Kings Fire Dave Joerger

The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Dave Joerger on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the NBA's 2018-19 season. The Kings exceeded expectations, compiling a 39-43 record—their best mark since 2005-06—but Joerger was still let go with just one year remaining on his contract.

Joerger was fired after three seasons as Sacramento's head coach. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports)

General manager Vlade Divac fired Joerger, who coached the Kings to a 98-148 record across three seasons. Sacramento was in the playoff hunt for much of the season, but stumbled down the stretch and won just nine of its final 25 games after the All-Star break.

"This year was a good season, but I think we could do more, especially after All-Star break," Divac said.

"After the All-Star break, I felt very confident we'd be in the race, and we were in the race," he said. "Unfortunately, we fell short."

Axing Joerger took many by surprise, especially with the franchise seemingly trending in the right direction. They have built a strong, young nucleus led by rising star De'Aaron Fox, leading scorer Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley III, who had a terrific rookie campaign. 

With Fox spearheading the offense, the Kings upped their tempo dramatically from a season ago. The Kings averaged 114.2 points per contest, the ninth-best mark in the NBA. It was an increase of 15.4 points from last year when they finished last in the league at 98.8 points per game.

A rejuvenated offensive attack, a 12-win increase from the year prior and the franchise's best overall season in 13 years was evidently not enough to save Joerger's job.

Before his stint in Sacramento, Joerger previously coached the Memphis Grizzlies for three years, reaching the playoffs in each season. Joerger holds an overall record of 245-247 as an NBA head coach.

George Karl's Desire to Trade Star Center DeMarcus Cousins Part of a Growing Patern

            George Karl wants to run another superstar out of town. Karl, named head coach of the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 11, desires the team’s front office to part ways with DeMarcus Cousins via a blockbuster trade. According to a report from Yahoo Sports!/FOX Sports 1 NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Karl is imploring the Kings brass to wash their hands of Cousins. Here’s a piece of Woj’s report:

            Karl has been recruiting Kings vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and multiple players on the Kings' roster to unite with him in making the case to owner Vivek Ranadive that Cousins needs to be traded, league sources said.

            Since the end of the 2014-15 season, Cousins has become aware of Karl’s campaign to move him – including teammates telling Cousins, sources said. All around the Kings and Cousins, there is a growing belief the coach-player relationship is irreparable. Trust is a constant theme with Cousins, and he’s been unable to build any with Karl, sources said.

            No one in the Sacramento organization – not coaches, nor players, nor support staff – wants to imagine the combustible scenario awaiting Karl and Cousins should the Kings try to reunite them in training camp.

            Cousins has had his share of detractors since entering the league. His defense, laziness and inability to coincide with the team's head coach have been criticized. Though Cousins is not a model player—at least in terms of his mental toughness and work ethic—the talented big man is not at fault for being unable to co-exist with Karl.

            A 24-year-old first-time All-Star in 2014-2015, Cousins emerged as arguably the NBA’s top center last year, showing signs of maturity in the process.  In fact, Divac gave the young center immense praise in March, saying Cousins is the most talented big man he has ever seen.

             "I've been in basketball a long, long time, and I have to say he's the most talented big guy I have ever seen," Divac said of Cousins, who recorded the third-most double-doubles this past season (47) despite missing 23 games due to injury/illness. "Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] wasn't talented -- he was just strong. I was talented, but I wasn't strong."

            The burden of the failed player-coach relationship falls on Karl. The 2012-13 NBA Coach of the Year, Karl has a history of butting heads with his team’s alpha dog, so it’s no surprise he has quarrels with Cousins, who posted 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest with a 25.2 player efficiency rating (PER)—the seventh-best mark in the NBA.

DeMarcus Cousins is coming off a career-year for the Kings, but head coach George Karl wants the star center out of Sacramento. (Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports)

             Karl is responsible for Ray Allen’s departure from the Milwaukee Bucks. Allen led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001—losing to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in seven games—but was dealt to the Seattle Supersonics at the trade deadline two seasons later.

