Why Sacramento Kings Will Actually Be Fun to Watch in 2013-14

Watching the Sacramento Kings in recent years has felt like a chore. It was done out of habit and loyalty instead of enjoyment and a passion for the game. That's going to change this season. Once again, watching the Kings will be something we look forward to doing rather than just a task required of ardent supporters.

If you've stuck with the Kings for this long, now is the time to collect your reward. The franchise is on a rebound, and the payback for your support is coming with it. 

There are no longer concerns of the team's immediate future. The Kings are staying in Sacramento, and fans don't have to constantly worry about other cities poaching the team. You can finally put your guard down and enjoy watching the games without an uneasiness lurking in the shadows. 

Of course, part of what makes the team's future in Sac-Town locked in is the new man in charge, Vivek Ranadive. Not only is the owner largely responsible for keeping the Kings in town, but he's also emotionally and financially invested in turning the franchise around. Unfortunately that's more than could be said of the Maloofs in recent years. 

Perhaps most importantly, the product should be better. The Kings may not be a playoff team in 2013-14—in fact, they probably won't be—but the overall talent on the roster is starting to resemble what's expected of an NBA team. And there's actually a competent coaching staff to maximize that talent. 

So buckle your seat belts, Kings fans. You're in for a fun ride that should remind you why you fell in love with the team in the first place.

The Team Is Here to Stay

Sports are a business. Most fans understand that by now. You can't count on your favorite players staying with a team—it's the nature of the beast.

But that whole "sports are a business" thing doesn't really apply to teams. The notion of players moving on is one thing; however, it becomes a whole different animal when it's the franchise that's heading elsewhere. That's a lot harder to wrap your head around. 

Unfortunately, that's something Kings fans have had to deal with for too long. And it's hard to commit to a team when you're not even sure if it's going to stick around. It becomes like a bad relationship, where you're sticking it out to keep the status quo, but there's no real emotional investment there because you're not sure how much longer it's going to last.

Well, the Kings are here to stay now.

The team bolting into the night like the Baltimore Colts did is no longer a legitimate concern. Fans can give 100 percent commitment knowing they won't get burned by cash-strapped owners. 

Regardless of how the team performs, that simple fact should bring more enjoyment to your viewing experience. 

A Committed Ownership

The Kings finally have an ownership group that's committed. That's not to say the Maloofs weren't committed or that they were bad guys. But the fact of the matter is, they didn't put forth the type of financial commitment expected from owners.

Vivek Ranadive appears to be the exact opposite. He's already upgraded the post-practice food, and other changes of a similar mold are expected to follow in short order. 

He signed DeMarcus Cousins to a max contract. It's unknown whether the Maloofs could have shelled out that kind of money, even if they'd wanted to.

The new owner is hands-on when it comes to the team, but not to the point where he prevents others from doing their jobs. He's involved in the arena effort. He's available to talk to the players and the media. He's constantly upgrading the front office, adding Shaquille O'Neal as a minority owner, Chris Mullin as an adviser to GM Pete D'Alessandro and Chris Granger—who was set to be the NBA's deputy commissioner when David Stern retires—as team president.

Having a good owner may not be highly appealing. It may not be the reason fans are watching the games, but having a good owner that's as involved and committed as Ranadive is a necessity to turning this thing around. And without him, much of the developments we've seen over the offseason wouldn't be possible. 

A Revamped Coaching Staff

Mike Malone was one of the hottest candidates on the market heading into the season. That's more than can be said for any of the recent Kings coaches. This doesn't necessarily guarantee success—because ultimately that's up to the players—but it shows his abilities are respected throughout the league. 

From Day 1, Malone and his staff have sought to change the culture of the Kings. A big part of that was the competition they fostered throughout training camp, signalling that everyone has to earn their playing time. 

Beyond that, Malone brings a scheme with him that should help set the team up for success. His defensive acumen will turn around a defense that ranked 29th in defensive rating in 2012-13. After all, the Warriors, whom Malone coached for most recently, went from 26th in his first year on the job to 13th in the second. 

As for his offensive system, DeMarcus Cousins called it the first offense he's ever been a part of in the NBA. 

Of course part of that is Cousins being Cousins, taking a jab at the previous coaches. But there's some validity to it. Under Malone, we should expect to see much more ball movement and teamwork, which is something the Kings have strayed from in recent years. 

The presence of the new coach may not make the Kings a playoff team overnight, but it should make the team more competitive and allow it to make some sizable improvements as the season goes on. 

Better Players

Obviously no one is going to mistake the Kings for the '92 Dream Team. But the players on this year's roster are collectively better than anything we've seen lately. 

There are legitimate options at virtually every position, with the possible exception of small forward. Even then, switching out James Johnson for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a serious upgrade, even if the latter still has his flaws on offense. 

Greivis Vasquez and Isaiah Thomas are two starting-caliber point guards, and both of them bring different things to the table. The team can interchange the pair depending on the matchup. 

In Patrick Patterson, Carl Landry and Jason Thompson, the team has three viable options at power forward. All three have been effective NBA players, and Patterson and Landry have been effective in roles both as starters and reserves. 

At shooting guard, Marcus Thornton and Ben McLemore provide two intriguing choices. Thornton, the veteran, averaged 18.7 points as a starter in 2011-12 and 12.7 as a reserve last season. The guy can be an effective scorer in virtually any role. 

With McLemore, the Kings have their shooting guard of the future. He may not be a starter out of the gates, and he's sure to have his ups and downs as a rookie, but the shooting guard is immensely talented. He's also the type of high-upside player the team's been lacking for so long. 

At center, you can't do much better than DeMarcus Cousins. With a new contract in hand, the 23-year-old is here to stay for the foreseeable future. He also seems to be buying into the new structure that comes with the ownership and coaching changes. 

That's not even to mention some of the other reserves like Jimmer Fredette, Ray McCallum, Chuck Hayes and Travis Outlaw. These guys may not get extensive runs, but they can bring things to the table when they do. 

Outside of Cousins, and possibly Vasquez, the Kings don't have any players that are widely viewed as above-average starters in the grand scheme of things. But the team is much deeper than it's been, and with a legitimate coaching staff guiding it, the Kings should be much more competitive. 

As fans, it's always much more fun watching a team that's competitive compared to one expected to lose heading into virtually every game. That alone should make this season a much more enjoyable viewing experience.

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