If I told you that a rookie guard on the Sacramento Kings was making a significant impact on the team's performance, certainly you'd assume I was talking about Sacramento's prized lottery pick Jimmer Fredette. The reality is the answer is Isaiah Thomas. The diminutive guard from the University of Washington has overcome a swarm of obstacles to earn playing time and contribute. Kings fans and Kings personnel alike yearned desperately to see Jimmer Fredette play, he a lottery choice and widely considered one of the core players on the roster. Meanwhile Thomas, for all intents and purposes, barely made the team as the 60th and final choice in last summer's NBA Draft. So for the first few wee

No trips to the playoffs since George W. Bush was just beginning his second term. No players on the roster even close to All-Star consideration. No recognition for a franchise that just a few years prior was playing in front of a national television audience seemingly on a weekly basis. Even the most optimistic onlookers have had few positive things to say about the Sacramento Kings for nearly a decade. The Sacramento Kings have spent their last three drafts, where they selected with the fourth, fifth and 10th overall picks, stockpiling highly touted NCAA stars Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette. The mid-season acquisition of explosive scorer Marcus Thornton last February