Kings Pulse: A Sacramento Kings Podcast
By Brenden Nunes & Rich Ivanowski
Kings Pulse: A Sacramento Kings PodcastSep 11, 2019
What would a retool entail?
We debate if Sacramento should consider retooling this roster come the offseason. What the positive assets are to be used, who are the untouchables, what needs to talk place throughout the rest of this season. And we close with Rich giving away some beard secrets.
Reactions to The Athletic article
Sam Amick, Jason Jones, and Shams Charania dropped quite an article giving a peak to what is going on behind the curtains in Sacramento's front office. Mainly focusing on the relationship between Vivek and Vlade, mentions of Bagley's injury, and then the potential of Buddy Hield requesting a trade should he not start again.
What's changed since the Buddy/Bogi swap?
Since Buddy Hield has been moved to the bench in favor of Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Sacramento Kings have won 6 of 9 games. We take a dive into what has changed and allowed the team to be successful after just ending a losing streak prior to that. Also, we touch on the lack of transparency coming from Sacramento with the announcement of Richaun Holmes' injury and question if the team is better without Marvin Bagley.
Introducing the 2020 NBA Draft
We are joined by Bryant West, the draft expert of Sactown Royalty to pick his brain about the top of the upcoming draft class that the Sacramento Kings are likely to be selected in the lottery for.
Reactions to the Dedmon deal
The trade deadline happened fast, but there was not much action for the Sacramento Kings. They dumped Dewayne Dedmon's contract back to the Atlanta Hawks along with two second-rounders for Jabari Parker and Alex Len. We shared our thoughts on the deal.
Deadline Phone Calls
We do a Sacramento focused mock trade deadline of our own, acting in the roles of various general managers around the association and shopping or calling about some of the Kings' roster. The deadline is just a few days away now and Sacramento has been mentioned in rumors a fair amount of times.
Let's talk about tanking
We have reached that point. Sacramento has now lost 6 straight games and 15 of their previous 18 so we dived into tanking. What is it, is it effective, should the Kings tank? We also propose potential trades if they were to go down that route. Sorry for the sad episode, but it's hard to remain positive currently.
Bazemore insight w/ Chris Kirschner + potential sales
Chris Kirschner, who covers the Atlanta Hawks for the Athletic, joins us to talk about Bazemore since he spent the majority of his career in Atlanta along with sharing the Hawks' potential interest in requiring Dewayne Dedmon. We then talk a bit about the recent struggles, our comfort level in the core moving forward, and who should be on the trade block a few weeks out from the deadline.
Analyzing the Bazemore-Ariza trade
Something finally happened! Sacramento traded Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel, and Caleb Swanigan to the Portland Trail Blazers for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver, and Portland's own 2024 & 2025 second-rounders. We break down all aspects of this move, give it a final grade, and then discuss a looming Dewayne Dedmon move.
Recent news w/ Tim Maxwell
We are joined by Tim Maxwell of Sactown Royalty to talk about all the news from Sam Amick over various podcasts. Dave Joerger, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, and we touch on current head Coach Luke Walton and more.
Telling numbers for each player
We each pull one stat on each player that is the most notable or the most telling stat one game before the halfway mark of the season.
Mid-season Awards
We pick an MVP, DPOY, MIP, 6MOTY, and ROY for the Kings now that we are approaching the halfway mark of the season.
Sacramento's winning streak
The Sacramento Kings are now on a winning streak! In the absence of Richaun Holmes, Harry Giles got his first NBA start and Dewayne Dedmon was resurrected. Trevor Ariza won a game for the Kings?? Hoping that this could be a turning point for Dedmon, Buddy getting benched for an extended period and guarding Booker for some reason, and more.
Individual player progression with Sanjesh Singh
A win + Dedmon trades
The Sacramento Kings finally broke their 8 games losing streak with a win against the Memphis Grizzlies on the shoulders of De'Aaron Fox and Richaun Holmes. We also touch briefly on the loss against the Los Angeles Clippers and then dive into a few possible Dewayne Dedmon trades now that the center has officially requested out of Sacramento.
Talking through the struggles
Brenden and RIch go through the last 7 straight losses and touch on some of the trends of the games including Buddy Hield's inconsistent minutes and messages from Walton, Dedmon's trade request and expected return value, and Harry Giles finally seeing the floor.
Trade Hypotheticals
Trade season has begun and while we do not see any trades quite fit for the Sacramento Kings at this time, it never hurts to explore some possibilities. We took ideas from Reddit and Twitter and mentioned them along with our own in this episode, let us know which trades intrigue you the most.
CHA recap, Q&A on rotations and trades
We talked about Fox's return to the lineup in Charlotte and why the struggle was somewhat expected. Then we took some questions from Reddit and Twitter that lead us to conversations on the current rotations, mainly the frontcourt, and then potential trade pieces.
GSW recap, Bagley banter
We dive into the three most recent games against the Thunder, Knicks, and Warriors and Bagley's performance in the three of them. We also talk about him taking minutes from Richaun Holmes, if they should be playing together, Harrison Barnes's recent shooting struggles, De'Aaron Fox nearing his return, and more.
