SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
The Kings had their shot in the bubble last year too and it was an embarrassment. When it counted you saw the inadequacy strategically. Don't need to see it again thank you very much.
Fire Walton
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The Kings had their shot in the bubble last year too and it was an embarrassment. When it counted you saw the inadequacy strategically. Don't need to see it again thank you very much.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Vivek has probably doubled his money since purchasing the team. He can shove his empty pockets right back into his pants and check in between to see if there's still something in them.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
And he's a crony hire of a GM that isn't here anymore. Now, the Kings have never been a typical franchise so who knows, maybe they buck history, but history says they are wasting their time here.
I don't think he was a crony hire. There was a fair case to hire him, there's an even fairer case to fire him.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
He absolutely was. He and Vlade were buds. Crony hires aren't anything new for the NBA but it most certainly was what it was. They hired Luke ASAP and I doubt there was any other plan in place. In the end the Kings repeated the Karl situation down to a T. They fired his GM and Vlade kept him on. Don't mess with history, get out clean and give yourself a fresh start at the first green light. Instead Monte has given Walton 3 red lights consisting of 3 separate losing streaks of nearly 10 games. Can't say I've ever seen either this complete incompetence or patience. The bad thing is they can be the same in a sports where business and tides turn as quickly as they do in the NBA.
I'm not disputing any of that but I also think that based on what he did with the Golden State roster and that prior to LeBron he was getting steady improvement out of a garbage LA roster the hire was valid for basketball reasons.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Eh, he was coming off being booted so hard out of LA that he still had a foot print on his backside. And what he did with the Golden State roster faded pretty quick once he got his first real shot and reality set in that the team was actually on auto pilot. History will dictate he got improvement out of roster as players like Ingram and Randle were much better once out from under his tutelage. David Nwaba had a bit of a shine for a minute though. And Kyle Kuzma certainly thanks him. Gee, some of these tendencies look a little familiar. I will say something about Luke's potential, he does have the makings of being a really good college coach. Hopefully his NBA career doesn't end so badly that he is iced out of those gigs in time.
We know how it ends, all I'm saying is that he was the guy they wanted 3 years earlier - for valid reasons, I suspect Vivek did two because he has a hard on for replicating Golden State - so they saw the opportunity to get their first choice and jumped.
I can actually admire that, so long as they can also quickly realized they f'd up and not compound the situation by giving him another year.
I think Luke will be fine as a head coach in 5 years after he takes a few steps back, assists under another coach or two, maybe with a team that won't challenge the 96 Bulls for most dominant team ever over the course of a season.
steelevt
All-Star
i still dont want to believe it, but now that SI interview came out and Fox has basically said in so many words that he wants Walton back. This might actually happen and I blame you
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/deaaron-fox-supports-luke-walton-211716798.html
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Yeah, the GS thing is also part of the equation per usual most likely. I don't think Luke has the right make for an NBA coach unless he is hits the ground running with a team and unit that he can cheerlead for like he did with the Dubs. That's what he should be but instead he's trying to think the game from the neck up and keeps getting in his own way. He did it in LA and he's doing it now. His short terms fix rotations, blasting players with either too many minutes or too few, and his tendency to go for what he wants, rather than what's working will always limit him unless he has some type of epiphany that sticks this time. He seems to figure things out but it's always backtracked shortly thereafter. A 9 game wins streak can always be reverted into a 10 game losing streak. I mean, I don't ever recall this before.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
I hope they realize that Walton is a nice guy and of course Fox would want Walton back now since Walton is more than willing to let Fox save his bacon game after game. However, he might not feel that way later. Waltons best asset is probably his ability to play politics. You can see it every single time he steps up to the podium after a 50 point blow out. And the problem is from day 1 Vivek has shown a propensity to be duped by those types time and time again starting with PDA and Mully. Malone was far from a politician, in fact his rep around the league was he had anger issues. Surprise, surprise, the politicians won that battle. I would figure Vivek had enough intelligence however to figure out the one who ultimately lost was him. Maybe in an overcorrection that's why he hired Vlade. Now he's back to swimming with the sharks. I got the feeling Walton going to stick once that last major losing streak went off like no skin of his back. My spidey senses went off a bit. Then that blurb awhile back from Amick I think sealed the deal. Now if Monte bumps the pay scale for the same roster and it doesn't work this is going to be a long and wasteful process just to get back to ground zero.
