Kings 2016-17 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions
The Sacramento Kings have been in a constant state of rebuilding for a decade, with the 2016-17 season not looking any better for a franchise that started this century as one of the best in the Western Conference.
Full Schedule: NBA.com
It's not just that the Kings have been bad for so long, but there seems to be a disconnect between what's happening on the court and in the front office.
ESPN's Marc Stein reported in February that George Karl would be fired as head coach "in the coming days," but he wound up finishing the season and then got let go. If you want to fire someone, why drag it out an additional two months for no reason?
That's just one of the many baffling decisions made by the Kings, leading to this decadelong disaster with no end in sight.
2016-17 Season Details
Season Opener: Wednesday, October 26 at Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET)
Championship Odds: 300-1 (via Odds Shark)
Top Matchups
First Home Matchup: Thursday, November 10 at 10:30 p.m. ET
The Kings-Lakers rivalry used to be the best in the NBA, though that was 15 years ago. A lot has changed for both franchises in recent years, though in a weird twist it's Los Angeles that is moving down to Sacramento's level.
In fact, based on last year's records, the Kings (33-49) are vastly ahead of the Lakers (17-65). The difference is the Lakers, now that Kobe Bryant has retired, are allowed to rebuild around their young nucleus of D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram.
The Kings, on the other hand, have the always-volatile DeMarcus Cousins, inconsistent Rudy Gay and Darren Collison. It's not an untalented group, but they've been playing together for two years with nothing to show for it.
New head coach Dave Joerger does bring a strong pedigree with him, having led the Memphis Grizzlies to three straight playoff appearances from 2013-16 before being fired in May.
Joerger, at his introductory press conference, told reporters he does not believes he's entering a dysfunctional situation with the Kings.
"The coach and the general manager (Vlade Divac) are absolutely on the same team," Joerger said, per Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "And going forward like this, our front office, our coaching staff, that’s going to go all the way through the organization."
The Kings need a loud and stable voice in the locker room, especially one who can get on the same page with Cousins. Sacramento's All-Star center had many clashes with Karl before the coach was fired at the end of last season.
If this franchise believes it's moving in the right direction, a matchup with another rebuilding franchise will be a good litmus test game. The Lakers aren't going to win a lot of games this year, but there is certainly more optimism around their core group of talent than there is in Sacramento.
First Home Matchup: Monday, March 13 at 10:30 p.m. ET
This one is a little odd, admittedly, because there doesn't seem to be any kind of rivalry between the Kings and Magic.
However, if you will, indulge this for a moment. The Magic haven't been down for as long as the Kings, making the playoffs in the 2011-12 season, but the last four years have seen these two teams follow a similar path.
| 118-210 | W-L | 103-225 |
| 3rd | Best Division Finish | 5th |
The Kings do have a better record during that span, but they have also had the luxury of playing the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves seven times per season.
That's not say there haven't been bad teams in the Eastern Conference over the last four years—looking at you, Philadelphia—but the gap between the top and bottom of the Western Conference is drastically different than in the Eastern Conference.
Beating Golden State, San Antonio or Oklahoma City has certainly been a difficult task in the past, but teams like the Lakers, Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets leave a lot of opportunities to rack up cheap wins.
Both teams have been in a perpetual state of rebuilding for years. The Magic did take a step forward last year, increasing their win total by 10 games (25 to 35) but went just 16-34 after a strong 19-13 start.
Both teams made coaching changes in the offseason, with the Magic bringing in Frank Vogel to right the ship. He feels like the right coach for this particular job based on what he was able to accomplish with the Indiana Pacers, who were always constrained by a limited budget.
The Kings and Magic are not traditional rivals, but their similarities heading into next season are vast. Their matchups this season will ultimately prove which struggling franchise is moving in the right direction.
Record Prediction
As you can probably guess based on the tone of this piece already, my optimism is not high for the Kings in the upcoming season.
There are always things to be on the lookout for. Cousins is one of the most fascinating and frustrating enigmas in the NBA. He's just as likely to blow a gasket while sitting on the bench as he is to post a triple-double.
In fact, Cousins has gotten an early start on annoying his bosses. He told reporters in July after a Team USA practice the Kings draft was puzzling to him.
"I can't control [the draft decisions]," Cousins said, per ESPN.com. "I control what I can control. I don't really understand it, but I do my job."
The Kings need to figure out what Cousins is going to be for this franchise. He's got the numbers of someone who is the face of a good young team, but nothing in his actions has proved he even wants that responsibility.
The Kings also have the misfortune of playing in a division with the Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, two teams that combined to win 126 games last season and could go even higher than that next season.
It's going to be yet another rough season for the fans in Sacramento, who deserve a lot better than they have gotten in years.
Prediction: 32-50
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