With one quarter of the regular season in the books, the Sacramento Kings are still in the process of figuring themselves out on both ends of the floor.
NBC Sports California analyst Kayte Christensen joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to share her thoughts on the Kings’ rough start to the season, highlight why she feels that guard Zach LaVine has been on the receiving end of unfair blame, and much more.
Be sure to check out the entire interview with Sacramento Kings broadcaster for NBC Sports’ Kayte Christensen on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.
Topics Discussed
Sacramento is back from a three-game road trip–one that included three nights in Miami.
One quarter of the way into the regular season, the Kings have struggled to find consistency across the board.
Kayte says the Sacramento Kings have not been a good first-quarter team: “When you get down double-digits in the first quarter, you’re battling and scratching and clawing the rest of the way. You have to play flawless basketball.”
Zach LaVine’s assertiveness has been inconsistent this season. How can the Kings get more out of LaVine every night?
“Unfairly, there has been some blame put on Zach LaVine.”
Kayte says that LaVine isn’t getting enough touches on a nightly basis.
Thoughts on first-year center Maxime Raynaud’s move into a larger role, starting in place of the injured Domantas Sabonis.
Could Raynaud and Sabonis share the floor once Sabonis returns?
Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.
Click here for full episodes of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross.
More Sacramento Kings coverage from Sactown Sports
With the Sacramento Kings entering what may be the early stages of a rebuild, many fans are wondering whether this would be the first rebuild of the Sacramento era.
It would not.
It’s understandable that fans and media alike would have forgotten the first one. It was so swift and successful, it didn’t feel like a rebuild at all. And given the circumstances, it was downright miraculous that the team pulled it off.
Geoff Petrie had been hired to be the General Manager of the Sacramento Kings in 1994, and along with Coach Garry St. Jean, guided them to 39 wins in each of his first two seasons, including a playoff trip in ’96. But by the time the 98-’99 season came around, the Kings had slipped back to also-ran status.
Eddie Jordan had taken over as head Coach, and Mitch Richmond was still a productive star, but the Kings were going nowhere fast.
It was time for an overhaul. But there was a big, fat complication in the way that made the always tricky process even trickier..
On July 1st, 1998, NBA owners, desperate to curb rising salaries, initiated the third lockout in league history. The lockout lasted until January 20th, 1999. Teams were barred from making player transactions or holding workouts. How could the Kings rebuild when they couldn’t add players?
Fortunately, Petrie and the Sacramento Kings pulled off two major rebuilding moves before the lockout went into effect. In May of 1998, the Kings traded Mitch Richmond to Washington for Chris Webber.
Read more about the potential Sacramento Kings rebuild below:
Reflecting on the Sacramento Kings’ successful rebuild. Could we see it again?
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Thursday, December 11th – vs. Denver Nuggets – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 14th – @ Minnesota Timberwolves – 4:00 PM PT
Thursday, December 18th – @ Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, December 20th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, December 21st – vs. Houston Rockets – 7:00 PM PT
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