The Kings are a bigger and younger team than in recent years. Now it's time to find out if they'll be a better team.
Kings coach Paul Westphal begins his second season with a drastically different roster than he had at the start of his first in Sacramento. The Kings have loaded up on frontcourt players to deal with the size of Western Conference foes. The P-word – playoffs – has even been mentioned.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, there are some issues that must be sorted out. The Kings still need depth in the backcourt. An injury to any of the guards would hinder Sacramento on both ends of the floor. And for all the young talent and promise, the team still must learn how to play together.
The Kings won eight more games in 2009-10 than they did the previous season, and that was only good for a 25-57 record. Another eight-game improvement won't make much noise in the West.
So as the Kings prepare for training camp to start Tuesday, five questions must be answered before they begin the regular season on Oct. 27 at Minnesota.
WHAT WILL WESTPHAL DO WITH ALL THE SIZE?
The Kings used 29 starting lineups last season. Ideally, Westphal would like to have a set lineup and rotation off the bench, but he'll have a tough job figuring out the frontcourt. Still, it's a problem he welcomes after the Kings were so undersized for much of 2009-10. Samuel Dalembert, Jason Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside all could see time at center. Carl Landry started at power forward after coming to the Kings in February but could play some small forward if Cousins and Thompson earn minutes at power forward.
WHO WILL STEP UP AT SMALL FORWARD?
Francisco García might have had the job last season if not for a wrist injury during training camp. Omri Casspi appeared to have the job locked up early in his first season until he hit the figurative rookie wall and tailed off. Donté Greene's willingness to become a dependable defender allowed him to start games at small forward, too. Then there's the experiment factor – if Westphal tries to get one of his power forwards playing time by using him as a small forward. Free agent Antoine Wright also has been added to the mix. The best defender of the bunch could start.
HOW HARD WILL THE KINGS PUSH COUSINS?
Stardom doesn't always come quickly for post players. Most need time to develop and aren't immediate stars such as Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal. Cousins spent most of his summer working out to improve his conditioning and skills for his rookie season and looks to be in good shape. How fast Cousins picks up the NBA game and adjusts to playing against bigger players will go a long way in determining the Kings' rotation.
WILL THE KINGS DO AS DALEMBERT DOES?
The Kings coveted the 6-foot-11 defensive specialist for some time. After they gave up 104 points per game last season, much will be expected of Dalembert. Defense can be infectious, and the Kings would love to see Dalembert's efforts around the basket inspire his teammates to be aggressive. All too often, opponents scored easily against the Kings in 2009-10, and now is the time to change that.
WILL GARCÍA HAVE SOME GOOD LUCK?
In 2008, García missed the first 17 games of the season because of a right calf strain suffered during the exhibition season. Then there was last October's weightlifting accident that cost him the first 52 games of the 2009-10 campaign. His leadership and calming influence are needed on a team with so many young players. It helps that García is one of the better shooters the Kings have and can also handle the ball. He missed so much time last season, García is almost like a first-year player for Westphal.