            "It came too much to an abrupt end," Allen said of his Bucks career. "It still seemed like there was more to be done here. Ultimately, I think it was the whole George Karl relationship. We started butting heads and it ended up not working.”

            The United States men’s basketball team made the mistake of hiring Karl to be head coach of the 2002 squad. The US had an embarrassing sixth-place finish in the 2002 Olympics—the only time the US has failed to win the gold since the International Olympics Committee granted professionals the opportunity to participate in the Games in 1992.

            Naturally, Karl had a scapegoat for the team’s catastrophic performance in the 2002 Games. The victim was Paul Pierce, the Boston Celtics’ budding star who was coming off his most impressive season as a pro in which he led the league in points scored. Karl—who before the tournament began told Pierce he was the team’s best individual offensive player—called the young guard/forward a “selfish player.” He said Pierce’s defense was lacking throughout the entirety of the Games. Pierce did not take Karl’s comments lightly. Prior to a regular season contest between the Celtics and Bucks in November 2002, Pierce ripped Karl to shreds when asked what he learned from playing for Team USA.

            ''I learned not to go play USA basketball if George Karl is the coach,'' said Pierce.

            ''I don't think he's a players' coach, straight up,'' said Pierce. ''It wasn't only me, but a number of the players didn't respond to what he was saying or understand what he was trying to do. But me, I just play my part. I'm never going to question what he needs to do in practices, what he needs to do in games."

            ''We had a great coaching staff, [San Antonio's] Gregg Popovich [to name one assistant]. We had personalities on the coaching staff that you could get along with, but it was hard to read [Karl] at times, what he wanted out of certain people.''

            Need more examples of Karl butting heads with star players? Look no further than tweets from his former players, who all indirectly reference their former coach as a snake:

WHEN THE GRASS IS CUT THE SNAKES WILL SHOW.

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) February 25, 2011

To many snakes in the grass got to get the lawn kut!

— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) October 7, 2011

When the grass is cut...

— Andre Iguodala (@andre) May 15, 2014

            If Cousins is dealt Karl will face an even longer road to rebuild the Kings, a franchise that has not made the postseason since 2006. The Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks are licking their chops at Karl’s irrationality, while Cousins has taken to Twitter to express his emotions on his coach’s trade request—using a well-placed snake emoji:

🌾🐍🌾

— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) June 23, 2015

Boogie to Boston? It's Possible

        The Boston Celtics reportedly will try to trade for Sacramento Kings star center DeMarcus Cousins this offseason. According to a report from ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Celtics will target the big man—a long-coveted player of Boston—again this summer. Stein wrote:

        “Will they open their war chest of future draft picks to try to pry DeMarcus Cousins away from the Sacramento via trade? The early word out there is: Bank on it. Will they be in the mix for pretty much any name player who unexpectedly comes available in coming months? Bank on that, too.”

        Celtics GM Danny Ainge said in his end-of-the-season press conference that Boston’s brass plans “to go after any and everybody that we think is a significant player to upgrade our talent.”

        With a boatload of impending first-round picks, Ainge has put the Celtics in arguably the best position to land the 24-year-old center. Cousins, a first time All-Star this season, averaged career-highs of 24.1 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game with a 25.3 player efficiency rating (PER). Despite missing 23 games due to illness and injury, Cousins recorded 47 double-doubles –tied for the third-most in the NBA. Cousins, who has played all five years of his career with the Kings and is under contract through the 2017-18 season, has never won more than the 29 games he did with Sacramento this season.

        The Celtics are willing to package their treasure trove of first-round picks—up to 10 over the next four years (though some will become second-rounders based off the draft-protections that other teams set forth when dealing their picks to Boston)—to acquire Cousins.

