For most of my life, the Sacramento Kings have ben poorly run. That’s not ground breaking news. Sacramento hasn’t made the postseason since 2006. That’s tough to do even for a small market team. John Calipari knows all too well how dysfunctional the Kings are. He watch Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins toil away with the Kings. When the Kings drafted Willie Cauley-Stein, Calipari warned him that playing for them was basically career suicide.
Willie Cauley-Stein had this to say about the Kings via Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area:
“Before I got drafted there, [University of Kentucky] coach [John Calipari] kind of warned me what that organization was like already,” Cauley-Stein admitted. “So, I mean, I just went in there just trying to get better. Every year just try to keep on getting better, and that’s the way I approached the game and every day.”
Things seem to be getting a little better in Sac town, but the Kings missed in the draft for a LONG time. There’s a lot more Jimmer Freddete type of picks than there are De’Aaron Fox kind of guys. The Kings drafted Cauley-Stein with the 6th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
It’s not like he’s tearing the cover off with Golden State either, but still. Sac town doesn’t have a great track record. Cauley-Stein is averaging 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on 55 percent shooting in Golden State. He’s an okay backup center in the league but certainly not the 6th pick in the draft kind of good.
I’m sure players have tried to avoid the Kings in the past. The good news is the Kings at least look more competent. They are in the playoff mix with Fox and Hield. Marvin Bagley doesn’t look like a total flop. Things are getting better in Sacramento.
