Timberwolves ranking in Western Conference – Part One
By Will Long
Jan 1, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) and Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) laugh during a free throw in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Sacramento Kings win 110-107. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
11. Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings fans want to see their team finally get over the hump after years of losing, coaching turmoil, and front office failures. Sorry, Kings fans, but that’s not going to happen.
In my book, DeMarcus Cousins has finally overtaken Dwight Howard as the best center in the league (although he may play a lot of minutes at the power forward position this year). Cousins has displayed his unmatched ability to score on the block in previous years, but last season he finally showed he knew how to play a little bit of defense, too.
You can’t really say the same for the rest of the team. Last season, the Kings were tied for third-to-last in points allowed per game (105.0), being over the Timberwolves and Nuggets, and being tied with the Lakers — certainly not playoff-caliber numbers.
The Kings were almost as active as the Trail Blazers in free agency. Sacramento brought in Rajon Rondo, Kosta Koufos, Willie Cauley-Stein, Quincy Acy, Caron Butler, and Marco Belinelli. With all of that roster turnover, there could certainly be a lack of team chemistry. It’s going to take a while for the players to figure out how to play with each other.
The talent is there — sort of. The team has the players they would need to make a run at the playoffs, but they’re the Kings, and predicting they’ll implode after the first half of the season isn’t far-fetched one bit.
Check back on Wednesday for Part Two of a look at the Western Conference.