Toronto Raptors v Sacramento Kings Last season: After Kings fans and mayor Kevin Johnson banded together to save basketball in Sacramento, new owner Vivek Ranadive brought in a new coach (Mike Malone) and a new GM (Pete D’Alessandro) and signed DeMarcus Cousins to a four-year max extension. The Kings proceeded to have a season that looked a lot like their last several — a lot of losing. A midseason trade for Rudy Gay rejuvenated the veteran forward’s career after a disappointing stint in Toronto, but it didn’t do much for the win column. The Kings finished 28-54.
Signature highlight from last season: In the most disappointing announcement-turned-April Fool’s-joke in NBA history, Cousins did not actually record an R&B album under the name “Boogie Smooth.”
Key player changes: The Kings took sharpshooter Nik Stauskas with the No. 8 pick in the draft and parted ways with point guard Isaiah Thomas, who went to Phoenix. They replaced Thomas by giving Darren Collison a three-year, $16 million deal, and signed veterans Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins on the cheap.
Keys to the Kings’ season:
Which of the young wings will pan out? The Kings have drafted a shooting guard in the top 10 each of the last two years. Ben McLemore was inconsistent in his rookie season and Stauskas, while a great shooter, could take time to develop other aspects of his game. In order for the Kings to progress, at least one of them has to become a dependable starter.
Will Boogie make “the leap”? Cousins played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup this summer, and there was plenty of talk about his maturation as a leader. Plenty of players take gigantic leaps forward after playing in international competitions. Think Derrick Rose, Kevin Love and Kevin Durant after the 2010 tournament. Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and Kenneth Faried are expected to do the same this year, and so is Cousins. This Kings team is still rebuilding but it’s easier to do that when you have a superstar to build around.
What, exactly, is the plan here? This team is not untalented. Cousins is an All-Star-caliber player, Gay is a proven scorer, and Collison and Sessions are competent NBA point guards. Derrick Williams may still be salvageable, and second-year point guard Ray McCallum has some upside. What the Kings lack is cohesion, or any sense of what the direction of the franchise is. Obviously, Cousins is the building block, and they’d like to re-sign Gay if he keeps performing like he did after being traded to Sacramento. But other than that, so far it seems like a lot of just throwing stuff at the wall and hoping something sticks.
Why you should watch the Kings: There’s a reasonable chance Cousins could go for 30 points and 15 rebounds or get himself ejected (or both!) on any given night.
Prediction: 27-55. The Kings play in a division with at least two and maybe three playoff teams and don’t have a lot of proven talent or a roster coherent enough to make them a playoff threat of any kind. But at least they won’t be as bad as the Lakers.
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- edon8334 - Oct 17, 2014 at 11:11 AM
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i think they could win 40 games this year.. Cousins is a top 3 center, Gay is an all star and collison is a good player.. if mclemore improves and mcollum and williams do good then they can win 40+ games
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- neutronjimmy123 - Oct 17, 2014 at 2:39 PM
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This team needs veteran presence in the backcourt…
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- Vindickative - Oct 23, 2014 at 4:00 PM
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The 27-55 projection is right on the money. Also, look for a haphazard mid-season trade involving Gay and one of the young guards (probably McLemore or Stauskas) to bring John Salmons back to the Capital City for his unprecedented third stint as a Sacramento King.
