Kings of the Court: Bringing Victory back to Sacramento

by **LightningStrike5** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:32 pm

Going to get DDSPB3 started with a default save Dynasty! No player changes at all have been done.

Name: Leo Ridjugi
Age: 24

Salary Cap - $50,000,000
Hard Cap - $70,000,000

[SIZE="2"](Side Note – Yes, I’m very aware of the BS that is happening in Sacramento right now. This is an escape for me. Don’t ruin it for me!)[/SIZE]

Luckily in DDSPB, and unlike real life, the Kings owners are willing to spend money!

I promise Mr. MaGoof that I’ll get this team in the Playoffs in exchange for $10-15 million over the cap. That means I can’t really go over $65 million, but when the team is only at $ currently, I think that is very possible. Here is our lineup –

Code: Select all: Num Player Pos Ht Wt Age From Exp Contract 32 Francisco Garcia SG 6-7 195 29 Louisville 6 $5,800,000 20 Donte Greene SF 6-11 226 23 Syracuse 3 $1,679,913 34 Jason Thompson C 6-11 250 24 Rider 3 $3,001,284 19 Beno Udrih PG 6-3 205 28 none 7 $7,232,500 13 Tyreke Evans SG 6-6 219 21 Memphis 2 $4,151,640 18 Omri Casspi SF 6-8 220 23 none 2 $1,341,960 15 DeMarcus Cousins C 6-11 292 21 Kentucky 1 $3,627,720 33 Hassan Whiteside C 7-0 227 23 Marshall 1 $740,437

Starting Lineup

Beno Udrih PG - A fine backup player, but we really need a better shooter next to Tyreke than Beno. Rankings: 2.0/2.0

Tyreke Evans PG – While I feel Evans still has plenty of real life potential in DDSPB it’s obvious he’s not going to ever be a very consistent scorer. I’ll be looking to ship him out for a player I feel better fits alongside Cousins. Ranking: 3.0/3.5

Omri Casspi SF – A good shooter and decent defender, but is probably a 6th man at best on a winning team. Rankings: 2.0/2.5

Jason Thompson PF – Not dominant in anything but not really weak in anything. Rankings: 2.5/2.5

DeMarcus Cousins C – The star on this team for years to come. A great potential big as long as he stays in line and listens to his coaches. Great scoring potential and a dominant rebounder, while a decent at best defender. Rankings: 4.0/5.0

Bench Depth Chart

Donte Greene SF – A below average bench player, another young trading piece. Rankings: 2.0/2.0

Hassan Whiteside C – A second round scrub who might fit in well as a trading pawn.

Francisco Garcia SG – A good defender, a good shooter, perfect bench role-player. The problem is he’s owed $18 million over the next three years. Rankings: 2.0/2.0

Free Agents –

Marcus Thornton SG – Currently a FA but I’ll overpay to keep him. An excellent shooter and scorer, his only real weakness is his average defense. A solid starter or excellent 6th man.

Samuel Dalembert C – Not a future piece, but an excellent win now returner with strong rebounding and defensive skills.

Not wanting to go anywhere, I decide I’ll make a trade in this June 20th window while I can – mainly trying to trade Tyreke for a more efficient stud to put as DeMarcus Cousins’ second fiddle. Minnesota won’t trade point guard Ricky Rubio, much to my displeasure. Golden State says no go to an Evans/Stephan Curry swap. But then I find a deal I really, really like.

Oklahoma City Trades –
SG James Harden

Sacramento Trades –
SG Tyreke Evans

I love it for us. I turn in Evans’ raw talent into a more consistant, and likely far more efficient James Harden. Harden is a very capable shooter, equal to Evans on scoring. Evans has a distinct advantage as a defender, but Harden is a smarter, more balanced player.

While I am a huge fan of Tyreke Evans in real life, it’s obviously not going to work building around him here.

Now, as for our coaches…

Code: Select all: Coaching Staff Head Coach Record Age Playoffs Titles Exp Salary Strat Off Def Pot Dev Paul Westphal 316-274 (.536) 61 4 0 9 $1,500,000 D D D D D Assistant Coaches Age Playoffs Titles Exp Salary Strat Off Def Pot Dev Jim Eyen 54 0 0 0 $600,000 D D D D D Mario Elie 47 0 0 0 $400,000 D D D D D Truck Robinson 55 0 0 0 $200,000 F F F F D

None of these guys are worth keeping around, and I fire them all unceremoniously. The team is obviously very young, and our star, DeMarcus Cousins, has a lot of developing to do before we can really win. The key for me is that our coach be not only a good strategy coach, but one who can really develop our young players.

With that in mind, I’m looking at four coaches in particular –

Code: Select all: Name Age Exp Record Playoff Champ Strat Off Def Pot Dev Pace Press Def Style Phil Jackson 66 20 1155-485 (.704) 20 11 A B B D D slow low Man-to-Man Rudy Tomjanovich 62 13 503-397 (.559) 7 1 C C B C C average low Man-to-Man Jerry Sloan 69 26 1221-803 (.603) 20 0 B C B C C very slow high Man-to-Man HC

While Phil Jackson has the advantage in offense, defense and in strategy, I am not a fan of his D in player development. I need my coach to really work with DeMarcus Cousins, so I sadly chop Jackson off the list.

I decide to go with Jerry Sloan over Tomjanovich for the simple reason that both are basically tied as player developers, while Sloan is a better strategy coach. None of the other teams need a new coach, so ours are the only signings.

