I am going to briefly delurk to unleash a ferocious SMH and remind everybody one more time why this fanbase is so tortured:
Of 37 years of Kings basketball, the Sacramento Kings have been in the bottom half of the league defensively 31 of the 37 years. They have been in the bottom half of the league defensively for 16 (SIXTEEN) straight years since firing Adelman.
Now you are going to place Alvin Gentry in charge of the league's least defensive, and not coincidentally least successful franchise. Here are the ranks of Alvin's scoring defenses as a head coach (full year only) for the past 15 years:
19-20 NOP 27th in NBA
18-19 NOP 27th in NBA
17-18 NOP 29th in NBA
16-17 NOP 17th in NBA
15-16 NOP 26th in NBA
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11-12 PHX 21st in NBA
10-11 PHX 29th in NBA
09-10 PHX 26th in NBA
Maybe the old man surprises and reinvents himself, but ever since being exposed to Mike D'Antoni, uptempo defenseless play has been his trademark, and if he's had any more success than the average Sacramento coach it has solely been due to the presence of several first ballot HOFs on his rosters. His teams with A.D. in the middle and Jrue Holiday at the point, STILL couldn't stop anybody. It's because he valued running and scoring above all else. Which puts him solidly in the 37 year long tradition of the Sacramento Kings.
Good luck guys.