G-Man archives

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Article from Apr 26, 1999 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Sacramento kings   

Voice of Experience

Article from Dec 11, 1990 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Sacramento kings, Nba 

Gerould living a dream

Article from Dec 11, 1990 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Nba, Sacramento kings, Eddie johnson, Mike woodson 

Gary Gerould calls the shots

Article from Feb 21, 1988 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Sacramento, Nfl, Kings

Dan Vierria column. CART banquet

Article from Nov 13, 1981 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Cart banquet.

Dan Vierria Motorsports column 1981

Article from Sep 4, 1981 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Sacramento, Las vegas formula one, Duke mcmillen, Bailey brothers

Sacramento, California 

Clip from Sac Bee

Article from May 24, 1981 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Geoff wong, Stu nahan

New Job for Gerould

Article from Sep 25, 1980 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Golden state international raceway, Sear's point.

Dad, Autorama 1978

Article from Jan 29, 1978 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Sacramento, Autorama

 

Poier to replace Gary Gerould at KCRA.

Article from Dec 5, 1977 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Gary gerould, Kcra, Tv, Sacramento, Don poier, Consulting errors

Kings win Summer League, Matt Morgan shines for Raptors

The 2021 NBA Las Vegas Summer League closed Tuesday with the Sacramento Kings (pictured below) crushing the Boston Celtics 100-67 in the Championship game. Individually, it was a good day for Matt Morgan of the Toronto Raptors. The undrafted guard (2019) currently plays for the Raptors G-League team, (The 905). Morgan scored 24 points (9-12 FG, 4-6 3-pt., 2-3 FT), and dished five assists in 21 minutes in the Raptors win. 

Joining Morgan on the Hoop Obsession All-Summer League Team for Tuesday, August 17th...

Trevelin Queen - Lakers. 21 points (8-16 FG, 3-5 3-pt., 2-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 steals in 18 minutes. SF1

Armoni Brooks - Houston. 30 points (10-19 FG, 9-17 3-pt., 1-1 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists in 30 mins. SG2

Micah Potter - Miami. 15 points (7-12 FG, 1-4 3-pt.), 10 rebounds, 5 blocked shots in 24 mins. C1

Jarell Martin - Utah. 23 points (8-13 FG, 1-3 3-pt., 6-7 FT), 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals in 35 mins. SF2

Josh Christopher - Houston. 20 points (8-14 FG, 2-7 3-pt., 2-3 FT), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals in 26 mins. SG3

Justin Anderson - Houston. 19 points (8-16 FG, 1-7 3-pt., 2-3 FT), 5 rebounds, 4 blocked shots in 22 mins. SF3

Usman Garuba - Houston. 8 points (3-5 FG, 0-1 3-pt., 2-5 FT), 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals in 25 mins. C2

Emmanuel Mudiay - Portland. 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-3 3-pt.), 7 rebounds, 8 assists in 26 mins. PG1

Daulton Hommes - New Orleans. 17 points (7-13 FG, 3-4 3-pt.), 5 rebounds, 2 steals in 24 mins. PF1

Carlik Jones - Dallas. 21 points (6-14 FG, 2-2 3-pt., 7-7 FT), 6 rebounds, 5 assists in 33 mins. PG2

Greg Brown - Portland. 13 points (6-7 FG, 0-1 3-pt, 1-2 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 blocked shots in 26 mins. 

Halfway. Point Guards. Notes from the NBA statistical audit

Every year after each team has played their 41st game of the NBA season, I do a statistical audit of the players in the league, looking specifically at efficiency per-minute. I analyze each player that has logged at least 300 minutes, plus a select few others that are of note. Here is a quick synopsis of what I learned, starting with point guards...

CP3 has the power

Point Guards: 

Chris Paul, as expected, is the highest ranked. It's not close. He is followed by the trio of Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, and John Wall. ...Isaiah Thomas ranks fifth in the NBA, well ahead of more ballyhooed ballers like Brandon Jennings (26th), and Jeremy Lin (38th). 

There are 30 teams in the NBA and each has a starting point guard. Who ranks in the top 30 league-wide but is not (yet) a regular starter? There are three: Patty Mills (San Antonio), Shelvin Mack (Atlanta), and Nate Robinson (Denver). 

