Tyrone Corbin era postmortem; Did the Sacramento Kings learn anything?

George Karl has arrived. I think we’re all looking forward to moving on, Tyrone Corbin included, but something needs to be said about Corbin’s time as head coach in Sacramento. He probably deserved better.

Ty Corbin was brought in during the offseason to be then-Head Coach Michael Malone’s lead assistant. This move was universally praised at the time, as Michael Malone spent his entire rookie season as head coach without a true lead assistant. His father, Brendan Malone, was supposed to be in that role last season, but oddly stepped down in the middle of training camp.

Corbin was hired during the Vegas Summer league, and jumped right into the head coaching role with that squad. I distinctively remember applauding his rotations at the time. I loved how he treated Eric Moreland, specifically. The better Moreland played, the more Corbin played him. It’s a simple concept, really, but it’s not guaranteed. Omri Casspi, for example, has probably been the Kings best reserve player this season, and he’s struggled to find consistent rotation minutes. Solid play doesn’t always equal more playing time.

Eric Moreland played so well that the Kings awarded him with a guaranteed contract for this season. The Kings would go on to win the Vegas Summer League Championship under Corbin’s guidance.

Then, on December 14^th, the Kings fired Michael Malone.

I can’t watch Pete D’Alessandro talk about ‘supporting’ Tyrone Corbin without cringing, but if you want to revisit that awkward press conference, feel free. Here it is.

Shortly after that, Cowbell Kingdom’s James Ham reported that Tyrone Corbin was signed for the rest of the season. I repeat, Tyrone Corbin was signed for the rest of the season. But beyond the actual contract signing, Corbin was told that he would be the head coach for the rest of the season. He had the Kings word.

If you want to talk about Tyrone Corbin, two separate conversations probably need to take place.

Live Feed

Sir Charles In Charge

There is a conversation to be had about his head coaching ability. His time in Utah probably serves that conversation better than his time in Sacramento would.

I’m not going to waste anyone’s time talking about rotations I didn’t like, or mismanaged end-of-game scenarios. That feels like ancient history now. It’s a discussion worth having, but I’m not going to do that here.

The Kings botched this thing. I’m not breaking any news with that statement. They made a series of bad decisions, and yet they were still able to come out of it on the other side with George Karl. That’s incredible.

We don’t know if the Kings will have to deal with any long-term consequences in regards to how they mishandled the firings of both Malone and Corbin. I don’t know how many agents they pissed off, or how many of their current players they alienated, but I do know they should probably reassess how their front office and ownership group handles these situations moving forward.

Corbin was never going to work here, despite what the front office might have told you. He was put in an impossible situation, and he failed. That shouldn’t come as a surprise or shock to anyone.

But he came to work everyday. Most days with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and he did the best he could to keep that locker room together. He handled the media like a pro, and tried his hardest to keep the focus on basketball despite all the noise coming out of the Kings front office.

The Kings went 7-21 under Corbin, winning only two of their last 15 games. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who disagrees with the Kings decision to hire George Karl in favor of Corbin. You can’t criticize the move, but you can criticize how they got there.

I thought it was pretty telling of Corbin’s character that, despite the Kings poor record and play, many of the Kings players have been defending him and his position through the media.

DeMarcus Cousins, for example, Via Yahoo! Sports –

"“I wasn’t consulted when the decision was made to fire Mike Malone and I’m not being consulted now, I just hope they make a decision soon and stick with it. George Karl is an experienced, proven coach and if that is who they chose to coach this team, I will support it. I do not like all these discussions in the media while we have a coach in place. It is a distraction and not fair to Coach Corbin and this team.”"

Other NBA media members, coaches, players, analysts, and commentators have also applauded Corbin’s class throughout this process. Detroit Pistons Head Coach Stan Van Gundy, in particular, had some strong words for the Kings organization, via David Mayo of Michigan Live.

"“I think it’s an unfortunate situation, the way it’s been handled,” Van Gundy said before the Pistons’ game tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. “I think Tyrone Corbin has been treated very, very poorly by their organization. I think the way they have treated him is unfortunate and inexcusable for one of the real class acts in our business.”"

Of course, Van Gundy famously burned the Kings back in 2007 when he faxed a signed contract over to the Orlando Magic from a Sacramento Kinko’s as he was in negotiations with the Kings to become their next head coach. He’s probably not in the best position to throw stones at the Kings front office.

But I can’t disagree with Van Gundy’s sentiment here. Sacramento handled this situation about as poorly as you possibly could. It’s unfortunate that Corbin was caught in the middle of it.

I want to be clear. The Kings made the correct move. It took some seriously questionable decision making to get there, but at least they got there.

From this point forward, you won’t read anything critical of Corbin’s time in Sacramento from me. He represented this city with class, and provided a good example of what professionalism in the NBA should look like. What his role with this organization will be moving forward is anyone guess. I was legitimately surprised to read that the Kings offered him a position as an advisor to the front office, and even more surprised that he accepted the role.

I would expect to see Corbin on someone’s coaching staff next season, and I’ll be rooting for him.

Thank you Ty.