Kings notes: Rondo misses practice, but shows leadership

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San Diego -- The bumps and bruises are beginning to pile up for the Kings as day four of training camp came to a conclusion. Rajon Rondo was the most noticeable absence from the action, sitting out with a sore sacrum (tail bone). Marco Belinelli missed the practice as well with a sore left hamstring. Neither player is expected to miss time due to the injury.

“Rondo and Belinelli sat out the practice, and I thought some guys who went through practice were very fatigued and very tired,” George Karl told CSN. “Yesterday was our hardest practice by far and today it showed a little bit, but I still thought we got some good basketball.”

With two main cogs missing in the backcourt, guards David Stockton and Marshall Henderson saw an increase in time on the floor. Stockton, son of Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, bulked up during the offseason and appears ready to battle. He held his own in the block against bigger opponents on multiple possessions.

Henderson is a brash scorer who doesn’t back down from a challenge. He can create for himself and so far he has had no issue getting his shot off. This duo has a chance to begin the season as the starting backcourt of the Reno Bighorns.

After a slow start to camp, rookie Willie Cauley-Stein appears to be getting his sea legs. The 7-footer out of Kentucky ran the floor like a gazelle and even had a huge finish off an ally-oop in transition. His transition to the pro game may take longer than expected.

Rajon Rondo, future coach?

Despite missing the practice due to injury, Rondo paced the sidelines chirping at his teammates throughout the session. When he wasn’t handing out instructions, he was calling for his teammates to communicate better.

During a break for free throws, Rondo went into the low blocks to have a teaching moment with All-Star DeMarcus Cousins. The big man had no problems taking tips from one of his teammates.

Rudy Gay may be biased on the subject, but he sees a lot of positives in having another dominant personality in the mix.

“He’s a great basketball player,” Gay told CSN. “He brings a lot of greatness to this team. He’s our floor general. He’s our coach on the floor and I think that’s something this organization’s been missing for a long time.”

Darren Collison has been the talk of camp, but Rondo is quickly taking a major leadership role with this team. This particular position battle has many layers to it and is clearly still undecided.

Rudy Gay vs. DeMarcus Cousins

Cousins and Gay played on opposing teams today and for a long stretch of the scrimmage, they matched up against each other. The starting lineup is still in flux, but if Cousins is going to play time at the four alongside Kosta Koufos, then he needs to train against a stretch four like Gay. The same can be said for Gay at the power position. If he is going to line up in the post, he has to show an ability to handle bigger, stronger players like Cousins.

Another big visitor

George Karl loves to invite folks to observe his team. Olden Polynice has been at camp all week and today, veteran coach Scott Brooks was in attendance. According to Karl, there is nothing to it. Brooks grew up just outside of Sacramento in Manteca and he and Karl have a history together.

“That’s how I learned the game,” Karl said of opening his doors to other coaches. “I was blessed to have some coaches invite me into their practices, from Jack Ramsey to Larry Brown and Don Nelson and Dell Harris. They’re great guys and they meant a lot in my career. Scotty was on my staff in Denver for a couple of years and I’m proud of him and we are friends.”

What’s next for the Kings

We will conclude our coverage from San Diego on Saturday as the team packs up and heads for home on Sunday morning. The Kings open their preseason schedule on Monday night against the Trail Blazers in Portland. On Wednesday they travel to Phoenix to play the Suns before taking on the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night at Sleep Train Arena.

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