Who is a regular NBA starter but not ranked in the top 30? There are five: Jose Calderon (32nd), Trey Burke (35th), George Hill (43rd), Raymond Felton (54th), Patrick Beverley (55th). The fact that Indiana, the best team in the league presently, has a starting point guard rated this low, raises a red flag for me. In the Playoffs, can the Pacers, who do not have a Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh talent combo, really win a championship without a dynamic point guard? I'm not sure. Having Lance Stephenson alongside Hill helps because Lance can create his shot off the dribble... but let's mark down point guard efficiency as a potential trouble spot for Indiana. 

Ray Felton has been inefficient for multiple seasons in the NBA. He is past his expiration date. The Knicks would be wise to quit messing around with Felton, Beno Udrih (46th), and Pablo Prigioni (45th). None of those guys are getting any better. And none of those guys are good enough to lead the Knicks to a Playoff series win. 

And finally, how about Kendall Marshall? Called up from the D-League after having been left for dead, Marshall ranks 25th, which rates him out as a low-tier starter in the NBA at age 22. 

LINKS to analysis of other positions: 
Read Shooting Guards
Read Small Forwards
Read Power Forwards
Read Centers

Time for me to overreact

JT and T-Rob are not small forwards

Yesterday I blogged about the tendency for media to overreact at this time of the NBA calendar. There are no scores to report, or real games to cover - so every nuance is accentuated and exaggerated. That written, it is time for me to overreact to a small bit of Twitter information I read today from Jason Jones who covers the Sacramento Kings for the Sacramento Bee. Jones tweeted, "At #nbakings practice. Lineups are interesting. One had JT, Robinson and Cuz up front. Smart plans to experiment with matchups in preseason". 

This sounds like an experiment that will not work. There is no way that Jason Thompson can effectively play small forward in the NBA. So why experiment with it? Robinson, the Kings draft pick from Kansas, can guard opposing "threes" but offensively - Robinson is not a good enough deep shooter, ball-handler, or play-maker. Robinson did make 7 of his 14 three point attempts last season at Kansas - so I do not want to write him off as a potential perimeter threat. But Robinson historically has more turnovers than assists, and his 68% free throw shooting - to me is a better indication of his true shooting touch. In short, I don't think Robinson is small forward.  

Jason Thompson has no small forward in his game at all. Zero. His feet are too heavy to guard opposing SF's and offensively - Thompson lacks all skills needed in a SF. 

If you were really reaching you could say - Cousins, given his three-point shooting ability, could act as a perimeter player in certain offensive sets - moving J.T. to center, and keeping Robinson at power forward. But if you did that - you are taking your best rebounder and moving him 20-plus feet from the hoop. 

So I do not get it. Why waste valuable repetitions in practice with a lineup that will always prevent you from presenting your best spacing? Why waste time with a lineup that will allow teams to simply "pack the paint" against you - given Thompson and Robinson's lack of perimeter shooting? Is it because you are just not familiar enough with Robinson's game? Is it a "someone said I couldn't play this lineup" - pride kind of thing? 

Pooh is NBA worthy

Pooh proved to me he is worthy of being a backup NBA PG

The Kings did not pick up the option year in Pooh Jeter's contract. Pooh ranked tied for 50th in NBA Point Guard efficiency last season as a rookie off the bench for Sacramento. While you may think 50th is not so hot - consider that there are 30 NBA teams. Each has a starter and a backup (30 x 2 = 60). So any player ranked in the top 60 at his position is a guy that is (or at least should be) playing minutes in the NBA.

The one thing Pooh excels at is making the pass ahead to the open man. He proved on many occasions that easy baskets are available in the NBA if the point guard looks up the court and finds willing runners in 'early offense'. Beyond that - Jeter was enthusiastic and a model citizen by all accounts.

Will Isaiah replace Pooh?

Isaiah Thomas was drafted by the Kings with the final pick of the 2011 draft. The Washington Point Guard showed flashes during the 2010-11 season of looking like a player that would willingly get his teammates involved. That was not always the case however - especially during Thomas' first two seasons when he seemed more intent to "get his" from a scoring standpoint. If Thomas can continue to work on being a more of a true Point Guard while remaining a scoring threat - he could prove to be a viable replacement for Jeter off the Kings bench.

Casspi out. Hickson in. Kings improve but still have questions.

"Crispy Crusty", as one caller called him,
brings energy and transition finishing skills. 

