The Sacramento Kings are on the verge of falling out of contention in the Western Conference. Should they throw in the towel and start the tank?
The Sacramento Kings have endured a 13-year playoff drought, and it will likely become 14 if their current sub-standard play continues. With just one more handful of losses, the Kings will be all but eliminated from postseason consideration.
Still Time For A Turnaround?
With a 15-26 record and sitting in 14th place in the Western Conference, plenty of Kings fans are calling this season a lost one already. It is understandable, given Sacramento’s incompetence over the last decade-plus. Excluding last year, the Kings have entered the new year with a losing record essentially every season, including this one.
While their hopes of getting back into the race are slim, they still have an outside chance of turning this around this season. By focusing on one game at a time, the Kings could potentially get themselves back in the playoff conversation simply by putting together a three-game winning streak. While a winning streak of any length seems like a daunting task at the moment, the NBA is a game of runs, and any team can get hot for a short stretch.
The Normality Of Losing
The Kings have been trying to change the perception that they have of a losing team, and intentionally losing basketball games is not going to do anything for the culture. Many of the players on this year’s squad will be there when next season starts, and setting a good precedent and developing positive habits can be instrumental in Sacramento’s development for next season and beyond.
Culture Change
When Vlade Divac traded DeMarcus Cousins, one of his reasons was a culture change. While the culture certainly differs from the Cousins’ days, Vlade’s plan still remains unfinished. The only way that the front office will be successful in changing the culture is if they are able to find a consistent way to win.
During the offseason, Divac hired Luke Walton as the new head coach and persuaded fans that he is the guy who will bring that winning culture to the Kings by saying “He will get us to the next level”. So far the Kings have regressed through 41 games.
Overall Thoughts
The Sacramento Kings still have time, to redeem themselves but they have a tall order in front of them if they hope to get back into any type of contention for this season. They should not be thinking about tanking at this point, as it will send the players the wrong message and won’t put players in positions to succeed for next season and beyond.