments it seems like maybe Mike

Brown will react with going the small ball lineup of their own and going with Trey Lyles instead of javil McGee but outside of that like it feels like it kind of has been a consistent rotation recently and I have my questions about if Davon is better than Keon and I I

Think that it’s close enough that I don’t know that it makes that much of a difference in my mind I think that Keon does deserve to get upgraded to the main roster he’s at 47 games played right now he can get to that 50 mark and um would

Surprise me to kind of just explore the buyout Market a little bit give him those couple days while uh seeing what if he’s just going to step into that last roster spot or exactly the best way to go about that but um yeah and then I

I don’t really get the Alex Len thing like I think that JaVale does provide unique things his lob finishing is is definitely a unique aspect and the way that he deters shots around the rim and not just blocks them is valuable but I think that Alex L does the same things

Except without being a lob threat it’s just a bounce pass instead of a lob that Malik throws for example and like you look at the onoff numbers Alex Len practically has their best defensive and offensive rating he’s got a plus 20 net rating and I feel like this is the same

Thing that was happening last year where it’s like you know we’re trying everything it’s backup center and not really like I don’t is Alex Lenn isn’t getting that much run he’s looks solid in small minutes so I I think that um that one is a little bit confusing to me

But I do feel like we’ve settled into a rotation for a little while I’m curious to see like Davon and HB obviously being the two that would uh if they their role declined a little bit it would be a pretty clear sign that okay maybe it was deadline related but it wouldn’t

Surprise me if they kind of keep rolling with what we’ve been seeing the last eight to 10 games yeah it’s been the same group I mean I think it’s interesting I don’t know I mean there there comes a point though where you know a guy who brings in en a guy who

Plays the right way who who brings like effort and and can defend at a high level like like Kean Ellis he probably deserves to to get another shot here he’s also like so people know he’s a two-way contract um he can only play up to 50 games with the main team and I

Asked last night and he was at he’s only been in inactive for two games the entire season and the person I asked didn’t know if it’s games played or if it’s on the active list I think it’s dressed I think it’s dressed I think it’s on the active list which means that

He’s got like two more games remaining do you have another number brenon you said 47 you’re mut you muted oops hot key is not working basketball reference for what it’s worth has him as three inactive games this year the hot key anything like the hot guy yeah uh you

Know I I mean I didn’t press it hard enough close out hard enough is that the same is that a correlation um you know there’s the actual it’s kind of weird I don’t know if anyone else feels this way but um outside really one through the the

Player that hasn’t played so much that has captured my imagination or curiosity and it’s mainly Mike Brown’s fault because he’s mentioned him on occasion is is really um Kobe Jones and wondering if he has any shot of cracking a rotation even even if it’s a small uh

Moment because he is a guy who when given opportunity seems to impact the game in small stretches rather he doesn’t need a a windup if you will he comes out and he’s kind of guns of Blazing right out the bat yeah I I like Colby Jones um Colby

Jones reminds me a little bit of the style of players that that we see Mike Malone develop in Denver you know the Christian Browns of the world like where he just goes out there and plays hard the whole time and gives you something like he might make mistakes but for

Every mistake he makes he makes like four other plays that you’re like huh that was interesting like look how how he got on the floor look how he Dove out of bounds look how he stole the ball uh from a big man standing underneath the

Basket that kind of stuff um yeah so I’m with you I I would be I would be down for uh a little bit more Colby Jones um let’s get to a question here we got Brad is there a logical explanation for the road defensive rating being so much

Better than at home last year eighth in defensive rating this year they’re 10th over uh a year and a half in these uh with uh with similar results um any thoughts on that I think the logic I kind of settled on last year because this was definitely a talking point last

Season was that it’s easier for I think the Kings to believe that they’re going to go on a run and maybe be a little bit more LAX laxad go when they’re in their own building defensively and I don’t think that’s a valid excuse but it was kind of the

Logic I ended up settling on trying to figure that out last year because it was just as confusing last year as it has been throughout the course of a couple games this year Sean um I don’t know I mean this team just plays better on the road for

Whatever reason I know they had a nice home record uh this this season as well um they’ve kind of but in recent years it’s been like they’ve been kind of a better Road team I feel like they played it better to together uh as opposed to

Just having some guy that goes off at home or something I don’t know I don’t know what to attribute it to I think obviously your defensive rating is going to get better the more you win games so it can sometimes get skewed a little bit there but um the way they defend the

