The Kings shot 51.9% last night in Cleveland including 9 of 15 from three point range (60%) and they also outrebounded the Cavs 43-35 which were big reasons for the nice road win. Tyreke Evans led the way for the Kings in this game with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Omri Casspi got the start at small forward for the Kings last night and he finished up with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Carl Landry also had a solid game for the Kings with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. DeMarcus Cousins (14 points) and Beno Udrih (12 points) pitched in offensively for the Kings last night. The Kings are off to a surprising 2-1 start to the 2010-11 season.

The Kings got outrebounded 43-31 tonight and they didn’t play any D as the Nets shot 52.5% from the floor but somehow they stayed close in this game. Tyreke Evans made his season debut for the Kings and he had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal to lead the way. Francisco Garcia was outstanding off the bench as he finished up with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot in 31 minutes. Carl Landry (14 points, 3 rebounds) and Beno Udrih (14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists) also had decent games tonight. DeMarcus Cousins and Darnell Jackson pitched in with 12 points apiece in this game tonight. The Kings are now 1-1 on the year.

The Kings were just a tad better than the T-Wolves last night in Minnesota. The impressive thing is that they won without Tyreke Evans (league suspension). Carl Landry led the way for the Kings last night with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Francisco Garcia was starting in the place of Evans and he finished up with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Beno Udrih did a solid job of running the offense with 18 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins had a nice NBA debut for the Kings last night as he finished up with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in 27 minutes on the floor. Luther Head was solid off the bench in this game with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots in only 20 minutes on the floor. While the defense was pretty awful, the Kings are still 1-0 on the year.

The Kings will be without starting shooting guard Tyreke Evans for the season opener due to a league suspension. He is probably really upset about it as the opening night for the Kings is at Minnesota to play the T-Wolves. The Kings will probably use Francisco Garcia as the starting shooting guard on opening night with Luther Head backing him up. Garcia & Head are good basketball players so the Kings should be in good shape against the very lousy T-Wolves.

The Kings were 25-57 last season and it’s not too much of a stretch to think that they will win more games in 2010-11. After all, the Kings got pushed around in the paint last season but I don’t see that happening this year due to the additions of Samuel Dalembert, DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside. If forced to I would make a small play on the over for the Kings in 2010-11. They are also 200-1 to win the NBA Championship but I wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole.

59-year old head coach Paul Westphal is good at his job. The Kings were only 25-57 (30.5%) last season but he found his team to be way too soft. That led to the Kings bringing in Samuel Dalembert, DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside and Antoine Wright over the summer. Westphal has a 292-216 career record (57.5%) during the regular season and he is 27-22 (55.1%) in the post season as a head coach in the NBA. That shows you that he knows how to get the job done and it will be interesting to see how well the Kings play with all of the new big guys.

29-year old Samuel Dalembert is going to miss the start of this season due to injury but when he comes back he will be the starting center. Dalembert played in 82 games (80 starts) for the 76ers last season and he averaged 25.9 minutes, 8.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Dalembert has now played in 582 games (491 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 26.4 minutes, 8.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. Dalembert will give the Kings a physical preference at both ends of the court when he returns to action.

24-year old Jason Thompson will likely swing between center and power forward this year. Thompson played in 75 games (58 starts) for the Kings last season and he averaged 31.4 minutes, 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. He has now played in 157 games (114 starts) in his first two years with the Kings and he has averaged 29.7 minutes, 11.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Thompson is a very underrated player.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KINGS CENTERS IN 2010-11: B

27-year old Carl Landry is the starter at power forward for the Kings. Landry played in 80 games (29 starts) for the Kings & Rockets last season and he averaged 30.9 minutes, 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He has now played in 191 games (29 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he has averaged 24.3 minutes, 12.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Landry is not the classic power forward in that he’s not an especially good rebounder but he is a scorer which helps make up for that.

20-year old first round pick DeMarcus Cousins will likely open the year at center but his future lies at power forward. Cousins played in 38 games in his only year at Kentucky and he averaged 23.5 minutes, 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.8 blocked shots per game. Cousins has a huge upside and I think he will play well this year, pushing some veterans for minutes.

21-year old Hassan Whiteside is a rookie 7-footer who plays a big man’s game despite having a slight frame. Whiteside played in 34 games in his only year at Marshall and he averaged 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 5.4 blocked shots per game. The Kings will likely take it slow with Whiteside but he has a lot of potential.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KINGS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B

The Kings don’t have much experience at small forward but they have a lot of talent here. 22-year old Donte’ Greene looks like he might be the starter here on opening night. Greene played in 76 games (50 starts) for the Kings last season and he averaged 21.4 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He has now played in 131 games (54 starts) in his first two seasons and he has averaged 18.0 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. The Kings need Greene to step up this year.

22-year old Omri Casspi had a very solid rookie year for the Kings in 2009. Casspi played in 77 games (31 starts) for the Kings last season and he averaged 25.1 minutes, 10.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. The Kings hope that Casspi is in better condition this year as he wore down as the season went on.

26-year old Antoine Wright has been a decent backup player so far in his NBA career but little more. Wright played in 67 games (10 starts) for the Raptors last season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He has now played in 290 games (96 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 19.6 minutes, 5.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Wright could work his way up the depth chart if he plays well.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KINGS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: C-

21-year old Tyreke Evans won the Rookie of the Year Award in the NBA last season and he will try to follow it up with an even bigger year. Evans played in 72 games (all starts) for the Kings last season and he averaged 37.2 minutes, 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. His only weakness in his overall game at this point is that he’s not a good three point shooter. Evans only hit 25.5% from three point range as a rookie last season. That is nitpicking though as Evans can get to the basket and he’s a scorer.

28-year old Francisco Garcia will be Evans’ backup this year. Garcia played in 25 games (4 starts) for the Kings last season and he averaged 23.0 minutes, 8.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He has now played in 315 games (76 starts) in his five years in the NBA and he has averaged 23.4 minutes, 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Garcia is a good offensive player who could start in a pinch for the Kings if needed.

27-year old Luther Head is a flat out scorer off the bench. He played in 47 games (10 starts) for the Pacers last season and he averaged 17.3 minutes, 7.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Head has now played in 312 games (68 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 23.1 minutes, 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He will help off the bench in spurts as offense is his game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE KINGS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: A