Seattle might be getting an NBA team at the expense of the Sacramento Kings.

Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski breaks so much NBA news that he’s become basically the only national basketball writer everybody absolutely needs to pay attention to. Wednesday, Woj blew up Twitter with the claim that the beleaguered and much maligned Maloof family was about to sell the Sacramento Kings to a group of investors from Seattle who had the intention of returning the NBA to the Emerald City.

Various Twitter discussions and arguments broke out following this announcement. Everything got spun up just a little more when claims began to surface that the Maloofs had denied the $500 million offer that had been made on their team.

As of right now, nothing has been finalized. The Kings are in Sacramento, and Seattle is without an NBA team. But anybody who has paid attention to Wojnarowski knows that he is very rarely wrong. Chances are, this kind of mammoth scoop will not be his first misstep. Here’s his story on the whole deal.

The Kings have been in various degrees of turmoil, both on and off the court, for a number of years. Still, Sacramento has a strong tradition and a loyal fan base, seeing a small market team sunk by bad ownership then shipped away is never fun. The twist, of course, is that what is in the process of happening to Sacramento happened not too long ago to Seattle.

The SuperSonics made the NBA Finals in 1996, and won at least 57 games in the three seasons between 1995 and 1998. The Sonics were Northwest Division Champions as recently as the 2004-05 season. But then in July 2006 Starbucks’ CEO and head of the Basketball Club of Seattle sold the beloved Sonics to Clay Bennett and a group based out of Oklahoma City. By 2008, the Sonics were no more. Seattle fans, many of whom had been following the team since its inception in 1967, could do nothing but watch as the Oklahoma City Thunder grew into one of the strongest teams in the NBA.

Well, they could do more than nothing, I guess. There’s the film Sonicsgate that focuses on some of the more shady elements of the deal that first gave the team to Bennett and then moved the team to OKC. Acclaimed author, poet, and Sonics fan Sherman Alexie testified on behalf of his favorite team before a federal judge. Save Our Sonics night became a thing at the Rose Garden in Portland and the Key Arena in Seattle. If the Maloof deal goes through, it seems that all their pleading was not in vain.

But just as the Sonics are doing to the Kings what was done to them, so too will Kings fans do what Sonics fans have been doing for years now. Here We Stay has been a thing in Sacramento for awhile, and they aren’t going away just because it looks like their grassroots movement didn’t accomplish what they hoped it would. In fact, Here We Stay has launched a petition to keep the Kings in Sacramento with a local owner and add an expansion team in Seattle. The petition is here for anybody who wishes to sign it.

I certainly can understand the heartbreak Kings’ fans are feeling right now. Back in the early 2000s, the Blazers were in a tailspin, they’d burned through a number of players who had collectively worn out their welcome, the team was losing, and nobody was showing up for games. Paul Allen’s Oregon Arena Corporation filed bankruptcy and it seemed very possible that the Blazers would be be no more.

Public support for the Blazers was impressive following the bankruptcy filing, similar to the outpouring of support in both Seattle, and Sacramento, and David Stern himself made it known that he would do everything in his power to keep the Blazers in Portland.

Maybe the market wasn’t right, maybe Paul Allen had a change of heart or was really playing a high stakes game of chicken as The Oregonian claimed he was doing, or possibly the effort made by his front office to bring in talented character guys like Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge convinced him his team could win (and make money) again. Whatever the case may be, the Blazers stayed and for better or for worse continue to thrive.

There’s no real moral of the story here. Sacramento fans will feel slighted if their team leaves; Seattle fans will be elated to get the Sonics back (which is what will happen, they won’t be the Seattle Kings). The plight of the small market will remain until every team in the NBA is relocated to either New York and Los Angeles (with a couple teams in Chicago and a couple teams spread evenly through the major metro areas of Texas).

What Portland fans can take away from all of this is that in 2013-14 it will likely be much easier to travel to at least two away games, and an important Northwest rivalry has been renewed. That, and it really helps in a small market that is subject to the highs and lows of winning and can’t recruit big-time, game-changing free agents to have an owner who literally has endless funds.

If Paul Allen was in the same financial situation in 2004 as the Maloofs are in today (regardless of the bankruptcy filing Allen had PLENTY of money then and has PLENTY of money now) he would have certainly sold off his team.

The NBA is first last and always a business. Basketball is important, it’s the product after all, but like it or not, business comes before all else in this league.

