Sacramento Kings just have three games left in the season and the team has decided to shut ..."/> Sacramento Kings just have three games left in the season and the team has decided to shut ..."/>
Fansided

Kings shut down Cousins and Gay for rest of season

By Charles Rahrig V

Mar 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Sacramento Kings just have three games left in the season and the team has decided to shut down DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay for the season.

After getting off to a good start this season, everything went downhill for the Sacramento Kings, who have had three different head coaches this season.

More from NBA

With a 27-52 record and another terrible season in tow, the Kings are shutting down a couple of their star players for the season.

Forward Rudy Gay is being shut down because of concussion issues and star center DeMarcus Cousins is being shut down because of a sore right foot.

It makes sense that the Kings are shutting both down with nothing to gain this year. There is no need for the franchise to risk either one further injuring themselves and putting them in jeopardy for next season.

The Kings have just three games left, a road tilt with the Nuggets, and a home and home with the Lakers.

Both of those teams are also nowhere near the playoff picture in any facet. The Kings now can use the three games to try and improve their lottery odds for the upcoming NBA Lottery. The Kings currently have the third-worst record in the Western Conference.

While the Kings have some young talent, adding another big piece alongside Cousins, could do wonders for the franchise that hasn’t had a winning season in a long time.

The Kings do have other young pieces with talent such as Nik Stauskas and Ben McLemore, but not nowhere near enough to turn the needle in a Western Conference, which is the toughest it’s ever been to make the playoffs.

Cousins has missed three of five while Gay has missed five of the last six games.

Cousins had a great season for the Kings, making the NBA All-Star Game. He averaged 24.1 points and and 12.7 rebounds on the season and finally emerged as one of the most dominant big men in the league.

Gay was another big scorer in the lineup for the Kings. On the year, he averaged 21.1 points and without him in the lineup, the Kings have struggled recently.

Still, with nothing to gain with three games left, it is the smart decision and a good idea for the Kings to allow these two to rest up after they have carried the team this past year.

If the Sacramento Kings are going to be once again a playoff team, they are going to need their star players back healthy for next year and ready to go.

If they have any luck, they will land a talented lottery pick to add to a growing core of young players in Sacramento.

[H/T: SI]

More from FanSided

Home/NBA