Eight former Kentucky players, including Rajon Rondo, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins will play in an exhibition game against the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic is coached by John Calipari and includes Francisco Garcia.

Tyreke Evans is driven more to excel after his sophomore season was plagued by nagging foot and ankle injuries. Whenever the NBA lockout ends, he plans to be ready to show a much improved game in the coming season.

"I'm anxious; I'm real anxious," Evans said. "I just want to go out there and show everybody I can play basketball, especially with the year I had last year. I hope we don't miss games so I can hurry up and get out there."

Evans planned to take his game to the next level last season. After winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2010, he spent his offseason retooling his jump shot. A consistent jumper coupled with his ability to penetrate would make Evans even tougher to defend.

But in an exhibition game Oct. 13 in Las Vegas against the Lakers, Evans injured both ankles. He also was bothered by plantar fasciitis in his left foot and eventually required a laser procedure. In all, Evans missed 24 games because of injuries.

Looking back, he said the injuries didn't allow him to display his entire game much of the season.

"Especially getting to the cup," Evans said. "I really couldn't finish like I wanted to because of the foot. It was tough for me going to the basket and not finishing like I usually finish. Just pushing off that foot, that's the foot I jump off of, so that was kind of tough."

The Maloof family earlier this year pushed to move the Kings to Anaheim. But under a reprieve from the NBA, Sacramento has until March 1, 2012, to have funding secured.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson’s arena task force toured the suburbs last week in a bid to gain regional support for a new downtown sports and entertainment facility starting with the 2015 season. The task force faces a 100-day timeline to develop a funding proposal.

Johnson said he spoke with Stern on Monday, the halfway point, and outlined the findings of a new study commissioned by the mayor's arena task force. The study found that the project would put about $7 billion into the regional economy over its 30-year life. Johnson said he also outlined the regional bus tour last week and the emphasis on project jobs.

"He was positively inclined," Johnson said of the commissioner's response to the conversation.

Johnson said at the end of the 100 days - Sept. 8 - he will "let him (Stern) know we will look at a menu of options, both public and private."

According to reports from InterAksyon.com and SLAMOnline.com, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, and New Orleans guard Chris Paul are headed to the Phillipines next week for a couple of exhibition games.

Sacramento's Tyreke Evans, Miami's Mario Chalmers, Minnesota's Darko Milicic, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers' DeAndre Jordan reportedly have also been invited to participate. 

The exhibition games will be played in Manila.

The NBA stars will play against the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team and an all-star squad from the Philippine Basketball Association.

Advocates of a new downtown Sacramento sports arena rolled out a study Thursday that puts an eye-popping number on the building's projected economic benefits: $7 billion over 30 years.

The study, commissioned by Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force, said the new facility would shower the region with $157 million a year. That includes spinoffs such as sales at restaurants and hotels, as well as $6.7 million in taxes.

The $7 billion estimate includes assumptions about inflation.