That can't be gauged until our next coach. Karl was always a stop gap of sorts and I highly doubt he makes it to the end of his contract. Malone is the type who'd have grown with this team year after year as he'll probably do in Den.
So it's not just comparing situations now but also considering 2, 3 and 4 years from now. Someone said earlier, "worst coach firing in pro sports history" or something of that nature. I thought that was true at the time. McHale just got canned, it was pretty surprising but pales in comparison to the Malone firing. Never seen anything like it when looking at the entire picture. Not anything at all.
An example of what makes Malone who he is: On team flights he's been sitting with Mudiay and going over film 1 on 1 with him, helping him better understand both defensive issues and where/when his shots should come, while repeatedly backing his rookie PG thru the media. Just really comes across as the type who genuinely cares about his players, fights for them, is who you want leading and developing a young team. It's the whole "coach fights for us, we'll fight for coach" dynamic. I don't see that here with us.
I agree with just about everything you said, as a matter of fact, I guess I agree with all of it. All I would do is add some window dressing to what you said. Unfortunately, Karl is perceived as a stop gap coach. He's also a coach that comes with a reputation that poisoned the water before his arrival. Not fair, but that's the reality of life. If you hire Karl, you hope that his reputation for winning outweighs any negatives. So far, it appears that hasn't happened. Like you, I was shocked when Malone was fired, however, I wasn't ready to anoint him coach of the year just yet. Defensively he had the team playing very well, but his offense was a little to reliant on isolation basketball. It was just a matter of time before the league adjusted, and made life more difficult for the Kings.
What I was looking forward to, was how Malone adjusted. Sadly, we never got that chance. There's nothing worse than being robbed of the opportunity to see how something would have ended. Well, there are things that are worse, but you know what I mean. Ironically, if I had to come up with another shocking firing of a head coach, it would be Karl being fired in Denver after leading a team no one thought would make the playoffs to flirting with a championship. I doubt that Karl lasts through the next off season, and that's too bad. I would have liked to see how things played out if everyone bought in. It's obvious that Cousins, rightly or wrongly, hasn't, and I'm sure he has his following. A team divided will fall. And it appears to be divided. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think so.
When Karl asked to suspend Cousins for his outburst, and Vlade said no, that put Karl in an untenable position. If he can't discipline his players, then his authority is seriously undermined. If there is no penalty for bad behavior, then bad behavior will continue. The fault is shared by both sides. I think Cousins has legitimate gripes, but I think Karl has the right as head coach to expect his players to execute his system. As was stated in Cool Hand Luke, "What we have here, is a failure to communicate." I see no other resolution to this problem, than one of them has to go. As to who, well that's a no brainer, unless Cleveland offers Lebron for Cousins. Karl is the odd man out. Which probably means another wasted season.
I hope I'm wrong about all this. Cousins has two more years on his contract after this season. But make no mistake, if were not winning by the time he enters his last year, I seriously doubt he'll be willing to sign another extension. So, the question is, do the Kings wait that long? I'm not saying this because I want Cousins traded. Quite the contrary. I'm trying to look at it from a logical point of view. If your not winning, and you let it go until his final year, you've lost any leverage in a trade you would have right now, or next year. Meaning, if a team trades for Cuz now, it knows it has him for two more years. That's valuable! If he's in his final year, and you have no guarantee he'll resign with you if you trade for him, your less likely to give up as much for him, as you are if you have him under contract for two more years.
What I'm trying to do is look at the big picture, and that picture needs to start looking like a successful team. If not, I fear the future is going to look bleak. Vlade and the Kings brain trust is betting on immediate success. So far, that hasn't happened. It's still early, and winning cures all. But the hole is getting deeper, and soon. Well, I think you know... There, I hope I've brightened your day a bit.