Perimeter is garbage so that to me is a bigger problem um but yeah I mean I guess I guess they just maybe because they’re playing more as a collective unit and having some success on the road factor in the 5-2 seven game Road Trip and if

You just looked at it right around then that’s probably going to look a little bit better than if you do maybe at the end of this month where things get a little bit weird but I don’t know you against upper upper Eon opponents we’ll see what happens and the teams just

Shoot better on open shots in Golden One Center for some reason than in other places like I know the kings are giving up more open shots than they should which definitely plays A Part here uh but teams just love this building like Anthony Edwards last year said how much

He loves Golden One Center uh Sean I remember I don’t know if you remember ear bring it up to you the Pacers bring it up yeah um yeah we’re wait waiting there for Tyrese and Buddy kind of as the Pacers are in town for shoot around

And I think it was um Jabari Walker behind us is just like man I love shooting in this building and as they’re warming up on the court like I don’t know guys just love shooting in Golden One Center I guess well it Sidelines are good and I I also think um the black

Seats the backdrop like it is a good backdrop it like the basket is pulled out um yeah I don’t know I I’ll say this like when it comes to that question like you guys answered your the question there I’d say that the kings are a team

That um like they love the energy of the home crowd but when you go on the road there are so many buildings in the league that don’t have that type of energy and you have to create your own energy and I think that by creating your

Own energy a lot of times you have to do that on the defensive end and so you end up being a better defensive team because you have to you have to stop the other team from getting that energy from their crowd you’ve got to quiet the crowd and

The way to do that is to play solid defense um but I don’t know it’s really bizarre um they are a better well know they’re a better Road team than they are home team this year I think it’s pretty even even the home they were up a little

Bit overall but the defensive rating on the road is just totally bizarre like I don’t know um let’s get to this one um Kell’s 916 I know it’s a slim chance but do you but who do you think the Kings should Target in the buyout Market Corey Joseph Corey

Joseph um we did have uh like we were having a discussion today after after practice um about about a little bit of this right Brendan like yeah about the apron teams yeah there are seven teams that can’t sign any of the bigname buyouts so yeah sorry not to interrupt you um

The over apron teams at least over the first apron some of these are over the second um are Boston Denver Golden State the Clippers the heat the Bucks and the Suns meaning they cannot sign a player in the buyout Market that was making more than 12.4 million the the mle going

Into this season um so limits the options for for some of these guys and maybe makes Sacramento one of the more appealing options and I I think that there’s a case they could make to some guys of there being a potential at least to compete for minutes a guy like

You know Joe Harris or Daniel house I’m sure is going to be an exciting like exciting um but you know I I think a guy that um some teams will probably compete for for the fridge of their roster a little bit so it helps their case a

Little bit but not all those guys obviously fall into that uh 12 or under sorry excuse me over that 12.4 Mark so they’d still be eligible for those teams that are probably going to be a decently bit more uh appealing to those guys than the Kings yeah we we’ve got like Jed

Lowry not Jed Lowry kyy Lowry KY Lowry not Philly there okay um Kyle Lowry we’ve got Joe Harris um who’s the Nets who went to Toronto uh who else is above that that Plateau um is olao no ol Depot’s been like five million bucks um yeah interesting

I don’t think that there are a lot of players that in the buyout Market as of today there was talk that maybe Gordon Hayward would be bought out but then he got traded to OKC um there’s some other like maybe we’ll see some a galinari I’m not sure

If G what galinari made um I was surprised him when he made 20 real close to 20 and Joe Harris right at 20 so like those guys yeah that’s crazy talk um so yeah Sean like we know like the Kings have never been part of the buyout

Market even to be honest they almost got Daniel house a couple years ago on the buyout market and didn’t get him he went to Philly instead Philly or somewhere else instead yeah I was just trying to refresh my memory on that one um look I and there’s not really anyone there that

Just makes me yeah yeah go get him I mean I don’t know that any of those names in did he get bought out pretty sure Harry got sorry I har got wav yeah oh shoot where have I been I didn’t see that all day um sure I mean I don’t know that the

Trouble is is I I think any of these guys that they go out and get I can’t really see them you know cracking rotation outside of maybe just a you know garbage time or seeing if if anything maybe you know see if anything sticks but you know I think you could

Maybe look around the G League some uh I think ultimately you know you’re going to keep this team largely together um I I think 10day contracts and stuff like that could have been interesting um you saw certainly what they did with wano Anderson it it earlier this year um

