Mark Jones will call tonight's Kings game on ESPN with Doris Burke.

Below are some questions and answers with Bowen about the Kings.

The Kings are trying to turn the corner on defense. New head coach Michael Malone has preached it all offseason and at the start of the season. How does a team that has been traditionally bad on defense turn it around without any particularly stellar defensive players? How difficult/how long do you think it can take to turns things around and adapt to a defensive-centric focus?

I think No. 1, they have to play hard. And really start to realize how important paying attention to detail is in the game of basketball. It's no longer just, 'hey, let's go shoot some hoops.' It's playing with a purpose. Sometimes the correlation of playing with a purpose with young players is hard to necessarily build upon because they don't have the experience. They don't understand what it takes. They don't understand that just because they are not guarding the ball that they are still involved with the defensive play. There's rotations, paying attention to detail. Knowing who shoots the three ball real well, knowing who wants to drive more than pull up for jump shots.

It's more about the education and the environment that they are in. If you come from an environment where you've never had a priority on defense, it's going to take some time because you have to break them down. You have to break them down in order to build them up, especially with younger ball clubs and a team like Sacramento that is trying to move forward as they continue to grow together.

We see plenty of talent with DeMarcus Cousins, it's just a matter of responsibility. He's a young player and I don't like to tear down players as far as the issues that they've had in the past. But at the same time, I think if there's a lesson to be learned it's the fact that we have to understand where he comes from. You can't expect players that have never really been held accountable for anything to all of a sudden come to the NBA and now they are held accountable. It takes some time. It takes some things that they've never had before. And because of that, that's the process that is always the hardest.

On McLemore and with rookies, it's always tough because everything is so new to them. They've never played 82 games before. They've never had the amount of scrutiny on them because of maybe where they've been drafted, or the expectations that an organization or reporters have on them. It will be key for him to just continue on this year and reflect on some of the most difficult times he experienced in college and try to correlate that with what he's doing in the NBA.

Sacramento has a new arena plan in place meaning Sleep Train Arena's, or as you knew it, Arco Arena's, days are numbered. What is your fondest memory of playing there?

[Laughter] But when you're going against that kind of stuff, woooo, now that regular, wide-open shot, not as wide-open as it was before.

Were you following the whole Seattle v. Sacramento battle closely? What were your thoughts during all of that?

I was following it and I think Seattle's a fantastic place. Now, mind you, I'm from Fresno, less than two hours away from Sacramento. I enjoyed being in Sacramento as well because a lot of family got a chance to come see their favorite NBA player play in Sacramento [laughter].

I have mixed feelings. I understand what they were spoiled with in Adelman and those players back in that time. They want to see that again and you can't fault a community for wanting that. But at the same time, you don't want to uproot a team and just take them to Seattle. I just think that we need a team in Seattle because it's such a beautiful place. Not a lot of people understand that because they don't get a chance to get out there and see what it has to offer.

The Kings have struggled to find consistency at the small forward position for many years now, how does having a hole at that spot impact a team?

You can only fulfill that through draft selection and free agents. You have pieces. You have a lot of small forwards there – it's just a matter of building. Time only tells with that. The most important thing is that you don't give up on the individuals you have at that particular moment. Give them a true opportunity and see what they can to do help the ball club.

Lastly, everyone at Sactown Royalty would be upset with me if I didn't ask: would you be interested in playing small forward for the Kings?

[Laughter] All of your readers are wondering what you're thinking. Bringing in this 42-year-old, slow, skinny guy that can't do anything. I know the Fresno folks would like that though. [Laughter]