        Could the Celtics land Cousins this offseason? Below is a trade idea (which does work on ESPN's NBA Trade Machine) that would send Boogie to Boston. (All contract details courtesy of HoopsHype.com)

Kings get:

(1) Evan Turner (set to make $3,425,510 in 2015-16, the final year of his contract)

(2) James Young (set to make $1,749,840 in 2015-16 with a team option in 2016-17 and 2017-18 with a potential qualifying offer (assuming team picks up options) in 2018-19)

(3) Gerald Wallace (set to make $10,105,855 in 2015-16, the final year of his contract)

(4) The Celtics’ 2016 first-round pick

(5) The Dallas Mavericks’ 2016 first-round pick (Mavs’ pick is top-7 protected from 2016-2020; unprotected in 2021)

(6) Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2016 first-round pick (Wolves’ pick (via the Phoenix Suns) is top-12 protected in 2016; becomes 2016 and 2017 second-round picks)

Celtics get:

(1) DeMarcus Cousins (set to make $14,728,844 in 2015-16, $15,756,438 in 2016-17 and $16,784,031 in 2017-18)

Why the Kings like this deal

        Sacramento would acquire guard/forward Evan Turner at a bargain price, albeit he is only under contract for just one more year. Turner is coming off a strong first season in Boston, posting averages of 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and a career-best 5.5 assists per contest. He recorded three triple-doubles this season, tied for the third-most in the league behind only James Harden (4) and Russell Westbrook (11).
        Turner—27 by the start of next season—appeared to have a career breakthrough in 2014-15. Assuming he continues to develop, Turner could be a key role player on a contending team (which the Kings are light-years away from even with Cousins, but it could benefit them in the long-haul to plummet to the bottom of the standings to grab a high draft pick) with a potential to turn into a solid starter that can play point-forward.

Evan Turner could be an attractive trad chip this summer for the Boston Celtics. (Bob DeChiarra/USA TODAY Sports)

        The Kings also receive shooting guard James Young, who turns 20 this August. The former Kentucky Wildcat and the 17^th pick from the 2014 NBA Draft, Young did not see much playing time in his first year in the league as he spent a large portion of the season playing for the Maine Red Claws, the Development League affiliate of the Celtics. Scouts generally see a decent upside in Young, though his defensive issues and lack of strength remain concerns. There’s no telling the future of Young—who is not even legal to drink in the United States—but the guard was selected in the first-round by Ainge, one of the best drafters in the league.

        Gerald Wallace has an expiring contract, which will pay him far more than he deserves. Because the deal is expiring and worth over $10 million, his contract is an attractive asset to make trades financially possible under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Wallace would play in Sacramento for one season before the franchise washes their hands of him.

       Neither Kelly Olynyk nor Jared Sullinger is included in this deal because the Kings already have a logjam at the power forward position. Carl Landry and Jason Thompson are both under contract for the next two seasons. Neither player has a small contract as Landry earns $6.75 million per year, while Thompson will make roughly $6.6 million per season for the next two years. Derrick Williams, who also plays the 4-position, has a $8.7 million qualifying offer for the 2015-16 season that he will almost certainly accept this summer. With three power forwards already on the roster, neither Sullinger nor Olynyk seem like a good fit on a team with an overload of players at the 4-position.

The Kings are likely uninterested in Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

        In the aforementioned trade, the Kings are in position to receive two first-round draft picks (The Wolves' pick from the trade will likely turn into two second rounders—more explanation on this a couple paragraphs below). The first would be from the Celtics, who will almost assuredly make the postseason if they obtain Cousins (they made it this year without any real star talent). Nonetheless, even if the Celtics significantly improve, it’s tough to imagine them finishing with one of the top records in the league, so this pick should be in the low 20’s.

        The Mavs’ pick is top-7 protected, but they won’t finish with one of the seven worst records in the NBA. Dirk Nowitzki showed major signs of aging this season, but Dallas has one of the top coaches in basketball with Rick Carlisle and could make a free-agent splash in the form of LaMarcus Aldridge. Thus, the Kings would still attain the Mavs’ pick in this deal.

