Kings' Divac: Karl, Cousins had trust issues but are now on same page
With training camp set to begin, the Sacramento Kings are trying to put a dramatic and contentious offseason in the rearview mirror.
Vice president and general manager Vlade Divac, tasked by owner Vivek Ranadive with managing the fallout of what became a "not pretty" relationship between head coach George Karl and superstar DeMarcus Cousins, believes everyone is on the same page on the eve of a new season.
Divac told The Sacramento Bee:
They didn't understand each other, they didn't trust each other, but that all comes from frustration from the previous year. Actually, years for DeMarcus and the last 30 games for Coach.
My job was to take them away from each other and make sure I build the trust and start fresh. And I'm so happy with the meeting we had in Las Vegas, and they realized only together we can do it and separately we're not going to do it, no matter how much talent and experience we have.
And now we are on that page. Everybody. Not just DeMarcus and Coach but (assistant general manager) Mike (Bratz), the front office, coaches, players. And that's what you need to hear.
The controversy dates back to early last season when the Kings fired Mike Malone, one of the few coaches Cousins got along with. The hiring of Karl wasn't necessarily a tipping point, but reports ahead of the draft suggested Karl was pushing for the organization to deal its stud center.
Cousins maintained he wanted to remain in Sacramento, but not before alluding to Karl as a "snake in the grass" in a tweet. Karl then said he's on board with Cousins as long as he "comes committed."
Fences were mended in the time since: the two shared an awkward handshake at Las Vegas Summer League, appeared on Instagram looking friendly together in early August, and Karl has said the relationship is "getting better every day."
With media day set for Monday, members of the Kings organization can expect to be asked about the situation ad nauseam. Everyone has put on a good public face, but it only takes one misconstrued comment to start the cycle all over again, especially amid reports that some in the organization are still in favor of a Cousins trade.
Cousins made his first All-Star team last season, averaging 24.1 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks, and the Kings were substantially better with him on the floor than without, something that should hold true again in 2015-16.