Latest On Kings, George Karl, DeMarcus Cousins
10:55am: Cousins and Divac have become close, notes SB Nation’s Tom Ziller amid his column on the Kings saga.
10:15am: George Karl will remain the coach of the Kings through this season, vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac said in response to a question from Lisa Gonzales of KCRA-TV in Sacramento, in spite of reports from Wednesday indicating that his job is in immediate danger (Twitter link). A league source who spoke with Ken Berger of CBSSports.com disputes the idea that Divac asked Kings players if the team should fire Karl, as was reportedly the case.
Still, it’s much more likely that the Kings will fire Karl than trade Cousins, sources close to Kings ownership tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. The possibility exists that the Kings will part ways with both Karl and DeMarcus Cousins, Berger also hears. Karl’s contract has about $10MM left on it, and it’s fully guaranteed through 2016/17 with a $1.5MM partial guarantee for 2017/18. Cousins has a fully guaranteed total of nearly $51MM left on his deal, which runs through 2017/18.
Cousins has made it clear to Kings brass that he doesn’t want the team to fire Karl, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com. However, the Karl-Cousins partnership was “doomed from the start,” a league source told Berger, and a person familiar with the team said to Berger that Karl has irritated the front office and players alike. Karl wanted to suspend Cousins last season for negative body language during timeouts, two sources told Mannix. Still, sources on both sides of the relationship between Karl and Cousins who spoke with Mannix believe that the relationship can be saved. Cousins had expectations of winning this season, and it was his frustration with losing that was the primary impetus for Cousins’ verbal excoriation of Karl after Monday’s loss, but Cousins believes that another coaching change won’t help the team in the standings, as Mannix details.
Several Kings players, including Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay, have expressed frustration about Karl, but the team’s meeting on Tuesday wasn’t out of the ordinary, sources tell Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Cousins, who publicly apologized for reportedly yelling profanities at Karl after Monday’s loss, cited an air of positivity after the meeting, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Divac tried to calm Cousins during his tirade but said later that he’s OK with the star center’s outburst and that he doesn’t think Cousins was only pointing his criticism at Karl, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports details. Coaches and team officials met with the players after the players held a meeting of their own Tuesday, Spears also notes.
“I’m not sure a panic button was pushed as you all magnified it,” Karl said, as the ESPN report relays. “Team meetings and six-game losing streaks happen. The newness to our team? I don’t know. But I thought the last two days have been good for us.”
Karl admits he delegates more of his duties than before he endured a recurrence of cancer during his time with the Nuggets, but he disputes the idea that his energy is diminished, as Jones relays via Facebook. Kings management has reportedly been concerned with Karl’s stamina. Owner Vivek Ranadive is reportedly more interested than ever in Kentucky coach John Calipari, who remains intrigued with the idea of returning to the NBA, despite his denials, Mannix adds. “Rumblings” indicate that Kings minority owners, reportedly frustrated with Ranadive’s failure to consult with them on moves, “desperately” want to wrest control of the team from Ranadive, though they have little power to make that happen, Mannix writes.
How long do you think Karl will remain coach of the Kings? Leave a comment to tell us.
Kings Notes: Karl, Iske, Divac, Cousins
George Karl must return to his usual frenetic self to be successful as coach of the Kings, argues Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee, citing questions over how much the 64-year-old cancer survivor has left as the “overriding concern” within Kings ownership and the front office. Team officials and close friends of Karl have noticed his energy level has dipped since the start of the season, even though he insists otherwise, Voisin writes. People from inside and outside the organization have noticed lead assistant Chad Iske bearing heavy responsibility, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. See more on the Kings, who’ll try to snap a six-game losing streak tonight against the Pistons:
- Some Kings players are pining for the defensive focus that former coach Michael Malone brought and have concerns about Karl’s defensive schemes, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. However, the players aren’t always defending with effort, Jones believes, citing a comment from Karl about “lazy” defense at times. “I never said they don’t like the system,” vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac said of the players. “They just didn’t buy in, yet.”
- Divac said he called Tuesday’s team meeting, Jones notes in the same story. DeMarcus Cousins originally indicated it would be a players-only affair, though Omri Casspi said Cousins did share a text message with the players that reiterated his commitment to the team, as Jones relays. “[Cousins] was the one to send out a text to the players [Monday] night about how he cares about the team, wants to win and he feels like he has the right pieces here,” Casspi said. “So we’ve all got to step up.”
