Geoff Petrie has a big job ahead.

The summer of 2011 isn't being hyped like last summer, which featured one of the NBA's best free-agent classes. But this offseason is important for the Kings, who will have plenty of salary cap room to add players.

Even though the Kings' record (24-58) didn't match their 2009-10 mark (25-57), they finished strong, looking like a better team with a brighter future.

While monitoring progress on the court, Petrie also had to deal with talk of relocation and speculation about his job security in media reports.

But with the season over, Petrie is still the Kings' president of basketball operations. He recently sat down with The Bee to discuss the season, the future and how he figures in it.

What was your overall assessment of the season?

I think we all went into the season across the board in most respects thinking we could be somewhat improved from a year ago. We'd only won 25 games, and obviously in that respect we didn't get there. You could say there were any number of mitigating factors in that, but it's still the reality we ended up pretty much in the same place, although the last month or so of the season is when we did play our very best basketball. And I was really proud of the team in the sense that they never stopped competing. … I'm really proud of our players for maintaining an attitude that they were still going to go out and play and compete, and we did that right up through the end of the season. Again, I think Tyreke (Evans') injury was a factor. He played (with plantar fasciitis), but he wasn't right, and he had to sit out. We played our best basketball after we acquired Marcus Thornton. He gave us another legitimate offensive player with a multifaceted game offensively. He came in and gave us a real jolt of energy. … But in the big picture, we have a very young team, and we've relied on young players a lot to try and play major roles during the season and in all the games.

Even without the victory total improving, do you feel the team is in a better position to take another step forward than a year ago?

Well, I think so. I think, I'm hopeful, particularly with our young guys, that the greatest improvement is going to come in the knowledge that goes with the understanding of what it really takes, and the commitment it takes, and the discipline it takes physically and mentally to win – win games and become the player you're capable of being. If that alone is something a lot of our young guys take away from this season, then that is a major positive element.

Do you feel as if Evans having to play through his injury slowed his progress in his second season because he wasn't able to be himself?

Yes. This year, because of (the injury), his game didn't really have the chance to grow on the court in the way it has the potential to if you're not fighting an injury that doesn't stop you from playing but diminishes your ability to play to some extent. But going forward as a player, his preparation from the end of this season to the beginning of next season, because of what happened this season, will be of paramount importance as to what kind of player he will come back as to start next season.

There was a lot made of how the team would support and "handle" DeMarcus Cousins. How do you feel his season went with all the ups and downs?

He had moments of brilliance, and he had periods where he struggled either because of inexperience or, at times, because of the inability to control his emotions. But overall, as a 20-year-old player and having to compete at this level for the first time … everybody can see there's an exceptional player there. Even though he's only played the one year, again his offseason is going to be extremely important in terms of how he improves, how he works on his game and improves his body coming into the start of next season for him to not only realize his potential and go beyond where he was this year. Because they took the most shots, they played a lot of minutes, we really were and are relying on (Evans and Cousins) to be two of our best players, if not the two best players. They need to grow, and they need to apply themselves in ways that will allow that to happen.

Was there any way you could have expected Thornton to play at the level he did for the Kings?

No. I don't think anybody expected the consistency of the level of play that he gave us. Although if you do go back to his rookie year when New Orleans had the injuries and he and (Darren) Collison had to start a pretty significant stretch of games, he was pretty productive then. … He's a tough cover. He can get his own shot; he's a deep shooter, yet he's got a pull-up game, and he can get to the rim. He was really terrific for us.

Was Samuel Dalembert the player you envisioned him being when you traded for him, particularly the last few months of the season?

Sure. Again, he got hurt right away. He didn't have any real training camp. I don't think his conditioning level got to where it needed to be until after the first of the year. I think the trade with Carl (Landry) going to New Orleans where we could have just three bigs in a normal rotation of minutes, I think that helped Sam. … And the addition of Marcus, it really gave us a better identity out there, I thought.

What was your and coach Paul Westphal's last meeting with Omri Casspi like? He wasn't happy with his role at the end of the season.

