Lost in the shuffle of "OMG WE TRADED FOR JOHN SALMONS" and "YAY JIMMER, TYLER AND ISAIAH!" has been Beno Udrih, now headed to Milwaukee.
Two years ago, trading Beno might have been met with joy around these parts after a disastrous 2008-09 campaign for both the team and for Beno as a player. But he redeemed himself in the eyes of many with his effort and consistency these last two years, and while he wasn't our most talented or exciting player, he was a guy you could count on each and every night.
Aside from Francisco Garcia, Beno had been the longest tenured King (and Beno has played more minutes in a Kings Uniform than Garcia), with the team ever since 2007, when Geoff took a flier on the recently waived lefty from Slovenia. I remember thinking that year that Geoff had found a diamond in the rough, as this guy that I had never heard of seemed to potentially be a replacement for longtime starter Mike Bibby.
He never did turn out to be our Point Guard of the future, but nevertheless I still have some very fond memories of Beno Udrih, so let's take a look back after the jump.
There was the time he broke Kobe Bryant's ankles in Pre-Season:
His remarkably consistent stop-and-pop around the free-throw line that elicited a "Beno Draino!" from Jerry Reynolds every time. Seriously, it seemed like he shot about 90% from there.
When he wasn't hitting that trademark stop-and-pop, he was knifing through the lane, spinning, and throwing up crazy layups (Tasmanian Slovenian!) that somehow go in (1:00 mark):
Then there are all the Sactown Royalty memories, including WaBeno Udrih, Nobody Expects the Yeti, Beno Udrih: Superhero, and others. Please feel free to share your favorite Beno memories in the comments below.
Here is where Beno Udrih ranks all time in Sacramento Kings history:
16th in Points with 3,743.
14th in Field Goals Made with 1,476
21st in Field Goal Percentage with 48.1%.
T-19th in Free Throws Made with 563
10th in Free Throw Percentage with 84.5%
10th in Assists with 1,382.
11th in 3 Points Made with 228.
16th in 3 Point Percentage with 36.1%.
13th in Steals with 320.
32nd in Rebounds with 921.
19th in Games Played with 296.
14th in Minutes Played with 9,561.