The Sacramento Kings have been struggling to find stability for nearly a decade and seem to have finally formed a solid foundation to become a contender for years to come. They haven’t had a record above .500 since the 2005-06 season and look like they have a realistic shot to accomplish the feat this season.
It’s a step in the right direction for a team that has had a lot of turnover, not only with players, but coaches too. Whether a record above .500 will be enough to make the playoffs in the Western Conference is a different story altogether.
Owner Vivek Ranadive has been committed to winning now and didn’t waver when the time came to decide whether to commit to DeMarcus Cousins or not. He has even attempted to transfer his out-of-the-box thinking that has made him so successful in business to the Kings’ on-the-court strategy.
Ranadive has been intrusive as an owner at times, even pitching the idea of having the Kings play a 4-on 5-defense allowing them to have their fifth man catch outlets for what would seem like an easy lay-up every time on the other end. Although he has been eccentric as an owner, Kings fans would much rather have his passion for the game than the mess the Maloofs put together before Ranadive bought the Kings.
It was a shame that they couldn’t develop Tyreke Evans, a player that seemed destined to be great. Evans was one of four players to ever average 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in their rookie season but hasn’t improved since.
| Per Game | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Season ▴ | Age | Tm | Lg | PTS | TRB | AST |
| 2 | Oscar Robertson* | 1960-61 | 22 | CIN | NBA | 30.5 | 10.1 | 9.7 |
| 3 | Michael Jordan* | 1984-85 | 21 | CHI | NBA | 28.2 | 6.5 | 5.9 |
| 4 | LeBron James | 2003-04 | 19 | CLE | NBA | 20.9 | 5.5 | 5.9 |
| 5 | Tyreke Evans | 2009-10 | 20 | SAC | NBA | 20.1 | 5.3 | 5.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/1/2014.
It wasn’t a popular decision to let Isaiah Thomas walk in free agency this past summer but it seems like the right move so far. It doesn’t seem realistic to have a diminutive 5’9” starting point guard in the Western Conference, with the much bigger Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Tony Parker and others running the show for some of the contenders.
Darren Collison has a lot of experience as a point guard in the West as a reserve and has shown the ability to close games down the stretch. He has had two stints backing up Chris Paul with the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers and it really seems to be helping him quarterback the Kings’ offense. Collison will be with the Kings through the 2017 season.
On Nov. 16, Rudy Gay opted to sign a three-year, $40 million extension and is convinced with what the Kings are doing. Gay has shown that he can be an efficient scorer in Sacramento as well. After shooting 45 percent from the field in his career before reaching Sacramento, he increased his field goal percentage to a solid 48 percent. As a 20-point scorer who can defend and with his improving skills as a passer, the Kings have a solid wing player in Rudy Gay locked up until the 2018 season.
Last but not least, the Kings have their franchise player, DeMarcus Cousins, playing like a future Hall-of-Famer. His size and versatility bring back memories of Hakeem Olajuwon. Except Cousins is much stronger than Hakeem yet has the mobility, shooting touch and court vision of a guard. He’s putting up career highs in virtually every category so far in only 32 minutes a game.
Perhaps his most impressive area of improvement is at the free throw line where he’s shooting over 80 percent. He’s also on pace for less than 10 technical fouls this season, compared to the 16 he had last season. Cousins will be in Sacramento through 2018 as well.
He seems to be putting up video-game numbers with ease, one of his most notable victims being the Los Angeles Clippers, in what was probably a very humbling experience for the much-improved DeAndre Jordan.
After years of dysfunction, the Kings seem to be turning the corner with a good, young coach in Mike Malone, continuity in their roster, and an owner committed to winning.