Sacramento Kings, George Karl discussing head coaching job

May 8, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl during the press conference announcing him NBA coach of the year at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl during the press conference announcing him NBA coach of the year at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The former veteran head coach would take a ride on the carousel that is the Sacremento Kings head coaching job.


The Sacramento Kings started the 2014-15 NBA season with a hopeful eye to the future. Unlike the Maloof family, new owner Vivek Ranadive appeared committed to making the Kings a winning organization. Budding star center DeMarcus Cousins was beginning to blossom into a franchise centerpiece, and a competitive team was forming around him.

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Of course, the team pulled the chord early on Mike Malone as the head coach midway through the season, and instead went with the brilliant Tyrone Corbin, the proud owner of a .420 win percentage.

Under Corbin, the Kings have dovetailed to a 17-31 record and have seen Cousins and his teammates regress to their cellar dwelling past. The team has just come off of a humiliating 101-78 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at home.

In an effort to turn around their floundering season, the Sacramento Kings will perhaps turn to veteran coach George Karl.

From Ailene Voisin at The Sacramento Bee:

"The Kings are engaged in intense conversations with George Karl about their head coaching position, multiple sources have told The Bee.While a change is not imminent, multiple sources told The Bee late Friday that the combination of Karl’s innovative coaching and immediate availability has won over team officials who weeks ago expressed concern about a possible personality clash with All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins."

Karl was previously the head coach of the Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks and most recently the Denver Nuggets, compiling a .599 win percentage. In 1996, he helped to guide the Sonics to the NBA Finals with stars Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, but they eventually lost in six games to the record-breaking 72-10 Chicago Bulls.

George Karl also won the 2013 NBA Coach of the Year awards while he was with the Denver Nuggets, and led the team to a playoff berth all nine seasons he was coaching there. Karl currently works as an analyst for ESPN.

Karl would obviously be the third head coach for the Kings this season. A young team that is trying to climb up in the league may need consistency from the coaching position, and at 63 years old, George Karl is not likely a long-term solution.

However, past experience does show that Karl can bring the Kings strong leadership on the court and competitiveness on a daily basis. Even if many of the teams decisions haven’t worked in the way he hoped, the move shows that Ranadive and general manager Pete D’Alessandro are committed to looking for ways to make the Kings a championship franchise.

[H/T: The Sacramento Bee]

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