Kings' center Brad Miller admitted to the Sacramento Bee recently that he has a difficult time dealing with losing.

"I hate losing, hate it," said Miller. "I'm a real competitive person, and I get real grouchy and hard to be around. It's tough to get up mentally for games. I'm not a vocal person, but I'm trying to help Spence [Hawes] and Jason [Thompson] with the little things. ... There is a fine line between being successful or being out of the league, or being on the bench your whole career."

The Kings were 7-23 entering Sunday night's game against the Celtics.

Rockets' forward Ron Artest compared two of his old teammates recently and decided that Kings' guard Kevin Martin is better than retired Pacers' guard Reggie Miller.

"When he (Kevin Martin) was there (in Sacramento), he was always working hard," Artest said. "When Reggie Miller left (Indiana when Artest played there), nobody really did the things that Reggie Miller did. I see a lot of Reggie Miller (in Martin). He's actually better than Reggie Miller, but the only thing Reggie had on him was he was a better team defender than Kevin."

The Kings are rumored to have some interest in bringing Gerald Wallace back to town, but the Bobcats reportedly want Brad Miller in any possible trade.

Charlotte has been looking for someone to pair alongside Emeka Okafor in the paint, and while Sacramento is interested in Wallace, they have a surplus of wing players.

Wallace was claimed from the Kings by the Bobcats in the 2004 expansion draft.

The Sacramento Kings announced they are retiring the jersey numbers worn by Chris Webber and Vlade Divac.

Webber, a power forward who played seven seasons with the franchise, will have his #4 retired Feb. 6 when the Kings host the Utah Jazz.

On March 31, when Sacramento takes on the New Orleans Hornets, the #21 jersey of Divac will be hung on the rafters, as well.

"Chris was the face of the franchise and one of the best power forwards of his time," said Kings' owner Gavin Maloof in a statement. "He is a great person and tremendous leader. We enjoyed watching him play on a nightly basis. He possessed great all-around skills. He had exceptional scoring, rebounding and passing abilities. It was fun to watch.

"I want to thank Vlade for his hard work, dedication, and loyalty to the franchise. He is a first-class person, was the consummate teammate, and one of the most likable individuals we've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Along with Chris Webber and others, Vlade guided the Kings from obscurity to prominence during his tenure in Sacramento, and I'll always be grateful for his contributions."

Bulls' GM John Paxson has admitted that his team is looking to make some changes, but at this point nothing is imminent, the Chicago Tribune is reporting.

"We've had a lot of conversation, trying to find things that fit," Paxson told media before the game against the Clippers on Wednesday night. It's known the Bulls have had talks with the Kings although it's unclear who on that roster interests the Bulls.

Brad Miller is believed to be available, while Chicago has expressed interest in Chris Kaman.

The Kings fired coach Reggie Theus on Monday, but it may not have been solely because of their poor start.

There were often complaints from the front office and players that Theus was constantly late to team buses or slow to arrive to games. Players were also reportedly irked by his candid nature with the media, and there were stories of him answering his personal cell phone during practice.

"If they've got to reach that far, if that really has any credence to it, that's ridiculous," Theus said. "I answered my cell phone one time last year. I don't know if it was the beginning of practice or what, but I was expecting a very important phone call. ... I haven't even worn my cell phone this year. So even to bring it up is such a reach.

"I've not been late to a bus, not one time. ... I told Geoff when it was brought up that I never (wanted) to be there before the bus was ready to go because if one of the guys were late, I didn't want to have to fine them or leave them. It's the way I did it in college because you don't want to have to sweat the little things like that.

"Don't judge me by one or two mistakes that I made last year as a first-year coach. The second year going in, that's when they would've been mistakes on my part because now I know."

Monday's NBA action was highlighted by a number of strong fourth quarter efforts, including a few comebacks, that led to victories.

