It’s in the books: Omri Casspi’s rookie season

CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE:   CASSPI HINTS HE WANTS TO BE TRADED

Here is the original blog entry posted Wednesday, April 14:

Omri Casspi’s first NBA season is in the books.

The Sacramento Kings 6-foot-9, 21-year-old forward from Israel had a pretty solid rookie season, although it certainly had its ups and downs.

Casspi played in 77 of the Kings’ 82 games, but after surging into the starting lineup with some outstanding games in December, he eventually lost his starting role ...  then got it back ...  then lost it again. He ended up starting 31 games, well under half of the Kings’ total games.

He averaged 10.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, making 75 of his 203 attempts from 3-point range for 36.9 percent (10th among NBA rookies). He ranked sixth on the Kings in both scoring and rebounding average, but his rebounding number of 4.5 per game was a lofty sixth among all NBA rookies.

Casspi was the first Israeli-born player to ever play in the NBA. He was also the first Israeli ever drafted in the first round when the Kings took him with the No. 23 pick last June, after which he signed a three-year contract.

The Kings finished their 2009-2010 season with a 104-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, leaving them with a 25-57 record and out of the playoffs for a fifth straight year. They stumbled to the finish line by losing 11 of their last 12 games, but at least their record was better than last season, when they went 17-65.

Casspi had 41 games in which he scored 10 or more points, including seven games with 20 or more points, and he was the Kings’ leading scorer in five games. He was also their leading rebounder in six games. He was held scoreless in only five games.

His best stretch of the season came in December and early January, when he scored 20 or more points in four straight games and was featured in a four-page article in Sports Illustrated. His best game of the season came in that stretch, on Jan. 1, when he had a then-career-best 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal in a 109-108 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Two games later, he increased his career-high to 24 points in a game against the Phoenix Suns.

Casspi didn’t get a single start in Sacramento’s final 20 games, his heady December-January stretch (18 or more points seven times during a span of 10 starts) far behind him in the rearview mirror.

After that stretch, his 3-point shooting went into the tank, and as his 3-point shooting went, so went Casspi. He went only 7-for-40 over the next 14 games, scoring more than 14 points only twice and losing his lock on the starting job. In the previous four games, when he scored a total of 90 points, he was 12-for-20 from 3-points range. In the season finale Tuesday night, Casspi went 0-for-2 from 3-point range and shot only 2-for-10 overall, finishing with four points.

On April 1, Casspi was honored by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (himself a former NBA player) and the city council for being the first Israeli-born player in the NBA.

“This is a great day for the City of Sacramento and the Jewish community,” Johnson said. “Omri has represented his country, his culture, and our city well in his first season in the NBA. I look forward to watching his continued successes and contributions to Sacramento for years to come.”

Said Casspi: “I want to thank Mayor Johnson for his leadership and the City Council for this recognition. I’ve enjoyed my rookie year with the Kings and the warm welcome I've received from the people of this community. I’m proud to represent both Sacramento and Israel every time I step out on the court and I will continue to work hard to make Kings fans proud.”

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