October 29, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Michael Malone (left) instructs center DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Sleep Train Arena. The Warriors defeated the Kings 95-77. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
February 19th, 2016 – Denver Nuggets
This one is pretty obvious. Former Sacramento Kings’ coach Michael Malone and GM Pete D’Alessandro return to Sacramento for their first game against the Kings since they both left the team. Luckily for Sacramento fans, this Nuggets team lacks good players, so the Kings should be able to defeat their former employees’ new team in late February 2016.
Are George Karl and Vlade Divac a better combination than Malone and D’Alessandro? It may be too early to tell, but using this offseason as a basis it seems as though Vlade is doing a better job than Pete ever did in Sacramento. We’ll find out some of the answers from this game, but it will certainly take years to figure out the eventual answer to that question.
The next game for the Kings after this one is again against the Nuggets, three days later and this time in Denver. A sweep of these two games could go a long way towards embracing the Karl/Divac tandem for Kings fans–hopefully the team brings their A game for this season series.
Next: One Last Ride On The Sleep Train