Today's game against the Raptors marks the virtual starting point in the NBA coaching career of Reggie Theus, at least as it pertains to the job for which he signed up. Although Theus has been lauded league-wide for the way his team survived such an undesirable stretch of injuries, these are the players he envisioned using before Mike Bibby's late-October thumb injury began a horrendous stretch of ailments that changed everything until now.

Theus has said he will use Ron Artest and Bibby off the bench just as he did Kevin Martin when he returned. As for Martin the discussion over whether his two-game offensive explosion when he came back from a Dec. 4 groin strain would put him back in the starting lineup ended with the player himself saying Monday that he wants to remain a reserve while his conditioning catches up. A 3-1 homestand leading up to this three-game trip, however, certainly aided the collective mood on the eve of so much change.

"We'll see," said Theus, whose team left town on the heels of a thrilling 122-120 win over Dallas on Monday. "But with the way the momentum is and getting some new guys, there are still going to be adjustments, but it has to be exciting and rejuvenating for the guys because now they know they can let it all out and know that we have depth coming back."