HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Reports had Tyreke Evans spending the summer refining his mediocre jump shot. Clearly, the Sacramento star has also put in work on his handles.
Watch the video, form an opinion on Evans' dribbling at a recent Pro Am Event, and get at HoopsVibe News with thoughts in the comment box below.
--Oly Sandor.
But a month after the draft, Evans also has some questions: Is he still the Kings’ starting point guard? Or, is he being moved to shooting guard to make room for the heralded rookie? Team officials gave Evans no answers after the draft, and they can’t speak to him until after the lockout ends.“I don’t know how we are playing it,” Evans said. “Am I going to be the point? Is he going to be the point? At the end of the day, whatever one they lead me to, I’m just ready.”
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: There’s basketball. And there’s the business of basketball.
Tyreke Evans should understand the Sacramento Kings picking Jimmer Fredette in the first round of the 2011 Draft was part basketball and part business.
Sure, Fredette can play. Yet nobody is sure how his silky smooth jump-shot will exactly fit with the young, talented, and temperamental Kings.
Some of these questions have been compounded by the lockout, specifically the cancellation of summer league which would’ve provided a sneak peak at Fredette running sets with many of his new teammates.
The Kings selected Fredette, in part, for his off-court appeal. He’s already a cult-hero and such status will help a frustrated Sacramento fan base re-connect to the club after their near move to Orange County.
While there are concerns about Fredette’s on-court game, few have concerns about his off-court game and ability to sell tickets.
Even Evans shouldn't be confused by this.
--Oly Sandor
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
This year, the two leagues are facing off in a showdown game (August 20 in Washington, D.C., and). Thursdays the rosters were announced — and it is on.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: It could be the only basketball we get for months, so enjoy it.
The Goodman League out of Washington D.C. will take on The Drew League out of Los Angeles on August 20th in the nation’s capital.
What’s The Goodman League? What’s The Drew League? Well, these are the two best off-season pick-up runs in America.
For instance, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Durant, Tyreke Evans, Ty Law, and John Wall regularly represent for The Goodman squad, while DeMar DeRozan, Brandon Jennings, James Harden, JaVale McGee and Nick Young will ply their trade for The Drew team.
Fans can watch this epic battle by streaming it off the internet.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Everything can change in a year. Just ask Tyreke Evans.
Last year, Evans was the darling of the NBA, a co-winner of the Rookie of the Year award and the face of the up-and-coming Sacramento Kings.
Then he got caught in a less than ideal video. He struggled with injuries, conditioning, and DeMarcus Cousins. Not surprisingly, he and the Kings suffered.
Today, Evans is wiser. There is also renewed hope around the Kings. They’re staying in Sacramento and drafted cult-hero/sharp-shooter Jimmer Fredette.
Click the video below and listen to Evans’ thoughts on his newest teammate.
--Oly Sandor.
Agree or disagree? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
Sacramento Kings rookie DeMarcus Cousins got into an altercation with teammate Donte Greene after Cousins didn't get the ball on the final possession of a 99-97 loss to Oklahoma City Saturday night, two league sources said, with one source adding that Cousins was not allowed to join the team for its flight to Phoenix for a game Sunday night.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: If you haven’t figured it out, something is wrong with the Sacramento Kings.
Very wrong.
It’s bigger than who takes the last shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It’s bigger than coach against player. It’s bigger than two blue-chip talents losing their cool after a tough defeat.
The Kings are in a power struggle: Tyreke Evans versus DeMarcus Cousins. Last year’s Rookie of the Year against the temperamental but talented fifth overall pick from the 2010 draft.
Evans is used to having carte blanche or total freedom with the Kings’ offensive sets, while Cousins, who has played well of late, has recently been voicing his displeasure with this arrangement.
Take last night’s loss to the Thunder. Cousins wanted the ball for the final shot. He was unhappy with teammate Donte Greene for passing directly to Evans, who missed a game-winning three-pointer.
Cousins let Greene know how he felt after the play on-court and in the locker room before post-game interviews. Cooler heads did not prevail on the team plane, where an altercation between Cousins and Greene took place.
For now, Cousins has been removed from the team. It remains to be seen if this is a short or long-term punishment.
Here’s what we know: something is off with the Kings. Perhaps it’s the team’s young stars. Perhaps it’s Coach Paul Westphal. Perhaps it’s the team’s uncertain future in Sacramento. Perhaps it’s all three.
However, it’s time for veteran executive Geoff Petrie to take control. Enough is enough. If Westphal must go, so be it. If Cousins must go, so be it.
Things are far trickier with Evans. Yes, he’s a potential superstar, but his play has been mixed in 2011 and he has made poor choices on-and-off court.
Giving up on the 20-year old swing could be a colossal blunder. Given the right situation, he could blossom into an elite, crème de la crème type player.
In Sacramento, Evans is part of the problem. Not the solution. Right now, Petrie needs solutions –even if there’s not an easy one to be had.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Good for Tyreke Evans. Good for the beleaguered Sacramento Kings fans.
Late last week, the Kings and Memphis Grizzlies were locked in a close battle. With seconds remaining, the Grizzlies pulled ahead 98-97 on an OJ Mayo floater.
Game over, right? Well, wrong.
Evans alertly grabs the inbound pass, takes one dribble, and converts a miracle heave to win the game. Hopefully, this is the start of a turnaround for Evans, who has been bothered with foot troubles, and the lowly Kings.
The best part of Evans’ game-winning shot: teammate Donte Greene comes off the Kings’ bench and is celebrating on-court before the ball is in. Green, it seems, had faith.
Watch Evans’ game-winning shot and get at us with thoughts on Greene's reaction in the comment box below.
--Oly Sandor.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Even the other team’s fans went nuts.
