Fire Walton

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pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
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If we do somehow get to 10 and get blown out by the Blazers, there’s a good chance Vivek will hold a parade and give Luke an extension
Maybe Stotts can save his job and we won't have to compete with them for a coach.

I guess maybe they have the inside track on David Vanterpool although have also read that they want to make a big-time splashy hire. But I think he left to go to Minnesota right after the Blazers appeared in the WCF. And I know they are trying to keep Dame happy by firing Stotts.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
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Wouldn't the most likely gig for Hammond be in succeeding Pop? She's already part of their culture and provides some opportunity for continuity. I imagine walking into a new locker room would make breaking this important barrier multiple times tougher. But maybe they have a different succession plan in mind. Pop can't have too many more years in him?
 

Spike

Subsidiary Intermediary
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Wouldn't the most likely gig for Hammond be in succeeding Pop? She's already part of their culture and provides some opportunity for continuity. I imagine walking into a new locker room would make breaking this important barrier multiple times tougher. But maybe they have a different succession plan in mind. Pop can't have too many more years in him?
I could be the head coach of the Kings starting next season, or wait two more (guessing) before taking over the Spurs. Although I know which roster I would choose, I also know the organization plays a bigger role. San Antonio has its ducks in a row. Sacramento doesn't have ducks. They have squirrels at a rave.
 
Hate to burst y'all bubble. But if the Kings finish the season strong, i.e. 3-1 and 1 or 2 games out of the playoffs play in game, I think Walton keeps his job for at least one more season.

With the the Kings losing big money due to COVID and the Kings playing strong to end the season, I think Walton gets another crack next year. The Kings have been playing a lot better after Monte has obtained some legitimate defensive options at the trade deadline.

Who knows, maybe the Kings make a Phoenix Suns type leap next year after finishing this year strong. ;)
 

hrdboild

Moloch in whom I dream Angels!
Staff member
Hate to burst y'all bubble. But if the Kings finish the season strong, i.e. 3-1 and 1 or 2 games out of the playoffs play in game, I think Walton keeps his job for at least one more season.

With the the Kings losing big money due to COVID and the Kings playing strong to end the season, I think Walton gets another crack next year. The Kings have been playing a lot better after Monte has obtained some legitimate defensive options at the trade deadline.

Who knows, maybe the Kings make a Phoenix Suns type leap next year after finishing this year strong. ;)
If they keep Walton, that's 100% not happening. Our strong finish is because we're playing teams that are either tired (because there was almost no off-season and we're usually a month into the playoffs by now) or they're clearly not trying to win. They had a shot to prove they were a team on the rise at the trade deadline and they went on a 9 game losing streak. Without big changes, that's exactly who we're going to be next season.
 
Hate to burst y'all bubble. But if the Kings finish the season strong, i.e. 3-1 and 1 or 2 games out of the playoffs play in game, I think Walton keeps his job for at least one more season.

With the the Kings losing big money due to COVID and the Kings playing strong to end the season, I think Walton gets another crack next year. The Kings have been playing a lot better after Monte has obtained some legitimate defensive options at the trade deadline.

Who knows, maybe the Kings make a Phoenix Suns type leap next year after finishing this year strong. ;)
I’m with you here. I’m not sure they can afford to cut ties with Walton and pay for 2 head coaches the next couple of seasons. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think there’s good chance he returns for next season. The earliest I see them dumping him is well into next season if/when it’s more of the same performance wise.

They still had to pay Joerger last season and I believe Vlade’s contract is still on the books. I just can’t see them paying for 2 coaches the next 2 seasons on top of that.
 
Here is the thing about the Kings, we're a small market team. The Kings have lost millions upon million this year and last year due to COVID. I can't see them giving Luke 11 million dollars to walk this off season.

As much as people may not like coach, Luke actually has the 2nd highest win percentage of ALL Sacramento Kings coaches, EVER! As sad as it is, his 0.436 win percentage ranks only behind Rick Adelman in Kings lore. His win percentage is higher than Mike Malone, Dave Joeger, George Karl, who all had All-NBA DeMarcus Cousins at the time.

Considering some experts considered the Kings to have the worst roster to start the season, being 30-38 may be seen as success to the upper management. I'm not advocating for Luke to stay on as coach, I don't care either way, but I definitely would not be surprised to see him retained for next year at least.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
I’m with you here. I’m not sure they can afford to cut ties with Walton and pay for 2 head coaches the next couple of seasons. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think there’s good chance he returns for next season. The earliest I see them dumping him is well into next season if/when it’s more of the same performance wise.

