Tuesday, Mar. 04, 2008

Theus' chief worry: Artest

Reggie Theus had no choice. He has 11 other Sacramento Kings to court. He can't fine John Salmons and Mikki Moore for public outbursts, then turn his cheek when Ron Artest pops him a good one.

According to a source close to the team, Artest will be fined $5,000 after questioning Theus for how he coached the Kings' loss in Miami last Tuesday. Artest wondered aloud whether the coaching staff shared his desire to make the playoffs, and criticized Theus' rotations Sunday.

But now what? What if Artest rebels? If Kevin Martin slips into another funk? If the rejuvenated Brad Miller fatigues? If the tension in the locker room persists? These next few weeks -- and how Theus governs and his players respond -- will hint at who stays and who goes, who Geoff Petrie projects as part of the future, and perhaps, whether or not Reggie clicks with the NBA or privately craves the more autocratic environment of college basketball.

"This is the time when things turned sour last year," noted Theus, referring to the club's identical 27-32 record under Eric Musselman. "I'm well aware of that. I think it's fair to say that we've gained back a lot of the respect by competing and playing hard every night.

"That's worth fighting for."

It's true. It's not as miserable a season. In spite of debilitating injuries, Theus' inexperience, the occasional disruptions and chronic trade conversations involving Artest, these Kings are a far more entertaining bunch.

Even their family feuds are fun, partly because their rookie coach, as a former actor, displays a healthy appreciation for arts and tradition: While awaiting the lottery and rebuilding, the idea is to create a diversion, preferably something suggesting a brighter future.

Yet with 23 games remaining, the mood has darkened. The spats seem nastier. The effort wavers, though somewhat understandably. The calendar is the fiercest opponent, particularly for veterans who do the math and can't count on a postseason. Theus' most immediate task is to avert a potential uprising against his heavy-handed leadership, and his challenge begins again with Artest, who, with an obvious agenda, vented to reporters after Sunday's victory against the Miami Heat.

He disagreed with Theus' substitutions and questioned his coach's motivation. He chided some of his teammates for conceding the season, and others for a lack of defensive intensity. He named names.

"Ron has gone after every coach he has played for," said Theus, responding after Monday's practice. "I truly believe his intentions are that he wants to win, and I think sometimes he has trouble expressing that. (But) what Ron has to focus on is that this team needs to finish strong, and he needs to finish strong, and incident-free."

Interestingly, and despite their apparent disconnect, Theus and Artest are both intent on winning as many games as possible.

And in some respects, this latest dance can be reduced to the simple fact that Artest is increasingly frustrated about the Kings' postseason prospects.

"I want to get into these playoffs really, really bad," he continued, "and there are a couple guys that want the same thing. I'm a sore loser."

Yet as so often occurs with the Kings' best player, Artest's mannerisms revealed more than his words. Though polite and accommodating while seated in a chair after practice, he was chippy, agitated. He was in continual motion, his legs swaying rhythmically, his massive hands gripping the sides of the chair. Uncharacteristically, he avoided eye contact.

"He plays so damn hard," Theus said. "You can't jump on him every time. Sometimes it gets heated. Now when it goes beyond that, I have to deal with it."

That, and everything else, including boosting Martin's confidence, developing the younger players without alienating the veterans, determining when to incite passion and when to extinguish the flames. Learning how to govern as an NBA head coach.

"Sometimes a little adversity keeps you focused," Theus added with a laugh. "I know a great coach (Jerry Tarkanian) who used to manufacture adversity sometimes. I didn't know what he was doing then, but I do now."