Sacramento Kings Officially Announce Michael Malone as Head Coach

Within about an hour of a report that Keith Smart was out as the Sacramento Kings head coach, the franchise has already found a replacement.

The Kings announced Michael Malone's official hiring on Monday, June 3: 

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The Sacramento Kings today named Michael Malone as the team's 25th Head Coach (14th of the Sacramento era), according to team owner Vivek Ranadivé. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

'Michael Malone is one of the best and most talented coaches in the game,' said Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé. "As Vice Chairman of the Warriors, I developed a great relationship with Coach Malone and witnessed first-hand how instrumental he was to the success of the team. His work ethic, passion, and vision for the game will create an entirely new culture and style of play. Hiring Coach Malone is our first step in giving the best fans in sports the excellence they deserve.'

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Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, first reported the Kings agreed to a four-year contract with Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Malone:

Per Wojnarowski, the fourth year of the deal is a team option. The financial terms of the pact have still not been disclosed at this time. 

The 42-year-old Malone has served under Warriors coach Mark Jackson since 2011. Malone also worked as an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and New Orleans Hornets before moving on to Golden State. 

During that time, he became known as one of the most respected assistants in the league—especially in helping guide the Warriors to a second-round playoff berth this season.

Malone’s departure will undoubtedly add some melancholy to the feel-good nature emanating from the Bay Area basketball scene at the moment. 

The Kings' new hire will be walking into a blank-slate situation with quite a few familiar faces surrounding him. Sacramento’s new ownership group is led by majority shareholder Vivek Ranadive, who was a minority owner of the Warriors during Malone’s tenure. 

Ranadive played an integral part in keeping the Kings—once thought to be bound for Seattle—in California’s state capital. The group’s purchase was unanimously approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors on Tuesday, and they have wasted no time starting a major overhaul of the franchise.

USA Today’s Sam Amick was the first to report the departure of Smart, who spent two years with the club. Though the roster was mired with personnel problems throughout, players’ frustrations with his inconsistent rotations ultimately spelled his undoing. Sacramento went 28-54 under Smart last season, missing the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

But with an aggressive ownership group in tow, the Kings could move fast in ending their reputation as a bottom-feeder. Longtime team executive Geoff Petrie, who is responsible for this current roster composition, will likely be removed from his post when his contract expires in June.

Though a general manager search is ongoing, that had little bearing on Sacramento’s decision. CBS Sports’ Ken Berger is reporting that any prospective general manager candidate would be willing to work with Malone:

That’s good news for the Kings, a franchise that’s struggled to find marquee names in the coaching and player ranks in recent years. By purchasing the franchise, Ranadive ensured basketball would be sticking around for a long time in this storied city. 

Now, let’s see if he’s better at picking his coaches than his predecessors. 

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