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Kings notes: Will Kings gamble on former Runnin' Rebel?
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, October 18, 2006
LAS VEGAS-Louis Amundson, NBA unknown, stepped back into his personal spotlight Tuesday night, returning to Thomas & Mack Center as at least a temporary member of the Kings.
Whether he becomes an actual King by making it to opening night remains to be seen. But for at least a night, the UNLV product had the chance to play in a most familar setting.
"It's real cool," Amundson said. "Obviously, it's everything you could imagine for me."
Seeing old friends. Playing on campus again.
Being hounded for tickets.
"I could only come up with 15," he said. "But I needed a lot more."
The story of his current basketball life. Amundson is scraping to make the Kings, too, staying in contention for one of the final roster spots against the long odds of being a power forward on a team that already has Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Maurice Taylor, Kenny Thomas as roster locks, with Corliss Williamson playing there and small forward.
"He had a great summer league, and he kind of gives us that dimension that we need," coach Eric Musselman said. "He doesn't need the ball. As a matter of fact, he won't get the ball."
Amundson has made an impression, in other words, by filling a role in doing the dirty work. He's used to that -- he averaged just 7.2 points at UNLV but also finished seventh in career rebounds and 11th in career blocks, a creditable standing for a program with a great history.
He also left with a degree in university studies, graduating cum laude in May 2005 as a four-time member of the Mountain West Conference All-Academic team. He even started on a second degree, in finance, but hasn't made much progress in recent months.
"No," Amundson said. "No time right now."
Rest stop -- There was no sighting of the opposing star this time, either.
A game after facing the Dallas Mavericks without Dirk Nowitzki, the Kings got the Lakers without Kobe Bryant, as expected. Bryant, recovering from surgery on his right knee, only recently has started to practice as part of his return from offseason surgery on his right knee and missed the three exhibitions before Tuesday.
The Lakers say Bryant might get in one game during the exhibition season, Oct. 26, as the final tuneup for the opener five nights later against Phoenix. The superstar guard has said he will face the Suns, but it is not known how soon he will be allowed to play on consecutive nights, an immediate issue because of the Nov. 1 trip to Golden State.
Calendar crunch -- Tuesday began a stretch in which the Kings will play three games in four nights and seven in 11. That demanding pace means no cuts are expected until at least Sunday, after games at Phoenix on Thursday, against Utah at Arco Arena on Friday and against New Orleans in Reno on Sunday.
Kings notes: Will Kings gamble on former Runnin' Rebel?
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, October 18, 2006
LAS VEGAS-Louis Amundson, NBA unknown, stepped back into his personal spotlight Tuesday night, returning to Thomas & Mack Center as at least a temporary member of the Kings.
Whether he becomes an actual King by making it to opening night remains to be seen. But for at least a night, the UNLV product had the chance to play in a most familar setting.
"It's real cool," Amundson said. "Obviously, it's everything you could imagine for me."
Seeing old friends. Playing on campus again.
Being hounded for tickets.
"I could only come up with 15," he said. "But I needed a lot more."
The story of his current basketball life. Amundson is scraping to make the Kings, too, staying in contention for one of the final roster spots against the long odds of being a power forward on a team that already has Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Maurice Taylor, Kenny Thomas as roster locks, with Corliss Williamson playing there and small forward.
"He had a great summer league, and he kind of gives us that dimension that we need," coach Eric Musselman said. "He doesn't need the ball. As a matter of fact, he won't get the ball."
Amundson has made an impression, in other words, by filling a role in doing the dirty work. He's used to that -- he averaged just 7.2 points at UNLV but also finished seventh in career rebounds and 11th in career blocks, a creditable standing for a program with a great history.
He also left with a degree in university studies, graduating cum laude in May 2005 as a four-time member of the Mountain West Conference All-Academic team. He even started on a second degree, in finance, but hasn't made much progress in recent months.
"No," Amundson said. "No time right now."
Rest stop -- There was no sighting of the opposing star this time, either.
A game after facing the Dallas Mavericks without Dirk Nowitzki, the Kings got the Lakers without Kobe Bryant, as expected. Bryant, recovering from surgery on his right knee, only recently has started to practice as part of his return from offseason surgery on his right knee and missed the three exhibitions before Tuesday.
The Lakers say Bryant might get in one game during the exhibition season, Oct. 26, as the final tuneup for the opener five nights later against Phoenix. The superstar guard has said he will face the Suns, but it is not known how soon he will be allowed to play on consecutive nights, an immediate issue because of the Nov. 1 trip to Golden State.
Calendar crunch -- Tuesday began a stretch in which the Kings will play three games in four nights and seven in 11. That demanding pace means no cuts are expected until at least Sunday, after games at Phoenix on Thursday, against Utah at Arco Arena on Friday and against New Orleans in Reno on Sunday.
