Kings' Moves Setting Table for DeMarcus Cousins to Demand Escape - Ric Bucher
- Thread starter Chubbs
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Chubbs
Starter
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Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
That's often not how it works though.
What these first few weeks should tell us a lot is just how serious reports of players not wanting Karl are. When new coaches take over for unpopular fired coaches, there is just routinely a jump in play as all the players go all out for the new guy. A breath of fresh air, in our case salvation even, guys are trying to impress the new coach etc. And a guy like George Karl is not just any coach, and several times before he's taken over midseason and had teams go on BIG runs. We aren't going on a big run in the West with our schedule, but if we don't at least get a bump out of this, apologists aside it will be hard to see that as anything but an indication that guys have a real problem with the hire.
Siranthony
Starter
It just amazes me the the constant BS some people on this board are constantly coming up with. People coming up with all this negative crap AS IF THEY KNOW WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON. How can so many people constantly trash this organization that has been in existence for 1 year and a half? And by the way is building an arena and keeping our team here. Who do some of you think you are? I support this team. Period. Cousins will be fine. There is nothing going on here that goes above and beyond what any human being can survive. And come out on the other end more knowledgeable and successful.
Jerichoholic
Bench
The issue might go deeper than that, we are uncovering new ground here. We have a new coach taking over for a coach who was popular with the players, not Corbin, but Malone, the wound is still fresh, shouldn't be, but it is. The Corbin era might as well not have existed as far as the players are concerned. I can't remember a coach who was as popular with the players on a bad team that was actually improving getting fired. Sure the Warriors and Clippers recently fired successful coaches, but they were solid playoff teams already, not as delicate as a team like this.
I could see the players not buying in, I hope not, but I could see it. It's not that they don't like George Karl, it's that they no longer trust ownership or the front office and that is a big problem. No coach can salvage that issue, only an entirely new roster with no connection to this would fix it.
I do think another thing that needs to happen here regardless is that D'Alessandro needs to be replaced with an experienced and respected GM. Just as Karl is a respected coach with pedigree we need a GM who is the same, that would restore confidence and credibility with the players. Removing Mullin might help as well. Even more have Ranadive come out and publically say that he is stepping aside and leaving the coaching to Karl and the player decision making to the new GM. The front office needs a restart, I think the players would respond to that.
I could see the players not buying in, I hope not, but I could see it. It's not that they don't like George Karl, it's that they no longer trust ownership or the front office and that is a big problem. No coach can salvage that issue, only an entirely new roster with no connection to this would fix it.
I do think another thing that needs to happen here regardless is that D'Alessandro needs to be replaced with an experienced and respected GM. Just as Karl is a respected coach with pedigree we need a GM who is the same, that would restore confidence and credibility with the players. Removing Mullin might help as well. Even more have Ranadive come out and publically say that he is stepping aside and leaving the coaching to Karl and the player decision making to the new GM. The front office needs a restart, I think the players would respond to that.
Siranthony
Starter
Ya, so what. I mean really. Get over it. The FO will learn and get better. That is all.
One internet cookie for you.
On a less snarky note, do you and fans suggesting the same have any idea how foolish it sounds to act incredulous at the notion that this FO may be dangerously close to incompetent? After the self inflicted cluster f they have created?
Maybe wait a little while for the stench of this last couple months wears off before looking down at the fans "beneath you".
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
First off, Buchers insider card was officially revoked this summer when he got played hard on that Bosh info. Second, now Cuz preferred Jackson? I just read another "insider" saying that Cousins didn't want him at all. I'm done with the BS, call me when it's over.
Chubbs
Starter
As the weasel turns...
Now sources are denying that Malone was insubordinate.
http://cowbellkingdom.com/sources-malone-never-insubordinate-with-kings
Now sources are denying that Malone was insubordinate.
http://cowbellkingdom.com/sources-malone-never-insubordinate-with-kings
Hadlowe
Starter
Here is what is most frustrating to me:
1. Reporters get half-stories from scattered sources and extrapolate to fill column space/airtime. Sports writers in particular get extra leeway to speculate as most of their writing requires some analysis and editorializing.
