SACRAMENTO–The price tag on building the Sacramento Kings brand new arena has climbed to $507 million from the original estimate of $448 million then went to $477 million. Sacramento Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said in Sacramento Superior Court this week that the reason for the cost increase is that the new arena would help bring millions of dollars to Sacramento which would benefit the city. The city has put in $225 million for the land and other assets.
Dangberg admitted that the $60 million cost increase will go up further than the current $507 due to cost overruns, part of the cost of the hotel that will be built next door to the arena will run up to $13 million with the hotel plaza being shared with the Kings new arena will be constructed and factored in with the cost.
The arena is expected to open in October 2016 and is said to be one of the most advanced technologically arenas in the world. Plaintiffs in the case Issac Gonzalez, James Cathcart, and Julian Camacho say that Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has not been forthcoming with the full value of the new arena. Gonzalez, Cathcart and Camacho point out that the city didn’t disclose in the beginning that they would throw in a parking lot with 3700 parking spaces and six digital signs along the freeways.
The plaintiffs said in the hearing that the city hid those pay out costs and benefits because the Kings ownership overpaid for the team in their bidding war with a Seattle group in 2013. The plaintiffs attorney Jeff Anderson in his opening comments said “fraud pervades the entire action by the city.” Meanwhile in her opening remarks to the court Attorney Dawn McIntosh representing the city said that the city was fully transparent and that the plaintiffs are disgruntled over the city subsidy.
Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley did not have a jury selected for this hearing and will render a decision himself at it’s conclusion. Mayor Johnson with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive are scheduled to testify on Tuesday.
One word describes Willie Cauley-Stein’s debut in Sacramento – impressive.
The giant of a young man handled the Sacramento press with a style and ease that comes only from having been on the big stage before. Cauley-Stein learned how to carry himself in his days at Kentucky.
It is really hard to explain the madness that is Kentucky Wildcats basketball. The Wildcats fans are truly fanatical. They are Sacramento Kings fans times three. The state of Kentucky literally lives and dies with their Wildcats. There is not a college basketball program on the west coast that comes close to the importance of Kentucky basketball to its fans.
That is the stage on which Cauley-Stein has grown up on over the past three seasons. Not only are the Wildcats the lead story on the local news, but Kentucky basketball is reported on throughout the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. Wildcats basketball is often the lead story on ESPN and other sports networks.
During the Kentucky 38-0 run last season, the team was covered nationally on a day to day basis. Cauley-Stein has dealt with the press before, and it showed on Saturday. He was calm, cool and collected.
Following opening remarks by Vlade Divac and Vivek Ranadive, Cauley-Stein took control of the room. He started off by comparing the Kings fans to the Kentucky fans. “They’re super passionate,” he said.
Cauley-Stein was surprised by the large number of fans that were at the airport to greet him late Friday night. “I was not expecting that at all. They told me while I was walking off (the plane) that there would be some fans out there. I figured a couple of fans and sign some autographs. It was like an eruption … it was really cool,” said the newest King.
When asked if he had spoken with DeMarcus Cousins, Cauley-Stein revealed, “I actually just got done talking with him. He is super excited to have me on the team. We’ve both been talking. We’re thinking big things here. We’re anxious to get it going.”
Cauley-Stein told reporters he felt good about his workout in Sacramento and had a feeling that he could wind up with the Kings. He also added the line of the day, “I look good in purple.”
The newest King also seems excited that the Kings and Kentucky play a very similar style offense. “The cool thing about it is it’s very versatile, so it plays right into my hands. I can play multiple positions so I can fit in wherever I am needed. It’s very beneficial because as a rookie I’m not going to have to learn as much. I can learn the speed of the game and the physical play of the NBA,” he explained.
Cauley-Stein was asked about how his three years at Kentucky would help at the NBA level. “I’m a little older. The young adults that come into the league are 18 or 19 years old and I’m about to turn 22. In playing for Coach Cal (John Calipari), he runs his program like a pro program. I am kind of used to the pro life playing at the college level. Our fans are similar. The scrutiny that you go through, the spotlight that you’re in all the time. It’s not going to be any different than anything I’m already used to,” he related.
