Kings general manager Vlade Divac may have pulled off a dubious and hard-to-accomplish feat earlier this week, putting coach George Karl's head on the chopping block while slitting his own throat in finding Karl's successor.
Divac prevented Karl from suspending Sacramento star big man DeMarcus Cousins after Cousins launched into a tirade against the 64-year-old coach after the Kings' loss to the Spurs on Monday night, according to The Sacramento Bee.
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"League sources, who did not wish to be identified because they did not have authority to speak on the matter, said Karl wanted to suspend Cousins for two games," the Bee reported. "General manager Vlade Divac, however, said the coach did not have the authority to do so and would not grant permission, according to the sources."
Karl, whose Kings snapped a six-game losing streak at home against Detroit on Wednesday, could be fired if Sacramento doesn't turn its fortunes around in a hurry, according to USA Today Sports. Cousins had 33 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento.
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The coach's fate seemed to be tenuous as early as last summer -- two months after he proclaimed in April that no player on the roster was immune to a trade, a declaration USA Today Sports called a mistake.
He tried to work a trade with the Lakers over the summer, but when that fell through, he basically lost the power struggle with Cousins.
But Divac compounded his own problem when he took sides with a player who lashed out at his coach and was forced only to issue a public apology as the one Cousins -- or a Kings representative saying it came from Cousins -- sent to Yahoo Sports.
"It is no secret that we are all frustrated with losing -- me more than anyone. I let my frustrations get the best of me in the locker room after the San Antonio loss -- that is my bad. For the record, my frustration is not about any one person or player or coach. There is no one person to blame. All of us are accountable. My frustration is that we are 1-7 simple as that."
If the Kings fire Karl, who can they get when they'll be on their fifth head coach since owner Vivek Ranadive bought the team in 2013? The team has won only one-third if its games since Ranadive took over and now the next coach knows that he will begin his tenure with his players having more sway with the general manager.
Good luck on the next hire, Vlade. You're going to need it.
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