George Karl is 'serious' candidate to become Kings coach, according to report

The former Nuggets head man also did little to hide his interest in the opening after Sacramento fired Michael Malone.

George Karl appears to be the top candidate to take over the Sacramento Kings' coaching job should the team decide to replace interim Ty Corbin, according to ESPN's Marc Stein. Karl did little to hide his desire for the position, telling Sirius XM radio that "if they are interested in me, I'm interested in them."

The former Denver Nuggets coach has been working as an ESPN analyst since being fired after guiding Denver to a 57-25 record in the 2012-13 season. Karl wanted the Nuggets to extend his contract, but management was unwilling to do so, leading to a split. Karl is close with Kings general manager Pete D'Alessando, who was the assistant GM while Karl was in Denver. He is actively seeking to return to the NBA so he can break Don Nelson's record for coaching victories, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Kings are expected to let Corbin have a chance to win the job outright after firing Michael Malone on Sunday, but it is widely expected that the team will pursue a bigger name. While Corbin will be the man in charge, there's a sense that Kings management will attempt to influence his decisions to suit their desire for an up-tempo team. Owner Vivek Ranadive is expected to push for radical strategies like playing 4-on-5 on defense, according to Wojnarowski.

Other names that have surfaced for the job include former Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro and current Warriors assistant Alvin Gentry, who reportedly turned down the chance to be Malone's lead assistant over the summer. The job eventually went to Corbin.

Per one insider, the Kings head coach job is George Karl's to lose/turn down. Alvin Gentry and Mark Jackson also prime targets.

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) December 15, 2014

Some NBA execs curious about Chris Mullin's desire to coach Kings: "All he has to decide is that's what he wants and job is his," a GM says.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 15, 2014

Another long-term candidate to monitor for the Sacramento Kings coaching job, league sources tell Yahoo Sports: Vinny Del Negro.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 15, 2014