“I like you. You like me. Let’s get out of S-A-C…”
For the Sacramento Kings, who kick off their 5-game East Coast road swing this evening in Atlanta against the Hawks (7:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports South, 92.9 FM in ATL), it’s a golden age. They’ve got a new “Golden 1 Center” arena downtown. They’re coming in tonight with a sterling (for them) 2-1 record, the sole defeat coming at the hands of the Spurs on the tail end of a back-to-back. And, perhaps the best thing going thus far, the working relationship between Olympic gold medalist DeMarcus Cousins and his newest head coach, Dave Joerger, remains untarnished.
Less than a week since tip-off, local media is already prodding Cousins for signs of discontentment off the court (it’s never difficult to find such signs on it). When asked to name a couple things that were positive about Joerger, the sixth head coach since “BOO!”gie arrived as a rookie six seasons ago, Cousins offered exactly that: a couple things. “I like him, and he likes me.” Well, considering all the grass-cutting, snake-showing, and back-stabbing that has gone on in recent years up in Norcal, those are probably the only factors that matter.
Last season was largely deemed a disaster for the Kings, even as Cousins fumed, pouted and sulked his way through the best finish for the franchise (33-49; 29-36 with him, 4-13 without) since coach Reggie Theus was running the show back in 2008.
Egged on by meddling owner Vivek Ranadive, then-coach George Karl pushed a league-high pace (highest by any team since Nellie’s Warriors in 2009-10) that was tough for DMC and his teammates (16.2 TOs per game, 28th in NBA) to maintain with any sense of cohesion. Speaking of pushing, Karl also pushed management to ship the moody Cousins (suspended thrice, fouled out 7 times) out of town behind the scenes, a failed endeavor that permanently soured whatever rapport they had.
Slur-spitting, ref-bumping point guard Rajon Rondo helped Cousins (career-best 26.9 PPG, 1.1 3FGs per game in 2015-16; 3.3 APG, 3rd among qualifying centers) keep the Kings (17.7 assists per 100 possessions, 6th in NBA) from falling into the trap of DIY halfcourt basketball. Karl was officially given his walking papers after the season ended, and Rondo bailed for Chicago in free agency, leaving the Kings to settle on police-blotter subjects Darren Collison (currently suspended for domestic battery) and Ty Lawson (7.0 APG, 1.7 TO/game this season) to pick up where Rondo left off.
Fresh from Grindhouse Memphis, Joerger is slowing things back down (27th in pace through 3 games) to a manageable level for the Kings. In return, though, he demands a modicum of defensive intensity from his players, something he has grown to expect even though his Grizzlies faded in 2016 under the weight of too many injuries.
As the coach demonstrated in the first half of Saturday’s game versus visiting Minnesota, he’s willing to bench starters, including Cousins, that aren’t putting in the effort. That threat helped the Kings flip the script on the T-Wolves, going on a 24-1 third-quarter spurt after giving up 65 first-half points. Joerger’s can manage just fine if you miss a flight or two, but don’t miss his memo.
Joerger brought along with him from Memphis free agent Matt Barnes, who has taken it upon himself to assume point-forward duties (9 assists, 3-for-6 3FGs vs. MIN) off the bench.
Things are going as well as anyone could expect, which leads to the question that pops up anytime there’s an uptick in Skeptimento: How long can the good vibes possibly last? As Mayor KJ can attest, no matter how well festivities in Sacramento are meticulously planned, now matter how pleasant the proceedings, sooner or later, somebody’s gonna wind up with some pie on their face (probably coconut cream, if you must know the flavor).
The Damocles’ sword hovers above Joerger, who remains committed to turning around Sacramento’s fortunes, but is paid by an owner who is at turns meddlesome and maniacal about how he wants his teams to play. Joerger wanted to push the pace in Memphis, but relented because of pushback from the vets on his roster when things weren’t going so hot at the outset.
