Sacramento continues to be a basketball soap opera and management for the Kings floated a cast change this week following a 2-7 start.
The chief combatants appear to be coach George Karl and center DeMarcus Cousins. They’ve been at odds since Karl was hired and emotions boiled over again Monday.
Following a loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Cousins lashed out at Karl in what was described to the Sacramento Bee as a temper tantrum.
“It is no secret that we are all frustrated with losing — me more than anyone,” Cousins said in a statement Wednesday. “I let my frustrations get the best of me in the locker room after the San Antonio loss — that is my bad. For the record, my frustration is not about any one person or player or coach. There is no one person to blame. All of us are accountable. My frustration is that we are 1-7, simple as that.”
Cousins scored a game-high 33 points Wednesday to help the Kings beat Detroit.
The day before, the team held a meeting to discuss how it fell into a six-game losing streak.
Kings general manager Vlade Divac was asked about a report that he polled players about firing Karl, and told the Bee “There’s just a lot of B.S. out there. I’d rather not comment.”
Karl is the fourth coach in three seasons and third in 11 months under current ownership. He said Wednesday that it’s unfathomable he could be out before even 10 games were played as the coach of a team with 10 new faces.
“You’re trying to build a culture and an energy that’s different. You think it’s going to happen in seven games? Do you really think it’s going to happen in seven games?,” Karl asked.