George Karl didn’t coach the Sacramento Kings into The NBA Finals last season, as David Blatt did with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He didn’t even reach the conference finals, as Kevin McHale did with the Houston Rockets.
Karl lost 19 of 30 games after he took over at midseason, then endured a toxic summer where DeMarcus Cousins wouldn’t speak to him, and that spilled over into a season that started poorly and was spiked by a verbal rampage from Cousins in mid-November. A losing record and prickly relations with the franchise player doesn’t do wonders for job security.
But here we are at midseason, McHale and Blatt are gone, and look who’s still on the Sacramento bench, and thriving at that?
The eighth-place Kings are surging ? when’s the last time those words were spoken or typed? ? and pushing into playoff positioning (hey, it’s early, but still). And you no longer hear about the fragility of the coach’s neck. This certainly comes as some relief, although Karl has been around long enough to know that you should “never trust happiness,” as the great Chuck Daly once said. The grind of an NBA season throws plenty of curves your way, both wicked and welcome. Prosperity only lasts as long as the current winning streak and so coaches must remain on the tightrope that’s only as strong as their bond with the star player and/or management.
Such is life when you willingly sign up to be “one of 30,” as Karl describes the exclusive club. These jobs don’t come easy, and that’s why he lobbied hard for the Kings job, arguably the least desirable of the 30, and desperately wants to keep it. To the amazement of many, somehow still has it.
So maybe the biggest surprise this season isn’t that McHale was fired less than two months in, or that Blatt was axed even though he had the Cavs leading the East, but that the boat carrying Karl has managed to survive the choppy waters without springing a leak caused by Cousins.
If the Blatt and McHale dismissals were examples of coaching absurdity, then the survivability of Karl rates as a shred of proof that sanity can exist in this business. The Kings resisted the strong urge to cut ties with Karl both last summer and in November, when the Kings opened the season by losing six of seven and Cousins went off on Karl. Already hanging by a thread — at least that was the perception — with Cousins holding scissors, Karl recovered nicely, to say the least.
And now, here are the Kings. They’re inhaling the vapors of a five-game winning streak — the longest since 2014 — (which ended Monday vs. the Hornets) with Cousins clearly playing the most inspired basketball of his career. They’re inching toward respectability, and in a conference that’s less forgiving than in recent seasons, Sacramento has the chance to make a move up. The Kings have won eight of 11 this month, which means their New Year’s resolution to drop the weight of losing is apparently working.
“Playoffs, playoffs, playoffs, that’s all I’m thinking about,” said Cousins, fresh off a beastly 48-point effort against the Pacers. He followed that up with a career-high 56 points in a double-overtime loss vs. the Hornets.
He’s a strong favorite to get the support of West coaches when they vote for All-Star reserves, not only because of his emphatic season so far (27.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 blocks), but he also has finally resisted kicking one of their own. In the past, Cousins was on the All-Star fence but his behavior toward Kings’ coaches (except Mike Malone) cost him the benefit of the doubt with the frowning fraternity and they cast their vote elsewhere. That’s commonly known as a “coach’s silent boycott.”
(Not that he had to, but Karl has lobbied hard for Cousins to get the vote, saying Cousins is the best center basketball: “I don’t know anybody who’s playing at this level right now, and I hope the (coaches) recognize it and give him an opportunity.”)
Not to minimize the work by Cousins to make himself a better center this season, but Karl played a role in that. Karl has allowed Cousins to live out his 3-point fantasies, to the point where Cousins is now regularly pulling up from the arc. The sight of a 7-footer standing 20-plus feet from the rim and waiting for passes is rarely welcome, but Cousins feels comfortable and looks dangerous. He’s taken 127 3-pointers this season and shooting 34.6 percent on them — in his previous five seasons combined he was 69 and 15.9 percent.
The improved 3-point shooting will only help Cousins if, as expected, he’s selected for Team USA and the Olympics this summer. At any rate, Karl has allowed Cousins to further tap into a wealth of talent. In return? Cousins doesn’t gripe about Karl anymore. At least not within anyone’s earshot.
The bigger issue is the Kings are winning which means a decrease in the misery level. This month they’ve beaten better teams (Clippers, Thunder, Hawks) and haven’t struggled against lesser teams as in the past. For the rest of the month they’ll only see one team (Memphis) with a winning record, which means the Kings have a solid chance of recording one of the best Januarys in the league. Cousins and triple-double specialist Rajon Rondo are mostly making this happen, and if the Kings shore up one of the league’s worst-rated defenses ? and they have lately ? then February could be successful too.
“I’m happy where we’re at,” Karl said. “I’m not sure I’m impressed. It’s about staying strong.”
In a year in which he passed coach Phil Jackson on the all-time wins list, Karl has unleashed Cousins, put Rondo in full control on the court, increased the role of rookie Willie Cauley-Stein and let Rudy Gay roam. The Kings are squeezing every benefit from a roster that’s not exactly loaded but developing.
Lucky for Karl, he’s still around to see the Kings’ turnaround. Given the dysfunction above him in the organization, Karl was a sure bet to be home before Thanksgiving. Word is that owner Vivek Ranadive even sent feelers to John Calipari in Kentucky. However, the Kings didn’t fire Karl, perhaps for a few reasons.
One: They owe him three years on his contract. Two: They’ve had five coaches in the last three seasons — at some point, the madness must stop. Three: Karl worked to patch things up, as best he could, with Cousins, who accused Karl of being a snake last summer. And give Cousins his due. He realized that getting Karl fired would only enhance a reputation, fair or not, for being a coach killer; Cousins has averaged almost one coach per year in the league. So Cousins backed Karl publicly. And the Kings backed off.
For now, everything is cool here in January, except the Kings. They’re showing smoke.
“It’s been some rough years,” Cousins said, “but it’s not over and we have a lot more to go. I’m happy at the moment but I’m not satisfied.”
Karl also owes his survival to expectations. The Kings had none this season, unlike Karl’s last job. He wasn’t welcomed back in Denver after winning 57 games and Coach of the Year in 2012-13 because the Nuggets were a first-round knockout courtesy of the Warriors, who of course have only justified that “upset” ever since.
The Rockets and Cavs are supposed to be on pace for a title, according to their front offices, and that’s why McHale and Blatt are history. Karl stayed tight-lipped about McHale last fall ? Karl was walking on hot coals himself at the time ? but spoke up about Blatt, calling it “embarrassing” and a few more things.
“I am mystified of it,” he said. “It’s a sad, sad day for coaching.”
While that might be true, it’s a new day for Karl and the Kings. They’re winning basketball games. Oh, and brace for the bigger shock: They’re doing it together.
Veteran NBA writer Shaun Powell has worked for newspapers and other publications for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here or follow him on Twitter.
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