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**Peja Vu** · 03-03-2008, 12:09 AM

So, yeah, his audition is going pretty well.

2/27 vs. Atlanta: 25 Points, 8 Assists, and 1 Turnover
2/29 vs Dallas: 25 Points, 5 Assists, and 1 Turnover
3/2 vs. Miami: 23 Points, 9 Assists, and 0 Turnovers

**Peja Vu** · 03-03-2008, 12:31 AM

Beno creates a buzz

Quote:

Beno Udrih didn't need to look. That reverse layup while driving the baseline in the fourth quarter looked so much better with a nonchalant gaze hinting that a pass was coming.

And it wasn't the only highlight for Udrih on Sunday. The Kings point guard with the boyish haircut scored 23 points with nine assists, four rebounds and no turnovers.

"Beno was big," Ron Artest said. "He's been showing up all season."

His scoring power has been most evident in the last three games. He had 25 points in each of the previous two games in Atlanta and Dallas, and in the past three contests, he has made 30 of 47 shots.

**Peja Vu** · 03-04-2008, 12:13 AM

Ultra Udrih

Quote:

Confidence – in himself and from his teammates and coaches – goes a long way, Beno Udrih said.

"I'm trying to make the right decisions, pass the ball to the right player at the right moment and trying to run the team," Udrih said. "We are all in this together."

Udrih said he feels more secure in his role since regaining his starting position after Mike Bibby was traded to Atlanta.

A few of his moves and added aggressiveness might seem new, but Udrih and others say he has had the ability all along.

"Beno is unbelievable," Artest said. "He's comfortable. I didn't know he was that good of a player. I knew he had some moves. Actually, I knew he was that good, but I didn't know he had the heart to sustain that for a long period of time."

Udrih's play over the last three games has been especially notable. He scored 23 points in Sunday's 120-109 win over Miami and 25 in preceding losses to Dallas and Atlanta.

"What a point guard does is controls the tempo of the game," Theus said. "That's why pick and roll is the toughest play in basketball. He knows if he isn't running pick and roll with the idea of trying to score, then I'm not going to run it for him. Because if he's not thinking about trying to score, it's not going to help us."

**Peja Vu** · 03-07-2008, 12:15 AM

Udrih has case for long stay

Quote:

The day after the Timberwolves waived Udrih, they learned Foye had a stress reaction in his kneecap. Foye missed the season's first 43 games. Ironically, Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale told Minnesota media that his questions about Udrih's durability were a factor in his decision to cut the guard.

"When you do your investigation, I guess the biggest concern I had was that (San Antonio) really felt that, injury-wise, he had been hurt quite a bit," McHale said. "You're (thinking), Well, we've got unknowns right now (on the roster). I don't think we were in a situation where we were willing to bring in two unknowns. We already had Sebastian here."

Meanwhile, Udrih has played well enough in Sacramento to earn a nickname. "The Tasmanian Slovenian," so named by Kings television personality and team director of player personnel Jerry Reynolds, has been on quite a tear in the last five games.

In that span, Udrih has averaged 22.6 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 56.5 percent from the field and continuing to prove himself. When the Kings traded Bibby to Atlanta on Feb. 16, Udrih's emergence was no small part of the equation.

His impending free agency this summer meant the Kings would most certainly lose Udrih if Bibby had remained, and Udrih's early play had intrigued the Kings' front office more than enough to warrant a closer look at the situation.

And it appears Udrih, 25, could be here for years to come. This summer, the Kings will be in a position to offer part or all of their midlevel exception (approximately $6 million) to retain Udrih. The chance the Kings gave him after his 10-minute Minnesota stay, Udrih said, will not be forgotten.

"This is the team that gave me an opportunity to show myself," he said. "I'm really happy here. I like it. We'll see what comes at the end."

**Ruff Draft** · 03-07-2008, 12:29 AM

When Gilbert is away, Beno will play!

... In regards to ym fantasy team.

