Pass or fail? Grading the Kings

There were always two versions.

There were the Kings as they were viewed by a national audience, where the Charles Barkleys and Stan Van Gundys were nominating Reggie Theus as a Coach of the Year candidate for how he made the most of a seemingly-limited roster.

And there were the Kings as seen from within, where Theus' bosses were reluctant with praise and often wary of the way he handled his rookie season, where the players' opinions regarding their coach could change by the week and where in-house issues often overshadowed progress.

Somewhere in the middle, then, you have the 2007-08 Kings, who earned an overall grade of "B-" this season.

The indisputable truths are enough to deem the season better than the previous one. A five-game improvement despite significant injuries to three starters and a midseason Mike Bibby trade that sent three players out and brought three in. A 20-21 home record in 2006-07 under Eric Musselman was followed by a 26-15 mark under Theus, with Arco Arena raucous again. Career years from numerous players and late development from some of the youngest up-and-comers.

The penchant for beating some of the league's best, in the end, was nearly negated because of their knack for losing to the worst.

So we pose the question, "What if?" What if the Kings swept Memphis, Minnesota and the Clippers rather than racking up seven losses to the league's bottom-feeders? They'd be 45-37, still out of the postseason but without nearly as much room left to interpretation.

As Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie has said regarding the prospect of evaluating players, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

As it turns out, the same goes for coaches.

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THE STARTERS

Ron Artest
GRADE: B

Stats: 20.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.3 spg

The skinny: Self-inflicted wounds (seven-game league suspension) and physical ailments forced Artest to miss almost a third of the season (25 games). When he played, he set career-highs in scoring, shooting percentage (45.3) and three-point percentage (38.0), often playing amazingly well while also dealing with his daughter's bout with cancer. Still, his unpredictably was distracting.

Kevin Martin
GRADE: A-

Stats: 23.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg

The skinny: For the second consecutive season, Martin – who finished sixth in the league in scoring – showed that he is not only capable of handling a heavier offensive load but that the load isn't heavy enough. He'll focus on defense and leadership in the offseason, necessary steps in becoming an all-around threat.

Brad Miller
GRADE: A-

Stats:13.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.7 apg

The skinny: After the 2006-07 season, most Kings fans would have been fine if Miller went home to Indiana and never returned. But with so many predicting the continuation of his demise, Miller responded with a season that would've won him the "Comeback Player of the Year" award if it still existed.

Mikki Moore
GRADE: B

Stats: 8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 57.7 fgp

The skinny: After signing with the Kings last summer, it took Moore training camp, the exhibition season and a month of the regular season to get comfortable. Yet from there, his athleticism, ability to finish, and spirit on and off the floor were a huge boon. He led the Kings in shooting percentage while accepting a limited offensive role in order to help keep the peace.

Beno Udrih
GRADE: B+

Stats:12.8 ppg, 4.3 apg, 46.5 fgp

The skinny: The first seven games (1-6 record) without Udrih showed how badly he was needed. With him they have a scoring point guard who could very likely be in the long-term plans. Udrih – who could stand to find his teammates more often next season – will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

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The reserves

Shareef Abdur-Rahim
GRADE: Incomplete.

The skinny: Two arthroscopic surgeries on his right knee within six months led to the looming question of whether the 12-year veteran can return, and the coming months should tell plenty. In the third season of his five-year deal, Abdur-Rahim was done after six games. He is still owed $12.8 million on his contract, although the Kings do have insurance in case of career-ending injury.