- The team’s mood was remarkably lighter Tuesday following the meeting than it was in the locker room after Monday’s game, observes James Ham of CSNBayArea.com. “All problems are fixable,” Caron Butler said. “They all are. If they weren’t fixable, I don’t think I would be over here sitting, talking to you guys.”
- The continued failure of the Kings to build a successful team around Cousins makes it worth pondering if Sacramento would be better off trading him and starting over, even though he’s a foundational star, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines.
Pacific Notes: Karl, Divac, Upshaw, Kerr
DeMarcus Cousins spoke Monday night of the Kings holding a players-only meeting, but the confab, which took place today, also apparently included coaches and front office chief Vlade Divac, who termed it a productive affair, observes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). Caron Butler said the team is behind coach George Karl, tweets Sean Cunningham of KXTV-TV.
“We addressed some issues and the most important thing is we are on the same page,” Divac said, according to Jones.
While we wait to see if the meeting helps Sacramento end a six-game losing streak or simply leads to more drama, see more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers worked out Kristaps Porzingis but ultimately passed on him with the No. 2 pick, though coach Byron Scott didn’t expect him to be as productive as he has been so soon for the Knicks, who drafted him fourth, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. “From what we saw, he was able to shoot it from 3-point range pretty easily,” Scott said. “He’s a young kid that in the workouts we had, really didn’t show any fear. Just thought it was going to take him some time [to develop]. Obviously, we were probably a little wrong about that because he’s playing pretty well right now.”
- Robert Upshaw said he knew from the start of his deal to join the Lakers that the team would waive him, as the Lakers ultimately did before opening night, but he’s confident he’ll receive another NBA contract this season and isn’t considering a jump overseas, as he told Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). The undrafted big man is with the Lakers D-League team as an affiliate player.
- Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group tosses out some predictions for the rest of the Warriors season, suggesting that if coach Steve Kerr doesn’t make it back by around March 1st, it would be tough to envision him jumping back in so close to the postseason. Still, Kawakami speculates that such a lengthy absence is unlikely.
Western Notes: Cousins, Belinelli, Green, Wolves
The Kings, losers of six in a row and just 1-7 on the season, are planning a players-only meeting, DeMarcus Cousins told reporters, adding that the team’s issues are “not at all” about on-court matters, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays. Cousins cautioned that he believes in “every single person in this [locker] room,” Jones notes, though the looming question surrounds his relationship with coach George Karl, who’s used seven different starting lineups in the team’s eight games.
“Everything I can’t really speak on,” Cousins said. “We got some issues that we got to carve out. Can’t really speak on that. But one thing is, us players, we got to stick together. And just with that, that’ll get us through most battles. We got some issues in-house we need to figure out.”
Rudy Gay suggested on-court issues were at play, saying the team’s offensive and defensive schemes require examination, The Bee’s Ailene Voisin tweets. While we wait to see how the latest drama in Sacramento plays out, see more on the Kings amid the latest from the Western Conference:
- Manu Ginobili and Marco Belinelli have known each other since they were teenagers and they forged an uncommonly tight bond that Ginobili has missed since Belinelli departed the Spurs for the Kings in free agency this past summer, observes Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich seems to wish he could have kept the Italian-born shooting guard. “I just miss his presence,” Popovich said, according to Orsborn. “He was a great guy. He was a great teammate. Great sense of humor, again he was a great teammate, a real smart player. We all miss him.”
- The release of Erick Green leaves the Nuggets shorthanded at point guard, but coach Michael Malone is confident that the team has enough ball-handling at other positions to make up for it, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post examines. The Nuggets had a chance to put that theory to the test when Jameer Nelson missed Monday’s win over the Blazers with injury. In any case, Denver remains high on Green. “He lives in the gym, everyone in this building has a positive impression of Erick, not just him as a player but him as a person,” GM Tim Connelly said. “He’s a fantastic person, and he’s going to be back in the NBA, ASAP. He’s a guys we’ll keep close tabs on. You never close the door, especially for a guy who has done as much as Erick and worked as hard as he has.”
- Austin Peters of Upside & Motor categorizes eight Timberwolves on rookie contracts into tiers, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in their own class at the top and Gorgui Dieng joining Adreian Payne as those Peters views as long shots to make an impact.
