Omri Casspi Leads the Kings Past the Cavs

I had to stop blogging about the great Omri because I got a new job and no longer had the time to write about his exploits. However, when I was reading Yahoo! sports this morning and I saw that Omri was the Kings' star of the game. I knew that I had to mention this feat of greatness to the blogosphere.

Now, the Lebron-less Cavaliers are not an elite NBA team - but Omri still had a great night with 20 points on 7 for 10 shooting. You can see an Omri highlight at 54 seconds over at NBA.com. But unfortunately, there is also a potential goat moment when he missed two free-throws at the end of the game.

BTW - NBA.com no longer allows you to directly paste their highlight videos in a blog post :-(

Well, keep up the good work Omri and maybe I will have to keep the blog posts coming.

Photo Credit - By Chamber of Fear (File:Omri Casspi Courtney Lee.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Kings vs. Suns - Surprise! Omri Casspi has Strong Game in Losing Effort

Friday Feb. 5

The Suns scored 39 points in the first quarter. Nuff said. The Kings lost again and as a team, continue to play awful basketball.

The Kings were only in about 30 seconds of the NBA.com highlight clip and Omri was nowhere to be seen. The Kings stink and they are in a funk because everyone wants to know if Kevin Martin is going to be traded. Against the Suns, Martin only played 26 minutes to Omri's 35! BTW - Omri started again because Jason Thompson has yet to return to the team for personal reasons. NOTE - Omri was battling a stomach virus on Thursday and was questionable for the game. More proof of his grit and toughness.

Omri scored 17 points (2nd best on the team!) and grabbed 8 rebounds. His shooting was off as he was 6 for 14 from the floor. But wait, there is good shooting news too - he was 2 for 4 on three pointers and hit all 3 of his free throws!. Omri's free throw shooting has really improved, he has only missed one free throw in his last five games. Moreover, he is 31 for 39 (79.5%) on his free throws since the beginning of 2010. Now that is what I call improvement!

NBA.com also mentioned that Omri's nickname is OC. We should all work on coming up with a better one. Anyone have contacts with Chris Berman? I also like King Omri. Suggestions?

Omri - good luck against the Raptors on Sunday night.

Kings vs. Spurs - Omri Casspi Returns to the Starting Lineup

Wednesday Feb. 3

Omri Casspi returns to the starting lineup against the San Antonio Spurs. But don't get your hopes up - Jason Thompson missed the game because he had to attend a funeral. It is very likely that Omri will return to his sixth man role Friday night against the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, the outcome of the game was consistent - the Kings lost despite a valiant effort by Tyreke Evans in the last two minutes.

Omri had a decent game - 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and only 1 turnover. He was only 4 for 12 from the floor and 0 for 3 from three-point land. But we do have a nice post-game quote from Omri.

"It's pretty tough, man. I believe that we need only one good game, one win to get out of it. We've just got to play together more on offense, try to help more on defense, get more stops. … As far as I know, as far as I'm involved, we're all trying to stay together to get out of it, try to be positive and just try to win, I thought."

Pretty articulate - no? Only two weeks to go until the rookie All-Star game. Can't wait!

Omri Casspi the Human Highlight Reel

Monday Feb. 1

The Kings were so close to a win, and yet so far. The other star rookie for the Kings, Tyreke Evans, did not play because of a sore ankle and the Kings lost to the Denver Nuggets in overtime. Omri Casspi continued his solid production: 14 points and 4 rebounds. He also had a great shooting night, 80% from the floor and he made all six free-throws!

Moreover, Omri was practically a human highlight reel! The first 30 seconds of the NBA.com highlights show Omri's deft shooting touch. At the 1:30 mark, you can see a beautiful pass and assist from Casspi the King. If you are only going to take five shots from the floor and you still get over 30% of highlight time - that's showin' some serious NBA style! Keep it up Omri, we're lovin' it.

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%!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.