Malone new head coach! (merged)

Heresy!!

I'm sorry, but this guy doesn't sound like a Sacramento King at all. He just doesn't get our motif.
You've got to love all that he's been saying regarding his basketball philosophy regarding how to build a winning team.

If he's able to implement his vision as well as have the support from the GM and owner then I think we have a bright future ahead of us.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
I can only imagine that this is how the Maloofs felt after looking at Musselman's powerpoint presentation. Getting a major mancrush on Malone.
 
Coach Malone on Cousins "im not going to come in with any preconcieved notions on DeMarcus, yes he has had run ins here and there, but on any given night he can be the most talented big man in the league, and you just dont get rid of those guys"

awesome
 
"Defense is No. 1. Rebounding is No. 2. And once we rebound, we want to become a running team, but we run with discipline. And that means obviously taking care of the ball and proper shot selection. The last thing is valuing the basketball and sharing the basketball."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/06/03/5465619/new-faces-will-take-center-stage.html#storylink=cpy
The Kings have been bad at stopping dribble penetration and protecting the paint.

Malone said that will change.

"We're going to be a team that does not give up middle drives," he said. "It's up to our guards to contain the basketball and not get beat off the dribble so easily, and we're going to contest every shot".
Ugh, i could cry.
 
hearing both coach malone and vivek ranadive throw their confidence behind demarcus cousins is an excellent sign. malone believes that DMC can be among the best centers in the league, if not the best, on any given night. i'm particularly fond of his quip that you don't just toss those kinds of players aside. ranadive clearly feels the same way. overall, i am rather encouraged by what i'm hearing...

i have to admit that, even though malone wasn't at the top of my list of head coaching candidates, i'm very impressed by his attitude to team building. i especially like that he's not afraid to just say it: the kings have been a terrible defensive team the past several years, last in many major defensive categories. but, as a team, they will be better, because he prioritizes defense, as well as rebounding (which i consider to be perhaps the most important aspect of the game). it's good stuff on what they're calling "day one." i look forward to seeing how they continue to approach this rebuild...
 
Coach Malone on Cousins "im not going to come in with any preconcieved notions on DeMarcus, yes he has had run ins here and there, but on any given night he can be the most talented big man in the league, and you just dont get rid of those guys"

awesome
Love that. You have to give the guy a chance, just like cousins must give him a chance. They're adults. Anything else would be foolish. Disliking someone before you even meet? come on now.
 
The thing about the interview that stuck with me is that Vivek and Malone want to be here. Vivek was already a part of a good thing with Golden State, but he went all in with the Kings. Malone said he had other opportunities, but he didn't even entertain them. He wanted to come to Sacramento. For so many years, we've had owners who wanted to be somewhere else and coaches who were just happy that some team wanted them. Watching the smiles on the two of their faces told me that those days were over. That type of positivity from management trickles down. Can't wait to see where this group takes us.

One other thing. Vivek pretty much said that Malone is responsible for the draft at this point in time. That's a lot of trust he's put in this coach and is probably the reason why the search for a GM has slowed down.
 
The thing about the interview that stuck with me is that Vivek and Malone want to be here. Vivek was already a part of a good thing with Golden State, but he went all in with the Kings. Malone said he had other opportunities, but he didn't even entertain them. He wanted to come to Sacramento. For so many years, we've had owners who wanted to be somewhere else and coaches who were just happy that some team wanted them. Watching the smiles on the two of their faces told me that those days were over. That type of positivity from management trickles down. Can't wait to see where this group takes us.

One other thing. Vivek pretty much said that Malone is responsible for the draft at this point in time. That's a lot of trust he's put in this coach and is probably the reason why the search for a GM has slowed down.
Completely agree, sums up all my thoughts.

Also glad to hear we finally have a coach who cares about defense. He mentioned several times how we were one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to various different defensive categories, and he pointed out how he will adress these negatives. Also nice to hear the confidence in Demarcus.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
The thing about the interview that stuck with me is that Vivek and Malone want to be here. Vivek was already a part of a good thing with Golden State, but he went all in with the Kings. Malone said he had other opportunities, but he didn't even entertain them. He wanted to come to Sacramento. For so many years, we've had owners who wanted to be somewhere else and coaches who were just happy that some team wanted them. Watching the smiles on the two of their faces told me that those days were over. That type of positivity from management trickles down. Can't wait to see where this group takes us.

