The Sports Informant

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and not just because Santa Claus brought me some particulary fun toys this year. With a few extra days off of work, we were all given an opportunity to watch and even play some sports, a much needed break from the weekly grind.

While Christmas time is my favorite of the year, and I had an incredible time celebrating it with my family, this column is about sports, and with plenty to talk about locally, I won’t digress.

The Kings may trade Kevin Martin

So the buzz about town is that star guard Kevin Martin could be shopped around for a trade by the Sacramento Kings. This was a shock to me, much like some of the stocking stuffers I received on Friday.

To consider trading your best player for virtually no one in return is ludicrous… unless he’s not your best player anymore. Martin’s injury this season, after racking up over 30 points per game in the few outings he actually participated in, sidelined him for months, giving my vote for Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans an opportunity to shine. Evans is shining like the north star now, and Martin’s once bright light is fading fast.

Rumors are circulating that the Kings may trade Kevin Martin. (Photo courtesy Greg Ashman)

The truth is the Kings don’t need Martin. I hate to say it, because last year he was all they had, and this year he started off looking like one of the top five scorers in the league. To go from being the centerpiece to unnecessary is tragic, and the Kings owe Martin for carrying the team whenever he could, but how far does loyalty go in the business that is the NBA? The cutthroat organization is only about winning, as is evident in every coach who gets fired from the franchise without even a season to get things going.

From a fan’s point of view, either way sounds good. A trade means a potentially big name coming to Sacramento to help the already blossoming Kings. Keeping Martin instead, when he returns from injury, would mean superstar firepower entering an already explosive lineup in Sacramento. It really is a no-lose situation.

That may be the problem, though. Things are fine the way they are, and no matter what the Kings decide with Martin, his return or a trade – with the potential either bring – will invite a whole lot of change to a seemingly well-oiled machine. Why trade Martin for someone who isn’t expected to come into the lineup and put up big numbers? Why keep Martin if you’re not going to put him back in the starting lineup with the opportunity to lead the team again? Either way, Martin’s health will change Sacramento’s focus, and for a team performing better than anyone expected it could early on, that could be the biggest setback of all.

Kings step up for holidays

Santa must have gifted the Kings with the ability to perform, because over the holiday week, Sacramento hung with the best of them in a home stretch against arguably the best teams in the NBA.

Anyone who bought their loved ones tickets as a gift to the Kings-Cavs game on Dec. 23 or the Kings-Lakers game the day after Christmas offered a real treat, as the budding Sacramento squad took both the Eastern and Western Conference favorites to overtime before falling short.

Against Cleveland, Sacramento performed brilliantly for four quarters before disappearing in overtime to lose, 117-104. Five players scored in double figures as Evans led the way with 28 points. The Kings’ starting five, which included two rookies, two second-year players and a third-year player, looked solid. That’s good news for the future.

Kings vs. Cavaliers photo gallery (Photos by Greg Ashman)

Against the Lakers, Sacramento nearly stole the game in OT, only to fall in double overtime, 112-103. Six players scored in double figures and guard Beno Udrih proved he’s still got it by leading the way with 23 points. If Udrih can continue his dream season, he’s going to win Comeback Player of the Year.

The Lakers game drew the biggest home crowd of the season for Sacramento, as 17, 345 fans watched the battle go back and forth. The Kings even sold “Standing Room Only” tickets for the first time in two seasons.  

Kings vs. Lakers photo gallery (Photos by Tom Paniagua)

It was a good week overall for Kings basketball, despite losing two of three games. The week started with the biggest comeback in Kings’ history in a 102-98 victory in Chicago on Monday, then finished with the impressive battles mentioned above. If the Kings can play like that all year long, they’ll occasionally knock off a powerhouse, and are nearly guaranteed to beat the bottom-tier teams. It’s a tall task to ask of a young team, but players in Sacramento are stepping up with nearly every opportunity they get, so at this point nothing is impossible.

Fantasy football finally finishes

For those of you sucked into the NFL fantasy football racket, I feel for you. Conned into playing for the first time this year, fantasy football has completely taken over my life, and despite thoroughly enjoying the emotional ride it brought all season long, I’m happy to see it end with tonight’s Monday Night Football game on ESPN.

I joined two leagues in my initial season this fall. The first was a league my brother made, a savvy veteran of the game. He and a few buddies know their way around a fantasy league, drafting players I’ve never even heard of early on, adding virtual no-names to their rosters all season long. I laughed, drafting big names like Brian Westbrook and Terrell Owens, knowing they helped their teams win with big performances. I thought I knew it all. I didn’t know squat.

My brother and his friends finished first, second and third after the regular season ended, riding guys like Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice and Greg Jennings to win after win, while Westbrook sat out six games with concussion issues and Owens had the worst season I’ve witnessed in years. I finished fourth out of 10 in the league and lost in the first round of the playoffs (I’m 9-6 and playing for fifth tonight). It was embarrassing, as a sports writer who follows the NFL closely, to realize that I’d been punked by three college guys.

The second league I joined was for a friend, but with lack of interest, I didn’t check my lineup the first six weeks of the season. My team was auto-drafted and I ended up with a stable of prime-time players that have carried me all the way to the league’s championship, which ends tonight with my final player left to hopefully lead me to victory, Adrian Peterson.

Because I hadn’t checked my roster for the first six weeks, no one was put in my “starting lineup,” giving me an empty roster and an 0-5-1 start (the 0-0 tie came to another guy who didn’t check his roster either). But a love for the process, research and emotions of fantasy football led me to checking it every week after, and my record stands at 9-5-1 going into tonight, where it’s all on the line.

I could be a first-year fantasy football champ tonight, or I could be the guy saying, “I took second in my first year playing; that’s not bad.” Either way, I’ve loved the experience the entire way through. But honestly, I’m ready for a break. Paying attention to 15 football games every weekend is tiring, even when the glory of victory and agony of defeat hang in the balance.

It will be nice to root for teams, instead of players, when the NFL playoffs roll around. Things will finally be back to normal.