Malone fired
- Thread starter fursty13
- Start date
PDA on KHTK right now.
On Wins and Losses (w/ Cousins, team was on 49 win pace) vs. Style:
"At the end of the day, we didn't have anything to do whether Cousins was in the lineup or not. That style would not be prolific with what you want from this team. It isn't going to be lasting."
After being pressed some more:
"We were trying to change it over the summer. (Style) It didn't look like we wanted it to be."
(So, what works in summer league doesn't work in the NBA? Shocker.)
On new coach:
"We're not in search mode right now. We're going to give Ty an opportunity to succeed."
On the team finding out through Twitter. You guys are getting killed nationally/locally. Was it handled properly?:
"We know our players. Everyone in our FO has a good read on our players, and it was correct. We knew how they would respond. In locker room meeting, there's a lot of support for "the team" (spin following?) It's a group of young guys that are committed to each other. I feel like DMC knows everyone has a job to do, and he knows he has a job to do. He (DMC) does have reservations, and we're proud of him."
If DMC doesn't go down, and you're at 16-9, is Malone fired?
"Coach Malone would still be gone at 16-9. You have to get in earlier rather than later."
Are you putting style over substance?
"It's never good to answer that question..." (nervous laughter) "You think you might have more substance with the next guy."
Some "hey, all my other moves have worked before" commentary. "Trust our vision."
On Wins and Losses (w/ Cousins, team was on 49 win pace) vs. Style:
"At the end of the day, we didn't have anything to do whether Cousins was in the lineup or not. That style would not be prolific with what you want from this team. It isn't going to be lasting."
After being pressed some more:
"We were trying to change it over the summer. (Style) It didn't look like we wanted it to be."
(So, what works in summer league doesn't work in the NBA? Shocker.)
On new coach:
"We're not in search mode right now. We're going to give Ty an opportunity to succeed."
On the team finding out through Twitter. You guys are getting killed nationally/locally. Was it handled properly?:
"We know our players. Everyone in our FO has a good read on our players, and it was correct. We knew how they would respond. In locker room meeting, there's a lot of support for "the team" (spin following?) It's a group of young guys that are committed to each other. I feel like DMC knows everyone has a job to do, and he knows he has a job to do. He (DMC) does have reservations, and we're proud of him."
If DMC doesn't go down, and you're at 16-9, is Malone fired?
"Coach Malone would still be gone at 16-9. You have to get in earlier rather than later."
Are you putting style over substance?
"It's never good to answer that question..." (nervous laughter) "You think you might have more substance with the next guy."
Some "hey, all my other moves have worked before" commentary. "Trust our vision."
After sleeping on it I realized that there were two different sets of things making me angry about this move. One set was based in fact - the Kings record and the product on the floor that I watched with my own eyes this season. The other set of things was my own speculation - making my own assumptions about what the motives were, who was involved in what part of the decision and why etc. And the reality is I have to let go of speculation. I don't know the inner workings of things. But that still leaves a factual basis for being upset. And here is mine.
By any measure the Kings had a difficult schedule to start the season. And yet, before Cousins went out with viral meningitis the Kings were on pace to win 49 games which would be their most wins since 2004
And even with Cousins missing 9 straight and the team going 2-9 during that stretch the Kings are STILL on pace to win 38 games, a level they haven't reached since 2007.
That means that the floor of what I expect from this team going forward is 38 wins. With Cousins back they should return to the same pace they started with for the last 58 games so my real expectation is 46 wins. Personally I would have cut Malone a lot of slack with regards to those expectations as growing pains were expected and he was getting more out of the roster that I thought he would but with PDA having fired Malone I accept no excuses for the team's success or lack thereof going forward.
And honestly I don't want to hear who was in favor of what deal or signing or what the philosophical disagreement existing between the coach and ownership/front office. The fact remains that this mismatched roster was playing better than expected AND that this regime cleaned house and installed all their own people. What was happening on the court was promising. And whatever dysfunction was going on behind the scenes leads directly back to the man that hired all of those people. I'm hoping Ranadive isn't Dan Snyder or worse yet Guy Hands, thinking they were the smartest guy in the room and either fascinated by the splashy instead of the substantial and/or thinking they were going to revitalize and industry while ignoring the collected wisdom of the veterans of that business.
