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If and when the #Denver Nuggets commit to a sign-and-trade for Carmelo Anthony, the Kings will thrust themselves into the conversation. Count on it. The Nuggets have offered their all-Star small forward a three-year, $65 million extension, but his intentions are unclear. Is he serious about wanting out? Or just posturing for a sweeter deal? Regardless, the Nuggets front office upheaval doesn't help matters. New GM Masai Ujiri is walking into a mess, and the last thing a new executive wants to do is trade his franchise player, and probably for lesser parts. That said, Joe and Gavin Maloof have been consistent about two things: (1) They are not interested in adding role players to eat up the salary cap space they've finally created; and (2) They are absolutely interested in a game-changer type of player, someone who puts fannies in the seats and affects the won-loss percentage, e.g., a Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony. You can be assured inquiries have been made and discussions will be ongoing.

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NEW YORK -- Brandon Rush of the Indiana Pacers was suspended for five games by the NBA on Friday for violating the league's drug agreement, while Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings and Kenny Hasbrouck of the Miami Heat drew suspensions for driving offenses.

Rush was suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. He started 64 games for the Pacers last season and averaged 9.4 points.

Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement that the organization would support Rush.

"We have been made aware that Brandon Rush has been suspended for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy," Bird said. "We will do what we can to provide Brandon help going forward."

Evans, the NBA's Rookie of the Year, was suspended without pay for one game for pleading no contest to reckless driving in California. He averaged 20.1 points last season.

Hasbrouck, a former Siena guard, was suspended without pay for two games for pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated in New York.

Rush's suspension was the latest blow to Indiana's attempts to clean up its image.

The Pacers released the core of their team the past several years while trying to repair a reputation damaged by the brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans in 2004 and several incidents after that in which Pacers players had brushes with the law.

Most recently, second-round draft pick Lance Stephenson was arrested earlier this month in New York on assault, menacing and harassment charges. Prosecutors said he pushed his girlfriend down a flight of stairs before grabbing her and hitting her head on the bottom step. The Pacers have not announced how they will deal with that incident.


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Though she's only a rookie, Kings president and longtime Sacramentan Matina Kolokotronis seems to have a feel for what hurts and what sells.

The Lakers. And the Lakers.

Geez, that wasn't so difficult.

Yet when the NBA schedule was released Tuesday morning, Kolokotronis and her sales staffers immediately did something the previous regime never attempted: They collaborated on a promotional ticket package in an attempt to sell out the Kings' first two home games, against the Toronto Raptors (Nov. 1) and the Lakers (Nov. 3).

A year ago, the Kings sold out the home opener only after a panicked Gavin Maloof – staring at abysmal opening attendance projections – enlisted consultant Kevin Kaplan for a quick-hit, last-ditch scheme that somehow filled the building. Within a matter of months, team president John Thomas was out, Kolokotronis was in, and Kaplan secured a long-term consulting gig with his creative game-by-game, theme-oriented marketing approach.

With the economic climate still terribly depressed, the current plan is to entice fans with innovative inducements and reasonable ticket pricing, and while waiting for the on-court product to improve, market the heck out of visiting teams' superstars.

"We're working on our promotional theme right now," said Kolokotronis, formerly an attorney with the organization, "and we've been focusing on full, half and quarter season-ticket sales. Individual tickets aren't available yet. But we're being very aggressive. When we saw the schedule, we thought, 'Let's do a Kings tipoff for the opener and the Lakers game,' and put it out there for a couple days."

The offer runs from 10 a.m. Friday until 10 p.m. Saturday, with the two-game package available on the Kings' website, during both days at the Arco Arena ticket windows, and on Saturday at the Kings' downtown store at 18th and L streets.

Kolokotronis – whose young son once scolded Vlade Divac for missing crucial free throws after a particularly wrenching playoff defeat – said additional ticket packages would be announced closer to the start of the regular season.

In the meantime, here are a few early observations on the 2010-11 schedule:

• Can never get enough of the Lakers. Kobe Bryant. Phil Jackson. Ron Artest. And now, Sactown's own Matt Barnes. The teams meet four times, including the April 13 season finale at Arco. This stuff still sells.

• The Miami Heat's Dec. 11 visit provides Northern Californians with an inaugural glimpse at the much-heralded triumvirate of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Unfortunately, because the game is mere weeks into the season, Pat Riley will not yet have replaced coach Erik Spoelstra with … himself. The first two-game skid and minor locker room burp will do it, though.

• Shaquille O'Neal with a shamrock on his uniform when the Boston Celtics come to town (Feb. 1) is just too weird. This also reminds me of Shaq's last gasp with the Lakers in the 2003-04 season, when old-timers Gary Payton and Karl Malone failed to make a difference. Nonetheless, the big guy loves it here. He'll say something to rekindle the passion.

• Kings-Warriors is a rivalry even when one team is clearly superior. But future matchups figure to become increasingly intriguing because of the point guard duel between youngsters Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry. Evans was Rookie of the Year. Curry was runner-up. Curry is a finalist for the U.S. national team. Evans was invited to camp but hurt his ankle opening day.

