Kings Notes: Miller out for season

OAKLAND – The resurgent season of Kings center Brad Miller has come to an end.

The Kings center will miss the remainder of the season because of a stress fracture in his left leg and a bone chip in his right elbow.

After playing just 63 games last season because of a foot injury and having his worst season in years in the 2006-07 campaign, Miller recovered to average 13.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 72 games this season while shooting 46.3 percent overall.

He missed the last two games with what was deemed a lower leg strain, but the problem was far more serious than originally thought. He will likely have to have arthroscopic surgery on his elbow to remove the bone chip, but it not known when as yet.

Artest sits, and speaks – Nothing has changed about Ron Artest's stance toward this summer, as the Kings small forward said again Tuesday that he isn't likely to opt out of his contract and become a free agent.

But in the never-ending evaluation process that's going on in his mind, he said the way in which Kings fans perceive him certainly matters if he's going to consider staying in Sacramento.

"If I'm going to be in Sacramento, I want to know what the community is thinking about me," he said.

His latest research came after the Kings' loss to the Lakers on Sunday, when he went on the Internet to assess the latest tone.

"(After) that last game, it was 'Ron Artest don't pass the ball,' and one guy said he didn't want me in Sacramento," said Artest, who didn't play against Golden State because of a sprained left thumb. "I was like, 'Wow, what about the other games, when the teams were doubling and I was passing out of the double teams and we won the games?' But it's all right. I don't worry about it too much."

Artest – who revealed that his 4-year-old daughter, Diamond, is fighting cancer again after having surgery to remove a tumor on her kidney Feb. 12 – was well aware of the skepticism that surrounded his latest absence.

He has now missed 22 games. But he said his injury is no small issue, as it is the same thumb on which he had surgery to repair a ligament early in his career. He's hoping he won't need surgery again, but said the pain was akin to "a screw coming loose." He expects to have an MRI today.

"At this time of the season when we're not in the playoffs, it makes no sense to put it at risk," Artest said. "I'm upset about this injury. I wanted to work out immediately when we get back (from the regular-season finale at the Lakers on April 15). I'm talking about (working out) when we get off the plane at 2 in the morning, to get started immediately. But this thumb is a setback for me, a major setback for me."

About the writer:

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