SEATTLE – When Ron Artest talks about the future, he speaks as if there is no doubt that he will be wearing a Kings jersey next season.
He talks about his acceptance of the team's youth movement in this season's final stretch, how vital it will be as a building block for the future. He notes the importance of an optimistic outlook, how shooting for a championship from the start ensures a team gets the most out of its talent. And in a somewhat more specific message on what might lie ahead, Artest had this to say about forward Mikki Moore: "You take away Mikki, and we're not winning. Not at all."
The impetus for Artest's assessment related to Friday's loss to Washington, when Moore was ejected in the third quarter after two quick technical fouls and the Wizards surged ahead in his absence.
"We need Mikki in the game to win," Artest said. "We're not beating nobody without him, and he knows that."
Asked to break down the meaning of Moore's importance, Artest had no trouble.
"He's the only player on the Kings that can dunk on somebody, first (of all), and that sucks the life out of the other team most of the time," he said. "He can shoot very well. He can probably can shoot almost (as well), if not better, than (Kings center) Brad (Miller), but nobody (opponents) knows that. (But) we know that.
"He's an unselfish player, has a lot of energy. He takes charges. He's a hell of a power forward. Without Mikki, we're not going anywhere. Maybe we get somebody to back him up next year, another long (player) like him or whatever, and then we'll really be set."
Artest's future is, to a point, in his own hands. He has an early termination option on his contract that would allow him to be a free agent this summer, but his agent, Mark Stevens, said Feb. 21 that Artest was "not likely" to exercise it. The Kings, of course, can trade him this offseason if he doesn't opt out or find a sign-and-trade deal with another team.
Martin at the line – With 10 games left, Kevin Martin has already started his offseason to-do list.
The shooting guard said he's looking to add even more bulk with the hopes that he can withstand the abuse that comes with being fouled so often. The fourth-year player has bulked up since his playing days at Western Carolina University, but he said it's not enough. Nonetheless, he has endured the beating well enough to be ranked fifth in the league in free-throw attempts per game (9.3) and second in free throws made per game (eight) while continuing to move up in the Kings' record books.
After setting the Sacramento-era record for free throws made last season (481), Martin – who played in 80 games in the 2006-07 campaign but has missed 18 games to injury this season – needs just 47 more free throws in the final 10 games to break his own mark. What's more, he has 1,139 free throws made for his career and needs just 16 more to pass Kings coach Reggie Theus for eighth place on the franchise's all-time list.
Read Sam Amick's Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.