I can't believe Malone was fired after what he's accomplished this season. I can't believe the team would take that step and not have the next coach already lined up. Most of all I can't believe that this ownership and front office thinks the fans will accept anything less than an uptick in wins after this move. Because like most Kings fans, I don't care AT ALL about style of play. I care about having a hard working, competitive Kings team to root for. And we had that already.
By any measure the Kings had a difficult schedule to start the season. And yet, before Cousins went out with viral meningitis the Kings were on pace to win 49 games which would be their most wins since 2004
And even with Cousins missing 9 straight and the team going 2-9 during that stretch the Kings are STILL on pace to win 38 games, a level they haven't reached since 2007.
That means that the floor of what I expect from this team going forward is 38 wins. With Cousins back they should return to the same pace they started with for the last 58 games so my real expectation is 46 wins. Personally I would have cut Malone a lot of slack with regards to those expectations as growing pains were expected and he was getting more out of the roster that I thought he would but with PDA having fired Malone I accept no excuses for the team's success or lack thereof going forward.
And honestly I don't want to hear who was in favor of what deal or signing or what the philosophical disagreement existing between the coach and ownership/front office. The fact remains that this mismatched roster was playing better than expected AND that this regime cleaned house and installed all their own people. What was happening on the court was promising. And whatever dysfunction was going on behind the scenes leads directly back to the man that hired all of those people. I'm hoping Ranadive isn't Dan Snyder or worse yet Guy Hands, thinking they were the smartest guy in the room and either fascinated by the splashy instead of the substantial and/or thinking they were going to revitalize and industry while ignoring the collected wisdom of the veterans of that business.
I can't believe Malone was fired after what he's accomplished this season. I can't believe the team would take that step and not have the next coach already lined up. Most of all I can't believe that this ownership and front office thinks the fans will accept anything less than an uptick in wins after this move. Because like most Kings fans, I don't care AT ALL about style of play. I care about having a hard working, competitive Kings team to root for. And we had that already.
Wow, I was okay with the firing, because the offense seemed to be struggling at times and went back to iso ball late in games. Although I do find the comment by PDA this morning about firing a coach if he had a 16 and 9 record a little disturbing..Then it really isn't about the wins and the losses yet, but a rather how good does the product look.
PDA keeps reiterating we have a new arena coming, and we want to have a style that fits that new arena. I think its exactly about how good the product looks. They want to have a flashy new arena with a flashy new offense. Sure, that'd be a lot of fun. I just dont think sacrificing wins to achieve that is very appealing
I feel like basketball can't be quantified by the numbers the way baseball can, and yet we're being treated like a simulation video game where people can be cut/signed with reckless abandon. They keep talking about "style" like if we were a different kind of team with this POS roster that we'd be winning championships. We could do princeton offense, zone defense, run and gun, triangle, square, circle, rhombus offense and we would still be a bad team because of these ridiculous nerds at the helm.
The style I want is defense. Stop trying to emulate the Warriors in every facet.
The style I want is defense. Stop trying to emulate the Warriors in every facet.
I'm beginning to think Vivek Ranadive is control freak - not unusual among self-made billionaires. His mantra of always hiring people smarter than him just a cliché to make them feel good so they don't assume he's domineering, omnipotent boss. It's the "Petey" show for pubic to see (he's now all over media after coup) and "Mully" coming on board to coach Kings just swell with the nerd GM - after all he suggested it! No, Vivek really thinks it's definitely him way smarter than everyone and told us as much coaching daughters basketball team. So as long as people come to worship his "new style" run, gun team all smiles all the way to the bank with buddies Petey, maybe Mully joining bizarre GSWarriors template experiment. Ok Vivek, prove me wrong. Just hire George Karl and get out of the way!
@Grantland33: Instant Firings, Wormholes, and What Other Tricks Does Kings Owner Vivek Ranadive Have Up His Sleeve?, by @netw3rk http://t.co/QZ5FgPVwH6
Hilarious
Hilarious