Kings Mailbag: Will the game against Pelicans be closed to fans? Who will guard Zion?
In this week’s mailbag, Kings fans are worried about the coronavirus and Zion Williamson as their team prepares for a critical game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
Going into the game, the Kings, Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers are tied for ninth in the Western Conference, 3½ games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth seed. This is among the first in a series of play-in games as these teams fight for a spot in the playoffs.
How will the Kings stop Williamson? Will fans be able to attend the game or will the arena be closed due to coronavirus concerns? Let’s get right to your questions.
@Jon_Catterson asks: What are the rough chances this empty-arena-games thing starts tomorrow? I have tickets to the Pels.
At this point, I’m told upcoming events at Golden 1 Center will proceed as scheduled, but honestly it feels like that could change at a moment’s notice.
The NBA told teams last week to prepare for the possibility of playing games without fans due to the COVID-19 coronavirus threat. The league issued a memo saying teams should identity essential staff necessary to conduct games and be able to quickly communicate with nonessential staff, as well as ticket holders, should it “become necessary to play a game with only essential staff present.”
The NBA will hold a conference call with owners Wednesday to discuss the situation, which is rapidly evolving. The NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL and Major League Soccer have closed locker rooms and clubhouses to nonessential staff. High schools and colleges are already canceling events and closing arenas to fans, in some places. If the NBA is going to do the same, at least in the short term, that determination could be made during Wednesday’s conference call, and those changes could be put into effect immediately.
The Golden State Warriors were the first to act Wednesday, deciding to play home games without fans for the foreseeable future in observance of the San Francisco Health Office’s order prohibiting events of more than 1,000 people, according to ESPN.
@GordonGeco asks: I think (Wednesday’s) game is one of those Do-or-Die situations. If the Kings don’t get a ‘W,’ it’s all over for them this season. Do you know what the current mindset is of the players and coaching staff?
The Kings have remained pretty businesslike since they started their surprising run into playoff contention. Some have been reluctant to use the “P” word over the past couple of weeks, but even coach Luke Walton has acknowledged now that his team is in a playoff race.
Still, the coaches are focused on day-to-day game plans and their season-long emphasis on half-court execution and defense. Most of the players are repeating most of the same talking points, so they’re staying focused, too.
“It’s exciting, but we have no space for a lot of happiness and excitement at this moment,” Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic said. “… We have New Orleans and … a little road trip after that, so we have to be ready to lock in.”
@EvanLevy916 asks: Who do you think would be our best player to matchup with Zion defensively?
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Williamson is logging 92 percent of his minutes at power forward and 9 percent at center. He’s literally giving 101 percent, simultaneously defying the laws of gravity, physics and mathematicians.
Walton says slowing Zion will be a team effort with multiple looks from multiple defenders. This dude is 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds, fast, explosive and powerful. I don’t know if anybody can guard him, but Harrison Barnes, Kent Bazemore, Nemanja Bjelica, Harry Giles III, Richaun Holmes and Alex Len are all going to get a chance.
Holmes was asked about Williamson following practice Tuesday.
“The closest comparison I can really think of is a more explosive Charles Barkley,” Holmes said. “… How aggressive he is, how physically dominant he is. ... I don’t think we’ve seen anybody like him.”
@GordonGeco asks: Any chance we could see Jabari Parker in the rotation tomorrow?
That’s an interesting question that hasn’t come up with Walton over the past couple of days.
Parker hasn’t played since the night he made his Kings debut against the Grizzlies on Feb. 20. He had four points, four rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes but made only 1 o f 6 shots that night. He looked rusty and maybe a bit out of shape after being hurt for weeks before the Kings acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks.
There really hasn’t been any indication Walton plans to make Parker a part of his rotation, but I can tell you Parker was giving Holmes the business in 3-on-3 drills in one of the final tests for Holmes before he returned from his shoulder injury. Parker looked fantastic, scoring on Holmes in a variety of ways. Parker has a questionable commitment to defense, but at 6-8 and 245 pounds, he might be the closest the Kings can come to meeting Williamson at his center of gravity. That probably wouldn’t work either, though, so more than likely you’ll see Barnes and Bjelica trying to stay in front of the young bull with instructions to Giles, Holmes and Len to be on red alert for paint protection.
@BuRuSkEeE asks: Will the front office/ownership care about the fan-funded sign put up on WB US-50 and Hazel? Or will they continue to keep (the) routine despite not equating to the postseason for seven, going on eight years now?
A group of fans have crowd-sourced funding for a billboard that essentially calls for Kings general manager Vlade Divac and his front office to be fired. Fifty-eight people donated a $1,700 to a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the billboard.
“Dear Sacramento Basketball Team,” the sign reads. “After seven years of dysfunction, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We want a competent front office!”
Will the front office and ownership care that someone put up a billboard in Rancho Cordova, 20 miles away from Golden 1 Center? Honestly, probably not. At the moment, most of them are pretty focused on the playoff race and fallout from the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 11:33 AM.
