In what is considered one of the most shocking decisions of the young NBA season, Mike Malone has somehow lost his job as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings despite exceeding expectations and getting the Kings to a respectable 11-13 start in the tough Western Conference.
Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin will assume interim-coach duties and will be afforded a chance to coach the Kings for the rest of the season.
There are a number of stories at play here, so we’ll try to address the big ones and find out what really matters: was it a good decision?
Philosophical Differences
The Sacramento Kings hired Mike Malone at the beginning of last season when Vivek Ranadivé bought the club. Jared Dubin reported last night that Ranadivé had actually hired Malone before he bought the Kings. That’s certainly odd and seems a bit unpractical, especially considering that Ranadivé didn’t hire a general manager until later on. Usually, NBA teams tend to hire GMs first and then work as a team to evaluate and choose a coach. That was the first thing that struck me as odd, but the decisions continue to get more and more interesting.
Some sources are citing philosophical differences between GM Pete D’Alessandro and Malone, which sounds similar to why Golden State fired Mark Jackson last summer, despite the team’s successes. Wojnarowski reported that D’Alessandro and Ranadivé were seeking a fast-pace passing style and that Malone wanted to grind games out, which resulted in the Kings being ranked 16th in pace.
Ranadivé has also wanted a passing style similar to the San Antonio Spurs model, but Malone’s team ranked 17th in passes per game. Those aren’t the only issues, though.
The Kings are also very committed to analytics, which generally support a high rate of three-pointers and free-throws. Malone’s Kings ranked second-to-last in three-point attempts, but it’s hard to blame Malone for that considering the team’s best players are even higher expectations for the team, and that’s the primary reason for Malone being fired, but it’s hard to blame him for their record dropping when their best player has been out for more than a week. Management wants the Kings to be in playoff contention, but considering we had their playoff chances at less than 20% at the beginning of the season, we’d consider 11-13 to be overachieving for sure.
Where to Next?
The big question for the Kings now is who will be their next coach. Reports have put George Karl and Vinny Del Negro in the conversation, but the Kings insist they won’t hire a replacement until the offseason.
The biggest task now will be keeping Cousins happy. As Jason Jones reported last night, Cousins was one of Malone’s biggest supporters, and the news might not go well with him. While keeping Cousins happy, the Kings must also find a replacement and find him fast because the fans won’t be happy with Ty Corbin leading the team if Corbin’s past is any indication. This decision will be judged by the Kings’ success in the future, but considering Malone’s over-achievement, we don’t think it will go down in history as a good one.