The Sacramento Kings were busy up to the NBA lockout deadline with a last day trade of Omri Casspi and a conditional first round pick to Cleveland for J.J. Hickson. I like the deal. I'm sorry to see Casspi go but I too would have pulled the trigger on this trade. Hickson is younger (22), more efficient, and higher ranked at his position than Casspi (23). But this is not to say that I think Casspi won't be a legit player in the NBA.

I believe with extended minutes - which he should get in Cavs-land, Casspi will become a more efficient player. To achieve that however - Casspi must become better at sharing the ball. He is passionate and energetic, and very self-confident. He moves well without the ball, and he reacts quickly, playing at NBA speed. On the other hand, Casspi needs to have more confidence in his teammates (and coaches).

In my opinion Casspi WAS justified in thinking he should be playing more while with the Kings. The inefficient Donte Greene ate into Casspi's minutes, particularly late in the season. Casspi only appeared in three April games - averaging not even five minutes per contest.

Hickson shows promise as a young BIG that, had he stayed in college, would have just completed his Senior season. Instead - he will have three years in the NBA under his belt whenever there is NBA action again. Hickson has excellent hands, a strong base, and enough athleticism to get rebounds outside his area. He can also score on the low-block; absorbing hits and powering though. Hickson has improved his assist-to-turnover ratio in each of three NBA seasons but, in my opinion, decision making is still his biggest weakness. His 67% free throw percentage could obviously improve as well.

Hickson is a Power Forward.

I've heard that Sacramento may play Hickson some at Center which I am not sold on. In my book - Hickson is strictly a classic Power Forward. He can block some shots but he is not an NBA caliber rim defender. He would be giving up too much size on a consistent basis playing the FIVE.  Honestly - Sac still needs to sign a defensive presence down low if Samuel Dalembert is not returning (and most guesses are that he is not). I don't think you can expect Hassan Whiteside to go from being a non-factor to suddenly being a rotation player.

In case you were wondering - by efficiency rating the Kings BIG's break down in this order based on their play in the 2010-11 regular season: DeMarcus Cousins .534, Hickson .529, Jason Thompson .478, Darnell Jackson .385 (yuck).

The John Salmons deal probably helps the Kings in one way. Defensively. Salmons actually is not even as efficient as Casspi or Francisco Garcia. But Salmons certainly moves his feet one-on-one more quickly than Garcia. I've often thought Garcia has been unfairly described as a poor defender. True - his initial foot movement is not top-tier. But Garcia recovers as well as any wing player. He has uncanny timing and an ability to 'dig back' and get his fingertips on many balls. Garcia has averaged 45 blocked shots per season (including 09-10 when he played just 25 games). Tyler Honeycutt, a Kings second round draft pick from UCLA, is as good or better than Garcia in the shot blocking area.

Greene is ONE with Kings fans. 

Back to Salmons, the unspoken benefit of his return could be if he takes whatever minutes Greene was getting. That is, if Greene continues to ignore his own obvious gifts of size versus the rest of the NBA Small Forward talent pool. Greene has to learn to take his game inside-out rather than outside-in. He had mismatches and size advantages throughout last season but rarely, if ever, hurt shorter defenders in the mid-post.

Despite Greene's ability to accept a defensive challenge - the truth is he wounded the Kings on many nights with poor shots. To be specific - Greene needs to turn down some of the three-point shots he jacks in favor of getting a closer look at the hoop. To do that - he will need to improve his ball-handling ability and come up with a few basic low post moves. This past season he had more turnovers than assists which is a now a career theme. We are three years into Donte Greene the NBA player and he is at 32% from three-point range. He seems to shoot it well enough from the corners but from straightaway he struggles.

While I am critical of Greene - he is also one of my favorite players in the NBA. He genuinely connects to the fans. His borderline O.C.D. pre-game routines are pure entertainment. He cheers for his teammates as much as any guy since M.L. Carr.  And I still believe when I look at Greene's mobility on a 6'11" frame - that he can raise his efficiency and become the player that so many envisioned he would be. He has the tools.

Sacramento's Small Forward efficiency looks like this: (based on the 2010-11 regular season): Garcia .390 (41st at SF in the NBA), Salmons .366 (41st at Shooting Guard), Greene .301 (67th at SF). ...Honeycutt is another possibility.

Evans is proof that playing Point Guard doesn't mean you

ARE a Point Guard. 

Some may say - why not run Tyreke Evans as a Small Forward? The answer is simple to me. He doesn't shoot the three-ball well enough to honestly stretch defenses. Evans is at 27% for his NBA career from beyond the arc. Even though Evans is listed at 6'6" - which is small for a SF, he has a standing reach of 8'8" which would put him solidly in the SF pool. (Garcia's standing reach is an inch shorter than Evans').

