What happens when owners get too involved in basketball related things? A defensive strategy that involves playing only 4 people on defense and leaving the 5th man to cherry pick, a documentary series drafting a player who plays the same position as the player you drafted the previous season, pursuing Josh Smith in trades, and firing your young coach who has gotten the most out of your team since Rick Adelman. I can say with certainty that 29 other fan bases…well 28 other fan bases (sorry Knicks fans) are happy their owner is not Vivek Ranadive right now.
Mike Malone was fired last night to make room for Tyrone Corbin, the man who led the Utah Jazz to a high lottery pick and was also the worst employed head coach in the entire league last season. Corbin is going to be the yes man the Sacramento Kings are looking for (until they hire their preferred head coaching target). A coach who will be playing up tempo and getting the Kings running more often, which is something Vivek wants the Kings to be doing (and I know what you’re thinking, that doesn’t sound like Ty Corbin, and yes you’re right). And don’t worry if you’re not a Corbin guy (you aren’t, I know) because according to Woj at yahoo sports, Vinny Del Negro is another guy who could be a long term replacement for Malone. That hiring would be equally disastrous. The guy most people think is the favorite is George Karl, and Karl could definitely make it work long term. But here’s the thing, Malone was a guy who really got along well with Demarcus Cousins (the franchise) and was able to keep him and his attitude in check. Cousins and Malone formed a bond and they would go to war for each other. Malone was also the guy who got Rudy Gay to play efficient team basketball. Malone had the Kings off to a 9-6 start until Cousins got sick. Even now at 11-13 the Kings look to be in a better position than in years past, and a lot of that should be attributed to the culture Malone has tried to create. Karl would be an interesting fit, but he isn’t known for his player relationships by any means.
Any way you look at it, the Malone firing is a puzzling move that most likely does not bode well for a franchise that seemed to be turning it around. Vivek is an owner who is trying to be ahead of the curve, but being too involved and not letting the basketball people do their job is a classic rookie owner move. It is also a classic James Dolan move and that is a slippery slope to be walking on. For a team whose stock was trending up early in the year, now is a good time to sell.
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