Omri All the Way!

Great highlight of Omri Casspi scoring a layup and drawing the foul against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Almost as exciting as Omri's athletic play is the shot of his supporters in the crowd. The family with an Israeli flag brought tears to my eyes.

Kings vs. Bobcats - Repeat After Me: Kings Lose, Casspi Plays Well

Saturday Jan. 30

If I were a musician, I could turn this blog into a song. The chorus would be: Omri plays well in a losing effort. (Supply your own air guitar and classic rock riff.) Maybe it could become the mantra for this year because the Kings are playing really poorly and Omri isn't. I am always open to suggestions from my readers.

On to the NBA action.

Omri had a very solid game - 14 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. His shot selection was fantastic, he was 4 of 8 from the floor (including 2 of 4 from three-point land). He also shot 80% from the free-throw line, which has been a problem for him this season. He played 27 minutes and was the first player off the bench.

This is becoming a typical game for Omri, and he is creating a solid foundation for his continued basketball success. Keep on truckin!

Check out Omri's great steal and assist at :25.

Kings vs. Jazz - Omri Casspi has a Solid Game and Kings Lose

Friday Jan. 30

The Kings lost (yet again) to the Utah Jazz 101-94. Omri was the first man off the bench and played for 30 minutes. He scored 8 points on 4 of 7 shooting and grabbed 6 rebounds. He also collected four personal fouls (tell 'em who's boss, Omri), a steal and a blocked shot. A solid game and 8 points was third best on the team behind Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans.

I think that we cannot complain about Omri's somewhat low point total when he only attempted 7 shots. At best, Omri should be the third scoring option behind Evans and Martin. He is better off playing within the offensive system and improving his game. In the off-season, Omri might want to think about trying to add some muscle to help his rebounding.

Keep it real Omri. We're behind you 150%!

Omri Casspi to Play in Rookie All-Star Game

It should come as no surprise to the faithful readers of this blog that Omri Casspi has just been selected to play in the rookie All-Star game. Omri has been considered to be a top-5 rookie since December. He actually peaked at #3, and due to his recent uneven play - he has slipped to #4.

Omri is an obvious choice to the rookie game. He is averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds and only 1.5 turnovers per game. Very nice numbers for a rookie.

Omri congrats on your accolade.

Kings vs. Warriors - Kings Win Casspi Stinks

Tuesday Jan. 26

Sometimes you just gotta tell it like it is. No "The silver lining is" or "Look on the bright side." Omri had a rotten game. Statistically, it is his worst NBA game in the regular season. But hey, it's only one game.

The good news for the Kings is that they finally ended their seven game losing streak and defeated the Warriors 99-96. (I did mention that this was a winnable game.) Omri was the last player off the bench and only played for 12 minutes. He scored one point (on a free-throw!) and grabbed 2 rebounds. We all have bad days - Omri, just shrug it off and get ready for the Utah Jazz on Friday night.

No excuses, just a possible explanation - The Kings are in some serious turmoil. The team is still struggling to gel since Kevin Martin has returned from injury. Coach Westphal is going with the hot-hand approach, if the players on the floor are doing well - don't mess with it. Common wisdom would seem to dictate the opposite: consistency helps athletes especially a young team like the Kings.

It is asking a lot of Omri to go from starting line-up to sixth man, to last one off the bench. I am not at all surprised that he turned in a poor game. Just bounce back baby!

Kings vs. Heat - Rotten Road Trip Comes to an End

Saturday Jan. 24

The Kings should probably be clicking their ruby slippers and saying, "There's no place like home." The road has just been a plain nightmare - the Kings lost all of the games on this trip. And hurray, they have a winnable game at home against Golden State on Tuesday night.

The silver lining for Kings fans (and the pot of gold for us Omri fans) is that Omri had another solid game. He had 13 points on 6 for 10 shooting. He was 0 for 3 from downtown (he couldn't buy a three-pointer on this trip) and he only had one rebound and one assist. But he played for 27 minutes and his tenacious defense paid off with three steals!

More good news about Omri, he is not in Coach Westphal's doghouse. There was some concern about Omri's relationship with his coach - after a shouting match two weeks ago in Philly and Omri's demotion from the starting lineup. Yet Omri has played well coming off the bench and Coach Westphal is gushing with praise:

"He is a hard worker. He's always improved everything we've challenged him to improve. He's going to have a real fine year."

Don't miss Omri's great coast to coast highlight at 1:20 min.

Omri Casspi Interview on NBATV

Omri Casspi and fellow Sacramento Kings rookie Tyreke Evans were interviewed on NBATV. It is a great interview full of great Casspi highlights. Omri continues to display good television presence and excellent English.

