Will Vlade Be Fired/Step Down?

[D13]

I say keep Luke another year and see if some stability helps. I think he has respect of the team still. Both Malone and Joerger had crappy first years here. It wasn't until second seasons they showed hope. Maybe get an tough old bull lead assistant on the bench with him (like a Mark Jackson).

I think Vlade has a vision, and he is trying, maybe just a little old school and clunky. Still I like the high character guys he's assembled. Also, I can see what he's trying to fit with the peices. I'm just not sure we are getting the most out of them. Vlade could use a tough old bull to keep him in check as well.

I don't like whatever is happening with developing our young talent and what seems to be a mediocre medical dept tho.

Vlade better tighten things up if he wants to see his vision thru. If he doesn't fix stuff quick he's gonna go down in the history books as the guy that passed on Luka, and forget everything else he has ever accomplished.

I'd prefer to see Vivek sell the team. Cut the head off the (wimpy) snake and hope to get a leader with teeth behind the controls. Vivek has no real fire power as a boss. He's not the guy anyone is scared of (except to lose a paycheck). He's more of an cheerleader with a pocket protector and a spreadsheet. A winning team needs a 5 star general who knows how to command a battleship and load the guns.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

Doesn’t seem to matter who the players, coaches, GM or owners are, this franchise just has a knack for taking 2 steps back after finally taking an important step forward. Wash, rinse, repeat.

It has been discussed, dissected, re-visited and re-re-visited ad nauseam, but the most recent 2 steps back began the moment the Phoenix Suns vacated the entire lane giving Vlade an uncontested easy slam dunk yet he inexplicably opted to pull up for a deep three and airballed the shot during the all-important 2018 draft.

That was a franchise altering opportunity that went South immediately. And continues to grow worse and worse with each passing day. Fans hate to hear it, but that fateful day set the franchise back at least 5-10 years. Who knows when the KINGS will see another opportunity like it. They’ve only landed the 1st or 2nd overall pick twice during the past 31 years.

While not impossible, it’s much harder to find franchise altering players with the 7th pick (or worse) most every single year. And we already know Free Agency is a dry well until they land one or two of those types of players in the draft.

They might have one of those players in Fox, or at the very least a very capable Robin to Batman, but bypassed on that 2nd player for who has quickly become the NBA‘s version of Elijah Price.

 

[The Effort Police]

I got this one.

KINGS. LEGEND.

5 year extension.

Lol, exactly why Vivek hired him.

Kings legend, which is why the local media and half the fanbase won't hear a bad word about him no matter what he does. They've all fallen so hard for Vivek's ploy I wish I was selling bridges right now.

 

[rainmaker]

I was a proponent of giving Vlade the GM position. He was even my avatar at one point which is some prime real estate.

But thru and thru he's been a failure. This team does not fit. I don't agree with the blueprint he's chosen but have sat back and watched. The pieces just do not create a positive sum of the parts. I don't think Walton is a particularly good coach. I don't think Bagley will live up to expectations and best case scenario might be waiting 3-5 years for him to turn into the Chris Bosh? I don't think Fox will stick around if that's the case. The Giles situation is dumb. Buddy won't be a long term 6th man. Defense is poor. We lack floor spreaders. We pack passers. We lack all around players. And I see a fair amount of roster uncertainty with a limited ability to improve it.

In 2020 this should be a young core which fits, has gelled and is a legit playoff team.

And Vlade gave his own 2 yr timetable.

And I btw don't care if Joerger is a prick. I work with pricks. But he represented the only positive momentum this franchise has had since 2006 and this season after his firing is a clear step back.

 

[krylia sovetov]

voted for a 2020 off-season

walton was his final shot in the foot.

so far, I didn't mentioned anything about passing on dončić, didn't made any judgement about that.
if you saw how that 19 yrs old kid won euroleague, with a final 4 MVP accolade, a competition you used to play once upon a time and never won it... when whole europe see dražen petrović glimpses and predicting he's gonna be a big one... then you should pick him and if you have any doubts how it's going to roll with fox, trade fox for something good and problem solved...

you had one of those "once in 20 years" talent coming directly from your backyard and you blew it.

no excuse. if you're not able to recognize big talent coming from ex-yugoslav area, what is your forte as a GM?

