Divac Takes Control On Draft Night
The Sacramento Kings drafting Willie Cauley-Stein was not the best thing to happen to the organization on Thursday night.
Although it's the first time in a few years that the majority of Kings fans like the draft pick, the man in charge of making that pick stole the headlines.
Former Kings center and current Vice President of Basketball Operations for the team made comments following the draft which let everyone know who the decision maker really is.
Divac's main message to the organization, fans and media was to calm down, leave the past in the past, and trust that he is going to do his best to push the team in the right direction.
Since Divac was hired by the Kings in March, there have been questions as to why he was hired and who is actually running the show.
The new Vice President put all those questions to rest with his comments on Thursday.
"I want to be in charge of everything," said Divac in a press conference after the draft. "If we make a mistake, I know I made a mistake, nobody else."
Although this is his first time in the front office, Divac wants everyone to know that he can handle everything that needs to be done.
Someone in the Kings organization finally put their foot down to make sure those inside and outside the organization know exactly who is making the decisions.
Leading up to the draft, there were rumors of turmoil between head coach George Karl and owner Vivek Ranadive. Rumors spread that Karl wants DeMarcus Cousins out of Sacramento, while Ranadive refuses to get rid of the big man.
Just hours before the draft started, rumors were spreading that Ranadive was considering firing Karl just four months after hiring the future hall of fame coach.
While there seems to be a disconnect between the front office and Karl, Divac made it a point to acknowledge that any bad blood that's going around the organization is going to be dealt with by him.
"It wasn't Vivek and George," Divac said. "It was me and George."
Once again, Divac took charge of a situation that was brewing within the organization. Whether some of the rumors going around the team were true or not, the VP is going to handle each and every situation with his organization as well as the media.
The VP has been very candid with the media over the last 24 hours.
We are all too familiar with the typical front office answers to the media.
"No comment."
"We will discuss this in house."
"There is no issue."
Divac has taken an entirely different approach to the media. He has been upfront and honest about the draft and the rumors about the organization.
This may be his first year in the front office, but the way he deals with the media and the issues within the organization shows that he has the knowledge and experience to run a franchise.
"A lot of those guys think I'm a rookie," Divac said. "I'm not a rookie. All my life in basketball, I know what to do."
He made it clear that he is not just talking to Coach Karl, but the rest of the league and the team's fans need to know that he is not going to be a pushover.
As for Cauley-Stein being drafted by the Kings, Divac emphasized that it was his decision. He wanted to go with the best player who was left when their pick came up, and that happened to be Cauley-Stein.
If you're a Kings fan, you have to be encouraged that someone within the organization is finally stepping up and taking control of the franchise.
Whether this ends poorly, or the team starts to move forward, at least you know exactly who is making each and every decision for the team.
When asked what Divac learned during this process, he simply said, "nothing, I knew everything."
You have to love the confidence.
Click here to listen to Vlade Divac talk to Dave, Deuce, and Morgan on Friday's Morning Show.