2. We fans get the scattered bits of truth mixed with heaping helpings of guesswork (read horse puckey) and tend to treat it as gospel. Gell-Manning amnesia is hard to get around.
3. GM's and front offices kind of have to lie as part of their negotiating tactics. You have 29 other front offices trying to pick your pocket as well as players, agents, coaches and staff to manage. This plays into items 1 and 2 as even attributed quotes from front offices can be tactical fabrications.
4. Ric Bucher is just . . . the worst.
Put all of that together and you get a really poor noise to signal ratio.
1. Reporters get half-stories from scattered sources and extrapolate to fill column space/airtime. Sports writers in particular get extra leeway to speculate as most of their writing requires some analysis and editorializing.
2. We fans get the scattered bits of truth mixed with heaping helpings of guesswork (read horse puckey) and tend to treat it as gospel. Gell-Manning amnesia is hard to get around.
3. GM's and front offices kind of have to lie as part of their negotiating tactics. You have 29 other front offices trying to pick your pocket as well as players, agents, coaches and staff to manage. This plays into items 1 and 2 as even attributed quotes from front offices can be tactical fabrications.
4. Ric Bucher is just . . . the worst.
Put all of that together and you get a really poor noise to signal ratio.
IfAt1st
Starter
Holy crap - they actually responded to Bucher's story directly, refuting the tidbit about Malone being insubordinate!
That, fellow fans, is a HUGE signal that the story was accurate.
Organizations don't leak info to their media stooges if a story is inaccurate. Hell, there's been a hundred reports the past 8 weeks, and the front office has probably only directly addressed less than a handful of them (and I'm guessing only a couple of them). They have ignored a metric crud-ton of inaacurate reports the past 8 weeks -
Why would they say anything about Bucher's assertion that they fired Malone because he stopped listening to their bat-crap crazy ideas?
Look, guys -
I don't care if Bucher is the devil:
I care if a source is finally revealed that helps explain the absolute CIRCUS that has been the Kings' actions the past 2 months.
And this Bucher story passes the sniff test to me.
It seems logical, it explains what happened and it explains Cousins' camps issue with going after Karl so hard now (after the story they told Cousins back then).
In my fan world, with all the disinformation and lies in the media, I hold on to the stories and tidbits that make sense to me, and help to explain what I have witnessed.
And this story directly jives with everything I've seen going on with the Kings' organization this year.
So I'm believing it, whoever the source is.
It makes sense.
That, fellow fans, is a HUGE signal that the story was accurate.
Organizations don't leak info to their media stooges if a story is inaccurate. Hell, there's been a hundred reports the past 8 weeks, and the front office has probably only directly addressed less than a handful of them (and I'm guessing only a couple of them). They have ignored a metric crud-ton of inaacurate reports the past 8 weeks -
Why would they say anything about Bucher's assertion that they fired Malone because he stopped listening to their bat-crap crazy ideas?
Look, guys -
I don't care if Bucher is the devil:
I care if a source is finally revealed that helps explain the absolute CIRCUS that has been the Kings' actions the past 2 months.
And this Bucher story passes the sniff test to me.
It seems logical, it explains what happened and it explains Cousins' camps issue with going after Karl so hard now (after the story they told Cousins back then).
In my fan world, with all the disinformation and lies in the media, I hold on to the stories and tidbits that make sense to me, and help to explain what I have witnessed.
And this story directly jives with everything I've seen going on with the Kings' organization this year.
So I'm believing it, whoever the source is.
It makes sense.
Jerichoholic
Bench
To those out there who want to pretend that everything is good and that none of this is a big deal and everything is going to work out then great, go with that. I wish that I could be that positive, but I can't ignore events occurring right in front of me. Now I'm not saying that I without a doubt know what is going and who is to blame, I can only go with the evidence presented. We've heard a multitude of reports from a multitude of sources, some of the reports are right and some are wrong. I'm sure that even some of the reports are flat out lies leaked intentionally to push an agenda or for someone to save face. The bottom line is that Malone was fired, that is a fact. I think we can also agree that firings don't just happen on a whim. Although perhaps I'm wrong and If I am then this organization really does have problems. We also know that the blame lies with either Ranadive, D'Alessandro, Mullin, or a combination of the three and whoever that is needs to be fired or step aside. We also know that many of the players have quit, that is evident. So I apologize, but I can't pretend that there are huge problems, some of which may not be fixable.
