Kings Blog and Q&A

Tonight's game - Sacramento Kings (2-3) at Memphis Grizzlies (1-3):

• Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones), in a blog post today, offers his five things to watch tonight.

• Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) previews tonight's game in today's newspaper.

• DeMarcus Cousins will dress but not start tonight, Jones reports in today's newspaper.

• Ronald Tillery previews tonight's game in today's Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

• Forward Zach Randolph will miss tonight's game with a bruised knee while guard Mike Conley will return from a sprained ankle, Tillery reports in the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

• Tom Ziller (@teamziller) previews tonight's game in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate Sactown Royalty.

• Red Coleman (@3SOB) previews tonight's game in a blog post for TrueHoop Network affiliate 3 Shades of Blue.

• Tom Lorenzo previews tonight's game in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate Straight Outta Vancouver.

More Bee coverage on Cousins:

Ailene Voisin (@ailene_voisin), in a column in today's newspaper, writes that trading Cousins would be a bad idea.

Trading Cousins would be dumber than the dumb things Cousins does that get him in trouble. It would be a panic move, not a panacea. It would be an attempt at a quick fix that removes the foundation of a rebuilding franchise.

More news and analysis on Cousins:

• The Boston Celtics inquired about the availability of Cousins, Mark Murphy reports in a story for the Boston Herald.
• The Warriors are not interested in acquiring Cousins, writes Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) in a story for the San Francisco Chronicle.
• Brian Schmitz (@MagicInsider), in a blog post on the Magic BasketBlog for the Orlando Sentinel, asks whether the Orlando Magic would be interested in trading Ryan Anderson for Cousins.
• "Cousins, for whatever issues he has had in a little more than a season in the NBA, is a big-time talent, the sort the Rockets have eagerly hoped to acquire," writes Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) in a blog post on the Ultimate Rockets blog for the Houston Chronicle.
• The Washington Wizards inquired about the availability of Cousins last season, Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) reports on the Wizards Insider blog for The Washington Post.
• "There's no doubt Cousins is a talented player, but unless the Kings are giving him away, Detroit isn't the right fit at this time," writes Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) in a story for MLive.com.
• "There was support for Cousins among his teammates, but numerous players talked openly about the changes they believe he needs to make," writes Sam Amick (@sam_amick) in a story for Sports Illustrated.
• "Teams interested in Cousins have called the Kings, but none believes the team will seriously consider trading him so early in his career," write Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) and Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) in a story for Yahoo! Sports.
• "The only thing we know for sure is that the best of Cousins will come with a different team," writes J.A. Adande (@jadande) in a story for ESPN. "That's how these stories end."
• "Blurting out this demand in the coach's office, as Cousins supposedly did, is an unformed gesture of frustration, petulance, and defiance," writes Bethlehem Shoals (@freedarko) in a blog post on Balls Out for GQ.
• "Whatever is going on with team; whatever issues Westphal and Cousins have with each other, please fix it now," writes Judy Farah (@newsbabe1530) in a blog post for KFBK.
• "Whatever the impetus of the latest breakdown, a lot of front offices around the league are knowingly nodding their heads," writes Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) in blog post for NBA.com.
• Santiago and Ham spoke to Amick on the status of Cousins in the Cowbell Kingdom Podcast.
• Santiago and Ham write in a blog post that Kings players were surprised by Cousins' trade demand.
• "I almost think that what we have here are two separate issues that have combined for the perfect storm," writes section214 in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate Sactown Royalty.
• "Cousins is not without some measure of blame, but the lion's share is on (Paul) Westphal," writes Greg Wissinger (@gwiss) in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate Sactown Royalty.
• "What's the benefit of disclosing that one of the two most valuable prospects on the roster wants out?" asks Ziller in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate Sactown Royalty.
• "For Cousins, all we can do is hope that eventually his maturity will grow and he'll become the player so many think he can be," writes Bryan Rosa writes in a blog post on FanSided affiliate A Royal Pain.
• "Call me old school, but I'd rather have a player like Chuck Hayes on the floor than a toxic guy like Cousins," writes Paul Clegg in a blog post on Sacramento Connect partner Game to 100.
• "If DeMarcus Cousins wants a trade, I say trade him," writes Ron Wenig (@RonWenig), in blog post on Sacramento Connect partner Kings Talking Points.
• Michael Levin, in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate Liberty Ballers, thinks the Philadelphia 76ers should go after Cousins.
• Mike Prada (@MikePradaSBN), in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate Bullets Forever, offers one hypothetical trade proposal for Cousins.
• Rahat Huq (@RedNinetyFour), in a blog post for TrueHoop Network affiliate Red94, and Tom Martin, in a blog post for SB Nation affiliate The Dream Shake, argue that the Houston Rockets should make a play for Cousins.
• Patrick Hayes (@patrick_hayes), in a blog post for TrueHoop Network affiliate Piston Powered, debates the merits of the Detroit Pistons trading for Cousins.

More coverage and analysis

• "The people in Sacramento are a little sensitive about free throws," Rob McAllister (@Rob_McAllister) writes in a blog post for TrueHoop Network affiliate Cowbell Kingdom.
• "There's been a lot of negativity surrounding the Kings as of late, both fan and media reaction - and it certainly isn't unwarranted, but given everything, it could be a lot worse," writes Rosa writes in a blog post on FanSided affiliate A Royal Pain.

Power rankings:

• Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) ranks the Kings No. 21 in the NBA Basketball Power Rankings on ESPN.
• Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) ranks the Kings No. 27 in the NBA Power Rankings on ProBasketballTalk.
• Matt Moore (@MattMooreCBS) ranks the Kings No. 27 in the Power Rankings on CBS Sports.

Tweets of the day:

Cousins' statement was sent to media through his agent, John Greig. Clearly this isn't water under the bridge in their eyes.

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 3, 2012

It's still early. Every other team in Pacific has sputtered out of the gate. CousinsGate might still be a blip on #Kings season. #NBAKINGS

— Marcos Breton (@MarcosBreton) January 3, 2012

When I hear "DeMarcus Cousins is flying with the team to Memphis" I like to imagine DeMarcus actually flying, like next to the plane.

— Akis Yerocostas (@Aykis16) January 2, 2012

Online coverage from The Bee this season:

• LIVE CHATS: Join The Bee's Matt Kawahara for in-game chats during every Kings home game, just before tipoff right through the final buzzer.

• VIDEOS: Find out what some Kings players and coach Paul Westphal have to say about the upcoming season - and much more.

• BLOG: Stay up to date on the team's happenings with Jason Jones, Ailene Voisin and Matt Kawahara on The Bee's Kings blog.

• FACEBOOK: "Like" the Sacramento Kings Corner page and join Bee staffers and fans in discussions about the team and players.

• TWITTER: Follow The Bee's Jason Jones for up-to-the-minute developments, in-game updates and much more about the Kings.

If you see a Sacramento Kings-related story or blog post that we should feature, e-mail me at nmiller@sacbee.com or send me reply on Twitter at @journalistnate.