Kings Notes: Christie, Perry, Westbrook, DeRozan, Assistant Coaches
Doug Christie‘s success in developing young players was a major reason why the Kings decided to keep him as head coach, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes in a subscriber-only piece. The team only won 22 games this season, but general manager Scott Perry said during Wednesday’s exit interviews that he’s encouraged by the progress of rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell, who improved significantly throughout the season.
“That was one of the main reasons in making sure Doug Christie came back as head coach,” Perry told reporters. “Doug’s relentless energy, his leadership that he exhibited with these young guys, his patience, never wavered throughout a challenging year.”
Christie, who also spoke at the event, promised to eventually produce a winner “come hell or high water.” Perry noted that injuries played a role in this year’s failure, as Christie was forced to use 34 different starting lineups. He got just 19 games from Domantas Sabonis, 23 from Keegan Murray and 39 from Zach LaVine.
“It would be nice to plug those guys in and have all that,” Christie said. “We didn’t have it, but I can see how all of that would fit because the ability to shoot, the ability to defend and the ability to rebound are absolute musts, and those guys help in all those categories.”
There’s more from Sacramento:
- Perry indicated that he’ll be looking to make changes this summer to a roster that’s filled with expensive veterans, Anderson adds. The Kings currently project to be about $20MM over the luxury tax and nearly $4MM above the second apron. “There are a lot of mechanisms to work around the cap,” Perry said. “I will just say this. From the time I started in this league 23 years ago, my philosophy is never to be a team going into the luxury tax unless we were a roster worth of that, ready to compete for a champion. We’re not there yet, so we have a number of avenues over the next three, four, five months to make sure we’re in compliance with that and also put the very best roster we can out there for next season.”
- The Kings are open to bringing back Russell Westbrook next season, per Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 37-year-old point guard, who said he’d like to remain with the team, will be a free agent again after signing a one-year deal with Sacramento shortly before the start of the season. He wound up playing 64 games and averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 29 minutes per night. “Russell’s always welcome with me,” Perry said. “I loved working with Russell Westbrook this year. I mean, he was phenomenal. I can’t say enough. … Extremely competitive. I wish I had an opportunity to work with Russell earlier in my career as well, because I really like what he stands for. And again, we will keep the lines of communication open and we will see what happens and what’s available for us this offseason.”
- An important offseason decision is looming regarding DeMar DeRozan, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN. DeRozan has been extremely reliable since joining the team in 2024, but the final year of his contract only carries a $10MM guarantee on his $25.7MM salary. Parting with him could be a way to ease the tax concerns. Marks also addresses the need to build a younger roster in a video outlining the Kings’ offseason.
- Christie confirmed that assistant coaches Dipesh Mistry and Jimmy Alapag won’t return next season, relays James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link).
Pacific Notes: Dunn, Curry, Clifford, K. Hayes, Hachimura, Smart
Kris Dunn‘s $5.7MM salary for next season is currently non-guaranteed, but will become fully guaranteed if the veteran guard makes an All-Defensive team or is still on the roster past June 30, 2026.
Justin Russo asked Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue what responsibility he felt to make sure players who have incentives in their contracts are eligible to reach them (Twitter video link). Dunn was ineligible for All-Defensive consideration last season despite making 74 regular season appearances because he didn’t play 20-plus minutes in enough games to qualify for major postseason awards.
“(His salary)’s gonna be guaranteed regardless. … As long as I’m here, I want KD,” Lue replied. “He means a lot to the team. Everything he brings: His unselfishness, who he stands for as a person. He’s just a winner; he does all the winning things. And so whether he makes (an All-Defensive team) or not, which I hope he does for him, he’ll be here (next season).”
Dunn, who turned 32 last week, is averaging 7.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals on .480/.379/.773 shooting in 27.6 minutes per game in 2025/26. He has yet to miss a game this season and has already become eligible for an All-Defensive team, though whether he actually makes one is obviously up to the voters.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Stephen Curry was expected to scrimmage with the Warriors on Sunday morning, but that didn’t happen, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). The Warriors said the star guard didn’t suffer any type of setback — he just wasn’t ready to advance to that stage of his recovery yet. Instead, Curry did on-court work and continued to rehab with Rick Celebrini, Slater adds. On a brighter note for the Warriors, Moses Moody (right wrist sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (back) both returned to action on Monday in Dallas.
