Kings News

"Theus, in all seriousness, has no such worries. This season. But if he wants to enhance his job security? If he hopes to persuade Geoff Petrie and the Maloofs that his rookie transgressions were exactly that – rookie transgressions – and convince them to guarantee the third and final year (2009-10) of his contract, then he needs to hire a mentor. He needs to admit that he needs help. Bernie Bickerstaff. Del Harris. Tex Winter. Hank Egan. Kelvin Sampson would have been a terrific choice had Scott Skiles not already hired him in Milwaukee. But he needs to add someone of similar pedigree to his staff."

"Lakers or Celtics? Mike Bibby doesn't play favorites. He dislikes the former – for obvious reasons – and is developing a healthy disdain for the latter. Also for obvious reasons. "They can boo me all they want in Boston," Bibby said on his cell phone Wednesday, a few hours before his Atlanta Hawks were routed 110-85 at TD Banknorth Garden in Game 5 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. "It's nothing I haven't dealt with before. They booed me in L.A. even after I was traded. They don't forget what you do, I guess." No, they don't forget. This is the postseason."

"Ron Artest had a vision for the offseason that didn't include much offseason at all. In the closing weeks of the regular season, Kings small forward Ron Artest said he would get off the bus from the finale in Los Angeles and head for the team's practice facility to begin work for 2008-09. That plan was foiled Thursday when Artest underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb."

"The wish list that Donnie Walsh is compiling will include Chuck Person, a Walsh protégé who is currently an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. An NBA executive told Newsday yesterday that Walsh is expected to contact Kings president Geoff Petrie for permission to interview Person, who spent six of his 13 seasons as a player with the Indiana Pacers. Mark Jackson is believed to be Walsh's top choice, but unlike in 1997, when Walsh said he knew he only needed to interview Larry Bird, Walsh plans to meet with a handful of candidates"

"It ended 20 years ago tonight like so many of the 123 games that came before, with enough noise to strain the joints of the building and a loss. Of course with a loss."

"Quiet! That's what we need right now from Kings coach Reggie Theus. No more radio interviews, please. No more calling into radio stations, please. If for no other reason, coach Theus, you have dug yourself a hole that has become a ditch and if you're not careful can become a full-fledged coach's grave site. Unquestionably, the media was enamored with Theus' willingness to be media-friendly and answer any and all questions."

"If Walsh waits long enough, the field of qualified candidates could grow in the coming weeks as teams are eliminated from the playoffs. Dallas Coach Avery Johnson could be in jeopardy if the Mavericks lose their first-round series to the New Orleans Hornets. The same goes for Flip Saunders in Detroit and Sam Mitchell in Toronto... Walsh could reach out to three other assistant coaches who interviewed in Indiana last year: Brian Shaw of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chuck Person of the Sacramento Kings and Johnny Davis, a former Pacers assistant now with the Memphis Grizzlies."

"No, the drama this season wasn't restricted to Reggie Theus and his crew. Within the board rooms and business offices at Arco Arena, there were arguments, bruised feelings, tactics changed at a moment's notice. Eventually there was a mini-coup of sorts – the Maloofs intervening with a hands-on approach and outreach program that introduced fan forums, open practices and a record number of player appearances, along with the upcoming contest to select a fan representative for the May 20 lottery in Secaucus, N.J."

"After finishing 38-44 under first-year coach Reggie Theus, the Kings are listed 12th among the 14 lottery teams and have seven chances out of 1,000 to secure the top overall pick in the 2008 draft."

"Kevin Martin was as curious as the Kings fans themselves to hear from Reggie Theus at the end of the season, so he picked up the local newspaper and read the sports page Thursday morning. Yet when he saw the Kings' coach's proclamation that Ron Artest was the only one of his current players he could "throw the ball to" as an isolation scoring option late in games, curiosity turned to disbelief faster than the shooting guard can scoot down the Arco Arena floor."

"There were always two versions. There were the Kings as they were viewed by a national audience, where the Charles Barkleys and Stan Van Gundys were nominating Reggie Theus as a Coach of the Year candidate for how he made the most of a seemingly-limited roster. And there were the Kings as seen from within, where Theus' bosses were reluctant with praise and often wary of the way he handled his rookie season, where the players' opinions regarding their coach could change by the week and where in-house issues often overshadowed progress."

"For Sacramento in particular, Seattle offers a cautionary arena tale. When a city sleeps, sometimes a franchise leaves. Kings fans would be advised to learn what went wrong in Seattle and respond accordingly. If it can happen there ? This is Seattle, the 14th-largest market, and a region with a wealth of corporations. These are the Sonics, not a team (San Diego, Kansas City, Vancouver) relocating because of fan apathy or market saturation, but rather, a franchise with a rich history ? and a lousy lease agreement. The parties seem to agree on that much."

