The road to the 2014-15 NBA season begins this weekend when the Sacramento Kings open training camp on Saturday. What should the expectations be for this year’s team? Cowbell Kingdom’s James Ham and Jonathan Santiago discuss this and more in a roundtable discussion with a few friends of the site: James Herbert (CBS Sports), Dave “Deuce” Mason (KHTK Sports 1140 AM) and Akis Yerocostas (Sactown Royalty).
The Sacramento Kings offseason was…
Ham: Uncharacteristic? Since new ownership and new management took control last summer, the Sacramento Kings have gone for splashy and purple saturation. That is until this offseason when they went conservative and carved out salary cap space.
Yerocostas: Mostly disappointing. While I think Nik Stauskas has grown on people over time and the Kings did add some nice bench depth, Kings fans were expecting more substantial moves. The loss of Isaiah Thomas also hurts, as many do not see Darren Collison as an upgrade. In non-roster moves, it was nice to see Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins excel in the FIBA World Cup as well as the young guys win the Vegas Summer League Championship.
Herbert: Aggravating. To let Isaiah Thomas go to Phoenix on a bargain of a contract was one thing. To then overpay Darren Collison was another. There is no universe where Collison is an upgrade, and it’s a shame the Kings couldn’t build on the good relationship Thomas established with Mike Malone. The diminutive point guard’s rise to prominence was the best story of the last few losing seasons in Sacramento and the franchise threw all that away.
Mason: Safe. Pete D’Alessandro didn’t commit any long-term deals and put the Kings in a position to have money to spend in the summer of 2015. There are some interesting names next year including Marc Gasol, Goran Dragic (player option), Greg Monroe, Paul Millsap, LaMarcus Aldridge and more. The biggest question is if the Kings can attract free agents to the capital city.
Santiago: All talk, but little results. I’m sure the Sacramento Kings tried to make moves. After all, they were linked to multiple trade scenarios all offseason long. But in the end, they only made minor transactions which is disappointing for the fans, who were hoping they’d make at least one big splash.
The most important offseason acquisition for the Sacramento Kings was…
Ham: The Kings announced the addition of Ramon Sessions on Monday and it could prove to be the most important acquisition of the offseason. Collison will man the void left by Isaiah Thomas, but Sessions will fill the role of bench scorer that the Kings lacked last season.
Yerocostas: Darren Collison, mainly because it meant the Kings were moving on from Isaiah Thomas. Collison was by far the biggest move the Kings have made this offseason and a big gamble by the Kings front office. There’s a lot riding on Collison’s shoulders and hopefully he can live up to it.
Herbert: Nik Stauskas. The Kings needed shooting and ball-handling, so he should see meaningful minutes right away. You have to wonder what Sacramento will do down the road with him and Ben McLemore, especially if Rudy Gay re-signs next summer, but this safe pick could very well have been the right one. No other addition is nearly as significant in the big picture, though nabbing Ramon Sessions was a nice move in the short term.
Mason: Nik Stauskas. You need three-point shooters in today’s NBA, and last season the Kings were 27th in 3-point FG percentage and 18th in FG percentage. Stauskas should be able to contribute right away, has the ability to get to the basket and he’ll get some open looks because of the attention Cousins and Gay receive on a nightly basis.
Santiago: Nik Stauskas. The rookie shooting guard is the most talented player they added to their roster this summer. They are very high on him and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in the starting lineup ahead of Ben McLemore on opening night.
The breakout star for the Sacramento Kings this season will be…
Ham: DeMarcus Cousins. Sure, he was already a star in the making, but after his stint with Team USA, Cousins is primed for superstardom. He is in the best shape of his career and he had to play defense to earn minutes with the national team. Both of those items will come in handy for the 2014-15 Sacramento Kings.
Yerocostas: DeMarcus Cousins. This is kind of a cop out since he “broke out” last year, but I think this is the year in which he starts to get noticed nationally and emerges in the conversation as one of the best players in the game. This will be the year in which he attains his first All-Star berth, hopefully the first of many.
Herbert: Stauskas. Ben McLemore has a chance to establish himself, too, but Stauskas doesn’t have to change his game much to fit in with the current roster and score efficiently. The Kings organization has to hope McLemore will make a jump, but I’m just not sure it’s going to be easy for him to find his rhythm while sharing the court with DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay.
Mason: DeMarcus Cousins. Team USA was a positive experience for Cousins. He played with some of the best players in the world and received great reviews from Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski. Cousins will always be an emotional player, but I believe he’ll do a better job of harnessing his emotions and become one of the more dominating players in the league. He’ll be an All-Star in 2014-15.
Santiago: Without a doubt, it’s Cousins. The Sacramento Kings starting center is primed to make a major impact this season thanks to his participation with USA Basketball. He posted All-Star caliber numbers last year and he will likely do that again this year. I think he’s a strong candidate to head to New York in 2015.
Over/Under: The Sacramento Kings will make at least two more trades before the end of this season.
Ham: Over. The Kings are hot to make a deal today, tomorrow and the next day. Pete D’Alessandro knows his team has holes and he is working tirelessly to hit another home run like last season’s Rudy Gay deal. I expect a move by Christmas and an active trade deadline as the Kings look to remake this roster before their new arena opens in 2016.
Yerocostas: Over. Pete D’Alessandro is a tinkerer, and I don’t think this team is anywhere near a finished product. The power forward position in particular needs some clarity and the Kings could use some depth at SG as well, given that the only SGs on the roster are youngsters Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas.
Herbert: Over. It feels like Jason Thompson’s tenure in Sacramento must be drawing to a close, and the same might be true for Derrick Williams. It’s doubtful that any in-season trade will be as massive as the Gay deal last year, but there could be several minor moves coming from the aggressive Sacramento front office.
Mason: Over. D’Alessandro is an aggressive GM who’s not afraid to shake things up. He has a lot of maneuvering to do considering the log jam at the forward spot. The other question I have is, who is going to be the third scoring option after Cousins and Gay? I’m not sure that player is on the roster just yet.
Santiago: Under, but not by choice. Pete D’Alessandro probably wants to make more than one deal, but his options are limited. The only valuable asset he has worth pitching is Ben McLemore. I think the Kings will try to swing for more than two deals, but they might just end up making one major trade to shake up the roster.
The Sacramento Kings will win __ games this season.
Ham: My first instinct is to say 24 games. But the late addition of Sessions, the improved health of Carl Landry and the summer in Spain by Gay and Cousins has me optimistic. I think they win 34 games, but I want a variation of plus or minus eight.
Yerocostas: 33 games. I have the Kings win range as somewhere between 31 and 39, and I’m leaning towards the former. I think this team was better than the 28 wins they showed last year, and this year they’ll have Rudy for the whole year and an even better Cousins as well as more depth. The Western Conference is still really tough though, so I don’t see them breaking out from the cellar just yet, barring another Rudy Gay-type addition.
Herbert: 28. Let’s just go with the win total the Kings have had for the past two seasons. The West isn’t getting any easier, and the players’ familiarity with Malone is offset by the departure of Thomas, who was fantastic last season. On defense, there’s still a glaring lack of rim protection. On offense, it’s doubtful that Sessions and Stauskas will totally fix their ball-movement problem.
Mason: The Sacramento Kings will win 35 games this season. Cousins and Gay will have big years but who else will be consistent contributors?
Santiago: I’ve said in other previews that I see the Kings winning anywhere from 30-36 games. I’ll put a firm number in this preview and say 34. I think the addition of Ramon Sessions is actually worth an extra win. However, this team as currently constructed is nowhere near being a factor in the Western Conference. Sorry, Kings fans.
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