Sacramento Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro reportedly is pushing the team to hire ex-Denver Nuggets coach George Karl. Two other reports confirmed Karl and the Kings are in serious talks, with one of the reports claiming Karl could be hired as soon as Tuesday to replace interim coach Tyrone Corbin.
Karl's name was one of the first mentioned as a possible replacement for Mike Malone, whom the team fired in December. Now, according to multiple reports, Karl is the clear frontrunner and the coach Sacramento wants - thanks in part to the insistence of D'Allesandro.
"Sources: Sacramento, George Karl talks have been twisting road, but GM Pete D'Alessandro's determination to reach deal is keeping it alive," Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted Sunday.
D'Allesandro would need the approval of second-year owner Vivek Ranadiv to hire Karl, whom D'Alessandro and Kings adviser Chris Mullin both know well. When it comes to convincing Ranadiv, the biggest plus for Karl is Ranadiv supposedly wants a fast, up-tempo kind of offense like the one Karl ran in Denver.
Contrary to previous reports, the Kings could make a coaching change this season due to the team's further regression under Corbin. Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee reported on Saturday Karl and the Kings were "engaged in intense conversations," with the biggest sticking point being the pricey $4 million per year salary Karl would likely command.
While signs do point to Karl as being the frontrunner, time could be of the essence. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reported if any deal were to happen, it would have to happen by Tuesday.
"Source: Either George Karl is the Kings coach on Tuesday, or probably never," Bonnell tweeted Monday morning.
Other candidates reportedly include ex-head coach Mark Jackson and NBA assistants Alvin Gentry and Nate McMillan.
