George Karl’s introductory press conference on Tuesday produced a strange side note. Besides announcing a new head coach, it also served as the platform for general manager Pete D’Alessandro to give a heartfelt mea culpa for a disastrous two months of Kings basketball.
“I think you’re always analyzing yourself, analyzing your own decisions and be willing to admit when you’re wrong on things and be willing to change,” D’Alessandro told a small group of reporters.
There aren’t a lot of analytics needed in this story. With a healthy DeMarcus Cousins, Michael Malone was off to a 9-6 start against some of the best teams in the West. When Cousins went down with viral meningitis, the Kings sagged to a 2-7 record and Malone was relieved of his duties.
“You always have to be honest with yourself,” D’Alessandro said. “When it’s hard for me to sit out there and watch a game and I’m not paying to watch a game. Fans have to go through some tough stuff.”
By tough stuff, D’Alessandro is referring to Sacramento’s 7-21 record since Malone was dispatched. While D’Alessandro didn’t apologize directly for the firing of the popular head coach after his 11-13 start, he did show regret for the position that he placed his replacement Tyrone Corbin in.
“I honestly think he was in an impossible spot,” D’Alessandro said. “Where it went immediately wasn’t fair to Ty. I don’t think that’s a fair assessment of him as a coach. He’s a great coach.”
Corbin plans to remain with the franchise in an advisory role to management. D’Alessandro will count on the former player and coach in a scouting and consulting capacity.
D’Alessandro didn’t end with Corbin. He also took some of the heat for the way that certain players were being brought into the discussion. The tenor of the conversation took a nasty turn last week when All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins’ representation and by default, Cousins himself was dragged into the Karl negotiations.
“It’s unfortunate for our players, it really was,” D’Alessandro said. “When the focus starts turning to players, if I could look back and say, ‘Could I have done one thing differently?’ when it started focusing on some of our guys, at that point I should have stepped up and said, ‘That’s on me.’ I’m learning too. Not to use it as an excuse, but I’m 17 or 18 months in and I’m learning as well.”
Where is Cousins’ head right now? No one really knows, but it was nowhere good before the break. The 24-year-old spent the weekend in New York representing the Sacramento Kings and the Western Conference at All-Star weekend.
“I think DeMarcus is on board,” D’Alessandro said. “I mean, he’s ready to do this thing. He knows he’s a Hall of Fame level coach and what a great coach at this point, he’s 24-years-old and now you have a George Karl? I couldn’t be happier for the situation and we’ll take everything day-by-day.”
Normally not camera shy, owner Vivek Ranadivé was noticeably absent from today’s press conference, as was advisor to the chairman Chris Mullin. D’Alessandro and Karl took the stage together and once the main press conference ended, both stuck around for the press.
“This is my hire, it’s George Karl and again, I’m just pleased that ownership not only allowed, but supported me in it,” D’Alessandro proclaimed.
Now that he has his man, the Kings general manager took the next step by absolving his ownership group of the chaotic situation that has played out publically and the team’s 18-34 record.
“Just to be clear, this is my process, not Vivek’s process,” D’Alessandro added. “There are things that I have to do as a GM and Vivek would have been ready to pull the trigger on a major move like this the day we let Michael (Malone) go or today.”
D’Alessandro has his work cut out for him. He may have got his guy, but it came at the expense of the 2014-15 season. Landing Karl was a coup, but one long overdue and not nearly enough to save a season that began with so much promise.
The veteran coach inherits a team that has all but given up on the season. Karl is a seasoned motivator, but it will be on the GM to add the fresh blood necessary to reshape this roster. With just hours left before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, D’Alessandro is on the clock.
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