So Tyreke would be best served as a Shooting Guard. He can play Point Guard. He may not be the pass-first, all-sharing Point Guard that everyone wants but his 1.83 to 1 career assist-to-turnover ratio is not horrible either. It just isn't in the range of guys you would call "pure Point Guards". For example - if you don't know this stuff off the top of your head - here are the assist-to-turnover ratios for ten really good Point Guards on teams that win:

The assist-to-turnover king is CP3

• Chris Paul 4.42 to 1
• Rajon Rondo 3.25 to 1
• Kyle Lowry 3.16 to 1
• Andre Miller 2.87 to 1
• Raymond Felton 2.77 to 1
• Ty Lawson 2.75 to 1
• Tony Parker 2.57 to 1
• Chauncey Billups 2.42 to 1
• Derrick Rose 2.24 to 1
• Russell Westbrook 2.12 to 1

(Again Evans is at 1.83 to 1.)

The point of all this is that the Kings are headed into a season (whenever that is) with Evans, Marcus Thornton (also a TWO), and draft pick Jimmer Fredette as the guards that figure to play the most. Fredette's highest assist-to-turnover ratio ever at BYU was 1.71 to 1. Last season it was a very non Point Guard like 1.22 to 1. It is undeniable that Fredette has a great chance to raise his assist-to-turnover ratio playing with NBA caliber finishers. But it is also a bit of a gamble to think you can win in the NBA with a three-guard rotation of all TWO guards. 

A couple of players that don't figure to get major minutes are Pooh Jeter and Isaiah Thomas. Jeter boasts "real Point Guard" numbers at 3.18 to 1. Isaiah Thomas had his best season in three years at Washington in 2010-11 with a 2.05 to 1 assist to turnover ratio. 

Tribute to the G-Man

Click here for a tribute video for my Dad's 2,000th game call.

JT ain't no 3.

We finished our last racing assignment of the year  - which means until mid January it is all basketball and music over here. ...Of course, I’ve been watching as much hoop as I can get away with while still doing my racing gigs professionally; I just haven’t been blogging about it. I do “Tweet” with regularity so if you are one of the three or four people who reads this space and you want to keep up with my most timely thoughts—you can follow me on twitter. The account name is @BasslineSpin.

Where to start? Well - nothing has boiled by blood pressure like the Sacramento Kings inability to correctly use their personnel and establish some sort of dependable rotation. I lost my Twitter cool when Sac began trying Jason Thompson (pictured) at Small Forward. At times, JT was on the floor with Center Samuel Dalembert, and Power Forward Darnell Jackson.

There are but a handful of rules in the NBA that I see as unbreakable truths. One is that your “THREE-man”, or SF must have the ability to either shoot the three-point shot or be capable of taking his man off the dribble to make a play. Jason Thompson does neither. He is 1-18 from beyond the arc for his career. As for playmaking, JT has more turnovers than assists, and his ball-handling is nothing you ever want to see more than two dribbles (if that) of. True, there are a few SF’s in the NBA that he CAN match up with defensively. But I will continue to maintain that WINNERS make the opposition match up with them—not the other way around.

It is particularly troubling to me that Thompson has been forced into this situation because after an off-season of hard work that saw him improve his upper body strength—I really believed (and still do believe) that JT could help this Kings team if given a steady diet of minutes at PF or C. The monkey wrench in this deal (aside from the questionable coaching) is Darnell Jackson, who has played well at times. Jackson “forced” the Kings coaches to find him some minutes which, I can only imagine, was the impetus for the JT position juggling.

But that is no excuse. Thompson simply NEVER, EVER should have been trotted out at SF. What happens from a floor spacing standpoint, when a non-threat from the perimeter plays SF, is you wind up with a clogged middle. Defenders do not need to worry about running all the way out to the three point line - so they smartly cheat toward the middle of the floor.

Having a clogged middle is especially bad for Sacramento. Tyreke Evans’ game (and most backcourt scorer’s games) is largely dependent on dribble-driving through the paint. The baffling part is that I know the Kings coaches HAVE TO KNOW THIS. So why did they play JT at SF?

The Kings margin for error relative to the rest of the NBA is still very small. Teams with losing records cannot have hiccups while experimenting. ...Which leads me to this… A big NBA fallacy is the thought that a “good” defender deserves playing time even though that same player is not offensively gifted.

