2010-11 NBA Blogosphere Previews: Sacramento Kings
Posted by Neil Paine on October 26, 2010
Welcome to our 2010-11 NBA Blogosphere Previews, in which we contact the finest team bloggers on the web and ask them to contribute their thoughts on the squad they cover. What follows is their take, along with the team's depth chart (courtesy of ESPN.com), projected 2011 stats via our Simple Projection System, and polls where you get to have your say. Enjoy!
Sacramento Kings
Coach: Paul Westphal
2010 Summary:
Record: 25-57, Finished 5th in NBA Pacific Division
SRS: -4.06 (25th of 30) ▪ Pace: 94.0 (7th of 30)
Off Rtg: 105.3 (22nd of 30) ▪ Def Rtg: 109.9 (20th of 30)
Expected W-L: 29-53 (25th of 30)
2011 Depth Chart (with 2010-11 projected per-36 minute stats ... yellow = newcomer)
| Pos | Player | Age | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | FG% | 3PM | 3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG | Beno Udrih | 28 | 14.2 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.2 | 0.481 | 0.9 | 0.365 | 0.829 |
| PG | Luther Head | 28 | 14.2 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 0.431 | 1.6 | 0.355 | 0.810 |
| PG | Pooh Jeter | 26 | ||||||||||
| SG | Tyreke Evans | 21 | 19.8 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 0.472 | 0.5 | 0.274 | 0.759 |
| SG | Francisco Garcia | 29 | 14.6 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.453 | 1.6 | 0.392 | 0.811 |
| SG | Antoine Wright | 26 | 11.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 0.418 | 1.3 | 0.328 | 0.718 |
| SF | Donte Greene | 22 | 14.0 | 5.2 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.436 | 1.5 | 0.363 | 0.686 |
| SF | Omri Casspi | 22 | 15.1 | 6.6 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.459 | 1.4 | 0.380 | 0.691 |
| PF | Carl Landry | 27 | 18.5 | 7.3 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.543 | 0.1 | 0.347 | 0.802 |
| PF | Jason Thompson | 24 | 14.6 | 9.6 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.487 | 0.1 | 0.211 | 0.716 |
| PF | Darnell Jackson | 25 | 10.2 | 6.8 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 0.419 | 0.4 | 0.321 | 0.722 |
| PF | Hassan Whiteside | 21 | ||||||||||
| C | DeMarcus Cousins | 20 | ||||||||||
| C | Samuel Dalembert | 29 | 10.9 | 12.5 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 0.523 | 0.0 | 0.333 | 0.729 |
2010-11 Blogger Outlook by Tom Ziller, sactownroyalty.com & NBA Fanhouse
Despite a promising start, the Kings ended up as one of the worst team's in the NBA in 2009-10, clearly outclassing the awful Nets and Timberwolves, but falling below all other 26 teams in the standings.
Hope for improvement comes primarily in the form of DeMarcus Cousins, a massive 19-year-old out of Kentucky who will be the Kings' opening night starter at center. That fact, however, comes because the second most important roster upgrade -- Samuel Dalembert, who was acquired for contract albatross Andres Nocioni and underwhelming lotto pick Spencer Hawes -- is out with an injury. Between Cousins and Dalembert, the Kings should be massively upgraded in the middle.
Elsewhere, the team will rely on internal growth, with Tyreke Evans the headliner. The perimeter defense was bad last year, and needs to get much better before the team can really make things interesting. But the paint should be a easier fight to win this season, and that's what Kings fans have been begging for since 2004.
Poll Time