Responding to a question about defense Cauley-Stein said, “I look at myself as a defensive stopper. I take an extreme amount of pride in playing defense. The only way to win a championship is to be cohesive and play as a group defensively.We’re all pros. We’re going to score, but if you can’t stop the other person you are not going to win. So, that’s kind of my thing. I play super high intensity defense. If that is what we need, then that is what I’m going to do. I want to be that anchor. I want to the person who is going to the stopper.”
The big 7-footer was asked how long he had wanted to be a NBA player. After some thought he said, ” Probably since third grade. The teacher asked what do you want to be when you grow up. Everyone else was saying doctor, astronaut, army man. I raised my hand and said I want to play in the NBA. Everyone kind of snickered and laughed. There were 20 kids in my class – 800 people in my town. They said you’re not going to the NBA. I said just watch. I’m going make it.”
Cauley-Stein did make it. He is a Sacramento King now, and those 19 other third graders will be calling him for tickets to games.
Willie Cauley-Stein appears to be excited to be a member the Sacramento Kings. He appears to be at ease with taking on his new role as a NBA player. Will he be successful? Only time will let us answer that question, but I wouldn’t bet against him.
The Sacramento Kings selected Kentucky center Willie Cauley-Stein with the number six pick overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. Cauley-Stein had been on the Kings radar throughout the pre-draft evaluations. The big man was one the players the Kings brought to Sacramento for a workout.
Many of the early mock draft boards had Cauley-Stein going to the KIngs at number six; however, the last mock draft projections had Cauley-Stein falling as low as 11th in the draft. That begs the question – did the Kings draft the defensive-minded center too high and miss a more talented athlete with their first-round pick?
The Kings were said to be looking for a ball distributor to run George Karl’s “dribble-drive offense”. The talented point guard Emmanuel Mudiay was available at number six. Mudiay, a 6-foot-5 big bodied guard in the Tyreke Evans mold, was available and went to the Denver Nuggets with the seventh pick. The long term evaluation of the 2015 draft will look at what would have been the results if the Kings had selected Mudiay rather than Cauley-Stein.
One of the positives of taking Cauley-Stein is that he is the player DeMarcus Cousins wanted the KIngs to select in the draft. Of course, there is the obvious Kentucky connection, but Cousins desire to have Cauley-Stein on the floor with him probably goes well beyond their college connection.
Cousins has literally been beat up on the court by double-teams on offense and defense. Cauley-Stein is a rim protector. He will provide a defensive presence that has been sorely missing for Sacramento, and that should ease the load on Cousins. Cauley-Stein can also run the floor with excellent speed which the Kings can use on fast-break opportunities.
If the Kings drafted Cauley-Stein to placate Cousins, then the selection is a short-term fix that will be a long-term failure. If Sacramento drafted the center because they feel he was the best available player, then the pick has chance to have immediate impact on team play.
Now on to the grades for the selection. Using the four-point system to analyze the draft, the seven reporters whose grades I reviewed scored the Kings selection as solid B with a 3.2 grade point average. That was actually higher than I thought would be the case.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman gave the Kings a B+ for selecting Cauley-Stein. He liked the center’s ability to defend in the paint near the basket and to be a full-court defender. Wasserman did not care of Cauley-Stein’s lack of offense.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix scored the pick with a B. Mannix sees Cauley-Stein as an elite defender in the Tyson Chandler mold. Mannix said that Cauley-Stein “maybe the safest pick in the draft.” He noted that the number six pick will defend but might not score. Mannix also wondered if the selection was made in order to replace DeMarcus Cousins.
SB Nation’s Kevin O’Connor issued a B grade for the taking of Cauley-Stein. He states that the former Kentucky center is quick, long and can defend the floor. O’Connor thinks the pairing of Cauley-Stein with DeMarcus Cousins is a good one. SB Nation feels Cauley-Stein will need time to develop on offense.
USA Today’s Scott Gleeson did not like the selection at all. He issued the harshest grade of all the analyst giving the Kings a C. Gleeson says that taking Cauley-Stein at number six was too high for the talent level. Gleeson likes the draftee’s defense but says the offense may never come.
Yahoo! Sports staff gave the Kings a grade of B for the pick. Their logic was that if DeMarcus Cousins is on his way out then Cauley-Stein could be his replacement. They call him a “defensive menace.”
CBS Sports’ Matt Moore gave the Kings an A+ for taking the 7-foot center. Moore thinks the pick will keep DeMarcus Cousins happy which is good for everybody concerned. He sees DMC – WCS (get used to it – those initials are going to be used all the time) as the perfect duo for George Karl’s offense.
