As the Kings struggle to establish themselves as a threat to anyone on a given night there are many quick fixes that could turn the team into more than a chuckle-inducing free W for the opposition:

• John Salmons needs to start

One of the few bright spots in the abysmal beginning of the season for the Kings had been the play of Salmons, who in seven games as a starter put up 20.7 pts, 3.9 reb, 4.0 ast and 1.7 stl on 49% shooting from the field.

Such a start would seemingly warrant a pat on the back and a “thanks for making us suck less” from the coach. Instead, Ron Artest’s return from a seven-game suspension knocked Salmons to the bench in favor of…Mikki Moore.

• I have an intense dislike of Mikki Moore

When the Kings decided to use their mid-level exception on Moore I had a lethargic, unimpressed reaction. I wasn’t violently opposed, but basically I just thought maybe he could have some value as a bench player.

Unfortunately, new coach Reggie Theus decided to start Moore in six of the team’s eight games so far. And oh boy, what a decidedly unpleasant row of games he has put forth, much to the anger of Kings Nation. His stat sheet says he has made 14-of-32 from the floor, but I have watched every second of every game this year and I can’t remember him making more than two. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly appreciate his 4.1 rebound average as a 7-footer, but I have had my fill of him at this time.

• Go back in time and don’t draft Spencer Hawes

It was all set up quite nicely for the Kings as the draft unfolded. There they sat with the 10th overall pick. Certainly they would have their eye on a big frontcourt scorer, as it is the team’s biggest deficiency. All I could think about as the picks ticked away one by one is that Al Thornton was still there. Big? Check. Explosive on offense? Sure. Played four years of college ball? You betcha.

As Joakim Noah came off the board at No. 9 I was excited. I even had it on good authority from someone close to the situation that Thornton was the pick. Imagine my surprise when the Kings took Spencer Hawes…

Awesome. Because the Kings don’t have enough oafish centers who can’t rebound. Sure, he hasn’t had much time to prove himself, but the fact that he got hurt immediately after being drafted doesn’t fill me with the emotion I am told is called happiness. I even heard Jay Bilas say (instantly after Hawes’ name was called), that he doesn’t rebound and can’t block shots. I died a little inside when I heard that.

• That Kevin Martin guy is good, maybe he could shoot more?

There were times last season when Martin would score 30 points on 10 shots. That kind of efficiency makes me feel all warm and slightly tingly. However, the Kings have an irritating game that they love to play that I call “Keep away from Kevin.”

It’s not unusual to see Martin score 12 points in the first quarter, only to end up with 14 at the half because his teammates forgot he was on their team. Apparently they are not used to a Kings player making shots.

Even this season, without stars Artest and Mike Bibby, Martin has recorded 20 shots exactly once. In that game Martin shot 11-of-21 from the field and scored 31 points to lead the Kings to their first win of the year against the Sonics. Weird. It’s almost as if getting your best player involved is a magical ticket to winning occasionally.

Martin is fourth in the NBA in scoring (26.4) despite taking just 16.5 shots per game. Kobe “Team First” Bryant leads the league in scoring, but takes 21 shots, LeBron James is second and takes 21.2 and Tracy McGrady sits at third while taking 20.9 shots per contest. Simple math tells us that a 20% increase in shots per game for Martin would increase his scoring into the stratosphere.

With all this doom and gloom you would think that I am down on this team and don’t like it. On the contrary, I am thrilled with the level of effort I have seen from the team this year. I can handle losing teams. I mean, the team never won anything until 1998. I’m used to losing. What I can’t stand is giving up. I saw the team give up numerous times last year and I found it inexcusable. This team tries hard and I appreciate it. They just happen to not be real good right now.

I hope the return of Artest will bring a few more squiggly lines to the left side of the ledger, but only time will tell if my recipe for winning will be followed.

Go Kings.