The team is in last place. The defense is inconsistent. The offense is erratic. The intensity is apparent some nights – as it was for Saturday's visit by the Phoenix Mercury and approximately 100 of the area's pooches – and not so evident others.

No, we're not talking about the Kings here, but we are hearing about coaching turmoil at Arco Arena.

Jenny Boucek is entering a treacherous phase of her young career, her Monarchs' upcoming performances likely to determine whether she lasts the season or loses her job. There have been rumblings within the organization for weeks. How long before former head coach/current general manager John Whisenant replaces his successor … with himself? One week? Two weeks? A matter of days? Of hours? It happens. It's the trend. When losses multiply, the fans lose interest, the owners become restless and the boss feels pressure to make a change, especially when he's already on the payroll.

"We're concerned," Whisenant said before the Monarchs lost a last-second heartbreaker to the Mercury on the inaugural Hounds & Rebounds promo night. "I don't have a magic wand, but obviously, I think this team is capable of winning."

Here's the real issue, though: These Monarchs were built to be coached by Whiz, to execute his system, to reflect his personality. There isn't a superstar or a high draft choice in the bunch. At their competitive best, they're classic overachievers who overwhelm their foes with a swarming, frenetic defense that causes turnovers, creates transition opportunities, exploits its depth, and exhausts opponents long before the final buzzer.

"They never had the greatest talent, but their defense was such a pain," said Bill Laimbeer, who recently resigned after guiding the Detroit Shock to three WNBA titles, including the 2006 championship against the Monarchs. "They would screw up your offense.

"Unless you had players who could get stuff (offense) on their own like Katie Smith, you were in trouble. But they've gone away from that. Their defense is not their trademark. Now they're just another team."

To be fair to Boucek, who inherited seven players from the 2005 championship club, Whisenant has done little to replenish the roster. He favors consistency over change, though sometimes more than a little tinkering is necessary.

"You need stars," Laimbeer added. "The Monarchs don't have one because they haven't had a top four or five pick, and that's catching up with them."

Ticha Penicheiro is 34. DeMya Walker has chronic knee issues. Rebekkah Brunson is an excellent post player when healthy, but isn't healthy (knees) very often. Kara Lawson is recovering from her own balky knee. Intriguing Courtney Paris is still a rookie.

Yet despite their flaws, it's almost inconceivable that a Monarchs team would rank near the bottom in virtually every pertinent defensive category. Almost as inexplicable are Boucek's bizarre substitution patterns, with players often yanked without having time to establish a rhythm.

Whisenant thus has a dilemma, and it would seem, two alternative courses of action. If the inconsistency continues before the season is a total lost cause, he can return to the sideline, reinstate the "white line" defensive principles that formed the identity of his championship squad, and address personnel issues in the offseason. Or he can accept the losses, start preparing for a better-than-usual draft pick, and decide Boucek's fate when her contract expires in September.

Just a hunch here, but Whisenant is becoming as frisky as one of his beloved thoroughbreds. Though he retreated to the background for most of Boucek's first two seasons, he is a more visible presence of late. Boucek should be even more troubled by the fact that Whiz honestly, truly, deeply believes that the Monarchs have the bonafides (and favorable home-court schedule) to reach the postseason.

"Professional sports is all about wins and losses," Whisenant said. "What happens in the future, we'll just have to see. But we have to play better. That's just the way it is."

Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.