SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After three stints as an interim coach, this season was supposed to be Keith Smart’s first real chance to show what he could do on the NBA sidelines with a full summer and training camp to prepare.
Instead, the pending sale and relocation of the Sacramento Kings to a Seattle group became a daily distraction for Smart’s squad. The Kings finished 28-54, missed the playoffs for the seventh straight year and head into another offseason with the roster the same as the franchise’s future off the court — uncertain.
“Sometimes you don’t reach that goal the first time. Sometimes there’s pain and frustration,” Smart said. “And that’s what we had this year — pain and frustration. Now you’ve got to try and do it all again.”