Last week Derrick Rose crossed-over Tyreke Evans with such ferocity that Sacramento Kings fans couldn’t help gasping.
Their collective gasp is being replayed over-and-over again on youtube and internet highlight reels. Check out the clip and get at us with thoughts on Rose breaking Evans’ ankles.
--Oly Sandor.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Call us crazy, but getting arrested is not good.
Getting arrested for reckless driving when you're the NBA's Rookie of the Year is really not good.
And getting arrested for reckless driving when you're the NBA's Rookie of the Year and discovering there's a video of the ordeal making the rounds on youtube is really, really not good.
Such is life for Tyreke Evans, David Stern's premier freshman in 2010.
Evans - who supposedly has a team of mentors and advisors - was arrested after getting spotted by a police plane racing a friend through Sacramento like he was the star of 2 Fast 2 Furious, and not an NBA team.
Evans only wishes this nightmare was a movie.
Click the video below and get at us with thoughts on Evans' arrest.
--Oly Sandor.
"My future will be known when Toronto and my agents make a decision," Calderon said. "They are working daily for the best solution for me and the franchise. Now, there isn't anything new to say."
Calderon is Toronto's highest-paid player with the departure of All-Star Chris Bosh. He'll make $9 million this coming season, but his contract increases to $9.7 in 2011 and $10.5 million in 2012.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: One man's junk is another man's, well, junk.
It's no secret Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is having difficulty trading Jose Calderon and the remaining three-years and $30 million on his contract.
After all, Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats exposed Colangelo and Calderon when 'His Airness' pulled an audible in mid-air and cancelled a trade to acquire the Spanish point guard in July.
For a variety of reasons, Calderon could be staying put:
1) The recession is lingering. A lockout is coming next July. In this economy, few teams have the resources or desire to assume Calderon's big-ticket.
2) The teams that can afford Calderon want better value. For instance, he's earning star money but - with his poor defense and health - is really a reserve.
3) The league is stacked with point guards. Last year, Tyreke Evans, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Eric Maynor, Ty Lawson, and Darren Collison entered the league, and proved they could start or come off-the-bench.
Two years ago, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, D.J. Augustin, Jerryd Bayless, George Hill, Mario Chalmers, and Goran Dragic were drafted and have also shown they can play.
These young table-setters, who are tied to cheap rookie contracts, have killed the trade market for expensive veterans like Calderon.
4) Calderon thrived when Toronto played an up-and-down system. Back then, offensive basketball was enjoying a brief renaissance.
Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns aside, the renaissance is over. Defense is in demand, which means Calderon - the NBA's worst perimeter defender - is not.
So Colageno could be stuck with Calderon, a player he supported, paid, and has turned on. Things could get awkward if Calderon is in Toronto for 2011.
All will be noted by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the wealthy holding company that owns the Raptors, when Colangelo's contract expires next summer.
And the organization will not have any of these difficulties cutting ties with their underachieving executive.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: They’re putting ‘in work and watching their status escalate’.
While some players enjoy ‘The Life’ during summer, Tyreke Evans,OJ Mayo, and Derrick Rose, – three rising stars in the NBA - are refining their skills in a hot, dusty Los Angeles gym with trainer Rob McClanaghan.
Kind of refreshing when compared to the hoopla (pun intended) of the last few days, right?
Take a peak at the video below provided by Dimemag.com and get at HoopsVibe News with comments and thoughts.
--Oly Sandor.
"He said, 'I didn't know how fast I was going. I didn't know this or that.' I said, 'I'm sure you didn't know, but you've got to be smarter than that. You're 20 years old, you're independent, and you've got to make better decisions. What if you hurt somebody, or what if you hurt yourself? I don't care how late you were. You call and say you're going to be even later.' He's sorry he did it."
Julius, who is also known as "Doc," wasn't done with the phone call. He posted a message on his Twitter account Tuesday morning (approximately 11 a.m. Pacific time) saying he had told Evans he must apologize to the Kings and their fans. Evans, who could not be reached by FanHouse for comment, responded to his brother's demand less than an hour later, with the message on his account reading, "Apologies to fans, the Kings and my fam for bad decision making. Driving is a privilege & speeding was a mistake. I've def learned my lesson."
Which is exactly why "Team Tyreke" exists in the first place.
While many NBA players have entourages or extensive networks of family and friends, few -- if any -- are like the Evans bunch. They've been helping him learn lessons, and avoid these types of mistakes, from the time he was a rising young talent back in Chester, Pa. While he was dominating AAU tournaments, putting on a four-year show at American Christian Academy in Aston, Pa. and later starring in one season at the University of Memphis, they were creating a structure that was geared toward maximizing his talent and helping him avoid missteps on the path to prominence.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: This is what more young NBA stars need.
Instead of having a team of yes men who give into his every whim, Evans has legitimate mentors. There's a difference. Yes men won't say no because they're afraid of upsetting their meal ticket, while mentors have lives, life experience, and always serve the best interests of the person they work with.
Evans should be thankful for 'Team Tyreke'. After all, how many talented players have faltered because they had a posse of yes men instead of mentors?
Consider that Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph, and Antoine Walker have recently been in the headlines for off-court transgressions. This wasn't their first time in the news. And perhaps their fates would be different if a team of advisors were in place.
With his mentors, Evans, the reigning Rookie of the Year, will learn from this incident and be better for it.
Got thoughts on Evans' speeding ticket and Team Tyreke? Let us know in the comment box below.
Evans received 67 first-place votes (491 points) from a panel of 123 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Golden State’s Stephen Curry finished second with 391 points and Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings finished third with 204 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank says Dell Curry will be allowed to vote for all the other postseason awards, but the league did not want to put him in an awkward position with the rookie award.