KINGSPOD 2020

The Kings were 1–10 when we recorded, and Toke and Geoff have seen enough of Doug Christie. We get into what the constant rotation changes are doing to the team, how much of the blame belongs to the roster, and what Vivek should be willing to spend on the next coach. We also debate whether taking two second-round picks for Nique Clifford was the right call after spending a first to get him, and whether the Kings can still get something worthwhile for Domantas Sabonis. Then we get to the good news: Darius Acuff Jr. His shot is coming around, he's getting teammates involved, and he's given us a reason to keep watching. How high is his ceiling, and can the Kings put the right people around him? Go Kings. Timestamps 00:00:00 Intro and Christmas lights 00:01:22 The Kings are 1–10 00:06:56 Why we'd move on from Doug Christie 00:13:08 Who set Christie up to fail? 00:16:21 How much better was the 48-win Beam Team? 00:20:24 Who should take over for Christie? 00:28:13 The case for and against Tom Thibodeau 00:30:47 What Mike Brown got right with Fox and Sabonis 00:36:27 Frank Vogel, Mark Jackson, and Mike Woodson 00:40:06 Was trading Nique Clifford the right move? 00:51:40 Sabonis's fit, ceiling, and trade value 01:02:02 What changed with Darius Acuff Jr. 01:10:44 Empty seats and what Kings fans can do 01:13:11 Final takes on Christie, Ben Simmons, and Keegan Murray

The Kings haven't played a single regular-season game, and things are already going sideways. Ben Simmons tears his Achilles, Vivek Ranadivé reportedly turns a team dinner into a roast, and Sacramento finishes the preseason 0–5. Just another normal start to a Kings season. Toke and Geoff break down the Simmons injury, Vivek's latest controversy, and their growing concerns about Doug Christie's coaching. They also question whether Keegan Murray will ever live up to his massive contract, discuss the early returns on Darius Acuff and the Kings' other young players, and examine Sacramento's options for moving Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine. Finally, the guys revise their season predictions after an ugly preseason. Toke: 22 wins. Geoff: 19 wins. Live from the Big Tomato. KingsPod2020.

KingsPod2020 is back. Toke and Geoff break down the Kings' one-year deal with Ben Simmons, what Domantas Sabonis changing agents could mean for his future in Sacramento, and why the NBA agent ecosystem drives Toke insane. We also discuss the allegations in the lawsuit filed by a former Kings athletic trainer, where things stand with Doug Christie entering a critical season, and the enormous punishment handed down in the Kawhi Leonard/Clippers cap-circumvention case. Then we ask whether the full Kawhi era — including the Paul George trade — could go down as one of the most catastrophic transactions in NBA history, before turning to Darius Acuff, Emanuel Sharp, Alex Karaban, Maxime Raynaud and the rest of Sacramento's Summer League group. Finally, we give our early Kings win projections and discuss whether 2026-27 could bring more parity to the NBA.

The Kings got their guy. Toke and Geoff react to Sacramento landing Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh pick, why the pick feels decisive, and why the Kings need to avoid handing the franchise to another 19-year-old before he has earned it. They also break down the rest of Scott Perry's draft class, including Alex Karaban and Emanuel Sharp, the theme of drafting players from winning programs, the Devin Carter salary dump, Precious Achiuwa returning, Jalen Duren rumors, Keon Ellis leaving for Brooklyn, and whether the Kings should explore a Jalen Brown swing. Plus: Vivek's relationship with John Calipari, Jonathan Kuminga rumors, LeBron leaving the Lakers, Giannis in Miami, and why Sacramento needs to stop placating Rich Paul after the Fox and Zach LaVine situations.

