After the surprising news that Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac fired head coach Dave Joerger dropped, more information on Divac and his thinking have come to light:
According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Divac has apparently always preferred a smaller circle of close confidants rather than a deep, robust staff. Unfortunately for Divac and possibly the Kings, it’s often the deeper staffs that are a part of the stronger organizations.
The news of Joerger’s firing came as a shock to the NBA world, as he had helped coach the Kings to a surprising 39-win season, their best record in some time. Despite the team missing the playoffs, many thought Sacramento would continue to keep its coaching staff together, building stability into the offseason.
However, it seems as if Divac’s plan is to consolidate the power around him, and it remains to be seen what exactly he’ll plan to do in terms of a future head coach. Rumors suggest that Luke Walton could be a target, but he has yet to be fired as head coach of the Lakers, so it remains to be seen if he'll be available for the Kings to speak to.
One thing is for certain, though, and that's if the Kings take a few steps back next year and cannot get over the 40-win mark, it'll be Divac who the fans and team will likely look to as the reason why. Divac wants most of the power to himself, and he'll have to make sure he handles things correctly going forward.