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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12543855p-13399109c.html
Welcome, neighbors! Now, get in and rebound
The three newest Kings are just getting used to the area, but they're already earning a home in fans' hearts.
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, March 11, 2005
They all took cabs to their first Kings home game, two of them not knowing Capitol Mall from Interstate 5.
They're still trying to find their way around town, less than a week since landing in their new city.
And the hotel life? Weary of all of it already.
But on the floor, new Kings Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner and Corliss Williamson have collectively rediscovered their comfort zone. They have granted the Kings immediate dividends while becoming sudden fan favorites for their sheer effort and hustle alone.
It turns out this was no lopsided trade, no three-for-one package that had franchise cornerstone Chris Webber heading east to Philadelphia for three journeymen forwards who outside Williamson, a Kings stalwart from 1995-2000, were light on the name-recognition scale.
The Kings, with their new cogs fitting right in, are still talking postseason. Philly fans have grown hoarse with all the booing of Webber already in an increasingly lost season of hope.
"I don't know what was going on here in the past, but now that the three of us are here, we know what we can do, what this team needs us to do, and that's to do all the dirty work, things that a lot of guys don't like to do," Thomas said.
So far, they've been plenty down and dirty:
* Skinner, long and lean at 6-foot-9 with the shaved head, the hearty thatch jutting from his chin and with an affinity for frogs, came aboard in the nick of time. He has spelled an ailing Brad Miller at center. In five starts, Skinner said he has been rejuvenated after a slow rot at the end of the Philadelphia bench, and he's injected the Kings with a sorely missed element of blocked shots and rebounds as a general inside presence.
* Thomas, an only child, a pro wrestling fan and a 6-7 banger with a soft shooting touch whose scowl only comes off well away from the arena, is suddenly the quickest, most explosive power forward in Kings gear in years. He's a nice rotation piece to go with the reliable Darius Songaila.
* And Williamson is a familiar face with the familiar smile and brutish basketball ability. He's a little more seasoned since the last time Kings fans called him one of their own.
He still goes by "Big Nasty" for his ability to play bigger than his 6-7 size and to get, well, nasty. He'll still get as involved in the community as any man on the roster. And he's the most decorated of the new bunch and the existing Kings crop. He packs an NBA championship ring from his Detroit Pistons run last season, a huge, heavy, gaudy piece that turns heads at the sheer spectacle of the thing.
The Kings are 4-4 since plugging in the new pieces, with the team yet to have all available pieces healthy and ready for a game.
"That would be nice," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said. "The new guys, they all add something a little different. So far, it's been a pretty quick fix."
Now if they can find a quick home. Each is looking for something more permanent to live in besides a rented bed.
"I'm looking for a condo today," Williamson said Thursday. "It'll be nice to finally have a place to call home. A hotel isn't home. Living in a hotel at 'home' and on the road, it gets old."
Williamson has more familiarity around Sacramento than his former Philly mates. Thomas' best friend from high school - Adam Orzen - lives in Sacramento. Skinner knows Thomas and Williamson and that's about it. He said he especially misses his kids, and he'll write the names of his two little girls - Avery and Madison - on his shoes before every game. Thomas has a 5-year-old son, Matthew, who'd much prefer to watch this NBA stuff in person rather then cell-phone updates.
Williamson's wife, Michelle, is due in May with their third child, meaning she can't just hop on a plane whenever she wants to come West.
"That's the one downside of this job, you leave and your family stays behind," Williamson said.
Former first-round picks all, none exactly likes the label of journeymen. But they have been NBA vagabonds with at least three stops each. And all season, each knew they could be uprooted and moved out.
Skinner said he was thrilled at the chance of a fresh start. After producing solid numbers in Milwaukee with 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 2003-04, he signed with Philadelphia last summer as a free agent. And then mostly sat.
"I was looking to get traded," Skinner said. "I didn't say that in Philly because I didn't want to cause any dissension. When you don't play, and you don't know why, you lose something. It's not fun. It couldn't have gotten any worse there. I was at the bottom of the totem pole."
It's interesting to watch Skinner when he comes off the floor, the sweat running off his thatch like a slow drip. When Adelman pats him on the back, he pats the coach right back, as if to say, "thanks for the minutes."
Skinner was a late bloomer. He was a scholar growing up in Texas, where he would spend hours in the yard fetching spiders, lizards and frogs. He had a growth spurt as a teenager that was so sudden his joints hurt. He chose Baylor, where he became the school's all-time shot-blocker and where he earned a degree in environmental studies.
Thomas emerged as a national recruit in New Mexico, deemed "Baby Shaq" for his size and emphatic dunks. He was courted by every major program from Connecticut to UCLA. He chose the University of New Mexico, thus becoming the biggest blue chip prospect to do so in the program's 85-year history.
Thomas powered the program to its best four-year run, going 120-30.
Thomas didn't have any siblings growing up, but he had his parents and his beloved grandmother, Ruby Neil McCarty. He missed Tuesday's home game against Memphis to attend her funeral in Georgia.
Not one to hide his emotions or his opinion, Thomas said he'd much prefer to be a starter with the Kings, but he was quick to add that Songaila has been rock solid. So he said he'll set out to contribute any way he can.
Williamson has come full circle. The only holdover from his first stint is Peja Stojakovic. He has proven his worth as a starter with the Kings, averaging 17 points in 1997-98, and he was named the 2001-02 NBA Sixth Man of the Year with Detroit. Now Williamson has more Kings collectibles and gear to add to his first haul, all piling up in his off-season home in Arkansas. "Coming back here," he said, "it's like coming home again."
