The Second Coming of the Kings

The Sacramento Kings are going to be a force to reckon with in the near future. They are competing in close games against the best teams in the NBA. They haven't been blowed out of any games in recent time. Tyreke Evans is establishing himself as the next great player, a future star that has put up all-around numbers like Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James did in their rookie seasons.

The Kings could have let their fourth pick detour them, but Geoff Petrie did what he does best; he selected three great rookies in Evans, Casspie and Brockman. What more can the Kings ask for than a young group of hungry players. Of course, in the past few weeks the Kings have gone on a slide, losing 7 out of 8. Out of those seven losses, the Kings played some really good teams, some of the best in the NBA. They lost to the Lakers in double OT at Arco Arena, and then a week later they pushed them to the brink once again; it took Kobe's 3-pointer to win the game by 1-point.

The Kings are establishing themselves as the future of the NBA. Even when they lose games against good teams, they don't go down without a fight. The current Kings remind me of the Webber team in 1998-99. Indeed, that 1998 team made the playoffs and gave the defending Western Champions, Utah Jazz, a run for their money. But this Kings team, as we see them now, will not make the playoffs because of the talented Western Conference. There is a huge upside in seeing the Kings return to the same greatness they had when pushing the Lakers to the brink of elimination in 2002.

The Kings have similar players. Casspit is like Peja. Tyreke is actually a better all-around player than what the Kings had in a guard position before. We have Thompson, Hawes, Greene, Brockman, Udrih, Sergio, and also Martin and Garcia coming back after they endured recent injuries that sidelined them at the beginning of the season. While the Kings are most likely going to miss the playoffs this year, they are easily proving that there's something to look forward to in the near future, especially with having Evans performing like an all-star. He is another great superstar player in the making. For that reason alone, the Kings are going to mirror the results of the 2002 Kings; they will hurdle over the choke label and win the ring that escaped them.

To make it much more exciting for Kings fans, this current team will mature soon, and they will surely make a run at an NBA title in three years. I wouldn't be surprised if the Kings make a run sooner at going deep in the playoffs. The Kings had sold out games consistently for most of their venture in Sacramento. However, they lost their luster after going a miserable 17-65 last year. We would all agree that it was well worth the sacrifice to miss three playoffs because we received three great rookies in the 2009 NBA Drafts and other prominent rookies from the years before. What looked like a dark future is now much brighter. The "Second Coming" of the Kings will lead this struggling franchise back to its glory days. They will learn from their mistakes this year, and be much better for years to come. You can count on it.

The Sacramento Kings are excited to watch yet once again. Kings fans remember when Jason Williams "White Chocolate" used to throw sweet passes to Webber and Co. Since the core players left, the Kings had suffered from low attendance in the past few years. After Rick Adelman was fired, the Kings tailed off, failing to make the playoff three consecutive years. This was after the Kings had made it to the playoffs 8 straight years, even posting 50 win seasons 6 years in a row. Now comes another task; Petrie will need to figure out which veteran to go after in the off-season. He needs to sign one that has the ability to drastically improve the Kings, like a Pau Gausol impact player for the defending World Champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The Kings have recovered very quickly from posting their worst season in franchise history. I am confident that Kings fans of the past will see their Kings riding the high wave again. The current group has so much talent, they are a threat each game. LBJ guarded Evans out of respect because he noticed how good the rookie had been in recent games. That Cavs/Kings game turned into another OT thriller. The Kings are one impact player away from becoming an elite team. Until that time, we will enjoy the exciting product on the floor.

Sacramento Kings will regain their throne to win their first NBA title since their franchise last earned a lone one in 1951, as part of the Rochester Royals. The missed opportunities in the 2002 Western Conference Championship and the Webber injury in 2003 will be a mere memory because these young Kings have a bright future ahead of them. I hope to see the Kings don on the black uniforms again. We will see where this current group takes us in the near future. We can sit back and enjoy the close and exciting games. Go Kings!