Pacific Division

Sacramento Kings Power Rankings - 2012-13

Power Ranking
WEEKRECORDRANKCOMMENT
Week 2428-5225A win against the Clips in what might sadly be the last NBA game ever in Sacramento would put the Kings at 21-20 for the season, for what it's worth, at Sleep Train. Monday night in OKC matters, too, because the Thunder can be the first team in the West to lock in its playoff seed with a W.
Week 2327-5027How much comfort do the Kingsâ¬" famously loyal subjects take from the recent olive branch extended by an old enemy: Kobe Bryantâ¬"s proclamation that heâ¬"s expecting Sacramento to find a way to hang on to its NBA team? Only two games left at Sleep Train, sadly, if the prediction proves empty.
Week 2227-4724The second-biggest week of Sacramento's season features three home games and, of course, Wednesday's mega meeting in New York, where the city lobbies to try to keep the Kings. The biggest week? When the NBA's Board of Governors is scheduled to render its decision April 18-19.
Week 2125-4625As hopeless as things seem on the floor lately, with the Kings possibly down to their final six games at Arco Arena, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has kept hope alive with the arena deal he announced Saturday. They're making the Seattle group sweat more than a lot of us ever imagined.
Week 2023-4425The Kings interrupted the ongoing panic about the future of the franchise with a historic humiliation of Chicago. Elias says it's only the third time EVER (and first since New Jersey over Washington in March 1987) that a team at least 15 games under .500 beat a team with a winning record by 40 or more.
Week 1922-4325Marcus Thornton has been scorin' freely of late, but who we kiddin'? As always with the Kings, two topics dominate discussion: DeMarcus Cousins' latest utter meltdown ... and the franchise's uncertain future in Sacramento that has only made it harder for the Kings' kiddies to stay locked in.
Week 1821-4025Let's take a 20 from the relocation gloom to talk a little hoops here for a change: Sacramento became just the fourth team in history to win a road game by 20 points or more after a double-OT game the previous night with its rout of Orlando on the heels of that unexpected thriller in Miami.
Week 1719-3828If the Maloofs were intent on finding a way to alienate the locals even more than they have, drafting Thomas Robinson ahead of Damian Lillard and Andre Drummond last June and then trading him away in February -- all in the name of banking a few million bucks -- certainly met that objective.
Week 1619-3528Basketball purgatory. That's the only way to describe what it's been like for a team and a city and a fan base facing such an uncertain future. No surprise that the on-court product, as a result, has left much to be desired. Much to be desired. (Jonathan Santiago, Cowbell Kingdom)
Week 1519-3326The Kings' loud and loyal fans have been amazing lately, which only makes their plight sadder because they're essentially powerless in Sacramento's long-shot struggle to hang on to its NBA team. If these things were decided by what we think of a fan base, Seattle would've never been teamless.
Week 1417-3228DeMarcus Cousins? Voice of reason? His production has been trending downward for two weeks, but that doesn't mean he was wrong when he told Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen that -- thanks to the Kings' suffocating sale/relocation dramas -- this will go down as "a year lost."
Week 1316-2928While Mayor Johnson scrambles back home to keep the city's faint hopes of keeping the Kings alive, this team is one game into a brutal stretch calling for 13 of 16 games on the road. And two games into a DeMarcus Cousins slump after six straight double-doubles in DMC's monster start to 2013.
Week 1216-2528On-court concerns aren't exactly at the top of the list right now, but it certainly can't help the mood when someone brings up the fact no King averages more than John Salmons' 3.2 assists per game ... or the fact they haven't had an All-Star since Peja Stojakovic and Brad Miller in 2004.
Week 1113-2425The committee has a lot of friends and work colleagues who absolutely loved the Sonics. So I'm well-acquainted with Seattle's passion for NBA basketball. Just checking, though: You really want the Kings that badly? They might make you miss the Sonics, too.
Week 1013-2120The DeMarcus Cousins on display since his latest suspension? Probably the most plugged-in Cousins we've ever seen in Sacramento. He's been just tantalizing enough, during this 4-2 uptick, to let you know why the Kings are so reluctant to move him. Who knows how long it'll last, though.
Week 911-1921Have to say: As wild as the script was in that seesaw stunner Friday night that took down the Knicks, what we saw Sunday night in Sac-Town -- Boston getting a thorough beatdown and DeMarcus Cousins submitting a triple-double to make the Celts lust for him even more -- was just as crazy.
Week 89-1826DeMarcus Cousins has to bear a huge share of responsibility for his ongoing troubles, but the bigger issue remains that the Kings, as a franchise, are in disarray. So Kings fans, among their many worries these days, must surely fear what happens if he gets dealt to a strong organization.
Week 77-1626Not sure how many vets would be interested, given all the uncertainty in Sac-Town, but the Kings so badly need a proven old head or two to bring some perspective to that locker room. The Kings won a few games recently and gave off a vibe like they had it all figured out. Not yet, kids.
Week 67-1223That unforeseen run of five straight games without a double-double for DeMarcus Cousins is a memory. DMC was back to his usual stat-stuffing ways to help the Kings, even with a knee injury derailing Tyreke Evans' renaissance, sweep the week against three fellow bottom-half teams.
Week 54-1229Worst in the West? That's the label Sacramento has five months left to shed in a season when hope is already fading fast despite Tyreke Evans' recent revival. Barring an unlikely turnaround, GM Geoff Petrie is facing his seventh straight season in the lottery. With five coaches in that span.
Week 44-924The Kings predictably failed to sweep their home-
and-home with Utah no matter how much they felt like they should have. Yet last week still figures to rank as one the best weeks Sacramento sees all season, thanks largely to the pounding inflicted upon the Lakers even with Kobe Bryant scoring 38.
Week 32-828The ledger so far: One suspension each for DeMarcus Cousins and Thomas Robinson, one team meeting over the weekend and five consecutive Ls overall by at least nine points. Making life no easier: Sacramento is shooting (yikes) 29.8 percent from behind the 3-point line as a team.
Week 22-528Does anyone even remember that Tyreke Evans was the Rookie of the Year in 2010? DeMarcus Cousins is making the wrong kind of headlines yet again, but Evans is off to a career-worst start after the Halloween deadline for contract extensions for his draft class came and went.
Week 10-329The team on the least solid footing in its own city, thanks to the ongoing uncertainty about whether the Kings will be able to call Sacramento home long-term, is one of only two teams in the whole league (along with Denver) that had to open with three straight road games. Cruel.
Preseason0-026Brace yourselves for countless jokes about the newly named (but sadly outdated) Sleep Train Arena. As well as the usual ups and downs from a (really) young team still unclear where the franchise will be long-term, while sporting a roster of ill-fitting, unpolished parts.
Training Camp22-4429The uncertain futures of Tyreke, Jimmer and NBA basketball itself in Sactown command our focus heading into the season. Factor in all the attention Cousins generates, with Thomas Robinson on the scene now as well, and methinks you can expect more Kings chatter nationally than normal.

Sacramento Kings