After weeks of speculation, the Sacramento Kings announced Thursday that ex-Denver Nuggets coach George Karl would be hired to replace Corbin after the All-Star weekend. Van Gundy didn't take issue with Sacramento hiring Karl, but he did take issue with the way the Kings' front office went about it.
"I think it's an unfortunate situation the way it's been handled," Van Gundy told reporters on Wednesday, via ESPN. "I think Tyrone Corbin has been treated very, very poorly by their organization. I think the way they've treated him is unfortunate and inexcusable for one of the real class acts in our business. To have a very public coaching, not search, courting going on and while you're asking him to coach games, I think he's handled it with a great deal of class. ...
"(You) give Tyrone the job and if you want to make a change, even if people don't like it, obviously as an owner you have a right to make a change, and that's up to you. But you don't need to do it the way they're doing it now. That thing's been in the news for two weeks now, and Tyrone's coaching and they obviously don't have any problem treating him like that.
"I have a hard time understanding that one, I really do. Tyrone Corbin is a class act. He was a class act as a player. He's a class act as a coach and he's being treated very, very poorly."
Corbin became Sacramento's interim coach after Mike Malone, whose father is an assistant on Van Gundy's staff, was fired in December. Almost immediately Karl's name came up as a possible replacement, and negotiations between Karl and the Kings picked up earlier in the week before being worked out Thursday.
Kings general manager Pete D'Alessandro praised Corbin for the job he had done and said Corbin would remain with the team in an advisory role, according to the team's official website. Karl, who's only agreed in principal to the take over the Kings, is expected to make his coaching debut on Feb. 20 against the Boston Celtics.
