I had a fun thought the other day which led me to a potentially interesting conversation about the Kings...stick with me 'til the end.

If the NBA were to have a league-wide half court 3 on 3 tournament with each team represented by their best three man team, who would win? No coaches, standard NBA rules (except half court rules apply).

Here are my top 5 team rankings:

1) Celtics

• Garnett
• Pierce
•  Allen

2.) Lakers

• Bryant
• Odom
• Gasol

3.) Hornets

• Paul
• Stojakovic
• Chandler (maybe West)

4.) Cleveland

• LeBron
• Williams
• Ilgauskas

5.)Spurs (Wizards, Mavs, Jazz also considered for this spot)

• Parker
• Ginobli
• Duncan

So, notice something obvious about this list. These are some of the best teams in the league. Every one of these teams has three All-Star level guys. Perhaps the Cavs best three is a little weak outside of The King, but you see my point. When the Celtics traded everything they had for Garnet and picked up Allen, they knew that all it really takes is  three great players to be relevant. The Spurs have done it for most of the decade with three while everyone else on the team has come and gone without much notice. The Kings had Bibby, Webber, Vlade--all All Star calibur guys.

Even though it seems tough to imagine now, all it would take for the Kings to be championship contenders NEXT YEAR would be to trade for Amare and to pay a bunch for or draft an elite PG. Easier said than done, i know,  but I know its possible. There are always going to be 4th, 5th, and 6th men to fill in the gaps.

Basketball is a game of match-ups. We can only hang on to our young guys for as long as we think they can legitamately WIN match-ups with elite NBA players at their respective positions. In other words, if JT or Hawes aren't going to out play Nowitzki, Bynum, Duncan, Stoudamire, etc., we need to trade them for guys that will.  Simply putting up good numbers is not bringing Sacramento back into the spotlight. Also, think for a minute about head-to-head matchups with Beno and any PG in the NBA with a pulse.

Including the draft, what realistic three man combination could you plausibly see in the Kings future?

Also, just for fun, what other teams might make a splash in an NBA 3 on 3 tourney?

First of all, does anyone know when K Mart is coming back?

I am so frustrated with these Kings right now, but I keep reminding myself that when Kevin Martin comes back we will have two 20 points/night guys, a more capable half-court offense and a much deeper backcourt rotation.

Kevin Martin is not the battle tested All-Star yet, but it does seem to be in his future. He is unarguably efficient and a huge game changer. Most notably, he is clearly the leader of this team now.  Kevin Martin's presence on the floor adds spacing on offense and energy on both ends of the court. No wonder the Kings are struggling in his absence.

I noticed that this year he acknowledged and accepted this new role of leader.  Perhaps Ron Artest taught Kevin what it means to be the leader of a basketball team with toughness and enthusiasm. It was evident in the first home stand Kevin was had a different attitude-maybe swagger than ever before.

With the head coaching change and the return of Kevin Martin, I think the Kings are going to look like a competely different team. We just need our future All-Star back.

I keep racking my brain to pinppoint what is wrong with this Kings team. We have entered into a new stratosphere of suck. For the first time ever, I can identify with Milwaukee Bucks fans. Is it the players who are under-achieving? Is it the likeable coach who obviously lacks discipline? Is it Petrie for making questionable personel decisions lately? Or could it be the Maloofs for insisting on Adelman's firing and alienating a fragile small-market fanbase with a public coach-bashing and relocation rumors?

PLAYERS:  A healthy Kings team is capable of winning 30-40 games this year. Beno is extremely dissapointing, Martin is great when not injured, Salmons is good but really doesn't pass very well or come up big in the fourth, Moore is even more garbage than I, the biggest Mikki Moore hater in the world, anticipated, Miller does not have the same spark as last year, Hawes is potentially a future All-Star, and JT has his moments but looks very much like a rookie. Weak PG play and weak D all around.

COACHING: The Kingdom is undoubtedly losing confidence in Theus. The ultra-optomistic Theus just doesn't have the answers. Last year, we were so impressed by his ability to motivate the team to work hard. Remember all those upsets of elite teams followed by dissapointing defeats to the bottom dwellers? Now, the players aren't playing with energy AND there is even less D(perhaps Artest was more or less the defensive coach). His nice guy routine keeps the players' support but no decently coached team could turn the ball over this much...it is just a lack of discipline and accountability.

PETRIE:

Salmons contract was smart, signing Bobby Brown was smart, and the Artest trade had to happen. Donte might be pretty good in a couple of years. Also, our middle round draft picks have turned out pretty well with exeption to Douby.  Bibby is playing great and Beno is playing like a NBDL PG. At this point, I have to think that we prematurely dumped Bibby(who's contract would have come off the books at the end of this year--plenty of time to prepare for '10). Now we have to put up with Beno for the next 5 years unless someone would take him in a trade.--mistake.  I know I'm reaching way back, but maybe we should have let Webber's contract expire as a King...would have happened a hell of a lot sooner than K-9.--possible mistake. Grrrrr. Shareef was this close to signing with the Nets until they saw a pair of knees that were spent, but Petrie was confident enough to sign the guy--definate mistake.

MALOOFS:

I like the Maloof's passion for winning and their desire for results. We are lucky to have owners who spend money like they want to win. Sure, the arena talks can be upsetting and the ticket prices are high, but it could worse. I HATE;however, when they interfere with actual basketball related affairs. MUSSELMAN?!?!

So what do you think? I can't decide? If you could plug in the ideal coach, would we be competitive? If we keep Theus and add a couple stars, would we be competitive? Has Petrie gotten us into this mess?