Ben McLemore (Photo : Ezra Shaw | Getty Images Sport)
The turmoil in Sacramento has distracted most of the NBA from criticizing Byron Scott.
The Lakers continue to lose, including a heartbreaker against the Orlando Magic on a beater by Nicola Vucevic. In contrast, the Kings have recovered with a win over the surging Detroit Pistons.
Yet, the talk is all about George Karl and his coaching decisions. One of the more criticized decisions that the former NBA Finals coach received is his benching of Ben McLemore.
According to ESPN, McLemore only played three minutes in their game against Detroit, and only 13 minutes against the Spurs in that fateful Monday night game.
McLemore was anticipated to have a breakout season this year but that would not happen under Coach George Karl, as he seems to have placed him in the "doghouse."
Since the Kings need more consistent veterans, a possible trade with fellow shooting guard Kevin Martin was proposed in Real GM. Martin, was also recently relegated to the bench in favor of the Minnesota Timberwolves' Zach Lavine development program.
Hoops Habit is questioning the value of Martin in a team like Minnesota, which clearly has their sights set on developing their current players and becoming a contender in the future.
"By getting rid of Martin, it would give LaVine the back-up shooting guard spot, allowing him to grow in his natural position. The Timberwolves hope that he can eventually become the starter, but Martin might be stunting LaVine's growth to a degree in the current arrangement."
For McLemore, it was not very clear why Karl decided to place James Anderson ahead of him at the shooting guard rotation. Even with the injury to Darren Collison, McLemore's minutes did not increase-it's the contrary, actually. Thus, it seemed like Karl really does not trust him.
Both players could benefit from a change of scenery. The Kings may have to add second draft picks for the deal to work financially, though.
