Which Former Kings Players Deserved More Respect?
Dec 15, 2020, 10:32 AM | Updated: 10:43 am
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
According to Sacramento Kings fans, there are multiple players that did not get their fair shake in recent years
I would imagine that the Sacramento Kings have drafted, signed or traded for a player or two that you were really high on.
Almost nine times out of ten, that very player ends up departing the franchise for greener pastures, maybe joining a playoff contender or making an All-Star team.
Maybe both.
This week, I went on Twitter and asked Kings fans to name a player that was not appreciated as much as they should have been during their time in Sacramento.
There were several suggestions–all valid, in my opinion.
Sometimes you never know what you have until it’s gone. The Kings have had a lot of players depart the franchise to become better players on different teams, a trend that hopefully will not continue as the team strives to end its 14-year playoff drought.
Let’s take a look at some of the most mentioned former Sacramento Kings players that deserved more respect, appreciation and time with the franchise.
Isaiah Thomas
The most responses–by far–that I received were for former Kings guard Isaiah Thomas.
Thomas, who was drafted with the last pick in the 2011 draft, was a total surprise for the franchise during the 2011-2014 seasons. The 5’9 guard wowed fans with his killer mentality on the court, showing no fear when driving into traffic while also being able to knockdown three’s consistently.
During the 2012-13 season, Thomas would take over as starting point guard and solidify himself as the number-two scoring threat behind center DeMarcus Cousins.
In 2013-14, Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
You would think that those numbers would warrant another contract, but as you know, that would not be the case.
Then-GM Pete D’Allesandro opted to let Thomas walk, conducting a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns for a trade exception (that the team did not use) and the rights to overseas prospect Alex Oriakhi.
Oriakhi never played in a game for the Kings.
Thomas went on to become a two-time All-Star with the Boston Celtics, nearly averaging 30 points per game in 2016-17.
Otis Thorpe
Thorpe was drafted with the ninth-overall pick in the 1984 draft.
From the time he stepped onto the floor with the Kings, he produced, averaging 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game over his four seasons with the franchise.
In 1987-88, Thorpe had a breakout season, putting up All-Star type numbers of 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on 50-percent shooting from the field.
Following the season, the 25-year-old was traded to Houston for Rodney McCray and Jim Petersen.
Thorpe would go to become an All-Star with the Rockets in 1991-92. The 6’9 forward played a pivotal role in the Houston Rockets 1993-94 championship run, starting at the power-forward spot and acting as a solid front-court partner to Hakeem Olajuwon.
Bonzi Wells
During his lone season with the Kings in 2005-06, Wells was electric.
The 6’5 Wells–who had been primarily used as a wing in previous years–was slotted into the power-forward spot during the team’s playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.
Over a hard-fought six game series with the top-seeded Spurs, Wells put on a display against Hall of Fame power forward Time Duncan:
- Game 1: 12 points, 6 rebounds
- Game 2: 28 points, 12 rebounds, 12/17 FG
- Game 3: 19 points, 14 rebounds
- Game 4: 25 points, 17 rebounds, 3 steals
- Game 5: 38 points, 12 rebounds, 13/20 FG
- Game 6: 17 points, 11 rebound
- Series averages: 23.2 points, 12.0 rebounds 60% FG, 62% 3PT
Following the season, Sacramento and Wells could not get a deal worked out in free agency, even after Ron Artest offered to forego his entire salary to keep him on the team.
Wells departed for the Houston Rockets, but his production was never the same after leaving the Kings.
Jim Jackson
I got a lot of Jim Jackson love in response to my question.
Jackson, who was a 10-year veteran when he arrived in Sacramento during the 2002-03 season, put on a shooting display in his lone season as a King.
Over 60 games, J.J. averaged 7.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while knocking down a blistering 45-percent of his three-point attempts.
Jackson was a major bright spot during the Western Conference Semifinals, averaging 13.3 points per game while shooting 54-percent from the field and 50-percent from the three-point line.
Sacramento would drop a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Dallas Mavericks, ending Jackson’s time with the team after the guard signed with the Houston Rockets.
