While the Playoffs have started for almost a week, the Kings are on vacation as usual but they still have a bit of work. Well yeah, there’s a new coach to find and it shouldn’t be too late. Several names have just been communicated by the best informed insiders of the NBA. Among them ? Mike D’Antoni and Mark Jackson.
After a… 16th season without Playoffs (NBA record please), the Kings have decided to leave interim coach Alvin Gentry – at the end of his rope – on the sidelines and begin their search to find the best successor. possible. About ten days after his dismissal, we have an overview of the names on the list of general manager Monte McNair. Among the best known, we find Mr. Pringles aka MDA aka Mike D’Antoni aka misunderstood genius, who obviously still has juice despite his 70 brooms. Passed by Brooklyn as an assistant after his Rockets period alongside James Harden, D’Antoni may want to take up the ultimate challenge which is to coach in this dysfunctional franchise that is Sacramento. We salute the courage of the man, but this experience is still more likely to send him to a retirement home than to bring him any source of satisfaction. Another name known and shared by the insider Shams Charania, Mark Jackson. The former Warriors coach and consultant for ESPN on game nights should like MDA trade with the Kings to potentially take the job. If we already talked about him not very long ago in the context of a possible arrival at the Lakers of LeBron, there it seems a little more concrete anyway. In addition to these two, Adrian Wojnarowski tells us that assistant coaches like Mike Brown (Warriors), Darvin Ham, Charles Lee (Bucks), or Nets consultant Steve Clifford should also talk to the franchise of the California capital.
It’s obviously still too early to make any predictions about the future Sacramento coach, but one thing is certain: his priority mission will be to make the Kings a more competitive team that is fighting for a place in the Playoffs next season. GM Monte McNair sacrificed Tyrese Haliburton during the last trade deadline to recruit Domantas Sabonis, and thus create a duet with De’Aaron Fox which should enable Sactown to turn a corner. In any case, this is the scenario that exists in the minds of the leaders of the Kings. And the leaders of the Kings, it must be said that we have been struggling to follow them for a while.
“We’re going to take the time to find the right person to guide this franchise, guide the team on the field. I’m excited to meet the people we’re going to talk to and see what their vision is for the team. »
– Monte McNair
The Kings have an important decision to make for their future and in their quest for respectability. Since the encouraging passage under the orders of Dave Joerger (who was fired in April 2019…), Sacramento has failed to find a coach capable of putting this team back on the right track. Will the next one be the right one?
Source texte : The Athletic / ESPN
The Sacramento Kings will interview Mike D‘Antoni and Mark Jackson for their head coaching job, among over a handful of total candidates, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Kings have done background on vast majority of available coaches and narrowed to small group.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 22, 2022
The Kings initial list will be more expansive for the first-round of interviews, but these are among the candidates who are expected to discuss the opening with Sacramento officials. https://t.co/tOcvmmNFSZ
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 22, 2022