SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - One of Gary Gerould’s short-term wishes for the New Year is the return of his voice.

Gerould has been the Sacramento Kings’ radio play-by-play announcer for 22 years, but regular listeners to his broadcasts heard some clogged up broadcasts during the last three games of December. The culprit was the announcer’s intestinal virus and cold.

“My voice sounded ugly for the Philadelphia game (on Dec. 26). I was a whole octave lower and had a Barry White-thing going on,” laughed Gerould, who announced his 1,700th game Saturday against Golden State.

Although he made it through the 76ers game with no major issues, he wasn’t as fortunate two nights later when a sudden coughing jag had Gerould hitting the mute button with a resulting period of dead air against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“I apologized, but it was a hacking cough and I just couldn’t power through it,” Gerould said. “I had to turn on the cough button for two possessions. It was really frustrating.”

The alternative for Gerould would have been to stay home and rest his valuable pipes. Although he has missed some games due to conflicts with his auto racing announcing duties _ he currently does the NHRA drag racing circuit for ESPN_ calling in sick is hardly his trademark since becoming the “Voice of the Kings” in 1985.

In fact, Gerould says the only time he missed a Kings broadcast due to illness in the past 22 years was a few games in the early 1990s when he had problems with a kidney stone.

A fixture in Sacramento since 1965 when he became the sports anchor for KCRA-TV, the “G-Man,” as Gerould is known around Arco Arena, thinks his NBA longevity is seventh among current announcers. And despite over two decades in the NBA, he is in no hurry to retire.

“I’ve done 1,700 games, so obviously it means I’m an old fart,” Gerould said. “Seriously, I think I’ve been so blessed to have this opportunity, I have the chance to be in that seat every night and do something I love.”

Old Ball Reappears in the New Year: A controversial switch to a new synthetic basketball was met with almost unanimous disapproval from NBA players in training camp.

Although NBA Commissioner David Stern initiated the switch, he decided to return to the old leather ball on New Year’s Day after the player’s union filed an unfair labor practice charge.

One of the common complaints from the players was the new ball cut their skin. Golden State veteran Jason Richardson displayed several finger cuts before playing the Kings on Dec. 30.

“It’s weird, they feel like paper cuts,” Richardson said. “Changing the ball was something they never should have done.”

Yet Richardson is not certain switching back to the leather ball is a good idea at this point in the season.

“Now we all have to adjust back to the leather ball,” said Richardson, who suffered a broken right hand against the Kings and will miss six to eight weeks. “The whole thing has been a big mess.”

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the Kings’ player representative, agrees the NBA should never have switched balls, but says he is glad they are returning to the original.

“The ball is obviously a big part of what we do,” Abdur-Rahim said. “We like the old ball better, we feel more comfortable with it. It’s been difficult with the new ball.”

Douby, Douby Do: After rarely leaving the bench the first quarter of the season, Quincy Douby became part of the regular rotation in the final two weeks of December.

Expect the rookie from Rutgers University to receive even more minutes after erupting for 21 points against Golden State.

An athletic player who put on an amazing shooting display when the Kings worked him out before the 2006 draft, Douby made 9 of 13 shots and added five rebounds and three steals against the Warriors.

Douby’s 16 second-quarter points helped break the game open as he immediately went from anonymous rookie to fan favorite.

“When the crowd was chanting my name I felt like I was back at Rutgers University because I was one of the big men there,” said Douby, who entered the game with a total of 23 points.

Notes: While playing last year for the Knicks, Maurice Taylor had 21 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to the Kings. Heading into tonight’s home game against the Knicks, Taylor has season totals of nine points and nine rebounds in seven games as a King. Ron Artest played a season-low 12 minutes against the Warriors and was a non-factor, missing all four shots and going scoreless for the first time all year. In his last six games, Brad Miller has shot 53 percent and averaged 16.2 points. ... The Kings are 9-0 this season when holding the opposition under 42 percent shooting.