Vlade Divac has taken over as the "new lead voice" of the Sacramento Kings' front office just weeks after joining the franchise, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The former longtime NBA center was hired by the Kings last month under the title of vice president of basketball and franchise operations.
Vlade Divac is reportedly the Kings’ top basketball executive after just 5 weeks
The changes won’t stop coming in Sacramento.
Divac, 47, has minimal NBA front office experience but has already rose to the top of the Kings’ power structure. Owner Vivek Ranadive regards Divac “as the team’s top basketball executive,” per Stein, casting some uncertainty over the status of general manager Pete D’Alessandro in organization.
The past year has been chaotic for Sacramento, which has undergone significant changes seemingly driven by Ranadive. Head coach Michael Malone was fired early in the season despite some progress on the court, and interim coach Tyrone Corbin struggled badly in his brief time before being replaced by George Karl.
The changes didn’t stop there, as Kings adviser Chris Mullin left the franchise recently to take the head coaching gig at his alma mater, St. John’s. Stein says that Mullin “began to lose sway” with Ranadive in December after declining to replace Malone on the bench because he did not want to begin his coaching career under such trying circumstances.
Divac was reportedly hired despite objections from Mullin and D’Alessandro, who is left in an uncertain position now. Stein says Mullin was the GM’s closest ally, and the Kings “have already launched a search to add another front-line basketball executive to work alongside Divac whether D’Alessandro stays or departs.”
That doesn’t sound like a strong endorsement for the GM sticking around, at least when you consider the turmoil that’s already engulfed the team. Divac plans to try to make the partnership work with Karl, however, so it appears we can expect some stability on that front for the time being.
Most of Divac’s front office experience comes from overseas. He worked as a European scouting liaison for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005 after retiring as a player, then served as an adviser for Real Madrid in Spain and president of Partizan Belgrade in his native Serbia. Divac has also been heavily involved in the international game, spending time as the president of Serbia’s Olympic committee and a member on FIBA’s governing board.
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