2012 NBA Offseason: Sacramento Kings
Draft Grades, Offseason Needs, Free Agents
Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Sacramento Kings (Last Year: 22-44)
Live 2012 NBA Draft Grades:
5. Thomas Robinson, F, Kansas: A Grade
I have Robinson as the second-best player in the draft, so the Kings catch a huge break that he slips to them. Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins are going to form one hell of a frontcourt in Sacramento for years to come. An outstanding get for the Kings.
*** 2012 NBA Offseason Needs and Free Agents listed below this comment box. ***
2011-12 Season Summary:
Much of the focus revolving around the Sacramento Kings this past season actually had nothing to do with the below average product on the court. The fight by Mayor Kevin Johnson to keep the franchise in town stole more headlines than anything the team did on the hardwood. Johnson has made every attempt possible to try and get a new arena built for the team, but it appears the Maloof brothers don't actually want to keep the team in Sacramento as they refuse to reach a middle ground over fronting the needed funds to make a new stadium possible. Therefore, the franchise's future in California's Capital City remains uncertain. Talk about drama....
Head coach Paul Westphal was fired seven games into the season and replaced by Keith Smart who didn't fare much better while calling the shots. As for the actual basketball team, the youth movement the team underwent a few years ago that has yet to pay dividends.
The Kings obviously have some talented young players led by Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and Marcus Thornton. However, that core has been unable to truly mesh together as a unit, and Evans, once thought of as the future face of the franchise, actually regressed in his third season in the league. Cousins may actually take over that title next season as he showed maturity as a player and a person in his second year as a pro.
To try and provide some experience and leadership, Sacramento brought in veterans Chuck Hayes, John Salmons, and Travis Outlaw last offseason. However, it wasn't enough to get the Kings even close to playoff contention. Now those three players are eating up a good chunk of cap space despite not living up to their worth. The acquisition of J.J. Hickson also backfired as the team ended up actually releasing him during the season.
Perhaps the biggest bright spot and surprise this past season was the play of rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas who was taken with the final pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The undersized point guard worked himself into the starting lineup and provided the team with a spark as a scorer and distributor. On the contrary, lottery pick Jimmer Fredette had a disappointing first season in the league and saw sporadic playing time throughout the year.
The team finished one win shy of tying for the worst record in the Western Conference, and as a result, will have another high pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Adding more youth to the roster won't help for the immediate future though. With all the questions both on and off the court, it is hard to imagine the Kings breaking their streak of six straight seasons without a playoff appearance without some sort of major shakeup.
2012-13 Projected Depth Chart:
C: ^Jason Thompson/Chuck Hayes
PF: DeMarcus Cousins/Travis Outlaw/Hassan Whiteside
G/F: Tyreke Evans/Francisco Garcia/*Donte Greene/Tyler Honeycutt
SG: Marcus Thornton/John Salmons
PG: Isaiah Thomas/Jimmer Fredette
NBA Free Agents:
SF-Terrence Williams (UFA)
*C-Jason Thompson (RFA)
*SF-Donte Greene (RFA)
2012-13 Team Salary: Approximately $40.2 million
NBA Offseason Needs:
1. Get Defensive: The Kings were a horrendous defensive team this season, allowing more points and a higher opponent field percentage than any team in the NBA. When you look at the roster, it is pretty easy to see why since the Sacramento has so many scoring-oriented players on their roster. The Kings need to make a more concerted effort to commit on the defensive end which would be helped by a shot-blocking presence in the middle.
2. A Real Small Forward: This really is a position Sacramento has been trying to figure out since trading Ron Artest four summers ago. Tyreke Evans is not a true small forward but with the Kings often using a three-guard lineup, he essentially played the three. Sacramento has used a host of other players in that spot: Salmons, Garcia, Greene, Outlaw, Williams, Honeycutt. However, none of those players are really a long-term solution.
3. Distributor: The Kings have Thomas, Evans, and Fredette who are all capable of playing the point, but all three of those players are score first guys. There really aren't a ton of minutes available in the backcourt when you factor Thornton and Salmons into the equation, so I doubt Sacramento looks outside the current roster. Yet, the Kings still need Thomas and/or Evans to become better playmakers for their teammates.
4. Figure It Out: This should probably be team need No. 1 but the city, Maloofs, and David Stern need to figure out a resolution to this mess of whether or not the Kings will be staying in Sacramento. Dragging it out even further is going to put even more of a dark cloud over the franchise and serve as a distraction to the real goal of any organization: winning games.