I guess he was happy that the team played better and was winning more games, but he was frustrated that his playing time had really diminished from what it had been two-thirds of the season. We did have a discussion, which usually comes up with some players, about maybe it's better if I play somewhere else. But a lot of that gets borne out of frustration. I think he still has a chance to be a pretty valuable contributor because there are some things he does really well. But, again, there are areas of his game he needs to continue to work on to become more well-rounded in terms of the things he can do out there. He's a competitive guy, he's got a lot of pride, and we just left it at that.

The small forward position seemed at its best with Francisco García healthy and playing there.

He is, when he's right, he is a legitimate three-point threat. He's always going to compete. He's got a good presence with his teammates. He'll drift off sometimes into things he shouldn't try to, but all in all the last two seasons have been tough for him and been disrupted with the broken wrist and then the calf injury this year. … He loves to play, and when he's healthy and in the flow, he can be an effective player, too.

Does the talk of relocation and what might happen ever enter your mind as you do your job?

You wonder about it, but in the bigger picture the job still has to be done regardless of how that plays itself out. Right now, we've got to get ready for the draft, and you certainly prepare internally for free agency whenever it may start. And that work has to be done regardless. And it really gets down to one of those things we all face in life, which is there are some things you have no control over, and if you don't, while you may be following it, you really have to put as much energy into the things you do have some control over and what you need to do.

Is getting the best player available the same approach headed into this year's draft?

I think so. You can make the case when you win 24 games you need everything, but without knowing right now who's in for sure, where you're actually going to be and what may happen in front of you. We spent a lot of time this year from January on looking at 15 to 20 players over and over again by our entire staff. There's other players outside of that as well, but when it's pretty obvious by then you're going to be drafting in the top 10 or lower … we really tried to focus in on that group of players.

There was speculation about your job security more than once this season, along with Westphal's. Was that tough to deal with?

I think sometimes you have to consider the source. But my philosophy on that is continue doing your job, and if the time ever comes where Joe and Gavin (Maloof) want someone else to do the job, I'm sure they'll let me know. At this point in my career, I'm for what's best for the Kings. … At this point, I don't worry about it.

How do feel Westphal handled the team this season with injuries and managing a young team?

I think Paul's got a great capacity for understanding and patience and maintains a pretty even-keeled approach to things. Obviously when you don't win a lot and you have stretches where you don't win at all, that's hard on everybody, but I think coaches are the ones that are closest to it. Trying to maintain your perspective and trying to keep a group together, I think that was a real big focus of his as the season went along.

There was talk from ownership that this summer, with salary cap space, the team would be aggressive in improving the roster and spending money. Is that still the plan, or do you have to wait for collective bargaining agreement issues to be sorted out?

That's going to play a factor, but I think for us to start building additional value with the roster, basically for the last two or three years, we've tried to draft it. But for us to accelerate building value in the roster, we have to come out of hibernation in competing for free agents and trade for value … I think at some point that has to happen, and hopefully coming out of this next offseason, we'll get back to being able to do some of those things.

What about Donté Greene? Where is he after three seasons?

He's still grappling with trying to gain consistency in his game. I think he's another example of the offseason – for him, he's got to get himself in the best shape he can possibly be in. He's proven he can be an effective defender at times, he can get shots offensively, but he needs to become a more consistent shooter.

It wasn't an ideal start to the season for Jason Thompson. How did you feel about how he finished the season?

I thought he was terrific at the end of the season. I thought a lot of that had to do with his minutes getting more consistent and his place in the rotation being more defined. … I was real happy for him and the way he finished.

Beno Udrih was probably the most consistent player this season. How did you see his season?

He's had two terrific seasons. Beno's definitely played to the level of his ability and then some at times.

What are the specific areas of need? Are you still looking for another ballhandler?

I think we need another creator, ballhandler. We need some more leadership on the court, either by the form of maturity or addition to the roster. Certainly we need to try to improve our three-point shooting, which fell off from a year ago. … We'll have to look to fill out our roster with another frontcourt player of some kind.

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