Sit back, grab a cold one and enjoy!

ps - I am not posting about the Kings - Magic game. The entire Kings team was horrible and Omri was no exception. There is really nothing to write about, so I am not going to waste anymore cyberspace on it.

Awesome Omri Casspi NBA Video

The Sacramento Kings recently started following me on Twitter. So I decided to look over their tweets and came across an NBA video clip about Omri. His English is excellent and the clip is very well done. Even my wife (the anti-sport goddess incarnate) watched it with me and loved it.

Not only is Omri being hailed by the NBA press as the, "steal of the NBA draft". But he is also proving to be an excellent ambassador for Israel.

Thanks Omri and keep up the good work on and off the court!

Jewish Exponent Joins the Casspi Craze

The Jewish Exponent is the latest local Jewish paper to publish an article about Omri Casspi. This is going to be an ongoing phenomena as the Sacramento Kings travel across the United States. The local Jewish Press in cities like Miama, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Memphis (for example) probably don't follow basketball. If they know about Omri Casspi, they probably think that he is riding the pine. Then they are shocked when they find out, that he is making contributions and is already a big story in the NBA.

Hey Jewish America, wake up and follow the Casspi!

BTW - At the end of the article Omri has a nice quote, "Come and visit Israel. See what it is really like."

Kings vs. Hawks - Omri Casspi Comes Off the Bench and Finds His Groove

Wednesday Jan. 21

Omri had a solid game against the Atlanta Hawks, but the Kings continued to struggle and lost their fifth game in a row. As I have been preaching for the last few posts, Omri's "demotion" from the starting lineup to the bench is not necessarily a bad thing. Against the Hawks, he played for 30 minutes - which is significantly more than he played for the past two games as a starter. He scored 16 points on 8 for 13 shooting (still missing those three's though) and grabbed 8 rebounds.

I am glad to see that Omri did not sulk about losing his starting job and came up big for the Kings when they needed him. He provided energy and an emotional lift from the bench. Don't forget to check out the Omri highlight at 1:48 in the NBA.com clip.

Omri Casspi Out of the Starting Lineup

Photo from fOTOGLIF

The blogosphere is abuzz with the news that Omri Casspi is not in the starting lineup for tonight's game against the Atlanta Hawks.

(Hat tip to Sam Amick from the Sacramento Bee - great tweet!)

If you have been following this blog, this news should come as no surprise. Omri's minutes have been steadily decreasing since Kevin Martin's return. Hopefully Omri will quickly re-adjust to his role coming off the bench. Coach Westphal is trying to find the right combination to return the Kings to their winning ways. (Westphal wants winning ways - nice alliteration!)

Remember everyone, stay patient and keep the faith. Omri will succeed and will be a fixture in the NBA for many seasons.

Omri Casspi Finds his Shooting Zone

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Last night, Omri scored 13 points against the Charlotte Bobcats in a losing effort. He shot 50% overall, but was only 1 for 5 from three-point range. But that's good news! Because that means that Omri was 5 for 7 from regular non-three-point range.

On the flip side, Omri only grabbed one board and had no assists. Apparently he is struggling defensively and only played for 22 minutes. He is still the starting small forward (for now) but his production is much different than a few weeks ago.

Now I have a feeling that I will be preaching patience after every Kings game. In all professional sports in America there are about a giz-billion scouts that analyze every game. If there is a flaw in Omri's game it will be exploited by the opposition until he fixes that flaw. And then the scouting process repeats itself again. That is part of being a professional athlete in the 21st century.

As a surrogate Kings fan I am greatly disappointed since the Kings are on a four game losing streak. Also, the Kings have only gone 1-9 over their last ten games. The Cinderella story for both Omri and the Kings is beginning to turn into one of the ugly step-sisters. Remember - be patient!

Don't lose the faith, there's still a lot of basketball left to play.

Kings vs. Wizards - Omri Continues to Struggle and Kings Lose Again

Saturday Jan. 16

Omri had his second sub-par game following the return of Kevin Martin. (You can read my discussion of Martin's return here.) Omri only scored 6 points on 3 of 9 shooting and he only played for 24 minutes. He still grabbed 6 rebounds and only had one turnover. Also, you can see Omri with a nice two-handed dunk at :42 seconds in the NBA.com highlight.

Unfortunately, The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Omri yelled at Coach Paul Westphal because he didn't want to come out of the game. Both Omri and Coach Westphal said that it was not a big deal and just part of Omri's high emotional energy.

I am feeling nervous and seeing a possible red flag. Omri began to get a lot of attention two weeks ago, when he scored over 20 points for three games in a row. Clearly he became comfortable being a key role in the offense and is understandably frustrated to lose that role to Kevin Martin. Remember Omri, you are still a rookie and have a lot to learn about being a professional athlete. (Take it from me, 'cause I know!) Be patient and your chances will come.