 

[Joshoua]

At least they got a legit 20 and 10 big in Ayton out of it. He's a future all star. We got a part time rapper in crutches. No offense Marvin.

hahahaha

 

[krylia sovetov]

But the Kings should think hard about sending Bagley, Buddy and our lotto pick to Chicago for Lavine and the Finnisher.

they could add karnišovas in a package as well

 

[Warhawk]

And I btw don't care if Joerger is a prick. I work with pricks. But he represented the only positive momentum this franchise has had since 2006 and this season after his firing is a clear step back.

Actually, I think not keeping Malone was the big failure with coaching. I liked him better than DJ overall.

 

[Folsomkingsfan]

I just don't see Vlade going anywhere for the time being, considering he recently got extended. This is Walton's first year and he is Vlade's guy so that ship will sink together. I said the same thing with Joerger and Vlade and Vlade prevailed but I can actually see it becoming reality this time around.

The situation was different a year ago. The team had its most positive season in almost 10 years. Fox took a massive leap forward. Hield looked like a viable and potentially lethal starting 2 guard. Jury was still out on Bagley But people weren’t sweating him yet. This team looked ready to start contending if the momentum increased and players continued on this trajectory. Vivek probably thought we’d be in the playoffs for sure this year. Instead, Hield is now an inefficient 6th man whose defense makes him unplayable at times. Fox still looks good but still isn’t a superstar and didn’t make the third year leap we needed him to. The Bagley pick now looks like an absolute disaster and if he comes in next year as the same one handed, bad defense player again this will go down as one of the worst draft picks in NBA history. And now we may also have a coaching problem. I wouldn’t put it passed Vivek to have completely done a 180 on everything from one year ago.

 

[Joshoua]

I was a proponent of giving Vlade the GM position. He was even my avatar at one point which is some prime real estate.

But thru and thru he's been a failure. This team does not fit. I don't agree with the blueprint he's chosen but have sat back and watched. The pieces just do not create a positive sum of the parts. I don't think Walton is a particularly good coach. I don't think Bagley will live up to expectations and best case scenario might be waiting 3-5 years for him to turn into the Chris Bosh? I don't think Fox will stick around if that's the case. The Giles situation is dumb. Buddy won't be a long term 6th man. Defense is poor. We lack floor spreaders. We pack passers. We lack all around players. And I see a fair amount of roster uncertainty with a limited ability to improve it.

In 2020 this should be a young core which fits, has gelled and is a legit playoff team.

And Vlade gave his own 2 yr timetable.

And I btw don't care if Joerger is a prick. I work with pricks. But he represented the only positive momentum this franchise has had since 2006 and this season after his firing is a clear step back.

Bagley isn’t touching Bosh’s potential I think people forget how good he was until lebron turned him into a spot up shooter

There’s a reason you never hear about Joerger in coaching search’s dudes no good, teams aren’t even interviewing him that’s a red flag

 

[whozit]

The situation was different a year ago. The team had its most positive season in almost 10 years. Fox took a massive leap forward. Hield looked like a viable and potentially lethal starting 2 guard. Jury was still out on Bagley But people weren’t sweating him yet. This team looked ready to start contending if the momentum increased and players continued on this trajectory. Vivek probably thought we’d be in the playoffs for sure this year. Instead, Hield is now an inefficient 6th man whose defense makes him unplayable at times. Fox still looks good but still isn’t a superstar and didn’t make the third year leap we needed him to. The Bagley pick now looks like an absolute disaster and if he comes in next year as the same one handed, bad defense player again this will go down as one of the worst draft picks in NBA history. And now we may also have a coaching problem. I wouldn’t put it passed Vivek to have completely done a 180 on everything from one year ago.

