Team sticks together in face of uncertainty

The infamous sign lady might have been speaking for more than herself this time, as her Arco Arena artwork strayed from the typical praising of players into the realm of personnel as it pertained to the Kings' future.

"We love this team," her sign read at Friday's game against Utah. "No trades, please."

Yet some within the organization say roster decisions will be made without regard for what's happening on the floor. Whether it's Ron Artest or Mike Bibby being dealt or Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie standing pat until the summer, a winning streak or a slide in these next four games before the Feb. 21 trade deadline likely won't factor in.

Even with Saturday's road loss to Golden State, the Kings have won 11 of their past 17 games. Some of the Western Conference's elite can't claim that level of recent success, with San Antonio 9-8 in the same stretch and Denver 10-7. Although the Kings' Reggie Theus surely will coach whichever group he's given, he repeatedly has proclaimed a confidence in this particular bunch, knowing new additions and departures would mean yet another transition period in his first season.

Although talk of an improbable playoff push is certain to continue, Theus' immediate challenge is to keep the survival streak alive. The Kings have been deservedly praised for staying afloat despite injuries and Theus for utilizing his younger players to aid the cause. However, their 23-26 record is a game better than at this point last season under former coach Eric Musselman. Last season's free fall didn't begin until early March, from 28-32 to 17 losses in the final 22 games.

As Theus alluded to Saturday night, competing consistently is the easiest way to avoid unraveling.

"We didn't back down (against the Warriors), we didn't mess with the referees, and we stayed focused on what we had to do," Theus said. "If we keep playing like that, play harder than the other team night in and night out, we are going to win some of those games."

For all the recent attention given to Artest and his uncertain future, actual trade talks are relatively quiet. The same can be said concerning Bibby. It's especially quiet on the Cleveland front. Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry remains intrigued by Bibby but is even more limited in what he can offer than he was at this time last season, when he made his well-known push to acquire the point guard.

As for Bibby, he had been quiet himself until Saturday night, when he scored a season-high 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting. In his 13 games this season after returning Jan. 16 from his thumb injury, Bibby has averaged 13.2 points while shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three-point range.

Douby disappears – On most nights, Quincy Douby's entry isn't highly anticipated.

But against Golden State on Saturday night, not only was the second-year player coming off a season-high 15-point outing in 14 minutes against Utah the night before, but the Warriors were the opponent in his finest game. On Dec. 30, 2006, Douby scored 21 points in a blur of jumpers, runners and high-energy play.

Against the Warriors this time, Douby didn't play until 3:23 remained in the third quarter. His layup with 1:03 left in the period put the Kings up five points before they relented and entered the fourth quarter with the score 78-78. Douby had four points in nine minutes, hitting both of his shots.

Getting technical – Good Ron and Bad Ron don't typically operate in such close proximity, but such was the case in the third quarter against the Warriors.

The Kings trailed 58-53 before Artest buried a 22-foot jumper with 8:32 remaining. He then stole the ball from Baron Davis and threw down a right-handed, fast-break dunk to cut the lead to one. But he followed that with the chest pounding that has become so prevalent in recent weeks. He pulled the King Kong act near the sideline fans and drew a technical foul from veteran official Dick Bavetta that affected the moment and the game at large.

With a Stephen Jackson free throw following that sequence, the Warriors – who didn't secure their three-point win until the final buzzer – were on their way to regaining a five-point edge a little more than a minute later.

About the writer:

• Read Sam Amick's blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.