The truth is that very few defenders are so “good” that their presence overcomes their offensive liabilities. There is a scoreboard which must be lit up with scor-ING to win a game.  Antoine Wright is a “safe player”. He defends his man and he doesn’t turn the ball over. We know this from his historical data. He’s played over 5,700 minutes in his career. What we also know is that he is not and most likely never will be efficient. It is my belief he is the current poster-child for what I just described above; a “good” defensive player that simply isn’t so good of a defender that it makes up for the stuff he can’t or won’t do on offense.

Efficiency always matters. The Kings are not at a level where they can afford to play one guy out of position and then give minutes to a guy like Wright, and expect anything but a five game losing streak.

To go further into nitpicking - Sacramento still has backcourt issues - and front court scorer Carl Landry has underachieved. Landry is not getting to the free throw line enough, and in my opinion, he has settled for his fall-away jumper too often. 

Beno Udrih and Evans should play until they drop dead based on their only backups being Luther Head, Wright, and Pooh Jeter. Apparently the coaches do not trust Jeter enough to play him. Jeter’s preseason numbers didn't do anything to help the staff believe he is ready for real NBA minutes.

Head might be okay as a 'fifth guard type backup' at Shooting Guard but his body dictates that bigger SG’s will always give him problems.  Head should not be looked at as a PG. Just because his body type says PG - that doesn’t mean his skill set agrees. Wright, ...I’m not sure should even be in the NBA. I still don’t really buy Evans as a PG. So that means Sac has Udrih as the only PG option. 

Francisco Garcia has spent time playing SG but that is not his natural spot. A good SG should be able to take someone off the dribble and create a shot on his own. "Cisco" excels more at spot shooting. He is a SF that DOES stretch the defense.  Garcia has outplayed Omri Casspi to date.

Bottom line. My fix for the Kings: play Udrih and Evans all that you can (or go get a real backup PG). Start Garcia at SF, with Thompson, and Dalembert up front. Landry has always seemed most comfy coming off the bench—so bring him in as the first sub for JT. DeMarcus Cousins spells Dalembert. I’d give Casspi the nod as Garcia’s backup, and Head (as the roster stands) would get a handful of minutes backing up at SG. If there is any experimenting done - I wouldn't mind seeing Casspi given a shot at SG. He moves well and his offensive aggression is sorely needed. He has proven he can’t guard a SF like Michael Beasley so maybe Casspi’s length, against the generally smaller players at SG, would be a better fit.

I too like what Jackson has brought to the table early in the season. He does simple things within his ability. But he too has holes in his game. He struggles as a free throw shooter, is just an average rebounder for his position, and he gets an assist about once every ten days. All that said - he is not (in my opinion) better than Thompson, Dalembert, Cousins, or Landry. So Jackson should probably just be getting minutes when the team needs a spark. If the Kings really believe Jackson is an answer going forward - then they should try to trade one of their BIGS to get that backup Point Guard that they need so badly.

Hoping the Kings do not pursue Steve Blake. "Little Nate" would be great!

In my morning Sacramento Bee I read that the Kings may be interested in the following four free agents: Steve Blake,  Anthony Morrow, J.J. Redick, and Nate Robinson. While I appreciate Blake’s enthusiasm and professionalism, I hope to heck that he is NOT a guy the Kings sign. 

Blake is not efficient. Never has been. He was 65th among PG’s in 2009-10. He is a decent three point shooter  (although his shot is a line drive). On the positive, he brings it on every possession. But so do about ten guys at the local Y. Blake simply does not have the God given athletic ability to ever be more than a 11th or 12th man on a good team.
If a team thinking of signing Blake believes that he is somehow going to become more athletic as he ages - they are not thinking correctly. While not as old as Andres Nocioni, Blake is 30. He is about to enter that stage where nothing gets better athletically. In fact, a slight reversal in athleticism can be expected—which for a guy already limited is a horrible thing. 

Redick is a better player than Blake but he too is limited athletically. J.J. improved to .403 EFR in 2009-10. That said, .403 is still just the efficiency rating you find in a back-up. Redick is a more natural TWO guard than a PG although his assist-to-turnover ratio suggests he could play PG offensively. At age 26, Redick’s .403 EFR ranked 44th in the NBA at SG, and 46th at PG last season. Blake, in my opinion, is the superior defender but neither player strikes in any fear in an opponent. 

