Tomorrow's story for the newspaper is about Chuck Hayes. It's a signing some fans groaned about, wanting a flashier name in free agency from a class of free agents that isn't star studded like last year's group that included some guy named LeBron.
Hayes, however, will be a big part of what the Kings do this season. Below are some quotes from Hayes that didn't make it into the story:
On being a 6-foot-6 center and adjusting to playing in the post in the NBA:
"If you ask me to play point guard then I'd look terrible. But playing center to me is something I've been doing my whole life."
On his defensive philosophy:
"I've got legs of a defensive lineman, but I can move them pretty quick like a guard. I just try to use it to my advantage. I figure most 7 footers, big guys, if you make them take more than one or two dribbles than it's to your advantage. You don't see too many 7 footers with a mean crossover or the handle of a point guard. So if I root them out away from the basket and make them take dribbles, more than two dribbles, I feel like I have the advantage and on the second dribble I'm going to attack his dribble."
And coach Paul Westphal on the influence Hayes might have on his teammates:
"I think that Chuck is somebody that is easy to respect. His opponents, the officials and his teammates respect Chuck because he doesn't expect anybody to give him anything and he's not going to give you anything. And that's the way this league is supposed to be."
Practice notes
Due to a scheduling change, media availability was in the morning. That means there was a lot of watching drills and no scrimmaging.
The live basketball is tonight when the media won't be around.
The team walked through the offense a lot this morning, a system that will emphasize attacking teams differently this season because of the additions of the likes of John Salmons, Jimmer Fredette and J.J. Hickson.
Ball movement looked great, but it's supposed to look great during a walkthrough.
*Adrian Oliver and Lawrence Hill took their turn making sure all the plastic bottles were off the practice floor. Rookies are fiend $100 for each bottle on the floor and they don't want to hand the veterans cash.
*Nothing new on Andrei Kirilenko today. He's definitely still a possibility. The Kings might look to make a roster move to free up more cash to sign Kirilenko.
The Kings could deal a player like Donte' Greene, who is in the last year of his rookie contract, to free up extra money that would go toward signing Kirilenko.
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