The Sacramento Kings’ rumor mill keeps churning. While head coach George Karl seems to have some sort of job security back after last week’s turmoil, that is not stopping the rumors of who could replace the much maligned coach should he be fired.
According to a report from Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, if Karl is fired midseason, owner Vivek Ranadivé is interested in assistant coach Nancy Lieberman to fill in in an interim position. That would certainly be a splashy move as Lieberman would then become the first female head coach in NBA history, even if she is never officially hired to that position.
Bucher suggests, however, that Ranadivé’s real dream is to convince Kentucky head coach John Calipari to leave the NCAA and coach the Kings. Calipari has always been in the middle of coaching rumors, despite his public claims that he will not leave Kentucky, and his lack of success in the few years that he did coach in the NBA. Hiring Calipari could make some sense for the Kings, considering his connection to several of the players on the roster – most importantly, DeMarcus Cousins. If this does indeed happen, it would be a sign that the Kings are doing everything and anything to keep Cousins happy.
