The Kings will be without starting power forward Chuck Hayes for the next 3-4 weeks due to a dislocated shoulder.  He has played in 8 games (all starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 25.4 minutes, 5.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  J.J. Hickson will likely benefit the most from Hayes’ injury.  Hickson has played in 8 games (3 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 22.1 minutes, 6.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  Hickson might not give Hayes his job back.

The Kings were down 21 points at halftime, but new head coach Keith Smart fired up his troops and made good adjustments.  The Kings outscored the Bucks 66-42 to surge to a huge win at home last night.  The Kings outrebounded the Bucks  55-31 last night and that played a huge part in the big comeback.  Marcus Thornton (27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals) and Tyreke Evans (26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) led the way for the Kings in this game.  DeMarcus Cousins looked energized last night as he finished up with 19 points, 15 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot.  John Salmons pitched in with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.  The Kings are now 3-5 on the year.

You have to think that Paul Westphal’s firing had a lot to do with his handling of 21-year old center DeMarcus Cousins.  Cousins recently requested a trade and I think it’s partially because the old man was a tad too hard on him.  Cousins has played in 6 games (4 starts) for the Kings so far this year and he is averaging 26.0 minutes, 13.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  Keith Smart’s first job as the Kings’ new head coach will be to get Cousins to act his age and not his shoe size.  That should be fascinating to watch as Cousins could be one of the best centers in the NBA right now if he were properly focused and motivated.  Cousins has a huge upside.

The Kings have fired 61-year old head coach Paul Westphal.  The Kings were off to a rough 2-5 start to the 2011-12 season.  The Kings were 51-120 (29.8%) under Westphal in his two plus years on the job.  The Kings didn’t take too well the Westphal’s old school style of coaching.  He has a 318-279 (53.3%) during the regular season in his NBA career and he is 27-22 (55.1%) in the post season.  The Kings have replaced Westphal with 47-year old Keith Smart on an interim basis.  Smart has a 45-77 record (36.9%) in his first two years as a head coach in the NBA.  The Kings hope that Smart will be able to relate to the players as little better than Westphal did.

UPDATE:  The Kings have removed the interim tag and have signed Keith Smart to a 2-year deal.

The Kings were all around terrible last night as they only shot 32.6% from the floor and they were outrebounded 48-37!  They also didn’t play ANY D as the Nuggets shot 60.5% from the floor last night.  DeMarcus Cousins led the way for the Kings in this game with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots.  Marcus Thornton also had a solid game with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.  Tyreke Evans pitched in with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in only 23 minutes on the floor.  The Kings are now 2-5 on the year.

The Kings didn’t play any defense last night as the Grizzlies shot 54.9% from the floor and it did them in.  Jimmer Fredette (17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal) and Isaiah Thomas (15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 16 minutes) led the way for the Kings last night.  J.J. Hickson (12 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Travis Outlaw (11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) also pitched in for the Kings last night.  The Kings are now 2-4 on the year.

The Kings were outrebounded 60-41 last night but it didn’t matter as they outscored the Hornets 58-40 in the second half to surge to a nice home win.  Tyreke Evans (27 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot) and Marcus Thornton (25 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 steals) led the way for the Kings last night.  John Salmons pitched in with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot last night.  The Kings are now 2-3 on the year.

The Kings outrebounded the Knicks 51-43 last night but it was negated by the fact that they only shot 34.9% from the floor.  Marcus Thornton (14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals), Tyreke Evans (13 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists) and Jason Thompson (13 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist in 24 minutes on the floor) led the way for the Kings last night.  Donte Greene (10 points and 1 assist), Chuck Hayes (5 points and 13 rebounds) and DeMarcus Cousins (9 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot) also pitched in for the Kings.  The Kings are now 1-3 on the year.

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.