Now I can understand those that acknowledge the problems, but don't want to hear anymore of it. I'm with you, turn off the television, turn off the radio, and stop reading the web sites. The media is all about spinning things negatively, that's their main job description I think. I think a lot of what we're hearing now is the media trying to get as much out of this as they can since the story is just about over with Karl signing.
Now I can understand those that acknowledge the problems, but don't want to hear anymore of it. I'm with you, turn off the television, turn off the radio, and stop reading the web sites. The media is all about spinning things negatively, that's their main job description I think. I think a lot of what we're hearing now is the media trying to get as much out of this as they can since the story is just about over with Karl signing.
rainmaker
Hall of Famer
Nor should you. People will naturally be excited about Karl, he'll bring some good to the situation, help stabilize the environment, it's a much needed step in the right direction.
But there's also gross negligence, incompetence, chaos and unprofessionalism running rampant through our organization and it starts with Vivek at the top, then has filtered down through management and our FO. That can't be ignored. It's a huge issue and that Cuz feels the need to defend himself against leaks from our FO against him is quite a problem. It's also a product of the complete mess we have on our hands and hiring Karl in no way cleans all that up. Just try to picture how bad of an environment is needed to have parts of our FO leak false statements about our franchise player to the media in order to cover their own asses and own mistakes. I've never seen that before.
We've got a ship which has been torpedoed from multiple angles, have multiples holes and we managed to plug one of those holes with Karl. Good. We're still however taking on water and have a rudderless leader captaining the ship.
IfAt1st
Starter
Here's the main reason why I believe this story:
*Because Malone and Cousins were sympatico personalities.
* I believe Cousins (like me) is an anti-authoritarian. He does not suffer appeals to authority, and if someone tells him to do something "because they said so" it never works for him. There have been countless articles which prove this with Calipari, as well as Malone. They explained WHY he should do something (i.e. the reasoning behind it), and Demarcus would be on board. (BTW - this is continuing today, with Cousins' agents statement of confusion why the front office wants Karl now, but told them before it wouldn't work - it doesn't make sense and therefore Cousins has a problem with it)
* If Malone was like Cousins, he would not take to management's crap. He would have fought for what he felt was right, despite the pressure they would bring. (This has been proven by Malone's comments, especially the last one about "analytics is BS - defense wins games.")
* By definition, Malone's behavior would be insubordinate to a authoritarian management style, which IS what this franchise has currently.
So I don't know what weed the management is smoking, but there is no chance in my eyes that they can possibly deny that Malone was insubordinate. They would have to be using different definitions of the term, because the coach publicly calling your approach ("Analytics") BS is by definition insubordinate. Now there is a report that he didn;t show up to a meeting (which completely fits the personalities and sequence of events), and then they fire him immediately, in a panic, with no back-up plan?
What happened here this year was a war of authority, folks.
The front office (especially PDA and Vivek) felt their authority was challenged by Malone.
Cousins challenges authority every single game on the court.
Malone was the challenger of authority in the management.
Cousins got the players to mutiny against management and dump poo all over the court to show management they (and the coaches) aren't disposable employees.
*Because Malone and Cousins were sympatico personalities.
* I believe Cousins (like me) is an anti-authoritarian. He does not suffer appeals to authority, and if someone tells him to do something "because they said so" it never works for him. There have been countless articles which prove this with Calipari, as well as Malone. They explained WHY he should do something (i.e. the reasoning behind it), and Demarcus would be on board. (BTW - this is continuing today, with Cousins' agents statement of confusion why the front office wants Karl now, but told them before it wouldn't work - it doesn't make sense and therefore Cousins has a problem with it)
* If Malone was like Cousins, he would not take to management's crap. He would have fought for what he felt was right, despite the pressure they would bring. (This has been proven by Malone's comments, especially the last one about "analytics is BS - defense wins games.")
