Insider Special: Best/Worst ~ Kings

[Weez]

By Marc Stein

ESPN.com

Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 Sacramento Kings.

Brad Miller, left, will start at power forward in place of the injured Chris Webber.

Best Case Scenario

Three things need to happen for the Kings to maintain their 60-win level and re-establish themselves as a co-favorite to win the championship along with San Antonio and the L.A. Lakers.

1. Sustained health. No one can remember the last time the Kings had any. They don't start the season with any, either, as Chris Webber is still recovering from offseason knee surgery, likely sidelining Webber until December. "We're starting the season the way we always do," Vlade Divac said. Of course, the Kings will deal with injuries now if they knew that meant a healthy roster for the postseason.

2. A good start. Two seasons ago, the Kings won early without Webber. Last season, the Kings won early without Bibby, then survived the loss of Bobby Jackson. Depending on your perspective, this is either a source of comfort or concern. On one hand, no team in recent memory has proven more adept at winning without its regulars than Sacramento. On the flip side, winning in the face of major injuries is one of the hardest things to do, which suggests that it will be tough to continue. The solace: Sacramento couldn't ask for a much better Webber replacement than Brad Miller.

3. Plenty of Peja. He'll be the November go-to guy with Webber out and Peja's stroke, when I saw him over the weekend, looked as swish-worthy as ever. If there's a concern with Peja, it's - surprise - the injury bug. He suffered injuries playing for his country each of the last two summers and is prone to ankle trouble. His countryman Divac, though, insists that Stojakovic keeps himself in better shape than anyone in the league. Yes, Vlade said league. "People in Sacramento made it a big, big deal, asking why he played for the national team (when Serbia and Montenegro had already qualified for the Olympics)," Divac said. "It's the same thing like asking why Mike Bibby played for the U.S. national team. It's ridiculous. (Stojakovic) could have turned an ankle in a pickup game, stepping on a rock."

Worst Case Scenario

The Kings will lose in the second round of the playoffs (or maybe the first) if these three things happen.

1. The bench isn't as productive as it used to be. Sacramento was the undisputed Deepest Team In The League last season. Not any more. Jim Jackson, Keon Clark, Scot Pollard and Hedo Turkoglu are all gone. Anthony Peeler and Tony Massenburg were signed to join Bobby Jackson and Gerald Wallace. Once Miller goes to the bench, that group looks a lot better, and Miller says a reserve role will be no problem. "I've done that more than I've started," Miller said. But Adelman doesn't have the lineup flexibility seen the past few seasons.

2. The defense slips. Sacramento quietly led the league in field-goal percentage defense last season, after years of ridicule regarding its porous D. The Kings have to maintain that commitment to stopping people, but do so with a smaller team. When Adelman opted for smaller lineups last season, he had at least two of the following three players on the floor: Stojakovic, Jim Jackson or Turkoglu. With Jackson and Turkoglu now in Texas, with Houston and San Antonio respectively, Adelman's small ball team is smaller. Peeler and Wallace, who finally gets his chance to claim some of the swingman minutes behind defensive specialist Doug Christie, are the prime options now.

3. Frustration starts to set in. A team can only take so many disappointments, and the Kings have had their share. The big question about them entering the season is their team spirit, and whether it has been dampened any by the steady stream of injuries and playoff heartbreaks Sacramento has endured. The Kings have to prove how tough they are all over again.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, send Stein a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.