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2B Daily News – Friday, March 23, 2012 After what Smith's endured, it's no GS surprise he takes latest drama in stride BY MARK PURDY San Jose Mercury News/MCT Alex Smith is just way too good at dealing with this crazy stuff and deflecting the drama. It's understand- able. As Smith noted Wednesday, he has "been through way worse than this" during his time with the 49ers. Agreed. For references, please see Jim Hostler and Jimmy Raye, two of the substandard offensive coordinators Smith suffered through before Jim Harbaugh arrived as head coach. Smith also has endured injury, booing, theo- ries about his hand size, scorn, back- stabbing gossip and red zone dysfunc- tion. Still, there was a difference between those travails and Smith's just-complet- ed free-agent episode: It had far more soap opera elements. A few missing details were filled in Wednesday. For instance, Smith pretty much confirmed he never had any true inten- tions of going elsewhere. He said he might even have stayed if Peyton Man- ning had signed with the 49ers. According to Smith, Harbaugh had implied that he wanted both Smith and Manning on the roster. Smith said he would have "relished" the chance to compete against Manning. Of course, he did not say how strong the relish would be — or why, if he was so eager for such a competition, he took that trip to Miami last weekend for a conversation with the Dolphins. "I had never been to Miami Beach," Smith joked, "and thought it was a good way to go see it." As I said, the guy has really devel- oped the arts of dealing and deflecting. Smith was vague about when he was informed of the 49ers' interest in Manning but said Harbaugh and gener- al manager Trent Baalke made a house call to discuss the situation. BY AILENE VOISIN McClatchy Newspapers SACRAMENTO — Keith Smart has been pretty slick about this whole ordeal. While his team's fan base was obsessing about the most important development in recent Kings history — that being the tentative agreement reached for a new arena — the head coach grabbed hold of Sacramento's other melo- drama and very quietly revised the script. He killed one experi- ment and authorized another. He named a 5- foot-9 rookie as his start- ing point guard and shift- ed his former lead guard to small forward. He made the tough decision and, inevitably, made the move that was necessary and long overdue. The rest is up to Tyreke Evans. Can he emotionally embrace the change and become a more versatile threat? Can he change his habits? Can he adjust to a faster-paced offense that emphasizes ball and body movement and features other teammates? Can he improve a shaky perime- ter shot that invites defenders to converge under the basket, await- ing the familiar dribble- drive? "I'm looking at Tyreke as a rookie in this role," Smart said the other day. "I told him, 'You are still going to handle the ball and initiate plays. You will still have a chance to drive and to shoot. The only thing that will change is that you are out there with a point guard (Isaiah Thomas). And also, you have to be our best defensive player.'" This isn't easy. If not a complete makeover, this "I don't know what day it was," Smith said. "Obviously early last week sometime. I forget what day it was. It all kind of seems like a blur. . . . It was right there when they first started to look into the process of looking at (Manning). They came over and sat down with me and told me about it." Smith is a bright and organized man. One would think that, given the conversation's potential impact on Smith's future, he would recall the exact day of that meeting. And if it took place after, not before, Harbaugh's stealth trip to North Carolina for the Manning workout . . . well, that would mean the coach wasn't as upfront as he could have been with Smith. But to Smith, it doesn't matter. "The conversation with Jim," Smith said, "was about competition and the best man winning. The same way with me last year when I got brought in. Nothing was ever laid out there, noth- ing was given to you. You were going to have to earn everything. And I agree with it. Jim firmly believes in . . . that's the nature of this game." Makes you wonder if Harbaugh told Manning the same thing _ that he'd have to compete for the starting job. Did that impact Manning's