- Kings guard/forward Nique Clifford has been diagnosed with a mild midfoot sprain after undergoing an MRI, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com). The rookie first-round pick, who suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over Brooklyn, will miss at least one week, which is when he’ll be reevaluated. Killian Hayes also underwent an MRI after sustaining an injury on Sunday, and the imaging revealed inflammation in his left toe. The sixth-year guard is considered day-to-day, per the team.
- The Lakers were missing Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart in Monday’s loss in Detroit. Hachimura, who is dealing with a right calf contusion, underwent an MRI, which came back clean, head coach JJ Redick told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter links). Smart, meanwhile, suffered a right ankle sprain and a right hip injury during Saturday’s win at Orlando. Both players are considered day-to-day, Redick said.
Pacific Notes: James, Kennard, Suns, Clifford, Hayes
LeBron James added another record to his long list of accomplishments. The Lakers forward officially played on Saturday in the 1,612th regular-season game of his career, a new NBA mark. Longtime Celtics center Robert Parish held the previous record.
“It’s not like I’m like writing things down and looking at the record book and saying: ‘I’m going to get that, I’m going to get that, I’m going to get that.’ It just kind of happened,” James said, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “It was not on the list of things that I wanted to accomplish.”
James added that he has long made it a priority to push through injuries and to be available to play as much as possible over the course of his storied career.
“I’ve always kind of just prided myself on trying to be as available as possible in my career to my teammates,” James said, per Law Murray of The Athletic. “Going out on the floor every night and keeping my body intact. And the only way I can do that, is how I treat my body. How I prepare my mind to be available for 23 years as much as I possibly can.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers extended their winning streak to nine games on Saturday by defeating Orlando, 105-104. Luke Kennard knocked down a game-winning three-pointer in the final second. “I didn’t really know what was going on, I was just screaming,” Kennard said, per Khobi Price of the California Post. “I remember somebody, I don’t know who it was, somebody picked me up. But it was really cool. It’s a cool moment. Haven’t had many like that in the NBA, I don’t think. It means a lot how excited everybody was. I felt that. And again, just to win a game like that is pretty special and just shows what we have in the locker room.” Kennard, a free agent after the season, was acquired from Atlanta last month.
- The Suns fell to the Bucks, 108-105, on Saturday. Phoenix was without six players and coach Jordan Ott lamented how the injuries have affected the club, which had lost five straight until it defeated Toronto 120-98 on Sunday. “We just want everyone back. In a rhythm would be a blessing,” Ott said, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). “We just want everyone back. Said it constantly. Tried to stay away from it the last couple of weeks. That’s what we’d like to do.”
- Injuries continue to pile up for the banged-up Kings. They have won five of their last eight games, including a victory over the Nets this weekend, but two more players were injured. Rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford departed in the fourth quarter after twisting his ankle. Recent addition Killian Hayes, who has been starting at the point lately, suffered a toe injury, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “Man, it sucks, especially for the young guys because you want them to be out there playing,” Kings forward DeMar DeRozan said. “You want them to get as many reps and experience as possible, and to see them go down, it definitely sucks. Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious.”
Kings Notes: Losing Streak, Young Players, Cardwell, Hunter
The Kings currently top the Tankathon list with a league-worst 12-41 record. They dropped their 11th straight on Friday, matching their longest losing streak since the 1991/92 season. The franchise record for consecutive losses is 14.
Head coach Doug Christie rode with his younger players — Devin Carter, Daeqwon Plowden and rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell — down the stretch of a 114-111 loss to the Clippers on Friday.
“For me, it’s extremely tough (to lose), but that’s part of the job, so I just get back at it and try to game-plan and figure out how to put them in the best position to get a win,” Christie said, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “But the value for these young players is incredible, so I’m proud of them to watch them continue to go out and grow and compete at a high level in high-leverage moments. You don’t get those opportunities. They’re finding their way.”
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Cardwell, an undrafted rookie center, posted his second double-double with career highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds. It was his first game since being promoted to the standard roster. The former two-way player received a four-year contract. “He earned that through really, really hard work with a lot of good development down in the G League and here with our coaches,” Christie said. “The kid has done a hell of a job. I don’t know that proud is the word because it goes beyond that. I’m proud of him and proud for him because he did the work. Kudos to him because that doesn’t happen often and he affects winning.”