Code: Select all: Coaching Staff Head Coach Record Age Playoffs Titles Exp Salary Strat Off Def Pot Dev Jerry Sloan 1221-803 (.603) 69 20 0 26 $6,000,000 B C B C C Assistant Coaches Age Playoffs Titles Exp Salary Strat Off Def Pot Dev Tim Grgurich 61 0 0 0 $600,000 D D D D C T.R. Dunn 56 0 0 0 $350,000 D C D C C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 64 0 0 0 $300,000 D D C D D

Sloan is the winningest coach in the NBA history, and we get three very solid assistants. Particularly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will hopefully help DeMarcus Cousins out big time. Of course, my goal overtime is to go out and find a young coach who, in six years when Sloan inevitably retires.

With our coaching staff in line, we move our attention to the 2011 draft, where we hold the #7 pick.

The Mock comes out and has as follows -
1. Los Angeles Clippers – PG Kyrie Irving
2. Minnesota Timberwolves – PG Kemba Walker
3. New Jersey Nets – PF Kenneth Faried
4. Cleveland Cavaliers – Marshan Brooks
5. Toronto Raptors – C Jonas Valancciunas
6. Washington Wizards – SF Chandler Parsons
7. Sacramento Kings – PF Tristian Thompson
8. Detroit Pistons – PG Brandon Knight
9. Charlotte Bobcats – SF Derrick Williams
10. Milwaukee Bucks – SG Klay Thompson
11. Golden State Warriors – C Enes Kanter
12. Utah Jazz – PG Isaiah Thomas
13. Phoenix Suns – SF Kawhi Leonard
14. Houston Rockets – C Nikola Vucevic
A big isn’t a position of need for us, so I’m not sure why the mocks have us taking Tristian Thompson. Rather, I’d like to get a PG or a SF – or both.

I invite all of the top talent to work out for us, and I have a list emerging –

1. PG Kyrie Irving – A star in the making, but Los Angeles would be fools to part with him.
2. PG Kemba Walker – A five star prospect who may be easier to grab than Irving. Hard worker with no real weakness.
3. PG Brandon Knight – Realistic selection at #7 and an all around solid player.
4. SF Kawhi Leonard – An excellent role player with great defensive abilities who would fit in with our current team.
5. PG Isaiah Thomas – A backup plan incase all three of the other PGs are off the boards. A very good prospect, just not as good as Irving, Walker or Knight.
6. SF Derrick Williams – Not rated as high as Leonard, but a good scorer and rebounder.
7. C Jonas Valanciunas – Would play PF next to Cousins.

I feel that my best shot at a real star in this draft would be Walker. Kemba, alongside James Harden and a resigned Marcus Thornton off the bench, would basically secure my guard position for years. But where would Walker go? Minnesota doesn’t need him, but is he a big enough star to merit them taking him anyways?

More and more I find myself wanting two picks. I really want to get both Kemba and Leonard. Can I pull it off?

by **LightningStrike5** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:40 pm

June 29th, 2011

1. Los Angeles Clippers – PG Kyrie Irving
The talking heads, of course, love the pick. I do too. The one legit star in this class.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves – PG Kemba Walker
I’m floored. Why Minnesota thinks they need Walker when they have Rubio is beyond me. I’ll be calling them back once we make our pick…

3. New Jersey Nets – PF Kennith Faried
A very solid pick for the Nets. They needed a strong PF, and they got one. A Brook Lopez/Faried combo could develop very very nicely.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers – SG Marshon Brooks
The Cavs don’t haveanything, so they pick the best talent and hope Brooks can revitalize the struggling franchise. They’ll be back in the early lotto next year though.

5. Toronto Raptors – C Jonas Valanciunas
Needing a good dose of size, the Raptors take arguably the best center in the class. Now we just need Washington to not pick Knight, and we’ll at least have our PG.

6. Washington Wizards – PG Brandon Knight
My heart falls out. Why does Washington need a PG when they have John Wall? What are these GMs thinking, taking PGs when they have superstars already?

I should take Leonard. He fits our need. But I’m going to take a gamble on Minnesota, and see if I can’t talk the Timberwolves into a little backdoor swap -

7. Sacramento Kings – PF Tristian Thompson
The best power forward in the class and we proved the mocks right. But not for long… I know Minnesota needs to bulk up in size rather than at guard, so I’m taking the best big man hoping the Timberwolves will agree to a swap for Walker.

And to my excitement… they do!

Minnesota Trades –
PG Kemba Walker

Sacramento Trades –
PF Tristian Thompson

The Timberwolves get size at a cheaper price, and I get my point guard. Everyone is happy.

8. Detroit Pistons – SG Iman Shumpert
The Pistons had many needs, but the multitalented Shumpert will help their wing play big time.

9. Philadelphia 76ers – PG Isaiah Thomas
Great for the 5’9 Thomas, a workhorse who I know will be a great player for years to come.

I decide to hell with waiting. I want my small forward, dang it, and I’m going to sacrifice our future pick stash to get him!

Milwaukee Bucks –
2011 10th Overall Selection

Sacramento Trades –
2013 1st Round Pick

I’m gambling hard on us being good in two years, while Milwaukee must not see anyone worth their time. I do, for sure.

10. Sacramento Kings - SF Kawhi Leonard
We have our SF and our PGs of the future in the same draft! Leonard’s defense is sorely needed. The suits applaud the pick, saying Leonard should have gone earlier, but also saying he doesn’t stand out much.

