Sacramento Kings Insider: Here's How 2016-17 Won't Be Another Total Flop
In the process of missing 10 straight postseasons, the Sacramento Kings have become a pitiable backwater paragon of NBA dysfunction—and a running joke.
So you'd better believe they're focusing on change.
"A lot of hungry guys, a lot of guys that had been written off," new addition Anthony Tolliver told Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. "Guys who maybe weren't as valued on other teams in one place right now, wanting to come here and make something of it, change the attitude of people around the league of what Kings basketball is about."
There's a defiance in Tolliver's comments—one shared by many Kings. Some are embracing the pissed-off misfit narrative more obviously than others, as this episode from one of Sacramento's first preseason contests illustrated:
Skepticism about all of this—the "something to prove" chatter, DeMarcus Cousins in fiery midseason form, Matt Barnes hacking—is natural. If it were anyone else, you might buy those things as signs of commitment, as proof Sacramento really is through with being a punching bag.
But it's the Kings.
It'll take more than that to rebut the deeply ingrained presumption that none of this will work. Creating realistic expectations is a key part of the road back.
"It won't be a finished product by game one," new head coach Dave Joerger, who is installing an entirely new offense and defense, told Jones. "It's going to be a season-long deal."
We'll hit the main elements of Joerger's improvement checklist shortly, but the most important thing in a year defined by difference—new arena, new coach, new uniforms, new roster—is for that difference to be meaningful. For it to stick. For the chaos to stop for good.
And that can't happen unless the biggest change comes from the top.
After Kings owner Vivek Ranadive engaged in some revisionist history and blame-shifting during an expansive interview with USA Today's Sam Amick, it's clear that consistency of leadership—more than defense or attitude or personnel—remains the bigger work in progress.
Here's former Kings general manager Geoff Petrie responding to Ranadive's comments in an interview with Deadspin's Kevin Draper: "One of the principles of leadership is yeah, everyone has a say, and you end up doing whatever you do. But the person that is most responsible has to take the responsibility. Otherwise the leadership becomes toxic. You can't be 100 percent hubris and 0 percent humility. It's just not going to work."
Getting results on the court could help stabilize one of the most unpredictable, seemingly capricious owners in the league.
There are ways for that to happen.
Royal Proclamations
Rotation Roulette
Having too much playable talent is a new and welcome problem for the Kings, but it's still a problem.
Joerger's rotation options are vast, which will make settling on roles and distributing minutes a challenge. Ty Lawson and Darren Collison saw time together during the preseason, and the blistering pace they set was intriguing. If he wants to, Joerger could turn to smaller, speedier lineups.
At the same time, Sacramento has a glut of bigs. In addition to Cousins and draftees Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere, both Kosta Koufos and Willie Cauley-Stein deserve playing time up front. Sacramento could field some of the biggest lineups in the league, but that option comes with complications because the roster is laden with stretch forwards.
Rudy Gay, Omri Casspi, Tolliver and Barnes are all wings who, in the current space-centric era, would be best utilized alongside Cousins as undersized 4s.
"Versatility might be the hallmark of this roster, but with so many interchangeable pieces, the competition for minutes will be fierce," CSN Bay Area's James Ham wrote at the start of camp.
The rookies may settle into their natural spots on the end of the bench (or even the D-League), which could simplify matters. But Joerger has quite the matchup-specific juggling act ahead of him, not to mention the tricky work of keeping so many useful players engaged through stretches when their particular skills may not be required.
Salvaging the Goods
The Kings have long struggled to develop young talent—hardly a surprise with a coaching carousel like theirs. Ben McLemore, for example, is playing for his fourth coach as he starts his fourth season.
After a promising sophomore effort, the Kings shooting guard and No. 7 pick in the 2013 draft regressed last year. But after falling out of the rotation and seeing his NBA career in jeopardy, McLemore is showing signs of life, according to Joerger's comments, as relayed to Blake Ellington of Sactown Royalty:
Defense is a central focus in Kings camp, and if McLemore's invested on that end, there's a good chance his considerable physical tools and sweet shot (in aesthetics, not consistent results) earn back the playing time he lost last year.
New addition Arron Afflalo, who figures to start ahead of McLemore, is using his own defense to secure a starting role. He told Ham: “I just want to get back to defending. I’ve heard a lot of the small talk about the defensive end of the court, at least me personally. Playing defense is a key component to playing winning basketball and that’s the culture I know they’re trying to set around here."
In the short term, the Kings seem to have enough confidence in McLemore's development to reject some eyebrow-raising offers, per Marc Stein of ESPN: "The Bucks, sources say, have since offered former Rookie of the Year guard Michael Carter-Williams to the Sacramento Kings in a trade proposal for Ben McLemore and will continue to probe for potential deals after the Kings rebuffed that pitch for 2013's No. 7 overall pick."
More importantly, stable coaching and some heated competition could bring McLemore back into Sacramento's long-term plans.
Seventh Time's the Charm
Cousins has been Sacramento's best player for a long time, but entering his seventh season with the franchise, he must become something more. He must become the leader his team needs.
He's mentoring rookie Georgios Papagiannis, which is encouraging—especially after being critical of his selection on draft night. And perhaps serving as the fulcrum of Joerger's high-post offense will keep Cousins engaged enough to coax consistent focus on the other end.
"I love it, I love it...I love it," Cousins told Ham.
That's promising, but it may not mean much if Cousins' demeanor doesn't change. The scowling, the blaming of teammates and the tendency to let frustration with officials derail his attention...
It all has to go.
After so many years of similar behavior, Cousins has absolutely lost the benefit of the doubt. But that's different than saying change is impossible; Joerger has managed emotional talent before. Last year alone, he coached Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Lance Stephenson and Barnes. All of those players are older than Cousins, and none have his talent, but Joerger's experience with them has to mean something.
There might not be a coach better equipped to bring the best out of the Kings' most important player.
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