- The Kings created a full-time roster spot for Cardwell when they traded Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis and Dario Saric as part of a three-team deal that brought De’Andre Hunter to Sacramento, Anderson notes. “One of the other byproducts of the deal that was important for us as well was, in sending out three players, it opened up a roster spot for us to elevate and sign to a full-time NBA contract a guy like Dyan Cardwell, who has more than earned it and who has quickly become a fan favorite here,” Kings general manager Scott Perry said. “He does things that are very important for any successful basketball team. He’s an energetic defender. He’s able to protect the rim. He’s a switchable center, big man, who can guard guys away from the basket as well. He’s an excellent rebounder, one of the top rebounders for the minutes he’s played as a rookie already, and we continue to see a great trajectory for him.”
- In his second game with the club, Hunter suffered a left eye injury and departed early. The veteran wing played 25 minutes and shot just 1-for-8 from the field while committing three turnovers. He had nine points in 26 minutes in his Kings debut against Memphis on Wednesday.
Scott Perry Hopes To Turn Kings Into ‘Sustainable Winner’
The results haven’t been encouraging in Scott Perry‘s first season as general manager of the Kings, but he remains focused on building “sustainable” long-term success, he said in an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape.
Perry, who was hired to run the team in April, discusses numerous topics in the lengthy exchange, including his approach to the upcoming trade deadline. Sacramento owns the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 8-25 and has several veteran players who could interest other teams, such as DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Malik Monk, Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder. Perry plans to listen to offers over the next five weeks, but he hasn’t determined that certain players will definitely be moved.
“I’m always going to work the phones,” he said. “I’m always going try to figure out how we can improve the team, both short and long term, if possible. But I want to be prudent and opportunistic in doing that. I’m not somebody who does things out of panic. So, it’s got to make sense for us. So, we’ll see.
“But obviously we know we’re far from a finished product, so we’ve got to be open to getting better. And this is one of the vehicles that you have at your disposal in trying to get better. It’s seeing that there’s a trade that makes sense and fits for not only you, but it’s got to fit for the other team or teams that you’re involved with.”
Perry recognized when he took the job that it wouldn’t be easy to transform a franchise that has only made one playoff appearance since 2007. That came in 2023, and the Kings have been trending downward ever since. They’re currently on pace for the worst record in franchise history, but Perry made it clear that he’s not looking for a “quick fix” to salvage this season at the expense of the future.
“I was hired to build a sustainable winner,” he said. “So, I’m sure there’s an anomaly somewhere, but I don’t know of many quote-unquote quick fixes that turn into being sustainable. And my vision, which is shared by top to bottom ownership and everybody in the building, is to build a sustainable winner. I think that takes a little more time than quick fixes. You got to make appropriate decisions in that at least give you the best chance to lay a foundation to grow into something that’s sustainable. And so that’s what we’re at.
“… What is a quick fix? It’s probably for that season or maybe one other season. But hopefully, my goal and vision is to get to the point that once you become a playoff team you can stay there for a while. And that’s when you get your chance to sustain it.”
Perry admits he’s still in the “evaluation stage” with the franchise as he tries to decide which players to keep. Amid the losing, one positive has been the performance of the team’s rookies. Second-round pick Maxime Raynaud has been a pleasant surprise, especially since moving into the starting lineup after center Domantas Sabonis was sidelined with a meniscus injury. First-round selection Nique Clifford is getting regular rotation minutes, and Dylan Cardwell has been a valuable big man off the bench on a two-way contract.
Perry calls all three rookies “very hard workers” with “very good basketball IQs” and indicated that they’re the type of players he wants to build around.
He also discussed the decision to give Keegan Murray a five-year, $140MM rookie-scale extension in October. Murray hasn’t posted outstanding numbers during his first three-plus NBA seasons, but Perry views him as another building block for the future.
“Another tremendously hard worker, high character guy,” Perry said. “In this league, you can’t have too many 6-8, 6-9 versatile players. The guy has shot the three-point ball at a high clip since coming to the league, even though his numbers are down this year. He missed the first month of the season and is taking a little while to get his rhythm back, too. We’re matching him up with everybody on the other end, but that’s a tribute to his defensive versatility. So, here’s a guy that we put on point guards and we put on centers and all positions in between and he doesn’t flinch. He takes on those assignments. That’s invaluable.
