http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13830640p-14671300c.html
Royal pain: Bench woes give Kings a headache
Kenny Thomas is a leader among the team's reserves with 12 points thus far.
By Sam Amick
First things first, Kenny Thomas has no desire to fulfill his own prophecy. Just because he's said so many times he's no fan of being a reserve - that he's more comfortable, more effective as a starter - doesn't mean he wouldn't like to become the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year now that his role is such.
But it's just not happening. For him. For them.
Three games in, the Kings' bench has combined for 41 points, creating a chicken-or-the-egg scenario in which coach Rick Adelman has been distributing minutes as rarely as his reserves have been producing. As a whole, they've hit just 12 of 45 shots, all while the starting five finally heated up in a one-point inaugural win over Phoenix on Sunday night. And their woes have looked even worse against the backdrop of opposing benches gone wild - 28 bench points by New Orleans/Oklahoma City, 37 by Houston and 51 from the Suns.
League-wide, only the New Jersey Nets have been worse than the Kings, scoring 39 points in three games.
Thomas is the only proven scoring option who has seen action, a seven-year veteran surrounded by youngsters and defensive specialists. Yet in 50 minutes, he has just three field goals in 12 attempts.
"It's just different; I can't explain it," Thomas said of coming off the bench. "It's not like you can go in there and just jack up shots. You're trying to get there in the flow of the system and get good shots. I haven't been playing a lot of minutes, so it's hard to get out there and get situated, especially if you're not getting a certain amount of minutes. Maybe that's just what (Adelman) is doing right now."
And with the solid play of starting power forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the minutes may not increase anytime soon.
"It was so much easier last year," said Thomas, who showed that a bench breakout is possible in his Kings debut last season, when he scored 16 points in 30 minutes as a reserve against his old team, Philadelphia. "Maybe it's because we've got all new guys and they're young, and it's a different system, maybe, from what they're accustomed to."
Fifth-year backup point guard Jason Hart has been effective on defense but has hit just 2 of 8 shots. Rookie guard/forward Francisco García has been quiet, even more so now that he sprained his right ankle and is out for at least a few days. Second-year guard Kevin Martin has yet to show the flash he did in training camp and parts of the preseason. And center Brian Skinner, who played well on both ends during the preseason, has only played 22 minutes.
Which is more than can be said for forward Corliss Williamson, who hasn't had a chance to be big or nasty in six minutes this season. Adelman, though, insisted that three games does not a trend make, and that he simply has too many players to juggle with at present. He spoke with Williamson about the lack of minutes and said the 11-year veteran vowed to be ready when called upon.
"It's only been three games, and that question's being asked already," Adelman said. "I don't know what you expect me to do. You decide you're going to play a certain rotation with Kenny and Brian, and you've got to try it. You can't just keep throwing people in and out. You can't play 11 people, especially when you're not playing very well."
Adelman said the tinkering will continue. In the home opener against Detroit tonight, he'll mix more starters in with the reserves in an attempt to ease the pressure.
"We've just got to be better," Hart said. "I can't tell what it is. Guys have just got to get comfortable. All of us need to chip in."
Royal pain: Bench woes give Kings a headache
Kenny Thomas is a leader among the team's reserves with 12 points thus far.
By Sam Amick
First things first, Kenny Thomas has no desire to fulfill his own prophecy. Just because he's said so many times he's no fan of being a reserve - that he's more comfortable, more effective as a starter - doesn't mean he wouldn't like to become the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year now that his role is such.
But it's just not happening. For him. For them.
Three games in, the Kings' bench has combined for 41 points, creating a chicken-or-the-egg scenario in which coach Rick Adelman has been distributing minutes as rarely as his reserves have been producing. As a whole, they've hit just 12 of 45 shots, all while the starting five finally heated up in a one-point inaugural win over Phoenix on Sunday night. And their woes have looked even worse against the backdrop of opposing benches gone wild - 28 bench points by New Orleans/Oklahoma City, 37 by Houston and 51 from the Suns.
League-wide, only the New Jersey Nets have been worse than the Kings, scoring 39 points in three games.
Thomas is the only proven scoring option who has seen action, a seven-year veteran surrounded by youngsters and defensive specialists. Yet in 50 minutes, he has just three field goals in 12 attempts.
"It's just different; I can't explain it," Thomas said of coming off the bench. "It's not like you can go in there and just jack up shots. You're trying to get there in the flow of the system and get good shots. I haven't been playing a lot of minutes, so it's hard to get out there and get situated, especially if you're not getting a certain amount of minutes. Maybe that's just what (Adelman) is doing right now."
And with the solid play of starting power forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the minutes may not increase anytime soon.
"It was so much easier last year," said Thomas, who showed that a bench breakout is possible in his Kings debut last season, when he scored 16 points in 30 minutes as a reserve against his old team, Philadelphia. "Maybe it's because we've got all new guys and they're young, and it's a different system, maybe, from what they're accustomed to."
Fifth-year backup point guard Jason Hart has been effective on defense but has hit just 2 of 8 shots. Rookie guard/forward Francisco García has been quiet, even more so now that he sprained his right ankle and is out for at least a few days. Second-year guard Kevin Martin has yet to show the flash he did in training camp and parts of the preseason. And center Brian Skinner, who played well on both ends during the preseason, has only played 22 minutes.
Which is more than can be said for forward Corliss Williamson, who hasn't had a chance to be big or nasty in six minutes this season. Adelman, though, insisted that three games does not a trend make, and that he simply has too many players to juggle with at present. He spoke with Williamson about the lack of minutes and said the 11-year veteran vowed to be ready when called upon.
"It's only been three games, and that question's being asked already," Adelman said. "I don't know what you expect me to do. You decide you're going to play a certain rotation with Kenny and Brian, and you've got to try it. You can't just keep throwing people in and out. You can't play 11 people, especially when you're not playing very well."
Adelman said the tinkering will continue. In the home opener against Detroit tonight, he'll mix more starters in with the reserves in an attempt to ease the pressure.
"We've just got to be better," Hart said. "I can't tell what it is. Guys have just got to get comfortable. All of us need to chip in."