Sacramento Kings' 2012-13 Preseason Schedule Is First Chance to Show Growth

The Sacramento Kings released their 2012-13 preseason schedule on their website on Wednesday.

The seven-game schedule includes three games against the Los Angeles Lakers, two games against the Phoenix Suns, a game against the Golden State Warriors and a game against the Portland Trailblazers.

2012 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Day	Opponent	Arena (City)	Tipoff
Wednesday, October 10	PHOENIX	Power Balance Pavilion (Sacramento, CA)	7:00 p.m.
Monday, October 15	PORTLAND	Power Balance Pavilion (Sacramento, CA)	7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 17	GOLDEN STATE	Power Balance Pavilion (Sacramento, CA)	7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 19	@LA Lakers	Thomas & Mack Center (Las Vegas, NV)	7:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 21	@LA Lakers	Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)	6:30 p.m.
Monday, October 22	@Phoenix	US Airways Center (Phoenix, AZ)	7:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 25	@LA Lakers	Valley View Casino Center (San Diego, CA)	7:00 p.m.

According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, the Kings had 10 of their players in Sacramento recently to work out together and scrimmage in five-on-five games.  

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Sounds as if Keith Smart's hope his team would bond in the offseason is happening. 10 of the players on the roster are in Sacramento working out and playing 5-on-5. The only players that could not be in town are John Salmons, James Johnson, Chuck Hayes and Francisco Garcia. It's important that young nucleus that the franchise is depending on (DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton) is in town. Also have to like that new PG Aaron Brooks is getting to know his new teammates. Definitely a step in the right direction and something that's needed to build team chemistry.

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This was also confirmed on the Kings' Facebook page. 

X's and O's are an important part of winning basketball team, but the players have to be able to work well on the court together in order for play calling and rotations to even make a difference. 

The team voluntarily getting together this offseason to work out is a sign that they might be ready to put in the hard work that it takes to be a good NBA team. 

As Jones pointed out, the fact that the leaders of the team—DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton—were all in attendance is also a good sign. 

Even though preseason games are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, this seven-game schedule will be our first opportunity to see the new roster in its entirety and judge whether or not the team has gained chemistry over the offseason. 

If they have, Kings fans should be in for some exciting basketball in the coming season.