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Sacramento Kings Weekly: John Calipari To The Kings?

By Jacob Hammond

Mar 8, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari against the Florida Gators during the first half at Stephen C. O
Mar 8, 2014; Gainesville, FL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari against the Florida Gators during the first half at Stephen C. O /
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Seven-Game Road Trip

On Wednesday, March 5, the Kings started a seven-game road trip, this trip being the longest of the season. With the Kings road record at 8-20 when they started the trip, very little was expected of the Kings, even with six of the games against the weaker Eastern Conference. Overall the Kings went 2-5 on the trip beating the two worst teams in the NBA in the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. Therefore, the Kings did beat the teams they were supposed to and almost gutted out a win in Minnesota without Cousins. We take a look at the good and the bad from the road trip.

The Bad

All season long the main issue for the Kings has been their defense and for most of the road trip it was the issue again. The Kings allowed the four of the teams to score well above their season averages, including the Bucks and 76ers. However, even worse than the defense was the offense during the trip. The Kings average 101 points per game. Therefore, it is hard to see them not even crack 90 points in four of the games. In addition the Kings shot only 42 percent from the field and an even worse 23 percent from 3 in the five losses.

Mar 16, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Isaiah Thomas (22) dribbles in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Isaiah Thomas (22) dribbles in the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Isaiah Thomas looks like he is wearing down here towards the end of the season. For the past five games he is still putting up 20 points per game and six assists, but his shooting percentages are way down compared to earlier in the season. Thomas shot just less than 40 percent over the past five games and only 25 percent from behind the arc. It is hard with Thomas because he is still putting up decent numbers, and this why the Kings have a tough decision with him after this season. In addition to Thomas, Rudy Gay is starting to struggle from the field as well. When Gay first came over he was shooting above 50 percent, then over the last five games only 42 percent and a terrible 17 percent from 3. The Kings are going to struggle to score when both Thomas and Gay are not shooting well, since they both average over 15 shots a game.

The Good

Derrick Williams has been playing better of late, even with his minutes being up and down all year. Over the past five games Williams is averaging 10 points and six rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field. The most surprising stat for Williams is that over those five games he is shooting 56 percent from 3, and has made at least one three in four of the games. Then during the last game he had 26 points in only 28 minutes and had 11 rebounds. When Williams plays like this he shows how he could help the Kings long term, even if it is off the bench.

The best part of the whole road trip was the fact that the Kings did not lose to either the Bucks or 76ers. These teams have won a combined 28 games and the 76ers are currently in a 21-game losing streak. Many believed one of the best chances the 76ers had to break the streak was when they hosted the Kings. So at this point you do not want to be the team that allows the 76ers to break their streak and the Kings did a good job to avoid it.

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