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George Karl was supposed to bring the Sacramento Kings back to respectability. But in reality, he has symbolized everything that’s wrong with the team, and for that, he needs to be dumped.
The Karl hiring was questionable from the start. It puzzled everyone outside of California’s capital city why Kings owner Vivek Ranadive would sack Michael Malone, who was actually making inroads with the team, and go with Karl. I get it, Karl has been a successful coach in the past and is clearly one of the NBA‘s best coaches without a ring, but at the same time, his coaching method and philosophy is horribly outdated for today’s NBA.
Not only that, he has failed to work with DeMarcus Cousins, the face of the Kings franchise. Karl and Cousins had problems from the start, and it came to a climax when Cousins was yelling at Karl on the bench during last night’s win over the surprising Detroit Pistons. It was clear to everyone who watched that Karl has not only completely lost his star player’s respect, but the team as a whole and Karl is basically a lame duck in a situation that is quickly going south.
The only way Sacramento can repair the damage and possibly salvage their imploding season is by getting rid of Karl and replacing him with a coach who understands the modern day NBA. The only candidate who is up to the task is Mark Jackson, and he is excellent at getting the most out of his players.
That is the only course of action, because as long as Karl is on the bench, the dysfunction in Sacramento will only grow worse. So, consider me as part of the crowd who is calling for the Kings to dump Karl.
Kareem Gantt gives his two cents on all things sports for Rant Inc. Want to know what’s on his mind? Follow him on Twitter at @kganttwrites.
