In professional sports, organizational culture has become as much a part of analyzing a team’s potential, as many on-court variables.
With free agency a few weeks away, players, media and front office personnel will consider professional and positive locker room environments as much as cap space, and playing time.
// For Kings guard Marco Belinelli, Sacramento’s recent turmoil was not enough to dissuade him from agreeing to a three-year, $19 million deal.
After being courted by the Kings, both Wesley Mathews and Corey Brewer left money on the table to sign with other teams.
Belinelli, who shot 42.3 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from 3-point range in his final season with the Spurs, recently offered some insight as to why this may be.
When speaking with LaGazzetta Dello Sport, a publication in his native country of Italy, the 6-foot-5 shooter explained that he expected to find a less-than-optimal work environment when he came to Sacramento.
“He made several statements about the Kings and the lack of culture in Sacramento,” explained Orazio Cauchi, an Italian sports columnist. “He said that there wasn’t a great group, great chemistry in the locker room … there wasn’t any kind of trust in the coach (George Karl) … The things that surprised me the most was that he said ‘I was expecting something like that.’”
Belinelli’s numbers dipped to 38.6 percent from the field, just over 30 percent on three-point attempts in his first year with the Kings. He had a player efficiency rating of 9.49.
The struggles of fellow shooting guards James Anderson and Ben McLemore demonstrate that the issues were not exclusive to Belinelli.
However, the Italian star, who helped the Spurs to a convincing 4-1 victory over Miami in the 2014 NBA Finals may not believe Sacramento’s current circumstances to be permanent.
On the second episode of the new Cowbell Kingdom Podcast, Cauchi told host Leo Beas that Belinelli may have willingly walked into such an environment with hopes he and his new peers would be able to create a better one.
Cauchi indicated that Belinelli may be seeking a trade, but is pleased with the hire of Dave Joerger.
“That explained to me why he signed with the Kings,” Cauchi said. “In the past years he signed shorter deals to play for contenders … (but) he took less money to play in those situations … Right now he’s kind of changing his mindset, because in that interview, with the Italian newspaper, he also said that he wants to win now … Sacramento is not in that position to win now.”
Belinelli has turned his focus to the Italian national team with coach Ettore Messina, who was rumored to have scheduled an interview with Sacramento before Joerger was hired.
As the draft, free agency and first season in the Golden 1 Center approach, Sacramento will need to turn its collective attention to the environments in the organization and locker room if Belinelli and his teammates are to succeed in their basketball endeavors.
//
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