The Sacramento Kings are struggling to open the 2011-12 NBA season. Sacramento lost again on Tuesday January 3 to fall to 2-4 on the season.

The team put together a solid first half before getting blown away in the second half and losing the game 113-96. Not even the return of DeMarcus Cousins helped in this game. Cousins came off the bench and played just 22 minutes. His poor shooting continued as he shot just one out of five from the field on his way to four points and eight rebounds.

The starting unit accounted for only 36 out of 96 points in the game. No NBA team will win a game when they get performances like that from their starting five. The starting unit only made 13 out of 35 shots for just 37% shooting in the game. Sacramento is a young team and needs to get more consistent play out of their stars like Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton.

The one bright spot is that this may have been a breakthrough game for rookie guard Jimmer Fredette. Fredette has struggled coming into this game and has not had an outstanding start to his rookie season. Fredette led the team in scoring and played the most minutes on the team in the loss to Memphis. Fredette made six out of 12 shots including four three pointers on his way to scoring a season high 17 points.

Sacramento also saw a good game off the bench from rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas. Thomas has played very well early on and has earned more playing time off the bench. Thomas finished with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

One of the biggest problems the team is having early in the season has been their lack of assisted baskets in games. This directly translates to the stagnant offense that fans are watching in games. The team is not moving the ball well and the offense is struggling because of it. No player on the team has had a game with more than five assists through six games this season.

Sacramento fans shouldn’t panic quite yet. Several of the teams losses have come against quality opponents so far this season. Sacramento needs to start playing better and more consistent basketball. Once they do, victories will come and the improvement will be evident.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.

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The Sacramento Kings surprisingly announced that DeMarcus Cousins was sent home and would not play in the their January 1 game against the New Orleans Hornets. Coach Paul Westphal and the team released a statement explaining a trade demand as the reason Cousins was sent home and would not be playing in the game.

This news has to be a shock to everyone. Sacramento started the season off with a win against the Los Angeles Lakers before losing their next three games. Losing is always disappointing but this team was never expected to be anywhere near a championship contender this season. Losing is going to happen to a young team and the players can’t respond with trade demands. If Cousins acts like this as soon as his team begins losing, no team in the NBA is going to want him.

Through four games, Cousins is averaging 13.0 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. A positive sign has been a big improvement in his offensive rebounding so far. Cousins’ improved rebounding statistics have been helped by his improvement from an average of 2.7 last season to 5.8 offensive rebounds per game so far this season.

The biggest disappointment in his game has been his poor shooting. Cousins is shooting just 32.1% from the field and has not helped the team and their offensive struggles.

Sacramento knew what they were getting themselves in to when they drafted DeMarcus Cousins and are now paying for it. As talented as he is, Cousins is just 21 years old and is extremely immature. Fans will not tolerate the kind of behavior he is displaying. The team should not either.

Sacramento and their fans are counting on a breakthrough season this year. I thought that adding Chuck Hayes to the team would be a good veteran influence on the development of DeMarcus Cousins. Clearly that is not the case.

I hope that Sacramento does not give in to his demands and trade Cousins. Sending him home and telling him to stay away from the team is the right move here. DeMarcus needs to know that if he acts like this, he will not be a part of this team. I hope that he starts acting like this is his job and dedicates himself to helping the team win basketball games.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

The Sacramento Kings lost their third straight game on December 31 when they fell to the visiting New York Knicks. New York was without Amare Stoudemire but was still able to defeat Sacramento 114-92. Sacramento is heading in the wrong direction and looked awful on their home court once again. Sacramento is now 1-3 on the season with the loss.

Sacramento continued to struggle offensively and couldn’t get anything going. At home, they shot just 34.9% from the field, 63% from the free throw line and made just six out of 22 three point attempts. They looked out of sync offensively and didn’t have a single player step up to become a leader of the offensive side. Not a single starter made more than 50% of their shots in this game.

DeMarcus Cousins shot terrible from the field but was again very good rebounding the ball. Cousins finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. Fans can only hope that Cousins will turn it around and pick up his play this season. His field goal shooting has been atrocious this season. This is not the development fans were hoping to see from Cousins in his second season.

