Should The Sacramento Kings Fire George Karl?

Remember over the summer, when Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl reportedly tried to trade DeMarcus Cousins? And remember when Boogie responded with his infamous “snakes in the grass” tweet? And do you remember when everyone in Sacramento tried to sweep it all under the rug like everything was going to be different for the NBA’s most dysfunctional franchise?

Welcome back to reality, everyone.

On Tuesday, it was reported that the Kings had a players meeting that included Karl, the coaching staff and general manager Vlade Divac following Monday’s blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs. It was something of a red flag, but also understandable given that the team had started the season 1-7.

But then came The Big Lead‘s report that emerged Wednesday morning, which revealed that after that Spurs rout, DeMarcus Cousins stormed into the locker room with a profanity-laced rant directed at his head coach. Even worse, the tirade occurred in front of his teammates and all Karl could do was walk away.

Boogie has since apologized for the incident, but reports have also emerged that Karl asked the front office to suspend Cousins for the incident only to be denied. The players meeting ended with everyone supposedly on the same page, but Divac has also admitted the players aren’t buying into Karl’s system.

Last night’s surprising win over the Detroit Pistons was a feel-good moment, providing the long-suffering Kings fans with some temporary relief after a day filled with disheartening reports that cast their team in a typically ugly spotlight. But anyone who thinks that one victory is the start of a new chapter needs to remember this kind of drama has been going on for months now.

Remember, this latest news about Karl and Cousins butting heads comes just a few weeks after Rajon Rondo “joked” about not getting along with his new head coach. I like to think I have a fairly good sense of humor, but if Rondo was actually joking at the 1:04 mark of the video in question, someone should please let me know that I’ve lost my comedic sensibility.

In any case, the Kings are a hot mess right now. Rondo has a reputation of being a combative personality against his head coaches and Boogie’s not the most level-headed guy in the world, even if he’s unquestionably the franchise’s cornerstone.

At the end of the day, this boils down to one inescapable conclusion: sooner or later, the Sacramento Kings will need to fire George Karl. There is no evidence to suggest that this story will have a happy ending otherwise, and one resilient, “us against the world” win is more likely to be a distant fluke memory in two weeks’ time than the galvanizing force this team needs to turn the page.

For Kings fans, this kind of dysfunction and personnel turnover is nothing new, but it somehow becomes more painful with each passing bonehead decision.

The Kings went from terribly uninvolved owners in the Maloofs to a terribly over-involved owner in Vivek Ranadive, who is far too impatient and stubborn to realize he fired the only coach Cousins has ever liked and that the Kings’ roster isn’t tailored for the fast-paced tempo that Karl and Ranadive want to play at.

The Kings went from Keith Smart to Michael Malone to Tyrone Corbin to George Karl at the head coaching spot, they’ve gone from Geoff Petrie to Pete D’Alessandro to Vlade Divac at the GM position and since 2009, the only first round draft picks that the Kings haven’t traded away within a few seasons are DeMarcus Cousins, Ben McLemore (who is now buried behind James Anderson in the rotation), and this year’s sixth overall pick, Willie Cauley-Stein.

Boogie was out of line to verbally bash his coach like that, whether his teammates were there or not. It’s a sign of immaturity and is the exact opposite of the kind of leadership the Kings need to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

But guess what? DeMarcus Cousins is the star of this team, one of the best centers in the league that this team needs to build around. He’s far more vital to this franchise’s future than Karl is, and you can only blame him so much for being frustrated about never reaching the 30-win threshold despite being in the league since 2010-11.

Divac said the team will be coached by George Karl all season long, and this franchise needs stability in the worst way. But Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports is reporting that Karl’s seat is starting to warm up, which might be good news as far as keeping the Kings’ superstar happy.

Building around Boogie should be the Kings’ top priority, not chasing fantasies of up-tempo offenses and 4-on-5 dreams — even with $15 million ($11.5 million guaranteed) left on Karl’s contract.

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At this point, the Kings would be better off jumping the gun and taking the shame of admitting the front office screwed up yet another head coaching hire rather than letting this situation play itself out to the same inevitable conclusion.

George Karl is not the right coach for this team, and for the first time in years, this franchise needs to feel like it has a fresh start — or at the very least, that the front office isn’t dumping vinegar all over this volcanic team’s baking soda base. If the real situation is really as bad as it seems on the outside between Cousins and Karl, it’s time for Sacramento to show loyalty to its franchise star.