So last week I was on ESPN Sacramento with my guys Damien Barling and Kenny Carway to talk about the Kings.
It was a fun conversation from a pair of guys who follow the Kings like its a religion, and afterwards, I responded to a tweet saying “no way Luke Walton is the Kings’ coach tomorrow” with the following:
"Went on ESPN Sacramento today and the hosts @damienbarling and @IamKDiddy said the exact same thing. No reason Kings should be getting the doors blown off tonight with the talent they have."
And let me say, I’ve never had someone come after me so hard for such an innocuous (and true) take.
I won’t give his handle out but some dude who I think might have been Luke Walton’s burner went IN on me. He tweeted:
"With all due respect, your opinion is the complete opposite of every reporter that covers this team on a day to day basis and almost all national NBA reporters."
Which is just an insane thing to say considering both Damien and Kenny 100% agreed with my take on the Kings, which is that they have way too much talent to be messing around and blowing huge leads, looking so inconsistent, and not even sniffing the playoffs every single year.
I responded:
"Which is what? That Luke Walton isn’t to blame for the 4 guard lineup that allows opposing centers to feast? That Davion, Tyrese, Buddy, Harrison and Fox are just to blame and are scrubs? I listen and read and it’s time to clean house"
And he doubled down. He well actually’d me.
“Well actually.”
"They play a 3 guard lineup, not 4. That none of the players you noted are an All Star and many have struggled offensively to start the season. That this team was only projected to be 10th or 11th in the standings. What have you been reading that indicated this was playoff roster? "
I mean, he even denied the fact Harrison Barnes often plays the 2 even when I showed him an article with the headline:
Some people …
Anyway, my point stands. Luke Walton was a trash coach and I predicted if he lost two more games he’d be fired, and guess what. He got his ass fired.
That’s not to say he was unpopular with the team. Tyrese Haliburton had very nice things to say about Luke, who by all accounts is a decent guy. I just don’t think he is a good NBA coach.
Alvin Gentry was named as the semi-interim coach in that as Woj reported, “Gentry is already under contract through 2022-2023, gets a raise to take the interim job and agreement on some benchmarks of success the rest of this season with the team to try and keep the job longer.”
Gentry is a lifer and so well liked John Hollinger wrote at the Athletic that he “is one of the most beloved people in the league. He’s worked for darn near every team in the league at this point, and you’ll have trouble finding many people with anything bad to say about him. He’s also seen pretty much everything #thisleague has to offer (he worked for Donald Sterling’s Clippers, for crying out loud), so nothing that happens in Sacramento is likely to faze him.”
So yeah, he’s well liked across the league, except in New Orleans where he has smoke with at least one guy, David Griffin, that ended in Gentry screaming at him “did you give me the answers to the test, too???”
And the more things change? The more they stay the same.
De’Aaron Fox himself said he doesn’t expect his Kings to have a big overhaul due to the change from Luke Walton to Alvin Gentry instead emphasizing finishing plays and getting out to good starts.
In their first game under Gentry against the Sixers, the Kings led by nine early in the fourth quarter but were outscored 25-8 over the final 9:45.
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So yep, so far nothing has changed.
Gentry got his first chance to talk about what’s wrong with the Kings:
“Bottom line, you have to step up and make shots. We got some good looks at it and we didn’t make them. That’s where we’ve kind of struggled. We played a team that had a lot of their starters missing and we didn’t get the job done.”
And once again Tristan Thompson is having NONE of that bullshit.
So… Kings fans, buckle up. Alvin Gentry isn’t the answer, but then, who knows who is?
People are already speculating that De’Aaron Fox’s role is now going to be downgraded because he was the centerpiece of the Luke Walton offense.
All I have to say is a team that can’t win with Fox, Haliburton, Hield, Harrison, and Holmes with Davion off the bench needs a coach that can find some way, ANY way to make that talented line up win games.
Oh, and by the way … for those still simping for Luke Walton… including Luke Walton’s burner NotWalton12345… Luke Walton’s .431 winning percentage as the head coach of the Kings? The second-best in franchise history since moving to Sacramento.
That is absolutely heartbreaking. Eighteen head coaches and he’s the second-winningest head coach in Sacramento history. The only head coach on earth that couldn’t get a .500 record out of LeBron James.
I really want the Kings to be good, but without a decent front office and head coach? It’s a train wreck once again in Sac Town.
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