Southwest Notes: Thornton, Matthews, Grizzlies
Marcus Thornton signed with the Rockets this summer knowing that he wasn’t assured a spot in the rotation, much less a starting job, but he felt as though the team was a strong match for his skills and was willing to bet he could boost his value on a one-year deal, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle examines. Coach Kevin McHale elected to go small and promote Thornton to the starting five after the team’s first two games, Feigen notes, a move that’s paid dividends, since Thornton has been the team’s second leading scorer so far.
“It’s been great,” Thornton said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in an offense with coaches that have the ultimate confidence in you. When a coach has the ultimate confidence in you, it’s easy to go out there and play, let the chips fall where they may. If you mess up, get back, get it again. It’s great when you have guys that share the ball, too. It’s fun.”
See more from the Southwest Division:
- Agent Jeff Austin thought six teams would aggressively court Wesley Matthews in free agency this past summer if he were healthy, but only two went hard after him, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. One was the Mavericks, who reportedly wound up lifting the value of their deal with Matthews from $57MM to the max of about $70MM after DeAndre Jordan reneged on his decision to sign with Dallas. Both the Raptors and Kings were apparently talking to Matthews before he agreed to join the Mavs, so it’s unclear which of them went farther than the other.
- The Grizzlies have no shortage of issues, but poor performances and a lack of cohesion from Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and coach Dave Joerger are far and away the most troublesome, opines Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal.
- The Pelicans don’t have a lot of assets to trade, aside from their future draft picks, but even amid a bleak outlook for this season thanks to their injury-hit 0-6 start, their future remains bright, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller believes. That said, New Orleans is the only NBA team without a rookie, as we pointed out.
- We rounded up news on the Spurs earlier today.
Western Notes: Matthews, Aminu, Thunder
Wesley Matthews, who signed a four-year, max deal with the Mavs in July, is able to do more on his surgically-repaired left leg and there is a distinct possibility he will play without a minutes restriction by the end of November, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. Sefko cites a couple of key plays, including a dive the shooting guard made, in Saturday’s game as steps forward for Matthews, who is limited to around 30 minutes per game.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Al-Farouq Aminu is blossoming into a consistent scorer after inking a four-year deal with the Blazers during the summer because he is being utilized in a variety of ways offensively, Mike Richman of The Oregonian details. While Aminu’s best skill remains his versatility on defense, as Richman adds, Aminu is pushing the ball in fast-breaks and is more involved in pick-and-rolls. “I always thought that he was a solid piece to every team that he had been on. But he never had the opportunity to be the offensive player that he is for us,” Blazers point guard Damian Lillard said. “And I don’t think it was ever needed from him to be what he is for us.”
- Not much has changed so far statistically for the Thunder under new coach Billy Donovan as the team still isn’t strong defensively, a scout explained to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. Before Sunday’s game, the Thunder were allowing 108 points per game so far this season, which was 27th in the league.
- Jason Thompson, formerly of the Kings, clarified the comment he made last month when he said the comparison between his old team and the Warriors (his current team) is night and day, telling Matt Kawahara of the Sacramento Bee he just meant Golden State is “established.” “I just meant that there wasn’t uncertainty of positions, there wasn’t uncertainty of the front office, and everyone got along,” Thompson said of the Warriors.
Pacific Notes: Rondo, Ezeli, Price
The Kings‘ top priority in free agency this past offseason was Rajon Rondo, who was viewed as the perfect fit on a young Sacramento squad, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports writes. “I knew he was going to be available,” Vlade Divac, the Kings’ president of basketball and franchise operations, told Spears. “He was my first choice when I went after some free agents. Honestly, we weren’t a perfect destination in free agency and that was something we could take advantage of. He works well for us. We have things to turn around. I was very honest with him. I knew people were talking. But this is a great opportunity not only for him, but for us. Honestly, we were probably the first ones to approach. Everyone was scared. I wasn’t. As a player, I knew what he could do.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Festus Ezeli hasn’t played much during his time with the Warriors, but an injury to Andrew Bogut is giving him a chance at spot starts this season, and he’s making the most of the playing time he’s getting, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group examines. The rim protector is showing off the strides he’s made as he’s poised for restricted free agency, with extension talks breaking down before Monday’s deadline.
