A Royal Pain
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Vlade Divac Sits Atop The Iron Throne

By Tony Xypteras

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It’s been a wild year. Seriously. As the season winds down, we’re finally starting to see where everyone stands within the Kings organization. George Karl is in. Chris Mullin is out. And as ESPN’s Marc Stein reported earlier today, Vlade Divac is at the top.

According to Stein,

"The Kings have yet to formally announce their new power structure, but sources say that Divac has supplanted both general manager Pete D’Alessandro and former Kings adviser Chris Mullin — who just jumped to the college game as the new coach at alma mater St. John’s — as Sacramento’s lead basketball decision-maker."

That’s about a clear cut as it gets. Vlade is in charge.

I have to admit; a part of me is thrilled. Divac is a big reason I’m sitting here today writing about this team. Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, and Mike Bibby were great, but Divac was the guy who made it work. I want to believe he can fix this. I really do.

But I also have to admit that placing him in charge of basketball operations is worrisome. He has very limited front office experience. He just moved back to the United States earlier this year. I applaud his willingness to jump into this situation head first, but anyone claiming to know what kind of talent evaluator or team builder he’ll be is completely guessing.

Everyone’s favorite Sacramentan Carmichael Dave thinks Pete D’Alessandro will be the next to go, and he’s not alone. All signs point towards D’Alessandro leaving at the end of the season, there is no denying that.


I’m still not sure if firing D’Alessandro is the right move. That’s probably a conversation worth having at another time. Most of his basketball decisions have been ok, but the team still isn’t good, and the way the front office handled the coaching situation this season was inexcusable. How much of that falls on D’Alessandro’s shoulders? With all the conflicting reports and leaks coming out of this front office, it’s impossible to tell what was his fault, and what was the fault of Vivek’s meddling and Mullin’s input. We may never know.

Also in the report, Stein noted that the Kings are already searching for another “front-line basketball executive” to work with Vlade. How that dynamic would work out is anyone’s guess, but Divac may not necessarily be the ‘general manager’ by title (if D’Alessandro is let go), but he will have to sign off on any basketball related decisions.

If D’Alessandro is out, then the Kings have another ‘hiring the coach before the general manager’ situation on their hands. We can only hope this one works out better than the last.

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