Sacramento Kings: Ranadive And Divac Ready For The Future

Since his ownership of the Sacramento Kings began in May 2013, the former tech industry giant has yet to fully project a steady — let alone firm — grip on his franchise’s culture and its future. In the first days of his tenure, Ranadive set an initially enticing tone for his team, one based on data-driven insights as much as the more romantic, aesthetic elements of the game.

He also set a tone of offensive orientation in his initial front office moves.

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This deference to an offense-first vision seemed clear, with Ranadive adding former Denver Nuggets assistant general manager Pete D’Alessandro as GM in Sacramento upon his purchase of the team. D’Alessandro’s arrival was followed shortly by the arrival of team advisor Chris Mullin, a man who built his reputation on an unyielding run-and-gun style of play in the 1980s and ’90s.

Kings fans might have been optimistic about the future of the franchise following the departure of the oft-maligned Maloofs, the ownership team who oversaw a rocky and uninspiring twilight before relieving Sacramento of its time at their whipping post in 2013. The new ownership team was confident in the commitment of fans, and they were intent on keeping that bond alive.

To those who knew a bit about their choice of a head coach, things may have seemed counter-balanced at best. Michael Malone, a top assistant with Golden State, seemed a font of potential. Issues with not only his game philosophy, but his temperament, came to haunt Malone’s time with the organization. The predictable friction between those in the front office and the man on the sidelines became interminable, and something had to give.

Malone, despite an 11-13 start to the 2014-15 season, was the something.

Following the Tyrone Corbin interlude, and the hiring of veteran offensive mastermind George Karl, things might have appeared more hopeful. Perhaps the sideline portion of the equation was finally corrected. With Vlade Divac‘s hiring as vice president for basketball and franchise operations (a carpal tunnel-inducing title) in March, Kings fans also could point to the return of a familiar face.

Though Ranadive hoped Mullin would park his flat top on the bench as the Kings new head coach, Mullin opted to make his own nostalgic move as head coach of his alma mater, St. John’s.

Since Divac’s arrival and speedy ascent, D’Alessandro’s authority has seemingly been quashed (per ESPN’s Mark Stein), and his departure may be imminent once this Californian earthquake of a season ends.

Looking toward the future, Divac is adamant about creating a solid, long-term unit to insulate DeMarcus Cousins‘ during his peak years, and to foster whatever talent may be joining him on court in the next few seasons. What, then, would Vlade bring to the table?

For starters, he brings a wealth of international front office experience, both in Spain and in his home country of Serbia. These connections would make his presence in Vivek Ranadive’s structure more obvious.

Ranadive seems intent on cementing the NBA as an international phenomenon, and as Divac served as an icon to the first generation of post-Cold War international talent, he seems capable of continuing his reputation in drawing fresh, offensively and fundamentally sound talent. It’s reassuring to know that Vivek has more branding moves in mind than giving Sim Bhullar a brief and dampened look at NBA life.

At the same time, one has to wonder what moves this new team will make in the coming months.

As for the second half of this week, results on court have not been inspiring or enlightening. While Karl and company might to evaluate the pieces in the rotation before the season’s curtain closes, their chances to do so are a bit muted. With the absence of Cousins, Darren Collison, big man Eric Moreland, a concussed Rudy Gay, and without a dash of sauce from rookie Nik Stauskas, the Kings gave the Jazz an encore on Wednesday following their previous Easter matchup.

The Jazz’s tenacity and continued development must be especially tough for Karl to watch, as he would love to see his new team in full swing despite the teams’ mutual elimination from the playoffs. That contest was devoid of many notable runs for Kings’ rotations, with the exception of Bhullar’s long-awaited arrival as a bona fide NBA player.

On Friday, the Sauce was back on the table, but the Kings were unable to overcome the Thunder in Oklahoma.

Though some improvements were made in the team’s play (including a dropoff in turnovers — 11 total!); in particular, Derrick Williams continued to try chipping away at Karl’s concerns over his rebounding ability, but the matchup (which lacked the presence of both Cousins and Rudy Gay) provided reminders that until a healthy, fully settled offensive group can be put together, the losses will be hard to stave off.

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Weaknesses in Sacramento’s defense will wrap gifts for Western conference contenders like the Thunder (short-handed though they may be), and Karl’s constant refrain of respecting the basketball and eliminating carelessness will likely drive adjustments made not only on his part, but that of the front office.

“Boogie” averages 4.3 turnovers a game, despite his vast talents. When a franchise player also leads his team in turnovers by a significant margin, it may be a sign that despite a PER of 25.3, he needs to have some more energy channeled into empowering other playmakers.

Guys with talent on the boards, transition talent, and an ability to defend when necessary are the medicine recommended.

First, Cousins must feel like he has those pieces to lean on. This will be Vlade Divac’s ultimate test should be ascend to the GM position this summer. Though the Kings remain relatively solid offensively in the paint, the turnover problem still plagues their offense.

It seems only bench depth built on the ability to execute a fast-paced, motion-heavy offense of a European flavor can solve George’s problems.

Perhaps I’m not the only one who thinks that.

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