Staff writer Melody Gutierrez and columnist Ailene Voisin are part of The Bee's coverage team at training camp. Here are excerpts from Tuesday's blogs. To read them in full, go to www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.
Jason Thompson relaxed into a seat inside the Kings' practice facility after the first workout of training camp.
"The first part of the first day went well," the rookie said after the morning non-contact session ended and players scattered into different directions.
With a swollen left eye, Thompson appeared to have taken a hit during the action.
"Oh, no," he explained. "It's a sty. I look like a pirate right now. I'm trying to not let it affect me."
Thompson said the toughest part of his job right now is learning all the plays, although he said he is a fast learner.
"But I have to learn more than one position, like I did in college," Thompson said. "So I'm going to have to learn the three, the four and the five. It's going to be tough, but I'm going to get my playbook out and since I don't have schoolwork, that will be my schoolwork."
• The Kings are in the midst of two-a-days, with the morning session non-contact, followed by contact in the evening. Bet you can guess which workout Kevin Martin prefers.
"I like contact practices more than non-contact," Martin said. "Tonight will be fun, because you get to talk some trash."
– Melody Gutierrez
The boss likes what he sees
Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie is known for carefully selecting his public comments – and for his creative analogies, metaphors and one-liners – but to those who have spent a lot of time in his company, he is actually pretty transparent. So, it was interesting to note his mood Monday: for the first time in a while, he seems genuinely upbeat about the direction of the team and the upcoming season. He believes he has a talented young corps that can be developed while competing for a playoff berth, in essence, one that is starting to resemble a team with pieces that fit. Plus, pieces that pass the ball.
Petrie seems intent on returning to the days when the Kings might have been defensively challenged but were fun to watch. And there is no doubt that he has allies in Martin, Brad Miller, Spencer Hawes, etc., all of whom are adamant about playing a very specific style – as Larry Brown would say – of playing the "right way." Think cutting, passing, teamwork, fast breaks, and a minimal amount of one-on-one basketball.
– Ailene Voisin
