Crowning moment rocky

NEW ORLEANS -- The points came fast and furious, as is normally the case in the making of a rout.

A 3-pointer. A putback dunk. A couple of free throws. Another 3-pointer, this time off a turnover.

Not exactly the "Welcome to the NBA" moment Reggie Theus had in mind as he made his head coaching debut Wednesday with the Sacramento Kings.

The former UNLV star was afraid the New Orleans Hornets would dominate on the boards and All-Star guard Chris Paul would be unstoppable. Sure enough, the Hornets outrebounded the Kings 44-34, and Paul was in the lane all night, finishing with 22 points and 12 assists for the Hornets, who led by 26 points after three quarters in a season-opening 104-90 win.

"As a head coach, I'm not used to losing a lot," said Theus, who spent two successful seasons at New Mexico State before becoming Sacramento's coach. "I'm not used to being short-handed, either."

On a night New Orleans welcomed back its team for good after a two-year nomadic existence in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that saw the Hornets play the bulk of their games in Oklahoma City, Theus embarked on what could be a perilous maiden voyage with the Kings.

He started the season without his two best players -- Ron Artest and Mike Bibby -- and the Kings were more in step with an expansion team without them.

The league suspended Artest for the first seven games after he pleaded guilty in a domestic violence case last spring. Bibby could miss two months after tearing ligaments in his left thumb last week.

That forced Theus to scrap the offense he had spent all summer preparing to run and go to Plan B, which meant trying to score off the dribble and without a low-post presence.

"We're missing a huge part of our offense, so we have to do other things to score," Theus said.

Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof watched the carnage from courtside, still believing they made the right choice.

"I like how he's serious about the job," Gavin Maloof said. "I like the rules he put in for the players, and I like the accountability he's holding the players to."

Said Joe Maloof: "Let's face it, all coaches know Xs and Os. But do they know how to motivate players? Can they communicate with them? He's quickly built a rapport with the players, and they're playing hard for him."

Veteran center Brad Miller said the players respect Theus.

"Like all rookies, he's still trying to figure it out," Miller said. "It's not an easy situation for him. But he's played in the league, he's coached in college, and the thing about him is guys can talk to him. He's good at communicating with the players."

The situation could get worse before it gets better for the Kings. They play at San Antonio on Friday and at Dallas on Saturday before facing Seattle on Tuesday in their home opener.

"This isn't a short-term hire," Joe Maloof said. "It's about how you handle adversity, the tough times. That will be the true test."

That test has begun. But before Wednesday's game, Theus couldn't contain his excitement, awaking from a restless sleep in his hotel room at 4:30 a.m. By 5 a.m., he was text-messaging his staff.

"By the time we met at 9, I had already had the meeting (in my mind)," Theus said.

Otherwise, it was typical of any number of countless days Theus had spent during his 13-year NBA playing career, including five seasons with the Kings -- morning shoot-around, bus ride back to the hotel, a bite to eat, a quick nap and then back on the bus for the drive to the arena for the game.

Theus said he was thinking about his debut the other day and images of all the coaches he had played for started flashing in his mind.

"I could see the faces," he said. "It comes so fast. But then the words come out, and everything slows down."

He hears Jerry Tarkanian talking about playing hard. He hears Jerry Sloan saying how you don't disrespect the veteran players. He hears Rick Pitino talking about ruling with an iron fist. He hears Cotton Fitzsimmons telling him not to be afraid to make a mistake.

"I've always visualized what I was going to do," Theus said. "I've been visualizing this moment for the last five years when I got into coaching.

"When I walked into Arco Arena for the first preseason game (Oct. 9), that's when it hit me. There's only 30 of these jobs in the world, and I've got one of them. It's all so surreal."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.