ploto
03-13-2008, 01:28 PM
He isn't spectacular like Jason Williams. He hasn't humbled the Los Angeles Lakers with a leaning, last-second jumper in the playoffs. He doesn't have an entourage. Heck, he didn't even have a job when the season began.
But as the Kings crawl toward the draft lottery and another offseason of changes, Beno Udrih, despite having unusually small hands and fingers for an NBA point guard, retains a vise-like grip on the starting position.
He wants them. They need him. Assuming the free agent-to-be and his bosses reach agreement this summer on a long-term contract – and according to all the parties, this is a reasonable assumption – the job will be Udrih's for the foreseeable future.
"Everybody feels he has been a great acquisition," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "But the free-agency thing … I can't talk about."
Udrih, in fact, has improved by the week, most notably since returning to the starting lineup following Bibby's swap to the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 16. Stronger and quicker than he appears at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Udrih is increasingly productive on pick-and-rolls, on curls into the lane for midrange jumpers, or knifing to the basket and eluding defenders with crafty, left-handed reverse layups. As much as anything, it's his European style of play – the ability to penetrate the lane, draw defenders and then find open teammates for dunks and jumpers – that draws the highest praise from Kings officials.
"Beno has earned the right to take control of the team," coach Reggie Theus said. "He goes deep into the paint, much better than I expected, and he takes hard hits. The last few weeks he has been really aggressive, which is what I want to see. … One night he came over to the huddle, and he complained that someone wasn't passing the ball. I said, 'Beno, why the hell are you telling me? You're the point guard. Go tell him.' I think he has a strong enough personality to demand that."
And by all accounts – Cornstein's included – he is thriving under Theus' pointed tutelage.
Though not as acerbic as the Spurs' respected Gregg Popovich, Theus is just as quick with the critiques. He thinks Beno can defend better. He wants Beno to attack the rim more. Intrigued by his point guard's talent, he wants more and more from Beno.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/781908.html
But as the Kings crawl toward the draft lottery and another offseason of changes, Beno Udrih, despite having unusually small hands and fingers for an NBA point guard, retains a vise-like grip on the starting position.
He wants them. They need him. Assuming the free agent-to-be and his bosses reach agreement this summer on a long-term contract – and according to all the parties, this is a reasonable assumption – the job will be Udrih's for the foreseeable future.
"Everybody feels he has been a great acquisition," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "But the free-agency thing … I can't talk about."
Udrih, in fact, has improved by the week, most notably since returning to the starting lineup following Bibby's swap to the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 16. Stronger and quicker than he appears at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Udrih is increasingly productive on pick-and-rolls, on curls into the lane for midrange jumpers, or knifing to the basket and eluding defenders with crafty, left-handed reverse layups. As much as anything, it's his European style of play – the ability to penetrate the lane, draw defenders and then find open teammates for dunks and jumpers – that draws the highest praise from Kings officials.
"Beno has earned the right to take control of the team," coach Reggie Theus said. "He goes deep into the paint, much better than I expected, and he takes hard hits. The last few weeks he has been really aggressive, which is what I want to see. … One night he came over to the huddle, and he complained that someone wasn't passing the ball. I said, 'Beno, why the hell are you telling me? You're the point guard. Go tell him.' I think he has a strong enough personality to demand that."
And by all accounts – Cornstein's included – he is thriving under Theus' pointed tutelage.
Though not as acerbic as the Spurs' respected Gregg Popovich, Theus is just as quick with the critiques. He thinks Beno can defend better. He wants Beno to attack the rim more. Intrigued by his point guard's talent, he wants more and more from Beno.
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/781908.html