Chad Ford and John Hollinger have the latest Future Power Rankings over at ESPN.com. The idea is to handicap teams for the three seasons following the current/upcoming season, so this set address how the Kings will perform in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. I like both writers quite a bit, but there's always a quibble when national writers look at the lesser teams in detail. (I should know, because as someone who writes on national NBA topics, I often struggle to catch up on the machinations of the teams we don't write about frequently. Sorry, Milwaukee.)
The first step to viewing any Future Power Rankings when you're a Kings fan is to skip to the "Nos. 26-30" page. Huzzah! It worked. The Kings landed at No. 27, as the headline above likely tipped you off to. Sacramento ranked dead last in management (unsurprising), No. 21 in money (a stunner, frankly), No. 19 in players (about right, maybe high), No. 27 in market (as it stands now? sure ... the potential is much higher) and No. 7 in future draft picks (woo! the Hickson Affair didn't kill us here). We're just behind the Orlando Magic (welp) and ahead of the Washington Wizards (YEAH).
Here's the rosey bit.
Rewarded with annual lottery picks for their failings, the nucleus of DeMarcus Cousins, Thomas Robinson, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton looks pretty imposing. We rated it 19th, and may have sold them short at that -- their play on the court is intertwined with the Kings' long-standing inability to develop their personnel, with Evans the most glaring example, meaning that these guys might look a lot better with a real organization.
Agree? Disagree?