No Love Between the Sacramento Kings and George Karl?
Every time it appears as though the Kings have hit rock bottom, they manage to find another lower level I didn’t know existed.
Last night’s 102-90 blowout loss to the Utah Jazz felt like rock bottom, but I could have said that after any of the twenty-point losses the Kings had over the last month. We’ve had plenty of those to choose from.
The basketball part is secondary to what is happening off the court in Sacramento. It feels like that has been the case with the Kings for the better part of the last three-plus seasons, and here we are again. Hey, at least we’re used to it.
In yesterday’s GameDay Blog, I spent a lot of time rounding up the latest ‘George Karl to Sacramento’ rumors, and at that moment I honestly felt like the Kings we’re going to have their next coach sooner than later. I think everyone felt that way.
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Things started to sour last night between Karl, the Kings front office, and DeMarcus Cousins’ ‘camp’. The great Sam Amick has been as locked in as anyone with this story, and you can read the latest from him here.
If you wanted a more in depth look at last nights loss to the Jazz, you can find that here. I don’t have anything positive to contribute to that discussion. The game was a disaster.
It doesn’t appear as though this Karl talk is officially over. The sides are still negotiating, but the tone has certainly changed since yesterday.
This situation is extremely hard to write about with any authority because the story is changing by the hour. We’ve had respected sources on both sides completely contradict each other.
On one side, you have the most influential basketball insider Adrian Wojnarowski reporting the following:
Yahoo Sources: Contract terms not the issue between Sacramento and George Karl. They were closing gap on years and money this afternoon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2015
And then you have members of the local media reporting this:
Hearing money is the hang up right now in hiring George Karl ... we shall see what happens.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) February 7, 2015
And both of them are probably right to a certain degree. The good news is that Wojnarowski and others have said that we can expect a resolution Sunday, which is today, which means by the time you are reading this all of the information in this blog could be irrelevant.
DeMarcus Cousins is going to take a lot of (mostly unfair) heat if the Kings can’t land Karl. At the moment, I’m inclined to believe Wojnarowski’s report that his camp is the hold up. I’ll touch on that at some point down the road if that is the confirmed reason why Karl isn’t here, but for now, here is what Cousins had to say after last nights loss regarding the Kings coaching situation.
I guess that’s enough Karl talk for now.
The Kings are back in Sacramento tonight to host the Phoenix Suns. I’m concerned.
I would expect a very salty Sacramento crowd tonight unless Kings fans get some good news by tipoff. That isn’t out of the realm of possibility, by the way. Karl could still be on his way here. We just don’t know yet.
The Kings have given me no reason to believe that they can hang with the Suns, but you bet I’ll be watching. This team has reached full car crash mode. I couldn’t possibly look away now.
I’m not sure there is a player in the NBA the Kings want to see less than Isaiah Thomas tonight. After how this front office has been getting hammered since they fired Michael Malone, having Vivek Ranadive sit front row while Thomas’ flexes his muscles in another twenty-point loss is kind of poetic. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, right?
Dec 26, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas (3) reacts after scoring a basket against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Phoenix Suns defeated the Sacramento Kings 115-106. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The Suns are a dangerous, aggressive basketball team. Their guards attack you for 48 minutes. They play a style built to destroy a weak-willed team like Sacramento.
The regression we’ve seen out of this team over the last month is kind of mind-boggling. Rudy Gay is having a ridiculously bad start to February, shooting just .278 from the field in three games this month. He might have had his worst game in a Kings uniform last night in Utah.
It doesn’t stop with Gay, either. Ben McLemore hasn’t been shooting well. DeMarcus Cousins had one of the worst months of his career in January. I didn’t even mention Darren Collison yet, who the Kings probably won’t have tonight because he’s still dealing with an injury to his hip flexor.
This team needs help. They might get it later today. Stay tuned.
Sacramento Kings vs. Phoenix Suns
Where: Sleep Train Arena – Sacramento, CA
When: 6:00 PM Pacific, 9:00 PM Eastern
Broadcast: Comcast Sportsnet California
Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM