George Karl says focus remains on next game -- not job security

BOSTON -- Sacramento Kings coach George Karl said he is focused on his team's next opponent -- not reports that his team is considering a coaching change.

Karl seemed amused by a string of questions about his future after he led the Kings through a 90-minute off-day workout Saturday at Harvard's Lavietes Pavilion, but he kept steering the conversation back to Sunday's game against the Boston Celtics.

"I don't have any control over what other people are thinking or saying. That's their storm," Karl said. "My preference would be it wouldn't be there. But there's always energy today. Then once something gets out, it magnifies and grows and becomes a storm. That's not my storm. My storm is the Boston Celtics."

Added Karl: "I have no control of what other people think or whatever people are circulating. My job is to get prepared for Boston. We had a good practice [Saturday], and I'm happy with the practice. Boston's playing at a great level. Probably the best they've played in two years. Their win [Friday] night [in Cleveland] was pretty impressive. They kept coming after a team that thought they had them beat about four times and stole the end from them. It was really a gutty win by the Celtics."

Increasingly concerned about their floundering play under Karl, the Kings entered the weekend hoping to delay any decision about the coach's future until the All-Star break, league sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

Sources said the nature of the team's 128-119 loss Friday night to Brooklyn -- Sacramento's sixth defeat in seven games -- and the fallout it generated have the Kings contemplating an immediate coaching change.

Does Karl believe he's in danger if the team is mulling a change?

"I don't think I'm in limbo," he said. "I think I've got a heckuva challenge [against] a team that's played damn well -- probably it's best basketball in the last six weeks. If you want to overreact to the last four or five games, that's somebody else's reaction, not my reaction. I think this team is still in a place that we can solve some problems and be good."

Kings point guard Rajon Rondo said he hasn't paid much attention to the chatter surrounding his coach.

"I haven't heard it," he said. "I talked to my agent this morning, but it was just about how the team is doing, how the team morale was. But I haven't bought into it or read into too much of [the Karl reports]. It's just part of the business. Coaches fired, players being traded -- there's no difference."

Both Rondo and Karl noted that the Kings had been playing better before a recent funk. Rondo said it's not time to panic ... yet.

"When we don't have an opportunity to get into the playoffs, that's when we can panic," Rondo said. "But the last 10 games, I think our record is 5-5. It's not the worst; it's not 3-7. We started off the season 1-7, so we've hit a tough stretch, some games we could have won. Brooklyn played amazing [Friday] night, shot the heck out of the ball. That's part of it. There's going to be games like that. Hopefully we can turn it around and get a win [Sunday] afternoon."

Added Karl: "Ten days ago, we were on a five-game winning streak. ... Every NBA season has scheduled parts that say, 'Hey, this is a tough time.' And since our beginning, our bad start, we've been a .500 team. We're still a .500 team."

Karl said it has been a process to get everyone on the same page, given the roster turnover this past summer.

"The whole season, when you change your roster with 10 players, you're consistently trying to build better communication and a better connection and trying to get a commitment that's a winning commitment," Karl said. "Players question coaching. Coaching questions players. That's the way it's going to be. The truth of the matter is I think this team has hung together pretty well through a lot of ups and downs this year.

"Our perseverance level has been maybe not an A but a B-plus. And when we play good teams, we usually play well. Our weaknesses have been home court, intensity and maybe overlooking a team with a bad record. But you can watch that film last night. Brooklyn played damn well."

The Kings (21-29) have three road games remaining before the All-Star break: Sunday in Boston, Monday in Cleveland and Wednesday in Philadelphia.

It was not immediately clear whether Karl would survive to coach all three or whom the Kings would choose as interim coach if they made a change. NBA coaching sources said early Saturday that it is unlikely Kings assistant coach Nancy Lieberman would take over. One possibility, sources said, would be elevating assistant coach and former Kings forward Corliss Williamson to interim coach.