The Sacramento Kings made a lot of moves today, but one thing would stay the same for now. Head coach Paul Westphal announced that Jason Thompson would remain the starter for the Kings at power forward.
Carl Landry, who was in the running for Sixth Man of the Year last season with the Houston Rockets, said he doesn't mind coming off the bench.
"It doesn't matter," Landry said. "My role's not going to change. I'm just coming off the bench now. I'm used to that now. I've been doing it pretty much my whole career. It's nothing different."
Westphal saw that the switch would be good for both players and the team.
"I think that Jason's a lot more comfortable as a starter and he can bring a lot for us at that position," Westphal said. "I think Carl is somebody who can be one of the best sixth men in the league. He's a huge part of what we do."
For Thompson, it was a rough start to his season. He was playing as a small forward instead of his natural power forward position and was benched for the first time of his career against the Phoenix Suns. He says that acting professional has helped him through his situation and feels that he can still help the team.
"When my name is called and I'm playing somewhat consistent minutes then I can play consistent for the team," Thompson said. "I feel that if I show that then I can be good.
Landry was practicing his free throws with coach Pete Carill. Landry, who shoots from the line at a 65.6 percent clip, went through a dry spell shooting free throws after practice.
After Carill worked on Landry's shooting mechanics, Landry ended the day making 15 straight free throws before missing the last one. Landry is a career 77.6 percent shooter from the line.
Westphal also said that rookie center Hassan Whiteside was assigned to the Reno Bighorns, the Kings' NBDL affiliate. Whiteside was the 33rd overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
"I think he's disappointed, but we explained to him that it's not a demotion," Westphal said. "It's because we think so highly of him. We want him to have a chance to play. We're very high on Hassan's potential and he needs experience."
Whiteside's only appearance was in the first game of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He becomes the second Kings player to be assigned to the Bighorns. Current teammate Donté Greene was the sent to Reno his rookie season season.
Tyreke Evans was ill and didn't practice. Francisco García practiced today and although he's doing better, Westphal said that García was "far from 100 percent." His status is questionable for tomorrow's game against the Indiana Pacers.
Antoine Wright was waived by the Kings earlier today. Wright signed with the team on a minimum salary contract. In seven games with the Kings he averaged 0.3 points and 0.4 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per game.
"Wasn't working for us, wasn't working for him," Westphal said about Wright. He was arrested earlier this month for DUI. The Kings roster now stands at 13 players.
DeMarcus Cousins was kicked out of practice according to Jason Jones via Twitter but Westphal wouldn't say why.
Original Story:
http://crownedhoops.blogspot.com/2010...
