http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13702923p-14545584c.html
By Joe Davidson
Three veterans of the training camp grind are glad it's over. The games are here. Goodbye 31/2-hour sessions of running and scrimmages, welcome back the normalcy of frequent games and frequent-flyer miles.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim has endured 10 training camps now. This one, he said, left him slumping against the wall every afternoon. Same with Mike Bibby, now in his eighth season.
And Brad Miller made it a habit of dipping his feet into a tub of ice after practices last week, feeling like a mailman who just walked 16 miles.
"You do enough of these camps, and you can't wait for the games," said Miller, also in his eighth season. "You're ready to have one of the guys who really needs time on the floor to take over for you."
Miller can relate to both sides of training camp. He went undrafted out of Purdue, received his first taste of pro ball in Italy and then hustled through NBA camps to audition, much like the current host of Kings hopefuls. Now he dreads the process but is ever so thankful for that paycheck.
And Bibby. He sized it up simply.
"It gets old," he said before laughing at how geriatric he sounded. "And I'm getting older. I feel it."
The young guys who worked all camp for some of those precious preseason minutes are still waiting. Luis Flores, Rickey Paulding, Eric Sandrin, Luke Schenscher and Erik Daniels were all fixed to the bench against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. Jamal Sampson and Ronnie Price played the last two minutes of a lost game.
Christie flashback - During a timeout in a 2004 playoff game against Dallas, Doug Christie ripped into his Kings teammates for lethargic play.
The Kings went on to win the game and take the series, their last playoff series conquest. Christie averaged 13 points, five assists and 39 minutes in the series. He now plays for Dallas, though he did not suit up Tuesday.
Said Kings coach Rick Adelman: "I hope it works for him in Dallas. I think he's got several years left. He can find his role and complement them and be very valuable."
Admiring DC - Bonzi Wells said he was disappointed not to see Christie in action, thinking that a hobbled Christie would be a bit easier to score against than a healthy version.
"Doug was always my nemesis," said Wells, the Kings' new shooting guard. "He's so good on defense. It took me awhile and a lot of film to figure him out, and he'd still be tough."
House guests - The Kings and Maloof Sports & Entertainment team members will host five families displaced by Hurricane Katrina today at Basketball Town in Rancho Cordova.
MS&E departments have "adopted" a family and will set them up with gift baskets, Kings gear and tickets to the Kings- Warriors preseason game Sunday at Arco Arena. Today, Kings players will play hoops and arcade games with children from those families at Basketball Town.
By Joe Davidson
Three veterans of the training camp grind are glad it's over. The games are here. Goodbye 31/2-hour sessions of running and scrimmages, welcome back the normalcy of frequent games and frequent-flyer miles.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim has endured 10 training camps now. This one, he said, left him slumping against the wall every afternoon. Same with Mike Bibby, now in his eighth season.
And Brad Miller made it a habit of dipping his feet into a tub of ice after practices last week, feeling like a mailman who just walked 16 miles.
"You do enough of these camps, and you can't wait for the games," said Miller, also in his eighth season. "You're ready to have one of the guys who really needs time on the floor to take over for you."
Miller can relate to both sides of training camp. He went undrafted out of Purdue, received his first taste of pro ball in Italy and then hustled through NBA camps to audition, much like the current host of Kings hopefuls. Now he dreads the process but is ever so thankful for that paycheck.
And Bibby. He sized it up simply.
"It gets old," he said before laughing at how geriatric he sounded. "And I'm getting older. I feel it."
The young guys who worked all camp for some of those precious preseason minutes are still waiting. Luis Flores, Rickey Paulding, Eric Sandrin, Luke Schenscher and Erik Daniels were all fixed to the bench against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. Jamal Sampson and Ronnie Price played the last two minutes of a lost game.
Christie flashback - During a timeout in a 2004 playoff game against Dallas, Doug Christie ripped into his Kings teammates for lethargic play.
The Kings went on to win the game and take the series, their last playoff series conquest. Christie averaged 13 points, five assists and 39 minutes in the series. He now plays for Dallas, though he did not suit up Tuesday.
Said Kings coach Rick Adelman: "I hope it works for him in Dallas. I think he's got several years left. He can find his role and complement them and be very valuable."
Admiring DC - Bonzi Wells said he was disappointed not to see Christie in action, thinking that a hobbled Christie would be a bit easier to score against than a healthy version.
"Doug was always my nemesis," said Wells, the Kings' new shooting guard. "He's so good on defense. It took me awhile and a lot of film to figure him out, and he'd still be tough."
House guests - The Kings and Maloof Sports & Entertainment team members will host five families displaced by Hurricane Katrina today at Basketball Town in Rancho Cordova.
MS&E departments have "adopted" a family and will set them up with gift baskets, Kings gear and tickets to the Kings- Warriors preseason game Sunday at Arco Arena. Today, Kings players will play hoops and arcade games with children from those families at Basketball Town.