I was speaking with Mario Elie, who had been just hired as an assistant coach with the Kings.
Elie made his NBA career on defense and said with Greene's size (6-foot-10) and athleticism that Greene should be able to be a reliable defender every night, but he thought Greene was more concerned about scoring.
]]> Even though Greene said he would be a focused defender, that as never how things worked out conistently.For the two-plus seasons under Paul Westphal, Greene spent time as the designated defender and a lot of and sitting at the end of the bench.
Kings coach Keith Smart is giving Greene the opportunity to be that player agains, which began this week at Minnesota when Greene was asked to defend Michael Beasley and was on Ricky Rubio late in the game.
Greene was asked to do what he could to slow Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook Thursday night in the Kings' 106-101 win at Power Balance Pavilion.
This began after Greene didn't play in three consecutive games.
"I went to him quietly," Smart said. "And said 'Hey I want to look at some other people during this time. I need you to come in and do what you can do well. I looked at some tape, some video of you guarding Beasley. Defensively you can be our stopper. You can be our guy.'"
Greene didn't play in Monday's win at New Orleans. After that game Smart let Greene know he had plans for him.
"He just told me after our game in New Orleans that he needed me," Greene said. "Get back on my horse as that defensive guy. So I've been trying to stay ready, staying on top of my conditioning making sure that when my number's called I'm going to be ready."
Smart believes finding a player that can defend all the perimeter spots and even power forwards is key to a team.
So Greene is getting the chance to show he can make an NBA career out of defending.
"If you can find that utility guy and you can count on him every night," Smart said. "The team knows he's your utility guy so he's not coming in to score."
Smart said he told Greene to not settle for jumpers and to drive to the basket. A lot of times the easiest place to find Greene on the floor was standing outside the three-point line waiting for a jumper.
Greene said he's worked with the coaching staff on getting to the basket and that paid off in the fourth quarter when Greene drove to the rim and was fouled and made two free throws to give the Kings a 100-99 lead with 1:05 left in the game.
"It's transferring over to the game for me," Greene said. "The game itself is slowing down for me. Fourth year in the league now, I'm starting to see things that I hadn't seen before. So the opportunity is there, I've just to keep working."
Center DeMarcus Cousins talks about the impact of the home crowd following the Kings' win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
Kings center DeMarcus Cousins said he refers to Marcus Thornton as "Mr. Big Shot."
Head coach Keith Smart has used no such moniker for the Kings guard. But he demonstrated his confidence in Thornton nonetheless in the Kings' 106-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
But he re-entered a little more than a minute later and made three of his final four attempts, none bigger than his back-to-back three-pointers with less than three minutes left in the game.
The second tied the score at 97-97 with 2:07 remaining, after the Kings had fallen behind by eight points earlier in the quarter.
"If I lose the game, I was going to lose it with him on the floor," Smart said. "I've got to communicate to him that I understand you're struggling right now, but I trust that you're going to make some big plays at some point.
"Players have the ability to lock into a moment, to be in a zone, to make a shot that has to go down. And he has the ability to do that."
* Thornton fouled out with 25.7 seconds left and the Kings up 103-99. He was replaced by Isaiah Thomas, who immediately made an impact on defense.
After the Thunder in-bounded the ball, Thomas harassed guard Russell Westbrook into losing control of his dribble and committing Oklahoma City's 23rd and final turnover.
"I just wanted to stay in front of him," Thomas said. "He's really fast, so I knew he was going to try to (isolate) me. I just wanted to stay in front of him and I got a hand on the ball, and it went out (of bounds) off of him."
Officials made the call after a video review. Guard Tyreke Evans followed by making two free throws that turned a still tenuous lead into a more comfortable one.
* The Kings have won four of their last five games, and in three of those victories they trailed by at least seven points after halftime before rallying to win.
In the one loss during that stretch, the Kings trailed Minnesota by 11 points in the fourth quarter and came back to tie the game at one point.
"It's, I guess, normal now," Thomas said. "It's something we do. But we need to try to turn it around and play a lot better early so we can be in the game late. We can't always depend on our comebacks."
Forward Donte Greene discusses the play of the Kings' bench against the Thunder and other topics.
* The announced sellout crowd at Power Balance Pavilion was loud and energetic for much of the game. And in the opinion of star Thunder forward Kevin Durant, "it should be like this every night."
