Kings' Vlade Divac on George Karl: 'He has to trust me to do my job'
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Five months into his tenure as head coach, and George Karl has already butted heads with management.
In addressing the media during the draft Thursday, Sacramento Kings vice president Vlade Divac shed some light on the disagreement within his organization:
“I want to be in charge of everything and if we make mistake, I know I made mistake, nobody else.” -Divac
— James Ham (@James_Ham) June 26, 2015
“I respect my coach and I think he’s great, but he has to trust me to do my job.” - Divac on Karl
— James Ham (@James_Ham) June 26, 2015
Reports have suggested Karl has been secretly pushing to trade center DeMarcus Cousins, something owner Vivek Ranadive and Divac have publicly opposed.
However, as Divac stated earlier in the week, he still hopes Cousins and Karl can co-exist. With nearly $10 million left on Karl's deal, swapping coaches for the ninth time in a decade would add yet another black mark on the Kings' spotty track record.
Divac also commented on the decision to pick Willie Cauley-Stein with the sixth pick. In doing so, the Kings passed on point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. which Divac explained plainly:
“He refused to come here and workout and I just felt that I didn’t know him enough to make that very important decision.” Divac on Mudiay
— James Ham (@James_Ham) June 26, 2015