Beno Shines, Kings Beat Pistons

I like to see former Spurs succeed when they leave San Antonio, whether its a player like Stephen Jackson, an assistant coach like Mike Brown, or a front office wunderkind like Sam Presti.

I always thought that Beno Udrih deserved more playing time than the Spurs could afford to give him. After a promising first season in 2004-2005, Beno saw his minutes drop dramatically, playing third fiddle to Nick Van Exel in the 2005-2006 season and then Jacque Vaughn in last year’s playoffs.

Now that he is playing for a team that’s struggling, with an injured star point guard, Beno is getting his chance to shine.

Unwanted in San Antonio, Beno Udrih appears to have found a home with the Sacramento Kings.

Udrih had 23 points and six assists to help the Kings beat the Detroit Pistons 105-95 on Sunday night.

Udrih, a late preseason cut by San Antonio who came to the Kings as a backup when Mike Bibby was injured just prior to the season, has quickly become a starter. He showed why against the Pistons, hitting 9 of 13 shots from the field and all five of his free throw attempts and fueling a strong second half by the Kings.

“I chose this team because I knew I would get an opportunity to play; I didn’t get that in San Antonio,” said Udrih, who played three seasons with the Spurs and owns two championship rings.

“Playing regular minutes has helped my confidence. In San Antonio I never knew how much I would play. I won’t come out here if I miss one or two shots in a row.”

Udrih hardly missed anything in the third quarter when he scored 15 points, including 11 in a stretch where the Kings outscored Detroit 15-1 to take the lead after trailing by nine points.

“He had an unbelievable game in the third quarter,” Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. “He made shots and he made plays. He’s been playing extremely well for them.”