One other thing. Vivek pretty much said that Malone is responsible for the draft at this point in time. That's a lot of trust he's put in this coach and is probably the reason why the search for a GM has slowed down.
No matter how happy I've been, there was still a little tiny part of me waiting for a shoe to drop somewhere. After today's presser, I was finally able to take my own advice and exhale. There are good things on the horizon for us Kings fans!
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
No matter how happy I've been, there was still a little tiny part of me waiting for a shoe to drop somewhere. After today's presser, I was finally able to take my own advice and exhale. There are good things on the horizon for us Kings fans!
Hey, and you are the optimist one. It's difficult to stay calm especially when that other shoe to fall may be a basketball size 16.
 

Kingster

Hall of Famer
Smart said all the same things - defense, rebounding, low turnovers, team play. That's not to say I don't like Malone. I do. But it's all about implementing these principles, not recognizing the obvious. The most important fact for me in all of this is who exactly was it that made the hire? Vivek. Not the GM who hasn't been hired yet, but the owner himself, by himself. Some have said that this is unconventional and rightly so. But think about the implications. Essentially, it tells the players that Malone is Vivek's right-hand guy. You screw with Malone and you screw with Vivek. You try to go around Malone to the GM when you don't get your pt or unhappy about your "role" then you're going to the wrong guy. You better go to Vivek. And I highly doubt that Vivek is going to be the wishy-washy ineffectual craven owner that the Maloofs have shown themselves to be. The way Malone was hired and by whom is just as important as the coach himself.
 
Coach Malone on Cousins "im not going to come in with any preconcieved notions on DeMarcus, yes he has had run ins here and there, but on any given night he can be the most talented big man in the league, and you just dont get rid of those guys"

awesome
Obviously not a frequent poster, but I'm a helluva frequent lurker and this with his many other great statements recently have me in such a positive mindset about the future for the Kings, it's hard for me to believe it's ACTUALLY about the Kings. I keep expecting to read that he was hired by someone else and that there is some other incredibly supportive and optimistic owner talking about their team. I'm TRYING to not be TOO excited until I see results, but I'll say I'm failing miserably.... :D
 
Smart said all the same things - defense, rebounding, low turnovers, team play. That's not to say I don't like Malone. I do. But it's all about implementing these principles, not recognizing the obvious. The most important fact for me in all of this is who exactly was it that made the hire? Vivek. Not the GM who hasn't been hired yet, but the owner himself, by himself. Some have said that this is unconventional and rightly so. But think about the implications. Essentially, it tells the players that Malone is Vivek's right-hand guy. You screw with Malone and you screw with Vivek. You try to go around Malone to the GM when you don't get your pt or unhappy about your "role" then you're going to the wrong guy. You better go to Vivek. And I highly doubt that Vivek is going to be the wishy-washy ineffectual craven owner that the Maloofs have shown themselves to be. The way Malone was hired and by whom is just as important as the coach himself.
Could probably agree more, but I'm not sure how. All my (admittedly limited) work life has suggested this same sense of top-down approach to supporting your team.
 
Smart said all the same things - defense, rebounding, low turnovers, team play. That's not to say I don't like Malone. I do. But it's all about implementing these principles, not recognizing the obvious. The most important fact for me in all of this is who exactly was it that made the hire? Vivek. Not the GM who hasn't been hired yet, but the owner himself, by himself. Some have said that this is unconventional and rightly so. But think about the implications. Essentially, it tells the players that Malone is Vivek's right-hand guy. You screw with Malone and you screw with Vivek. You try to go around Malone to the GM when you don't get your pt or unhappy about your "role" then you're going to the wrong guy. You better go to Vivek. And I highly doubt that Vivek is going to be the wishy-washy ineffectual craven owner that the Maloofs have shown themselves to be. The way Malone was hired and by whom is just as important as the coach himself.
The major difference between Malone and Smart is that Malone has a track record for turning teams around defensively. Smart was known for talking about defense, but I don't know if he was ever in charge of any team's defense as an assistant coach.
 
