nice prediction.
Sadly the Kings are now predicted by 538 to finish 31-21 in our familiar 10th draft spot. Sometimes it seems the more things change the more the stay the same. Xavier Tillman playing well for Memphis.
i assume you mean 31-FORTY one (for 72 games) and my pocket says, "no - anything but that"(i have the kings to win less than 28 1/2 games).
the slippage of hali actually makes it more comfortable to be in the middle of the pack.
of course, it is all on "who you draft"
and - every great team seems to find someone in the second round (like draymond green) or very late first round (kuzma, butler, siakam - note that i am naming teams in recent finals) who becomes an essential cog. we haven't really done that, despite accumulating second round picks. hell, we can't even use our mid-first round picks well (justin jackson, harry giles, papagiannis, labissiere, malachai, ect, ect)
i still think frank jackson (early second rounder) is an nba player, but, because he stayed in school for four years, his window is closing early (orlando just signed frank, which might be his last chance - i started a thread on that in "personnel").
it isn't like we didn't have chances.
we traded for bogi when we could have drafted sabonis. drafted willie instead of myles turner and didn't draft zach collins (the jury is still out on that). see above mid-first round bustolas).
but then, vlade was always a riverboat gambler.
tanking isn't as easy as it seems - only the head coach can really have an effect there. walton doesn't seem like the type - if he is relieved of duties, that will signify a tank operation.
so - it's all on monte.