        The Wolves’ pick is top-12 protected in 2016. Finishing with the worst record in the league in 2014-15, it’s difficult to foresee Minnesota soaring out of the lottery next season. This means that the Wolves’ first-round pick—which currently is owned by the Celtics—would turn into an early second-round pick in each of the 2016 and 2017 drafts for the Kings if they were to accept this trade.

        The Kings could take a step in the right direction towards their future with this deal. They are going nowhere with the combination of Rudy Gay and Cousins. Gay is severely overpaid and seems to make every team he plays for worse. As talented as Cousins is, he can’t be counted on to carry the Kings to the playoffs by himself. Sacramento would benefit from tearing apart their roster and starting fresh with George Karl, who took over the head coaching duties midseason.

Why the Celtics like this deal

        The Celtics are in search of a post-presence in the middle and Cousins fits that need to a tee. The only player on the roster that can back his man down with his back to the basket is Sullinger, who has irritated Boston’s brass with his inability to stay in shape. Cousins would give the Celtics a scorer down low that can also free up space on the perimeter for outside shooters such as Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas.

DeMarcus Cousins is an ideal fit for the Celtics. (Photo via TheHoopDoctors.com)

        Cousins would also give the Celtics an elite shot-blocker. The Celtics finished last in the NBA in blocks per game (3.8) in 2014-15. Cousins blocked 1.75 shots per contest—the 11^th-best mark in the league. He would give the Celtics an elite rim enforcer that can be counted on to protect the paint—something the franchise has not had in a long, long time. 

NBA Summer Forecast: 2014-15 Western Conference Standings

1.   Oklahoma City Thunder

Additions: Anthony Morrow, Sebastian Telfair, Mitch McGary (R)

Subtractions: Thabo Sefolosha (Hawks), Caron Butler (Pistons)

2.   San Antonio Spurs

Additions: Kyle Anderson (R)

Subtractions: None

3.   Los Angeles Clippers

Additions: Spencer Hawes, Jordan Farmer, C.J. Wilcox (R)

Subtractions: Darren Collison (Kings), Danny Granger (Heat), Willie Green (Magic), Ryan Hollins

4.   Dallas Mavericks

Additions: Chandler Parsons, Jameer Nelson, Richard Jefferson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Tyson Chandler & Raymond Felton (Via Trade with Knicks)

Subtractions: Vince Carter (Grizzlies), Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin & Samuel Dalembert (Via Trade with Knicks), Shawn Marion (Cavs)

5.   Memphis Grizzlies

Additions: Vince Carter, Jordan Adams (R)

Departures: James Johnson (Raptors), Mike Miller (Cavaliers), Ed Davis (Lakers)

6.   Golden State Warriors

Additions: Shaun Livingston, Brandon Rush

Subtractions: Steve Blake (Trail Blazers), Jordan Crawford

7.   Portland Trail Blazers

Additions: Chris Kaman, Steve Blake

Subtractions: Mo Williams (Timberwolves)

8.   Houston Rockets

Additions: Trevor Ariza, Jeff Adrien, Clint Capela (R)

Subtractions: Chandler Parsons (Mavericks), Jeremy Lin (Via Trade with Lakers), Omer Asik (Via Trade with Pelicans)

9.   Phoenix Suns

Additions: Isaiah Thomas (Via Sign & Trade with Kings), Anthony Tolliver, T.J. Warren (R), Tyler Ennis (R)

Subtractions: Channing Frye (Magic), Emeka Okafor

10. Denver Nuggets

Additions: Aaron Afflalo (Via Trade with Magic), Gary Harris (R), Jusuf Nurkić (R)

Subtractions: Evan Fournier (Via Trade with Magic), Aaron Brooks (Bulls)

