Vlade Divac watched Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic post a triple-double against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, scoring 25 points while adding 17 assists and 15 rebounds.
The performance also served as a reminder of something frequently discussed in NBA circles in recent years: Vlade Divac should not be allowed to continue as general manager in Sacramento.
Divac's brashness and outspokenness have been in the spotlight before, but it also seems clear he is far too egotistical and selfish to appropriately run the basketball operations side of any franchise.
The Doncic blunder
For starters, Sacramento's decision not to draft Luka Doncic with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft might very well revolve around a petty dispute between Divac and Doncic's father.
Divac reportedly did not think too highly of Doncic's father during the buildup to the draft, instead deciding to take Marvin Bagley III with the second pick.
Bagley has shown flashes of being a tremendous NBA talent, perhaps even a future All-Star. But Luka Doncic is on another level. He is a legitimate MVP candidate in just his second season in the league, and there is no real ceiling on his future moving forward. If someone can dominate the league like this as a 20-year-old, what might they be capable of by the time they reach their “prime years”?
If this report is indeed true, it is totally damning. Luka Doncic has helped transform the Mavericks into playoff contenders in the Western Conference. The Kings, meanwhile, are just 15-26 (13th in the West), and Bagley has struggled to stay healthy over the course of his first two seasons, playing just 11 games so far this year. In other words, Divac has arguably set the Kings back years.
But Divac's pettiness is hardly the only flaw that should lead to his dismissal. There is more to this story than Luka Doncic.
The coaching change
By all accounts, the Kings were actually a fun team last season, and didn't even need Luka Doncic to do that. They won 39 games under head coach Dave Joerger, with point guard De'Aaron Fox looking like a star and Bagley coming into his own in his rookie season. Sacramento looked like a team capable of challenging for playoff spots in future seasons.
Then, Divac fired Joerger, citing a need for his next coach to relate to the younger players and get the best out of the talent on the roster.
Divac decided to hire Luke Walton, who had an unsuccessful tenure as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and would soon become wrapped up in a sexual assault lawsuit.
The results have not been desirable. (They sure could use Luka Doncic.) Not only have the Kings taken a step back, but youngsters like Buddy Hield have even lashed out at the coaching staff and spoke of “trust issues” in the locker room.
Joerger had led the Kings to their highest win total in 13 years last season. And yet, Divac decided to fire him and replace him with Walton, who did not have any track record of success as a head coach in the NBA.
Sacramento desperately need to move on from Divac. He has created a power vacuum and is routinely hurting the Kings with his ego and personnel decisions. Time for it to end… mostly because he didn't pick Luka Doncic, but for other reasons as well.
Follow Us
Subscribe