Tracking the Preaux Career of Orien Greene

[NewsCopy]

Last October, tough talk of improving defensively was nearing an all-time high in Kings land. The defensive-minded coach, Eric Musselman, touted a message of commitment and change, and his players vowed to turn to protect their turf as never before. But by season's end, the words far outweighed the wins, and the Kings had regressed badly - falling from 21st in points allowed in 2005-06 under Rick Adelman to a near-last 26th in the NBA under Musselman. The plan, if not the former coach, remains. First-year coach Reggie Theus has pegged defense and rebounding as the foremost problem areas of his new squad. But in an early sign that perhaps there will be more follow-through this time, Theus made it clear that playing time will be dictated largely by defensive performance for both youngsters and veterans. He envisions a return to the stifling Ron Artest of old on defense, says an in-shape Brad Miller can contribute more in the paint and is challenging fourth-year shooting guard Kevin Martin to make the most of his "potential to be a very good defensive player." Even point guard Mike Bibby, so often maligned for his defense, will need to earn his time partially on the defensive end. "There are two areas we have to get better in to be successful -- defense and rebounding," said Theus, who inherits a team that was 29th in rebounding differential (negative 4.4). "If we're better defensively, then we will rebound better because those things go hand in hand. And defense starts with your point guard. "Mike Bibby will decide how many minutes he's going to play -- whether he plays 20-plus minutes or 30-plus minutes. That's on him, and a lot of that is going to be his defense. Whether Mike is a great defensive player or not, he's got to be willing to put it out there." With training camp starting Oct. 2, defense ultimately could decide the competition at backup point guard, as well. On defensive repute alone, Orien Greene could have the early edge. Greene's defensive skills, Theus said, were part of the reason Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie signed Greene on Aug. 31. He was the second point guard added during the offseason, as undrafted rookie Mustafa Shakur (Arizona) was signed after his showing with the Kings in the Las Vegas summer league. The rest of the story Sam Amick Bee

[CajunAlan]

Great, I think Greene will be a good fit to this kind system. He is a tough defender.

[NewsCopy]

Point guard Orien Greene was controlled and effective running the offense, finishing with five points and three assists and two turnovers in 17 minutes. He sparked the beginning of a Kings rout in the second quarter, entering with Utah up 40-36 and executing during a 17-8 run to finish the first half. "He's just out there putting a lot of pressure on guys no matter who he's guarding," Kings point guard Mike Bibby said of the third-year player. "He's big, and he can guard (smaller) guys too. I like what I see out of him." Theus, as he has for some time now, agreed. "Orien came in and did what he was supposed to do," Theus said. "I mentioned to the guys, said, I'm going to play the guys who get up and get it done defensively. The guys who do that are going to get minutes from me. I wanted to make sure I made that statement to those guys tonight." The rest of the story

[Hatch]

It looks like Orien should get alot of minutes this year, he is the only other PG on the Kings roster besides Bibby. I'm looking forward to getting to see him play in person again next week in the opener against the Hornets.

Good Luck Orien, even if the record books and media guide don't say so, you'll always be a cajun in my heart!

[DestinCajun]

I'm going to play the guys who get up and get it done defensively

This is where you could see Orien was head and shoulders above most all of the competition while at UL.

[KAjunRaider]

Glad he is long gone. He used to tear us a new one at MT.

Didn't Greene come off the bench for ya'll? Or was that in his junior year?

Still thought he was the best player in the SBC, and looks like I was correct.

[ULtimateCajun]

I used to love watching Orien. He would shut anyone down then take it the other way for a lay up. I still think if he hadn't fouled out of the first round of the tourney his senior year we would have beat Louisville (who made it to the final 4) and then probably would have beat a mediocre Georgia Tech team in the 2nd round. Oh what could have been. Hopefully we can have that kind of action back in the Dome in the coming years.

[Cajunsmike]

_ Glad he is long gone. He used to tear us a new one at MT.

Didn't Greene come off the bench for ya'll? Or was that in his junior year?

Still thought he was the best player in the SBC, and looks like I was correct. _

He came off the bench in his junior year as he became eligible at mid season and no the starting rotation had been established by then. Starting is over rated. Who finishes is what counts and he was always in the game at crunch time. His first two years he played at Florida.

[RaisingCajun08]

Playing defense in the NBA. Isnt that a new theory?

[rhineaux]

_ Playing defense in the NBA. Isnt that a new theory? _

Good Point. I guess we won't see him play for the first 70 or so games of the season. If they make the playoffs, then his definsive skills will finally get noticed.