11. Golden State Warriors – C Nikola Vucevic
Needing size badly, the Warriors gamble on Vucevic, who I don’t think is as good as Enes Kanter.

12. Utah Jazz – SF Candler Parsons
Over Williams AND Kanter AND Thompson Seriously?

13. Phoenix Suns – SF Derrick Williams
That’s a hard fall for Williams, who we had marked as a four and a half star talent.

14. Houston Rockets – C Enes Kanter
Another hard fall for an underappreciated big man.

15. Indiana Pacers – SG Alek Burks
The all around talented Pacers didn’t have any real needs, and Burks is a good player, but not as good as Klay Thompson for sure.

16. Philadelphia 76ers – SG Klay Thompson
Somehow, Philadelphia has two picks? And they get two very solid wings, congrats to them.

17. New York Knicks – PF Jon Leuer
Excuse me, who? With a decent crop of talent left, I can’t get this one for NY.

18. Atlanta Hakws – Markieff Morris
Apparently the more talented of the Morris twins… Markieff we have marked as a 2.5/2.5, but his twin brother is apparently just a 1.0/1.0

19. Memphis Grizzlies – PF Bismack Biyombo
I love this pick. Love Biyombo, and he’ll be great next to Zack Randolph and Marc Gasol.

20. New Orleans Hornets – PG Norris Cole
Back up to Chris Paul… or eventual replacement?

21. Portland Trailblazers – PG Jimmer Fredette
The BYU fans break down the doors on the NBA draft and demand to know how Fredette lasted 21 picks.

22. Denver Nuggets – SF Tobias Harris
23. Orlando Magic – C Josh Harrellson
24. Oklahoma City Thunder – C Donatas Motiejunas
25. Boston Celtics – SF Kyle Singler
26. Dallas Mavericks –PF Lavoy Allen
27. Los Angeles Lakers – PG Reggie Jackson
28. Miami Heat – SG James Hamilton
29. San Antonio Spurs – SF Chris Singleton
30. Chicago Bulls – SF Jan Vesley

With out lone 2nd round pick, we snag PG Andrew Goudlock to further our PG depth.

Instant Draft Impressions –
1. Kemba Walker – Boy, I’m glad I made that trade! Walker is already a good scorer, a very solid passer and ball handler, and has the potential to be an absolutely lock down defender! ROY material for sure! Ranking: 3.0/4.0

2. Kawhi Leonard – This one I’m concerned about. Our scouts gave Leonard an A in both defense and stealing, yet he doesn’t seem to have great potential anywhere. Hopefully he grows with time or I might regret the trade… Ranking: 2.5/3.0

3. Andrew Goudlock – Trade fodder at best. Ranking: 1.5/2.0

As for the draft deals –

Philadelphia Trades –
PG Jrue Holiday

Charlotte Trades –
2011 9th Overall Selection (Isaiah Thomas)

A pretty even deal. Both are solid PGs and should be in the top 15 in their position for the foreseeable future.

Los Angeles Lakers Trades –
SG Shannon Brown

Indiana Trades –
SG Brandon Rush

An exciting bench player for a less exciting bench player… woot.

Orlando Trades –
C. James Harrellson

Orlando Trades –
PG Norris Cole

Both aren’t top tier prospects, but I get the logic for both sides. I prefer Norris, though.

New York Trades –
SG Bill Walker

Boston Trades –
SF Kyle Singler

Scrub for scrub, blah.

by **LightningStrike5** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:54 pm

As I see it, going into FA we have some things to consider –

1. Who is our eventual future next to DeMarcus? A big like Marc Gasol or DeAndre Jordan? Or a more athletic big? Even as I plan to renounce Samuel Dalembert, I think we could use to resign him.
2. Can we resign Thornton? Would he work in a Walker/Thornton/Harden lineup?
3. We need veteran leadership badly. We need guys who have won before and are high quality lockeroom dudes.
4. Bench players – another backup wing and big.
I’ll answer our own questions. In order to actually sign, say, Marc Gasol, we have to waive at the least Dalembert’s birds. So, I do. If he ends up coming back, then all the better for it.

Our Summer League Lineup –

PG – Kemba Walker
SG – James Harden
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
C – Jason Thompson

6th – PG Goran Dragic
7th – SF Donte Greene
8th – C Greg Oden
9th – PG Andrew Goudelock
10th – PF Taj Gray
11th – C Hassan Whiteside
12th – SG Jerel McNeal

Summer League:

July 4th, 2011 – Wizards @ Kings – Win 105-96
A great chance for Walker to work out against two young talented PGs (Brandon Knight, playing SG, and star John Wall). Walker didn’t disappoint, scoring 19 points and dishing 6 assists in the win. Wall had 18-8 for the Wizards, while James Harden was a disappointment with just 4-10 shooting for 14 points.

July 5th, 2011 – Kings @ Thunder – Loss 94-89
Tyreke Evans, fueled by his disappointment at us trading him, drops 24 points and 8 rebounds on us. Harden scores 21 points against his former team, but shoots just 7-21. Walker has 16 points and six assists.

July 7thth, 2011 – Knicks @ Kings – Win 111-89
Walker lights up the Knicks for 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds and James Harden scores 16 in the romp. I’m loving how these two look together, and Harden hasn’t even been efficient yet so there’s promise of more to come.