Denver decision? And here's another curious piece of information: Even though Smith and Manning share the same agent, Tom Condon, the two quarter- backs never spoke to each other through the free-agent process. They still haven't talked. From this point forward, however, all of that is trivia and folderol. It is time to ponder more significant ques- tions, namely: 1. Will Smith be a better quarter- back next season than last? Answer: No reason he can't be. When the season begins, Smith should have a better fleet of receivers, assuming that Randy isn't like placing a band- aid on a broken finger- nail. He's trying, he's pro- gressing, but if there were do-overs in basket- ball, the Kings (and the departed Paul Westphal) probably would want to re-think their entire approach to their young star. Evans was never, ever, ever going to be a point guard, and that's fine. What is Russell Westbrook? Jrue Holi- day? Brandon Jennings? Other members of his stellar draft 2009 class? What's in a name, really? But the dribbling had to cease. The ball had to start moving. The shot has to improve. Evans' strengths needed to be exploited and his weak- nesses minimized. "We're asking him to make sacrifices," Smart added, "and if he invests, it's going to help all of us." Smart's insistence that Evans become a consis- tently above-average defender is the least of it. Powerfully built at 6- foot-6 and 220 pounds, with long arms and quick hands, there already are plenty of nights when he physically punishes both smaller and bigger oppo- nents. At his best, Evans bodies up on his man and rotates aggressively, deflecting passes, steal- ing balls, swiping rebounds, then busts downcourt for one of his scoop shots or acrobatic layups. It's the other part of this new deal — the need to move without the ball, to attack from the base- lines and different angles, to rely on teammates — that requires the biggest adjustment. And for Evans to fully capitalize on his size and immense Raiders sign deal with Barnes ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have officially announced a one-year deal to bring back free agent offensive lineman Khalif Barnes. The team made the announcement on Thursday, a day after Barnes' agent said the two sides had agreed on a contract that could pay Barnes up to $2 million this season. After spending most of his first two years with the Raiders as a reserve, Barnes started all 16 games at right tackle last year. The Raiders signed guard Mike Brisiel to a four- year deal worth almost $20 million last week and brought back recently released guard Cooper Carlisle this week as they put together their offen- sive line. Moss' attitude is right and his legs haven't turned to overcooked spaghetti during his year away from the game. Meanwhile, Mario Manningham will make at least five plays that turn under- thrown or overthrown Smith passes into catches. 2. Will Smith be affected by Har- baugh's desire to seek a better quarter- back alternative this offseason? Answer: Can't see why. Smith's mental toughness might have been an issue his first few seasons in the league, but his grittiness should never be questioned after that playoff performance against a New Orleans Saints team that, we now know, was just as concerned with maiming quarterbacks as stopping them. 3. After Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman gave Smith relatively conservative passing game plans a year ago, will he be allowed to open it up more in 2012? Answer: Yes, and he will need to do so. In the NFL, the same tricks never work twice. Plus, the 49ers' schedule is much tougher. Smith will use the offseason to become a more sophisticated quarterback and work on his weaknesses — principally, not always being able to quickly iden- tify the best receiving option on a par- ticular play and not delivering more consistently accurate short passes. Of course, that's the dull and hum- drum football stuff. It isn't as com- pelling as rumors about which private jet is flying to which secret practice field, or whether someone's wife is influencing a decision, or if one quar- terback is miffed about his team bring- ing in a famous backup. That's still going on in other NFL regions. Around here, we'll just have to wait until next year. Too bad. Those bogus trips to the beach were fun while they lasted. Evans