Well here we are. Another training camp, another day of uncertainty surrounding the Kings, and wah-lah!whaddyaknow!sonovabitch it's October and Media Day. And then pre-season where fans openly wonder about rotations that are not done for anyone's benefit but Keith Smart, the coaching staff and basketball management. Also the players who are trying to do whatever the coaches might be asking of them at that time.

Good times.

Let's kick this off after the jump.

You shouldn't be surprised. We knew this was coming for months. Hansen has just now gotten plans almost formalized here. This is not really news.

So I suppose, I guess I know why some are surprised. But, this isn't about Virginia City (sorry Carmichael Dave) anymore than this is about Sacramento. This is about what David Stern and the Board of Governors (aka the other owners) want. What do they want? Historically that's always been one thing: Money.

So why should today be any different?

So I'm going to break this down bit by bit after the jump.

Read the title. That's what I think. I don't mean disrespect to Virginia Beach, but here's the bottom line: Virginia Beach has a metro area of 1.6 million people, and none of those include any in Washington DC. It's actually bigger than Richmond VA for instance. (Allen Iverson is from nearby Hampton VA in case you need a frame of reference. Norfolk VA, the main part of the Navy fleet, is also part of the metro area.) This is also a tourist spot.

To say Virginia Beach couldn't have a NBA team is a bit beyond the point. I just doubt it happens. I really do. The reality is that Seattle is an open NBA market, and Seattle is much bigger. Hell so is Sacramento, but let's not get into the "what's bigger debate" today.

You can read the original article this originated out of, and it's making a lot of presumptions. (Like, for one, that the NBA has granted relocation which it has not.)

Moving on. Have a hearty laugh and end it with that. This isn't happening because, frankly, the Maloofs are too Southern Calfornia'ized to ever consider it. If somebody owned the team and was from the mid Atlantic coast, I'd be especially worried. The Maloofs are not from the mid-Atlantic region so we have nothing to worry about. They want to be in Anaheim, and if they can't be there who knows what they want at this point. (The best purchase price I would guess.)

If you wish to be worried about a locale getting the Kings, worry about Seattle. But I suspect many Kings fans are already worried about that, and why should today be anything different? (Well, other than the fact that Seattle mayor Mike McGinn -- not someone I care for mind you for Seattle political reasons and not Kings related reasons -- has also said that the city of Seattle won't approve a new arena unless a NBA team is coming. You know, little stuff like that.) Answer: Nothing.

I appreciate the attempt at trollling Virginia Beach. Thanks for getting me to write a few words. Hats off to you. Peace out.

The Kings have sent out a press release with a Geoff Petrie quote:

“Keith’s extension gives us the stability we need to continue the development of our team,” Petrie said. “He has the commitment, energy and vision necessary to succeed in building a winning team. We are all looking forward to working with him as we pursue an exciting and productive future.”

And Keith Smart's reaction:

“I’m excited to continue this process with the Kings,” Smart said. “We’re trying to get our franchise moving in the right direction. The goal is to keep moving in that positive direction, and I’m glad that I get that opportunity. It’s been great working with Geoff and his staff and communicating with the Maloofs in this process.”

If you'll remember about, oh, 28 months ago, this is what Petrie said about Westphal:

“We’re all excited about the new direction Paul has given our team and his ability to keep our players focused during the course of the season,” said Petrie. “I think he’s done a tremendous job of helping us turn the corner. My congratulations to him and his staff. We continue to look forward to an ongoing great relationship as we rebuild the Kings.”

Read the title. I literally mean what I wrote there and wrote it that way intentionally: Jason Thompson gets why he got a 5 year contract. Check out these quotes from JT from Saturday's Bee:

"Some guys are going to have to play different roles," said Thompson, the Kings' first-round draft pick in 2008. "Some guys can score a lot, and that's what they're known to do, but maybe if they can take some steps back in scoring and get more assists, rebounds and diving for loose balls, it makes a great team."

Somebody had to say it. The way Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins play is not condusive to winning NBA basketball. Dribble driving your way into multiple defenders in the lane is not efficient or effective basketball in the NBA. The sooner those two learn that, the sooner things will get easier for the rest of the Kings.

I've said it before but I'll say it again: The Kings, like all NBA teams, go as their best players go. The Kings best players, you would think when looking at them on paper and assessing strengths, likellihood to create matchup problems among other things, are Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. So many fans have focused on which one is better, but really that's missing the important point: You need at least two top tier players to get anywhere of note in the NBA. Which one is better is irrelevant to the ultimate goal.

Really, do you think OKC is getting to the Finals without Russell Westbrook or Kevin Durant? Take one away, and that just increases the burden of each. There is no way that OKC is more than a 1st round and out playoff team without one of those two.

That's why I love what Jason Thompson said. It's a warning shot of sorts to the two best young "talents" who should also be the Kings best players: "We take our cues from you. You need to act as professionals and stop acting like immature brats and/or twats for much of the game."