July 9th, 2011 – Kings @ Grizzlies – Win 104-89
Another stellar game by Walker, who finishes with 26 points, seven assists and nine rebounds on 9-13 shooting. Meanwhile, Greg Oden has had a very nice (if quiet) summer league, and he finishes with 14 points and nine rebounds. A solid bench pickup, perhaps?

July 11th, 2011 – Bucks @ Kings – Win 94-81
Walker outduels Brandon Jennings for 16 points, three assists. Thompson has 15 points and seven boards, while Oden has 13 and nine off the bench. Harden, meanwhile, shoots just 5-15 for 14 points.

Kemba Walker in the Summer League averaged 20.0 points, 6.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds. Harden averaged 16.8 points, but I’m still concerned about his efficiency, which had been a major reason why I picked him up.

Going into FA, our targets remain open. We really want to resign Marcus Thornton to a reasonable contract, and we do have the rights to match any deal he signs. Aside from him though… the big prize is Memphis Center Marc Gasol, who, along with Cousins, would make just a dominant size advantage in the post.

We also could use some more wing assistance, and any depth we can add on the cheap would be a huge plus.

We offer Thornton a four year, $21.5 million dollar deal. We’ll also go for the homerun deal, sending Gaso l an offer for four years, $34.6 million. If he doesn’t like that, I think we can go a bit higher.

July 22nd - Neither Gasol[/b] nor Thornton reject our offers, so it’s just a waiting game from here. I also offer Goran Dragic a 2 year, $4 million deal that he’ll consider.

July 27th - We finally come to terms with Marcus for a bit more than I’d have hoped - $23.5 mil over four years. If/when he becomes a 6th man, that’ll be a bit much to swallow, but I couldn’t let him walk.

Meanwhile, Dragic takes more money to go to Houston, which isn’t a heartbreaker for us. I refocus our attention on JJ Barea, fresh off his championship with Dallas, and offer him a three year $8.1 million deal. I also offer Shane Battier a two year veteran max, and offer Greg Oden the two year mini MLE, worth $4.6 million.

July 28th - Both Greg Oden and Shane Battier accept our offers, bolstering our numbers and giving us some nice depth. With our numbers increasing and offers still out on Barea and Gasol, I cut Andrew Goudelock to give us some room.

July 29th – Marc Gasol is coming to Sacramento! His four year, $34.1 million dollar contract was signed today, and we just shocked the NBA! Imagine a DeMarcus Cousins/Marc Gasol combination inside… domination!

An immediate talk with Coach Sloan is worrysome, though. He seems to favor having Gasol off the bench behind Jason Thompson, which makes no sense to me. Furthermore, when asked about the small forward spot, he says he’s planning on having Thornton play the three rather than Harden! We’ll have to see how that all works out…

Barea, however, is a no go, returning to Dallas for a bit more than we could offer. Our capspace has dried up, so I’m forced to offer both Chancey Billups and Andre Miller a vets max - two years, $2.5 mil.

August 2nd – Chancey Billups signs with us to round out our roster! A fantastic teacher for Kemba Walker. Coach Sloan immediately says he thinks Billups could start come November, but we’ll have to wait for training camp.

