George Karl's History Suggests Success Ahead for Sacramento Kings
The process has been a mess, but it appears the Sacramento Kings will end up with the right result: George Karl is inching closer to becoming the team's next head coach.
According to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo Sports, Karl and the Kings have agreed on a four-year deal. He'll replace Tyrone Corbin, who was relieved of coaching duties, after the All-Star break.
The immediate hope is that Karl can restore a sense of order and unity to a Kings organization that has been all chaos and fracture since owner Vivek Ranadive ordered the firing of Mike Malone in December—a decision the basketball minds in the Kings front office reportedly opposed.
Malone had been relatively successful, guiding the Kings to an 11-13 record at the time of his ouster. More importantly, he'd connected with mercurial star DeMarcus Cousins, something no previous Sacramento coach achieved as effectively.
The weeks following Malone's exit have been marked by loads of losing, a decline in effort and, unfortunately, a little too much of the old version of Cousins.
Karl will start his new gig with plenty of fires to put out.
The long-term hope (insofar as such a thing exists for a franchise obsessed with succeeding now) is that Karl will produce wins—which his extensive track record suggests he'll do.
His first two coaching stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers (1984-1986) and Golden State Warriors (1986-1988) were brief and not especially memorable. Karl won just 40 percent of his games in those first four seasons, but by the time he got his third job with the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1991-92 season, he'd figured a few things out.
| 1984-85 | CLE | 36-46 | Y |
| 1985-86 | CLE | 25-42 | N |
| 1986-87 | GSW | 42-40 | Y |
| 1987-88 | GSW | 16-48 | N |
| 1991-92 | SEA | 27-15 | Y |
| 1992-93 | SEA | 55-27 | Y |
| 1993-94 | SEA | 63-19 | Y |
| 1994-95 | SEA | 57-25 | Y |
| 1995-96 | SEA | 64-18 | Y |
| 1996-97 | SEA | 57-25 | Y |
| 1997-98 | SEA | 61-21 | Y |
| 1998-99 | MIL | 28-22 | Y |
| 1999-00 | MIL | 42-40 | Y |
| 2000-01 | MIL | 52-30 | Y |
| 2001-02 | MIL | 41-41 | N |
| 2002-03 | MIL | 42-40 | Y |
| 2004-05 | DEN | 32-8 | Y |
| 2005-06 | DEN | 44-38 | Y |
| 2006-07 | DEN | 45-37 | Y |
| 2007-08 | DEN | 50-32 | Y |
| 2008-09 | DEN | 54-28 | Y |
| 2009-10 | DEN | 53-29 | Y |
| 2010-11 | DEN | 50-32 | Y |
| 2011-12 | DEN | 38-28 | Y |
| 2012-13 | DEN | 57-25 | Y |
In his next 21 NBA seasons, no Karl-coached team ever finished below .500. He spent seven years in Seattle, five with the Milwaukee Bucks and nine with the Denver Nuggets. He won at least 50 games a dozen times, reaching the playoffs in every year but one—2001-02 when his Bucks finished 41-41.
Think about that: Karl's low point over the past quarter-century was a 41-win season. The Kings haven't won 41 games since 2005-06, and they've got just five 50-win campaigns in the franchise's entire history.
This is the 30th year for the Kings in Sacramento, and during that time, they've won 1,014 games. Karl, in 25 seasons, has won 1,131.
Karl has won everywhere, consistently and with different personnel at each stop. His win total is the sixth-most ever. And it's not all ancient history for him. Just two years ago, he was the 2012-13 Coach of the Year in Denver. You get the idea: Karl's credentials are beyond question.
Based on Karl's uninterrupted streak of success, the future looks bright for the Kings. If he falls flat in Sacramento, it'll be the first time that's happened in almost three decades.
The situation he's inheriting is unique in its difficulties, though. And if you're looking for reasons to believe even Karl can't fix everything, there are a few worth worrying over in Sacramento.
Cousins is one of them.
Accounts conflict, but USA Today's Sam Amick consistently reported that Cousins' camp opposed the Karl hire:
To be fair to Boogie, he hadn't said a word about Karl until finally speaking out to Wojnarowski:
"I wasn't consulted when the decision was made to fire Mike Malone and I'm not being consulted now. I just hope they make a decision soon and stick with it. George Karl is an experienced, proven coach and if that is who they chose to coach this team, I will support it. I do not like all these discussions in the media while we have a coach in place. It is a distraction and not fair to Coach Corbin and this team.
"
That's diplomatic.
It's difficult, however, to look at Cousins' recent outburst and conclude he's happy about what the Kings are doing: "I ain't pumped up," Cousins told reporters (h/t Cowbell Kingdom) after hitting the first game-winner of his career on Feb. 8. "I just got a lot on my mind."
Plus, the periods of on-court disinterest that plagued Cousins in previous years have alarmingly returned. Karl, a new voice who hasn't yet earned Cousins' trust or respect, may have a hard time getting through to the notoriously emotional big man.
Karl knows how to coach a winner, and he's had success with plenty of stars who've (rightly or wrongly) been labeled problematic. He led Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton to the NBA Finals, for crying out loud. Nobody ever accused those two of being quiet, manageable personalities.
Cousins is a different challenge, but the moody star is something Karl's seen before.
There's also the contentious ownership-front office interplay to worry over. Amick reported factions in the Kings management were divided on hiring Karl, and we already know ownership overrode general manager Pete D'Alessandro on the Malone firing. You'd have to assume that as a precursor to hiring Karl, everyone's roles have been clearly defined and any discord has been smoothed over.
But if the wins don't come immediately, who's to say how long the peace will last?
Whenever an experienced, successful coach comes into a dysfunctional situation, we wonder whether he can change the culture. It's a buzzy phrase that will no doubt be thrown around plenty in the coming weeks.
Though we've spent some time chronicling the very real red flags waving in front of Karl in Sacramento, it's also true that there are positive organizational signs. Cousins, for one, is a cornerstone talent. He may never mature into the kind of stable, tone-setting leader the Kings need, but there are plenty of franchises out there that would kill for a chance to build a roster around a player as physically gifted as him.
In addition, it is abundantly clear that ownership is engaged and committed to winning. Karl's hire is just the latest indication that spending money won't be a problem, and the costly downtown arena being built (though nearly $300 million of the cost will be publicly funded) is another.
The Kings are an organization desperate for profile elevation. It won't happen overnight, but the desire to build a new, respectable, professional era is strong enough to make even the most skeptical observers (raises hand) believe it may come to pass eventually.
Hiring Karl is a critical step in the right direction.
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