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com

Damian Lillard helped lead the Blazers late in their blowout win over the Kings on Wednesday. Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Linton Kwesi Johnson is what as known as a dub-poet. According to Wikipedia, his performance poetry includes recitation of his own verse in Jamaican Patois delivered over dub-reggae. It’s an obscure sub-genre within spoken-word poetry, a type of performance art that barely anybody knows or cares about.

LKJ is amazing. Here’s an example:

That piece is called “If I Woz a Tap-Natch Poet.” You can read the words here if you’re like everybody on Earth and had no idea what LKJ was on about.

So what is this all about?

Well, if I was a cynical Blazer fan, I would ask, how come this team can play so well one night against the Sacramento Kings that they ended the game at halftime, but only after getting embarrassed by the same Kings not once but twice?

If I was a cynical Blazer fan, I would ask, when will Portland be able to make a 26-point fourth-quarter lead hold up without the help of five guys who are all averaging at least 30 minutes a game (two of those five averaging nearly 40 minutes)?

If I was a cynical Blazer fan, I would ask, seriously, with the minutes distribution being what it is and Portland’s bench being wildly inconsistent, how long can we expect this team to go without an actual injury? And when/if that injury happens how long does it take before a promising season slips away?

If I was a cynical Blazer fan, I would ask, is Terry Stotts continuing to start Victor Claver because he lost a bet?

But I’m not a cynical Blazer fan, so I won’t be asking those questions. Instead, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to forget that Portland “managed” a series tie with the Kings, a team that will finish at or very near the bottom of the Western Conference. I’m also going to forget that the Blazers are about to go on the road for another long trip and that they are 4-9 away from the Rose Garden and look like a very different team when they aren’t in front of their home crowd.

Forgetting all those things, Wednesday went about as well as it could have possibly gone for Portland. The Blazers needed to get stops. They needed to not get killed by Sacramento’s deep shooters. And they needed to dictate the pace and dominate the run of play. They did all of those things. And they did them in spades.

Portland put up a gaudy box score Wednesday night. If you’re into that kind of thing, here are the numbers that stand out: 50 points in the paint, 20 fast break points, 27 second half points. Sacramento was close to Portland in fast break points with 18, an indication that Wednesday’s game was played at a break-neck speed and wasn’t always totally under control. Other than that though, the Kings’ 36 points in the paint and 11 second chance points were way off the pace set by the home team. That’s about as close to team domination on the offensive side as we’ve seen from the Blazers this season.

On the defensive end too, Portland was clearly the better team. Sacramento shot 41% from the field and 38% from three. Those are decent numbers for the Kings, considering the overall sense of futility that their offense engendered. What was pretty key, though, for the Blazers was not letting every dude in a Sacramento jersey go off all at the same time. John Salmons had himself a nice evening, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep, and finishing with 19 points to lead the Kings. But a good game from Salmons was tempered by bad shooting nights from Marcus Thornton (2-of-9 from the field and 2-0f-6 from three), James Johnson (2-of-9 from the field 0-of-1 from three), and Isaiah Thomas (4-0f-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from three).

The Blazers keyed in on team defense, just like they keyed in on team offense. Sacramento is a team built on one-on-one players. Portland isn’t. By playing team defense that forced the Kings’ shooters into contested threes and kept Jason Thompson out of the lane for most of the evening, the Blazers were able to capitalize on Sacramento’s weak decision making and shot making, and were able to get out in the open court for easy scores. Easy scores were the difference for Portland Wednesday. Figuring out how to reliably develop easy baskets is the only thing the Blazers should be focusing on for the next couple of games.

As he’s been most of the season, Damian Lillard was the story Wednesday night. Sure LaMarcus Aldridge scored an efficient 28 points shooting 11-of-21 from the field and 6-of-7 from the line, J.J. Hickson added 17 points and 14 rebounds for his ninth-straight double-double, and Nicolas Batum filled up the stat sheet (for better and worse) yet again with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block, and six turnovers, but it was two threes from Portland’s marquee rookie that put this game on ice when the Blazers’ bench let Sacramento cut what was a 25-point lead by 12 with less than six minutes remaining in the game.

Lillard has done it all and more this season. He’s exceeded even the grandest expectations. Wednesday it was his calming hand that put the finishing touches on an important win. It will be what he didn’t do Wednesday, though, that was on everybody’s mind after the horn sounded. Lillard finished with 17 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, two boards shy of a triple-double. Damian is going to get a triple-double this season, and when he does, he’ll basically lock-up the Rookie of the Year award.

