The Kings have had an active offseason, striking deals with nine free agents and swinging a pair of trades that helped clear cap space. They signed another free agent, Luc Mbah a Moute, but voided his contract after a failed physical, a move that’s reportedly poised to draw a grievance from the players union. All of it pales in comparison to the tempest surrounding DeMarcus Cousins this summer, and we have more on that amid the latest from Sacramento:
- Cousins is no stranger to communicating visually, as witnessed by the snake and grass emojis he posted via Twitter amid reports that George Karl wanted to trade him. The center seemingly conveyed different feelings Tuesday via Instagram, posting a photo that depicts him standing arm-in-arm with Karl and Kings vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac. Karl and Cousins apparently didn’t have any interaction for months before a brief meeting at summer league, when USA Today’s Sam Amick reported the existence of plans for a more extensive meeting. It would appear, by the looks of the photo, that the meeting has taken place, but a simple photo hardly means the tension that reportedly had Cousins wanting out has disappeared, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com.
- Hedo Turkoglu isn’t thinking about playing overseas for now and would prefer to remain in the NBA, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Kings have emerged as a possibility for the Jim Tanner client, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last week, citing the presence of Divac, a former teammate and friend.
- The Kings brought in noteworthy talent via free agency and Ben McLemore has the potential to take a leap forward, but the mix remains combustible, tempering all the reasons for optimism in Sacramento, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines.
- What’s your take on the Kings offseason? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
The SK roster is a mix of players that must find chemistry to be able to compete in the West. That will be a difficult matter and it would also be challenging in the East. Success is not built overnight and management needs to understand the process. There are not any quick fixes unless you acquire LJ and give him an open purse filled with gold to select his teammates. what style the SK are going to play is really intriguing know George Karl’s past. Fast and Faster will have to be without cousins. Then the clash with management and the coach will come to a head. It is Karl’s responsibility to take the roster and shape the talent to a style to be competitive. He must include cousins to bring the best out of the SK. How is he going to do this this or will he stick to his past and challenge the management. Whatever style the SK use , it still will not be good enough for an eight spot in the loaded West.
If the Kings miss the playoffs, do you expect Karl or Cousins to be gone first?
Wait, so is Vlade way taller than 7 foot or is Cousins way shorter than 6’11”? *strokes chin*
I am open minded to what the Kings can be, but reserved as well. There is no question, the bench will be better than last year, it’s a much better mix. The talent that Rajon Rondo brings to the table, no question makes them good enough to capture the 7th or 8th seed. They have really damn good coaching, they have serious talent, it’s all on the chemistry issues. I know there are a lot of “big if’s” with this team. If Cousins and Karl can work together, If Mclemore can further develop a consistent offensive game, if Cousins and Gay will fully buy into Karl’s system and lead the team….but they have the offensive players (Cousins, Gay, Mclemore) and the defensive players (Rondo, Cauley-Stein) in the starting lineup and a bench with guys who just play hard, know their roles, are better shooters and more consistent defenders than last year. The talent is there to be a big surprise team this year, no question about it. The ball handling under Rondo will be better than it was under the bulk of the point guards they had last year, which will keep them in more games. (Turnovers really hurt the Kings last year from the point guard spot, and Rondo is major improvement in this area). Yes, I know there are a ton of if’s….but IF they can come together as a team….they could surprise a lot of people this year. I say that as a Lifelong Celtics fan who is a transplant in this region. The fans are looking forward to seeing what this team can do. I don’t know if Rondo is the answer the Kings need to have the next great team in their history…..but it will be nice to see if he is. Dallas got worse, Portland got worse, Denver got worse, Minnesota is still bad, The Lakers will still be bad, just not as bad as last year…..The Suns….not sure…The Spurs, Clippers, Warriors, Rockets, Thunder and Grizzlies, I expect to see take the top 6 spots. But The Suns, Kings, Mavs, Lakers, Pelicans and Nuggets could all be in the mix for the last two spots. I don’t buy into the Mavs being as good as last year, I think Ty Lawson will be missed in Denver and I’m not sure if the Suns did enough to get there. I don’t buy into the Jazz or Blazers at all…or the Wolves, the Wolves just being way too young, but have a bright future. As for the Pelicans….I’m unsure. No question that Anthony Davis is a beast, but after him….they get a little shaky for me to buy into a championship contender, so I’m not sure if they will be good enough to secure a playoff seed or not.