The importance of bonding 

Throughout the years, NBA teams have traveled great distances to create team chemistry.  A season ago the Kings jumped a plane for China in hopes of building unity and a few years back, they were flying around high ropes courses in Colorado.  When you face adversity during a long 82-game season, it’s good to have a strong bond and isolation is a proven method.

With so many questions surrounding this new high-tempered roster Vlade Divac assembled this summer, chemistry has been the bright spot.  First there was a trip to Israel for a small group of players and now they are keeping it mostly local.

It seems as if the new acquisitions have clicked and have shown the importance of bonding before training camp, which has been a pleasant surprise to many fans that were skeptical of the personalities that were being put together.

Rajon Rondo has a history of being difficult to deal with and DeMarcus Cousins is no soft ball either. Yet, they both have embraced the opportunity to make a duo that should be difficult to stop. But before we see what they can do on the court together, outside of the court is where it all begins.

The Kings have done some MMA training with Urijah Faber at Ultimate Fitness and some outdoor training such as playing football at Sacramento State.

“Got some outdoor conditioning in as a team,” Cousins told Kings.com. “Came out here, built some chemistry, get in shape and just enjoy each others company at the same time.”

Those are the words that make fans become optimistic and believe there is some hope this young man will lead this franchise back to the promised land.

Both videos showed lots of camaraderie between the players, laughter and some nice workouts. Cousins was showcased many times laughing and genuinely enjoying his time with his teammates.

We even saw Rondo throw a beauty of a bomb down the sidelines, which will be expected on the hardwood because we know how gifted he is as a passer.

The fact that they are locally doing all of this has to be a good sign moving forward. There seems to be lots of optimism between the players, which hasn’t been seen since the first couple of weeks from last season.

The talent and depth are so much better. I don’t think anyone can question that but the progress we have seen from this team has brought excitement locally to many fans.

We are a couple days away from Media Day and we should know a little bit more about this group before their first game against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 5th.

So far so good!