The Kings of the North
Winter is coming. Well, not exactly. Actually - it kind of just ended if we’re speaking directly.
But for the NBA season, winter most definitely is coming. The off season is upon us and only fifteen teams will be moving on to fight The Night King (Steph Curry) and his Army of the Dead (the Golden State Warriors). The Kings, unfortunately, will not be one of those teams. Okay, I know this all sounds cheesy with the Game of Throne references... but with the final season premiere just a couple weeks away, it’s hard not to have it on your mind even when talking sports. When thinking of the Sacramento Kings, especially, they have the Starks of Winterfell written all over them. So let’s explore that, shall we?
The Sacramento Kings had a very nice run this year. They are on track to have a just-above .500 record, built a solid young core with two future stars in De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, and have a very promising young forward in Marvin Baggely who looks like he can get it done on both ends of the court. But despite a really nice mid-season push, it simply wasn’t enough. Not easy to make the playoffs in the absolutely jam-packed Western Conference, but the Kings have shown some very promising signs. Some even think they’re the team to beat in the West in three to five years. I must say so myself, I agree. That’s right - you heard correctly! I AGREE! So let’s not waste time and I’ll tell you why.
The Young Wolf
If you are a Kings fan, you know exactly who I’m talking about - the point guard De’Aaron Fox. He was given the kingdom in his rookie year left to defend the North against all who had betrayed them over the years. This kid stepped it up big time at the end of his rookie year and went to another level in his second year. Fox averaged 11.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in his rookie season, doing so off the bench while backing up veterans like George Hill for most of the season. When Hill was finally traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Fox got his chance to shine and he really showed what he could do. But it was this year in his second season where people really saw what he could do.
This year, Fox is averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds, basically doubling all of his stats from his rookie campaign. Not only have his stats improved, but his presence on the court as the team leader and star cannot go unrecognized. In a town like Sacramento with a die-hard, rough-around-the-edges, chip-on-their-shoulder fan base like the Kings, having the right attitude is extremely important. He runs the offense; he leads the team on the court; when he’s succeeding, the team rallies around him; and most importantly, he has embraced the city of Sacramento.
That city has, well, let’s just say, a certain feel to it and not everyone can succeed there. Many have attempted but ultimately had enough, including Rick Barry, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ron Artest (a.k.a. Metta World Peace), Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans, Hassan Whiteside, and even Isaiah Thomas. But the few that have succeeded have become legends and Sacramento will always remember their names. Guys like Mitch Richmond, Chris Webber, Jason Williams, Bobby Jackson, Peja Stojakovic, Doug Christie, Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac, and of course Sacramento’s favorite son the past decade: Demarcus “Boogie” Cousins. But in order for the city to love you, you need to show it love back. All of these guys did that, even Boogie, who cried in a going-away party he threw in Sacramento a couple days after being traded to New Orleans. Fox has done that. He loves the city, loves the fan base, loves the people, and has made them know it. He is destined for North greatness.
The Bastard of Winterfell
Now I know what you’re thinking, this title seems weird - but hear me out. Buddy Hield came to the Kings in a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans along with Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway for Demarcus Cousins. This was a shock to the Kings’ fanbase. How could the best center in the league be traded for a late lottery pick and a couple of low-end veterans? Sacramento was calling for Vlade Divac’s head as General Manager after this trade, but he assured them, “We are going to be better off in two years. If I’m wrong, I’ll step down.” Well, Divac is still the General Manager and Buddy Hield is a rising star in the NBA. A perfect complement to Fox.
Hield likes to play off-ball, above-average jump shot especially from the 3-point line, can move and be physical, but most importantly plays above-average defense to go along with Fox. These two are two peas in a pod and they act like it off the court, too. They say the most important ingredient to achieving success is chemistry. The Warriors have it with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and now the Kings have it with Fox and Hield. Is there any better model to replicate than the Warriors? The answer is no. The Warriors started their franchise-building at the guard positions, then found a good, young forward to complement them, and that appears to be what the Kings have done. I mean, hey, they say it’s a copycat league, so why not copy the best of the decade?
Now back to the name I’ve given him. It sounds bad, but he really is the Bastard of Winterfell (Sacramento) because when he first came in that trade, no one wanted him. Cousins was THE fan favorite of the past ten years - so no matter what Hield did in that first half of a year, he was doomed. He was a bastard that no one wanted. But now that him and Fox have turned this team around, the North praises him. He won the Battle for the North, he saved them all from the ones who tried to take theNnorth from them, and now he is one of the Kings of the North.
Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
Or should I say Marvin Bagley. Well I guess Sandor Clegane a.k.a. The Hound, doesn’t fight for the North, but he kind of does now; almost everyone in the show kind of does now, if you really think about it. Either way, The Hound has always looked after the Stark children. Whether it’s Sansa in Kings Landing from the Lanisters, Aria across the country to return her to her family, or Jon on their voyage over the wall to capture a White Walker. Clegane has always protected the young wolf pack and so will Marvin Bagley.
The rookie out of Duke, the second overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, and the one looking to be the best big man drafted has come to his own. At the beginning of the year I will not lie - I was a bit worried. He wasn’t getting much playing time and when he did, he didn’t seem very productive. But from the end of January up until he got hurt at the end of February, he really stepped his game up. Averaging around to 17 points and 9 rebounds a game, he really found his groove in the offense. The combination of him and Willie Cauley-Stein down near the glass seemed to be working out, but a knee injury sidelining Bagely ended that quickly and you could argue it halted their chance at a playoff push.
