New York Post: 'Kings Will Shock NBA And Make Playoffs'
by Russell Preston, KHTK Sacramento
After another losing season under the 30-win tier, the Sacramento Kings have appeared to be the busiest this offseason in the NBA. The only question is if it will work.
With George Karl sticking around for a full season, a new general manager in Vlade Divac, as well as free agent signings such as Marco Belinelli, Rajon Rondo, Caron Butler and Kosta Koufos, the Kings are somewhat of a wild card coming into the 2015-16 season.
We all know the Kings look better than they did last year on paper, but could they get it together and crack the top eight in the already stacked Western conference? Tim Bontemps at the New York Post believes so.
In his latest column, he writes:
Let's focus instead on the team the Kings have heading into this season, beginning with DeMarcus Cousins, who is legitimately one of the 10 to 12 best players in the NBA. Although Rajon Rondo isn't the player he was before tearing up his knee, he and Darren Collison are a more-than-competent point guard tandem. The same goes for Ben McLemore and Marco Belinelli at shooting guard, and small forward Rudy Gay had one of the best seasons of his career last year in his first full season in Sacramento.
Combine them with solid depth players such as Kosta Koufos, Omri Casspi and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein — who at least will be able to provide some defense from the get-go — and there's little doubt the Kings have talent.
He goes on later to say the Kings talent can be put to good use under the future Hall of Fame coach in Karl. So if they are better than last year, they still need to beat out several mid-level teams in the West. Judging from last year, that won't be easy.
...The eighth spot is very much up for grabs. The Lakers are still awful, and the Timberwolves are too reliant on their young talent. The Mavericks appear headed for the lottery — possibly a very high pick — with half their roster injured. The Trail Blazers, after winning the Northwest Division, will plummet to the bottom of the conference after losing four-fifths of their starting lineup. The Suns and Jazz will be in the running, but have issues: Jeff Hornacek's expiring contract and the tumult surrounding power forward Markieff Morris in Phoenix, the lack of a point guard in Utah.
You can make as strong a case for the Kings snatching that eighth spot as you can any of those other teams, none of which has a player better than Cousins or the depth Sacramento has developed across its roster.
Bontemps has a good point - why not the Kings? Again, it is way too early to tell, but this season will be a bit of a litmus test to how well the offseason was. Be sure to click the link above to read the whole article.