"(The Kings) are a young team that drives off of their crowd," Durant told reporters after the game. "I know when we were losing, our crowd was there every night and that helped us. They can have a really good team and they can do well at home because they have a great crowd behind them."
]]>* The atmosphere at Power Balance Pavilion was more electric than it has been against any team not named the Lakers in the past, oh, six or seven years. The place was rocking, folks.
* Donte Greene played the most complete 16 minutes of his Kings career. The numbers don't tell the full story: 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and great defense in the closing minutes against the willowly Kevin Durant. Donte used his size and length to stay in front of Durant, and contest his long jumpers, which is all you can do.
* The Kings had an arena and Sacramento-era record 17 of their shots blocked, including nine in the third quarter - six of them by Serge Ibaka. They also shot only 40 percent to the Thunder's 48. But, the Kings controlled the boards (46-40), committed only 12 turnovers to 21 assists, and beat OKC at its own game: the Kings outscored the Thunder in fastbreak points (23-19) and cominated the paint (60 points to 34).
* Oops. TNT analysts Chris Webber and Reggie Miller completely botched their update about Sacramento's arena situation. Guess they gotta read The Bee. They had Sandy Sheedy's proposal regarding the parking bids as passing and requiring a public vote, which of course, is not what happened. Mayor Kevin Johnson, seated a few feet away from me, worked his cellphone furiously, scrambling to get the accurate information to the TNT crew.
* Rookies Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas again contributed off the bench. Fredette threw nice passes and converted a three in transition, while Thomas was Russell Westbrook's worst nightmare in the closing sequences. Thomas is smaller than his listed 5-foot-9, but he is also quick and much stronger than he looks.
* As soon as the game ended, an animated DeMarcus Cousins ran over to the TNT broadcast table and was seen shaking hands with Miller and chatting with Webber. When I asked what he said to Miller, he said, "Ah, it was nothing. I just asked him, 'how do you like me now?' He said a lot of stuff about me. But he just shook my hand and we were laughing."
* Tyreke Evans had two beautiful drives at the start of the fourth quarter. Imagine if the Kings had a consistent deep shooter to put out there with him? Fredette eventually may be that guy. Marcus Thornton hits big shots, and when he is of the mind, can be a pest defensively. He has extremely quick hands. But he is a streak shooter, and in light of Evans' struggles from the perimeter, I'm not convinced this is a starting backcourt. More consistent outside shooting would lead to better spacing and open the lane, especially for Tyreke.
Head coach Keith Smart talks about Marcus Thornton's late three-pointers, Donte Greene's contributions off the bench and other topics following Thursday night's game.
Tyreke Evans scored 22 points and made some key late free throws, Donte Greene led the Kings' bench players with 10 points and the Kings closed the game on a 19-6 run to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion, 106-101.
The Kings trailed 95-87 with just under six minutes remaining in the game. But they rallied to tie it at 97-97 on the second of back-to-back three-pointers by Marcus Thornton and made 9 of 12 free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and 9 rebounds, and Jason Thompson added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who improved to 10-16.
Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 33 points and Kevin Durant added 27 points and 8 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which saw its record drop to 20-6. The Thunder shot 48.1 percent from the field, but committed 23 turnovers.
The Kings, who shot 40.4 percent, converted those turnovers into 28 points and overcame 17 blocked shots, including 10 by Thunder forward Serge Ibaka.
Though their shots were often contested inside, the Kings outscored the Thunder in the paint, 60-34. The Kings also received good minutes from their bench, which outscored Oklahoma City's reserves, 34-19.
"Considering how well we played today, we didn't shoot the ball well," said Kings head coach Keith Smart. "The one thing about this group is that they continue to show that they make some plays that can take some good NBA players out of their comfort zone. They made those guys work for what they got tonight."
Thornton had 15 points before fouling out with 25.7 seconds left and the Kings leading 103-99.
Isaiah Thomas checked in for Thornton and, after the Thunder inbounded the ball, Thomas harassed Westbrook into committing a turnover. It was originally ruled Thunder ball, but the officials reversed that ruling after a long video review.
The Kings scored 100 or more points for the fifth time this season -- and the third time in four games -- and improved to 5-0 n those games.
]]>Several times during the first half, Webber made comments about the council's vote on the arena failing. In the second half, Webber said he had talked to Johnson and again attempted to clarify but he never really explained the vote accurately and what it meant.
