George Karl admits tension between him and Kings stars
Possessing a talented-yet-volatile roster, ex-Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl struggled during his year-and-a-half with the ball club, posting back-to-back lottery finishes that ultimately led to his demise.
Karl now admits a lack of chemistry played a large factor in the Kings' failure, with apprehension between players and coaches creating a poor locker-room dynamic.
"There’s no question our locker room had tension," Karl told Michelle Dapper of KCRA. "There’s no question that our locker room had, whatever you want to call it - disconnect. How I tried to solve it or how we tried to solve it - to be honest with you, I think it’s more on the players as much as it is on the coaches."
Related: Karl says Kings never made him feel supported
Karl hasn't shied away from expressing his feelings toward the Kings following his dismissal last month, calling out the team for a lack of support during his short-lived tenure. While Karl has been highly critical of the Kings' management, he's also aware of his own shortcomings, admitting that his relationships with Sacramento's top players were far from ideal.
"The stars of the team, I think got to take more responsibility sometimes for the leadership of your team," Karl told James Ham of CSN Bay Area. "I think that’s probably where it broke down. I think the coach - me, and I think (Rajon) Rondo, Rudy (Gay) and Cuz (Cousins) were the three guys that we never kinda got together."
The rocky relationship between Karl and Cousins in particular became a hot topic early on, with the partnership looking destined for failure last summer after reports surfaced that Karl attempted to have the big man traded.
When asked about the potential of a Cousins trade this offseason, Karl did not mince words, suggesting that it may be a blessing in disguise for whomever takes over as head coach.
“I can’t deny that ‘what if coaching this team without DeMarcus?’ It’d be exciting,” Karl said. “Some roadblocks would be taken away.”