Post game, head coach Terry Stotts asked if he would leave a guy in late in a decided game in a effort to get that guy a triple-double. Stotts said he would. When Damian was asked if it meant anything to him to collect a triple-double, he uncharacteristically said that yes it did mean something to him, and in fact when he realized he was closing in on 10 boards he actually started chasing them down. Like I said, that triple-double is coming. My only hope is that it happens at home so the Rose Garden fans can give their new favorite guy the ovation he deserves.

Portland had a second rookie show up Wednesday night, though, and if you ask me there’s a good chance that the performance of that rookie might be the biggest overall takeaway. Will Barton played 26 minutes and contributed 14 points, 10 in the first half. He couldn’t shut the door by himself, and wasn’t on the floor when the Blazers made their final push to seal the deal, but he was a big part of Portland’s big first half that basically put the game away in 24 minutes.

When asked about Barton, Damian said his co-rookie doesn’t lack at all for confidence. Barton concurred. That being said, getting some solid minutes and looking sharp in those minutes should be a big confidence booster. My feeling is that since Victor Claver has been a non-entity as a starter and since Wesley Matthews is still out, Will Barton should be in the starting lineup Friday against the Lakers. What more does a young guy need to jump start what could be a very promising career than getting rewarded for a big night by getting into the starting lineup at the Staples Center?

That’s all I’ve got for this one.

Box Score

Standings

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com

Will Barton had a season-best in scoring Wednesday night with 14. Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins will be once again suspended when the Kings face the Blazers Sunday in Sacramento. Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA Today Sports

The Sacramento Kings have given the Blazers a nice early Christmas present. Saturday afternoon they suspended DeMarcus Cousins for “unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team.” Now in his third NBA season, Cousins’ obvious skill has only been outpaced by his total inability to function as a professional basketball player. Without Cousins, the Kings are mess. Cousins is a mess. The situation is not good.

Sunday evening Portland faces the Kings for now the third time this season and the second time in three weeks. The first time these two teams faced off, DMC was serving a two-game suspension for a hostile confrontation with Spurs announcer and consummate professional emeritus Sean Elliot, his first suspension of the season (he also sat one game earlier in December for striking O.J. Mayo in the groin). On that night, the Blazers were victorious 103-86, their first real blowout of the season.

The second time Portland and Sacramento squared off, DMC was back in the Kings’ lineup. That night, Sacramento tuned up the Blazers 99-80. Cousins contributed 19 points. He may not be the difference, that night Portland was way out of sync and played about as badly as they have all season, but he might just be the best player on his team. When your best player is also the one who is the hardest to control, you’re team is in trouble. Like I said, all is not well for the future Virginia Beach Kings.

Blazers Starting 5: PG Damian Lillard, SG Sasha Pavlovic, SF Nicolas Batum, PF LaMarcus Aldridge, C J.J. Hickson

Kings Starting 5:PG Aaron Brooks, SG Marcus Thornton, SF John Salmons, PF Jason Thomspon, C Chuck Hayes

Yet another favorable match-up situation for the Blazers. Instead of getting into for the third time, here‘s my preview from earlier this month, and here‘s my preview from last month. The idea for Portland should be simple, play a little defense, take care of the ball, and get good high percentage looks. I said basically the same thing about Saturday’s game, and I know it sounds simplistic, but for the Blazers the formula is becoming pretty simple.

Portland is superior to Sacramento at most positions, but not one Blazer is going to beat the Kings by himself. A team effort from all of Portland’s roster should be enough to extend the Blazers’ winning streak to six.

What to Watch For

• Portland’s bench. I’ve got Sasha Pavlovic starting at shooting guard with Wesley Matthews not making the trip. Pav isn’t the Blazers’ most potent scorer off the bench, but he’s one fewer reserve meaning somebody else is going to have to step in a make up for him being inserted into the starting five. Will Barton hasn’t had a big night in awhile, neither has Joel Freeland. Sunday’s game should be pretty open and loose. Barton might be able to thrive in that environment. Freeland, on the other hand, will probably struggle against Sac’s formidable front line. That being said, banging with Chuck Hayes et. al. might be a good way for Joel to shake out the cobwebs a little bit.
• Damian Lillard versus Aaron Brooks. Lillard is on a tear this month, just as he was last month. Aaron Brooks is the kind of guy who has given Damian nightmares. Brooks got the better of Dame in Portland. Damian blew up in Sacramento with Brooks spending much of the night not playing. I expect big things from Damian on Sunday, but I expect big things from him every night.
• Dictate and dominate. I’ve said it a couple of times already, but it’s the thing to look for with these Blazers. Saturday they once again found a way to win. Sunday, it would be nice if Portland could set the tone early, and carry it through for a full 48 minutes.

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com