What's Up with the Kings?

On this bonus episode of The Heat Check, It's time to check in on the Sacramento Kings, and I'm gonna just give it too straight. It's not going great for our Kings. I do get my two favorite NBA guys in the world, though, on Damian Barling and Kenny Caraway ESPN thirteen twenties Deloy Casey Show to open up about those Kings. I've got some thoughts on what they can do to make some moves. Kenny thinks the roster might

The following interview a cure on Newlonksey Show on.

East cancerteen twenty. The show airs verse twelve to four Pacific time three seven Eastern Standard time on any Friday. It's also available in the Odyssey Happen as well as wherever you get your podcast. So let's jump right into it.

You know, I was just talking to a Spurs Beat reporter right before I came on with you guys, and I asked him his name's Matthew Tynan, and I think he's got the best Spurs sub stack out by the way, Like, if anybody wants Spurs content, like, he's really good. He's the only reason I know what's going on with them, Like actually the nuances and the details of the team and.

Uh, shockingly top five defensive rating team just nuts. Anyway, So I asked.

Him his most disappointing team outside of Philadelphia, and he said the Kings. He was just like, you know, as someone who watched a lot of Damarro and San Antonio, this is his opinion, not mine.

I just want to preface that by saying that.

He said, you know, I just couldn't understand how tomorrow was going to fit into this like very free flowing offense where Damar kind of becomes the system at some point and he kind of becomes the center of gravity, and how that was going to work with a team that, you know, when they were playing really well two years ago, was very much like a free flowing system and they what are.

You guys, what's the what's the record right now?

Ten eight ten?

Yeah, And He's like, and this is really just the the easiest part of the schedule, and it's gonna get a lot tougher from here. So if they're eight and ten right now, it could be a blood bath moving forward.

Yeah, it's time.

No, it's pretty frustrating, man, because I thought they were better come into the Sea. I still think they're better than the way they've played in the last week. We can have two weeks, but they you know, they're they're not doing a whole lot right. They can't hit shots, they can't stop the three. Now you know, the free

Do you think this team you guys can answer honestly because I don't actually know the how I feel about it. Do you think this team has an identity?

No, I don't have that. I don't you want me to like. No, they don't have one.

It's not defensive, it's not it's not the high octane offense it was two years ago.

They don't have one.

What I don't know if this is an identity or not. You guys can help me out.

I think their identity is a high scoring offensive team and they're not. They're not executing like that's who they are.

They're trying to identify as a high offensive scoring team, but they're not.

That's well, that's who they are. That's what they're going to be if they're gonna win. Like, we look at them and we say, what's their identity? How are they going to be the best version of themselves? If they're scoring at a high clip and that's who that's who they are, that's they're just not executing who they who they are or they're supposed.

To kind of high octane let's talk about that. Okay, So say that's where we're working towards. What kind of high octane offense are you talking about?

Are you talking about threes and lays and dunks?

Are you talking about you know, easy two's mid range? Are you talking about lots of back cuts creating space like you're seeing with a team like Cleveland. What kind of offense is generating these easy looks? If you were to say Kenny, because obviously me and Damien I don't think that's our perspective, but like, if that's what they're gonna be in what way are they going to be that, and do they have the horses to be that.

They were supposed to be an offense that actually can can give it to you any way you want it.

You know, if you want, if you want.

If you want ball movement in the DHL game, they got that. You want to hit threes, they got Keegan, Kevin Herder, Kean else those guys to get threes. If you want to go ISO, they got Dearon Fox, they got Demarta Rosen. They can do that too. They were supposed to be a jack of all trades on the offensive end, and the ISO game is okay. But to me when I look at him Trista, the thing that is kind of just done them in is they can't

Anemic shooting the ball right now. Anemic.

And that's kind of the one aspect of their offense that hasn't shown up. And who knows if it ever will. But the Damar is scoring, Deerren scoring, They're doing io stuff. Sabonus is still doing what he's doing, dribble, handoff wise and all this other stuff.

They just can't shoot.

