Posts Tagged ‘Omri Casspi’

NBA Players #PrayForBoston

April 15, 2013  ·  7:34PM



HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The shocking events of this afternoon in Boston touched off passionate reactions from folks all over the country and all around the globe, and NBA players were not immune.

With the details on exactly what happened and why at the finish line of Monday’s Boston Marathon still being investigated, the response of players on Twitter was swift and simple. And it echoed the sentiment of a nation.

Everyone is concerned for the citizens of Boston and beyond that have been impacted by this tragedy:

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Casspi Wants Out Of Sacramento

April 5, 2011  ·  9:44AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – At least one member of the Sacramento Kings doesn’t want to relocate to Southern California.

At least not with the Kings.

Omri Casspi, a feel good story two years ago when he surprised us all during his rookie season, has grown disenchanted with his role with the Kings this season.

He wants out. And he didn’t mince his words either, explaining in a column he wrote for an Israeli sports website, ONE, that his situation has become unbearable:

“It’s not easy for me to sit on the bench, which has happened to me quite a bit in Sacramento’s last few games. I’m a player who lives the game and as soon as you take away the thing I love the most in the world – playing basketball, it is hard for me.

“The situation in Sacramento is not like it used to be in the past. Coach Paul Westphal is experimenting and trying different things and I’m certainly not in his plans. We have six more games until the end of the season, and although I won’t say that I’m counting the seconds, it is clear to me that I will have to make some decisions at the end of the year.”

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Casspi On Bulls Radar

January 3, 2011  ·  11:46AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The start of a New Year also signals the beginning of our third-favorite season here at the hideout, trade rumor season.

After the playoffs and the draft, nothing throws more players into the mix than the trade rumor season. So what if most of what’s rumored is complete rubbish.

There are always things that pop onto the radar that intrigue us. And this ESPN.com report about the Chicago Bulls have interest in Sacramento Kings swingman Omri Casspi makes sense on so many levels. (The Knicks are mentioned as a team interested in Casspi as well.)

The Bulls have been extremely patient in their pursuit of another quality outside shooter/slasher to help take some of that perimeter scoring load — responsibilities that both Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans have tried to assume admirably (though neither of them appears to be versatile enough to handle the job without major assistance).

Casspi showed flashes of being able to handle those duties, even though Casspi is more of a small forward than a shooting guard. Casspi also plays with an edge that the Bulls need and haven’t had since they shipped Andres Nocioni to the Kings in a deal at the trade deadline two seasons ago.

With the Kings rolling around in the mud in the Western Conference basement, this is the perfect time for a young talent like Casspi to be freed from a situation like the one he finds himself in. Who wouldn’t want to go from a 7-24 team in the West to a contender in Chicago that’s already stocked with a superstar and MVP candidate in Derrick Rose, a veteran star in Carlos Boozer and stud big man in Joakim Noah?

Like we said, this one makes sense on so many levels — hypothetically speaking, of course.

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Leaders Of The Revival

July 29, 2010  ·  10:33AM

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Posted by Sekou Smith

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Surely, folks in Sacramento weren’t happy to learn that Tyreke Evans was one of the first four players trimmed from the USA Basketball roster for this summer’s world championships (O.J. Mayo, JaVale McGee and Gerald Wallace were the others).

Evans, the NBA’s reigning T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, couldn’t have been pleased either.

But there’s a silver lining in this for the hometown Kings. Because now Evans can get in the gym and develop some chemistry with the guy that must be his new best friend, DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins (he’s the big fella in the video above).

And if the Kings are intent on escaping lottery country and returning to relevancy in a packed Western Conference, they’ll have to do it on the backs on their new inside-out combo of Evans and Cousins.

If Cousins has anywhere near the season and impact that Evans had in his first year in a Kings uniform, the franchise revival being planned in Sacramento could come much sooner than expected.

Our skepticism about this team here at the hideout was fueled by the still to be determined ability of all the new pieces to fit together (Kevin Martin‘s been on the HT fantasy team since his rookie year, so we’re still not over the Kings dumping him last season). There is also clearly a lack of backcourt depth to suit our liking (and we’re guessing this means we’re kicked out of the Beno Udrih fan club).

But the rest of the supporting cast seems to be in place. We love what Omri Casspi brings to the party. He’s a ferocious competitor with the versatility and skills to work in a variety of capacities, depending on what coach Paul Whestphal decides works best. Guys like Carl Landry, Sam Dalembert, Jason Thompson and Donte Green give Westphal a multitude of frontcourt options to play with this season.

That also means “Boogie” won’t have to deliver huge numbers right away. If he just comes along at a solid rate and does his best to avoid the some of the pitfalls that can derail a rookie season, these Kings could be on the way to making some noise after the All-Star break.

The playoffs might be too ambitious … but what’s wrong with a little ambition this time of year?

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Casspi putting struggles aside

July 15, 2010  ·  3:22PM

By Drew Packham

LAS VEGAS – Omri Casspi was a revelation for the Kings in his rookie season. The forward from Israel surprised the league with his versatility and hustle and quickly became a fan favorite in almost every NBA city he played.

But he wasn’t immune to the so-called rookie wall. Before the All-Star Game, Casspi averaged 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 28 minutes per game. After the break, Casspi’s playing time dipped (to 19.8 minutes per game) and he averaged just 7.0 points and 3.6 boards while shooting just 38 percent (compared to 47 percent in first half).
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“It’s part of something I need to learn,” Casspi said. “Obviously I didn’t expect it. It’s my first time handling that situation where my body was not responding in a way I wanted it to respond. But it was my rookie year. I felt so good the first 60 games. Some guys have a rookie wall at the beginning, mine came near the end. I’m taking it as something I can learn from and hopefully this year will be better.”

Casspi felt it was important to be in Las Vegas this summer to prepare for the season and he likes what he sees from DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings’ No. 5 Draft pick.

“I see a big fella that’s going to be a big factor on our team,” Casspi said.  “I’m excited for him. He’s a willing passer and inside force. He’s only 19 years old and he’s a good guy. There’s a lot of good things coming for him. All we need is for him to listen to the coaches and the guys around him.”

And he hopes Cousins doesn’t hit the wall he ran into himself.

“Everybody’s different,” Casspi said. “But hopefully he’ll respond well.”

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