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 21
2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 21
Charlie's 2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 20
2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 3
NFL Picks - Feb. 3
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© 1999-2011 Walter Cherepinsky : all rights reserved
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All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: wpc112@gmail.com
Sacramento Kings (Last Year: 22-44)
Live 2012 NBA Draft Grades:
5. Thomas Robinson, F, Kansas: A Grade
I have Robinson as the second-best player in the draft, so the Kings catch a huge break that he slips to them. Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins are going to form one hell of a frontcourt in Sacramento for years to come. An outstanding get for the Kings.
*** 2012 NBA Offseason Needs and Free Agents listed below this comment box. ***
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Yeah
06-29-2012
09:24 am
xxx.xxx.xxx1.14
(total posts: 1)
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demarcus cousins is a douchebag with personality issues. Thomas Robinson is the complete opposite. I hope this kid has a great NBA future and cousins dickhead attitude doesnt rub of on TRob.....
@Fitz
06-28-2012
08:45 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx7.27
(total posts: 2)
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I posted that before the draft started. I didn't assume Thomas would be available. I'm real happy with the pick.
Fitz
06-28-2012
08:02 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx4.86
(total posts: 1)
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@Erik- Robinson is a much better pick. They are set down low for the next 7 or 8 years with Robinson and Cousins
Erik
06-28-2012
07:15 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx7.27
(total posts: 2)
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Please don't trade down; just take Barnes.
Jay
06-11-2012
01:17 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx6.17
(total posts: 1)
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The Kings draft board should be Kidd-Gilchrist, Barnes, and Drummond in that order. Any of those picks will be a nice upgrade to a team filled with young talent.
G.O.A.T
05-23-2012
08:32 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.170
(total posts: 1)
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The Kings depth chart next year should be
PG Thomas SG Evans SF Barnes/MKG PF Cousins C Thompson Thornton as a 6 man. THey would solidify the SF position for the future as well as define roles for Evans and Cousins. Evans will be a combo guard who will be more of a scorer. Hopefully Thomas develops into a play-making point guard instead of just a scorer.
Geiger
05-12-2012
03:44 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.234
(total posts: 1)
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13
I think the Kings back-court isnt a major need and they'll probably look at the 3 in this draft..MKG or Barnes are major possibilities. A center like Dummond could be a nice consolation prize, allowing a move of Thompson to the bench. I hope they figure it out though and get some luck on their side.
Prefered depth chart: Thompson Cousins MKG Evans Thomas Thorton as a 6 man
jhymas25
05-11-2012
08:30 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.0.6
(total posts: 1)
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I think the Kings have a ton of needs still, way past what is said here. I'm a huge Kings fan but Jimmer doesn't seem like a true starter at either the point or shooting guard; maybe he'll develop into a good bench player. And I'm not sure a team can really be successful with starting Marcus Thornton either. He seems more like a 6th man type; instant offense, no defense. So it seems that they still need a point guard, shooting guard, and small forward before they can really compete.
Right now it seems the small forward position is the biggest need, but I don't think that there is going to be any playoffs with starting either Thomas or Thornton in the back-court. Hopefully they can improve any of those three positions in the draft. On the bright side, I like the front-court of Cousins (who looks like a star to me) and Thompson (who is a good complimentary player).
Cinderella
11-02-2011
12:30 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx.125
(total posts: 1)
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32
This is exactly what I was looinkg for. Thanks for writing!
Ben
06-24-2011
11:00 am
xxx.xxx.xxx.253
(total posts: 1)
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Courtesy of CBSsports "Jimmer Fredette. Grade: D. The Kings fell in love with a big name, found themselves on the bad end of a big three-team deal and generally continued their pattern of directionless instability. Kings fans suffered through a tough year to get to draft night and almost certainly leave feeling disappointed." I think CBS is a little confused! Jimmer is a big name, becuase he is a BIG TIME player. GO KINGS!
mprofetta
06-24-2011
10:39 am
xxx.xxx.xxx.217
(total posts: 1)
33
38
The Kings are desperately in need of DEFENSE, so they draft (arguably) three of the WORST defenders in the draft. Ugh. Losing 110-108 is still LOSING.