Toke and Geoff return after a long break to discuss Mike Brown defeating De'Aaron Fox in the NBA Finals, Fox's performance and response to failure, and whether Sacramento spent too many years treating him like a franchise player before he earned it. Then: Why trading Zach LaVine for Ja Morant is exactly the kind of risk the Kings should take, the meaning of "you win by winning," Nick's brutally unscientific scouting reports on the top draft prospects, Klutch Sports' continued influence, and what Sacramento should do with the seventh pick.   https://substack.com/@kingspod2020

Vlade Divac finally explained why the Kings passed on Luka Dončić, and somehow the explanation made the whole thing feel even worse. Toke and Geoff react to Vlade's comments about Luka, De'Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, and the idea that Luka was a "big market player." That leads into a bigger conversation about the loser mentality that has shaped too many Kings decisions: drafting scared, worrying about stars leaving before they even arrive, and choosing fit over obvious talent. The guys also revisit the Chris Webber trade as the perfect counterexample. Webber did not want Sacramento at first, but winning changed everything. From there, they talk through the "volunteers vs hostages" mindset, possible roster swings involving AJ Dybantsa, Ja Morant, Paolo Banchero, Keegan Murray, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis, plus the NBA's proposed lottery changes and how the league could actually fix tanking. The central message stays the same: You win by winning.

Doug Christie is coming back — but after a season like this, that raises more questions than answers. In this episode, Toke and Geoff break down a Sacramento Kings year that felt like a collapse, just not a surprising one. Instead, it played out like a version of the same team fans have watched for years. The focus is on Doug Christie — his coaching, his approach, and what he should be doing differently — before shifting into the bigger picture: roster construction, front office decisions, and what direction this team is actually moving in. They also dive into a broader NBA issue: tanking. Why it doesn't consistently work, how the lottery system creates bad incentives, and what real changes could be made to fix it.

In this episode of KingsPod2020, Toke and Geoff unpack a chaotic stretch for the Sacramento Kings and what the trade deadline revealed about the franchise's deeper issues. The conversation centers on why Kings fans — and the organization itself — consistently overvalue assets, misunderstand rebuilds, and fall back on draft-pick obsession despite years of evidence that losing only makes everything harder. The guys break down Scott Perry's early moves, the Dennis Schröder experiment, trade rumors surrounding Domantas Sabonis, and why quickly unwinding mistakes is better than doubling down on them. They also take a hard look at Doug Christie's coaching, the lack of offensive structure, and how nostalgia continues to cloud decision-making at every level of the franchise.

Toke and Geoff are back "Live from the Big Tomato" with a simple theme for the first KingsPod2020 of the new year: You win by winning. That's great for Toke's Vegas bachelor party, where a mini hot streak at the Wynn and Cosmo sportsbook turns into a degenerate live-betting ride on Fresno State vs San Diego State. It's not so great for the Sacramento Kings, who have gone 7–20 since the last episode. The guys talk about Kings fans sliding from anger into apathy, Sacramento's Washington Generals era, and whether Scott Perry is actually trying to win now or just cleaning up Monte/Vivek's mess for the next two seasons. They break down Maxime Raynaud and Nique Clifford as "found money," bury the De'Aaron Fox trade return, question Devon Carter at 13, and argue over how high to really be on Keegan Murray. The back half of the pod zooms out to tanking, draft odds, and star swings: whether being dead last actually matters when your draft history is this bad, Ja Morant as a sicko trade target, Tyrese Maxey as the dream guard, and Giannis/Fox hypotheticals that only Kings sickos would come up with. A little Vegas luck, a lot of Kings misery, and the same closing note as always: Go Kings.

Toke and Geoff return "live from the Big Tomato" to talk about life in 20 years of Kings basketball hell, the brief fake hope of wins over Denver and Minnesota, and the reality of getting stomped by Memphis again. They spotlight rookie big man Maxime Raynaud as one of the only bright spots, debate what Doug Christie should be doing with rotations, and argue about whether Russell Westbrook and the kids should be prioritized over vets like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. From there, they zoom out and put Scott Perry's early tenure under the microscope—grading everything from the Doug hire, Jonas trade, Schroder/U-Banks signings, to the Keon Ellis contract decision and the Precious pickup. Then they go league-wide: what happens to the trade market if Giannis forces his way out of Milwaukee, where should he go, and why Toke wants De'Aaron Fox exiled to Wisconsin instead of thriving in San Antonio with Wemby. They close with the spicy Chris Paul vs. Ty Lue drama with the Clippers and what that says about sending vets home, Zach/DeRozan's future, and the Kings' next painful chapter. Merry Christmas, go Kings.