HoopWatch

The Sacramento Kings, unfortunately, are in a lull period right now. After being remarkable the past seasons, having gone to the playoffs for at least ten straight years, the Kings decided to rebuild, which started in the middle of last season. They may have reached the Western Conference Finals once, but the drive for that elusive NBA title had become beyond their reach. Their stars have become older, and have not proven that they have what it takes to win the title.

And so in a bold, but the right move, the Sacramento Kings traded away perennial All-Stars Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic. Webber was traded for Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson and Brian Skinner. These three guys are tough on the defensive end. Stojakovic was also traded for another defensive gem in Ron Artest. The Sacramento Kings are gearing towards the right direction. Being branded the past seasons as a “soft team,” the Kings realized that they need to incorporate what has brought many teams the championship trophy: DEFENSE!

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To complete the rebuilding phase, the Kings let their long-time coach Rick Adelman go. He coached Sacramento for eight long seasons, and has brought the Kings to the playoffs each year. Adelman was replaced by defense-minded coach Eric Musselman, who at 41, is the youngest coach in the league. Musselman has the reputation of hard work and intensity. He also places emphasis on defense. He almost won the Coach of the Year for the 2003-04 season with the Golden State Warriors. Prior to his NBA coaching stint, he led the Florida Beach Dogs to the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) Finals in 1996-97. His team allowed their opponents to score only 90.8 points per game, then a league low.

Musselman will try to keep Artest in check, as he will be the core of the Sacramento defense. Knowing Artest’s “bad boy” reputation, he will try to keep him on the court. Brad Miller, Thomas, Williamson, Vitaly Potapenko, Loren Woods and newly-acquired John Salmons will all complement Artest’s toughness. Salmons is coming out from a career breakout year with Philadelphia. His magnificent season included a career-high 23 points against the Toronto Raptors. He filled in for the scoring of an injured Allen Iverson at a stretch last season, averaging in double figures in that run. What I like about Salmons is his hustle and hard work, plus he can play the point guard spot.

Musselman, though, will still start with young, long and athletic Kevin Martin at shooting guard. He is good in finishing fast breaks. Mike Bibby is still the starting point guard. Bibby had a career-high average in points per game last season with over 21 a game. Bibby is a scoring point-guard, and will provide the bulk of the scoring for the Kings. Look for him to further increase his scoring average this season. Brad Miller is still the starting center, who is tough inside and has a good perimeter shot for a seven-footer. Thomas and Artest will complete the starting five for the Kings.

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Salmons is the definite sixth man. He will relieve Martin near the end of the first quarter. Francisco Garcia may be given some minutes, but Bibby will play at least 40 minutes per night. When Bibby is not on the floor, Salmons will take over at the point with Martin or Garcia at times. Shareef Abdur-Rahim is the scoring option off the bench. He is coming off his worst season averaging just 9.2 points per game. Musselman is hoping that this former All-Star will bring back his usual big numbers. If not, expect him to lose his playing time. Williamson, Woods and Potapenko will be rotated with Thomas and Miller at the center and forward spot if that happens. Artest also is expected to play heavy minutes, and an increased production across the board (points, rebounds, steals and blocks).

There is still a hazy atmosphere in Sacramento as Musselman still has yet to decide on who to play. There are still a number of positional battles e.g. Thomas vs Abdur-Rahim vs Williamson, Potapenko vs Woods, Martin vs Garcia, rookie Quincy Douby vs Jason Hart. What I am definite is by mid-December, Musselman will be rotating nine guys a night, and Bibby, Miller, Artest, Martin, Thomas and Salmons are the only shoo-ins in that rotation as of now.

There are still a lot of questions facing Sacramento. They are still figuring out how this bunch will turn out, on who to play, who to go to in the clutch, and will Musselman lead them past the first round this year. If the Kings can grasp Musselman defensive system right away, and they will learn and accept their roles by the end of December, they will definitely make the playoffs. However, they will bow out in the first round. This team is still a work in progress. Nonetheless, they are rebuilding towards the right direction. Expect them to be at most a first round team for the next three seasons though. (pics courtesy of mikebibby.com, topix.net)