Well, I'm late to the party, having just seen this news now.
My outlook on this is that while some of the losses this season have been incredibly frustrating, I never expected this team to be near .500 at this point in the season. I thought the roster lacked talent and cohesiveness and I thought the early schedule was brutal.
To me, the fact that the team WAS dramatically improved on defense and was winning games despite getting very little consistency from the bench (especially the guard spots), having only one three point shooting threat in McLemore (whose play was a pleasant surprise in and of itself) and an extended absence by Cousins (not to mention Rudy, DC and Omri missing games) was really encouraging to me as a fan.
And I put the credit on the team's improvement on basically two things: (1) DMC's continued ascent to being a big time player and leader and (2) Mike Malone's coaching.
I can't pretend that the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Lakers, Rockets and Pistons games weren't gut wrenching and infuriating. But the fact that the Kings HAD big leads on Memphis, Dallas and Houston was unexpected to begin with.
I think this is a terrible move. Part of creating a successful franchise and a winning culture is consistency. Getting your foundational players in place, keeping the same coach and front office working hand in hand to develop a system and a way of doing things.
The Spurs are the obvious example but to me a more apt analogous situation is the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders or Washington Redskins.
Constant impatience leading to a coaching carousel or always wanting to make the splashy move pretty much always leads to continual rebuilding, justified by the new coach needing players for "his system" etc etc.
Malone had a lot of work to do but as a first time head coach that's the expectation. That he would grow WITH his team. And I thought they were doing just that. Had Demarcus not gotten sick I doubt this move happens, which to me means it shouldn't be happening now either.
My outlook on this is that while some of the losses this season have been incredibly frustrating, I never expected this team to be near .500 at this point in the season. I thought the roster lacked talent and cohesiveness and I thought the early schedule was brutal.
To me, the fact that the team WAS dramatically improved on defense and was winning games despite getting very little consistency from the bench (especially the guard spots), having only one three point shooting threat in McLemore (whose play was a pleasant surprise in and of itself) and an extended absence by Cousins (not to mention Rudy, DC and Omri missing games) was really encouraging to me as a fan.
And I put the credit on the team's improvement on basically two things: (1) DMC's continued ascent to being a big time player and leader and (2) Mike Malone's coaching.
I can't pretend that the Grizzlies, Mavericks, Lakers, Rockets and Pistons games weren't gut wrenching and infuriating. But the fact that the Kings HAD big leads on Memphis, Dallas and Houston was unexpected to begin with.
I think this is a terrible move. Part of creating a successful franchise and a winning culture is consistency. Getting your foundational players in place, keeping the same coach and front office working hand in hand to develop a system and a way of doing things.
The Spurs are the obvious example but to me a more apt analogous situation is the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders or Washington Redskins.
Constant impatience leading to a coaching carousel or always wanting to make the splashy move pretty much always leads to continual rebuilding, justified by the new coach needing players for "his system" etc etc.
Malone had a lot of work to do but as a first time head coach that's the expectation. That he would grow WITH his team. And I thought they were doing just that. Had Demarcus not gotten sick I doubt this move happens, which to me means it shouldn't be happening now either.