Nothing major to report here but the two video's off Kingsflix that anyone can get.

And

Matt Moore of CBS Sports breaks down the schedule. Here is a handy breakdown of rest days for each team for the East and West.

Ken Berger's thoughts on on other NBA thingys going on. Read his piece with Mark Cuban if you have not. It's terrific.

Mark Deeks of Sham Sports recently put out a GIF that showed every luxury tax amount a team has paid. As  you might expect if you follow these things, the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks lead the way by a very large margin. (What's strange is that the Knicks would have paid more tax if Allan Houston had been on the books for the remainder of his contract, and if they had not amnesty'd Jerome Williams. The Mavericks amnesty'd Michael Finley and the remaining 51 million on his books. Yikes!) There is also a quiz from Deeks on whether or not you know the 7 teams that have not paid the tax. I bet there are a few teams of the 7 that will surprise you.

James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom talks about an arena alternative. I would suggest listening to James and Jon Santiago's discussion of Summer League and other things as well.

A balanced look at Aaron Brooks arrival from Marilyn Kenyon of A Royal Pain. Bryan Rosa talks about discussing the actual trading of Jimmer.

Philip Rossman-Reich of Crossover Chronicles (and Orlando Magic Daily) thoughts of what Dwight Howard's options are now.

This is all I got for now. Have a good weekend.

UDPATE: One of the resident number geeks at Canis Hoopus posts his thoughts on how the West might shake out. In case you don't like that, read his thoughts on Andrei Kirilenko and Free Agent wings.

Well, here we are again. Another season. Another opportunity for pissing and moaning about the Kings opening up on the road even though their brutal stretch is from January to March with 19 out of 31 road games.

Here is the official Kings media release in case you're interested

There are 4 "National TV" appearances for the Kings all on NBATV. (Hence the quotes.) They are:

Nov 24th: Utah vs Sacramento 7pm PST

Dec 1st: Sacramento @ LA Clippers 1030pm PST

Dec 8th: Sacramento @ Portland 7pm PST

Feb 9th: Utah vs Sacramento 7pm PST

(I won't even laugh at the idea of both of those Utah games are because of Jimmer. Isn't that a given?)

Here is the whole season schedule

There are 17 back to backs, including 3 sets of 4 games in 5 nights. The Lakers come into town on Nov 21st and Mar 30th. The Heat come into town on Jan 12th. The Clippers come into town Mar 19th and Apr 17th (final game of the regular season too). The Nets come into town on Nov 18th.

The Stretch from Jan 18th to March 1st promises to be the most brutal of the entire season.

@Memphis, @Charlotte, @New Orleans, home against Phoenix and Oklahoma City, @Denver, Washington, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and at Utah. After 4 days off, the Kings play Utah again, and Houston on a home back to back. Then it's back on the road before the All-Star break to play a back to back against Memphis and Dallas. After the break, the Kings get the Spurs at home and head out on the road. Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, Orlando, and San Antonio hit this wonderful stretch of 5 games.

If you are hoping that the Kings make the playoffs, hope they make it from Jan 1st to Mar 1st intact. They will need all the help they can get.

Now that we have an idea of what the roster looks like, I thought it might be useful to take a gander at the future salary and how it may impact not just Tyreke Evans, but future moves beyond Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. All salary data and notes below are from ShamSports.

Sacramento Kings

Notes:

1. John Salmons final year is guaranteed for a million dollars.
2. Team Option
3. Final year is guaranateed for 2.65 million
4. 2nd season is based off a 4.5% raise and 3 million base salary
5. Final season is guaranteed for 100,000
6. Final season will be guaranteed if Thomas plays in 50 games averaging 15 MPG in those 50 games

The most interesting thing for me is that while the 164.796 million isn't a small "total" number, it's actually nearly unchanged from last season (159,048,574). So when the Maloofs go out and say they spent money this off-season, all they are really doing is switching the mirrors and swapping faces. Long term, when ownership is simply switching places and handy dandy, it really doesn't mean anything other than how infatuated you are with Shakespeare. Sadly, that's about all I know. (Or care for that matter.)

The main takeaway for me is that despite the "upgrades" of this off-season, the team has about 5 million more in committed salary beyond this season than last season. That's despite committing 80.28 million in total salary last December, the Kings managed to add about 5 million more of long term salary this summer over last season despite the long term deals of Salmons, Thornton and Hayes. The Kings have committed to 54,127,978 in total dollars this off-season. Note, that's simply total dollars. That's not "dollars owed". When you factor in partially guaranteed salary for everyone on the roster, the number drops in the 18-20 million dollar range. (I'm too lazy to calculate that. I did quick math and it's in that range. Feel free to calculate the exact total and leave it in the comments.) Much of that comes from John Salmons (his contract was negotiated by Milwaukee in 2010), Garcia (this was agreed to when Garcia signed an extension in 2008) and Jason Thompson (negotiated this off-season).

