Sacramento Kings are at a weird stage in their franchise history right now. They are currently are trying to find a happy medium with having a workable mix of veterans and young players to try to succeed but their main issues has been their stability. For a long time, their players have voiced concerns about what the team is actually doing with the franchise.
They fired their head coach, Mike Malone, early in the season, then Malone’s replacement, Tyron Corbin, was relieved of his duties and brought in George Karl to finish out this season. Then an advisor for the team, Chris Mullin, has decided to take the head coaching job at St. John’s University. That has all happened this season alone.
They also recently brought Vlade Divac back to the franchise that he called home for many years to take a role in the front office. Now it appears Vlade’s role might be more hands-on.
Following from Marc Stein of ESPN.com
Sources told ESPN.com ?that Divac, who was recently hired by the Kings under the seemingly broad title of vice president of basketball and franchise operations, is indeed regarded as the team’s top basketball official by owner Vivek Ranadive after months of turbulence in Sacramento.
The Kings have yet to formally announce their new power structure, but sources say that Divac has supplanted both general manager Pete D’Alessandro and former Kings adviser Chris Mullin — who just jumped to the college game as the new coach at alma mater St. John’s — as Sacramento’s lead basketball decision-maker.
The future of D’Alessandro in Sacramento, especially after the departure of his closest ally in the organization in Mullin, is unclear. Sources say, however, that the Kings have already launched a search to add another front-line basketball executive to work alongside Divac whether D’Alessandro stays or departs.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive has been really impatient with his failing franchise. He’s been consistently made decisions quickly before thinking about the repercussions or if things would actually make sense. For example, he hired his head coach, Mike Malone, before he hired a general manager in D’Alessando. That’s something you just don’t do in the NBA for fear the two won’t see eye-to-eye in terms of how a roster should be assembled. You typically hire a GM and have that GM hire a coach who sees the same vision that he has so they’re on the same page going forward. Ranadive later admitted that this was a mistake.
This move to give Divac some power with the roster combined with the one to bring on Karl could be the start of Sacramento creating a stable situation that players like DeMarcus Cousins and fans desperately want. The ownership needs to become more tolerant and commit to a plan that lasts more than a single season or a few months. If Ranadive can’t do that then the Kings will remain true to what they have been, one of the worst franchises in the NBA for almost a decade now.
