Italian Job wrote:jason bourne wrote:smh. Same ol' Sacramento Kings if they fire Karl. He is an NBA winning coach, so deserves better. I was surprised by the loss to the Nets who are much worse on offense, ESPECIALLY OFFENSE, and defense versus the Kings. Kings' fans would be shocked by the loss. Especially, when fans think the team has turned it around and may be able to eek into the #8 spot.
I would not fire George Karl. Who are the Kings going to get? Tom Thibodeau? Some other team like the fickle Nuggets would snatch Karl up. Instead, get some players at the wings who can play some D and build. Courtney Lee or Tony Allen are available. The top 3 players, DMC-Rondo-Gay, are too offensive-minded. Gay, according to Karl, is supposed to be their best defender. He sprained an ankle early and was sporadically used in the game. Yet, the Kings are trying to trade Gay. The team has already said they'll take Ryan Anderson for Gay. Like he's going to help the defense. What is GM Vlade Divac thinking? More 3-pt shooting will solve everything?
Before, the fans were complaining Mike Malone was fired, but I don't think he's that good of a coach now that I've seen him in Denver. His rotations are atrocious. The Kings are doing better offensively and defensively than Malone's Kings (and his Nuggets), so Karl has improved the team. Just not enough to satisfy a playoff-starved management and fan base.
Honestly, I don't think you've watched enough Kings' basketball this year, aside from the games agains your Dubs.
Karl is a shell of himself, a coach who lives on his name and reputation.
He's barely speaking on the sidelines, he doesn't energize the team, but the worst thing overall, is that he delegates his job to his assistants, for example Chad Iske. In the game he skipped because he was ill, Iske was a total non factor, even Rondo had to draw a play because his lead assistant wasn't doing it.
We could say that the main reason of the problem is that Boogie and Karl don't fit well. It's true. But Cousins has adjusted fine and Karl too a bit, as we saw DMC rise his level of play in January, one of the best months by a big man in the recent history of the NBA. DESPITE being in a system that doesn't maximize his strengths obviously.
His defensive scheme is a total joke. His strategies are way too bad and are a big reason of the Kings dropping games left and right to awful teams, and career nights to scrubs.
- Should never ever switch and he still does. They aren't his 2013 Denver or actual GSW team; don't have the personnel to do that.
- Adjustments are terrible, can't counter opposing lineups (for example small ball ones), instead he'll match those.
- Perimeter D is terrible and players don't have a clue of what they're doing on the court. They are responsibile of course, but the staff hasn't done anything to fix that. The answer has been "more offense and we'll be fine". But really this is the only thing they're good at while not even playing to their best players strengths.
And last but not least, the Dribble Drive Offense with this roster is so so idiotic.
Karl is what he is; an old man who looks ill, isn't a great motivator and is so stubborn that he refuses to change his mind. His style of basketball may not be successful elsewhere too, certainly isn't in Sacramento but it looks like he's not gonna change anytime soon.
The players are talented but a difficult mix of personalities who should be managed a lot; Karl looks simply a stockfish. Too bad that Mike Malone would be an excellent fit, who praises D and is the guy who I believe this group would trust; they'd bring it every night for the battle for sure as we saw at the beginning of last year.
This team is underachieving so bad that Divac should not listen to national media chatter and fire Karl, who was a BAD hire from the start and everybody knew and knows that.
The TRUE problem in the Kings' organization is Vivek who created this dumpster fire.
This time Cousins has spoken for the team, not himself. He has played with a lot of heart since the late December ejection against the Warriors, not the play you'd expect from a guy who's forcing management to fire the coach he doesn't like. He said he doesn't like Karl but they had to make it work. But probably the locker room has seen enough. Just guessing from the outside.
Either the Kings turn it around a-la-Warriors 2007 or Boogie is gone for good in the summer.
Vlade barely came into the picture after Karl was already hired. Pete D'allesandro fired Malone, he also hired Karl. Vlade did the decent thing and gave Karl a shot at least. Let Vlade find his coach and then judge Divac. Karl is not the right coach for Demarcus Cousins. PERIOD.
