Vlade Divac: “I’m Here To Make A Championship Team”

The Sacramento Kings are by far the nicest surprise in the NBA so far this season. The youngsters from the capital of California are playing above all expectations, and to be completely honest, nobody, including the writer of these lines, saw them anywhere near the playoffs, let alone among top 8 teams in the West.

Kevin Durant spoke about them recently, saying that the Kings are the team who is going to be very good in the near future.

Now, the guy who needs to be credited for this is King’s GM Vlade Divac. One of the most influential players ever in terms of opening the doors for overseas players, and changing the role of the center, making it more creative. That is why we have Nikola Jokic today for example.

“I came here because I had unfinished business, and that is to make a championship team,” Kings GM stated yesterday in one interview.

😂 Vlade Divac said the Sacramento Kings are a “super team, just young.”

(Via @NBCSKings)

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Divac carefully selected this team, making moves just a few understood at the time, focusing on youth instead of some big names. When he traded DeMarcus Cousins some of the fans were so angry that they threw away their season tickets. They were wrong.

“Look, I don’t want to go back and talk (about the trade), but I knew that second what I’m getting – bigger picture.”

Back then, Cousins headed for New Orleans and in return, the Kings got Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and one first and one second round draft picks for 2017 NBA draft.

Those picks eventually turned up to be Justin Jackson, Frank Mason III, and Harry Giles.

At that time, Vlade’s move looked ludacris, but now, he turned out to be a great visionaire.

“That night (of the Cousins trade), I knew that was just one step towards what we’re trying to build.” former Laker, Hornet, and King said.

Divac also told that he didn’t want to waste time explaining his decision to trade Boogie back then, as most of his critics were made by the people who don’t think long-term.

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He admits that there is a lot of work to be done until Kings reach the desired level of play and start competing for the title, but Divac is sure that his franchise made some progress.

“We’re not even close where we want to be, but we’ve made big progress.”

When asked about the current possibilities of the organization, and whether he thinks that the Kings are a playoff team, Divac told that judging by the table they are, but that he doesn’t want to put pressure on the guys.

“If you look at the table we are in the playoffs. But, do we have to do it this season? No, we don’t. Do we want to be there? Yes.”

Kings are currently ninth in the West, going up and down two spots on a daily basis, depending on their result and the results of other teams. Western Conference is very interesting, and Lakers who are fourth and Timberwolves who are thirteenth, are separated by only four games.

Sacramento has 18 wins and 16 losses, hanging above the .500 mark for a long time. They will have a nice opportunity to improve that record, as they play 8 of the next 10 games at home, the luxurious Golden One Arena.

The core of this team is made from youngsters whose prime is yet to come. Until then, Divac needs to surround them with experienced players, and when looking Kings salary cap, it is obvious that they wait for the upcoming free agency to react. They have the biggest space in salary-cap, which means that some of the max-contract players could be landed here next summer.

With one current superstar, and several of them in the making, the Kings could be what Divac desires.

NBA champions.