At the end of “Succession” season two, the Roy family needed a blood sacrifice. Not literally, but they need someone to take the fall for various cruise mishaps. They throw names around, Tom? Gregg? Tom and Gregg? Geri? In the end, Kendall intends to take the fall. The Sacramento Kings front office went through a similar process (most likely) in the 12 hours after losing to the Detroit Pistons.

The head coach Mike Brown was the one who took the fall.

The Sacramento Kings are not a serious organization. A serious organization would have entered the regular season with more than one small forward. A serious organization wouldn’t drag out a contract extension with a coach who was a unanimous coach of the year less than 18 months prior. Serious organizations do not fire said coach after 31 games after extending him through 2027. However, this is the Kings, welcome to basketball hell.

At the time of writing, the Kings stand 12th in the Western Conference. They’ve lost six straight…five of those being at home. De’Aaron Fox didn’t request a trade but made it known they need to be better or he will request a trade. The Spurs are interested.

There is no evidence that the addition of DeMar DeRozan has worked. I thought the move would work.

What is wrong with the Kings goes beyond one person. Despite this, more heads will roll, and players should get traded.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 13: Mike Brown, head coach of the Sacramento Kings, looks on during the game against the Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center on November 13, 2022 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

It’s worth taking a look at how the Kings got here. As a Kings fan pain will always happen, but I’m a solution-based writer and will offer a solution to the Kings’ issues.

Kings Put the “Off” in Offseason

At the time, taking Devin Carter, a point guard, in the first round was an odd choice for the Kings. However, the pick was graded highly. The problem was he had an injured shoulder and needed surgery. The bigger problem than the injured shoulder is that he’s been out the whole season so far. It’s not great optics when you’re not doing well and your first-round pick is in street clothes.

As mentioned earlier, DeMar DeRozan hasn’t worked. His style has contrasted with what the Kings want to do. DeRozan isn’t a player who should be playing with a team that wants to play with pace and off-ball movement.

The fact that they didn’t make any other substantive additions to the roster doesn’t help.

The inaction in the offseason cost the Kings and it cost Mike Brown. The front office has failed to improve the team since 2022-2023.

Mike Brown and His Coaching Issues

Do you have to preach pace when you have an iso-centric 35-year-old starting shooting guard who doesn’t play defense?

At a press conference when you openly admit your players didn’t listen to you and you’re on a 5-game home losing streak, uh oh. Mike Brown is a part of the problem, not the problem. The worst part about Mike Brown getting fired is what he’s done for the franchise. He led them to the playoffs for the first time since I was six.

Mike Brown installed a great culture with the Kings, and he didn’t decide who was on the team and who wasn’t. The Sacramento Kings are a perpetually cursed franchise. The great players aren’t great enough, and the great coaches fall because of someone else.

Mike Brown deserves another shot at coaching but something had to happen.

De’Aaron Fox Needs a Change

There is no denying that De’Aaron Fox is talented. He is the Kings’ best player and should be the franchise’s leader. He isn’t. Fox went on Draymond Green’s podcast amid the recent losing streak. Fox commented on how the team needs to improve and that he does too. He reiterated his love for the city and how he wanted to retire as a Sacramento King.

Literally days later an article ran on The Athletic detailing how Fox’s agent, Rich Paul was in Sacramento to discuss the Kings’ moves to improve the team. 

Only a Sacramento Kings player could have his podcast comments and agent back channel to get moves done, and then foul a three-point shooter up three with seconds remaining. The shot went in and the Kings lost to the Detroit Pistons by one point to end their five-game homestead 0-5.

After the game Fox didn’t take responsibility for making a dumb foul and doing something that everyone who’s ever played basketball knows not to do.

De’Aaron Fox might just need a change of scenery. His contract expires after the end of next season. The Kings are closer to Cooper Flagg than they are to Larry O’Brien. There’s no evidence that the front office can successfully navigate a Fox trade. There are certainly specific players on specific teams I would target, but that’s another article entirely.

Solution for the Kings

There are several paths this Kings team can take and none of them will be taken because they’re sensible options and they’re the Kings. Here’s my plan.

First and foremost, give Doug Christie (Interim Coach) the entire season and see what he can do. Don’t hire another head coach this season.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 07: Sacramento Kings assistant coach Doug Christie looks on during warm-up before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center on January 07, 2023 in Sacramento, California. t. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Second, fire the people in charge of running the team. Monte McNair and Wes Wilcox both should be out because of their inability to swing a deal or change the makeup of the roster after making the playoffs.

The Kings should not give up future assets such as draft capital or young players when they’re not close to contending. This is likely what the front office could do if they feel they’re in trouble and need to take a big swing to save the jobs. A dangerous position to be in.

Third, hire someone to maximize Fox’s value as a trade asset. The incoming front office needs to know how to wheel and deal. If you can get the most from a Fox trade your future will be set. You can also just run the whole tanking thing back. The Kings have other players who might not want to be in a “soft rebuild,” but that’s fine trade them too.

Conclusion

Welcome to basketball hell. Here there is only one tenet, the Sacramento Kings. Some teams rent, but only the Kings are permanent residents. Is there any way to escape this hell? Maybe the owner sells the team, but that’s about as unrealistic as LeBron demanding a trade to the Kings…tomorrow.

So here I am as a Kings fan, with the only hope being the bald man coaching the team who uppercut Rich Fox all those years ago. And isn’t that the real problem, that I have some sense of hope that Doug Christie could be our Pep Guardiola and lead us to multiple Champions League finals and play beautiful soccer? Well, you know what I mean.

Being a Kings fan is hard, but at least they’re still in Sacramento, and if they suck again, their ticket prices will drop.

If you enjoyed “The Sacramento Kings are Back in Basketball Hell” then check out Belly Up Sports!

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Featured Image: Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

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Nik Gable

I love writing about soccer, basketball, and just about anything else! Huge Sacramento Kings fan! Light the beam!

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