New Kids On Campus Pose Threat to Elders

It’s just like college, when one day you wake up and realize you’re a senior. You wonder where the years went, look at the energetic freshmen and remember how it felt to be that young and excited.

That’s the way it is for the Lakers, who have been transformed into upperclassmen this year, trying to keep pace with those new kids on campus, the Sacramento Kings.

In plainest terms, the Kings are what the Lakers were only last year: a talented, youthful team.

When the Lakers decided to swap athleticism for experience, the Kings were more than happy to take L.A.’s old role.

So now it’s the Kings who put up the most points in the NBA. The switch is so complete that when TBS promoted Wednesday’s game, it billed it as a matchup between the league’s highest-scoring team and the Lakers, “with their tenacious defense.” Apparently that was the most exciting thing that could be said about them.

Because they traded away Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, we’ll never how good the Lakers could have been if those players ever matured together and began to play as a unit.

The Kings are starting to resemble the closest look at what might have been.

And for the immediate and potentially long-term future they are looking like a serious obstacle for the Lakers in the Western Conference.

The Kings’ 103-91 victory over the Lakers showed they have every right to be battling for supremacy in the Pacific Division and the NBA’s best record.

Even though the Kings lost to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs last season, they at least played with heart and took the series to the limit. That’s more than the Lakers can say about their last three playoff exits.

As well as the Kings played against the Jazz, however, there was the persistent feeling that their wild and erratic ways would eventually fall short to Utah’s veteran savvy.

You can’t make that assumption anymore.

It’s not that the Kings aren’t prone to mistakes. They made their share when they coughed up games to the Atlanta Hawks and New Jersey Nets on their recent trip.

The difference now is they quickly demonstrate that they can learn from their mistakes and won’t repeat them. And nothing’s more dangerous than a player who knows what he wants to do and is young enough to still do it.

“We were stupid the way we played; we’re not a stupid team,” said Chris Webber, making an important differentiation.

“I think we’re smarter,” backup center Scot Pollard said.

“It showed [Wednesday]. I think we made the smart plays down the stretch. When they made their runs at us we were composed and intelligent about getting the good shot instead of getting the first shot.”

Speaking of good shots, Webber is developing his jump hook into one of the top threats in the game.

He used to make stuff up as he went along. Now he knows exactly what he wants to do when he gets the ball. And he’s sinking 70% of his free throws after making only 54% the first six years of his career.

The Kings are still fun to watch. Jason Williams still makes the flashy passes. There’s a reason fans across the country grab the schedules to see when the Kings are coming to town.

There’s a method to their style too.

They exploited every advantage at their disposal Wednesday.

The fans at Arco Arena--an 11-year-old building that feels like a throwback in this era of luxury-suite palaces--made as much noise as any crowd the Lakers have encountered this season. It’s easy to see why the Kings are 8-0 at home.

The Kings like their depth, and their reserves outscored the Laker bench players, 36-16. It was the second unit that established Sacramento’s lead in the second quarter and kept the Lakers at bay in the fourth.

The Lakers wanted to slow the game down. It takes some time to work the ball inside to their top option, Shaquille O’Neal, and they also think a more deliberate pace allows them to set up their defense.

Except it’s almost impossible to keep the Kings from playing at their tempo. If a team likes to launch quick shots from anywhere on the court, what exactly can you do to stop them?

The Kings aren’t worried about getting the ball into the frontcourt in 10 seconds. They’re worried about getting a shot up within 10 seconds.

Williams plays at such a frantic pace you’d think he had a cab waiting outside with the meter running.

The Kings have so much energy they have to come up with ways to expend it. One time in the fourth quarter, Webber found himself face down on the floor after a play was called dead. Before getting up he did five quick push-ups.

They still do some things that are, shall we say, unorthodox.

After Shaq picked up his third foul in the second quarter, a normal NBA team would have gone right at him and sought his fourth foul. But on the next play O’Neal’s man, Vlade Divac, ran to the corner while Predrag Stojakovic took a jump shot on the other side of the court.

But they still have plenty of time to learn.

The Kings are facing their midterm exams this week, with games against the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers still to come.

They passed their first test. And it looks like the Lakers better get used to seeing them around campus.