For years the Sacramento Kings have been on the wrong side of too many jokes. Marked by ownership instability, inadequate coaching, and serious attitude problems with their players, it has been a long time since the Kings had anything to feel good about. But this season, on the shoulders of Demarcus Cousins, Sacramento is right in the playoff conversation for the first time in years.
From 1998 to 2006, the Sacramento Kings made the playoffs every season, playing an exciting brand of basketball that put fans in the seat, selling out their home arena regularly. From 2007 to the present NBA season, the Sacramento Kings haven’t made the playoffs once, characterized by locker room problems and mismatching players that have resulted in a lot of losses and disappointment. But, in a slightly weakened West this season, the Kings finally find themselves back in the playoff fight.
This season started off like most Sacramento seasons do, in turmoil. Legendary coach George Karl had took over the Kings in February of last year, and he and Demarcus Cousins didn’t get along almost from the get-go. Their relationship remained strenuous into the offseason. Rumors were running wild about the Kings, with talks of Cousins being traded, talks of Karl being fired, and maybe even both leaving the team.
But, as with what happens with most rumors, neither of those came to fruition. George Karl is still the coach of the Sacramento Kings, and Demarcus Cousins remains the focal point of the entire team.
Not everything is the same, however. The relationship between coach and star has markedly improved. All signs point to Karl and Cousins getting along a lot more as of late. Both have publicly stated they have a good relationship now, and Karl has been vocal in his support for Cousins, saying he deserves to be in the All-Star Game and is the NBA’s best center.
It’s naturally very important for the head coach and the star player to be on the same page (right, David Blatt?), so Karl and Cousins improved situation has significantly helped out the Kings on the court.
Sacramento is 20-26, normally not nearly a good enough record to contend for the playoffs in the West, but the Kings only find themselves one game back from the 8th seed as of right now.
Demarcus Cousins has been dominant. He has averaged 27.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game this season. He also has stepped out behind the three point life a lot more this season, and the results have been mixed. He is only shooting 33 percent from downtown all season, but in the month of January he has been red hot, hitting 42 percent from three. The prospect of someone like Cousins stepping out and hitting threes almost at the rate of the best shooters in the league has to be terrifying for opponents.
Cousins’ dominance has led to a strong month of January for the Kings, where they 8-3, including a six game win streak, before a recent three game skid brought them to 8-6 in January.
While Cousins is the biggest factor in the Kings’ resurgence, the revival of the career of Rajon Rondo has also been huge for the team as a whole, and especially for Cousins.
Rondo was signed to a one year “prove it” deal in the offseason, and he has done just that. The NBA’s leader in assists, with 11.9 per game, Rondo and his relentless playmaking abilities has ignited the Sacramento offense. He is capable of finding passes and lanes that most players just simply would not see, and that has been incredibly beneficial to Boogie Cousins.
Rondo has even found his shot more often than usual, averaging 45.4 percent from the field. His ability to shoot even somewhat respectably also negates the spacing issues that are normally a problem when Rajon Rondo is running your offense.
The Kings are certainly not fixed. They are still 20-26, and the road to mediocrity is not exactly the position every NBA team what’s to be in. But a foundation is being formed. The fact that three individuals who aren’t known for their calming presence in locker rooms, Karl, Cousins, and Rondo, seem to be finally getting along and meshing together to form a positive basketball team is truly incredible, and the partnership has a lot of upside if it continues to work the way it has.
And that is the biggest question? Can the volatile personalities of the Kings continue to gel together? Or will they revert to their old ways of dividing teams and locker rooms? The answer to those questions could be the difference maker in whether or not Sacramento basketball finally returns to the playoffs.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
