Kings Chatter

We spoke with Kings players Kevin Martin and Ron Artest after Wednesday morning's shootaround:

Kings Guard Kevin Martin
Q: On what Artest's return brings to the team:
A: He brings competitiveness. Ronnie's always got a lot of energy and he plays both ends of the court, that's something we need.

Q: On how the season has gone for him personally:
A: We're 2-5 so we've got to get going.

Q: On the Wolves:
A: They're a team that's been in almost every game at the end of the game. One of those times it's going to go the other way and they're going to get in their groove. We've got to come out and know that they're going to be hungry.

Kings Forward Ron Artest
Q: On being excited to return to the hardwood:
A: It's all good, it's just a regular day.

Q: On what he's looking forward to:
A: Same old, same old. I've been in the league eight years.

Q: On if it was frustrating to sit and watch the Kings slow start:
A: Not at all. It wasn't frustrating, we're okay.

Q: On the Wolves:
A: I like them. They've got a good team. They've got (Al) Jefferson, and (Rashad) McCants is coming along. I like their team. They're young and they're solid, I think they're going to be okay.

Q: On what he expects from himself tonight:
A: Same old, same old.

Q: On Kevin Martin's development:
A: Kevin's great. When I first got here I was telling people he was going to be an All-Star and everybody was looking at me like I was crazy. He's that type of player. With him on our team and now that I'm back, it's going to make us that much tougher to guard. I don't know how people are going to guard us.

Q: On defending Jefferson on the low block:
A: Jefferson's tough. I don't know how old he is, but he's tough. He's going to be a great player.