SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ This recurring thought of former Kings coach Dave Joerger entered my mind again Tuesday night as Luke Walton lumbered into the room for his postgame news conference. Walton had no jacket, no tie and a light blue dress shirt that was decidedly untucked, a hint of fatigue on his face, but clarity and focus in his eyes.
Joerger had a particular play he called almost every time down the floor last season. He called it: "GO!" In contrast, Walton just keeps talking about getting stops.
Walton had just come from a victorious locker room following a 107-99 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. In their first game without star point guard De'Aaron Fox, and with prized young big man Marvin Bagley III still out due to a broken thumb, the Kings (4-6) found a way to win despite missing 21 of their first 25 shots against the Blazers (4-7).
This was Sacramento's fourth win in five games following an 0-5 start, but Walton wasn't all unfurled because he was coming from a joyous locker room celebration. It was because he and his team had just put in a long, hard day's work and they know there are longer, harder days ahead without two of their best players.
When it was over, the first words out of Walton's mouth were very workmanlike.
"I want to talk about our defense," he said. "It's what we've been preaching every day since Day 1 of training camp, and I'm the first to admit it � it needs to get a lot better.
"But that's why, not only tonight, but I feel like slowly, even if our numbers haven't showed it, guys are starting to understand and really make steps as far as individual defense and team defense. Tonight, we started the game, we couldn't make anything _ great shooters, wide-open shots _ and that's why defense is so important."
