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Sacramento Kings
Overall: 96
Title track: 101
Ownership: 82
Coaching: 94
Players: 108
Fan relations: 84
Affordability: 45
Stadium experience: 102
Bang for the buck: 94
Change from last year: -11
A year ago, the Kings were still riding a high from the purchase of the team by Vivek Ranadive, and it helped them climb 37 spots in our rankings, from dead last in 2013 to 85th last year. Well, the high is not quite so high anymore, as Ranadive's reign has proved unconventional, difficult and at times downright dysfunctional. A 29-win season last year -- the franchise's seventh straight with fewer than 30 wins -- also saw them drop back down in our standings.
What's good
There isn't a whole lot of good happening here, but we'll try our hardest: The best part of the team remains its affordability, a category with a score that is 63 spots better than the team's worst ranking. This season, ticket prices are around $46.32, a little over $7 below the league average. Fan relations are also not terrible, with some of the team's highest scores coming in fan-friendliness, ease of watching the game outside the arena and social media engagement. The highest score of any category? "Shows a commitment to their community." So Kings fans, take comfort: Good or bad, they're apparently sticking around!
What's bad
Well, to start: Three coaches last season, all of whom went under .500 and one of whom (George Karl) had a public rift with the team's star player. (That explains a ranking of 94th in coaching.) A defense that ranked third to last in the league in opponents points per game. (That explains a ranking of 108th in the players category, fourth worst in the NBA.) No surprise that fans voted the Kings fourth worst in the NBA in "consistently winning more games than they lose." At least there's a silver lining to that terrible stadium experience ranking (102nd): Fans have only one more season to "enjoy" the Sleep Train Arena before filing into the Golden 1 Center, set to open next fall. The $507 million, 17,500-capacity arena will include 1.5 million square feet of retail and restaurant space, advanced Wi-Fi architecture, indoor-outdoor designs and innovative green technologies.
What's new
When Ranadive purchased a team seemingly on life support in 2013 for more than $534 million from the Maloof family, he was the breath of fresh air that players and fans were looking for. But in the two years since, Ranadive has gone through several head coaches, watched his team play terrible basketball and hosted public dramas. The latest, a rift between George Karl and DeMarcus Cousins, unfolded publicly. It's easy to see how the ownership category took the most significant plunge, dropping 31 spots from last season's rankings.
Next: Minnesota Timberwolves | Full rankings