The Sporting News gave the Kings a B+ for giving DeMarcus Cousins the pick he wanted which is good news for the club. They see Cauley-Stein as strong on “D” and thin on offense.
Finally –
Sports Radio Service’s Charlie O. Mallonee gave the Kings a B-minus. He likes the fact that Cauley-Stein can be of immediate help to the team on defense which will support DeMarcus Cousins. Mallonee (it’s odd to write about yourself in the third person) likes Cauley-Stein’s attitude about needing to improve on offense. He seems willing and eager to show fans that he can be valuable on offense as well. The minus was given because over the past several years guards have had the most impact in the long run for NBA teams. The real test of this selection will be in three seasons when Mudiay has time to mature and learn the NBA game. Then, we can compare Cauley-Stein and Mudiay in order to determine who picked the best available in the 2015 draft.
SACRAMENTO–Does the current Sacramento Kings management style have similarities with the former Kings owners the Maloof Family? In terms of finances no, managing partner Vivek Ranadive is lucrative and liquid and he can get what he wants. The team dollar wise is solid which is an issue the team had when the Maloofs owned the club.
Financially the team is on strong footing they have no problems with the investments they made into the arena or downtown. What is Malooflike is the fact that team owner Vivek Ranadive by all reports and there are a consensus of reports that he is very actively inserting himself into the day to day basketball operations and management.
Which what the Maloofs did frankly when the Maloofs got involved telling former Kings general manager Geoff Petrie what he ought to be doing that’s when the Kings started going down hill. So right now the Kings are at risk in having an owner that he feels knows whats best for the team.
Ranadive is a billionaire, he’s a tremendous tech guy, as an owner he’s business savvy because what he’s trying to put together with the arena and the associated buildings with it it’s nothing short of genius. When it comes to operating a pro basketball team he’s flat out a rookie.Ranadive has to recognize that, ten years from now when you walk into a room and he says “guys I’ve seen this guy and he’s the player we need to sign” and everybody says “he knows what he’s talking about” right now he’s a little short on knowledge.
Also with the Kings head coach George Karl and the Kings DeMarcus Cousins situation doesn’t have much to do with George Karl.Cousins is a mad young man because they took a coach Michael Malone who had won him over for whom has said “I want to play for you, I will make commitments to you and I will make changes in attitude on the floor 110 percent best efforts.”
Then when Cousins made those changes they fired Malone, then people acted surprised that DeMarcus is pissed off, he’s a 24 year old guy who in five seasons has played for two owners, three general managers, and five coaches. I’d be angry too, I’d be really angry, if I was Cousins I’d be standing on somebody’s desk in my whole 6’11 height jumping up and down saying “get me the hell out of this town.”
Instead he just voiced some of that and of course he’s frustrated at this point how can you expect him to commit this much to Karl especially when it’s rumored that Ranadive is going up and down the halls in the offices of the Kings asking his employees “should we get rid of Karl.” For Cousins he has to know whose going to be boss and it doesn’t make a difference whose boss he just needs to know somebody is boss.
The Sacramento Kings went big in the 2015 NBA Draft when they selected 7-foot, 240-pound center Willie Cauley-Stein from Kentucky with the sixth overall pick. Many draft experts had Cauley-Stein going to the Kings early on, but most had him falling lower on the draft board in recent days. Most experts projected the Kings would select point guard Emmanuel Mudiay if he was available.
Mudiay was available and the Kings went with Cauley-Stein. Mudiay was selected seventh by the Denver Nuggets.
Cauley-Stein is a big man who thinks defense first. He was the first Kentucky player to pull down more than 500 rebounds, block more than 200 shots and record 100 or more steals in the school’s history. He does not need the ball to be a force on the floor.
Many have called Cauley-Stein a game-changer on defense. One his major strengths is the ability to defend against any player on the floor. Of course you would not expect a 7-footer to be guarding a point guard, but scouts say Cauley-Stein can do that.
Cauley-Stein is called a “rim-runner” by many. He is not afraid to work down low in the paint and protect the rim. Having Cauley-Stein working the rim would allow the Kings to use DeMarcus Cousins more on the high-post to take advantage of his great passing and his outside shooting skills.
Cauley-Stein is not without abilities on offense. He can run the floor and be the recipient of outlet passes on fast breaks. He is capable of going on scoring streaks in short spurts.
