HoopsHype.com Rumors

Omri Casspi: I'm told that the only way the second-year small forward is traded is if the team landing him agrees to take back one of the Kings' long-term deals, most likely that of swingman Francisco Garcia (combined $11.9 million owed in next two seasons with team option in 2013-14 for $6.4 million). FanHouse.com

Sacramento Kings, Trade, Omri Casspi, Francisco Garcia 

They don't even know what to call Francisco García anymore. Older brother. Resident shrink. Head cheerleader. The man who sticks their faces in the mirror. The after-hours coach who prods them away from the pubs and into the Kings' practice facility, sometimes into the wee hours. "Cisco, man, we would be lost without Cisco," second-year forward Omri Casspi said. "He's a brother to me. You can turn to him about anything, and he tells you straight. He has helped me with so many things, made me a better teammate." Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, Omri Casspi, Francisco Garcia 

"Cisco has done everything to me," Cousins said with a grin. "He yells at me, tells me to calm down, doesn't want me throwing my headband. He can motivate me, get me mad as well. But he knows what it's like, too, because he used to have a real temper, and he's been there for good and bad times. We listen to him." Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, Omri Casspi, Francisco Garcia 

Sources say Sacramento, furthermore, would likely insist on attaching a long-term contract from the Kings' roster (such as Francisco Garcia's) for the right to acquire Casspi, who’s earning a bargain $1.25 million this season. That could dissuade both the Bulls and the Knicks, with New York especially mindful of preserving salary-cap space for the summer. ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, Trade, Omri Casspi, Francisco Garcia 

Francisco Garcia has some value but teams will want to avoid his contract with talks of a hard cap being implemented. Carl Landry, on the other hand, would usually have plenty of teams calling but because he's a free agent after this season, I'm not sure the interest would be there to acquire him as a rental. Because he's only making $3,000,000 this season, he's not going to sign an extension at that rate so any team that trades for Landry will just have to hope he falls in love with the organization and wants to re-sign this summer. That's a big risk though because you don't know how many teams will be pursuing him and what the price will be. The Kings have some trade chips to play with but don't expect teams to send stars their way unless their giving up Tyreke or DeMarcus. HoopsWorld

Sacramento Kings, Trade, Francisco Garcia, Carl Landry 

The NBA's Sacramento Kings are suing three companies in federal court over an exercise ball they say burst and injured one of their players. Roger Dreyer, a lawyer representing the team, said Wednesday swingman Francisco Garcia broke his right wrist in October 2009 after the ball -- known as the Gymnic "Burst Resistant" Plus Stability Ball -- actually did burst while Garcia was laying on it lifting weights. ESPN.com

Sacramento Kings, Law, Francisco Garcia 

The lawsuit seeks $4 million from Italy-based manufacturer Ledraplastic, ball distributor M-F Athletic Company and Ball Dynamics International. That's how much the team says it paid Garcia during games he missed because of the injury. Calls made to Ball Dynamics and M-F Athletic were not immediately returned Wednesday. Dreyer said a laboratory examined the broken ball and determined it was not abused before it exploded. "It was advertised to be burst-resistant, but obviously it was not," Dreyer told The Associated Press. "We will be able to prove that, for a very small expense, the ball could've been made more thicker and provided the burst-resistant capacity as advertised." ESPN.com

Sacramento Kings, Law, Francisco Garcia 

The Sacramento Kings will on Wednesday announce a lawsuit over guard Francisco Garcia's 2009 injury suffered when he was lifting weights on an exercise ball. Garcia broke his arm after an exercise ball he was laying on exploded. Garcia had been lifting dumbbells while balancing on the ball. The Kings said at the time he had been spotted by a team trainer. The injury knocked Garcia out of much of the 2009-10 season. The wingman played just 25 games. The Maloof vowed a lawsuit, and banned exercise balls from the team's training room. Sactown Royalty

Sacramento Kings, Law, Francisco Garcia 

There's a new restaurant in New York: Francisco Garcia's Aires Restaurant & Lounge, the first business in which Garcia is going to get involved in the USA and the Dominican Republic. Hoy Digital

Francisco Garcia, New York 

But that hasn't stopped García from being a mentor. Newly acquired forward Darnell Jackson has joined García for late-night shooting and workouts. García was also instrumental in helping Omri Casspi adjust to life in the NBA last season. Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said García has "always been a welcoming type of personality." "I just try to show them the ropes and the right way to stay in this league," García said. "It's easy to make it, it's hard to stay. That's one thing they've got to understand." García averaged a career-high 12.7 points in 2008-09. He averaged just 8.1 points in his limited action last season, not playing his first regular-season game until Feb. 16. But García's mentoring while injured showed Westphal that García "was always totally tuned in," which is important on a team with so many young players. "That's a real valuable thing," Westphal said. "It's a lot more rare than it should be. You wish everybody could be like that. Certainly it gives him a big advantage in finding a niche." Sacramento Bee

Sacramento Kings, Francisco Garcia