Now this has nothing to do with if Vlade and Walton should be removed or not. However, if he were to do that, how many times in his short tenure of having controlling interest would he have done so?

There lies the problem. Danged if you do and danged if you don't. Vivek has essentially called wolf one too many times.

 

[24 rick barry]

I was a proponent of giving Vlade the GM position. He was even my avatar at one point which is some prime real estate.

But thru and thru he's been a failure. This team does not fit. I don't agree with the blueprint he's chosen but have sat back and watched. The pieces just do not create a positive sum of the parts. I don't think Walton is a particularly good coach. I don't think Bagley will live up to expectations and best case scenario might be waiting 3-5 years for him to turn into the Chris Bosh? I don't think Fox will stick around if that's the case. The Giles situation is dumb. Buddy won't be a long term 6th man. Defense is poor. We lack floor spreaders. We pack passers. We lack all around players. And I see a fair amount of roster uncertainty with a limited ability to improve it.

In 2020 this should be a young core which fits, has gelled and is a legit playoff team.

And Vlade gave his own 2 yr timetable.

And I btw don't care if Joerger is a prick. I work with pricks. But he represented the only positive momentum this franchise has had since 2006 and this season after his firing is a clear step back.

I was definitely not a proponent of making Vlade the GM. So much so, that I called on Grant's show the day of, and Grant ever the Vlade defender, hung up on me. Missing out on Luka, is a must fire in it's on right. GM's have to make the tough calls, and if they miss it, then they have to be accountable.

We no longer have a window with this team. You can't have a below average team, with a middle pick, with no ability to attract a meaningful free agent, and little salary cap room; this is the formula of a slow trickle death. Look at the canny Warriors, they win a championship and window closes, and they tank, shutter players to open room to a difference making free agent and will probably have the 1st pick. Look at 76ers, Mavs. In baseball look at the Astros and now the Braves. This formula works. Instead, you had a Vlade rebuild around cousins, horrendous initial trade to dump players thinking that Rondo, Bellinelli, and Koufos were the difference makers. This was Vlade's plan. And Aileen reported that Valde was in favor of hiring George Karl. Then you dump, Cousins for Buddy.

Vlade has show limited ability to draft well. remembering Papa G. And of course, missing out on Luka.

When Vlade took over, I don't think that Vlade saw the evolution of the game and the new construct of lineups.

I like THE MAN. But the parts do not fit. Get Sam Hinkie to be GM NOW. Go through the re-build now with Luke as coach. You might not have fans in the stands next year, so this might mitigate pocketbook costs to owners.

Having said this, I highly doubt that Vlade will be forced to resign (he won't quit on his own). It would cost more money to have a new GM, and inexplicably, the Kings recently signed Vlade to a 5 year extension.

About this site, I do like it immensely in good times and bad. It is my favorite Kings site. However, I don't like when the webmaster shuts down the conversation. Just in my own humble opinion, this is the place for rabid fans pros and cons, but to shut down-ie the Grant termination, and in the past, the Fire Vlade threads, poses a problem for me. Therefore, I purposely, rarely will bother to view any more and therefore, post.

I love basketball, and my team the Kings, from the first season here in Sacramento, a season ticket holder. I go to watch basketball only. In my view, the Kings are entertainment and a nice distraction from everyday life. Frankly, I don't want to watch politics, or theatre at the games. Just outstanding competition of the finest the world has. If the future games are pushed more away from the actual game itself, I will not renew.

To sum up, the way it sits currently, for the foreseeable future, the Kings are sitting in Limbo..,,and that' a place you don't want to be.

