| Sacramento Kings News: |
| There is a downside to all of this, to be sure.
The Kings' home opener Nov. 6 against the Seattle SuperSonics, for one, had yet to sell out as of Tuesday, and there isn't a better indicator of the climate change in Sacramento. And if the locals aren't watching as intently, the rest of the country is surely tuning out, too. The current barometer? Three national television games are on tap, a pittance compared to the 22 last season. But as first-year coach Reggie Theus tries his hand this season, even with the deck stacked against him with the recent injury to point guard Mike Bibby, the upside is hard to ignore. Lowered expectations, strange as it sounds, can be a good thing, especially for a franchise that can't very well re-sign Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Co. and re-create the eight consecutive playoff berths that remain the benchmark. Talk of 50-victory seasons has been trumped by requests for good old-fashioned effort, some offensive highlights and plenty of gusto on defense to show the fans you care. In other words, it's a return to the mid-1980s when Theus played with the Kings. "I had a conversation with my guys, and I told them, 'Hey, there are a lot of people who have already written you off. But there's crazier things that have happened,' " Theus said. And at least one player with enough blind optimism to think all will be well. "We'll be fine," Kings small forward Ron Artest said when asked about the impact of Bibby's absence. "We'll be all right. When he gets back, we'll be that much better." |
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| With a once formidable lead dwindling as the fourth quarter started Tuesday against the Orlando Magic, there was little question what had to be done for the Sacramento Kings find Mike Bibby. The fourth quarter has certainly been Bibby time of late. He connected on two game-winners at the buzzer last week to rescue the Kings from a pair of losses. Although lacking the same drama, it was Bibby coming to the rescue again against the Magic. He scored 11 of his 21 points in a span of 2:23 and finished with 15 fourth quarter points as Sacramento pulled away for the victory.
Even the modest, unassuming point guard understands with the departure of leaders like Vlade Divac, Chris Webber and Doug Christie, the Kings are now his team. "I'm one of the guys who has been here the longest. I'm the leader, that's it," said Bibby, who banked in an improbably 3-point shot last week to defeat Memphis 85-82. There is no disputing who is the leader in the Kings locker room, where five new faces have taken up regular residence since the January trade of Christie. "Definitely, Mike is our leader," Cuttino Mobley said. "We have so many good players on this team. But you need to have that general, you need to have that great point guard, and that's what Mike is." Since his arrival with the Kings, Bibby has been known as a clutch shooter. He proved that his first season, helping carry the Kings to the Western Conference finals and a memorable seven-game series with the eventual champion Lakers in 2001-02. This year Bibby has connected on nine shots with five seconds or less on the clock to end a quarter. He beat Indiana with a shot in the closing seconds last year.His most memorable clutch shot to date was a 22-footer that ignited bedlam at Arco Arena, sinking the Lakers 92-91 in Game 5 during the 2002 playoffs. The offense has clearly gone through Bibby since the departure of Webber. Bibby has averaged 22.8 points and 8.8 assists in the last 11 games (the Kings are 6-5) without Webber. "Mike makes big shots, that's what he does," Clippers guard Rick Brunson said. Buried on the Bench Greg Ostertag was supposed to give the Kings a solid presence off the bench this season. At least that was the plan when the longtime Utah Jazz center was brought in to eat up some of the minutes replacing the popular Divac, who departed for the Lakers as a free agent last summer. Ostertag broke his hand in the preseason and little has gone right since then. He has never figured in the regular rotation of Adelman. That includes now, when on paper the Kings definitely could use his presence with Brad Miller out with a broken leg and Brian Skinner playing center at 6-foot-9. Yet Adelman made it clear this week he won't be seeking regular minutes from the 7-2 Ostertag, who has averaged a mere 1.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in limited playing time. "Frankly, Greg hasn't played that well this year and he still is not in the best of shape," Adelman said. "I need to play the people who give us the best chance to win." Perhaps those words came as a challenge to Ostertag, who surprisingly admits, 65 games into the regular season he still isn't in shape. The veteran center was working out early Tuesday at the Kings' practice facility with strength and conditioning coach Al Biancani. "I have 18 games to prove myself and try to get ready for the playoffs," Ostertag said prior to the Orlando game, where he never left the bench. College Memories With the NCAA tournament starting Thursday, talk among many players is how their alma mater will fare. With six current Kings having their former team in the tournament, some serious trash talking will occur concerning March Madness. Both Bibby and Corliss Williamson were members of an NCAA championship team. Although it was 11 years ago since he was playing for Arkansas, Williamson clearly recalls the 1994 championship game in which he was named MVP. "Waiting for the clock to run down at the end of the game and cutting down the nets were some of the best feelings I have ever had in my life," Williamson said. Notes: Adelman is two wins away from his 700th victory and recently passed Red Holzman for 15th place on the all-time NBA coaching victory list. . The Kings went 4-1 on their home stand. . Skinner has blocked three or more shots six times as a King. . Kenny Thomas had 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes against Orlando. |