After his workout in Sacramento, Cauley-Stein said he felt many were overlooking his prowess on offense. Per Cauley-Stein, he did not do that much on offense at Kentucky because the Wildcats did not need him on offense. He also indicated that he is looking forward to developing his offensive game.
For those you who worry about the “hack-a-big-man syndrome” late in NBA games, Cauley-Stein shot 62-percent from the free throw line last season in Kentucky.
Another plus for Cauley-Stein is that he is not a “one-and-done” player. He played three seasons at Kentucky. Cauley-Stein is battle tested at the highest level of collegiate basketball. The big NBA stage should scare him.
One more plus for Cauley-Stein, he is 21-years old. Those two extra years of maturity could helpful when comes time to learn and work in the NBA. He is not just another wide-eyed kid who can handle a basketball. Cauley-Stein has been a leader of young men at Kentucky.
One of things that Kings vice-president of basketball and franchise operations, Vlade Divac, said before the draft was the Kings were not all that interested in players who did not work out for them. Mudiay declined to come to Sacramento. Cauley-Stein made the journey to the Capital City and obviously impressed the Kings brain trust.
The simple answer is yes. The reasons why they should trade the talented All-Star center are much more complicated, but there is no doubt that the Kings should move Cousins now.
The first reason why the Kings should trade Cousins is that he does not want to be in Sacramento anymore. James Herbert from CBS Sports reports that Cousins requested a trade a month ago. That means he took some time after the season ended to evaluate the year and his 30 games under head coach George Karl. It appears Cousin’s conclusion is that things are not going to work out in Sacramento.
Who can blame him? In his five years in Sacramento, Cousins has played for two ownership groups, three general managers and five coaches. Until the current ownership group took over, there was great doubt about the Kings remaining in Sacramento. The circumstances of Cousins tenure have been the very definition of instability.
Adjusting to the NBA life is taxing on any young player. Playing in a completely dysfunctional atmosphere might be a burden that is too much to bear for the 25-year Cousins.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Los Angeles Lakers want Cousins and are trying to negotiate a deal that would include the Orlando Magic along with the Kings. Vlade Divac, vice-president of basketball and franchise operations, immediately denied that the Kings were giving any consideration to trading their All-Star center.
Now, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting that George Karl wants to trade Cousins. Per the reports, Karl does not feel that he and Cousins meshed during the 30 game honeymoon period at the end of the season. Karl said some nice things about Cousins during the season. The head coach has not had anything to say about his center lately.
If the situation was not confusing enough, Chris Broussard of ESPN is reporting that Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive is blocking any move that would send Cousins to another team.
Let’s deal with the Ranadive story first. It was Ranadive who reportedly disliked Michael Malone’s style of play and pushed for him to be fired. Cousins had built a strong relationship with Malone and was responding to him as a leader. Cousins’ attitude changed almost immediately following the firing of Malone, and the change was not for the better.
Ranadive has made other unusual personnel decisions since becoming the owner. He hired Malone as coach before he hired a general manager. Ranadive then hired Pete D’Alessandro as general manager. According to multiple reports, Malone and D’Alessandro were at odds over basketball philosophy and “style of play” from the very beginning of their working relationship.
Ranadive may be a genius when it comes to running high tech companies, but his decision making process as a NBA owner has been dubious. It has become very clear that Ranadive needs to let his experts – Divac and Karl – do their jobs and allow them to make the tough decisions that will build a solid foundation for the Kings in years to come.
Karl – at the request of Ranadive – is trying to install a fast moving, positionless style of play. Cousins appears to more comfortable in a hard hitting defensive game with a set offense style of play. Frankly, Cousins would be more accepting of a change of playing style if he was happy in his situation.
Let’s be clear. Cousins is not happy being in a unstable situation that has been in a rebuilding mode for all of his five seasons with the team. The chances of getting him to be happy with the current changes are “slim-to-none”.
Cousins is an All-Star now. He is a premier player in “the association”. Cousins knows he can begin to dictate the way he wants his career to go from this point forward. Apparently, Cousins wants his career to continue in some other locale.
Why should the KIngs make a move now? Because Cousins value is as high as it has ever been. He is an All-Star and a member the USA National team. By all appearances, he is healthy. Cousins stock may never be higher.