- Atlanta 83, Charlotte 79

Team FIC Differential: Hawks +23.1, Bobcats -23.1

Tied after three quarters, the Hawks (15-9) used a 15-11 edge in a low-scoring fourth to defeat the Bobcats (7-18). Joe Johnson had 28 points and 8 assists; Al Horford tallied 12 points and 14 rebounds; and Mike Bibby added 14 points and 6 assists. Charlotte shot just 38%, while Atlanta outrebounded them by fourteen. Boris Diaw scored 25 points; Gerald Wallace posted 11 points and 10 rebounds; and Emeka Okafor added 10 points and 11 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Joe Johnson, Atlanta ? 24.1

Al Horford, Atlanta ? 15.3

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte ? 11.5

Gerald Wallace, Charlotte ? 11.0

- Indiana 118, Washington 98

Team FIC Differential: Pacers +35.7, Washington -35.7

The Pacers (8-16) used a strong fourth quarter to beat the Wizards (4-18) and end a lengthy losing streak. Danny Granger starred with 27 points and 9 rebounds; Marquis Daniels posted 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists; and Jeff Foster added 9 points and 11 rebounds. Indiana outrebounded Washington by fourteen and limited the home team to just 41% shooting. Antawn Jamison led with 26 points and 15 rebounds; Caron Butler had 26 points and 8 boards; and Andray Blatche scored 19 points.

Game FIC Scores

Danny Granger, Indiana ? 22.5

Marquis Daniels, Indiana ? 20.6

Antawn Jamison, Washington ? 20.6

Caron Butler, Washington ? 16.8

- New Jersey 94, Toronto 87

Team FIC Differential: Nets +9.2, Raptors -9.2

The Nets (12-11) outscored the Raptors (10-14) by fourteen in the final quarter to comeback and win at Air Canada Centre. Vince Carter had 20 points and 10 rebounds; Devin Harris tallied 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists; and rookie Ryan Anderson added 21 points and 9 boards off the bench. New Jersey shot just 38%, but outrebounded Toronto by eighteen. Chris Bosh had 17 points and 9 rebounds; Jose Calderon added 15 points and 8 assists; and Jamario Moon contributed 10 points and 9 boards in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Ryan Anderson, New Jersey ? 16.8

Devin Harris, New Jersey ? 15.9

Chris Bosh, Toronto ? 12.5

Jason Kapono, Toronto ? 12.0

- Boston 100, Utah 91

Team FIC Differential: Celtics +16.5, Jazz -16.5

Rajon Rondo took over the fourth quarter as the Celtics (23-2) defeated the Jazz (15-11) at TD Banknorth Garden. Kendrick Perkins had 15 points and 14 rebounds; Kevin Garnett posted 19 points and 10 boards; and Rondo contributed 25 points, 9 rebounds and, 8 assists. Boston outrebounded Utah by twenty and attempted twelve more foul shots. Paul Millsap dominated with 32 points and 10 rebounds; Deron Williams had 15 points and 7 assists; and Andrei Kirilenko scored 12 points off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Paul Millsap, Utah ? 21.6

Kevin Garnett, Boston ? 21.4

Rajon Rondo, Boston ? 19.9

Deron Williams, Utah ? 11.3

- Milwaukee 98, Miami 83

Team FIC Differential: Bucks +17.8, Heat -17.8

The Bucks (11-15) jumped out to an early lead and didn?t look back against the Heat (12-12) in South Beach on Monday night. Michael Redd led with 21 points; Andrew Bogut posted 20 points and 11 rebounds; and Charlie Villanueva added 20 points and 6 boards off the bench. Both teams shot 44%, but Milwaukee outrebounded Miami by ten and shot 8-for-19 from three-point land. Rookie Mario Chalmers starred with 20 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, Dwyane Wade tallied 15 points and 8 dimes; and Shawn Marion added 15 points and 5 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee ? 17.8

Michael Redd, Milwaukee ? 17.4

Mario Chalmers, Miami ? 16.9

Shawn Marion, Miami ? 11.5

- Denver 98, Dallas 88

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +8.6, Mavericks -8.6

The Nuggets (17-7) used a strong fourth quarter to hold off the Mavericks (13-10) at American Airlines Center. Carmelo Anthony had 23 points and 8 rebounds; Nene posted 12 points and 9 rebounds; and J.R. Smith added 25 points off the bench. Denver held Dallas to 34% shooting and went 10-for-19 from three-point land. Dirk Nowitzki led with 27 points and 10 rebounds; Jose Juan Barea had 12 points and 9 assists; and Jason Kidd scored 19 points off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 16.2

