Karl: Kings never made me feel supported

The ugly marriage between George Karl and the Sacramento Kings lasted less than two full seasons, and though he acknowledges the Kings "did what had to be done," Karl still fosters some resentment about the way he was treated during his tenure with the team.

"I'm old school enough to think that a coach has to feel powerful, has to feel supported, and I never felt that level of support," he told Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee.

Karl also owned up to his role in his demise, specifically his failure to get on the same page with All-Star center and franchise cornerstone DeMarcus Cousins. The relationship never seemed to have much hope - Cousins and his camp lobbied against Karl before he was even hired - but Karl exacerbated the situation by saying some things he admits he shouldn't have.

Related: Kings had to choose between DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl

"I never felt I got into a good place with Cuz, and some of that was my stupidity when I said that no player is untradeable," Karl said. "I still believe that. But I should have been smart enough not to say it, and I in no way, at any time, thought DeMarcus was going to get traded."

There were reports that suggested otherwise, with sources saying Karl surreptitiously attempted to get Cousins traded. Whatever the truth of that, things only got messier from there, as Cousins famously hinted that Karl was a snake in the grass.

Kings vice president and general manager Vlade Divac tried to play peacemaker. He invited the two to a private counseling session, and soon afterward they claimed to have smoothed things over.

Then Cousins blew up at Karl after a loss just two weeks into the season. Karl wanted him suspended, but Divac wouldn't do it, and neither Karl's relationship with Cousins nor with the Kings front office ever quite recovered.

"That night the bomb went off," Karl said. "Vlade was right there. When they supported Cousins instead of me, I felt, 'OK, I'm in the compromise position. Cuz has the power.' They sent that message many times, too many times sent it to the players. And the players wanted someone to stand up to Cuz, and they wanted it to be their coach. But at that point, I realized that you either compromise or you blow it up, and my job was to make us a better basketball team and get to the end of the year."

Now, even with Karl out of the picture and a far-reaching search for a new coach underway, the Kings are reportedly considering to make their volatile superstar available in a trade. With the benefit of some distance, Karl has a few words of advice for the organization that's now gone a full decade without making the postseason.

"Whether or not they trade Cuz, they have to empower their coach," he said. "They have to let him coach. It takes a few years to build a program. It becomes a culture, an energy force. (Owner) Vivek (Ranadive) wanted magic to happen, but in the NBA magic happens once in a while, and usually is associated with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan. I think you can win with (Cousins), but my thing is, how long is it going to take to get there? Then, how long before you become a winning team? I think there are faster ways to go."