When will the Sacramento Kings rise again?
The Sacramento Kings are forgotten. When somebody remembers them, they are a laughingstock. Sacramento is simply a game on the schedule for the other 29 NBA teams, a winnable home game or a fun little road trip to California. The Kings were once proud, the epicenter of basketball alongside with their blood-rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. Those days are long gone.
In recent times, the greatest Kings-related victory was Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson finding a way to keep the team in town. The organization was being sold and seemed all but certain to relocate to Seattle, replacing the stolen Seattle Supersonics. However, through Johnson’s efforts, the Kings secured plans for a new arena which allowed them viability in the market.
On the court, there is nothing viable about Sacramento. Arco Arena used to be known as an asylum, the loudest venue in the NBA along with the iconic Madison Square Garden and the United Center. It was a time when Rick Adelman roamed the sidelines, presiding over the most exciting brand of basketball since the 1980’s Showtime Lakers. Jason Williams and Mike Bibby led the backcourt with Chris Webber and Vlade Divac patrolling the paint. Add in role players like Bobby Jackson and Doug Christie, and the Kings were always a threat to win the title.
Now? Sacramento checks in at 9999/1 to win the NBA championship, per Vegas Insider. Only the prestigious Lakers have worse odds. At 17-31, Tyrone Corbin’s group is 12th in the West.
The Kings made the playoffs seven consecutive seasons between 1998 and 2005. During that stretch, Sacramento earned its only 60-win season, a pair of Pacific Division titles and its first playoff series win since 1980-81 when the franchise played in Kansas City. In 2001-02, the Kings made an epic push to reach the NBA Finals, only to be turned back by the Lakers in seven classic games of the Western Conference finals. Game 6 is a contest which lives in infamy for Sacramento fans, due to shoddy officiating which many believe cost the Kings the series.
Since Adelman moved on following the 2005-06 campaign, Sacramento has churned through seven head coaches. The team has not been back to the playoffs and is without 40 wins in a season. Since 2007-08, the Kings have not eclipsed 28 wins. DeMarcus Cousins is the only star for Sacramento to hang its hat on, with the roster filled up by youngsters and overpaid veterans.
Perhaps hope is on the horizon, with Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee reporting the team is in “intense conversations” with George Karl to become the Kings’ next head coach. Karl has plenty of experience turning around bad franchises, doing so with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Supersonics and Denver Nuggets. In 1996, Karl guided the Sonics to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1979.
The fans of Sacramento are tremendous. It’s about time the Kings give them reason to cheer.
