The Kings Have Heart

  Jon Brockman, New Kings on the Bloc, Omri Casspi, Tyreke Evans by kingsconnect

Last night I checked my phone and was disturbed to see that the Sacramento Kings were down 80-53 in the third quarter and then checked my phone again and saw that they had cut the lead to 88-71 and at that point thought that they had a chance of pulling off an incredible comeback.  I received an email a short time later from my father informing me that the Kings accomplished the improbable and came back  to beat the Bulls in Chicago by four. As an avid Kings fan I was of course ecstatic and could not believe that the Kings pulled off one of the greatest comebacks of all time and at the same time had to wonder how in the world the Bulls allowed such a thing to happen?  This pathetic defeat has got to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro who could be out of a job by Christmas Day. In fact just two years ago on Christmas Eve (of all days) the Bulls fired their coach Scott Skiles, so it would not be unheard of for them to act as the Grinch to Vinny D once again this year. It’s so incredibly sad that Vinny Del Negro may have coach his last game on the professional level against the team that drafted him with the 29th pick in 1988, the Sacramento Kings.  It wasn’t just that his team lost the game, it was the way they lost which will sting for weeks and months to come. The Vinny Del Negro led Chicago Bulls were up by over thirty points in the second half and ended up somehow blowing the lead completely and losing, with the kicker being that the game was played in their own building, The United Center.  

One could easily focus on the futility of the Bulls players and coaching staff, but the credit must be given to Paul Westphal, rookie Tyreke Evans, and the entire Kings team who could have easily given up and chalked it up as another awful road loss, but instead they never stopped believing in themselves and in turn pulled off one of the greatest victories of all time.  Last week the country witnessed the excitement of the rejuvenated Sacramento Kings as they defeated the Wizards on ESPN, and now after consecutive road victories over Brandon Jennings’ Milwaukee Bucks and Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls, the country should take note of one of this year’s great surprises in the NBA. People can call me crazy but it is my belief that not only will Tyreke Evans run away with the Rookie of the Year award, but with the great addition of Israeli sensation Omri Casspi, second year star Jason Thompson, a healthy Kevin Martin, and the aforementioned Evans, the Kings will make the playoffs this Spring. I know that at this point the odds are stacked against them, but with Paul Westphal’s leadership and GM Geoff Petrie’s brilliance, along with players who have the heart of a lion, the unthinkable can be accomplished.

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