DeMarcus Cousins found out about Michael Malone firing via Twitter
The Sacramento Kings’ decision to fire head coach Michael Malone after a 11-13 start has confused the NBA world to startling degrees. While the Kings are no one’s idea of a fantastic team, they had improved under Malone and looked like potential challengers for a playoff spot before star center DeMarcus Cousins went down for the last nine games (during which the team went 2-7) with a viral meningitis infection. As reported and written by Yahoo’s own Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday, there are serious questions regarding the long-term vision of owner Vivek Ranadive and general manager Pete D’Alessandro, as well as their ability to assess the roster they currently control.
Malone’s ouster was initially explained as a problem of management and coach not being on the same page. If togetherness and consistency of vision are the goals, though, then the Kings have considerable work to do. Sam Amick of USA Today (a former Kings beat writer) relayed some quotes from Cousins on Twitter on Monday in the aftermath of Malone’s dismissal. It appears as if the franchise player found out about the news just like the rest of us.
There is no evidence to suggest that Cousins is intent on revolt in response to the move. Nevertheless, he does appear somewhat upset at the situation as a whole, perhaps due to the circumstances and/or the loss of Malone. The latter would be perfectly understandable — Cousins has improved rapidly since Malone took over in the summer of 2013 and appeared to have relished the stability following the various messes of his first three seasons in Sacramento.
Yet it’s the idea that the Kings wouldn’t inform Cousins (or any player, really) of the decision before it leaked to the press that really seems bizarre here, because it seems to fly in the face of the stated reasons for Malone’s poor fit with the franchise. If Malone didn’t work out because he didn’t listen to or understand the desires of management, then it would seem prudent for the powers that be to foster a situation in which every member of the franchise understands the organization’s aims and decision-making process. Keeping that information from the players — especially a prospective All-Star — would seem to perpetuate the impression that the front office expects its employees to do what the say as a matter of course rather than based on the merit of their ideas.
Ranadive has not been shy about meddling in the basketballular affairs of his team — Woj says that interim coach Tyrone Corbin will likely institute a version of his zany 4-on-5 defense plan — and it appears as if the ultra-intense Malone wasn’t the right guy to work with him. But the firing and its aftermath indicate that the Kings aren’t especially interested in a holistic approach to building this franchise into a winner. Upper management makes the key decisions, and everyone else is expected to proceed accordingly. Not doing so will create some problems. Unfortunately, the NBA is full of people who know a lot about basketball. It’s not a world where unilateral decisions thrive.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
