![\"Pete-D'Alessandro\"](\"http:\/\/cowbellkingdom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Pete-DAlessandro.jpg\")
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Seventeen\u00a0months ago, Pete D\u2019Alessandro took over a rudderless team lacking talent depth. \u00a0Only two players remain from that initial group as the Sacramento Kings general manager has retooled a roster filled with bloated contracts and underperforming assets.<\/p>\n
Not every move has turned out perfectly. \u00a0D\u2019Alessandro isn\u2019t King Midas, but the early results have been impressive. \u00a0Sacramento is off to a fast start, despite fielding a core that has been together less than two months.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Alessandro is a risk taker. \u00a0He thinks outside the box and his ownership group, led by Vivek Ranadiv\u00e9, is willing to back his play.<\/p>\n
Whether you love his early transactions or not, D\u2019Alessandro has taken the criticism in stride. The massive trade that brought in Rudy Gay from the Raptors was viewed by many as a rookie move. \u00a0And the decision to allow Isaiah Thomas to walk, while replacing him with veteran Darren Collison nearly started a riot in Sacramento.<\/p>\n
Neither of these moves are being questioned now. \u00a0The inking of Gay to a three-year, $40 million extension on Wednesday is now being considered a coup by many of the same people who snubbed their noses at Sacramento\u2019s front office last December. \u00a0Instead of DeMarcus Cousins and a group of marginal veterans, the Kings now have two All-Star-level talents to build around.<\/p>\n
Joining Cousins and Gay in the hierarchy of the club is Collison, who is a big reason the Kings are off to a 8-5 start, despite a brutal early season schedule.<\/p>\n
The signing of Collison wasn\u2019t popular in the media. \u00a0But the point guard\u2019s newly formed bandwagon is quickly filling up. \u00a0He is the floor general the Kings were looking for and a quality two-way player. \u00a0He has the ear of Cousins,\u00a0and his 30-5 assist-to-turnover ratio over\u00a0his last three outings doesn’t hurt either.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Alessandro is doing it his way. \u00a0He is thoughtful, but unapologetic. \u00a0His Kings are off to a shocking start, but the job is far from complete. \u00a0This is not the finished product that will walk into a new building before the 2016-17 season, and it\u2019s probably not the same group of 13 players that will finish the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
Following the Kings’ 103-88 win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night, D\u2019Alessandro sat down for a one-on-one conversation with Cowbell Kingdom.<\/p>\n
We could cut the quotes into sound bites and leave you wanting more, but instead, here is Sacramento Kings general manager Pete D\u2019Alessandro in podcast form.<\/p>\n
![\"Jiffy-Lube-300x250\"](\"http:\/\/cowbellkingdom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Jiffy-Lube-300x250.jpg\")
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