Oh baby, is Casspi an impact player

Omri Casspi swears he doesn't know the mother of the 2-pound, 13-ounce infant who made his Sacramento debut Nov. 3 at 9:30 a.m., and was introduced to the world as … Omri.

It's not what you think. The Kings rookie doesn't know the father, either.

"A baby named after me!" a grinning Casspi responded a few days ago, shortly after learning of his namesake. "That cracks me up. That's a first. Not even in Israel has this happened. An Israeli couple, right? Amazing. Unbelievable."

Casspi, an edgy, irrepressible native of a Tel Aviv suburb – a 21-year-old who half-jokingly says he was born to be a King – is six months into an NBA adventure that is fluid and historical and increasingly fascinating.

He has been a starter, been benched, forced his way back into the rotation. He throws down two-handed dunks that rattle backboards, then snarls for effect. He asks to defend Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, and surprisingly, doesn't embarrass himself.