That makes it a very ugly visual game. For sure. I'm out. I've been out. I continue to be out. On Kevin Herder playoffs. Yeah, I'm out. Like he's got to go.

You know, Mike Brown joining us, You're on Sacramento Sports Lead.

By the way, how about Harrison Barnes getting Player of the Week?

Okay, eight point seven rebounds a game for a week?

Insane?

Anyway, I just thought I'd add a little salt to the wound. They gotta make some moves, make some moves.

You don't think the roster is constructed as good? Well, obviously you just said you don't like Kevin Hurder.

So no, I think Kevin Hurder is not a guy that I can trust. And that's really yeah.

And and I don't know if it's a change of scene or anything.

I don't know that that needs.

To happen, or if it's a role thing, if it's a confidence thing, if it's a mechanical.

Thing, but Cavon and Sacramento that needs to be that needs to come to an end, in my opinion, is just just not working problem.

I don't think cavan is here.

Yeah yeah, yeah.

We haven't seen Cavon since two years. Remember that game winner he hit and it was like, oh yeah, red velvets Stephan here. You know, it's like ice water in his veins. The highlights are going crazy. I just think maybe mentally he's sort of diminished. It is not maybe a sense of self, it's just not there, you know.

You're not gonna get anything.

Back for him that's gonna really like be useful right this second. But that's probably fine he I think it's additioned by subtraction with him, like can't.

I don't know, I don't know. If he's reached that status you.

Can't have him on the floor and City is gonna make shots, then.

Why would those other teams why would they trade for them?

Because sometimes well because I think it's a think about this, Like, sometimes a change of scenery makes all the difference in the world, right, like those battle scars, a new message, new person, a new place, a new set of teammates, new just like you know how Like I don't know if you guys have ever done this, but have you ever tried to like sort of revive or reform yourself the next time you date someone, Like I'm gonna be a little more, I'm gonna take the trash out more

Gonna like these people.

This new person doesn't know that I can't make threes, you know, Like they don't know, but.

My habits are.

You know what the difference, TK is if you don't take the trash out in front of the twenty nine other teams in the league, they gonna know you don't take the trash.

That's true, that's true.

But it could be just a voice in your ear.

Hey, maybe trist is right, because goddamn Harrison can rebound. Now, maybe's onto something.

This is what I'm saying is is sometimes players, for whatever reason, based on the ingredient some team, right the stew that they're put into the pot with. For whatever reason, they just change. You're seeing a negative reversion in KCP. KCP his whole career has been a forty percent three point shooter. For whatever reason, the anemic three point shooting has infected him in Orlando. And I think he's shooting like eight eight percent from three or something crazy.

It's it's awful, look it up. I think it's sub It was sub ten percent like two weeks and so.

I know, and he can shoot the leather off the ball. So I don't know what's how all that how that makes sense? But I think most people would say, I think KCP can shoot.

Maybe he just can't shoot in Orlando. Maybe he doesn't like the arena. Maybe there's like who knows, who knows where it is.

But there's always gms that think and coaches that think that they can change that player.

They look back and see what Kevin was in Atlanta and they say, I think he can get back to what he was from in Atlanta.

Let's take KCP is shooting twenty two percent from beyond the arc one two three three of the last five years, he's shot over forty percent. The two years he didn't he shot thirty nine percent, thirty eight percent. This is a forty percent three point shooter. He' shooting twenty two percent from beyond the ark right now.

Yeah, it's insane. So I think there's something to that.

Well, he got swapped out for Keon Ellis last night, so I guess maybe this process has started. Of course, I don't know how much more Mike likes Keon than Kevin.

So does Mike anyone? I mean, who does he like?

You look, he likes, he likes, he likes the the other guys on the team.

I think he likes Malak And I don't know if he's we're talking.

I don't know if it's a don't like Keon. I think it might be a don't trust or don't believe.

Yes, yes, And they Damien pointed it out, you know, over the summer, and it seems like he's spot on. It's more of him and Monty looking at like, No, that's that's a cool little story.