Here, he recognizes that he needs the tools to run with, before elevating the team tempo. But relying on players of the caliber of Arron Afflalo and former Hawk Anthony Tolliver suggests he’s not going to accomplish that for a season or two, barring some fortuitous trades. Does Ranadive, notorious for acting prematurely on former coach and Cousins confidant Mike Malone, have the patience to let Joerger see things through?
Before the season could even begin, Rudy Gay (28 points on 11-for-20 shooting vs. MIN; $14.2 million player option for 2017-18) had his people advise the Kings’ brass that maybe it’s best for all parties that they stop seeing each other. Back when Karl took over the reins in early 2015, Gay met him with this Vincent Price-sounding introduction: “Welcome to Basketball Hell.” As often is the case with Karl himself, the urge to be brutally honest supersedes any sophistication that comes with biting one’s tongue.
Ben McLemore (-15 plus/minus, but 2-for-4 3FGs vs. MIN), predictably, was not offered an extension deal, putting both he and Gay in Go-For-Yours mode offensively until they depart or get traded. Meanwhile, Barnes’ bench play so far has made perhaps the one person who truly wants to stick around, Omri Casspi, expendable.
As for their All-Star, Cousins remained instead of Karl essentially for one reason: who’s face are you going to plaster outside your fancy new arena to sell tickets and hot dogs? Kosta Koufos? Willie Cauley-Stein? Yeah, sure.
No matter what jersey he’s wearing, Cousins provides a unique challenge for Atlanta’s Dwight Howard, tonight and any night going forward. A big who can run the floor, pound away inside and now stretch the defense from the outside, Cousins (37 points, 16 rebounds, 3-for-5 3FGs vs. SAS last Thursday) roughly combines the youth and desire of Philly’s Joel Embiid with the skill and will of Washington’s Marcin Gortat.
Boogie lives at the free throw line (NBA-high 49 attempts through 3 games, 80.4 FT%). So Dwight, who found himself in foul trouble early in Philadelphia, needs to work on playing him honest while depending on Paul Millsap and the Hawks’ forwards to keep Kings teammates from penetrating and receiving passes in the paint.
Cousins will hack (league-high 3.6 personals per game), with about the same proficiency as he does drawing foul shots. As displayed late in the contest with Minnesota, he can be counted upon to lose both his cool and his mouthpiece at crucial junctures when things aren’t going his way. Last November, his prior visit to Atlanta was going quite splendidly (11 first-quarter points), when a wildly thrown elbow awoke the somnambulant Al Horford, sparking a Hawks run (without two Atlanta starters) from which Sacramento could not fully recover.
Howard will continue working both sides of the rim on the low block, occupying Cousins and/or Cauley-Stein’s attention while opening up avenues for jumpers by Millsap (22.5 PPG, 5.0 APG through 2 games; 3-for-8 3FGs, NBA-high +21.0 per-game plus/minus) and drives for assists by Dennis Schröder (52.6 FG%; 11 assists and 2 TOs vs. PHI).
Kent Bazemore (27.8 FG%, team-high 3.5 TOs per game) has been going through the motions out on the floor. To help him shake free of his early struggles, his teammates need to look for him out on the break when the inevitable live-ball turnovers are committed by Sacramento.
It’s a similar deal in the case of Kris Humphries (1-for-7 FGs), who has been rebounding but not doing much more on the floor. These forwards will be needed even more to step up, given the news that Mike Scott will be missing several weeks of action for a non-surgical knee procedure. Mike Muscala and Thabo Sefolosha have each played superbly, but more consistent production from Bazemore and Humphries will make the Hawks all the more formidable over four quarters.
Regardless of the outcome of tonight’s contest, Kings fans will wisely hold off until at least the All-Star break, to see where their team is in the standings, and who, from the GM on down to the assistants, remains in good standing. Winning may feel like a treat right now. But the trick always seems to be waiting right around the corner.
Happy Halloween! Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3
