Sunday Musings: "We're not quitters," the new mantra in Sacramento

The media session was over. Reporters had stopped asking questions of Kings interim head coach Alvin Gentry. As the veteran coach prepared to leave, he stopped himself and called everyone back to the Zoom call.

"Hey, we're not quitters, I can tell you that right now,” Gentry said. “We're going to keep battling our ass off and we'll find a way to get through this."

This is not a jab at Gentry, but the fact that he felt the need to speak these words says everything you need to know about the 2021-22 Sacramento Kings. 

“We’re not quitters.”

Put that on a t-shirt. It’s not as catchy as “Scores.” It might be a close second to “Live by the Buddy, die by the Buddy.” But there’s a good chance you can see that slogan in a variety of colors with your choice of hoodie or crew neck.

Gentry is not new to what is currently happening with the Kings’ tumultuous season. He was the offensive coordinator on Luke Walton’s staff all of last season and the first 17 games of this season.

He understands that there is a fragility to this Kings’ squad that is tough to put your finger on. They were just riding a three game win streak a few days ago. And now the defense is gone, the body language is horrible and the team has lost two straight in a fashion that has everyone involved pulling their hair out.

“It’s a mystery to me, because I think we’ve got talented enough players that if we approach the game the right way, that we’ll put ourselves in a situation where we’re not in harm’s way and the play that we make is not trying to make up 15-20 points, but it’s either putting you ahead or giving you an opportunity to get ahead,” Gentry said. 

To Gentry’s point, there isn’t a 29-point play in the NBA. That’s what the Kings needed when they trailed 81-52 coming out of halftime. 

The deficit isn’t even the most startling part of that sentence. Sacramento gave up 81 points in a half. You almost have to try to be that bad defensively. 

Then again, the Kings gave up 69 points in the first half of their loss to the short-handed Charlotte Hornets on Friday and 67 points to a 5-21 Orlando Magic squad in the first 24 minutes on Wednesday. 

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Gentry is starting to fully grasp the reality that Walton had already been living. There is no corner to turn with this Kings team. They don’t understand success, let alone embrace it. For every win streak, there is an equally frustrating set of losses on the horizon.

Walton wasn’t the answer. At a certain point, the team just stopped performing for him. But now we are faced with the same group of players doing the exact same thing for Gentry. 

The blame has to shift. Replacing another coach is not the answer. The roster has to change and the sooner the better.

Related: Ep. 15 of The Kings Beat Podcast: Streaking Kings make it three straight wins

General manager Monte McNair put himself on the clock when he made the determination to fire Walton. His roster continues to fail. 11-16 is failing, regardless of where the Kings are in the standings. 

Even if this team somehow stays in the chase for the play-in tournament, it’s hollow. The Kings aren’t good enough in their current construction to expect anything more than being a team on the fringe.

A good portion of the Kings’ core were brought in during the Vlade Divac era, but McNair has had two offseasons to change the identity of this team. He made two solid draft picks, but the rest of the roster changes are tweaks, not franchise altering moves.

December 15 is just three days away. It’s the moment when most of the players signed during the offseason can be traded. It opens up all kinds of possibilities around the league and is looked at as the opening of NBA trade season, even if nothing happens immediately. 

The Kings don’t need to tinker. McNair doesn’t need to tinker. He needs to change the identity of his roster. 

That means that no one is off the table. Not anymore. This group has had plenty of time to show that they are not quitters. They’ve had time to figure out basic defensive schemes against teams missing half of their rotation. They’ve already gotten one coach fired. 

McNair has options. He can blow the whole thing up. He can unload the team’s first round picks and swing for the fences. What he can’t do is wait around for these 15 players to be anything other than what they have already proven to be -- a non-playoff team. 

So the clock is ticking. It’s time. No more tinkering. No more tweaks. Get on the phone and alter the course of the franchise in one way or another. The fans deserve it. Alvin Gentry deserves it. And more than anyone else, this group of players deserve it.