The George Karl Era for the Sacramento Kings is over. The Kings have fired Karl, meaning they're once again be in the market for a new head coach. The Kings will have had nine head coaches since the 2006-07 season, the most in the NBA, once they hire their new man.
The Kings have already missed out on a few of the top coaching options, although they weren't expected to land Scotty Brooks or Tom Thibodeau. With the Kings looking for a new head coach, who will they target? They've taken a look at numerous coaches so far, casting a wide net. Not every coach the team has interview is listed below, as we've cut the list down to the Top 6 options.
UPDATED: Tuesday, May 4th at 1 p.m. ET
6. Patrick Ewing, Charlotte Hornets assistant coach
Ewing is one of the greatest Knicks players ever, which is why he could end up in the mix for the Knicks job. After retiring from the league in 2002, Ewing has spent the past 14 seasons as an assistant with the Wizards, Rockets, Magic and Hornets, where he has been the associate head coach since 2013. He will probably end up as a head coach sooner rather than later, and the Kings have been linked to him. An interview with Ewing has been set up.
5. Mark Jackson, former Golden State Warriors head coach
Jackson's only three seasons of coaching experience came with the Warriors. He guided them from a 23-43 record in his first year to a 51-31 record in his third year. Though he was fired after that year (2014) and Golden State won the title in 2015, he deserves some credit for building a foundation that led to the Warriors' success. However, there are major questions about his ability to get along with members of the front office, which led to his ousting in Golden State. That could be a huge issue in Sacramento, although he's been linked to the job already and has an interview scheduled.
4. Kevin McHale, former Houston Rockets head coach
McHale has a career 232-185 record, having served as a head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets. However, he was fired after a 4-7 start this season in Houston and there are questions about his ability to handle a locker room. While the Kings don't have the issues the Rockets do, it's a potential problem. But McHale does have the experience other coaches the Kings are looking at lack. The Kings have had discussions about the job with McHale, but no interview has been set up yet.
3. Mike Woodson, former New York Knicks head coach
With Woodson's background in dealing with strong personalities in both New York and Atlanta, he might be a good fit for the Kings. He also played for the original Kings team after the moved out of Kansas City. Working against Woodson is his losing record and a mere three winning season in nine season as a head coach.
2. Vinny Del Negro, former Los Angeles Clippers head coach
Del Negro has coaching experience, having served as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers. However, he posted 41-41 records in two years with the Bulls and lost in the first round of the playoffs both times. He was better in three years with the Clippers, and made the playoffs in his last two seasons with the team. However, he didn't exactly get along with star guard Chris Paul and a first round loss in the playoffs resutled in the Clippers not renewing his contract.
But Del Negro has a connection to the Kings the others on this list don't as he was a former Kings guard. He wasn't in Sacramento very long, but he did play with Divac briefly. He's already interview for the position.
1. David Blatt, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach
Blatt fell victim to the mid-season firing bug, being let go by the Cavs right before the All-Star break. Of course, that might have had more to do with his inability to get LeBron James to like him than his ability to coach. A coaching legend in Europe, Blatt had a 83-40 record in his year and half with the Cavs, including a berth in the Finals in his lone full season of NBA coaching experience. Cleveland originally hired Blatt to develop what they thought would be a young core of players (Andrew Wiggins, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson). Could he finally get that chance to develop a young team centered around DeMarcus Cousins with the Kings? He's already interview for the job.
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