King-sized Wishes

With how busy I've been, I haven't gotten to do many blog posts in the past month. But last year I did a post on my New Year's wishes for the Kings. I decided to make this a tradition, so here are my wishes for the guys:

For Kevin Martin that he'll be able to play soon.

For Francisco Garcia that his wrist will heal quickly, and I'll see him out on the court soon.

For Beno Udrih that he continues being an active and consistent scorer.

For Andres Nocioni tht he continues to hit big threes in games.

For Omri Casspi that he continues to grow as the great player that he is.

For Jon Brockman that he continues his "Brockness" in rebounding and scoring.

For Sean May that 2010 gives him more opportunities to show his great playing.

For Sergio Rodgriquez that he continues to be consistent with his great numbers off the bench.

For Tyreke Evans that he continue to "Reke" havoc and become rookie of the year.

For Donte Greene that he keeps playing his game and being awesome.

For Jason Thompson that he continues getting lots of boards.

For Kenny Thomas that he continue to make it tough for the other teams on the defensive end.

For Spencer Hawes that he continues hitting those awesome threes in close situations.

For Coach Westphal that he continues rockin' it on the sidelines.

The team is playing fantastic with a phenomenal record of 14-18. The record will soon be 15-18 after tonight v. the Mavs, where I'll be sitting and rooting for them.

Goooo Kings!

Giving Thanks

I know this is sort of late to do this, but I've been really busy. Here are the sports things I'm thankful for this season:

1. The Kings being 7-8
2. My football team went 6-0 this year
3. Running the 5K for Run to Feed the Hungry
4. Basketball season starting at my school and my dad coaching my team
5. My new, cool basketball shoes

What are you thankful for?

Kings First win in 09-10

On Monday night, the Kings beat the Grizzlies in over time 127-116. Now they are 1-3. Kevin Martin led them to that win by scoring 48 points.

At the beginning of the game J.T. came to center court and at first I thought he was going to sing the national anthem, which would have been really funny. But instead he got us pumped up.

In the first quarter, they got themselves in a slump, but in the second quarter they really came alive. They tied it and then they led the Grizzlies, and then the Grizzlies tied it again, and that was pretty much the story of the game -- well, in regulation, of course.

During the timeouts, I really liked watching the break dance crew. I also liked the "Mystery Karaoke" with Jon Brockman and Spencer Hawes. It was really funny! And I saw some of the Grizzlies watching it, too, and they liked it.

Then in overtime, in the first two to three minutes, nobody really scored, but in the last two minutes, they Kings really came alive. Once the Kings had the game pretty much wrapped up, the Grizzlies hit two shots. In the last two minutes you could feel the vibration of people clapping and cheering. There was not one person sitting -- everyone was on their feet. In fact, I had to cover my ears, it was so loud!

It was a wonderful game and I was glad I was there to see it. Now let's get the next win on Wednesday v. Atlanta at home.

Goooo Kings!

Kings vs. Warriors

On Saturday night, I went to the Kings v. Warriors game. Our seats were in a suite, which was pretty sweet. It was a great experience because I've never been in a suite before. The Kings had the lead for almost of the whole game and they beat the Warriors, 101-94.

I was really impressed with how good Tyreke Evans did, passing-wise and shooting-wise. He had a lot of assists, and he scored 16 points. Jason Thompson had a double-double, scoring 20 points and a WHOPPING 20 rebounds. Kevin Martin also did exceptionally well, scoring lots of threes and faking out guys.

The highlight of the whole night for me was when Spencer Hawes hit a three-pointer in the first quarter. Usually the big guys are in the paint, so it was cool to see Spencer hit one from the outside.

I'm also posting a couple more photos from my interviews from media day. Enjoy these photos of Tyreke and JT.

I'm looking forward to going to the season opener at ARCO on November 2. Gooooo Kings!

Kings Media Day, Part 2

So this is part two of my first post, which had two interviews from Kings Media Day. Visit The Sacramento Bee's website to see a short and long video of my interviews with the Kings players and Coach Westphal.

Kevin Martin

Q: What did you do this summer?

A: I went to Hawaii with my fiance.

Q: I heard you play video games. What's your favorite?

A: I have PlayStation 3 and my favorite game is Madden NFL 10.

Q: Did you like hosting a kids basketball camp this past summer?

A: Yes.

Q: In high school, besides basketball, what other sports were you good at?

A: In high school, I only played basketball. Before that, I played football, baseball and basketball.

Q: What do you like most about the new guys?

A: Their work ethic. They're all working really hard.

Spencer Hawes

Q: What is it like being 7 feet tall?

A: It's inconvenient most of the time. But it helps me do what I do on the court.

Q: What do you like to do when the team is on the road.

A: I like to sight see in the cities we visit.

Q: Besides center, what is your favorite position?

A: Center is my favorite position.

Q: Who is the toughest player you play against in the NBA?

A: There are a lot of tough players, like Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and others. Yao is the toughest.

I was at the Kings Open Practice last night. They scrimmaged each other, and it was really fun. It was so interesting how they practiced. Everyone watching was so excited when they dunked! I got to see the new Kings players play, like Tyreke Evans, Jon Brockman, Sean May, Desmond Mason, Sergio Rodgriguez, Omri Casspi, Lenny Smith and Melvin Ely. Look for my upcoming posts for interviews with the new players and the rest of the team.

I think we'll have a great team this year! Gooooooo 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!

Harold Pressley's Basketball Camp

My friend Jack and I had the chance to go to a basketball camp this summer hosted by former Sacramento Kings player, Harold Pressley. He let me interview him for my blog, and here are the questions I asked him:

When did you first know that you were going to be an NBA basketball player?
I first knew in June 1986 when the Sacramento Kings drafted me.