"Kings coach Reggie Theus deemed the future of Artest and how he fits into the organization's long-term plans the most pressing offseason issue. In a lengthy post-mortem media session Wednesday, Theus repeatedly stressed the importance of the Kings picking a direction regarding their core players. And that core, if it were up to Theus, should be anchored by the two-way talent he repeatedly called the team's "best player." "When you look at the good teams in the league, every good team has somebody they can throw the ball to," Theus said."

"Kings coach Reggie Theus phoned to say he figured out which former player Warriors guard Monta Ellis reminded him of. And it is the best I've heard. Theus came up with a blast from 40 years ago when he brought up former Detroit Pistons star guard Dave Bing. Man, that's on point. A description of Bing ? explosive, quick, speedy, strong and athletic ? fits Ellis perfectly. Bing, who is an extremely successful businessman in Detroit, was a bad man before injuries cut short his career."

"The Kings' season ended with a 124-101 loss to the Lakers that was over by halftime, with coach Phil Jackson's dream regular season ending with his squad on top of the Western Conference and Kobe Bryant likely locking up his first MVP. And even still, the vibe inside the visitor's locker room was nothing like the ending last time. Nothing like it all."

"Six months later, they earned the top seeding in the West, tucking away home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs with a 124-101 victory Tuesday over the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center."

"Purple-and-gold streamers and confetti fell on a roaring sellout crowd after the Lakers clinched the top spot in the Western Conference and secured home-court advantage for the first three rounds of the playoffs with a 124-101 victory over the Sacramento Kings."

"According to numerous team sources, Artest – who has been battling a left thumb injury – asked to play and was rebuffed by Kings coach Reggie Theus. It made for an incongruous ending, as the opposite scenario had been the norm for the six months that came before when Artest would often alert the team of his status late and still play."

"Artest says he won't opt out of the final year of his contract (at $7.4 million), and if he returns, Petrie and the Maloofs have to plot accordingly. His trade value (and expiring contract) will be tempting, though there is zero likelihood of reuniting Artest with former Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh, now with the New York Knicks."

"Sometimes it is what the opponents say that means the most. The Kings kept it close Monday, earning the respect of playoff-bound San Antonio, but were unable to seal the win in the final home game of the season. "I am really impressed with them tonight," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after his team defeated the Kings 101-98 at Arco Arena. "They are not going to the playoffs, but they played for themselves, and they played for their fans. It was a crazy game." "

"Let all of those who began last October believing the Kings would win at least 38 games this season raise their hands. Mine was not raised. And that was before the Kings found out starting point guard Mike Bibby would not play until January because of injury. That was before knowing starting shooting guard Kevin Martin would miss 17 games with a groin injury. That was before knowing Ron Artest would play with bone chips in his shooting elbow and then miss time after having surgery to remove those loose bodies."

"With parity typically needed for any good rivalry, this season's Kings-Lakers dynamic was worth watching even without the level playing field. All four of their meetings will have come in the last five weeks of the season, with the Lakers having won two of three and needing another victory to claim the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs."

" With Manu Ginobili on the bench with a groin injury and Tim Duncan wearing a scowl to match his fouls in the fourth quarter, Parker equaled season highs with 32 points and 11 assists to help lift the Spurs to a 101-98 victory at Sacramento that salvaged their West Coast road trip."

"On concept alone, the notion seems to reflect a Kings season of immense success and elite play. The Western Conference championship goes through them. No, really. It does. Ignore the sub-.500 record. It's the scheduling anomaly combined with the Kings' recent penchant for dragon slaying that has kept them relevant until the end, even if the only real role is that of party crasher. "

"Ron Artest could hear the sound of disappointed fans at this time last season. The collective unease growled through Arco Arena as the Kings lost their final four home games. "Last year, there were a lot of boos," Artest said before tallying 22 points Saturday against New Orleans in a game that brought fans to their feet. With the 94-91 win, the Kings have won four of their last five games at Arco and enter tonight's home finale against San Antonio with a 26-14 record there. "

"The Kings will be the first team to send a season-ticket holder as its official representative to the NBA draft lottery. The winner of the team's "luckiest season ticket holder" contest will accompany Kings co-owner Phil Maloof to Secaucus, N.J., for the May 20 lottery, to be televised by ESPN."

"The Spurs hold a slight advantage (35-34) in the all-time series at Arco Arena , and lead the season series 2-1. In the Kings' home finale, rookie Spencer Hawes gets his sixth start at center in place of injured Brad Miller. Hawes is averaging 12.7 points on 52.2 percent shooting from the field as a starter."

"Western Conference-leading New Orleans was the first to meet the Sacramento roadblock as the Kings defeated the Hornets 94-91 Saturday night at Arco Arena."

"One night after a strange loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Hornets lost to the Sacramento Kings 94-91 at Arco Arena. The Hornets trailed at halftime for the third time in four games and rallied to take a lead in the third quarter, but could not hold on."

