Evans Excited to Team Up With C-Webb
February 4, 2010 by Andrew Nicholson
A day after his 32-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound effort against the San Antonio Spurs, including 10 points in the final 37 seconds, Kings rookie sensation Tyreke Evans was named to Sacramento’s Haier Shooting Stars team at All-Star Weekend.
Already headlining the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam with rookie teammate Omri Casspi, Evans is excited to join Kings legend Chris Webber and NY Liberty forward Nicole Powell in the competition against teams from Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta.
“Hopefully we can get a win,” Evans said smiling after Thursday’s practice.
As for the final-minute surge, which his teammate Spencer Hawes likened to a Reggie Miller-esque finish, it meant little to the Kings point guard.
“I didn’t really know until after the game,” Evans said. “A couple teammates told me that. It wasn’t good enough. We didn’t get the win when we should (have), so it didn’t really mean much to me.”
Although he’s missed time caused by a bruised left hip and a sprained right ankle, Evans said he felt well the morning after his first game back. As tough as his teammate Casspi has been all season, the Kings forward missed Thursday’s practice due to a stomach virus.
Watch - Kings Practice: Tyreke Evans.
After the setback to another veteran, current playoff-bound team, Coach Paul Westphal said he’s staying true to his preseason message, being honest. Lately, his truthfulness has been most evident in film sessions where the Kings head coach points out specific areas where players and the team need to improve. Despite the stretch of tough outcomes the team has endured, Westphal remains positive and committed to teaching the young players.
“I’m loving it,” Westphal said of the season overall. “We started down the road to respectability and I can see it up ahead. I just don’t know how far it is in the future. But I told the team today, as long as we get better every day (it’s) all we can ask and the least we can ask, as well.”
With the Phoenix Suns coming to town for their final regular season appearance in Sacramento, Westphal says what the team needs to do to be successful is apparent to players and fans alike.
“It sticks out, and everybody can see it,” he said. “Our defense is too soft in the middle. We don’t do a good job controlling the dribbler. We don’t do a good job of helping at the point of the screen. We don’t do a good job of rotating and covering the basket. A lot of those things are experience-type things, team defense that’s being learned by the young players. Also, some of it is effort, and we have to sort out which is which as we go forward.”
Watch - Kings Practice: Coach Westphal.
As the team’s starting center, Hawes, who has combined for 41 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks in his last two games, says, although the interior may be giving up too many points, it’s a responsibility of the team to slow down inside scoring, not just the Kings frontline.
“It’s a collective effort to turn that around,” he said. “We all kind of have to be on a string. The first thing is keeping your man between you and the hoop, and once that breaks down everyone has to (react accordingly with help defense).”
Watch - Kings Practice: Spencer Hawes.
Leading up to the Kings-Spurs tilt, shooting guard Kevin Martin had averaged 28.7 points per contest over the past three outings, while he only notched 15 points against the Spurs, he said the team and him just need to put together one strong game to regain the early season swagger.
“We just need one to get it going,” he said. “We just learn from our mistakes last game and hopefully correct them and win and get over this hump.”
Asked if he thinks the team is making steps in the right direction, Martin said, “Yes, we just need to do it over a 48-minute period and finish off some of these games.”
Watch - Kings Practice: Kevin Martin.
See Martin, Hawes and the Kings take on Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and the Suns on Friday at ARCO Arena at 7 p.m. Buy tickets now.
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