* By definition, Malone's behavior would be insubordinate to a authoritarian management style, which IS what this franchise has currently.
So I don't know what weed the management is smoking, but there is no chance in my eyes that they can possibly deny that Malone was insubordinate. They would have to be using different definitions of the term, because the coach publicly calling your approach ("Analytics") BS is by definition insubordinate. Now there is a report that he didn;t show up to a meeting (which completely fits the personalities and sequence of events), and then they fire him immediately, in a panic, with no back-up plan?
What happened here this year was a war of authority, folks.
The front office (especially PDA and Vivek) felt their authority was challenged by Malone.
Cousins challenges authority every single game on the court.
Malone was the challenger of authority in the management.
Cousins got the players to mutiny against management and dump poo all over the court to show management they (and the coaches) aren't disposable employees.
Elise10
Starter
I was with you up until the part in bold. Don't see how Cousins would that...but then call them out on them dumping said poo all over the court.
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
some people are not ready to accept the fact these bozos running the org are f****** up big time. big cuz is big on loyalty. he's said it time and time again. yet these bozos think its plug and play technology without putting the human aspect of it.
IfAt1st
Starter
Because he is the mouthpiece for the players, and the players can't make it clear that they are sitting down and deliberately causing the problem - their mutiny was based on the basketball belief that defense wins, and pace is bullcrap, and that Malone was important.
So they can't let it be known publicly that they are purposely all sucking - that would make the public focus on the players (lack of) effort, not the coaching and style issues.
So they had Demarcus say the right things to mask to the public what their plan was.
And thank god it has worked. Unfortunately, this front office has doubled-down on their efforts to alienate Cousins and aren't even making an attempt to make him (or any player OR coach!) feel wanted. They are lying and actively making Cousins out to be the one to blame for their indecisiveness (as if THAT story will get traction!
)
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
considering how slimy this FO is so far. i wouldn't be surprised if they caused the viral meningitis in order to expedite the collapse of the team.
The Hammer
All-Star
This is one of the sinister thoughts that crossed my mind as well... and you know... the crazy part is... there's a part of me that doesn't consider it outside the realm of possibility.
Keep it coming, big guy. You'll discredit your position before too long.
Siranthony
Starter
Wow! just wow. So they are poisoning/contaminating they're employees in some grand plan to manipulate things? Just amazing!
But see, if they didn't get Cousins out of the way, how could they ever install Sim Bhullar as our franchise center?
The Hammer
All-Star
Um... you might want to re-read my post. And you might also want to try to pick up the tone. Of humor. There I said it.
whozit
Starter
One problem with that scenario. It would require collaboration. They may all be upset, confused ext. But beyond that you have fourteen individuals that have different agendas going into next season. Some have long term guaranteed contracts so they are safe, some are playing for their next contract or whatever. What would make you think they would sacrifice tomorrow on principle of today, when today is already lost.Because he is the mouthpiece for the players, and the players can't make it clear that they are sitting down and deliberately causing the problem - their mutiny was based on the basketball belief that defense wins, and pace is bullpoopoo, and that Malone was important.
So they can't let it be known publicly that they are purposely all sucking - that would make the public focus on the players (lack of) effort, not the coaching and style issues.
So they had Demarcus say the right things to mask to the public what their plan was.
And thank god it has worked. Unfortunately, this front office has doubled-down on their efforts to alienate Cousins and aren't even making an attempt to make him (or any player OR coach!) feel wanted. They are lying and actively making Cousins out to be the one to blame for their indecisiveness (as if THAT story will get traction!
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
it would be an interesting read if someone decided to write a tell all book.
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
you must not be watching the games and not get a feel for all the bulls--- going on. take off the purple glasses and see it for what it is.
Big Cuz 15
All-Star
someone cue up the interview with carmichael dave and is the nuggets guy hastings interview from today. towards the end, hastings has a few words. he has some interesting info since he's not a kings yes man.
#GodsPlan
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