Kings deny 2-hour meeting with Mark Jackson was about coaching job
It's going to be a tough couple of months for interim Sacramento Kings head coach Tyrone Corbin.
Thrust into the job this week after the firing of head coach Mike Malone, Corbin is in a difficult spot. Not only is he auditioning for the role long-term and auditioning for any other openings around the league, he's also going to be tasked with employing some tactics at the behest of ownership and management that may not fit the roster.
More annoying than any of that is that Corbin hasn't been on the job 48 hours and there have already been a handful of names floated as his eventual successor. Those names have included team executive Chris Mullin, up-tempo enthusiast George Karl and the oft-maligned Vinny Del Negro.
Oh, and on Tuesday night, with Corbin coaching his first game in the new gig, the Kings met with Mark Jackson. Like, with Corbin right there.
The Kings were playing the Oklahoma City Thunder on ESPN, and Jackson was courtside as a color commentator. Following the game, Jackson met with general manager Pete D'Alessandro, Mullin and, most notably, superstar DeMarcus Cousins for two hours in private, according to a report from Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports.
Jackson has plenty of ties to the organization, as he and Mullin have been friends since high school and played together both in college and the NBA, and D'Alessandro worked for St. John's when Jackson played there. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive was also a minority owner of the Golden State Warriors when Jackson coached there.
Cousins' presence, and the fact that he is said to have requested to meet Jackson, is huge, as Cousins has clashed with coaches in the past. Jackson has a reputation as a players' coach that could endear him to the organization further.
Of course, the Kings are denying that it was anything other than a friendly post-game hangout.
"Honestly, it was not a meeting," D'Alessandro said afterwards. "Ty (Corbin) is our coach. Mark (Jackson) is our friend. End of story."
Sure. Corbin's the coach, until he's not. It's not the end of the story, even if it may be getting bookmarked until the offseason, when the team can make proper wholesale changes and better align management with staff with roster.