Morrow digressed from his rookie campaign but he still ranked higher than Blake and Redick. Morrow (24) is a GREAT shooter but he doesn’t do much else. His EFR of .432 was 31st ranked among Shooting Guards in `09-10. 

"Little Nate” Robinson (pictured at left) would easily be our choice among the four players mentioned. He is an NBA caliber athlete on both offense AND defense. His hyper-athletic, hyperactive game has yet to reach its full potential. He has room to grow. He is dynamic. Fans love him. He has a huge heart. He never takes a play off.  And most importantly—the data supports every claim. 

There are no excuses to be made with signing 26 year-old Nate Robinson. At .471 EFR—Robinson rated 23rd at Point Guard, suggesting he is a starter-type talent in the NBA. 

As a Kings fan - I am begging, please do not sign Steve Blake. I could live with Redick. I would be okay with  Morrow.  But Nate Robinson is clearly the best choice here.

Tweets reveal traits. ...Plus! Relevant thoughts on college hoops and Kings

...I follow several of the NBA Draft prospects on Twitter. It is a valuable tool for anyone with any sense of how human beings operate. Over time - personality traits reveal themselves on Twitter. An example? Two players that I am already a fan of seem to have basketball on their brains all the time. I like that and I think that translates to a better a chance at success in the NBA. Those two are Evan Turner of Ohio State, and Jordan Crawford of Xavier. One prospect - that I won’t sell out (yet) seems to complain on 80% of his tweets. Complainers wear you down over a season and I don’t want them as teammates. Now, this kid is a REAL talent and highly skilled so I’m not saying I would not select him, I’m just saying I devalue him on my “ big board” just a little due to this intangible.

...Baylor lost in their Final Four bid in part due to a lack of touches by LaceDarius Dunn down the stretch. Epke Udoh does some nice things but he is far from a go-to guy offensively yet. Dunn can get you 20 in his sleep.

...The more I watch Nolan Smith of Duke play—the more he is winning me over. He can beat you outside or off the dribble. He scores but is also unselfish. He’s a willing defender that is athletic enough to play in the NBA. And maybe the part I like best; he is all business and no showboat.

...This is a nitpick but I think Gordon Hayward of Butler really needs to tighten up his left-hand dribble. If I saw it - I know Tom Izzo and his coaches saw it too. Michigan State will force Hayward into his left hand Saturday and I bet they get some turnovers. ...I enjoy watching Spartans player Draymond Green. He is a 6’6” ‘Point Power Forward’. His pass to Raymar Morgan in the waning moments of their last game was a play that, if not made, there is no Final Four for Michigan State. (Green is pictured to the left) ...Izzo was also a key with a set play that succeeded out of a timeout in the closing seconds of the first-half. Green scored on a dive to the hoop as the clock ran out. Without those crucial two points - they lose.

...I thought Joe Mazzulla was fantastic in West Virginia’s win. ...If you watch enough hoop you will see some strange things. The Mountaineers didn't have a two point field goal until two minutes (plus) into second half, yet they were leading! Huh?

...The funniest thing I saw all weekend was Tennessee Freshman Brian Williams telling Sr. JP Prince to “StFU”. It was classic. That might have gotten Williams socked by some teammates.

...Kenneth Faried declared for the NBA Draft (without hiring an agent). Faried, from Morehead State, is an NBA rebounder right now but can he improve his shooting enough to thrive at the next level? Faried needs to show he can hit a face-up 17 foot shot with consistency, and improve his ability to pass to open teammates.

...Steve Lavin is a guy I like and I hope he does well at St. Johns. Lavin was very good at recruiting during his UCLA days and he is inheriting a team with potential in D.J. Kennedy and Justin Brownlee.

...North Carolina’s woes this year were not just about their lack of solid guard play but also about missing Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller for a large chunk of the season. Zeller looked good the other night in their N.I.T. semi-final win over Rhode Island. He is a skilled 7’0” sophomore Center that can shoot.

...Al Farouq Aminu declared for the draft as well. He is a scorer that gives opposing Power Forwards fits with his ability to get to the basket off the bounce. That said, he should be more efficient if he is really going to be a lottery pick as many say he will be. He has more than two turnovers for every one assist, and he is just a so-so shooter at 69% FT for his college career.

...Since I have been so high on Joey Dorsey - I feel the need to comment on his release from the Kings. I continue to strongly believe that he is an NBA quality player that should be getting minutes. Knowing your role IS a skill, and apparently my man JD needs to work on that aspect of his game.

