The 2011-2012 NBA season is winding down for the Sacramento Kings. Cowbell Kingdom’s James Ham goes one-on-one with Kings’ broadcaster and sports talk radio host Grant Napear for his take on the black and purple.
Highlights
- On Tyreke Evans: “I think this summer coming up for Tyreke is going to be a real tell-tale sign for him. If he comes back from this summer, based on what his brother Reggie has said the regimen’s going to be, and he’s not shooting the ball considerably better when we see him in October, then something’s wrong there. That almost would tell you that he’s never going to be a good shooter.”
- On Marcus Thornton: “If you could talk Marcus Thornton into coming off the bench to be a sixth man, to me, he could be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate. I’m not saying that he’s not a starter; I’m not saying that he can’t start because he’s already proven that he can. But can you imagine him coming off the bench with the way he scores and his tenacity and his energy? And of course, he’d be on the floor when the games are on the line. I just wonder after watching Marcus Thornton and Tyreke Evans play together for a good part of the year at 2 and 3, if it’s not better that one of them come off the bench. “
- On the state of the Kings’ team bonding: “When you go through an 82-game season man, people, I don’t know if they understand this – these people are like your family. I probably spend more time with the Kings’ coaches and players than I spend with my wife and kids if you look at it over 365-day cycle. So, it is important that you get along, it is important that you have fun, it is important that you’re able to laugh and support each other. I think they’ve made a really, really good stride this year, particularly the last two months in accomplishing all of that.”
- On presenting and discussing the arena deal with fans on his show: “Going on the radio every day and trying to present what I think is an objective line – am I more slanted towards the Maloofs, probably a little bit, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. But at the end of the day, I’m not afraid to criticize the Maloofs. At the end of the day, I’m not afraid to criticize the mayor. But it has been really, really difficult because for whatever reason, people hear what I have to say, not all of them but some of them, and the perception is “Oh, the Maloofs are telling him to say that.” The Maloofs have never told me anything to say on the radio ever since I’ve been on and I would never going on the radio under those pretenses. So, it’s been really stressful because at the end of the day, what I want is what everybody else wants. I want to live happily ever after in Sacramento with the Kings in a new building with everybody on the same page and I still think we can get there.”
Listen after the jump…
[podcast]http://www.cowbellkingdom.com/podcasts/ck_podcast_ep38.mp3[/podcast]
Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound
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