April 03, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley (12) and shooting guard Francisco Garcia (32) battle for the ball against Sacramento Kings point guard Toney Douglas (0) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Houston Rockets defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-102. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

After eight seasons of relatively sub-par team play in Sacramento, you can’t help but feel happy for Francisco Garcia as the swingman is just a few games away from his Rockets clinching a spot in the NBA playoffs – his first since his rookie season of 05-06.

Garcia made his first appearance in Sacramento since the February trade that shipped him along with Thomas Robinson to Houston on Wednesday night and had nothing but kind things to say about the city, the franchise and most importantly, the fans:

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “One guy is saying this; another guy is saying that. I don’t know. I’d be sad (if the Kings leave Sacramento). It’s such a great city. They’re great fans. They’ve been supporting the team for a long time.

“It’s great. It’s a great city. I have nothing but good things to say about Sacramento. I had a great eight years there.”

Garcia was always the professional’s professional – taking younger players under his wing as he became the elder statesman of the Kings roster despite only being in his upper 20′s for the vast majority of teaching process.

He didn’t have the stardom of a Chris Webber nor the flare of a Jason Williams, but Garcia’s constant smile and good vibes certainly wont be forgotten among purple and black faithful for a long time.

Good luck in the playoffs, Cisco – we’ll be rooting for you.

March 09, 2012; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings shooting guard Francisco Garcia (32) smiles as he warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Power Balance Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Now on the wrong side of 30 and on what will be an expiring contract (Kings own a team option they’ll decline at season end), Garcia looks to be playing his final season in purple and black. How will it go? The question is answered below…

Scott - While Kings fans appreciate Garcia’s loyalty, leadership and attitude, gone are the days in which any legitimate contributions will be expected from the veteran. Injuries have dominated Garcia’s career and while he has always shown the ability to be a good role player in spurts, his jump shot remains erratic. His minutes would be better served going to younger options, but again, with the Kings lack of skill at the three-spot, Garcia will see the floor and can be counted on for small, steady production.

Marilyn - Garcia was the go-to guy not too many seasons ago, but that now seems like a distant memory. He was at his peak, in terms of his shooting career, in the 2008-09 NBA Season, averaging 12.7 points per game and sporting a three-point shooting percentage of .398, the highest of his career. He is a man with great pride, for himself, his family, and his native country. Born December 31, 1981 in Santo Domingo, he represented his country, the Dominican Republic, this past summer, scoring 28 points, to lead his team, just one game shy of obtaining an Olympic berth. As a reserve on the Kings, we have watched his value diminish with injuries and bad luck. I don’t have a lot of hope that he will bounce back to his prior performance levels. He has a $6.1 million dollar salary for this season, with a team option for $6.4 million in 2013-14. This makes him an expiring contract for a team who may not want to keep him. This could be his last season with the Sacramento Kings. Whatever happens, I hope this will be a good season for him and that he will finish out his NBA career, here or elsewhere, with the respect he so much deserves.

Bryan - Despite Cisco’s struggles ever since the injury, I’ll give the guy this – he tries. He works his tail off. He’s a great teammate and while maybe not the best of leaders, he certainly has given it his best effort when the Kings lacked any voice. That said, the days of Francisco being any type of impact player are over, which is a tough pill to swallow for those of us who watched he and Kevin Martin look like a solid backcourt duo just a few seasons ago. The lack of any true talent at the three should get Cisco some floor time, assuming he stays healthy, but Cisco is nothing more than a low minute bench player at this point. He can still be successful in short bursts, but the Kings best option is to let their youth take the floor time and let Cisco be the player-coach he seems to enjoy being.