http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/42255.html
Kings notes: Hart is losing out in lineup shuffle
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, October 19, 2006
LAS VEGAS -- First Jason Hart got all of eight minutes in the Kings' exhibition opener. Then he got held out completely Tuesday.
Should he also be getting the message?
Last season, Hart was a key backcourt reserve for the Kings while averaging 12.6 minutes, primarily as the backup to Mike Bibby at the point. But Hart has been on the wrong end of first-year coach Eric Musselman wanting to look at different combinations and trying unique lineups. Small forward Ron Artest has brought the ball up when Bibby is out, swingman Francisco García has done the same, and the versatile John Salmons has had his chance, but Hart has mostly watched.
He does not appear in jeopardy of being phased out to the point of getting cut. Hart does, however, find himself in the predicament of losing minutes to players who aren't even natural point guards and who also are guaranteed minutes at other positions.
"I haven't done it a lot," Artest said of handling the ball and initiating the offense. "I've never gotten the opportunity before. But I think I can do well at it."
Musselman said Hart has done a good job in practice. Playing a stretch of four games in six days, including tonight at Phoenix, also should mandate the Kings work deep into their bench, another good sign for Hart. Of course, it's also a bad sign -- that he's far down the bench in the first place.
Spirit of 76 -- Pete Carril, a Rick Adelman assistant in Sacramento and a Hall of Fame coach primarily for his work at Princeton, has returned to his New Jersey home base and is looking for work. At age 76.
"He would still like to hook on with another NBA team," said Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations who has remained in touch with his former college coach. "He was upset he couldn't get his NBA package on DirecTV until Oct. 31."
Carril left the Kings' bench after last season, sensing a change at head coach was imminent. T.R. Dunn was the only Adelman assistant retained. Musselman added Scott Brooks, Brendan O'Connor, Jason Hamm and Mark Hughes.
Since then, Carril has done clinics and predictably, with the recent return of college basketball practices, has been sighted at Princeton practices. Petrie still might use him to scout college players in preparation for the draft.
Weighting game -- Noting that the exhibition schedule is only two games old, the Kings say they haven't considered using the biggest hammer on Vitaly Potapenko -- suspending him to start the regular season while contending the veteran center violated his contract by coming to camp so out of shape.
Potapenko, a nonfactor near the end of the bench last season after being acquired from Seattle, sat out last Thursday's victory at Dallas and Tuesday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas because he had not passed a team-mandated conditioning drill. No decision on his availability for tonight's game had been made as of Wednesday afternoon, Musselman said after a practice at UNLV.
"He's working extremely hard," Musselman said. "He's had a great attitude. He hasn't let the conditioning problems sideline him."
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at showard- cooper@sacbee.com.
Kings notes: Hart is losing out in lineup shuffle
By Scott Howard-Cooper - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, October 19, 2006
LAS VEGAS -- First Jason Hart got all of eight minutes in the Kings' exhibition opener. Then he got held out completely Tuesday.
Should he also be getting the message?
Last season, Hart was a key backcourt reserve for the Kings while averaging 12.6 minutes, primarily as the backup to Mike Bibby at the point. But Hart has been on the wrong end of first-year coach Eric Musselman wanting to look at different combinations and trying unique lineups. Small forward Ron Artest has brought the ball up when Bibby is out, swingman Francisco García has done the same, and the versatile John Salmons has had his chance, but Hart has mostly watched.
He does not appear in jeopardy of being phased out to the point of getting cut. Hart does, however, find himself in the predicament of losing minutes to players who aren't even natural point guards and who also are guaranteed minutes at other positions.
"I haven't done it a lot," Artest said of handling the ball and initiating the offense. "I've never gotten the opportunity before. But I think I can do well at it."
Musselman said Hart has done a good job in practice. Playing a stretch of four games in six days, including tonight at Phoenix, also should mandate the Kings work deep into their bench, another good sign for Hart. Of course, it's also a bad sign -- that he's far down the bench in the first place.
Spirit of 76 -- Pete Carril, a Rick Adelman assistant in Sacramento and a Hall of Fame coach primarily for his work at Princeton, has returned to his New Jersey home base and is looking for work. At age 76.
"He would still like to hook on with another NBA team," said Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations who has remained in touch with his former college coach. "He was upset he couldn't get his NBA package on DirecTV until Oct. 31."
Carril left the Kings' bench after last season, sensing a change at head coach was imminent. T.R. Dunn was the only Adelman assistant retained. Musselman added Scott Brooks, Brendan O'Connor, Jason Hamm and Mark Hughes.
Since then, Carril has done clinics and predictably, with the recent return of college basketball practices, has been sighted at Princeton practices. Petrie still might use him to scout college players in preparation for the draft.
Weighting game -- Noting that the exhibition schedule is only two games old, the Kings say they haven't considered using the biggest hammer on Vitaly Potapenko -- suspending him to start the regular season while contending the veteran center violated his contract by coming to camp so out of shape.
Potapenko, a nonfactor near the end of the bench last season after being acquired from Seattle, sat out last Thursday's victory at Dallas and Tuesday's victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Las Vegas because he had not passed a team-mandated conditioning drill. No decision on his availability for tonight's game had been made as of Wednesday afternoon, Musselman said after a practice at UNLV.
"He's working extremely hard," Musselman said. "He's had a great attitude. He hasn't let the conditioning problems sideline him."
About the writer: The Bee's Scott Howard-Cooper can be reached at showard- cooper@sacbee.com.
