With a new general manager in Scott Perry, it feels like a new day for the Sacramento Kings. While the path toward contention might not seem super clear, there is hope that with the right moves, the Kings can rekindle their success from the early aughts.
However, while the front office may have some new faces, the Kings are still making the same mistakes that got them in this mess in the first place.
Vivek Ranadive's involvement in the team is killing them
As many of you are (painfully) aware, Vivek Ranadive is a co-owner and the chairman of the Kings. Given his job title, Ranadive clearly plays a huge role in the franchise. However, one could argue he meddles too much in the team's day-to-day dynamics.
Ranadive accumulated his wealth through his endeavors as a business executive, engineer, author, and speaker. He is an incredibly well-accomplished individual, but do you notice how none of those titles had anything to do with basketball?
Maybe it is in his best interest to play more of a Steve Ballmer role. Ballmer supports the Los Angeles Clippers financially and with his passionate cheering on the sidelines, but he does a good job of letting the people he's employed carry out the basketball side of things. Simply put, he knows how to stay in his lane.
I know that last sentiment sounds very gate-keepy, especially coming from someone who writes about the NBA despite never having worked for a team. But we have a lot of evidence that shows Ranadive is not great at making basketball decisions.
Sam Amick made a recent appearance on The Ringer's "Real Ones" podcast, joining Logan Murdock and Howard Beck to discuss the state of the union in Sacramento.
During the episode, Amick made sure to point out how the Kings' most successful era since Ranadive purchased the team in 2013 came during Mike Brown's tenure – a time when he was taking more of a laissez-faire approach to matters pertaining to basketball.
Unfortunately, it seems like Ranadive is back to his micro-managing ways. Thisis evidenced by the Kings hiring Perry as their general manager and their decisionto make Doug Christie their official head coach.
In both these instances, the Kings did not interview any other candidates. Plus, the two of them are known to be well-liked by Ranadive.
It seems clear that Ranadive has not learned his lesson. The Kings are a better basketball team when he lets the people he's put in place do what they were hired to do. Until Ranadive realizes this, the Kings are doomed to repeat their mistakes from the past.