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Kings Notes: An enthusiastic practice earns Kings a free day
By Joe Davidson - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:48 am PDT Sunday, October 15, 2006
Eric Musselman greeted his group Saturday morning and laid it out nice and clear.
Produce a festive and feisty practice, the Kings' coach said, and today is all yours.
"We called it NFL family day," Musselman said of the carrot he dangled. "We went really hard today. We put 1 1/2 practices into one. We told them constantly this was an NFL family day opportunity but if they were sluggish, we'd come back (today) with another practice."
One highlight of practice was when Loren Woods took the ball from midcourt to the rim, belying his 7-foot-2 frame. Mike Bibby concluded things with a team-wide mass slide drill, in which the veteran point guard led the charge. If he moved left, everyone moved left. If he went right, everyone went right -- and quickly. If he dove on the floor, everyone did, like a fire drill.
Corliss update -- Corliss Williamson showed that he's still ready for rotation minutes at forward, scoring 10 points in the exhibition opener Thursday in Dallas. He made 5 of 7 shots, including a runner, a jump-hook, a post-up move and a bank shot a la Tim Duncan. He lasted just 30 minutes Saturday in practice before a sore back sidelined him, though Musselman said it wasn't serious.
"Corliss has had a really, really good camp," Musselman said.
Mo update -- Maurice Taylor, an eight-year veteran at power forward and center, will get his first full contact scrimmage action when the Kings resume practice Monday, Musselman said. Taylor has been slowed by a calf injury since he signed a free-agent contract early in training camp. Musselman said Taylor could play Tuesday against the Lakers in Las Vegas.
Loving the long shots -- Musselman has a soft spot for long shots to make pro basketball rosters. He was one once, a plucky, determined, driven guard. He was a fifth-round draft pick in the Continental Basketball Association in 1987.
When Musselman observes long and lean undrafted free-agent frontcourt players Louis Amundson and Justin Williams rebound, defend and run the floor, he takes notice.
"Guys like that, they know the odds are stacked against them," Musselman said. "You never know. Louis is emerging as a guy who can come out of nowhere and who can potentially make a team. Thus far, he's been a guy who has proven he can rebound. He's off to a good start."
Same with Williams, who is an inch taller than Amundson at 6-10 and every bit as active. Williams had seven points against Dallas and Amundson had four rebounds.
Said Musselman of Williams: "He's made progress. He understands it's an uphill battle, based on (veteran) contracts and experience. Whether it's with us or someone else, he's going to be in the NBA."
The Kings' roster stands at 17 after the team cut "Pooh" Jeter on Friday. NBA teams must trim their rosters to 15 by Oct. 31.
Et cetera -- Ron Artest logged 30 minutes in Dallas, the most by a King, because Musselman wanted to see him in different sets with different people. Artest made 3 of 14 shots and showed some rust by missing three consecutive putbacks during an 0-of-8 first half.
• Francisco García played 17 minutes in Dallas despite a tender hamstring. He had two highlight plays. One was setting the screen that freed Jason Hart to hit a three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer and the other came later when, diving for a loose ball, he retrieved it and fired an outlet pass from the seat of his pants, much to the delight of Musselman standing a few feet away.
• The only player not to play Thursday was 10-year veteran center Vitaly Potapenko. He has yet to pass a mandated conditioning test.
About the writer: The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at jdavidson@ sacbee.com.
Kings Notes: An enthusiastic practice earns Kings a free day
By Joe Davidson - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:48 am PDT Sunday, October 15, 2006
Eric Musselman greeted his group Saturday morning and laid it out nice and clear.
Produce a festive and feisty practice, the Kings' coach said, and today is all yours.
"We called it NFL family day," Musselman said of the carrot he dangled. "We went really hard today. We put 1 1/2 practices into one. We told them constantly this was an NFL family day opportunity but if they were sluggish, we'd come back (today) with another practice."
One highlight of practice was when Loren Woods took the ball from midcourt to the rim, belying his 7-foot-2 frame. Mike Bibby concluded things with a team-wide mass slide drill, in which the veteran point guard led the charge. If he moved left, everyone moved left. If he went right, everyone went right -- and quickly. If he dove on the floor, everyone did, like a fire drill.
Corliss update -- Corliss Williamson showed that he's still ready for rotation minutes at forward, scoring 10 points in the exhibition opener Thursday in Dallas. He made 5 of 7 shots, including a runner, a jump-hook, a post-up move and a bank shot a la Tim Duncan. He lasted just 30 minutes Saturday in practice before a sore back sidelined him, though Musselman said it wasn't serious.
"Corliss has had a really, really good camp," Musselman said.
Mo update -- Maurice Taylor, an eight-year veteran at power forward and center, will get his first full contact scrimmage action when the Kings resume practice Monday, Musselman said. Taylor has been slowed by a calf injury since he signed a free-agent contract early in training camp. Musselman said Taylor could play Tuesday against the Lakers in Las Vegas.
Loving the long shots -- Musselman has a soft spot for long shots to make pro basketball rosters. He was one once, a plucky, determined, driven guard. He was a fifth-round draft pick in the Continental Basketball Association in 1987.
When Musselman observes long and lean undrafted free-agent frontcourt players Louis Amundson and Justin Williams rebound, defend and run the floor, he takes notice.
"Guys like that, they know the odds are stacked against them," Musselman said. "You never know. Louis is emerging as a guy who can come out of nowhere and who can potentially make a team. Thus far, he's been a guy who has proven he can rebound. He's off to a good start."
Same with Williams, who is an inch taller than Amundson at 6-10 and every bit as active. Williams had seven points against Dallas and Amundson had four rebounds.
Said Musselman of Williams: "He's made progress. He understands it's an uphill battle, based on (veteran) contracts and experience. Whether it's with us or someone else, he's going to be in the NBA."
The Kings' roster stands at 17 after the team cut "Pooh" Jeter on Friday. NBA teams must trim their rosters to 15 by Oct. 31.
Et cetera -- Ron Artest logged 30 minutes in Dallas, the most by a King, because Musselman wanted to see him in different sets with different people. Artest made 3 of 14 shots and showed some rust by missing three consecutive putbacks during an 0-of-8 first half.
• Francisco García played 17 minutes in Dallas despite a tender hamstring. He had two highlight plays. One was setting the screen that freed Jason Hart to hit a three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer and the other came later when, diving for a loose ball, he retrieved it and fired an outlet pass from the seat of his pants, much to the delight of Musselman standing a few feet away.
• The only player not to play Thursday was 10-year veteran center Vitaly Potapenko. He has yet to pass a mandated conditioning test.
About the writer: The Bee's Joe Davidson can be reached at jdavidson@ sacbee.com.
