CHICAGO 109, KINGS 88
Kings plus feature (on Kevin Martin)
Daily story leading into Sunday's game against Oklahoma City (with preview box)
Ailene Voisin column on Thunder coach and former Kings assistant Scott Brooks
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I'm a sucker for structure. So even though I didn't cover the game last night and won't tomorrow either, the overtimes continue in minimized - and tardy - form. Truth be told, "Overtime" serves as a great way to be sure folks who only come to the blog don't 'miss some of the good work being done in the paper, so be sure to peek above and pick your piece...
So Melody Gutierrez reports that the Kings are without Brad Miller and Beno Udrih, which is great if you're Spencer Hawes but not so great if you're Kenny Natt. Your team has already hit rock bottom in the standings and here comes much-improved Oklahoma City to wave a finger in your face.
They are coached by Scotty Brooks, of course, the former Kings assistant who came so close to landing the Kings job a few years back. As a superflous side note to the game that so many expect to draw a record low at Arco Arena in attendance, the Kings will be doubly disappointed if they lose the game. As it stands, they already have to fly to Phoenix immediately after the game and miss the Super Bowl. They tried to charter a Jet Blue plane so they would have TVs, but that didn't happen and so it's back to watching game film.
A few more random notes and things I've heard in the last couple of days...
* Scott Howard-Cooper broke down a list of intriguing expiring contracts that could (and in some cases are) drawing the Kings' interest as the trade deadline approaches. I'd like to add one if I could, that of Detroit's Rasheed Wallace.
He has $13.6 million expiring and I've been told by a league executive that the Pistons - who have been thinking championship-or-bust for so many years now - may be looking to move another piece of their core as they fall further into mediocrity.
* I said last week that I was hearing the "Rebuilding the Kingdom" reality show was moving forward and could certainly have filming from this season.
Well now I've been told that it is expected to be picked up by TNT, which is a heck of a creative way to get the Kings on the Turner Network since their games obviously won't be worthy of that distinction anytime soon. - Sam Amick
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