Good to be King

The reporter asked what many had before, checking in with Reggie Theus on a midseason night in Utah to see how his inaugural NBA coaching campaign was going.

"So being a rookie coach … " he began.

"Don't call me a rookie," Theus interrupted with a serious tone.

"Um, well sorry, but … "

Theus and those around him laughed hysterically, the Kings' coach patting the young man on the back and apologizing for the humor that had come at his expense.

While the moment was funny, it was also true. Theus, whose tenure began when he was the surprise hire to follow Eric Musselman back in June, remains a rookie in every respect.

But as the Kings near the final stretch of this season of survival, Theus' rookie status has been more of a help than a hindrance. His growth as a coach has been praised in relation to his relative inexperience, his downfalls mostly forgiven and often cast aside as, well, rookie mistakes. The coach's coaches, meanwhile, approve thus far.

"It's a learning and growing experience for him, and I think that's going to go on for a while," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said by phone last week. "Even though (he) played in the (NBA) years ago, then had two years as an assistant coaching (at Louisville) and two years as a head coach in college (at New Mexico State), just learning the league is not an instantaneous process.

"That goes from everything from learning the other players in the league to the other coaches in the league and your own players, and the fact that the games – once they start – the preparation time is really limited. It's all those things. To this point, he's holding up well."

In the eyes of the ownership, too.

"I think Reggie's done a nice job," Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof said. "Sure, he's made some mistakes, but he's learned from his mistakes and that's what happens when you're a first-year coach in the NBA. Overall, I think the positive thing is that the guys – by and large – are playing hard and they're doing everything that he expects them to do."

Which, all things considered, is no small statement.

The recent three-game losing streak aside, the Kings' ability to remain competitive despite so many injuries garnered Theus significant league-wide praise. The extended absences of Mike Bibby, Ron Artest and Kevin Martin meant the Kings dealt with more roster problems than perhaps any other team in the league. To be anywhere near .500, as the Kings were before losing four of their past five games before the All-Star break, was seen as impressive. Yet for most of the season, the reviews from within the Kings' organization didn't match the ones outside of it.

Much of the internal wariness pertained to off-court goings on, among them Theus' candid nature with the media and the negative way in which it affected the players and people he worked most closely with. But on coaching merits alone, his bosses say there has been steady progress.

There were tactical concerns early, when Theus insisted on running an inside-out offense that left many of his colleagues scratching their heads because the Kings lacked the post personnel to make it happen. But a few weeks in, a system that involved more pick and rolls and ball movement was installed, and Theus began to run much of the offense through Artest down low after the small forward returned from his seven-game suspension to start the season. He has since allowed the veterans to utilize the age-old "corner" offense as well, with elements of the system used under former coach Rick Adelman that came second nature to the likes of Brad Miller and Martin. Scoring had rarely been a problem for the team ranked 10th in the league in points per game (100.2).

Game management was an early issue, too, specifically a stretch in mid-November in which the Kings either found themselves out of timeouts in key late sequences or not using timeouts when they should have. Slipping up, if only occasionally, on the learning curve.

"Given how so many games are so close in our league at the end, you want to try and make sure that you usually have some timeouts left," Petrie said. "And then things like matching up and needing plays in special situations. (But) I think we've gotten better as we've gone along there."

About the writer:

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