11-04-2008, 06:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA – Kevin Martin sat in the corner of the room, a towel draped over his head and his legs outstretched inside his locker as if he were hiding.In a way, he was. In a way, they all were.The Kings' 125-91 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Wachovia Center on Monday night sparked a mixture of shame, anger and disbelief from a wayward team that finished its season-opening trip 0-4. And as if matching the franchise's worst start in 11 seasons while averaging 18.5 turnovers and allowing an average of 111.8 points per game weren't enough, there was the more elementary question of toughness at hand.As noted by one player who would have found no one to dispute his claim: "Right now, the rest of the league thinks we're as soft as tissue paper."According to several players, the emotions ran as high as the decibels in the locker room afterward. There was a message of manhood – or lack thereof – being discussed in raised tones. Having been forced to start the season on the road because of a Disney On Ice show that was booked at Arco Arena before the schedule was finalized, this was far from the happiest place on earth."We're not as aggressive as we should be," swingman John Salmons said. "We've got to get some more dog in us, to attack them before they attack us. The veteran guys have got to be more aggressive and stop reacting to the action and start making the action happen."Even coach Reggie Theus had to change course from his recent silver-lining ways. With veteran center Brad Miller still out because of a suspension and swingman Francisco García injured, Theus said there is a leadership void."Right now, I'm looking for a guy who's going to step up and lead," he said. "You can't wait for the next guy to step up. … We're consistently on our heels defensively, and that takes away from the offense. The offense is fine, but if we're backpedaling the whole time, we're not going to get any calls. Those things aren't going to happen. I am looking for someone to lead this team."Martin – who had 14 points, one assist, no rebounds and three turnovers and is shooting 38.6 percent overall – put much of the blame on himself."It's just hard right now," he said. "There's a lot of soul searching. We need to go back home, and it's time to look at ourselves in the mirror. It starts with me. I don't know why I came on this trip because I didn't do anything to help this team."He wasn't alone.Just as an athletic Miami team had shamed the Kings into submission Friday, the up-tempo Sixers put them on their heels and, eventually, their backsides early and often. They led by 12 points less than 10 minutes in, then pushed the lead to 20 at halftime when a two-possession sequence said it all about the lackluster play.Louis Williams went around Kings guard Bobby Jackson and through forward Mikki Moore en route to a layup that gave Philadelphia 40 points in the paint at the half. On the ensuing inbound play, rookie Jason Thompson's pass was tipped by Andre Iguodala for the 12th turnover, and Williams made a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left – one of 10 threes the 76ers converted in 13 attempts.For the first time since April 1, 1990, eight 76ers scored in double figures. Philadelphia shot 59.2 percent overall, upping the opponents' percentage against the Kings to 52.2. The Kings, meanwhile, reverted to their careless ways by committing 21 turnovers that turned into 26 76ers points.While inconsistency was the norm on the trip, no Kings starter struggled as mightily as Moore. In four games and a combined 77 minutes, he had four rebounds and 18 points. In the backdrop, Thompson continued his strong start with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists."I've got to concentrate on just (two things): play defense and get defensive rebounds," Moore said. "I'm not the guy to point fingers. I'm not the guy to say that we've got to play better individual defense to keep people out of the paint so that we can all five rebound. That's not my job to do that. But as a unit, we're not doing the job."
Kings rookie Jason Thompson, who had 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and four turnovers, sits on the bench.
Posted on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 PST at http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/1368506.html
Author: samick@sacbee.com (Sam Amick)