--With swingman Francisco Garcia expected to miss at least two more weeks and center Brad Miller out for four more games because of a league suspension, Kings coach Reggie Theus is imploring his younger players to step up in their absence.
These are opportunities that may not exist later in the season, Theus said, so the time is now to take advantage of them. "It's a good opportunity for Spence (Hawes), Shelden (Williams), even Kenny Thomas, for that matter, without Brad," Theus said. "And Q (Quincy Douby). I don't have the words to express how I would feel if I was a player right now with that opportunity in front of me. It's something you don't know if those guys really understand that. I know how I would be as a player."
--Theus said after Wednesday's loss to Minnesota that he will play the "guys who rebound." If he holds true to his word, then starting forward Mikki Moore could see a decline in minutes if he repeats his season-opening outing.
Moore, who averaged six rebounds and 29.1 minutes last season, had no rebounds in 20 minutes before sitting for the final 16:25 of play.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It says a lot about this team, especially (with) us being young. We really held together in the fourth quarter, and for the majority of the year, that's going to have to do if we want to win games. -- Kings guard Bobby Jackson, on Wednesday's two-point loss that came after they trailed by as many as eight points in the third quarter.
