In early 2013, the city of Sacramento rallied around their beloved Kings franchise in order to keep it.
Two and a half years later, we see that the city didn’t keep a basketball franchise – they got a circus instead.
Ever since Vivek Ranadive bought the Sacramento Kings for $534 million in May 2013, the franchise has been the laughing stock of the league, the fans and the media alike. Through a rotating door of front office personnel, coaching changes and player movement, the Kings are the constant source of rumors and tumult around the league.
It’s absolutely no coincidence that this change has occurred at the hands of the eclectic new owner; his leadership style, confidence in his outside-the-box thinking and insistence on having input in the basketball process has set an already struggling franchise back several years.
Ranadive’s first month as an owner was filled with immediate changes in the Kings organization – changes seen as necessary right away. Head Coach Keith Smart was given the axe, to the chagrin of very few. Long-time general manager Geoff Petrie was released from his post as well, and Petrie’s reputation as a strong personnel decision-maker was not enough to separate him from seven straight losing seasons and a tension-filled Maloof era.
It is not uncommon for a new ownership group to change direction of the franchise and bring in their own choices as top executives and coaches. For Petrie, his sterling early-career resume was tainted by years of doing the bidding for an ownership group needing to strip assets and save money. The shape of the franchise in terms of talent was not a reflection on Petrie’s practices, but on the Maloof’s financial situation.
The damage of getting rid of Petrie in May 2013 was the disarray the Kings were left in moving into the June 2013 NBA Draft. With the draft less than a month away, the Kings lost their draft leader and were undergoing a quick change. That new voice was taken on June 17th when Ranadive hired Pete D’Alessandro just ten days prior to the 2013 NBA Draft. But in making that hire so late in the day, Who was responsible for running their pre-draft workouts? Who was the voice in charge, and how much chaos ensued during that initial period?
One answer could be Michael Malone, the defensive mastermind behind the 2012-13 Golden State Warriors’ resurgence. Malone was an assistant with the Warriors and was hired by Ranadive himself to be the team’s next coach. Curiously, though, the existence of a head coach prior to the hiring of a front office executive put D’Alessandro in a unique position. Was it his call to draft Ben McLemore in 2013? Talent-wise, the pick wasn’t the issue; it was the organizational chaos that came from the unique timing of all the hires in the draft season.
Changing the dynamics in the front office even further was the complication of advisers that Ranadive has added to the pot. First was Chris Mullin, who advised Ranadive and added a voice to the pot in the pre-draft process in 2013. Mullin was around until D’Alessandro was brought in, but was brought back as an “adviser” in September 2013. The relationship was clearly one between Mullin and Ranadive, cutting out D’Alessandro from some of the grander, visionary plans of the organization. While Mullin and D’Alessandro had a working relationship and prior experience together in Golden State (where Mullin was the boss), two situations seem entirely possible in terms of interpersonal dynamics. Either Mullin tried to assert himself above D’Alessandro as he was in Golden State, or D’Alessandro got a raw deal by being muscled out of being the ultimate basketball voice just three months into his tenure.
The relationship between Mullin and Ranadive was very close for over a year. During Grantland specials that showed inside looks into the Kings war room and pre-draft process, Mullin was seated next to Ranadive, and the two of them seemingly made up their mind to take Nik Stauskas eighth overall. Whether it was Ranadive’s pressure or Mullin’s opinion, the Stauskas pick came from the top, not from general manager D’Alessandro. The trust between Ranadive and his adviser became a tight bond, to the point where Ranadive sought Mullin for all decisions and directions of the franchise.
Ranadive still made decisions that he feels are unique, smart and will set the Kings apart even if they seem impractical, if advised positively by Mullin. Ranadive toyed with the idea of playing 5-on-4 and “cherry-picking” baskets to speed up pace, increase points and make the style more entertaining. To pursue those means, Ranadive hired the son of the mastermind behind (and at one time the point guard in) the press-and-shoot Grinnel College attack, Dave Arsenault Jr, to run their D-League affiliate Reno Bighorns. Arsenault’s Bighorns started out at a torrid pace, but the injuries, roster turnover and ten-man roster changed the outlook of the former Division III Coach.
To further isolate himself, Ranadive seemed to make the decision single-handedly to fire Michael Malone. In what seemed like a shocking move as the Kings were playing successful basketball in the fall, Malone got the axe for what may have been be stylistic differences. He was a defensive-minded coach, playing a slowed-down style completely opposite to the one Ranadive favored. Yet the firing was shocking due to the 11-14 record the up-start Kings put together, despite missing DeMarcus Cousins due to sickness. Mullin and others in the front office may have been critical of the offensive system that Malone was running, but Ranadive ultimately made the decision to fire his first hire as owner.
Cousins is one of the missing pieces of this puzzle. The former lottery pick with loads of talent battled immaturity and on-court anger issues early in his career, yet had to bear the brunt of the turmoil around him. The instability in the coaching ranks throughout his career never gave him a stable and successful mentor, or a coach that could look out for him and continue to develop him. Malone was that first presence for Boogie Cousins, and to see him leave that early in his tenure sent the wrong message to the franchise star and his camp. Known for an aggressive and impatient attitude for players getting yanked around by management, Cousins’s agent Dan Fegan has been sounding the alarms since Malone was canned.
Ranadive isolated himself further when he pushed incredibly hard to get Mullin to step into the void left by Malone and coach the team. Mullin had several reasons for refusing: he wanted a full training camp with the team to start as a rookie head coach, did not have time to put his staff together and was reluctant to be the fall-man for Ranadive if he was the coach. Mullin’s tenure in Sacramento may be polarizing, but there is something easy about working in an advisory role, where the pressure for a poor decision does not fall at your feet. Clearly, Mullin wanted to coach – that’s why he’s at St. John’s now as their head coach. But the timing and volatility of the Kings’ front office that he was a part of convinced him to pass on the opportunity.