 

[kingsboi]

The situation was different a year ago. The team had its most positive season in almost 10 years. Fox took a massive leap forward. Hield looked like a viable and potentially lethal starting 2 guard. Jury was still out on Bagley But people weren’t sweating him yet. This team looked ready to start contending if the momentum increased and players continued on this trajectory. Vivek probably thought we’d be in the playoffs for sure this year. Instead, Hield is now an inefficient 6th man whose defense makes him unplayable at times. Fox still looks good but still isn’t a superstar and didn’t make the third year leap we needed him to. The Bagley pick now looks like an absolute disaster and if he comes in next year as the same one handed, bad defense player again this will go down as one of the worst draft picks in NBA history. And now we may also have a coaching problem. I wouldn’t put it passed Vivek to have completely done a 180 on everything from one year ago.

I don't have much faith in Bagley right now and that may change once he proves he can stay healthy and keeps improving his game. With that said, Walton and Vlade will have some more leg room here considering the pandemic and while that may not be an excuse for their poor play in the first two games, we see just how much basketball is so much more than a physical game and we forget the mental aspect of performance.

 

[Folsomkingsfan]

Now this has nothing to do with if Vlade and Walton should be removed or not. However, if he were to do that, how many times in his short tenure of having controlling interest would he have done so?

There lies the problem. Danged if you do and danged if you don't. Vivek has essentially called wolf one too many times.

Yeah honestly even if we get rid of Vlade and Walton my faith that Vivek brings in the right guys is low. Vivek doesn't seem to use a clear head when making these decisions, instead doing what he believes others would want or what someone else would do, which is probably how we ended up with Vlade in the first place. All I know is if we do get rid of Vlade, which I believe is an absolute must at this point, I just pray that his replacement is chosen with patience and stricter criteria. Also I hope that he doesn't just ditch Walton if he does ditch Divac this off season. Sacramento already has to be one of the least glamorous and desirable coaching jobs in the league, firing respected guys like Malone, Joeger, and Walton so quick into their tenure does us no extra favors.

 

[rainmaker]

Actually, I think not keeping Malone was the big failure with coaching. I liked him better than DJ overall.

That's a fair point.

 

[NewArena]

Letting Buddy Hield go in a league that values shooters just like him, would be the dumbest thing we've done in years. And that's saying a LOT! I'm usually against blaming the coach for every little thing, but Walton is clearly an awful fit for this team.

I see no fire or passion from him and the team has taken on that same persona

 

[chief bromden]

Letting Buddy Hield go in a league that values shooters just like him, would be the dumbest thing we've done in years. And that's saying a LOT! I'm usually against blaming the coach for every little thing, but Walton is clearly an awful fit for this team.

I see no fire or passion from him and the team has taken on that same persona

I agree with you, but if Walton is going to stay they might as well trade Buddy.

 

[Tobiou]

I never had any faith in this team for the bubble. Vlade step down already this is flat out ugly.

I had no faith in this team for the bubble either. I gave Vlade the benefit of the doubt for a long time. However, I have been done since he fired Joerger and hired his friend Luke Walton who is lost as a coach and leader. Not picking up Harry Giles option was the last straw. Another example, what has Peja accomplished to be qualified for a Asst. GM position? Vlade was a smart player. He is not a smart GM. Vlade shows poor judgement over and over and over... I think Minority owners should replace Vivek and start over. Time to start looking forward to MLS in 2023.

 

[Joshoua]

We’ll win a championship before the Lakers, quote me!

 

[Joshoua]

Who are the top GM candidates anyways? And also I don’t care who the GM is as long as Atkinson is the next coach even if we hire him before a GM. Dude turned D Russell into an all star he’d do wonders for Fox

 

[NewArena]

I was a proponent of giving Vlade the GM position. He was even my avatar at one point which is some prime real estate.

But thru and thru he's been a failure. This team does not fit. I don't agree with the blueprint he's chosen but have sat back and watched. The pieces just do not create a positive sum of the parts. I don't think Walton is a particularly good coach. I don't think Bagley will live up to expectations and best case scenario might be waiting 3-5 years for him to turn into the Chris Bosh? I don't think Fox will stick around if that's the case. The Giles situation is dumb. Buddy won't be a long term 6th man. Defense is poor. We lack floor spreaders. We pack passers. We lack all around players. And I see a fair amount of roster uncertainty with a limited ability to improve it.

