Mathematically speaking, the Sacramento Kings are still in the running for an unlikely appearance in the playoffs via the Play-In game. Realistically, however, this team is on the verge of yet another forgettable season.
The Kings made some major moves during the February trade deadline, which included the addition of two-time All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis. While Sabonis' partnership with Sacramento cornerstone star De'Aaron Fox has shown glimpses of brilliance, this duo has not yet reached its true potential.
It sounds like we're not going to see this come to fruition this season, though. In a recent interview on KHTK Sports, Kings head coach Alvin Gentry all but confirmed the team's plan to shut both stars down for the last few remaining games of the regular season.
De'Aaron Fox is currently dealing with a lingering hand injury and his absence for Saturday's matchup against the Orlando Magic will mark his fourth straight missed game. According to Gentry, Fox is anywhere but close to returning:
“It’s still a situation with the hand if you could see it, it’s still blue in the palm of it,” Gentry said. “He’s working out everyday and doing everything that he possibly can, but obviously this isn’t a situation where we are going to rush anybody back.”
As for Sabonis, the 25-year-old big man missed Wednesday's clash against his former team, the Indiana Pacers, with a bruised left knee. It does not sound serious at all but it does seem as though the Kings have already decided to shut Sabonis down for the rest of the year:
“What it is is just a bone bruise,” Gentry said. “Hopefully everything is going to fine there also… Obviously, once again I’ll tell you we will not take any kind of chance with him…We’ll be overly cautious if anything.”
Obviously, Gentry did not say anything about shutting both of his stars down but it's easy to read between the lines here. The Kings appear to have already accepted their fate this season and are already waving the white flag.
There's no denying that the Fox-Sabonis partnership holds a lot of potential, but it's highly likely that we will all need to wait for next season to see them in action again.
Follow Us
Subscribe