That's that's Q. That's cute.

But you know, he's not a starting two guard like y'all kind of bugging when you say that. And that's how they look at Keon potentially and definitely.

They're looking at it like they're seeing the Rando report.

Guys are random league that you need to know, Like this is Kean ellis you know, like they're like he's a fun feature in s I you know, nice.

Man age. Yeah, keep an eye on ke Ellen.

Yeah, yeah, literally keep an eye on him. But he's not starting. Like that's if you don't need to say keep an eye on him.

If he's gonna be in the starting rotation, he's gonna be in your mind's eye.

I like you too.

I think I think he can be a starting two guard on it on a good team.

Yeah, I think he can be.

Do you think, like, do you think this King's team needs needs like another player? I know you said audition by subtraction with Kevin Hurder, but do they need Cam Johns?

I like Cam Johnson? I don't. I don't know.

Do they need something to be a good team. I don't think they need I don't think the Kings need something to be a good team. They may need something to be a contender, but I mean, come on, man, how much more do they need? They got dearon Fox, the Montessons, the mart Rose and we like Keigan Murray Malik Monk to be above five hundred.

They need a little bit more. No, they don't. These guys need.

To be clearly, they're not as good as sorry t K go ahead.

Who is shooting anywhere close to sniper range? And what is his current three point percentage?

No?

One?

Yeah, you need at least one, and you need really more than.

One, so en team at this point.

And that's insane. That's insane because that.

Was never I don't get mad at me. I just think it's sad.

No, I know, I mean, but that's that's that notion that Dearn Fox and I, as you guys know, am like I ride for Daron and his three point shooting has really gotten a lot better in the last few years, and I love that for him. But if he is your leading three point shooter and that's the guy that has the ball in his hands a lot where he's gonna have to take a lot of tough shots, yeah, you need to figure out some way to take the pressure off of him from the perimeter.

Well, Damar shoots U hang on, hang on, hang on, hang.

On, don't look at it.

Key On Kean is forty four point six.

How many attempts per game, Like what two?

Maybe?

Yeah, two and a half?

Like the Aaron is six attempts point game per per game and he's at thirty four and a half. Yeah, like shoot like shooting a number of consequence? Yeah, de Aaron at thirty four point five.

I look at this situation where if we look at like they they cause Tristan, I'm looking at it like, I think these guys are better than what they played.

I think they need to step up. They need to play better.

Keig and Murray need to knock down some of these open shots, you know, they need to find more cohesion, Like they need to play better this group. But if people are telling me they ain't got enough, to be honest with you, then everybody should be open for a trade, like everybody's open trade, Keegan's ass. If that's the case, Like, if this ain't good enough, I just named five players that I think are really really good. If that's not good enough and you need more, then what do we like?

So beholden to.

Some of these guys for I think you're right, Kenny, I think you're right.

I think outside of outside of Fox and sabonas open for business.

And once again, I don't agree with that.

I think Hegan is a guy that you keep around, but I also think he's young again.

Like I don't know, maybe Kevin is infecting him.

Man, that's wild verbiage to use two days before Thanksgiving or any tuesdays.

But that's fine.

How about your dubs? You think that's real. That's a discussion in this building.

I don't think it's real.

But the last time, here's the thing, this is how our dubs got started. Is the last time I really said it with my full chest was nine and one.

You will not be And they played it around the locker room.

And that's how me and the Butcher Boy got into our little beef and all them and on their show and there yep yep yeppen and calling me.

A clown, and what happened to our dubs? Our dubs won the title that year.

So I only have good things to say about our dubs, because Lord knows I want nothing but the.

Best for them.

And you only have good things to say about butcher Boy too.

You know it.

Butcher Boy put him in ad seg Let people sort it out.

I'm watching Mayor of Kingstown. It's a Mayor of Kingstown reference.

Yeah, I was trying to remember where I heard that from. I didn't watch that whole season.

I came in in like the last four or five episodes my wife was watching. I was like, are you watching? And that's how I watched it. But a good show, good show from what I saw. Can I ask you a non NBA question.