A New Dawn - Israeli Tennis Star in the Finals

As we continue to follow the highs and lows of Israel's first NBA player, it would be remiss to ignore the success of other international Israeli athletes.

Shachar Pe'er has just lost in the finals of the Hobart Open in Australia. Despite a disappointing final match, it is still a great accomplishment to reach the tournament finals.

Please post any other Israeli athletes who are excelling at their sport.

Photo Credits - Carl Blake via Flickr

Sixers Defeat the Kings - Omri Has Growing Pains

Friday Jan. 15

The Sixers dominated the Kings and Omri had an off-night scoring 6 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. The silver lining is that he only attempted 6 shots, so his off-night did not ruin the Kings offense. Unfortunately, Rotoworld.com is reporting that Omri said he felt lost in the offense for the first time this season.

Optimistic view - Omri had to travel cross-country and the extended travel could have disturbed his game. The Sixers were emotionally charged for Samuel Dalembert who is originally from Haiti and lost a number of family members in the earthquake. Also, this game was Kevin Martin's first game back and the King's offense needs more time to to gel. Omri started the game and played 33 minutes, but Coach Paul Westphal said he is considering making changes to the starting lineup. Omri plays again tonight against the Washington Bullets. Let's see a good bounce-back game for Omri and the Kings.

Omri Casspi Splits One Fan's Loyalty

It has finally happened. Omri Casspi is forcing me to choose sides. Do I remain loyal to my home team, the team that I have followed for almost 25 years. (Oy am I old!) OR - do I switch loyalties, follow my man-crush and become a whole-hearted fan of the Sacramento Kings? These are indeed difficult times.

Well the reality is that I am a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers and I actually have an easy decision. The Sixers stink. They are horrible and unlike the NJ Nets, their salary cap is a mess. In other words, there is not a good chance that they are going to get better any time soon. Thanks a lot Elton Brand!

So even though the Kings are playing the Sixers tonight in Philadelphia, I can easily root for Omri and the Kings. I could take the easy way out and root for Omri to get some good stats while the Sixers win the game. BUT - since the Sixers are going nowhere fast, I am ready to channel all of my NBA karma in the Kings direction.

Check out this post for my preview of the Kings vs. the Sixers.

Omri Casspi and the Kings Challenge Philadelphia 76ers (Preview)

Tonight (Friday Jan. 15) the Kings travel to Philadelphia to challenge the Sixers. Feel free to read my post about how to handle it when Omri comes to play against your favorite team.

This game is worthy of a preview because Kevin Martin is supposed to return from his wrist injury and play in the game. Now as fans of Omri Casspi we must ask ourselves - how does this effect Omri's playing time?

First of all, if you are not a basketball addict, you should know that Kevin Martin (the Kings's best player for the past three years) and Omri play different positions. So, Martin's return to the starting lineup does not automatically force Omri to come off the bench. Moreover, since this is Martin's first game back, you wouldn't expect him to play 40 minutes. Bottom line - Omri's starting position is safe, but his minutes should be reduced.

Final note - as I previously posted, Omri's strength is his all around game not just scoring. Even if Omri loses his starting job, he could easily be a great sixth man off the bench.

Omri Casspi Finds Other Ways to Contribute

Here is a post from South Lemon Blog, who agrees with my analysis of Omri's potential as a Rookie of the Year candidate.

Omri Casspi Finds Other Ways to Contribute

Kings vs. Magic - Omri Has a Good Game in a Losing Effort

Tuesday Jan. 12

The Kings could not overcome one of the top five teams in the NBA - the Orlando Magic. Omri had a good game with 11 points and led the Kings with 11 rebounds and 5 assists. You can see one of the assists at the 0:38 second mark in the highlight clip. Omri also played a whopping 39 minutes. Fortunately he has a couple of days to recuperate - next up Sixers on Friday night.

ESPN Ranks Omri Casspi 3rd Best Rookie

Maurice Brooks over at ESPN, ranks Omri as number three in his Rookie of the Watch. Omri was also ranked third last week.

Omri has a tough road ahead if he is going to try and climb over the number two rookie, Brandon Jennings. Not surprisingly, Tyreke Evans is the number one rookie. As a surrogate Kings fan, I would be very happy for Tyreke and Omri to finish number one and two in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Omri is not ready to assume the spot of number one scoring option so it will be tough for his other stats to push him ahead of Tyreke for Rookie of the Year.

Note - I figure that by Omri's third year in the NBA, he could be scoring over 20 ppg.

