Years ago, as a young man, I read a book called Ideas Are a Dime a Dozen. What came out of that read helped prepare me for the real world and the many hurdles that would soon stand before me. I learned that a dozen ideas are totally useless if none are pursued with passion and energy. No, what really matters is that you have one definitive idea you are ready to take the hill with and make your own.

Currently, the Sacramento Kings organization and its head coach have one word to share with the public: defense. It's a nice word, but right now, that is all it is. No one on the Kings staff seems to be executing the teaching of it yet.

The first preseason game of the year against the Los Angeles Lakers was a hard watch. To add insult to injury, we all got to hear from coach Doug Christie that the team needs to protect the paint and arrive sharper on the catch. No kidding, coach. And when exactly would you like to get started? Because last year, that's all we heard for an entire season. I don't want to go through another year listening to the same old message with no clear path as to how to accomplish the task.

As a high schooler, I played under a coach who was an absolute taskmaster, and he came with serious credentials. Although I didn't always agree with his methods, this coach had played Division I college basketball at a high level and was even offered an NBA contract. Naturally, every member of the team was impressed by his background, but with that came one memorable mandate about defense: he made it clear that defense starts with focused effort. If you were going to play on his team, you were expected to give 100% on that end of the floor, 100% of the time.

As an individual, what I learned from this coach was that my core responsibility was to shut down one specific player, and he was only too happy to tell me who that would be. It was typically the opposing team's number-one guard, and my job was to see that he scored exactly zero. Suffice it to say, defense begins with specific expectations. Why not start with a collective challenge?

I would encourage coach Christie to challenge his team to hold opposing squads under 100 points. That would be a wonderful starting point that focuses on bringing a unified goal to the entire roster. Granted, holding an opponent under 100 happens less than 15% of the time in today's high-scoring NBA, but it does happen.

Obviously, that means keeping dunks to an absolute minimum. It would, in all likelihood, put the opposing team on the charity stripe more often, but I would rather watch that than see the opposition comfortably dunking all night long. If there is a cohesive defensive strategy already in place, let's hear it clearly from the coach's mouth. If what we witnessed on Monday night reflects the strategy, it's better to toss it in the trash and hit the reset button.

The Detroit Pistons of many years ago held down their home-court advantage by making opposing teams pay heavily when they dared to enter the paint. After a while, it became easier and far less painful for teams to simply shoot jumpers or 3s, which was exactly what the Pistons were hoping for. Do we have any enforcers on this Kings team? If so, who is going to step forward in the preseason and make a statement?

Defense is no different from high school to college to the pros. It starts with containing the man you're assigned to and shutting him down. It requires physical positioning, discipline, and a hand relentlessly in the face of the shooter. Everyone knows modern NBA players are too good to shut down entirely, but you have to force them off their sweet spots and make them take shots they are less comfortable with.

Let's see a little more time in the film room to pinpoint where opposing players like to catch the ball. Make every effort to take away their preferences. If none of that works, I have one more suggestion: find an effort level you never knew you possessed. Make sure when you are subbed out, you are legitimately tired, and the fans can see that you are genuinely perspiring.

It's way too early to be this frustrated, but fans are desperately looking for something to root for. Let's give it to them, coach Christie, and let's not wait for the regular season to start.

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All the best, Kings fans.

V.G. Harris