Since we got you for a little bit, Yeah, of course.

It's hard to like really say anything about the guy because he's won two national championships.

I don't know if I like Dan Hurley.

He behaves like a buffoon on this What he did yesterday and the way he was acting.

Yesterday is a joke.

Jo their question, No, it's.

A statement, Well what do you think? Do you agree?

So?

I think I told you guys this story before, but for people who didn't hear it, I'll say it again.

Two years ago Thanksgiving, I was back. Was it two years ago? I think it was.

I was back in Portland to see my mom for Thanksgiving. She ended up sadly getting COVID and so Phil Knight had his I don't know what you even call it. It's in a regular tournament. It's a tournament, but it only happens when he has a monumental birthday.

So it was the philm Night eighty five and.

He had like a multi team, like two tournaments for the men's side, one tournament for the women's side, And that was when North Carolina was ranked number one in the country.

They were in it.

Perdue Is zach Edy, they were in it.

Alabama, Nate Ods, Brandon Miller, they were in it. Yukon was in it. But you kind at this point when they played, Dan.

Hurley was on the hot seat.

He didn't have a good year of the year before.

They weren't really like being talked about, and they were playing Alabama in so in Portland there's like the Moda Center and then there's the Memorial Coliseum right next door, where like the Portland Winter Hops the Junior League team plays. And that gym is like smaller than my high school gym.

Not even gonna lie to you.

So I'm sitting watching Yukon Alabama, which is insane that it was in that gym.

That just tells you what people thought about Yukon.

And we're in that little gym and I'm probably five feet away from Dan Hurley, Like the gym is so small that his chair and like the sort of like chairs to the players were like maybe two steps from the front row of like the bleachers or whatever. So I'm sitting next to this woman and Dan Hurley is losing his mind about every loose ball, every single possession.

He is tripping. He calls over the ref right, calls over the.

Reft by name, knows him, and then mother fs him to his face to the finger, his finger in his face, pointing like this multiple time, like he's a Bitch's a bitch kind of like that, right, And I look over at this woman. I'm like, he is a madman, this guy. And I don't really at this point know a lot about Dan Hurley past the Hurley legacy, right, and I look at him, like, oh, what is he on right now?

I'm sitting next to his wife and she's like, no, he's tripping, tripping.

She's making calls, she's i think, like the PR Department.

I don't know what, because she's trying to alert them.

This guy is right on the edge. He's on the precipice of being like kicked out.

Of this hole.

He's physically putting his hands on these reps. Nay oates calms can be just like in his little red pole. And I said to Brent Barry, Brent Barry was working in the scouting I think he was. I always get his role wrong because he was not an assistant GM, but I think he was like VP of something at the Spurs. And I said to him, what do you think of them? And he said, well, either they're going And I think it was so right. He's like, either they're going to tune him out by Christmas, or they're.

Gonna win the whole thing. And they did.

And so I've followed Dan Hurley pretty closely since then, and I've watched every press conference. I see how hard his players play for him. I see the type of recruiter that he is, and how he wants to build a team, and how he thinks that one player can really ruin the chemistry of a team that can become a cancer. I love him like I really do love him more than any other coach. But what he did yesterday I think was just on such a.

Big scale that if he would have done what he did against Alabama, you would have been saying that two years ago, because I don't think that was even television.

He's unhinged all the time though. That's who he is, and that's I don't know what it was.

Oh, look at him again. He's about to do it again. He's about to do it again. Come on, man, are you serious? Like, right on que he blows a gasket. Look at him, This dude right on Q Live blow a gasket.

As Trade trist is telling that story, they might lose this game.

It's hard to like really say too much because he's won. He's won two national championships in a row.

So I mean, I guess it's working to like you said, the players seem to love him or whatever, but he just looks crazy.

That was an egregious foul as boy got away with.

Did you see when they won by forty the other day and he was like that second half was just the most disgusting basketball I've ever seen.