Yes, the vote failed - but it wasn't a vote on the arena, as Webber implied. The council rejected by a 5-4 vote a request by Sandy Sheedy to put the plan to lease the city's parking to help finance the arena up for a public vote.
Here's one of The Bee's Ryan Lillis' stories that best explains the vote and what it means.
Trailing by eight points midway through the fourth quarter, the Kings closed out the game with a 19-6 run to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at Power Balance Pavilion.
Tyreke Evans finished with a team-high 22 points for the Kings, who improved to 10-16. DeMarcus Cousins had 19 points and 9 rebounds, and Jason Thompson had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Thunder saw their Western Conference-best record drop to 20-6. Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 33 points and Kevin Durant had 27 points and 8 rebounds.
The Kings, who shot 40 percent from the floor, forced 23 turnovers and overcame a 48-percent shooting night and 17 blocked shots by the Thunder.
THIRD QUARTER
Thunder 78, Kings 76
Russell Westbrook scored 16 points in the third quarter as the Thunder took a two-point lead going into the fourth.
Westbrook leads all scorers with 27 points and has added 5 rebounds. Kevin Durant has 17 points for the Thunder.
Tyreke Evans has a team-high 16 points for the Kings, who have also received 14 points and 6 rebounds from DeMarcus Cousins, and 8 points and 9 rebounds from Jason Thompson.
Oklahoma City did an excellent job of challenging the Kings' shots after halftime. The Thunder has 14 blocks, including 9 by forward Serge Ibaka.
That has knocked down the Kings' shooting percentage, though they are still shooting above 40 percent from the floor.
The Thunder have all three of their leading scorers in double figures, but the Kings lead Oklahoma City at halftime at Power Balance Pavilion, 57-55.
Both teams shot well from the floor in the first half. The Thunder made 19 of 40 attempts (48 percent) while the Kings were 23-for-50 (46 percent).
The Kings' bench players gave them a spark, outscoring the Thunder's reserves in the half, 26-14.
Tyreke Evans leads the Kings with 12 points. Chuck Hayes scored 8 points off the bench, while Jason Thompson scored 3 points and grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds.
James Harden leads the Thunder with 14 points and 5 rebounds, while Kevin Durant has 13 points and guard Russell Westbrook has 11 points and 4 rebounds.
The Kings lead despite center DeMarcus Cousins sitting out the entire second quarter after getting into early foul trouble.
Oklahoma City committed 12 turnovers in the first half.
FIRST QUARTER
Kings 23, Thunder 19
The Kings jumped out to a fast start in front of an energetic home crowd and lead the Oklahoma City Thunder after one quarter at Power Balance Pavilion, 23-19.
The Kings took an 11-2 lead in the first three minutes, with Marcus Thornton's three-pointer from the wing capping the run.
After a timeout, the Thunder responded with a 17-5 run of its own.
But the Kings regained the lead behind a team-high 8 points from center DeMarcus Cousins and 5 points from guard Marcus Thornton. Forward Jason Thompson added 3 points and 7 rebounds. Cousins, though, also picked up three fouls in the quarter.
Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 9 points and 2 assists, while Serge Ibaka added 4 points and 4 rebounds.
The Thunder shot 41 percent from the floor (7-of-17), while the Kings shot 36 percent (10-of-28).
]]>Here are a few things to keep an eye on during the game:
1. The Kings' defense, playing better, will have its hands full. The Kings have been markedly improved on defense in their last six games, allowing an opponent to score 100 or more points just once, and that in an overtime win over the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder, one of the NBA's highest-scoring teams, will test them. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook make up one of the league's most formidable scoring duos, with sixth man James Harden averaging 16.8 points off the bench.
2. Durant likes playing in Sacramento. In five games played at Power Balance Pavilion (or then-Arco Arena) in the past three seasons, Durant has averaged 32.8 points per game. The NBA's leading scorer the past two seasons is coming off of back-to-back 33-point games, including the Thunder's shootout win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. Durant hit the eventual game-winning jumper in that game with about 15 seconds left and then blocked a potential tying shot as time expired.
