2009-10 NBA Season Preview: Sacramento Kings

Depth Chart:

C: Spencer Hawes/Jon Brockman

PF: Jason Thompson/Andres Nocioni/Kenny Thomas/Sean May

SF: Francisco Garcia/Omri Casspi/Donte Greene

SG: Kevin Martin

PG: Tyreke Evans/Beno Udrih/Sergio Rodriguez

Head Coach: Paul Westphal (1^st year)

2009-2010 Team Salary: $58.6 million

Projected 2010-2011 Team Salary: approximately $41.3 million

Off-Season Grade: Fail

I love Tyreke Evans. I think he will be an absolute stud at the NBA level. My main concern with him being drafted by the Kings is that he will have to play the point. Evans operates best with the ball in his hands, but isn’t your prototypical one in that he is more of a scorer than passer and takes a lot of bad shots.

Outside of the draft, it was a very quiet offseason in Sacramento. The Kings acquired Sergio Rodriguez and the rights to Jon Brockman in exchange for Jeff Pendergraph. Sacramento then took a flyer by signing free agent Sean May whose career has been riddled with injury. What strikes me as odd, is that the Kings have no backup at the two for Kevin Martin. Evans or Garcia can move to shooting guard while Udrih or Rodriguez come in to run the point, but finding another player as insurance would have been a wise decision.

2009-2010 Outlook:

The Kings finished with the worst record (17-65) last season. Expect a repeat performance. Sacramento is still very much in a re-building process and has a nice young nucleus of Kevin Martin, Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, and Evans, who should be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors. However, none of those players scream “All-Star” at this point, though Evans certainly has the potential. (Tired of my Evans-lovefest yet?) Outside of Andres Nocioni, there is not a reliable player off the bench who really puts fear into the opponents. Casspi’s high energy style of play should net him immediate court time since there are plenty of minutes for the taking.

The addition of Evans should allow the Kings to be more of an up-and-down offensive team which is needed since Sacramento allowed the second-most points in the league last season. The defense will once again be an area of concern since Sacramento didn’t address their need for more defensive-minded players this offseason.

Looking Ahead to the Summer of 2010:

Assuming the Kings don’t give the qualifying offer to Sergio Rodriguez, they should have some decent cap flexibility next summer. However, the likelihood of a major free agent joining the youth movement in Sacramento is highly unlikely. Sacramento needs to stay the course and continue adding young pieces through the draft, especially since they will almost certainly have another top-five pick next summer. Following that blueprint is the best option of this franchise is to one day regain respectability.

Expect Sacramento to dump Udrih’s remaining 4-year, $27.7 million to any team that offers them a sweaty headband or game-used Kurt Rambis rec-specs. Nocioni could be used as a valuable trade piece near the deadline if the Kings want to clear more salary and possibly acquire another draft pick.

2009-10 NBA Power Ranking: 30th