Sacramento Trying to Be Kings in 2006-07

The Sacramento Kings were amazingly transformed last season when talented, but enigmatic forward, Ron Artest arrived in a trade with the Indiana Pacers. The Kings immediately became a defensive juggernaut and played excellent basketball last postseason, mainly because of the contributions of Artest and the stellar play of the now departed Bonzi Wells.
However, Wells is gone - and apparently won't be back. So what lies in store for the Kings in 2006-07? Let's look into my crystal ball and see. Here is my annual preview on the Sacramento Kings.

Simple and plain - Mike Bibby is one of the best point guards in the game. He can score, pass and play pretty good defense. If I have one concern, it's his low shooting percentage. Bibby is only a 43 percent shooter, but I guess it's okay if you jack up enough shots. If you don't believe me, just ask Allen Iverson.

The Kings have youngsters, Jason Hart and Ronnie Price behind Bibby, but at this pint, I'm not sure if either is ready to handle the backup role for any extended period of time, meaning Bibby will play a lot of minutes this season.

The shooting guard position is going to be a major problem for the Kings whether they know it or not. Former Philadelphia 76er, John Salmons, is scheduled to start for the Kings although he showed close to nothing (except solid defense) in Philadelphia for several years. At any case, the Kings will soon find out that Salmons is a career backup. Veteran, Kevin Martin is a solid player and should probably be the starter here. Third stringer, Francisco Garcia, may turn out to be the best of this bunch and the future starter sooner rather than later.

The Kings were obviously instantly transformed into a defensive juggernaut with the arrival of small forward, Ron Artest. Say what you want about Artest, but I guarantee you that every player in the league (besides Jermaine O'Neal) would love to play alongside him. Everyone in the eastern conference already knows what Artest brings to the table - and now the west is going to find out full well themselves.

Backing up Artest is veteran Corliss "Big Nasty" Williamson. Williamson is a gritty banger who knows his limitations and plays within himself. Like Artest, Williamson brings big time intensity to the Kings. You don't think he earned his nickname by being a nice guy do you?

Sacramento should be thanking their lucky stars that the New Jersey Nets idiotically decided to rescind their deal for power forward, Shareef Abdur-Rahim before the start of last season, because of some "unknown" knee ailment that Abdur-Rahim has played with his entire career. Oh well, one team's loss is another team's gain - and boy did the Kings ever benefit from signing him. His numbers don't exactly leap off the page, but he is still a genuine low post threat anytime he has the ball and I expect his numbers this season to approach the numbers he perennially posted earlier in his career. Veteran Kenny Thomas is a solid backup who hustles all the time and can score when called upon.

Although some people may not know it, the Kings have one of the best centers in all of basketball in Brad Miller, who quietly does an excellent job night in and night out. Miller can shoot, pass, defend and run the floor. Enough said?
The Kings could be in big trouble with their backups should Miller take any king of lengthy absence. Loren Woods isn't ready for prime time and Vitaly Potapenko is past his prime.

Prediction:
Sacramento went 44-38 last season - and that was with Artest on board for only half the season. However, the loss of Wells is going to hurt the Kings much more than they ever anticipated. I'm thinking the Kings could equal their record from a season ago or surpass it by one to five games, maximum.