OPINION: The Sacramento Kings are the perfect example of a failed rebuild
February 10, 2020
Last April, there was a lot of excitement surrounding the Sacramento Kings. The team had just finished in ninth place of the Western Conference.
Fast forward to February of this year, and the Kings look like they’re on their last leg.
Many expected an improvement from their surprising 39-43 record, but their play has been a sharp regression from where they were this time last year.
Following their promising season, the Kings made every questionable move possible.
They started by firing head coach Dave Joeger, who previously led the Grizzlies to three straight playoff appearances and replaced him with Luke Walton, who led the Lakers to a 98-148 record in his three seasons as head coach. Makes perfect sense to me.
In combination with the hiring of Walton, they failed to sign major free agents to bolster their young roster. In order for the Kings’ rebuild to be successful, they have to find a way to surround their young talent with impactful veterans that can leave a mark.
Sacramento has failed to improve their roster. The team infamously traded the only star they had, DeMarcus Cousins, with Buddy Hield 3 years ago. Hield is seemingly regressing rather than progressing .
The Kings selected De’Aaron Fox as the fifth pick in the 2017 draft and his game has left much to be desired after he was compared to John Wall.
European sensation Bogdan Bogdanovic has consistently played better than Hield but continues to be looked over. And Marvin Bagley III just can’t stay healthy long enough to be an on-court impact.
For goodness sake, the last time the Kings made a good free agent signing was 1998. The player they signed was Vlade Divac, their current general manager
All of these things combined with the incompetence of both Divac and Walton has doomed the Kings beyond repair this season.
In order to rebound, the Kings need structure and leadership to lead the way, and their current front office is incapable of doing so.
It’s time for Divac to pack his bags and leave Sacramento. While he’s at it, he can take Walton along with him.
Texans vs Chiefs • Jun 1, 2020 at 11:14 pm
The Chiefs have officially revealed that they’ll open the 2020 NFL season facing the Texans on “Thursday Night Football” at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 10.
Link: https://texansvschiefsgame.com
The Chiefs then scored a touchdown on their next seven possessions and kicked a field goal on the eighth. It was the first time in NFL postseason history that a team trailed by at least 20 points and wound up winning by at least 20. The season opener will feature Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, two of the best quarterbacks in the game. They are both part of the 2017 draft class.
Michael Dennis OReilly • Feb 18, 2020 at 1:21 am
The fish starts to stink at the head and the Managing Partner Vivek Randavive has failed miserably to construct a team out of the ashes left by the Maloofs.
MNAK • Feb 10, 2020 at 1:37 pm
Very poorly written article.
While it’s hard to defend many of the moves Divac has made during his tenure, it’s as if the writer hasn’t actually watched the team play.
De’Aaron Fox dealt with injuries earlier this season but has since looked like a future star, averaging 23 ppg and 7 apg on 49%+ shooting this calendar year. Certainly looks to have a brighter future than John Wall (who has always lacked a consistent outside shot and hasn’t played in nearly two years)
You mentioned that Bogdan Bogdanovic has “continued to be looked over” despite playing better than Buddy Hield, yet failed to acknowledge that Bogdanovic was rewarded for his play by moving into the starting lineup over Buddy Hield a few weeks back.
And while Hield has certainly had his struggles during stretches this season, you mentioned he’s “seemingly regressing rather than progressing” yet failed to acknowledge that he’s averaged 23 ppg, on 53% shooting from the field and 52% shooting from the three point line over his past eight games coming off the bench, including a 9/10 (90%) showing from behind the arch on Saturday night. Not to mention the Kings are 6-2 in those eight games.
I’m not defending Divac or Walton (at least what Walton’s shown so far this season) but would love for the writer to have done some research or maybe even followed/watched some actual basketball before publishing this article.