and Kings still trying to figure it out physical tools, whether as a slashing small for- ward or two guard, he has to make some shots. He is averaging 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists, but shooting 21.8 percent from three- point range and 42 per- cent overall — stats skewed by the fact that the vast majority of his attempts are drives or layups. Particularly concerned about his poor perimeter game, he recently hired a personal shooting coach and plans to rework his mechanics during the off- season. According to his older brother, Reggie, it's not that Tyreke doesn't know how to shoot; somehow he just forgot. "That dribble-drive stuff all started with Cal," said Reggie Evans, refer- ring to former Memphis coach John Calipari. "He told Tyreke to just get the ball and drive to the bas- ket, because nobody could stop him. Now we're trying to get Tyreke back to doing what he does best, the way he played in high school. He can shoot, and he can do a lot of other things, too." With the Kings approaching another NBA Draft lottery and owning cap space to make major personnel moves, clarifying the roles of the two stars only benefits the franchise. DeMarcus Cousins and MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Salt Lake 2 0 0 6 5 1 Colorado 2 0 0 6 4 1 Vancouver 2 0 0 6 3 0 Portland 1 0 1 4 4 2 FC Dallas 1 0 1 4 3 2 Seattle 1 0 0 3 3 1 Galaxy 1 1 0 3 4 4 QUAKES 11 0 3 1 1 Chivas USA 0 2 0 0 0 2 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Kansas City 2 0 0 6 4 0 Houston 2 0 0 6 2 0 Chicago 0 0 1 1 1 1 Montreal 0 1 1 1 1 3 Toronto FC 0 1 0 0 1 3 Columbus 0 1 0 0 0 2 Philadelphia 0 2 0 0 2 5 D.C. 0 2 0 0 1 4 New York 0 2 0 0 1 4 N. England 0 2 0 0 0 4 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. —————————————————— Today's game Houston at Seattle FC, 7 p.m. Saturday's games San Jose at Toronto FC, 10 a.m. Portland at New England, 1 p.m. Montreal at Columbus, 1 p.m. Philadelphia at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Chivas USA at Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. D.C. United at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Sunday's games Colorado at New York, 1 p.m. FC Dallas at Sporting Kansas City, 4 p.m. Evans. Cousins up front, Evans on the wings. It starts there. Additionally, Evans can become a restricted free agent in 2013, which means the Kings can strike preemptively and offer an extension this summer. His perfor- mance during the closing weeks of the current sea- son should provide a clearer sense of his mar- ket value. "I'm trying to figure it out," he said, thoughtful- ly. "I don't know if I like it (the three spot). I am so used to having the ball in my hands. But I want to be out there playing, so I'm working on it. I'm working on my shot, too." MLB Spring Training AMERICAN LEAGUE WL Pct Detroit Toronto A's Seattle 13 3 .813 16 4 .800 14 5 .737 12 8 .600 Minnesota 12 9 .571 Boston Angels 9 7 .563 10 8 .556 Kansas City 11 9 .550 New York Baltimore Chicago Cleveland 5 13 .278 10 9 .526 7 9 .438 7 11 .389 6 11 .353 Tampa Bay 6 11 .353 Texas NATIONAL LEAGUE WL Pct GIANTS St. Louis Dodgers Padres Colorado Houston Chicago Arizona Cincinnati 12 6 .667 11 6 .647 9 6 .600 12 9 .571 9 9 .500 9 9 .500 Philadelphia 9 10 .474 Miami 7 8 .467 9 12 .429 8 11 .421 8 11 .421 Milwaukee 7 10 .412 Pittsburgh Atlanta 7 11 .389 6 13 .316 Washington 5 11 .313 New York 5 12 .294 NOTE: Split-squad games count in the standings; games against non-major league teams do not. —————————————————— Thursday's results San Francisco vs. Colorado, late Atlanta 5, Miami 5, tie, 10 innings Baltimore 11, Minnesota 1 Boston 4, N.Y.Yankees 4, tie Chicago Cubs 11, Texas (ss) 4 Chicago White Sox 16, Kansas City (ss) 4 Cleveland 9, San Diego 4 L.A. Angels 7, Kansas City (ss) 4 N.Y. Mets 8, Houston 2 San Diego 11, Colorado 6 St. Louis 9, Washington 0 Tampa Bay 8, Pittsburgh 6 Toronto 2, Philadelphia 0 Texas (ss) vs. Cincinnati, late Today's Grapefruit League games Boston vs. Baltimore, 10:05 a.m. Detroit vs. Pittsburgh, 10:05 a.m. Minnesota vs. N.Y.Yankees (ss), 10:05 a.m. N.Y. Mets vs. Atlanta, 10:05 a.m. N.Y.Yankees (ss) vs. Philadelphia, 10:05 a.m. St. Louis vs. Miami, 10:05 a.m. Washington vs. Houston, 10:05 a.m. Toronto vs. Tampa Bay, 4:05 p.m. Today's Cactus League games Texas vs. San Francisco, 7:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (ss) vs. Milwaukee, 1:05 p.m. L.A.Dodgers (ss) vs.White Sox (ss), 1:05 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (ss) vs. Kansas City, 1:05 p.m. Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado, 1:10 p.m. Arizona vs. Chicago White Sox (ss, 7:05 p.m. Cincinnati vs. San Diego, 7:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (ss) vs. Cleveland, 7:05 p.m. stayed in the game. (Continued from page 1B) answered with back-to-back 3-pointers and the Rockets extended the lead again. Par- sons, Scola and Dragic were all in double figures by half- time and Houston led 56-47. The Rockets scored 34 points in the paint in the first half. Scola started the second half with a three-point play, following a hard collision with Lee. Scola broke free for a layup on Houston's next possessions, as the War- riors continued to give up easy baskets underneath. Nate Robinson was called for a flagrant foul when he wrestled down Dragic on a breakaway. Dragic landed hard on his tailbone and slid into the base of the stanchion, but he 49ERS (Continued from page 1B) Manning is a great quarter- back and everything but if you don't have a good defense ... offense can be potent but there's really no point.'' The 49ers' defense was one of the best last season and played a big part in the team's 13-3 record and trip to the NFC title game. Manningham has 160 catches for 2,315 yards and 18 touchdowns in his four- year career after being draft- ed out of Michigan in the third round in 2008. He was limited to 12 games last year because of injuries and had only 39 catches for 523 yards and four scores in his least productive season since his rookie year. ''We are very pleased to add a player like Mario to our team,'' general manager Trent Baalke said. ''Although it is still early in his NFL career, he is a pro- ductive wide receiver with a lot of big game experience. He will be a nice comple- ment to our current wide receiver group and a good fit for our offensive sys- tem.'' Manningham took off in the postseason, catching TD passes in wins over Atlanta and Green Bay to get New York to the NFC title game. He then had a go-ahead 17- yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game and capped the postseason with a memorable catch. His over-the-shoulder 38-yard catch between two defenders, on which he managed to stay inbounds NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Lakers Clippers Phoenix WL Pct GB 29 18 .617 — 26 21 .553 3 23 24 .489 6 WARRIORS 19 26 .422 9 KINGS 17 30 .362 12 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 30 14 .682 — Memphis Dallas Houston 25 19 .568 5 27 21 .563 5 26 22 .542 6 New Orleans 12 35 .255 19.5 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 35 12 .745 — Denver Utah 26 21 .553 9 25 22 .532 10 Minnesota 23 25 .479 12.5 Portland 21 25 .457 13.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Philadelphia 26 21 .553 — Boston New York Toronto Miami WL Pct GB 25 21 .543 .5 23 24 .489 3 15 32 .319 11 New Jersey 15 33 .313 11.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 34 11 .756 — 30 18 .625 5.5 27 20 .574 8 Orlando Atlanta Washington 11 35 .239 23.5 Charlotte Central Division Chicago Indiana 7 37 .159 26.5 WL Pct GB 39 10 .796 — 27 18 .600 10 Milwaukee 21 25 .457 16.5 Cleveland 17 27 .386 19.5 Detroit 16 30 .348 21.5 —————————————————— Thursday's games Houston 109, Golden State 83 Utah 103, Sacramento 102 Boston 100, Milwaukee 91 Indiana 85, Washington 83 New Orleans 97, L.A. Clippers 90 Memphis at Portland, late Today's games Cleveland at Orlando, 4 p.m. Milwaukee at Charlotte, 4 p.m. New York at Toronto, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Indiana, 4 p.m. Miami at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. New Jersey at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Boston at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. Minnesota at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. Dallas at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Denver at Utah, 7:30 p.m. Portland at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. Saturday's games Sacramento at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Memphis at L.A. Clippers, Noon Atlanta at Washington, 4 p.m. Charlotte at New Jersey, 4:30 p.m. Detroit at New York, 4:30 p.m. Dallas