NBA TV Preview

2005-06 was, quite clearly, a tale of two seasons for the Sacramento Kings. Celebrated for its fluid passing game in the early part of this decade, Sacramento was a team entirely without an identity as it struggled to an 18-24 record during the first half of the season.

Then, the mercurial Ron Artest arrived on Jan. 26, in a trade for Peja Stojakovic, and everything changed. After allowing 100.2 points per game pre-Ron, the Kings gave up just 94.3 ppg after Artest brought his signature brand of ferocious lockdown defense to Arco Arena. Newly defensive-minded, Sacramento finished the season 26-14, and surprisingly extended the defending-champion Spurs to six tough games in the playoffs.

Sacramento will try to carry its second-half momentum into ’06-07 under the leadership of a new head coach. Eric Musselman replaces Rick Adelman, who led the Kings to the playoffs in each of his eight seasons – the only winning seasons the franchise has enjoyed since it moved to Sacramento in 1985.

Musselman, who has a head-coaching record of 75-89 from two seasons in Golden State, is known for his intensity, attention to detail and commitment to defense. Kings co-owner Joe Maloof told ESPN.com that Musselman was a “basketball-a-holic,” and said to the AP that “I know we're going to be the best-prepared team in the league now.”

The major roster news of the summer is that the Kings could not come to terms on a new contract with free agent Bonzi Wells, who was a huge factor in the Spurs series, averaging 23.2 points and 12 rebounds on .609 shooting. Instead, Sacramento signed John Salmons away from the 76ers. Salmons, who scored 7.5 ppg last season, will need to step up his game to fill Wells’s shoes, though the Kings expect talented young shooting guard Kevin Martin to play a larger role as well.

Mike Bibby is the team’s mainstay, the only player remaining from the 2002 Western Conference finalists. The veteran point guard - who averaged a career-high 21.1 points, as well as 5.4 assists, last season – will be expected to lead the offense once again.

Inside, the Kings will rely mainly on a trio of veterans, Brad Miller, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas. Undrafted rookie Louis Amundson turned heads with his energetic play at summer league; Maloof says he thinks the kid will not only make the team, but possibly play.

To stay in the playoff hunt against the many deep teams in the Western Conference, the Kings will need contributions all the way down its roster. The team will look for improvement on the perimeter from backup point Jason Hart, and their last two first-round picks, Francisco Garcia (2005) and Quincy Douby (2006).
-- Mark Haubner

2006-07 Kings Priority List

Artest

Certainly, the shooting-guard-by-committee of Martin, Salmons and Douby is very much on the spot to compensate for the loss of Bonzi Wells, but that pales in comparison to the need to merely keep Ron Artest on the floor. The 6-7, 260-pound forward needs to avoid the suspensions which have plagued his career and torpedoed his teams’ chances on many occasions.

There are some questions about whether Musselman, who has a reputation as a headstrong coach, will clash with Artest over time.

Musselman said at his introductory press conference that he’s “extremely excited to coach Ron. His intensity, his desire, his will to win rubs off on anybody that's surrounded by him.”

For his part, Artest showed up at summer league to get a run in and work with Musselman. He told ESPN.com: “I’m hoping I never have to get disciplined. I’m just going to stay right and listen to coach.”

Time will tell.
-- Mark Haubner

X&O STRENGTH

Musselman

He will feature players individually but also utilize the secondary break and the push-up game. The defense will change because it used to always be back in transition due to the frenetic pace, but now he will be demanding more half-court discipline.

X&O WEAKNESS
He will instill discipline on offense, which you can argue whether that was a plus or minus for the Kings. They were quick shooting and offensive minded and I don’t think he will allow that. How the players react will be a big question. Will they feel stymied? It all comes down to how he presents it to them.

HEAD COACH PHILOSOPHY
Judging from his CBA days and stint in Golden State, and like his father, his teams will be organized. He comes in there with a sense of purpose and will get his team to play that way.
-- Don Casey (courtesy of the National Basketball Coaches Association)

Right in the middle of the playoff race. They’re a very dangerous team from the sense that they have their leaders, their veterans and they have guys that are role players that know their role and don’t need a lot of shots like Brad Miller and Jason Hart.
Without Bonzi, they are going to have to rely on young guys like Garcia, Salmons and Kevin Martin.
Bibby is the most underrated guy in the West because nobody gives him enough credit because he is not real flashy and gets it done…he is almost vanilla in his game, but in the end his numbers are great.
The new coaching system will have an emphasis on defense; that’s Musselman’s style.
-- Western Conference Scout

Ron Artest: Look for Artest to have a big year if he can remain out of trouble and on the court for 75-plus games this year.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim: His name may make some fantasy players draft him on merit, but he’s coming off his worst NBA season, averaging a career low 27.2 minutes per game.

More fantasy news

We don’t anticipate many surprises coming from the 2006-07 Sacramento Kings. Other than Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Brad Miller, the rest of the roster may be filled with a few fliers and a few players who don’t even merit a spot on a fantasy team. There may be a surprise or two (Salmons, Martin, or Thomas) but until we see flashes once the season starts, there may not be much mystery in the 2006-07 Kings.
-- Tom Lorenzo
Kings Preview

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