If Francisco García walks onto the EnergySolutions Arena floor tonight in Salt Lake City, the Kings swingman won't be the only one elated to be there.
In six weeks without his favorite reserve, Reggie Theus has has seen his team lack energy at varying times and pass up open shots at crucial moments.
Yet if García does return from his right calf injury, it will be difficult to tell who's more happy between the coach and player.
"His competitiveness is something we need desperately," said Theus, whose team has lost seven of its last eight games. "It's his attitude. He's one of the leaders on this team, a verbal, emotional leader.
"He wants the ball down the stretch. He's a guy who stretches the defense. Last year, he was one of the best on-ball defenders we had."
Theus said integrating García back into the mix might take time. Until recently, García was unable to do cardiovascular work because of the injury. And while continuing to find minutes for many of the team's pieces, Theus said he might play García at point guard substantially.
"At the end of last year, 'Cisco was pretty good at playing the point," he said.
With more injured players returning, Theus implores his team to be patient with his rotations. Forward Mikki Moore came back Monday from a four-game absence and was back in the starting lineup by Wednesday. The spot had been filled by small forward Donté Greene and center Spencer Hawes in vastly different lineups, with rookie forward Jason Thompson asked to play out of position at small forward.
Shooting guard Kevin Martin (left ankle) is also expected to return soon, which will create a welcome problem for Theus.
"The truth is it's going to be an adjustment period for the team while we're trying to find a rhythm and substitution patterns," Theus said. "I think everybody understands that we're not just in the mode to play the youth and that's it. We want to grow the young guys while trying to win."
Reliving the loss – Theus said Wednesday's 116-114 overtime loss to New Jersey was among the worst of his short professional coaching career.
"It was definitely one of the toughest for me," he said. "On the one hand, this morning I was shaking my head and wondering if I could've done something different. On the other hand, I'm telling myself, 'The guys are playing hard for you, Reggie. You've got to find a way.' "
The Kings could have escaped if Nets point guard Devin Harris, who had veteran Bobby Jackson defending him, hadn't made a three-pointer with seven seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Jackson said youth hasn't been the primary reason behind recent mistakes.
"It's not even the young guys," Jackson said. "It's the older guys that are making mistakes. I'm one. We are all accountable. We made some bad decisions at the end of the game. As a veteran, you should know better.
"I didn't think (Harris would) take (the shot). I gave him some cushion. (Coaches) said no threes. I used my wrong judgment. But it's not just that. We did a lot of things wrong."
Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog. Bee staff writer Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.
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