George Karl, Mark Jackson or ??? (merged)

[funkykingston]

I've said repeatedly that I didn't see any reason to fire Malone midseason. If the philosophical differences were that great, why not replace him after last season? And since that didn't happen, why fire him a third of the way through a season where the Kings had a hot start and were showing real improvements before Cousins went out? Why not let Malone continue to build a tough, defensive foundation and change coaches after the season to get the offensive approach the front office wants?

Was this just a power play that D'Alessandro was afraid he'd eventually lose? Or does he actually believe that Malone was holding this team back and Corbin is the answer? I can definitely believe the former. I have a real hard time believing the latter.

Either way, I think we're going to see that not much will change with Corbin. The team will be about the same or worse. He's not a horrible coach, but he's also not a guy I'd count on making a huge turnaround. Maybe a touch more creative than Malone offensively but a notch down on defense, if his Utah teams are any indication.

So what's the plan?

If it's really to turn the reins over to Mullin next season then I think my interest level is going to wane until the SS PDA runs aground. The way I can see this ship getting righted in the short term is if George Karl is brought in.

The 2004-2005 Nuggets used three coaches. About the only time I know of that happening. Even our Kings have never pulled off that trick. Denver went from Jeff Bzdelick to interim coach Michael Cooper to George Karl who went 32-8 down the stretch to not only make the playoffs but complete one of the biggest (maybe the biggest?) turnarounds after a coaching replacement.

That team was led by a young Carmelo Anthony, a still useful Kenyon Martin, a steady Andre Miller and Marcus Camby still playing good ball with Nene off the bench. After that it was Earl Boykins, Najera, Voshon Leonard, Byron Russell, Francisco Elson etc.

In short, I'm not sure that team had any more talent than the Kings do. More interior defense and a budding go-to guy but overall probably less talent.

Can Karl still pull rabbits out of his hat? Is he flexible enough to install a system that takes advantage of Boogie and Gay near the basket? Most importantly, do the Kings want to hire him?

I'd still be upset by the Malone firing, but I could at least see this as a way of salvaging the season. Does anyone see a better option?

 

[Entity]

I agree that if Corbin isn't the answer why not go ahead and get who you want now to build on the chemistry going into next season.

 

[Albatros]

Karl is not going to entertain Vivek or Pete's meddling it's as simple as that, and thats why I don't think they'll consider him.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Would fan petition massive email drive to Vivek and PDA supporting George Karl hire as Kings next head coach be worth a try?

 

[funkykingston]

Would fan petition massive email drive to Vivek and PDA supporting George Karl hire as Kings next head coach be worth a try?

Considering that the overwhelming majority of fans were against Malone being fired, I don't know that D'Alessandro cares what the fans think. And I think he has Vivek convinced that this is just like all his other "controversial" moves like extending Cousins, extending Gay etc and the move will be viewed as brilliant in hindsight.

In short, I think Pete thinks he's much smarter than the fan base and that he doesn't need to care what they think.

 

[Chubbs]

So I asked this in some other thread in a non-sarcastic manner for the true basketball heads, is the concern legitimate that Karl would not be able to coach a guy like Boogie? And I'm not talking personality-wise, I'm talking on the court.

Karl has coached a lot less talent than Boogie to wins. And at this point, Boogie is just so good, both inside and outside, it's just hard for me to imagine ANY coach truly holding him back. Now, can a coach fail to put this team in the best position to win? Sure. Karl's track record says he can figure out pretty quick the best way to maximize this particular set of players the King's have. It's just hard for me to imagine a coach not being able to find a way to use a mega-talent like Cousins.

 

[GQ_Gabriel]

Question for you guys:

Do you think the Kings will let Ty Corbin ride out the entire rest of the season or will they be bringing in a new coach as soon as possible?

 

[Chubbs]

Question for you guys:

Do you think the Kings will let Ty Corbin ride out the entire rest of the season or will they be bringing in a new coach as soon as possible?

Personally I think they are going to ride it out with Corbin. Unless the FO panics again as attendance dwindles. Which I can't rule out.

Today though, they are planning on going with Corbin and then bringing in Mullin. Hopefully, the rest of this season sways Vivek to the possibility that PDA and crew just don't know what they're doing and scrap the Mullin plan. If that starts happening (a true free fall in the standings and morale), I would not be at all surprised to see PDA make another quick coaching change. I have no idea where they will find a coach willing to join this mess though.

 

[Sac.Kings]

George Karl is the obvious choice and is certainly my number one choice as well. But since the firing of Malone I view Karl getting hired less and less likely with each passing hour. With a coach like him, he gets to dictate what he wants to do. After all the man has over 1000 wins. But that's not what Vivek is looking for. Vivek is looking for someone he can boss around and dictate. He thought he might have had it with Mullin, but Mullin isn't an idiot. If Vivek doesn't agree to Karl's terms off minimum meddling, he ain't coming. Vivek has an issue with power. He needs to have it and is very reluctant to be bossed by anyone.