When we got up by twenty six, this.

Dude is screaming at everybody in sight.

Yes, Curly Camp, I think all State or State Farm or what of these insurance companies could literally have a camera sponsored by them to follow the train rep the car rep that is Dan Hurley against the refs. Did you see when he he he pushed his own player during the NCAA tournament last year and he like literally pushed him, like don't get him and.

He didn't even know he was doing it.

Oh man, I just I'm dying to see who he fights if if Colorado somehow hits a shot right here, you know.

And you know the other thing that like I don't want to say I don't like him because I don't.

I don't.

I don't think that much about Dan Hurley. I just see when he has these outbursts, I'm like, this is ridiculous. Is the thing that frustrates me is he's allowed publicly to behave this way without any kind of recourse.

Like nobody talks about Dan Hurley.

That was like me and trist at the first conversation about Dan Hurley just now. And I'm just gonna use an example. It's a different sport, but I can prime like they'd be on his head regardless if you want or not. They you know, they talk about you know, they talk about how much they they didn't like the way Bob Knight behaved and this guy does the same thing and Bob Knight one two.

Oh, my man hit him with the lebron. One stop guys. One stop, guys, what's the Colorado's up? Seventy three, seventy two? One stop guys, one stop.

They don't feel like the same Yukon team.

I will say that I was texting somebody who loves college basketball too yesterday.

And when they were playing Memphis.

It's just these these tournaments, these these feast sweet tournaments are where Yukon usually thrives. And last year they didn't look good because Donovan Klingon was hurt early to start the year, so you didn't really know what they were. But you know, you kind of can't really shoot right now except for like guys like Alex Caravan, who are your forwards and your bigs like Samson. They don't have

But I don't think people put up.

With it nearly as much as they do when you're blowing teams out by forty and you're like, when we went up by twenty six, these guys played like.

Dog meat, and it's like, oh, that's hilarious. You know, like they're obviously performing when they're losing the Memphis and Colorado, we've got real problems. If you're gonna call the Raffle loser, well he.

Got the Lakers or up too from that whole fiasco last off season or whatever it was, got fine.

Luckess and t JJ.

Reddick though, operates very similarly.

You're right, yeah, right, yeah, Uh, Mike is lucky. He only got fine.

Yeah, Mike gotta Mike gotta have for attempting to murder an official.

That's how Sean Cunningham's feet of that and Mike I think he chest bumped them.

I thought it looked like on the TV he did.

I ain't trying to snitch, but well, l.

He's been fine, has been levied.

Uh yukon final possession three miss Hurley, I'm inspiring.

To get the Hurley. Yeah it's over. No, then you gotta talk to them first. Before he talked to the ref're gonna shake hands.

For he's the.

Fine.

Maybe he's gonna maybe he's gonna beat up a buffalo. We'll see more kids are destruct No. Oh yeah, they know they're just strut because they know they're about to get cussed out.

Oh, they're definitely getting cust Oh.

They they probably they gotta they gotta swim home from Maui.

Uh. Then Hurley gonna be like the coach in the varsity Blues. I will not let you guys MC you're like this. They will not do this to my legacy.

This reminds me of when h North Carolina two years ago was the number one overall team ranked and you can tell based on that feast week non com Nope, they are not what everybody says they are, and.

That might be, just might not be.

We got to get all these replays in so we can't see Dan yelling at everybody in sight. Hey, have a great holiday, TK, Enjoy your whatever it winds up being your. Enjoy the cupcakes. I know those are fire, yes, but watch out for the brownies.

You guys too.

I appreciate you guys are definitely one of the top things that I can look back and say I'm truly thankful for, as is the Chatty House. So like you guys, will be one of the blessings that I count on.

That day for you too.

All right, we'll see you next week.

That's all the time that we have for this bonus episode the Heat Check. Happy Thanksgiving to y' all, many thanks tod Lo and Casey. Come back tomorrow for the new Rookie Report, and check out the feed for past episodes, many episodes which drop unexpectedly, like the Washington Commanders on

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