Uncharted territory

The season starts this week and the Kings are heading into a land of unknown.

New head coach Reggie Theus looks like he has the guys "playing hard," which is what every coach in professional sports "looks like" they are doing. I do think that he can be a solid "players coach" and connect with the guys in a way that Eric Mussleman couldn't. They haven't looked all that sluggish and non-motivated like in recent years so maybe Reggie and his acting skills can do some good, but who knows.

Mike Bibby just underwent surgery on his thumb and is expected to miss over two months of the season. Knowing Bibby he will likely try to get back sooner, which can be a good and bad thing. As it currently stands, the Kings don't have a backup point guard. That is a big no-no in professional basketball. The points guard is the floor guide to a team. The one who sets up the offense and balances them out. Quincy Douby, as it has been throughout the preseason, could man the ship at the point position. Francisco Garcia and John Salmons, two players who are not point guards, will share the duties. Recent rumors have pushed Orien Green as the starter at the point. Maybe the team can use this opportunity to grow a core of young guys around Kevin Martin, but who knows.

Next is the fans. I am starting to notice tickets are a little easier to come by going into the opening night of the season. You can purchase tickets on Ticketmaster right now for the game when in years prior you would be fighting to out bid that pest on the other side of the eBay bidding block. This season will be a huge test for these loyal Kings fan. They do have a reputation to uphold now and it will be under a microscope by the league now that the team isn't spectacular. The fans will be the focal point when ESPN rolls into town (which I think they might be doing only once this season), but who knows.

Lets hope for more than 35 wins Kings fans, and maybe a glimpse into what the future of the franchise might look like.

First game, not much change

I attended the first preseason game last night. Going in, I didn't expect to see much out of the Reggie Theus-led squad. I got what I came for.

I know it is the first game of the season and the team and new coaching staff have some "getting to know each other" to do but the Kings looked exactly the same against the Seattle Sonics. Miller has slimmed down a little and does look slightly quicker yes, but what I saw was one-on-one basketball and opposition scoring at will in the paint.

Sound familiar???

Mike Bibby looked as if he may focus on trying to run the team a little more this year instead of just scoring. Ron Artest did drive to the lane a few times but unfortunately, he still insists on shooting three pointers at the wrong time. Theus left his starters in a lot more than I expected, which did bode well for Kevin Martin who scored 27 points on limited minutes.

Martin, as he should be with 55 million in his pocket, is going to have an even better season this year. He looks as though he has bulked up a little and his shot is even smoother. He scored those 27 points on 11 shots and also said that he is expecting to get to the line at least eight times a game.

Another bright spot was Quincy Douby who has had a great off season and will likely get more minutes this year. He looked quick and his shot looked smooth and will really be a boost off the bench. He ran the point a few times and looked to be in control.

Mikki Moore looked awful.

The arena issue popped into my head, while sitting in the stands. This wasn't just a thought that randomly presented itself while staring off into space, I had a visual display of what the clunky Arco represents in this day in age. The whole row of seats in front of me unlatched and tilted forward with fans sitting in them! The fans were almost lifted off their backside and thrown to the ground. After regaining their balance the entire row continued to swing back and forth like a porch swing. Enough said. Let's get the new arena approved and get on track Kings fans!

Francisco Garcia did not play, but may play on Thursday against the Suns. Draft pick Spencer Hawes is having surgery during the pre season on his knee. He should be ready to go around the start of the season but will have some work to do to get prepared for the NBA.