The season is upon us, and that means it's season previews time. The Sacramento Kings had a hectic offseason and would be considered in a rebuilding period.
The Kings won just 28 games last season, and made some moves like trading for Rudy Gay. The trio of Thomas, Cousins, and Gay made the Kings a solid team. They also had a role player in Ben McLemore who could provide some other scoring.
DeMarcus Cousins said, “I really believe we can be a 40-win team. It’s just about us growing up, buying into the system, locking in on our assignments every night, stop having these mental breakdowns every night. When we get to that point, we’ll be a good team. But until then we’ll continue to have these same types of seasons. We’ve got to grow up."
In the offseason, the Kings drafted guard Nik Stauskas. Stauskas, like McLemore, brings a huge 3 point presence to the team and can also play some of the point in the offense. The Kings let Isaiah Thomas go and picked up Ramon Sessions and Darren Collison to fill in his place.
“To have an owner like Vivek is great because he’s passionate, he’s competitive and wants it really, really bad,” Malone said. “So when he comes out and says it is about wins and losses, you love that because you have an owner that isn’t taking the five-, six-year plan like other teams in the NBA. He wants to win as fast as possible."
“On one hand, I love that, but on the other hand, when I look at this team, where we are and who we’re playing against, it’s not going to happen overnight. I’m also realistic to the demands of our schedule and the reality of our situation.”
Head coach Mike Malone understands that this Kings' squad isn't likely a playoff team. But, the good news for Kings' fans is you can expect a much better season than last year. The Kings have upgraded since last season, and should only get better. Sadly for Sacramento, they're in the Western Conference so the reality of playoffs is a ways away. But with hard work as a team and constant support from the fans, the Kings are primed for a much better season than last.
“I want to win, I want to be a playoff team, but I’m also realistic to where we’re at right now,” Malone said. “I’m not going to sit here and say we have to make the playoffs this year, that it’s all or nothing. We’re in Year Two, and very rarely in the NBA do you see a team that’s been in the lottery for eight or nine straight years and come out in the very difficult Western Conference.”