Free Agency 2011 Signings –

Code: Select all: 7/22 New York New York Knicks sign Ronald Murray to a 1-year contract worth $1,181,464 7/22 New York New York Knicks sign Cartier Martin to a 1-year contract worth $797,581 7/22 Portland Portland Trail Blazers sign Nazr Mohammed to a 1-year contract worth $1,262,275 7/22 Golden State Golden State Warriors sign Sonny Weems to a 1-year contract worth $1,049,330 7/22 Detroit Detroit Pistons sign Hamed Haddadi to a 1-year contract worth $826,629 7/22 San Antonio San Antonio Spurs sign Peja Stojakovic to a 1-year contract worth $1,262,275 7/22 Utah Utah Jazz sign Ronnie Price to a 1-year contract worth $998,398 7/22 Charlotte Charlotte Bobcats sign Earl Clark to a 1-year contract worth $797,581 7/22 New York New York Knicks sign Jannero Pargo to a 1-year contract worth $1,070,118 7/22 Miami Miami Heat sign Raef LaFrentz to a 1-year contract worth $1,262,275 7/22 Golden State Golden State Warriors sign Von Wafer to a 1-year contract worth $998,398 7/23 Portland Portland Trail Blazers sign Josh McRoberts to a 1-year contract worth $854,957 7/23 Portland Portland Trail Blazers sign Craig Smith to a 1-year contract worth $926,678 7/23 Detroit Detroit Pistons sign Dominic McGuire to a 1-year contract worth $854,957 7/24 Miami Miami Heat sign T.J. Ford to a 1-year contract worth $1,070,118 7/24 Detroit Detroit Pistons sign Paulo Prestes to a 1-year contract worth $442,114 7/24 Golden State Golden State Warriors sign Jeremy Richardson to a 1-year contract worth $826,629 7/25 Boston Boston Celtics re-sign Jeff Green to a 2-year contract worth $5,008,620 7/25 Detroit Detroit Pistons sign Miroslav Raduljica to a 1-year contract worth $442,114 7/25 Utah Utah Jazz sign Leandro Barbosa to a 2-year contract worth $5,200,000 7/25 Milwaukee Milwaukee Bucks re-sign Carlos Delfino to a 2-year contract worth $5,008,620 [b]7/26 Sacramento Sacramento Kings re-sign Marcus Thornton to a 4-year contract worth $23,650,000[/b] 7/26 Boston Boston Celtics re-sign Delonte West to a 2-year contract worth $5,200,000 7/26 Phoenix Phoenix Suns sign Chuck Hayes to a 2-year contract worth $3,878,446 7/26 San Antonio San Antonio Spurs sign Jeff Foster to a 2-year contract worth $2,581,352 7/26 Miami Miami Heat re-sign Mario Chalmers to a 2-year contract worth $5,008,620 7/26 Milwaukee Milwaukee Bucks re-sign Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to a 2-year contract worth $4,650,861 7/26 Dallas Dallas Mavericks re-sign Corey Brewer to a 2-year contract worth $5,008,620 7/26 Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Thunder sign Shelden Williams to a 2-year contract worth $4,759,913 7/26 Dallas Dallas Mavericks re-sign Caron Butler to a 2-year contract worth $5,187,500 7/26 Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Thunder sign Derrick Brown to a 2-year contract worth $3,878,446 7/26 Houston Houston Rockets re-sign Goran Dragic to a 2-year contract worth $4,293,102 [b]7/27 Sacramento Sacramento Kings sign Shane Battier to a 2-year contract worth $2,524,550[/b] [b]7/27 Sacramento Sacramento Kings sign Greg Oden to a 2-year contract worth $4,460,000[/b] 7 /27 Miami Miami Heat sign Earl Watson to a 2-year contract worth $2,581,352 [b]7/28 Sacramento Sacramento Kings sign Marc Gasol to a 4-year contract worth $34,160,000[/b] 7/28 Dallas Dallas Mavericks re-sign Jose Juan Barea to a 3-year contract worth $8,618,529 7/28 Memphis Memphis Grizzlies sign Arron Afflalo to a 1-year contract worth $1,600,000 7/28 Portland Portland Trail Blazers sign Allen Iverson to a 1-year contract worth $1,262,275 7/28 Detroit Detroit Pistons re-sign Rodney Stuckey to a 3-year contract worth $9,174,567 7/28 New Orleans New Orleans Hornets re-sign Carl Landry to a 3-year contract worth $8,618,529 7/28 New York New York Knicks sign Jared Jeffries to a 2-year contract worth $2,346,704 7/28 New York New York Knicks sign Chris Wilcox to a 2-year contract worth $2,346,704 7/28 Milwaukee Milwaukee Bucks sign Willie Green to a 2-year contract worth $2,335,058 7/28 Orlando Orlando Magic re-sign Jason Richardson to a 3-year contract worth $10,008,618 7/28 San Antonio San Antonio Spurs sign Joel Przybilla to a 2-year contract worth $2,581,352 7/28 New Jersey New Jersey Nets sign Nick Young to a 3-year contract worth $8,378,013 7/28 Indiana Indiana Pacers sign Reggie Williams to a 4-year contract with a team option worth $11,043,098 7/28 Golden State Golden State Warriors sign Aaron Gray to a 2-year contract worth $3,793,528 7/29 Sacramento Kings release PG Andrew Goudelock 7/29 Boston Boston Celtics sign Josh Howard to a 2-year contract worth $2,335,058 7/29 Portland Portland Trail Blazers sign Kwame Brown to a 2-year contract worth $2,581,352 7/29 New York New York Knicks sign Tracy McGrady to a 2-year contract worth $2,581,352 7/29 Phoenix Phoenix Suns sign Rudy Fernandez to a 2-year contract worth $4,583,620 7/29 New Jersey New Jersey Nets sign Gustavo Ayon to a 2-year contract worth $5,288,791 7/30 New Jersey New Jersey Nets sign J.R. Smith to a 3-year contract worth $9,648,228 7/30 Cleveland Cleveland Cavaliers sign Marco Belinelli to a 2-year contract worth $2,064,711 7/30 Golden State Golden State Warriors sign Brandan Wright to a 2-year contract worth $2,346,704 7/30 Dallas Dallas Mavericks re-sign Tyson Chandler to a 4-year contract with a team option worth $14,098,054 7/30 New Jersey New Jersey Nets sign Wilson Chandler to a 4-year contract worth $13,527,796 7/30 Philadelphia Philadelphia 76ers re-sign Thaddeus Young to a 4-year contract with a team option worth $13,426,722 7/30 Boston Boston Celtics sign Grant Hill to a 1-year contract worth $1,262,275 7/30 Philadelphia Philadelphia 76ers re-sign Spencer Hawes to a 4-year contract with a team option worth $16,879,304 7/30 Cleveland Cleveland Cavaliers sign Mo Williams to a 3-year contract worth $9,932,001 7/30 Boston Boston Celtics sign Matt Barnes to a 2-year contract worth $2,335,058 7/31 Denver Denver Nuggets sign Jamal Crawford to a 3-year contract worth $7,783,446 7/31 Orlando Orlando Magic sign Mike Dunleavy to a 2-year contract worth $2,346,704 7/31 Charlotte Charlotte Bobcats sign Jared Dudley to a 1-year contract worth $1,600,000 7/31 Washington Washington Wizards sign Jonas Jerebko to a 2-year contract worth $5,288,791 7/31 Utah Utah Jazz sign Shannon Brown to a 2-year contract worth $1,895,056 [b]8/1 Sacramento Sacramento Kings sign Chauncey Billups to a 2-year contract worth $2,524,550[/b] 8/1 Miami Miami Heat sign Jason Smith to a 2-year contract worth $1,690,456 8/1 Indiana Indiana Pacers sign Kris Humphries to a 3-year contract worth $10,810,341 8/1 Denver Denver Nuggets sign Andrei Kirilenko to a 3-year contract worth $7,999,653 8/1 Philadelphia Philadelphia 76ers re-sign Jodie Meeks to a 2-year contract worth $2,767,718 8/1 Indiana Indiana Pacers sign Danny Green to a 2-year contract worth $4,231,033 8/1 Dallas Dallas Mavericks sign Alonzo Gee to a 2-year contract worth $1,631,053 8/1 Chicago Chicago Bulls sign Vince Carter to a 1-year contract worth $1,600,000 8/2 Atlanta Atlanta Hawks sign Glen Davis to a 2-year contract worth $1,748,387 8/2 Atlanta Atlanta Hawks sign Tayshaun Prince to a 2-year contract worth $2,346,704 8/2 Milwaukee Milwaukee Bucks sign DeAndre Jordan to a 1-year contract worth $1,600,000 8/2 New Orleans New Orleans Hornets sign Samuel Dalembert to a 1-year contract worth $1,600,000 8/2 Washington Washington Wizards sign C.J. Miles to a 2-year contract worth $2,951,759 8/2 Washington Washington Wizards sign DeJuan Blair to a 2-year contract worth $5,817,671 8/3 New Jersey New Jersey Nets sign Nenad Krstic to a 1-year contract worth $1,637,931 8/3 New Orleans New Orleans Hornets sign Dante Cunningham to a 1-year contract worth $797,581 8/3 New Orleans New Orleans Hornets sign Gerald Green to a 1-year contract worth $854,957 8/3 Philadelphia Philadelphia 76ers sign Andre Miller to a 1-year contract worth $1,600,000 8/4 Los Angeles (C) Los Angeles (C) Clippers sign Steve Novak to a 1-year contract worth $1,637,931 8/4 Cleveland Cleveland Cavaliers sign Al Thornton to a 1-year contract worth $1,120,689 8/4 New Orleans New Orleans Hornets sign Sundiata Gaines to a 1-year contract worth $797,581