Jimmer Fredette also disappointed once again for Sacramento. He contributed just seven points and two rebounds in the game. Through four games, Fredette is averaging just 9.3 points, 2.3 assists, and shooting just 36.8% from the field. Fredette is a great shooter and will no doubt find his rhythm, but this is a disappointing start to the season.

The only players to provide any kind of spark for the team were Jason Thompson and Donte Greene. Thompson had 13 points and seven rebounds in his best game of the season, while Greene contributed 10 points.

Sacramento fans have to be disappointed by this loss. Ever since their season opening victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the team has played lethargic and with very little effort. It’s surprising that the last two losses have come at home for Sacramento. They have had great support from the fans this season and will eventually turn around their play.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

After a lackluster performance against Golden State, the Chicago Bulls pulled it together and beat the Sacramento Kings 108-98 on Thursday, Dec. 29.

The team showed a lot of depth; Rip Hamilton appeared more comfortable and they looked like they’re finding their groove in this very new season.

The Bulls got on the board with a jump shot by Carlos Boozer and the team took a 19-5 lead by the 5:36 mark. The Kings tightened the game but the Bulls maintained the lead. The first quarter ended with a Bulls 30-24 advantage.

Chicago would lead for the entire game.

In the second quarter, the Bulls got into foul trouble but stayed ahead. The bench mob entered and advanced the team’s lead to 15 points at 7:29. The Bulls entered halftime ahead, 60-53.

After halftime adjustments, Sacramento returned in the third quarter and made it a two-point game at 9:35. They had success at the foul line and kept on the Bulls. Rose stepped out but the team held onto its lead.

Entering the final quarter 85-75, the Bulls stayed consistent even as Rose again briefly left at the 7:46 mark due to foul problems. Joakim Noah soon followed with his own foul issues.

The Bulls had a 10-point lead and kept it that way thanks to good defensive play.

Once again the bench mob excelled with solid play by C.J. Watson. Pinch hitting for Rose because of fouls, Watson played for 16 minutes and added eight points, nine assists and five rebounds.

The Bulls shot 54 percent, helping them with the win. Grabbing an early lead and keeping it was also important to the game. They were 6 for 12 in three-pointers and had 18 turnovers.

Scoring…Rose led in scoring with 19 points and eight assists. It was a team effort with Boozer contributing 16 points and 15 rebounds. Hamilton had a good game, adding 16 points.

Ronnie Brewer and Luol Deng each scored 12 points.

Next up for the Bulls is their final game of a four-game road series. They play the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, Dec. 30.

As a lifelong Bulls fan and Chicago resident, it’s great to see the Bulls playing well again.

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The Sacramento Kings lost their second straight game to fall to 1-2 on the season. The Chicago Bulls defeated Sacramento at home by the score of 108-98. The two losses have been disappointing after the team started strong with an opening game victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The team has still played well and shown the potential that they have this season.

Sacramento was again led by shooting guard Marcus Thornton who led the team with 20 points. It’s become evident that if this team is going to win, Thornton is going to have to play well.

One of the biggest difficulties for Sacramento was the lack of depth on the frontcourt. Both starting big men, DeMarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes, fouled out in the game. Cousins had his third double-double in three games but only made four out of 16 shots in the game. Fans have to enjoy seeing Cousins rebound better so far but will still have to live with the up and down play of the young center.

Jimmer Fredette had his best game on the young season. Fredette finished with 14 points and three assists in the game. He made five out of 10 shots on the game and made two three point baskets. It will be exciting to see just how good Jimmer will get this season. Watching the first three games has made it evident that Jimmer will only get better and will be a major contributor before the season is over.

Troubling for fans has been the start of Tyreke Evans so far. Evans finished with 19 points but had just two rebounds and two assists in the game. He also made just five out of 12 free throw attempts. Evans will need to play much better than he has to start the season if Sacramento is going to be successful this year. As the point guard, he is the key to the offense and needs to become more of a leader this season.

The best thing about the start to the season for Sacramento fans has been the excitement surrounding the team. Fans are excited that the team is improved and about the new players on the team. Both home games have sold out so far and this is a big improvement over the crowds the team played in front of last season. Hopefully the team will begin to play more consistent and more victories will come with it.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.

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