A Dark Horse Team for The King

After writing my article on the best teams for LeBron James (read it HERE), I began to chat with a good friend of mine. Scott has convinced me of a dark horse team for LeBron James that would make a lot of sence.

The Sacramento Kings.

Now I have to admit, when Scott first suggested the Kings as a possible destination for LeBron, I thought "no way." First of all, Scott is the biggest Kings fan I know. My first thought was that he is just being a homer fan hoping LeBron would go there. Jokingly, I suggested the Jazz would be a great fit as well.

I told him: The Kings are last place in the West. The Kings are so messed up they almost lost their franchise last year to Seattle. Plus they play in the west. Why would The King even consider leaving the 'Easy' East to join a messed up Kings team that's the worst team in the 'Wild' West?

Well, let me give you 3 good reasons why (all quotes come from my buddy Scott).

1. New front office. In recent past, this team has been really messed up. However, the ownership was to blame. Now they have new owner and are headed in the right direction. "The Kings Ownership group is really leading into a great future with the new arena and expanding to a global market... The Kings were a mess because of their owners who were incompetent, going broke and trying to get one last cash flush. They tried everything from Vegas to Virginia to get money for the Kings, and eventually settled for Seattle who tried to make a backdoor deal. That didn't go through and right now the NBA has proven how deeply committed it is to SAC. [The NBA] has found a great ownership group with a vision for the future and has a couple of bright young minds in Mike Malone (coach) and Pete D'Alessandro (GM) trying to right the ship." I think this is a great foundation. A good front office is very important (this is a huge reason why LeBron left Cleveland in the first place).

2. DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins might be the perfect compliment to LeBron. Cousins can't carry a team, but he can be an amazing #2. Right now, LeBron is carrying the burden of having to guard everyone. For example, every time they played the Celtics in the playoffs, LeBron had to guard Kevin Garnett. He was the only one that could contain KG. LeBron had to fight the Big Ticket all night because nobody else could. Stuff like that is taxing on LeBron, it gets him in foul trouble (LeBron fouled out in a playoff game the Celtics won in overtime) and defending players like KG takes him away from the parameter and help defense where the King really shines. LeBron also has to fight hard for every rebound because no one else on his team can get them. DMC would help immensely on defense and he is a rebounding machine. LeBron would be able to stay fresher for the offensive side of the ball, and also be able to do more help defense where he is so good. "The Kings roster really just needs a #1 option... and some depth and experience. Those things could all be added with the man who could be the King of the Kings." Scott also tells me DMC plays well against the great bigs like Hibbert and Howard. I haven't seen all the stats or watched the games like he has, but that would be a very nice cherry on top.


3.    Sacramento. Sacramento is a good basketball city. It's not Los Angeles or New York, but it also not Cleveland, Salt Lake or Denver. LeBron could get free agents to go there. It's a good place to live both weather wise and market/sponsor wise. There are good fans there. If LeBron goes there an wins just one title, he will be a God to them forever (same applies for other teams like the Knicks or Wizards, but fans like the Laker fans would not be happy with just 1 or 2 titles).

In conclusion, I like the Kings. Perhaps they are the perfect compromise. Its a good place to be (sponsors, etc) [but not as good LA (Clippers) or NYC (Knicks)]. It has a good front office (better than the Knicks, but not better than the Heat or the Clippers). The Kings have that "look how good I made them" factor (I love this about the Wizards as well. But staying with Miami or going to the Clippers would make them the automatic favorites. ) 

The pros of LeBron going to the Kings are:

• The Kings front office is no longer a mess and has formed a good foundation.
• Cousins may be the perfect Robin for LBJ's Batman.
• Sacramento is a good city all around (good weather, good marketing, etc...). 
• The expectation would be (relatively) low. (The only championship they've won was in 1951 when they were the Rochester Royals. If LeBron goes to the Lakers, he has to win  5 more rings to be considered the best ever. If he goes to the Kings and wins just one or two there, he's set. -"Think of what it would do for LeBron's Legacy to take a team from the worst in a tough conference to a title. I think if LeBron just teams up with some like CP3... it adds further credibility issues to his legacy...")

And one last quote from my main man Scott to wrap it up-

"Two other tidbits, LeBron offered to buy the kings (jokingly) to keep them in Sac and loves Kevin Johnson and showed his support for Sacramento. It's not a HUGE stretch to say he likes the team and could go there. Also, in one year, OKC went from 23-59 (worse the the kings will do this year) to 50-32 with some growth and maturity... If LeBron wants to prove he is the Man, he could come to Sac, play with DeMarcus Cousins and take the league by storm. Tell me what team anywhere is suited to stop those two. Houston with Howard? Cousins Kills him. Indiana? Maybe, but even Hibbert struggles against Cousins.... Hibbert can't stop him."

James joking about owning the Kings - http://www.news10.net/video/2088817229001/1/Kevin-Johnson-asks-LeBron-James-to-buy-Kings