Yahoo! Snubs Omri Casspi

I know that you are not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I am a little disappointed a Yahoo! Sports. It is great that they highlighted Omri as the star of the game against the Magic. I am glad that they looked beyond Points Scored - Tyreke Evans had 18 points and Omri Casspi had 11. However, Omri clearly had the better all around game because he also had 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

Yo Yahoo!, get Omri's picture up there!!! This is the second time that Omri's face is a no-show on Yahoo! Sports. I know he is a rookie and when the season started no one expected his picture to be anywhere near a highlight page. But Yahoo!, you have to keep up with the times. Omri is hot and getting lots of press. Plus he's good looking (I freely admit my man-crush) so there is no reason to hide his profile from the cyberworld.

Ordinary Life in Sacramento

As I continue to scour all four corners of the cyberverse for interesting nuggets of information about Omri Casspi - I came across a pair of blog entries that discuss his non-sports side. It can be hard to remember that Omri is not just the apex of Jewish Israeli basketball obsession. He is not just a six foot, nine inch athletic freak of nature who is here to represent the hopes and dreams of the Jewish nation. He is also a 21 year old "nice Jewish boy."

The first blog entry is care of The Hummus Blog. Omri is pining for that good old Israeli hummus. Having sojourned in the good ole US of A for a number of years - I totally agree with Casspi the King. It is VERY difficult to find decent hummus in the States. I usually had to go to a good Israeli restaurant or go for homemade.

You can read the hummus blog post here.

The second entry is an interview with Omri and his older brother Eitan. I had no idea that his brother came to live with Omri to help his transition to life as a professional basketball player. I remember when 18 year-old Kevin Garnett was drafted by the Timberwolves, they hired someone to help him during his rookie year. Go Eitan - make sure Omri stays on the straight and narrow.

You can read the interview with the Casspi brothers here.

Photo Credits - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hummuswithpinenuts.jpg

Fox Sports Analyzes Omri's Game

Charley Rosen on FoxSports.com wrote a column analyzing the two scintillating rookies for the Sacramento Kings: Omri Casspi and Tyreke Evans. Even though Rosen is most likely a Member of the Tribe, he is not biased in his analysis of Omri's strengths and weaknesses.

Rosen states that Omri is a finesse player. This means that his quickness and hustle are the key components of his offensive skills. However, on defense he is also a finesse player and lacks the strength to defend other forwards one on one. He concludes that Omri is a solid contributing player.

You can read Rosen's column here.

My two cents: It is good to have a proverbial cold shower in the midst of the All-Star talk about Omri. The fact that he is starting as a rookie is amazing. Rosen's analysis is based on what Omri has shown as a rookie and not about his potential for the future. Omri - show us what you got against the Magic on Tuesday night!

Photo Credits - Slinky Dragon on Flickr

Interview with Omri Casspi

I just read an interview with Omri prior to the Kings game against the Lakers on January 1st. Omri displays an excellent command of the English language and discusses the positives of the international flavor of the NBA.

You can read the interview here.

David Thorpe Gives Omri Some Love

I just read an interview with David Thorpe of ESPN where he discusses why he ranks Omri as the number one rookie so far in the NBA. He also talks about working with Omri to help him improve his game before the NBA season started.

Note - This article was written before Omri's back to back performances against the Warriors and Nuggets where he scored a total of 19 points for the two games.

You can read the entire article here.

Kings vs. Nuggets - Kings Win and Omri Gets a Highlight

Saturday January 8, 2010

The Kings defeated the Nuggets thanks to some last minute heroics by Tyreke Evans. Omri had a good game scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. He continues to play a solid game and only committed two turnovers. He did shoot 36% from the floor, but it was a bit of an off night. He'll bounce back, don't worry.

Omri also made the NBA.com highlights. You can see him at the 1:38 mark and they even pronounced his name correctly!

Washington Jewish Week Jumps on the Casspi Bandwagon

The Washington Jewish Week wrote an article highlighting the differences for Omri playing for the Kings vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv.

You can read the article here.

Kings vs. Warriors - Not a Good Game for Omri

Friday Jan 8
Omri could not get any added Shabbat help to his game. He ended the game with only four points and the Kings coughed up the lead to the Warriors. On the bright side, Omri did manage to haul in six rebounds and he only had two turnovers.

Jweekly.com Gives Two Thumbs Up to Omri

Andy Altman-Ohr writes about how Casspi is taking Sacramento by storm. Featured in a commercial and even a bobble-head doll. (Hey any way I can get one of those?)

You can read the article here.

Omri the Sacramento King

This is the first post of (as far as I know) the first blog dedicated to following the adventures of Omri Casspi. Omri is the first Israeli to be drafted in the NBA and he is creating quite a buzz a third of the way through the season.

I am committed to keeping all of you up to date with all news from the NBA concerning Omri. Additionally, I am scouring all four corners of the cyber-globe for any mention of Omri.

You should start by reading this article in Sports Illustrated. I have to admit that it choked me up and brought a tear to my eye.