Garcia. For his dam leadership. The team would be an absolute mockery if it wasnt for cisco, who knows how the youngsters would have reacted to our miserable start without someone to guide them. Dam you could argue that currently hes our most important player over reke and boogie for what he brings off the court.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/04/3297328/ailene-voisin-garcias-leadership.html
They don't even know what to call Francisco García anymore. Older brother. Resident shrink. Head cheerleader. The man who sticks their faces in the mirror. The after-hours coach who prods them away from the pubs and into the Kings' practice facility, sometimes into the wee hours.
"Cisco, man, we would be lost without Cisco," second-year forward Omri Casspi said. "He's a brother to me. You can turn to him about anything, and he tells you straight. He has helped me with so many things, made me a better teammate."
This is usually how it happens. Leaders emerge. They aren't anointed. While García has been a significant presence in the locker room the past few seasons, his influence has never been more appreciated than in these past several weeks.
On any given night during the Kings' early-season skid, the sixth-year pro has done the following: Coaxed teammates out of funks. Scolded teammates for overreacting to fouls. Prodded teammates into the huddle. Barked at teammates to pass the ball. And though he stands only 6-foot-7 and weighs 195 pounds, the oldest (30) and longest-tenured King isn't afraid of anyone. He stretches up onto his toes, gets up onto the soapbox, and goes face to face with beefy, 6-11 rookie DeMarcus Cousins.
"Cisco has done everything to me," Cousins said with a grin. "He yells at me, tells me to calm down, doesn't want me throwing my headband. He can motivate me, get me mad as well. But he knows what it's like, too, because he used to have a real temper, and he's been there for good and bad times. We listen to him."
Undoubtedly, García inherited a tough job. This isn't affable Vlade Divac presiding over a veteran locker room with championship-caliber talent. Many of the current Kings should be prepping for an English Lit exam. Most are still learning how to set an alarm clock. And all are discovering that rebuilding a franchise from the ground floor can be a long, tedious, erratic process.
Roles are ill-defined. Lineups and rotations fluctuate. Auditions are conducted nightly. Trade chatter is a constant. Working for the Kings right now is like playing dodge ball at the local YMCA; you want to avoid the hit while distinguishing yourself and earning more minutes on the court.
"Did I know what I was getting into?" García said, laughing. He shakes his head. "How could I?"
The feisty, but unfailingly good-natured native of the Dominican Republic has endured his own trials. Remember when a swaggering young Cisco would yank his jersey out of his shorts and smirk when the refs weren't looking? How many times did Geoff Petrie lecture about macho behavior, only to see the stunt repeated during the following game?
"I was pretty bad," García admitted with a grin. "I was just young. That's what I try to tell these guys. Keep listening, and keep working."
García has always been a worker. This is a gym rat. His late-night visits to the practice facility have added more than a few bucks to the Kings' electric bills. No, his issues are lousy timing and bad luck. Who breaks a forearm and damages a wrist in a freak weightlifting session that forces him to miss the first 52 games last season?
Right. Lousy timing. Bad luck. But as García demonstrated in Sunday's victory over the Phoenix Suns, he has reemerged as a versatile blend player who can rebound (11) and defend multiple positions (three blocks). He is also the club's most consistent long-range shooter and one of the few Kings who intuitively makes the extra pass. While most of his teammates initiate scoring opportunities off the dribble – and mostly for themselves – Cisco will catch and shoot, or catch and pass, moving the defenses and providing angles and open looks.
And then, like he says, his additional duties persist into the night. For effect, he grabs his cell phone and points to a list of phone numbers. Donté Greene played few minutes Sunday and needed a call. Casspi (good game) needed a slap on the back. Tyreke Evans struggled again (sore foot) and needed some encouragement. Pooh Jeter (four assists) needed another one-on-one session in the practice facility.
García shrugged, then grinned. He's just happy to have a job.
