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2017-18 Sacramento Kings preview: Life after DeMarcus Cousins feels kinda liberating

It’s refreshing for Kings fans to not have to talk about the same ol’ thing coming into a season, even if the team has a loooong way to go.

It feels weird talking about the Kings without talking about DeMarcus Cousins Boogie "15," but it's a new era and it's time for everyone to move on. Tony Xypteras of Sactown Royalty and Kenny Caraway from the K.C.'s Corner podcast join me to preview the new era of the Kings.

Among the topics discussed:

  • The mood of the fan base in a word and the fan base's appetite for a fresh start.
  • Why it meant a lot that De'Aaron Fox explicitly wanted to be drafted by the Kings.
  • What's the level of confidence in the Kings' long-unstable front office?
  • How much of an impact will the new old heads the Kings signed (Z-Bo, Vince, George Hill) make? Did the Kings go too far in signing vets, or are they exactly what the team needs?
  • Can Kings fans take anything away from the performances by the young guys down the stretch last year?
  • Max/Play/Trade: Buddy Hield, Skal Labissiere, Willie Cauley-Stein.
  • Is there too much pressure on Fox to be the face of a new era amid all the dysfunction that came before him?
  • If Fox is the first jersey Kings fans should buy, who is No. 2? It might be a name you wouldn't expect.
  • OK we talk about Boogie "15" one more time with a fun hypothetical: what if he and Chris Webber switched eras? How would both of their careers be impacted? How would Boogie "15" impact the harmony of the early-00s Kings and how would Webber deal with the dysfunction of recent teams?
  • Kenny thought way too hard about the three Kings in franchise history that he'd add to his banana boat

Plus, predictions, best/worst case scenarios, and all that other good stuff.


This podcast was part of the Limited Upside podcast’s 2017-18 offseason series previewing all 30 NBA teams with members of SB Nation’s team communities and other friends of the show. We’ve spent the last two-and-a-half months gauging the temperature of every fan base heading into what should be a terrific NBA season. There’s no better way to understand what makes NBA fans in each market tick.

We began these in August and counted down worst-to-first leading up to the season. Here’s how to listen to them all:

  1. Nets with Kristian Winfield and Nets Daily’s Anthony Puccio
  2. Lakers with Zito Madu and Silver Screen and Roll’s Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen
  3. Suns with Bright Side of the Sun’s Dave King and Evan Sidery
  4. 76ers with Tyler Tynes and Liberty Ballers’ Kyle Neubeck
  5. Knicks with Kristian Winfield and Posting and Toasting’s Seth Rosenthal
  6. Magic with Orlando Pinstriped Post’s Zach Oliver and Cory Hutson
  7. Kings with Kenny Carraway and Sactown Royalty’s Tony Xypteras
  8. Mavs with Tim Cato and Mavs Moneyball’s Kirk Henderson
  9. Wolves with Canis Hooups’ Eric Goldman and John Meyer
  10. Pelicans with The Bird Writes’ Oleh Kosel and Travis Tate
  11. Hornets with James Dator and At the Hive’s Nicklaus Denning
  12. Pistons with John Ketchum, Kofie Yeboah and Detroit Bad Boys’ Lazarus Jackson
  13. Nuggets with Denver Stiffs’ Adam Mares
  14. Heat with Kelly Cohen and Hot Hot Hoops’ Surya Fernandez
  15. Bulls with Ricky O’Donnell and Blog a Bull’s Jason Patt
  16. Pacers with Whitney Medworth and Indy Cornrows’ Caitlin Cooper
  17. Blazers with Blazers Edge’s Brian Freeman and Peter Sampson
  18. Bucks with Kevin McCauley and Brew Hoop’s Mitchell Maurer
  19. Hawks with Harry Lyles Jr. and Peachtree Hoops’ Brad Rowland
  20. Grizzlies with Grizzly Bear Blues’ Joe Mullinax
  21. Thunder with Eddie Maisonet and Welcome to Loud City’s Joshua Broom
  22. Thunder addendum! Carmelo Anthony trade emergency pod with Eddie Maisonet
  23. Wizards with Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp and Bullets Forever’s Michael Sykes
  24. Jazz with SLC Dunk’s Mychal Lowman and James Hansen.
  25. Raptors with Raptors HQ’s Daniel Reynolds and freelance writer Seerat Sohi
  26. Cavaliers with Fear the Sword’s Chris Manning and MMA Fighting’s Eric Jackman
  27. Clippers with Clips Nation’s Lucas Hann and former L.A. video coordinator Mo Dakhil
  28. Celtics with Paul Flannery and Celtics Blog’s Nick Gelso
  29. Rockets with The Dream Shake’s Ethan Rothstein and Jeremy Brener
  30. Spurs with Pounding the Rock’s J.R. Wilco and Bruno Passos
  31. Warriors with Golden State of Mind’s Bram Kincheloe

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