The Kings do not want to have to move him after a season of turmoil under a coach Cousins does not want play for and after his attitude becomes a major problem. If the Kings wait until the situation really deteriorates, they will only get fifty-cents on the dollar for an incredibly talented basketball asset. Sacramento cannot allow themselves to squander their future by trying to make an unhappy player, happy again.
What should the Kings ask for in return for Cousins? I will leave the details up to Vlade Divac, George Karl and the basketball operations staff of the Kings. By the way, Vivek Ranadive should get out of the way and do the same.
Quoting CSN Kings Insider Bill Herenda, “The NBA is a fickle business and chemistry is extremely fragile.” The current situation with the Sacramento Kings certainly proves that statement to be true.
You are NBA head coach and it is Father’s Day. How do you spend your morning? You are not out having brunch and mimosas. You are probably in a gym watching draft prospects go through drills and evaluating their skills.
That is exactly how George Karl spent his Father’s Day. He attended a workout with four players at the Kings practice facility. Two of the players will probably be drafted in the mid to late first round in Thursday’s NBA Draft. The other two players may go in the second round or be potential free agent pick ups.
Karl felt it was a good workout, and that all four players worked really hard.
When asked about his input into the draft process Karl said, “Most of my input is philosophical. Do we need a passer, a shooter or a shot blocker? Do we need a big guy?”
Karl noted that he is seeing most of these players for the first time. Where he sees NBA players multiple times in person and on video, Karl does not have the time to keep up on potential draftees.
“I feel much more comfortable being a consultant on NBA players than I am with the draft,” said Karl.
Karl indicated that he is looking for skills, coachability. speed, size and style of play when he is evaluating players in the workouts..
“When the roster is set, I have to adapt to the style of play a little bit. In pro ball, a coach has to be adaptable. In college, you can recruit the type of player you want. In pro ball, you have to have good players. You have got to have talented kids. If you (the coach) can’t get your type of player, (you have) to change the style of play until you get your type of player.”
Karl responded to a question about dealing with younger draftees with some strong words. “If I am a basketball sociologist, I’m saying the one and done stuff has not been good for the game – I can buy that. I can also buy that AAU has not been good for college or pro basketball. No one wants to hear that. They want to believe that we can take six months to a year and turn them into pro basketball players.” Karl added, “In our case it’s not one player, (we need) three or four players to get our roster into the right place.”
Karl was clear that the team has plans in place for whatever happens on Thursday night. He indicated that the Kings know who they will take if they keep the sixth overall pick. Karl pointed out the team could also trade the sixth pick for multiple picks or use the pick to trade for experience players.
Karl implied that he would get pretty aggressive on Thursday night if there is a player available who can give him 30-minutes of playing time per night. “I don’t think any guy at six is going to play 30-minutes. Most of these guys we’re considering are 19-year old kids who are going to have to grow up a little bit,” said Karl.
Karl also waxed philosophically about the development of younger players. He told reporters that it is easier for a player to grow up on a winning team than it is on a losing team.
In the NBA, the best prospects go to the worst teams. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on young players to produce quickly.
Karl also pointed out that he will be looking for coachability once gets the young players into the gym. He will be looking for players that want to win and are all about the team. Karl also indicated he has no problem being the policeman for any player who is not about winning and being a team player.
Karl was very clear on what it takes to win. “The best way to do that is to play better as a team.”
The Sacramento Kings held their next-to-last pre-draft workout on Sunday at their practice facility next to Sleep Train Arena. The Kings final pre-draft workout will be held on Monday morning.
The Kings evaluated four players on Sunday – Long Beach point guard Mike Caffey, Wisconsin small forward Sam Deckker, Wisconsin power forward Duje Dukan and Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Draft express.com has Deckker being the 16th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night. Draft Express has Hollins-Jefferson projected as the 22nd selection in the draft.
The Kings are looking at Dekker and Hollins-Jefferson in case they make deal for their sixth pick and receive multiple picks later in the first round.
For Hollins-Jefferson, this was his 11th workout for an NBA team. Dekker stated this workout was his ninth audition of the pre-draft season.
The Kings are looking for diamonds in the rough in Dukan and Caffey. Do not forget, the Kings own the Reno franchise in the NBA D-League. If the Kings see a player who is not NBA ready but has some potential, they will invest in some player development for that individual.
The Kings will evaluate four more players on Monday – Colorado point guard Askia Booker, Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky, Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell and St. Mary’s power forward/center Brad Waldow.
