The Kings Need A New Coach For A New Decade.

The Sacramento Kings need to find the right person to be their head coach and lead them into the new decade.

Most winning organizations have one common characteristic: stability. It goes for both the front office as well as the coaching staff. Knowing what coaches expect and the level of play they demand gives players a job description. But it starts at the top. Should the Sacramento Kings be looking towards the future and begin to make changes starting with the front office and coaching staff? Or should the team that fired its first successful head coach in a decade just 7 months ago stand pat?

The Face Of Consistency

Let’s look at what good leadership can do for a franchise, using the history of the San Antonio Spurs is a perfect example. Just saying the name “Popovic” in and around the NBA, it is immediately identified with expectations, execution, defense, and class. General Manager R.C. Buford commands the same respect. Both of these men have been with San Antonio for decades, and the stability is a huge factor in their success. The Spurs haven’t missed the playoffs in 21 years, and collected five NBA titles in that span.

Sacramento needs to find their coach for the next decade, not a band-aid for a few seasons.

But first, the team must add a general manager with a winning track record. Kings GM Vlade Divac has not proven that he is up to the challenge of evaluating players or coaches nor making smart transactions or signings. The frustration of failure year after year is beginning to wear the fanbase thin, and this season has exposed the weak link in the organization. Divac and coach Luke Walton need to be replaced if the team wants to take the next step.

The Experiment Is Over Ending In Disaster.

With every passing loss and underwhelming performance, the group of Walton detractors grows, and they bring valid arguments to the table. Former coach Dave Joerger had a longer resume as well as wins under his belt as a head coach. At the moment, Walton looks to be overwhelmed as the head coach of this team on a nightly basis.

There was no middle ground on the coaching change. The Kings were either going to hit a homerun and unleash their abilities under Walton, or the wheels were going to fall off. We are leaning towards the latter option so far this season.

There were certainly people who supported the coaching change, however. There were questions about Joerger’s rotations on the court as well as his confrontational attitude off of it. There was the Bagley snub, the Brandon Williams saga.

But maybe Joerger should have been held on to for no other reason than for the sake of stability and culture building.

Walton Has Not Made The Team Better

Some in the fan base might want to give Walton the benefit of the doubt and let him get an entire season under his belt before they call for his job. But things have never really looked right at all. There was no chemistry from the team early in the season. Cohesion was missing, whether it be from the newcomers or the guys who have played together for two years. The whole squad was a mess on both sides of the ball.

The  0-5 start proved that Sacramento had work to do, but Walton urged patience. Still, the defense is suspect, the offense took months to get going, and the Kings seem to be headed in the wrong direction.

Do We Still Trust Vlade?

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive took a chance with Kings legend Vlade Divac. He was one of the faces of the franchise for the Kings, and had plenty of basketball experience, but none in the front office of an NBA team. It has begun to show.

The list of bad moves by the current front office continues to grow, and the decision to pass on Luka Doncic is certainly resonating with Kings fans as Doncic continues to take over the league.