There was a time when all John Salmons wanted was to be a starter.
With Ron Artest ahead of the Kings' swingman on the depth chart, Salmons would frequently struggle coming off the bench before flourishing in 41 games as a starter when Artest went down to injury or was serving a suspension. But after the Kings' lost at New Jersey on Monday, Salmons expressed frustration for the first time since taking over as a starter this season. Having scored a season-low three points, he told the Sacramento Bee that it was up to the coaching staff to ensure that he remain involved with the offense even after Kevin Martin had returned from a 22-game absence (ankle injury).
And if the Kings were already comfortable with the idea of trading Salmons this season, then his perspective surely made them even more so. While Salmons has averaged nearly 20 points this season, his trade value and what the Kings could get in return may be of more worth to their struggling team. Salmons' tendency to point fingers when he isn't producing, rest assured, has only expedited the process.
BULLS 99, KINGS 94: The Kings failed to finish their fourth-quarter comeback on Tuesday night at the United Center, trimming a 12-point lead to three with 9.1 seconds before an ill-timed mental lapse did them in.
Shooting guard Kevin Martin took the ball on the perimeter and pulled up for a three-pointer, but he elected to drive instead and attempted a lay-up that he missed. The play, according to Kings interim coach Kenny Natt, called for Martin to either shoot the three or drive and kick to a teammate beyond the arc. It was a sour end to an otherwise-successful final period for Martin, who scored 16 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter.