4. The Kings may need to keep their energy in check. There's a lot of hoopla surrounding this game, with the "Black Thursday" theme the Kings have been promoting for weeks, the national TV broadcast and the best-in-the-West Thunder in town. The Kings should be excited for this game. But they may need to rein their emotions in a bit to make sure they're playing under control and executing. The Thunder is a fairly young team, too, but with experience under bright lights.
5. A stronger start would help. The Kings have mounted some inspired second-half comebacks lately. There would be no need, though, if they weren't letting opponents run out to early leads. This has been less of a problem at home, but it certainly won't help them to fall behind early tonight.
-- Matt Kawahara
]]>"It's going to be a fun event, there's going to be a lot of people there," Cousins said. "Playing with the other 'Rising Stars,' it'll be a lot of fun."
Cousins, who is averaging 15.3 points and 11.5 rebounds this season, played in last year's Rookie-Sophomore game and finished second behind Wizards guard John Wall for MVP honors.
* Head coach Keith Smart said he would start tonight's game with Cousins, the Kings' 6-foot-11 center, guarding Kevin Durant, the Thunder's lanky small forward and explosive scorer -- then quickly explained he was kidding.
Cousins, though, wasn't so sure he wouldn't be up to the challenge. He said he guarded Durant a few times this summer when both were playing in a Washington D.C. summer league.
"It would be a tough job," Cousins said. "But I believe I could."
* Smart said guard Isaiah Thomas' shooting hand feels "much better," and that the swelling has gone down from the small chip fracture that Thomas sustained on the third knuckle of the hand Monday night in New Orleans.
Thomas played the following night in Minnesota and had no points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals in 18 minutes.
"That first (night) there was going to be a swollen hand," Smart said. "But I think the swelling has gone down drastically over the last two days so it's much better.
"He's a little more understanding of receiving a pass now as opposed to the first night, because it's probably still a little tender."
* "Linsanity" is catching on across the league, as New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin -- who went to high school in Palo Alto and college at Harvard -- has led the Knicks to three consecutive wins while averaging 25.3 points and 8.3 assists in those games.
Undrafted out of college, Lin spent last season in the Golden State Warriors organization -- Smart's lone season as the Warriors' head coach -- before being released in the offseason. Lin appeared in 29 games for the Warriors.
This was Smart this morning on Lin:
"The young man, all he did last year was work. Worked, went down to the D-League and played. Worked, went down to the D-League and played, and listened to the coaches trying to teach him. Understand, he wanted to play and everybody wanted him to play.
"But he didn't know space on the floor, where to go. Watching some of their games, because we're getting ready to get on a trip to go out to New York, you see that he's getting it. He knows where to go. How deep does he drive, what pass needs to be made? These are all things the staff, myself, tried to teach last year and he finally has put it all together.
"When he got cut this year by Golden State, I had a conversation with him. And I was happy when he got picked up. The guy has just worked, and I'm happy for a guy like that because he's done everything that you put in front of him, and now he's taken it upon his own to carry that. The way he's playing is not a surprise because, one thing he did, he played hard and he was an aggressive personality to the basket. Those things carry over pretty quickly to the NBA."
-- Matt Kawahara
]]>The Kings center was selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge Feb. 24 as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
"General managers" Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal will draft from a group of 18 players (nine rookies, nine sophomores) Feb. 16 on NBA TV to comprise Team Shaq and Team Chuck.
]]> Smart took over for the fired Paul Westphal Jan. 5 and said Cousins has grown up a lot in a month's time."Everything I'd seen or heard about him I've seen a complete personality shift," Smart said.
Smart said Cousins has made strides not only with this play (15.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game) but in his approach off the court.
Smart said after Tuesday night's loss at Minnesota, Cousins joined assistant coach Jim Todd and Smart to go over the good and bad from his play against the Timberwolves.
Smart likes that Cousins is accepting coaching and becoming a leader while still having a lot of room for improvement.
"I think he's slowly understanding how important he is to the team with fouls and being in great shape," Smart said. "Those things are falling in place for him. He's doing all these things and he's not in the great shape of a Dwight Howard or a go-to post up move."
Jimmer Fredette and Isaiah Thomas were not selected among the rookies.
It's a deep class for guards and it's hard to argue either King would be ahead of Kyrie Irving, Ricky Rubio, Kemba Walker or Brandon Knight.
Players were selected by NBA assistant coaches from each team.
