“Excuses are for losers and we want to be a winner”

There is a directness to George Karl that takes some getting used to.  Before he answers any question, he pauses momentarily.  The hesitation can be confused with someone who is not going to respond,  and on occasion someone chimes in before he can speak.  But Karl is choosing his words carefully.  He is mulling the words over in his head and carefully placing them in a way that will get the most bang for his buck.

A master motivator?  Yes, he has been accused of that.  A man looking to stir the pot with management, media and players?  Hell yes.

When you play for Karl, it’s about so much more than basketball.  It is a battle of wills.  It’s the reason he is so effective.  It’s the reason players love him.  And in the end, it’s probably why he eventually gets run out of the building.

Karl cares deeply for his players, but he cares more deeply for the game of basketball and the legacy that he and others are leaving behind.  There is a group of coaches that are stuarts of the game.  People like Gregg Popovich, Mike Krzyzewski and John Calapari live to push the envelop.  They are students and teachers and innovators, but they believe basketball to be sacred – a religion as much as a game.

With the season winding down, Karl chose his words carefully on Monday night.  And his words were pointed directly at his players.  Maybe even one player in particular.

“I’ve had some great players and I’ve never had one player that I have said is untradable,” Karl said during his pregame conversation with the media.

From that statement on, it almost became a fireside chat.  Every reporter in the room was drawn to the bright light in the room like a moth to a flame.  That light was a 62-year-old two-time cancer survivor who rarely speaks above a whisper.

Battle lines are being drawn.  Or maybe this is nothing more than machismo and vibrato from a man 29 games into his tenure of a broken franchise with a shattered locker room.  If you want to play for Karl or in the city of Sacramento, you buy in now, or at least in a few weeks once the Kings reach out to their players.

“As an organization, we have to be aware of, ‘What if?’” Karl said.  “What if we get an offer? That’s Pete and Vlade’s area.”

“I think you always have to be ready for the possibility of a great trade that can come your way,” Karl added.

You can jump to conclusions as to who Karl was speaking of, but in reality, he was speaking to 15 players that are about to finish a season with less than 30 wins for the seventh straight year.

Get on board now or leave.  It’s not a difficult proposal.  And it goes for everyone.

Karl is laying the groundwork for a cultural shift that he will instill this summer in preparation for next season.  He is allowing the Sacramento players their pity party.  It’s cost him 19 losses and probably a few hairs off the top of his head.  But after Wednesday, there will be no more excuses.  There will be no more complaining about three coaches in one year.

“I can’t deny that when they kind of play poorly, I think they have a reason to,” Karl admitted.  “I almost say to myself, ‘They’ve been through a lot of basketball hell here and maybe I should just let it go.’  But at the same time, no one is feeling sorry for us.”

Karl didn’t get to 1,140 career wins by being a nice guy.  He got to that total by driving his roster to achieve more than they believed possible.  Certain Kings players are buying in 100 percent and others are playing the blame game.

“We have excuses,” Karl said in a raspy tone.  “But excuses are for losers and we want to be a winner.”

So Karl is putting his foot down.  He’s announcing to the world that big or small, great or not, if you want to put on a Sacramento Kings uniform, you will play basketball his way.

For 26 seasons, Karl has been doing things his way.  Pete D’Alessandro was well aware of this fact when he brought in the coaching legend.  Karl says what he means and he means what he says and clearly he has had enough of the games.

Karl isn’t going anywhere.  The Kings are already paying a couple of head coaches this year and next.  They have no intentions of sending one of the game’s great innovators on his way.

That means that it’s time to shape up or ship out for Kings players.  And that includes everyone on the roster.  Jump on board the Karl express or step aside.  If not, you’re bound to get run over.

Let the speculation begin, but changes are coming in Sacramento.  Karl will stay, but he may be one of a very few once this summer is all said and done.