Tuesday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets was an embarrassment. The Sacramento Kings shot themselves in the foot at every opportunity, and exposed every flaw that has haunted them throughout the season. The Kings held the lead for the majority of the game, and yet they never found a way to create real separation. Turnovers and defensive lapses reared their ugly heads every time it looked like the Kings were about to pull away, and the Kings completely folded in the final minutes of the game.
The worst part is how many of us saw it coming.
To anyone who has watched the Kings this season, this loss wasn’t a surprise. It was still a disappointment, still embarrassing, still inexcusable, and yet it was entirely predictable. After letdown losses against the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers, and after a too-close affair against the Washington Wizards, we know the Kings fail to show up in what should be easy games.
I don’t know how the Kings fix this issue. How does Mike Brown convince these guys that they simply aren’t good enough to overlook teams? How does Monte McNair find the right upgrades in the trade market? How do you improve the mental toughness of a team? There’s no magic bullet here.
Yet, despite these issues I’m not quite as despondent as some fans are this morning. The Kings are still a good team, they’ve simply failed (so far, at least) to be a notably better team than they were last year. The Kings are currently 19-13. Last season the Kings started 17-15. The Kings are once again on pace for around 48 or 49 wins. A little better execution and consistency, a few internal improvements, a good trade, or even just a few lucky bounces, and suddenly this team is over 50 wins. This season isn’t a disaster, it’s just not the linear growth we hoped for.
All that said, work those phones, Monte. I’m tired of watching games like that.