“When you talk about build a team, he’s young, he’s 25 years old. So now we’re coming into the window of hopefully what’s going to be the prime of his career. I see him as being a very important part of establishing that sustainable winning. You need high character, versatile two-way players – as many as you can get. He was here and he liked it here and it’s been good to work with him.”
Stein’s Latest: Kings, Harden, Kessler, Rozier, Jones, Payton
If executives around the NBA were asked which team is viewed as the most likely seller ahead of this season’s trade deadline, many would name the Kings first, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
“Active is the word I would use to describe them,” one exec said of Sacramento.
Few players on the Kings’ roster are off limits, with the team seemingly open to inquiries on anyone outside of fourth-year forward Keegan Murray and rookie Nique Clifford, Stein writes.
Sacramento has “certainly” made veterans Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan available, Stein continues, though the club is reportedly telling teams that it has no intention of attaching draft assets – or highly regarded guard Keon Ellis – to any of its higher-paid vets in order to accommodate a deal.
Stein has more to share from around the NBA:
- A number of teams are keeping a close eye on Clippers guard James Harden, a source tells Stein. Given L.A.’s disappointing record, Harden’s age (36), and his contract situation (he holds a partially guaranteed player option for 2026/27), the former MVP would make an intriguing trade candidate if the Clippers are open to moving him. Stein points out that the Timberwolves are among the teams seeking a play-maker on the trade market.
- Echoing recent reporting from Grant Afseth, Stein says the Pacers have registered interest in Walker Kessler, though he adds that the Jazz have shown no signs that they want to trade the big man ahead of his restricted free agency.
- Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA haven’t confirmed one way or another whether the Heat would be permitted to trade Terry Rozier while he remains on leave following his arrest in connection to a federal gambling investigation. However, Stein hears that the Heat are “quietly confident” that the league wouldn’t block them from making a deal that includes Rozier’s $26MM+ expiring contract for salary-matching purposes.
- Nuggets two-way forward Spencer Jones is being viewed as a near lock to have his contract converted into a standard deal later in the season, Stein reports. Denver has an open spot on its 15-man roster but is navigating the luxury tax line. Still, the club seems likely to promote Jones, who has been active for all 25 Nuggets games so far and has averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on .564/.448/.682 shooting in 10 games since entering the starting lineup.
- Like big man Christian Koloko, veteran guard Elfrid Payton has also recently joined the Spurs‘ G League affiliate in the hopes of making an impression on NBA evaluators at this weekend’s NBAGL Showcase, Stein notes.
Kings’ LaVine Out At Least One Week With Ankle Sprain
Kings guard Zach LaVine, who injured his left ankle on Sunday vs. Minnesota, has been diagnosed with a moderate ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in one week, per Sean Cunningham of KCRA News in Sacramento (Twitter link).
LaVine sustained the injury when he rolled his ankle on a drive to the basket with 5:20 left in the second quarter of Sunday’s game (Twitter video link). He stayed in the game for another three minutes, then came out to warm up at halftime, but ultimately returned to the locker room without checking back into the game.
Through 23 appearances (all starts), LaVine has been the Kings’ leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game with a strong shooting line of .487/.385/.867. However, he has nearly as many turnovers (51) as assists (52), and his 2.3 assists per game are a career low. The club has also been outscored by 13.2 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court.
LaVine is considered a potential in-season trade candidate for the 6-20 Kings, but his defensive limitations and maximum-salary contract – which includes a $49MM player option for 2026/27 – will limit his value on the market.
Kings rookie Nique Clifford is the top candidate to take LaVine’s place in the starting five for the next few games. Clifford started last Thursday when LaVine sat out due to a thumb injury and opened the second half on Sunday with the starters.
Another injured Kings star, center Domantas Sabonis, will be reevaluated in the coming days, a league source tells James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link). The club officially announced on November 20 that Sabonis had a partially torn meniscus in his left knee and would be reevaluated in about three or four weeks. This Thursday represents the four-week mark.
Kings Rumors: Long-Term Plan, DeRozan, Sabonis, Kuminga
Appearing on FanDuel’s Run it Back show on Tuesday (Twitter video link), Sam Amick of The Athletic said that Kings general manager Scott Perry is trying to keep team owner Vivek Ranadive “at bay” and sell him on taking a long-term view toward rebuilding Sacramento’s roster.
