![\"Sacramento](\"http:\/\/cowbellkingdom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/sacramento_kings_ben_dmc_rudy_jt.jpg\")
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What is the appropriate grieving period for an NBA team? \u00a0How long do you have to wait before you pick yourself up, get past the self pity and start playing ball again?<\/p>\n
Michael Malone is gone. \u00a0There are a few people who are happy about that fact, but they are far outnumbered by those who aren\u2019t. \u00a0Amongst those who were put off by the decision to let go of the second-year coach are 14 able-bodied NBA players.<\/p>\n
There is no split in the locker room about the decision. \u00a0There wasn\u2019t a player who made a demand or a faction of players working to get rid of Malone. \u00a0The players are as confused as anyone. \u00a0Some are angry and more than one feels completely betrayed by the powers that be.<\/p>\n
But nothing is guaranteed in the NBA, except player contracts.<\/p>\n
The Sacramento Kings players are befuddled by the decision to fire Malone. \u00a0More importantly, they are \u00a0confused about how they are to proceed as a team.<\/p>\n
Are the Kings the defensive team that started the season 9-6 under Malone? \u00a0Are they the uptempo team \u00a0scoring 107.9 points per game while giving up 113.1 in nine games under new head coach Tyrone Corbin? \u00a0Or are they something in between that we have yet to see.<\/p>\n
Following the Kings’ overtime win against the Knicks on Saturday night, DeMarcus Cousins sounded like he was reading a transcript from a previous Malone press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to get back to being our old team,\u201d DeMarcus Cousins said following Saturday\u2019s win. \u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s wanting to defend at a high level. \u00a0Taking pride and actually playing defense. \u00a0We can\u2019t be a team that tries to come out every night and outscore people. \u00a0That\u2019s not us. \u00a0We defend and our defense transitions over to our offense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defend. \u00a0Defense. \u00a0Defend. \u00a0Defense. \u00a0Got it.<\/p>\n
But when Rudy Gay was asked similar questions, he wasn\u2019t so sure about what the plan is.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t practiced, I don\u2019t know our new philosophy,\u201d Rudy Gay said. \u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s something we have to grow to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than anything, the Kings look confused on the floor. \u00a0The defensive principles drilled into this team by Malone are being ignored. \u00a0And let’s be clear, this isn\u2019t a fast paced offense as much as it is a horrible brand of basketball that is usually reserved for All-Star weekend.<\/p>\n
The Kings look disinterested like they did two seasons ago when it was clear they were going nowhere, except maybe to Seattle. \u00a0They are bickering on the floor, shifting into isolation basketball and clearly not playing as a team.<\/p>\n
Here is the reality of the situation: The Kings are not the Golden State Warriors or the 2002 Sacramento team that made the game of basketball look so pretty. \u00a0They are a grinder team, with grinder players and they were playing well for a grinder coach.<\/p>\n
And now they are lost, dazed\u00a0and disgruntled.<\/p>\n
But there is hope. \u00a0The players play the game, not coaches, management or ownership. \u00a0They control what happens between those lines and the quicker they move past their frustrations and start playing for each other, the quicker they turn things around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll put it like this, man,\u201d Cousins said following the team\u2019s loss to Brooklyn. \u00a0\u201cWhen you go through situations like this and things get tough, you start to see people’s real, true colors. \u00a0You\u2019re going to see who\u2019s in it and who\u2019s really not. \u00a0So as bad as this may seem, it\u2019s also a good thing, because you\u2019re going to know who\u2019s ready to go to battle with you every night.\u201d<\/p>\n
If they want to pay homage to their former coach, they can turn to his principles and win despite the gaff of management. \u00a0But time is running out. \u00a0The mood around this team is sinking. \u00a0The culture is reverting to its former self and all of the goodwill created by Malone is turning to dust.<\/p>\n
The Sacramento Kings are a mess. \u00a0They are in a dark place and headed down an even darker road. \u00a0Trust has been violated and the players are having a difficult time hiding their disdain for the situation.<\/p>\n
It can get worse. \u00a0The losses can stack up and the players can completely give up. \u00a0They can demand trades. \u00a0Free agents can look at an untenable situation and pass.<\/p>\n
Or they can snap out of it and get back to the task at hand. \u00a0Tyrone Corbin is a perfectly good man to follow into battle. \u00a0He is different than Malone. \u00a0Different can be good. \u00a0Either way, he has the job and it’s time to push forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sacramento Kings look lost after Malone firing. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[610259261],"tags":[5204276,5944924,1419906,610259428,76563,610259558],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n