Here's the part that galls me most - there has been NO legitimate reason for Malone's firing 24 games into the season. NONE.
- The players loved Malone.
- They were exceeding any reasonable person's expectations to start the season
- He had Cousins' respect and vice versa.
- They were playing tough, aggressive defense which gave them a shot each night
- Young players (Ben especially) were growing under Malone's watch
When the GM comes out and says, "it isn't about wins and losses, it's about style of play" then my BS detector goes off. Tyrone Corbin isn't a bad coach but at best it's a lateral move and that's AFTER the huge disruption that firing a coach popular with the players causes.
I guess I'm old school. The GM's job is to assemble a roster. The coach's job is to coach and put his team in a position to succeed. The owner's job is to write checks and hire the people that perform the important functions for the franchise. And ideally they'd work hand in hand. That apparently wasn't the case here, but the roster D'Alessandro put together (outside of a disappointing bench) was having success with Malone coaching them. WHY ON EARTH wouldn't you let Malone finish out the season and THEN replace him if you felt that strongly about it?
Is there absolutely
anyone who believes that the team will be better off THIS season replacing Malone a third of the way in and letting Corbin finish the season?
I'm pretty close to checking out on this season. I'll always watch games when time allows because I'm a dyed in the wool Kings fan. But my emotional investment in this team is waning at the moment. That may not make me a good fan, but in my opinion there's only so many gobsmackingly bad moves that I can tolerate before I realize the thing I want to provide me entertainment and escape from the stresses of real life is becoming too much of a source of stress in and of itself.
So incredibly frustrating.