August 5th – Now that the madness of free agency is over with, it’s time to take stock of some of next year’s concerns. First off, Jason Thompson will be a free agent, and while he’s a fair player, I can’t see us offering a ton for a middle of the road player. We can’t come to an agreement on a fair deal – he wants about $12 million over three years, and I don’t feel we can offer that. We’ll see what happens.

Second off, Beno Udrih will now get nearly no playing time behind both Billups and Walker. So we work out a deal with Indiana –

Indiana Trades:
2012 2nd Round Pick
Cap Space

Sacramento Trades:
PG Beno Udrih

The Pacers didn’t even have a backup PG, so this makes sense for both teams. We clear cap space for next offseason.

We pick up the 4th rookie options for Omri Casspi and James Harden, and the 3rd year for DeMarcus Cousins.

October 3rd, 2011:

Training Camp Highlights –

Kemba Walker is even better than we could have hoped! He’s going to be a star for sure.

Coach Sloan has changed his mind (again) and currently has the starting lineup as Billups, Harden, Leonard, Cousins and Gasol. But don’t worry Kings fans – he’s got 16 minutes a game penciled in for Walker, and 26 for Marcus Thornton, since Harden can also play SF.

Depth Chart

Code: Select all: Starting Lineup Player Pos PPG APG RPG SPG BPG Chauncey Billups PG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 James Harden SG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Kawhi Leonard SF 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 DeMarcus Cousins PF 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Marc Gasol C 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Bench Depth Chart Player Pos PPG APG RPG SPG BPG Kemba Walker PG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Marcus Thornton SG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Jason Thompson PF 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Shane Battier SG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Omri Casspi SF 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Francisco Garcia SG 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Greg Oden C 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

by **zike_42** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 10:44 pm

Great start to the dynasty, and I'm sure Boogie and Gasol will be dominant. The one rule that most teams try and abide by is that size counts and you have it in spades.

Good luck!

by **PointGuard** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:15 pm

LOL---Mr. MaGoof

by **LightningStrike5** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:16 pm

PointGuard wrote:LOL---Mr. MaGoof

So glad someone saw that.

Because I'd have some choice words and a baseball bat to the face for the real Maloofs. :mad:

by **LightningStrike5** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 2:38 pm

November 2011, Season #1

I’ll only be showing the best games of each month, maybe six or seven key games.

November 1st, 2011 – Rockets @ Kings – Win 107-91 (1-0)
An excellent win to start the season! Marc Gasol shines in his debut with 18 points, 12 boards and two blocks while James Harden had 19 with five boards. Kyle Lowry outdueled Billupsand had 21 with six assists for Houston.

November 3rd, 2011 – Kings @ Celtics – Win 104-85 (2-0)
An excellent road win over a tough Eastern conference squad! DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, five steals and three blocks in an utterly dominating performance. Kemba Walker had 15 points and six assists off the bench and shot 7-10 from the field.

November 6th, 2011 – Kings @ Mavericks – Loss 108-104 (2-2)
Despite a 22 point, eight rebound, three block performance by DeMarcus Cousins, we lose our second straight game and fall to the world champs. With Chauncey Billups sidelined with a calf injury, Coach Sloan starts Marcus Thornton next to Harden rather than Kemba Walker. Not sure I agree with that.

