Kings notes: Williams stood by Parker on big day

Kings forward Shelden Williams went to great lengths to support his girlfriend and recent No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, Candace Parker - 2,916 miles, to be exact.

That's the distance from Sacramento to Tampa, Fla., where the University of Tennessee star went from winning the national championship Tuesday to being selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the top pick on Wednesday. Williams couldn't be there for the title game against Stanford on Tuesday because of the Kings' game against Golden State in Oakland, but Parker was the talk of the women's basketball world.

She dislocated her left shoulder twice leading up to the championship game but played through the pain to finish with 17 points, nine rebounds, four steals and a block while earning Most Outstanding Player honors.

"It's been real exciting for her," said Williams, who could be seen kissing Parker just after she was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks. "(Winning the title and being drafted first overall) is something she wanted to end her career on at Tennessee, and she was able to do that. ... It was a fun year for her."

And about to get even better.

"Especially being around someone like (Sparks' center) Lisa Leslie, it'll be fun to see how they play together," Williams said.

Hawes' ex-teammate remin- isces - Martell Webster saw the question coming.

His body sagged. His smile faded. And against his wishes, he retold the story.

"To not win a championship ... " the Portland Trail Blazers guard said recently. "It's hard to swallow. But it is what it is. I can't change it, so I leave it in the past."

Which is just fine, because the present for Webster and his old teammate is going quite well. It was three years ago when Webster and Kings rookie center Spencer Hawes were teammates at Seattle Prep High School. And despite having a dream combination when it comes to prep talent, the Panthers lost to Issaquah and Bishop Blanchet as the end came earlier than so many expected.

Now, though, Webster, 21, is a rising talent who continues to improve, about to finish his third season and established as a key cog in the Greg Oden era that should begin next season. As Webster sees it, the 19-year-old Hawes might not be far behind.

"Right now they're just letting him develop, just to see what he can become," said Webster, who has missed the last four games with an irregular heartbeat and did not travel to Sacramento on Friday.

While Hawes has seen plenty of playing time recently, Webster said time on the bench is valuable to a player's development.

"It's more of a test to see if you're going to change any of your hard work ethic," he said.

"You're not getting (playing time), but they want to see if you're going to keep putting in the work and keeping that mentality on the job at hand, which is being who you are."

About the writer:

• Read Sam Amick's Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.