Kings notes: Assistants alternate coaching the Kings

LAS VEGAS - It was the equal opportunity coaching staff even before this.

Kenny Natt is the Kings' lead assistant of record, although Chuck Person took on many of the duties typically tied to that role in the first season under head coach Reggie Theus. Now this.

While summer-league games traditionally are coached by the team's lead assistant coach, Theus instead opted for a coaching carousel of a different kind this time. Person coached the first two games as the Kings went 2-0, then passed the coaching ball to Rex Kalamian on Wednesday at UNLV's Cox Pavilion against Dallas. Game four will be handled by assistant Randy Brown, and game five is Jason Hamm's to be had. Natt, meanwhile, will sit next to Theus in the stands and assess the youth movement from on high.

The results don't matter nearly as much as the experience to Theus, who hopes his decision results in a more well-rounded staff.

"Someone told me no one's ever done that," Theus said. "It seems normal to me. I just think it's a great opportunity for everybody to grow. I want my staff to be as good as they possibly can be, and sometimes it's important to understand some of the decisions and some of the things coming from that (head coach) chair."

Kalamian - whose 16 years of NBA experience were spent with the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, Philadelphia, Minnesota and the Kings - could have done without a blowout that ended 93-71 in favor of the Mavericks.

"There's a lot more responsibility, obviously, when you're a head coach, especially with matchups, who's in, who's out, how many minutes guys are playing, who's getting the ball, who's shooting the ball, where are they catching it," Kalamian explained.

Kings second-year center Spencer Hawes led the Kings with 17 points but hit just 6 of 17 shots.

He wasn't the only one to have an off day. Rookie point guard Sean Singletary, the second-round pick who received rave reviews to this point, hit just 1 of 6 shots and had two points and two assists in 29 minutes. First-round pick and forward Jason Thompson had 11 points and eight rebounds as the Kings fell to 2-1.

"I thought our guys had heavy legs to start the game, let fatigue set in, and it kind of beat us after the first quarter (in which the Kings led 21-11)," Kalamian said. "I wish I had more timeouts. I would've used them all in that second quarter (won by Dallas 35-11)."

Williams skips town - Kings forward Shelden Williams didn't play Wednesday, opting to join fianceé and WNBA star Candace Parker for the ESPY Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

The move was surprising to some in light of Williams' status. As he enters his third season, the Duke product picked No. 5 overall in 2006 has no contract beyond the coming campaign and no shortage of competition at his position.

After Williams was traded from Atlanta to Sacramento in the February deal involving point guard Mike Bibby, his time to assert himself is now.

He averaged 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the first two games and was excused for his absence by Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie. Parker, a rookie for the Los Angeles Sparks, was named Female Athlete of the Year and Female College Athlete of the Year.

"(The ESPYs) is a pretty special thing, but at the same time you just have to make sure you're taking care of your business. ... If Geoff was OK with it, I'm OK with it," Theus said.

Source: Mavs make Artest offer

According to a source close to Dallas, the Mavericks offered 14th year swingman Jerry Stackhouse and fourth-year forward Brandon Bass for Kings small forward Ron Artest.

The Kings are not expected to entertain the offer if it doesn't include Dallas small forward Josh Howard, but the inquiry certainly reveals the level of the Mavs' interest. According to the source, Howard does not appear to be available even if the Mavs are looking for a significant addition after falling to New Orleans in the first round of the postseason.

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