The Sacramento Kings, a perennial punching bag of the Western Conference, are now finally winning some games with their young core. And yet, they are still not immune to controversy. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reports that the Kings front office and head coach Dave Joerger are “disconnected” with regards to the franchise’s priorities.
Haynes reports that Joerger’s handling of Marvin Bagley III, the number two pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, could result in the head coach’s dismissal. The distribution of minutes and delineation of roles has also reportedly frustrated the franchise. The front office, according to Yahoo Sports, viewed this season as a rebuilding and evaluation campaign. That means, giving De’Aaron Fox, Harry Giles, Skal Labissiere, and Bagley substantial minutes even if it meant losing.
Bagley has not started a game this season, averaging only 22.6 minutes and 11.9 points per game.
Well, Dave Joerger is winning without that “evaluation” strategy. The same night that Haynes reported the disconnect, King’s Team President Vlade Divac firmly backed his head coach. Giles, who has a history of knee injuries, is averaging 9.8 minutes per game. Labissiere is even less, at just 5.8 minutes.
From Vlade Divac, General Manager, Sacramento Kings on the Dave Joerger story from earlier today:
“Dave has our full support and confidence. We continue to work together to develop our young core and compete.”
— James Ham (@James_HamNBCS) November 18, 2018
Joerger was asked about the Yahoo report following the Kings’ 132-112 loss to the Houston Rockets:
Coach Joerger was asked about the Yahoo story after the game.
"My focus is with our team and coaching our team and getting better every night." pic.twitter.com/9o53hULHSv
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) November 18, 2018
Sacramento has been a revolving door of head coaches over the past several seasons. Names like Tyrone Corbin, George Karl, and Mike Malone may ring a bell. The Kings signed Joerger back in 2016 and he has managed to stick around, a feat in itself.
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