It will take a while for Jason Thompson to find the smell of popcorn enjoyable. For now, he may use the buttery treat as a battle cry.

Thompson, who will move back into the starting lineup tonight as the Kings face the Miami Heat at Arco Arena, watched in shock as his teammates snacked on buckets full of the stuff that filled the inside of his Cadillac Escalade SUV.

His teammates said the Dec. 31 prank was retribution for Thompson not fulfilling his expected rookie task of bringing bagels in the morning for his teammates.

As Thompson tried to ignore the smell that lingered, a video of the prank was uploaded online Tuesday, where it has already garnered more than one million views on YouTube.

And that made it new material for his teammates during Thursday's practice.

"I hear the views are off the charts," Thompson said after wrapping up an intense post-practice two-on-two matchup with Bobby Brown against Spencer Hawes and Quincy Douby. During their best-of-three series, Thompson slammed the ball into the rim and yelled for the videographer of the popcorn prank to get that shot on YouTube.

"I guess it's kinda funny," Thompson said afterward. "Obviously, it wasn't when it first happened. It's definitely something over the years I can laugh at."

It's providing laughs for his teammates for now.

"I told him he was in trouble," said veteran guard Bobby Jackson. "As a rookie, you have to do whatever we say you have to do. You have to be on top of your things."

While Thompson may have let up on his rookie responsibilities, he has carried his own on the court. Thompson, who has started 10 games this season, is averaging 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. He is the only Kings player to have played in all 36 games.

Kings interim coach Kenny Natt said his decision to replace Mikki Moore with Thompson in the starting mix was solidified after watching the rookie's performance against the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets during the Kings' disappointing 0-4 road trip.

"I think he's done very well," Natt said. "This last road trip, he's really played well for us on both ends of the floor. I've seen great improvement with him defensively. It's time to put him out there."

Natt said he's still working with the team's rotation, but he anticipates Hawes coming off the bench sooner in upcoming games. Natt's tinkering with the rotation was evident in the peculiar way in which he showcased reserve Kenny Thomas, who played 24 minutes in a 98-90 loss to the Nets on Monday and returned to the bench the next night against Chicago.

Before Monday's game, Thomas had played in just two games this season and sat out the final 54 games of last season.

"I'm still shuffling it, but we'll get it together," Natt said after Thursday's practice, where the coach said his team worked on late-game situations and pick-and-roll defense.

While Kings players were clearly frustrated with setting a Sacramento-era record for slowest start to a season (8-28), Natt said it won't take much for the Kings to change things.

"Winning is contagious, just like losing," Natt said. "If you win your first and win your second, the third becomes a lot easier to win. Right now, it's a mental thing. We are close, but we are not getting over the hump. At least we are making improvements."

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521. To get breaking news alerts and game scores sent to your phone, text KINGS to 72737.