The Rookies
MarShon Brooks , New Jersey, G
Kyrie Irving , Cleveland , G
Brandon Knight , Detroit, G
Kawhi Leonard , San Antonio , G-F
Markieff Morris, Phoenix, F
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota, G
Tristan Thompson, Cleveland, F
Kemba Walker, Charlotte , G
Derrick Williams , Minnesota F
The Sophomores
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento, C
Landry Fields, New York, G
Paul George, Indiana, G-F
Blake Griffin L.A. Clippers, F
Gordon Hayward, Utah, F
Greg Monroe, Detroit, C
Tiago Splitter, San Antonio, F-C
Evan Turner, Philadelphia, G-F
John Wall, Washington, G
But what also stood out besides Fredette's fourth-quarter scoring (13 points) was his defensive activity in the Kings' 86-84 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night at Target Center.
Fredette had two steals that led to baskets in the fourth quarter.
]]> Defense was a concern about Fredette before the draft and that ill be something that keeps Fredette out the lineup on days he's not making shots."Just going out and giving an effort," Fredette said. "Just trying to be in the right spot at the right time. I think our defense as a team has been a lot better lately. We just tried to be in the right spots and see where I can be active and get in those passing lanes. It's jut all about activity."
Defense was a reason Fredette wasn't in the game late, though.
Coach Keith Smart went with a bigger lineup that could rebound and switch defensively and maintain size on the court. That's why Donte' Greene was defending Ricky Rubio on Minnesota's final possession.
Some wondered why a hot-shooting Fredette wouldn't be on the floor knowing the Kings had a chance to win if they got a stop (which they did when Greene forced Rubio into a miss).
Smart felt if the Kings could go big, secure a rebound and run they'd have a chance to score better than stopping play with a timeout to set up a play and get Fredette back in.
It almost worked but Greene missed a three pointer with a second to play.
"(Smart) felt like the guys coming in could help us win and we had a chance," Fredette said when asked about not being in the game late. "Whether I stayed in or not doesn't really matter too much at this point, it's just the fact that's what coach thought was best at that point."
Tuesday's effort was a step toward Fredette earning the right to stay on the floor late.
]]>MINNEAPOLIS - Donte' Greene missed a three pointer at the buzzer and the Kings' winning streak ended at three games.
The Kings rally in the fourth was led by Jimmer Fredette, who scored 13 of the first 15 points for the Kings in the quarter.
Greene tied the game at 82 with at three pointer with 1:09 left in the game only to have Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams make a three with 56.8 seconds to play.
Nikola Pekovic led Minnesota (13-12) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Thornton led the Kings (9-15) with 22 points.
THIRD QUARTER
Timberwolves 69, Kings 60
MINNEAPOLIS - The Timberwolves used an 8-1 run to close the quarter after the Kings had cut a lead that was 15 down to two.
Marcus Thornton scored 10 of his 21 points in the third but there hasn't been much else in terms of offense from the Kings. Tyreke Evans has 11 points, but the Kings also have 15 turnovers and are shooting 38.1 percent.
Nikola Pekovic has 23 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the Timberwolves. Ricky Rubio is up to 13 assists.
]]> HALFTIMEMINNEAPOLIS - Turnovers and poor shooting have kept the Kings out of this game.
The Kings already have 11 turnovers that have led to 16 points for Minnesota. The Kings are also shooting 38.1 percent, making 16-of-42 shots.
So even though the Kings held the Timberwolves to 17 points in the quarter, the Kings only cut into the lead by three points.
Marcus Thornton has 11 points to lead the Kings. J.J. Hickson ahs filled in well off the bench with eight points and seven rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins only played nine minutes because of foul trouble. Cousins has three fouls.
Nikola Pekovic, starting at center for injured center Darko Milicic has 11 points to lead Minnesota.
Ricky Rubio has eight assists for Minnesota.
FIRST QUARTER
Timberwolves 31, Kings 16
MINNEAPOLIS - The Kings are off to a sloppy start. They have committed eight turnovers, leading to 12 points for Minnesota and are shooting just 36.8 percent.
The Timberolves jumped out a 7-0 lead and after the Kings pulled within two at 12-10, the Timberwolves closed the quarter on a 19-6 run.
Marcus Thornton has nine points to lead the Kings.
