Mike Brown has Kings blending together with more time in the pot

"At least once a year I like to bring in some of my Kevin's Famous Chili. The trick is to undercook the onions. Everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot. I'm serious about this stuff. I'm up the night before, pressing garlic, and dicing whole tomatoes. I toast my own ancho chiles. It's a recipe passed down from Malones for generations - it's probably the thing I do best." -Kevin Malone, The Office

When you’re a franchise that has missed the postseason for more than a decade and a half, the last thing anyone wants to hear is that it will take time. Patience is a four-letter word in Sacramento.

If you’ve ever made a pot of chili, like the great Kevin Malone, you understand that one of the most important ingredients is time. Kevin likes to undercook the onions, but it’s a component of “everyone getting to know each other in the pot.”

The chili analogy might not strike a chord with everyone, especially when you look around the league and certain surprise teams are finding early success. There isn’t a rubric or a spreadsheet or even a family recipe passed down from generations that can explain why the Kings sit at 4-6 after 10 games and a team like the Utah Jazz, who traded away its three best players and lost an exceptional coach, currently sits at 10-3.

This is basketball. As much as mathematics and analytics go into the game, there are variables from one night to the next that just can’t fit into a formula neatly. An off night shooting can cost you. Missed rotations can cost you. The strength of schedule can cost you. Officiating (clears throat), can cost you.

Maybe more importantly, unfamiliarity between players and coaches can cost you.

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