Sacramento Kings End of Season Wrap Up

Predicted Outcome: 44-38, third place Pacific Division
Currently: 23-56, fifth place Pacific Division (3 games left)

Coming into the season the Sacramento Kings looked so good on paper. They were returning with last year’s rookie of the year Tyreke Evans along with a player who had a breakout season in Carl Landry as he posted career highs in scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 per game). In addition, the Kings drafted one of the best big men in College Basketball, Demarcus Cousins, who helped the Kentucky Wildcats win the NCAA Tournament last year. They also acquired one of the best defensive post players in the league trading Andres Nocioni to the Philadelphia 76ers for Samuel Dalembert. Add in the return of promising young players such as point guard Beno Udrih (12.9ppg, .493 FG%, .377 3FG% last season), ever improving big man Jason Thompson (12.5ppg, 8.5rpg, 1.0blkpg last season), surprising rookie Omri Casspi (10.1ppg, .446 FG% last season), and veteran sharp shooter Francisco Garcia (8.1ppg, .390 3FG% last season), the Kings looked like a team able to make a run for the playoffs. Unfortunately that did not happen.

Sacramento started the season with the worst record in the league going 5-22. They won three of their first four games only to follow it by losing ten of their next eleven. Their supposed deep roster full to brim with size, athleticism, and talent looked completely out of shape and completely out of sorts. Tyreke Evans did not repeat his rookie of the year performance as his scoring dropped from 20.1ppg to 17.8 and his shooting took a nose dive as well from .458 to .415. The same went for Carl Landry, who followed up his stellar performance last season by simply becoming a non factor offensively—his scoring took a nose dive (from 18.0ppg to just 11.9) along with his minutes (from 37.1 per game last season to 24.1). Demarcus Cousins started his rookie year overweight, out of shape and with a bad attitude. Samuel Dalembert has not provided the interior presence that many anticipated as the Kings will finish the season one on the worst defensive teams in the league. They currently rank 23rd in the league in points allowed (104.4ppg) and 28th in field goals allowed (.477).  (To be continued  . . . )