It’s typical for guys in this league that once they get traded to a new team, they refer to their former teammates as “family”.

That’s how it goes when players are around each other for eight months out of the year, and sometimes more. They become court kin.

I’m just not sure how many of those guys are checking their former team’s box score on the regular. Carl Landry sure does.

“Every day…..every day,” said Landry, who religiously keeps tabs on the Houston Rockets even now while in Sacramento.

“I check the box score every day. They are like my brothers. I even check my own brother’s box score (Marcus Landry with the Boston Celtics)."

There is more from Landry on a feature I have running over at SLAMonline today – “The King Of Rock” – where Carl shares the story about how he learned he was traded to the Kings, to him playing alongside Tyreke Evans. Needless to say, Evans was excited to hear the news about the move.

“Everyone was talking about it the day it happened. Kevin (Martin) is a good friend but it just wasn’t working out. That’s the NBA,” explained Evans.

Now with Landry in the mix, Sacramento – still likely two seasons away for returning to the playoffs – not only has a legit low post player (my apologies to the Kenny Thomas era), but Paul Westphal can play inside-out basketball, compared to the perimeter based offense the Kings have been forced to run all season long.

What team wouldn’t want to have a gamer like Carl Landry – a guy that lost a tooth in the playoffs against the Utah Jazz, was shot in the leg last March only to return to the floor less than a month later, and then lost three more teeth against Dallas four months ago?

Dirk Nowitzki is probably still pulling pieces out of his right elbow.

Despite the player movement that occurred with Tracy McGrady going to New York and Kevin Martin relocating to Houston, the Kings were the real winners in that trade. No doubt about it. Landry is underappreciated in this league. He is overlooked in this league. But Carl also comfortably knows his place in this league and that people have seen nothing yet.

He’s also a student of box scores, and standings too.

“It doesn’t look like Houston’s going to go to the playoffs either,” laughed Landry.

“Not even the greatest player of all time stayed with one team."

photo: ap

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