George Karl (Photo : Reuters)
For the third time this season, the Sacramento Kings are still on the loose finding their comfort nest to win games in the NBA, and now, they are trusting that elusive dream to George Karl.
After a decorated career in Denver, where he brought the team to 1,100 wins, a coach of the year and a trip to the finals, Karl is finally returning to the NBA not for the Denver Nuggets, but as a head coach for the Sacramento Kings, ESPN reported.
According to the NBA, Karl said, "I've missed the gym and I love the game, I wanted one more shot to win a championship."
Karl's position will quite put him the challenge as the Kings had never played in the playoffs and as the third coach, replacing Tyrone Corbin and prior to that, Michael Malone, a far cry from what he left as a legacy to the Denver Nuggets.
The Kings' general manager Pete DeAlessandro decided to ask Karl, even after he promised Corbin that he will finish the rest of the season. Michael Malone was replaced by Corbin after a record of 11-13 this season, however, in a turn of events, and under Corbin's watch, the Sacramento Kings even buried themselves more after a record of 7-12.
DeAlessandro said, "You get to a point where you say, I know who I want to coach the team and he's available. Sometimes, you have to acknowledge that what we have done is wrong."
Karl is not innocent on the Kings' struggles' as he closely monitored them while he was still an analyst at ESPN. He believes that the team has a lot more to offer and he will work on developing the Kings' last 30 games. "I think there's enough talent in this team to win games, enough talent to comeback and connect with one another in a way that you can be a solid to good basketball team night in and night out," he said.