November 8th, 2011 – Thunder @ Kings– Win 109-90 (3-2)
Back on track with a dominating win over the Thunder! Kevin Durant had 34 and Tyreke Evans had 17 against us, but we had 6 players in double figures, led by James Harden with 19.
Walker started at PG and had 17 points and five assists.

November 12th, 2011 – Kings @ Warriors – Loss 108-99 (4-3)
A disappointing loss in Golden State. Jeremy Linn had 22 points in the win, while Kemba Walker continued to start in place of the injured Billups and had 22 points and 11 assists.

November 24th, 2011 – Bucks @ Kings – Win 114-82 (8-4)
Our 4th straight win and a dominating performance all around. DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points and seven rebounds in his best game of the season.

November 29th, 2011 – Kings @ Knicks – Win 118-96 (11-4)
Our seventh straight win propels u to a 11-4 record in November as we crush the Knicks in New York. Carmelo Anthony leads all scorers with 29, but we have SEVEN players score in double figures, led by Billups, who has 21 points and 10 assists. We shoot a very nice 50.9% from the field.

Code: Select all: [u]Starting Lineup[/u] Player Pos PPG APG RPG SPG BPG FG% FT% 3P% Chauncey Billups PG 13.8 5.4 2.2 0.4 0.0 .508 1.000 .380 James Harden SG 17.3 3.0 5.0 1.0 0.2 .470 .733 .384 Kawhi Leonard SF 6.4 1.1 3.5 1.1 0.4 .447 .733 .200 DeMarcus Cousins PF 17.3 2.3 8.4 1.7 1.6 .537 .611 .000 Marc Gasol C 13.5 1.6 7.6 1.2 2.1 .580 .676 .000 [u]Bench Depth Chart[/u] Player Pos PPG APG RPG SPG BPG FG% FT% 3P% Marcus Thornton SG 14.3 1.9 2.9 1.2 0.0 .380 .881 .289 Kemba Walker PG 13.2 4.4 3.4 0.9 0.2 .513 .604 .414 Jason Thompson PF 5.5 1.1 4.3 0.6 0.4 .431 .568 .000 Shane Battier SG 8.1 0.8 1.5 0.9 0.4 .524 .667 .423 Omri Casspi SF 1.4 0.7 1.3 0.6 0.0 .667 1.000 .000 Francisco Garcia SG 1.6 1.9 0.6 0.4 0.3 .385 .000 .333 Greg Oden C 2.7 0.5 1.4 0.3 0.6 .633 .500 .000

We’re the 3rd best scoring team in the league and are 4th in FG%, which is really nice. I’m especially impressed with Gasol, Cousins, and Harden in terms of efficiency. The major concern is, of course, Marcus Thornton who, despite being our third highest scorer, is shooting just 38% from the floor.

Of course, Kemba Walker totally makes up for it, averaging 13.3 points and 4.4 assists off the bench. While Billups is playing very well as the starter, I have to think that even Coach Sloan, who prefers veterans over youth, might start Walker soon.

Code: Select all: [u]NBA Standings[/u] Atlantic Division W L Win % Home Away GB Boston Celtics 10 4 .714 5-2 5-2 - New Jersey Nets 10 4 .714 6-1 4-3 0 Philadelphia 76ers 9 6 .600 5-3 4-3 1.5 New York Knicks 3 13 .188 2-7 1-6 8 Toronto Raptors 2 13 .133 1-7 1-6 8.5 Central Division W L Win % Home Away GB Cleveland Cavaliers 10 5 .667 6-2 4-3 - Chicago Bulls 10 7 .588 4-2 6-5 1 Milwaukee Bucks 9 7 .562 6-1 3-6 1.5 Indiana Pacers 4 10 .286 1-6 3-4 5.5 Detroit Pistons 3 11 .214 2-4 1-7 6.5 Southeast Division W L Win % Home Away GB Miami Heat 11 5 .688 7-2 4-3 - Atlanta Hawks 9 4 .692 6-1 3-3 0.5 Orlando Magic 9 6 .600 5-3 4-3 1.5 Washington Wizards 7 7 .500 3-3 4-4 3 Charlotte Bobcats 6 8 .429 4-6 2-2 4 Southwest Division W L Win % Home Away GB San Antonio Spurs 11 3 .786 8-0 3-3 - New Orleans Hornets 12 4 .750 6-0 6-4 0 Dallas Mavericks 10 5 .667 7-0 3-5 1.5 Houston Rockets 4 10 .286 2-5 2-5 7 Memphis Grizzlies 1 13 .071 0-6 1-7 10 Northwest Division W L Win % Home Away GB Denver Nuggets 7 6 .538 5-2 2-4 - Oklahoma City Thunder 8 8 .500 5-2 3-6 0.5 Portland Trail Blazers 7 9 .438 4-2 3-7 1.5 Utah Jazz 7 9 .438 5-4 2-5 1.5 Minnesota Timberwolves 5 11 .312 5-3 0-8 3.5 Pacific Division W L Win % Home Away GB Sacramento Kings 11 4 .733 6-1 5-3 - Los Angeles (C) Clippers 8 5 .615 5-3 3-2 2 Los Angeles (L) Lakers 8 8 .500 5-2 3-6 3.5 Golden State Warriors 7 10 .412 4-4 3-6 5 Phoenix Suns 6 9 .400 5-5 1-4 5

We sit second in the west, only behind the Spurs. It’s interesting to see how the Thunder are struggling… and what is up in Cleveland?! Rookie Marshon Brooksis dominating right now in Cleveland.