Fitz
06-23-2011
08:34 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx3.52
(total posts: 1)
35
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Their Evans and Jimmer back court reminds me a lot of the Golden State back court of Ellis and Curry in that their gonna score a ton of points, even though neither are true point guards
Walter
06-21-2011
05:18 pm
xxx.xxx.xxx4.88
(total posts: 1)
40
36
First comment... we're going to have comment boards like this all over the site soon. We're still working out the kinks, so this is not the finished product.
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2011-12 Season Summary:
Much of the focus revolving around the Sacramento Kings this past season actually had nothing to do with the below average product on the court. The fight by Mayor Kevin Johnson to keep the franchise in town stole more headlines than anything the team did on the hardwood. Johnson has made every attempt possible to try and get a new arena built for the team, but it appears the Maloof brothers don't actually want to keep the team in Sacramento as they refuse to reach a middle ground over fronting the needed funds to make a new stadium possible. Therefore, the franchise's future in California's Capital City remains uncertain. Talk about drama....
Head coach Paul Westphal was fired seven games into the season and replaced by Keith Smart who didn't fare much better while calling the shots. As for the actual basketball team, the youth movement the team underwent a few years ago that has yet to pay dividends.
The Kings obviously have some talented young players led by Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and Marcus Thornton. However, that core has been unable to truly mesh together as a unit, and Evans, once thought of as the future face of the franchise, actually regressed in his third season in the league. Cousins may actually take over that title next season as he showed maturity as a player and a person in his second year as a pro.
To try and provide some experience and leadership, Sacramento brought in veterans Chuck Hayes, John Salmons, and Travis Outlaw last offseason. However, it wasn't enough to get the Kings even close to playoff contention. Now those three players are eating up a good chunk of cap space despite not living up to their worth. The acquisition of J.J. Hickson also backfired as the team ended up actually releasing him during the season.
Perhaps the biggest bright spot and surprise this past season was the play of rookie point guard Isaiah Thomas who was taken with the final pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The undersized point guard worked himself into the starting lineup and provided the team with a spark as a scorer and distributor. On the contrary, lottery pick Jimmer Fredette had a disappointing first season in the league and saw sporadic playing time throughout the year.
The team finished one win shy of tying for the worst record in the Western Conference, and as a result, will have another high pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Adding more youth to the roster won't help for the immediate future though. With all the questions both on and off the court, it is hard to imagine the Kings breaking their streak of six straight seasons without a playoff appearance without some sort of major shakeup.
2012-13 Projected Depth Chart:
C: ^Jason Thompson/Chuck Hayes
PF: DeMarcus Cousins/Travis Outlaw/Hassan Whiteside
G/F: Tyreke Evans/Francisco Garcia/*Donte Greene/Tyler Honeycutt
SG: Marcus Thornton/John Salmons
PG: Isaiah Thomas/Jimmer Fredette
NBA Free Agents:
SF-Terrence Williams (UFA)
*C-Jason Thompson (RFA)
*SF-Donte Greene (RFA)
2012-13 Team Salary: Approximately $40.2 million
NBA Offseason Needs:
1. Get Defensive: The Kings were a horrendous defensive team this season, allowing more points and a higher opponent field percentage than any team in the NBA. When you look at the roster, it is pretty easy to see why since the Sacramento has so many scoring-oriented players on their roster. The Kings need to make a more concerted effort to commit on the defensive end which would be helped by a shot-blocking presence in the middle.
2. A Real Small Forward: This really is a position Sacramento has been trying to figure out since trading Ron Artest four summers ago. Tyreke Evans is not a true small forward but with the Kings often using a three-guard lineup, he essentially played the three. Sacramento has used a host of other players in that spot: Salmons, Garcia, Greene, Outlaw, Williams, Honeycutt. However, none of those players are really a long-term solution.
3. Distributor: The Kings have Thomas, Evans, and Fredette who are all capable of playing the point, but all three of those players are score first guys. There really aren't a ton of minutes available in the backcourt when you factor Thornton and Salmons into the equation, so I doubt Sacramento looks outside the current roster. Yet, the Kings still need Thomas and/or Evans to become better playmakers for their teammates.
4. Figure It Out: This should probably be team need No. 1 but the city, Maloofs, and David Stern need to figure out a resolution to this mess of whether or not the Kings will be staying in Sacramento. Dragging it out even further is going to put even more of a dark cloud over the franchise and serve as a distraction to the real goal of any organization: winning games.
2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 21
2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 21
Charlie's 2014 NFL Mock Draft - May 20
2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 3
NFL Picks - Feb. 3
© 1999-2011 Walter Cherepinsky : all rights reserved
Privacy Policy
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