The Kings continue to flounder, but there's no accountability.
The Sacramento Kings extended their losing streak to an eighth game on Friday, losing behing yet another lackluster effort from the team. DeMarcus Cousins, er, excuse me, All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, played well. So did Rudy Gay. But once again, they lacked the support they needed. The second unit was once again an embarrassment. In fact, the whole team is an embarrassment. So where is the accountability?
Before the season, Vivek Ranadivé told the Sacramento Bee:
"[T]his year, let's be clear, it is about wins and losses."
Well, the Kings started winning, and then the Kings fired Michael Malone. In the wake of the firing, we were told that the firing wasn't about wins and losses, but about style. Nonetheless, Vivek gave his vote of confidence to Tyrone Corbin.
#Kings Ranadive Says he expects Kings to reach playoffs with more wins under Corbin then they would have had under Malone.
— stevelarge_cbs13 (@largesteven) December 17, 2014Well, that's clearly not happening. The Kings were 11-13 under Malone, despite DeMarcus Cousins missing an extended stretch with viral meningitis. Under Corbin, the Kings have gone 5-15.
Simply put, if we assume good intentions, if we assume Vivek was not blatantly lying, then he was simply incorrect about Corbin. Otherwise, the lie was that wins and losses mattered this season. I can handle someone being wrong. I can handle a mistake. It was a mistake to fire Malone. It was a mistake to think Corbin could lead this team for the remainder of this season.
Mistakes are ok. What matters is how you respond to your mistakes. This season can still be about wins and losses. It should be about wins and losses. But more importantly, it now needs to be about the team regaining credibility with the fans and the players. Show the fans and the players that you still care about this season. Because there is no way Corbin can finish the season as the head coach of the Kings.
The Kings organization needs to demonstrate some accountability. Show the players they have a reason to give a damn. Show the fans they should still buy tickets. Show us that we should still care about this team.