The Kings didn’t shoot too well in this game hitting only 37.5% of their shots from the floor and they were outscored 25-17 in the 4th quarter and that doomed them. On a bright note the Kings outrebounded the Hornets 52-43 in this game. Rookie point guard Tyreke Evans led the way for the Kings in this game with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Kevin Martin had a horrid shooting night (9 of 29 from the floor) but he still finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Andres Nocioni was effective off the bench for the Kings in this game as he finished with 16 points in only 24 minutes. The Kings are now 0-2 on the season.

The Kings had to outscore the Thunder 21-13 in the 4th quarter to make the final score semi-respectable. Kevin Martin led the way for the Kings with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals despite only shooting 5 of 19 from the floor. Rookie forward Omri Casspi had a outstanding NBA debut as he hit 7 of 9 shots from the floor finishing with 15 points and 3 rebounds in only 19 minutes. Jason Thompson also had a solid game with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. The Kings are now 0-1 on the season.

With a number that low you have to consider the over, but, the Kings are a very young team that will likely have a tough road to hoe in the NBA Western Conference. I think the Kings cound get the over if the younger players are up to the challenge. I would have liked the over better if Francisco Garcia didn’t injure himself lifting weights. I would have to take the under if I were making a bet on the Kings this season.

First round picks Tyreke Evans (G,F) and Omri Casspi (SF) were both very impressive in the pre-season and the Kings hope that will continue when the regular season starts as they need all the help they can get. Evans started all 7 of the Kings pre-season games in which he averaged 31.6 minutes, 15.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Evans will likely push Beno Udrih to the bench with him starting at point guard. Omri Casspi played in 7 games (2 starts) during the pre-season and he averaged 21.0 minutes, 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Casspi will start the season coming off the bench but that won’t last long if he continues to play like he did in the pre-season.

You know it’s bad when you get cut by the Sacramento Kings. With that in mind Melvin Ely will likely have a hard time finding another team as he could be nearing the end of the line in his NBA career. It’s not as if the Kings are loaded at forward and center which is likely very bad news for Ely.

58-year old Paul Westphal will bring a new playing style to the Kings and it will be interesting to see how well he can motivate the troops. Westphal hasn’t coached since the 2000-01 season with the Supersonics so he might be a little rusty. Only time will tell. He has a career record as a NBA coach of 267-159 (62.7%) and he is 27-22 (55.1%) in the post season. If Westphal can had to his playoff record he will win the NBA Coach of the Decade Award.

21-year old Spencer Hawes really played well last season for the Kings especially after Brad Miller was traded to the Bulls. Overall, Hawes played in 77 games for the Kings last season and he averaged 29.3 minutes, 11.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. The Kings will likely increase Hawes’ workload around 8-10 minutes a game this season as he has no real back up. Donte’ Greene will likely back up Hawes this season at center.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: B

The Kings are likely 5 deep at power forward going into this season. 23-year old Jason Thompson will be the starter for the Kings. He played in all 82 games for the Kings last season and he averaged 28.1 minutes, 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Look for him numbers to improve this season as he will likely play a few more minutes per game. 21-year old Donte Greene will likely be #2 in line for minutes at both power forward and center. He played in 55 games for the Kings last season and he averaged 13.2 minutes, 3.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Look for his numbers to possibly double this season for the Kings. 25-year old Sean May will be #3 in line for minutes here. He palyed in 24 games for the Bobcats last season and he averaged 12.5 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. If he can stay healthy he can help the Kings big time as he was a former high first round pick. 22-year old Jon Brockman was the 8th pick of the 2nd round of the NBA Draft out of Washington. Brockman is a undersized banger who has a nose for the basketball. 32-year old Kenny Thomas is still around but that is because of his bad contract. He played in only 8 games for the Kings last season averaging 7.8 minutes, 0.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: C

It appears that 32-year old Desmond Mason has won the starting job at small forward for the Kings. He played in 39 games for the Thunder last season and he averaged 27.3 minutes, 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Since the Kings are likely to run the ball more than in the past this move makes sense as Mason is a great finisher on fast breaks despite his mediocre shooting touch. 29-year old Andres Nocioni will back up Mason this season. He played in 76 games for the Bulls & Kings last season and he averaged 26.2 minutes, 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. The Kings wouldn’t miss a beat if Nocioni had to step into the starting lineup. 21-year old rookie Omri Casspi will be #3 in line when the season starts for minutes but he could move up the depth chart at some point in the year. 27-year old Franciso Garcia was in line to be the starter at small forward this season before seriously injuring himself which will cause him to miss the first few months of the season. He played in 65 games for the Kings last season and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: D+

The Kings have lost starting small forward Francisco Garcia indefinately as he has fractured his right forearm in a freak weightlifting accident. This is literally a bad “break” for both Garcia and the Kings as he was going to get big minutes this season. He played in 65 games for the Kings last season and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game. In four years with the Kings, Garcia has played in 290 games (72 starts) in which he has averaged 23.4 minutes, 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. This is a big loss for the Kings as Garcia was a player showing steady improvement in his career.