Did you practice basketball every day?
I practiced every day, eight hours per day.

How many seasons did you play NBA basketball?
I played in the NBA for four years with the Kings, and I played for five years in Europe, mainly in Spain.

What advice would you give to kids who want to be NBA players?
Work as hard as you can and believe you can, and you will do anything.

I would really recommend this camp because it is really fun, and it builds your basketball skills. We worked on shooting, rebounding, passing and ball handling. We did a lot of drills and also played games. We worked really hard all week and had a lot of fun.

My favorite part of the week was when I won two hot shot contests. For the contest, there were three places you could shoot from -- the block was worth one point, the free throw line was worth 2 and the three-point line was worth three -- and you had to make as many shots as you could in a certain amount of time. In the first contest, I finished in two minutes with 33 points; in the second one, I shot 13 points in thirty seconds. I won a really cool water bottle that came with free soda refills for the rest of the day!

In addition to Harold coaching, there were two other coaches named Zach and Randy. All the coaches were nice and helpful. They had awesome basketball skills! And they could dunk, too.

I hope you liked my interview with Harold Pressley. Until next time, goooo Kings!

Sam the Man

Yesterday I did an interview with Sam Amick. He's really nice and approachable! For people who don't know, Sam is the top reporter who covers the Kings in the sports section of The Sacramento Bee. Before we met, I thought of six questions I really wanted to ask Sam - -and here are his answers for you to read:

Q: Did you always know that you were going to be a writer?
A: I first knew I wanted to be a writer when I was in college.

Q: Do you go on the road with the Kings?
A: I go on the road with them but on a different flight.

Q: Who do you think the Kings should draft?

A: Rubio, if he's available.

Q: When you were a kid did you play sports?

A: Yes, I played basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling and football. Baseball was my favorite and basketball my second favorite.

Q: What NBA player would most help the Kings?

A: Hedo Turkoglu

Q: Did you like that the Kings got Paul Westphal?

A: Yes because he's had a lot of success in the past.

Sam also gave me some advice, which is "Write what you believe." I think this is really cool advice because it means I should always write the truth the way I see it.

Some of you might remember my post about the Kings grades that Sam wrote. Well, Sam and I disagreed about the grades, but what was great was that Sam didn't get mad about it. This goes back to his advice for me -- write what you believe.

This upcoming season both Sam and I are looking forward to exciting games, like a game that's tied with 10 seconds left and then the Kings hit a big shot to win it. I'm looking forward to the fun King events, meeting more players, seeing how Paul Westphal coaches, and I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing who we get in the draft!

Thank you, Sam, for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. If you ever want to meet with somebody and eat ice cream and talk Kings again, I'll do it!

Until October, gooooo Kings!

Cardinals Baseball

I've spent the past few days watching the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinal's record is 15-7, which is the best record in all of Major League Baseball. Yes, that is very exciting, but what is cool is their bullpen only has 2 or 3 blown saves so far. For example, the Cardinals had a 1-o lead over the Braves, then the Braves scored 2 runs to win the game 2-1.

The Cardinals have been strong in 1 run games; their record is 4 and 3. The Cardinals' Albert Pujols has already blasted 7 homeruns and 26 RBIs so far this season. He's not alone. Ryan Ludwick has 5 homeruns and 19 RBIs so far. These guys have both battled some sicknesses this year, but they've been able to play and give a great performance each night. This inspires me, and is why I'll be a Cardinals fan through thick and thin.

Are you wondering how I'm catching all of these games? Well, my dad found out how to watch games online. It's really fun. I pull up the web site (mlb.tv) and log on using my e-mail address and a password. Not only do you get to see the game in HD, they give you live commentary and team stats. For example, when they have a new pitcher come in, they show you the pitcher's stats. And when a batter comes up to bat, they show the batter's stats. When there's a score change, they put it on the side of the screen to let you know that some team in another game has scored. So, I can keep track of my Cardinals, plus all of the other MLB games going on at that time. It's so cool, and it's been an interesting experience. Do you watch games on mlb.tv, too?

Gooooo Cardinals!

How the Kings Ended the Season

Tonight the Kings played the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even though I did not get to see the whole game (I was at basketball practice), I can say that the Kings stayed with it in the fourth quarter, which is usually when they lose games, and they won 97-90. But tonight they played like they were in an NBA championship game! They played like they cared, which they could have just said, "We're done. This season's a failure. Who cares if we win?" That's what I love about them. They never quit. I like how my team just doesn't give up when times are bad. That inspires me.

The Kings played fantastic at times during the season, but their record did not show it. I can't even count how many times they should have won games this season. Here's a wild guess: 4o. Let's go through some of them. They played Portland and should have won (92-91). They played Golden State and lost 143-141. What about San Antonio on Monday? Terrible call at the end of the game, and they got burned 95-92. (By the way, a rule they need to make in the off-season is they should be able to review plays that could change an entire game.) What about the game v. the Lakers? Or what about the Cavs? The list goes on and on.

I think overall the Kings played great. As I said before, their record didn't show how hard they played. My player of the year is probably JT or 'Cisco. JT because he's played in every single game this season and gave a lot of effort. 'Cisco because -- there's so many things! One is he played even though he was injured. In my mind, he's the heart of the team. His scoring has gotten even better than before, and so has his great defense. Also, 'Cisco was awarded the triple-double award, so whoever decided that is on the same page as me.

Can't wait to see the Kings next season. Most of my blogs now will be about baseball, and I'll also talk about the spring basketball team I'm playing on.

Until October, gooooo Kings!