 

[KingsFanGER]

I can't believe right now, that there is any other plan outside letting Mullin take over next season. PDA will tinker around with the roster some more, to get Mullin more players for his plan of an uptempo offense. While doing this the Kings will fade into insignificance once again, but this was inevitable once Malone was fired, cause the Playoff hopes for this season were buried anyways. The West is too competitive to change key positions right in the middle of the season and expect it to work right away.

 

[CurseOfTheSalmons]

Yes.

 

[GQ_Gabriel]

I'm starting to feel mixed emotions about our whole situation. You want to support the man who kept your team in town yet for once in a long time it started to feel like we had, to an extent, a sense of stability in this franchise. Now some of my frustration may result in looking for someone to blame, but it's hard when you've been a bottom feeder and you finally taste some legit success. We were winning games. We had a buzz around the city. Our team showed great chemistry on and off the court. Even a guy who I've been harsh on for his whole career, Jason Thompson, had finally turned the corner and became a stud on defense.

Someone cheer me up, please.

 

[206Fan]

So I asked this in some other thread in a non-sarcastic manner for the true basketball heads, is the concern legitimate that Karl would not be able to coach a guy like Boogie? And I'm not talking personality-wise, I'm talking on the court.

Karl has coached a lot less talent than Boogie to wins. And at this point, Boogie is just so good, both inside and outside, it's just hard for me to imagine ANY coach truly holding him back. Now, can a coach fail to put this team in the best position to win? Sure. Karl's track record says he can figure out pretty quick the best way to maximize this particular set of players the King's have. It's just hard for me to imagine a coach not being able to find a way to use a mega-talent like Cousins.

I fear this a little too, but I'm confident that a coach like Karl will be able to maximize Cousin's potential. He's a great coach and I think every coach in the NBA would love to coach Cousins.

I think Karl is a coach that Cousins will respect. HOF coach, the next step is actually hiring the guy.... hopefully the FO can hurry up and do this..

 

[funkykingston]

I can't believe right now, that there is any other plan outside letting Mullin take over next season. PDA will tinker around with the roster some more, to get Mullin more players for his plan of an uptempo offense. While doing this the Kings will fade into insignificance once again, but this was inevitable once Malone was fired, cause the Playoff hopes for this season were buried anyways. The West is too competitive to change key positions right in the middle of the season and expect it to work right away.

Can Pete D'Alessandro actually believe that Chris Mullin is the savior of this team? That with zero experience as a coach he'd be better than Mike Malone?

Has Steve Kerr's success made them think that it's that easy? Maybe it is, when you inherit a championship level team with a defensive foundation and roster stability and you're widely regarded as a tough, smart, scrappy overachiever with good communication skills who who contributed to five championship teams by knowing his role and executing. In general it's why long time and unheralded veteran NBA players make better coaches than star players.

I don't think Mullin would even be near the level of Reggie Theus as a coach. After all, Theus at least had head coaching experience at the college level.

 

[Iced Espresso]

Question for you guys:

Do you think the Kings will let Ty Corbin ride out the entire rest of the season or will they be bringing in a new coach as soon as possible?

If we get past the holidays and Karl is not on the radar then I think Corbin probably finishes the season.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

hope they get it right with the next coach (which i doubt they will; mully is the next head coach). riley will throw the rings on the table when he meets w/ boogie during next FA. can't believe the FO is doing this with the best big man in the league.

 

[Uncia03]

To answer the actual question:
Yes.
For me it's either Karl or bust.

Malone being fired can only make a semblance of sense if the result is to get both a proven winner and a coach with the right style of play THIS season. (Note: And by 'right style of play' I refer to the style of play of management wants, not necessarily the style of play that makes the most sense when you've got Cousins on your team)

If Karl isn't hired THIS season...then the firing of Malone can only be viewed as a giant stain on the FO.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Someone cheer me up, please.

We have 11 more wins than Seattle this year.

 

[Woogie]

Karl has been in just about any situation as a coach. So I think he could find a way to use a post-up machine like Boogie and SF like Rudy.
Also, he led Seattle to the Conference Finals several times and the NBA Finals once, and that team was good defensively. If he feels that he needs one more shot with the group of guys that are hungry to win (I got this impression reading his quotes in twitter), it should be in the Kings best interests to hire him immediately.

Are there another options? As I've already said in the other thread, I like Gentry and I believe he is playing a big part in Warriors' current success (Kerr and Gentry had some connections in the past). In the same thread Jerry Sloan was mentioned.

 

[randymoss1881]

Mullins is next anyone who believes different is in for a world if hurt in June.

 

[pdizo916]

Firing Malone is idiotic. Firing Malone and not having Karl replacing him is beyond idiotic. That would be the single dumbest thing I have personally ever seen with regards to my favorite sports teams' decisions. (niners, giants, and sharks)

 

[QoooooQ]

Just when it started to look like we wouldn't be breaking any post-season drought records after all, team management fires the coach. It's as bust as it gets.