Brian Grant
Sacramento drafted Grant with the eighth-overall pick in the 1994 draft after the 6’9 forward’s successful college career at Xavier.
From 1994-1997, Grant acted as a serviceable big for the Kings, scoring 13.4 points, grabbing 7.1 rebounds and blocking 1.3 shots per game. Grant was also an efficient shot-maker, hitting 50-percent of his attempts over his three seasons in Sacramento.
Following the 1996-97 season, Grant opted out of his five-year, $29 million deal to ink a six-year, $56 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Grant went on to become a double-double threat for the Blazers and Miami Heat, collecting 128 double-doubles over seven seasons.
Kevin Martin
K-Mart might be on the team’s Mt. Rushmore of scorers, honesly.
Martin was a walking bucket with the Kings, averaging over 20 points per game for the franchise from 2006-2010.
During the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, Martin was one of the top scorers in the league, averaging over 23 points per game while shooting over 40-percent from the three-point line in each season.
Martin battled injuries during his last two seasons in Sacramento, failing to appear in more than 51 games in both 2008-09 and 2009-10.
During that time, fans became frustrated as the team struggled without its leading scorer, which (in my opinion) has changed the narrative on Martin’s time with the franchise.
The Kings traded Martin to the Rockets during the 2010 trade deadline, ending his time in Sacramento.
Martin would go on to finish his career as a solid role player on playoff teams like the Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
It would be nice to see Martin come back to Sacramento and get the standing ovation that he deserves from a packed Golden 1 Center.
Keon Clark
Like Jackson and Wells, forward Keon Clark only played one season in the purple and black.
The 6’11 big played in 80 games for Sacramento during the 2002-03 team, helping form a solid bench-unit with Jackson, Bobby Jackson, Scott Pollard and Hedo Turkoglu.
Clark was the team’s best rim-protector, blocking 1.9 shots per game and grabbing 5.6 boards per contest for the 59-win Kings. Clark was also efficient in the paint, where he converted almost 70-percent of his attempts at the rim.
Following the end of the season, Clark signed with the Utah Jazz for the 2003-04 season and then left the game of basketball.
Rudy Gay
When the Kings acquired Rudy Gay from the Toronto Raptors in 2013, the expectations were very high.
Gay was arguably the second-biggest name that the franchise had ever acquired via trade, only trailing Chris Webber in that regard. The high-scoring forward had inked a large contract–one that many around the league scoffed at–with the Memphis Grizzlies prior to being moved to Toronto.
Once the Raptors solidified its core of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, they freed up cap space by shipping Gay to a Kings team that was looking for another piece to pair with All-Star DeMarcus Cousins.
During his four seasons in Sacramento, Gay did what he did best: score the basketball.
Most notably, Gay had the highest-scoring season of his career in 2014-15 when he averaged 21.1 points per game on 45-percent shooting from the field.
Kings fans would become frustrated with Rudy’s shot selection and decision making during his time with the franchise, noting his high amount of field goal attempts per game.
After recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, Gay departed for a deal with the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 offseason.
While Rudy Gay might not have become the All-Star wing that fans might have hoped for, he was by far the best small-forward that the team had rostered since Peja Stojakovic was traded in 2006.
Harry Giles III
You knew this was coming.
Along with Thomas, a high-percentage of the responses I received were for the recently departed forward Harry Giles III.
Giles, who was beloved in the Sacramento community, signed with the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason after former GM Vlade Divac declined the 22-year-old’s fourth-year option during the 2019-20 season.
Giles has already gotten a chance to release his fury on the Kings, putting up back-to-back double-doubles during last week’s preseason action.
“You know I just wanted to impose my will and just let out the extra energy and all the feeling and emotion I’ve been feeling in the last few months,” Giles said on Sunday. “I wanted to just let it out tonight, so that’s what I did.”
Kings fans might have to stomach the fact that Giles could turn out to become a double-double threat for a very good Blazers team.
He would become another name on a seemingly endless list of missed opportunities for the Sacramento Kings.
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