Before he disappeared, Kenny Thomas could play. You would have to wipe the dust off his career highlight video, but it's all there. The stats. The athleticism. The long arms and soft, capable hands. The rebounds. The defense. Even the free-throw form so foul it should be banned from NBA arenas.

But he could play. Though an undersized power forward at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, Thomas was an interior presence, a role player who didn't demand the ball, who rarely forced shots or envisioned himself as anything other than a starter who knew his place and stayed out of the way.

He was a grump, true.

He was a complainer, true.

But Thomas had plenty of reasons to be miserable. He was victimized by circumstances before he became his own formidable opponent. Who wouldn't be upset about losing his starting job to a high-profile free-agent signee (Shareef Abdur-Rahim) before the season tipoff, wresting the position back later in the year, only to become the invisible man again when Rick Adelman left town?

The demise of Thomas, in fact, remains one of the hidden mysteries of the declining Kings empire.

He is still the Kings' best rebounder.

He is still the Kings' best post defender.

He is still anchored at the end of the bench, except during road trips. Then he just stays home. Team officials recently decided that the brooding veteran was a negative influence on the youngsters and deleted him from the traveling squad. So what exactly did Thomas do to tick off his bosses besides gain 10 to 15 unwanted pounds?

"I don't know," said Thomas, who was acquired from Philadelphia four years ago in the Chris Webber trade. "I DON'T know. I wish I could tell you. I don't have any answers. It's on them (the Kings). I've got one year left on my contract. They've got to move me. Why would I want to stay here? I played well in Houston, played well for Larry Brown in Philly. I've just accepted it. I'll get on with my career when I get out of here."

It's not as if Geoff Petrie hasn't tried to accommodate. Trade after trade. Deal after deal. According to sources within the league, Petrie has tried to attach Thomas' contract to innumerable moves, as sort of a political earmark, only to be rebuffed because of the hefty price tag ($8.5 million this season and $8.7 million in 2009-10).

As for buying out the remaining season, the Kings aren't interested. Petrie previously has only bought out the contract of lowly paid rookie Sergei Monia (2005-06) and, more recently, waived Drew Gooden to save the club approximately $2 million and enable the veteran to sign with a contender.

The best resolution for both parties is that Thomas' expiring contract entices interest during the offseason or before next year's trade deadline. But in the meantime, this is one lousy, deteriorating marriage, the equivalent of the silent couple sharing a house for the sake of the kids and the family finances.

"Kenny's in a tough spot," Petrie said Friday. "I just think … the team moved along. There were other players the coaches felt were going to be more productive. He never got the playing time here that he got earlier. It never changed from there, from Eric (Musselman) to Reggie (Theus) to Kenny (Natt). The team is off in a different direction. It was not like something happened."

Or like other Kings haven't complained, griped, whined or otherwise contributed to a gloomy locker room. John Salmons would never be confused with Mr. Sunshine. Mikki Moore could freeze a cup of coffee with his cold stares. Brad Miller often was morose. Even in the good times, Webber was moody and mercurial, and a chronic pain for team executives.

As far as Kings malcontents, Thomas might not even make the starting lineup. He could be a lot worse. He could opt for frequent grousing sessions instead of the occasional vent. And, again, he rebounds. He averaged 7.3 rebounds in 2004-05 and 7.5 in 2005-06 – the season Adelman kept him in the starting lineup after incumbent Abdur-Rahim returned from a broken jaw.

But when Adelman left and Musselman arrived, Thomas became the anchor at the end of the bench, never regaining favor within the organization.

"Whatever was going on with Kenny was already going on when I got there in terms of his relationship with the Kings," Theus said the other day. "At the same time, there was the signing of Mikki Moore, wanting to develop the young kids. But I told this to the team at one point: 'Kenny is the only guy in this locker room who has any right to (gripe) about minutes.' The problem is that he wasn't part of the future, and his contract didn't allow him to be moved. And at the same time, he could have helped himself with a better attitude."

Regardless of where Thomas eventually is traded or signs, his greatest challenge will be chipping off the rust. Averaging a career-low 7.8 minutes in only eight games, he has an erratic mid-range jumper even in practice, and he still struggles to finish around the basket.

"My timing isn't there," Thomas conceded. "The conditioning is going to come back. I have a trainer working with me. But I still don't understand it. How can you leave your best rebounder and post defender on the bench? What did I do?"

With a frustrated, angry grin, he added, "I have a lot of pride, but the checks are still coming. The checks are still coming."

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