- Ronnie Price‘s affection for his time with the Lakers last season is clear, but he instead wound up signing this summer with Phoenix, where coach Jeff Hornacek says he’s been impressed with him since their days together with the Jazz, as Matt Petersen of Suns.com details. “Ronnie’s always been on our list,” Hornacek said. “He’s that veteran guy who understands what his role is. He plays hard in practice. You put him in the game, he’ll be the guy that’s picking guys up full-court. I like that energy.”
- The Clippers could have a D-League team by next season if they want to, but coach/executive Doc Rivers isn’t sure whether that’s the choice they’ll make, tweets Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. The Clips are one of 11 teams without an affiliate this season but, with the Hornets and Nets already with deals to start their own affiliates and the Bulls not far behind, they’re part of a quickly shrinking group of holdouts. The Clippers, Hawks and Wizards are among the teams close to starting D-League teams, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Russell, Barnes, Ezeli, World Peace
Lakers coach Byron Scott didn’t think Emmanuel Mudiay was a true point guard as the draft approached, and the coach questioned his decision-making, but Mudiay dismisses it as just “another human’s opinion,” writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Mudiay delivered 10 assists, albeit with six turnovers, in Denver’s win Tuesday over the Lakers, leading him to retort, “Thank you Byron Scott for saying I’m not a point guard,” tweets Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Mudiay played down the stretch of the close game while D’Angelo Russell, whom the Lakers took with the No. 2 overall pick instead of Mudiay, sat on the bench. That left Russell searching for answers, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
“I have no idea,” Russell said about how he can convince Scott he’s worthy of crunch-time minutes. “It’s just something I’ve got to deal with.”
Scott insists Russell will have his opportunities, though Russell wasn’t in the mood to compare himself to Mudiay, calling him “just another player,” as Bill Oram of the Orange County Register relays (Twitter links). See more on the Lakers amid the latest from the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors failed to reach extensions with Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli before Monday’s deadline, but Barnes and Ezeli are fond of their surroundings and GM Bob Myers remains committed to finding a way to keep them, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports details. “We worked hard to get both [deals] done, but we weren’t able to,” Myers said to Spears. “We made a good effort. They looked hard at what we proposed. Ultimately, they decided to see what the market was in July, which is fine. We will work just as hard then to try to work something out.”
- Metta World Peace, who’s on a non-guaranteed deal, has yet to appear in any games for the Lakers so far, but he’s OK with that, he tells Bresnahan. “It’s about looking at your surroundings, what you’re presented with, how you’re going to take that and become successful,” World Peace said. “How can I help the organization? How can I help myself? How can I help the guys? I’m just locked in. I’m focused on improving and winning. The minute you focus on something else, it’s a problem.”
- Caron Butler has averaged 12 minutes per game in three appearances for the Kings so far, but like World Peace on the Lakers, Butler’s offseason signing was in large measure for his experience and locker room presence, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee examines.
NBA Teams Designate Affiliate Players
NBA teams cut as much as 25% of their rosters at the end of the preseason, but franchises that have D-League affiliates have a way to maintain ties to many of the players they release from the NBA roster. An NBA team can claim the D-League rights to up to four of the players it waives, as long as the players clear waivers, consent to join the D-League, and don’t already have their D-League rights owned by another team. These are known as affiliate players, as our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry details.
NBA teams allocated 46 affiliate players to the D-League at the beginning of the season last year, and this year, that number has risen to 56, according to the list the D-League announced today. These players are going directly to the D-League affiliate of the NBA team that cut them and weren’t eligible for the D-League draft that took place Saturday. Teams that designated fewer than the maximum four affiliate players retain the ability to snag the D-League rights of players they waive during the regular season, but for now, this is the complete list:
Boston Celtics (Maine Red Claws)
Cleveland Cavaliers (Canton Charge)
Dallas Mavericks (Texas Legends)
Detroit Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive)
Golden State Warriors (Santa Cruz Warriors)
Houston Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
Indiana Pacers (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
Los Angeles Lakers (Los Angeles D-Fenders)
Memphis Grizzlies (Iowa Energy)
Miami Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
New York Knicks (Westchester Knicks)
Oklahoma City Thunder (Oklahoma City Blue)
- Michael Cobbins
- Mustapha Farrakhan
- Michael Qualls
- Dez Wells
Orlando Magic (Erie BayHawks)
Philadelphia 76ers (Delaware 87ers)
Phoenix Suns (Bakersfield Jam)
Sacramento Kings (Reno Bighorns)
San Antonio Spurs (Austin Spurs)
Toronto Raptors (Raptors 905)
Utah Jazz (Idaho Stampede)
Also, several players who were on NBA preseason rosters are on D-League rosters through means other than the affiliate player rule. Most of them played under D-League contracts at some point within the last two years, meaning their D-League teams have returning player rights to them. Others entered through last weekend’s D-League draft, while others saw their D-League rights conveyed via trade. Most of these players aren’t with the D-League affiliate of the NBA team they were with last month, with a few exceptions.
