Sacramento Kings: 2008-09 Season Prediction

With the Pacific Division Chapter of my NBA 2009 Season Prediction Series coming to a close, it comes time to analyze a currently rebuilding franchise—the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings used to be the kings of the Pacific—no pun intended—winning the division two consecutive years in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, the Kings advanced to the Western Conference Finals before being eliminated by the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Since that point, the Kings have been sliding down a slippery slope. Sound familiar?

Think back to the 2000 Western Conference Finals when the Portland Trail Blazers lost to the eventual champion Lakers in seven games. After that point, the Blazers fell deeper and deeper into the bottom rungs of the Western Conference, and the "Jail-Blazers Era" began.

Currently, only one player from the Kings' 2002 team, Bobby Jackson, is on Sacramento's roster. In the 2005 offseason, the Kings traded Jackson to the Memphis Grizzlies for SG Bonzi Wells. This past offseason, the Houston Rockets traded Bobby Jackson—along with Donte Green, a future first-round pick, and cash considerations—back to the Kings for SF Ron Artest.

Mike Bibby, who used to be the Kings' franchise PG, was traded on February 16, 2008 to the Atlanta Hawks for PG Tyronn Lue, combo G Anthony Johnson, F/C Shelden Williams, C Lorenzen Wright—currently a free agent—and a second-round draft pick.

Doug Christie was traded early in the 2005 season to the Orlando Magic for SG Cuttino Mobley, who is also no longer with the team.

Sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic was traded for Ron Artest, who, as I mentioned above, is now on the Houston Rockets.

Chris Webber was traded in February 2005 to the Philadelpha 76ers for SF Corliss Williamson, PF Kenny Thomas, and PF Brian Skinner.

Vlade Divac signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 offseason, vacating the starting C spot to Brad Miller.

As you can see, the Kings' roster has been dismantled and reconstructed. Let's look at how they have performed in the NBA Draft in recent years.

In the 2007 NBA Draft, the Kings selected Washington freshman C Spencer Hawes with the 10th pick in the draft. In the 2008 NBA Draft, the Kings selected Rider senior PF Jason Thompson with the 12th pick in the draft, and acquired Syracuse freshman SF Donte Green in the Ron Artest trade with Houston.

Although Jason Thompson improved every year he played at Rider, and won the MAAC Player of the Year award in 2008, it is strange that Sacramento picked him. Thompson is a scorer—he averaged 20.4 ppg and 12.1 rpg while shooting 50.6 percent from the field.

The problem is that Sacramento does not need a scorer. The team averaged 102.5 ppg in 2007-2008, the eighth-best average in the league. The downside is that the team allowed 104.8 ppg on defense.

The Kings needed to get better defensively.  Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Spencer Hawes, and Brad Miller are liabilities on defense, because all they can think about during games, is their next chance to score.

Now let's analyze the current roster of the Kings.

The Kings have filled the hole vacated by Mike Bibby at starting PG with Beno Udrih, who was signed in the offseason to keep him in Sacramento.

Kevin Martin, the starting SG, is the brightest spot on this reconstructed roster. He is the Kings' franchise player, and the player with the most trade value.

The Kings have a mix of young talent and veteran leadership, with Abdur-Rahim, Jackson, Miller, and Mikki Moore all having played at least 10 years in the NBA.

Here is my projected starting lineup for the Sacramento Kings:

PG: Beno Udrih

The Slovenian PG can provide stability for this team. He plays solid basketball, and with maybe four more years of experience, I can see him becoming an All-Star.

SG: Kevin Martin

Obvious choice. The returning leading scorer for the Kings is sure to lead his team once more.

SF: Shareef Abdur-Rahim

The seasoned veteran, commonly used at PF, is only 6'9'', and considered undersized and outmatched against current NBA power forwards. His age is starting to catch up with him, but he can be a threat from mid-range to possibly outside shooting. He played SF in Portland and found moderate success there.

PF: Shelden Williams

He is the best player to come out of Duke since Mike Dunleavy Jr. He is also 6'9'', but he can be a monster on the defensive side of the ball. I do not believe that he is going to be their long-term PF, though, because of his height.

C: Brad Miller

The 10-year veteran has been through much during his time with the Kings. In order for him to really improve his game, and his team's chances of success, he needs to step up his defensive game. At 7'0'', he towers over the opposing team, and should be a formidable defender. Look for him to improve on his blocking and rebounding.

Second Team

PG: Bobby Jackson

The second-oldest player on the team, and was with the team during their 2002 run for the Western Conference Crown. A fan favorite. He provides experience, knowledge, and leadership.

SG: John Salmons

Coming off a season in which he averaged 12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 2.6 apg.

SF: Donte Green

Let's see what the freshman out of Syracuse can do!

PF: Jason Thompson

Tallest PF on the team at 6'11''. Who knows? With his work ethic, and desire to get better, he could be the starting PF in a couple of years.

C: Spencer Hawes

He's a score-first, think-about-scoring-second, defend-third center. Like Miller, he too needs to work on and step up his defensive game if he wants to help his team succeed.

Geoff Petrie is an amazing GM. He got Bibby and Artest out of Sacramento, and acquired some cap room to work with. The attempts of the Kings' front office to rebuild their roster and team have started unraveling.

I still believe that there is more to be done before Kings fans can start thinking about a playoff berth.

I predict that Sacramento and the Clippers will finish at the bottom of the division, with one team just finishing on top of the other.

There have been rumors circulating that the Kings may move to Las Vegas if a new arena is not built. Can the city of Sacramento get behind their team and front the money to build a new arena, so that they just might see their Kings make the playoffs within the next few years?