Report: George Karl is already on the hot seat as Kings coach
The Sacramento Kings made two coaching changes in the middle of last season, and that instability is one of the big reasons critics question whether Sacramento is on the right path moving forward. But the one assumption has been that George Karl would be given time to put his stamp on this squad -- at least the 2015-16 season, right?
Not so fast, says CBS Sports' Ken Berger. In conversations with league executives and and "people in the coaching business," Berger says that Karl's name comes up as someone who could be on the hot seat this year in Sacramento:
It doesn't sound like Karl is in any imminent danger, of course. But there are a million different things that could go wrong for the Kings this season. And if owner Vivek Ranadive gets impatient, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Karl move on to his next gig.
Karl, for his part, could display more patience than one might assume. He trails Don Nelson on the all-time NBA coaching wins list by 204 wins. And any time Karl spends looking for a job will be time that he's not surpassing the other coaches between him and Nelson -- names like Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley.
There were four in-season coaching changes last season, and the Kings made half of them. So the seat in Sacramento in 2015 doesn't appear to be any more stable than the one Karl vacated in Cleveland three decades ago. The Kings are the fifth team that Karl has coached since then, but this might be the most challenging job. He's had well-publicized difficulty connecting with his franchise player, DeMarcus Cousins, and the talented but combustible Rajon Rondo has joined the mix. Owner Vivek Ranadive has proved to be as impatient as he is inventive.
