Success stories don't usually apply to teams that aren't in the playoffs, but the Kings may indeed qualify.

Despite missing out on the postseason for the second straight year, they wrapped up their regular season with a record of 38-44 that was at or above the predictions of most pundits back in October. More notably, they finished by winning 11 of their last 20 games and reversing the tragic finish of 2006-07 when they were 5-17 at the end. Yet what those soothsayers didn't see coming was the never-ending string of distractions and hurdles the Kings would have to overcome to still manage a level of respectability.

Days before the regular season began, they lost point guard Mike Bibby to a thumb injury that kept him out for half the season. ...More