3. Can Mike Malone improve the defense? Ever since the Kings parted ways with the artist formerly known as Ron Artest after the 2007-08 season, team defense has been a major issue. Fortunately for the Kings they just happen to have a new coach in Malone who could know how to fix it.
There aren’t a lot of defensive-minded players on this roster, and that is a little disappointing considering the fact that the new front office has been preaching a “defense-first” mindset. I was expecting D’Alessandro to make a few more moves to improve the defense, and there is certainly still time for that.
He did acquire one notable defensive-minded player in Mbah a Moute, but the team still sorely lacks an interior defensive presence.
The one factor that leaves me optimistic about the defensive potential is that Malone has done this before. Malone is given most of the credit for Golden State’s defensive turnaround last season, and that team may have had less defensive potential than the Kings’ current roster, particularly while Andrew Bogut was injured. There is hope.
4. DeMarcus Cousins. That 6-11, 270-pound elephant in the room is Cousins’ contract situation. He wants a max deal, and someone is going to give it to him. Reports surfaced about a month ago that Cousins was looking for an extension before the season started and well before he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.
A part of me wants to let the season play out and see if there is growth in needed areas by Cousins. With the 
ability to match any offer Cousins receives, the Kings will be able to keep him regardless.
But the other part of me wants to see this team commit to Cousins. They already have done so verbally, but extending him now ends the conversation and distraction. He just turned 23 and already is one of the most talented big men in the NBA.
Cousins is far from perfect. He needs to improve his effort level on defense. He needs to improve his shot selection. He needs an attitude adjustment. But the truth is that the Kings need Cousins more than Cousins needs the Kings. If they don’t pay him, someone else will.
5. The Rotation. The Kings should have one of the more interesting training camps, with just about every position outside of starting center up for grabs.
At point guard the Kings have incumbent starter Isaiah Thomas and recent acquisition Vasquez. While I would give the slight edge to Vasquez, I wouldn’t count out Thomas just yet. He has proven us all wrong before.
The shooting guard position will come down to Marcus Thornton and rookie Ben McLemore. While McLemore failed to impress during the Las Vegas Summer League, the Kings are clearly high on him, and he should get a fair shot, although I expect Thornton to eventually get the nod.
Small forward and power forward are where things really start to get interesting. At the 3-spot, it’s a complete toss-up between Mbah a Moute and John Salmons. At the 4-spot, any among Jason Thompson, Patrick Patterson or Landry could win that spot.
With an entirely new front office and coaching staff in place, nothing would truly surprise me because the talent gap between the players competing for each position is so small. It ultimately will come down to preference. What the Kings desperately need is a consistent, effective rotation, and Malone has about two months to figure out what that will look like.
Tony Xypteras is a writer for Bleed Black and Purple, an independent blog covering the Sacramento Kings. You can follow him on Twitter @TonyXypteras