Strangely, despite the illusion of spending money, the Kings are not spending much money in the aggregate. All they are really doing is switching the mirrors and blowing a lot of smoke. Which leads to fans being upset about John Salmons not being amnestied despite there being no logistical cap or basketball reason to do so.

Here we go again. Another move to placate a fan base that "we are trying" to win. Another player that doesn't really fit a great need (although I guess you can say Brooks has proven production?) but is a veteran that has been part of a winning organization at one point in his career. Or something.

Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

That's my main gripe. This is not about Aaron Brooks. It's about valuing what matters to this team, rather than making cosmetic changes that make it look like they are trying to show how they are going  to win. I got a much longer much nastier much more mean spirited post against Geoff Petrie and the Maloofs on that front. That's not Aaron Brooks fault. I'm just not a huge fan of smallish PG's like Brooks whose main value is to score. Even more so on a Kings team that already struggles on the selfishness/chemistry front due to two young players who don't understand the concept of what "running a play" actually means. (Yes I mean Cousins and Evans.)

Brooks is a smallish PG (about 6'0) whose primary ability is on the offensive end and is scoring the ball. And to play with the ball in his hands. (Let me know where you've heard that one. The Kings are collecting a whole set. They got a white guy from Upstate NY, a black guy from LSU country, and a black guy from Seattle. They're all the same player give or take an atribute here or there! An albano, a Princess Bride reference, and a partridge and a pear tree and the Kings will have the whole set. Way to go Petrie!) Career 24.6 USG% rate, eat your heart out!

Lovely. Just.....lovely.

These are Brooks stats. Not historically a great 3pt shooter. (Which is what the Kings are hoping would return no doubt.) Decent in that Brooks is a 36% career 3pt shooter (he regressed in a big way his last season in Houston and Phoenix). Which means what? I'm hoping that regression doesn't continue, but not hopeful.

The good news is that if Brooks doesn't work, it means that the Kings won't have to pay him much beyond next season. But, yikes! If it does work? Well, okay. I'm not opposed to that. But as of right now, with 7 G's, yes count them, 7 Guards on the roster (Evans, Thomas, Salmons, Thornton, Garcia, Brooks and Fredete), that's a bit much yes?

There has to be a trade (or two), and 50 wins before I feel happy about this move. Which won't happen, and that's the damning shame of it. This roster isn't being buiilt to win. It's being built on the appearances of trying to win. Which just means, as all things Maloof, it's just one big happy glitzy sham that doesn't mean jack shit.

It's good to be a Kings fan isn't it? Yay! Aaron Brooks! We spent money. Now, the Sacramento Black Holes isn't just a somewhat silly Bill Simmons joke; it's a very scary almost foregone conclusion.

According to Marc Stein, the Kings have acquired James Johnson of the Toronto Raptors for a future 2nd round pick. Sam Amick has confirmed it's a 2nd round pick in 2014.

Look for that one to be finalized Monday. Kings to add Johnson on last-year deal for their frontcourt rotation. Raps to shed a $2.8M salary

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 16, 2012

Jason Jones has confirmed as well.

This is what James Johnson is: A physical defender who doesn't shoot the three well. The adjusted +/- for 1 and 2 years is pretty good considering. (I don't know why. I don't know that much about JJ.) He's making 2.81 million dollars next season assuming you care.

Key numbers here: .070 WS/48 49.8 TS% 100 DRtg (Toronto's DRtg was 104) USG 20.2% TOV% 15.1%

Do I have a problem with Johnson? No. Would I prefer that it be part of a bigger trade with Golden State to get my unicorn? Yes. But I'll take what I can get and I've seen much worse moves than this. (Come on down Travis Outlaw.)

If nothing else, maybe Johnson can upgrade the defense and provide a temporary fill spot for the SF position for the next season. After that? I'll worry about next year when it comes.

As far as moves go, this rates much better than the play to get Outlaw or Hilton Armstrong. Much much better. There's really little downside to grabbing Johnson. If the upside is that he gives solid production this season, I'll take it. Long term, I'm not fond of this guy because I don't think he's the best fit. Short term? Any upgrade is an upgrade that's in a position of need. The Kings didn't give up an asset as they did with JJ Hickson (although I don't really care about that either), and Johnson can fill in and play starter minutes right away.

A nominal basketball move on the cheap. What a surprise. But there could be worse things out there I suppose. Welcome to a Maloof owned basketball team kiddies. This is the best you get. I hope Johnson doesn't regress next season.

This is Geoff Petrie's quote from Jason Jones' story in the Bee today:

"We can't get it all with one player," Petrie said. "We would like to do some prudent things to improve our roster and still give us some flexibility going forward. To still improve ourselves at small forward, improve our shooting and probably get a little more creativity in the backcourt if that was possible and continue to build with a young nucleus."

Translation: We're too cheap to actually pay for average production so we're going to roll the dice on a cheap alternative and hope it works this time around.

This time? It just might. Keep your fingers crossed.

UPDATE: A youtube mix that seems pretty reasonable. You'll notice a lot of dunks. Not a lot of defense.