Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
In a league that has been loaded with dysfunctional relationships over the past few decades, we may have come across the one that takes the cake.
Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl, who has spent minimal time with the Kings, reportedly wants the organization to trade its franchise player. Sacramento must now choose between trading All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins or fire the team’s newly hired coach.
The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly interested in acquiring Cousins in a trade, although there is speculation that the news is nothing more than a leak from Cousins’ agent to apply pressure to Kings owner Vivek Ranadive in an effort to force him to choose a side. As of right now, Ranadive refuses to allow Cousins to be dealt.
“We have zero interest in moving Cousins, so I don’t know where that’s coming from,” Ranadive told USA Today when asked about a report conducted by ESPN.com in which a three-team trade scenario was discussed. “But if you like, you should talk to (Kings vice president of basketball and franchise operations) Vlade (Divac), because I know Vlade feels exactly the same way. And I’m deferring to Vlade on everything. We have no interest in moving him. From my perspective, it’s really simple: we feel that he’s a one-of-a-kind player, and we have a group of players right now and we’re going to build on it.”
Ranadive is absolutely correct in that Cousins is a unique player. More importantly, he is by far the most talented player to come to Sacramento in over a decade, and it does not appear anyone more talented will be playing for the Kings anytime soon. Even though Karl has experienced some success as a coach, there is no reason why the organization should choose him over Cousins. The team needs talented players on the court more than it needs a veteran coach.
Of course, the big issue here is the position the Kings have been put it. There is no way the team can move forward with Cousins and Karl working together, especially after the public embarrassment that continues to be in play. If Karl mounted a campaign from the beginning to get rid of Cousins, there is no reason for him to be trusted going forward. Also, even though Cousins is known to be difficult to work with, there is still a lack of evidence that he did something that deserves Karl’s behavior towards him.
It is safe to say this is about as messy as it gets. Even worse, the Kings had enough problems before the Karl-Cousins storm brewed. At this point, there is nothing more to do than sit back and watch the train wreck unfold.
Michael Terrill is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelTerrill, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