"The status quo would have been just fine. It would have been validation for Kevin Martin, showing that the breakout season was no aberration and that he merited consideration in the upper class of the league's best scorers. But the Kings shooting guard took it further. Much further."

"Byron Scott's coaching career began unofficially in Greece, where as an opposing player, he helped convince a young Peja Stojakovic to test the NBA. He subsequently spent two productive seasons on Rick Adelman's staff, twice guided the New Jersey Nets into the Finals, and after Hurricane Katrina destroyed a city and displaced a franchise, emerged as a stabilizing influence on the shaken, injury-depleted New Orleans Hornets."

"Q: How was the rookie hazing compared to what you expected? A: It wasn't really that bad. I had to do little chores here and there, without explanation. If a guy needed something, I had to go get it."

"They all wore headbands, just like the kind Brad Miller had worn for so many years. But the Kings center wasn't on the floor with them, and that was really the point of it all. His teammates who downed Portland 103-86 Friday night at Arco Arena donned the white accessories from beginning to end, in honor of the player whose season ended with a leg problem and elbow ailment that required arthroscopic surgeryFriday."

"Kings forward Shelden Williams went to great lengths to support his girlfriend and recent No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, Candace Parker - 2,916 miles, to be exact."

"The Hornets that the Kings faced in the Oct. 31 regular-season opener were expected to be a formidable bunch, but nothing nearly as dangerous as they've become."

"Kings center Brad Miller is scheduled for surgery today to remove a bone chip from his right elbow. The team said Tuesday that Miller would miss the rest of the season with the injury, as well as a stress fracture in his left leg. Team physician Richard Marder will perform today's surgery at UC Davis Medical Center."

"If the NBA had retained the Comeback Player of the Year Award, the trophy should have gone to Brad Miller. He didn't overcome a serious substance abuse problem or recover from reconstructive knee surgery. He didn't haul himself out of bed after suffering from a yearlong bout of mononucleosis. But he was a goner. He flatlined. For the better part of the previous two seasons, the veteran center, who will undergo arthroscopic surgery today to remove a bone chip from his right elbow, resembled a 7-foot walking corpse instead of a slick-passing, two-time All-Star. And then, suddenly, flickers of life ?"

"Head to head: The Kings lead the season series against Portland 2-1 entering the final meeting. The last time they faced Portland (March 13), the Kings stopped an 11-game streak in which they gave up 100 or more points with a 96-85 victory at Arco Arena."

""I know you can do it," Theus said It had taken less than a minute for the focus to turn from Golden State's 140-132 win on Tuesday night to the discussion on what would come next. The future, for all its uncertainty, is certain to include Hawes as a focal point, and that will only grow brighter so long as this sort of communication continues."

"Against the same depleted Kings that tripped up the Nuggets three nights earlier, the Warriors did not trail in winning 140-132 before a sellout crowd at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night."

" With that in mind, the Warriors took a solid first step toward repeating as the Western Conference's No. 8 seed, keeping pace with the Denver Nuggets by holding fast in a look-ma-no-defense, 140-132 victory against a depleted yet surprisingly frisky Kings squad."

"Ron Artest unfailingly keeps them guessing. His teammates, who shake their heads in resignation. His head coach, who is still new to all this, and given the time of the season, isn't inclined to incite further controversy. His bosses, who await a decision regarding his potential free agency."

"The resurgent season of Kings center Brad Miller has come to an end. The Kings center will miss the remainder of the season because of a stress fracture in his left leg and a bone chip in his right elbow."

"Should the Kings fall, they would lose a season series to the Warriors in back-to-back seasons for the first time since a stretch from 1992 to 1994, when Golden State won six of eight meetings. The Kings lost 103-96 at Arco Arena on Nov. 28 and again on Feb. 9 (105-102 in Oakland), then beat the Warriors 122-105 at home March 18."

"It has come down to this. Spoiler roles. Silver linings. Rivalry games. Mucking it up, as Kings coach Reggie Theus has said so often recently. Tonight at Golden State, the fate of this historic Western Conference playoff race could be on the line. "It just gives the guys a little extra juice to play," Theus said of the chance to affect the race. "To have an effect on what's going to happen in the West is a good thing.""

"The Kings looked like the Lakers of old. One man trying to take on five. Dribbles outnumbering passes by a margin of at least 100 to one. Ron Artest was playing the part of Kobe Bryant, and not playing it nearly as well. After the Kings' stunning upset in Denver came without Artest and with a commitment to sharing the ball that has been seldom seen this season, they couldn't overcome their own star in a 114-92 loss to the Lakers Sunday night at Arco Arena. "

"The Lakers gave the Kings a little slack in the first quarter but reeled it back quickly in a convincing 114-92 victory Sunday at Arco Arena that allowed them to keep pace with San Antonio and take a decisive step toward winning the Pacific Division."

"That was some hammer the Lakers dropped on the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter of what would become a comprehensive 114-92 victory Sunday night at Arco Arena."