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George Karl: Kings not in bad spot, 'other than we're losing games'

Henry Romero / REUTERS

A lengthy sit-down with George Karl convinced the Sacramento Kings' brass to hang onto their embattled head coach for the remainder of the season.

Karl, who wasn't expected to emerge from the All-Star break with his job, is trying to refocus his energy on the season's stretch run, now that the Kings have completed their about-face and publicly come out in support of him.

With one game left before the break, the Kings have a golden opportunity to close the unofficial first half on a winning note, as they'll take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The Kings are sorely in need of a win however they can get it. They're 21-31, have lost four straight and eight of their last nine, and sit five games out of a playoff spot.

Amidst all the tumult, Karl is sounding a tenor of optimism. Sort of.

"I don't think we're in a bad spot other than we're losing games," he said at shootaround Wednesday, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

Karl also pointed out that before their recent swoon, the Kings had won five straight games to move into eighth in the Western Conference.

Whether Karl can help his team recapture those good vibes, after his job security was publicly undercut (again), remains to be seen. What's clear to Karl is that if the Kings are to turn things around, it'll have to start at the defensive end. They rank 24th in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions, and are surrendering by far the most 3-point makes of any team.

"The two areas we have trouble with are the two areas I think are evolving at a high level throughout the NBA," he said. "That's transition threes and offensive rebound threes."

Meanwhile, Karl denied that any rift exists between him and Kings general manager Vlade Divac, who haven't always seen eye to eye.

"I don't think me and Vlade have had a disconnect," Karl said, "other than we want to win more games than we've won."

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