"The question isn't whether Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin can coexist in the same backcourt. They can coexist. These are two pleasant, thoughtful professionals, neither of whom is interested in becoming a negative, divisive figure.

Rather, the issue is whether the Kings' two prolific scorers - and at their core, that's what they are - are capable of sharing and adapting? Are they willing to transcend the chronic pressures and influences imposed by a stat-conscious, 24-hour sports community?

Are they ready to win? Really ready to win?

Play the game. Play to win. That's it.

As the Kings travel east for a bruising trip that begins Friday in Philadelphia, Martin is expected to return following a two-month hiatus because of a fractured left wrist. The talented backcourt offers its first substantial look. This is a test, this is absolutely a test.

We'll know soon - within a matter of weeks - if this is mere fantasy or a dynamic coupling for the decade. As Martin acknowledged after Wednesday's practice, "If me and Tyreke figure it out, we have the potential to have a great backcourt."

And if they don't? If the ball movement stalls? Martin will ask to be traded, the Kings will accommodate, and Geoff Petrie and Paul Westphal will consider pairing Evans with a more conventional point guard or a more versatile shooting guard.

But this can work. This can work. Though there are as many reasons to project this is an ill-fated plan, primarily because the mentality of both players is to score first, think pass second. When reduced to a simplistic analysis, a Martin-Evans backcourt has a chance to be special.

Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton. Danny Ainge and the late Dennis Johnson. Even Mike Bibby and Doug Christie. Who was the point guard? The shooting guard? As Jerry Reynolds likes to say, they're talented basketball players who make plays. Why can't Evans and Martin mesh?

At 6-foot-7, 185 pounds, Martin has exceptional quickness and athleticism, runs the floor extremely well, and is an efficient scorer who doesn't dominate the ball. He is like a wide receiver who busts loose for dunks, layups and deep threes, or on other occasions, curls across the middle for runners and floaters.

What he has yet to prove despite his gaudy scoring stats (24.6 points per game last season), is whether his wiry body can withstand the pounding of an 82-game season and whether he is interested in expanding other elements of his game. He has to create for teammates, can't come back and float along the fringes. He has to assert himself - pursuing the ball off the boards, off thefts in the passing lanes. And if necessary, he has to demand his teammates find him in other areas where he is most effective."