Following the Sacramento Kings’ heavy loss to the Atlanta Hawks, head coach Doug Christie didn’t hold back his frustration and disappointment with his team’s performance:
“I was embarrassed. I wish I could put that jersey on — even at 55, I would’ve shown you something better. At least I would’ve used all six of my fouls. I don’t move like I used to, but I could still make a few hard fouls. You’ve got to wear that jersey and represent it the right way. I’m f***ing embarrassed. Unacceptable. Period.”
Christie emphasized that the team’s lack of competitiveness was simply intolerable:
“If that’s our level of competitiveness, it’s unacceptable. We’ve got to compete, that’s it. There’s no need to watch the film — what I saw once was enough.”
He also hinted at possible lineup changes if effort doesn’t improve:
“We’ll look to give minutes to guys who actually want to compete. Period. You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror. If the starters have a plus-minus of -31, -38, -34… then something has to change.”
“You don’t represent the city, the jersey, and the fans like that.”
Christie called on his veteran players to take responsibility and lead the team forward:
“I want them to lead. We have young guys who are watching all of this, and I’ll send them a message: ‘This is not acceptable. Don’t think for a second that it’s okay. Don’t do it. I won’t let you, because that’s not who we are.’”
“The vets have to lead. What do you want for your team? For this city? If you want something better than what we just saw — because that was trash — then lead. Talk to the guys, show them the way. Go out there and show them how it’s done.”
“Listen, maybe you’ve only got ten minutes where you can truly give everything. Fine — then give that. Don’t float around for thirty minutes and play hard for ten. Play the whole game. Respect the game. There’s a right way to play basketball, and what we did tonight wasn’t it.”
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