This story was originally published in the Bee on Jan. 10, 1988
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/oldschool/story/11902566p-12789526c.html
Kings latest concern: Self-destruction
by R. E. Graswich (before he was demoted to "human interest" stuff)
Kings Old School: Originally published Jan. 10, 1988
A new opponent is waiting to mug the Sacramento Kings.
It's the Kings themselves.
As Sacramento staggers through a disappointing season, coach Bill Russell is concerned that the club may tear itself apart.
"The hardest thing to control is a team turning on itself," he said. "I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping that from happening, but it's difficult to control."
The Kings, who fell to 8-23 after losing to the Portland Trail Blazers 98-91 on Friday night, are a relatively close-knit team.
The players socialize together, console each other and are careful to speak in general terms when discussing the club's problems, avoiding criticism of specific teammates.
Typical were remarks by center LaSalle Thompson when asked about the Kings' defensive lapses in their 124-119 loss Thursday night to San Antonio.
"We're just not a good defensive team," he said. "We're not getting the effort from everyone. You can't have some guys who aren't committed to defense and some who are. You can't do it unless everyone is committed."
Still, repeated breakdowns and inconsistent efforts are wearing on the Kings, who have lost five of six.
"People say it's a simple game, and it is," Russell said. "But it's played by people, and people are complex."
When he took over the team last summer, Russell made numerous statements about the importance of teaching and motivating his players. ( But his quest to rebuild the Kings -- perennial NBA losers -- is easier to talk about than to accomplish.
Russell is still optimistic and insists that he sees progress, but he also sees problems.
Right now, perhaps the most troublesome area for Russell is the team's sagging morale.
"When the great teams go through bad times like we're in now, they react differently," he said. "When the great players are in a slump, you see them out on the floor two hours before a game, shooting the ball all by themselves. Our guys tend to show up about three minutes before they have to."
In trying to motivate his players, Russell falls back on lessons he learned from Red Auerbach, his coach with the Boston Celtics. Auerbach was considered a master of motivation. He knew which players to embarrass, which ones to praise and which ones to ignore.
Russell, an independent man who had been out of coaching for 10 years before joining the Kings, is struggling to find his way with his players.
He notes that the rebuilding process requires time, but time is running out for the Kings this season.
Unless they stage a remarkable turnaround, the Kings are headed for the NBA draft lottery this summer without a first-round pick.
"There are things we've got to change," Russell said. "We've got to make our players tougher. You look at the consistent winners, and you see they're tough. The NBA is all about mental toughness."
Russell had a reputation for toughness when leading the Celtics to 11 NBA championships. But again, he's finding that toughness isn't transmitted by close proximity or osmosis.
"We've got to keep working," he said. "We need to keep yelling and hollering and screaming or whatever it takes to make our guys tougher."
Some of the problems start in the Kings' dressing room, where the team establishes its expectations.
Ultimately, the Kings' strength may be the club's close-knit nature, providing that Russell can keep it intact.
Meantime, Russell is doing his best to stay optimistic. He notes even the slightest progress. "As strange as it may seem, we are making progress, even though it hasn't manifested itself in wins," Russell said. "We're playing better for longer stretches. That's progress."
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/oldschool/story/11902566p-12789526c.html
Kings latest concern: Self-destruction
by R. E. Graswich (before he was demoted to "human interest" stuff)
Kings Old School: Originally published Jan. 10, 1988
A new opponent is waiting to mug the Sacramento Kings.
It's the Kings themselves.
As Sacramento staggers through a disappointing season, coach Bill Russell is concerned that the club may tear itself apart.
"The hardest thing to control is a team turning on itself," he said. "I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping that from happening, but it's difficult to control."
The Kings, who fell to 8-23 after losing to the Portland Trail Blazers 98-91 on Friday night, are a relatively close-knit team.
The players socialize together, console each other and are careful to speak in general terms when discussing the club's problems, avoiding criticism of specific teammates.
Typical were remarks by center LaSalle Thompson when asked about the Kings' defensive lapses in their 124-119 loss Thursday night to San Antonio.
"We're just not a good defensive team," he said. "We're not getting the effort from everyone. You can't have some guys who aren't committed to defense and some who are. You can't do it unless everyone is committed."
Still, repeated breakdowns and inconsistent efforts are wearing on the Kings, who have lost five of six.
"People say it's a simple game, and it is," Russell said. "But it's played by people, and people are complex."
When he took over the team last summer, Russell made numerous statements about the importance of teaching and motivating his players. ( But his quest to rebuild the Kings -- perennial NBA losers -- is easier to talk about than to accomplish.
Russell is still optimistic and insists that he sees progress, but he also sees problems.
Right now, perhaps the most troublesome area for Russell is the team's sagging morale.
"When the great teams go through bad times like we're in now, they react differently," he said. "When the great players are in a slump, you see them out on the floor two hours before a game, shooting the ball all by themselves. Our guys tend to show up about three minutes before they have to."
In trying to motivate his players, Russell falls back on lessons he learned from Red Auerbach, his coach with the Boston Celtics. Auerbach was considered a master of motivation. He knew which players to embarrass, which ones to praise and which ones to ignore.
Russell, an independent man who had been out of coaching for 10 years before joining the Kings, is struggling to find his way with his players.
He notes that the rebuilding process requires time, but time is running out for the Kings this season.
Unless they stage a remarkable turnaround, the Kings are headed for the NBA draft lottery this summer without a first-round pick.
"There are things we've got to change," Russell said. "We've got to make our players tougher. You look at the consistent winners, and you see they're tough. The NBA is all about mental toughness."
Russell had a reputation for toughness when leading the Celtics to 11 NBA championships. But again, he's finding that toughness isn't transmitted by close proximity or osmosis.
"We've got to keep working," he said. "We need to keep yelling and hollering and screaming or whatever it takes to make our guys tougher."
Some of the problems start in the Kings' dressing room, where the team establishes its expectations.
Ultimately, the Kings' strength may be the club's close-knit nature, providing that Russell can keep it intact.
Meantime, Russell is doing his best to stay optimistic. He notes even the slightest progress. "As strange as it may seem, we are making progress, even though it hasn't manifested itself in wins," Russell said. "We're playing better for longer stretches. That's progress."
