The Grant Napear Show - April 4, 2012

Today on the Grant Napear Show, the Kings's arena situation and the Maloofs continued to be a hot topic of conversation. Grant took calls from listeners regarding their feelings about the Maloofs and the Kings's arena situation. He also took calls about the San Jose Sharks, the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Sacramento Kings and the San Francisco Giants. Grant interviewed Terrence Williams and Keith Smart.

Sacramento Kings's head coach Keith Smart talked about his team as the 2011-2012 NBA season winds down. First, Keith talked about Terrence Williams and JJ Hickson. He said that both players are very talented, but didn't fit on the teams they were on prior to their current teams. Williams didn't fit in Houston and Hickson didn't fit in Sacramento, but they're both getting shots to display their talents with Williams in Sacramento and Hickson with the Portland Trailblazers. Keith also discussed Isaiah Thomas's performance guarding Steve Nash in Tuesday night's loss to the Phoenix Suns. Keith said that Isaiah was able to put pressure on the ball and force Steve Nash to work for everything on offense.

Next, Keith talked about how the lineup may change with Marcus Thornton out with an injury. Coach Smart said that he would continue to experiment with the lineup in order to develop a winning spirit for the Kings. He said that different guys will play and he will continue to mix up the lineups in order to see what works and what doesn't work.

Coach Smart also discussed Demarcus Cousins and how he has developed this season. Keith said that he knew that Cousins had some issues with his anger, but also knew that Cousins was talented. Keith said he did a lot of individual work with Cousins to get him to understand his importance to the team. Outside of that, Demarcus did a lot of individual work to improve his game.

Finally, Grant and Keith talked about the Kings's remaining schedule, and how they've progressed this season. Keith said that the Kings will be competitive for the rest of the season despite playing a large number of playoff teams in the back end of their schedule. He said that the players have a hunger to practice and play and they must continue to fight. He said the players will continue to play hard, and that it will pay dividends in the future. As for how the team has come along this season, Keith said that they are ahead of schedule. He said that they're playing together and have a fondness for playing for each other on the court. He said their conditioning is up where it needs to be, and they're a little behind defensively. Overall though, he said they're on schedule to transition to the off-season and into next season.

Sacramento Kings's guard Terrence Williams talked about coming to Sacramento. He said that his mindset has changed since coming to Sacramento, and that he has learned to let his basketball skills speak for itself.

Next, Terrence talked about Head Coach Keith Smart. He said that coach Smart has a lot of confidence in him, and that has been a new thing for him. Terrence said that he's never had a trusting coach, and having a coach that trusts him has allowed him to relax and know that he can just play without worrying about being pulled out for making a mistake.

A new team meant new teammates for Terrence Williams, and he said that he has enjoyed his new teammates in Sacramento. He said that the Kings have played a lot of close games and that the players never quit and will not be pushed over. Terrence said that there's a lot of talent in Sacramento that just needs to come together.

Grant asked about Terrence's best attribute on the floor. Terrence said that his best attribute would be his passing ability and his ability to see the floor. He said that every NBA player has the physical skills to make chest passes, bounce passes and behind-the-back passes, but his ability to read the court is what separates him from other guys.

Terrence also talked about making the most of his opportunity in Sacramento. He said that his career has had some low points, but he's had a strong supporting class with close friends and family that have helped him through tough times. He said that he hasn't let things other things people say get to him. He said that he needs to be consistent, and that even playing for Louisville he would play to make others better and puts his teammates first. He also talked about how the lockout affected him as a young player in the league.

One of the teammates that Terrence has taken a real liking to is Jimmer Fredette, who he rooted for even before coming to Sacramento. He said that he tries to help Jimmer out, and will try and get him the ball any time he can. He said he has the confidence in Jimmer to make a shot no matter where he is on the floor.

Finally, Grant asked Terrence about this style of underhand pass that he utilizes on the court. Interestingly, Terrence developed this type of passing by shooting at the gym with his girlfriend. He said that his girlfriend has long nails, so she had to throw him the ball underhand. He said that style of passing gave him the ball in a favorable position to shoot, so he started using it on the court, and it's been very successful for him.