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| | Wednesday, December 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Special to ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Royals moved from Rochester to Cincinnati in 1957, became the Kansas City/Omaha Kings (1972 to 1975), the Kansas City Kings from 1976 to 1985, before moving West to settle in Sacramento the following year. While on this odyssey, the Kings won one championship (1951), when the team was coached by owner Les Harrison. The franchise has been represented by a surprising total of 14 Hall of Famers: Harrison, Bob Davies, Bob Wanzer, Arnie Risen, Alex Hannum, Wayne Embry, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Red Holzman, Bob Cousy, Nate Archibald, Jack Twyman, Clyde Lovellette and Bill Russell, who served briefly as the team's coach and general manager after his great playing career with Boston. Rick Adelman, the Kings' current coach, once played for the Kings when it was in Kansas City/Omaha. As might be expected from a franchise that moved so frequently, success has been an elusive quality. In its 51-year history in the NBA, the Kings have missed playoff participation 29 times, and only once -- the championship year of 1951 -- did the team have a better than .500 playoff record. With the new and youthful ownership of the Maloof group, and under the capable administration of VP/basketball operations Geoff Petrie, the Kings expect better results. They had a winning season and made the playoffs in '99 and gave Utah fits before losing in the first round, 3-2.
Trades, Free Agents and Draft Picks
Present and Future This year, the Kings bolted out of the gate, put on dazzling displays of uptempo basketball, and at one point, had the league's best record (8-1). Chris Webber put up a triple-double, Jason Williams made highlight reel passes and shots, as the Kings blew past bewildered opponents. They were the NBA's favorite team to watch. An extended eastern road trip and some tough opponents at home combined to bring them back to earth and removed some of the sparkle from their game. Despite the Kings' quick start, Coach Rick Adelman knew his team would ultimately have to upgrade its defensive quality and be more selective with its shots to be among the elite teams. That time is now. Webber, Divac, Williamson, Funderburke and Pollard rebound well enough to generate fast breaks. There is nice foot speed among the big men on which Adelman wants to capitalize. Once the team is running, the ball is usually in Williams' hands. He must be more consistent with his overall handle. Jason tends toward the spectacular when a fundamental pass would do just as well. His assist/turnover ratio is barely two-to-one. He also needs to control his shot selection (35 percent from the field). His teammates also need to govern their output from the perimeter, where they rank close to the bottom of the league in three-point accuracy. Overall, I like this team. It plays with a lot of energy, competes hard, and there's good team harmony. Adelman makes good use of his bench guys (Barry, who is now injured, Funderburke, Pollard and Stojakovic have been dynamic). With Adelman's firm but flexible hand on the reins, I expect the Kings to regroup from this brief funk and be very competitive as the season progresses.
One thing is certain, this isn't a team for anyone to take lightly in the
playoffs. | ALSO SEE Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Trail Blazers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Pacers Dr. Jack's Team Spotlight: Hawks  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
