The Kings effort - lack of effort, actually - against the depleted Golden State Warriors earlier tonight was inexcusable. Is it possible to trade to entire the entire roster by Thursday's noon deadline? This was by far the Kings' poorest performance under coach Keith Smart, and given the circumstances, it was even worse than that: The Warriors were in the visitors locker room when they learned that Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udoh had been traded to Milwaukee for injured Bucks center Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
While Ellis said he welcomed the trade, Udoh sat in the locker room, staring at the television screen. He seemed shocked, understandably.
A few other late-night musings:
* Warriors rookie head coach Mark Jackson, who during his introductory press conference, had promised his team would reach the playoffs, sat by himself in the front row of seats shortly after the team was announced. He stared ahead, and wasn't interested in chatting.
* The Warriors seem to be - and should be - seriously concerned about Stephen Curry's recurring foot problems. The standout third-year guard, plagued by issues last season, underwent surgery in the offseason and still isn't right. The club is considering sitting him down for the near future, which could mean the remainder of the 2011-12 season.
* I keep hearing the Kings hope to make a trade before the deadline, though none of the team's significant players are involved.
* Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, who was one of the co-founders of the defunct American Basketball League (ABL) and its San Jose franchise back in 1996, said he is hoping to land a WNBA franchise sometime in the near future. When the Monarchs ceased operations in November, 2009, the WNBA attempted to find buyers for the franchise in the Bay Area - actually enlisting coach/GM John Whisenant in the attempt - to no avail. "I was a year too late," said Lacob, part of the ownership group that purchased the Warriors in July, 2010. "But it will happen. We will get an WNBA. Right now, there just aren't any teams available."
* Two stats say everything about the Kings' loss to the Warriors: the Kings' 11/13 assist/turnover ratio, and the Warriors' 50 percent shooting - both from the field and beyond the arc.
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