Maybe before you know the thing you can do with Keon Ellis is is even before making the decision to keep him or to elevate him is to just send him to G he’s not gonna play I say even with Keon Ellis it’s like you could

Still just let him not dress and go to Stockton as as a true two-way and maybe bring in up a 10 day or two or you know if if you want to take a flyer on somebody to see how they fit and then ultimately go back and Elevate Keon for

The rest of the year right James yeah yeah uh Keon else because he is a two-way like basically he’s running out of time with the main roster he hasn’t played a game in Stockton so there there comes a point where you’re kind of part

Of the main team and like so so I don’t know like to me I think there’s a high likelihood that they just give him the roster spot but maybe I’m off with that I don’t know um anyway yeah uh that’s a good question though like the buyout

Market is going to be weird um yeah I I don’t know that the Kings will get involved um do we have any you know what I have not asking asked the baby daddy uh which Kyle loves when I say this uh how did you ever did I ever ask uh Mike

Brown if he will ever practice at Golden One Center Court and not just its practice facility Court I haven’t asked him that question um I I need to I will though because I think it is kind of intriguing that the Kings never shoot in their on their home court uh in in they

Do like individually in pregame but they don’t for uh for shootaround which is something other coaches have done but also opposing teams do shoot they’re not allowed in the practice facility they do shoot on the home court on the king’s home court and when the kings are on the

Road more often than not they do shoot at the team’s home court as well so um so maybe there is something to that about being better because you’re you’ve already shot it I don’t I don’t know it doesn’t first of all scoring is not a problem on this team so unless it’s

Going to help their defense I don’t know how that’s going to really help them uh yeah I mean scoring is not a problem but like it’s not like this is a great offensive team they’re like 12th in the league and offensive rating like they’re a lot of teams that are playing a lot

Better than them offensively um how about this one uh do you guys have an answer on this how is Jaylen Slawson development progressing in Stockton yeah I mean I think that he’s definitely gotten the opportunity to get up more threes I think that’s kind of been a really

Important thing for him throughout the course of this season he started pretty hot but in the regular season he’s only knocked down 26 and a half percent of his like just under three a game in these 16 games so I think they he knows that’s gonna be a really important part

Of his continued development but he’s an energy guy he he brings um a lot of just passion and you know what you’re getting I think every single possession with him flying around but um you know it reminds me a lot of like I you know growing up a

Celtics guy like watched a lot of or this isn’t growing up I guess but um like watching Jaylen Brown when he first came into the league to slowly get more defined I think was definitely an interesting process for me and like the beginning of of Jaylen Brown just looks

Ridiculously like you’re just so out of control and you are just trying to do things quicker than maybe your mind is actually processing it and certainly not saying that Jaylen Slawson is anywhere near Jaylen brown but I think that that’s what you said we heard it that’s

What I heard you know you wrote it on the paper give it a couple years you know is also what I said um but yeah I mean I think that the athleticism is clearly there and the physical tools and the will to try and do these things but

I think the processing and adjusting to NBA speed getting that three ball cleaned up is just kind of going to be a process for SLO um would anyone hear uh like Myers Leonard from Alex like really Alex no no nope I just had to throw it up there

When’s the last time he played too I’m I’m just I’m genuinely asking that I have no idea didn’t the Lakers try something with him I think they were going to and didn’t yeah yeah I mean I think they thought better of it um yeah uh okay well I think

That’s going to wrap it uh wrap it up here for the Kings speed podcast um yeah Brandon wants to laugh because I don’t know I thought of the ESPN noise again in my head I just didn’t say it out loud this time I don’t know why weird trying to ad libs gotta spice

This sub guys yeah what do we got for uh for final thoughts what do we no wait wait wait what do we have for Super Bowl predictions are you kidding me what type of question is this if any of you pick the Chiefs I am leaving the only time

I’ve muted a word on Twitter was when the Niners lost to the Chiefs last time in the Super Bowl I had to work mute the word momes because I honestly was so heated I mini rant for a sec here at the end as the Niners are up a touchdown the

Broadcast this one really made my blood boil broadcast is like P rck Mahomes has the ners right where he wants them and I was like what the are you talking about right now he wants to be down a touchdown right now and it’s because every postseason game leading up he’d

Come back from down a touchdown plus and I hate it I hate it I’m at the current stage of hating the Dynasty and eventually I reach a point like I have with LeBron where I respect it and I’m like enjoy it uh no chiefs are in the

