Kings Training Camp.
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Things that may interest only me in Kings Training Camp.
-Mikki Moore seems very eager to impress teammates and fans alike. He looks sometimes guilty of a man trying to do too much. He often credits his best season of his career in New Jersey to Jason Kidd's up-tempo play (and Nenad Kristic's injury which cost him most of the season). Mikki Moore, 32 is a high energy player, who's greatest attribute is offensive rebounding.
Playing with guys like Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and, yes, Jason Kidd will provide a near 7-footer with plenty of clean-up opportunities. Moore, and fans too, for that matter must be too blinded by his career game at ARCO last season where he abused the Kings for 22 points on 8-8 shooting.
Mikki admits to having butterflies while playing inside ARCO arena in front of the Sacramento fans, but the jitters are getting easier for him to deal with, he just hopes Kings fans wait til' the start of the regular season before judging him.
-Quincy Douby is clearly the surprise of training camp.
It's been very reminiscent of Kevin Martin's sophomore season after a queasy rookie campaign, which included be excluded from the team's playoff roster against Seattle. Martin only went to the Vegas summer league to impress the entire organization with his added bulk and confidence.
Douby also impressed subtly in Vegas, but has poured it on in the first few preseason games averaging 11.7, all the while transitioning from the two guard to the point. From where I sit, Q' will never be a point, nor should he be. He clearly is capable of bringing the ball up court but his strengths lie in creating his own opportunities, hitting the open 'j', and getting to the hoop.
- I still do not know when Mike Bibby decided he needed to create most of his looks from beyond the three-point line. I find it staggering that a guy like Mike will many nights have more then half of his attempts from beyond the three point line. Granted, Mike is a stellar shooter...well, ok he struggled famously last season in trying to find his shot, even blaming the "mallet thumb" injury to destroying his follow-through.
Mike himself said it at the beginning of last season, in the Musselman era, that he felt he became to in love with shooting the three ball. Mike's ability to get to the free throw line, or "hippity hop to the barber shop", as Jerry Reynolds would say, is what really frustrates the opposition.
-Brad Miller in cornrows....can you imagine all the white kids in Sacramento looking forward to when the Kings return from the road trip to sport they're own version of Brad's braids? I look forward to seeing their faces when they show up to the game only saddened to see that Brad has taken them out for a shaggy headed look.
At least Brad's hair wasn't the worst do we've seen inside Arco Arena. I give you Seattle's Robert Swift, ironically a Bakersfield native.
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Swift
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Miller
- Orien Green clearly has the advantage over Mustafa Shakur. It's not even close
- Even though he's a sulky 6'7" power forward, the much maligned Kenny Thomas is still the team's best rebounder.
- The Sacramento Bee ran a "contest" trying to seek a nickname for Kevin Martin, one that would replace the already claimed "K-Mart" (Denver's Kenyon Martin came first). The winner? "Speed Racer"
...yeah...really...
Ya know, maybe K-Mart isn't so bad after all. And if it is, please try harder then that!!
- Why does Gary Gerould call Reggie Theus "holmes" (not homes) and coach Theus call G-Man "Bag-a-wan"? The answer will come in my next installment.
Sean Cunningham is entering his 5th season covering the Sacramento Kings & Monarchs for Sports 1140 KHTK-AM. Sean is also the producer for the “Jim Kozimor Showgram”, which airs weeknights from 7-9pm PST on KHTK.
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