This is about the preseason. Not about anything else. Just as an FYI. I could discuss the comments David Stern made or whatever, or talk about the Adrian Wojnarowski article stating that the NBA Front Office is pressuring the Maloofs to sell to Chris Hansen which would allow the Kings to move to Seattle, but I won't. Nothing has changed on any front whether it's the 7% being sold (finally a bit of news there) and where the team ends up. I suggest reading Carmichael Dave's piece at CSN a few days ago. Ditto with Rob McAllister's piece at Cowbell Kingdom. There are some interesting tidbits. As far as what Stern has said nothing Stern discussed tells me anything. Why? Stern never says anything and contradicts himself however and whenever he feels like it. In otherwords, money talks and bullshit walks. That is all the news fit to print. I've said what I needed to say already. Onto preseason....

First and foremost, it seems like James Johnson locked down the SF spot. I talked about this when Johnson was traded for, but nailing down the SF spot with average production is what the Kings need. At the time I wasn't not exceptionally fond of the move. Since, I've grown a bit more fond of Johnson's  physicality and unique tools that the Kings desperately need. 

With Johnson locking down the SF spot out of camp, that's one question that's answered right there. 

I'm not one to ever put stock into the pre-season for any reason. There are lots of variables. Like, a player playing his first game with a team (a la Dwight Howard with the Lakers), and thus what does it mean? Usually nothing. Tonight had an interesting wrinkle: The Lakers played their starters down the stretch, and the Kings played all of their reserves and DeMarcus Cousins. And, yes, the Kings won.

The key important part is that A) I think the Kings showed they can play with the Lakers and B) the Lakers bench needs a whole lot of help. A whole lotta help even. Whatever it is, fixing that bench won't just be helped by playing with the Lakers starters unless they just play better wholesale any way you slice it.

I don't really care about the Lakers bench though. I care whether or not a pre-season win can establish this young team moving towards the direction they certainly wish to move in. And, I suppose, any positive moment in pre-season that can help this young team along is better than nothing. Beyond that, it still very much is pre-season.

The pre-season proves nothing. It's a tool that helps teams, and I bet it will help the Lakers. Whether you go 8-0 or 0-8, the pre-season isn't real. The games don't matter. Rotations are being monkeyed with. It's really hard to say who gives maximum effort and who doesn't. What I do know is that the Kings are better off for winning at Staples if for no other reason than it's better to win than to lose I guess. Does it mean anything for the regular season? Nope, and it never does. Bank on it.

After the jump the rest of the observations....

Okay. Let me be on record on saying that I think a likelihood for the Kings seems anywhere from 25 wins to 40 or even 45 wins. But 45 wins? Is that really impossible? That's what we are discussing here, and I would say that based on previous seasons that the answer is of course no. Therein lies the problem however: This team is not the same Kings team of previous seasons. And, of course, any real tangible improvement will be because Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins actually play as All-Star (or better) players all season long. 

I could contemplate a worse case scenario, but let me say this first: I won't bother. It's stupid. We've all seen bad teams, and bad teams are not fun to remember. (Useful from a context and information standpoint, but not exceptionally fun or enjoyable.) 

That said, I think it's possible that the Kings could win 50 games. After the jump I'll detail how.

Mainly because of life, I had forgotten that Kings Day was on Thursday on Bloguin's NBA blog Crossover Chronicles.

Here are all of the pieces for your perusal:

Welcome to Kings Day

Kings lose Major Sponsor

A video of the "glory" years

The Aaron Brooks/Isaiah Thomas dynamic

5 questions answered by myself surrounding the Kings this season.

That should be it for the Kings Day centric pieces.If you are interested, Crossover Chronicles is running a day for every NBA team and I suggest checking them out daily for pieces like the one's I just linked to.

Enjoy.

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.