J.R. Smith, Denver ? 15.9

Erick Dampier, Dallas ? 13.5

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas ? 13.1

- Phoenix 111, New York 103

Team FIC Differential: Suns +14, Knicks -14

The Suns (15-10) jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and didn?t look back against the Knicks (11-13). Shaquille O?Neal had 23 points and 12 rebounds; Amare Stoudemire tallied 21 points and 15 boards; and Steve Nash added 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Phoenix outrebounded New York by five and attempted ten more free throws. Nate Robinson led the Knicks with 27 points and 9 rebounds; Al Harrington posted 24 points and 7 boards; and David Lee added 15 points and 11 rebounds in the tough loss.

Game FIC Scores

Nate Robinson, New York ? 20.5

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 19.5

David Lee, New York ? 16.4

Shaquille O?Neal, Phoenix ? 16.3

- Sacramento 118, Minnesota 103

Team FIC Differential: Kings +29.1, Timberwolves -29.1

The Kings (7-18) won their first game without Reggie Theus at the helm, defeating the Timberwolves (4-20) rather easily. Francisco Garcia led with 21 points and 5 assists; Spencer Hawes had 15 points and 10 rebounds; and John Salmons contributed 17 points. Sacramento shot 50% while holding Minnesota to just 41% on the night. Al Jefferson had 22 points and 7 rebounds; Rashad McCants scored 21 points; and rookie Kevin Love added 7 points and 15 boards for the Wolves.

Game FIC Scores

Francisco Garcia, Sacramento ? 16.8

Spencer Hawes, Sacramento ? 14.5

Kevin Ollie, Minnesota ? 12.4

Al Jefferson, Minnesota ? 12.3

- Orlando 109, Golden State 98

Team FIC Differential: Magic +22.3, Warriors -22.3

No Dwight Howard, no problem. The Magic (19-6) outscored the Warriors (7-18) in all four quarters on their way to yet another win. Jameer Nelson scored 32 points; Rashard Lewis tallied 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists;and Marcin Gortat contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds. Orlando outrebounded Golden State by three and shot 10-for-20 from behind the three-point line. Andris Biedrins starred with 23 points and 9 rebounds; Marco Belinelli posted 19 points and 6 assists; and Stephen Jackson added 12 points and 7 boards in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Andris Biedrins, Golden State ? 22.0

Jameer Nelson, Orlando ? 18.9

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 18.8

Marco Belinelli, Golden State ? 16.1

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their `Reina Value.'
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Sacramento Kings have fired coach Reggie Theus, ending his tenure with the team after 24 games this season. Sacramento, mired in the cellar of the Pacific Division and one of the Western Conference's worst teams, let Theus go after a 6-18 start to the season.

Also fired was assistant coach Chuck Person.

The Kings announced that assistant coach Kenny Natt will lead the team in the interim period. Prior to joining Theus' staff last season, Natt served as an assistant coach in both Cleveland and Utah.

The Kings will reportedly continue testing the trade market for center Brad Miller.

The improvement of second-year center Spencer Hawes has made Miller somewhat expendable although the team isn't likely to trade the veteran unless the package is exciting.

"The roster as a whole, with the exception of (injured shooting guard) Kevin (Martin), is finally relatively healthy, so we'll see if it continues to develop right now," team president Geoff Petrie said Wednesday. "There's nothing really immediately pressing on that front. We talked about blending those young guys in and that's happened, and they've been productive. ... I still see (Miller) as a really skilled player who has the potential to be a good mentor and provide some stability as you move along the way."

With Nate Robinson due back from injury Saturday, Donnie Walsh is in no hurry to fill the roster spot left vacant by the retirement of Cuttino Mobley.

The Knicks could be interested in Jannero Pargo or Carlos Delfino, both of whom are currently playing in Russia.  The team could also explore trades involving Sacramento's Quincy Douby or Portland's Sergio Rodriguez.

Patrick Ewing Jr. has officially has signed with the D-League and seems to be in the Knicks' short-term plans.  But the team's more immediate need is at guard and Ewing Jr. most likely will take the roster spot that will open when Stephon Marbury is bought out and released.