In 2020 this should be a young core which fits, has gelled and is a legit playoff team.

And Vlade gave his own 2 yr timetable.

And I btw don't care if Joerger is a prick. I work with pricks. But he represented the only positive momentum this franchise has had since 2006 and this season after his firing is a clear step back.

I can't argue against a single line in this post. It hurt to read though

 

[Siranthony]

We’ll win a championship before the Lakers, quote me!

Mic drop!

 

[kb02]

Been saying this for a while, Vlade needs to go. He’s applied the same strategy a few times and has failed.

That said, Covid gave him another year. I just don’t see the ownership group having the appetite nor the reserves to eat Vlade and Luke’s contract. Plus the 8 game, two month hiatus excuse.

Also, just wanna say it again: F**k Brandon Williams. Brandon Williams screwed this franchise over so much. He was the main proponent behind Bags > Luka and then proceeded to go full Brutus 6 months later by dropping Joeger hate to a national reporter while the Kings were actually surprising and winning. The gift that keeps on giving. Exhibit #1 of what happens when picking the wrong idiot sets your enterprise back years.

 

[VF21]

Also there’s 0 chance anybody is fired Vevik will be losing money this and next year with no fans. No way he pays for a new GM/coach while paying vlade and Luke

This is the most accurate and realistic post in the thread IMHO. (I know, Joshoua - I'm as surprised as you are that we're in agreement in this. ) My prediction is we will see very few firings after this season. Teams are having to make massive layoffs the longer the arenas remain empty. They aren't going pay anything they don't absolutely have to pay.

 

[TTown Kings]

Haters gonna hate right?

Nice arena though.

 

[Joshoua]

This is the most accurate and realistic post in the thread IMHO. (I know, Joshoua - I'm as surprised as you are that we're in agreement in this. ) My prediction is we will see very few firings after this season. Teams are having to make massive layoffs the longer the arenas remain empty. They aren't going pay anything they don't absolutely have to pay.

Me and you agree on all Luka discussions, as far as I’m concerned haha

 

[Groovygreg]

Sorry, Vlade. The fans love you as a person, a former player, and ambassador for the sport, but you have made too many costly decisions and the team and its fans have suffered as a result.

 

[Section 101]

This is the most accurate and realistic post in the thread IMHO. (I know, Joshoua - I'm as surprised as you are that we're in agreement in this. ) My prediction is we will see very few firings after this season. Teams are having to make massive layoffs the longer the arenas remain empty. They aren't going pay anything they don't absolutely have to pay.

Also, the plan is start next year around Christmas. Teams won't have much time for staff turnover.

 

[sactowndog]

This is the most accurate and realistic post in the thread IMHO. (I know, Joshoua - I'm as surprised as you are that we're in agreement in this. ) My prediction is we will see very few firings after this season. Teams are having to make massive layoffs the longer the arenas remain empty. They aren't going pay anything they don't absolutely have to pay.

I agreed with this sentiment originally but Vivek is in a tough spot as this team is hemorrhaging fans. I think his best bet is to sell to Ron Burkle and take a minority stake. Burkle has enough dollars to fire Vlade and hire a competent GM. Dumpster fire doesn’t begin to characterize the state of this franchise.

 

[VF21]

I agreed with this sentiment originally but Vivek is in a tough spot as this team is hemorrhaging fans. I think his best bet is to sell to Ron Burkle and take a minority stake. Burkle has enough dollars to fire Vlade and hire a competent GM. Dumpster fire doesn’t begin to characterize the state of this franchise.

What makes you think Burkle, who has since become a lead investor in the Sacramento Republic FC, is still interested in acquiring part of the Kings? And, in addition, what makes you so sure Vivek would be willing to sell?

A LOT of professional sports teams are "hemorrhaging fans" right now. I don't foresee a lot of ownership changes.