Ty Corbin, who was the unique hire to aid Malone as his top assistant, took over in the meantime and was told he would have the rest of the year to “audition” for the Kings’ vacancy and shed the interim label. Instead, Corbin lasted 28 games and was unceremoniously dumped for George Karl. Corbin may have been only a stop-gap measure, but he was lied to and left the messy situation with his head held high.
Karl, looking for one last hurrah as a successful NBA coach, is not exactly the easiest coach to work with. He’s got a reputation for being an up-tempo coach with an open floor and getting the most out of guards, all positives that make him an appealing candidate to Ranadive. But Karl has tussles with young players, often not playing them. He doesn’t utilize post-ups and is a “tough-love” personality, all things that make DeMarcus Cousins a poor fit to go side-by-side with Karl.
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Ranadive and Mullin should have seen this coming. Pete D’Alessandro (yes, the only one mentioned in this process who has a formal title and position in the front office) worked to get Karl in Sacramento due to their successes and working relationship from the Denver days. But while the working narrative to the tale of the Kings has changed several times due to media reports, the most recent telling has this one link that doesn’t fit: if D’Alessandro was cut out of the loop by Ranadive and Mullin, why would they sign off on the guy D’Alessandro pushed for? Ranadive must have been enamored with Karl, as Aliene Voisin first asserted.
Nonetheless, Karl came in during the early parts of February 2015, and the franchise’s relationship with Cousins went downhill from there. Karl and his strong personality have clashed with the front office and decision-makers (whoever they may be). After limping to the finish line through three head coaches and numerous names during the pre-draft process, the Kings once again suffered a re-shuffling of their front office.
Mullin, feeling overly-pressured by Ranadive, cut his losses and took the head coaching job at St. John’s University, his alma mater. D’Alessandro toyed with departing with him, but at first seemed to stay put in Sacramento. That was until the emergence of another “adviser” to Vivek Ranadive – Kings legend Vlade Divac. Divac had gained traction throughout the year as well, and as his role grew (against the wishes of D’Alessandro and Mullin), the volatility turned into toxicity.
Divac, with limited front office experience, was being leaned upon by Ranadive during the spring to prepare for the future. Divac has been working as an ambassador and international scout – he’s never been a decision-maker, been in a war room or been the man in charge. As SB Nation’s Tom Ziller (a well-respected Kings writer) reported, there was a great deal of confusion within the front office in regards to who was actually in charge in Sacramento. When the news broke that Divac had somehow surpassed D’Alessandro in terms of influence, it was just a matter of time before D’Alessandro left town.
Now Vlade stands alone in the front office. He’s with a stingy, old-man coach that is set in his ways and stubbornly clashing with the franchise superstar. Yes, that would be the same superstar that Divac has said is the “most talented big man he’s ever seen” and that Vivek Ranadive says is “untouchable”. Rumors have consistently flown around Cousins and trade talks, but it is impossible to get a feel for where the Kings’ front office is actually at. Now rumors have been circulating about Karl’s dismissal, who is pushing for that (Ranadive or Divac), and how that changes the dynamic with Cousins.
There’s a real possibility Divac succeeds and carries out the vision of Vivek. There’s a chance Divac fails as well, with too many obstacles in front of him. Picking Willie Cauley-Stein sixth overall in this week’s NBA Draft was a very interesting pick, and if Emmanuel Mudiay (available at that pick and taken by Denver at #7) turns into a star and the Kings passed on finally getting a franchise point guard, it’ll be criticized for years to come. The roster, the relationship between George Karl and DeMarcus Cousins, the current state of the executives and front office and their relationship with Karl, all the rumors circulating throughout the media – it’s a lot to overcome.
Ranadive has put his front office in this predicament. He’s put the team in this position with his constant meddling. If the Kings trade Cousins this offseason, they’re completely starting from scratch. No long-term talent of the franchise-caliber. Poor contracts around the roster. An old coach with a system that is not fitting to the roster – one that Vivek is supposedly on the verge of firing. An environment that is the least attractive in the league to any free agent, free agent coach or NBA executive.
I’m a very unknown, very young basketball fan with no vested stake in how the Kings turn out. The purpose of this piece, like all other op-eds and pieces regarding basketball and decision-making, is to inform and to inspire change. The fans of Sacramento know how messy this situation is; there’s little informative here to those who closely follow exactly what the last two years and beyond have been like for a Kings fan.
Perhaps this piece will, in some fashion, inspire. And for that, I turn my attention to Vivek Ranadive.
To Vivek: this is not simply the business world, where cost-analysis is key. You’re not just investing in people; they’re your only capital asset. This is the wrong industry to turn a franchise into your own personal fantasy basketball team. And this is the wrong game to switch your allegiances in after six impatient months. Building anything – especially from a small market – takes time.
Learn from the great owners around you, who stay out of the way. Who let the basketball minds run the basketball side. Finance them, support them, keep your mouth shut and don’t lose patience in the process. Enable the people around you, don’t constrain them with petty ideas of what you think your team should be and when it should be that. I’ll never agree with telling someone how to spend their money or what to spend it on. But look around – you’re sinking this ship by throwing too many captains on deck. And you aren’t going to be the one who steers it to shore.
Sacramento deserves better. They’re a great fan base, a loyal city and one that fought hard to keep the Kings in town. But there’s only one King in the city, and he’s turning into a tyrant, burning bridges and interfering in affairs that no rightful owner should belong in. For the sake of the long-suffering Kings fans, I’ll challenge their owner to stop the madness. Somebody has to.
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