The Kings didn’t play ANY D last night as the Bulls shot 53.8% from the floor and that’s what caused them to lose again.  Marcus Thornton (20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals), Tyreke Evans (19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals) and DeMarcus Cousins (15 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots) led the way for the Kings last night.  Jimmer Fredette (14 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists) and John Salmons (12 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists) also pitched in for the Kings last night.  The Kings are now 1-2 on the year.

The Kings only shot 37.8% from the floor and they were outscored 55-33 in the second half last night as they played really flat.  DeMarcus Cousins led the way for the Kings last night with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.  Marcus Thornton only shot 5 of 15 from the floor but he still finished with 14 points and 3 assists.  Jason Thompson (11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot in 14 minutes on the floor), J.J. Hickson (10 points) and Jimmer Fredette (10 points) also pitched in for the Kings last night.  The Kings are now 1-1 on the season.

The Kings took it to the Lakers last night.  Marcus Thornton (27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal) and Tyreke Evans (20 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Kings last night.  John Salmons (13 points and 3 rebounds), DeMarcus Cousins (12 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Chuck Hayes (7 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots) also had solid games for the Kings last night.  The Kings are now 1-0 on the year.

The Kings have claimed 27-year old small forward off waivers from the Nets.  Outlaw played in 82 games (55 starts) for the Nets last year and he averaged 28.8 minutes, 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.  He has now played in 482 games (87 starts) in his NFL career and he is averaging 22.9 minutes, 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.  Outlaw will backup John Salmons at small forward as the Kings should have an outstanding bench in 2011-12.

The Kings have signed 28-year old F/C Chuck Hayes to a 4-year, $21.3 million contract.  Hayes played in 74 games (63 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 28.1 minutes, 7.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 424 games (233 starts) in his first six years in the NBA and he is averaging 20.1 minutes, 4.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  Hayes gives a great effort every night and he will be a solid backup and mentor to DeMarcus Cousins and J.J. Hickson.

UPDATE:  (12/19/2011) – The Kings have voided Chuck Hayes’ contract after he failed his physical due to a heart abnormality.

UPDATE:  (12/22/2011)  – The Kings have re-signed Chuck Hayes to a 4-year, $22 million dollar contract.  He has been cleared of his “heart problem” by a few doctors.

The Kings have re-signed 24-year old shooting guard Marcus Thornton to a 4-year, $33 million dollar deal.  Thornton played in 27 games (23 starts) for the Kings last year after coming over in a deal with the Hornets and he averaged 38.1 minutes, 21.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  He has now played in 146 games (40 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 25.0 minutes, 13.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Thornton is on the verge of becoming a star in the NBA, so the Kings were smart to re-sign him.

The Sacramento Kings hope that 21-year old center DeMarcus Cousins matures both on and off the court in 2011-12.  That is because he has a HUGE upside.  Cousins played in 81 games (62 starts) for the Kings last year and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 14.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  The Kings think that Cousins can easily average a double-double if he acts his age in 2011-12.  22-year old Hassan Whiteside only played in 1 game (0 starts) as a rookie for the Kings last year and he played only 2 minutes and his only other stats was the 2 fouls he made.  I expect that he will improve quite a bit for the Kings in 2011-12.

23-year old J.J. Hickson came to the Kings in a deal with the Cavaliers the day before the lockout.  It was a steal for the Kings as Hickson has a huge upside.  Hickson played in 80 games (66 starts) for the Cavaliers last year and he averaged 28.2 minutes, 13.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  He has now played in 223 games (139 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 20.9 minutes, 9.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Don’t be surprised if Hickson averages a double-double for the Kings in 2011-12 as he still has a huge upside.  25-year old Jason Thompson played in 75 games (39 starts) for the Kings last year and he averaged 23.3 minutes, 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.  He has now played in 232 games (153 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 27.6 minutes, 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  Thompson will backup Hickson at power forward and DeMarcus Cousins at center in 2011-12.