Kings Bigs Should Help Kings Rise

[.GR]

Sacramento lost Sunday’s game at the L.A. Lakers (118-108), but there are still some things to like about the Kings. Here is what I saw:

* Second-year man Spencer Hawes and rookie Jason Thompson are a couple of young, hungry forwards who play hard, play smart and really seem to enjoy mixing it up inside. With occasionally physical veteran Brad Miller manning
the center position, the Kings have three real beasts on the boards.
Actually, Kings coach Reggie Theus is using two centers (Miller and
Hawes) and a power forward (Thompson) for long stretches each
game.

* Thompson was drafted 12th but is showing more pro smarts and
skills than just about any rookie I’ve seen, other than Derrick Rose
(Chicago) and Michael Beasley (Miami), and sometimes O.J. Mayo
(Memphis).

* In fact, after having watched Beasley and Thompson a couple of times each this season, I might take Thompson. The young man just plays with a TON of heart. Against the Lakers, he finished with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds. He also held his own against L.A. forwards Pau Gasol (16 points) and Vladimir Radmanovic (12) on defense. Thompson and Hawes each blocked two shots.

* Credit must go to Kings GM Geoff Petrie for taking a flyer on the big kid out of Rider. That's right -- Thompson wasn’t a blue-chip recruit coming out of high school. Nor did he play at one of those NCAA-sanctioned basketball factories. That caused some scouts to back off, wondering if he was anything more than the next Adonal Foyle -- another big man who fared well at a mid-major program (Colgate), but has spent his most of his pro career as a less-than-solid backup.

* The Kings’ trio of Hawes, Miller and Thompson outrebounded the Lakers’ starting frontcourt, 21-20. And let’s not forget, the Lakers have Andrew Bynum (10 rebounds) at center.

* That’s not to imply these three Kings have anywhere near the talent of Gasol, Radmanovic and Bynum. Rather, it’s to show that Hawes and Thompson are making some nice strides. And neither will back down when it comes to putting a body on you and leaping to the ball when it comes off the basket.

* I also like how both young forwards seem to really enjoy playing next to each other, how they both are unselfish and take only the best of shots. That says a lot for guys in their first and second seasons, when players tend to still be learning the difference between a wise decision and, well, a decision that puts you at the end of the bench to guard the water cooler.

* Basically, the Kings don’t have any All-Stars in the frontcourt (yet), but there is a fair amount of depth -- especially when Mikki Moore returns from an ankle injury. Moore isn’t anything special, but he is very athletic and seems to only know one speed (full). His energy is a nice change of pace from an otherwise fundamentally sound and methodical group, which also includes reserves Sheldon Williams and rookie Donte Green.

* In the backcourt, Beno Udrih has looked better-than-average running the point, and you can’t help but think San Antonio wishes it had held onto him a little longer (especially with the injury to Tony Parker). Udrih plays with lots of vigor and understands the idea of taking the ball to the basket for the sole purpose of creating for others. Just watch how many times he drives into the lane then kicks it to a teammate for an open jumper.

* Meanwhile, swingman John Salmons is one of those guys you’ve never heard of, but can light it up when given the opportunity. He did it all of last season when filling in for Ron Artest, and is doing it now in place of Kevin Martin -- who reminds many observers of Richard Hamilton, and who may still be the most underrated scorer in the league.

* Martin has missed the previous eight games (and counting) with an ankle injury. During that time, Salmons is averaging better than 19 points per game and has shot nearly 50 percent from the field. Salmons may not be Michael Jordan, but he’s no slouch either. Coaches love guys who can fill in at a number of positions and produce when a more prized player goes down. Salmons always seems to be that guy.

* The Kings also have a pair of 6-1 spark-plug combo guards in 11-year veteran Bobby Jackson and first-year man Bobby Brown. Jackson is now in his second stint in Sacramento, a reminder of the Kings’ glory years of Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and coach Rick Adelman. He is still a bundle of energy and defensive hustle, and can score in bunches when the need arises.

* Brown looks like a clone of the younger Jackson, after having been undrafted in 2007 and spending last season playing in Germany. Like Jackson, he’s not really a true point guard. But that's not really a problem in Theus' offense, which is often generated by the small forward.

* Yes, the Kings have lost four of the last five, and they are far from a finished product. You can bet a few more changes are coming, but regardless of what co-owner Joe Maloof says, Theus is not the problem. Instead, this is still a fairly young team that’s learning how to play together. There are bound to be chemistry issues and inconsistency. It wouldn’t matter if Red Auerbach was the coach.

* Besides that, their one win in that span came at New Orleans. They also forced a whopping 18 turnovers and played the Lakers tough until late in the fourth quarter, when Kobe Bryant took over.

* Are the Kings playoff-bound? Not likely, not even in this year’s weaker version of the Western Conference. Still, there are more than a few reasons to follow their progress (Thompson, Hawes and Martin when he returns) -- and believe that in a year or two, they could be something special with a couple of shrewd moves.