Geoff Petrie

Coach Harry "Ace" Bell has not forgotten how Springfield standout Geoff Petrie moved on the hardwood floors two decades ago. Nor has he forgotten Petrie's knack for connecting with the basket. "He could do just about anything on the court," said Bell, who coached Petrie as he scored more than 1,000 points for the Cougars. "But Geoff was noted for his jump shot. He had great technique. In fact, he learned the basic fundamentals of shooting at a very young age. He could hit 20-footers all day long.

This was 1974-75, and Rick Adelman was finishing out an NBA career with same-season stops in Chicago, New Orleans and Kansas City-Omaha. More than two decades later, he is a veteran coach in his first season with the Sacramento Kings. Therein lies a fascinating comparison. Adelman's teammate for his brief stopover in New Orleans was the late Pete Maravich, a ballhandler, scorer, passer and entertainer ahead of his time. Adelman's rookie guard this season is Jason Williams, the No. 7 overall pick in last June's draft, the flamboyant kid from Florida who had 10 points, seven assists and one unforgettable behind-the-back foray to the basket in last night's 94-81 loss to the 76ers.

THIS IS NOTHING really new. They've seen it hundreds, maybe even thousands of times in pickup games on playground courts in Chester, at open gyms after American Christian practiced. They've seen it at Memphis, during many hours of private workouts. They all knew - Reggie, Doc and Pooh Evans - before the rest of us did, just how good baby brother Tyreke was, and how good he was going to be. It's safe to say the world knows now, after Tyreke dropped 28 points on LeBron James and Cleveland, after scoring 18 against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, after a historic game in which Tyreke brought his team back on his 20-year-old shoulders from a 35-point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 21. Tyreke Evans, drafted fourth overall by the Sacramento Kings, is just 28 games into his NBA career and he already is on his way to establishing himself as one of those unique first-name brands, like "Mike," "LeBron" and "Kobe.

They called him "Train," but even Lionel Simmons couldn't keep chugging along with a deteriorating degenerative condition in his right knee. At 28, the 6-7 Sacramento Kings forward and onetime star at Southern High and La Salle University yesterday announced his retirement. "The last two years have been very frustrating," Simmons said. "They played on me mentally. People say, 'You love to play, you love to play,' but you don't love to play if you're not winning, and for me, considering how I felt, it was hard to keep trying to play.

Geoff Petrie, the Sacramento Kings' vice president of operations, was selected yesterday as the NBA executive of the year for the second time in two years. Petrie received nine votes from a panel of NBA executives. Billy King of the 76ers finished second with six. Petrie, who also won in 1999, has helped turn the Kings into one of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Delaware County native also is the first person in league history to be honored as the top executive and rookie of the year.

The Sacramento Kings voided Chuck Hayes' $21.3 million, four-year contract Monday, saying the forward-center failed a team physical that forced his release. Kings general manager Geoff Petrie said in a statement that informing Hayes his deal had been voided was "one of the most heartbreaking moments of my professional or personal life. " He said Hayes asked the team to refrain from any further comment. The team announced last week that a heart exam on the new Kings big man showed an abnormality that would require further testing.

THE PROPOSED move of Doc Rivers from the Boston Celtics' bench to the Los Angeles Clippers' remained in limbo over the weekend because of the teams' ongoing haggling over prized young guard Eric Bledsoe, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. Sources told ESPN that the Celtics will not consent to allow Rivers out of the final 3 years and $21 million on his contract unless they receive both Bledsoe and Clippers center DeAndre Jordan in a corresponding trade for Boston's Kevin Garnett, along with at least one future first-round pick as compensation for Rivers.

The sale of the 76ers from Comcast-Spectacor and Ed Snider to an investment group led by billionaire Joshua Harris was completed on Wednesday, pending NBA approval and closing procedures. Here are snapshots of the four members of the group who have been publicly identified: JOSHUA HARRIS The 46-year-old billionaire and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School is a senior managing director at Apollo Global Management, a New York-based investment firm that went public in April and has assets valued at $70 million.

One wonders whether Kings president Geoff Petrie might not be looking for greener pastures in the wake of Ron Artest's arrest last week on domestic-violence charges. As the bloom continues to fall rapidly off the Artest rose, we're reminded of the changes that have taken place in Sacramento over the last year, with the Maloof brothers taking more decision-making responsibility away from Petrie, who'd always had carte blanche where such things were concerned in the past. After firing Rick Adelman, the Maloofs, not Petrie, took charge of the coaching search that ultimately brought Eric Musselman to Sacramento.

A person with knowledge of the discussions told the Associated Press that Tracy McGrady's representatives asked the Houston Rockets to trade him. The person spoke on condition of anonymity last night because neither side has made an official comment. The seven-time All-Star has been asking for more playing time as he tries to come back from offseason microfracture surgery on his left knee. He left the team and returned to Houston over the weekend. The Houston Chronicle first reported last night that McGrady's representatives asked for a trade.