11. New Orleans Pelicans

Additions: Omer Asik (Via Trade with Rockets), Jimmer Fredette

Subtractions: Anthony Morrow (Thunder), Brian Roberts (Hornets), Jason Smith (Knicks), Al-Farouq Aminu (Mavs)

12. Los Angeles Lakers

Additions: Carlos Boozer, Ed Davis, Julius Randle (R), Jeremy Lin (Via Trade with Rockets)

Subtractions: Pau Gasol (Bulls), Jodie Meeks (Pistons), Chris Kaman (Blazers), Jordan Farmar (Clippers), Kent Bazemore (Hawks), Kendall Marshall (Bucks)

13. Sacramento Kings

Additions: Darren Collison, Nik Stauskas (R), Jeremy Tyler & Wayne Ellington (Via Trade with Knicks)

Subtractions: Isaiah Thomas (Suns), Aaron Gray (Pistons), Travis Outlaw & Quincy Acy (Via Trade with Knicks)

14. Minnesota Timberwolves

Additions: Mo Williams, Zach LaVine (R), Andrew Wiggins (R), Anthony Bennett and Thaddeus Young (Via 3-Way Trade with Cavs & 76ers)

Subtractions: Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute & Alexey Shved (Via 3-Way Trade with Cavs and 76ers)

15. Utah Jazz

Additions: Dante Exum (R), Trevor Booker, Rodney Hood (R), Steve Novak (Via Trade with Raptors)

Subtractions: Marvin Williams (Hornets), Richard Jefferson (Mavericks), Brandon Rush (Warriors)

Kings Likely to Remain in Sacramento

                It appears the Kings will be staying in Sacramento after all.  The franchise seemed destined to defect to Seattle after the team's majority owners privately “executed a deal that would land a record sale price to a deep-pocketed and respected group that promised a glittering new downtown arena.”

                But on Monday, an NBA ownership committee unanimously voted against moving the Kings out of Sacramento.  There will be another formal vote for all 30 owners on May 13^th but according to ESPN.com, the full body is expected to ratify the recommendation made by the seven members of the relocation committee on Monday.

                The Kings have now likely staved off relocating for the second time in the past three years as the franchise almost moved to Anaheim in 2011.

                Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson took to twitter to explain his excitement:

 "That's what I'm talking about SACRAMENTO!!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!"

                Johnson had to overcome long odds just like the Kings. As of January, he had no competing ownership bid, no plan for a new arena and no working relationship with the Maloof family, the team's owners.

                Johnson was reportedly courted earlier yesterday at a pep rally at a downtown restaurant in Sacramento. Johnson called the owners recommendation a "big day for the city of Sacramento."

                Steve Ballmer and Chris Hansen will likely get the short hand of the stick in this settlement. Ballmer and Hansen bid $365 million for 65 percent of the team and had made a separate deal with a bankruptcy court to pay $15 million for another 7 percent. They were also willing to pay millions more in relocation fees and arena development in a larger market.

                Despite the setback, Hansen has not given up on moving the Kings to Seattle.

                "When we started this process everyone thought it was impossible," Hansen wrote. "While this represents yet another obstacle to achieving our goal, I just wanted to reassure all of you that we have numerous options at our disposal and have absolutely no plans to give up. Impossible is nothing but a state of mind."

                Meanwhile, Johnson wrote another celebratory tweet:

 "I've never been prouder of this city. I thank the ownership group, city leaders, but most of all the BEST FANS IN THE NBA!!!”

                Johnson acknowledged that Seattle, who has been without an NBA team since the Sonics left after the 2007-2008 season, “no doubt deserves a team in the future."

                Seattle mayor Mike McGinn vowed to keep fighting to attain an NBA team.

                "I'm proud of how Sonics fans have rallied together to help Seattle get a team," McGinn said in a statement. "We're going to stay focused on our job: making sure Seattle remains in a position to get a team when the opportunity presents itself."

Mayor Johnson appears to have saved the Kings. (ESPN Photo)