Basketball Round-up

Congratulations, Sam!

If you don't know already, Sam Amick the Kings reporter for The Sacramento Bee has left to cover the whole NBA on http://www.nba.fanhouse.com/. I will miss reading his stories in the paper every morning, but I can't wait to see his articles on FanHouse. He's the greatest!

Kings

The Kings beat the Clippers last night, and Beno hit a career high 17 assists. That really helped the Kings win. My mom's been talking about the "Beno Factor." She thinks the Kings play better when he's on the court. I completely agree with her! Beno's presence on the court gives the Kings something special. He runs the offense so well.

Carl Landry is another player who has been playing great. He scored 24 against the Clippers, and he's consistently scored like that since he was traded to the Kings. He has a killer medium range jumper and drive to the basket. He's been a great addition to the team.

Francisco Garcia has played great since he's been back from his injury. Cisco's been consistently scoring, passing and defending. I especially liked schooled Brandon Jennings last Friday when he defended him. All night, Brandon had to really work for his baskets.

I can't wait to watch the Kings game in a few minutes. I hope you're watching like I am.

Goooooo Kings!

Kings Media Day, Part 1

Yesterday was Kings Media Day, and I got to interveiw all the Kings players for http://www.sacbee.com/! The video of my interviews will run on Sunday, October 4, so check it out. All of the players were so nice. I was pretty nervous at first and was actually sweating! But then it got to be really fun because after I'd done a few interviews, I realized the players would be really nice.

Over the next week, I will be doing seperate posts containing a few players interviews every post. Since I was interviewing the guys in front of a video camera and not taking notes, the answers below are from memory and not exactly how the players said it.

Francisco Garcia

Q:What did you do this summer?

A: I played for the Dominican team and relaxed.

Q:What do you think about the new guys on the team?

A: They've been working really hard.

Q: What do you like to drink during the games -- water or sports drinks?

A: Water

Q: What is your typical pre-game meal?

A: Chicken

Q: What do you like to do on your off days?

A: Relax and swim in his pool.

Q: Will you be hosting a kids basketball camp this summer?

A: Yes

Q: I'm a big St. Louis Cardinals fan, and I know that both you and Albert Pujols are from the Dominican Republic. Do you know him?

A: I do know Albert. I talked with him over the summer; he's humble and hardworking.

Donte Green

Q: What are you mist excited about for the upcoming season?

A: I'm excited to play basketball.

Q: What do you have planned for the Donte Green Show?

A: I'm going to maybe show up on a farm with Kevin.

Q: What did you do in the off-season?

A: I worked out pretty hard to get ready for the season.

Then I told Donte that I follow him on Twitter, and he laughed. He told me to send him a message, but I follow him through my mom's twitter account.

So, these are the first two interviews I'm posting. I'll post the rest of the interviews over the next week, so keep visiting. And before I sign off, I want to do a shout-out to Sam Amick, the Sacramento Bee's Kings reporter for making it possible for me to go to the Kings Media Day. Thanks, Sam!

I'm really excited for the new season. After interviewing the players, I think we're going to do really well! Goooooo Kings!

Talking with Francisco

Tonight was the greatest night of my life! I got to meet Francisco Garcia at the Raley's "Get Kids Cooking" event. Francisco was so cool -- and tall! AND he agreed to let me interview him for my blog. I was so nervous, but he made me feel comfortable. Here are the questions I asked him, and what he said.

Q: What's your favorite thing about playing in the NBA?

A: Francisco told me that he plays for the love of the game.

Q: What's your favorite position on the court?

A: Francisco said his favorite positions are point guard and shooting guard.

Q: Who or what inspired you to be an NBA player?

A: He said his uncle would take take him to the park to play basketball, and that his uncle inspired him to be an NBA player.

Q: What do you think the team needs to do to win a play-off spot?

A: He told me that the Kings need to do three things: Play together, play harder and believe.

Q: What advice would you give kids like me, who want to make it into the NBA?

A: Cisco said listen to your family, stay in school, and don't let anyone tell you you can't make it.

I can't wait for tomorrow's game against the Utah Jazz. I hope the Kings can pull out a win. I know I'll be cheering extra hard for Francisco, especially now that I know what a great guy he is. Gooooo Kings!