A Royal Pain
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Kings: Could A Hot Finish Save Luke Walton’s Job?

By Anthony Cardenas

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Luke Walton (second from left) head coach of the Sacramento Kings talks with his assistant coaches during a timeout in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden 1 Center on December 11, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Luke Walton (second from left) head coach of the Sacramento Kings talks with his assistant coaches during a timeout in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden 1 Center on December 11, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Luke Walton’s job, reputation, and career could all very well be decided by the performance of the Sacramento Kings down the stretch of the season.

The Sacramento Kings are one of the NBA’s biggest question marks when it comes to their plans for the upcoming offseason. They don’t have a lot of money to spend, but have roster decisions to make, especially when it comes to the contracts of Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic. But the most important choices that the Kings will have to make will be regarding the jobs of the front office and coaching staff.

A disappointing season has led much of the fan base to sour on either Vlade Divac or Luke Walton, or both. There have been uncontrollable factors like injuries and pre-season scheduling that have been blamed for at least a portion of the Kings struggles, but the fingers have mostly been pointed at coaching and management as the primary issue.

For Walton, there have been a couple of bright spots. He did a solid job of managing late-game situations as the Kings were climbing out of their early-season hole, and the current Kings hot streak can be attributed to the lineup change between Hield and Bogdanovic.

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Unfortunately, it seems as though there have been two mistakes for every good move Walton has made, including his reluctance to give minutes to certain players and his decision to slow the pace of a team who relied on it for their identity just a season ago. While it does take time for a team to learn the system of a new coaching staff, it certainly should not take more than 50 games to figure it out. It has in Sacramento, which has drawn the ire of the fans.

There have also been signs of internal cracks in the foundation. Hield went public with comments around the holidays about how the coaches have lost trust in certain players right around the same time that Dewayne Dedmon requested a trade not six months after signing his free agent contract.

Would Ownership Sign Off?

While it is uncertain whether owner Vivek Ranadive would want to make yet another coaching change for a franchise that is trying to maintain at least some stability, it is known that he is becoming increasingly frustrated with the current situation. It may take one final cleaning of the house to finally get an on-court product that he can be proud of.

So with the Kings having won 8 of their last 12 games and their sliver of hope for a playoff push, the question begs to be asked: would a highly-successful conclusion to the season be enough for Walton (and Divac) to win over the good graces of both management and the fan base?

Sacramento has the 7th easiest schedule for the remainder of the season based on opponents winning percentage, and find themselves 4.5 games out of the eighth and final playoff spot with 25 games left to play. If everything breaks right for the Kings, if players are able to make seamless transitions back in to the rotation after injuries, then coming within 2-4 games of last season’s win total wouldn’t be totally out of the picture.

If that were to happen, if the Kings were to finish the season with 36 to 40 wins, would you be in favor of the team running it back next year with essentially the same players and coaching staff?

Local media personality Carmichael Dave posted a poll that begs that same question, and the results certainly did not reflect the amount of hatred that Walton and Divac have received throughout the season.

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Typically, wins at this point of the year can be good news for some and bad for others, depending on which side of the playoff push/tank effort fence you are on. But game results will hold even more weight down the stretch for the final 25 games of the season, because the jobs of the coaching staff and management could depend on them.

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