We deserve these wins, man
Professor Big Shots. F**k it. We deserve these wins, man. We start with recapping the Dallas game with Brian Zilem of the Blue Hardwood podcast, then Tim Maxwell joins us to get out all of his Luka talk that he is restricted from doing on twitter, and we finish with talking about the great ending in Houston where Nemanja Bjelicia treated us to some well-deserved wins, man.
Ranking the losses
It got worse, somehow. The Sacramento Kings have topped themselves once again this year for the worst loss of the year after blowing a nine-point lead with under two minutes left in regulation and eventually falling to the Spurs in overtime. It felt right to go through the memorable losses of the year and rank the top 5. Sorry for the sad episode, we can't help it.
DEN Recap & Ranking the players
Rich and Brenden dive into what may have been the best win of the year in a comeback win at home against the Denver Nuggets, led by Harrison Barnes. With some surprising play from different players throughout the year, we ranked each of them throughout the rest of the season, including the two-way players, going 1-17.
Thanksgiving Special
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our listeners, and in this episode we run with that theme by comparing all of the current Kings players to Thanksgiving dishes. Is De'Aaron Fox clearly turkey? Does Bjelicia have sauce enough to be gravy? Is cranberry sauce good at all? We also spend some time talking about Buddy Hield's career night in Boston that resulted in a loss and the tough battle against a defensive powerhouse in Philadelphia.
BKN & WAS recap w/ Ryan Ritter
It is our 100th episode of the Kings Pulse Podcast and Rich sadly missed out with sickness, wishing the best for him. We were joined by Ryan Ritter of A Royal Pain to talk with Brenden about the first two games of the East coast trip for the Kings in Brooklyn without Bogdanovic and in Washington. We covered Justin James's first significant minutes, got Ryan's thoughts on Dedmon's struggles and the lineups when Bagley returns, and more. Here's to the next 100.
PHX recap, Bagley update, road trip preview
Brenden and Rich dive into the quality win over the Phoenix Suns that was comfortable in the first half in big part due to Bogdan Bogdanovic scoring a career-high on the night with 31 points, cover an injury update with Marvin Bagley and his potential role when returning, and preview the upcoming 4-game road trip for the hot Sacramento Kings.
BOS recap & rotation talk w/ Tony Xypteras
Tony Xypteras of Sactown Royalty joins Rich to talk about the recent Kings win against the Boston Celtics, compare Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield, touch on lineup possibilities and favorites, and more.
Fox Injury & POR recap
The Sacramento Kings have lost their best player for at least a month's time. De'Aaron Fox has a left ankle injury that will have him reevaluated in 3-4 months. We dive into what this means for the Kings moving forward, who needs to step up, and who already has stepped up in the first game without Fox at home against the Portland Trail Blazers. Bogdan Bogdanovic had a great game and the defense showed some promise.
ATL recap, Reddit Q&A, Stockton Notes
We covered the final game of the road trip where Sacramento secured a victory over the Atlanta Hawks, but not without a return of the Sacramento third quarter. Bogdan, Ariza, and the bench were able to lead the team to a win, what was different with the bench lineup, a Q&A from reddit that had a focus on the rotation, and closed with some notes on the Stockon Kings debut games.
Notable Improvements w/ Omer Khan
To look at the progression throughout this season we are joined by Omer Khan of SactownRoyalty to breakdown the positive trends from adjusting to Luke Walton's system and what that system is in comparison to what Dave Joerger implemented last season.
Special Guest: Sean Cunningham
It is our first episode of the season where no games have taken place in between, so we brought on a guest to get a fresh perspective on this mediocre start to the season, Sean Cunningham of ABC10. He has been a credentialed media of the Sacramento media for upwards of 15 years now, a true long-time professional. We talk on his lower than average expectations headed into the season, the vibe around the team after dropping the first five, if they feel as though they turned a corner after winning two straight, the health and role of Giles, and more. The 916th man of this episode is a friend of the show, Jon Catterson.
2 straights wins, @TOR preview, 916th man debut
After five losses to open the season, Sacramento has given the fans something to get excited about winning their last two games against Utah and in New York. We discuss how much of it was the other team playing poorly or Sacramento playing well, our Pulse Performer for the two games, what happens to the frontcourt lineup when Marvin Bagley returns, and debut our new segment the 916th man. The 916th man is about giving our listeners a chance to be heard on the podcast and we will talk to one person at the end of each episode, you can contact us and be on the show as the 916th man on our twitter @Kings_Pulse.
More of the same, now sitting at 0-5
The Charlotte Hornets are the most recent team to take advantage of the Sacramento Kings seemingly attempting to lose every single game of the season. It is more of the same story, we share our thoughts on what needs to change, the likelihood of various moves throughout the season, a new over/under of 30 wins, and the best Halloween candy.
DEN Recap + Lance Woods!
The Sacramento Kings are still winless on the year after four games played, but their most recent showing at home against the Denver Nuggets easily showed the most promise. We discuss what was positively different, Richaun Holmes and if he should start, Buddy Hield struggling to shoot, and team defensive rebounding. Then to bring some light to the show, we are joined by a huge Sacramento Kings' fan and comedian, Lance Woods!
