The conspiracy theories began once Brad Miller's injury was revealed.
Washing dishes?
Really?
"Unfortunately," said Miller, who has nine stitches near his knuckle on his right index finger after cutting himself Sunday while washing a knife.
Miller said he will be a game-time decision after missing a second practice Tuesday as the injury heals. He said he will determine this morning if he can play in the Kings' game tonight against Seattle at Arco Arena.
"They don't want me to pull the stitches and have it bleed all over," Miller said.
Coach Reggie Theus remained hopeful that his newly crowned Western Conference Player of the Week will be ready, and couldn't resist a little ribbing of his own.
"I just shook my head," Theus said. "Washing dishes? Are you kidding me? Couldn't you say something a little bit different?"
Added Miller: "Everybody thinks you should at least be gutting a deer or pig or something."
Missing players – Besides Miller missing practice, Quincy Douby and Mikki Moore were also unavailable. Douby was in New York tending to a personal matter, while Moore had dental issues.
While both are expected to play tonight, Theus said it can be disruptive to have players miss practice, especially the day before a game.
"It's happened a lot," Theus said. "The one thing I do hate is guys missing practice when we can avoid it, but sometimes I guess it's part of the game and you have to deal with it. To me, the timing is really bad because (tonight's) game is huge for us."
That's because the Kings hope to extend a season-high four-game winning streak.
Ballots in – Spencer Hawes operates in a constant state of political fervor, not needing Super Tuesday to jump-start a debate.
So, when the conversation turned to politics earlier this week, Hawes decided it was time to go public with his presidential pick.
"I think now is the perfect time to officially announce my endorsement of Mitt Romney for the GOP candidate," Hawes said. "I think Mitt is just more conservative and sticks to the economy right now, and I think that's a very big issue, if not the biggest issue."
Absentee ballots appeared to be the voting method of choice for Kings players.
Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.