And will Don Nelson be on the sideline or a Maui beach when his Warriors drive over from Oakland on Dec. 21 and March 14?

• Although the Kings begin the season with a trip to Minnesota, New Jersey and Cleveland, these are winnable games. Excluding the game against the Lakers, in fact, the early schedule is sweet.

Finally, can't forget about former Kings center Spencer Hawes, who makes his first visit with the Philadelphia 76ers on March 18. Will he thrive or wilt under Doug Collins? He is an exceptional communicator (see his work with TNT), but as a coach, he is not for the meek.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

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SACRAMENTO, CA -- The Sacramento Kings announced their 2010-2011 schedule Tuesday, and for the seventh consecutive year the team will kick off the season on the road. The team will also be featured seven times on national television.

The Kings travel to Minnesota for their opening game against the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The road trip also includes games in New Jersey on Friday, Oct. 29 and Cleveland on Saturday, Oct. 30.

The Kings host their home opener against the Toronto Raptors at ARCO Arena on Monday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. The team will wrap up the regular season at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, April 13.

Complete Schedule



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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings have hired rookie center DeMarcus Cousins' high school coach as an assistant. Coach Paul Westphal announced the hiring of Otis Hughley on Thursday.

Hughley coached at LeFlore High School in Mobile, Ala., for seven years. Cousins played there under Hughley before going to Kentucky for one year. The Kings drafted him fifth overall last month.

Hughley has previously served as a college assistant at Wright State, Liberty and Southern. He also has coached for the league's NBA China program and worked at Pete Newell's "Big Man Camp."


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Team USA's cuts went as anticipated Wednesday.

Sources had told FanHouse on Tuesday that Sacramento guard Tyreke Evans, Memphis guard O.J. Mayo and Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace were expected to be cut. They all got the axe on Wednesday in addition to Washington center JaVale McGee. FanHouse had reported McGee was a fourth player likely worried about making it.

After a training camp last week in Las Vegas that included 19 players, the roster was trimmed to 15 for an Aug. 10-16 training camp in New York. The team must be down to 12 by Aug. 26, two days before the start of the World Championship in Turkey, which runs Aug. 28-Sept. 12.

"Our group of 19 did a terrific job,'' said USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, who spent Monday and Tuesday calling all of the players who made it as well as those cut. "We really did have some difficult decisions. ... (The players not selected), each and every one handled that with dignity and class.''

Evans was a lock to be cut after he had suffered a sprained left ankle July 20 on the first day of the Las Vegas camp and missed the final three practices and last Saturday's USA Basketball Showcase, an intrasquad game. He had told FanHouse last Friday he expected to be cut.
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DeMarcus Cousins sealed the Sacramento Kings' 79-78 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on a hook shot with 2.9 seconds left in the final game of the night at COX Pavilion in the 2010 NBA Summer League on the campus of UNLV.

Cousins paced the Kings with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Dionte Christmas and Donte Greene each added 13. Wayne Ellington had a game-high 24 points for the Timberwolves while Lazar Hayward chipped in 14.

Cousins had 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half. Lazar Haywood, Deon Thompson and Wayne Ellington each had eight points for Minnesota.

The Kings maintained their lead throughout the third, finishing the quarter up three 53-50. The Timberwolves rallied, grabbing a six-point lead with 2:45 left in the game before the Kings went on a 9-2 run to finish the game.

The Kings (3-0) will try to stay unbeaten on Friday at 3:00 p.m. PT against the Toronto Raptors. The Timberwovles (0-2) will return to action on Friday at 7:00 p.m. PT against the Memphis Grizzlies.
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LAS VEGAS -- The Sacramento Kings overcame an 11-point first half deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 90-84 on day five of the 2010 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. DeMarcus Cousins, the third overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, led all scorers with 19 points, also pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds for the Kings.The Lakers owned an early lead, and it looked like they had the game under control. Looks can be deceiving, though, as the Kings rallied back, going on a 7-0 run in the middle of the period to pull within three points, 18-15 with just under two and a half minutes to play in the stanza. The teams traded buckets from there, with Los Angeles holding on to a two-point lead, 25-23 at the end of one.

The Kings took their first lead of the game in the second quarter, going ahead 30-29 with 7:45 to play on a Wayne Chism layup. From there, the California teams battled, trading the lead eight times, with the Kings going up by as many as five points. Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter each finished with eight points in the half, while Frank Robinson and Courtney Sims finished with nine and eight, respectively. Cousins led all scorers with 12 first half points, while teammate Donte Greene finished with 11 in the half.

It stayed close throughout the third quarter, with the Kings holding on to the lead for the majority of the period, and going up by as many as seven points and holding the Lakers to only 14 points in the quarter.

Despite only being outscored by one point in the fourth quarter, the Lakers, playing only an eight-man roster, didn't have enough juice to dig themselves out of what grew to be a 16-point Kings lead during the game's final stanza. The Kings didn't make it easy, outscoring their in-state rival 13-4 in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter.

