There is a lot of rebranding going on with the Sacramento Kings.
Some of that they are trying to make happen on the court, which will start when they bring in a new coach (results pending on that part).
However, more may be happening off the court with the team about to move into an impressive new building in downtown Sacramento. Part of that was the unveiling of the new team logos on Tuesday.
I like the new logos (you can see them above), which are both retro and updated, and it’s a clean look.
The Kings are a franchise that could use an image change. There was a time a little more than a decade ago when they were near the NBA mountaintop, but it’s been a steady slide since then — including the team almost moving out of town. There were questionable management decisions first by the former owners the Maloofs (as their personal fortunes dwindled), then by the new owner Vivek Ranadive, who has had a rough learning curve on the job. On the court, there has been a parade of coaches but no playoffs for a decade. The building they were in felt old. The word dysfunction seemed to fit too many moves and decisions.
The Kings see this summer as a fresh new start. The logos are part of that, and it’s a good first step.
The new building in downtown Sacramento should be a big leap regarding image. I’ve been fortunate to tour the facility (more details to follow on that another day), and it feels like another thing the Kings have gotten right. It’s an indoor building but with as much outdoor feel as they can get thanks to massive windows (which retract to allow in the night air for certain events in the right conditions). The sightlines are great, it feels open and spacious. Most importantly, it feels very Sacramento — from the food options through the environmentally friendly touches. It’s also a modern NBA building — the team’s training facilities and medical facilities will be in the same building complex.
All that leaves is the on-the-court issues to fix. That may be the hardest part, and it’s not going to happen quickly, even with DeMarcus Cousins under contract. The jury is still out on how this will go. The Kings are in the midst of a coaching search, which should inform a lot of decisions that follow. The good news is that hands-on owner Ranadive is letting Divac and the basketball people make the decision without interference. Whatever you think of Divac the GM, this is a change and a step in the right direction. The next one will be to stick with one coach and one style of play for multiple years, let some continuity develop.
That all takes time. In the short term, the logos are here and look sharp.
