When your team doesn’t look that strong to begin with, and your best player injures his thumb less than a week before the opener, a lot of head coaches would have a hard time being optimistic.
 
But not rookie head coach Reggie Theus, who starred for the Kings when they first moved to Sacramento in the mid-80’s.
 
Theus has brought energy and discipline to a team that became dysfunctional last year under former coach Eric Musselman.
 
The question is whether he can bring home some wins.
 
Star point guard Mike Bibby will miss a couple of months with his thumb injury.  The ever-volatile Ron Artest could sit out the first seven games with a suspension.  And last year’s top draft choice, Spencer Hawes, just had arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss at least a month.
 
If the team gets off to a slow start, it won’t be long before local sports pundits start bringing up that dreaded phrase: “rebuilding year.”