The Kings have indeed fired head coach George Karl on Thursday following their final game of the season the night, the team announced. Karl, who is owed about $5 million, was aware of the team's plans before the finale, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Kings fire George Karl as head coach, as everyone expected
In a decision that surprises no one, the Kings cut ties with their coach.
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
The Kings plan on looking at Vinny Del Negro, Boston Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, ex-Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt, Atlanta Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Phoenix Suns coach Jeff Hornacek to fill the void, according to Wojnarowski.
After shockingly firing Michael Malone midway through the 2014-15 season, Kings ownership targeted Karl as his replacement. Interim coach Tyrone Corbin was initially expected to finish the season before Karl took over but that plan was scratched and Karl became head coach after the All-Star break. At the time of the hiring, reports claimed that All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins was against the decision. The shakeup didn't really work, as the Kings went 11-19 that year under Karl.
In the summer prior to the 2015-16 season, Karl reportedly tried and failed to get Cousins traded. Cousins understandably reacted poorly to the news and sent out a tweet referring to Karl as a snake. Other incidents between the two followed after the Kings decided to fire Karl mid-season only to backtrack the next day. Cousins was suspended for yelling at Karl and then took a shot at him after Karl had criticized Seth Curry. The situation became untenable.
The off-court distractions were bad enough, but what really sealed Karl’s fate was the fact that the team kept on losing. Despite adding veteran pieces before the season, the Kings couldn’t keep pace in the race to make the West playoffs, which was the stated goal of the franchise. He leaves the team with a losing record that is far below his career winning percentage.
Karl, 64, ranks fifth all time in total wins as an NBA coach. He led the 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics to the NBA Finals and won Coach of the Year with the Nuggets in 2012-13.
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