“(Perry is trying to) convince him that this might take three, four, or five years to turn around,” Amick said.
In a follow-up tweet, Amick clarifies that Ranadive – who has historically been very involved in the team’s roster decisions – isn’t pushing back on a plan to rebuild the roster. Perry is simply making it clear, Amick says, that the organization’s approach needs to be extremely “patient and prudent.”
According to Amick, the Kings’ roster is very much “in flux,” with only a very small handful of younger players, such as forward Keegan Murray and rookie Nique Clifford, looking like locks to be part of Sacramento’s future.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Within the same FanDuel appearance, Amick said he views DeMar DeRozan as a more likely in-season trade candidate than either Zach LaVine or Domantas Sabonis, who have larger contracts that would be more difficult to move.
- Sabonis is at his best when he can be the hub of an offense, according to Amick, but most teams wouldn’t be targeting him to be that player, which would be another factor that makes a trade more complicated. “I’ve talked to his camp recently,” Amick said of Sabonis. “It does not sound like they anticipate (him) being moved at the deadline. It’s more a message of patience.”
- The Kings, who seemed to be Jonathan Kuminga‘s top rival suitor when he was a restricted free agent this past offseason, remain interested in the Warriors forward, Marc J. Spears of Andscape said during Monday’s edition of NBA Today on ESPN (YouTube link). However, according to Spears, the Kings may no longer be willing to offer what they did over the summer. “They threw (Malik) Monk at it before, and a first(-round pick),” Spears said. “But I don’t think that first would be available anymore.”
Kings Rumors: Murray, Clifford, Sabonis, LaVine, Ellis, Monk
The Kings pulled off an impressive win in Denver on Saturday night, upsetting the Nuggets by a score of 128-123. However, even after handing the Nuggets just their second home loss of the season, Sacramento has a 4-13 record, having dropped its previous eight games by an average margin of 23.4 points.
As a result, the Kings are very much open for business, writes Jake Fischer of Stein Line (Substack link). It’s still a little early for the in-season trade market to pick up, but Sacramento is willing to listen to inquiries on players “up and down” the roster, according to Fischer.
While most players on the Kings’ roster could be had for the right offer, Fischer identifies fourth-year forward Keegan Murray and rookie guard Nique Clifford as a couple exceptions. Sources tell Fischer that both players are expected to be off limits this season, with the front office hoping that the young duo will be part of the long-term future in Sacramento. Murray and Clifford are the only two players on the roster whose contracts run beyond the 2027/28 season.
Domantas Sabonis is also something of a question mark, Fischer notes, since team owner Vivek Ranadive is a big fan of the veteran center, and Sabonis enjoys Sacramento and isn’t considered likely to ask for a trade. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Kings wouldn’t move him, but he’s on a maximum-salary contract and is viewed around the NBA as a negative defensively, Fischer explains, so it could be hard for the team to extract the kind of value it would want in a trade.
“It’s tough to pay a center that much who doesn’t protect the rim and doesn’t shoot threes — no matter how great of an offensive hub he can be,” one Western Conference executive told Fischer.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Besides Sacramento, the Warriors were the only other team to exhibit legitimate interest in Zach LaVine before he was traded out of Chicago last season, according to Fischer, who notes that Golden State – having acquired Jimmy Butler since then – won’t be in on LaVine now. LaVine’s maximum-salary contract will make him difficult to move for any real value, though Fischer hears that teams would have more interest if the high-scoring guard were willing to eliminate his $49MM player option for 2026/27 in favor of a multiyear deal that starts at a lower figure.
- According to Fischer, the Kings’ former front office showed some interest in Trae Young, and LaVine’s camp made a push in the offseason to sell the Hawks on a deal that would’ve sent LaVine to Atlanta and Young to Sacramento. However, Fischer hears that general manager Scott Perry isn’t interested in pursuing Young, Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, or Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, none of whom fits the defense-first mindset the organization is prioritizing under the new regime.
- “More than half the league” has called the Kings about guard Keon Ellis, a source tells The Stein Line. Teams around the NBA view Ellis as a “plug-and-play addition with two-way ability,” Fischer writes, noting that Ellis will become eligible for a contract extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2026. Fischer suggests Sacramento might be able to extract a first-round pick for Ellis; he could also be used to improve a package that includes a bigger contract like LaVine’s or DeMar DeRozan‘s.
