Mr. 15 Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside, 21, was the Kings' second-round pick in last June's Draft, a project who spent one year at Marshall University and showed a proclivity to block shots. He has a lot to learn about the rest of the pro game, however, and after one two-minute stint in the Kings' season opener, he spent the next month in mothballs. He was sent to Reno at the end of November to play for the Bighorns, coached by ex-Kings and Warriors coach Eric Musselman. Whiteside didn't get a lot of minutes in Reno either in December (although he's had his moments); Nick Fazekas, the former second-round pick of the Mavericks who played in Europe last year -- and was the first pick overall in the D-League Draft in November -- started ahead of him. But Fazekas suffered a sprained ankle late last week that is expected to keep him out a few weeks, which should give Whiteside a chance for extended minutes for the foreseeable future.

Were you expecting to play more there?

HW: I was expecting to play more. I really just wanted to come down here and work ... they don't got a position coach down here. I'm just working on my own stuff ... just floating in the post, staying low, post position.

Me: You worked with (former NBA head coach) Bob Hill before the Draft. What did he tell you playing center in the NBA would be like?

HW: Just really, it's going to be tough. It's a lot of people bigger than me, stronger than me, that spent more years in college. He said it was going to be tough.

Me: Was that true?

HW: Yeah, kind of. But I got hurt (Whiteside suffered a strained left patella tendon early in training camp), so I really didn't play against any of them ... it was cool (in Sacramento). I was just working hard, trying to get better, really trying to develop like the younger players.

Me: How do you deal with the disappointment of having to wait and not be in Sacramento right now?

HW: Just try to really use this time as like another year, just take it as if I had stayed in college. 'Cause I got more time in the day to get bigger and stronger as a player ... I'm not lifting as much as I did in Sacramento. They've always got a weight room coach. In Sacramento, I did doubles, lifted double than everybody else. Here, it's really hard to find a weight room.

Me: How long did the Kings say you'd be in Reno?

HW: They originally told me like two to three weeks, but I really don't know at this point. They're saying, I know I'm not going to be here for the whole year, though. I'm going to have a better understanding of the game, and a better understanding of how great the NBA is.

Me: Who keeps you motivated and positive?

HW: Probably my family. It's just my brother and my mom. Some of my teammates, they tell me I can learn from their stories, just learn from them. Marcus Landry, Aaron Miles, both of them. (My brother) says just keep my head up, and my time will come.