2008 Sacramento Kings Preview & Predictions
Written October 9, 2008 by Luke Knight
The Kings are officially a new team with Mike Bibby’s midseason departure last year. Bibby was the last remaining starter from the 2002 Sacramento team that lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Kevin Martin is officially the team leader now with the departure of Ron Artest. Reggie Theus showed he could turn a program around quickly with his work at New Mexico State and he did a solid job in his first season in Sacramento. The Kings finished 12 games behind the 8th playoff spot in the West last year however, so they have an uphill climb. Keep reading to see if we think the Kings will be able to make that climb. Head over to BetUS where the Kings are +10000 odds to win the Western Conference. With NBA odds like that, the Kings will be a solid team to watch on a nightly basis.
Beno Udrih took over the point position early last season when Bibby was injured. Udrih averaged 12.8 points and 4.3 assists per game and proved to be a good 3-point shooter at .387. Udrih will be expected to produce more assists this season, but his low numbers last season can be attributed to other players shouldering the playmaking responsibilities. Bobby Jackson is slated as the starting point guard on the depth chart. Jackson came over in the trade with Houston for Artest. Bobby Jackson had his best years with Sacramento and will enjoy being back.
Kevin Martin is a top-notch scorer. He averaged 23.7 points per game last season, which was the 6th highest in the NBA. He needs to lead the Kings to the playoffs to get All-Star recognition most likely, despite his skills. Martin is an excellent free throw shooter who is outstanding at drawing fouls. He is also a great slasher and solid 3-point shooter. Martin’s scoring and rebound averages have increased every season of his 4 year career. Quincy Douby will be the primary backup. Douby is a shoot-first guard who hasn’t been particularly accurate so far in his career.
John Salmons, who averaged 12.5 points in a reserve role, will fill the hole that Ron Artest’s departure left. Salmons averaged career high numbers in most categories last season and actually started in the first seven games last year while Artest was serving a suspension. Francisco Garcia will be Salmons backup. Garcia averaged 12.3 points per game and showed himself to be a very capable reserve player. Rookie Donte Greene, who was acquired in the Artest trade, made a splash by scoring 40 points in his Vegas Summer League debut and he averaged 22.5 points while play for Houston’s summer league entry. He will get some minutes off the bench.
Mikki Moore shot a .577 percentage from the field in 2008 but also led the league in personal fouls and was not a big-time scorer or rebounder, averaging 8.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. Kenny Thomas will be his primary backup if he stays healthy, but he played just 281 minutes in 2008. The Kings would like to see rookie Jason Thompson of Rider develop quickly to become a rotation player here. Shelden Williams could get some minutes here also.
Brad Miller will be suspended for the first 5 games of the 2009 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Miller has two All-Star selection to his credit. He can make a midrange jumper and is a good passer from the high post. He is also a solid rebounder. Spencer Hawes, the second-year man out of Washington, showed some flashes toward the end of the season when he had five straight double-figure scoring games. The Kings hope that Hawes will be their center of the future. He rebounded well in the Vegas summer league, but didn’t shoot particularly well. Moore could also pick up minutes here.
Final Analysis
The Kings are going to struggle this year in the Western conference. They have some talented players and some veterans, but they don’t really have anyone that is in their prime to carry the team. It will be difficult for this team to match last season’s 38-win season. We have them finishing 5th in the Pacific Division behind the Lakers, Clippers, Suns, and Warriors. The Kings are +20000 odds at BetUS to win the NBA Championship, which suggests they will be long odds all season against the Western opponents.
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Get more NBA predictions from our in-house expert Luke Knight:
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- Los Angeles Clippers Predictions
- Los Angeles Lakers Predictions
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