NBA Power Ranking 2008-2009 Week 1

Marc Stein has dropped the Kings to 29th in his weekly power rankings. This is down from 28th last week. Only the Clippers are ranked lower than the Kings!

ESPN - NBA Basketball Power Rankings - National Basketball Association

We promised they'd be scrappy, if nothing else, but the Kings haven't even reached those modest heights on their Brad Miller-less road trip. They just got swept on a back-to-back in Miami and Orlando by a combined 44 points.

Personally, at this point, I agree with Bill Bradley's article in today's Sacramento Bee. I think that the Kings would be better off trading Miller and playing Hawes and Thompson.

Leading Off: Hawes, Thompson will suffer from Miller return

If this is a rebuilding year, doesn't Miller hurt the growth of a young team? Where does that leave Miller? His contract is huge ($11.375 million this season and $12.250 million next season), but it's hard to believe a team with title dreams doesn't need a big man with his skills.

The Kings will get marginally better with Miller back. They may get a lot better without him in years to come.