Kings To Keep Karl As Head Coach
Marc Stein of ESPN has reported that despite earlier reports, the Sacramento Kings plan on keeping head coach George Karl.
After strong signs of Karl being fired sometime within week or two, the Kings front office has appeared to have changed their minds. The Kings (21-31) have lost eight of their last ten games and currently sit in 10th place in the West.
Karl was hired by the Kings almost a year ago (Feb. 17, 2015) after being fired from his playoff-caliber Denver Nuggets job. Since his hiring, he has gone 32-50 in an 82-game stretch.
The last time the Kings won 32 games in a season was in 2007-2008 when they ended up with a 38-44 record under Reggie Theus.
The Kings have shown glimpses of wonderful basketball this year, such as their five-game win streak back in January, but have otherwise not been able to string together wins this year.
Three games into their current road trip, the Kings have gone 0-3 and have allowed an average of 125.3 points per game while only scoring 112.7. While the scoring has been great, the real problems arise from the defensive side. The Kings allow more points per game than any other team - and it's not even close.
If Karl and the Kings front office can figure out how to help the players play average defense, the Kings could possibly make the playoffs this year.
Also, general manager Vlade Divac will have his hands full this month as the NBA trade deadline looms - he may need to add a piece or two to help tie this team together.
