Keith Smart Reportedly Won't Be Retained as Kings Head Coach

The Sacramento Kings' new ownership group isn't wasting any time cleaning house from the franchise's rancid core.

According to Sam Amick of USA Today, head coach Keith Smart has been informed he will not be retained by the club for next season.

UPDATE: Thursday, May 30 at 10:28 p.m. ET by Tyler Conway

As expected, Golden State Warriors assistant Mark Malone has been tabbed as Smart's replacement, per Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:

---End of Update---

Though a formal announcement has not been made, Amick noted on Twitter that Smart was told immediately after the Kings' sale was finalized:

Smart, who signed an extension prior to the 2012-13 season, had one year remaining on his contract. He spent two years in Sacramento, compiling a 48-93 record. The Kings went 28-54 during the 2012-13 regular season, finishing in the lottery for the seventh consecutive campaign.

While Sacramento doesn't have a roster that constitutes any expectations of a playoff appearance, Smart's tenure was filled with frustrations for the team's young talent. In particular, players grew tired of the 48-year-old coach's rotations. Frequently, Smart would turn a seemingly set rotation on a dime, fluctuating the minute distribution much to the chagrin of his young proteges.

Toward the end of the season, players aired their frustrations publicly with ESPN's TrueHoop blog Cowbell Kingdom. 

“It’s just tough as a player,” Isaiah Thomas said.  “I always say that when you have inconsistent minutes, you’re going to have inconsistent production."

That being said, Smart did have his proponents in the locker room—most notably center DeMarcus Cousins. The big man sent out a three-letter tweet that all but summed up his emotions when hearing of Smart's dismissal:

Nevertheless, Cousins cannot be surprised. Whenever players publicly question decisions, it's usually the death knell for a coach on shaky ground the way Smart was.

And with the Kings' new ownership group looking to bring in their people, it's hard to tell what it would have taken for Smart to keep his job.

Led by former Golden State Warriors minority owner Vivek Ranadive, the group that fought to keep the Kings in Sacramento will likely make wholesale changes to the management structure. Longtime president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie's contract expires this offseason, and it would be a minor miracle to see him return. 

For Ranadive's first move as owner, it seems he's already tabbed a familiar face as Smart's replacement. Amick's report states it's "all but inevitable" that Warriors assistant Mike Malone will be named the next Kings coach—perhaps as early as Monday.

The 42-year-old Malone has been with Golden State since 2011 and has quickly become one of the most highly sought assistants in the league. He's also been linked to the Los Angeles Clippers opening. 

But if all goes to plan, Malone is in and Smart is out. And while Smart's performance was certainly questionable, this is merely a move by a franchise in the midst of a full rebuild. The coach was just the first one to go. 

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