...Likewise—I feel compelled to comment on Tyreke Evans. The Kings rookie has made significant strides since December in improving his ability to involve teammates. Evans is scoring just a little less but his assists are coming more frequently. For the season—his assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.89 to 1. That is close enough to the desired 2-1 ratio for me to concede that this version of the evolving Evans can play Point Guard.

...One of the smarter pieces I’ve read recently was written by ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons. Check it out here.

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Kings trade reaction. Landry and Dorsey are players we like.

Trade deadline day in the NBA brought a significant move for the Kings. Kevin Martin is out - along with Sergio Rodriguez, Hilton Armstrong, and Kenny Thomas. In are Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, Larry Hughes, and Dominic McGuire. ...While I do think Martin is a quality player at his position - the same can be said for Landry. The intangibles however show a larger benefit for the Kings. As good as Martin is - he has never been the kind of player to consistently impose his will on a game. He has his moments and he scores efficiently but Landry does too. It is my belief that Landry is a tougher player. By pure efficiency by position - Martin ranks 12th in the NBA at SG. Landry, similarly, is rated 14th at his position, PF. 

Joey Dorsey was our MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League. He blocks shots and rebounds like a demon, and like Ben Wallace, he struggles at the free throw line. If you combine Dorsey’s 500+ minutes of D-League play this season with his limited career NBA numbers, his efficiency rating is .696. That number would rank fourth in the NBA at Center. If he can come anywhere close to that, and if Paul Westphal plays him - Dorsey can be the piece that tips the trade in favor of Sacramento. 

Notes from midseason NBA efficiency audit. ...Who should be playing in Sacramento

Efficiency matters. The top five NBA Point Guards by efficiency are all on winning teams. The five are: Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups, and Rajon Rondo. At Shooting Guard - eight of the top ten (not counting Gilbert Arenas) are on teams that would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. Those eight are: Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, Manu Ginobili, Joe Johnson, Jason Richardson, Jamal Crawford, and Vince Carter. The two exceptions are Nor-Cal’s Tyreke Evans (I call him a TWO), and Monta Ellis. Kevin Martin, who has yet to hit his stride since a return from injury, ranks eleventh. I, for one, am hopeful that the Kings do not trade Martin. Efficient Shooting Guards are a valuable commodity in the NBA and although I feel Evans and Martin duplicate each other to some degree - I think you could say the same of Johnson, and Crawford in Atlanta, and that is working out okay last time I checked. If Sacramento does not want to play Evans at Small Forward (where I believe he could play, thus opening up the PG for Sergio Rodriguez, or Beno Udrih) then maybe Martin needs to embrace a sixth man role because it is clear to me that the Kings offense is more cohesive with Rodriguez initiating it. Rodriguez actually gets the Kings into sets - giving a chance for movement by both ball and players. Yes, Rodriguez can be out of control but I think you have to live with that because of his uncanny vision and ability to involve teammates. It is a FACT that the great Steve Nash has more turnovers than any NBA player. It is also a fact that the more involved a player can be on offense - the more likely that player is to be enthused about playing defense. The Kings energy rises with Rodriguez (pictured) at the helm. The most efficient lineup the Kings can have (and this is pure science) is Rodriguez, Martin, Evans, Jason Thompson, and Spencer Hawes. Udrih would spell Rodriguez. Omri Casspi would replace either Martin or Evans, and Jon Brockman would be the first BIG off the bench. When Francisco Garcia returns - his historical efficiency would put him into the mix as the ninth man. The efficiency rating says that Andres Nocioni and Donte Greene would be seldom used as the tenth and eleventh players. Ime Udoka, Sean May, Kenny Thomas and Hilton Armstrong would be the odd men out in this plan. ...Oh yeah - I was breaking down the annual league wide mid-season efficiency rating audit when I digressed into my Kings rant. At Small Forward - four of the top five are on winning teams; Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and Gerald Wallace. 70% is the number at Power Forward. Seven of the top-ten are on winning teams. Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph, Josh Smith, and Kevin Garnett are the seven. At Center we find that efficiency may not matter as much. Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Nazr Mohammed, and Marc Gasol are the only top-ten Centers on current playoff teams. Meanwhile these five cats in the top-ten are on losing squads: Marcus Camby, Andrew Bogut, Brook Lopez, Samuel Dalembert, and Marresse Speights.