Predicting the Sacramento Kings’ 2014-15 Win Total

By Joseph Crevier @JosephMCrevier on October 22, 2014

Who would have thought losing 20-point scorer Isaiah Thomas to free agency would turn out to be a blessing in disguise? In the words of the great DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins, “It’s been a smooth transition. The ball is moving a lot better. It’s not stuck in one place. It’s not being overdribbled by anybody on the floor.” Shots at Thomas? Maybe. But Cousins does have a point here.

Although Thomas is an electrifying force on the offensive end, he does tend to dribble down the shot clock while Cousins and Rudy Gay are forced to spectate on the floor. Watch, Henry Abbott of TrueHoops.com will release an editorial entitled “Boogie” blaming all of the Sacramento Kings‘ woes on him for the last 25 years after he reads that quote.

But bringing in two undervalued point guards like Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions will give Cousins and Gay more open looks, leading to a more fluent and efficient style of basketball. Sessions in particular is extremely underrated as he has quietly emerged as on of the best finishers at the rim in the entire NBA. Collison may have the starting gig secured now, but pay close attention to Sessions edging him out early on. In retrospect, Sacramento probably would have been better suited just drafting Elfrid Payton at No. 8 rather than Nik Stauskas because Payton offers everything the team needs at the point guard position with defense, passing and leadership. That’s it. Who knows, maybe Collison will blossom now that he no longer has to back up Chris Paul this year.

I’m not mad at the Stauskas pick by any means, but when a team drafts the same position in consecutive drafts, it clearly displays a problem. Ben McLemore was not awful last season, given that it was his rookie year and the Kings lacked that veteran presence to take him under their wing. Pay attention to trade rumors centered around McLemore as Sacramento will likely be shopping him all year long for a Josh Smith or Deron Williams type player. Ultimately, I believe Sacramento will get a deal done by the trade deadline that will include McLemore alongside other contacts like Jason Thompson and Derrick Williams‘ expiring. Throw a quality player onto a roster with Cousins and Gay and all the sudden the Kings have a formidable team that can make some noise in the Western Conference.

I may be in the minority, but even before a deal this Kings team has the potential to snag the No. 8 seed. They will hover around .500 to begin and if an inevitable blockbuster trade occurs, the Kings may even finish above .500 for the first time in years. Plus, Cousins and Gay’s experience in the FIBA World Cup will certainly pay dividends as they evolve as respective leaders of this basketball team.

Final Prediction: 46-36

Joseph Crevier covers the New York Knicks for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, @JosephMCrevier, and Facebook or add him to your network on Google.