Sacramento Kings’ Future Is A Coin Flip

Sacramento Kings Fans

The Sacramento Kings have had a poor season to say the least, and many problems have plagued the team as it hasn’t managed to find its way back into the mix of Western Conference playoff contenders.

The Kings have several issues with their young team, but some around the league say the problems have stemmed from a lack of solid management. Several questions have been raised regarding Kings head coach Keith Smart’s effectiveness and coaching methods. The Kings players are all facing several questions with regards to effort and team cohesiveness. Finally the Kings general manager, once the toast of the town, has started to see local writers, fans and the current owners turn on him. Is Petrie what he has been said to be,”over the hill?”

To start the Kings management has been almost non-existent since the start of the season, and none of the owners have been present since announcing the sale of the team. The Maloofs have never been very good basketball people, and the proof lies in the previous coaching carousel after they let Rick Adelman walk out the door. After the Maloofs made the horrible decision to not renew Adelman’s contract in 2006, they played major roles in hiring Eric Musselman and passing on Scott Brooks (Current Oklahoma City Thunder head coach). Musselman spent only one season with the Kings, as the team missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years with a 33-49 record.

The Maloofs continued to make poor coaching decisions when they hired Reggie Theus and traded Mike Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks for Tyronne Lue, Anthony Johnson, Sheldon Williams, Lorenzen Wright and a 2nd round draft pick. The Mike Bibby trade was made largely to clear salary cap space, and was the start of the Maloofs shaving their payroll. Theus’ 07-2008 team won five more games than the previous season, but still missed the playoffs with a 38-44 record.