Middle of it I’m sick of it and let’s go Niners bang bang Niner Gang This is a win and I don’t want to hear any differently final score let’s go 27 33 Okay Sean what do you got for us is not going to the Super Bowl no I

Know yeah you guys can email boss or something um yeah the the the uh I was pretty dead on with my final score with NFC Championship we’ve lost Sean picking final scor surprised that that that almost happened I was because I did I freeze again my internet’s been bad tonight huh

Just a little bit bur okay no I was I was going to say I was actually I picked the NFC Championship score almost like dead on and I don’t know how I did did that but I feel I feel like I have a rule where I don’t pick against Patrick Mahomes in

The postseason unless it’s a super shut up no come on I said L the Super Bowl so uh I’m over for one at least when it comes to the ners and picking against momes so uh yeah man I I think the Niners are poised for this they’ve

Played two games in the postseason where the season was on the brink I really like the matchup because along the story lines of being able to you know you’ve had your heart broken by this team and and in general look at that guy company man throwing on the 49er hat um having

Your heartbroken by this team and a lot and largely having a lot of of a roster made up of largely a lot of these same players getting that to be able to have the storyline of get would be great so yeah I I I really like that and

I like the fact that in this matchup both teams had their season on the brink at one point in this season where things were going really bad for a moment and they were able to recover and I think the Niners having you know their backs against the wall in those two playoff

Games season on the line I think they’re going in there with nothing to lose mentality even though everything’s to lose because I don’t think this team win or lose is going to look the same next year H so what’s your your pick is ners what’s the score yeah well everyone’s

Going oh it’s gonna be such a great offensive game I think it’s not I think it’s going to you have two great defenses right now and I think this is going to be like a 27 24 or 2421 game uh for the in favor of the

Ners and I hate to say this everyone goes oh what’s your xfactor is it Brock pie is it no my exactor is Jake Moody nice to be on man he needs to be on I’m gonna choose ners 23 uh 17 and I’m going to say that uh it’s

That Jake Moody misses is an extra point just because um and I don’t believe in Jake Moody so oh yeah that that’s where I’m at like I I think it’s going to be a really good game though um I’m hoping it’s not a well I I hope that it’s not

Just a horrible game for Niners fans because momes when Mahomes gets going uh he’s he’s nearly impossible to stop and and their defense just tackles everybody they they are the most sure tackling team I’ve seen this season and that’s scary because the Niners have moments where they just don’t tackle well at all

And uh yeah so I think the nighter is going to have to step up and actually wrap people up and and like secure the secure the tackle in this game if they they’re gonna beat him um yeah the last two Super Bowls by the way decided by three

Points and who’s who’s our uh who’s who’s singing what do you got for well you got Usher at the Usher is doing the the halftime performance which I do everyone’s like oh they’re gonna are you gonna have a you know Cameo by somebody it’s like yeah you’re gonna probably

Have Lil JN come out there but I also think you’re gonna see Justin Bieber that’s my bold prediction Justin Bieber just did a small little kind of gathering concert with the NHL Allstar uh venue and stuff like that and I also think um since Usher essentially gave

Him his career uh it’s such a part of Usher’s storyline and I think he might hasn’t per like Bieber hasn’t performed before last weekend or a couple weekends ago whatever it was I think you might see that um Rea McIntyre has the has the uh national anthem post Malone is doing

America the Beautiful and oh I’m blinking oh uh Audrey day is doing the uh lift every voice and sing so I like these I like better lineup than last year yeah all right all right so let’s hit final thoughts real quick what do you guys got uh Brenan um I watched Kobe’s statue

Unveiling earlier today um actually three statues that they gave Kobe Bryant really and well three one one the other two are gonna come at a later date okay yeah gotcha I mainly thought the speeches rather than the statues themselves um but it was a fun reminder

Again as a guy that grew up a Celtic sky and I absolutely hated Kobe as a player and uh it’s still like I don’t know I guess a little bit of a tearjerker to listen to some of those speeches and just the impact he had on so many people

And see Vanessa go up there and talk obviously or uh Phil Jackson talking a lot or Shaq talking about it on the broadcast after the fact um so I thought it was a really cool moment and definitely recommend checking out some of those speeches from it SE Vanessa Vanessa Bryant was great

She was she said Kobe so the one that they unveiled was the one of him in the8 Jersey there will be one of him and his daughter GI who obviously was in that crash as well sadly and then the another one will be with him in the 24 jersey

