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Beno Udrih will have to fight to keep point guard job
Published: Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2009 - 12:00 am
By Sam Amick
As the Kings' worst season in franchise history segued into another offseason of rebuilding, they were hardly secretive about where the team needed to improve first.
The point guard spot. Namely, get someone better than Beno Udrih.
It was quite the U-turn of events from the previous summer, when Udrih's breakout season had led to a five-year, $32 million deal and the fair assumption that he was the point guard of the future. Yet leading up to the June 25 draft, the Kings' practice facility was a virtual home away from home for the nation's elite point guard prospects.
The No. 4 selection wound up being Memphis' Tyreke Evans, of course, but could have been Syracuse's Jonny Flynn, Davidson's Stephen Curry or - serious skepticism and all - Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio if Evans had been gone. It didn't stop there, either, as the draft night trade for former Portland point guard Sergio Rodrez pounded the point guard point even further.
Yet Udrih insists his ego is intact - his pride, too, for that matter. And while he didn't wave the white flag regarding the starting job he hopes to keep, he did appear to green-light the notion of Evans as part of the solution.
"I think (the addition of Evans) is good for me, good for the whole team," he said. "It's always good to have competitiveness for your spot."
First-year Kings coach Paul Westphal has said repeatedly that he doesn't know who the starting point guard will be, nor does Udrih.
"No, I don't know (who will start), and I'm not concerned with that," Udrih said. "We are here as a team. I'm going to do everything to be a starter, (but) we have Tyreke....He's strong, but maybe not as comfortable at point guard as shooting guard but he can learn. ... I want to be a starter, but sometimes coming from the bench ... you can still play and help the team."
The hard times have continued for Udrih, though.
If ever there was a time to be in peak mental and physical condition, it was now. But his Sept. 1 knee injury suffered while playing with his Slovenian team was an illtimed blow to any hopes that he would enter camp in good condition. And while his agent, Marc Cornstein, said at the time that Udrih "should be ready for (Kings) camp with no issues," the knee remains problematic enough that Udrih delayed partaking in the team's conditioning Tuesday, but did take part in an evening scrimmage.
He isn't the only one who's not fully healthy, though, as numerous sources close to the team said Evans sat out the scrimmage with a knee issue that is not believed to be serious.
Westphal said he will give Udrih a fair look just like the rest. "I just tell him what I tell all the players, that last year was a horrible year for people to have to go through," Westphal said. "It's a new year, and everything will be evaluated by what I see. I don't have any preconceived negativity based on last year. I read the comments, too, and what people say, but I've seen Beno be a really effective player, and that's the guy I'm expecting to see."
For all the focus on Udrih's poor play last season, he said he'd like to see improved performance from the coaching realm as well. He blamed former coaches Reggie Theus and Kenny Natt for leaving roles too undefined on and off the floor last season, reiterating a complaint he made numerous times last season that hewasnot allowed to be a true point guard.
"Last year I didn't know, 'Am I a small forward or a point guard?' " he said. "That's how our offense was. I'm just standing in the corner. I didn't (get any) back screens, didn't get (any) screens. ... (And) the coaches have to decide who's the leader and the other guys have to respect that and honor that. Last year like five guys wanted to be leaders. I think that was a problem. I think this year it's going to change."
I think the Kings are really happy with Udrih this year, he has been their most consistent player, his average is really nice 14 points, 4 assists, 2.5 rbs and 1 steal per game, with a FG% of 52 and 85,5% from the FT line. He is 3rd in the league in FG% among guards.
It seems he really likes playing for his new coach and it is evident what a difference an organized offense makes.
Beno had a recent run of six double-digit scoring games, last night he netted 24 points and added eight assists and four rebounds.
A pity he's not consistent.
Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht Artificial Nature
Beno had a recent run of six double-digit scoring games, last night he netted 24 points and added eight assists and four rebounds.
A pity he's not consistent.
34 points, 7 rebounds yesterday for Udrih. 4/7 from threes. Too bad Sacramento is such a lousy team.
"I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas
17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists last night, but Udrih's team shot a collective 36% (Udrih was 6/11), so Sacto lost to Milwaukee.
"I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas
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