Yesterday marked the official end to the off season for Kings players and personnel as media day kicked off. If you missed the chance to watch the coverage live, head over to Kings.com for some great videos covering the event!
With the Kings official tip off date in just 29 days, Kings fans all around me are starting to get antsy and excited! I am definitely leading the pack there! My calendar is set, games are locked in, DVR is ready to be set in case I cannot make it live! With all the movements taking place I thought I would take a look at what the West really looks like and if the Kings have a real chance at the playoffs sooner rather than later.
When you look at the movement of players within the league there have been a lot of players switching coasts. This leaves a lot of questions unanswered in the West. Take a look at some of the more impactful moves this off season:
Lakers:
Made good moves, unfortunately. They retained Fisher who at least entertained the idea of leaving to join the new look Heat, kept their coach for just one more year, and added Matt Barnes to the roster. The biggest problem plaguing the Lakers right now is one that has done so for the past 3 seasons: Bynum's knee. He has had surgery and is said to be back by training camp, but in all likelihood it won't be until November.
Suns:
With the loss of Stoudemire and their GM Steve Kerr, the Suns seem to be experiencing a loss of identity. They did pick up Josh Childers, who has spent the past few years developing in a Greek league. They also picked up Hedo Turkoglu, which depending on which Hedo shows up, could go either way.
Nuggets:
First and foremost, the Nuggets are expecting the return of their head coach. Karl was out for portions of last season including the playoffs, with throat cancer. Everyone is happy to see him healthy enough for a return. They have a few bright spots in the current darkness looming in Denver. They will have a healthy "Birdman" this year to go with the addition of Al Harrington. The question facing everyone is, "What will Melo do?" It is clear that he wants to leave Denver, and trade talks are all the buzz right now.
Thunder:
The Thunder didn't really shake things up much this off season. They signed Durant to a 5 year deal making their future bright. Good news for Kings fans that a team in the bottom basement can make a short turnaround and make for legitimate playoff contenders. The biggest issue they face is that they have lost a lot of their assistant coaches from last season.
Blazers:
They have added Camby and Wesley Matthews. Still facing a lot of questions regarding injuries and off court conduct. The Fernandez drama from early in the off season may still be lingering.
Jazz:
Added Jefferson and Raja Bell. They lost Boozer and Korver.
Mavricks:
Dirk signed an extension to ease the fear of fans that he was going to leave in the coveted Free Agent Class of 2010. They also added Tyson Chandler. There were no major moves in Dallas this off season and perhaps there should have been after their first round exit to state rivals.
Spurs:
Richard Jefferson and Splitter (from Euro league) and they signed Ginobili to a 3 year deal. bad news is that Tony Parker and Pop are having marital issues (together not with their wives) and Parker is expected to leave after his final year of his contract expires. Then there is Tim Duncan...he's just getting older eventually he stops being a threat.
With all the movement going on I would expect the Kings to have a much better season and quite possibly a run at the 8th spot at least! We've got DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside (who has reportedly added 25 pounds to his once lanky frame since summer league), acquired Dalembert which gives the Kings the much needed size we have been lacking for years. We are no longer a weak small team, and the "we're young" excuse doesn't get to fly anymore. Sure, we are still young with DeMarcus just turning 20 in August and Tyreke just celebrated his 21st birthday just over a week ago, but aging and maturing doesn't just happen with each birthday! Sure the Kings lost a few pieces along the way this off season, notably Spencer Hawes and Nocioni which got us Dalembert. We also let fan favorite Jon Brockman go. I was sad, but I wish him the best of luck in Milwaukee this year.
