The NBA has its first coaching casualty of the 2014-15 season, and it's a shocker.
The 11-13 Sacramento Kings have reportedly fired head coach Mike Malone, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Kings assistant coach Ty Corbin will reportedly take over as head coach on an interim basis. Corbin was the head coach of the Utah Jazz from 2011 to 2014, and left the team with a 112-146 record in 258 games. With no replacement lined up in Sacramento, Corbin will have a chance to coach the Kings through the rest of the season, Wojnarowski tweets.
Continuing on @WojYahooNBA Malone firing news, source said Kings mgmt was disappointed with the player development, game plans & adjustments
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) December 15, 2014
GM Pete D'Alessandro hadn't hired Malone, and had never been strong bond between them. Still, ownership's expectations are unrealistic.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 15, 2014
Malone became head coach of the Kings in early June 2013, and the Kings went 28-54 under his guidance in 2013-14. General manager Pete D'Alessando was hired after Malone, in mid-June 2013. Kings chairman and owner Vivek Ranadive then hired Chris Mullin as an advisor in September 2013.
Malone was uneasy in the summer, when management spearheaded interviews for a top assistant, sources said. Eventually, Malone hired Corbin.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 15, 2014
Wojnarowski has more on Malone's surprising dismissal:
Despite star center DeMarcus Cousins missing the past nine games, Malone didn't meet win-loss expectations of ownership, sources told Yahoo. Malone was notified of his dismissal late Sunday.
Malone, who was hired on June 3, 2013, went went 39-67 in one-plus seasons with the Kings.
The Kings' style of play was also a factor in the firing, Wojnarowski tweeted, adding that Malone's job was in jeopardy over the summer, but the Kings' hot start - they won five of their first six games and were 9-5 the morning of Nov. 26 - spared him.
Corbin is willing to play more of the offensive style that management wanted - aka faster - and will be given a chance to make it happen.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) December 15, 2014
The Kings are currently mired in a three-game losing streak, and have lost four of five and eight of 10. They fell at home Friday to the Detroit Pistons, 95-90. The team's promising start is a distant memory after December losses to the aforementioned lowly Pistons, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic. The team's won only two of the nine games Cousins has missed due to viral meningitis.
The Kings face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are now tied with them in the standings in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, on Tuesday at home.
Twitter's always going on and on and on, which means names as potential long-term replacements at head coach in Sacramento are already being thrown around. They are: Mark Jackson, George Karl, and Vinny Del Negro. For now.
