A Royal Pain
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Thoughts: Tom Thibodeau With the Sacramento Kings as a Consultant

By Rafe Wong

Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Sacramento Kings defense sucks.

Out of all the hair-pulling deficiencies that the Sacramento Kings have had this regular season, the most agonizing one of them all has been their defense.

Based on the numbers the Kings defense is atrocious. They are currently ranked dead last in the league in points allowed per game (109.4), tied for 29th in the league in allowed field goal shots made per game (40.5), and last in the league in allowed three-point shots made per game (10.6).

The NBA is definitely changing in terms of style of play compared to previous generations. Teams are becoming more offensive-oriented, but, in the end, the defense still matters.

The Kings are one of the top offensive squads in NBA in scoring points this season, but it still shows that playing poor defense will get you nowhere successful in this game.

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With the Kings being the worst defensive squad out of their peers, the franchise is in desperate need to revamp their defense in order not only to find success in the final 22 games of the season but also going forward as they move downtown to their new arena this upcoming Fall.

Reported a few days ago by James Ham, Sacramento Kings insider, the Kings brought in Tom Thibodeau, former head coach of the Chicago Bulls, to join the Kings in Memphis as a consultant for the team and George Karl (per CSN Bay Area).

Thibodeau, although not coaching at this moment, is respected around the league in his profession by coaching great defensive squads in the past.

Maybe with his presence he can analyze the defensive woes that the Kings have currently faced this season and find solutions in how to fix what has been the ultimate Achilles heel for this team. It might have helped yesterday as the Kings defeated the Mavericks through a solid defensive outing.

This move by the Kings may bring in some drama, but overall it can do no wrong to gain some advice from a coach like Thibodeau. He is a great defensive-minded coach that has proven through his track record to lead successful teams, and at this point, the Kings should be open to doing anything.

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The Kings, factoring out Michael Malone’s tenure, have never made defense a major priority for their teams in the recent past, but bringing in Thibodeau for the time being is a sign that they are trying to improve that.

For the Kings to improve their record this season their defense must show up in these final 22 games. Sacramento is already in a deep hole in the standings as they are 4.5 games behind the Houston Rockets, the current 8th seed in the West.

It’s simple. If the Kings can’t find a way to improve their defense they will not win many games going forward, and if they cannot win games going forward then their playoff aspirations will officially die out.

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