Smart said all the same things - defense, rebounding, low turnovers, team play. That's not to say I don't like Malone. I do. But it's all about implementing these principles, not recognizing the obvious. The most important fact for me in all of this is who exactly was it that made the hire? Vivek. Not the GM who hasn't been hired yet, but the owner himself, by himself. Some have said that this is unconventional and rightly so. But think about the implications. Essentially, it tells the players that Malone is Vivek's right-hand guy. You screw with Malone and you screw with Vivek. You try to go around Malone to the GM when you don't get your pt or unhappy about your "role" then you're going to the wrong guy. You better go to Vivek. And I highly doubt that Vivek is going to be the wishy-washy ineffectual craven owner that the Maloofs have shown themselves to be. The way Malone was hired and by whom is just as important as the coach himself.
The difference between Smart and Malone is the body of work behind them! Malone has a history of improving every team he went to defensively while Smart has a history of talking himself to a job and eventually talking himself out of it!
 
I'm a Kings fan from the Bay Area, and I've been wishing the Kings were like the Warriors on how they turned things around so quickly in 2 years! I've always said in my previous posts that culture needs to change for the Kings (new FO, coach etc) as on paper Kings are way better the the Warriors roster.

Now Kings have a new ownership which I'm really excited about and to think they are in a way following the Warriors blueprint.

Also, I have actually wished M.Jackson was the Kings coach on how he has developed talent and get the best out of each of his players (save for R.Jefferson and Biedrins). But i think we got the better coach with Malone! Actually, Malone was the one coaching the Warriors during huddles and I could just see Jackson on the side watching. Mark is more like the team spirit leader, encouraging them and pushing the right buttons but Malone was the strategist for offense/defense. I'm really excited and looking forward for the new Kings!
 
The major difference between Malone and Smart is that Malone has a track record for turning teams around defensively. Smart was known for talking about defense, but I don't know if he was ever in charge of any team's defense as an assistant coach.
The only similarities in Smart and Malone are their age and that they worked for Golden State. It ends there.
 
What we see overall is that it doesn’t make much of a difference whether you hire an experienced NBA head coach experienced with experience, or a nobody from nowhere who’s never coached nobody to nothing. In fact, the evidence points to hiring a first-timer as the better long-term move.

Teams seem to be taking notice of this over the last few years. Since 2011, 11 of the 20 available head coaching jobs have been filled by retreads, while nine have been filled by first-time coaches, including four of six so far in 2013 — slowly edging the league back toward the 50-50 ratio it had during the 1996–2001 period.
http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-t...me-to-move-away-from-retread-nba-head-coaches

interesting article about the merit of hiring coaches without prior NBA headcoaching experience.
 
If for some reason the players STILL don't play any defense and have not gotten better as a team (rather than individual play) will the coach still be to blame or after 3-4 coaches will the blame shift to the players?

Just curious because most of us (including myself) have blamed the coaching to some extent for the lack of team play and team defense. I was thinking about this last night, and if for some reason the players are still playing the same old way I don't know if I could blame the coaching staff anymore.
 
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If for some reason the players STILL don't play any defense and have not gotten better as a team (rather than individual play) will the coach still be to blame or after 3-4 coaches will the blame shift to the players?

Just curious because most of us (including myself) have blamed the coaching to some extent for the lack of team play and team defense. I was thinking about this last night, and if for some reason the players are still playing the same old way I don't know if I could blame the coaching staff anymore.
It comes from the top.... lazy owners and management that couldn't care less = lazy players that couldn't care less

It is up to the front office (from ownership to coaches) to establish a culture. It is up to them to come in now and make it clear that you work hard, defend, rebound, take care of the ball and adhere to the system - or else you're not a good fit for this team and will be gone soon enough.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
It comes from the top.... lazy owners and management that couldn't care less = lazy players that couldn't care less

It is up to the front office (from ownership to coaches) to establish a culture. It is up to them to come in now and make it clear that you work hard, defend, rebound, take care of the ball and adhere to the system - or else you're not a good fit for this team and will be gone soon enough.
Exactly. And that's pretty much what Vivek and Malone have already made clear - there's going to be a big change in attitude, and the players will either buy in or get out.