Offseason Overview: Sacramento Kings

July 6, 2009 6:25pm CDT

The Kings finished last season 17-65, the worst record in the league. Their star player, Kevin Martin, was limited to just 51 games due to ankle injuries, but still scored 24.6 ppg. Paul Westphal was brought in over the summer to help develop a host of young players and guide this team back to relevance. He becomes their fifth coach since Rick Adelman left in 2006.

Cap situation: $57.8 million committed to 11 players. Team is still paying a total of $8.6 million to previously bought out players Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Mikki Moore. League salary cap estimated at $58 million for 2009-2010 season.

Returning players: Kevin Martin, Andres Nocioni, Spencer Hawes, Francisco Garcia, Jason Thompson, Beno Udrih, Kenny Thomas, and Donte Greene. Sergio Rodriguez acquired via trade with Portland.

Rookies: Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, and Jon Brockman.

Key free agents: Ike Diogu, Bobby Jackson, and Rashad McCants

Five Burning Questions

1) Will they regret not drafting Ricky Rubio?
Rubio was obviously not happy to fall down to the fifth spot, to be selected by the Timberwolves, and for the Timberwolves to draft another point guard right after him with the sixth pick. As a result, he has stated that he will play out the remainder of his contract in Spain rather than pay out $5 million of his own money to come to the NBA. He was widely regarded as the second best talent in the draft, but teams bypassed him for more visible collegiate athletes. Why? For one, he did not workout against any live competition. Two, he only worked out for the Kings, who very badly needed a point guard. Three, the Kings felt they could project their pick, Tyreke Evans, a lot better than Rubio. Plus, Evans had a great workout. But Evans is not really a point guard. He is a ball-dominant guard capable of bringing the ball up and down the court, capable of defending the point, but not the type of player you would ever call a floor general. Perhaps he will change his scoring mentality and fit in with this roster, but it seems unlikely. Rubio seemed like a perfect fit, and perhaps more importantly, seemed to really want to play in Sacramento. He's a creator that would have been put on a team full of shooters. Despite the critics saying he can't shoot, his 42.3 percent shooting from three-point range (the International mark is further than the NCAA mark) was better than any other point guard in this draft. I'll say it now: Yes, the Kings should have selected Rubio.

2) How does Andres Nocioni fit in?
Shortly after landing in Sacramento in a trade deadline deal, Nocioni told Argentinean newspapers that he was unhappy to be playing in that city and for that franchise. Ouch. Unfortunately, he better find a better outlook soon as he is locked up for the next four seasons. Nocioni is a fine talent who's best years were probably spent in a bad situation in Chicago. He turns 30 in November and he's not in a much better situation in Sacramento. The Kings like what they have in small forward Francisco Garcia and invested the 23rd pick in the draft on small forward Omri Casspi. Casspi is NBA ready, and he's a free-agent without a buyout clause. He may stay in Europe, but it seems unlikely. Nocioni will be a 25-minute player, either as a starter or sixth man, on a bad team. That role probably is not going to change his mind about the city or the franchise. Look for the Kings to be fielding offers for him by the trade deadline for younger prospects, probably ones that can play point guard.

3) Can they afford any free agents to help them win now?
There is one desperate scenario. Who's pissed off, can win games almost single-handedly, currently being blackballed by most teams, and can sell tickets? Allen Iverson. It's a gamble, and its unlikely, so let's not waste more time on that. Another possibility would be to go after restricted free agent Raymond Felton and work a sign-and-trade with the Bobcats. However, if they really think Evans can play point guard, they will not attempt this. The problem with the Kings isn't so much that they can't afford players; they're about $10 million under the luxury tax. The bigger problem is drawing players to the ancient Arco Arena to play on a team that one just 17 games last season, without much of an excuse. If they are looking for free agents, they should target young players and lock them up for cheap, long-term deals. Deals like four years, $8 million or five years for $12 million. So, no, its unlikely they will be adding any talent to dramatically improve their roster. They should try and retain Ike Diogu who scored 60 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in their final two games last season. Other young potential players worth a look may include Chris Wilcox, Channing Frye, Sean May, Stephen Graham, and their very own Rashad McCants.

4) Will they compete next season under new coach Paul Westphal?
Westphal has not coached since the 2000-01 when he was canned 15 games into the year by the Sonics. He turns 59 in November and it remains to be seen how well he will connect with today's players, and how he has adapted his system from the 1990s style of play. He has appeared in an NBA Finals and loves to put points up on the board. But can he get this young bunch to play defense? Will they accept their roles? Unfortunately theirs not much talent to work with, and if they fall deep under .500 quick, I don't see much hope for them. So in answer to the question: No, they will not. Start praying to land John Wall out of Kentucky or Derrick Favors out of Georgia Tech.

5) How can they start to successfully rebuild?
There are a few things they can start doing this season. They need to teach Evans how to play the point before they throw him into the fire. They might learn something from how the Heat handled Michael Beasley last season. Limit his minutes until he's running the offense properly, playing in control, and leading his teammates on the floor. Secondly, they can invest in young cheap talent right now. Do not spend substantial money on free agents, a la last summer's boneheaded deals the team struck with Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia. If there are players out there that they covet for the future, they have some decent trade pieces in Nocioni and Kenny Thomas' $8 million expiring contract. Sergio Rodriguez was a great acquisition and they should allow him to start. He'll keep all these shooters interested. Finally, if they want out of Sacramento, deal Kevin Martin for some expiring contracts. Fans always love that. What ever Westphal does this season, he has to turn it into a classroom and he better have a bulletproof syllabus and strong will in order to earn the respect of management and his players enough to keep his job.

Ideal Situation: Start rebuilding. Bringing in Iverson or giving up pieces to bring in Felton does not make sense as long as Martin and Evans are around. Throw some cheap contracts with team options at McCants, Frye, and Diogu and trust Westphal to stick to a season long game plan regardless of on-the-court success.

Resulting Depth Chart
PG: Sergio Rodriguez/Tyreke Evans/Beno Udrih
SG: Kevin Martin/Rashad McCants
SF: Andres Nocioni/Francisco Garcia/Omri Casspi/Donte Greene
PF: Jason Williams/Channing Frye/Kenny Thomas
C: Spencer Hawes/Ike Diogu

Strengths: Young potential, scorers, three-point shooters, solid second unit
Weaknesses: Defense, skill-level, chemistry