Ricky Rubio has two points and eight assists for Minnesota, which is playing without All-Star forward Kevin Love who was suspended by the NBA Monday for two games for stepping on Houston forward Luis Scola.
Here are five things to monitor when the Kings play the Minnesota Timberwolves"
1. Keep it 100
The Kings are 4-0 when scoring 100 points or more. When the Kings score like that, it usually means DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton are all having good games.
2. Consistency to start
The starting lineup of Cousins, Evans, Thornton, John Salmons and Jason Thompson is 5-0.
3. Road cushion
The Kings were resilient in rallying Monday night against the New Orleans Hornets. But even without suspended star Kevin Love, the Timberwolves are better than the Hornets. So falling behind wouldn't be a good idea.
4. Run, Ricky, Run
The Kings are in the second of back-to-back games. The Kings are 3-4 in the second of back-to-backs, but expect Minnesota to test the Kings' legs led by guard Ricky Rubio pushing the pace.
5. Isaiah, Chuck and....?
Who else will step up from the bench tonight? Isaiah Thomas and Chuck Hayes have become reliable reserves but the rest of the bench needs to play better.
"I want to be consistent with the bench guys and establish a rotation there and at one point have all five bench guys in the game and they are doing a great job," Smart said. "I've set aside several plays that they will only run that I though would fit them and keep the floor balanced."
Isaiah Thomas has been the most reliable bench player, sparking the Kings to comeback wins. Chuck Hayes is still the "arm and hammer" man as Smart calls him - a glue guy
The next step is figuring out how to best use the rest of the reserves.
Jimmer Fredette could play a big role in the improvement in the bench.
"I think (Fredette) can be a catalyst in that next group to where he can be one of the focal points in that second unit to where he's not locked in with other guys who are going to be mainstays when he's on the floor with the rest of the starting lineup," Smart said. "Him playing in that role will probably help him so when he does come in and play with some of the starters down the road. That's the plan, that's the vision."
Smart, however, isn't promising anyone playing time even if his vision is for the bench to thrive.
"That's what I want but they've got to produce," Smart said. "Because if not they'll sit over there and we'll watch the game all together from the sidelines."
Also, the last thing Stern (and his fellow owners) wants is the relocation of another team with a history of stability and success - albeit, of late, addled by some serious mismanagement. Thus, he continues to work behind the scenes with Mayor Kevin Johnson on the financing of a new sports and entertainment complex in the downtown Railyards. Assuming the community and Sacramento politcal/business leaders continue making progress toward the financing of a new facility, I keep hearing Stern will remain committed to Sacramento. Given the stunning last-minute reprieve when the Kings appeared head to Anaheim last April, nothing would surprise me. I keep hearing whispers that Stern has a dramatic play yet to come - something "up his sleeve," as they say.
By the way, the Kings are winning
A few thoughts on the Kings' impressive comeback victory Monday at New Orleans:
* DeMarcus Cousins has come up with 20 and 16 rebounds in the last two games, while playing 40 and 38 minutes, respectively. I will say it again: Contrary to what a number of national NBA writers suggested when Paul Westphal was fired, the second-year center wasn't the problem. The Kings' faster pace under coach Keith Smart has played to Cousins' strengths and improved his conditioning. Smart actually communicates with Cousins and his teammates - not a novel concept. It will be interesting to see how he responds Tuesday night in Minnesota in a back-to-back situation.
* John Salmons has been a different player under Smart. Even when he struggles with his outside shot, he is making quicker decisions, taking the shot or moving the ball, instead of overdribbling and killing the shot clock.
* Isaiah Thomas is quickly emerging as a fan favorite. On a team known for its sluggish, one-on-one play, his energy and tempo are driving the Kings out of their dreadful offensive style.
* Ricky Rubio awaits Tuesday night in Minnesota. Even with Kevin Love unavailable because of his two-game suspension, one suspects the Timberwolves' point guard will try to run the Kings into exhaustion. I would love to see Evans defensively challenge Rubio; with his long arms, quick hands, strength and anticipation, Tyreke has the potential to be a special defender.
* For those who might have forgotten, the Kings' last four-game win streak occurred last season between March 23-March 29. Seriously, in a 24-win season, who cared?
* The Oklahoma City Thunder visit Thursday, in the Kings' only scheduled appearance on TNT. Of course, that all changes if they start winning a few games. Chris Webber will be back to provide commentary.
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