The Sacramento Kings' partnership with George Karl has already had the ups and downs of a multi-year tenure, but the latest dip might be the steepest yet. Karl might be on the verge of being fired by owner Vivek Ranadive just four months after being hired.
Karl has not meshed well with franchise center DeMarcus Cousins, whom Karl pushed the front office to trade. Rumors have also circulated that Cousins himself wanted to be traded toward the end of the season. Ranadive has no interest in trading Cousins, however, and seems willing to shove Karl out the door first. The problem is that Karl has a three years and $10 million remaining on his deal.
"He's trying to find a magic button to push that'll fix everything," a league official told Yahoo. Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Kings are scouring Karl's contract for a way to fire him and get off the hook for the $10 million he is owed.
Ranadive is said to be hoping to replace Karl with Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari, who himself signed a seven-year, $54 million extension to stay in college last year. Ranadive's motivation is to bring in Calipari to convince Cousins to remain in Sacramento when he becomes a free agent. According to reports, luring Calipari will be an expensive adventure.
Prior to LeBron James' signing in Cleveland, Calipari reportedly turned down an eight-year deal worth more than $60 million, and he wants $10 million annually on a multi-year contract.
At the least, Ranadive is reportedly seeking guidance from Calipari on how best to manage the mercurial Cousins, as well as 2015 first-round draft pick Willie Cauley-Stein.
[Yahoo]
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