- Keith Appling, Magic — Magic affiliate
- Jordan Bachynski, Pistons — Knicks affiliate
- Earl Barron, Hawks — Suns affiliate
- Sampson Carter, Grizzlies — Cavaliers affiliate (D-League draft)
- Patrick Christopher, Grizzlies — Grizzlies affiliate
- Bryce Cotton, Jazz — Spurs affiliate
- Michael Dunigan, Cavaliers — Cavaliers affiliate
- Jarell Eddie, Warriors — Spurs affiliate
- C.J. Fair, Pacers — Pacers affiliate
- Jimmer Fredette, Spurs — Knicks affiliate
- Stefhon Hannah, Bulls — Pistons affiliate
- Jaron Johnson, Wizards — Rockets affiliate
- Omari Johnson, Trail Blazers — Celtics affiliate
- Perry Jones III, Celtics — Grizzlies affiliate (D-League draft)
- Tre Kelley, Heat — Heat affiliate
- Jordan McRae, Sixers — Sixers affiliate (D-League draft)
- Cartier Martin, Pistons — Grizzlies affiliate
- Toure’ Murry, Wizards — Mavericks affiliate (traded with Rockets affiliate for his D-League rights)
- Dan Nwaelele, Grizzlies — Warriors affiliate
- Marcus Simmons, Bulls — Pacers affiliate
- E.J. Singler, Jazz — Jazz affiliate
- DaJuan Summers, Knicks — Knicks affiliate
- Adonis Thomas, Pistons — Pistons affiliate
- Sam Thompson, Hornets — Pistons affiliate (D-League draft)
- J.P. Tokoto, Sixers — Thunder affiliate (traded for his D-League rights)
- Talib Zanna, Thunder — Thunder affiliate
Roster information from Adam Johnson of D-League Digest, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor and freelancer and Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro was used in the creation of this post.
Western Notes: Bryant, Rockets, Grizzlies
The Lakers would be better off if Kobe Bryant retired, John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News opines. Bryant hasn’t been an impact player since the 2012/13 season and no longer serves a useful role on a rebuilding team, Smallwood continues. The veteran wing player doesn’t have the mentality to help develop the Lakers’ younger players and his burning desire to win actually hurts the team’s chances of holding onto its first-round pick, Smallwood adds. The Lakers must convey their 2016 pick to the Sixers unless it’s in the top three. Becoming a role player on a contending team via a trade or buyout doesn’t suit Bryant’s personality or ego, so there’s no point in Bryant continuing his career, Smallwood concludes.
In other news around the Western Conference:
- Rockets coach Kevin McHale is unsure when he’ll feel comfortable playing center Dwight Howard in back-to-backs, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Howard missed most of the preseason with back tightness after sitting out a portion of last season with fluid buildup in his right knee, Feigen continues. “Dwight’s going to have to build his way up to being in NBA shape and being able to perform at the level he wants,” McHale told Feigen. “It’s not realistic to say you’re going to take that much time off and be able to come back and play.”
- JaMychal Green is a strong rebounder and that’s the most compelling reason for him to be in the Grizzlies’ rotation, Chris Herrington of the Memphis Commercial Appeal opines. Green, playing on a partially guaranteed deal, has been used as Memphis’ 10th man in the early going and has shown the foundation to be a useful role player, Herrington continues. If he continues to improve on catch-and-shoot opportunities, he’ll secure a rotation spot, Herrington adds.
- Kings coach George Karl believes mental mistakes and faulty shot selection are the team’s biggest issues after the first three games, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports. “I see a team that needs to get better and get smarter and get serious about those two things,” Karl said to Jones. “We’re not a connected team yet.”