Dave Joerger gave Kings fans plenty of reason to believe after this morning’s introductory press conference. Kings’ fans excitement levels will only grow after watching Dave Joerger talk about his vision for the upcoming season and beyond.
During his opening statement, Vlade Divac talked about the process of the coaching search and how everything came to fruition with Dave Joerger, “The process was long, we had a lot of good candidates, but when Coach was available over the weekend we had to do it”.
You can already see the cohesiveness between Vlade and Dave and it was evident from the beginning of the presser when Dave jokingly corrected Vlade on the number of years he will be in Sacramento:
"” We’re happy to have him for the next four years” – Vlade Divac“12” – Dave Joerger"
Vlade and Dave had all the right answers. Joerger seemed genuinely excited to be in Sacramento.
"“This is a great situation. It’s on the rise and I’m excited to be a part of it”. -Dave Joerger"
The word, “loyal” was used a lot too. Someone else who holds loyalty in high stead is DeMarcus Cousins. Joerger talked about how high he holds loyalty and following through with what you have said. You can’t help but think that Joerger and Cousins are going to get along quite joyously.
Joerger was also asked about how he plans to use DeMarcus Cousins and the other personnel on the current roster, but he explained that he needed to “wait and see what the personnel is” closer to the season.
However, Joerger is known for his knowledge and expertise on the defensive end and did talk about how defense builds trust and chemistry.
"“Trust is built on the defensive end of the floor. Chemistry is built on the defensive end of the floor”. -Dave Jeorger"
One interesting note from the press conference was that Vlade mentioned he will not be retaining any of the current assistants on the coaching staff.
"“The assistants from last year are going to be let go. I want Dave to pick his staff” -Vlade Divac."
This was expected and is the most sensible decision. Vlade did clarify after the presser that he will talk to Corliss Williamson and Nancy Lieberman about possibly coming back.
Vlade just clarified that he will talk to the current assistants - both Corliss Williamson and Nancy Lieberman will possibly be back.
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) May 10, 2016
Both Vlade and Dave stressed that there will be an open line of communication between the players, coaching staff, and front office. Vivek Ranadive, a regular at press conferences, was notably absent this morning.
"“The new Kings culture is brought to you by In and Out Burger. You are either in or you are out” – Vlade Divac"
Next: Sacramento Kings Strike Gold With Hiring of Dave Joerger
DeMarcus Cousins made an appearance too, showing up near the end of the presser. Dave said that he and DeMarcus are meeting afterward to get to know each other.
Joerger went on to conclude the press conference with: “The best days are all ahead of us”. A fitting end to a press conference filled with humor, hope, and excitement.