Training Camp Update: Day 5.

This was a doozy folks. For the first time this season, the media was allowed to view 40+ minutes of live scrimmage, starring, the new look Sacramento Kings. Today, practice was heated, fast paced and the entertaining. Here are my notes.

• Donté Greene pulled up in transition and drained a three to start the evening.
• DeMarcus Cousins DOES NOT like getting fouled. He was noticeably agitated numerous times and probably would have paid a few fines today if the game was real.
• Cousins hit the glass hard and more than once displayed his ability to score over now healthy but slightly rusty Samuel Dalembert.
• Jason Thompson does not even look like the same player. While Cousins gave the officials hell, Thompson kept quiet, scoring on a nice post move, in transition and in traffic with a nice righty jump hook.
• Pooh Jeter is fast.
• Pooh Jeter is fast.
• Oh yeah, Jeter is fast.
• Antoine Wright is healthy and a much longer version of Ime Udoka. He bothers the ball big-time on defense and looks like a rotational player.
• Connor Atchley can shoot but unfortunately for him, not only is there a numbers game at play, but Darnell Jackson can do a lot more than shoot. If their is a roster spot hiding here, I expect it to go to Jackson.
• The starting backcourt looked very good.

This is what Jason Thompson and DeMarcus Cousin look like in a blender:

No rebound or loose ball will be safe when these two are on the floor together.

Coaching notes from Paul Westphal:

• Luther Head “tweeked his knee” in today’s practice. The official diagnosis is tendentious of the right quad. Westphal is hopeful he will be ready to go tomorrow at the open practice.
• Whiteside’s left patella tendon improved over night but he is out today and for tomorrow’s open practice.
• Both Dalembert and Wright practiced at full speed. Dalembert looked a little rusty. Westphal on Wright: “Wright is a very smart player and easy to live with on both sides of the court.”
• Both Darnell Jackson and Marcus Landry are doing their best to earn a roster spot. Westphal chimed in on Jackson:  “Darnell Jackson has been one of the most consistently effective players throughout camp. He has really made a strong case for himself.”
• Westphal on whether he is concerned about Cousins insistence on talking to the officials, even in practice: “Yeah, very much so. He is not going to be able to do it and after a while, after he writes enough checks, he’ll believe in it.”

Training camp is open to the public tomorrow. Tickets can be downloaded here. The event is free and seats are general admission. Be sure to get there early so you can sit as close as possible. Gates open at 3:30. Practice starts at 4:00.

If you missed yesterdays Hassan Whiteside interview, you can find it here. Look for Sunday’s interview installment featuring Kings power forward Jason Thompson.

As requested, training camp through my eyes:

http://www.youtube.com/v/tG1ziYLgw6k