Karl's tumultuous tenure coming to an end
The Sacramento Kings are planning to fire coach George Karl on Thursday, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
The Sacramento Bee first reported Wednesday that Karl will be fired one day after the Kings' season finale against theHouston Rockets on Wednesday night.
ESPN's Marc Stein reported in early February that the Kings decided against firing Karl after the coach and general manager Vlade Divac had a sit-down meeting in which Karl pledged to make some changes to address growing concerns within the organization about his defensive schemes and practice policies.
Karl also nearly lost his job in November after a public dispute with center DeMarcus Cousins.
Heading into the finale, the Kings are 33-48 and will miss the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season despite expectations from owner Vivek Ranadive to end that drought. The team will be moving into a new arena next season.
The Kings' next coach will be their ninth since 2006-07, the most in the league in that span.
The 64-year-old Karl, who will receive the remaining $6.5 million guaranteed from his four-year contract with the Kings, was hired during the 2015 All-Star break to replace then-interim coach Tyrone Corbin. That move came before Divac was installed as the Kings' lead decision-maker.
The Kings are Karl's sixth NBA coaching job after previous stints in Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Milwaukee and Denver. The 2013 NBA Coach of the Year has a career record of 1,175-823 entering Wednesday's game. He also has a career playoff record of 80-105.
The Sacramento Kings are planning to fire coach George Karl on Thursday, sources have confirmed to ESPN.
The Sacramento Bee first reported Wednesday that Karl will be fired one day after the Kings' season finale against theHouston Rockets on Wednesday night.
ESPN's Marc Stein reported in early February that the Kings decided against firing Karl after the coach and general manager Vlade Divac had a sit-down meeting in which Karl pledged to make some changes to address growing concerns within the organization about his defensive schemes and practice policies.
Karl also nearly lost his job in November after a public dispute with center DeMarcus Cousins.
Heading into the finale, the Kings are 33-48 and will miss the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season despite expectations from owner Vivek Ranadive to end that drought. The team will be moving into a new arena next season.
The Kings' next coach will be their ninth since 2006-07, the most in the league in that span.
The 64-year-old Karl, who will receive the remaining $6.5 million guaranteed from his four-year contract with the Kings, was hired during the 2015 All-Star break to replace then-interim coach Tyrone Corbin. That move came before Divac was installed as the Kings' lead decision-maker.
The Kings are Karl's sixth NBA coaching job after previous stints in Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle, Milwaukee and Denver. The 2013 NBA Coach of the Year has a career record of 1,175-823 entering Wednesday's game. He also has a career playoff record of 80-105.
