This wasn’t the first half the Kings had planned.
With a returning rookie of the year, a top-five draft pick, a sixth-man-of-the-year candidate and the center they had been pursing for years, this season seemed bright for the Kings. However, it’s been as dark as a tunnel with no end in sight.
That rookie-award winner suffered a foot injury and faces personal issues, the big draft pick has had troubles adjusting to pro coaching, the sixth-man candidate took months to find his game as again a sixth man and the long-awaited center wants out. All of those woes and more have led to a disappointing 9-32 record following Friday night’s overtime loss at the Golden State Warriors.
The season is half over and it is far from what many predicted would be an improvement from their 25-57 record last season. The fault lies with the coaching staff and players for their disappointing record.
You can blame it on the fact that the roster is so young. Or that half of their players were new this season. Regardless, this organization deserves a disappointing report card at midseason.
We’ll break it down position-by-position:
POINT GUARD – D
The Kings still are in denial about this position. Coach Paul Westphal would rather say there are two point guards when Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih are on the floor. Unfortunately, playmaker is not a shared position and someone has to take the lead. So if Evans is the default point guard, he gets the bad grade because he has regressed statistically, from 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists last season to 17.6, 4.7 and 5.5 this season. The one positive here is that Pooh Jeter has given the Kings spark when he comes off the bench, averaging 3.3 assists a game. In the Jan. 2 victory over Phoenix, he played the final eight minutes while Evans had a towel over his head.
SHOOTING GUARD –B
If Evans is the de facto point guard, then Udrih is the shooting guard. And he has been kept the Kings in games where they shouldn’t have been competitive. His 14.1 points and 4.2 assists per game have made him their most consistent player this season. Not bad for a guard who was considered to be a contract bust two seasons ago. The players who fill in here haven’t fared very well, either, which is probably why Westphal’s rotation has taken so long to jell. But beyond Udrih, no guard has provided consistent outside shooting.
SMALL FORWARD – D
This position has been a black hole for the Kings. One night a player steps up and then his game is gone for weeks. For instance, Francisco Garcia scored double-figures for three consecutive games in early November and he did hit double-figures again until Dec. 14. Omri Casspi also had three double-figure scoring games in a row in early November and did not reach that mark again until Dec. 6. Casspi has had similar hot and cold stretches in December and January. And Donte Greene, whom many thought would take a huge stride in his third season, has regressed in field-goal shooting (.441 in 2009-10 to .372 in 2010-11) and three-point shooting (.377 to .288). In other words, the only consistency the Kings are getting out of this position is inconsistency.
POWER FORWARD – C
This has evolved into Jason Thompson’s starting spot that Carl Landry takes over during the game. Both have improved as the season has progressed and have been some of the bright spots. Thompson has started to break out as a player, whining less and grabbing more rebounds. He has 10 games with eight or more rebounds and his rebounds per 40 minutes (11.2) are the highest of his career. Landry, meanwhile, took about two months to find himself in the Kings’ system. Now he has re-established himself as a very powerful sixth man. Landry is averaging 12.4 points and 4.8 rebounds. More importantly, he has scored in double-figures eight times in January despite seeing his playing time roller-coaster from 39 to 16 in games in the month.
CENTER – C-
While rookie DeMarcus has put up impressive stats (7.7 rebounds and 12.8 points a game), he has been a weight on the organization. From being kicked out of practice to being yanked out of the starting lineup for a stretch, he is living up to his billing as a malcontent. Cousins moans about every missed shot and too often gets lost in the transition game because of his whining. He’s the not the “Big Bust” as Sports Illustrated called him, but the magazine’s anonymous scout had it right by saying Cousins could turn into another Derrick Coleman. The trickle-down effect is veteran center Samuel Dalembert (6.5 rebounds) has said he feels he has no role with the Kings and wants out.
COACHING – D
The victories, field-goal (.440) and free-throw percentages (.716) are down from last season (.456 and .726). Until recently, the bench players had been confused about the rotation and their roles. And the staff has yet to figure out how to handle Cousins on and off the court despite hiring his high school coach as an assistant. The team consistently squanders fourth-quarter leads and key players like Evans have forgotten how to go for the jugular in the final minutes.
FRONT OFFICE – D
Basketball president Geoff Petrie seemed to have made some solid moves in the off-season like drafting Cousins and trading for Dalembert. But clearing the locker room of players like Spencer Hawes, Andes Nocioni and Jon Brockman has taken away the Kings’ grittiness and left them without an identity. As has been the case for the past few seasons, the rebuilding should have started two seasons earlier and has had too many hiccups along the way.
FAN EXPERIENCE – C
The marketing department has two great achievements: Taking down the Cousins banner off Arco Arena (he didn’t’ deserve it) and offering the fans a bevy of ticket deals (almost anyone can afford to watch a game with $10 upper-level tickets and $40 lower-level tickets). Also, Bill Walton has been a welcome addition on TV broadcasts. However, those pluses are outweighed by the minuses in the arena: Beer has been emphasized and the food options have decreased.
MIDSEASON OVERALL GRADE – D
It’s a solid “D” with no give. The Kings could go on a tear in the second half, but the best they could do is improve it to a “C.” This team has a long way to go and quite a bit just to make up for where they were last season.
Copyright 2011/Bill Bradley
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Bill Walton has been a welcome addition on TV Broadcasts??? He has nothing to say & must have been desperate to take a job with the Kings. The only thing he brings is that he makes Grant & Jerry look a whole lot better.