Westphal said Thompson did a good job rebounding and “reading the situations when the ball came to him offensively.”
Mason, the veteran guard trying to make the team after playing in only 39 games for Oklahoma City because of a knee injury, was aggressive on offense and defense, Westphal said.
Click that link above for more news and notes from the day.
Your friend and mine, Sam Amick, is reporting that Tyreke Evans sat out the Kings night scrimmage on the first day of training camp due to an apparent knee injury.
One of the more surprising moments for me on Media Day was walking upon an interview between Carmichael Dave and Mid-Level Exceptional point guard, Beno Udrih.
It’s no big revelation that Beno was the ire of a lot of fan’s frustration last season and rightfully so. At times, it appeared as if he didn’t seem to care much about basketball success because he hit the jackpot with his 5-year, $30 million contract during the 2008 off-season. The weird thing is by the numbers, Beno had a pretty comparable 2008-2009 campaign with the Kings as he did in the 2007-2008 season when he seemingly came out of nowhere and pleasantly surprised Arco attendees (back when people used to attend the games in person).
Here are his numbers from his two seasons in Sacramento:
There isn’t a whole lot of difference in the two seasons. But there was clearly something missing in his game. You could see it when you watched his movements and demeanor on the court. He just wasn’t the same confident guy. Tom Ziller did a great “deconstruction” of Beno in a post, showing a correlation between Udrih’s three-point shooting and his confidence as a player. And really, the three-point shooting is the only significant drop off in his production between the two years.
So why was Beno so down last year? Perhaps it was his frustration with feeling that he wasn’t involved with this team at all:
While I think a lot of this has to do with sour grapes because of his fall off in fan acceptance and feeling like he was unfairly ignored in the Kings offensive scheme, he could still have a valid point. Monday night, I went back and watched the January 14th game between the Kings and Warriors — a game that went to triple overtime and ended by the hands of John Salmons. The Kings were victorious 135-133 after 63 minutes of basketball. In that game, Beno Udrih played 56 minutes and finished with 17 points and 7 assists. He shot just 7/21 from the field and 0/5 from long range (part of that falling confidence) but there were moments in which he shined.
During his time on the court, Beno was involved in quite a few pick and roll plays. And in those plays, he looked extremely comfortable on the court — much more comfortable than I ever remember seeing him last season. Now, if the Kings ran a Stockton-Malone type of offense with Beno and either Spencer or JT, would Beno Udrih be worth his contract? Probably not. But perhaps, he’s been written off too early by everybody (including myself). I still don’t think he has any business starting in this league but if his role is defined and it’s as the backup point guard, does anybody think that he can be worth more value than frustration for this squad?
Personally, I would much rather watch the point guard combination of Tyreke Evans and Sergio Rodriguez. They have the potential for a lot more firepower and this team needs more than just a competent P&R point man. But this was an educational look into where Beno’s psyche is heading in the second year of an albatrossian deal.
In talking to him today and observing other interviews, you can see why Geoff Petrie and Paul Westphal are so high on him as a person and a player even if many fans are confused by the signing. Ultimately, it’s still just a non-guaranteed contract and he might not even make it to the regular season with this team, let alone stick around long enough to have his entire salary for the season become set in the Kings’ payroll.
On Media Day, Desmond talked about what the game means to him now, why he signed with Sacramento, and the exclusivity of having his email address:
With guys like Donte Greene and Omri Casspi in need of a good test early on, I still think it would be beneficial to employ Mason for the entire year. They need to gradually prove they belong in this team’s long-term plans and he can be that stepping stone.
Despite having a fairly successful rookie season (after being a surprise pick in the 2008 Draft), Jason Thompson’s place in the NBA somewhat seems to be in question. His averages of 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game were very encouraging but the fact that he lead the entire NBA in personal fouls raised serious questions about his defensive potential.
Much like another promising power forward/center combo in Minnesota, the duo of Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson will be questioned as a legitimate building block until they learn how to be effective defenders inside.
With that said, Jason Thompson seems to be poised and ready to improve in his second season in the NBA. During his time with reporters, bloggers, and the like on Media Day, JT showed that his confidence shouldn’t be questioned. He was calm, candid, and jovial in talking to whoever shoved a tape recorder, iPhone, or video camera in his face. Here’s what he had to say:
If you don’t read The Baseline from The Sporting Blog every day then you’re doing yourself and your basketball world quite a disservice. Also, if you’re not trying to consume one of their head writers, Bethlehem Shoals, on a daily basis then I don’t know what to tell you about where your life is headed. Let’s just say you should rectify that immediately. If you do keep up with The Baseline and one of the main cogs of Free Darko (Shoals) then keep on keepin’ on.
Blog superstar: I know that blogs exist primarily to jock guys who say funny stuff and take pictures of themselves with the cast of Fraggle Rock, but we also have an ethical duty to promote players just not getting the attention they should. I think we’ve done a pretty good job already extolling the infinite virtues of Martin. So how about turning our attention to Francisco Garcia, a multi-faceted G/F who’s both exciting and smart, and one of the best Latino players in the Association (always an intriguing phenomenon)? Has “cult favorite” written all over him.
I recommend clicking the link and reading the rest of what Shoals has to say on the Kings. He gives his picks for who is most likely to break out, why else you should care about the Kings, and more.
“Back then it bothered me,” Divac said. “From this distance, I am OK. I know we didn’t win [the] championship, but I think we were a championship team.
“People here [in America] are making a big deal about ring or no ring. I was playing against the Lakers and I remember someone [in the crowd] shouted, ‘How many rings you got?’ I told him one. He looked at me [funny], so I said, ‘I got one in ’89 when I got married, I got a ring from my wife.’ That’s the most important thing.”
In a subsequent conversation, Divac adds: “It doesn’t bother me at all. I think we did something special [in Sacramento]. … People around the world, not just in Sacramento, liked to watch [that team]. So that was, right there, [a] big accomplishment for our team. … In my heart, I believe we were the champions. We didn’t win, but we played the way champions should play.”
Typical Vlade. Always a great guy and he always seemed to have things in the proper perspective. You should really take a few minutes, click the link and read the entire piece by Marc Stein. It’s a great glimpse into a great man.
