Willie Cauley-Stein says his college coach, John Calipari, warned him about what his experience with the Sacramento Kings could be like.
The Kings drafted Cauley-Stein with the sixth overall pick in the 2015 draft. After spending four years in Sacramento, Cauley-Stein signed with the Golden State Warriors this past summer.
By the end of his tenure, Cauley-Stein had two head coaches in three years. The Kings never made the postseason, holding true to the perception he heard about Sacramento when he was drafted.
“Before I got drafted there, [University of Kentucky] coach [John Calipari] kind of warned me what that organization was like already,” Cauley-Stein told Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“So, I mean, I just went in there just trying to get better. Every year just try to keep on getting better, and that's the way I approached the game and every day.”
The Kings rescinded their qualifying offer to Cauley-Stein, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 26-year-old signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Warriors. The second year of the deal is a player option.
The Kings haven't made the playoffs since 2006. Things are a lot better now that Vlade Divac is the GM.
However, Cauley-Stein saw first-hand what dysfunction was like during his first couple of seasons with the Kings, something Calipari knew could happen.
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