KingsFanSince85
All-Star
As a fan, I fully agree. Just not sure they’ll see it our way.
captain bill
All-Star
we were at 39-43 (.476) the year before Walton got here and went on to win 31 games the next year with basically the same roster and still haven’t gotten back to that mark this year despite adding Halliburton and Fox’s massive improvements.
karl was an all-time worst coaching job in the nba actively sabotaging his own team
Joerger and Malone both came in with weakimproved the team before getting massively.
Just by profile it doesn’t make a lot of sense with him. Son of a basketball legend that people seem to like, blessed to find himself win 2 rings with the Lakers (while never making an imprint in the playoffs or really as a player at all) and another with the Warriors, owns a historic coaching record when Kerr handed him the reigns in GSW.
seems like most coaches these days work their way up thru the ranks starting at the film room or scouting on the road, guys who had fringe careers overseas, and players who scrapped their way thru a particular role or niche. But a guy who just floated thru the highest echelons of the basketball world while accumulating honors well beyond what he individually accomplished? Doesn’t even remotely fit the mold
Telemachus
Starter
You do realize that Barnes was a starter for a Championship team. He is a much better player now than he was then.
gunks
Hall of Famer
The Dubs?
My memory is hazy, I thought he came off the bench!
Well, I’ll upgrade my “maaaaaaybe” to Barnes CAN start..... as a fourth option.
I actually think he’s been pretty good this season, but the dude still has those “Mr. Invisible” games, which is why I wouldn’t want him as a part of any Big 3 core.
SLAB
Hall of Famer
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
85 more.
your reverse psychology in this instance isn't necessary Slab but I appreciate the effort and the fact that you still care
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
85 more.
Yeah, this is where it starts counting back up. haha.
I’m starting to think that some fans have forgotten what a really good coach is like. Think back to Malone. I believe most recognized him as a potentially good coach who was firm but fair with players. Turns out he became pretty good.
Try comparing Walton and Malone in post game pressers and you will be reminded of leadership
Try comparing Walton and Malone in post game pressers and you will be reminded of leadership
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I gave the play-in thing a chance even though I think it has hurt us long term. There are no excuses not to fire him now. He has made this team worse in every conceivable way since Joerger left, and now we go into Bagley's final evaluation year with nothing. Ok we know he's quite injury prone. Maybe that will get him to take a discount on an extension rather than test the free market. But I doubt it.
Bottom line, we need to get going on something that works rather than just another year with a coach that can't do the job.
Bottom line, we need to get going on something that works rather than just another year with a coach that can't do the job.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Maybe not, then again if the Hawks thought the same thing they wouldn't be in the playoffs right now. Any port in a storm and there are many, many faults with him at the helm for anyone paying attention. He shows that he gets it one moment then regresses right back in a flash by changing rotations, lineups, and playsets. Let Monte start fresh like any new GM should.
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Exactly and time IS the issue here. If Fox weren't already on a MAX and Bagley at the end of his deal there might be time, but right now, if it doesn't work out a potential 2 year rebuild probably becomes a 5 year rebuild. That's not going to fly. Walton in the position he's in has little to no chance of sticking if history involving other transition coaches is considered and everything you speak of is exactly why the time would be now. Now there is a slight chance it could work out of course and Walton gives you false hope every once and awhile but is it worth gambling what little time they have left? Sometimes you have to look at the glass half empty in the NBA otherwise you commit to things that will never, ever fill that glass to the top which should always be the end goal. My frustration with Walton is the waffling. He never sticks to what works. He shows he gets it then bam, he does something like push your ROY candidate to the bench in favor of a player like Harkless when that lineup with your ROY was a top 5 man unit for the majority of the season. Did it work out Monte, Vivek? Nope. That's on your coach. One of many things that can't be ignored here.
Livinthedream
All-Star
SLAB
Hall of Famer
Hell yeah, brother!
Livinthedream
All-Star
There you go. Embrace your pain.
steelevt
All-Star
Hopefully like we were confident we wouldn’t trade DMC
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