- The Pistons were viewed by several of Fischer’s sources as a potential landing spot for Malik Monk during the offseason, but “no one is saying that anymore,” he writes.
Doug Christie Rips Kings For ‘Shameful’ Compete Level
Since Kings head coach Doug Christie vowed on Tuesday that his team would “get it right” following a shaky start to the season, Sacramento has lost back-to-back home games against the Nuggets and Hawks. Wednesday’s defeat to Atlanta was especially one-sided, as the Kings fell behind by 44 points before ultimately losing by 33 and extending their winless streak to four games.
Immediately after sitting down for his post-game media session on Wednesday, Christie referred to Sacramento’s compete level as “shameful” (Twitter video link via Sean Cunningham of KCRA 3). He then proceeded to express his frustrations with his 3-9 club over the next 12 minutes as he fielded questions from reporters.
Here are a few of the most notable remarks from the Kings’ head coach:
On the Hawks’ 33-8 advantage in fast-break points on Wednesday:
“(That) says that you’re not getting back, you’re not communicating, you’re not building walls, you’re not being physical. … Listen, this ain’t about anything but competition and effort, period. You can play that team 10 times and I doubt you would get a result like that – especially after this, play them nine more times – not if you’ve got no damn pride.”
On representing the Kings the right way for fans in Sacramento:
“Put on the jersey, represent it properly. These people need to come into the turnstiles and they need to be proud when they leave here about the product that they see, not f—ing embarrassed. Unacceptable, period. It is. This is a simple one, this ain’t even hard.”
On the Kings’ struggling starters and whether he’s considering lineup changes:
“You’ve got to. I mean, those guys are -31 (DeMar DeRozan), -38 (Domantas Sabonis), -34 (Russell Westbrook), -20 (Dennis Schröder). You’ve got to.
“They need to look at themselves and say, ‘When we’re competing at a high level, we’re playing against anybody.’ We were (within) three points or whatever it was going into the fourth (quarter) with Denver. Milwaukee, you compete all the way to the end. And then you just do that? That’s wild. And that’s not anything except tying your shoes tight and saying, ‘You know what? I’m about this life and I’m going to represent properly.'”
On subbing out his entire starting lineup just over two minutes into the second half:
“There’s people that will actually do things the right way. Might not be as talented, but guess what? That’s when the hockey shift came in. We’ve got some young kids. You know what they’re going to try to do? They’re going to try to compete. Now, Max (Maxime Raynaud) is not as talented as (Kristaps) Porzingis yet and he got into trouble, and Nique (Clifford) got back-cut. OK, but it ain’t from a lack of effort. It ain’t from a lack of want.”
On the Kings’ lack of physicality:
“I was embarrassed. I wish I could’ve put on the jersey. At 55, I would’ve showed you better than that. At least I’m going to use all six fouls. I can’t move, but I’m gonna foul the s–t out of somebody. Like, people just running around, running down the lane, not grabbing nobody.
“And then (the Hawks are) just grabbing, holding, pushing so much that the refs are like, ‘That’s how they play.’ Because that’s how we should play, and the refs should say, ‘That’s how they play. Can’t call them all.’ But our (fouls are) blatant because we ain’t touching nobody. We’re not physical. So as soon as you do touch somebody, it’s a foul. And then you’re looking at the ref crazy. Nah, can’t say really too much to the refs, because the refs can’t help you on this.
“This is all an individual saying, ‘We bringing it.’ And they can, they have. And I’ll be damned if they will.”
On how he would like his veterans to respond:
“I would like them to lead. … Because we’ve got young players in there watching this. And I’m going to text every one of the young players, ‘That’s not acceptable. Do not even think about even trying to equate that that is OK. Do not do it. I will not let you do that, because that s–t, it ain’t cool.’
“They need to lead. What do you want for your team? What do you want for this city? If you want something more than what that was – because that was trash – then lead them. Talk to them. Demonstrate for them. Go out there and show them.
“Listen, maybe you’ve only got 10 minutes of, ‘Man, put it down.’ Well, if that’s what you got, then that’s what you give. Not floating for 30 and playing for 10. Play the game. The game is to be respected. There’s a way to play this game (and) that ain’t it.”