Now I will admit, when they made the pick for Bagely and skipped on Doncic, I was very confused on what Divac was doing. But during Bagely’s February run, everything seemed to make sense. Before that, I even said on my podcast, The Magic Hour, that the Kings should consider trading Bagely for Kevin Love to get a veteran big man to help make the playoff run. Boy was I wrong! Bagely is a great piece to build on moving forward, and he will be the versatile big man the Kings need from now on to complement that young and talented back court.
The Bannerman
Lyanna Mormont
Every major house needs its bannerman at its side to go into battle with. For the Kings, that is their complementary pieces that fill up the roster. Willie Cauley-Stein of Bear Island has proven to be a rock both offensively and defensively down near the basket. This tough son-of-a-gun is a solid complement to Bagely on the offensive side and the power to take on the opposing Center to allow Bagely’s 7’1” wingspan to pick up the rebounds. Cauley-Stein may not be a big name, but, “He is proud - a proud one. And every man from Bear Island fights with the strength of 10 mainlanders.” - Lyanna Mormont.
The Nights of the Vale
Harrison Barnes of the Knights of the Vale, pledging his sword to the Kings of the North, is a name many of you know but may have forgotten about. As the Knights of the Vale do in the Battle of the Bastards, Harrison Barnes came to the rescue via a trade at the deadline this year. He had a very important role on the 2015 championship title team and the 2016 NBA Finals run. He has the experience, he is versatile on the offensive side, his size in the Small Forward position is a concern and tends to be pushed around - but his quickness is an important factor in his game that’s not worth giving up for strength. He is a solid complementary player to play off of Fox and Hield, and again the experience he has going deep in the playoffs can’t go unrecognized.
The King Beyond the Wall
Next up Bogdan Bogdanovic, aka Bogi - or as I would say, the King Beyond the Wall, Leader of the Free Folk who also pledged his sword to the Kings of the North. This Serbian star has really made a name for himself playing very meaningful minutes off the bench including a game-winning 3-pointer against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 27th that went viral on Twitter. He is averaging 14 points a game with an average of 27 minutes a game off the bench. Like the Free Folk beyond the wall, Bogi is foreign, but has a lot of fight in him in order to survive the terrible things that face him beyond the wall. He has become a crucial piece to this team and could be going forward if they Kings choose to resign him after next season.
The Lannister Proclaimed “Warden of the North” Roose Bolton
You probably guessed it: Dave Joerger. Joerger is a fine coach - really he is - but I just don’t think he has what it takes to be a NBA Head Coach. He never really has had success despite having some pretty talented teams. While at the Memphis Grizzlies, he had Marc Gasol and Mike Conley in their prime along with Zach Randolph toward the end of his prime. This team only made it as far as the Conference Semifinals. In my opinion, that isn’t very good for the team he had at the time he had it. He seemed to continue to have that issue in Sacramento and it appears Vlade Divac felt the same way as I do. Dave Joerger was fired on April 11th.
Now I’ll give Joerger credit for what he did for the team. He made a great run this year, but I think that is more credit to the talent he had and the leadership of Fox - not the coaching of Joerger.
Sir Davos Seaworth
There aren’t many people in Westeros who have had more ups and downs then Sir Davos. He’s been an outlaw, a warrior, an advisor to multiple kings and almost been killed numeros times. Yet somehow, some way Sir Davos has survived it all ultimately leading to him being King Jon Snow’s right hand man. Who has experienced more highs and lows in the past few years then Luke Walton? Hard to really think of one. Now what happened in Los Angeles with the Lakers was a bit weird and I can speculate all day about what went down but this column isn’t about the Lakers, it’s about the Kings. So let’s take a quick look at his resume. He coached the famous 26 straight wins Warriors team in 2016. He took a very dysfunctional Laker team and improved with every season until Lebron and Magic ruined that roster. Very interesting road Walton has had. I’d say that’s quite the variety of experience. Wouldn’t you?
I will say this, Walton knows how to coach in today’s NBA. He understands the importance of defense, shooting, attacking in transition, and chemistry in the locker room. He loves coaching two way guards who can shoot. He always gets the most out of his players who for the most part have a lot of respect for him, at least from what I’ve seen and read. I have a very good feeling about Walton and I think he will be very successful with Fox, Hield and Bagely.
Last but not least: The North Remembers
If you don’t think the Sacramento Kings fans don’t remember what happened in the 2002 NBA Western Conference Finals, you are out of your mind! They do, and they won’t shut up about it. Rightfully so. If you had your opportunity to go to the NBA finals with one of the best put together teams in recent history taken away from you because the head referee was a degenerate gambler who bet on the opposite team to win, I would imagine you wouldn’t forget it, either.
It’s like having your leader Eddard “Ned” Stark have his head chopped off for false charges. Yeah, it’s that bad - and trust me, the North remembers. The Kings’ fanbase has been through the ringer since that series. On top of that, the city almost lost their team in 2010 when the Maloof family attempted to move them out of Sacramento. After years of battling with the league and failing to move the team, the Maloof’s finally sold the Kings to an ownership group lead by Vivek Ranadive (a silicon valley entrepreneur). This ownership made a point to commit to Sacramento and the fanbase by building a new arena in downtown Sacramento. Now, after years of being at the bottom of the standings and trading their best and most polarizing player (Demarcus Cousins) they are ready to strike. So you could say, the North has their army and now they are ready to go to battle.
The army in the North has been assembled. The Starks have always had the heart and the warriors to go battle with anyone over the next few years. I think the time has finally come and we could see the emergence of the Sacramento Kings in the NBA just as we have with the Starks of Winterfell over the course of the entire Game of Thrones series. I genuinely believe in five years the Kings will be the best team in the Western Conference. They have the talent moving forward and the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder all seem to be getting older. Keep a look out for them and don’t ever forget, “The North Remembers.”