Beno Udrih didn't mean to get dragged into a Hollywood moment, with the Clippers providing more drama than their same-city basketball counterparts for once.
Nonetheless, the Kings point guard had – according to the Los Angeles Times – played a small part in the saga involving Clippers owner Donald Sterling and coach Mike Dunleavy.
As the Clippers' once-promising season has been decimated by injuries, Dunleavy – reacting to a doubt-filled rant from his boss in the newspaper – said Tuesday that his team would be better off if certain trades that had been possible weren't refused by Clippers decision-makers in the front office.
Among them? A deal for Udrih while he was with San Antonio that didn't materialize. And as Udrih said a day later, there was even a second chance once he was traded to Minnesota and quickly waived in late October.
In the end, of course, he signed with the Kings on Nov. 1 after Mike Bibby's thumb injury created a need in Sacramento.
"I think my agent talked to (the Clippers in late October), but they couldn't sign me right away because they had 15 players on their roster," Udrih said. "They said maybe in 14 days, but I didn't want to have to wait that long. I just wanted to go right away, to be somewhere with a team and get used to the place before I start playing so I went to the Kings."
With Bibby finally back and Udrih out of the starting lineup Tuesday, the fourth-year player has ensured he does not become the forgotten man by playing at an even higher rate than before. In the three games entering Wednesday he had hit 17 of 21 field-goal attempts, averaging 15.3 points and 22 minutes. However, he was scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes against the Clippers. Staying relevant is vital for Udrih, who will be a free agent this summer.
Before coming to Sacramento, he had never averaged more than 14.4 minutes per game in his three seasons in San Antonio.
In his time supplanting Bibby, he averaged 36.3 minutes in 30 games. In the four games since Bibby's return before the Kings faced the Clippers, he averaged 21 minutes. Kings coach Reggie Theus said he has no doubt Udrih will be a consistent producer off the bench.
"I thought Beno would be a better player in this scenario," Theus said. "It takes a little pressure off of him. He's not used to playing huge minutes in his career, although he had been playing big minutes for us. And I think Beno is a player who got tired in the course of the game … .
I don't see Beno's performance dropping at all. I see him getting better and being really good off the bench."
As for Clipper land, it was all smiles and man hugs a day later even without Udrih in a Clippers uniform. Dunleavy said the matter has been resolved.
"We're on the same page," said Dunleavy, who is owed $17 million in the next three seasons. "I know (Sterling) is committed and wants to do whatever it takes (to win). I'm certainly committed. Anyway, I feel much better about where we are. We were both frustrated because of the losses."
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