Sports Radio Service will be at the Kings’ practice facility on Thursday night for the 2015 NBA Draft.
Multiple sources are reporting that Kings general manager Pete D’Alessandro is leaving the organization for a position with the Denver Nuggets. The story was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
D’Alessandro came to the Kings from the Nuggets organization where he was an assistant general manager.
D’Alessandro’s role with the Kings had been greatly diminished with the installation of Vlade Divac as vice-president of franchise and basketball operations following the debacle that ensued after the firing of Michael Malone as head coach of the Kings early in the 2014-15 season.
When Chris Mullin left for St. John’s University, many felt that D’Alessandro’s days with the Kings were numbered. Mullin and D’Alessandro shared much of the same philosophy on how the Kings should be configured and are friends from their days at St. John’s. When the team floundered after Malone’s firing, Mullin and D’Alessandro appeared to lose the ear of Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive.
D’Alessandro was praised for the trade that brought Rudy Gay to the Kings from the Toronto Raptors. He was highly criticized for the trade of restricted free agent Isaiah Thomas to Phoenix
The Kings received a $7-million trade exception and the rights to Alex Oriakhi in exchange for Thomas in the sign-and-trade deal with the Suns. Oriakhi has yet to play in the NBA. The Suns received a first-round draft pick for Thomas when they traded him to Boston at the 2015 trade deadline.
According to the Denver Post, D’Alessandro’s duties may include some work for the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL as well. Both the Nuggets and Avalanche are owned by Stan Kroenke.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Ryan West assistant scouting director of the Lakers and Travis Schlenk assistant general manager of the Golden State Warriors are being considered for the general manager’s position. It is believed that the Kings desire someone with personnel and operations experience to assist Divac who is new to his position.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, a major change could be coming very soon in the front office of the Sacramento Kings. Wojnarowski cites sources who claim Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro will be a candidate for the Athletic Director’s job at St. John’s University. D’Alessandro is an alumnus of St. John’s.
Multiple news outlets in New York City are reporting that current St. John’s Athletic Director Chris Monasch will be fired or will resign from the position. Monasch has been the AD since 2005 and has been credited with returning the school back to athletic prominence in the redesigned Big East Conference.
Monasch was responsible for bringing another former Kings employee – Chris Mullin – back to St. John’s to become the head men’s basketball coach. It had been rumored that Monasch favored extending the contract of former head coach Steve Lavin, but he was overruled by St.John’s President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw.
The sudden vacancy has led to immediate speculation that D’Alessandro might be reunited with his good friend Mullin at the university.
D’Alessandro – the Kings General Manger – has been relegated to a lesser position in the organization since former player Vlade Divac was appointed Vice-President of Basketball and Franchise Operations. D’Alessandro retained the title of General Manager,but he clearly reports to Divac.
With Divac being new to the job, D’Alessandro’s experience with the salary cap and analytics would be of great help to the new VP as he settles into the job. The problem for D’Alessandro is easy to discern. Who wants to be the guy that has to train the new boss?
It should come as no surprise that D’Alessandro is looking to go elsewhere. If he should go to St.John’s, the Kings can spin the story as D’Alessandro returns to his beloved university.
The question becomes if D’Alessandro leaves, who steps in to assist Divac as he gets his feet on the ground in his new position? What about Geoff Petrie?
Divac knows Petrie. Petrie was the architect of the great teams that Divac was a part of in the early 2000’s. Unfortunately, Petrie was caught up in the craziness that was “Maloof era” as it came to an end. Petrie did not become a poor judge of basketball talent. He became a general manager without the money and resources needed to build a competitive team.
Petrie would become a trusted consultant (think Jerry West and the Golden State Warriors) not a disgruntled employee who has been demoted in a very public fashion. Kings fans know and trust Petrie as a “basketball man”.Divac would have a mentor who is not looking to take over his job.
The problem with this scenario is that it makes too much sense. Kings managing owner Vivek Ranadive likes the new, cutting edge version of everything including his basketball team. New is good but experience is better when it comes to the NBA. It could be NBA version 3.1 instead of 3.0. Let the former great player and new executive work and learn under the tutelage of an experience executive that Divac knows and can trust.
Whatever happens next will be interesting. The front office of the Kings may not be very stable at the moment, but it is never boring.
Sports Radio Service 