LAS VEGAS – Jon Brockman rushed his burly frame down the floor at UNLV's Cox Pavilion early Wednesday afternoon, the Kings rookie forward sprinting before stopping just in time to be leveled by what appeared to be a classic charge.

First-year coach Paul Westphal, not far away, offered his enthusiastic approval during the Kings' first summer league practice.

"That's what I like to see, Jon Brockman," Westphal said.

Westphal was happy with one former Husky, at least.

The coach was among those disappointed that his other Washington product – third-year center Spencer Hawes – unexpectedly decided to skip the summer session. Geoff Petrie was none too thrilled either, as the Kings basketball president was looking forward to Hawes leading a youth movement that has much work to do.

Petrie said he got word through "various channels" that Hawes would not be taking part and was told Hawes had a "family commitment" that precluded him from playing. Hawes is expected to come to Las Vegas on Monday, but he does not appear likely to play in any games.

"He obviously was invited to participate and at this point has chosen not to, and we'll go from there," Petrie said. "It's the middle of the summer, and the invitation was there. The knowledge about it was there. If he doesn't want to play, he doesn't want to play."

Though summer league typically is reserved for rookies and second-year players or veterans using it for rehabilitation, the notion of third-year players participating is hardly rare. The Kings' Kevin Martin, Francisco García and Quincy Douby elected to play entering their third season, and the team's youth-filled roster – as Petrie noted – would make it even more vital that Hawes play.

"We have, for the most part, five roster players here, and we're going to be a young team and having a new coach and a new staff," Petrie said. "Certainly a good part of what we were trying to accomplish is to prepare those (players) better for the start of training camp and let the coaching staff get their first feel of them as players, and they can start to put in things that they're going to do in fall camp. I think it's valuable and completely productive."

The roster reflects the reality that the Kings were counting on Hawes to play, as the only other center is Santa Clara's John Bryant.

"We would've liked to had it be different, but it is what it is," Westphal said of Hawes' absence. "We wanted him to play, and I wish he was playing. But that's the story."

Brockman, who was taken 38th overall in the June 25 draft, made his bosses happy in his unofficial debut. Though Kings assistant Shareef Abdur-Rahim, acting as the referee, called the perceived charge a blocking foul, it did little to temper the excitement about Brockman's play as he displayed the toughness he was known for in college.

The 6-foot-7, 22-year-old was a rebounding machine in the Pacific-10 Conference, joining Hall of Famers Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton as the only players in conference history to lead the conference in rebounding three times.

"There's two philosophies on second-rounders," Westphal said. "One is that you try to gamble and and hit the home run, either with a foreign player or somebody who has terrific upside or who maybe dropped for some other reason. Or you try and get somebody who you're pretty sure can make your team and help. I think with Jon, I'd be real surprised if he didn't make the team."

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