Welcome, neighbors! Now, get in and rebound
The three newest Kings are just getting used to the area, but they're already earning a home in fans' hearts.
By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Friday, March 11, 2005
They all took cabs to their first Kings home game, two of them not knowing Capitol Mall from Interstate 5.
They're still trying to find their way around town, less than a week since landing in their new city.
And the hotel life? Weary of all of it already.
But on the floor, new Kings Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner and Corliss Williamson have collectively rediscovered their comfort zone. They have granted the Kings immediate dividends while becoming sudden fan favorites for their sheer effort and hustle alone.
It turns out this was no lopsided trade, no three-for-one package that had franchise cornerstone Chris Webber heading east to Philadelphia for three journeymen forwards who outside Williamson, a Kings stalwart from 1995-2000, were light on the name-recognition scale.
The Kings, with their new cogs fitting right in, are still talking postseason. Philly fans have grown hoarse with all the booing of Webber already in an increasingly lost season of hope.
"I don't know what was going on here in the past, but now that the three of us are here, we know what we can do, what this team needs us to do, and that's to do all the dirty work, things that a lot of guys don't like to do," Thomas said.
So far, they've been plenty down and dirty:
* Skinner, long and lean at 6-foot-9 with the shaved head, the hearty thatch jutting from his chin and with an affinity for frogs, came aboard in the nick of time. He has spelled an ailing Brad Miller at center. In five starts, Skinner said he has been rejuvenated after a slow rot at the end of the Philadelphia bench, and he's injected the Kings with a sorely missed element of blocked shots and rebounds as a general inside presence.
* Thomas, an only child, a pro wrestling fan and a 6-7 banger with a soft shooting touch whose scowl only comes off well away from the arena, is suddenly the quickest, most explosive power forward in Kings gear in years. He's a nice rotation piece to go with the reliable Darius Songaila.
* And Williamson is a familiar face with the familiar smile and brutish basketball ability. He's a little more seasoned since the last time Kings fans called him one of their own.
He still goes by "Big Nasty" for his ability to play bigger than his 6-7 size and to get, well, nasty. He'll still get as involved in the community as any man on the roster. And he's the most decorated of the new bunch and the existing Kings crop. He packs an NBA championship ring from his Detroit Pistons run last season, a huge, heavy, gaudy piece that turns heads at the sheer spectacle of the thing.
The Kings are 4-4 since plugging in the new pieces, with the team yet to have all available pieces healthy and ready for a game.
"That would be nice," Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said. "The new guys, they all add something a little different. So far, it's been a pretty quick fix."
Now if they can find a quick home. Each is looking for something more permanent to live in besides a rented bed.
"I'm looking for a condo today," Williamson said Thursday. "It'll be nice to finally have a place to call home. A hotel isn't home. Living in a hotel at 'home' and on the road, it gets old."
Williamson has more familiarity around Sacramento than his former Philly mates. Thomas' best friend from high school - Adam Orzen - lives in Sacramento. Skinner knows Thomas and Williamson and that's about it. He said he especially misses his kids, and he'll write the names of his two little girls - Avery and Madison - on his shoes before every game. Thomas has a 5-year-old son, Matthew, who'd much prefer to watch this NBA stuff in person rather then cell-phone updates.
Williamson's wife, Michelle, is due in May with their third child, meaning she can't just hop on a plane whenever she wants to come West.
"That's the one downside of this job, you leave and your family stays behind," Williamson said.
Former first-round picks all, none exactly likes the label of journeymen. But they have been NBA vagabonds with at least three stops each. And all season, each knew they could be uprooted and moved out.
Skinner said he was thrilled at the chance of a fresh start. After producing solid numbers in Milwaukee with 10.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in 2003-04, he signed with Philadelphia last summer as a free agent. And then mostly sat.
"I was looking to get traded," Skinner said. "I didn't say that in Philly because I didn't want to cause any dissension. When you don't play, and you don't know why, you lose something. It's not fun. It couldn't have gotten any worse there. I was at the bottom of the totem pole."
It's interesting to watch Skinner when he comes off the floor, the sweat running off his thatch like a slow drip. When Adelman pats him on the back, he pats the coach right back, as if to say, "thanks for the minutes."
Skinner was a late bloomer. He was a scholar growing up in Texas, where he would spend hours in the yard fetching spiders, lizards and frogs. He had a growth spurt as a teenager that was so sudden his joints hurt. He chose Baylor, where he became the school's all-time shot-blocker and where he earned a degree in environmental studies.
Thomas emerged as a national recruit in New Mexico, deemed "Baby Shaq" for his size and emphatic dunks. He was courted by every major program from Connecticut to UCLA. He chose the University of New Mexico, thus becoming the biggest blue chip prospect to do so in the program's 85-year history.
Thomas powered the program to its best four-year run, going 120-30.
Thomas didn't have any siblings growing up, but he had his parents and his beloved grandmother, Ruby Neil McCarty. He missed Tuesday's home game against Memphis to attend her funeral in Georgia.
Not one to hide his emotions or his opinion, Thomas said he'd much prefer to be a starter with the Kings, but he was quick to add that Songaila has been rock solid. So he said he'll set out to contribute any way he can.
Williamson has come full circle. The only holdover from his first stint is Peja Stojakovic. He has proven his worth as a starter with the Kings, averaging 17 points in 1997-98, and he was named the 2001-02 NBA Sixth Man of the Year with Detroit. Now Williamson has more Kings collectibles and gear to add to his first haul, all piling up in his off-season home in Arkansas. "Coming back here," he said, "it's like coming home again."
