Being the worst team in the league brings out strong opinions in pundits and journalists, something the Sacramento Kings are used to at this point. The problem is that many of those same critics openly admit they don't watch the Kings, making fans wonder where those opinions are coming from.
Calling the Kings' season dismal is the understatement of the decade. They went into the All-Star break riding a 14-game losing streak to the bottom of the Western Conference and the league. The hardest part is that it's difficult to say if they're tanking or just really that bad of a team.
While tanking is a terrible strategy, especially for fans who buy tickets to watch a team intentionally lose, that would still somehow be less offensive than them just being bad. At least it would be part of some kind of plan, instead of just the culmination of a decade of bad decisions.
There have been some bright spots in the season. Russell Westbrook playing so well is a big one, as is the quick rise of the Kings' rookies, aka the Beam Boys. And they did manage to win four games in a row before this massive losing streak, so that's something positive.
The Kings are subject to some uninformed takes
Not surprisingly, being such a bad team has led to a lot of talk about how bad the Kings are doing from critics across the media spectrum. The problem is that many of them admit they rarely watch the Kings play, likely relying on social media highlights and reviewing stats post-game.
That includes people like Charles Barkley, who was incredibly critical of the De'Andre Hunter trade, as well as Chandler Parsons, who doesn't understand why Westbrook is even on the team. Both personalities are, of course, entitled to their opinions, but they should try watching the Kings more.
No one is saying that Sacramento is playing great basketball on the down low. Frankly, it's amazing they've managed to win as many games as they have. At the same time, you need to know what you're talking about if you're going to call the team out for anything.
If nothing else, it's worth tuning in to watch young guns like Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell go. Behind the absolute horror of this season, there is something brewing in Sacramento that has the potential to go big. Might as well get in on the ground floor.