Report: Corbin to coach Kings for now, Karl and Del Negro long-term candidates
Candidates inquiring about the Sacramento Kings' head coaching position need to be forewarned: Mike Malone was just fired with an 11-13 record, half a game out of the Western Conference playoff picture and with DeMarcus Cousins having missed the team's last nine games.
The expectations for the position are ridiculous. Still, it's a coaching job, and only 30 of those exist.
In the aftermath of Malone's late-Sunday firing, word is that assistant coach Tyrone Corbin will handle the head coaching role on an interim basis. The expectation is that Corbin will remain head coach for the rest of the season, affording him a chance to audition while allowing the Kings to do a proper search in the offseason, with more candidates available.
Two of those candidates have already been rumored, and both are interesting for very different reasons.
The first, George Karl, would be interesting for all the right reasons. The Kings organization wants to play an up-tempo style of basketball, and general manager Pete D'Alessandro has ties to Karl from their time together with the Denver Nuggets. Karl's preferred style of play fits well with owner Vivek Ranadive's vision, and he comes with cache thanks to his 1,131-756 career record, one that saw him miss the playoffs just once in his last 21 seasons on the bench.
The other, well, it's Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro has had a pair of high-profile coaching jobs with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers, but lasted just a combined five seasons in those two spots, with both teams taking a step forward once he left. He's not regarded as a particularly adept coach, though he does have experience working with star players.
Mark Jackson could also make some sense, as he has ties to Kings executive Chris Mullin, but that's not a name that's being floated right now, according to Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports. Jackson was let go as head coach of the Golden State Warriors this summer despite a 51-31 record the season prior. Mullin himself could also have the coaching gig, should he want it.
If the Kings wait until the offseason to fill the position, more names will surely emerge, with contracts expiring and other teams moving on from their current coaches.