**Peja Vu** · 03-09-2008, 11:18 PM

25 Points, 10 Assists, 2 Turnovers tonight against the Lakers.

**Peja Vu** · 03-13-2008, 11:37 AM

Udrih makes strong case for Kings to retain him

Quote:

He isn't spectacular like Jason Williams. He hasn't humbled the Los Angeles Lakers with a leaning, last-second jumper in the playoffs. He doesn't have an entourage. Heck, he didn't even have a job when the season began.

But as the Kings crawl toward the draft lottery and another offseason of changes, Beno Udrih, despite having unusually small hands and fingers for an NBA point guard, retains a vise-like grip on the starting position.

He wants them. They need him. Assuming the free agent-to-be and his bosses reach agreement this summer on a long-term contract – and according to all the parties, this is a reasonable assumption – the job will be Udrih's for the foreseeable future.

"Everybody feels he has been a great acquisition," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "But the free-agency thing … I can't talk about."

"It's certainly been a good fit," said Udrih's agent, Marc Cornstein. "When the season is over, I'll sit down with Beno and go over the priorities, but I would have to guess playing time and role are the most important."

In other words, this is the deal: Though the Kings exceed the salary cap, they can offer Udrih some (or all) of the midlevel exception that could stretch to five seasons and average approximately $5 million to $6 million annually. Add or subtract a few million, and Beno, who has been the next best thing to a freebie at $788,936, will earn a substantial raise.

His ascent on the court has been similarly dramatic and his once-lousy timing impeccable. The same player who was waived within hours of being traded from San Antonio to Minnesota this past exhibition season is emerging as the right point guard for the Kings at the right time. In a sense, history is repeating.

The flashy, immensely popular Williams generated tremendous enthusiasm during the feel-good, have-fun early years of the Rick Adelman Era. But he was supplanted by the more serious, slick-shooting Bibby as the Kings evolved into contenders. Bibby, whose effectiveness declined during his final months in Sacramento, more recently was replaced by a younger, cheaper, seemingly capable playmaker for the ongoing rebuilding.

Udrih, in fact, has improved by the week, most notably since returning to the starting lineup following Bibby's swap to the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 16. Stronger and quicker than he appears at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Udrih is increasingly productive on pick-and-rolls, on curls into the lane for midrange jumpers, or knifing to the basket and eluding defenders with crafty, left-handed reverse layups. As much as anything, it's his European style of play – the ability to penetrate the lane, draw defenders and then find open teammates for dunks and jumpers – that draws the highest praise from Kings officials.

"Beno has earned the right to take control of the team," coach Reggie Theus said. "He goes deep into the paint, much better than I expected, and he takes hard hits. The last few weeks he has been really aggressive, which is what I want to see. … One night he came over to the huddle, and he complained that someone wasn't passing the ball. I said, 'Beno, why the hell are you telling me? You're the point guard. Go tell him.' I think he has a strong enough personality to demand that."

Udrih, 25, appears unfazed by the pressure of replacing Bibby or the potential to earn millions. He has eased into his Natomas surroundings and become particularly friendly with rookie Spencer Hawes. He likes the city. He likes the team. And by all accounts – Cornstein's included – he is thriving under Theus' pointed tutelage.

Though not as acerbic as the Spurs' respected Gregg Popovich, Theus is just as quick with the critiques. He thinks Beno can defend better. He wants Beno to attack the rim more. Intrigued by his point guard's talent, he wants more and more from Beno. His most recent gripe concerns Udrih's tendency to give the ball up before initiating the offense, particularly when Ron Artest or John Salmons resort to deadly one-on-one games.

"Keep the ball in my hands, make decisions," Udrih said, nodding. "Reggie and I talked about that. (After the trade), I needed a few games of opportunity, to get my confidence back. Now I have that. I'm very happy here."

Pain5155 · 03-13-2008, 11:42 AM

spurs shouldve kept him

**MB30** · 03-13-2008, 09:27 PM

If the Heat get the number 1 pick, we should come after Udrih. We need a solid, steady young point next to Wade - this guy has serious game. Never understood why the Spurs (and Twolves!) didnt want him.

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