They still had to pay Joerger last season and I believe Vlade’s contract is still on the books. I just can’t see them paying for 2 coaches the next 2 seasons on top of that.
I'm not sure they can afford not to. Especially if Monte had a guy in mind when he took the job. Good jobs are going to open up and we're just going to tread water as a late lotto team with Luke.
 
I'm not sure they can afford not to. Especially if Monte had a guy in mind when he took the job. Good jobs are going to open up and we're just going to tread water as a late lotto team with Luke.
It’s this. If you allow Walton to continue and then fire him midway next year, it’s another lost season.

Walton has not produced. The talent on this team should have been enough to produce a playoff team and not just a team scratching to get into the play ins.

Look what Thibs did in NY with THAT roster.
 
It’s this. If you allow Walton to continue and then fire him midway next year, it’s another lost season.

Walton has not produced. The talent on this team should have been enough to produce a playoff team and not just a team scratching to get into the play ins.

Look what Thibs did in NY with THAT roster.
Really? Besides Fox, who else on this team would be a sure fire starter on a good Playoff team? Which Western Conference playoff team is this roster superior too?
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
Really? Besides Fox, who else on this team would be a sure fire starter on a good Playoff team? Which Western Conference playoff team is this roster superior too?
+1

Buddy, Barnes, and Holmes would all likely be bench players on elite teams. Maaaaaaybe Barnes would start as like, a 4th option.

I’m excited about the Fox/Hali core, but the rest of the roster still needs a lot of work.

I still think a better coach would do wonders for this squad, but that’s not going to make us a playoff team overnight.

Maybe McNair will shore up the assistant coaching staff a bit, but I’m also not holding my breath for a Luke firing..... maybe we’ll “for real” tank next season!
 
Really? Besides Fox, who else on this team would be a sure fire starter on a good Playoff team? Which Western Conference playoff team is this roster superior too?
This roster is not devoid of talent.. I look at what Thibs has done with NY and wonder what a good NBA coach could do with the same roster....especially after the deals made.

And yes, NY is in the East which makes it easier but I’ll stick with with my opinion. A superior coach would have gotten more out of this group.
 

SLAB

Hall of Famer
+1

Buddy, Barnes, and Holmes would all likely be bench players on elite teams. Maaaaaaybe Barnes would start as like, a 4th option.

I’m excited about the Fox/Hali core, but the rest of the roster still needs a lot of work.

I still think a better coach would do wonders for this squad, but that’s not going to make us a playoff team overnight.

Maybe McNair will shore up the assistant coaching staff a bit, but I’m also not holding my breath for a Luke firing..... maybe we’ll “for real” tank next season!
I’m gonna guess we finish right about the #10 pick and outside of the playoffs, so close yet so far. But maybe we’ll finish strong again and retain Walton for yet another season!!!!!!!!
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
I’m gonna guess we finish right about the #10 pick and outside of the playoffs, so close yet so far. But maybe we’ll finish strong again and retain Walton for yet another season!!!!!!!!
If we're being intellectually honest this roster as currently constructed would probably be in the 7th/8th seed range if we'd started with this group instead of the amazing Cojo/Bjeli/Glenn Robinson Jr. bench we started the year with, even with Luke Walton bouncing between being incompetent and modestly not terrible for ten games at a time. I've come to see Luke Walton as a Vinny del Negro type: the players like him well enough and he somehow wins just enough games every year to justify him not getting fired the moment the season ends.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
We fired Joerger for missing .500 and Walton has been worse. I realize he had additional hurdles, Bagley has missed a ton of games, but damn if he isn't the most inconsistent coach I've ever seen. If we had the same record and never had a streak in either direction of more than 4-5 games I'd say ok, COVID, whatever. But I can't help but feel like the bipolar performance of this team is a coaching issue.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
Or the front office started one with him. Either way history will be on his side. He didn't want to draft Bagley.
I don't think history is on his side for being a complete jerk the back half of the season but we certainly passed over the better player. Whether he'd have been a good fit in Sacramento, and I don't mean the roster - I mean the fact that refs get to treat our star players like peeons and he seems to be an absolute whiner when it doesn't go his way - that is going to be something we'll thankfully never know.
 
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