 

[funkykingston]

At the moment I'm telling myself that the negotiations have started with Karl and that it is coming down to agreeing on compensation and a start date.

Because if the plan really is to let Corbin ride out the season and start all over again next season I'm going to be very unhappy to say the least.

 

[GQ_Gabriel]

We have 11 more wins than Seattle this year.

 

[Merdiesel]

Hiring Karl would fix this mess immediately.
Unfortunately I don't think its happening. He said from day 1 that he was in. If he was our guy, he would have been hired.
Corbin will fill the space between now and the off season, the time passed will make it easier for our FO to sign the guy they want. Who most will most likely be a downgrade from Malone.

For the sake of our franchise, I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Chubbs]

Can Pete D'Alessandro actually believe that Chris Mullin is the savior of this team? That with zero experience as a coach he'd be better than Mike Malone?

Has Steve Kerr's success made them think that it's that easy? Maybe it is, when you inherit a championship level team with a defensive foundation and roster stability and you're widely regarded as a tough, smart, scrappy overachiever with good communication skills who who contributed to five championship teams by knowing his role and executing. In general it's why long time and unheralded veteran NBA players make better coaches than star players.

I don't think Mullin would even be near the level of Reggie Theus as a coach. After all, Theus at least had head coaching experience at the college level.

Surely they understand what happened in Golden State took years to build and the move to Kerr happened well into the process.

Right? Someone tell me they understand this. That the warriors didn't actually just throw a team together last season?

 

[rainmaker]

The answer is yes, but the greater issue is I'm not sure he'd want to, despite his public quotes, and this is part of the issue of Malone's firing not operating in a vacuum.

The few, and it's really only a small, select few, who have defended this move have also failed to understand the wide-ranging implications of what just happened. PDA and Vivek made this coaching position extremely unattractive. Their very public comments about we want our coach to do this or do that, with the recent example of "if you don't, you'll get fired at any time", on top of evidence of heavy FO and ownership meddling, such as Vivek giving orders to play Royce White or not playing Sessions/Nik enough, really could see any coaching candidate worth his salt telling PDA/Vivek to **** off if they're approached with a job offer.

Everything suggests Malone was fired because he resisted FO and ownership meddling and demands, and everything going forward suggests the next candidate would have to mold to the ridiculous expectations of this FO and ownership. Why would a guy like Karl come on board in a situation like that? He'd expect the opposite, more control, more ability to implement his system and what he wants to do, and he has the resume to demand exactly that. Instead as we saw last night, our FO is basically coaching this team through a patsy, where we saw sudden changes from the 12 man gameday roster to the rotation to a change in tempo and less organized defense, and a clear representation of Corbin doing what the FO and ownership wants.

How do people think our position looks within coaching circles around the league? We already have the Gentry example where he didn't like the implication of coming in and replacing Malone during the season, as it's a back-stabbing move and he instead told Malone what the plan was, then went to GS. We've got Pop taking shots at our FO and ownership. Then there's what happened to Malone which brings this to another level altogether. Coaches are a fraternity, they look out for each other and don't like when their role in an organization and this sport is disrespected, as the head coaching position has been here. The role of a head coach is not to be a patsy for a clueless FO and hands-on owner who wants a "Jazz director".

What are we left with? Probably an at best average coach who might never see a head coaching job offered to him around this league again outside this mess, a guy like VDN, or a guy with no track record who will get his first shot at coaching a team, like Mullin. But any coach with clout and a proven resume is going to expect control and the ability to turn around a sinking ship as he sees fit. That this franchise is sinking and our FO/owner are giving a very public message that they want more control and more input, really handicaps us. I btw think a number of coaches would jump at the opportunity to coach Cuz, but in seeing what's happening here will wait until PDA has been removed, or until both PDA/Vivek learn their lesson and quit meddling.

 

[captain bill]

Let's get Shaq on a plane to New York ASAP. I think he has an old friend out there who might make a decent coach for this team.

 

[ockingsfan]

George Karl is my choice, but if he isn't hired by January 1st, then Chris Mullin will be the next coach in June.

Look, the FO basically thought, we can't win with Malone now, because we won't be able to fire Malone at the end of the year.

So, instead of risking the Kings making a run at the playoffs now and getting all those good feeling towards Malone, they basically thought, if we are going to get rid of him at some point, we better do it now, when they are losing without DMC.

Once DMC gets back and they start winning again, the fans will really raise hell with us firing him.

So, lets do it now, when the season is in limbo. Let Corbin coach out the year and bring in Mullin next year, who has the same vision as Vivek and PDA.

Like I said, if Karl is not hired by January 1st, then that was the FO plan all along.

The FO still have time to prove me wrong, but I have a feeling they won't.

 

[IfAt1st]

Ugh - I guess it's time to fire up my old signature and update it.

(Sloan is one of the only proven coaches I'd trust to fix this f-ed up situation, but I'd be interested in seeing what Karl could do)