Carmichael Dave: Kings Summer League Diary Day 2
Hello again Kings fans, and welcome to Day 2 of my Las Vegas Summer League Diary, brought to you by my good friends at Jiffy Lube (they've got you covered). Even though this is the second day of my diary, its actually Day One of Summer League for our Kings.
Since they say a picture is worth a thousand words, to please my bosses, here's like a 20 thousand word blog, with all the different sights and sounds from down here.
Welcome to Las Vegas, where it is a BEAUTIFUL 106 degrees at 10:35. Have I mentioned yet that Summer League should be in Seattle? Though I did mention it on Day One, let me just reiterate:
- They have the facilities
- The NBA owes them SOMETHING
- It's basically like 70 degrees there year round
- Someone is going to spontaneously burst into flames down here. Don't blame me.
Magic Johnson was coming off the floor fresh from Lonzo Ball's pro debut in which he threw up approximately 139 bricks. Then again, Lonzo never did do well when De'Aaron Fox is also in the building :) The look on Magic's face says it all: "Should've taken Fox"
Tipoff came late because the dumb Lakers and dumb Clippers went to OT. Seriously, why go to OT in Summer League? Screw it, let them tie.
Georgios Pappagiannis looks WAY slimmed down. He didn't score, but he had a bunch of rebounds and a bunch of fouls. He also got into it with rookie Josh Jackson, which is awesome. Hey, I don't know if Big Papa is going to make it or be a scrub, but I do know he's raw as hell and approximately the size of a building.
So. While Vlade and Peja were telling Kayte and I a very funny story, apparently NBA TV locked onto the four of us for about 30 seconds. Of course, none of us had any idea this was happening, but suddenly my phone started vibrating like a sex toy. I don't know why Peja is making that face, but that (combined with his super thick mustache) was hilarious. Note: I'm not picking my nose, I'm scratching it (yeah, I know).
Malachi Richardson looks great. What I mean is, he's put on about 15 pounds of pure muscle. He also has kept his quickness, as seen here when he darted past Josh Jackson. But his shot definitely looked rusty, and at one point he came down wrong on the same side as his worrisome hamstring, and had to come out of the game. This will be something to follow tomorrow.
De'Aaron Fox may not win any three point contests anytime soon, but he also didn't look bad with that jumper. That being said, he was the quickest dude on the court by a mile. I'm talking comet speed. He lost a few guys who looked like helicopters trying to guard him, showed a knack for finding the open man, and flashed that defense of his with a game-high 5 steals. Couple that with a team-high (tied with Justin Jackson) 18 points, all in all a great pro debut.
SPEAKING of Justin Jackson, he was the most impressive guy on the floor for me. So silky smooth, able to score on plays not even designed for him. In fact, Summer League Head Coach Jason March even said after the game that he would try and call more plays for JJ in Sunday's game. What can you say- he's coming off a national title with UNC, and he looks exactly like a guy who stayed in college and is more mature than his teammates. He will fit in just fine.
So that's the haps from Game 1, in which the Kings fell to the Suns. Next up- the Grizz on Sunday, a game that is sure to have quite a few commonalities between coaching staffs. A lot of familiarity, and of course we will bring you all the sights from Game 2.
In the meantime, here's some other notes from Vegas:
Even the Motel 6 blings down in Vegas....
Did YOUR room come with a free duster one of the maids left behind (on top of your backpack)? No? Well too bad for you. That's called the HIGH ROLLER lifestyle.......
One thing I always wanted to do in Vegas was eat at John Mull's Roadkill Grill. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a BBQ enthusiast, and there is a massive dearth of good BBQ joints in Sacramento. Believe me, they exist (like D'Miller's in Carmichael), but there needs to be more.
So Kayte and I drove about 10 miles off the strip, and sweet Baby Jesus in Heaven if it wasn't some of the best BBQ I've ever had in my life.
Even though a bottle of water in Vegas is about 10 bucks, Kayte and I both ate the 3-meat combo for a combined 30 bucks, which was MORE than reasonable. This place is in the middle of a suburban area, you have to know where you're going to find it. Seriously, there are houses on both sides. This isn't a sit down and enjoy the AC type of place, they have shaded benches all around with misters to cool off the clientele. It was a whopping 117 when we got there, and a desert wind rendered the misters useless. We ate in the cool AC of our rented Kia, and man was it good.
See the pic above? This dude with arms the size of tree trunks takes your order receipt and throws everything into a to-go box. The grills and smokers had meat going just behind him. I got the brisket/burnt ends/pulled chicken combo, and when he loaded up the slices of brisket he must've included about half the cow. In other words, the portions are flat out insane. I'm talking take home and eat off of it for three days insane.
There you go, and it doesn't do it justice. Meat, meat, and more meat, followed by potato salad and mac and cheese prepared perfectly (they also throw in about a half-loaf of cornbread just for funsies). The burnt ends were the best I've ever had. Seriously, if you ever get down to Vegas, go here. If you don't like it, I'll buy you dinner back home. Its awesome.
That's it for Day 2 down here. Tune back in tomorrow for more Kings Summer League action (and probably food).
