Sacrmento Kings destined for mediocrity?
By Bryan Rose
About a decade ago, the Sacramento Kings were among the elite of the NBA. Behind Chris Webber and Vlade Divac, Sacramento ruled the league though just couldn’t get past the Los Angeles Lakers who all but took away at least one opportunity for an NBA title.
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Since then it’s been all downhill as their previous owners, the Maloof family, was more concerned about making a buck than keeping the Kings competitive. Now under new ownership, Vivek Ranadive and company are doing what they can to bring the once proud franchise back to glory.
However, many across the league have questioned the moves being made by the Sacramento Kings and Basketball Insiders‘ Nate Duncan is no different, suggesting they have a long road ahead of them despite some big names on their current roster.
"So many of their moves have had a win-now character, and they just aren’t even close. Letting their second best young player go this offseason didn’t help much either."
It’s a bit odd to suggest a team employing two members of USA Basketball isn’t ready to compete at a high level, though Sacramento doesn’t have a ton of depth around DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay. Add in they’re playing in an extremely stacked Western Conference and it’s understandable as to why some may feel the Kings aren’t ready to take the next step.
Sacramento Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro has proven himself to be very active since taking over the front office however, so it’s clear that if things aren’t working out as hoped, he’ll have his finger on the trigger looking for the next deal.