Natt, whose Kings on Friday faced the Jazz for the first time since he took over, confirmed as much.

"He told me just be me," said Natt, who spent nine years -- including the Jazz's two NBA Finals seasons -- as a Sloan assistant. "(He said), 'You know exactly what to do, and you know what we've done in developing the team and getting to where we're at (in Utah).'"

If there was another lesson Natt learned along the way, though, it may have been how to select his battles.

"I focused in right away on getting these guys to be on time and be sharp," he said. "I'm not to the extreme of Sloan, like making them put their shirttails in and all of that. But I'm gonna get to that. Guys wearing earrings out there (for pregame warmups) -- you know, you can only do so much in a short period of time, and I just decided to pick and choose a few things -- and just let them know we want hard work and discipline.

"Guys respect me for that, and they know where I'm coming from. But it's still a task, because trying to get everyone to buy in -- with all the negative things going on, possible trades and this and that -- guys are not as focused."

The Kings won their debut under Natt.

But they were 5-21 under Natt heading into Friday's game, including a 45-point defeat to Boston in late December that was the worst home loss in franchise history and a 48-point loss at Phoenix earlier this week.

"I know it's got to be a tough situation for him to go into," Sloan said of the first-time head coach. "But that's how you get a chance to move on."

HANGING NO. 4: The Kings retired forward Chris Webber's No. 4 jersey at halftime Friday.

Jazz shooting guard Kyle Korver was a teammate in Philadelphia, before he was traded by the 76ers to Utah in December 2007.

"In the locker room," Korver said of Webber, a four-time NBA All-Star who spent seven seasons in Sacramento, "he was always the guy that when you were down he would come say something to you. Just a real, good, genuine dude.

"He was a great teammate," Korver added. "When I got traded, he left me a great message, just kind of saying you can look at it two ways -- as 'I got traded; somebody doesn't want me,' or (as) 'somebody really wants you a lot.' When that clicked in, that was kind of a turning point for me (in accepting the trade)."

MALONE SPEAKS: Retired Jazz star Karl Malone had kind words for Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, who is recovering from double lower-leg amputation, during his appearance as a guest analyst for TNT's NBA coverage Thursday night:

"Larry and I have always said to each other that we're both bull-headed, but at the end of the day Larry would know where I stood with him and he knew where he stood with me," Malone said. "My heart goes out to him, but Larry never wants you to feel sorry for him.

"Our prayers are with Larry and his family. They're great people," he added. "I love you Larry. You know that, and it doesn't matter what anyone else says, I'll see you whether you want me to come to your house or not."

Malone also responded to current Jazz power forward Paul Millsap saying, in response to a question about who would win a hypothetical 1-on-1 matchup, that, "I gotta be confident with myself and say I'm going to have to win that battle, maybe right now. But back then (when Malone played), maybe he would've killed me."

Said Malone: "Son, I've got one great game left in me and I don't know if you want to be that one." E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com