at Houston, 5 p.m. San Antonio at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Toronto at Chicago, 5 p.m. Indiana at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. Houston's left-handed point guard then threw a per- fect alley-oop pass to Dalembert for a dunk for a 68-53 lead five minutes into the third quarter. Dragic sank a 3-pointer later in the quar- ter to stretch the lead over 20 for the first time. The Rockets outrebound- ed the Warriors 15-4 in the third quarter and took an 84- 67 lead to the fourth. Hous- ton's reserves kept control in the final quarter, and rookie Marcus Morris' mid-range jumper with 4:19 left put the Rockets over 100 points for the sixth time in eight games. NOTES: Golden State signed free agent center Mickell Gladness to a 10- day contract. ... Warriors C Andris Biedrins (strained groin) sat out for the second straight game. and hold onto the ball despite being hit, started the game-winning, 88-yard touchdown drive for the Giants. But despite that, New York showed little interest in keeping Manningham, who ultimately picked San Francisco over St. Louis. ''That's the business part about this system, about football. I would have want- ed to come back to the team that I started with. I won a Super Bowl with those guys,'' he said. ''This is my new team now.'' Having played the Nin- ers in both the regular sea- son and playoffs this past season, Manningham knows how good San Fran- cisco is on defense. The 49ers led the league in run defense and forced turnovers, and were second in scoring defense. That entire starting unit is expect- ed back in 2012 with cor- nerback Carlos Rogers and linebacker Ahmad Brooks re-signing, and safety Dashon Goldson getting the franchise tag. ''They swarm, they'll hit you and they'll cover you,'' Manningham said. ''I feel like they have the best line- backing corps in the league. They have athletic defensive backs, D-line, they're all really good. It's a great defense out there.'' Johnson, who played for Niners coach Jim Harbaugh in college at San Diego, started five games in four seasons with Tampa Bay. He completed 96 of 177 passes for 1,042 yards, five touchdowns and 10 inter- ceptions in 26 career appearances. NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 40 29 5 85 194 197 Kings 36 25 12 84 172 160 Phoenix 36 26 12 84 194 192 SHARKS 36 27 10 82 199 191 Ducks 32 32 11 75 189 209 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-St. Louis 46 20 8 100 192 146 Detroit 44 25 5 93 225 181 Nashville 42 24 8 92 210 197 Chicago 42 25 8 92 229 214 Columbus 23 43 7 53 167 236 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Vancouver 44 21 9 97 226 185 Colorado 40 30 5 85 196 196 Calgary 34 26 15 83 185 204 Minnesota 31 32 10 72 158 201 Edmonton 29 36 9 67 198 219 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-Rangers 46 20 7 99 201 161 x-Pittsburgh 46 21 6 98 244 185 Philadelphia43 23 8 94 234 207 New Jersey 42 27 5 89 201 191 N.Y. Islanders30 32 11 71 174 218 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Boston 42 27 3 87 236 178 Ottawa 37 27 10 84 221 214 Buffalo 35 29 10 80 190 207 Toronto 32 34 8 72 210 232 Montreal 28 33 13 69 191 206 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 36 24 13 85 183 201 Washington 37 30 7 81 199 210 Winnipeg 34 31 8 76 196 211 Carolina 30 29 15 75 197 218 Tampa Bay 33 33 7 73 205 249 x-clinched playoff spot NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Thursday's results Boston at San Jose, late Minnesota 3, Calgary 2, SO Philadelphia 2, Washington 1, SO Pittsburgh 5, Nashville 1 Tampa Bay 3, Edmonton 2, SO Vancouver 2, Dallas 1 Colorado at Phoenix, late St. Louis at Los Angeles, late Today's games Buffalo at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Toronto at New Jersey, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Washington, 4 p.m. Carolina at Columbus, 4 p.m. Edmonton at Florida, 4:30 p.m. Ottawa at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Saturday's games Phoenix at San Jose, 7 p.m. Calgary at Dallas, 11 a.m. Carolina at Detroit, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Buffalo, 4 p.m. Montreal at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Toronto, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Nashville, 4 p.m. Boston at Los Angeles, 6 p.m. Vancouver at Colorado, 7 p.m.