It has been less than six months but if you ask some fans of the Sacramento Kings and a number of NBA experts, they will tell you that owner Vivek Ranadive would be smart to fired head coach George Karl as soon as possible. Karl has already been called out for a number of decisions he has made since arriving in Sacramento and it might not be long before ownership and management pulls the plug.
Karl Misled The Kings When He Was Hired
Perhaps the biggest problem ownership and management should have with the entire Cousins’ situation is the fact that Karl misled the team when he was hired. He told the group that he looked forward to coaching All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento. There have been reports that Karl liked the idea of coaching Cousins but quickly soured on him after the first couple of weeks with the Kings and Ranadive didn’t like the quick turnaround in his attitude.
Karl might have simply changed his mind but the fact that he went from saying he was looking forward to coaching him and then changed his attitude so quickly makes it clear that he misled the Kings to a certain degree.
The DeMarcus Debacle
What may have seemed like a minor player-coach rift grew into a gaping divide in the offseason. As the NBA Draft approached, it became obvious that Karl wasn’t fully behind the team’s superstar. He wouldn’t give him his unconditional vote of confidence and the rumors suggest that he was pushing to trade Boogie away. Ranadive is a huge fan of Cousins and has made it clear he doesn’t want to move his franchise star but the situation has created friction throughout the organization.
Now Cousins is upset that Karl wanted to trade him and general manager Vlade Divac is displeased that Karl is trying to control personnel decisions. While Randive doesn’t want to move Cousins, he also is in a difficult situation when it comes to potentially firing Karl because if he does that, it will become clear to Cousins that he is in charge. Cousins himself has had issues with the Kings organization throughout his career, being known as a coach killer. Last season along the Kings went through three coaches…hiring a fourth within a calendar year would not be a good look.
The Front Office Never Wanted Karl
According to reports, the idea of adding Karl as head coach was something that the Sacramento front office was against. From the beginning, they have been pushing in a different direction even though Ranadive eventually made the decision to bring him in last February. There were a number of people that said he was making a mistake by firing Mike Malone in the first place as the Kings actually had a solid start to the season (before the Cousins injury). The Kings front office was never on board with the firing of Malone or the hiring Karl, so there should be no doubt at this point they would like to see him dismissed.
Team Does Not Fit Coaching Style
Perhaps the biggest problem all along is the fact that this team doesn’t fit Karl’s coaching style, which is likely why he wants to trade Cousins. Karl wants a fast-paced, athletic offense that runs the floor and takes a ton of shots, which is why we’ve seen all sorts of rumors about Karl trying to reunite with former players Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried.
Here it is from @TyLawson3 "I'm going to Sacramento" #Nuggets pic.twitter.com/mhOsQgSTeq
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) June 26, 2015
However, with Cousins as the main man in the middle, there are some that feel they are better playing slowing it down and playing at a more deliberate pace. On top of that, the Kings don’t really have a quality point guard who can push the pace as Karl wants. There is no doubt that he would like to shake things up but it’s clear that him, the front office and the owner all have different visions of how this team should look. That being the case, the Kings would be wise to cut their losses now – as bad as it looks.
