Karl feels Kings lack defensive players: 'We don't have enough guts to make stops'

Losing to the Philadelphia 76ers can have an exponentially negative impact on a ball club.

Just ask the Phoenix Suns.

The Sacramento Kings were the third team to fall to the lowly Sixers, now 3-31, on Wednesday. Having failed to improve their record to 13-19, the Kings were understandably miffed after the game.

Head coach George Karl in particular.

"I told the team inconsistent intensity, inconsistent focus, inconsistent toughness and mental discipline," the Kings bench boss said.

Karl broadened his postgame analysis by lamenting the absence of defensive-minded personnel on his squad.

"My feeling is we have too many offensive players and not enough defensive players," Karl said. "We don't have enough guts to make stops."

In order to rid themselves of their unenviable defensive ranking - 26th in the league thanks to 105.3 points allowed per 100 possessions - Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins puts the onus on himself and his teammates.

"It's on us," Boogie said. "We're the guys out there putting out the effort so it's on us. It's on us to out-hustle the next team."

Omri Casspi - a seven-year vet - chimed in with a suggested solution of his own. "Nasty, ugly practice," he said. "Elbowing one another, coming Friday to practice doing the same thing. ... Right now we're just too cool with everything."

Karl, for his part, agrees with Casspi about his team's ever-changing on-court persona, saying, "Too many times we've come out on this court and been the quiet team, or the soft team or the cool team and not the man team."

Now sporting a 12-20 record, and yet still only two games out of playoff position, the Kings have a chance to turn things around with an improved effort - on defense, namely - against the 12-22 Suns on Saturday.