Meanwhile... what the heck, Memphis? 1-13? I look over their roster, and it's a mess. None of their talented players -Mike Conley, Zack Randolph, Rudy Gay... none of them are playing well. Marc Gasol better be glad he escaped there while he could!

Code: Select all: [u]League Leaders[/u] [b]Point-per-Game[/b] # Player Pos Team PPG 1 Kevin Durant SF Thunder 30.0 2 Chris Paul PG Hornets 28.1 3 Kobe Bryant SG Lakers 26.9 4 Lebron James SF Heat 25.7 5 Carmelo Anthony SF Knicks 23.4 [b]Rebounds-per-Game[/b] # Player Pos Team RPG 1 Dwight Howard C Magic 16.1 2 Andrew Bynum C Lakers 11.8 3 Anderson Varejao C Cavaliers 11.6 4 Blake Griffin PF Clippers 11.0 5 Kevin Love PF Timberwolves 10.5 [b]Assists-per-Game[/b] # Player Pos Team APG 1 Steve Nash PG Suns 9.8 2 Deron Williams PG Nets 9.4 3 John Wall PG Wizards 9.1 4 Chris Paul PG Hornets 8.9 5 Derrick Rose PG Bulls 8.6 [b]Blocks-per-Game[/b] # Player Pos Team BPG 1 Serge Ibaka PF Thunder 3.9 2 Andrew Bogut C Bucks 3.8 3 Dwight Howard C Magic 3.4 4 Samuel Dalembert C Hornets 3.2 5 Josh Smith PF Hawks 3.1 [b]Steals-per-Game[/b] # Player Pos Team SPG 1 Andre Iguodala SF 76ers 2.3 2 Rudy Gay SF Grizzlies 2.1 3 Lebron James SF Heat 2.1 4 Iman Shumpert PG Pistons 2.1 5 Greg Monroe PF Pistons 2.0 [b]Field Goal %[/b] # Player Pos Team FG% 1 Mike Miller SF Heat 0.672 2 Ben Wallace C Pistons 0.611 3 DeJuan Blair C Wizards 0.603 4 Ty Lawson PG Nuggets 0.593 5 Chris Paul PG Hornets 0.586

Side note – where are you guys finding rookie only stats? I can’t find them!

by **MizzouRah** » Sat May 05, 2012 12:07 am

I'm an NBA rookie.. but I love playing DDSPB.

This bothers me though as I continue to think about purchasing DDSPB3.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves – PG Kemba Walker
I’m floored. Why Minnesota thinks they need Walker when they have Rubio is beyond me. I’ll be calling them back once we make our pick…

3. New Jersey Nets – PF Kennith Faried
A very solid pick for the Nets. They needed a strong PF, and they got one. A Brook Lopez/Faried combo could develop very very nicely.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers – SG Marshon Brooks
The Cavs don’t haveanything, so they pick the best talent and hope Brooks can revitalize the struggling franchise. They’ll be back in the early lotto next year though.

5. Toronto Raptors – C Jonas Valanciunas
Needing a good dose of size, the Raptors take arguably the best center in the class. Now we just need Washington to not pick Knight, and we’ll at least have our PG.

6. Washington Wizards – PG Brandon Knight
My heart falls out. Why does Washington need a PG when they have John Wall? What are these GMs thinking, taking PGs when they have superstars already?

I should take Leonard. He fits our need. But I’m going to take a gamble on Minnesota, and see if I can’t talk the Timberwolves into a little backdoor swap -

7. Sacramento Kings – PF Tristian Thompson
The best power forward in the class and we proved the mocks right. But not for long… I know Minnesota needs to bulk up in size rather than at guard, so I’m taking the best big man hoping the Timberwolves will agree to a swap for Walker.

And to my excitement… they do!

Minnesota Trades –
PG Kemba Walker

Sacramento Trades –
PF Tristian Thompson

Doesn't look like the AI does too well picking in the draft?

Also, why would Minnesota draft Walker and then trade him? Does that happen in the NBA because it doesn't happen in the NFL or the NHL?

by **zike_42** » Sat May 05, 2012 7:31 am

I'm guessing that the Timberwolves wanted Thompson all along but didn't want to use the second pick on him so took the best player available (because they didn't need another PG with Rubio on the squad) and try and trade down. The other teams below Minnesota called their bluff and so they got as much as they could by getting Thompson on a smaller contract.

This is going WAAAAY in-depth for a video game but that would be my explanation. It happened with Chris Webber and Anfernee Hardaway in the 1993 draft where Orlando and Golden State traded the first and third pick in a straight swap.

by **MizzouRah** » Sat May 05, 2012 9:44 am

zike_42 wrote:I'm guessing that the Timberwolves wanted Thompson all along but didn't want to use the second pick on him so took the best player available (because they didn't need another PG with Rubio on the squad) and try and trade down. The other teams below Minnesota called their bluff and so they got as much as they could by getting Thompson on a smaller contract.

This is going WAAAAY in-depth for a video game but that would be my explanation. It happened with Chris Webber and Anfernee Hardaway in the 1993 draft where Orlando and Golden State traded the first and third pick in a straight swap.

Just seems a bit like AI wackery to me.

Kings of the Court: Bringing Victory back to Sacramento

Kings of the Court: Bringing Victory back to Sacramento

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