Another NBA season is just around the corner, and the Sacramento Kings remain a force to be reckoned with. Royal flop.
The Sacramento Kings have been out of the playoff picture for 16 seasons and an opponent that opposing teams circle on their calendars during the regular season.
The Kings have been an emblem of dysfunctionality within the Association with a 38.3 per cent winning percentage over the last ten years. People around the team point to Vivek Ranadive, the owner, as the cause.
As relayed below OutKick / HoopsWire’s Sam Amico, a recent interview with the Kings’ operations staff unearthed some direct complaints from within the franchise, pointing to Ranadive’s mishandling of the team and culture as the root of their lackluster play.
“I’ve been on conference calls with him around the trade deadline. I think, like any successful business or organization, a lot of this stuff starts at the top,” commented a former member of the staff, reported by The Sacrament Be‘s Jason Anderson.
The anonymous member noted that Ranadive’s influence in the draft rooms curtailed that of coaches, GMs and all other members looking to make informed decisions to better the team.
The Kings announced Monday that they had cut ties to Alvin Gentry, interim head coach (who took over from fired coach Luke Walton), and brought in new blood eager to revive a long-deceased franchise.
“In an ideal situation, you hire someone you feel is qualified,” the individual noted, “you do your homework on them, and then you trust that person is capable of doing the job. It’s one thing to be a fan and want to be involved from afar, but I think when you are meddling in decisions, I think the problem is you have an owner who’s too involved.”
Anderson also mentioned Rudy Gay, a former Kings forward, who was critical about Anderson’s tenure in Sacramento due to its unhealthy culture.
“People are not treated well,” he said. “They’re not valued. It’s a toxic workplace where there are some super-talented people who either move on or get let go for different reasons. It’s unfortunate because I think people come with really pure intentions and want to turn it around.”
Sacramento finished the 2021-22 seasons with a 30-52 record. This is good enough to finish 12th in Western Conference.
The Kings were last in the playoffs in 2006, just before key inventions like the original iPhone and Slap Chop were introduced to the world.
Follow us on Twitter:@AlejandroAveela