Six of the eight lakers in uniform scored in double figures, with D.J. Strawberry's 17 points leading the way. Sims chipped in with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Lakers conclude their 2010 NBA Summer League run on Thursday, July 15 when the team faces the San Antonio Spurs, while Sacramento continues their Summer League run tomorrow, July 14, when the team takes on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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LAS VEGAS -- The Sacramento Kings (1-0) handed the Detroit Pistons (2-1) their first loss of the 2010 NBA Summer League in a 97-68 contest played in UNLV's Cox Pavilion Monday afternoon. The game was only close for the opening two minutes before Sacramento slowly claimed control en route to its 29-point victory. The Kings held a 21-point cushion in the first half before hitting the 30-point barrier midway through the fourth.The Kings were led by a contingent of five double-figure scorers. Omri Casspi topped out with a game-high 16. Tyrese Rice followed closely behind with 15. DeMarcus Cousins, the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, notched a double-double with a combined 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ryan Thompson and Donte Green rounded out the quintet of high-scorers with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Sacramento only trailed once in the game, falling behind by a 5-4 margin with 1:52 after the initial whistle. From that point on, they outscored Detroit 20-10 the remainder of the quarter for a nine-point lead after 10 minutes of action.

The second quarter was much of the same for the Kings with them owning a 24-16 edge in scoring. Sacramento quickly jumped to its first double-digit lead 19 seconds into the frame and maintained it from the 5:48 mark for the remainder of the affair.

After playing to a combined 23 points in the third, the teams erupted for 53 in the final 10 minutes. Sacramento threw down 31, while Detroit had 22 of its own.

Detroit was paced by a trio of 10-point scorers, DaJuan Summers, Mac Koshwal and A.J. Slaughter. All 10 of Slaughter's points came in 7:33 of action during the fourth quarter.

Koshwal joined Cousins in the double-double club with 12 boards, as well.

Sacramento returns to the court on Tuesday with a 5:30 pm tussle with in-state rival Los Angeles Lakers. Detroit will face the Miami Heat on Wednesday at 7:30 pm. Both games will take place in the Thomas & Mack Center.
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I'm usually one to get a little overexcited about the summer league. The league has always been one to make average NBA talent look like superstars. That stated, I went in to this game planning on curbing my enthusiasm... I can't do it. The young Kings looked fantastic. The things that really stood out to me will translate to the games that count.

The Kings absolutely manhandled the Piston's summer squad. Not just on the scoreboard, but in hustle, display of player skill and in coaching.

Demarcus Cousins (14 pts 10 rbs) is a beast to handle. He made Greg Monroe look silly at times. I expected paint scoring dominance in this setting. I expected him to use his size to bully his opponents. His dunk over three defenders was sublime. What I didn't expect is the adept footwork. On one possession he pump faked from the left baseline, made a quick shoulder fake, like he would pivot for a tough fade away, then stepped through with a gorgeous drop step for the easy bucket. I was absolutely stunned by his passing skills. Several of his teammates weren't ready for passes in to the paint that we're very reminiscent of vintage Vlade Divac. His ability to see over the defense on the double was extremely impressive. He made a beautiful over the top pass to Tyrese Rice for three that few big men in the league can make.

Defensively, Cousins used his size well but he needs help with fundamentals. He is not afraid to give up his body. He had a couple of blocking fouls, but I'm happy to see them. He's willing to take the charge. A few of his 10 boards were the out of range type that only elite rebounders get.

The real defensive star was Hassan Whiteside. I didn't get to see any of him games at Marshall, but it's now no secret how he averaged over 5 blocks. He was only credited with 5 blocks in this game, but I counted at least seven. Most of them were the spectacular weak-side variety. He has ups and length that are absolutely stellar. He also appears to have that unteachable timing gene. His defensive positioning wasn't always perfect, but he more than made up for it in his recovery. Offensively he didn't show much. He had one nice post move against a non-NBA player. He was lost of offense quite a bit. Mario Elie was visually frustrated when Whiteside came out to the free throw line when Elie called a 5-flat clearout play. He has a lot to learn, especially on the offensive end, but his potential is absolutely enormous.

Omri Casspi and Donte Green were both solid. Omri showed a little more patience on offense than last year. He also showed some leadership qualities calling off teammates to shoot the technical. He wanted that responsibility. He also looks more solid defending the pick and roll. Donte showed a nice mid range bank shot that he didn't have last year. He also showed flashes of bad decision making, but it was less frequent than in the past. The battle for the Kings starting SF spot is very intriguing.

The PG play was also very solid. Donald Sloan looked comfortable running the team, but his shot was off. His play was more impressive than his box score (1-5 FG, 2 AST). Tyrese Rice looked for his shot often, but never seemed to be forcing. He has a nice quick release. I'm not sure either is an NBA player, but in this setting, they looked pretty good.

Mario Elie is definitely a future head coach. Jerry Reynolds said as much in his Kings.com feature. The players responded very well to him. You could feel that his defensive intensity has rubbed off on this team.

I'm excited for the upcoming season. It can't get here soon enough.

Highlights:

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