2:30pm: Christie will take over as the Kings’ acting coach while Gentry is unavailable, a source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
11:01am: Kings head coach Alvin Gentry, who took over last month when the team dismissed Luke Walton, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (all Twitter links). Gentry figures to miss a few games, with one of his assistants taking over as an interim coach to the interim coach.
According to Wojnarowski, the Kings canceled their morning shootaround on Wednesday and are conducting COVID-19 tests to see if any other players or coaches have contracted the virus.
Gentry tells Wojnarowski that he has been essentially asymptomatic, outside of having a scratchy throat. Assistants Mike Longabardi and Doug Christie are the most likely candidates to replace him on the sidelines for the short term, Woj adds.
Gentry has led the Kings to a 5-6 record since taking the reins from Walton in November. Sacramento lost all three games on its recent road trip, prompting Gentry to state after Monday’s loss in Toronto that the team needs to find a way to “right the ship.” The Kings begin a three-game home stand on Wednesday against the struggling Wizards, the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies, and the 10-16 Spurs, so there’s some bounce-back potential there.
Gentry is the second head coach to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols in the last week, joining Rick Carlisle of the Pacers.
sac kings got jobbed in 2002 by the league the officials and the lakers
they also drafted marvin bagley instead of luka doncic and they deserve everything they get
Lol, I’m sure it sucks to be all the teams who don’t draft a Jordan, Luka, Curry, etc. I would always think about it.
it was a no brainer to get luka but s**ts rigged. he probably told the kings he wouldnt play for them and the league doesn’t want to let that get out because that would mean draft position is irrelevant if players can just eli manning their way to wherever they want to go.
What advantage do the Mavs have over the Kings for a player to say something like that, and why aren’t the Kings like the Mavericks in that regard? Why do they refused to provide, or do, or be like Dallas as a franchise? That would be my question.
I think the league has stopped the Eli Manning effect by shortening the commitment to 3 years if the player does not want to stay in the city after being drafted. He just won’t sign the extension and he could leave as a restricted free agent.
In his free agency he would not sign a multi-year deal that could be matched.. he would gamble on himself if he hates the city so much and just sign a one-year deal that might be matched and then be unrestricted after that. That’s if I understand the process properly.., but plenty of guys started with so-so franchises and not cried about it. So I don’t think that’s a legitimate concern.
Kobe said the same thang bout the kings he didn’t want to play for them so they didn’t draft him a team ain’t gonna draft someone if they don’t want to be there and if they do it’s more and likely he gets trade
What advantage? The Mavs play in Texas and Sacramento plays in California. The highest marginal state income tax bracket in California is 13.3%. Texas doesn’t have state income tax. Overall the cost of living is significantly cheaper in Texas. For example gas is about 50% cheaper. Property taxes are around 25% cheaper. There is less bureaucracy, which also keeps the cost of living cheaper. There is a reason American citizens and businesses are leaving California for Texas and other states similar to Texas.
Your point is true for the average American but for the athlete making several million and only half his games are played in California and taxed at the higher rate.. and if he makes his offseason home elsewhere then his hit isn’t as bad as we think.
But your point is valid. I still don’t use it as an excuse why the Kings have been horrible the last 18 years.
It is an “interesting” situation for the drafting team. If a guy says something like that do you still have the obligation to draft the best player for your team? I would say yes but I also realize it could go sideways real quick. I would rather have a phenom than not. If Luka decided to not play with SAC and stay in Europe that would cost him big $$$, potentially costing him one big last contract at the tail end of his career.
I think it is advantage to the team over the player in that situation.
THIS is the team that could use a guy like Danny Ainge to help them bounce off the bottom. In fact Danny Ainge was available and on the market for a new gig. Did Sacramento hire him and pay an extra person another salary just to get some advice? No they did not. But the Jazz did. Get it? The Jazz get things done and the Kings do not.
Would someone possibly say the Kings got ripped off again because Ainge chose the Utah Jazz instead. Or unlucky?
This Covid is really hitting the NBA hard. The Knicks have four players and Knicks brocaster The ledgen Walt Clyde Frazier tested Positive. I hope they don’t have to shut season down again if this keeps spreading like wildfire.