With the finish line to the Kings' season 24 games away, Drew Gooden has decided to get back in the race.
The forward acquired in the six-player trade with Chicago said Tuesday that he will make his Kings debut tonight against Charlotte, a decision that comes with a measure of risk that Gooden is willing to accept. He hasn't played since Jan. 19 because of a groin injury that has been both perplexing and painful.
Gooden, who has seen numerous specialists and been told the injury could be everything from an abdominal strain to a sports hernia, was considering season-ending surgery just days ago before deciding to return to action. But with unrestricted free agency looming in the summer for the seventh-year player, he said his situation is best served by playing until the end. Even if he's not fully healthy.
"I've got to roll this thing until the wheels fall off, basically," he said of his body. "I'm going to give it a go, (and) we'll see what happens. It's a big year for me."
Gooden, 27, has been one of the game's steadiest producers in the last five years. Entering this season, he had averaged at least 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds since 2004-05 while playing at least 79 games in all but one of the four seasons (69 games played in 2007-08 with Cleveland and Chicago).
Kings coach Kenny Natt has seen Gooden help a team firsthand, having been an assistant with the Cavaliers from 2004 to 2007. He was glad to hear Gooden's decision, knowing full well that Gooden is the type of player who is at his best, as Natt said, "when his mind is right."
"If he says he's ready, we'll go with him," Natt said. "I think Drew is concentrating on playing. I like what I saw (at Tuesday's practice). I like what I've heard out of him verbally."
While Natt will stay with the same starting lineup against the Bobcats, he said he isn't yet sure whether Gooden and new Kings small forward Andres Nocioni are best used as reserves or as starters. Nocioni had 19 points in 32 minutes while coming off the bench behind Francisco García against New Orleans on Monday.
Before Gooden shared his stance Tuesday, there had been indications that he might pursue a buyout of the remaining portion of his salary for this season ($7.1 million) with the hopes of joining a playoff contender. Now, however, he will look to make the best of what has been a bad situation for the Kings.
"I just want to come in with the mind-set that this is a team that I'm happy to be on, and that I'm willing to move forward with," said Gooden, who also practiced. "In order to do that, I'm going to go out there and play hurt. ... I'm good enough that I can just run up and down the court and do what I need to do to help this team."
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