Bay Area Buzz 12/16: Rudy Gay Makes Kings Interesting; Colin Kaepernick Impresses; Blowout Looks Bad For Dennis Allen
By Phil Watson
Dec 15, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) drives in against Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Houston Rockets 106-91. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Sacramento Kings More Interesting With Rudy Gay
"Rudy Gay is what you might call a memory tweaker. How long has it been now? Five years? Six years? The last time the Kings had a small forward with anything resembling this type of talent?Peja Stojakovic was traded in 2006. Ron Artest signed elsewhere in the summer of 2008. While their styles varied wildly – Peja sliced opponents with jumpers and movement, Artest punished with his defense and versatility – Rick Adelman never had to wonder whose name to list at the three position.Suddenly, neither does Kings coach Michael Malone. Gay is that guy. He will be that guy for the remainder of the season, and after that, who knows? His $19.3 million player option for next season would break a lot of banks. His contract was too steep for Memphis, and his stats and earnings apparently didn’t satisfy the new management group in Toronto.But the NBA is a league littered with tales of redemption and rehabilitation, of players changing ZIP codes and thriving in different circumstances, some pertaining to personnel, others to economics. Chris Webber’s jersey hangs from the rafters. Doug Christie, Mike Bibby and Vlade Divac enjoyed their best seasons here. And it works both ways; Omri Casspi is a much happier man and a more consistent contributor with the Houston Rockets.So while Gay’s Sacramento story consists only of a few words on a page, his Kings debut was impressive, and his Kings home debut at Sleep Train Arena on Sunday was even better. He finished with 26 points, five rebounds, four steals, four assists. But what number to assign his talent? Or what his presence provides the Kings? Or what his potential could mean for the franchise in the short and long terms?“I knew he was good,” Isaiah Thomas said after his club’s 106-91 victory, “but when he’s on your team, you really see all the things he can do out there besides score.”–Ailene Voisin, Sacramento Bee"
The Colin Kaepernick We Saw In Tampa The One We Expected
"Colin Kaepernick was having an out-of-pocket experience.On at least five occasions Sunday, the 49ers’ quarterback fled the pocket, either bolting up the middle to pick up yardage or scrambling to his right to find receivers, making plays that gave the 49ers the edge in a game that was closer than it looked.If head coach Jim Harbaugh ever gives a PowerPoint lecture titled, “What I Saw In Colin Kaepernick That Caused Me To Gently Nudge Alex Smith Aside,” the coach can get all the ammo he needs from the game film of this 33-14 win over the Bucs.On the 49ers’ opening drive, ending in a touchdown, Kaepernick scrambled out of the pocket for 9 yards, fled the pocket again on 3rd-and-long for 17 yards, and converted another third down by fleeing right, double-pumping and hitting Bruce Miller with a short pass.In a long fourth-quarter drive that sealed the win, Kaepernick Houdini’d himself from tacklers twice to complete passes, plays that busted the Bucs’ spirit.Harbaugh waxed stream-of-consciousness enthusiastic after the game.“Some of those escapes from the pocket, where guys are grabbing at him, the shoulders, the legs, he’s kicking out of tackles and picking up first downs, three, four, five times in the game, and some incredible out-of-pocket throws and first-down conversions. One time he was sprinting to his right and sprinting northwest back to his own goal line, and threw a laser 35 yards.“Who can make those plays? He can make ’em, and he made ’em today. … He had a monster game.”Sometimes it’s hard to tell if Harbaugh is working the media to pump up and pimp one of his guys, maybe boost the fellow’s confidence, or if the coach is gushing from the heart. Sunday I was convinced Harbaugh was genuinely excited about what he’d seen.Harbaugh knows that Kaepernick and the 49ers’ offense have been less than spectacular at times this season, but Sunday the coach got a taste of his Kaepernick-offense dream coming true.Before we get carried away, sure, the Bucs are a second-tier team. And they skipped the scouting-report chapter on Kaepernick titled, “DON’T LET HIM SCRAMBLE TO HIS RIGHT AND THROW TO CRABTREE OR DAVIS STANDING AT THE RIGHT SIDELINE!”Yet, the Bucs are a motivated team on the upswing, and just because they knew Kaepernick likes to scramble right didn’t make it easy to prevent. The kid’s got skills.Call Sunday’s performance “Glimpses of greatness.”"
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle
Humiliating Loss Squarely Rests On Dennis Allen’s Shoulders
"This would’ve been the perfect time for another one of those gutsy showings that have highlighted the losing Raiders’ season. A near-win against a playoff-bound Kansas City team would’ve been satisfactory, especially one fueled by urgency and resolve. And discipline.That’s what Dennis Allen had been hanging his hat on. Sunday, he couldn’t coax it out of his guys.Instead, his Raiders were clumsy, perhaps more than the 56-31 final score indicates. For the second consecutive week, Oakland stumbled out of the gate and got behind big.The Raiders temporarily mustered some resolve. But before it was over, even that rousing comeback was thwarted by their inability to get out of their own way.Bad timing for a coach hanging on like Britney Spears’ music career.“We’ve got to play better,” Allen said, “and I’ve got to do a better job of getting us ready to play.”Giving up a franchise-record 56 points and committing seven turnovers, to go with 10 penalties, isn’t the kind of pride-on-the-line performance you’d hope to see from a team at home before a sellout crowd against a division rival.Throw in the loss to the New York Jets a week earlier, and it’s appearing as if Allen is becoming decreasingly capable of maximizing the talent on his roster. Kansas City didn’t exactly play lights out. The Chiefs just took advantage of a Raiders squad that often looked confused and uninspired.Jamaal Charles totaled 215 yards and five touchdowns on 16 total touches. But it wasn’t only because he is a great back. He also was being pursued by a Raiders defense that jogged on the rare occasions it was within spitting distance of him. The cast of CSI would have a hard time finding a Raiders fingerprint on Charles.Where was the exigency and hunger that once highlighted the Raiders’ season? Where is the growth in focus and improved grasp of scheme? That’s on the coaching staff.Not exactly the statement Allen needed to make as owner Mark Davis ponders the trajectory of the franchise. Allen would’ve done well to coach his guys into an inspired performance. Like the showing on Thanksgiving Day in Dallas. Or the home loss to Tennessee the week before.But Sunday’s loss — the fourth straight and sixth in the last seven games — was another step in the wrong direction."
–Marcus Thompson II, San Jose Mercury News