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Monday, September 30
 
Sacramento can't afford to be Kings of pain

By Frank Hughes
Special to ESPN.com

KINGS TRAINING CAMP GUIDE
Location
Kings practice facility; Sacramento, Calif.

Preseason schedule (all times ET)
Oct. 8: at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Oct. 10: Utah, 10:30 p.m.
Oct. 12: Golden State, 10 p.m.
Oct. 16: New York, 10 p.m.
Oct. 20: at Seattle, 9 p.m.
Oct. 22: Portland, 10 p.m.
Oct. 24: Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 25: at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
Team roster | Depth chart | Offseason moves

Camp question
This team is facing a situation similar to that of Portland a few years ago: It had the Lakers beaten in the Western Conference finals, and then lost the seventh and deciding game. The Trail Blazers suffered a hangover from which they still haven't recovered. Will the Kings do the same? Or will that series serve to strengthen their desire?

Camp project
There is very little this team needs to improve. Having won a league-high 61 games last season, Sacramento remains one of the best squads in the league, and the addition of 6-foot-11 shot-blocker Keon Clark (who joined the Kings as a free agent after averaging a career-best 11.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Toronto) only makes them better defensively.

FANTASY GAMES KEY CAMPER
Who to watch: Vlade Divac is no youngster, so the addition of jumping jack Keon Clark could signal a changing of the guard at center. Clark will see more preseason minutes. The question is will he keep them. We say yes. Clark is pretty good insurance for Divac and injury-prone Chris Webber, and his numbers will go up.
— Eric Karabell

Camp comeback
It will be interesting to see how Mike Bibby plays after his fantastic postseason performance. He now has an $80 million contract, and some players allow that security to sweep away their drive. Let's hope it doesn't happen to Bibby.

Camp controversy
How much are the legal troubles of Chris Webber going to distract this team, as well as Webber himself? He should be used to this -- his entire career has been shrouded in controversy. Still, the last thing this team needs is its best player wrangling with the law again.

Frank Hughes, who covers the NBA for the Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.