A great post by a great poster
^
The whole argument about having role players who are specialists is what makes the difference between a contender and just an good/average team. The team that made it to the WCF had specialists. It had the lockdown defenders (Jackson and Christie), 3 point shooters (Peja, Bibby, Turk), Hustle Guys (J-Jackson, B Jackson, Pollard, Christie), Scorers (Bibby, Peja, B Jack), and a Superstar (Webbber). It had great veteran leadership from Vlade, Funderburke, and Webber. Each player had a clearly defined role and their was a consistent, logical, and efficient system put in place by the coaching staff.
The problem with the Kings is that they tried to rebuild on the go and it didn't work out well. As soon as the Kings traded Webb, they went into rebuilding mode and instead of going young and rebuilding from scratch, they tried to bring in decent players and guys who were entering the last leg of their career (SAR, Corliss). They also tried to take risks on unwanted players like Artest, Mobley, and Bonzi which turned out to work out well for them and allowed the Kings to stay competitive even though none of the new pieces meshed well together.
Every good team has a superstar (on most elite teams the best offensive player is also the best defensive player like Duncan, Kobe, etc.) surrounded by role players (Bowen, Posey, Stackhouse, Price, etc.) who do what they are good at. The Kings need to rebuild while keeping peices that show potential to become solid players. Kev Martin is a legit scorer and Salmons has the potential to become a DChristie type player (a versatile swingman who can handle the ball and is a good defender). Garcia has shown the ability to become a good shooter as had Douby. The Kings should try to move their big contract guys like Bibby, Artest, Thomas, and Miller for younger guys, draft picks, and capspace so they can rebuild around the youth.