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.