Ailene Voisin: Theus thinks he's made the grade

Kings coach Reggie Theus, who is entering the final weeks of an eventful rookie season, has contended with injuries, trades, the often turbulent presence of the talented Ron Artest, along with other issues common to franchises engaged in the rebuilding process. In a lengthy conversation with Bee sports columnist Ailene Voisin, the former Kings star shares his thoughts on a variety of topics, among them his current personnel, his offensive philosophy, his relationship with Geoff Petrie.

Q: Can you give me an assessment of the season in terms of what you accomplished, what you might have done differently, and address the transition from college to professional coaching?

A: The first thing is, the marching orders I received when I took the job was to clean up the locker room, get guys playing hard again, and create an environment where fans and the community knew we were respecting the game and the city of Sacramento. No one was under the illusion that we could win 50 games. Did we win more games than people anticipated? Yes. I think the guys have gained a sense of pride back, and I think people like the team again, which is important to me.

Q: With the Final Four approaching, any nostalgia for the college experience? As your former UNLV classmate, I can attest to the fact that you were one of those athletes who actually seemed to enjoy (laugh) being on campus.

A: It's true. I loved coaching at New Mexico State and working as an assistant for coach (Rick) Pitino at Louisville. But he was the first guy to say to me, "Reggie, you have the pedigree to allow you to be an NBA coach." I liked mentoring the kids, though, having an opportunity to teach wide-eyed players. That was very satisfying to me.

Q: But NBA players are wide-eyed for the duration of their first few practices - maybe - and I think it would be fair to say that your disciplinarian approach and forceful, dynamic personality was greeted with some skepticism in the locker room.

A: Yeah (laugh). But my players let me coach them hard. For every little bit of resistance you heard about the curfew and (cellphone) ban, there were 10 other situations that were accepted without any problem. I really believe that people baby players too much and don't put demands on them. They want to play hard, they want to win. They want to do it for a guy they really trust and appreciate. They trust I'm going to tell the truth, that I'm not going to play games.

Q: Were you surprised that you were challenged earlier in the season by Mikki Moore, John Salmons and Ron Artest?

A: No, because my college players whined, too. And listen, I was tough on Kevin (Martin) when I first got here, too. Kevin and I have a great relationship now. I tell him, 'Kevin, you don't have to be a great individual defender, but in order to become a great player in this league, you have to become a very good team defender. That message hasn't changed. Whatever ups and downs we went through with some of the guys early, the message has been consistent.

Q: The offensive schemes have changed radically from the beginning of the season, when you started off with a lot of isolation plays. Have you found a system that you're comfortable with yet?

A: We try to run the offense through Brad Miller, to Ron on the block, or Kevin coming off a pick. But when you need a basket, you run through Ron Artest. If you go through the perimeter, Kevin is not going to make that extra pass. John Salmons is not going to make that extra pass. Ron Artest is that guy. And except for our assists numbers (29th among 30 teams), we're among the league-leaders in the offensive categories. You have to design an offense geared to your personnel even though it might not be pretty all the time. That's what we've done.

Q: The defense obviously is of far greater concern, which is a little bit surprising considering that was an area of particular emphasis in preseason. Yet entering the weekend, the Kings ranked in the bottom third in most of the pertinent categories. Why the lack of improvement in this area?

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.