[rquoter]SACRAMENTO, CALIF., Jan. 5, 2012 -- The Sacramento Kings today relieved Paul Westphal of his head coaching duties, according to President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie. Current Kings’ assistant coach Keith Smart will serve as head coach in tonight’s game versus the Milwaukee Bucks. “I want to thank Paul for all of his effort on behalf of the Kings,” said Petrie. “Unfortunately, the overall performance level of the team has not approached what we felt was reasonable to expect. I wish him the best in his future endeavors.” In two-plus seasons as head coach of the Kings, Westphal amassed a record of 51-120. “I would like to thank the Maloof family for the incredible opportunity they gave me to participate in the attempt to bring the Sacramento Kings back to prominence,” said Westphal. “While the job is far from finished, I am proud of the strides we were able to make. “Geoff Petrie and his staff have been nothing but honest and supportive throughout my time here. They are first class in every way and I wish them nothing but success. My hope is to see the fans of the Kings and the city of Sacramento rewarded with many years of great basketball. “Finally, I want to thank my loyal staff and players for their efforts in attempting to climb out of the hole we shared. Nothing comes easy in the NBA and I know they will not rest in their efforts to rebuild this team.”[/rquoter]
Kings are still screwed, but this is a step in the right direction. They need to bring in a coach with a more team-oriented approach; I think Evans can become an effective player if he's reigned in.
He was probably thinking "how can i get myself fired?". He's going to get a payout, I'm sure, and now he's out of this situation. Sure, he is unlikely to be hired as a head coach in the NBA again anytime soon, but that was going to be the case regardless, as we all know they Kings were headed nowhere. I'm not saying I think the dude's a good coach, but could any coach have done much more with that team? We'll see... but I don't see Keith Smart doing it. They got ball-dominating, high volume shooting guards, neither of which have all star level talent... that's not good.
Maybe they can get Larry Brown....even though he hates rebuilding teams he won't take any crap from Cousins. And Cousins...the guy is like a spoiled brat..terrible body language and lack of effort if his team is down by more than 10 pts, no D if he is not scoring or getting the ball, trashes his coach and throws him under the bus. Whine, whine, whine. Heard on the radio apparently they're going to keep going through coaches until one finally reaches him..aka you're going to be Cousins b****.
Spot on. That press release reeked of defensiveness. Cousins is their future. And he destroyed all equal trade value in his statements. Do not take on your star players when you are a losing organization? Coaches are replaceable...players less so. If Westphal can't exist with Cousins...another coach will try.
I know Mario Elie just joined up with Avery Johnson, but that'd be cool if he signed on as the king's new coach.
He may not be a good head coach, but Keith Smart is a LEGEND for some of us. He's got an infinite amount of slack from me. :grin: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zNSPHx9S-wM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
So what happens when the next coach can't reign him in as well? Maybe he is who he is. But yes that team is a mess. Took on Salmons and lost Beno Udrih, their only passing-oriented guard. Ughhhh
Cousin's got his wish. The situation was about to get John Kuester ugly, but Sacramento is still ****ed.
They've fired a lot of good coaches. Theus lost them apparently, but I loved his style, especially for a young team. He doesn't let the players party though, curfew, strict rules, etc... maybe they felt it was a detriment to attracting free agents.
Westphal should have put in his resignation the 2nd time Cousins requested to be traded. Now he looks like a total dumbass.
Man...I was hoping for a Cousins trade. It will be a little longer now before the pot boils over again.
Lost them? You are being kind. That stuff doesn't fly in the NBA. Theus was crazy to think he could get away with treating grown men like high schoolers.
I think they picked the wrong guy to let go of. Cousins is the problem, not Westphal. That team has too many ballhogs, not enough facilitators. Ironically I think they would thrive with a guy like Daryl Morey at the helm...
