George Karl to give Rudy Gay more time at power forward
One of the most interesting and exciting things about the back end of the NBA season will be seeing what kind of tinkering and experimentation new Sacramento Kings head coach George Karl will break out during his 30-game trial run.
Karl has always been known for his offensive ingenuity, and, particularly with his most recent Denver Nuggets teams, playing at a blistering pace.
The latter point is likely a big part of the reason he drew interest from the Kings front office, which has long been touting pace as a new direction for the franchise.
After the Kings' first post-All-Star break practice on Wednesday, Karl offered up a nugget that suggests he might be nudging them in the same direction.
Karl says he will play Rudy Gay at power forward more over the next 30 games
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) February 19, 2015
The Kings, who already play at the league's seventh-fastest pace, could get up and down the court even quicker with Rudy Gay slotting in more consistently alongside DeMarcus Cousins, who runs the floor well for a big man.
Gay later clarified that Karl doesn't want to use him exclusively at power forward, saying, "He wants Rudy Gay to play the 4, he doesn't want Rudy Gay to be a 4."
Karl also stressed that playing faster tends to put more onus on the players.
"A game that’s played fast is a player game," he said, "it’s for the players to make decisions, find the shots and find the choices."