And so they only showed this one and the other two will come out and a be unveiled at a later time but uh one of the things I found funny was what Vanessa Bryant said and said before they unveiled it they said you should know

That Kobe this is the V the vision that Kobe had of him in the eight jersey with this statue said if you don’t like get tough [ __ ] it was just delivered beautifully in front of that crowd and uh she she continues to impress me I think she’s been a just a pillar of

Strength through the whole ordeal so cool to see her have that moment and uh my final thought would be I don’t I guess that’s it that’s probably it I’m with you Brenan the I don’t R just a whole bunch of nothing up here today so today sure yeah just today

Just just one time um final thoughts for me uh be safe um drink responsible on Super Bowl Sunday have a good time watch a game enjoy the game uh try not to get too overly emotional uh just whatever happens happens and uh I don’t know it should be intriguing I don’t what’s the

Over under on how many times Taylor Swift is is four and a half I looked it up four and a half four and a half oh I’m taking the over on that I saw some plac had five and a half also but I yeah wow okay um sweet also if you’re if

You’re like Taylor Swift or any of these prop bets like how do you not just get a friend and go like set out like there there’s things where like talking about does yeah no I’m saying like look she’s going to be there she’s gonna be shown a

Lot but like even like the national anthem if it goes over a certain you can bet on the prop bet of how long the national anthem goes and if you’re Rea McIntyre and you’re like oh I just got I I’m I’m hip to this now all I got to go

Is maybe a little bit over let me just go have my friend make a million-dollar bet on this one prop bet and I can double my money that’d be unethical I’m sure that’s never happened before for Sean never never but I will say this like I you know I was Uh we lost Sean again MVP is Sean’s Wi-Fi today yeah you’re the real MVP credential to go to the Super Bowl we end up we we had sorry I’m back now go ahead I was credal yeah I was credential to go to the Super Bowl our Sports

Director Andrew Martin is part of our uh Fox 40 coverage down there and he’s doing a great job but the uh I get a lot of these emails about just prop bets and things and I thought you might like uh a few of them if I can

Bring it up here quickly quickly but yeah I’ll try and find it quickly but like things that literally can come down to uh Usher’s first words in the halftime show if he says yo that’s five that’s a plus 250 if he says Vegas or Las Vegas like literally they have um

The playlist like uh of all his songs om G my way caught up yeah the one where is 50 to one would be boyfriend or my boo those are the two Usher songs that that are least likely to be saying according to Vegas and you can literally bet on

These um the type of necklace on Usher first appearance so the moment they show him what kind of necklace is he wearing is it a ball in chain a box chain a cable chain a figuro chain link chain Rollo chain or a rope chain and you can

Bet on these things so if I’m seeing this and I’m Usher and I’ve got I’m in literally in control of like nine different bets how do you not like set your boy up and just go go put money on this this is what we’re going to do and

And you can completely control that that’s how the rich stay Richard James absolutely crazy Sean I can’t believe that that there degenerates out there that are betting on Usher’s chain I guess that’s the world we live crazy all right thanks for tuning in to the

Kings beat podcast I gotta get to bed I got I have a show in the morning uh but uh thanks for tuning in tonight I’m glad we got a live show in um that’s thanks Alex uh not not Alex Rob H that’s the you made me laugh to end the show um

Thanks for tuning in uh to the Kings be Kings beat podcast brought to you by prize Pi uh a blue wire podcast um let’s see uh we’ll be back early next week uh we’ll try to get back to two shows a week although All-Star break is coming up pretty quickly um but uh

Thanks for tuning in for box 40 Sean Cunningham and Brandon nunas from the Kings pulse podcast I am James ham Kings and sat for ESPN 1320 and the Kings baat we’ll see you soon

Fox 40’s Sean Cunningham, Brenden Nunes from the Kings Pulse Podcast and The Kings Beat’s James Ham join forces for coverage of the exciting Sacramento Kings.

Topics include a quiet trade deadline in Sacramento, Kings lose to worst team in NBA, De’Aaron Fox looks out of sorts for the last month, Keegan Murray jumps on the struggle bus, as well as another edition of The Business of Basketball centered around what to expect from the final 32 games of the season.

Thanks for joining us on this adventure! Big shoutout to Paul Jinkerson (@paulitition) for creating a new intro and outro for the podcast and to Brenden for creating our new overlay for the podcast.

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