Sacramento Kings: The Nightmare Week That Was

The Sacramento Kings are in trouble. After their winning streak reached five games, the magic stopped. The Kings are back to their losing, and the coach may be taking the blame.

Think back: remember when the Kings had won five games in a row? They beat the Jazz, Clippers, Lakers, Hawks, and Pacers. The Clippers, Hawks, and Pacers are all teams that are in position to make the playoffs this season, so the wins weren’t exactly easy. Even the inexperienced Lakers squad gave the Kings quite a push late into the fourth.

But boy, does that seem like a completely different team. The win streak was alive just a couple of weeks ago, yet that seems like years ago. This current nightmare all started with a heart-breaking, double-overtime loss at home to the Hornets. DeMarcus Cousins posted a career-high 56 points, but the team ended up losing Cousins to foul trouble, and the refs missed a pretty obvious travel call on the game-winning basket for the Hornets.

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After that, it was a pure free-fall for Sacramento. Losses to Portland, New Orleans, and Memphis piled up, and the frustration was palpable. The team played  flat, failing to match the energy of their opponents night in and night out. They were finally able to get back on track with a close win against Milwaukee, but the excitement didn’t last long, as they soon reverted back to their losing ways, and proceeded to play flat and uninspired in two losses to the Bulls and Nets. That’s when the real mess started.

George Karl is by no means a conventional coach, but he has won quite a few games in his career. He is in the top five for most wins amongst all NBA coaches, which is certainly nothing to knock. Yet, he has not been able to get the Kings to operate consistently, with plenty of terrible games to compliment the good ones. There’s no easy way to dole out the blame to just one person, but it appears the Kings may be nearing that path.

While Cousins is usually reliable, the rest of the team is a question mark on a nightly basis. Some night Ben McLemore will score 18, other nights he will score three. Rudy Gay has been injured numerous times, and the supporting cast has had a hard time making up for the lack of production.

There have been plenty of rough patches this season, and of course last season. But until now, Karl’s job has been presumed safe. A loss to the diminutive Nets on Friday though, seems to have put Karl in jeopardy for real this time.

In the article, anonymous sources are cited, stating that Vivek Ranadive, Vlade Divac, and even minority-ownership are extremely close to firing Karl. This is unsettling news for all Kings fans, who are far too familiar with this scenario.

It’s absolutely pathetic that the Kings are seemingly incompetent on and off the court, and have been for so long. No fan base as loyal as Sacramento should have to see their team’s sliver of national media coverage consist of NSFW-titled articles that leave the national audience laughing over the futility of the team.

The team has a history of throwing coaches under the bus and out the window, only to hire a new one that they are not or should not be on board with from the start. The rumors have long-swelled that the front-office isn’t on the same page as Karl. He likes to be in control of his teams, and Divac has long given off the vibe of a power-struggle.

During Friday’s post-game show, former King Bobby Jackson absolutely shredded the team, and bluntly said that Karl could be leaving the team after the All-Star break, which happens to be when he came to Sacramento this time last year.

The only thing more concerning than all of this is the source that spoke of these minority owners, who also apparently have lost faith in Ranadive as an owner and decision maker. Whether it’s been his insisting on running the fast break on offense, or making coaching decisions without his GM’s blessing, Ranadive has had some controversy in his short time as owner of the Kings.

Even if these things aren’t true, or are taken out of context, there’s really nothing good that can come of this situation. Unless the Kings look amazing in their final three games prior to the All-Star break, Jackson may prove to be a fortune-teller after all, and then the cycle of embarrassing futility will continue on.

The firing of Karl is something that unfortunately seems to be in the making, but simply cannot end well. In firing Karl, the Kings are not only admitting to the league and their fans that this season is a bust, but that they are an organization akin to that of the Cleveland Browns; a laughing stock with no real chance of being relevant in their future.

Next: Sacramento Kings Trade Deadline Candidates

As unfortunate as that is, it’s ultimately true. Nobody is claiming Karl to be the answer to the problems he’s partially responsible for, but at some point there has to be a phase of consistency in order to fully develop a young roster. Add all this into a pot, stir in a young roster that doesn’t know how to work together, and boy do you have some thick gumbo to serve up next year at the sparkling new downtown arena.