Calvin Booth is more than an expiring contract. He knows that, even if the box scores don't.
The journeyman center, 32, traded to Sacramento on Feb. 19 from Minnesota, hasn't played in six games with the Kings, which hardly surprises Booth, who played a grand total of one minute in 53 games with the Timberwolves before coming here. He is, in NBA speak, an expiring contract, one of six Kings acquired before the Feb. 19 trade deadline whose deals run out after this season and offer financial freedom to teams looking to save money off the salary cap or perhaps re-sign the players in free agency.
But while Booth has been staying in the Embassy Suites and shuttling to and from practices and games during his short Sacramento stay to earn the remainder of his $1.1 million salary, he also has been taking steps to ensure his involvement in basketball doesn't expire anytime soon.
Booth, a Penn State product and 10-year veteran who has spent most of his time as a backup big man, has been taking mental notes as the latest preparatory step for his future career as a talent evaluator.
"Every day, just being around the best players in the world, you learn something from them," Booth said. "And not even from the coaches, but just watching (the players) play. Great players do great things, so I've picked up stuff from Kevin (Martin) or Bobby (Jackson). I don't know what I'll end up doing, but it'll be something. We'll see what happens."
Booth isn't quite sure if he'll look to be a coach or a front-office type, a scout or maybe even an agent. But because he isn't limiting himself to the NBA, he traveled on his own dime to Treviso, Italy, last summer to watch Reebok's Eurocamp. The event has become a significant sightseeing affair for NBA executives, with most of the top European players on display.
Booth said he took the trip with his wife and a friend from the Washington Wizards' personnel team.
"They let me sit around and hang around," Booth said. "I wasn't in the meetings or anything like that. … I've had a bunch of different looks at the game while I was still playing, so it's definitely interesting."
So while Booth knows he won't likely be playing for the rest of this Kings season, he certainly will be watching. At work and inside his hotel room.
"I watch a ton of college games in my spare time," he said. "You could kind of say I have one eye on guys who will be playing in the league in the future."
Another day off – By the time the Kings and Denver tip off Sunday, the home team will know one thing: It will be rested.
The Kings' four-day break between games after they lost to Indiana on Tuesday is the longest of the season, although they have another four-day break scheduled between their games against Philadelphia and Memphis on March 22 and March 27, respectively.
The team took Friday off, as it did Wednesday, although some players came in for workouts, strength training or medical treatment.
Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.
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