POR & @UTA recaps, DEN preview
Three games are in the record books and the Sacramento Kings are still winless after Portland and Utah. Where is the panic meter ranking now? How much is to blame on the players vs. the coaches? Are there any positive takeaways from the first three Sacramento showings?
Disheartening game one, Bagley injury, POR preview
Game one went as poorly as anyone could have imagined. We break down what we saw go wrong in game one, if we liked anything at all, and addressed the Walton rotations. With the news of Bagley being sidelined for 4-6 weeks, we talk about what that means for the Kings and what replacing his production will look like, along with previewing the home opener Friday night against Portland.
Hield deal, final roster moves, 10/23 PHX preview
Buddy Hield has agreed to an extension with the Sacramento Kings and we break down the base salary along with all of the additional incentives that are apart of that new contract. We also go over the final roster moves as the season finally begins and preview game one of the 2019-20 season in Phoenix.
Season Predictions w/ Tim Maxwell
With the regular season just right around the corner, we covered the Kings' awards with Tim Maxwell from Sactown Royalty. Who will be the Kings MVP, DPOY, MIP, and 6MOTY? We talked a bit more about the Buddy Hield contract extension situation, if could he be traded, and the likelihood of him signing an extension on Monday. Who is the most likely player to get traded mid-season and will Harry Giles play over 800 minutes? Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.
Buddy Hield extension updates w/ Jason Anderson
Buddy Hield extension talks are heating up and we are joined by Jason Anderson of The Sac Bee to get his perspective on everything going on with the situation. We also touch on Bogdanovic's extension on the table, the "mystery player", and Giles' health situation.
How the Kings matchup against each team
We run through all the other 29 teams in the association and talk about how we think that the Kings matchup against each one of them individually. Let us know which matchups that you think are the most favorable or the most challenging.
Preseason Notes, Q&A, and Buddy extension talk
We recap the preseason home opener against the Phoenix Suns, got some questions that we answer from Kings' reddit and twitter, plus dive into the Buddy Hield extension talks that are going on. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.
Season Preview: LAL with Gary Kester
We are finally done with our season previews, all 29 teams, and we saved the worst for last! We are joined by Gary Kester of the Lakers Outsiders to talk the Los Angeles Lakers, their trade for AD and keeping Kuzma, what SAC can expect from Luke Walton, LAL's new coaching staff, what is their best lineup, and more. Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.
Season Preview: TOR with Louis Zatzman
The defending champs are second to last on our season previews, and we are joined by Louis Zatzman of the Raptors Republic to talk how they bounce back from losing Kawhi and Green, developing guys with high success, expectations for next season, and more.
Season Preview: SAS with Bruno Passos
Could the Spurs be the team to fall out of the playoffs and allow Sacramento to end the drought? We are joined by Bruno Passos of Pounding The Rock to talk the Dejounte Murray's return and what it means for Derrick White, the Marcus Morris signing, an old-school type offense, and what life could be like post-Popovich in San Antonio. Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.
Preseason Recap: SAC 106, IND 130
Preseason game two in India was much less exciting than the first, but there still were some takeaways. Force feeding Marvin Bagley to start, Buddy Hield's passing, and a good look at the potential Stockton Kings.
Preseason Recap: SAC 131, IND 132
Finally, some new Kings basketball! Preseason game one is a wrap from India against the Indiana Pacers. What other way to start than a thrilling overtime game, we break down what we say from individuals in their play, the new players, new coaching style and more from game one. Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.
Season Preview: POR with Erik Gundersen
We are joined by Erik Gundersen to talk about a team that was just in the Western Conference Finals last season, the Portland Trail Blazers. Do they belong in the top tier of the league? Is Zach Collins ready for a significant role? Can Hassan Whiteside have a breakout year in a new system? Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.
Media Day Impressions
The season is finally around the corner! Rich was present at media day and we dive into everything notable that was said yesterday and what it means moving forward. Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there!
Season Preview: PHI with Jackson Frank
One of the Eastern Conference favorites is next up for our season previews, and we are joined by Jackson Frank to dive into the Philadelphia 76ers. The aspects of their potentially elite defense, the switchability, replacing Butler with Richardson, staggering minutes, how the offense will function, and expectations for next season. Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.
Season Preview: MIA with Brandon Di Perno
Onto a team that made a single big move in the postseason in landing General Soreness himself, Jimmy Butler. The possibility of being an elite defense, optimistic talks of homecourt advantage come playoffs, Bam Adebayo and Justice Winslow having larger roles, and more. Be sure to follow us on twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there and spread the word!
Season Preview: PHX with David Nash
Our season previews now move onto a familiar face that is in the same division as the Kings, the Phoenix Suns. We are joined by David Nash of the 7 Seconds or Less podcast to talk about some questionable offseason moves, the continued progression of Devin Booker, the new depth of the team, and of course, some Austin Rivers. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @Kings_Pulse to interact with us there.